by Freda
MAIN MALE CHARACTER
Name: Malcolm
Age: 37
Occupation: vet
Likes: countryside
Dislikes: cities
Something else about him: single
MAIN FEMALE CHARACTER
Name: Betty Barnard
Age: 32
Occupation: housewife
Likes: afternoon teas
Dislikes: ironing
Something else about her: does some part time work
A PLACE
Be fairly specific: Perth
GENRE OF STORY
i.e. is it a romance, a mystery, a western, a science fiction, a fantasy, a thriller, a comedy or something else?
mystery
WHO IS THE AUDIENCE?
Are you writing for children, young adults or adults?
Young adults
AND JUST FOR FUN ….
Pick
a colour: purple
something to eat: apple pie
an item of clothing: beanie
an animal: tiger
Sarah finished her homework, her glass of milk and her biscuits. She looked at her watch, only half past four and her mother didn't finish work until five p.m. It was a lovely sunny afternoon so she decided to walk up to 'The Lillies' to meet her.
Sarah was an only child; her father had died when she was a baby. Her mother, Betty Barnard, had not had a fulltime job while Sarah was tiny, but for the past year or two had been working as a veterinary nurse at a surgery near their home. Now that Sarah was ten years old and the practice was becoming established and quite busy, Malcolm, the vet, had asked Betty if she would work more hours. He had recently had a recovery ward fitted out from a refurbished old cottage at the back of his house, where his patients could rest and recover from operations, or stay for a day or two for observation if required. They had started using this on Monday of this week, which was why Sarah was on her own. Mr and Mrs Baines, the next door neighbours, were always at home if she needed them, and Mrs Baines let her in and gave her tea.
Calling out to them in their garden to let them know where she was going, Sarah pulled on her purple beanie, which suited her dark curls and rosy cheeks very well, locked the door and zipped the key in her anorak pocket. They lived in the greater Perth area. Out in the leafy suburbs, there were a few large old houses and clusters of smaller new ones, as well as a market garden and some farmland with some cattle and horses grazing. Sarah had passed this way earlier, on the bus on her way home from school. She turned off the main road into a side street where the vet's surgery, a house called 'The Lillies' stood. In the waiting room were two dogs and their owners, a cat in a carrying cage and a small boy with a lop eared rabbit.
"Hello, Sarah," called the receptionist. "Your mother won't be long, we're waiting for Simon to come." The door opened and a red haired, pleasant faced young man entered. He and Sarah had already met, so after greeting the receptionist he asked Sarah if she would like to see the new hospital. They went out through a store room at the back, into a covered yard and from there through a bright door into a newly decorated light airy room with cages round the walls.
There were three dogs, two bandaged, all looking sorry for themselves.
"Aren't there any cats?" asked Sarah.
"Oh yes," her mother replied, kissing her. "They are through the next partition." Sarah went off to look at the animals.
"I'll take over now, shall I? What has to be done?"
"It's all in my report," Betty said as she handed Simon the report book. "I'm still not happy about the animals. I don't think they are recovering as well as they should." Sarah came back from her tour of the dogs and cats.
"Why do they all look frightened, Mummy?" she said.
"Oh, Sarah," teased Simon. "Not you as well. But I'll mention your concerns to Malcolm, Betty." Betty and Sarah turned to leave.
"I'll be in tomorrow until lunchtime, then we are having a weekend off. We may go down to Bridgetown and Nannup."
Back at home, Betty went in to prepare the evening meal and Sarah skipped next door, to see Mr Baines who was in his garden. He listened with interest while Sarah told him about the new recovery ward at the surgery. When he could get a word in, he said,
"I remember the cottage. I worked for a time for Dr Malcolm's uncle after the war. The cottage was not lived in at that time. As far as I know it hasn't been used since the previous owner was there. That was a long time ago, before the war. People used to say it was haunted, and wouldn't go near the place after dark." Just then Sarah's mother called her in to tea. Reluctantly she went, promising to come back to hear more of the story another day.
Chapter Two
Dr Malcolm
Malcolm Payne said goodbye to his last client for the evening, a small boy clutching a tube of soothing cream, and his lop eared rabbit with sore ears.
"Make sure he always has dry bedding. Is your mother picking you up?" "Yes," replied the boy, gesturing towards the window. "She's outside now." Malcolm watched as they boy and the rabbit got into the car, then went through to the recovery ward. He was of average height, with light brown hair and grey eyes, of stocky build and with a countryman's appearance, dressed in cord trousers and a check shirt.
"Hello, Simon, is everything all right?" Malcolm picked up and read Betty's report.
"Betty was concerned that the patients aren't making the progress they should. She thinks they are unsettled," Simon replied, looking round at the cages. Malcolm walked round, looking at healing wounds, taking temperatures and talking softly and soothingly to each animal.
"They do seem to be uneasy," he admitted, as a small dog was whimpering and two cats could be heard making generally aggressive noises, but not apparently directed at each other. "When you've finished in here, Simon, come in to tea. Mrs Fisher has left us some salad and cold meat ready, and an apple pie."
Simon was Malcolm's nephew. He had been accepted to study veterinary science at Murdoch University next year and was meanwhile working as a vet nurse and assistant to Malcolm. He was also at present staying with Malcolm, who was a bachelor. About four years ago, Malcolm had inherited 'The Lillies' from his uncle. He had been working hard to earn the money to convert it to a surgery and waiting room. Since starting the practice, he had realised the need for somewhere to properly accommodate his patients overnight, so had also been busy getting the cottage renovated and ready to open as a recovery ward. Mrs Fisher came in daily to cook and clean. They used the kitchen downstairs and lived and slept on the upper floor. Malcolm was hoping to take a partner to help with the work load, if they continued to do well.
While they were eating their tea, they discussed the work of the day, and Betty's thoughts on the animals in the recovery ward. Malcolm said,
"I have a lot of confidence in Betty, she is not usually fanciful. I can't see why she should be concerned although I felt the animals were uneasy too."
"Where did she train to be a vet nurse?" asked Simon.
"She didn't, she is a qualified S.R.N., but gave up nursing to be a full time parent after her husband died. She applied for the job I offered and it has worked out very well."
They both went back to the cottage after tea. A cat that had been brought in after a road accident was recovering from her anaesthetic and seemed to be comfortable.
Malcolm went back to do some bookwork and Simon stayed on in the recovery ward for a while. He thought the animals might be less nervous if he was there. He sat at Betty's desk, looking through textbooks. He must have dozed, because he felt very cold and shivery, although he was sweating. He could hear odd wailing noises and tried to jump to his feet but he couldn't move. It was as if he was paralysed by fear or dread. He felt his heart thumping and he sat up straight then realised he must have been dreaming. The small dog was whimpering again so he went over to soothe her, not at all sure that all was as well as it should be. He decided a good hot cup of coffee might help so he went indoors to make one.
On Saturday morning Betty let herself in to the surgery and went through to the cottage. The dogs appeared to be all right and they would be going home after Malcolm had seen them. The cat recovering from the accident did not look well, but the other two were quite vocal and looked well enough to go home. Betty gave them their breakfast and medication and went into the surgery to do whatever was necessary. She had left Sarah at home to clear up after breakfast and prepare a picnic lunch for their proposed trip. The weekend promised to be fine. Sarah would have preferred to stay and talk to Mr Baines again, but they were going to visit their daughter this weekend, so more of the story would have to wait until Monday.
The weekend passed very pleasantly. They drove as far as Walpole, calling in at various places of interest, and stayed overnight at Bridgetown on the way back.
Back at the surgery on Monday morning, Malcolm and Betty talked about the weekend. The cat accident victim had unfortunately died. This was not entirely unexpected but the owners had hoped it would have been possible to save her. Malcolm took surgery and Simon accompanied him on his rounds later. They were back soon after three p.m.
Betty had afternoon tea prepared; she often made a cake or biscuits to bring in. This afternoon Mrs Fisher made them a cake. Betty enjoyed this time of relaxation before afternoon surgery.
Chapter Three
Mr Baines' Story
Sarah went straight to the Baines' house when she arrived home from school. Mr Baines was waiting for her in the kitchen and Mrs Baines was there too, looking a bit severe. She offered Sarah a cup of tea and a biscuit and said,
"I've told George not to frighten you with his stories. Just remember it's all hearsay and a long time ago."
"It's not all hearsay." Mr Baines was indignant. "I've found this newspaper. It was in a box of my Dad’s old tools out in my shed. It's a bit yellow but I think it's readable."
It was a local newspaper, with the headlines, 'Man Mauled by Escaped Tiger', and went on to say that Mr J Smith, a zoologist who lived at 'The Lillies' had been found dead in the doorway of the cottage in his grounds. His injuries were consistent with being attacked by a large animal. A tiger from a local private collection had been reported missing a few days earlier. Mr Smith was an amateur taxidermist and used part of the cottage to practise his art. No further sightings or news of a tiger or other animal had occurred. Police were scouring the local countryside.
Sarah read this with interest and asked if she might keep the paper to show to her mother and Malcolm. Mr Baines said that, thinking about if since their last chat, he remembered going with his father to the garden as a boy. At that time there was a cellar under the cottage, with a door around at the side of the building. A man who helped Mr Smith sometimes lived there.
"After the war, when I worked for Mr Payne, I didn't think any more about it," said Mr Baines. "There was a shed on that side of the building, like there is now. And I wasn't there long. I went to work at the nursery and eventually bought it. My Dad worked there two or three days a week, and Mother cleaned for Mr Payne. He offered them the cottage to live in, but no way would Mother consider living there." Sarah was thrilled with all of this information, and quite surprised at how quickly the time had passed. Already her mother was calling her to come in to tea.
Back at home, Betty looked with interest at the newspaper article. Sarah was so excited that she wanted to phone Simon right away, but her mother persuaded her to leave it until the next day. It would be dark soon so there wouldn't be time to do anything this evening. Sarah reluctantly agreed to this, as she had some homework for do before bedtime.
Before Sarah went to school the next morning, she rang Simon to say she would be in at 'The Lillies' ay four o'clock, with some interesting information she would like him opinion on. When Sarah arrived at the surgery, both Malcolm and Simon were waiting for her. They had been intrigued by Sarah's call to Simon and asked Betty what the information would be. Betty had said it was Sarah's story and they would have to wait until she came. Malcolm said,
"You aren't thinking of leaving us, are you?"
"Of course not," replied Betty. "Whatever gave you that idea?" Malcolm brightened considerably at that.
"I was worried we were going to lose you. I've just begun to realise how much I rely on you."
Then the first clients began to arrive so they all carried on with their normal duties. Betty told Simon that Sarah thought she might have solved the problem of the patients' nervousness in the recovery ward.
Chapter Four
The DiscoveryThat afternoon Sarah got off the bus at the turning to the surgery. She arrived as they were having afternoon tea after a busy day. She kissed her mother while Malcolm and Simon greeted her.
"What's this momentous news you've got for us then?" Simon asked. Sarah, a bit embarrassed now, said,
"It may not be news to you. Perhaps you already know." And she produced the newspaper. While they read it she had a cup of tea and a piece of cake. Obviously however it was news to them, so Sarah told them the rest of Mr Baines' story. It was nearly surgery time, so Malcolm said,
"Betty and I have patients to see, but you two go round and look at the shed. If it's locked, they key should be somewhere in my desk, Simon."
They both went off together to look at the shed. It was a lean-to makeshift looking shed made of galvanised tin and wood and fastened onto the wall on wooden battens. The door was strongly made and fastened to a strong wooden door frame. Apart from some rust, it appeared to have survived the years well. There was a key hung high up at the side. The door lock was rusty and the key would not turn. However, the application of some W.D. 40 soon solved that problem.
Inside was a collection of old garden tools. On the back wall, against the house, a board had been fixed. An assortment of hand tools, a yard broom and two hoes hung from fittings attached to the board. Simon said,
"I don't think Malcolm's uncle ever used this shed, we have one over on our side of the property with his tools in it."
"If there was a cellar door, it would be about here, wouldn't it?" asked Sarah. Simon was looking at the board.
"If I go and get a good screw driver, I think I can get this board off." He went to fetch one while Sarah started taking the tools from the board and also found a soft brush to sweep away the dirt and cobwebs.
On his return Simon, with the help of some oil and a lot of hard work, managed to loosen most of the screws. Malcolm arrived just as the last one came out. They were all excited at the prospect of finding the door.
Malcolm and Simon heaved the heavy board away from the wall and took it outside, and there in the wall was the door. It had no handle and was locked. Sarah used her brush to sweep away the grime and cobwebs.
"I think I might know where the key is, and I'll bring a torch." Malcolm dashed off and returned with a large rusty key. "This has been hanging in the old outside toilet in the shed." Simon tried it then he wiped the key with an oily rag and tried again. It fitted, and after they had both tried, it creaked and groaned and the door slowly opened.
Malcolm shone his torch around the pitch dark interior. With the door wide open and the light from the torch, they could make out the shapes of cages around the walls, and a rope and collar where a dog or some other animal had been tethered. On closer inspection, the cages were squashed and broken. Further into the cellar, on the other side, was a very large cage, with bent wires and a partly open door. At the end of a cellar was a staircase, leading up to a door. They all felt quite shaken and were pleased to get out into the fresh air. Malcolm said,
"I think the next step is to have a look upstairs, in the cottage." Simon had already gone round to unlock the recovery ward. They all trooped in to where they though the door should be. There, behind Betty's desk, on closer inspection was a painted over board, reaching from the wall to the door of what must once have been the bedroom, but which now housed the small animals.
In this room was a built in cupboard along most of the wall, so that the space where the stairs came up would not be immediately apparent unless one was looking for it. They decided to leave it for now. The light had nearly gone and it was too late to do much that night.
Back in the kitchen in the surgery, Betty made them coffee. They were all dirty and tired. Malcolm offered to drive Betty and Sarah home, but Betty refused as she would need her car to come back to work in the morning. Malcolm thanked Sarah for her detective work and said it deserved a special rewards and he already had something in mind. He kissed both Sarah and Betty and they hugged Simon, all feeling this was a turning point in their lives.
The next morning after surgery, Betty, Malcolm and Simon went out to inspect the cellar in the light and to discuss what should be done. They decided that first they would get a good light in there and clean it right out. Once it was clean, they could decide whether they needed to uncover the door into the cottage at that moment.
Chapter Five
Sarah got off the bus near the surgery and hurried up to see her mother. This time Betty had brought her old jeans, sweater and beanie, to keep her hair clean. Simon had fixed up camp gas lighting and was already at work taking the old squashed cages out to the paddock for burning. Sarah looked around and then called out to him,
"What's this? Under here where the stairs go up." Simon came over and poked at a pile of clutter with the broom. There was a tarpaulin covering one or two animal skins, three or four stuffed animals and several nests of mice running in all directions. They put the tarpaulin flat on the ground then piled the animal skins and the stuffed animals onto it. "He wasn't very good at it, was he?" Sarah was looking at an oddly shaped cat with a hideous expression. Looking at the other misshapen animals and birds, Simon agreed with her. They took the tarpaulin out to join the squashed cages then turned their attention to the big cage.
"I think we'll wait for Malcolm for this one. It probably comes apart easily, if you know how."
"But what would you put in a cage that size?" asked Sarah.
"A tiger?" suggested Malcolm, coming in through the door with Betty.
"Oh, surely not!" Betty was horrified that anyone would want to confine such an animal in a small dark place.
"Well, if it was, he learned his lesson," said Malcolm. "I went to see Mr Baines today, to thank him for his paper and his help, and he had remembered a bit more. The man who lived here and helped Mr Smith also worked at Maybury House, the big house about four miles away from where the tiger had escaped from. It's been turned into a housing estate now. Mr Baines remembers being on leave during the war and hearing talk of a large catlike animal being found in the old quarry by a farmer looking for his sheep after a drought."
Malcolm and Simon dismantled the big cage and took it outside and Betty started to sweep but Simon said he would do that as there were mouse nests to cope with.
Before they went home, Malcolm took Betty and Sarah through to a paddock at the end of the garden that belonged with the house.
"I wondered whether Sarah might like to keep a pony here? I know of one just the right size and temperament that would be ideal for her, if she would like it."
"Oh! Just what I've always wanted!" Sarah hugged Malcolm, but Betty looked a bit worried.
"We can't accept a gift like that, it's too expensive." Malcolm smiled at her and took her hand.
"This way I shall see more of you both. Can we all go out to dinner tomorrow night? For a start, we can speculate about our mystery and I am sure we won't have any more trouble with nervous animals now. They are very sensitive to atmosphere." Betty smiled at him.
"I'm sure you're right," she said. "Yes, we'd love to come to dinner to celebrate."
* * * * * * *