It meant using the lift again. It led into a dusty underfloor area, dimly lit by well-spaced, weak bulbs. No one seemed to be around. After the bustle of the other departments it was almost unpleasantly quiet. Even quieter, Masklin thought, than the big fields. After all, they were meant to be quiet. The underfloor spaces should have nomes in.
They all sensed it. They drew closer to one another.
'What dear little lights,' said Grimma, to break the silence. 'Nome-size. All different colours, look. And some of them flash on and off.' 'We steal boxes of 'em every year, around Christmas Fayre,' said Dorcas, without looking around. 'Humans put them on trees.' 'Why?' 'Search me. To see 'em better, I suppose. You can never tell, with humans,' said Dorcas.
'But you know what trees are, then,' said Masklin. 'I didn't think you'd have them in the Store.' 'Of course I know,' said Dorcas. 'Big green things with plastic prickles on. Some of 'em are made of tinsel. You can't move for the damn things every Christmas Fayre, I told you.' 'The ones we have outside are huge,' Masklin ventured. 'And they have these leaves, which fall off every year.' Dorcas gave him an odd look.
'What do you mean, fall off?' he said.
'They just curl up and fall off,' said Masklin. The other nomes nodded. There were a lot of things lately they weren't certain about, but they were experts on what happened to leaves every year.
'And this happens every year?' said Dorcas.
'Oh, yes.' 'Really?' said Dorcas. 'Fascinating. And who sticks them back on?' 'No one,' said Masklin. 'They just turn up again, eventually.' 'All by themselves?' They nodded. When there's one thing you're certain of, you hang on to it. 'They seem to,' said Masklin. 'We've never really found out why. It just happens.' The Store nome scratched his head. Well,! don't know,' he said uncertainly. 'It sounds like very sloppy management to me. Are you sure? 'There were suddenly figures surrounding them. One minute dust heaps, the next minute people. The one right in front of the party had a beard, a patch over one eye, and a knife clutched in his teeth. It somehow made his grin so much worse.