“Look, I shouldn’t really be doing this. We Grims have a reputation to keep up you know.” He said abruptly.
“What reputation ?” Danni demanded to know, she had only ever heard of the Grim Reaper before, and she wasn’t particularly clear on what he did.
“What…?” He looked completely flummoxed by her simple question.
“We are the Grims, we are the harbingers.” He said stoutly when he had recovered his poise.
“What’s harbingers ?”
The Grim Sleeper slumped on his stool again.
“Schools today.” He muttered woefully. “Fill their heads with facts but no dreams.
Young lady…”
“My name’s Danni.” She interrupted and then asked him. “What’s your name ?”
He looked at her in astonishment, how long had it been since anyone had cared enough to ask if the Grim Sleeper actually had a real name ? Too long.
“My name.” He breathed and his face lit up like a summers day. “My name is Ferdinand Grim.” And he stood up to give her a deep bow. “Princess Danni.”
Danni giggled, she liked being bowed to and called Princess.
“In answer to your question.” Ferdinand said more seriously. “A harbinger is someone who foretells future events. I tell these people to mend their ways or they will come to a sticky end.”
“Do they mend their ways ?” Danni asked him.
“Ahh.” Ferdinand said and raised a finger to his lower lip. “No, quite a lot of them don’t these days, hence the cloak and scythe, I thought it would look a bit more, you know, impressive.”
“Why ? What do you normally wear ?”
“This.” He said and waved his free hand from head to toe.

Where the cloak had been he now wore a rich burgundy coloured satin jacket with elegant braid decoration in black, under which he wore a white silk waistcoat and shirt, with a rather natty big bow tie of dark purple, bottle green corduroy trousers and cream coloured slippers. Whilst on his head he wore a gold embroidered black cap with a golden tassle hanging off it and a pair of gold rimmed half moon spectacles graced his stubby nose.
Danni wasn’t sure that what he was wearing was appropriate for a harbinger but she certainly liked it and held up her panda, which wore a waistcoat of bright turquoise blue.
“Pan wears a waistcoat too.”
“And most dashing he looks in it.” Ferdinand said bowing his head to the toy.
“Why thank you Ferdinand.” Pan responded with a bow in return, much to Danni’s surprise and delight.
“Pan, you can talk !”
“Naturally.” Pan said. “All toys talk, it’s just that not all girls and boys listen.”
“Well I suppose I had better get back to being a harbinger.” Ferdinand said, beginning to turn away.
“Wait, please.” Danni begged him.
This was as good as her dreams.
“It is late and you should be asleep.” Ferdinand told her with a kindly smile.
“But, but.” Danni blurted. “I can help you.”
Ferdinand regarded her and there was the hint of a smile about his blue eyes.
“What do you think Pan ?” He enquired thoughtfully.
“Mrs Hedley-Sloan is a tough case, you could use a little help.” Pan said waving its paw at him.

For a Grim, Ferdinand certainly smiled a lot as his face positively radiated his agreement and he held up Danni’s dressing gown for her.
“Come Princess Danni.” He said happily. “Let’s be off then.”
Danni scrambled out of bed and slipped her arms into the dressing gown sleeves, then tied the belt firmly and pulled on her slippers.
“Where are we going ?” She asked excitedly.
“To see Mrs Hedley-Sloan, or as her employees know her, Mrs Hiss.”
“Mrs Hiss, that’s a nasty nickname.” Danni said taking Ferdinand’s hand with her right and Pan’s paw with her left hand. “Why would they call her that ?”
“That will become clear.” Ferdinand said with a knowing look and led her right through her bedroom wall and out into a huge pink bedroom.
“Wow.” Danni gasped. “Where are we ?”
“This is Mrs Hedley-Sloan’s apartment atop her toy factory.” Ferdinand explained waving a hand around the room.
“Look at all those beautiful dolls.”
Every chair, every set of drawers indeed the whole bed were covered in dolls of all shapes and sizes, everyone beautifully dressed and yet, all so, so sad.
“Why are they all unhappy ?” She asked in a hushed voice.
“Let’s find out, shall we ?” Ferdinand replied and led them up to the huge four poster bed, that was positively dripping with pink chiffon, where four of the most exquisite dolls sat against the pink fluffy pillows.
“My young friend Danni would like to know why you are all so sad.” He said to them.
“Cynthia doesn’t play with us.” Said the first doll.
“She made this lovely room and put us here.” The second said with a delicate wave of her hand.
“Then she left us.” The third doll said with a big tear rolling down her porcelain cheek.
“Cynthia doesn’t love us anymore.” The fourth said and they all started blubbing.

“That’s awful.” Danni whispered.
How could anyone go to all that trouble to make such a wonderful bedroom and have all these lovely dolls and then never play with them ? Only a truly cold hearted person could do such a thing.
“Doesn’t she even sleep here ?” She asked them.
“No, never.” They said in sad chorus and returned to their weeping.
“That’s worse than cold hearted.” Danni decided aloud. “Where is Mrs Hiss ?”
“Where else but counting her money ?” Ferdinand answered her simply, and led them through the pink bedroom wall and out of a stark white wall.

Dannis Dictionary
Chiffon  shi - fon. Lovely floaty cloth.
Exquisite  X - kwisit. Very very very fine and pretty.
Flummox  flum – ox. When you get all mixed up and can’t make your mind up.
Harbinger har – binj – er. Ferdinand Grim is a harbinger, he foretells the future, not like those star sign things in the papers, Ferdinand gets it right.
Porcelain pore - se - lane. You know those teacups that your Grandma keeps in a cupboard for special days, the ones that break easily. They're made of porcelain.
Turquoise ter - kwoys. This is a very pretty blue green colour, Pan thinks it makes him look very handsome, it does too.
Waistcoat  way - st - cote. The funny things adullts wear, this is a coat with no arms ! But Pans waistcoat is brilliant.