You can’t sleep here, Sarah told herself. She pulled herself off the floor, clutched the banister and took deep, long breaths. This wasn’t her home. As she looked around the hallway, she saw none of the familiar objects she’d grown up with. The coat stand had gone, a discoloured path of carpet the only sign that a shoe rack had once been there. Sarah walked back through to the kitchen. They had removed every appliance other than the oven. She opened cupboard after cupboard, finding all bare.
The sitting room looked enormous, devoid of all furniture. The conservatory was cold, the unmistakable smell of damp and dust filling the air. With trepidation, Sarah climbed the stairs to her bedroom. Tears filled her eyes as she opened the door. The only sign it ever held furniture was indents on the carpet. The room was empty.
Sarah cast her mind back over the few conversations she’d had with her parents over the past few months. Where had they put all her belongings? She hadn’t cared, but now, seeing Blu Tack marks where posters and photographs had lined the walls, Sarah longed for the comfort of her stuff. God, she even missed the cuddly toys she’d long since grown out of.
Sarah walked from room to room, trying to locate anything that would aid in a comfortable night’s sleep. With each room as empty as the last, Sarah carried her bag upstairs and made a make-shift bed from clothes and towels. The irony of her situation didn’t escape her. The tipi she’d once considered primitive now seemed like a luxury hotel. At least the compost loo had toilet roll. At least she had a bed, with cosy bedding and blankets.
With her thin travel towel pulled up beneath her chin, Sarah tried to get comfortable on the floor. It was going to be a long night.
*
As the sun rose, Sarah reached over to pick up the glass of water she always kept beside her bed. Her fingers came away empty. And why was her mattress so hard? Memories of the previous night came flooding back, and Sarah forced her eyes open. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she had made a huge mistake. Before she had time to process all that had happened, a knock came on her door.
Sarah heaved herself off the floor, smoothed down her hair, and headed downstairs. Who on earth would call at an empty house? Sarah’s stomach somersaulted as she considered the possibility of the new owners dropping by. What would they think if they found her camping out in their soon-to-be home?
With a deep breath, Sarah opened the door. Her hand flew to her mouth as she took in the two uniformed police officers on her doorstep.
‘What’s happened? Oh God, is it my parents?’
The officers looked at each other before the older of the two cleared his throat. ‘Good morning, madam. Could you please explain what you’re doing in this property?’
‘Huh? I don’t understand?’
‘We’ve had a call from a neighbour reporting a break in. They understood the house to be empty and when they saw someone creeping around, they called us.’
Sarah looked at her watch and laughed. ‘So someone saw me breaking in, called you, and you’re only turning up now? Thank God I’m not a real burglar or the house would be cleared out by now. What’s that? A ten-hour response time? God, I’d heard about cuts to the police force, but this is just ridiculous.’
‘Madam, you still haven’t explained what you’re doing in the property.’
‘It’s my parents’ house,’ said Sarah, wondering if that were true. Had they signed the final papers yet?
‘And your name is?’
‘Sarah Lint.’
‘OK, we’ll need to check you are who you say you are and will need to inform the owner.’
‘My mum’s in Spain and unlikely to be up yet. You’re best off calling my dad. I’ll get my driving licence for you.’
By the time Sarah arrived back at the door, driving licence in hand, the female officer was on the phone. The male officer checked Sarah’s ID, nodding his approval and handing it back.
‘Your father would like to speak to you,’ said the female officer, handing over the phone.
‘Hi, Dad.’
‘Sarah, what on earth are you doing in the house? I thought you were in Cornwall?’
‘I… um…’ A wave of sadness washed over Sarah and to her horror, she found her eyes filling with tears. There was no point lying now, Colin would hear it in her voice. ‘I had to leave my job. Everyone let me down, my so-called friends turned on me, I had no choice but to leave.’
‘Oh my goodness, that sounds awful!’
‘It was,’ said Sarah, a tear slipping down her cheek. ‘Can I stay here for a while?’
‘Mmm,’ said Colin, ‘that could be tricky. It looks like we’ll be completing on the house any day now.’
‘Then what am I supposed to do?’ The tears of sadness turned hot and angry. How could her parents have put her in such a difficult situation?
‘Why don’t I come and see you? I need to come back to town anyway to sort out a few things. Are you free tomorrow?’
