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Melody’s nificent foyer was a mess of debris The staircase looked absolutely treacherous; aside froed holes in the stair risers, half the banister wasMelody walked the first floor, roo in a dream Only it wasn’t a dream, it was reality, and the reality was exactly as Lucus had predicted it would be

So happened to this place

Whatever it was, it was happening now

Soain, and it can never be stopped…

Melody spun around, taking it all in The inside of the h one of the s, she could see the sun had already gone down

“That’s impossible,” she said aloud “It’s not even noon yet!

Half the ere broken The air had taken on a humidity that made the place smell like rot Everywhere she looked she saollen wood Disjointed paneling Wallpaper peeling away in long curls, from the darkened, moldy walls

Voices floated in, fro in low tones, speaking words she couldn’t make out Melody willed her feet to move in that direction Cautiously she went to the what to expect

The dining hall

She peeked inside, afraid to go in Supper was being served again, as it always had been And just like the rest of the house, everything had changed…

The one completely white He looked positively venerable His back was bent, his face contorted with pain He presided over an empty table, with virtually no food at all

The Colonel was gone His seat sat empty In his place, his hat rested on the table in his honor, right where his plate would be

Anabelle and Emily’s seats were of course vacant, as was the old woe was in the banker Thin wisps of hair were combed over his flaky scalp, and beneath that, two dark, sunken eyes All of his excess weight was gone His body now appeared so thin and wasted, his suit hung off him like it was draped over a skeleton

What little dishes there were appeared pale and wilted So boy Melody had spoken to only two nights ago was now full-grownat a small plate of shriveled potatoes None of them spoke They barely even looked at each other