The Mysteries of Brambly Hollow

asking that you are more careful in future. You know I hate the house to be left unsecured; you never know who might get in.” From warring Amazon to peace keeper in less than five seconds. Pretty amazing, Meli congratulated herself.
    “ Well that’s rich, coming from you.” Cass, on the other hand, was clearly still clutching her spear, ready to jab her mother with its poisoned tip. “I thought we moved here especially to get away from burglars and muggers.” Horrified, Cassie’s fingers flew to her lips, but they were too late to catch and restrain the last harrowing word that sent shock waves through the room, making the beams and the ceiling groan as they whispered furiously to each other. Every spot of colour drained from her head at the unintentional reminder of what happened to Great Grandma Amy.
    Meli ’s jaw unlatched and fell to the ground where it hung precariously, and the muscles in her heart spasmed. Then, just when she thought she would pass out, her heart gave a painful lurch and began crashing and kicking within her chest cavity, and her heavy, lower jaw retracted itself so her mouth could work. “How could you?” She gasped. Across the table, Meli saw her daughter swallow nervously; saw the way her shoulders hunched up and around her head as though she wished the ground would open up and she would be sucked down into the flaming bowels of the Earths core. Right at that particular moment, Meli’s stone-coated heart hoped so too.
    “ I’m so sorry,” Cass managed to whisper in a husky broken sob, her eyes glistening with a coating of tears.
    Meli ’s heart burst its stuffing into her chest. Blinking back her own tears she rushed around the table to her daughter, and grabbing her, pulled her into such a tight embrace that even Samson himself wouldn’t have been able to part them. Mother and daughter clung together for a moment, locked by their mutual pain.
    “ That’s not fair,” howled George, his tinny voice protesting that his brother had restarted the game while he wasn’t looking. David, who had lost all interest in the scene unfolding in the kitchen when it hadn’t turned into the anticipated screaming match with blood and guts, had taken the opportunity to KO his brother’s boxer.
    Cal, striding into the living room, picked up a cushion and flung it at David ’s head. Instantly taking on the role of the injured boxer, David threw himself onto the floor and lay spread-eagled on his back, quickly topped by George. Within seconds they were having a bundle.
    Ignoring the melee happening not ten feet from where they were standing, Meli released her daughter and stepped back to arms length. In that moment, when their eyes locked, something dramatic sparked between them, something of such magnitude that Meli physically felt the force of it strike the barrier that existed between them, shattering it into a thousand pieces, like dropping a porcelain figurine from the top of the Empire State Building. She sensed that Cass had felt it too.
    “Best eat your dinner, before it gets cold,” Meli advised. She watched with a huge burst of happiness, as Cass slid down onto a chair, and began tucking in. Up until thirty seconds ago, Cass complying with anything she suggested would have been about as likely as Cal suddenly announcing that he was giving up drink.
    “ Dad’s taking me out for a meal tonight,” Meli continued. “Can you mind the boys for us?” She saw the way Cass cast her disparaging eyes at her brothers, as Cal tried to untangle the two knotted bodies, her expression clearly revealing that she would prefer to mind a family of unruly baboons than her brothers, but she nodded anyway.
    “ Thanks Cass.” It had been a rhetorical question, as they both knew that she would have had to do this anyway, but somehow it had felt right to ask.
    Cal swaggered into the kitchen, a pompous smirk on his face at having successfully calmed the twins, although if his puffed and ruddy complexion was anything to go by, it hadn ’t been an easy victory. Speculatively, he eyed the two women in his life, checking whether Meli had had as much success with their daughter.
    Meli ’s ready smile reassured him. All in all, today had not been the total disaster she’d expected. Today had proven to be something memorable, the day she had taken the first step out of her black hole.

Chapter 5

    After all the dramatics, they eventually arrived at the Fountains Head at 8.15 p.m. Cal had arranged for