“What good will that do?”

“I don’t know: but Grimnir may not notice us, or the dog may attack him, or… oh, anything’s better than this!”

“Is it big enough?”

“It goes up to the ceiling.”

“Right: get in.”

Susan stepped inside and held the door open for Colin as he backed towards it. The hound was biting at the chair legs and trying to paw them down. Wood crunched and splinters flew, and the chair drooped in Colin’s hands, but he was there. He hurled the chair at the snarling head, and fell backwards into the cupboard. Susan had a vision of a red tongue lolling out of a gaping mouth, and of fangs flashing white, inches from her face, before she slammed the door; and at the same moment, she heard the kitchen door being flung open. Then she fainted.

Or, at least, she thought she had fainted. Her stomach turned over, her head reeled, and she seemed to be falling into the bottomless dark. But had she fainted? Colin bumped against her in struggling to right himself: she could feel that. And the back of the cupboard was pressing into her. She pinched herself. No, she had not fainted.

Colin and Susan stood rigidly side by side, nerving themselves for the moment when the door would be opened. But the room seemed unnaturally still not a sound could they hear.

“What’s up?” whispered Colin. “It’s too quiet out there.”

“Shh!”

“I can’t see a keyhole anywhere, can you? There should be one somewhere.” He bent forward to feel.

“Ouch! ! ”

Colin let out a yell of surprise and pain, and this time Susan nearly did faint.

“Sue! There’s no door!”

“Wh-what?”

“No door! It’s something that feels like smooth rock going past very quickly, and!”ve skinned my hand on it. That’s why my ears have been popping! Were in a lift!”

Even as he spoke, the floor seemed to press against their feet, and a chill, damp, air blew upon their faces, and they were aware of a silence so profound that they could hear their hearts beating.