The Mysteries of Brambly Hollow

raising the line after we told you to leave it alone?”
    “Oh dad,” David moaned with an irritated stamp of a foot. “He always spoils everything, and we didn’t move the line.” Turning, he ran from the room. “George, it was dad.” Meli heard him shout. Everyone was going to be miserable now.
    Clasping the bottle of tablets in one hand, and a fresh glass of water in the other, Meli set off to take them up to Cal. Last nights binge had left them both feeling way under par. She had no idea how their friends were, as all was still silent in their rooms. Through the window she caught sight of Tabby sitting on the wall, swishing her tail systematically as she stared in at her. That probably meant that Elsa was somewhere close by. This might be her chance to explain. Cal could wait a few minutes longer for his tablets. She deposited them on the bottom step.
    Emerging outside in her dressing gown and pink slippers, her eyes scanned the trail. Unexpectedly, Tabby leaped down and purring loudly began to wrap her bony frame around Meli’s legs. “Well, that’s a change of heart,” she commented, stooping down to stroke the cat’s meatless back, holding her neck and shoulders as stiffly as she could, to minimise any unnecessary jarring of her tender brain tissues against the harsh underside of her skull. With a hiss, her fur frizzing from her body like a bad perm, the cat leaped away as Quassi raced from the studio and gave chase. They headed to where the Vectra and Primera were parked.
    “Quassi,” she squealed with annoyance as she set off after him. “Leave her alone.” Quassi gave no indication that he’d heard as at that moment he was trying to scoot his body under the Vectra where Tabby was crouched, ears flat as she hissed and spat at him. Reaching him, Meli managed to grab his collar. “You’re a bad dog,” she scolded as she dragged him backwards, fighting off his tail that was lashing at her face like a cane. Her eyes settled on the front silver wing and travelled along the deep scratch that ran its length. Her stomach constricted. Surely Elsa hadn’t carried out her threat to damage the cars? Releasing Quassi she circled both vehicles. The Primera seemed okay, it was just this scratch. Roger was not going to be pleased; in fact he would be livid. Her eyes caught sight of something on the ground. Stooping down she inspected it. It was a human tooth. Elsa’s tooth? The one that had been wobbling in her gum? That still didn’t make her guilty though, did it? Rummaging in her pocket she found a tissue, and scooping the tooth into it, she stowed it in her pocket.
    She hurried back inside. Should she wake Roger and Myra? She decided that there was no point. The scratch would still be there no matter what time they woke up. Forgetting about Cal’s desperately needed pain killers, she rushed up the stairs and into their room. Hearing her, Cal rolled over and squinting in her direction through puffy, half opened eyes, he flipped out a palm towards her. A sound emerged from his mouth; it sounded like ‘aaahooou’, which she interpreted as possibly meaning ‘help me’.
    Ignoring it, she flopped on the bed beside him. “Cal, someone has put a scratch along Roger’s car.”
    “Uh?” His mouth sounded furry.
    “Someone has put a scratch along Roger’s car,” she repeated, fixing her eyes on him as though he should be doing something about it.
    Cal fell back against the pillow, and his eyes sank into their sockets before disappearing behind closed lids.
    “Did you hear me?”
    “Um,” his head nodded very slightly.
    “Well?”
    From smudged, dark rims, two limpid blue eyes emerged and slowly focused on her. “You want me to tell Roger?”
    Meli shrugged. “I don’t know. What do you think we should do?”
    “How about my paracetemol?”
    Huffing with frustration, Meli stomped off to get them. Maybe he would function better after he took them, because he certainly wasn’t functioning at any useful level yet. Probably still drunk, let alone hung over.
    “Mum, dad, have you seen Roger’s car.” It was a breathless David who hurtled through the door like a whippet, shouting loud enough to wake the dead, let alone any dozing drunkards.
    Meli heard the floorboards creak overhead. Roger must have heard that.
    “Yes, I know dear. Go back outside and play for a while.”
    The glass of water and bottle of paracetemol had almost reached the top of the stairs when Roger appeared in his