A Twist in the Tale (2011) Read Online Free Page B

a sigh of relief that the
wood hadn't been left out in the elements. Carrying an armful of logs inside,
Tara searched the area next to the wood-burning stove looking for the
firelighters. Remembering how her grandfather used to build his open fires she
placed firelighters, screwed up newspaper, and finally twiglets inside the
stove before lighting it. Shortly after there was a roaring fire in the grate
which added a source of comfort to the lounge area. Pulling up the easy chair
she positioned it in front of the fire and sat for the next few hours reading
her magazine. What else was there for her to do?
    On
the one hand she welcomed the peace and quiet. Tara led a hectic life, working
long hours as an air hostess. Quite often she was away from home several days
at a time on long haul flights, which was why, this time with her husband meant
so much to her. But then as the day dragged by the peace and quiet became
unbearable.
    Several
times while preparing her dinner, she thought she heard noises outside the
cabin. Scared, she ran to the window but saw nothing.
    That
night she'd slept with her head buried below the ten layers of blankets, well,
slept wasn't really the right word. She'd never felt so terrified or alone in
her life before. At 6am she got up and cleaned out the fire and started a new
one before making herself a bacon sandwich. When she went to retrieve more
wood, she stood on the porch looking out at picturesque scenery that at any
other time would have been something she cherished. But now, she shuddered at
the feeling of isolation gripping her insides, it wasn ’ t
long before resentment towards her husband took over.
    She
doubted if she would be feeling this way had she been isolated on a desert
island in blistering heat, relaxing on a sandy beach. Being trapped in a
snowstorm had never been high up on her list of priorities.
    The
hours dragged by and her mood deepened. This had to be the worst Christmas
she'd ever spent. She gave herself a serious talking to and decided to make the
best of her time alone. Hunting in the cupboards in the spare bedroom, she
found a collection of puzzles. Sitting on the Aztec style rug in front of the
fire, Tara emptied out the pieces of the 5000 piece round puzzle. This was new
to her she'd never attempted this kind of puzzle before and relished the
challenge.
    Sometime
during the evening, immediately after dinner, she heard a noise on the porch.
Jumping to her feet, she ran into the kitchen and picked up the frying pan. Her
heart pounded as she hid behind the front door. Fear tickled its way up her
spine, she turned to look out the window but all she saw was darkness. A noise
she couldn't distinguish sounded outside the front door. Her hand trembled as
she held the frying pan above her head, ready to strike. When something
scratched the door and flicked the latch Tara sucked in her breath.           Her
heart missed several beats. Oh my God! Do they have bears up in the Alps?
    Then
there was nothing.
    Tara
let out the breath she was holding in and returned to sit by the fire, crazy
thoughts of escaped lunatics on the run racing through her mind. Don ’ t be
daft, they ’ re
hardly likely to come all the way up here, are they?
    This
was Christmas Eve what a way to spend it, scared witless and alone. Gerry would
certainly have a lot of making up to do when she got home, if she got
home!
    After
knocking up a chicken stir-fry with the trusty frying pan, Tara spent the
evening reading by the fire, one ear cocked listening for her visitor to
return. She was just about to go to bed at 9pm when she heard heavy footsteps
on the porch outside.
    Her
first instinct was to scream but she soon realised she ’ d go
unheard. Instead she flew into the kitchen to fetch the frying pan sitting on
the draining board.             
    As if
in slow motion she watched the latch go down on the door. Damn I forgot to
lock the door when I fetched the wood for the fire.
    The
door