436. Mysterious narrator.

 Hey! Here I am again! Look at me! I gracefully and noiselessly slide down the creek wooden staircase - two flights - and I make no noise whatsoever, quite unlike the noisy bunch around here. I smoothly cross the room - no-one notices; noisy bunch doesn't seem to have their wits about them - and I straight to the chair in the corner by the fire, the big leather comfy one right by the fire where I can get all the heat. Because Lord do I need some heat. 

'Hey, it's cold in here! Anyone left a window opened?' Someone shouts annoyingly and gets up to go and check the windows and doors and I take this opportunity to settle in my chair.

I sit right back and relax. All this noise and all this activity around here, it does get awfully tiring. I am happy I am down here, it is so much more pleasant than up there in the attic rooms. The fire is lovely and the heat is perfect, dry and intense. The fire cracks and splutters and now and again the logs collapse against each other and cause delightful orange fireworks.

I used to love reading and I still do and when I see that a book is there on the coffee table I grab it. The family dog barks loudly and angrily, staring at me. Everyone shouts at him. 

'Hey! come on! Stop it! What's wrong with you? You silly dog, stop it now.'

The dog stops barking and lies down but continues glaring and growling at me.

I smile contentedly.