Echoes in the Woods by Georgina Scott (ebook reader web txt) 📕

went, and there was still no sign of his dad or his mum, for that matter. It was 3:45 pm when the mobile phone rang. It was his mum.

“Hi Mummy, where are you?”

“Hi baby, are you boys ok? I am staying with Mitch,” she said trying to hold back the tears.

“We are okay, Mummy; Henry and Mark have just finished their chores and now are playing. Mum, when are you coming home?”

“Soon baby, soon. Where’s your dad?”

“Oh, he is in the fields, we managed to sow six acres today,” he knew it was a lie that he told, but he told it anyhow as he didn’t want her to worry. Truth is, he only managed to sow two acres.

“I love you all, and miss you very much,” she said tearfully.

Matthew told her he cleaned and cleared up the house and that his brothers are okay and seemed to have gotten over the mornings’ events and are as normal. “I have to go now, Mummy there is a car approaching. I love you!”

“I love you too, and I promise you, Matthew, we will all be back together soon,” she said then hung up the phone.

***

A woman and young girl got out of the car. They saw a boy starting to approach them in the distance, “Which one am I to have, Mummy?”

“It doesn’t matter, just as long as we can keep a roof over our heads, the better. If we keep the father drunk and the eldest son sweet, then I reckon we can call this place home, and it is a lovely house. If we do this right, I think we can cash in here sweetie.”

“What about the wife?”

“No need to worry about her, to what I hear Mitch Moody has got his claws into her. The whole town is talking about it. There will be a custody battle for the boys, she will win. All we have to do is secure our position with the father, with you getting pregnant. I will make sure the boys spend as much time with the ex-wife as possible.”

“What if he or the son doesn’t like me?”

“The son, I am not too sure about, yet. However the father, he would be too drunk to care.”

“Here we go,” said the woman.

“Hello, I am Matthew. Can I help you?” staring at the young female with all doe eyes.

He couldn’t stop staring at her; she was lovely, her dark straight hair was perfect. She wore a white cotton lace dress that come down to her thighs exposing her long thin tanned legs, with red flip-flops finishing off the look. Matthew had never looked at a girl like this before. He felt awkward.

“Yes, I am Tina and this is my daughter, Chloe.”

“Chloe,” he said, not realising he said her name like a little boy who had a crush on his teacher. Tina looked at him admiring her beautiful daughter which brought a big cheesy smile to her face.

“Hello,” replied Chloe.

“We are moving in. Your father kindly asked us to live with you boys. Apparently your mother has gone off with another man and left you boys to fend for yourselves,” said Tina.

“What! You are moving in?” said Matthew.

“Yes, it was agreed about an hour ago, be so good and help us with our bags and I will put a pot of tea on the stove and then we can get to know each other.”

Matthew did as he was told and took the bags into the house placing them at the foot of the stairs. “Mark and Henry, you won’t see them till later, they are out playing.”

“Oh, that’s fine, so you’re the eldest?” said Tina

“Yes, then Henry and then Mark,” replied Matthew.

“It was so good of your father to let us stay for a while; I was at my wits’ end, wondering where we would go. You see the lease on our apartment had come to an end and the landlord wanted us out. So here we are. I’m sorry this had to happen at such a bad time,” said Tina rubbing the top of Matthews’s hand.

Tina poured the tea for her, Chloe, and Matthew when John walked in, carrying boxes and more sober than when he left. “Since when did you start having tea Matthew?” said John. Making Matthew blush and feel all embarrassed in front of Tina and Chloe. “Mum, let me have tea sometimes,” he replied. John shook his head and murmured under his voice as he started to carry Tina’s and Chloe’s belongings up the stairs.

“Chloe, I will put you in the guest bedroom and your mum will be in my room. It’s the second door on the left. Tina, yours will be the first door on the left. Is that ok?” said John. Both women looked at each other and smirked. “Yes, that’s fine, where will you be sleeping,” they both replied. “I will be in the guest room just off there.”

Tina took a sip of her tea and then followed John upstairs. “What is going to happen to all of Faith’s belongings?”

“It will be all be bagged up and gone within the hour.”

“Would you like me to do it for you?”

“No, that’s fine, I’ll do it,” he said rubbing his eye.

“I’ll leave you to it,” and with that Tina headed back down stair to collect some more bags and took them to Chloe’s room and started to un-pack them. The room was nice enough, and you could tell that it wasn’t used that often. “Could do with a lick of paint and some nice furnishings?” she thought to herself.

Chloe was wrestling with the last of the bags and a box. “Let me help you,” said Matthew. He took the box from her and she carried the bag. She kept stopping on the stairs and bending over saying the bag was too heavy, walking up behind her Matthew got an eyeful of her womanhood every time she bent over. He felt ashamed at looking, but excited all at the same