Tunnels

Will stiffened abruptly and, lifting his head back, sniffed again — looking not unlike the eyeless rat on the cogwheel.

'What's up?' Chester asked with trepidation. 'Not more trouble?'

'No, just thought… I smelled something. It was kind of like… ammonia… something sharp. Didn't you notice it?'

'No.' Chester sniffed several times. 'I hope it's not poisonous.'

'Well, it's gone now, whatever it was. And we're fine, aren't we?'

'Suppose so. But do you think anyone really lives here?' Chester replied as he looked up at the windows of the buildings. They turned their attention to the nearest houses, silent and ominous, as if daring them to approach.

'I don't know.'

'Well, what's it all doing here, then?'

'Only one way to find out,' Will said as they crept gingerly toward the house. It was simple and elegant, constructed of sandstone masonry, almost Georgian in style. They could just make out heavily embroidered curtains behind the twelve-paned windows on either side of the front door, which was painted with thick green gloss and had on it a door knocker and bell push of deeply burnished brass.

'One sixty-seven,' Will said in wonder as he spotted the digits above the knocker.

'What is this place?' Chester was whispering as Will caught a faint flicker of light in a chink between the curtains. It shimmered, as if it came from a fire.

'Shhh!' he said as he crept over and crouched down below the window, then slowly rose above the sill and peered with one eye through the small gap. His mouth gaped open in silent awe. He could see a fire burning in a hearth. Above this was a dark mantelpiece on which there were various glass ornaments. And as the light from the fire danced around the room, he could just make out some chairs and a sofa, and the walls, which were covered in framed pictures of varying sizes.

'Come on, what's there?' Chester said nervously, continually looking back at the empty street as Will squashed his face against the dirty pane of glass.

'You won't believe this!' Will replied, moving aside to let his friend see for himself. Chester eagerly pressed his nose against the window.

'Wow! It's a real room!' he said, turning to look at Will, only to find him already on the move, working his way along the front of the house. He stopped as he reached the corner of the building.

'Hey! Wait for me,' Chester hissed, terrified he was going to be left behind.

Between this building and the next one in the row, a short alley ran straight back to the tunnel wall. Will poked his head around the corner and, once he was satisfied it was clear, beckoned to Chester that they should move on to the next house.

'This one's number is 166,' Will said as he examined its front door, which was almost identical to the one on the first house. He tiptoed to the window but was unable to see anything at all through the dark panes.

'What's there?' Chester asked.

Will held a finger to his lips, then retraced his steps back to the front door. Looking at it closely, a thought occurred to him and his eyes narrowed. Recognizing the look, Chester reached out to try to stop him, spluttering, 'Will, no!'

But it was too late. Will had barely touched the door when it swung inward. They exchanged glances and then both inched slowly inside, twinges of excitement and fear simultaneously surging through them.

The hallway was spacious and warm, and they both became aware of a potpourri of smells — cooking, fire smoke — and of human habitation. It was laid out just like any normal house; wide stairs started halfway down the corridor, with brass carpet rails at the base of each riser. Waxed wood paneling ran up to a handrail, above which was wallpaper of light and dark green stripes. Portraits in ornate, dull-gold-colored frames hung on the walls, depicting sturdy-looking people with huge shoulders and pale faces. Chester was peering at one of these when a terrible thought struck him.

'They look just like the men who chased us,' he said. 'Oh, great, we're in a house that belongs to one of those nutters, aren't we? This is a freaking nuttytown!' he added as the awful realization hit him.

'Listen!' Will hissed. Chester stood riveted to the spot as Will cocked an ear in the direction of the stairs, but there was nothing, only an oppressive silence.

'I thought I heard… no…,' he said and moved toward the open doorway to their left, then looked cautiously around the corner. 'This is awesome!' He couldn't help himself — he had to go in. And by this time, Chester was also being swept along by the need to know more.

A cheery fire crackled in the hearth. Around the walls were small pictures and silhouettes in brass and gilt frames. One in particular caught Will's eye: The Martineau House, he read on the inscription below. It was a small oil painting of what appeared to be a stately home surrounded by rolling grasslands.

By the fireplace were chairs upholstered in a dark red material with a dull sheen. There was a dining table in one corner and in another a musical instrument that Will recognized as a harpsichord. In addition to the light from the fire the room was lit by two tennis-ball size spheres suspended from the ceiling in ornate pinchbeck cages. The whole thing brought to Will's mind a museum his father had taken him to with a display called 'How We Used To Live.' As he looked around, he reflected that this room wouldn't have been out of place there.

Chester sidled up to the dining room table, where two plain white bone-china cups sat in their saucers.

'There's something in these,' he said with an expression of sheer surprise. 'Looks like tea!'

He hesitantly touched the side of one of the cups and looked up at Will, even more startled.

'It's still warm. What's going on here? Where are all the people?'

'Don't know,' Will replied. 'It's like… like…'

They looked at each other with dumbfounded expressions.

'I honestly don't know what it's like,' Will admitted.

'Let's just get out of here,' Chester said, and they both bolted for the door. As they reached the sidewalk again, Chester collided with Will as he stopped dead.

'What are we running for?' Will asked.

'Uh… The… Well…,' Chester blathered in confusion as he struggled to put his concerns into words. For a moment they lingered indecisively under the sublime radiance of a streetlight. Then Chester noticed with dismay that Will was staring intently at the road as it curved into the distance. 'Come on, Will. Let's just go home.' Chester shivered as he glanced back at the house and up at the windows, certain someone was there. 'This place gives me the creeps.'

'No, Will replied, not even looking at his friend. 'Let's follow the road for a bit. See where it goes. Then we can leave. I promise — all right?' he said, already striding off.

Chester stood his ground for a moment, looking longingly across the road at the metal doorway through which they had first come. Then, with a groan of resignation, he followed Will along the line of houses. Many had lights in their windows, but as far as they could tell there were no signs of any occupants.

As they came to the last house in the row, where the road curved off to the left, Will paused for a moment, deliberating whether to go on or call it a day. His voice squeaking with desperation, Chester started pleading that enough was enough and that they should turn back when they became aware of a sound behind them. It began like the rustling of leaves but quickly grew in intensity to a dry, rippling cacophony.

'What the—' Will exclaimed.

Shooting down from the roof, a flock of birds he size of sparrows dived down toward them like living tracer bullets. Will and Chester instinctively ducked, raising their arms to shield their faces as the pure white birds whirled around them in synchronized agitation.

Will began to laugh. 'Birds! It's only birds!' he said, swatting at the mischievous flock but never making contact. Chester lowered his arms and began to laugh, too, a little nervously, as the birds darted between them. Then, as quickly as they'd appeared, the birds swept upward and vanished around the bend in the tunnel. Will straightened up and staggered a few steps after them, then froze.

'Shops!' he announced with a startled voice.

'Huh?' Chester said.

Sure enough, down one side of the street stretched a parade of bowfronted shops. Without speaking, they both began to walk toward them.