‘Are you from Cathbad?’ she says aloud. Then feels stupid. Corbyn takes flight but, a few minutes later, he’s back, this time on the grass in front of Zoe’s house. Zoe has succeeded in clearing away a lot of weeds but there’s no sign of the cottage garden paradise that she planned. Will she ever come back? Will Ruth ever be able to havethatconversation with her?
Ruth and Kate set out for their afternoon walk later than usual. It’s another bright, sunny day but there’s a sharp wind which makes the tall grass sway and whisper. What’s it saying? Cathbad would know.
‘Why do you keep looking back, Mum?’ says Kate.
‘Am I?’ says Ruth. ‘I didn’t realise I was.’
‘Help me look for unusual insects.’ Kate has brought a cardboard box, with holes in the lid, in case she finds one of these creatures. Flint will think it’s a takeaway.
Ruth can’t resist one last look back. The grasses seem to close behind them, shutting off their escape, and the flat landscape offers no vantage point. After about half an hour, and an attempt to capture a damsel fly, they return to the cottage. There’s still no car outside Zoe’s house.
Ruth makes tea and finds some frozen crumpets which, toasted, make good comfort food. Neither of them feels like working so Ruth gets out the Norwich Cathedral jigsaw and they start the laborious work of filling in the blue sky and grey ramparts. It’s curiously mesmerising. Steward’s House is there too, a tricky vortex of black and white. Ruth manages to forget Zoe, Eileen, Joe, even Cathbad. When she looks up, it’s almost dark outside.
‘Just going to feed Derek,’ she says. ‘Don’t answer the door to anyone while I’m gone.’
Who does she think will come knocking? Nelson? Zoe? The grim reaper? Kate leans over the puzzle, deep in concentration.
Ruth takes the key and opens Zoe’s stable door. The kitchen is silent apart from a large station-style clock ticking on the wall. Ruth goes into the sitting room and, despite her wish to hurry back to Kate, is drawn to the wedding picture and the passport photo in the frame. It was taken in the days when you were allowed to smile but Jean has barely taken advantage of this; her expression is wary. Her hair is grey though, so it wasn’t that long ago, in the shorter style that Jean adopted when she passed seventy. Where had Zoe found this picture?
A sound behind her makes Ruth jump. But it’s only Derek, appearing from some secret hiding place in search of supper. Ruth puts cat food in his bowl, cleans out his litter tray and leaves the house, locking the door behind her. She’s more certain than ever that Zoe would never have gone away without arranging for someone to take care of Derek.
Kate has almost finished the cathedral tower. Ruth goes into the kitchen to prepare supper and to lose herself in the wonderful pre-Covid world ofThe Archers. What will she do when they run out of pre-recorded episodes? She can’t imagine a socially distanced Ambridge. Scrolling through the evening’s TV on her phone she sees that there’s a film calledThe Cabin in the Woods. She looks it up and learns that it’s a horror comedy film directed by Drew Goddard. Can horror be funny? She remembers Peter’s email about the original name of the house, The Cabin.We used to joke about that.The Evil Deadand all those horror story tropes.She remembers watchingThe Evil Deadat the cinema in Eltham, maybe even with Daniel. It’s about a group of college students having a jolly vacation in an isolated cabin. There are, as Peter said, all the usual tropes: the porch swing moving on its own, the stopped clock, the ‘Book of the Dead’ conveniently left in a cellar, the tree branch breaking outside, the damaged bridge that means none of them can escape. It’s not long before four of the students are possessed by demons. As Ruth remembers it, only one of them survives.
The wind is now blowing strongly. In the garden, the apple tree is whipped into a frenzy. Ruth double checks that both parts of the back door are locked. She jumps when Flint bursts in through his cat flap, tail puffed up in fright. ‘What’s the matter, Flint?’ Flint meows, gazing meaningfully at his bowl. She jumps again when her phone buzzes. Nelson.
‘It’s Cathbad,’ says Nelson.
‘What?’ Suddenly the room is as cold as if hosting a cinematic demonic presence.
‘I’m sorry, love. Judy says it’s the end.’
Chapter 35
That night she sees the Grey Lady. She has no idea what time it is, drifting in an uneasy state between waking and sleeping. She opens her eyes. Or does she? There’s a woman standing in front of her, dressed in long grey robes. Her hand is outstretched, as if she’s offering something, but she can’t see what it is. It’s the eyes that she remembers most. They look so sad.
She must have fallen asleep because, when she wakes up, her sleeping bag is wet with condensation. Was the Grey Lady ever there, gazing at her with her sweet, sad eyes? He’s left a bucket for her to pee in and she does that, gagging at the stench of ammonia. She can’t be sick again because there’s nothing in her stomach. She almost takes another pill, just for the sensation of swallowing, but she manages to stop herself.
She never hears him approaching. It’s as if he has paws instead of feet. Like a cat. She’s drifting in and out of sleep when the grille opens and she hears his voice.
‘It’s me,’ he says. But who else would it be?
She takes the plate. It contains another apple and a tiny piece of cheese.
‘You’ll lose weight in no time,’ he says from behind the door.
Will she continue to lose weight until she’s nothing but a skeleton? There are more pills too.
‘Why are you giving me medicine?’ she says.
‘Just swallow them,’ he says, ‘and then you’ll be free.’
‘Give me some water then.’
He pushes a bottle through. She takes a gulp.
‘Have you taken a pill?’ There’s a new note in his voice. Excitement.
‘Yes.’
