In Darkling Wood Read Online Free Page A

trees Nell says will be cut down first because their roots are nearest to the house. Their trunks are marked with a white spray-painted X like they’ve got the plague or something. I’ve almost reached the gate when I see what’s been left on the gatepost.
    It’s my bobble hat, covered in dew. Someone must’ve found it. It’s been folded up very neatly and turned inside out.
    I can’t help grinning. So Borage didn’t maul my hat to death after all. Perhaps it’s a sign the day’s getting better. Shaking off the dew, I turn my hat back the right way again and put it on. Then I go through the gate.
    I remember this bit of the path. It starts off narrow,then disappears completely. Borage charges along, dragging me behind him. It’s not exactly fun. These aren’t tidy woods like the ones near home with a cinder path running through the middle. We used to go there on a Sunday sometimes, back when Theo could still ride his bike.
    Darkling Wood is messy, full of dead leaves and brambles. It’s easy to imagine tree roots pushing through the soil. Growing and growing towards the house and nothing being able to stop them. No wonder Nell wants the trees cut down.
    We come out into a clearing. Without leaves, the trees go up and up until they almost curve over and touch each other. The air feels damp and heavy like a wet cloth across my face. I pull my hat down over my ears, shivering. Borage might’ve snatched it off my head in the first place, but dogs don’t return things by leaving them neatly folded on gateposts.
    Someone was here last night. In the woods.
    A sudden gust of wind makes the trees creak. Borage freezes. His back fur sticks up like he’s sensed something. I wrap his lead round my wrist, bracing myself. There’s no sign of anything. Or anyone. Borage relaxes. As he starts sniffing again, my heartbeat begins to slow. I’m surprised at how jumpy I am.
    I feel better once I’ve left the woods behind me and am out in the open fields. The sun is shining. It’s a pretty nice day for November. To my right, at the bottom of the valley is a church and some grey stone houses; Borage heads for them like he knows where he’s going, dragging me behind him down the hill. We end up in the village square, which is where the shop is. It’s got a tatty striped awning at the front and a hook to tie up your dog.
    I’m barely through the door when the man behind the counter says, ‘You’ll be Nell Campbell’s granddaughter, then?’
    Wow, I think, news travels fast.
    There’s one other customer, a man in filthy wellies, who stares at me almost without blinking.
    ‘Um … yes …’ I try to smile.
    Neither of them smiles back.
    ‘When’s them trees of hers coming down?’ says the counter man, arms folded. ‘She’s got root trouble, so I heard. That wood’s growing too close to the house.’
    ‘She has,’ I say. ‘I mean … it is.’
    ‘That still don’t make it right to cut ’em down,’ says the other man. ‘Been there longer than she has, them trees. She can’t just hack down what doesn’t suit her.’
    The counter man nods. ‘People round here aren’t happy about what she’s planning, you know – not that the council gives a monkey’s. But the villagers do.’
    He stares at me like somehow it’s my fault. I don’t know what to say. Grabbing what I need for cheese and beetroot sandwiches, I hand over Nell’s money and say goodbye. I’m glad to get back outside again.
    ‘What was that about, eh?’ I say to Borage. He twitches his ears to show he’s listening. Shame he can’t answer as it’s pretty obvious Nell’s not popular round here.
    We start the long climb out of the village. This hill’s so steep, I have to stop to catch my breath, and as I do my phone starts ringing. It’s Lexie. In a flash, I dump the bag of shopping and dig into my pocket for my phone.
    ‘Hey you,’ she says.
    It’s so nice to hear her voice.
    ‘Hey! Are you a big sister yet?’
    ‘No. False alarm.