Chapter 6 – A Brand New World

Chapter 6 – A Brand New World

The road down to the village was long and straight, though by no means easy. Piles of dead brown leaves had been gathered into tall piles along the sides of the road and anything that wasn’t covered by snow scattered under the wheels of her bike. The cold of the air stung her cheeks, turning them a vibrant pink and rubbing her nose raw, forcing her to stop and wrap her scarf tighter around her face. The car tracks from yesterday were standing out clear as day on the road and it was a wonder that Richard had been able to navigate the streets. Of course, she supposed as she mounted the bike again, that he must have gone up and down these streets so often, he was able to find the way in snow, wind or rain.

Slowly, cautiously, push after push, she pedalled her way past the snowdrifts, the leaf piles, the invisible bumps in the pavement that she was sure were hidden cracks or roots, as there were a great many trees growing tall and strong on either side. When Danni reached a long space where the branches became intertwined, forming an arch overhead, she realised that this must have been the tunnel she had thought they were going through the previous night. Rain or, perhaps, melted snow was falling around her, the heavy drops fell into the snow below, hastening the thawing process of the land. Though she was no great fan of the winter, aside from what relief it gave her from societal expectations, Danni admitted that there was great beauty in what she saw around her. Though the sky was grey and the wind was strong, the smell of petrichor was a perfume fit to set the soul afire.

‘That was a pretty good sentence ,’ She thought. ‘ Maybe I’ll find somewhere to put it.’

The bike flew down the lane with very little effort required from her. At once, she was no longer cycling but flying, aboard the back of Pegasus, atop a broom, on the deck of a ship, moving through the air as though nothing could stop her. Had she the nerve, she might have even taken her hands off the handlebars and let herself sail, undaunted by fear of injury, down the rest of the way.

What she had thought was a hill was instead a gentle decline, and the village came into view, many figures already milling around the space despite the early hour. There was truly no rest for wicked, even in a place as peaceful as this. She passed a large village church, fit with a cemetery, fittingly, before coming to what looked like the Main Street through the space. She noticed Joey moving around inside his shop, apparently locked in conversation with someone who was either a well-padded woman or a rather stout man. As she drew closer, she realised it was Richard. Looking somehow even rounder in his thick winter coat, was talking animatedly with the grocer. Both men stopped to speak as she directed her bike around the side of the building and dismounted.

Approaching the grocer, the first thing she noticed was the distinct aroma of lavender around the place, though she could not see any such plants. Instead, there were boxes full of fresh vegetables, fruits and bags of grains, flour, sugar, everything that a person might need aside from any meat or dairy. But not a single sprig of lavender, much less enough to make the perfume quite so pungent. As she approached, the smell, she realised, was clinging to Joey’s clothes of all things! Somehow, the scent followed him like a loyal dog or a persistent cloud, draping itself over him.

“Greetings miss. I’m glad to see that you came down to see us.” Richard welcomed her warmly, tipping his cap as he had done the afternoon before. Danni’s face broke out into a wide grin again.

“Well after you told me so much of it, I had to get a look for myself.” She laughed lightly, looking around at the many houses and shops with their signs hanging over their doorways and windows. What’s more, if she glanced around, she was positive that she could spy what looked to be a pub down at the very end of the lane. Even in a place like this, people needed somewhere to relax.

“I see you’ve spotted the Broken Branch. That’s mine.” Richard explained, drawing Danni’s attention back to himself.

“You own a pub?” She asked, trying to recall if he had mentioned this at all during their drive up.

“I hope that it isn’t too much of a surprise.”

“No, this is just the first time that I’ve met someone who owned such a place.”

“Well, you’re welcome to come around at any time if you so wish. Our doors are open to all who need a pint or just a listening ear.”

“I suppose that means I should come to you for all the gossip.”

“And it flows like water down at the Branch.” Joey cut in, giving another beaming smile. “If you have a tale to tell, you should fit right in.” He was looking at her with a glowing affection that made her whole body feel warm. “I must say, you look much better now that you’re in clothes you haven’t slept in. I hope that you feel better as well.”

“I do, I must apologise for my appearance before now. I didn’t realise that I was so tired.”

“Well, wouldn’t that be the point of getting a good night's sleep and enjoying a nice holiday? Maybe once you’ve had time, you can come down and chew the fat with us.” Richard insisted, just in time for a bracing wind to sprint through the space, forcing Joey and Danni each to duck their heads against it. If she had been feeling the weight of it before, now it was positively unbearable. Already, her eyes were beginning to water and there was the unmistakable pressure behind her nose.

“Thank you, I think I might even…” Danni cut herself off, unsure if she should mention the stranger in her house who had been leaving her messages. She didn’t want them to come to her place with pitchforks and torches, after all. Hoping to buy some mistake, she wiped her eyes and nose on her sleeve, grimacing at the sticky, translucent mucus that clung to the material.

A spotted handkerchief appeared in her purview, and her eyes followed the hand holding it, moving up an arm, a shoulder and finally meeting Joey’s eyes.

“This might serve you better than your sleeve.” He offered, a deep ruddy red already dusting his cheeks.

“I can’t, it’s too nice and I’d just ruin it!” Danni shook her head, trying to wave it away but Joey pressed it into her hand.

“Take it, I insist. I have a million and one of these up in my place, I won’t miss just one.” He folded his hand behind his back and Danni felt her face heat up in a way that had nothing do with the cold. Folding it into her pocket, ducking her head to hide the smile breaking out over her face.

“Uh… I was about to tell you… uh…” Damn it! She was so flustered! Now she couldn’t even speak properly.

“Oh, spinning a yarn already miss? You’ve just gotten in; I would have thought that it might take a week or so.” Richard accepted a bag of his purchases from Joey, moving away to the side so that the next person in line could take their turn. Danni followed, glancing back at Joey, hoping that he wouldn’t eavesdrop.

“You mentioned that you and your wife looked after the house, right? Whilst you were waiting for me?” Danni asked, fidgeting with the cuff of her gloves.

“Indeed, I hope that there was nothing askew?” Richard asked, sounding nervous all of a sudden.

“No, no, I just wanted to know… did you find something strange at the time? Like… odd messages on the whiteboard? The one on the fridge, I mean.” Danni suggested, trying to keep things as innocuous as possible.

“My wife left that board. It belonged to our children, but when they moved out, they left it behind and she decided that whoever was living in that house would find a better use for it.”

“Oh… I see. Th-Thank you for that. But I have to ask, did you see something, anything strange whilst you were there?” She asked again but her heart sank when Richard only shook his head in response.

“No, we would go up, spend a few hours dusting and vacuuming and sweeping the place from top to bottom twice a day and then we would leave.” He explained, watching Danni’s shoulders slump. “Are you having some trouble miss Danni?” He asked kindly.

“I don’t know… I just think that there’s something Tawney didn’t tell me about in the briefing that she gave me. There’s a weird… feeling I get around that place.”

“Well, I won’t deny, there has always been something strange about that house. The garden never needed tending, that much I can say. In any season, the grass was flawless, bushes would grow flowers in a day, the fruit on the trees would be ready to drop at a moments notice.”

“Sounds like a gardeners dream…”

“A lazy one, perhaps, but yes. It was quite a sight to see during the summer months. The perfume from the flowers could be picked up for miles around. If you can, see if you cannot come back for a spell during the summer holidays.”

“Well with that sales pitch, I think I might have to take you up on that. This whole place… it’s beauti-ah!” Danni was interrupted by her own yelp. She had turned her head to look to try and spot the house from where she was, only to come face to face with a figure straight out of a horror movie. Standing at 7 feet in height, barrel chested and dressed in an apron splattered with red marks over a black shirt, both sleeves rolled up to expose arms of solid muscle, a man was staring down at her with small, heavily lidded eyes, a moustache that looked more like a shoe brush than real facial hair and a mob of dark hair.

“Who are you?” The man asked in a low voice, raspy from what sounded like a lack of use.

“Uh-I…” Danni had been so surprised by the man’s sudden appearance; she had been struck dumb.

“Frank!” Richard declared, making Danni jump again. Pressing a hand to her heart, her teeth chattered together in what she hoped she could play off as cold. “You scared the poor girl and-What are you wearing?! You’re covered in blood again!”

‘Again?!’ Danni recoiled in horror. How in the world was Richard acting so cavalier about this giant of a man walking around, looking like he had stepped out of Leatherface’s domain.

“Miss Danni, this is Frank Tine.” Richard’s hand on her shoulder was a warm, soothing balm on her nerves, but without any answers to her prevalent questions, she hesitated to step forward. “This would be the town butcher and a finer man you will be hard pressed to find.”

“Ni-Ni-Nice to meet you…” Danni tried to keep the squeak from her voice and her face burned when she heard Richard stifle a snort behind her.

Frank, apparently not one for words, nodded in response and extended a hand for her to shake. Tentatively, she reached forward with her own, only to spot red under his nails and feel the colour drain from her face. Richard noticed as well and burst into a roaring guffaw.

“Frank! You’re going to give the poor girl a heart attack! Look at your hands.” He said when he had finally calmed down enough to talk coherently.

Frank, who had only just seemed to notice what he looked like, examined his nails and went red underneath his moustache. All of a sudden, he appeared… flustered. Any kind of threat he may have posed before had vanished. Now, it was more like she was looking at Father Christmas if he ever decided to take a day off from dropping off presents and instead chose to pick up a cleaver.

“My apologies Miss. We got a delivery from the farm today and I just came to see Richard here.”

Gathering her courage, Danni straightened up and extended her hand again with a little more confidence. “It’s nice to meet you sir. As Richard said before, I’m Danni. I’m living up in the new house.” His hand swallowed hers up just as Richard’s did, the skin rough with callouses and she was sure she could feel the grooves left behind by repeated use of knives.

“Where do you get your meat?” She asked as he pulled back from the contact.

Turning and pointing out into the distance down the road, Frank gestured. “Did you see the farmland down the way? There’s three of them and we get beef, chicken, pork, eggs, everything we sell in the shop from there. It’s all raised outside and delivered fresh. Makes everything taste so much better.”

“You must be good friends with them.” Danni commented, a hard gust of wind blowing over them and making her shudder hard.

“That’s the difference between the city and places like this. We take care of each other here. What we have, we share.” Frank explained, seemingly unaffected by the cold. Was his bulk muscle or another kind of padding? Wasn’t there a saying about fat butchers? Or was that cooks? As Danni pondered this, Frank turned to address Richard. “Speaking of which, could you give us a hand to transport the meat?”

“Of course. I can get my truck up there in a trice. Beg pardon, Miss Danni, feel free to come around the Branch and I’ll have a pint of whatever strikes your fancy ready for you.” Richard tipped his hat and, with Danni watching, walked away. It was a strange thing, seeing such a large man make his way down the street that was slick with water and dead leaves with sure-footed assurance.

“Speaking of welcome, my wife would have been first at your doorstep when you arrived, but I’m afraid that this cow has everyone in a dither. Even my son and daughter are helping, much as they love to complain about it.” He explained. “My wife, she’s a peach. As soon as we have everything squared away, she will be heading your way with the other women to give you a proper welcome, of that you can be certain. She’s been looking forward to your arrival ever since she heard about it.”

“I hope that she hasn’t set herself up for disappointment. I mean, I’m only staying for a month…” Even as she said that she wished she could snatch the words back. They had to know that she was only there for a limited time and they were still going to make her welcome! “B-B-But I’d be delighted to have them around. Please, tell them that I’ll have a warm pot of tea ready for them. We can even turn it into a party, just so I can get to know everyone properly.”

Why had she said that? What a damnable stupid thing to say!

This wasn’t supposed to be a permanent thing! So WHY in the Great Glass Elevator had she said that she would host a party?! She was such an idiot!

“I’ll pass on the world to my wife, she’ll be delighted.” Before Danni could say anything to rectify the situation she was in, Richard was walking away in the direction of where, she assumed, his butcher shop must be.

Well, now there really would be no stopping it.

But there came a whole new problem. She could cook, alright, but it was noticeably the diet of a university student having to choose between new books, rent, food and whatever else when it felt like you were being charged for having to breathe. What could she serve them at this supposed party? Ramen? She had ingredients aplenty but skill? That was a different story, and she could tell that she wouldn’t like the ending.

Her feet had begun to move as she was thinking and before she knew what was happening, she was standing before the church of all places! Looking up, she was astounded to see that it was quite the grand, old building. Walls of stone with actual gargoyles on the roof, she could see people gathering in their coats and boots at Christmastime when the carols would ring out through the snow-covered streets, a crowd forming around the nativity scene, the picture of wintery serenity.

Leaving her bike resting against the wall, she pushed past the iron swing gate and stepped down the path, admiring the feeling of the place. Headstones and statues were scattered every which way, trees had grown large, their branches reaching out in all directions, seemingly unconcerned by the stone walls and concrete that made up the paths. She wanted to say that it was a cliché, that it was boring or too classical, but she just couldn’t. Not when the place was the picture of rustic charm that she had thought only existed in books.

It was all so quiet, so peaceful, free of the constant rumble of car tires, of people talking on their phones, of screamed swears when someone got cut off, the bellow of horns, busking that echoed down every corridor of the underground. The cacophony that pantomimed as an opera that came with the city. It was almost impossible to find places like this in the city and when she had been in school, as far from home as she had physically ever been, the only use she had found for the tiny church there was as a quiet place to work.

“‘Allo there!” Called a voice from her right and she turned to see a man who couldn’t have been older than 40 approaching. He was dressed in a thick coat and had a thick navy-blue scarf about his throat, and as she came closer, Danni saw the telltale white collar of a religious man peeking out from underneath it.

“Hello,” She returned, accepting the handshake that he offered when he had crossed the distance between the pair of them.

“I trust that you might be Danni, the girl living up in that lovely house up the way.” He had a strange way of speaking, but he had deep laugh lines around his bright blue eyes.

“Indeed, I am, I trust that you might be the priest of this church.”

“Oh, I’m not something that fancy. I’m a simple vicar and content to stay that way.” He explained, “Would you like to come inside? It’s a might bit warmer than being out here in the wind.”

“Oh, thank you but I’m afraid that I’m not what you might call religious.”

“It’s not religiously motivated to offer someone a seat out of the cold, just what I imagine any decent person would do.” From his wording, Danni thought him offended by her presumption, but he had a smile across his face. One that coaxed out a matching expression out of Danni’s reddened face and chapped lips. She was finding a lot of people were able to do that today.

“Thank you for the offer, but I think I need to be headed back to the house. I put out the clothes to dry, and I think I need to keep an eye on them. I’ve met quite a few people already, so I think my battery is running a little bit low.”

“I understand Danni. But feel free to come around and spend some time here, even if it’s just to talk.”

“It does look nice; I guess the town must be pretty proud of it.”

“If they aren’t, I know I am. Even if you aren’t religious, I think that you’ll find something that you like around here. One thing you must look at is the museum.”

“You have a museum? Where?” Danni had thought that this town might be too small for a museum as she imagined.

“I knew that would catch your attention.” The vicar chuckled loudly, seemingly unaffected by the wind blowing through the open space even as Danni shivered in her coat. “You have the look of a studious person about you.”

“Good to know that degree is doing something for me.” Danni joked, the vicar’s continued laughter warming her from the inside like a balm.

“Oh, I know you’ll like it now. We have what you might call a town hall over there.” He pointed towards the church and Danni supposed that he meant that it was on the other side of the building. “It’s attached to the church, and I put together a little museum inside, a kind of history of Newingham. Every month the theme changes accordingly and I hope that you’ll take the time to look at it.”

In honesty, Danni wanted to look at it already. Museums, exhibitions, displays, if there was a quicker way to pique her interest than to give her a book, it was to show her a source of history. But the wind was picking up and stinging her ears, the tip of her nose, even the creeping down the back of her neck. Then there was the stranger living in her home. She wanted to get back and look for them. Even if she had claw up the floorboards and burst through the walls, she needed to find the source of those odd messages.

“I’ll absolutely give it a look when I get the chance. Honestly, I’d love to come out of the cold but I’m still unpacking, and I came out to stretch my leg as well as get a break from all of it. I need to get back to it as quickly as I can, just so I can really start to enjoy my time here.” She was trying to be as polite as she could but talking to so many people in a day, when she would usually have to chase down her parents to exchange a spoken sentence with her parents, she could tell that she was starting to become tired of it all.

She had thought that he might have sniffed out her excuse, but he just continued to smile nonchalantly at her. Was it even possible to upset the people living here? Or had they just become accustomed to cheerfulness that it had become unbreakable? It was a trait that she had to admire; one she was even willing to admit that she envied.

The vicar turned to go, only for a swish of sodden leaves to betray his change of mind.

“Miss! Before you go-!” He called, though Danni had only taken a few steps down the path back to her bike.

“Yes?” Why was she hoping that he would take her inside? Why did she want to keep talking to him, even though the cold was seeping through her clothes and she was already thinking about the hot bath waiting for her back at the house.

“Be sure to keep your windows closed. We’ve had an odd rash of breaks in lately.”

“That’s awful! Was anything taken? Anyone hurt?” Danni asked, bending her head a little closer as if they were sharing a clandestine secret. Somehow, this little tidbit had her enraptured.

“No, thank the Lord,” The vicar crossed himself, “but one poor dear had the shock of her life when she caught this person in her kitchen!”

“They what?” Danni asked bluntly.

“It was awful, poor dear ran screaming from the house. Thankfully, it was only around 4pm in the evening, but if anyone had been thinking about turning in early, they were quickly dissuaded.”

“When did this happen?” Danni asked, her hands going to her pockets reflexively only to realise that, stupidly, she had left her bag behind. From here, she could see it, hanging from the bicycle handles. What had she been thinking?!

“It was just the other day. It was Miss King, she lives down the way, next to the bookshop.”

That piqued Danni’s interest. This place had a bookshop? That was a first to her. She hadn’t seen it on the main road, granted she hadn’t been looking very far.

“She was coming into her kitchen, only to find this, in her words, ‘black-covered monster’ at the counter! It was making tea of all things!”

Danni could only stare at him. What kind of ‘monster’ snuck into someone’s home and made tea? Whatever they were trying to do, it couldn’t have been good so just what had they been thinking?

“You can say you don’t believe me but ask her yourself. She swears on it. It was all the village could talk about until you arrived.”

Of course, how could she forget? Village folk liked to pick over gossip like chickens trying to catch a stray seed in the farmyard.

“S-So, what happened next?”

“I told you, she screamed her head off. Went straight out of her front door, but by the time she had gathered enough people and they’d all scraped their feet, as she had demanded of them, the intruder was gone! Had put the mug away and all!”

“Are you sure she wasn’t just—?”

“In the mood for a little excitement?”

Danni didn’t want to answer, but the Vicar could see it in her face.

“I would have thought the same thing, but we’ve been getting reports like this for a week now! What’s more, Miss King insists that one of her fridge magnets was stolen. How she could know that, I swear, I’ll never understand.” The vicar remarked, folding his arms against a fresh blast of cold.

“When was the first time?” Danni’s teeth were chattering but she didn’t care. She was too invested.

“Shockingly, around Christmas, just last year. The whole town had gathered in the church for midnight carols and as we adjourned, Miss Kitty, she lives closer to the train station in town and was catching a ride with Richard. Just as she was walking with him, she saw that one of the house’s back window was open. What’s more the light was on! According to what she said, she asked Richard to wait for her whilst she investigated only to see someone climb out of the window and take off into the dark!”

“You’re kidding me!” Danni couldn’t believe what was hearing. Was this some sort of crime spree?

“I wish I was! As it turns out, the owner had been cooking a chicken and left the window open a chink just to let the place air out whilst they were at Carols. The thief must have used that.”

“What about the police? Have they been called?” Did a place this small even have a police department?

“Well, we tried but that’s where the final bit of disappointment arises. You see, nothing of value was taken from any of the houses. Miss King’s fridge magnet, a bar of soap, even an old shoe brush. Something that was just lying around but what the homeowner would surely notice the disappearance of. It’s all very strange.”

“Indeed, it is… but it’s also piqued my curiosity.”

“Well, I’m glad for that, though I must precaution you. Keep your windows closed unless you want to find something crawling into your bedroom.” The vicar, voice cheery once again, gave her a wave.

“Oh, I’d like to see them try. My room is on the top floor!” Danni laughed, returning the gesture and walking down the path.

She collected her bicycle from the wall, mounted it and kicked off from the wall, the momentum sending her up the road. The leaves didn’t seem to bother her as much and it felt good to be moving again. It was just what she needed to shake off the cold and get the wind moving through her hair. It had been so long since she had gotten this kind of freedom, she supposed that she must have forgotten what it felt like to be able to go wherever she pleased, do as she wished without having to worry about someone peering over her shoulder and scoffing in her ear.

That thought carried her back to the house, only for the dread to crash down on her. She was back… and she had to find the mysterious stranger that was lurking inside. Wasn’t that just… grand.

Sticking the bicycle back in the shed and feeding a few more logs into the chute, just to keep the heating going, Danni stepped into the house and exhaled. With that breath, went the cold from her body. Next to her, the fridge was humming and like one might use a metronome as a way to gently ease themselves into relaxing, she let herself zone out to that sound. That was, however, until she saw that a new note had been left on the whiteboard.

Did you have a nice trip? J