Alice on a moonlit English night hoped for rain.

Bile rose up from the sight before her.

The man who tried to burn away her life in many different areas was now dead, by her hands.

Ali could barely shift her weight, her left arm twitched and shook for a moment as she reoriented herself. Aiming her weary hand to the side she finally released all that was left in her stomach despite the pain it caused her ribs and chest.

It burned as everything left her, tears ran freely down her face as the light of the moon keept the night almost brighter than a cloud covered evening.

Blood pooled out of the man spreading out like a newly formed lake on her lawn, soaking into the grass, coloring the dirt a darker red than it was before, even under the the harsh light blue moonlight that shone down.

Ali's soul hurt as she looked at the body but trying to look at anything else all was not quite succeeding.

Ali's body hurt, not quite able to catch a full breath without pain or the urge to cough, with the pain in her chest waring for dominance over her hand that she felt was broken and her throbbing head that had been slammed into the ground when the Strigoi tackled her.

Ali's brain tried to find the words, the old sayings of her grandmother, her memories of movies anything that could put reason to anything that happened this night.

All she found in her thinking was washed away in a jumble, her gaze continued to be locked onto the dead man before her.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Bryan move over to his brother and sister to check on them.

For a moment it helped to break Ali out of her anguished internal loop.

Everyone's injured, Ali, who'd been beaten up mostly by... herself, Mary, who'd been swatted clear across the lawn and into Shawn who was already injured but after the impact both were breathing even though they seemed to be unconscious.

Everyone was injured, except Bryan.

Ali wanted to glare at him but didn't have the strength, all she could do at the moment was watch and cry.

"That was insane!" Bryan said as he walked closer. "Bloody insanity, ma'am that was, like a video game on crack."

Bryan made his way to her, trying not to look at the body. His already fair features had become pale, his eyes darting to the trees. As if something else would come forth.

"...shut....up Bryan. " Ali wheezed

"Right, seriously how did you do that, was it magic..... are you magic? Can we all do magic now?" Bryan muttered as he helped her to her feet. Something shifted and the world tilted and swam before her under the harsh moonlight.

Then she again remember her dreams and the lessons on how to stand and for a breath of time things snapped back into focus.

"Bryan......shut....up." Ali said breathing deeply, still trying not to cough.

They slowly made their way over to Mary and Shawn who both were now starting to stir.

A sudden bark from behind almost sent both of them sprawling to the ground.

The dog she had brought to the orchard barked at the fire from a safe distance. It seemed that Mary had unchained it from the porch at some point after the start of the fire.

A firetruck's siren drew closer, which meant the neighborhood would soon show up on her doorstep to help or be onlookers all the while gabbing the day away and with this mess before her, it would be enough gossip to ensure years of entertainment on a trip to the pub.

Ali hoped for rain.

No change within her, no Ila taking charge, just her and a mess far too big for her to handle.

Ali wanted sleep but she couldn't yet, Bryan left her with his siblings and returned to trying to extinguish the fire.

Then she saw it back where she fought for her life.

Laying on the ground was her specially made pouch, the place where she kept the three coins.

Her body began moving before she even noticed, It wasn't rushed or blurred she felt every step, every breath and the lack of time for any of it.

Ali held up the bag and the loose coins jingled, the weight felt both insignificant and immense in her hand, she was trapped, a dead body that had twice ended up at her feet her spilled crimson blood endlessly, her home was engulfed in a sea of golden flames, great suffering and death had befallen all those around her. It was too much.

She loosened the strap that held the pouch closed and with her damaged hand, she reached in with fingers barely working well enough to grasp one.

Looking at it, eyes red from crying and smoke, she gripped it tightly as she closed her eyes and made a wish.

Not for escape, nor for herself, not even for her survival.

They were many things she wanted but only one thing would stop this from happening again.

She wished for sanctuary. To make her home a safe haven for herself and the people she cared about.

The coin turned to dust in her hand with a gentle spark and fell to the earth like sand through her fingers.

Ali didn't notice the Strigoi's body turning to dust, nor did she see some of the jackalopes hidden in the tree grow bigger, Ali didn't see the farm house behind her ripple and grow not in size but substance, neither did she notice the new awareness in the dog barking at the fire or its voice taking on a deeper cadence.

Ali was only aware of the explosion of force and power that she was caught in the center of as it washed her away like snowflake in a storm.

The last thing Ali saw was the glare of the moon as it looked down on her.

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

Oak furnishings varnished to a splendid shine filled a somber smoke filled room, the fireplace roared with a indolent energy as its embers faded in the night.

A young man in a tailored suit approached one of the deep leather chairs facing the fireplace.

The young man's black hair seemed to sway loosely as he nodded to the seated man.

"She used a coin sir."

"Yes yes, I know, everyone could feel it with half the inclination."

"Yes sir. Anything else sir."

The man in the chair didn't respond but simply looked deeply into the roaring fireplace as if lost in cogitation before finally pulling his eyes away and looking at young man.

"A monkey's paw, a dangerous wish, the embodiment of the avaricious and she simply walks around with three of them in her pocket. It's madness"

The dark suited man Picked up a poker to stoke the flames, making them leap for every flick of his wrist.

"Two now sir."

He said as he continued stoking the flame without looking over.

"Two you say? What did she use the first one for? Oh yes I remember, travel or some such triviality. Better than most but still better without."

The poker was returned to its place, as the young black haired man took his place next to the other gentleman.

"Two left!"

"It's time for a sherry, make it a big one."

"Yes sir." The young man nodded, only to pause as he realized something. "Sir, perhaps she could use them on the man in the moon. "

"Ah, that would be difficult, I can understand your reasoning but the problem with that is what ever the man in the moon is, it is not an earthly body and doesn't quite adhere to our laws of reality.

When you fetch the sherry leave the bottle."

The man in the leather chair once again turned his gaze back to the fire as he returned to his thoughts as the other walked away.

"Right away sir."