A fortnight later, the farmhouse was ready. I woke up on the Saturday morning with a big smile on my face. This is it! Moving day! I’d already taken most of my belongings across. I could have slept there last night but I wanted to make a meal to say thank you to Rich and Dave for providing me with a home and friendship and helping me fulfil Thomas and Gwendoline’s legacy.
Dad had decided not to move in, telling me he felt settled at Lauren’s and didn’t want to crowd me. I protested but I could see it made sense. He needed his space and so did I.
Mr Jeffreys had phoned me at work yesterday with the great news that the Grimes boys’ solicitor had acknowledged they had no legal claim and would be dropping the case. It was therefore lovely to unlock my new front door that morning to find a letter on the mat from Mr Jeffreys confirming it was all over. Completely fresh start.
The first day in my new home was wonderful, unpacking crockery, cutlery and accessories for the kitchen and finding homes for everything, then doing the same with the bathrooms and my bedroom. And, of course, checking on the five hedgehogs I was now looking after.
For an office, I’d chosen a bedroom overlooking the meadow. For now, I’d only furnished that room, the master bedroom at the front of the house, and what would have been Dad’s room. I wanted to spend some time living in the farmhouse before deciding how to use the other bedrooms.
When I’d finished unpacking my clothes, I went downstairs, removed the meadow canvas from the lounge wall and hung it on the bedroom wall opposite the bed. I could see the actual meadow from the lounge and my office and I wanted to be able to see it from my bedroom too.
Unpacking Mickleby, the soft hedgehog Thomas had given me at Christmas, I took him into the office and sat him on my empty bookcase. I added three very special framed photos – one of Thomas from Christmas Day wearing his six paper hats, a selfie of Gramps and me from before his party started, and one of Nanna, Gwendoline and a six-year-old me in the back garden of Meadowcroft, all holding hedgehogs in our hands.
I lightly ran my fingers across the final photo. ‘Thomas said you wished for me to stay at the farm and help you with the hedgehogs and here I am. Bit later than planned but your wish has come true, hedgehog lady, and I promise I won’t let you down.’ I moved my gaze across to the photo of Thomas. ‘Or you. I miss you so much but you’re not far away, are you? I can feel you both right beside me.’
Josh turned up early that evening with a couple of bouquets of flowers, some bubbly, a box of chocolates and an Indian takeaway. I was dying to take him on a tour but we didn’t get much further than the bedroom.
The takeaway was cold by the time we padded back downstairs, stomachs growling, so we blasted it in the microwave. Josh went to open the bubbly for me but I stopped him.
‘You’re on call tonight so let’s have it tomorrow night when we can share it.’
‘I wish I wasn’t on call tonight,’ he said, kissing my neck. ‘I’d rather be here with you all night.’
We were settling down to sleep when his mobile rang shortly after midnight.
‘Labrador labour problems,’ he said, pulling on his clothes after he’d taken the call. He leaned over and gently kissed me. ‘You get some sleep.’
I lay back on my pillows, listening to the sound of his jeep pulling away. My arms ached from lugging boxes and my eyelids felt so heavy that I couldn’t stay awake and wait for him even if I tried.
I walked through the meadow, my fingers lightly brushing the tops of the buttercups, poppies, and cornflowers. Wispy clouds floated across a baby-blue sky and the sun smiled at me, warming my hair and the side of my face. A woman walked beside me wearing a yellow and grey fifties-style dress. Gwendoline. A wicker picnic basket rested in the crook of her arm, covered with a red and white gingham cloth. She peeled back the cloth but, instead of a picnic, the basket contained five hedgehogs.
‘Aren’t they the most adorable creatures?’ she asked, beaming at them.
‘They are,’ I agreed. ‘We’ve got five hedgehogs in the barn now and we aren’t even open yet.’
‘I know. Thank you for rescuing them.’ Then her smile slipped as the whole meadow darkened. The gentle breeze turned into a vicious wind, whipping my hair across my face. ‘They need you, Sammie. They need you now.’
And someone was calling my name. Thomas?
I woke up alone in the bed, panting, drenched in sweat. Something was wrong. Running to the window, I caught the taillights of a vehicle on the track. The Grimes boys? No! The barn!
Sprinting down the stairs, I grabbed the keys from the kitchen and shoved my feet into my wellies. The movement-activated lights illuminated the farmyard and the barn and that’s when I smelt it. Smoke.
‘I’m coming!’ I cried, fumbling with the keys in the new padlock. Pushing the door open, I reeled back from the heat. The amber flames were at the far end of the barn and way too big for me to tackle with an extinguisher.
Must save the hogs.
I pulled my nightshirt over my mouth and nose as I ran towards the crates. Stacking the first three on top of each other, barely able to see round them, I ran outside, and placed them by the side of the farmhouse. There was no time to check they were okay but I sent up a prayer to Gwendoline and Thomas to save my spiky babies. As I sprinted back towards the barn, I was vaguely aware of approaching headlights on the track – hopefully Josh returning. I ran inside, holding my arms up against the heat and coughing as I grabbed the final two crates.
‘Shit! Sam!’ Josh cried, running towards me as I exited the barn.
‘Call the fire brigade,’ I yelled, barely glancing at him as I placed the next two crates down. ‘I’ve got the hogs.’
Flames were now bursting out of the roof, amber and gold, dancing into the blackness. I slumped against the side of the house, eyes streaming, heart thumping, listening to Josh relaying details to the emergency operator. My barn. My beautiful barn.
Panting, I flicked open the lid on the first crate and peeled back the fleecy blanket with shaking hands to reveal Spikette curled up. She was still breathing. Thank goodness. The combination of the fleece and her protective ball had likely protected her from any smoke. I repeated the same for the next three boxes. Mr Snuffles, Mrs Tiggy Winkle and Sonic were all breathing too. I lifted the lid on Quilly’s crate, moved back the fleece, and I swear my heart stopped for a moment. Empty. My mind whizzed back to earlier that day. He’d spilled his water dish so I’d transferred him to another crate but got distracted by Mr Jeffreys phoning to check I’d received his letter. I didn’t transfer him back. I felt sick.
Josh was still on the phone with his back to me. It was now or never. I sprinted across the yard again.
‘Sam! No!’
‘Quilly’s still in there.’
All I remember after that point was the heat. Such intense heat. And the sound, like a waterfall roaring.
Then nothing.