I'm sure you won't see the connection, but I got the idea for this from a line in a Suzanne Vega song. I know, it still needs some work, but I'd be interested to see what you think of it. Do you love any, do you love none? "So you see why I called you Janet." he finished apologetically, returning the last item to the shelf and closing the wardrobe, " I need your help, we've got to make her see that this is not normal." The old woman sighed, then patted his hand gently. "I'm sorry Alan, I just don't know what to say. I never realised when..." her words were cut short as they heard a car pull into the driveway. "You wait here," Alan told her, "I'll bring her up. Best to get it over with right away." He left the room as she nodded, leaving her to sit gingerly on the edge of their double bed, smoothing her smart skirt over aching knees. Her eyes kept returning to the shocking cupboard. It looked so ordinary from the outside. Claires mother shifted uncomfortably, suddenly aware that she could feel something suspiciously furry against her ankle. There were no pets in this house. She leant forward to look under the bed. Straightening quickly, she lost the urge to look in any other drawers or cupboards in the house. Claire must have got this from her fathers side of the family, Janet decided, there were none of these kind of goings on in the Smith family history. Claire was startled to find her husband home before her, she tried to unobtrusively tuck the small gift box she carried behind her handbag as she smiled at him , wondering why he should be standing in the hall with such a serious look on his face. She reached out with her free hand to touch the side of his face, intending to kiss him, but to her surprise he drew back from her touch. She faced him, worried now. Something awful must have happened. Had someone died? "What is it Alan? Has someone been hurt?" he shook his head. " I need to show you something. It's important." He led her upstairs, his expression grim. "Is it a surprise?" Claire asked anxiously glancing at her husbands face, he couldn't have found them, she always made sure she put them all away. "Just come with me." he replied, seeming more strained than angry. She revised her opinion, not that bad then.She clutched her handbag tightly to her side, treasuring the fact that her little secret purchase was definitely still safe. he'd never go into her handbag. Claire stopped dead in the threshold. Her mother was sitting on her bed. She rushed forward, throwing handbag and box on the dressing table to fold herself down at her mothers feet. "Are you all right?" she asked "Is it dad?" then, before she could help herself the words sprang out "Did you finally leave him?" Her mother jumped "What? Why would I leave?" she struggled to find words for a moment. "Claire Feiney! How could you ask me such a thing!" before pulling her mind back to the task in hand. "It's you, young lady, that has some explaining to do." Claire looked at her blankly, Mrs Deane gestured towards the wardrobe with her chin "I've seen inside there, though I can't believe my eyes." She watched as only daughter looked from one forbidding face to the other, before glancing at her wardrobe and dissolving into tears."Those are my private things" she sniffed "How could you?" "Private things?" her husband burst out angrily "You can stand there and call those," he spluttered, seeking the right words, "those damned TOYS private things?" "You've got to face up to it Claire" her mother said sternly "You've got a problem, and you need to deal with it. Nobody in their right mind would have a cupboard full of Gonks" Claire stood up shakily "They are called Trolls, not Gonks and you are not taking them away from me. They are the only friends I've got, when you are always working away." she announced, moving towards the wardrobe and leaning protectively against the door.With an embarrassed glance at his mother in law, Alan held his hands out to his wife. She took them cautiously, her body tensed in case he tried to pull her away. "Look, " he entreated her softly "When you got the first couple of those things, I'll admit, I kind of liked it, but that was a long time ago. You never mentioned them again and I forgot all about them. But honey, there must be a couple of thousand in there! Why on earth would anyone want to keep a cupboard full of gonks?" Janet looked hesitantly at Alan. "I think you might want to look under the bed dear." she lifted the valance sheet to reveal a heap of the cheerily smiling little creatures. "You betrayer!" Claire shook with rage. "You're the one who bought me my first troll." "And what may I ask, is in the box you brought in with you this evening?" Alan asked before shaking his head. He had a horrible feeling he already knew "It's the prize of my collection" she replied, rushing over to retrieve it from the dressing table. "A rare white elephant troll." It was going to be a long evening. Shanna :-) It's bad, but I promise you, it could get much worse.