How Nobody Came to the Graveyard: RUN Onskey

How Nobody Came to the Graveyard: RUN ONSkey

1]There was a hand in the darkness, it held a knife. 2] The knife had a handle of polished black bone, and a blade finer and sharper than any razor. 3] If it sliced you, you might not even know you had been cut, not immediately.

4]The knife had done almost everything it was brought to that house to do, both the blade and the handle were now wet.

5]The street door,where the man who held the knife had slipped in, was still open, wisps of night-time mist slithered into the house through the open door.

6] The man paused on the landing. 7] With his left hand, he pulled a large white handkerchief from the pocket of his black coat, and with it he wiped off the knife; then, he put the handkerchief away. 8] The hunt was almost over. 9] He had left the woman in her bed, the man on the bedroom floor, the older child in her brightly coloured bedroom, surrounded by toys and half-finished models. 10] That only left the little one, a baby barely a toddler, to take care of. 11] One more and his task would be done.

12] He flexed his fingers. 13] The man was, above all things, a professional, and he would not allow himself to smile until the job was completed.

14]His hair was dark and his eyes were dark, he wore black leather gloves of the thinnest lambskin.

15]The toddler's room was at the very top of the house. 16]The man walked up the stairs, his feet were silent on the carpeting. 17] Then he pushed open the attic door, and he walked in. 18] His shoes were black leather, and they were polished to such a shine that they looked like dark mirrors; you could see the moon reflected in them.

19] The real moon shone through the casement window. 20 ]Its light was diffused by the mist, but the man would not need much light. 21] The moonlight was bright, therefore it would do.

22] He could make out the shape of the child in the crib, head and limbs and torso.

23] The crib had high, slatted sides to prevent the child from getting out. 23] As Jack leaned over, he raised his right hand, the one holding the knife, and he aimed for the chest . . .

24] Then, he lowered his hand. 25] The shape in the crib was a teddy bear, there was no child. - No child!

How Nobody Came to the Graveyard: PUNCTUATION

1] The man sniffed the air. 2] Ignoring the scents that had come into the room with him he honed in on the smell of the thing he had come to kill. 3] He could smell the child. 4] It was a milky smell, like chocolate chip cookiesand disposable diapers. 5]He could smell the baby shampoo in its hair, and something small and rubberythat the child had been carrying.

6] The child had been here however it was here no longer. 7] The man followed his nose down the stairs and through the thin house. 8] He inspected the bathroom, the kitchen and the airing cupboard. 9]Finally he inspected the downstairs hallbut there was nothing to be seen.

10] The man made a small noise, a grunt. 11] Slipping his knife into the inside pocket of his long coathe stepped out into the street. 12] There was moonlight, and there were streetlights, but the fog stifled everything. 13] He looked up the hill towards the darkness of the old graveyard.

14] The man, pulling up his collar, againsniffed the air. 15]Without hurrying he began to walk up the hill.

How Nobody Came to the Graveyard: FRAGS

1]Ever since the child had learned to walk. 2] He had been his mother's and father's despair and delight, for there never was such a boy for wandering, for climbing up things. 3] For getting into and out of things. 4] That night, he had been woken by the sound of something on the floor beneath him falling with a crash. 5] Awake, he soon became bored and had begun looking for a way out of his crib.6] It had high sides, like the walls of his playpen downstairs, but he was convinced that he could scale it. 7] All he needed was a step .

8] He pulled his large, golden teddy bear into the corner of the crib; then, holding the railing in his tiny hands, he put his foot onto the bear's lap. 9] The other foot up on the bear's head. 10] He pulled himself up into a standing position, and then he half-climbed, half-toppled over the railing and out of the crib.

11] With a soft, muffled thump. 12] He landed on a small mound of furry, fuzzy toys. 13] Some of them presents from relations from his first birthday, not six months gone, some of them inherited from his older sister. 14] He was surprised when he hit the floor, but he did not cry out; if you cried, they came and put you back in your crib.

15]He crawling out of the room and down the hall.

The foregoing is excerpted from The Graveyard Book

How Nobody Came to the Graveyard: RUN ONS [comma splices]

1] There was a hand in the darkness, it held a knife. 2] The knife had a handle of polished black bone, and a blade finer and sharper than any razor. 3] If it sliced you, you might not even know you had been cut, not immediately.

4] The knife had done almost everything it was brought to that house to do, both the blade and the handle were now wet.

5] The street door,where the man who held the knife had slipped in, was still open, wisps of night-time mist slithered into the house through the open door.

12] He flexed his fingers. 13] The man was, above all things, a professional, and he would not allow himself to smile until the job was completed.

14]His hair was dark and his eyes were dark, he wore black leather gloves of the thinnest lambskin.

15]The toddler's room was at the very top of the house. 16] The man walked up the stairs, his feet were silent on the carpeting. 17] Then he pushed open the attic door, and he walked in. 18] His shoes were black leather, and they were polished to such a shine that they looked like dark mirrors; you could see the moon reflected in them.

18] The real moon shone through the casement window. 19 ]Its light was diffused by the mist, but the man would not need much light. 20] The moonlight was enough, it would do.

21] He could make out the shape of the child in the crib, head and limbs and torso.

22] The crib had high, slatted sides to prevent the child from getting out. 23] Jack leaned over, raised his right hand, the one holding the knife, and he aimed for the chest . . .

23] Then, he lowered his hand. 24] The shape in the crib was a teddy bear, there was no child. 25] No child!

How Nobody Came to the Graveyard: PUNCTUATION

1] The man sniffed the air. 2] Ignoring the scents that had come into the room with him hehoned in on the smell of the thing he had come to kill. 3] He could smell the child. 4] It was a milky smell, like chocolate chip cookiesand disposable diapers. 5] He could smell the baby shampoo in its hair, and something small and rubberythat the child had been carrying.

6] The child had been here however it was here no longer. 7] The man followed his nose down the stairs and through the thin house.8] He inspected the bathroom, the kitchen and the airing cupboard. 9] Finally he inspected the downstairs hall but there was nothing to be seen.

14] The man, pulling up his collar, againsniffed the air. 15] Without hurrying he began to walk up the hill.

How Nobody Came to the Graveyard: FRAGS

1] Ever since the child had learned to walk. 2] He had been his mother's and father's despair and delight, for there never was such a boy for wandering, for climbing up things. 3] For getting into and out of things. 4] That night, he had been woken by the sound of something on the floor beneath him falling with a crash. 5] Awake, he soon became bored and had begun looking for a way out of his crib.6] It had high sides, like the walls of his playpen downstairs, but he was convinced that he could scale it. 7] All he needed was a step .

14]He crawling out of the room and down the hall.

The foregoing is excerpted from The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean.