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SARA FINISHED OFF A pleasant afternoon shopping, with a coffee and a chapter of Harry Potter in Costa. When the train pulled into Ashpeth station, it was only half past five – plenty of time to get ready. As she set off for her grandparents’ house, she wondered if her nana would have something nice to snack on before she went back out. Maybe some corned beef pie.
To get to their house in Cedar Gardens, she could either go down Farnby Terrace and up through the garages or walk all the way down Stoben Lane and along the bypass. Sara decided on Farnby Terrace as it was much quicker. The only trouble was that halfway down there was a family with a vicious mongrel dog that always went for her. No one believed the evil beast targeted her, but Sara knew the truth, and it had gone on for years.
She could see the brute out roaming in the road, so she made a detour and went the long way down the bypass. However, as she turned the corner to the street leading onto her grandparents’ cul-de-sac, the beast walked around into the top of it from the opposite end. She went back and forth a couple of times, diving down the sides of houses whenever the dog wandered close by, eventually getting a little closer to her nana and grandad’s house.
Then it spotted her, crouching next to a garden fence, and let rip. She ran as fast as she’d ever run in her life, rueing the day she’d sneaked that first cigarette. She almost made it to the back door, but at the last minute had to dive into the old coal house. She managed to slam the door shut, just in time to escape the dog, snarling inches from her heels, its claws skidding and screeching on the concrete path.
When she slammed the door, the bolt slid along a touch, not all the way, but enough to lock it from the outside. She sat there, for what she thought must be about twenty minutes – in reality, it was more like an hour – waiting for the dog to leave, before attempting to get out. That’s when she discovered she was trapped, and there was no phone signal.
By the time Sara heard a car pull up, another hour had passed. Her throat was hoarse from shouting, and her fists sore from banging on the door. And there was a scratching noise in the corner, which she tried not to think about. Encouraged by the sound of voices and frantic footsteps on the path, she stood up to give it another go. Unfortunately, the people started shouting at each other. One was Nana, but the other sounded like her mother, though she knew it couldn’t be, because she was at home getting pissed with Judy. Damn it, they hadn’t heard her.
***
‘SHH, LISTEN...’ SAID Audrey. ‘Can you hear them? Vermin. Scuffling and scuttling, spreading their nasty diseases. You can hear it louder inside the house. Come in.’
Michelle threw her hands in the air. ‘No, Mother. Forget about stinking rats. Sara’s missing. I’m calling the police.’
‘Just a minute,’ said Judy. ‘Did you hear that? Someone shouted, “Mam”.’
They shut up and listened, heads tilted to one side.
‘Maaaaaaam! Get me out of this fucking hell hole!’
Michelle went dizzy with relief. ‘Hang on a minute, pet.’
‘Sara, is that you in there?’ said Audrey. ‘That language is disgusting. You weren’t brought up to talk like that.’
Michelle shot the bolt along, half a centimetre, yanked open the door and was met by the most wonderful sight. Standing in the doorway, covered in coal dust and stinking of mould, was a scowling, bedraggled Sara. Michelle flung her arms around her and burst into tears.
‘Mam, get a grip. Nana, are you and Grandad deaf? I’ve been shouting for bloody ages. That blinking lock wants fixing. Why is there so much crap in there? And you haven’t had a coal fire for years, you could have given it a sweep.’
‘See,’ said Audrey, ‘I told you I could hear scuffling. Sara, don’t say “crap”, you sound like a ragamuffin from the rough estate.’
‘Is that your attempt at an apology, Nana?’
‘It’s not my fault. You shouldn’t be in there.’ Audrey turned to go into the house, shaking coal dust from her little pink suede slippers.
Michelle gave Judy a weak smile. ‘Do you remember that awful suggestion you made earlier...?’
Judy rolled her eyes. ‘Oh, go on then. Sara, would you like to go on holiday to Malaga? You, Gemma, your mam and me...?
