The millers be careful w.., p.1
The Millers: Be careful what you wish for..., page 1
The Millers
Chapter One
Cathy smiled lazily as she wound down the car window; she enjoyed the feel of the wind as it tangled her long, honey-blonde hair and blew it wildly about her face. Breathing in cool, country air is really what she needed right now.
She locked eyes with her husband in the mirror and what lovely, warm, brown eyes he had. He smiled at her weakly; he looked exhausted.
She checked the back seat; Luke and Nora were fast asleep, huddled together against the world, dreaming of sugar and sweet things. She smiled at them sadly; they were a sorry pair. Nora was going through that awkward stage in a young person’s life; she was moody and gangly for her age though she was almost fourteen. Luke was eight and though boisterous at times, was known for his silent and often sullen moods.
Luke and Nora were the children of William’s sister, Emily. It was Cathy and her husband William’s responsibility to look after them over the course of the next month, while the children’s parents settled their difficult divorce. They-Cathy and William- had acquired a small sum of wealth recently and they had used it to acquire a cheap property on the edge of Alder Wood, which was, “way out in the sticks” as William had described it. They thought it was romantic. It was William’s idea to move a little earlier than expected and to take the kids with them for a pleasant, English-countryside experience.
The story was an odd one-how they had gone about purchasing their new home -it was all very strange and had all happened quite suddenly.
Cathy had been walking down the high-street one day, browsing houses for sale in real-estate agencies and milling through bookstores, when she was approached by a strange looking man. He appeared to be at least in his mid-fifties, but could have been much older, his face was wrinkled and his ginger beard streaked with grey. He had the most hardened blue eyes that she had ever seen and a gaze that quite startled a person upon first glance. Dazzling as they were however, they were adorned with wrinkles and age. He looked as though he had fought his way through a shell-shocking war and had crawled his way out, scarred.
Damaged within.
“You looking for a house?” He enquired. He had a very thick Yorkshire accent and large, beefy hands with yellowing fingers. He could’ve been a labourer, so tough was the skin on his mountainous paws. He would have been slightly more intimidating if his crazed eyes hadn’t happened to continue darting from left to right every so often.
Then again, it really was quite maniacal.
He seemed paranoid.
Startled, Cathy turned around to face him.
“I couldn’t help but notice…” He began.
“I’m not interested” she huffed and made to walk away when,
“Please- you don’t even know what I was gonna say!” You are in need of a house and I a quick sale- I have a proposition for you”. She sensed something then, not anger, but close. She studied him. “What say you? Do you want to talk?” He followed her to the till and waited patiently for her answer.
Cathy tore her gaze from the old man’s yellow fingers; she hated smoking. She rummaged around in her huge bag for her purse, fished it out and paid the cashier for her book. She turned around and found herself almost nose to nose with the stranger.
“Excuse me, but I really need to get going” she told him and barged past him a little too violently for her own liking -making her feel slightly guilty. She cursed herself for being so compassionate. She took a quick, deep breath and rushed out of the shop.
She had rushed off so suddenly that she hadn’t even realised that she had left her purse and personal organiser behind.
***
“Are we there yet?” Luke asked, a little sleepily from the back seat.
“Well, “said William frowning, “according to this map, we have just arrived” he scratched his beard thoughtfully, his patience bordering irritability.
Luke yawned groggily and popped his head up from his sister’s lap to look out of the window. And then he stopped still in his tracks.
He gave William such a look of confusion that the man almost laughed.
“But we are in the woods!” Luke whined.
That much was true; the map had led them directly into the heart of thick woodland, stopping short due to a huge, gargantuan fallen tree blocking their path.
Nora mumbled in her seat but did not wake up.
“What now?” Cathy asked calmly.
“We can’t go through there- the car will never fit through!”
“Wait… what? We have to go through there?” Luke questioned, with large, scared eyes. “I don’t want too! It looks dark…”
It was true; beyond his vison the woods did indeed appear dark and ominous.
“Why- is the baby scared?” Nora whispered menacingly, mocking him. She was slowly coming to from her long sleep. She yawned, scratched the head upon which her raven-black hair sat and exited the car.
“No I’m not scared of anything- honest!” Luke cried determinedly, sticking his chest out like his favourite super hero.
Cathy looked at her watch and then at William.
“Guess we will have to walk the rest of the way then” she sighed.
“You guessed correctly”, he smiled broadly, which seemed to be one of the first in months, “it will be an adventure”.
Chapter Two
Cathy couldn’t believe her luck the day that the letter came. She would have almost thrown it out, were it not for the funny looking wax seal on the back.
She sat at her desk and opened it. Inside was a home-made leaflet of some sort, with a picture of a large, old; two-storey stone cottage on the front. It was for sale.
Wow, how charming! It’s just what Will and I have always wanted. I bet it comes at a price though...
She turned the leaflet over to reveal a number and made a mental note to show him when he got back from work. There were more pictures inside; a beautiful, luscious green garden, a spacious, rustic kitchen; a cosy, homely living room and quaint little upstairs bedrooms- she was in love.
She grew so excited that she fidgeted in her seat.
Only another four hours until he returns.
She pictured the cottage in her mind and the life that she would have there and felt a warm sensation in her chest. After a few moments she stood up and walked around the room of her small flat several times, nervously straightening cushions and anything that seemed to hang over the edges of the tables or cabinets; it was one of her many idiosyncrasies.
She’d been extra tense lately, all sorts of ticks cropping up and bugging her endlessly.
She was nervous because the “accident” was still lingering in the air, the tension taut between her and her family- Williams too.
Maybe I shouldn’t show him the flyer? Maybe he doesn’t want to leave his poor mother yet… No, it’s probably too soon. Still, it can’t hurt can it?
***
The trek to the cottage was a quiet one. The air was filled with the occasional crunch of twigs and dry leaves underfoot and the eerie song of the black bird played on the wind; nature’s sullen orchestra.
Everyone was tired from the long trip, the kids looked miserable and they grew increasingly fed up and weary with each step.
So much for appreciating nature.
“Okay”, William said, “it’s your go again, Luke”.
“Erm… I spy with my little eye… No wait! I spy with my little eye something beginning with… T!” He exclaimed excitedly.
Nora sighed dramatically.
“It wouldn’t be tree again would it? She asked sarcastically. “Idiot”.
“It’s not FAIR!” Luke wailed. “Let someone else guess!”
Nora rolled her eyes.
“Enough, you two!” Cathy cut in. “This is a family holiday”.
“I bet it was tree though…” Nora mumbled to her brother and they continued on in silence.
***
Twenty minutes into their trek, William decided to lift the mood by racing with the children and accompanying them in childish games of tag. Cathy was happy to be out of her small flat and felt that nothing could pull her out of her glorious mood. It made an immense difference to the dull ache that normally resided over her heart and the name that forever dominated her mind.
Jasper.
William smiled at Cathy and took her hand gently, as if he had read her mind.
She smiled back.
William was gorgeous, he had chocolate brown eyes and dark messy hair that always stuck up at the back; sometimes it hurt Cathy to look at her husband. He just reminded her too much of him.
She smiled back and led the way forward, gently tugging him along.
“Not long now” she breathed into his ear.
God he smells wonderful.
He knew exactly what she meant; it was their new life that would begin once they arrived at the cottage and a new start.
Cathy looked ahead and spotted Luke standing on the edge of the wood. He appeared to have been paused he was so still.
“Hey, gormless” Nora shouted to her younger brother. She ran up to him and tapped him on the forehead. “Earth to Lucas!” She cried, trying to provoke a reaction from him.
“My name’s not Lucas!” he snapped back defiantly, now pulled out of his rigid stance.
She stuck her tongue out at him triumphantly.
“Alright, enough you two…” Cathy began, but stopped mid- sentence when she reached the
She held her breath; she knew exactly what had made Luke stop, for she was looking right at it and it made her feel ill.
Chapter Three
When William had returned home from work, he had found Cathy absentmindedly gazing at a photo of an old, picturesque cottage. Upon first inspection, he had thought he had caught her crying again, her head bowed. Intrigued, he asked her about it and it was two short hours later that they found themselves stood, gathered by the house phone, the owner of the cottages number sprawled onto the back of a yellowing envelope, pulled from a random drawer.
Cathy dialled the number. Maybe the house had been claimed, the leaflet did look old.
Someone picked up on the other end.
“Hello…?” she breathed, nervous somehow.
“This isn’t right! This isn’t right what you people are doing to me-now leave me alone! You will be the bloody death of me!” A voice screamed on the other end of the line.
Cathy jumped, holding the phone at arm’s length away from her ear.
“Sorry, wrong number...” She began.
She heard a quick scuffling on the other end of the line.
“You- you’re not one of them are you?” The voice asked.
“I- I’m- I was phoning about the ad. I’m… Cathy” Cathy mumbled thickly.
“Should’ve said” the voice spoke again.
Cathy was about to express her opinion on this when the voice said,
“It’s not expensive love, this house of mine. I need it gone and I need it gone real fast- I just can’t carry on living here anymore- will you take it, love?” He questioned.
“I understand Mr…?”
“White” he gasped.
“We were… I’m just enquiring at the moment. I don’t really think that I could afford a house as pretty as that-“
She was interrupted by heavy laughter on the other end, followed by a weary sigh.
“Trust me, it ain’t that pretty and its very quiet here, it’s a rather lonely commode” He chuckled.
“Do you live in that lovely big house alone?” Cathy asked inquisitively, resulting in a strange look from her husband.
“Oh I only wish that I could have the peace of being alone! Alone I ain’t girl; quiet is all I’ve ever wanted. My wife has been dead for fifteen long years and still I yearn for it”.
There was a silent pause while Cathy decoded his words. He was mad, crazy from living alone for so long.
“Anyway the house, love- it’s yours- I don’t want a lot for it. I’ve never been a greedy man. How about…Hmm”. He paused for a moment in thought. “All I ask of you for this old place is fifteen grand- you send the money as soon as you can and you get the house as soon as I receive it”.
Cathy was dumbfounded.
A house!
So cheap!
What was the catch?
“Fifteen thousand? You- you’re sure?” She gasped. “Why, the place is cheaper than a car, surely you don’t mean…”
“Take it or leave it, love”, he cut across,” I expect you will want to sleep on it so maybe you should phone me in the morning”. They talked for a further ten minutes and then she bade him goodnight and put down the phone. She stared dumbly at her husband.
Cathy had never been daring in her whole life- but right then she decided to do what she hadn’t done in a long time and live in the moment. Seize the day. In her mind she had already agreed to the bargain and stayed up late into the night making plans with her husband. She was happy; she would be delirious was it not for the callers thick, Yorkshire accent, echoing around her brain long after her husband had drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Four
“I don’t like it and neither does Nigel!” Luke half sobbed when faced with the decaying building in front of him. He had Nigel clasped firmly by the arm.
Nigel was Luke’s stuffed monkey and they went everywhere together.
“Oh, crap.” Cathy voiced her thoughts aloud as she breathlessly made her way over to the children and then quickly covered her mouth. If Nigel didn’t like it then there was no way on earth that they were going to get Luke inside the house before dark.
“It’s old and it looks really scary”. His eyes grew moist and he clung tightly to his sister’s hand. “I want to go home”.
Nora looked at her little brother and sighed. Cathy and William were not far behind now, and as they approached, Luke clung to their legs.
“Aunty Cathy, is that our house?” Nora asked.
Cathy put her hands on her knees and took a moment to catch her breath.
She followed Nora’s gaze and gasped.
This wasn’t their beautiful new home…
Was it?
This cottage was much smaller than the one in the picture. The stones were worn and dirty; ivy crept though the rickety roof slats and meandered around the window-sills. An upturned bucket and its contents- still wet and sticky- decorated the front of the house. Weeds even bloomed out of the chimney. It would not be an exaggeration in the slightest if one were to say three-quarters of the house were almost invisible, so wild were the plants that infested the exterior walls. It looked like a witch’s house from a fairy tale, eerie and seemingly deserted.
Cathy gulped and tried not to imagine how bad the interior would be.
So much for living in the moment.
Damn! Why didn’t I research this place first?
William appeared from behind Cathy and snaked his arm around her waist.
“It really is quite charming, in its own quirky way”. He beamed optimistically.
Cathy sighed and pulled away.
He’s so much like his brother in every way. Even the way the light shines in his eyes when he’s smiling.
She kissed his cheeks and made her way over to her very frightened nephew. She wound her arm around Luke’s shoulders affectionately and found that he was shivering.
“It’s not that bad, Luke. It’s pretty intimidating at first, I’ll admit. But it’s my home now and we have to get used to it” Cathy murmured, her eyes welling up, trying to make him feel better even though she felt like throwing up just thinking about the money she’d have to spend on repairs.
I can’t live here… can I?
“Cathy!” Nora bellowed from the direction of the house. “Cathy, who is that?”
Cathy’s eyes followed her nieces extended finger and rested on what she was pointing at.
There was a very small child standing in the clearing. She was a tiny thing with angry, curly red hair that exploded under some kind of cap that rested on her head uncomfortably. She had a freckled face and rosy cheeks
Cathy thought she looked Amish.
Despite her exotic look, it was her outfit that made her stand out the most. It looked Victorian and it was filthy; as were her hands; she had no shoes on her feet and they were tarnished with mud.
“Are you lost, little girl?” Cathy asked nervously, unhooking herself from Luke, just about managing to make him stay put and gently approaching the girl.
The child said nothing. She just gazed up into Cathy’s big blue eyes with her delicious green ones.
She felt as though she were being X-rayed.
It felt so uneasy.
Cute though.
“Where are your parents?” Cathy tried again.
The little girl just smiled at her eerily and plonked herself down on the ground while Cathy looked on dumbfounded. The child proceeded by ignoring them all and began to make daisy chains on the grass.
After a few uncomfortable moments, William cautiously moved toward the girl, ensuring he was calm enough not to frighten her away. When he approached her she beamed up at him showing him all of her teeth- two of which were missing. She passed him the chain of daisies she had made and then gestured towards her closed fist to indicate that she had something else hidden there. Her face looked like one of pure mischief and it made Luke uneasy- so much so that he moved to hide behind his sister.
“What have you got there, freckles?” William laughed, extending his hand so as to discover what she was hiding.
“OY! YOU!” A voiced bellowed from in the distance.
The group turned around to see a man charging towards them at quite a speed. He didn’t stop when he reached them but continued on until he reached the little girl.
