Winter's End Read Online Free PDF

wish to take a walk, try avoid doing it along
the highway.”
    Emma stared at her, a
little taken aback by her commanding tone.
    “Mrs. Kinnaird…,” she
started.
    “Mrs. Winston,” the
woman interrupted her. “I understand that you are a single mother of two
children. I would hate to hear if something terrible happened to you. You are
welcome to pass through my property anytime you have the urge to walk. It is
large and well enough to cater any length of walk you’d like to take.”
    “Mrs. Kinnaird,” started
Emma again. She didn’t want to take the woman’s offer but she was overcome by
one of those annoying nagging feelings that she was right. “Thank you,” she
managed to blurt out finally. “That’s very kind of you.”
    “Hmmm,” the woman
grunted and turned back to look outside the window again.
    Emma stepped outside
the dark car and then watched it drive away up her driveway and back into the
highway.
    She stood outside
watching the last of the evening light fade into the darkness. She didn’t know what
to make of her encounter with her elderly neighbour. Did she just make a new
friend in the Isle of Skye? She just wasn ‎ ’t so sure.

 
    *****

 
    Two days had passed
since Mrs. Kinnaird had dropped Emma off at her front door. She had yet to take
advantage of Mrs. Kinnaird’s offer.
    Emma tucked her feet
under her as she settled herself into her settee. She looked at the sheet of
blue sea lay in the distance outside her sun room. A white boat bobbed on its
waves like the paper boats she used to float in the drains outside her mother’s
flat when she was ten.
    She heard her
children cheer in excitement over a new game they were playing on video. They
had adjusted well to the slow and quiet life in Skye. She had been inwardly
fearful that they would reject the move. But they clearly loved the open and
clean air just as much she did.
    Mrs. Kinnaird still
nerved her slightly. Although she was grateful that she had been concerned of
her safety, she didn’t want to trespass anyone’s boundaries and she certainly
didn’t want Mrs. Kinnaird to feel that she was taking advantage of her
goodwill.
    A knock rapped at her
window, shocking her back to reality. She clutched at her chest, trying to
breathe out an air of relief as she saw that it was only Lisa. She was waving wildly
through the large windows, her mouth in an open, wide smile.
    She rose to open the door.
    “Hi there,” said
Lisa. “I got something for you.” She pushed her way past Emma and into the warm
sun-lit room.
    Emma rolled her eyes
and managed to prevent a sigh from escaping her lips. If there was one thing
she would need to get used to since moving to Breakish ,
it was the ability of its locals to successfully annoy her. She did not know
whether it was a silent cultural aspect but they sure was subtly butting into
her private space each time she met one of them. Or in this case, forcefully
meeting her!
    “Oh, my god!” Lisa exclaimed.
“Look at this conservatory! It’s beautiful! Did you put this up? It wasn’t here
before.”
    Emma strolled up to
her slowly. “Yes, I did. Before moving in.”
    Lisa roamed her eyes
delightfully over the white tiled floor and the wooden framed pitched roof. A
chandelier hung from the centre of its pitch. Pots of palm trees ornamented the
corners of the room while magenta sofas decked the centre.
    “Oh, I got this for
you,” she said handing over a basket of fruit absent-mindedly, her eyes still
pre-occupied with the pretty down lights that lined the beams in the roof.  
    “Thanks,” said Emma,
admiring the assortment of fruit containing half of a water melon a ripened
papaya, mangoes and even a punnet of strawberries. “This is quite an…unusual
collection.”
    “Oh, you’re welcome,”
said Lisa, blushing slightly. “Mr. Craig, the man who owns the store at which I
work, sometimes orders in the rarest fruit, just as a treat for his customers.
I was welcome to take home some,