Prologue

If anyone had seen the small girl walking through the night with her long, tangled black hair blowing in the wind and a slight, eerie smile tugging at her thin lips, they would have felt an extreme sensation of unease settle over them.

The thin figure was illuminated by the full moon, and beneath its light, she moved slowly yet resolutely through the perfectly landscaped yard, dragging a wooden ladder that appeared as weak and worn as she was. The girl hurled the ladder up against the tree, using all of the strength she possessed and then lifted a snake-like coil from the base of the trunk.

She fastened the rope with intense determination, staring fixedly at the branch of the ancient oak tree. The limb was thick, and it appeared to be more than sturdy enough to support her weight. She slung the long rope vine, consisting of sturdy cords she had found discarded in the Dursley's garage and tied together, up over the branch and waited patiently for the other end to drop back down to her. Then she adjusted the rickety stepladder slightly, making sure it was steady, and climbed up slowly.

When she had reached a height that was acceptable, she secured the rope around the limb, knotting it several times to assure that it wouldn't come undone. Then she calmly slipped the noose over her bruised neck and stepped off the ladder.

In the silence of night, the only noise that could be heard was the chilling, subtle creak of her limp body swaying back and forth like the pendulum of a grandfather clock.