Page 5 (1/2)

The house took ed Saarden out the back As I stood gazing at it, gripping the top of the fence, I al out the back door, clutching a pile of comics, on his way over to Steve’s

"May I help you?" someone asked behind me

My head snapped round andI’d been standing there, but by uessed it had been a fewclose by, studying ether, I s," I said

"At what, precisely?" she challenged h-faced teenager, gazing intently into a deserted back yard, checking out the house She thought I was a burglar casing the joint!

"My na an uncle’s first naht I’ht I’d pop over and find out if my relatives were here or not"

"You’re related to Annie?" the woman asked, and I shivered at thehard to keep ela" My parents "Do they still live here?"

"Dero," the woman said She stepped up beside me, at ease now, and squinted at the house "They should have left sooner That was never a happy house, not since their boy died" The woman looked sideways atso red

"I wasn’t living here then," the woman said "But I’ve heard all about it He fell out of aThe family stayed on, but it was a miserable place after that I don’t knohy they stuck around so long You can’t enjoy yourself in a house of bitter memories"

"But they did stay," I said, "until three or four years ago? And then moved on?"

"Yes Dermot had a mild heart attack He had to retire early"

"Heart attack!" I gasped "Is he OK?"

"Yes" The woman smiled at me "I said it was mild, didn’t I? But they decided to ela often said she’d like to live by the sea"

"What about Annie?" I asked "Did she go with them?"

"No Annie stayed She still lives here - her and her boy"

"Boy?" I blinked

"Her son" The woman frowned "Are you sure you’re a relative? You don’t seem to know much about your own family"

"I’ve lived abroad most of my life," I said truthfully

"Oh" The woman lowered her voice "Actually, I suppose it’s not the sort of thing you talk about in front of children What age are you, Derek?"

"Sixteen," I lied

"Then I guess you’re old enough My naet" I forced a set on with the story

"The boy’s a nice enough child, but he’s not really a Shan"