It was a dark and stormy night and as usual in this weather the electricity had already gone out more than once. This time Belle sensed it would not be going back on, as the rain was getting heavier and that usually meant lines would be down somewhere that would not be seen to until morning. Never mind, she would watch the electrical storm light up the valley below for a while longer and then head back upstairs to bed. The only constant pinprick of light came from the cigarette that she held dangling over the decking that backed onto the bush. CRACK! And a flash of light lit up the trees along the edge of the escarpment......and amongst them she thought she saw a figure clambering up the rocks towards her. Who would be out there at this time? Must have been my imagination, she reasoned. Again a thunderous clap and the intense light for a moment lit up the surrounds. The figure! It was a man, much closer, this time – too close to have covered that amount of space in the dark times between the light. She could see his face, pale, rivulets of rain running down into his straggly beard, eyes fixated on her, breathing hard and fast and already making swiping movements with the knife in his hand.