The Mysteries of Brambly Hollow

ridiculous, she thought to herself. Staring back at the other building, she forced her reluctant feet to begin walking towards it, to check it out. She was relieved that dog wasn’t resisting, trying to drag her in the opposite direction, otherwise her resolve would definitely have faltered.
    Circling the building she found the door, or what was left of it. Brutalized by wind and rain, a few splintered panels, held together by ancient nails, were all that remained as they swung loosely but soundlessly on corroded hinges. With some trepidation, her heart hammering, Meli reached out and pulled it open. She peered inside, and from behind her legs, Dog followed suit. The interior was pitch black, the light unable, or unwilling to penetrate the filthy windows or reach in over her shoulders. A cold wind, that seemed to originate from inside, suddenly sprang up and whisked around her feet. Meli squealed and leaped clear, as a smoking fireball shot from the blackness with a yeowl, heading straight for her. Whipping round she saw the fireball metamorphosise itself into a massive ginger cat that fled across the cobbles as though every demon from hell had broken loose and was in hot pursuit.
    Meli lost all interest in looking for Elsa. In fact, her weird neighbour was the last thing on her mind right at that particular moment when she was having a terrific problem resisting the urge to throw her hands in the air, and run screaming back to the lodge where she could hide, gibbering in fear in the bottom of her wardrobe until Cal came home. With as much dignity as she could muster, she uncoiled Dog from her lower legs, where in an act of supreme cowardice he had wrapped himself like a pair of surgical stockings. Gripping his lead tightly in her white knuckles, they hurried back across the cobblestones. Mumbling the words of the Lord’s Prayer, or as many of them as she could remember - why hadn’t she learned them off by heart at school while she had the chance? - She began to feel safer as they neared the end of the yard and the gates to freedom. Turning the corner, she almost had a coronary when she came upon Elsa, her squat girth blocking their way.
    “Oh, you scared me,” she squealed, unable to prevent a look of terror from striking her expression. Staring into the flat, black eyes that peered up at her, Meli would have had to be blind to miss the look of animosity displayed at finding intruders on her territory. The brooding eyes flicked passed her, as though seeking evidence of what she had been up to. She wouldn’t have been the least surprised if Elsa had insisted on frisking her before letting her pass.
    “I, I was looking for you,” Meli stuttered, her words emerging at an alarming rate of knots, similar to that used by the kids when they’d been caught doing something they shouldn’t and were trying to come up with some credible explanation to cover their foul deed. “I wanted to thank you for my present.”
    Focusing back on Meli, Elsa regarded her stonily. “You like him then?” She sounded slightly amazed.
    “Oh, yes, he’s adorable,” Meli felt herself give a nervous twitch. What was she saying? She’d come here to return the animal, yet here she was graciously accepting him as though he was better than a diamond tiara. Cassie’s condemnatory expression flicked across her retinas. She cleared the image with one sweep of her eyelids. “I was wondering, what’s his name?”
    Elsa gave her vast shoulders a couldn’t care less shrug. “Call him whatever you want.” Leaning heavily on her stick she pushed past the intruders and passed into the yard. Meli watched her go, knowing that the old woman was going to search every square inch, just in case she had disturbed anything. With her tail pressed firmly between her legs she tugged at the dog’s lead.
    “Looks like you’re coming home after all.” Dog looked up, and Meli was almost certain he gave her a wink.

    Cal did not look overly impressed when he was almost bowled over by a gyrating stick of black when he let himself in that evening. The day so far had definitely been cursed. First, he was late, then two people had phoned in sick; then to top it off the shop had become a battle field at lunch time when the family from hell had descended, loudly proclaiming their dissatisfaction with their holiday in France, while their five kids ran havoc amongst the queues of other customers and the brochure stands. He had been expecting a nice peaceful