The Mocha Music TV Challenge

It was a quarter past eleven at night and all was peaceful at Walter Towers.

James was curled up in his old fashioned brass bed, fast asleep and full of beer. Cliff lay next to him, also sleeping soundly.

Jason was in the bed next to them, surprisingly alert and wakeful. He peered round in the darkened room, searching for any signs of movement. However, the only thing that moved was James; rolling over to lie on his back. He made a snuffling noise, then quietened down again.

With the amount of beer he drank, it wouldn’t surprise me if James sleeps right through until morning Jason thought. With Kirk and Lars still enjoying themselves in their suite, Jason had been pretty glad when Eric had offered to help him get James upstairs. Without lifts, trying to steer a drunk and sleepy James up two flights of stairs was not easy.

Once they’d got James into his room, it was easy to undress him and put him to bed. He had fallen asleep seconds later. And at least he was too drunk to mention cacti Jason thought.

But still, Jason couldn’t fall asleep and he wasn‘t sure why. His bed was soft and comfy, the heavy curtains across the window blocked out the bright moonlight and the room was quiet and peaceful, although, here too, it was cold.

Jason snuggled down under the covers, closed his eyes and tried to think of relaxing things. He imagined fat, bouncy lambs; skipping around in a lush meadow. The lambs gambolled about, playing in the warm sun.

**************************

Jason awoke suddenly, blinking in the half darkness. He yawned and rolled over, ready to go to sleep again. But then a noise occurred, perhaps the noise which had woken him originally.

What was that? Jason thought to himself.

It was an odd, mournful noise that put Jason in mind of a Siamese cat that his one aunt had owned some years ago. Jason listened carefully for the sound again. There was the odd creak of the ceiling rafters and the sound of the wind outside but nothing like the original noise.

Then it happened again. A low, quavering cry that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Jason sat bolt upright in bed, eyes roaming round the room. The room was the same as before, with James sleeping so deeply that Jason suspected even an earthquake wouldn’t wake him.

Another low cry filled the night air and this time, Jason realised that it was coming from outside the room. Turning back his eiderdown cover, he decided to go and investigate.

It can’t be a ghost, that’s just dumb, Jason thought, trying to convince himself otherwise. There’s gotta be a sensible explanation for it. Padding across the carpet in bare feet, Jason reached the door and opened it carefully, not wanting to wake anybody.

Jason stepped out onto the landing. It was a little lighter there, as the moon had risen and its pale light was shining in through one of the tall windows. The moonlight made a pale rectangle on the wooden floorboards. As Jason gazed round, he suddenly heard the cry again.

It’s coming from outside, I’m sure of it, Jason thought. But why is it so loud? Glancing round again, Jason had his answer. The moonlit window was slightly ajar, open on the latch.

Jason went over to the window and peered through the glass. It was a clear night; the stars were shining in a velvet blue sky and the moon gleamed like a pale, round lantern. The gardens below were bathed in silver light. Then Jason saw the source of the sound and he smiled to himself. A barn owl, pale tan and white, was sitting high in the branches of a nearby tree. It stared at Jason with huge eyes, before hooting again and taking off in a smooth, silent flight.

So that’s that puzzle solved Jason thought. He closed the window; lifting the latch carefully so that it didn’t creak. Then he made his way back to his room. After the moonlit gallery, the bedroom was dark and Jason couldn’t see a thing. Picking his way carefully across the carpet, he stumbled on James‘ bag. There was a clanging sound as he kicked a beer can within.

“Shit!” muttered Jason. He listened to see if he’d woken up anybody but all he heard was a snore from the bed next to him.

Ha, thank goodness for that. I don’t want anybody getting spooked out and finding out it was just me Jason thought. I bet they’d think I was playing a prank. He felt around for the bag and pushed it up against the wall, out of the way.

Then finding his bed, Jason turned back the covers and got in quickly. The room was still cold but Jason could also feel warmth coming from the opposite side of his bed.

I wonder if the heating has come on?

There was a radiator close to Jason’s bed; it was a simple task to reach out and touch it. Jason brushed the metal with the edge of his fingers; it was definitely warm.

I guess I just got cold, standing out on the gallery he thought. After all, the window was open. Nestling under his covers, Jason closed his eyes and within a few minutes, was fast asleep.