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A sudden gust of wind stirred the dead leaves upon the ground. Then they heard it- a loud crash in the distance. It was their signal, they knew, as it was the only sound breaking the stillness of night. All at once they did and about face, turning from the street to face the wrought iron fence. Dark and menacing, it loomed three feet above their heads.
The five walked in eerily perfect unison, as though they were one. It was impossible to tell if their feet even touched the ground, as there wasn�t a single click of heel or scuff of sole. In time they reached the door of the ancient house that the fence guarded. They stopped suddenly, and simultaneously. The leader of the group- an orange-eyed and ghostly pale girl, like the other four- raised her arms up at her sides. The four behind her followed in similar fashion. There was a brilliant flash like lightning and the door flew open, banging loudly against the wall behind it. The five entered the front room of the house.
The room was filled with cobwebs, dust, and decaying furniture. A rotting table in the corner balanced on its three remaining legs, and the couch against the wall appeared ripped to shreds. Outside, the pale moon hid behind a cloud, and the only light streaming in through the broken windows was extinguished. Once more, the five girls rose up their arms, and there was another flash of light. The burned-out lights throughout the house flickered on, throwing shadows in every direction.
Now visible in the far left corner of this large room was a towering grandfather clock. The girls approached it in the usual manner- in perfect unison. Upon their arrival before it, the leader reached out and pulled open the door. The clock hadn�t been wound in countless years, not since the time of the house�s previous inhabitants. The key could not be found. Another of the girls raised her arm in front of her and closed her eyes in a state of meditation. There was a motion across the room, and a small golden key flew into her outstretched hand. She handed it to the leader, who then proceeded to wind the clock.
Suddenly, there was a loud clicking sound. The floor shook as though by an earthquake. Then, slowly, the clock began to move on its own. A few feet to the right it went, and then it stopped. Silence fell again. Where the clock had stood there was an opening in the wall, large enough for a person to walk through. The girls entered the passage, their leader in front. As they entered, she snapped her fingers once, twice, three times in all. An odd orange glow filled the narrow corridor, though no source of light could be seen. The passage went straight, and the five girls trod along the dirt path without a sound, unblinking and utterly still save for the movement of their legs. The passage dropped off suddenly in a steep slope, too steep to walk down. This was no problem: the girls put their hands on their hearts, then drew them out to their sides as far as they could. All at once all five began to float about three inches from the ground.
Down the slope the five of them floated, down into a small circular stone chamber. In brackets on the walls, there were flaming torches. In the center of the chamber stood a small stone table. There was a choking dampness in the air, but the girls were unaffected by it. They approached the table slowly. Upon it sat several clear blue stones, each of which emitted a soft, pale light. Each girl picked up two stones, one in each hand. They moved into a circle around the table, standing with their arms outstretched in front of them. They closed their eyes. The torches went out with a flash. An unearthly whispering seemed to come from the stone walls of the chamber. It grew louder, louder, then suddenly-
There was a sound like an explosion, both in the chamber and out. Light all over the world vanished, engulfing everything in darkness and sending the entire population into a deep trance. In the chamber, the girls opened their eyes and dropped their arms. The torches began to burn once again. The stones in the girls� hands now blazed red. Now, bringing their hands together in front of them, they touched the fiery rocks together. The explosion sound repeated. The fire from the stones seemed to engulf the girls. Their skin, their hair, their eyes, all seemed to become one with the flames. Through the brilliant flaming light they traveled, out of the chamber, out of the house, and out of sight. It was done.
There was silence in the streets, silence in the ancient chamber, and silence all over the world. Five ghostly pale, orange-eyed girls walked down the street, feet barely touching the ground. The moon shone high in the sky. Then, all over the world, everyone awoke from pleasant entrancements, shrieking in horror. Somehow they knew, though they didn�t even realize they did. Don�t worry, they�ll find out soon enough.