خانه‌ی ریچارد

CHAPTER TWELVE

Richard’s house

Looking out of her window the next morning, Susie saw that dark bits of grass were showing above the snow on the fields.

On the road, the snow was quite thin. It wasn’t as bad as she’d thought last night. She remembered that Richard was coming later to take her to the hospital. He would be able to drive right up to her house this time.

She phoned the hospital. The nurse said Charlie was fine, but he’d had an uncomfortable night. Susie told the nurse she would go to visit him later. She wasn’t sure when.

Her phone rang. ‘Hello, my dear,’ a woman’s voice said. ‘It’s Kathryn Lloyd. I’m Tom’s wife. Tom asked me to call you. I’m afraid Tom’s had to go out. He won’t be able to come up to your house this morning. Are you all right now? Do you need anything?’

‘No, it’s OK,’ Susie said. ‘I’m fine. I’m going in to the hospital later. Richard is going to take me.’

‘Richard,’ Kathryn asked.

‘Yes,’ Susie said, realising that she didn’t know Richard’s family name. ‘Er, Tom knows him. He’s new in the village, Tom said. Anyway, Richard saw the accident and he came here last night to see if we were all right.’

‘Ah, that was kind of him,’ Kathryn said. ‘Well, that’s OK, then.’

Richard arrived at about midday, as he had said he would.

‘Hello, there,’ he said, smiling, ‘How are you?’

‘Fine,’ Susie replied. She was pleased to see him.

‘Let’s go then, shall we,’ he said. ‘I’m afraid I forgot to bring my wallet with me. So we’ll have to go back to my house. Do you mind? It’s not far. In fact the house is only about a kilometre from here, over the hill. By road, you have to go back down to the main road and take the next turning. But it doesn’t take very long.’

‘No problem,’ Susie said.

‘Anyway, I’ll show you my house. I’m sure you’ll find it interesting.’

‘Oh?’ Susie wanted to know more.

‘Yes.’ Richard talked on, smiling warmly at Susie. ‘Actually, it used to be my family’s house a long time ago. When I came here for a visit one day, I found that the person who owned it wanted to sell it. I decided to buy it immediately.’

‘Oh, so where did you live before, then,’ Susie asked.

‘Well, Europe, for a number of years. I was there on business. But I got tired of always moving and living out of a suitcase. I decided to stop working for a bit. I’d made enough money not to have to. And I’ve got enough to spend some on the house, too.’

‘How nice,’ Susie said, thinking how nice it would be not to have to work. But she wouldn’t want to live on top of a Welsh mountain for the rest of her life. Too quiet. No-one around to speak to.

‘Oh look,’ she said as they passed a group of men in dark jackets standing by the side of the road. They wore hats and boots and were carrying guns. They were looking across a field towards some woods. ‘Do you think they’re hunting for the Beast of Brynmawr?’ She smiled at Richard.

‘Probably,’ he said. ‘But I don’t think they’ll find it at this time of day, do you?’

‘No,’ she agreed, laughing. ‘It’s probably asleep somewhere.’

They drove round a corner and Richard said, ‘There it is.’

‘Oh, goodness,’ Susie cried. ‘For a moment I thought you meant the Beast! Is that really your house?’

Ahead of them at the end of the road she saw a beautiful stone building. There were ten windows on the top floor and eight on the ground floor. In the centre was a large front door with a pretty roof over it. It was a very big house, built in the eighteenth century probably, Susie thought. It must be the house of a rich family. She hadn’t expected this.

‘Yes, it needs a lot of work,’ Richard said.

‘Does it,’ Susie replied.

And as they got closer she could see that many of the windows had no glass. The front wall of the house seemed to be all that was there. If the wind blew, it might just fall down, like a building made of cards.

‘So, you’re actually living here,’ she asked.

‘Well, yes, there are a couple of rooms that are OK,’ Richard said. ‘It’s not very comfortable, but I don’t mind.’

He stopped by the front door and they got out.

‘Come on,’ he said, ‘I’ll show you round.’

Going through the great front door, Susie found herself in a large room with a stone floor. Some stairs led up to the first floor, but large holes showed where several steps were missing.

Richard smiled. ‘I don’t think we’ll try that way, follow me.’ He led her through several large rooms.

Everywhere there were stones and dirt.

‘Nearly there,’ Richard said. They seemed to be walking for ages. Susie felt a drop of water on her head. She looked up. There was no floor above her. She could see the sky through the holes in the roof.

They went up some narrow stairs, past glassless windows, which looked down over the road. Finally, Richard opened a door into a room which felt quite warm. A fire was burning and there were chairs and a sofa.

‘Have a seat,’ Richard said. ‘Would you like some coffee?’

‘Er’ Really, Susie wanted to get to the hospital to see Charlie. What should she say?

‘I’ve just remembered something else that I haven’t done,’ Richard said, before she could answer. ‘I’m sorry. It’s going to take me a moment or two. Why don’t you sit down? I’ll bring you some coffee while you wait. Then we’ll get going again. OK?’ He looked at her.

‘Well, OK then. Yes, some coffee would be great,’ Susie said, sitting on one of the rather dirty chairs near the fire.

Richard went out and Susie looked around her. On the dark wood walls, there were large pictures of men and women from years ago. There was a man who looked a little like Richard, she realised. Were these people his family? She felt uncomfortable with all these dead people looking at her. They made her think of the pictures in horror films where the eyes move. She laughed at herself.

Perhaps she should phone the hospital again? She could tell them that she would be in to see Charlie very soon. She opened her handbag.

‘Oh, I’m so stupid,’ she said to herself. The phone was not there. Of course, She’d left it on the kitchen table in Cynghordy House.

Richard came back with her coffee. Giving her the cup, he went to stand with his back to the fire.

‘Thanks,’ Susie said. ‘Um, do you have a phone I could use? To phone the hospital?’

‘No,’ he almost shouted. ‘There’s no phone here.’ Then he became quiet; his face had lost the friendly smile. He seemed to be waiting for something. Suddenly, everything had changed. The room was deathly quiet. Susie looked at the fire and drank her coffee.

A strange light came into Richard’s blue eyes as he watched Susie drink. She started to feel very sleepy and she sat back on the chair. Her eyes were closing. She tried hard to keep them open. Richard stood still in front of the fire. She saw that he was wearing a large black belt with silver on it.

She looked up at Richard’s face. ‘He’s got a beard,’ she thought to herself. ‘That’s strange. He didn’t have one before.’

Then the dream started.

She is looking at the dark, deathly Thing that has been following her in her dreams all this time. The face is hidden. A hand takes hers. She knows very well whose it is. She feels terribly afraid.

‘You are one of us. You know that, don’t you?’ She knows the voice as well as her own.

‘No, I’m not. I will not listen to you. I will not,’ she cries.

‘I knew when you came here, You came to find me, didn’t you,’ the voice continues. It will not stop.

‘No, no, I didn’t. I don’t know you,’ she says. ‘Take me to Charlie, please. Please!’

‘You don’t really want Charlie,’ the voice tells her. ‘You are mine. You know that in your heart.’

And she feels herself beginning to move towards him. He is right, perhaps. She will do anything he wants. She cannot stop herself.