her. ‘You get on now to work.’
‘Arthur, does anybody work in the castle?’
‘The ruin?’ Rosaleen asked.
‘The castle,’ I responded, and immediately felt defensive of it. If we were going to start name-calling we may as well start with Mum. She was clearly a broken woman yet we weren’t referring to her as the ruin. She was still a woman. The castle was not as it had been, but it was still a castle. I have no idea where that belief had come from but it had arrived overnight and I knew from then on, I was never going to call it a ruin.
‘Why do you ask?’ Arthur said, slipping his arms into a lumberjack shirt and then putting on a padded vest over it.
‘I was taking a look around there yesterday and just thought I saw something. No big deal,’ I said quickly, eating and hoping that wouldn’t make them stop me from going there again.
‘Could have been a rat,’ Rosaleen said, looking at Arthur.
‘Wow, I really feel better now.’ I looked to Arthur for more but he was silent.
‘You shouldn’t go wandering about there on your own,’ Rosaleen said, pushing the plate of food closer to me.
‘Why?’
Neither of them said anything.
‘Right,’ I said, ignoring the breakfast. ‘That’s settled. It was a giant, human-sized rat. So if I can’t go there, what’s there to do around here?’ I asked.
There was silence. ‘In what way?’ Rosaleen finally asked, seeming afraid.
‘Like, for me to do. What is there? Are there shops? Clothes shops? Coffee shops? Anything nearby?’
‘Nearest town is fifteen minutes,’ Rosaleen replied.
‘Cool. I’ll walk there after breakfast. Work this off,’ I smiled, and bit into a sausage.
Rosaleen smiled happily and leaned her chin on her hand as she watched me.
‘So which way is it?’ I asked, swallowed the sausage and opened my mouth to show Rosaleen it was gone.
‘Which way is what?’ She got the hint and stopped watching.
‘The town. I go out the gates and turn left or right?’
‘Oh, no, you can’t walk it. It’s fifteen minutes in the car. Arthur will drive you. Where do you need to go?’
‘Well, nowhere in particular. I just wanted to have a look round.’
‘Arthur will drive you and collect you when you’re ready.’
‘How long will you be?’ Arthur asked, zipping up his vest.
‘I don’t know,’ I replied, looking from one to the other, feeling frustrated.
‘Twenty minutes? An hour? If it’s a short time he can wait there for you,’ Rosaleen added.
‘I don’t know how long I’ll be. How can I? I don’t know what’s in the town, or what there is for me to do.’
They looked at me blankly.
‘I’ll just hop on a bus or something and come back when I’m ready.’
Rosaleen looked at Arthur nervously. ‘There’s no buses along this way.’
‘What?’ my jaw dropped. ‘How are you supposed to get anywhere?’
‘Drive,’ Arthur responded.
‘But I can’t drive.’
‘Arthur will drive you,’ Rosaleen repeated. ‘Or he’ll pick up whatever it is that you need. Have you anything in mind? Arthur will get it, won’t you, Arthur?’
Arthur snot-snorted.
‘What is it you need?’ Rosaleen asked eagerly, leaning forward.
‘Tampons,’ I spat out, feeling so frustrated now.
I just don’t know why I do it.
Well, I do know. They were both annoying me. I was used to so much freedom at home, not the Spanish Inquisition. I was used to coming and going whenever I pleased, at my own pace, for however long I liked. Even my own parents never asked me so many questions.
They were quiet.
I shoved another bit of sausage into my mouth.
Rosaleen fiddled with the doily underneath the scones. Arthur was hovering near the door waiting with baited breath to hear whether he was being sent out on a tampon run or not. I felt it was my duty to clear the air.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ I said, calming down. ‘I’ll have a look around here today. Maybe I’ll go tomorrow.’ Something to look forward to.
‘I’ll be
‘Arthur, does anybody work in the castle?’
‘The ruin?’ Rosaleen asked.
‘The castle,’ I responded, and immediately felt defensive of it. If we were going to start name-calling we may as well start with Mum. She was clearly a broken woman yet we weren’t referring to her as the ruin. She was still a woman. The castle was not as it had been, but it was still a castle. I have no idea where that belief had come from but it had arrived overnight and I knew from then on, I was never going to call it a ruin.
‘Why do you ask?’ Arthur said, slipping his arms into a lumberjack shirt and then putting on a padded vest over it.
‘I was taking a look around there yesterday and just thought I saw something. No big deal,’ I said quickly, eating and hoping that wouldn’t make them stop me from going there again.
‘Could have been a rat,’ Rosaleen said, looking at Arthur.
‘Wow, I really feel better now.’ I looked to Arthur for more but he was silent.
‘You shouldn’t go wandering about there on your own,’ Rosaleen said, pushing the plate of food closer to me.
‘Why?’
Neither of them said anything.
‘Right,’ I said, ignoring the breakfast. ‘That’s settled. It was a giant, human-sized rat. So if I can’t go there, what’s there to do around here?’ I asked.
There was silence. ‘In what way?’ Rosaleen finally asked, seeming afraid.
‘Like, for me to do. What is there? Are there shops? Clothes shops? Coffee shops? Anything nearby?’
‘Nearest town is fifteen minutes,’ Rosaleen replied.
‘Cool. I’ll walk there after breakfast. Work this off,’ I smiled, and bit into a sausage.
Rosaleen smiled happily and leaned her chin on her hand as she watched me.
‘So which way is it?’ I asked, swallowed the sausage and opened my mouth to show Rosaleen it was gone.
‘Which way is what?’ She got the hint and stopped watching.
‘The town. I go out the gates and turn left or right?’
‘Oh, no, you can’t walk it. It’s fifteen minutes in the car. Arthur will drive you. Where do you need to go?’
‘Well, nowhere in particular. I just wanted to have a look round.’
‘Arthur will drive you and collect you when you’re ready.’
‘How long will you be?’ Arthur asked, zipping up his vest.
‘I don’t know,’ I replied, looking from one to the other, feeling frustrated.
‘Twenty minutes? An hour? If it’s a short time he can wait there for you,’ Rosaleen added.
‘I don’t know how long I’ll be. How can I? I don’t know what’s in the town, or what there is for me to do.’
They looked at me blankly.
‘I’ll just hop on a bus or something and come back when I’m ready.’
Rosaleen looked at Arthur nervously. ‘There’s no buses along this way.’
‘What?’ my jaw dropped. ‘How are you supposed to get anywhere?’
‘Drive,’ Arthur responded.
‘But I can’t drive.’
‘Arthur will drive you,’ Rosaleen repeated. ‘Or he’ll pick up whatever it is that you need. Have you anything in mind? Arthur will get it, won’t you, Arthur?’
Arthur snot-snorted.
‘What is it you need?’ Rosaleen asked eagerly, leaning forward.
‘Tampons,’ I spat out, feeling so frustrated now.
I just don’t know why I do it.
Well, I do know. They were both annoying me. I was used to so much freedom at home, not the Spanish Inquisition. I was used to coming and going whenever I pleased, at my own pace, for however long I liked. Even my own parents never asked me so many questions.
They were quiet.
I shoved another bit of sausage into my mouth.
Rosaleen fiddled with the doily underneath the scones. Arthur was hovering near the door waiting with baited breath to hear whether he was being sent out on a tampon run or not. I felt it was my duty to clear the air.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ I said, calming down. ‘I’ll have a look around here today. Maybe I’ll go tomorrow.’ Something to look forward to.
‘I’ll be
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