Practical Jokes

Not daring to use a portal (since portals can be redirected if someone expects their appearance) I twisted the handle and pushed open the door, Winston and Meinwen behind me straining to see past. Just in time I looked up and managed to spot the second-oldest practical joke in the book: a bucket of water over the door.

I lifted it down with exceptional care, slicing through the rope with a razor-sharp finger nail. Meinwen looked askance at the bucket. "Is this guy a practical joker?"

"In a manner of speaking." I dipped the very end of a fingernail in and the liquid bubbled and frothed and ate it clean away.

"Acid?"

"Worse," I said. "Holy water. Doesn't harm the innocent but destroys demons"

"He knew you were coming?"

"The racket we've been making he probably knew what we had for breakfast. We haven't been entirely circumspect, have we?"

"I suppose."

Winston looked upward, checking for further diabolical traps. "What's this painted arc?" he said. "It was hidden under the bones but with them gone you can just about make out the brown paint against the wood."

"Not paint," I said. "Blood. A pentacle painted level with the floor. By walking into the attic we'd find ourselves trapped inside a magic circle."

Winston smiled. "It's handy he left us a bucket of water to scrub it off with, then."




*The oldest? "Hey, Able, look! I've got wood!"