Despite the darkness I find my way. Quickly pressing my fingers to the wall to feel the bends and turns, the difference in wallpaper as I got to the study, the frames in the hallway between the study and the dining room, the change to stark cold stone as I descended to the maid quarters.

All of these feelings familiar to me, after 18 years sightless and an unflinchingly rigid father I had to find my own way around, as he would not dare of the social suicide it was to have a daughter with a cane. Despite my new elixir based improvements on my sight, much to Father’s happiness, I still knew this place like the back of my hand.

The clicking creature in the shrouded darkness behind me knew this too. Speeding to run after me. It’s gait sounding that of 40 bulls.

I find the worn part of the railing. Despite the darkness I know exactly where I am. 10 spiral stairs from the bottom. Despite my night gown and slippers I clamber up on it in a mess of limbs. With a quick confident jump I reach the hard bedrock floor of the maid’s quarters. A trick I learned to rebel against my nearly impossible tutor who fretted over my every move. Due to the spiral it looks much higher up than it is, I had horrified my tutor and the many many after. An additional bonus.

The creatures gait got closer and closer. I felt in the dark cobwebbed area under the stairs. Still noting that no one seemed to be populating the entire household. Not a maid, a cook or even a butler.

Despite the class divide I still always had bonded to them so. The maids didn’t care if I was blind or sighted, just as long as I could core apples and skin potatoes.

Finally, feeling the cold stone wall concave inwards , I begin to tug it loose. A fake wall created for easy transition between the maid and servengs quarters. Some of the cooks said it was from a butler and a young maiden wanting to meet in the dead of night. That reason aside. I fall to my back, no longer the springy youth I couldn’t fit with a crouched crawl. So, awkwardly I pushed with my legs, feeling layers of dust coat my back and hair I attempt to move faster.

The creatures nails scratch and scritch its yelp ringing from the stair wells. After reaching the men’s servent quarters I break out into a sprint, I’ve never been in this side of the quarters but my desperation came over my logic. My knees hit into chairs, my shoulders into doorways, I see a slight sliver of light ahead. A window just above some sort of china closet blocking me. Maybe the tears of fear pricking in my eyes incited my will to fight, maybe to prove everyone, my father, wrong. Either way I reach up to the highest shelf I can reach and pull myself up. Only operating on the small sliver of light I hitch up my legs further up. As a deafening animalistic screech rings out I find myself nearly high enough to reach the window.

The creature seems to double its speed. I feel its horse like breath on my back as I try pitifully to reach the windowsill and pull myself up. But when I do I’m gripped by hands that seem human. The rancid smell of elixir hits me again like that night. The hands pull me down, I can no longer decipher reality or what even chased me. As I am flung down the sliver of light goes dark, my hands in front of me do too.