It had been a wisp of smoke beyond the hill
so I kept my eye on that direction for a minute or two and sure
enough the smoke returned,but thicker and more permanent this
time.
I called down to Chris what I was observing and
as I was talking to him I suddenly saw the flames shooting up and
the tree I was in shook like there'd been a explosion or even worse
a earthquake.
Yet strangely I couldn't hear any sounds coming from that direction
as you'd expect from smoke,flames and shaking trees.
Chris called back up
Hey didn't that mousy accountant Sherman Stiff head in that
direction ?
Who sez I
You know
Miss Sherman Stiff
the Spinster who tore a strip off the Pilot before she left
on her own six hours ago.
Oh her
sez I as I recalled the woman Chris was talking about
She was the accountant for the Ladies Boarding and Grooming
School in Melbourne
as well as sole owner of the
Miss Genteel Witch
franchise chain.
Sherman Stiff was certainly no lady
and as I stared at the continuing smoke and flames
Chris and I were going to have to go over the Hill
to see if she were in danger.
So a short while later Chris and I stood at the top of the Hill
and could see down into the scene at the foot of the Hill.
Basically a barn fit for giants lay in a clearing and it was
blazing merrily away.
Though I still couldn't hear any sounds I just knew
Sherman Stiff was in that huge barn and in trouble.
So Chris and I raced down to the barn where to our surprise
although the barn clearly was being destroyed by a fire
the fire had no heat nor were the clouds of smoke
gushing from its giant sized door,giant livestock sized door
and the ventilators along the top of the roof.
Suddenly the swinging livestock doors swung open and a
gust of wind swept me and Chris inside the interior of the
barn then the doors behind us swung closed again with a crash.
The inside of the giant barn was noisy.Over the crackling roaring
flames
which suddenly had heat and a acrid smell I could
hear Sherman Stiff screaming for someone to
cut her ropes.
That puzzled me but Chris and I headed in the direction of her
strangely loud,deep and somewhat beastial voice.
till we came to the giant livetock stall where her voice was coming from.
And there she stood
a giant centauress,struggling to break the rope.....