The Wolf Of Penshaw Lake

When I awoke for the third day in Penshaw Lake, the sunlight was streaming brilliantly into the room through the thin, white curtains. I took my time to open my eyes, stretch and just allow myself to wake up fully. Last night went wonderfully, once Mason had gone. I spent the time conversing with the girls, careful not to reveal too much about myself, but their personalities were so infectious, it was so difficult to stop myself from spouting my whole story. Just before eleven, Dee walked me back to the hotel. My mum was surprised that I was home on time, like she had asked and folded her arms, keen on interrogating me.

“Where did you go?” She asked me as I walked through the door, barely letting the door close behind me before she pounced.

“Let me get my shoes off before the interrogation commences please,” I replied snarkily as I sat down to take off the heels.

“Well?” She pressed, sitting on the edge of her bed and crossing her legs.

“The Black Horse, a pub on the high street. I met up with some girls and we had a few drinks. I don’t even know why I have to discuss this with you. I’m twenty one years old!”

“I’m still your mother,”Mumhuffed. “Nothing untoward happened then?”

I decided to keep Mason a secret. I wanted her to like Penshaw Lake, yes Mason was dangerous, but we weren’t alone anymore. I had Dee, Josie and Kate, if they were enablers then Dee wouldn’t have cared for me like she did.

“Nope,” I lied, popping my lips together.

“What are the men like?”

“I only met a couple and they were kind and polite,” This, of course, was a stretched truth. Kai was lovely, and Isaac was flirtatious but seemingly harmless. Eric was a little more reserved, but more quiet than anything. Mason? I hadn’t even technically met him, and I hoped I never would.

“Hmm,” was allshereplied.It wasn’t unlike her to go silent when she realised that she didn’t have much of a counter-argument to go on.

I got dressed for bed and wiped off the makeup from my face. Getting into bed, I faced my mum and asked her the question that had been burning the back of my mind.

“Do you think we’ll ever settle down and stop running?”

Mumsat up, staring intently at me, but her gaze wasn’t angry, just curious.

“You want to stay here?” She asked. “I’ve seen a few men whom I wouldn’t like to meet again.”

“Everywhere we go, there will always be men mum,” I said softly. “Don’t you think we deserve to stop running after all this time?”

Mumheaved a heavy sigh and lay back down in her bed. It was a difficult topic, but it had only been brought up once before.

“Give me until the end of the week. Then I’ll make a decision.”

I smiled, that was enough for me.

I turned over in bed, thinking about the events of last night when I watched my mum stir and open her eyes too.

“Do you still want to stay here?” She asked, not moving from her place in bed.

Nodding my head, I sat up. I meant every word and told her so. She sat up with me and shrugged her shoulders.

“Okay, then I suppose I had better do some exploring of my own then hadn’t I?”

I grinned and waited for her to get dressed so we could head to Blossoms’ for some breakfast. My mum had a spring in her step that I hadn’t seen for a long time. I wore shorts for the first time this year as the sun was beating down upon us. Mum wore a long skirt with a white tank top. I greeted Josie as I entered who gave me a huge grin.

“This is my mum Louise,” I introduced. Our fake names were still important to us. It was still the safest option.

Josie gripped my mum’s hand and shook it firmly, “I’m so happy to meet you Louise! Sit anywhere, I’ll bring menus.”

Once breakfast was over, another bacon sarnie for mum and a plate of pancakes for myself, we stepped outside with a promise to come back in the morning. Josie was soon becoming a person I really looked forward to seeing. Next, I took mum around to see Dee. She was impossibly more excited to meet my mum, going in for one of her signature crushing hugs.

Sat on the wolf fountain, basking in the beautiful sunlight I turned to my mum who had her eyes closed, resting back on her arms and looking totally at bliss.

“Well?” I said, “Could you?”

Mum slowly nodded, “I’m still making my mind up. But this town is stunning and those girls were beyond lovely. Four more days and I’ll have an answer for you.”

‘Come on Penshaw Lake’I thought’If you want us, keep being gorgeous.′

***

It was later in the afternoon and I had left my mum browsing a little antique shop and making friends with the shop owner, a kindly older lady named Jane. I sat on a small bench eating an apple when I felt such an unusual sensation of something rubbing against my legs. I looked down to see a small, grey cat making herself known. She rubbed and purred, then rubbed some more and I reached down to pet her.

“Where do you live?” I murmured, stroking her soft fur from her head to the tip of her tail which she showed she appreciated by arching her back into my hand and letting out tiny, soft meows each time. She had no collar, but looked well fed and happy. Suddenly, her ears pricked and she leaped away from me heading down the road.

“Hey,” I called after her, she bounded forwards a few more meters before stopping and looking back as if to say,‘well, aren’t you following me?’I smiled and stood up, thinking myself crazy for following a cat, but who was I to complain? I loved animals. I soon caught up with her and she ran ahead again, straight into the line of trees than began the vast forest that surrounded this place.

I stopped short. I hadn’t stepped foot near the forest, and the hotel manager’s words were echoing in my mind. I shook off the silly feelings, people didn’t live in forests anyway. I was almost sure that Penshaw Lake wasn’t home to gangs, either. The trees were a brilliant shade of green and the moist, dark brown ground almost beckoned me forwards.

The cat meowed impatiently and so I followed her into the forest.

It was truly beautiful once inside, untouched by humans, birds sang in the trees and a rabbit darted across my path. I pushed branches and twigs aside and tripped over a large tree root or two. I hadn’t felt like exploring since I was a child and I was having too much to even realise where I was going. I swiped a butterfly from landing on me, careful not to touch her delicate wings and continued to follow the cat further and further in until finally she stopped.

I bent down into a squat as one by one she carried five, tiny, grey kittens towards me and plonked them at my feet proudly. Gobsmacked I almost fell over and carefully sat myself down to stroke and play with the kittens.

“Well now I have to stay, how on earth can I leave your babies?” I asked the mother cat. She simply licked her paws and batted one of her children away. I picked one up to coo at its tiny face and it leaned out with its paw to pat me gently in the face. “I better not get fleas now,” I sighed and put the kitten back down on the ground where it leaped at one of its siblings.

Playing with the kittens, it was a grumble in my stomach that made me realise how late it had gotten. I pulled out my phone and was surprised to see only one message from mum,

‘Jane is so kind, she has invited us over for dinner tonight.’

‘That’s lovely, where?’

‘A big house, on the edge of the forest. She gave me directions. Where did you go?’

‘I’ll tell you soon, I’m coming back to the fountain now.’

I stood up and brushed off my bum and my hands by swiping them against my shorts. A sudden chill went up the nape of my neck and down my spine, letting the hairs stand on end. I spun around, almost feeling as though someone was behind me, but I was totally alone in the forest. The mother cat had begun putting her kittens back in their den and she took one last look at me before darting further into the forest until I could no longer see her.

I started quickly making my way back the way I came, looking for my footprints in the mud. I couldn’t quite believe I had been so reckless as to come out so far, but I was relieved when I could see the tops of the houses through the gaps in the trees. The feeling of being watched never left and I kept turning around almost expecting someone to be there. I soon broke into a run and only stopped when my feet touched gravel once more. I took a shaky breath and reminded myself not to go back in there. It was only when leaving had I felt uneasy, perhaps it was just my own mind playing tricks on me.

I quickly made my way back to the fountain where mum was waiting for me with Jane. I smiled warmly at the elder lady and she too gave me one back, laugh lines lining the sides of her mouth and eyes giving me the idea that she had been happy for a very long time.

“I have closed early so I can have dinner with my family tonight. I thought, as visitors, that I should try to be as accommodating as I can!”

“Do you not get many visitors? The man at the reception of our hotel didn’t sound all that keen on us being here.”

Jane frowned, “Hugo is an odd sort of man. I don’t know why he still has that old hotel. It was his grandfathers’. Now he was an honorable gentleman. But Hugo isn’t keen on people. I wouldn’t take it to heart dear.”

“He seemed intent on warning us away from the people here. He didn’t think we’d last seven days,” Mum continued to press, I knew she was trying to see if there was any reason for us not to stay.

Jane gritted her teeth together, “Like I said dear, an odd man. Now, the house is just this way!”

The house was incredible. It wasn’t even a house, but a manor with an imposing driveway and another wolf fountain in the centre. The manor was made of light, brown brick and the porch was illuminated by two white pillars. Several chimneys adorned the roof and beautiful arched windows spanned both floors.

“That’s not a house,” Mum whistled. “That’s a manor!”

Jane smiled, “It’s been in the family for generations. Now come on inside and get comfortable.”

I took one look at my mum before I grinned and follow Jane across the beautiful stone driveway and up the steps into the house.