The Neighbour

When the Lees returned from caravanning around Australia, the first thing that they noticed was that the house next door had finally sold. As they pulled into their driveway, they remarked on the changes the new owner had made. There was a new fence and gate around the property, though it was plain to see that the garden was still in disrepair. Jenny and Keith’s own garden had taken off since their respective retirements, and they hoped that it hadn’t fallen into disarray while their son had been looking after it.

One of the neighbours from across the road came out to greet them as they started to unpack the caravan. 

“Jenny! Keith! How are you? Welcome back.”

“Thanks, Alex, it’s good to be back home. How have you been?”

Alex shrugged. “Good, good. It's been quiet here as always. But number twenty finally sold. That fence went up pretty quickly. Have barely seen the new owner.”

“Ah well,” Keith said. “Better than having noisy neighbours, I guess.”

“Yes. Well, better let you get back to your unpacking. Nice to see you again. Come over for coffee when you’re settled back in,” Alex said, turning back to his house.

Occasionally glancing over at the house next door, hoping to spot their new neighbour, Jenny and Keith continued with their unpacking. Jenny thought she saw a movement behind one of the curtains but it was hard to see over the fence and she didn’t want to be thought of as a stickybeak.

Jenny and Keith were relieved to see that Ross, their son, had kept the garden in great shape. He’d left a note on the dining table telling them about the things he’d planted in the veggie patch. Jenny nodded approvingly as she looked over the kitchen beds. The cherry tomatoes were ripening nicely and the garlic would be ready to harvest soon. She messaged him to let him know that they were back and to come over for dinner the next night. 

The caravan unpacked, they set about sorting out their house. It had been a long day of driving and they were both tired. An early night for them, then they could get stuck into normal life again tomorrow. They had enjoyed their travels but had both felt the urge to get back home. And they had missed their son and their cat. 

Oh, the pleasures of a proper bed, after sleeping in the cramped caravan for months on end! Jenny and Keith were asleep almost instantly, but not before hearing some creaking noises from the house next door. Whatever it was could not compete with the comforts of their bed. They slept like the dead and did not stir until the morning.

…..

Ross came over the following evening, bringing Mishka, the beloved cat with him. Jenny and Keith regaled him with stories from their travels as Mishka explored the familiar old house. 

“Say,” Ross said, “Your new neighbour is a bit eccentric. Have you seen her yet? Talk about a throwback to the nineties Goth era.”

Jenny and Keith inhaled and leant forward. “No, we haven’t seen her,” Jenny said. “You’d hardly know that someone was there apart from the new fence and gate. I suppose she’s a private person. Have you met her?”

Ross said that he had not, but he had seen her briefly a few times. Apparently she was very glamorous, always wearing long black dresses and had long, black hair and a very pale complexion. 

“What was that character from the Addams family?” Keith mused. “Morticia? Ha!”

“Each to their own, dear,” Jenny murmured. 

They ate their dinner, all secretly thinking about the glamourous Goth next door.

…..

After breakfast the next day, Jenny set to work on mulching the garden beds. Mishka curled up in a sunny spot, soaking up the warmth. Keith came out with a cup of coffee and set it down on the outdoor table.

“Coffee for you, love.”

“Thanks, dear.”

Jenny stopped work to drink her coffee.

“You know,” she said after a while, “It’s so quiet next door. It’s like there’s no one there. We’ve been back two days now and haven’t heard a thing. And you can barely see in at all. Not that I’ve been snooping or anything. It would just be nice to see who we’re living next to.”

Keith nodded. 

Jenny finished her drink. “Well, better get back to it before it gets too hot. I think I’ll pull the garlic out today as well. It looks ready.”

“Oh yes, lovely. We’ll be able to make some nice curry paste with that and the coriander Ross grew. Do you want a hand?”

“I’ll be ok. Shouldn’t be too long. Thanks, dear.”

Keith took her empty cup back inside.

When Jenny turned her attention to the kitchen herb bed, she smiled as she looked at the tops of the garlic. There was nothing like fresh herbs and spices in your cooking. Keith could make the best curry from scratch; Jenny felt hungry just thinking about what he would cook first. 

She plucked some chillies from the chilli plant then started to pull the garlic plants out, carefully shaking the soil from the bulbs and roots. After she had pulled the third plant out she noticed a sound from next door. It sounded like someone groaning. Jenny turned her head to the fence, garlic plants in hand, listening. Maybe it was a crow? She pulled a fourth garlic plant out of the kitchen herb bed and the noise grew louder. Now it sounded like someone retching. Was it the woman next door?

Jenny placed the chillies and garlic on the outdoor table, took her gloves off and went inside. “Keith, can you hear something? From next door? Someone being sick?”

From the kitchen, Keith called that he had not. 

“Strange,” Jenny said. “It was quite loud when I was out the back.”

She went back outside to collect the chilli and garlic. There it was again! She could definitely hear someone retching. It must have been the neighbour. Jenny went over to the fence and tried to look over the top. She wasn’t quite tall enough. 

“Hello? Hello, are you alright?”

There was one window visible from where she stood but the curtains were drawn. If she hadn’t heard the noise, she would have assumed that no one was home.

“Hello, I’m your neighbour, Jenny. Just checking that you’re ok?”

There was silence followed by a loud vomiting sound. Someone was there! Jenny went back through the house and out the front door. She crossed their front lawn and knocked on the gate of the house next door, calling out again, but it was locked and all she could do was peek through the gaps in the palings. It appeared that there was no one there, but she knew she had heard someone. Shaking her head, she returned home. She spent the rest of the day inside, reading with Mishka on her lap. She didn’t feel like going back to the garden.

…..

Keith made a rendang curry that night. The aroma filled the house, making Jenny’s mouth water. Keith made excellent Malay dishes. It was wonderful to be able to cook elaborate recipes in their own kitchen after all the months of camping meals. They had just sat down to eat when they saw a movement at the front of their house. 

Jenny leapt up. “Is that our neighbour?” She ran to the front door and opened it, calling out to the black-clad figure hovering near the letterbox.

“Hello! Are you the lady from number twenty? I’m Jenny. We’ve just come back from a trip around Australia. This is my husband Keith.”

The neighbour stared at them. She was elegantly tall and pale, wearing a dress that clung to her torso and swept around her feet. 

‘Hello,” she said with a faintly British accent. “I’m Mina. Yes, I live at number twenty.”

She moved away from the letterbox as Jenny stepped forward onto the porch.

“Lovely to meet you! Are you hungry?”

Mina stared at Jenny. ‘Hungry? Why, I-I am just putting some of your mail in your letterbox. It came to my house by mistake. I cannot-”

Jenny persisted. “Keith has just made a huge meal and it’s just the two of us here. We’d love to have you over some time. Maybe another time, if you’ve got plans already.”

“I am not hungry. Thank you. Another time.” She wheeled around in one fluid movement, dress swaying at her hips.

Disappointed, Jenny turned around, bumping into Keith in the doorway. His mouth was hanging open. Jenny nudged him and he blushed. 

“Were you ogling her, Keith? My goodness! She must think you’re ancient.”

Keith muttered to himself, giving himself a little shake. “Don’t be silly! Anyway, let’s eat.”

…..

The summer heat was building. Soon there would be an endless succession of cloudless, shimmering hot days. Keith got up early to check on the reticulation for the front lawn. It was pleasant out on the grass in the cool dawn air, cup of tea in hand, birds flitting about the trees on the street. He was bent down near the footpath checking a sprinkler head when Mina’s long skirts swished past him. It was like she had floated down the street; he hadn’t heard her footsteps but then again, his hearing probably wasn’t what it used to be.

“Good morning!” he said as he stood up.

“Good morning,” Mina replied.

“It’s lovely out here, good time to go for a walk,” Keith continued. “Going to be hot soon! Are you British? Hope you’ve acclimatised. It’s a dry heat here, you know.”

“Yes, I am from England, though I have been living in Europe for some time. It was time to leave. This place suits me. It is very quiet,” Mina said and then disappeared through her gate. 

Keith was still staring at the shut gate when Jenny came out onto the lawn. 

“Are you ok, dear? Keith?”

Keith blinked. “Yes, yes, just checking the retic. Oh, and had a brief chat with Mina next door.”

“Oh, so that’s why you’ve got the puppy dog eyes!” Jenny laughed. 

“Pshaw! What are you talking about. Anyway, she said she’s from England but she’d been living in Europe before here. She’d been out for a walk.”

“She’s out very early, goodness,” said Jenny. "I suppose that’s why her complexion is so good, she must be very conscious about sunburn, being English. Anyway, you’d better not be standing around all day mooning over her. Let’s have breakfast. Then you can help me prune the camellias.”

…..

Mishka had got out. She was supposed to be kept indoors at night. Jenny and Keith walked up the street looking for her. As they came back down the street and passed number twenty, they heard a loud and distressed meowing. Perhaps Mishka had gotten into the roof. There was no sign of Mina being home but they knocked on the gate and called over the fence anyway. 

Mina appeared at the gate. 

“Yes?”

“Sorry to bother you,” Keith began, “but we think our cat might have gotten into your roof. Do you mind if we come and have a look?”

Mina stared at them, eyes large and dark against her thin, pale face. She silently opened the gate, letting Keith in, but left Jenny on the footpath. Jenny gave a small huff behind the gate. What a rude woman! Imagine shutting a gate in someone’s face like that. 

After a few minutes of standing by the shut gate she felt foolish so she went back home. She was still stewing over the insult when Keith returned, holding Mishka tight. The cat was wailing and struggling against his grip. Safely inside the house, Keith let her go and she leapt to the top of the bookcase in the living room, still meowing loudly. 

“Oh, poor Mishka!” Jenny exclaimed. “She’s been spooked. It must have been scary next door at the Addams family house.”

Keith grunted and sat down with a heavy thud. 

“What’s it like inside her house?” Jenny asked. “Does she have a butler named Lurch? Or what was the hand thing? Thing?”

Keith frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Jenny teased. “Morticia Addams try to seduce you? I think you’re a bit old for her!”

“Leave her alone, Jen!” Keith muttered. “I’m not feeling well. A bit tired. I’m off to bed.”

Jenny started in surprise. It was still early and Keith had not complained about feeling unwell that day. She was about to say goodnight when she noticed his neck. 

“Keith! Your neck! Was that from Mishka?”

Keith stood up and started walking to the bedroom.

“Keith! You have a scratch on your neck and it’s bleeding! You’d better put some antiseptic on it. Was it from Mishka? She’s very unsettled.”

Without turning, Keith said to his wife, “You don’t have to worry about Mina and me. She said I was too garlicky.”