Meanwhile Gardens Read Online Free PDF Page A

could he put it in a way that wouldn’t frighten the young girl? “when Old George – er, moved on.”
    Rion came down the four steps into the chamber. “You mean he died? In here??”
    “Yes, I mean no, I mean yes he died, but not in here.”
    Rion saw above the bed a picture of Jesus, his arms outstretched, an enormous red heart in the middle of his chest open as if awaiting surgery.
    “I’ll help you clean up in the morning,” Jake patted the mattress, which threw up a cloud lightly dusting the religious picture above. He delved into the carrier bag and began removing objects which he placed on the table: a box of candles, a large box of matches and a lighter, a pencil torch, a bottle of water, a tin mug, two apples, a spoon and fork and a chipped plate.
    Jake then took out something wrapped in metal foil. “Do you like Cuban?”
    Rion looked at him, confused, “Cuban what?”
    “Food – fish and rice and dumplings normally,” Jake sniffed at the foil. “It should be ok, it’s fresh on Wednesdays and Sundays.”
    Jake then pulled out a roll of loo paper from the bag.
    “Old George used the canal – downstream of course – but there are alternatives.”
    Rion looked up hopefully.
    “Sainsburys has a loo and a couple of pubs round here have decent toilets.” Jake went up the earthen steps to the banks of the Grand Union Canal. “If you need anything – ” he whistled four notes that sounded like a cross between some tv theme tune and a door chime. “ – whistle. Can you do that?”
    Rion whistled the four notes. And again.
    “I’ll always announce myself like that. If you hear noises and don’t hear the whistle, lie low ok?”
    Rion nodded. There was no way she was going to investigate any strange sounds – especially on land bordering a cemetery.
    “I’ll be going out later for a drink – care to join me?” Jake asked.
    Rion again averted her gaze.
    “No, thanks, I,” she stumbled through her words. “I’m really tired and I have a lot of thinking to do.
    “And you’ll be ok?”
    “Yeah.” Rion would be ok – she knew it.
    “I’ll bring breakfast in the morning. It’ll be Cuban again but it’ll be fresh this time – and we can talk if you want. There are some things – tricks really – you should know.”
    Jake paused, feeling suddenly like an old boy on the firstday of school showing a new student round, or like a bellhop taking a guest to her room.
    “If you need anything or – whatever, something frightens you, not that it will,” he added hurriedly, “just whistle. Got it?”
    Rion nodded. She didn’t want to ask what she should do if something frightened her while he was out – that would be like tempting fate wouldn’t it?
    “You’re sure you’ll be ok?” he asked again.
    From deep within her Rion pulled up what she hoped was a confident smile. “Thanks for – ” Rion gestured around her, “just thanks.”
    Jake grinned and left.
    Rion heard him push through the saplings and then he was gone. She was grateful for his help but grateful too that he had left her alone. In peace. In silence.
    Silence.
    Rion listened but all she could hear was some birdsong and the distant flash of a train. She closed her eyes, it was hard to believe she was in the middle of a city
    “I’ll be alright, I’ll be alright, I’ll be alright,” Rion chanted softly to herself before opening her eyes wide. “No I won’t!”
    Suddenly scared she raced after Jake. Quickly retracing her steps Rion squeezed through the narrow stretch of saplings to the place where the path widened, to the place where a gap opened over the canal. Rion tried to quell her rising panic. She looked around anxiously, unsure of where she was.
    And then she saw it. Her welcoming present, her first London prize – the pink bag from the shop whose clothes were coveted by ‘women in the know’ – or that’s what it said in Vogue, Glamourista and the other magazines she devoured in Tanya’s salon.
    Rion