Dream Cottage Read Online Free PDF Page A

dessert,” Greta said. She folded her paper napkin and placed it on to the table. “Do you fancy a walk, Max? Leo? Arid… sorry, Ardi?”
    “Oh that sounds like fun, darling. The father and I will sit here and let our meals go down, oh and keep the table; you know how busy it is, we could lose our place if we came too. Please decide what you want for dessert before you go and we’ll order. What do you think? Ready for half an hour’s time. Will that be long enough?”
    “I think half an hour will be fine.” Greta rose from the table and smiled at her parents. “Quite long enough, thank you.”
    Max, Leo and Ardi grabbed their coats and followed Greta from the Smuggler’s Hide down the main road towards a narrow lane that led down towards the cottage.
    “Where the hell are we going?” Leo gasped as he caught up with Greta, who was setting a brisk pace. She strode off in front of the little group.
    “Down there,” she pointed to the cottage. “I caught sight of it when we were in the pub; when Ardi was talking about the views and the valley. Just by chance… I saw it.”
    “What? That dilapidated hovel over there?” Leo asked as he threw his scarf over his shoulder, just missing Ardiwho was clutching hold of his arm. She trotted alongside him, almost breaking into a canter to keep up.
    “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Leo! As per usual!” Greta snapped. “We haven’t even got there yet.”
    “Well, it’s the only place in the vicinity, so I must be right. Oh god! Look it’s partly boarded up! What a shit hole!” he crudely exclaimed.
    “There’s a fingerpost. It’s a public footpath that leads towards the town.” Greta crossed the road without checking for traffic. “It looks like it goes directly past the cottage. So we will be quite within our rights to walk down there.”
    “Max, mate. Heed the warning, there could be trouble ahead!” Leo joshed. Max sighed but continued to follow Greta who was striding purposefully down the unmade grassy track, towards the cottage. She splashed in and out of the puddles and potholes that laid on the surface.
    “It seems pretty grim, sis. Looks like it’s been empty for a while. We can’t even look through the windows to see the rooms. Anyway, you don’t know what might be lurking about inside. It’s will more than likely to be haunted. Whoooooooooo!” He mimicked a ghostly noise and flapped his arms and twiddled his fingers above his head.
    “You are such a child, Leo; one day you will grow up! Won’t that be a shame?” Greta hissed as she fiercely pinched one of Leo’s cheeks until he cried out.
    “I have to admit that it’s a great location.” Max was quietly surveying the area, the overgrown gardens and the outbuildings. “There’s a lot here; by the look of it, just needs some TLC.”
    They reached the end of the track before it led off through an overgrown narrow pathway. They stood outside the cottage. It was very still and quiet; no birdsong, no wind, no noise. The skies were gun metal grey and heavy with cloud. There was a hint of rain. Greta unlatched theclasp on the rusty front garden gate and slowly made her way up to the front of the cottage. As she did so, a light breeze blew across her face making her hair ruffled. Max, Leo and Ardi followed in silence. Ardi continually looked over her shoulder.
    “Max, mate; it looks like you could be suckered in at any moment!” Leo warned as he stepped over trailing lines of brambles that adorned the pathway. “Drawn into the depths of a festering shell! A costly hellhole!”
    “I wonder who owns it.” Greta gently ran her fingers over the roughly filled Island stone walls. A small piece of masonry fell to the ground. She felt a warmth flow across her hand, like an invisible pulse.
    “Perhaps someone at the pub might know its history,” suggested Ardie as she continued to cling tightly to Leo’s arm.
    “It’s so beautiful,” Greta continued to touch the walls with her