As time ticked away slowly, feet danced gracefully across the checkered floor. Shuffling and laughter echoed throughout the room as black shoes and different coloured heels moved from one side to the other. They moved to the sound of the ticking clock.

The townspeople cried out in glee as the violinist participated in the celebration, the eerie tune filling one's ears. As the music and ticking continued, a man sat at one end of the room, watching with dark eyes.

He was surrounded by red walls and yellow trimmings, colourful movement in between. In his hand was a glass of red wine and beneath him, a plush seat kept him from tumbling out of it in boredom. The man put down the glass on the silver platter beside him, held by a stern man and raised his hands to his face, clapping twice.

At that moment, the clock’s pendulum sped up and the violinist played fiercely. The townspeople payed no attention to the man and instead danced even faster.

Moments later, the clock struck twelve; it first rang 12 times, the loud noise silencing the crowd. Tomorrow it would ring eleven times at eleven, and so on and so forth, till it’s last ring at one in 12 days time.

The townspeople stood in awe, looking at the grand clock. From the open ceiling, they could see it standing many meters high in the sky. It’s large black hands standing perfectly on top of each other, till one minute passed.

It was then they snapped out of their trance like state and continued to dance.

When the man had finally snapped, he clapped once more, commencing what he called the red dance. Soon enough people were laying on the ground, others trying to flee the scene. The room was filled with not only the violin, but the vivid screaming as one by one they tumbled to the ground.

“Well” he said, “that sure was pleasant..”