Urban Myth Read Online Free PDF Page B

squeals of disgust that I would normally have considered completely over the top. But not this time. The heavy odour inside the house was truly awful. It hit us like a gust of putrid wind; thick and sickly and yet at the same time indefinable.
    ‘Jesus, it didn’t stink like this before we went out,’ Tina said in a voice that was muffled because she had covered her mouth and nose with her hand.
    The others hurried into the kitchen. I was about to follow when something else struck me. I suddenly realized that the smell was not the only thing that was different about the house. A deep frown settled across my forehead and I felt a sudden tightness in my throat.
    All the doors on the ground floor were open.
    Nicole and the kids would not have noticed because I’d been the last to step outside – after closing all the doors behind us. It was a habit of mine, almost an obsession. I always felt compelled to close doors before going out. It had been with me since I was a small boy and to this day I have no idea what sparked it in the first place. But I did know with absolute certainty that the doors had been shut when we left for the walk over an hour ago. I decided not to mention it to Nicole and the others. They’d been spooked enough by the snake and now by that harsh smell. If I told them it looked like someone had been in the house while we were out then that would surely mean the vacation would be over before it had even got started.
    Besides, there might well be a reasonable explanation. Perhaps Nathan Slade had dropped by to welcome us and had let himself in with a key. The front door had definitely been locked, after all. But wouldn’t he have left a note? And wouldn’t we have seen his car on the track?
    The odious, clinging smell gave me an excuse to rush around the house to see if it was secure. I told everyone to leave it to me and checked every window and the back doors. There were no broken locks or smashed windows. The house had been sealed and apart from us it was empty.
    Meanwhile, Nicole, Tina and Michael went looking for the source of the foul odour. But even before their search was complete it had disappeared with a suddenness that surprised us all.
    ‘I don’t understand,’ Nicole said. ‘What the hell could have caused it?’
    I didn’t know. Just like I didn’t know who had opened the doors in our absence. As I started to help Nicole make the tea I tried to play it down, even though an uneasy feeling settled in my abdomen.
    ‘Maybe there’s a sewage works nearby,’ I said. ‘If so the smell could get carried around by the wind.’
    ‘There is no wind today,’ she replied.
    I shrugged. ‘Then it could have something to do with the plumbing. Some rotting food stuck in a wastepipe or something.’
    In truth there were many things it could have been. Strange smells that come and go are a feature in most homes. And it’s not unusual for the cause never to be discovered. In fact, as bad as it was, it was not the smell that was troubling me. I was sure that would eventually be explained away, probably by the landlord. But the doors were another thing entirely. I just couldn’t figure out how and why they’d been open on our return. It was a mystery.
    Just like the snake. And the telephone call. And the smell. Coincidence? Or was some kind of pattern emerging? It was a far-fetched notion, of course, and it smacked of paranoia. But the thought had suddenly taken root inside my head like an unwanted tumour.

    We had some tea sitting around the kitchen table. I tried to steer the conversation away from the snake and the smell by talking about what we were going to do over the coming two weeks.
    We planned to go on lots of walks and visit tourist attractions like the famous motor museum at Beaulieu and the castle at Highcliffe. We were also keen to see the shops in Burley that sold souvenirs and books related to witchcraft and magic. According to Nicole you could buy such things as toy witches,