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Narration: Arch looked at the little crew. Everyone seemed unnaturally quiet. Maybe they were reliving the memories and emotions Bob dredged up, or maybe they were just exhausted. Although they were part of a group, everyone seemed to be separate and alone.
We have to crawl to get in, but once we get inside the place is pretty big, she said. Are we all ready?
[Continued from Fairytale Land and Beyond on Old Twilight Valley]
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"Yeah, lets go." Al-Adin marches along, his eyes still wary.
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Derek just nods and goes along, trying to get himself refocused on the task at hand, the reason they had come here in the first place.
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Arch goes to the open door, gets down on hands and knees and crawls in. The tunnel is plenty wide, just not so tall. Good thing I'm not claustrophobic, she thinks.
The tunnel goes gently down, about the equivalent of 20 stairsteps, and then opens to a surprisingly large round room. There are rounded bookshelves covering every available surface, and most of the bookshelves are filled with the collecting bottles Bob uses. Although the bottles are identical, the contents clearly aren't.
Some look like they're filled with- eww- actual blood. Others hold hanks of hair, small toys, and pickled-looking small animals. Not all the bottles are disturbing, though. The crew can see several beautifully glowing decanters, and others that seem to almost vibrate with a kind of happy, frenetic energy.
In the center of the round room is an enormous polished oak spiral staircase that goes up and up and up.
Bob is busily putting away bottles, humming to himself. Ye'll remember the mirrors'r up the stairs, he says to Arch, looking up. Don't touch any of 'em till yers are ready to go. And DO come again soon, all of yers. 'Specially you, Pussycat! He leers at Arch.
Arch rolls her eyes. Sure, thanks Bob, she says sarcastically. Wouldn't want to miss out on your fine hospitality, would we, guys?
She begins the climb up the spiral staircase and addresses the others. Look, but don't touch! As the group begins the ascent and leaves the bookcase basement level, they see literally hundreds of mirrors of all sizes lining the walls.
These are unusual mirrors, however. Instead of reflecting what is looking into them, they are more like windows into many different places. Arch recognizes the Sacramento Public Library's old downtown branch- that window-mirror looks into the women's bathroom. There are also a great many bedrooms seen. In short, it's a Peeping Tom's paradise.
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Beton Rue continued to remain silent. She still didn't trust herself to speak just yet.
She readjusted her shawl. It had pockets of a kind and she crossed her arms and worked her hands into them. The hooks snagged sometimes but Betony was practiced at it. Since she didn't know the room they wanted to go, she had no intention of touching a mirror. It was a fear that there might be wyrd compulsions to do so in this place.
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Derek looks around at the various mirrors and wonders if all these exit in Sacramento, or if some range much further.
He leans close to Al-Adin and whispers. "Do any of these look like the one, my friend? And are you alright? You... haven't seemed yourself since we came into the Hedge."
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Narration: In the many mirror-windows seen, quite a few look like children's bedrooms with fanciful decorating schemes. There are fairy princess bedrooms, Hannah Montana bedrooms, cowboy bedrooms, Spiderman bedrooms, Dora the Explorer bedrooms, and High School Musical bedrooms, among many others.
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Grrface looks around, uncomfortable to see so many avenues into the private places where children live. Bob's sure running one hell of a business around here, isn't he?
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