A loud, drawn out squeaking sound startled me, causing me to stop mid-step, one foot resting lightly on the loose floorboard in front of me while the other was carrying the majority of my weight. My eyes darted around in the dark, spacious living room, searching for somewhere to hide in case I might need it.

This place was unfamiliar to me and a hiding place in case someone showed up, was incredibly important. It was a necessity. My ears were trained on the smallest of sounds but the place was eerily quiet around me, only the faint sound of dying flames in the fireplace to my right could be heard.

Still, I stood there for a couple more moments. Waiting with bated breath.

Upon realising nothing would happen I lifted my foot ever so slowly, carefully stepping backwards then hesitantly moving around that section of the floor, making sure no further noises would be made.

I checked my little map again. ‘Nearly there’ I thought to myself, ‘not much further to go’. It was a relief this task would be coming to an end shortly. I had been preparing for it for months and I had nervously anticipated its arrival. According to the map, all I needed was to exit the living room through a door which was right in front of me, then I would find myself inside a long hallway with doors on either side. Upon reaching the end of it, I would find the master bedroom’s door around a corner.

This was where the Madam of the house was resting. This was the room that held the item I had been sent here to acquire. I walked steadily to the door, keeping eyes and ears open for anything that could mean I had been spotted, nothing was amiss from the looks of things. Rounding a corner I finally came face to face with the towering wooden door I was looking for.

As I crept closer I raised a hesitant hand, placing it ever so gently on the embellished handle, I pressed down, almost not adding enough pressure to push the heavy door open.

I held my breath before peeking inside, the Madam of the house was thankfully asleep in her bed, snoring surprisingly loudly for a lady. I was surprised she wasn’t keeping everyone in the house up with the sounds she was making. Easing the door mostly closed after stepping into the bedroom I moved efficiently but quietly over to the vanity. It was my best guess for where this target of mine might be hidden. On it was the jewellery box, I had seen images of it and I knew to look for it, since, according to our sources, the Madam kept all her special pieces in here.My hands trembled a little as I opened the hatch and lifted the lid. There was a mess of jewellery in there, earrings, rings, necklaces, the works. It was a tangled mess and it shocked me that her most valued pieces were left in such a state.

Clearly this Madam had little care for her trinkets,it should not have bothered me to this degree but I couldn't keep from being annoyed. She was making my job harder than it needed to be and I was not a fan of wasting time. I was tempted, for a short moment, to just take the whole lot - jewellery box and all - but that would simply make her realise all the sooner that she had been robbed. No thief worth their salt would risk getting caught this quickly. In fact, we aimed to not get caught at all, I couldn’t take the chance either. So, diligently I continued my search, finding the necklace I was looking for and meticulously untangled it from the rest. I readjusted my hooded cloak, reaching into one of its many pockets from which I procured a small leather pouch.

I slipped the necklace into it, pendant first, followed by the long, delicate golden chain before using the drawstrings to pull the pouch shut. Then I eased closed the box ever so gently before getting ready to leave as if nothing had been touched. Turning around on nimble feet I was already heading towards the door when I saw it.

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A small, embroidered bag sat tauntingly visible on the nightstand which caused me to come to a stop. It was undoubtedly a wallet, likely containing great riches - if the look of this house, which was more mansion really, should be believed. I knew I should leave it be but I was not known to be one that followed the rules. It was a risky choice as it was so close to her sleeping figure, that if she were to wake, I would undoubtedly be the first thing she laid her eyes on. If she made any sign to be stirring, I would certainly struggle to make it out of here without notice and if she sounded the alarm, I would be caught, I had no doubt about that. However, I was a man of simple desires and I couldn’t help myself. I wanted it, so I planned to acquire it. On the very tip of my toes I moved closer, grasping the pouch with quick, steady hands.

Within there was a small clink of, what I assumed to be gold coins, moving against one another. Carefully I lifted it up to avoid the gold tumbling around further and once I held it securely in my fist I made my way back to the door, slipping out of it and quietly closing it behind me.

My ears were once again picking up on the quietness of the home, surprised by how you couldn’t hear anybody at all, not even the Madam’s snoring, no nightbirds outside - not of the animal nor human sort. It was simply so deathly quiet, I imagined you’d hear a mouse’s footsteps over the wooden floors. Unnerved by the silence, I took another shallow breath, barely deep enough to be a real breath and then made my way down the hallway, back in the direction from which I had come. I wondered how so little sound was made, even my own footfalls were unnaturally quiet. Was the house charmed somehow? Is that why there were no security measures to deter a thief seeking fortune? The hallway I walked back into was long and narrow. The vaulted ceiling was so tall it felt like walking inside a cathedral, and the faint scent of perfumy flowers only added to the feeling of walking within the house of the gods.

Surrounded by the wealth of this home made me glad I’d taken the wallet, there was no doubt in my mind this woman wouldn’t be lacking even without those coins, I doubted she’d even miss them, in fact, if not for the wallet they were inside of, I was near certain she would never notice. I however knew this money could be used to treat someone else to a good meal and a nice drink, that someone being me.

Upon entering the living room once more that night I did another quick but thorough scan of the room. Still more empty than a pond in the Heims.

I was not prone to nervousness of any sort, but tonight I was on edge. It felt so eerie being in this big, mostly empty mansion in the dead of night where even the stars and the moon seemed to have taken to hiding behind the clouds, peeking out and shining their light only when I wasn’t able to see. I came to a halt in front of the window from which I had planned to make my exit. Nifty fingers reaching out and undoing the hatch before checking to make sure my face was still covered by the hood of my cloak and scarf from around my neck which obscured the bottom half of my face.

Stepping out of the window, I found a secure way to hold myself up as I reached out to pull at the bottom of the window to shut it. I heard the telltale sound of the hasp falling into place with a firm click, louder than I would have liked but with the spell I was sure nobody would notice it.

After being sure it had shut completely, even testing it by tugging at the bottom wood-panel, I began my descent down from the second floor to the cobblestone street below. I landed on my feet and let out a breath I hadn’t realised I was holding, thankful there were no guards patrolling nearby. Despite being the old and wealthiest part of town, security was surprisingly lax - not that I was about to launch a complaint. Checking one last time, making sure I had everything I’d arrived with - as well as the coin purse and necklace - I took off in a brisk walk, keeping my eyes open and my ears out for any sound. Unfortunately, not long after leaving the mansion, I heard the sound of footsteps behind me. The person was close enough to see me but not close enough to reach me. I quickened my pace and slipped in between two buildings, hiding in the shadows around the corner. A guard was apparently on patrol after all and he was moving quickly towards my hiding spot, making it clear he had actually seen me.