Forbidden Room Extract

On the bus, are a mother and daughter sitting at the far end facing me. The mother is staring at the little girl.

"st, st, you say st, then step"

The little girl's staring at a book she's writing in. A strange high pitched, nonsensical gibbering comes from her mouth. Gabbling nonsense that wavers between the limits of human hearing and a pitch that only dogs can sense.

"st, st, st, st, st, st, st, st, step"

Still she writes and keens in her own language.

"You say st. Push your tongue against the top of your mouth, at the front, and force the air through. St, st, st, st"

The girl looks up at her mother and smiles like an angel. Gibber, gibber, gibber, gabble, gabble, gabble.

Her lips don't move.

"St, st, st, st, st, st, st".

Then she looks up at me, winks, and in a deep, guttural voice that emanates from her bowels, booms in my head......

"Step forward"

I begin to shake.