The Mysteries of Brambly Hollow

Still clinging firmly to his side like a sucker fish, Meli was dragged reluctantly forward when Bill stepped out of the comforting ring of light and into the disturbed, throbbing shadows.
    “Finn, answer me.” Bill pressed his palms to the wall, in what Meli could only assume was yet another inane attempt to connect with his son. Only this time it actually worked.
    “Finn didn’t mean to do it. Wasn’t Finn’s fault.” The reply, when it came, was garbled as the wood under Bill’s touch creaked and buckled slightly as though someone heavy had leant against it.
    “Do what?”
    “Ma fell over, when she came chasing after me. Then Ma didn’t move.”
    “What did you do then?” Bill had taken a step back into the light, and Meli moved with him. His face was lined with anguish in the semi-darkness.
    “Finn took Ma home, put Ma on the couch. Ma was very heavy, but Finn managed.” With a groan, the wall evened out and then there was a scraping sound, like Finn was dragging a stick around the exterior, indicating that he was circling the lean-to. “Finn did good.” He finished, his voice brightening.
    Fleetingly, Meli’s eyes met Bill’s. As if they were both mind readers, the same thought flashed between them. Elsa must have been alive when Finn took her home, because her body had been found on the floor, not the sofa. Might she have survived if she’d received medical attention? Silence permeated the lean-to like a freezing fog.
    “Can you smell petrol?” Meli whispered, her nostrils wrinkling as they sampled the air. Lifting his nose, Bill sniffed several times, and then nodded. From the way his eyebrows leaped about on his forehead, Meli was sure that they were both on the same wavelength, again.
    “What are you doing out there?” He called to his son.
    “Finn playing with matches.”
    Meli’s heart catapulted into her throat, while her blood drained down into her feet. He was going to kill them. Her teeth clamped onto her lower lip, drawing blood.
    “Finn, you know you’re not allowed to play with matches. They’re dangerous.”
    Meli was beginning to feel detached, in a woozy kind of way, like the last twenty-six hours were nothing more than a bad dream; after all, she often had peculiar and disturbed dreams.
    “But fun. Finn like fire.” Finn’s voice sounded gleeful.
    “Finn, put the matches away. You said you didn’t mean to hurt your mum, but you know what happened then. I know that was an accident, but you don’t want something similar to happen to us, do you?” Meli flinched as Bill’s fingers bit into her flesh. Oh sweet Lord, even Bill wasn’t sure they were safe. “No more accidents?”
    “Finn won’t hurt you.” Came the simple reply.
    Through the wall, Meli heard an explosion. It was the distinct sound of a match being struck. Any comforting illusions that this was all a dream went up in flames. Petrified, certain that she was about to die, she turned and threw her whole body at Bill, clinging to him, the whites of her eyes like two large duck eggs glowing in the half light. Bill clung back. Together they formed a human knot.
    Across Bill’s shoulder, Meli’s wild eyes scanned the shadows, waiting for the first deadly wisps of smoke to come trickling through. She wondered if Bill was doing the same, or whether he had his eyes tightly closed. Would the smoke and fumes kill them before the flames? She bit back the urge to begin screaming.
    How long passed, Meli couldn’t even begin to guess, but her straining muscles were beginning to ache with exertion; she didn’t know how much longer she could hold on. She felt Bill’s grip loosen on her. Still there were no signs of smoke, no fingers of flames, no crackling of burning wood. Gradually, they untied their limbs, and stood staring at each other, their expressions resembling two lobsters dangling by their claws over a pan of steaming water. Feeling embarrassed by the close, physical contact, Meli took a step back.
    A commotion outside. Meli likened it to a herd of buffalo, heads down, pounding across the prairie. The floor underfoot trembled with it. Then, with a tremendous splintering sound, the door was suddenly thrown open, sending daylight spilling into the interior. Silhouetted faces appeared. Lots of them. This time, Meli did scream, freely and loudly, a scream of unadulterated excitement. Rescuers.
    “Meli?” It was Cal’s voice. Meli experienced a millisecond of relief that she hadn’t been caught in a