AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“See what I mean about a Tardis? This place is so deceptive from the outside.”
Despite the width, the dining room felt oppressive. Swirling red and brown carpet met thick, yellowing wallpaper. Even the ceiling was a swirling mess of Artex and cobwebs.
“I suppose you’ll want to strip the house, do it up and sell it on?”
Kate nodded. Her mind was swirling as much at the ceiling and all she could think was that she needed to get out, get rid of this horrible mass of sadness as quickly as she could. Bob moved into the kitchen and Kate followed. Despite herself, she had to admit that things were looking up. Bob chatted on about new kitchens, Homebase deals and local builders. Kate could see why; nothing had changed in the kitchen since at least the fifties. It wouldn’t appeal to a modern family at all, but Kate loved it.
The kitchen was long and thin, and it took an awkward dance with Bob to move around the space. Kate opened a cupboard and found it filled with tins and packages. Several flies were dancing around the oven, and against her better judgment, Kate opened the door. Flies. Flies in her mouth, flies in her nose and flies tangled in her hair.
“Open the door, open the door,” Kate said, lips pursed to prevent any more fly supper.
The solicitor opened the door and mercifully a cloud of flies danced their way out of the kitchen.
“What the hell is in there?” Kate said, peering into the oven. She pulled out a casserole dish and held it at arm’s length, throwing it in the sink and turning on the tap.
“When did you say she died?”
“Six months ago.”
Six months it had taken for them to track Kate down. Six months where the house had been home to nothing but flies and God knows what else. The familiar loneliness tugged at Kate and she resolved she would die surrounded by family and friends. How to make that happen she didn’t know, but she’d make it happen somehow.
“Do you want to take a look upstairs or in the garden?”
“Let’s look at the garden next please,” said Kate, desperately needing to be out in the fresh air.
To begin with, the garden looked like any ordinary yard. In one corner was a stone outbuilding, orworkshop,as Bob called it. They peeked inside and several spider webs joined the flies in Kate’s hair. It was filthy, but in one corner stood a toilet and sink.
“You can never have too many toilets,” Kate said.
Bob laughed, but after giving the toilet a closer look, the smile dropped from his face and he turned a little green around the gills.
The rest of the yard was filled with large pots of dead plants. A rotten table and chairs stood against one wall, ivy slowly taking it over.
“It’s not a bad space, considering we’re in the middle of town.”
“No, you’re right, but you haven’t seen the rest yet.”
“The rest?”
“Yes, follow me.”
Bob led Kate down the side of the outbuilding to a series of crumbling steps. She followed behind him, and at the top, grabbed hold of his arm.
“This… this belongs to the house?”
Bob smiled at her and threw his arms out wide. “All yours.”
Kate let go of his arm and began pushing her way through the long grass mixed with brambles. The garden was narrow, but stretched upwards for what felt like miles. As she tore away some of the long grass, Kate could see where beds once lay, and beneath the brambles she caught the occasional scent of a rose.
“You never came out here with your grandmother?” asked Bob, slightly out of breath as he raced to catch her up.
“No. I only remember visiting her once. We had a cup of tea in the sitting room I think, though I was too small to remember much about it. I never asked you how she died?”
“Cancer. Years of smoking eventually took their toll.”
“Was it quick?”
“Not from what I heard.”
