The Mysteries of Brambly Hollow

going to try some obedience training,” Meli explained to Cal. Slowly the numbness in her body was draining away through her feet, and she found herself free to move again.
    “This I’ve got to see,” Cal said, surprising Meli that he expressed any interest at all. Eating half his dinner had obviously invigorated him. Sweeping his plate off the table, he took it with him through to the garden. Meli followed, and joined him when he sat on the bench.
    George had got Quassi to sit. Meli suspected however, that this display of obedience had nothing to do with the accompanying stern order to ‘SIT’, but more to do with the fact that George had straddled his rump and applied the full weight of his ten-year old frame.
    “Here boy,” David called Quassi, who took no notice, although he did receive a glaring look from his brother as though this was his fault.
    “Come here,” David crouched down this time and tried again, patting his thigh furiously. Quassi tipped his head to the side and then glanced at Cal. Seeing the plate in his hand he stood up and trotting over he perched in front of him, and almost instantly water began to dribble from his mouth again.
    “Dad,” David groaned.
    “You’re ruining everything,” this was from George. Both boys were on their feet, giving him daggered looks.
    “You’ve got as much chance of teaching that mutt obedience, as I have of teaching the same trick to your mother.” Meli gave Cal a glancing blow on his arm, sending his remaining half sausage scurrying across the patio. Quassi was on it like an alcoholic on a bottle of whisky. Cal could only watch in despair as the sausage vanished. “Lucky I wasn’t enjoying that.”
    “Dad, mum will you go inside? You’re distracting Quassi.” David’s sharp request was accompanied by a gesticulating arm indicating the French door. Doing as they were told, the parents slipped away.
    “He’s totally useless,” George announced to no one, fifteen minutes later as he stomped through the kitchen.
    “What’s the matter?” Meli asked, glancing up from the T.V.
    “All he does is sit looking at you in that dumb sort of way,” his expression changed to ape the look: neck floppy, tongue hanging limply from his lips, eyes wide and vacuous.
    “Where is he now?” Meli asked, trying not to laugh.
    “David’s taken him for a walk down the lane.” He hurled himself dejectedly into a chair.
    Any shred of amusement was wrung painfully from her body as her guts tangled. ‘Down the lane’, led to only one place. That meant her son was heading for the abode of the gun-totting Ma Baker. She caught Cal’s warning shake of his head when he saw the look of horror cross her face. Meli nodded, but she still felt uncomfortable. She glanced at the clock. Seven fifteen. If he wasn’t back in ten minutes she would go looking for him.
    At seven twenty, Cal popped to the loo and Meli sneaked out the door, images of her son being chased up the road by a gun totting chihuahua, driving her forward. As the trail elbowed to the left, she saw David. He was moving towards her, but hadn’t seen her yet, as he was looking back over his shoulder. He was walking very quickly. When he turned round, Meli was alarmed to see that his complexion was pale white, and, for just the briefest instant, she thought she saw what could have been a flash of relief cross his features when he saw her.
    “What is it?” she asked, grabbing his shoulder and slowing his pace. “Are you alright?”
    David avoided her eyes for a moment, then with a final glance back over his shoulder, as if checking he wasn’t being followed, he met her gaze. “We’ve fine. Aren’t we?” he looked down at Quassi. Meli checked Quassi’s expression, he looked quite happy, almost grinning, like the cat who got the cream.
    “Where’ve you been?” Meli asked, pressing the point.
    “Only down to the yard,” David replied, fixing his eyes on the pot holed ground ahead of them.
    Meli shuddered, recalling her own experiences down there. “What were you doing in the yard? Not very nice, is it? Bit spooky.”
    David lifted his head to stare at her, his lips pressed tightly together, a frown on his forehead. “No,” he spurted. “Women!” He got that from his father. He didn’t say what he had been doing there.
    Cal’s expression was a touch scornful when she returned, with son and dog in tow, with no gunshot wounds. She read his mind - couldn’t leave it alone, could you? Meli