Paul Gauguin Hail Mary

Paul Gauguin Hail MaryHenri Matisse Woman with a HatHenri Matisse The Window
Give me that staff!"
Esk reached down behind her and gripped the polished wood. "No," she said. "It's mine."
"It's not the right sort of thing for little girls," snapped the barman's wife.
"It belongs to me," said Esk, and quietly closed the door. She listened for a moment to the muttering from below and tried of streets, the fragrance of garden flowers, the distant hint of an overloaded privy. There were wet tiles outside.
As Skiller started back up the stairs she pushed the staff out on to the roof and crawled after it, steadying herself on the carvings above the window. The roof dipped down to an outhouse and she managed to stay at least vaguely upright as she half-slid, half-scrambled down the uneven to think of what to do next. Turning the couple into something would probably only cause a fuss and, anyway, she wasn't quite certain how to do it. The fact was the magic only really worked when she wasn't thinking about it. Her mind seemed to get in the way. She padded across the room and pushed open the tiny window. The strange night-time smells of civilization drifted in - the damp smell