**********
Rob had arrived at the university city of Oxford at a little before 11 o`clock, from here he took a taxi to the modern apartment building that housed the home of Colonel Ian Masters. As Rob went to walk through the open doorway Moira whispered a spell from the curb side.
“Remember your nightmare Rob Hinds, when you enter this building you will be entering the Victorian house of your nightmares.” Moira said and the spell was cast.
One second Rob was entering into a modern hallway then everything changed, now before him was the same Victorian hallway of his nightmare, Rob stopped still for but a moment before turning around, meaning to run back through the open doorway, however he found to his confusion that the doorway looked out onto the burnt and blasted land of his nightmares. Then a familiar sound came to his ears, the thump thump thump of approaching footsteps, it was coming from outside. The front door suddenly blew open letting in a blast of hot air, outside a thick fog prevented Rob from fully seeing the creature, but he could hear its roars as it approached the house. Rob did not wait around for its arrival, for in his nightmare the creature had been a two headed dragon, one that had been unaffected by gunfire, instead Rob bolted up the staircase.
Moira was enjoying herself as he ran for his life. “Let Rob Hinds` nightmare house disappear and normality return, but when he sees me, I will appear to him only as an old crone.” Moira whispered from the bottom of the staircase.
On reaching the top of the staircase Rob found the building change yet again, now he was back in a modern apartment building and looking at a sign that told him he had arrived at his intended destination, the second floor. Confused beyond belief, Rob turned to look down the staircase, expecting to see the dragon climbing the stairs, but all he saw was a woman in her sixties struggling up them. What Rob did not know was that this old kindly woman was Moira Bourbon, able to appear in Oxford and mess with Rob`s brain because Marchmount had asked her to take him to her temple in France to assist her with some satanic magic.
“Are you all right young man, you seem to be rather befuddled, and even a little scared?” The old woman asked anxiously.
“I am fine thank you, just a little light headed; I will be OK after a sit down.” Rob replied and walked along the hall to number 24, the apartment of Colonel Masters.
He knocked politely on the door and heard someone inside call out that the door was open, not knowing that it had been Moira who had answered him and unlocked the door.
Moira now continued with her fun. “Let the nightmare world of their dreams appear within the home of Colonel Masters.” Moira whispered.
Walking into a small hall Rob saw Masters sitting in his front room, Masters looked up angrily, surprised to see a stranger standing in his apartment, but on seeing Rob, he stood up and screamed out in terror. Suddenly the clean white walls disappeared and were replaced by the burning rocky landscape of Hell; Rob began to choke as a sulphur laden air filled his lungs, his knees buckled under him as his strength was mysteriously drained from his body. From out of nowhere flashes of electricity crackled over their heads, and then Rob felt electricity running all over his body, he smelt burning hair and his shoes began to smoke. Without warning the two men found themselves hurled hard against the nearest solid object, accompanying thunder deafening them.
“Let their nightmare world disappear and normality return.” Moira whispered from the hallway outside of the apartment.
Immediately the apartment changed back to its original form. Masters had been thrown to the floor by the powerful blast and now found that his back was against the far wall, not a basalt rock, and he looked terrified as he looked up at Rob, who was picking himself up from an armchair while feeling equally confused, and looking out for an attack by one of the denizens of Hell.
“No, please I beg you, do not hurt me.” Masters pleaded to Rob as he attempted to regain his feet.
Rob finally untangled himself from the armchair where he had landed, his hair a little singed, his feet feeling rather hot, but his mind quickly focused on Masters` voice.
“Colonel, I do not know what is happening to us but I am an SIS officer, and I am here to collect a file from you, you have nothing to fear from me.” Rob tried to explain.
“Take it, the large envelope on the table, take it and go, please leave me alone and take your nightmare world with you.” Masters cried out as a final but very weak lightning bolt crackled around them.
Rob hastily picked up the envelope and ran from the apartment, the electrical storm mysteriously ending with his exit.
Rob`s mind immediately jumped to his nightmares, there had to be a connection, was Moira Bourbon reaching out to him from beyond the grave, somehow merging the real world with that of his nightmare? At the bottom of the stairs Rob took off his shoes to check on them, and he found that the soles of them were partially melted, but his shoes were still just useable, and at least there was no longer the possibility of them bursting into flames. Putting his shoes back on he went out into the street, here he stopped again and rested up against the wall, he wondered whether he should return to Masters to ensure that he was all right, but he decided against doing that, there was no telling what might then happen, or how the poor man would react.