Bloom

NOW OPEN

She patted my shoulder triumphantly. ‘This is the place.’

I peered into the murky tunnel, so tangled with stalks and leaves and hanging-down things it was hard to see anything on the other side. A trickle of icy sweat dripped down my neck. But my fingers gave a sudden twitch and burned painfully, reminding me why we were there.

‘Come on then,’ I said, hoping I sounded braver than I felt, and we plunged into the tunnel.

Instantly the sweat on my skin cooled. I pushed something fine and sticky away from my face and tried not to shudder.

A few moments later, we emerged in front of a crumbling red building that was smothered in a creeping twisty plant. The place was so overgrown that even the light was green. It felt like we were on a different planet.

‘Hello? Anyone here?’ called Neena.

Nobody answered, but I had the feeling we weren’t alone. The building seemed to fill up with silence, as if it was waiting for us to say something else. Even the heart-shaped leaves that twisted round its bricks stopped rustling.

‘Hello?’ I tried. My voice echoed around the courtyard and came back to us. ‘Oh … oh … oh …’

Still no one came.

Something small, black and scary flew at my face with an angry buzz.

‘I think we should check the map again,’ I said. ‘This place is abandoned.’

But Neena shoved me.

A stooped white-haired man in faded green overalls stood in the doorway. In his wrinkled hands was a large pair of scissors smeared in something dark and red. A big black dog at his side barked loudly. The sound bounced off the crumbling bricks like gunshot, shattering the hot silence.

‘What do you want?’ The man’s voice had the creakiness of a rusty gate opening for the first time in years.