"What are you doing?" I asked, watching Mick clamber up into the windowsill. It was barely large enough to hold his small frame, but he squeezed into the space, with his stocking feet hanging over the ledge.

He pushed his face up against the window pane. "There's somethin' up there," he lisped through his missing teeth. His adult teeth hadn't yet fully come in, leaving him with a snaggled grin and fierce lisp.

"Up where?" I tried not to sound too interested. Mick could be too curious sometimes.

"Siobhan! Up there!" he exclaimed, pointing to the roof. Before I could say otherwise, he hoisted the window and slithered out the opening.

"Mick! Get back here! It's freezing cold and you're only wearing a nightshirt!" I shouted out the window, watching him grapple up the eaves up swung up over the edge of the roof.

"I told ya there was something up here!" he shouted back.
"There's a funny looking statue. I didn't know Auntie Wynn had statues!"

I rolled my eyes. "What are you talking about?" I asked indignantly. "There can't possibly be...."

"Then come up and look for yourself!"

"I am NOT climbing up the side of the house," I replied.

Mick's boyish face appeared in the window upside-down as he grinned at me with his arms dangling over his head. "Then do your thing and get up here." On the word thing he wiggled his fingers and scrunched up his face.

"I don't do a thing," I snorted. But when he disappeared back up to the roof, I sighed and snapped my fingers.

The tiny bedroom melted around me as I rose through the ceiling and landed gracefully on the roof.

"It's over here," Mick grabbed my hand and pulled me to the far most edge of the roof that faced Drakesheath Manor. There sat a gray stone gargoyle, his long wings foled in behind him. "Isn't it neat?" he asked as he pulled a marble out of his nightshirt and pitched it toward the gargoyle.

"Mick, don't do that!" I cried, grabbing for his hand, but too late. The green and blue swirled marble flew out of his hand and smashed into the body of the gargoyle.

"Yes, please don't," the gargoyle stood and shook the remnants of shattered glass off his body. "It's nota pleasant feeling, even if I am stone,"

Mick jaw dropped to the roof.

"Sorry, I tried to stop him" I apologize and thrust out my hand. "I'm Siobhan Collins and you are.......?"