The New Place

Chriss went to visit the new home with Peter after the house had been sold. Gilne had promised them a lovely new home in which they would not be disappointed.

During the weeks before, Chriss had woken up several times during the night wondering where they would end up, what would become of them and wished that their stay in the house would be over soon. It was becoming heartrending, to stay in her home which was no longer her home and to enjoy its surroundings which were no longer hers. She had become rather depressed and felt isolated from the rest of the family, from the world in fact. She was beginning to act strangely. Peter had found her one evening wondering around and around their half-acre garden, muttering to herself, without realising what she was doing. That particular night, Chriss rose from her bed coated with silver moonlight and walked downstairs. She looked out at the gardens and the country lane beyond. There was no sound, no light pollution, the full spectrum of the orbiting stars could be seen, the milky way. It was a lovely cool, moonlit evening and outside was still and silent, except for the gentle humming of machinery at the chicken farm a little way down the lane, a comforting sound.

Peter and Chriss were horrified when they finally visited the new home promised to them. The bungalow was not far from their old home perhaps 30 minutes walk, a few minutes drive in the car and they wished they had not come at all. The garden was ramshackle, no flowers, broken down fencing, old and decrepid. The decking was damp, old, colourless with holes where people had walked over the damp wood and ended up with their foot going through it. The outside windows were covered in cobwebs and the place looked as if it hadn't been lived in for so many years. The garden was bumpy, colourless and unattended, uncared for.

Inside, there were no carpets, no lights on the ceilings, just hanging threads of wire. The whole bungalow was dirty with rubbish, sweet wrappings and litter everywhere. Peter and Chriss held hands, they were in shock and neither could utter a word. Chriss quietly muttered 'oh my god'.
They could not believe where they had come to. Outside, at the end of the garden there were three tiny apple trees which were actually bearing fruit, Chriss gently pressed the apples which dropped off at her touch. She bent to pick the apples up, they were all different shapes and sizes and were not yet ripened, she tossed them away wishing she could toss this whole part of her life away with them.

Peter and Chriss walked home that afternoon with heavy hearts and Chriss felt an anger beginning to well up inside of her. Perhaps if they had not moved to Norfolk they would still have been living in their home in Surrey, going about their everyday business, working, sleeping, feeding, shopping, driving....but no, they had moved to Norfolk to change their lives to have a quieter life and somehow they were going to achieve this goal, this dream.

That night Peter and Chriss waited for twilight and the show they had seen so many times before from the back door of their home which opened to the vast lawned area. The stars and moon were out again, the familiar owl was hooting in the distance. Then suddenly the dark shadow of the bat swooped so close to them it forced them to step back into the shadows cast by the ancient house they were about to leave for ever. First one bat, then another followed and they swore they counted six of them altogether, swooping in the moonlight and reflected lights from inside the house on the outside lawn. What a sight and it never ceased to amaze them. It was often a family occasion just to stand in the shadows and watch the swooping bats which appeared to come so close to them as if they knew their old friends and watchers and were familiar with their presence. The bats would then flutter across the hedge where the old willow tree stood and through its branches out towards the darkness of the lane. Peter and Chriss followed them and were confronted again with a wonderful experience of the sight of the full moon a star studded blackened sky and black bats swooping at speed from out of the shadows up and down the country lane. It was one of life's magic moments and was unforgettable. The bats knew they were there and were putting on one of their finest displays for them.

The moon rose higher in the southern sky in a blackened mist studded with stars, the gentle wind blowing their hair and faces as if to tell them, they will be back and not to despair. Chriss was to despair to the detriment of her sanity and her life would never be the same again. Peter was the stronger of the two of them and as he had done, so many times in the past, was to encourage and comfort when all else was gone.