Page 37 of Rock Paper Scissors
“What about that little thatched cottage we passed on the track in?”
“It looked empty.”
“Shouldn’t we check?”
He shakes his head. “We can’t just accuse someone of—”
“No, but we could ask for their help? They’re a lot closer to the main road than we are, so might still have power… or at least a phone we can use. It’s not that far to walk. It’s worth trying, isn’t it? If Bob did get out somehow, they might have seen him?”
Adam never really wanted to get a puppy. The childhood memories that still haunt his dreams put him off—understandably—but that changed when he met Bob. My husband hides it well sometimes, but I know he loves that dog just as much as I do.
“Okay, let’s go,” Adam says. He takes my hand and I let him.
Some parts of the loch are frozen, and again my thoughts turn to Bob. He hates rain, or sleet, or snow, or anything falling from the sky, but he loves the water—always jumping in rivers or running into the sea. But surely our silly old dog would have known to keep away from a frozen loch. I try not to think about it as we trudge toward the cottage in the distance. Except for the sound ofour footsteps compacting the fresh snow, the cold air is hushed and muted. Silence can be eerie when you’re not used to it, and living in London and working at Battersea, I’m definitely not. Sometimes I hear dogs barking in my sleep. But here, it’ssoquiet. Unnaturally so. There aren’t even any birds singing. Now I think about it, I don’t remember seeing any.
It didn’t look that far when we set out, but it takes us more than fifteen minutes to reach the cottage. It’s a tiny thing, with whitewashed walls just like the chapel, and a thatched roof. Almost like a Hobbit house. It’s so small and remote that I can’t imagine why anyone would want to live in it, but there is a car parked outside—almost completely hidden from view—which gives me hope that someone does. It’s a big vehicle, an old Land Rover perhaps. It’s hard to tell with it being half buried by snow. Whatever it is, I’m sure it will cope better than my car in this weather.
I clear my throat before knocking on the bright red door. I’m nervous for some reason, and not even sure what I’m going to say if someone opens it.
I needn’t have worried; nobody does.
It’s strange because I could have sworn I heard voices when we walked up the path—a radio perhaps, or someone talking to a child in a hushed tone. I look at Adam, who shrugs, then I knock again. A little harder this time. There’s still no answer, no sign or sound of life at all.
“Look at that,” Adam says, staring at the roof.
I presume he means the thatch, but when I look up, I see the smoking chimney. Somebodymustbe inside.
“Maybe they can’t hear us,” he says. “You stay here and I’ll take a quick look around the back.”
He disappears before I can answer, and is gone so long I start to worry.
“Anything?” I ask, when he finally returns. It might just be the cold, or my imagination, but he looks paler than he did.
“Yes and no,” he says.
“What does that mean? We just need to find Bob.”
“It’s a mess around back, completely overgrown and there’s even an outside toilet. No outside bath this time at least, but I think whoever lives here must be old. There’s no other door, just a couple of dirty windows. I saw a woman inside, sitting next to a fire.”
“Great—”
“Possibly not,” he says, interrupting my positive thoughts with more of his negative ones. “I knocked on the window to get her attention and I think I scared her.”
“Well, that’s understandable—I doubt she gets many visitors all the way out here. We can just apologize. I’m sure she’ll want to help once we explain.”
“I don’t think so. There were candles everywhere—”
“Well, there has been a power cut and it is probably rather dark in there.”
“No, I meaneverywhere. Hundreds of them. She looked like a witch casting a spell.”
“Don’t be daft. That stupid pamphlet has put silly ideas in your head—”
“That wasn’t all. She had an animal on her lap.”
I picture poor Bob and feel sick. “What kind of animal?”
“A white rabbit, I think…” Relief floods my fear. For a moment I was terrified of what Adam might say. “I didn’t have very long to take it all in before she saw me.”
