Robert calls to Sapphire and Steel as he runs downstairs. Behind him, a ball of light emerges from beneath the door, which is different from the one that was there before.
The boy finds Steel and tells him what happened, and Steel insists that it wasn't Sarah. Robert says that he had to go to it again. Steel confirms that all of the clocks have stopped. The light comes down the stairs, and Steel confirms that the ghost soldiers appeared at the top of the staircase and went to the bedroom door. Sapphire suggests that the ghosts were visual refractions and that they would look solid enough.
The trio goes to the landing before the door and Sapphire senses something. The clock Steel is holding is still running, but it's lost seven minutes since they came upstairs. Robert insists that nothing came out of the ring, and they go to the new door. Behind them, the light emerges from beneath the landing door where it hid from the group and continues down the stairs.
When the trio get to the door, they discover that it's the same as before. The clock is showing the correct time, and the ghost soldiers appear and break down the door and go inside. Steele realizes that the lock is still normal, and something else affected it. He goes down the stairs, and Sapphire asks Robert which rhyme that he chose. Robert explains that the rhyme was put into his head, and Sapphire has him say it in h is mind and telepathically picks up the words. She confirms that he said three lines and then the soldiers appeared, listens at the doors, and hears voices saying "upstairs" and "downstairs".
Steel put the clock on the landings and calls Sapphire down to walk down and up the stairs. She does so, the light staying at her feet out of sight. Sapphire senses nothing, and notes that the rhymes refer to the Parliamentary Wars. When they come downstairs, the lights hides behind a picture. Robert insists that he didn't recite the entire rhyme, and Sapphire figures that they contained the creature and the soldiers are a harmless anachronism that lived and died a hundred years before the house was built. Steel wonders if the creature is trying to divert them.
Sapphire disappears, but Steel is still in contact with her telepathically. She says that she's in a small room and hasn't changed her position, and Steel tells her not to change her position and make herself a part of the room. He insists that she's still in the house with them, and her describe the room. Sapphire says that she's in an old cottage, and Steel realizes that she's in the picture. She tells Steel that something terrible happened in the room, and the creature wants her to be a part of what happened. Steel has her look quickly over her right shoulder and back to determine if she can still see the picture. She does so and sees rope hanging from the rafters, and tells Steel that the picture isn't there.
Robert wonders if they could get the picture, and Sapphire warns that if they do then they'd end up trapped like she is. As Steel goes downstairs, Robert tosses a coin up the landing and it enters the cottage illusion that Sapphire is in. The boy goes down and joins Steel, and Steel warns that smashing the picture wouldn't smash what's inside of it. He tells Sapphire to take time back ten minutes and lends his own mental effort.
Helen comes out and joins them, and Robert tells her to go back to sleep. Steel tells Robert to keep Helen back, and Sapphire hears her and says that it's okay. Together the two Elements rewind time and Robert sees the images from before doing what they did a few minutes ago. Sapphire starts to lose concentration and tells Steel that it's no good, and the creature is in there with her. Steel tells her to hold it for two minutes and give him the time he needs. He goes to Henry's workshop and tells Robert to keep Helen at the base of the stairs and Sapphire talking.
Steel goes to the workshop and takes food out of the freezer in the hallway. Meanwhile, Robert and Helen go up the stairs and to keep her talking, Robert asks Sapphire if it's like the job they did on the ship. She tells him that it is but it's more difficult, and tells Helen that she'll see her soon.
At the upstairs door, another ball of light emerges.
After he cleans out the freezer, Steel unplugs the freezer and pulls it into the workshop.
The second ball of light emerges from the painting and joins the first one.
Steel rewires the power strip and uses the cord to charge himself.
The two ghost soldiers appear again, and the two balls of light merge with them, turning them solid. They walk downstairs and Sapphire, hearing their footsteps, tells Robert to fetch Steel. The soldiers enter the painting and Sapphire realizes that something terrible is happened there.
Steel tells Robert not to come near him, walks out, and tells the boy to get Helen away from him. Once Robert does so, Steel walks to the landing. As the soldiers break into the room Sapphire is occupying, she says that a young girl was hung there and the creature wants it to happen all over again. The soldiers put the rope around Sapphire's neck.
Approaching the painting, Steel fades in and out. He puts his hands on it and Sapphire materializes nearby. The soldiers come down the stairs and advance on Sapphire.
Written by Gadfly on Dec 19, 2018