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to Date Adam Sass |
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Download story in rtf format SIRS: I am writing to inform you of progress to date in the acquisition of the property. I must tell you that I have not found the prop-erty to be in the condition originally described. Upon arriving I found the door wanting a knob and a bell, and the caretaker who answered my knock wanting a tongue, for he never spoke, only pointed up the stairs. The stairs themselves appeared to be in an unfinished state. Due inspection suggested that they had been recently molded from clay, as they were still damp to the touch. Upon con- |
cluding my appraisal of the stairs I noted two animals, which I took to be otters, sliding down them from above, shrieking riotously as they came. The rogues nearly bowled me over before slipping between my legs and disappearing out the front door (the caretaker having left it ajar). As it was I found myself spattered with clay, pond weed, and fish scales; the laundress at my inn tells me that while the stains can be removed, the smell is likely to persist. When I finally set about climbing the stairs the difficulty of keeping my footing on the wet clay nearly caused me to abandon the project. I sought a railing to steady myself, but found none, so I fumbled for handholds on the stair-way's central pillar, a massive treetrunk that still wore its bark, as if it had never left the forest. It afforded me no sturdy purchase, though my  |
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