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Back The Village Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. START READING
  6. PROLOGUE
  7. CHAPTER ONE
  8. CHAPTER TWO
  9. CHAPTER THREE
  10. CHAPTER FOUR
  11. CHAPTER FIVE
  12. CHAPTER SIX
  13. CHAPTER SEVEN
  14. CHAPTER EIGHT
  15. CHAPTER NINE
  16. CHAPTER TEN
  17. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  18. CHAPTER TWELVE
  19. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  20. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  21. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  22. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  23. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  24. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  25. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  46. CHAPTER FORTY
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  53. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  54. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  55. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  61. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  62. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

There was rustling in the forest undergrowth, and above her birds fluttered in their nests, disturbed by her night song. She stepped lightly around the twigs, taking care not to fall or scratch her feet. She couldn’t afford to. Just a few minutes was all she needed to give her the warm fuzzy feeling inside. As the night breeze caught her hair, she paused to stare at the dazzling wonder of stars in the sky. It was then, as she lowered her gaze, that she saw the shifting shape of a man behind the trees. It wasn’t Daddy; he was too tall. The man was watching her movements. Maybe he wanted to be friends, like the woodcutter in ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. Maybe he could help. But Mummy would not be happy if she knew she had left her room. Dipping her head, she ducked behind some undergrowth, quietly returning to her house. As she approached her window, she took one last fleeting look at her surroundings and inhaled a precious breath of outside air. Her heart was heavy as she crawled back inside, scuffing her knee on the wooden frame. Plump tears edged her eyelids as she wrestled the thick curtains shut. Her room was both her home and her prison. Would she ever see the outside world again?

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER EIGHT

Morgan’s scream had been delivered with such intensity that flashbacks of the Harper case had lit up Naomi’s mind. The bedroom door had rattled on its hinges as Ed burst inside, his head swivelling from left to right. Rushing in behind him, all Naomi had been able to think about was the shadow she had seen lurking in the woods. Was history repeating itself? The similarities between her family and the Harpers had not been lost on her.

‘It’s a monster!’

Morgan had cowered in the corner of the sparsely furnished room, her kohl-lined eyes wide with fear. Following the direction of her gaze, Naomi exhaled in relief as the reason for her stepdaughter’s outburst became apparent. It wasn’t someone from the woods frightening Morgan. It was nothing at all. Now, Ed was doing his best to pacify his daughter.

‘All that fuss for a wee spider,’ he said ruefully, gently capturing the eight-legged assailant in his capable hands. ‘Open the window, will you, love?’

Grimacing, Naomi gave her husband a wide berth and tugged on the old wooden frame. She wasn’t overly fond of spiders herself, but she appreciated Ed’s need to set them free.

‘You should have squished him,’ Morgan said matter-of-factly, checking to see that it was gone.

‘He was here before you.’ Ed closed the window, taking it all in his stride.