Noises at night

Even with the full belly and the beer you find it difficult to sleep. The mattress of the bed is surprisingly firm, but the sheets and quilt are musty and the room feels odd as you try to settle down. It is perhaps 10 o'clock when you hear something outside you window, it is a sound that doesn't belong with the quiet chirping of frogs, a metallic noise that you cannot place.

Curiously you climb to your feet and move to your window hoping to see what it was. From your window it is impossible to see much of anything, the only light is from the room next to yours - Diana Naylor's you remember with a sudden jolt of pleasure - and you are just about to go back to bed when you notice something odd. The outline of light from Diana's window forms a near perfect rectangle on the smooth lawn except for a small shadow in the lower right corner. This shadow could be anything but as you watch it carefully, the shadow moves slightly. Unless Diana has a cat sitting on her window sill, the only explanation you can think of is that someone is peeking into that window from outside.

It takes too long to pull on your jeans, but the most likely culprit is one of the Academy students and tackling one of those petite young women while wearing only a pair of boxers might cause more trouble than you need. You don't bother with a shirt or shoes and, as you run down the empty hall, you wonder what the august matrons of this academy would say if they saw a half naked man moving through their school. By the time you exit Mellon Hall and make your way to the back side of the building the only thing you notice is the giggling of a group of girls off in the distance.

You consider following the probable offenders, but dressed as you are it doesn't seem like the best of ideas. Instead you turn back towards the entrance when something catches your eye.