Synopsis: "A young couple with a baby on the way rent a cheap, furnished apartment. Nigel has lost his job in a corporate downsizing, and Mary won't be working much longer. It's imperative that he find work as soon as possible, but when Mary returns home from work the next day, she finds that he's done nothing all day and seems to be in a trance of sorts. He's just standing there, with his arm in the large vase from the mantel ... The next day, Mary again returns home to a messy apartment, but Nigel isn't there. He apparently was out early and got a job with the company that took the contract away from his previous employers. When he comes home, Mary has her hand in the vase and is in a trance ... By this time, the reader and Nigel have both figured out that the vase is evil and to be avoided. Nigel wants to get rid of it, but it belongs to the landlord. They agree to at least put it away somewhere, but that doesn't happen."—Janice Clark