gargoylarium

You step into a room which as far as you can see, is completely made of what looks like polished marble. Chunks of it lie scattered about the floor and lean against the walls. Strange statues line the walls. The room is cold and tomblike, and yet you do not feel uncomfortable, on the contrary you find your senses tingling as you try to imagine who lives in this strange place.

All of a sudden you hear the beating of frantic wings and spinning around you duck swiftly as something brown speeds past your head. Cautiously you stand up and look around the room.

The brown thing whizzes past you again and this time you hear squeeky laughter as it passes.

"Hold up your arm" a gravelly voice commands you "the fool is trying to find a spot to land"

Tentatively you hold out your arm and in an instant the speeding brown creature alights upon it.
You find yourself staring eyeball to eyeball with something that you have never seen before. It is about 8 inches high and seems to be a cross between a cat and a bird, or maybe a dragon.

"Oh do be quiet you silly creature" the gravelly voices hisses
"Its no wonder we never get any visitors in here, with you behaving like that!"

Being careful not to dislodge the creature on your arm you move towards the back of the room where you see to your amazment that what you thought was a statue is infact a living being

"ummmmmmm" you stammer "hello"

"Hello" the mobile statue replies "Dont worry, most humans find us a little off putting at first. Let me introduce myself.
I am Mordak and that insane creature hanging off your left arm is Grak. Pay no attention to him, he dosnt talk much...actually now i come to think of it, he dosnt talk at all."

At this the small creature laughs once more.

"Thats all he does" mutters Mordak "all day I have to put up with it"

"Now where was I, oh yes. We are gargoyles, bet you havnt seen too many of us around have you, no I didnt think so. As I was saying, we are gargoyles, used to live on top of a church out there in the human world, but you humans are forever tearing things down, so now we live here. Not that I'm complaining mind you, this is a very nice place, but I do so long for the sound of bells sometimes"

With that Mordak sighs a great sigh and drifts off into his dreams of churches and bells, becoming statuelike before your eyes.

You decide to leave him to his revery and gently placing the still giggling Grak on a convenient chunk of marble you tiptoe to the door.