AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Clearing my throat, I told him, “Go to the wardrobe in the front bedroom upstairs. On the top shelf there should be a knitted jumper with an ugly pattern—brown and yellow.”
“Alright.” The man lifted his foot and booted the door, seeming not to care about potentially being caught doing this. I glanced around as the loud sound echoed in the quiet early morning, but the road was quiet, no cars approaching.
“And in the kitchen there’s a notebook with a bumblebee pattern on it,” I said quickly when he kicked again and the door jerked inward. “And…”
My eyes darted to the living room window, fixing on the mantle over the fireplace.
“On the mantel in the living room, there’s a photograph of three people. It’s in a wooden frame. On the lefthand side. Get that too.”
“Okay,” the man said vacantly as he wandered inside.
I let out a shuddering breath, gripping the strap of my satchel tightly as I watched him vanish. He’d left the door open, and I could see the sage green walls in the hallway. The old rug that Dad always used to trip on.
My eyes filled with tears again. It was all right there and I couldn’t even step foot inside.
When I finally tore my gaze away, no longer able to bear looking at it, I realised Nua was watching me intently.
“You have her way with words,” he said quietly. “The control she could wield with them.”
My gut clenched into an uncomfortable knot.
“I’m not like her,” I croaked, relieved when the words came out.
“I know you’re not, Ash,” he said, but the spark of worry in his eyes made me look away quickly.
A couple of minutes later, the man reappeared clutching several items. My breath hitched, and I stepped forward quickly to take them off him.
“Got all of them,” he said with a smile, but his brow was beginning to furrow with confusion, like he wasn’t quite sure why he’d just broken into an abandoned house and taken several seemingly worthless items.
I stared down at the things in my hands. Dad’s favourite old jumper, Mags’ recipe book and the framed photo tucked underneath. I held them delicately, like they were the most precious things I’d ever touched.
“Thank you,” I choked, and heard Nua suck in a sharp breath. Lifting my head, I gave the man a watery smile. “Thank you so much. You don’t know what…”
When I trailed off, unable to speak as I bit down hard on my trembling lip, the man shot me a bewildered smile.
“It’s okay. Uh…” His eyes drifted over to Nua and widened again, almost as if he’d managed to block out the fact that we didn’t look human for a short while.
I had no idea exactly what power I was wielding over him, but it snuck back into my voice as I said, “You can go now.”
“Okay.” He walked slowly to his bag, leaning down to pick it up before turning to face us. “Uh…”
“You won’t tell anyone about this, will you?”
His eyes went vacant again, but he blinked hard as if he was trying to fight it. Eventually he rasped, “No. Pretty sure I’m dreaming.”
“That’s right.” I tried to shoot him a smile, but it was wobbly. “Just dreaming.”
Lifting his bag strap over his head, he stared at us for a second longer before turning and walking unsteadily back down the path. Neither Nua nor I moved as we watched him, waiting until he had disappeared down the road towards the village.
Nua exhaled. “Ash—”
I was already lifting the jumper to my nose, eyes sliding shut as I inhaled deeply. It smelled more musty than anything, but I could faintly detect a hint of the old-fashioned cologne Dad had worn for years, mingling with the unique scent that was just him. Warm and comforting. With my eyes tightly shut, I could almost pretend, for just a second, that I was little again and he was giving me a hug before tucking me into bed.
Nua didn’t finish whatever he’d been about to say, staying quiet as I blinked open wet eyes and draped the jumper over my arm so I could open Mags’ recipe book. I hadn’t known that at some point over the years, she’d written a little note on the front page addressed to me. She’d always told me that she wanted to pass it on to me eventually.
My dear Ash,
I hope these recipes bring your family as much joy as they have brought ours over the years. I’ve marked all your favourites with a little A in the corners.
