'Where are you?' hissed Grimma.
'Up here,' came Masklin's voice. 'This big wooden thing. There's sticking-out bits you can climb on. There's all kinds of things up here. Careful of the carpet, there could be wild animals in it. If you wait a minute, I can help you up.' They waded through the deep pile of the carpet and waited anxiously by the wooden cliff.
'It's a desk,' said Gurder, loftily. 'There's lots of them in Furnishing. Amazing Value in Genuine One Hundred Per Cent Oak Veneer.' What's he doing up there?' said Grimma. 'I can hear clinking noises.' 'A Must In Every Home,' said Gurder, as if saying the words gave him some comfort. 'Wide Choice of Styles to Suit Every Pocket.' 'What are you talking about?' 'Sorry. It's the sort of thing Arnold Bros (est. 1905) writes on the signs. I just feel better for saying it.' What's that other thing up there?' He looked where she was pointing. 'That? It's a chair. Swivelled Finish For That Executive Look.' 'It looks big enough for humans,' she said thoughtfully.
'I expect humans. sit there when Arnold Bros (est. 1905) is giving them their instructions.' 'Hmm,' she said.
There was a clinking noise by her head.
'Sorry,' Masklin called down. 'It took me a while to hook them together.' Gurder looked up at the heights, and the gleaming chain that now hung down.
'Paperclips,' he said, amazed. 'I never would have thought it.' When they clambered to the top they found Masklin wandering across the shiny surface, prodding things with his spear. This was paper, Gurder explained airily, and things for making marks.
'Well, Arnold Bros (est. 1905) doesn't seem to be around,' Masklin said. 'Perhaps he's gone to bed, or whatever.' 'The Abbot said he saw him here one night, sitting at the desk right here,' said Gurder. 'Watching over the Store.' 'What, sitting on that chair?' said Grimma.
'I suppose so.' 'So he's big, then, is he?' Grimma pressed on relentlessly. 'Sort of human-sized?' 'Sort of,' Gurder agreed reluctantly.
'Hmm.' Masklin found a cable as thick as his arm winding off across the top of the desk. He followed it.
'If he's human-shaped and human-sized,' said Grimma, 'then perhaps he's a-' 'Let's just see what we can find up here, shall we?' said Gurder hurriedly. He walked over to a pile of paper and started reading the top sheet by the dim light coming in from the corridor. He read slowly, in a very loud voice.
'"The Arnco Group,"' he read, '"incorporating Arnco Developments (UK), United Television, Arnco-Schultz (Hamburg) AG, Arnco Airlines, Arnco Recording, the Arnco Organization (Cinemas) Ltd, Arnco Petroleum Holdings, Arnco Publishing, and Arnco UK Retailing plc."' 'Gosh,' said Grimma flatly.
'There's more,' said Gurder excitedly, 'in much smaller letters, perhaps they're meant to be right for us. Listen to all these names: "Arnco UK Retailing plc includes Bonded Outlets Ltd, the Grimethorpe Dye and Paint Company, KwikKleen Mechanical Sweepers Ltd, and - and -and-" 'Something wrong?' '-"Arnold Bros (eat. 1905)".' Gurder looked up. What do you think it all means? Bargains Galore preserve us!' There was a light. It skewered down on the two of them, white and searing, so that they stood over a black pool of their own shadows.
Gurder looked up in terror at the brilliant globe that had appeared above them.
'Sorry, I think that was me,' said Masklin's voice from the shadows. 'I found this sort of lever thing and when I pushed it, it went click. Sorry.' 'Ahaha,' said Gurder, mirthlessly. 'An electric light. Of course. Ahaha. Gave me quite a start for a moment.' Masklin appeared in the circle of brightness, and looked at the paper.
'I heard you reading,' he said. 'Anything interesting?' Gurder pored over the print again. "Notice to all Staff,"' he read, '"I am sure we are all aware of the increasingly poor. financial performance of the store in recent years. This rambling old building, while quite suitable for the leisured shopper of 1905, is not appropriate in the exciting world of the Nineties, and as we all know, there have unfortunately been marked stock losses and a general loss of custom following the opening of newer major outlets in the town. I am sure our sorrow at the closure of Arnold Bros, which as you know was the foundation of the Arnco fortunes, will be lessened by the news of plans by the Group to replace it with an Arnco Super Saverstore in the Neil Armstrong Shopping Mall. To this end, the store will close at the end of the month, and will shortly be demolished to make way for an exciting new Arnco Leisure Complex...".' Gurder fell silent, and put his head in his hands.
'There's those words again,' said Masklin slowly. 'Closure. Demolished.' 'What's leisure?' said Grimma. The Stationeri ignored her.
Masklin took her gently by the arm.
'I think he wants to be alone for a while,' he said. He pulled the tip of his spear across the broad sheet of paper, creasing it, and folded it up until it was small enough to carry.
'I expect the Abbot will want to see it,' he said. 'He'll never believe us if we-' He stopped. Grimma was staring over his shoulder. He turned, and looked out through the glass part of the great door into the corridor beyond. There was a shadow out there. Human-shaped. And growing bigger.
What is it?' she said.
Masklin gripped the spear. 'I think,' he said, 'it may be Prices Slashed.' They turned and hurried over to Gurder.
'There's someone coming,' Masklin whispered. 'Get down to the floor, quickly!' 'Demolished!' moaned Gurder, hugging himself and rocking from side to side. 'Everything Must Go! Final Reductions! We're all doomed!' 'Yes, but do you think you could go and be doomed on the floor?' said Masklin.
'He's not himself; you can see that,' said Grimma. 'Come on,' she added, in a horribly cheerful voice. 'Upsydaisy.' She lifted him up bodily and helped him towards the rope of clips. Masklin followed them, walking backwards with his eye on the door.
He thought: he has seen the light. It should be dark in here now, and he has seen the light. But I'll never get it off in time and anyway, it won't make any difference. I don't believe in any demon called Prices Slashed and now, here he comes. What a strange world.
He sidled into the shade of a pile of paper, and waited.
He could hear Gurder's feeble protests, down around floor level, suddenly stop. Perhaps Grimma had hit him with something. She had a way of taking obvious action in a crisis.
The door drifted open, very slowly. There was a figure there. It looked like a human in a blue suit. Masklin wasn't much of a judge of human expressions, but the man didn't look very happy. In one hand he held a metal tube. Light shone out of one end. His terrible light, Masklin thought.
The figure came closer, in that slow-motion, sleep-walking way that humans had. Masklin peered around the paper, fascinated despite himself. He looked up into a round, red face, felt the breath, saw the peaked hat.
He'd learned that humans in the Store had their names on little badges, because he'd been told -they were so stupid they wouldn't remember them otherwise. This man had his name on his hat. Masklin squinted and made out the shape of the letters: S... E .... ....... R...... T ..Y. He had a white moustache.
The man straightened up and started to walk around the room. They're not stupid, Masklin told himself. He's bright enough to know there shouldn't be a light on, and he wants to find out why. He's bound to see the others if he just looks in the right place. Even a human could see them.
He gripped his spear. The eyes, he thought, I'd have to go for the eyes...
Security drifted dreamily around the room, examining cupboards and looking in corners. Then he headed back towards the door.
Masklin dared to breathe and, at that moment, Gurder's hysterical voice came from somewhere below him.