Read Online The Mysteries of Brambly Hollow by Alison Cronin - Free Book Online
Authors: Alison Cronin
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he’d given her the wrong answer. When nothing untoward happened, he added. “I’m really pleased you’ve changed your mind. Where would you like to go?”
“ The Smugglers Arms would be fine, then we can both drink.” The pub was only five minutes walk away and was their local. No, she corrected herself, it was Cal’s local, as he gravitated to the bar most evenings, even if only for one pint. She had only crossed the threshold on three or four occasions, when she’d been co-erced into accompanying him. She shot down the alarming image of Dick Swindon whispering furiously in the twitching ears of the po-faced bar props, and the sight of their sniggering faces as they gawked at her.
“ Sounds good to me. See you later.”
Replacing the receiver, Meli felt like she was walking on a pair of sponge-soled silver slippers. The constant tightness across her forehead, similar to having her head compressed in a hundred extra-thick elastic bands, had miraculously gone. Rushing to the mirror, she gaped at her expression, amazed to discover that the customary furrows, that looked like she had indeed been wearing a hundred extra-thick elastic bands around her forehead, had vanished. Finding the courage to finally lay her ghosts to rest, to put the past behind her and focus on the future, had the effect of giving her an instant forehead lift, and it hadn ’t cost a penny. It was amazing.
Chapter 4
At 2.50 p.m., Meli slipped on her trainers and scooped up her keys, preparing to collect the twins from school. Cassie was getting a lift home later with a friend. Opening the door she jumped backwards, startled when a large white object accelerated towards her face and stopped one centimetre from where the tip of her nose had been. Uncrossing her eyes, they focused on the envelop that belonged to a stubby arm, which in turn belonged to Elsa, who was so close that she must have been standing with her face pressed to the door. How long had she been there?
“ Oh, you gave me such a scare,” she gulped, glancing around the side of the unwavering envelop and giving the old woman a nervous smile.
Elsa ’s beady black eyes bore into her own with the intensity of lasers, causing a cold sweat to trickle over her body. Did Elsa take some satisfaction from having frightened her?
“ It’s your birthday.” Meli nodded her agreement slowly. Somehow her neighbour made it sound like an accusation of some heinous crime. “This is for you.”
Meli shifted her gaze back to the envelop that was still stretched out towards her, but was now swishing through the air, just beneath the tip of her nostrils. Automatically she found herself reaching up and accepting it, if only to ensure that Elsa didn ’t slice her nose off with it. Now she had an uninterrupted view of Elsa’s face, she was trying desperately hard not to stare rudely at the large glutinous red stain that seeped from the left of her thin lips and widened out to cover the nub of her knobbly chin, congealing around the roots of the coarse covering of hairs. Tomato ketchup maybe? Ox blood? She shuddered.
“ They’ll be a present later.” The words generated several impromptu and unsavoury thoughts. A present. What would someone like Elsa consider an appropriate present? A necklace made from a string of fat juicy earthworms, threaded together from mouth to derriere on a length of cotton, or worse still maggots? Or maybe a stuffed rat’s head mounted on a plaque to hang over the fireplace; or maybe even a hedgehog pie, topped with a large dollop of butter (if the word in the village was to be believed, Elsa used butter and margarine like other people would use cream - as a topping on everything; in fact she was rumoured to eat it straight from the tub with a spoon). The Chelsea Bun she’d enjoyed earlier began to clamber up the sides of her gullet, racing the muesli she’d eaten for breakfast. Hastily she swallowed.
“ That’s very nice of you,” Meli was struggling to
“ The Smugglers Arms would be fine, then we can both drink.” The pub was only five minutes walk away and was their local. No, she corrected herself, it was Cal’s local, as he gravitated to the bar most evenings, even if only for one pint. She had only crossed the threshold on three or four occasions, when she’d been co-erced into accompanying him. She shot down the alarming image of Dick Swindon whispering furiously in the twitching ears of the po-faced bar props, and the sight of their sniggering faces as they gawked at her.
“ Sounds good to me. See you later.”
Replacing the receiver, Meli felt like she was walking on a pair of sponge-soled silver slippers. The constant tightness across her forehead, similar to having her head compressed in a hundred extra-thick elastic bands, had miraculously gone. Rushing to the mirror, she gaped at her expression, amazed to discover that the customary furrows, that looked like she had indeed been wearing a hundred extra-thick elastic bands around her forehead, had vanished. Finding the courage to finally lay her ghosts to rest, to put the past behind her and focus on the future, had the effect of giving her an instant forehead lift, and it hadn ’t cost a penny. It was amazing.
Chapter 4
At 2.50 p.m., Meli slipped on her trainers and scooped up her keys, preparing to collect the twins from school. Cassie was getting a lift home later with a friend. Opening the door she jumped backwards, startled when a large white object accelerated towards her face and stopped one centimetre from where the tip of her nose had been. Uncrossing her eyes, they focused on the envelop that belonged to a stubby arm, which in turn belonged to Elsa, who was so close that she must have been standing with her face pressed to the door. How long had she been there?
“ Oh, you gave me such a scare,” she gulped, glancing around the side of the unwavering envelop and giving the old woman a nervous smile.
Elsa ’s beady black eyes bore into her own with the intensity of lasers, causing a cold sweat to trickle over her body. Did Elsa take some satisfaction from having frightened her?
“ It’s your birthday.” Meli nodded her agreement slowly. Somehow her neighbour made it sound like an accusation of some heinous crime. “This is for you.”
Meli shifted her gaze back to the envelop that was still stretched out towards her, but was now swishing through the air, just beneath the tip of her nostrils. Automatically she found herself reaching up and accepting it, if only to ensure that Elsa didn ’t slice her nose off with it. Now she had an uninterrupted view of Elsa’s face, she was trying desperately hard not to stare rudely at the large glutinous red stain that seeped from the left of her thin lips and widened out to cover the nub of her knobbly chin, congealing around the roots of the coarse covering of hairs. Tomato ketchup maybe? Ox blood? She shuddered.
“ They’ll be a present later.” The words generated several impromptu and unsavoury thoughts. A present. What would someone like Elsa consider an appropriate present? A necklace made from a string of fat juicy earthworms, threaded together from mouth to derriere on a length of cotton, or worse still maggots? Or maybe a stuffed rat’s head mounted on a plaque to hang over the fireplace; or maybe even a hedgehog pie, topped with a large dollop of butter (if the word in the village was to be believed, Elsa used butter and margarine like other people would use cream - as a topping on everything; in fact she was rumoured to eat it straight from the tub with a spoon). The Chelsea Bun she’d enjoyed earlier began to clamber up the sides of her gullet, racing the muesli she’d eaten for breakfast. Hastily she swallowed.
“ That’s very nice of you,” Meli was struggling to
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