The Old House

The lockdown was in place. The shopping frenzy had left the shops denuded of essential items. Trying to shop for groceries online was a nightmare. There were no delivery slots for weeks, but finally, Belinda found a store that would accept her. She was busy for the next few hours, compiling a shopping cart. She felt pleased and closed everything down.

Thinking about the things she needed for the family, Belinda went online a couple of days later and was shocked to find the value of her shopping had halved. Worried why that was so, she went through the things in her basket. All the essential things had the message - out of stock - underneath. She felt the panic rising but then thought, “Get a grip, there’s still three weeks to go before they can do a delivery. Maybe the shops will have stock again by then and the supplies back to normal.”

She was acutely aware of the restrictions in place. They were in self-isolation according to the guidelines published online. Little Janny’s compromised immune system meant Belinda and the two children were vulnerable. The thought of a food shortage, and days stretching out ahead of them, made her terrified. But she had to put a brave face on for the sake of the girls. They lived in an old house. Its history stretched back to at least the Tudors. Then it was a manor for a minor member of the nobility, but it had slowly sunk through the social strata until Belinda inherited it from her elderly maiden great aunt. It sounded great to inherit a big old house out in the country. The reality was very different. As living quarters, Great Aunt Ivy converted a small flat like portion while she ignored the rest of the house. She modernised that portion, so there were a few creature comforts like heating and electricity. The rest was very much as it had been for centuries. The rooms closed with the furniture shrouded in dust covers and the candle sconces supporting long trails of cobwebs. Yes, in the bright light of day, it was exciting, but in the evening's gloom, it felt haunted and forbidding.  

The three of them, while saying nothing, instinctively frequented the modern flat which opened off from the imposing front doors and ran through to the newly created kitchen at the back of the house. The kitchen area had once been a servant’s parlour with a door leading down to the cellar and adjacent coal storage area. At last, the bad weather had let up and the sun shone brightly, dispelling the aura of gloom in the unused rooms. She thought it a perfect time for playing and exploring, hoping it would keep them busy for hours.

“Right, how about a game of Hide and Seek? I’ll count first while you children hide. Since there is so much space, I suggest we only hide in places on this level. We can change the floors as we play.”

The children were happy to comply and scampered off. By the time Belinda reached one hundred, there was not a sound or sight of the children. She set off and explored each room. No one was in the flat area as far as she could see. Belinda walked across the hall to the library. She smiled on seeing a set of footprints, she recognised them as belonging to Janny. She thought she would prolong the fun and ostentatiously closed the door while returning to the flat. It was then she noticed the broom cupboard door slightly ajar. Treading softly, she flung open the door and there was Kerry with her head behind a pink feather duster.

“I see you,” she sang as she moved the duster.

Kerry grinned, “But you haven’t found Janny yet!”

“I think I know where she is, though,” Belinda said as she held her daughter’s hand “come, let's see, shall we?”   

They wandered through the flat again and arrived at the library door. Kerry jumped ahead and flung the door open, nearly knocking Janny over.

“Well, since we are all together again, shall we go back to the kitchen? You girls can have a glass of milk and a biscuit while I enjoy a coffee.”

Sitting at the breakfast counter, Kerry pointed to the door in the corner, “Where does that door lead, Mummy?”

Belinda thought for a moment, “I would think it goes down to the cellar. Houses long ago had cellars where they stored wine and beer, usually in kegs or barrels.”

Both girls looked excited, “Can we go there?”

Their mother nodded her head, “Yes, but I think we can make that our adventure for tomorrow. It is time for your rest now, Janny and you Kerry can do some schoolwork. We are in lockdown to get the virus under control, not school holidays.”  

The next morning Belinda sat in the kitchen waiting while the girls collected the stuff they needed for the day's adventure. Belinda knew her late husband Ben would approve of their new circumstances, unlike her parents. After Ben’s sudden death from a heart attack, her life had been in complete disarray. Then a few months later, while trying to come to terms with her loss and help the girls, a letter arrived from a solicitor. He informed her of the death of Great Aunt Ivy and that she was now the owner of a mansion on the outskirts of a tiny village in Cornwall. After much heart searching, she sold their semidetached house and moved.

She felt as the life insurance and the mortgage insurance had paid out plus what she got from the house sale she was financially secure. They could live quietly in the country and she would not need to work, at least for a while.

“Are you ready, Mummy?” demanded two little girls. She looked fondly at them, kitted out in old jerseys, jeans and stout shoes and armed with the mandatory torch.

She sighed, “Yes, my darlings. Let’s get going.”

She fiddled with a massive bunch of keys until at last one slid in and the lock turned. She pushed the door. It creaked convincingly, as all old doors leading to adventures should.    

Shining her torch through the aperture, she saw a stone staircase leading into the gloom. “Wait here until I call you, then take care, the steps look very narrow.”

Soon they were at the foot of the stairs. There were rows and rows of wooden barrels lying on their sides with taps. Belinda thought it looked like what she supposed a brewery would resemble. The girls scampered up and down, squealing with delight. Then there was a sudden silence. Heart pounding, Belinda ran to find them imaging many terrible things that might have happened. They had disappeared. She felt the panic rising and fought to control herself. As she did, there was a giggle from inside a huge barrel standing upright beside her. Belinda bent down and touched the side of the barrel. Immediately a little door sprang open to reveal the two girls. They tumbled out, but as they did, there was a clicking sound. They looked into the barrel as the base moved to reveal a ladder.

The girls stood frozen with huge eyes, gazing at the hidden passage.

Belinda swallowed and to quell the fear said a little too loudly, “Right girls, let's see where this goes.”

She shone the torch and could see a reasonable sized passage leading away from the house. At first, she thought that was enough, but a little voice in her head said, you came for an adventure, so get on with it.

They seemed to have been walking for miles along the passage. The well worn floor and brick sides made it easy to navigate. Whatever its purpose, the construction was solid and showed evidence of heavy usage. At last, they came to another ladder. They gazed up and saw a tangle of cobwebs, but they could not make out anything more. 

Until Kerry said, “Look, Mummy, it’s a trapdoor, I can see a metal handle.” She shone her torch and Belinda could also make it out.

“Well, girls, I think that is it, don’t you?”

Both girls shook their heads. Then Kerry pleaded, “Mummy, please let's see if it opens before we give up. We’ve walked such a long way to end up with nothing.”

Belinda saw her logic but did not feel like climbing up into all the cobwebs. As if she divined her mother's reluctance, Kerry reached up with a stout pole which had been resting against the wall and swept them aside. Belinda felt obliged to ascend. At the top, she pushed, it was stiff, but she was sure she felt a little movement, “Kerry, past that post up, let me see if pushing with that makes any difference.”

It did, slowly the trap door moved, at first they only saw a slither of light which grew as Belinda strained until suddenly it flipped open and she nearly fell. They could see the blue sky above and hear a rushing sound. Belinda climbed out and helped her daughters onto the soil by the trapdoor.

All of them looked around, there was a stubby tree beside them and behind them, they saw the sea and understood this was the top of a cliff. While just off to their right was a pathway snaking down to a tiny sandy beach far below. Belinda realised this must have been a smuggling route. That would explain all the casks in the cellar.

After the lockdown ended, Belinda had an expert come to date the passage and value the hoard of casks. There was enough money to develop the area and return the house to its former glory. Smugglers Cove and its passage were open to the public, becoming a legitimate business while not destroying the natural environment.

Every night Belinda gave thanks for the windfall of the gift of the house and the fruits of the lockdown.