Somewhere, in a vast sweeping pasture, sat a small cottage. It's walls made of cobbles, and ivy growing across one wall. Smoke puffed up from the tin chimney in black swathes. Inside this cottage, an old woman sat upright in bed beneath a large and colorful quilt.
"Put the kettle on, dearie, I suspect we'll be having company soon"
"Yes, ma'am" A girl said, tilting her head slightly to reveal, behind a shroud of rusty red hair, a jagged white scar stretching across her forehead.
Coraline and Wybie sat in the thickets next to the river. The moon hung above them, it's yellow reflection distorted in the water, and the melodic sounds of crickets chirping and insects buzzing all around. For a long time they didn't say anything, trying, simply, to replace the memory of that sickly metallic smell with that of the fresh night air. After watching the distorted reflection in the water's surface for some time, Coraline spoke.
"So...do you think we should...I don't know...find someone and tell them about this?"
Wybie didn't really hear her, and for a few moments continued to gaze at the night sky.
"Isn't it strange that we've been here three nights and the moon hasn't changed?" He said absentmindedly. He didn't want to talk about what had happened, that would make it too real.
"Uhh...yeah, I guess." Coraline said. She was annoyed, but then, realizing how disturbed by the event he was, softened her attitude.
"C'mon, let's start walking." She said, taking Wybie's hand.
They walked along the dirt path, bordered on one side by the strange dark forest, and on the other by the bulrushes and water. They walked for hours, until the sun began to peer over the horizon and paint the sky red. Not long after the sun began to rise, they came upon a large mansion. The two approached it, and Coraline knocked on the towering door.