 
The Mystery of Kissing Gate Woods

Copywrite 2018 Sandra Maggs

Published by Sandra Maggs

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Chapter One

Bess Hooper imagined lazing by a pool tanning herself with Craig Watkins by her side. She pictured them both sipping fruit drinks from hollowed out pineapples as they enjoyed the warm rays of the sun. It was the perfect daydream, but, at the moment, impossible.

Reality reminded her of the events which had contributed to the predicament she was in now. After breaking her leg solving a crime from over a century ago, her parents had decided a holiday was the best medicine. So lying around baking in the sun with her almost boyfriend was out of the question. She pictured his sparkling blue eyes and imagined gazing into them for hours. He was faultless and the first boy she had ever been serious about. Not only had Bess never had a boyfriend, she was still waiting patiently to receive her first real kiss, and not just a peck in passing. Now her parents had ruined her plans by taking her and her brother Tom on holiday for two weeks. Originally the trip away was going to be much longer, but her father's work commitments couldn't be avoided, which, according to Bess was a blessing in disguise. It really couldn't have happened at a worse time though and she wished that they weren't going at all.

Taking a holiday in the countryside when you already live in the countryside was the most ridiculous thing Bess had ever heard, but after the past few months, she fully understood why. Although, she would never admit that to her mum and dad. They just wanted to get away for a while and spend some quiet time together as a family, without any mishaps, or unwanted attention from the local media. They were fortunate to find somewhere suitable for the four of them at such short notice. Apparently some places would rather you have a dog than a teenager.

The journey to the market town of Smackleton was just over three hours. Having a cast on her leg made the car ride uncomfortable and Bess couldn't wait to get out of the hot confined space in the back seat so she could hobble around in the fresh air on her crutches. Her mother had offered to let her sit in the front, but when they moved the seat forward as far as it would go, there was just enough room for Bess to sit comfortably in the back.

A bungalow on the outskirts of the village near some woods would be their home for two weeks and offered peace and quiet, which, as far as their mother was concerned, would do them all a world of good. But all Bess could think about was Craig Watkins and his charming personality. What if he kissed another girl while she was away? She would never forgive her parents for ruining things for her. It would probably affect her mentally for a very long time. Bess pictured herself attending therapy sessions in her seventies because of an event which occurred during her teenage years.

Blazing in the sky, the sun blasted through the car window. Bess opened it a bit to let some air in and then closed it immediately. The noise was annoying. Using the book she was reading to fan herself, she wished they had stayed home so she could spend the rest of the summer holidays with her friends. She wasn't expecting to meet anyone her age in the countryside and if she did, they would most likely be locals and not interested in having an outsider hanging around. It was just a waste of two weeks.

Looking across at her younger brother with his head resting against the car window and his eyes closed, she felt slightly jealous. Tom could fall asleep anywhere and she couldn't. It certainly would have made the trip quicker and easier to bear. She wondered how he did it, perhaps he could give her some tips. Bess had tried to take a nap, but she couldn't get comfortable, so staring out of the window at the passing trees and fields filled with livestock and vegetables growing, was the way she spent the time.

Taking a sip of water from a drink bottle, a quick glance at her mobile phone revealed no service. Great, just what she needed. Not only was Bess going to spend two whole weeks away from her best friend Eloise, and a potential end of summer romance with Craig, but there was nothing to do except read until she got to Smackleton. Just the name of the place put her off. Her parents had holidayed in the village when they were first married. On countless occasions she had heard the story of them pointing blindly to a place on a map and taking off on the weekends just for fun. Now she was reliving their years before children and Bess felt as though it was some sort of punishment. Having to listen to them reminisce on the way was bad enough. She hoped their past wasn't going to be the topic of conversation for the next two weeks.

"We're almost there Bess," her mother said from the front seat. "I hope you're not too uncomfortable."

"No Mum, everything's fine," she lied. It was kind of her mother to ask, but there was no point moaning about it out loud, nothing could be done. It wasn't like they could conjure up hinges in the plaster.

Bess breathed a sigh of relief when they finally pulled up at the holiday bungalow. Poking her brother in the arm, she opened the door of the car. "We're here," she said to Tom as she carefully climbed out of the vehicle. Taking a look at the house, she felt bored already. Glancing up and down the road they were on, Bess decided that there was nothing special about Smackleton and couldn't wait to leave. Perhaps she could sleep for two weeks and be nice and rested by the time she returned to her real life.

Yawning, Tom opened the door he was leaning against and put his feet on the ground. Standing, he stretched, yawned once more, and went to grab a suitcase from the car boot. He couldn't expect his sister to help, she was an invalid and it would most likely take her several hours just to get one case into the house. It was best for him to do it.

Bess hobbled inside and looked around. It was ordinary, with ordinary furniture and ordinary décor. At least there were no stairs to scale and the place didn't smell awful, just a bit musty like it had been closed up for a while. Since she had broken her leg, life had been difficult. Hobbling up and down the stairs with a plaster cast on her leg was something she wouldn't miss. Here though, there was only the one level and although she wouldn't be able to explore the area the way she knew her brother would at first, at least she had a little privacy and didn't have to spend most of her time in the living room. In a few days, Bess would have the cast removed from her leg and she would be able to do everything she could before the accident.

"Which bedroom do you want?" Tom asked as he dragged his sister's suitcase towards the single rooms.

Checking out each of the bedrooms, they were identical. Both were painted in boring magnolia and both had single beds, a chest of drawers and a full-length mirror. "This one," she said, as she hopped through the doorway and sat on the bed. Sometimes it was easier not to use the crutches and they were starting to annoy her. A few times, Bess had limped around the house without them, only to get in trouble from her parents. Swinging her leg up, she shifted into a comfortable position and leaned back against the pillows. Closing her eyes, it was definitely time to take a nap and the bed was certainly very cosy. But for the injured girl who had spent the last three hours cooped up in the back seat of a car, sleep just wouldn't come.

Sitting up, Bess took a sip of water from a plastic bottle and looked around her properly. The room was small but comfortable and light from the window saved the slightly gloomy furniture. She decided if she ever had a rental property for the purpose of holidays it would probably be decorated in the same way. There was no point wasting the good stuff on people you don't know.

In the rear garden of the property, visible through the bedroom window, the lush green grass was divided down the centre by a pathway which led to what appeared to be a rickety homemade bridge. It crossed a brook by the looks of things. Beyond that, Bess could see a small field and on the far side, woods. Intrigued, she wondered what was in amongst the trees. Wishing she was a little more mobile, Bess decided sitting in a bedroom on your holiday, whether or not you have a broken leg, was a waste of time and it made her feel like a loser. Pulling herself up with the crutches, she hopped out to the kitchen. "Mum, where's Tom gone?"

Her mother looked up from the salad she was preparing. "He took one look at the blue sky and ran off somewhere to explore or do whatever it is boys do. I believe he had his football with him and might have been going to find somewhere to kick it about. Can I get you anything? Would you like a cup of tea and a biscuit?"

"No thank you. I think I'll go outside for a while," Bess told her. "I won't go far. Just out the back. I noticed there's a picnic table and chairs in the little garden."

"Be careful," her mother warned. "The last thing we want is for you to hurt yourself again and you're not familiar with the ground, so watch out for obstacles, and make sure you use those crutches."

Hurting herself was the furthest thing from her mind. What Bess really wanted to do was explore the woods she had seen in the distance and maybe even climb a tree or two. "I'll be careful," she promised. "I'll take my water bottle and this book with me and sit in the shade somewhere and read."

Leaving the cottage, she wondered where her brother had gone. There was no way she would be able to keep up with Tom, but it might have been nice of him to invite her along. Not that she wanted to play football of course, but maybe just hang out.

After the recent bout of mystery solving in their lives, Bess and Tom had grown closer and although he was still a pain, she missed hanging out with him. It felt as though the moment the adventure was over, life had returned to normal and they rarely spent any time together at all.

Her thoughts turned once again to Craig Watkins. She wondered what he was doing. Maybe he was thinking about her. Bess hoped that was the case, but wished she was back in Endless Hiccup with him. "This sucks," she whispered feeling sorry for herself.

With an open book in front of her, she sat at the picnic table and began to read, but the harsh sun felt hot on her head and unable to concentrate, her attention drifted to the view. Standing and leaving the book where it was, she made her way along the narrow path towards the little bridge that she had seen from the window of her room. Slate paving stones had been placed together like a long jigsaw puzzle that stretched from the rear door of the small house to the brook that babbled along at the bottom of the garden. The grey slabs were slightly uneven, and in some places loose. Bright green moss grew in between them like spongy shrubberies dividing the slices of rock. Her main focus was to avoid tripping.

Looking as though it had been thrown together using bits and pieces left over from other projects, the bridge stretched from one side of the deep crevice to the other. Metal pipes that resembled scaffolding had been welded together and across the base, a large sheet of some other type of building material had been positioned strategically and bolted into place. Beneath it, the water gurgled and splashed over the stones sparkling in the sunlight. Bess wondered how to find out if was safe to cross. Pressing down on it with one of the crutches, she inched forward. What if she fell and nobody realised, and they didn't come looking for her until it was too late? No, she couldn't think like that and dismissed the thought immediately. Bess had been fearless until the accident and even that hadn't stopped her from doing some of the things she wanted to do. Besides, the plaster would come off in less than a week and she would be able to get out and explore the countryside properly. Peering through the opening in the hedgerow at the other end of the bridge, she could just make out a post with a few signs pointing in different directions. Bess could see the words Kissing Gate Woods on one of them. It sounded fascinating. Perhaps it was best just to wait until the cast was removed though. She had told her mother that she was just going out to the garden and if anything happened to her leg at all, her parents would go nuts. The thought of being grounded on her holiday made Bess think twice, even though she would prefer to be at home.

Returning to the outdoor table, she picked up the book and headed back indoors out of the harsh afternoon sun. If the aroma coming from the house was any indication, the evening meal was about to be served, and Bess was definitely ready to eat. The day was coming to an end and that meant she was one day closer to going home.

Chapter Two

Light flooded into the small bedroom touching everything in its path with its warm rays. Bess felt as though she was ready to hobble a bit further than the end of the garden that morning. Impatience was one of her many faults and she really wanted to get out and see what she could find. For some reason, the forest on the other side of the field intrigued her.

Checking her phone, there were no messages from any of her friends, but there was no reception either. It was pointless taking that out with her. Pulling on some denim shorts and a t-shirt, she brushed her hair and checked herself out in the full length mirror. Apart from the hideous cast, Bess was pleased with what she saw. Sticking her chest out and sucking her stomach in, she stood up as tall as she could and wondered if she could be a model. Deciding no, she joined her family in the kitchen at the table. Before her sat a bowl of porridge and she hoped it was just right.

"Well this is nice," her father said as he drowned his porridge with maple syrup. "What are you two up to today?"

"I met a couple of kids at the park yesterday, so I'm just going to hang out with them. They're staying with their granny up the road. Want to come Bess?" Tom asked her. "They're twins, but nothing alike at all. The boy Scott, he's pretty cool, but his sister isn't."

"Sure," she said in between mouthfuls of her breakfast. The porridge was awful. Any wonder her father had added so much syrup. "As long as you don't mind it taking a little longer than usual." Keen to go and have a look in the woods, Bess wondered if she could persuade Tom and his new friends to explore with her. At least if she fell over anything, they could help her up. Another mouthful of the disgusting mush and Bess felt as though she might be sick. Stirring it with the spoon, she laced it with sugar. All that did was sweeten the stodge.

"It's just along the road a bit. Besides, they want to meet you," Tom said, interrupting her misery. "I told them about solving the mystery of the cornerstone and now they think you're some sort of big celebrity. Well, the girl does but she's a bit simple."

"Did you tell them I have a broken leg and take longer to get around?" she asked as she finished her breakfast and pushed the bowl away. Pouring herself a cup of tea, she took a large gulp and tried desperately to wash away the taste of the porridge.

"Yeah, but the girl, Maisy, she's a little fat so she takes longer too," Tom explained. "You guys can be slow together."

Bess grabbed a cardigan to put on, she wasn't thrilled about hobbling around after her brother, but she didn't fancy spending all of her time with her parents. "Why is your hair so scruffy? Did you even bother to brush it this morning?" she asked her brother, as she reached out and messed up Tom's hair even more. "Ew, what's in it, it's kind of greasy."

"Just leave it," Tom said, as he opened the door for her.

Sunshine greeted them as they left the bungalow that morning. High in the sky, the orange ball burned down on the Hooper siblings and provided enough heat for Bess to remove her cardigan and tie it around her waist using the sleeves. The weather was unusually warm for this time of year. Summer would be over in a few more weeks and it was normally a few degrees cooler.

"Do you want me to take that back to the house for you?" Tom asked her. Dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, he hadn't bothered with anything else. The cold never troubled him at all and as soon as there was a hint of the temperature being over thirteen degrees celsius, he would start dressing for the seaside.

"It's okay, it might get cold later on," Bess said. "How did you meet these kids anyway?"

"I just went to the park in the next street to play with the ball and they were already there. They're a little older than me and a little younger than you. Scott kicked the football around with me for a while, he's a good player. His sister Maisy, well I don't know how to describe her. She just sat around saying ridiculous things about the trees and stuff. She may be completely mad. But you'll find out for yourself. This is where their gran lives."

Tom was right when he had told her it was just along the road a bit. The words September Cottage were painted in white on a green oval sign decorated with tiny blue forget-me-nots which hung just right of the front door of the. As they opened the gate, a feeling of comfort welcomed Bess, it felt as though she knew the people inside and they were waiting specifically for her to visit. But maybe it was just a simple case of Tom telling her what they had thought about her solving the mystery. She had never even seen the red brick cottage before now or met its occupants. An aroma of just baked chocolate cake wafted from an open window and she took a deep breath. It was much more appetising than the bowl of porridge she had eaten for breakfast that morning and for some reason, Bess felt right at home.

A dark haired boy opened the door. "I saw you guys coming," he said holding the door open for them. "I'm Scott, you must be Bess."

After the introductions were made, Bess followed Tom into the house.

"Come and meet Gran," Scott said. "She made chocolate cake early this morning. We're having some for breakfast."

Scott's twin sister Maisy and his grandmother were in the kitchen, and more introductions were made. Bess could see the resemblance immediately. Although the twins weren't identical, they had the same dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. That was where the similarities ended. Scott looked athletic, as if he played a bit of sport in his spare time, where as his sister was the opposite.

In the middle of the table sat an enormous chocolate cake. A bowl of very large strawberries were beside it along with some clotted cream. The sight of the spread made Tom's mouth water.

"I was wondering when you would come to visit me. I thought you would never get here," Scott's grandmother said, and smiled at Bess as though she knew her.

"Grandma's a little crazy," Scott whispered. "You'll get used to her though, we have."

Bess had already figured out the crazy part. But perhaps the grey haired woman was just overly friendly. Country people were very welcoming, especially the elderly. She knew how her own grandparents acted when they had visitors and sometimes it was a little embarrassing. It was probably better for Scott and Maisy to act as if the old girl was crazy, just to save face. Bess figured she would do that from now on. Perhaps even with her parents. They were a bit embarrassing at times.

"Come on," Maisy said smiling, "let's get some cake. Gran makes the best chocolate cake ever. We have it for breakfast all the time when we stay here. She's going to teach me how to make it."

"That's why Maisy is a little on the plump side," Tom whispered to his sister. "Too much chocolate cake."

It was Bess's turn to smile as she watched the girl cut four rather large slices of cake. Perhaps Tom was right. Staring at the piece of cake on the plate before her, Bess wasn't sure she could eat it all and she didn't know how either of the others would.

"Help yourselves to strawberries and cream," Maisy instructed.

Sitting down, Bess managed about half of what had been dished up for her and watched as Maisy piled on the plump red berries and the cream and seemed to just inhale the cake. Looking across at her brother, Tom shrugged his shoulders and kept on eating.

While they were enjoying a far more appetising second breakfast for the day, Bess took a look around the kitchen. It was typically country with a large butler's sink and wooden benches. Canisters, garnished with the name of the ingredient they held, were lined up like miniature towers in a tiny city. A wire basket hosted brown and white eggs which waited patiently nearby to be included in some sort of delicious indulgence such as the cake they had just sampled. Off to the side of the large oven, on the black and white chequered floor, lay a grey stripy cat in a wicker basket. Bess watched as it opened one eye lazily, stretched, rolled over, and then curled up and went back to sleep. It wasn't in the least bit interested in any of the goings on in the room.

"We're all going out for a while Gran," Scott told the old woman who seemed caught up in some sort of game for one with an odd looking pack of cards. She looked up and smiled at them and then went back to her solitaire.

They dawdled along the gravel road towards a nearby park. Houses were sparse in this area and the wide open spaces between them were landscaped with cottage flowers and shrubs. The unowned areas were unkempt and sullied in comparison.

Tom was right about Maisy, she was a little slower than the boys, but at least if they got too far ahead Bess would have somebody to talk to. Although, she wasn't sure she would have much in common with the girl.

"There are some woods down there," Bess said pointing in the opposite direction. "We could go there and have a look around."

Scott looked in the direction that Bess was referring to. "We've never been there. Gran doesn't like us to," he said and continued walking towards the park. "There's something about the place and she doesn't like to talk about it. Something really bad happened there."

Disappointed with Scott's reply, she wondered what was so bad about the woods. He looked distant for a moment as if he remembered the reason a little more clearly but snapped out of it. Considering ditching them, Bess decided against it. There was nothing else to do and she didn't really want to spend the entire day by herself. Wishing once again that she was back in Endless Hiccup, she wondered what Eloise was up to.

"Tom told us that you broke your leg solving some sort of mystery," Maisy said. "I wish you could help me solve my mystery. It's such a difficult one and nobody seems to be know very much about it."

"What's your mystery?" Bess asked her, hoping that it was something to do with the forbidden woods.

"It's the mystery of my pendant," Maisy told her. "It went missing a long time ago."

"You're not going to start banging on about that pendant again," Scott interrupted, as he picked up a stone and threw it into the trees that grew along the lane. They watched as the stone bounced off a trunk and then disappeared into the long grass. "It's dead annoying and I'm sick of hearing about it."

"It's bloody important to me Scott. I should have received it from my mother on my thirteenth birthday. Well that day came and went, and I still don't have my pendant."

"Well if it's important to you then I'm sure I can help," Bess said, not the slightest bit interested in the lost trinket. "Tell me about the pendant."

"I can't really, it's just missing," Maisy said tearfully.

"Well, when was the last time you saw the pendant?" Bess asked as she watched the tears roll down Maisy's fleshy cheeks.

"That's the thing, I've never seen it. I've only heard stories about it. It went missing before I was born, but it's mine and I want it," Maisy cried, wiping her face with the back of her hand. "It crucial to my future that I find the pendant."

Bess looked at Scott and Tom who were standing behind Maisy just smiling. "So this pendant, you're telling me you've never seen it and you don't know when or where it was lost," Bess encouraged, turning her attention back to Maisy and trying not to laugh. How on earth could a pendant be crucial to her future?

"No, I have no idea at all. When Tom told me about the mystery you solved, I looked it up on the internet and the online papers say it was a crime which happened over a century ago. So I figured if you could solve something like that, you could solve the mystery of my pendant and find it for me."

"Oh, well I might be able to help you. I need you to get as much information about the pendant as possible and we'll go from there. Perhaps your gran might know something that can help us," Bess suggested. Thinking about the conversation so far, she wasn't sure there was any hope, but she wanted to give Maisy some. They would leave in less than two weeks and after that Bess would probably never see her again. So if the pendant wasn't found by then, it wouldn't matter too much. "You need to write it all down. After that, we'll begin the investigation, you can help me. But I really should wait until I get this cast off my leg. Things will be a lot easier for me once it's gone."

"I've never done anything like this before. I can't wait to get started," Maisy said excitedly and immediately her emotion changed. "When does that come off?"

"In a couple of days," Bess informed her vaguely, beginning to regret offering Maisy her help. She hoped the girl wouldn't hang around pestering her for the entire two weeks.

Tom sniggered discretely and the four of them continued to the park. There wasn't a great deal for any of them to do there. Bess sat on the swings with Maisy and listened to the girl prattle on about the missing pendant and how important it was to their family's future. Tuning out, she looked around. A sandpit took up a large corner of the small recreation area and she wondered how many cats had used it as a litter tray. To the left of the swings they occupied stood a seesaw, which appeared to be broken, and a solitary slide. Someone had placed the slide away from the other play equipment and it looked lonely standing there all by itself. Her brother and Scott had gone off to a nearby climbing frame and were perched on top of it. She wished she were there with them instead of sitting on a swing listening to Maisy. But the cast wouldn't be on her leg forever and Bess just kept reminding herself things would be back to normal soon and she would be much more mobile.

"I think it was my great grandmother who lost the pendant," Maisy said. She shook her head as if she though she was wrong. Her shoulder length hair swished about catching the sun on its waves. "Actually, that's wrong. I'm almost sure it was Gran. I don't think my mum ever had it."

Coming back to reality and joining the conversation, Bess figured if Maisy's gran lost it, then she would have some idea of where it might be.

"Or maybe it was my great grandmother. It's passed down through the female line from generation to generation and my mum missed out, but it's my turn now," Maisy explained. "I'm quite proud of my heritage and having the pendant would make me even prouder."

"I think you should speak to your gran about the pendant and find out everything she remembers about what might have happened to it. Maybe she can describe it and you can draw a picture for me. At least then, we'll know what we're looking for," Bess explained. She didn't think there was much chance at all. Clearly the heirloom had been lost long ago. The grandmother appeared to be a fruit loop and Maisy seemed to be following in her footsteps. It would be a miracle if Bess ever solved this mystery. There wasn't enough information and it wasn't as though she could search for it on the internet. "So why doesn't your gran like you to go to the woods?"

"She just doesn't," Maisy said. "I think it's because it's dangerous in there, and like Scott said, something bad happened once. Some people reckon it's haunted and I don't like to say, but I've heard ghostly sounds coming from Kissing Gate Woods. You know, at night and stuff."

Clearly Maisy didn't have a proper answer and she was just building on the foundation her brother had supplied, so Bess didn't push it. She pictured some sort of gingerbread house, or maybe their granny's meth lab. It would answer a lot of questions. The girl seemed as though she lived in a world of her own. Bess would just have to go exploring by herself, at least if the woods were forbidden, Maisy wouldn't follow her.

"You and Tom look alike, almost like twins, but not. I can tell he's your brother. You both have the same brown hair and eyes, but he's younger," Maisy told her.

"We share the same birthday, but not the same year," Bess explained.

"He's quite good looking, your Tom," Maisy said, and giggled a little while watching the two boys. "I suppose he has a girlfriend. I mean, he must, he's cute."

Bess smiled to herself. She had never thought about her brother as being good looking. "No, I don't believe he does," she told Maisy, amused by the thought of somebody saying that about Tom. "I don't think he even knows what girls are."

"Oh," Maisy said absently, and seemed to be in some sort of trance as she sat on the swing looking in the direction of the climbing frame.

Trying to get her own swing going, Bess gathered a little momentum. The breeze felt nice and although she found the company slightly annoying, it was alright just sitting in the park. Breathing in the fresh summer air, Bess actually began to enjoy herself and for the moment forgot about being annoyed with her parents.

Saying goodbye to Maisy and Scott at lunch time wasn't difficult though and when Tom invited her to go out with him that afternoon, Bess declined opting to lie around in her room and read her book. She hoped Maisy wouldn't come knocking on the door to visit and Bess told her parents she was tired and needed to rest just in case. The last thing she wanted was to endure the crazy crying girl twice in one day.

Spending the a few hours reading was her preferred activity and it was a pleasure to relax by herself without suffering. Bess plugged her earphones into her mobile and listened to music ignoring the rest of the world. Again, she wished she was back in Endless Hiccup, but one day had almost gone and the holiday would be over before she knew it.

Finding it difficult to concentrate, restlessness encouraged Bess to look out of the window at the woods. Intrigued, she wondered what was it that made the old woman warn her grandchildren not to go there. What had happened in amongst the trees that was so bad? Bess wanted to know and in a few days when her plaster came off, she would find out for herself.
Chapter Three

Alone in the back garden, once more Bess found herself in front of the makeshift metal bridge. She had abandoned the book and ventured outdoors again. Using all of her weight, she pushed on the edge of the small structure with both crutches to see how safe it was. Bess stood there for a while contemplating crossing. Surely there would have been some sort of warning from the homeowners if the bridge was dodgy. Perhaps she could get Tom to test it and if he fell in the brook then she would know not to use it at all. The problem with that plan was he had gone off somewhere with Scott and she didn't fancy visiting Maisy to find out what time they would return. The girl might start going on about her missing pendant again or tell her about Tom being good looking. Bess had forgotten to mention that to him. She would find the right moment. Possibly when he was annoying her the most.

Desperate to explore the woods beyond the field, Bess wondered if there was another way around, but it meant leaving by the front of the house and she didn't fancy her mother asking her loads of questions about where she was going. It was time to stop living in fear of what might or might not happen. So cautiously, she took a hop forward onto the bridge. It felt solid enough to hold her. Placing her crutches evenly on the metal, she hopped forward again. It seemed to be safe, so she crossed as quickly as she could feeling just a little apprehensive, but relieved to make it to the other side. Looking back at the small bridge, she noticed the sturdy support system beneath it which wasn't visible from the garden side. Pleased she had trusted her instincts, she began to feel like the Bess of old. The courageous girl she was before she broke her leg. Her confidence was slowly returning and every time she did something a little more difficult, it grew.

At the edge of the field, Bess looked across at the trees that grew along the other side of the fence line. A wooden stile where the fences met at the corner looked as though it were the only way into the field and she knew under the circumstances it would be almost impossible to get over. Crossing a bridge was one thing but climbing while she still had the cast on was totally out of the question. It was far too big and bulky and if she fell and hurt herself, her parents would kill her. Hobbling along further, she noticed what looked like an opening in the hedgerow, so she made her way along the unworked path carefully. A wooden kissing gate had been erected in the gap and offered her a seamless entry into the field, perfect. The structure was worn, and the wood cracked and dry. Near the bottom of some of the posts, dampness had started to devour it, as slowly the timber rotted where it met the earth. Bess didn't care, it was a way in and at least she didn't have to fumble with a latch to get through the opening. Hopping into the U-shaped enclosure, she pushed the gate across and made her way into the wide open space that stretched before the woods. A comfortable feeling overwhelmed her. It was almost as if she was meant to go through that gate and she looked around the field. For a moment, it felt as though she had stepped into another world, but it was just a field. There were no animals to be seen anywhere and she wondered what it was used for. Over by the woods, the fence had completely fallen down. The grass throughout the open space was quite long, and clover grew in patches in amongst the green blades. Stinging nettles were clumped together in several places and Bess looked at them anxiously. It wouldn't be too difficult to pick her way through them, but it would be easier without the plaster and the crutches.

Straight ahead were the sombre, shadowy, secretive, woods. The same woods Scott's grandmother didn't want the twins to explore. A warning from somebody else's batty old granny wasn't going to stop her though. It would be tough to get along the uneven pathways that wove in and out of the trees whilst still on crutches, but it was only a few more days until the cast came off and she kept reminding herself. Bess couldn't wait to be free of it. Her leg itched and now that it had healed, the plaster was just a heavy lump of hinderance. Friends of hers who had broken limbs before told Bess her newly mended leg would probably be pale, a bit thinner, and hairy. Those were the things she wasn't looking forward to, so to try to even it up a little, she avoided spending too much time in the sun. There didn't seem any point working on a tan if only one leg was exposed. That would look ridiculous.

Shading her eyes, and looking about, Bess examined the view. To her right, there were more fields, but they appeared to be occupied with cows. Stretching for miles, the belt began to slope upwards into mounds of green dotted with livestock grazing in the sun enjoying their al fresco lifestyle. On the left of where she currently stood, a signpost indicated there was a path to the village of Smackleton. But Bess fancied the dark mysterious woods that were straight ahead. Looking down at her leg, she decided against exploring today. Slowly, she made her way back through the kissing gate and headed along the path to the makeshift bridge that would take her across the brook into the garden of the bungalow.

Stopping to make sure her crutches were placed evenly on the structure, Bess paused. Listening carefully, she turned back towards the woods and scanned the area that she saw through the hedge. She could have sworn she heard music coming from that direction. It was only very faint, but all the same she was sure. Thinking there must be someone nearby with a radio going, Bess crossed the bridge into the yard of the bungalow.

Lazing under a tree, she swatted at a bee that buzzed around her. Nearby, something moved under the bushes and Bess caught sight of the sharp bristles of a hedgehog. It was peaceful in the little garden amongst the creatures that were just passing through, and for the first time since they had left Endless Hiccup, Bess felt really contented. As she read her book, she began to drift off to sleep but was soon jolted back by the sound of voices. She knew instantly that one belonged to Tom and she also heard the giggling Maisy. Looking around for a hiding place, it was too late. Bess wouldn't have been quick enough to dive under a bush anyway. For a moment, she wished she was a hedgehog.

"Hi Bess," Maisy said as she approached in her chubby waddling fashion. "I've got something for you." The girl was carrying an envelope and waving it about like a crazy person as if to get some attention.

Smiling, Bess reached up and took it from Maisy. "What's this?"

"It's all of the information I have about the lost pendant," Maisy explained sitting on the grass beside Bess and making herself at home. "I spoke to my gran about it and she wrote down a few things for you. Her hand writing's a bit dodgy and she can't spell very well. My gran never went to school, she learnt everything she knows from her parents at home. Isn't it a lovely day."

"Yes, it's nice sitting here by myself reading, and thanks for this," Bess said with a subtle hint. It was clear that Maisy had no intentions of letting her carry on with what she had been doing so Bess made up an excuse to get away. "Sorry, I was just nodding off when you arrived. I'm afraid I'm going to have to go and have a nap. I think it's dragging this plaster around that does it. Once it's off, I'll be lot livelier and we can start searching for the pendant together."

"That's okay. I wanted to give it to you now, so you could read through it. Tom told me you get the plaster cast off the day after tomorrow. We can start our investigation then. I can't wait Bess. I have a really good feeling about this. Don't ask me how, but I know you're going to find my pendant," Maisy told her. "I can feel it in the air. It's almost as if you were sent here to help me. We'll be like Sherlock Holmes and that Watson guy."

Bess nodded and smiled. Maisy was crazy, and Bess was tired of her after just knowing her for the short time she had. It would have been nice to spend the rest of the afternoon in the fresh air and avoid sleeping. Napping made it more difficult to get to sleep at night and messed up her days. Taking her book and the envelope of information about the pendant, Bess went indoors into the bedroom and lay on the bed. Perhaps when she was sure the others had gone she would go back outside and continue to enjoy the summer serenity. Opening the envelope, there were a few pages of scribble and a badly drawn picture of a swirly sort of pendant that didn't interest Bess at all. What did the girl think she could do about it? Putting the pages back in the envelope, she dumped it all on the floor by the bed without really paying any attention to any of the details. Bess picked up the book and continued reading from where she had left off. The next moment, her mother was waking her up for the evening meal.

"Come on Bess, come and have some dinner," she said gently.

"Mum, I must have drifted off," Bess said, and she sat up feeling a little unsteady. Rubbing her eyes and yawning, she stood carefully and grabbed the crutches so she could go and join them for the evening meal. Not quite awake, Bess ate her meal in silence as Tom told them all about crazy Maisy and the things that he and Scott had to put up with. Smiling to herself, she was glad that she hadn't spent the afternoon with them.

As Bess prepared for her shower that evening, she pulled the long plastic bag over her plaster, secured it at the top and couldn't wait until the day it would be off. One of the first things she was going to do was have a nice relaxing bubble bath and maybe find some sort of swimming pool in the area so that she could go for a swim outdoors. Her parents should know whether there was one nearby and they could take her. After all, it was their idea to come here.

As one by one the others went to bed, unable to settle, reading helped Bess relax. The cool night air tiptoed into the room through the open window, and she enjoyed the quiet. Becoming engrossed in the story, gradually something disturbed her concentration and pulled her from the book. The faint sound of music playing in the distance infiltrated the peace. Bess guessed someone must be having a party somewhere. Peering out of the window into the ebony darkness, she could see lights across the field through the trees in the woods. There was definitely something going on over there. Perhaps it was the ghosts Maisy had told her about. Maybe they were having a spooky get together in the middle of the night. Her thoughts once again turned to her friends back in Endless Hiccup and she wondered what they were doing without her, in particular, Craig Watkins. She crossed her fingers and hoped he wasn't hooking up with someone else. It would have been nice to stay with Eloise, her parents had offered to have Bess there, but luck wasn't on her side and now she was stuck here looking for a pendant for that halfwit Maisy. Maybe she could stay up all night and sleep all day and just avoid her. Or go over to the woods and ask the ghosts if they knew anything about Maisy's pendant. Bess chuckled to herself, took one more look out the window at the lights and then turning off the lamp, closed her eyes and fell into a restless sleep.

Chapter Four

An odd dream involving the annoying Maisy, contributed to a fitful night. Bess woke up feeling confused about the whole thing. It was irrational. The girl had been performing some type of weird ritual at the kissing gate. Bess remembered an incantation or something of the sort that had been recited in front of a lot of onlookers. But although she looked like Maisy, the girl in the dream was dressed strangely in some sort of long peasant skirt and top and looked a bit older and a lot thinner. She wasn't at all shaped like Maisy who ate chocolate cake for breakfast. Bess had experienced strange dreams before, but this was just really peculiar. Why would she dream about a girl she hardly knew and didn't really like very much? The smell of bacon brought her to her senses and she was thankful they weren't having porridge for breakfast again.

Remembering the lights from the previous evening, Bess took another look out of the window. By day, the nearby forest just looked like an ordinary clump of trees and there was no sign of anything going on like there had been in the night.

Bess left the bungalow, after a delicious bacon and brown sauce sandwich and a cup of tea, armed with a shoulder bag containing her book and a bottle of water. A desire to take a closer look at the woods overpowered her. This time she wasn't going to stop in the field. Today she would persevere and actually check out the area a bit more, cast or not. Maybe there were older teenagers here on holidays. They would be far more fun than Scott and his twin and their nutty granny.

As she crossed the little bridge, the sun was already quite warm, and Bess couldn't wait to get out of it. There was no sign of life as she picked her way carefully across the field and headed for the edge of the woods. In the distance she could hear the sound of water running and figured it might be the source of the brook that gurgled along the edge of the field past the bottom of the garden. Accompanied by the song of the woodland birds, the symphony of the forest welcomed her, and Bess found somewhere shady beneath a twisted old oak to sit and read. At least here, nobody would come looking for her.

Sheltered from the sun by the canopy of the trees where the air was cooler, she sat on the grass resting against the lumpy bark of the ancient specimen and took the book from her bag. The Mystery of the Screaming Clock. It was an old novel that had once belonged to one of her parents. Shaded by the green lobed leaves, Bess made herself comfortable and commenced reading where she had left off the night before.

Softly, a casual summer breeze kissed her cheek as it carried the scent of the forest passed her and out into the sunshine. Bess took a deep breath as it floated by. Somewhere in amongst the trees, music played. It was very faint, but loud enough for Bess to know she wasn't alone. Perhaps it was the same melody as the evening before, maybe the party was still going. Putting the book back into her bag and struggling to her feet, she listened. Yep, Bess could definitely hear it. Not the slightest bit bothered by what Scott had said about the woods a few days earlier, she followed the sound, making her way along a pebbly dirt track. Around her the trees joined each other, their branches twisting together to protect the forest floor. A rustling in the undergrowth unnerved Bess making her slightly apprehensive of what she might find. Stories of ghosts and something bad happening sharpened her wits as she looked around peering through the gaps between the trees. In some places not a single speck of light was seen. Shadows secluded secrets from her prying eyes as if the forest had something to hide.

As Bess went forward slowly, the music became more apparent, it was the sound of someone playing a guitar. An old song from another era and the chatter of voices met her ears. As she hopped her way further along the path a house came into view. Instantly Bess was taken back to her childhood at the sight of the white façade with pink climbing roses around the door. Above the entry a sign read Kissing Gate Cottage and she felt as though she had walked into a fairy tale from her early school years. There wasn't anything threatening about it at all. Through an open window she saw a teenage boy with his guitar, sitting with a girl. They were laughing together while he strummed the strings of the instrument. It didn't look like a dangerous situation and she wondered what the hell was going on in the head of Scott and Maisy's grandmother.

About to knock on the door of the cottage, it opened. "Come in," said the girl standing there smiling. "It's okay, everybody's welcome here. I'm Grace, and this is my brother Patrick."

"I'm Bess and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude," she told them, "but I'm here on holidays and I was sitting under a tree at the edge of the woods when I heard the music." Checking out the place, the furniture reminded her of old stuff she had seen in photos at her grandmother's house. It was comforting.

"Don't apologise, we like company," Patrick said standing and helping Bess sit down on a chair at the table. "We don't get many people come through Kissing Gate Woods, but when somebody passes, if they're lucky enough to find us, they call in. It's just the way things are around here."

"Do you live here?" Bess asked looking from one to the other. They both looked around the same age, but a little older than she was. She wondered where their parents were.

"We do," Patrick said. "Our mum is off visiting one of our relatives for a few days at the moment. You're just in time for tea and cake."

Kissing Gate Cottage was quaint and as Bess looked around, she noticed there didn't seem to be any defined living spaces, it was all open plan. On the walls there were photographs of people who were more than likely family members. In the window hung a crystal and as the sun's rays hit the tiny facets, rainbows danced on the walls as the small jewel moved in the breeze. A staircase which led to the upstairs was visible and although she hadn't been up there, a picture formed in her mind as she imagined the small comfy bedrooms. From the way the boy and girl were dressed, they were hippies, or something like that. The only traditional looking item in the room was a white china tea service decorated with red roses, accompanied by silver cutlery which had been polished to a high shine. It was similar to one her nan had. Assembled on a plate neatly in the heart of the round wooden table were some delicious looking cupcakes. Scones spread with strawberry jam and swirls of whipped cream sat on another serving platter and there were some home-made sausage rolls too. The sight made her wish she had skipped breakfast.

"Do you feel that? There's magic in the air," Grace said smiling at Bess as she shuffled a deck of oversized cards. "Perhaps it arrived with you."

What an odd thing to say. Bess was a little shocked by the comment Grace made. Maybe she was a bit daft, but her brother was really cute, and he seemed quite normal. Patrick prepared a pot of tea for the three of them and Bess couldn't stop looking at him. His scruffy shoulder length hair was the colour of straw and appeared really soft. She wanted to touch it and he instantly pushed any thoughts of Craig Watkins from her mind. Both of the cottage dwellers were tanned as if they had spent weeks on a tropical island and Bess was slightly jealous that she had spent most of her summer hiding from the sun.

"I made the food myself. I love cooking. I even made our birthday cake this year," Grace told her. "We always share a cake, we're twins you know. Patrick is two minutes older than me, so he thinks he's the boss when Mum's away. Would you like me to read your cards Bess? Perhaps I can give you a glimpse into your future."

Bess looked at them both and saw a definite likeness. They were by no means identical, but very much the same in a lot of ways. She assumed Grace wanted to read the cards she was shuffling. "I suppose so," she agreed, feeling a little sceptical. "What do I have to do?"

"You don't have to do anything, just ask the cards a question. It can be any question you like. You might ask when you'll meet your first true love. Or whether you'll ever be rich. People ask all sorts of things and the cards are very honest. They always tell you the truth, no matter what the question is."

"What kind of cards are they?" Bess asked, picking one up and looking at the picture on it. A person, perhaps a man in some sort of flowery tunic thing, stood on what looked like a cliff. A small dog danced beside him in the sun while the waves crashed around them. He was carrying a bundle on a stick. At the bottom of the card were the words The Fool. Bess wondered if she were about to be fooled into giving the girl some money because she didn't have any with her. Maybe they would take one of her crutches as payment and she would have to return with her purse to get it back later. It was going to be difficult to hop back to the bungalow through the woods and the field with one crutch though.

"These are tarot cards. They belonged to our mother and her mother before that. That's why they're a bit shabby, but still very honest," Grace explained.

Uncertain how a pack of cards could be dishonest, Bess just went along with the game. Grace seemed to believe in them and she didn't want to offend her. "What a pretty necklace," Bess said noticing what looked like a silver charm hanging from Grace's neck. It was tied to what appeared to be a black shoelace of some sort. "What is it?"

"It's the triskele. This one has been handed down from my ancestors. They were gypsies and had the gift of foresight. On our triskele, the three spirals represent the past, the present and the future," Grace explained. "One day I'll pass it on to my daughter along with my knowledge of the old traditions, our gift of seeing the future, and the love of baking."

Patrick handed Bess a small plate which held a chocolate cupcake, and she put it on the table in front of her and wondered if it was safe to eat. He hadn't said much, but he seemed like a nice guy. Grace on the other hand appeared as though she lived in a fantasy world created especially for herself. She too had hair the colour of straw but hers was almost waist length and wavy. Bess took a daring bite of the cake, it was delicious and very similar to the chocolate cake she had eaten a few days earlier at September Cottage. Perhaps the families knew each other and shared recipes at a local club or something. Or maybe they were rivals and had entered their cakes in some sort of country fair and they hated each other. A family feud might be enough to keep the kids out of the woods.

"So what's your question?" Grace asked her as she took a sip of her tea. "You can ask them anything you like. Oh and if you think I'm going to request some sort of payment, you're mistaken. I would never use my gift in that way."

Thankful the gypsy wasn't trying to rip her off, thinking for a moment, Bess didn't have a clue. She didn't believe the cards could answer anything, but she didn't want to disappoint Grace. Especially since she was unsure of the girl's mental stability. The danger in the woods could be the smiling baker before her. "Um, will I ever get married?"

"Let's see shall we?"

Bess watched as Grace once again shuffled the oversized deck. She made it look easy, and when she placed them on the table and gestured for Bess to cut them, hesitating just a little, she reached out and did as she was asked to. Placing three cards which would reveal the past, the present and the future face down on the table in a row, Grace sat with her eyes closed for a moment and Bess waited patiently for her to turn over the cards and start talking. She was eager to see how it all worked and keen to find out what her future might hold, or at least, humour the fortune teller.

"Hmmm, let's take a look at your past first. It appears as though you've had a few struggles of late, but you're a very strong person Bess," Grace told her.

Bess looked at the first card, like the fool card, it too had writing at the bottom, The Tower. It looked very chaotic, with lightning and fire and people falling from the window of a tall building which stood on what looked like a mountain or a rocky cliff. Thinking about what she had not long been through, the card made perfect sense.

"Clearly by the cast on your leg, I can see you've recently had some sort of accident, but the card tells me much more than that. There was some turmoil in your life that you've overcome. Something that happened recently, has in some respects, set you free. Perhaps you made a discovery of some sort about yourself."

Unable to disagree with Grace but not wanting to disclose what had happened at the old ruin near her home, Bess just nodded her head and let her continue with the reading.

Turning over the next card, the nine of wands was revealed. "At the moment there is something you need to do to harmonise what you want, with what you believe to be possible. This card indicates you need rest to mend your wounds. See the man in the picture, he's injured and exhausted. It's as if he's been through a war or something like that. Now he needs to recover and so do you Bess. This card represents your present."

Bess agreed with Grace, so far the cards hadn't lied, but not knowing a thing about tarot, she figured the other girl could be telling her anything. However, the injured guy on the card carrying the stick that must be a wand, looked kind of dazed like he had fought in some sort of battle and was worn out. The other eight wands were lined up behind him and looked like a row of skinny branchless trees. In the background there were some mountains that might indicate a difficult journey of sorts. So it could very well relate to what she was going through at the moment.

"Your third and future card is, The Empress," Grace said as she turned the final card. "This card symbolises femininity and fertility. She portrays the energy of the great mother and she is very giving. By the looks of this, it seems you will be, and perhaps already are without realising, a positive leader. Whether or not you'll ever get married, from this reading, I can't tell you. Using my own intuition, the indications are favourable. You just need to trust in the good sense that you have shown you possess. But after looking at your cards, I have a question for you. Are you searching for something Bess? Because that's the feeling I'm getting from your card reading today. It's almost as if you constantly need something you don't quite have."

Bess thought about the question Grace had asked her. It was true, she was never happy just to be and was always searching or exploring or something. Just coming to this cottage today was like a quest in itself, and she had planned to find someone else to hang out with. "I guess so. But I don't quite know what. There's Maisy's pendant that's been lost for a long time. She's here visiting her gran and she asked me to help her find it. But I must admit, I do like adventure."

"It's more than that. You're surrounded by a cosmic energy that's pulling you in a certain direction. I can sense it," Grace told her. "This tower card that represents your past, I have a feeling it has a lot of significance. Perhaps there's more to your past than you realise."

Bess sipped her tea and wondered if Grace was the full quid. The three cards on the table apparently told of her past, present and future, but she didn't really believe in stuff like that, although two of them seemed spot on. She wondered if Grace shuffled the cards and she asked the same question again if the same three cards would come up in that exact order.

"How's your tea?" Patrick asked interrupting her thoughts.

"It's very nice thank you." He was so cute. Bess wondered if he had a girlfriend. Maybe she would ask Grace if she was left alone with the girl at all.

A quick glance at her wrist revealed she had left her watch back at the bungalow. "I suppose I should be going now, but it's been nice chatting with you," she told them both, looking around the room for a clock of some sort. Not finding one, she stood wondering what the time was. "Thanks for the card reading and the tea and cake."

"It was nice to meet you Bess," Patrick said, as he walked her to the door. "Feel free to come back again. We're home most of the time, but if nobody's here, just come in and make yourself at home. The door is always unlocked and we're never too far away. It's always nice having company."

"Thanks, I'm getting the cast off my leg tomorrow morning, but I might come over when I get back, if that's alright of course," Bess told them both.

"You're welcome any time Bess," Grace said in her sweet, silvery voice as she resumed shuffling the cards.

As the door closed behind her, Bess hobbled along the pathway towards the field that led to the bungalow. Wishing she didn't have to use crutches, she hurried as fast as she could. Although in a rush, she couldn't stop thinking about Patrick. He was so good looking and even though Grace seemed like a bit of a fruitcake, she was a very nice girl. She liked the twins, they had made her feel really welcome without knowing anything about her.

Wondering what the time was, Bess hoped she wasn't going to be late for lunch. But after the tea and cake, she wasn't particularly hungry anyway. Making her way along the slate jigsaw path in the back garden of the bungalow, she could see her parents through the window laughing together with Tom, they looked so relaxed now, and after that sight, and discovering Patrick and Grace living in the woods, the holiday in the countryside seemed like a good idea after all.

Bess spent the afternoon in the small garden. She desperately wanted to go and visit Kissing Gate Cottage again but didn't want to overstay her welcome. It was one thing for people to visit, but if it was constant, it could become annoying after a while.

Helping her mother prepare the dinner, she shelled the peas and ate a few along the way.

"Are you feeling alright Bess," her mum asked.

"I'm a little nervous about tomorrow to be honest," she admitted. "What if there's a problem and they have to put more plaster on my leg or I have to have some sort of operation?"

"I think you're worrying over nothing. You don't have any pain, so that's a good sign, and you're getting about quite well, so I expect it's all going to be fine. There's one thing I do know though," her mother said looking very serious.

"What's that?"

"If you keep eating those peas, there won't be enough for our dinner," she pointed out.

Bess laughed. "Sorry, I've had my share, so you can split the rest between the three of you. I prefer them raw anyway. Now, let me have a look at those carrots."

"I'll do the carrots Bess. Why don't you go and watch television with your father?"

Evidently her mother was concerned there would be no vegetables on the plates at all and Bess left her to it. She found her father sitting in a chair in the corner of the living room. He snored softly and Bess smiled to herself. It wasn't often that she saw her father just relax and it was obvious he was enjoying the holiday.

Flicking through the television channels, she found some kids cartoons and sitting on the sofa with her leg up, settled in to enjoy the rest of her relaxing afternoon.

By the time they had finished dinner that evening, Bess was feeling a lot better about having the plaster removed and when she went to bed that night, she knew it would be her last night sleeping with the uncomfortable cast on her leg. As she drifted off, once again the faint music from the woods drifted into the room and whispered to her.

Chapter Five

Feeling far too nervous to eat anything for breakfast, a cup of tea was all Bess could manage before leaving with her dad for the hospital appointment. Sitting in the front seat of the car, she was eager to get to it over and one with. After today, the hideous plaster would be gone and hopefully everything would be alright. There would be no more plastic bag showers or having to stick a ruler down the inside of the cast trying to scratch an itch. Life would be as it was before she fell and broke it. Bess was looking forward to discarding the crutches and going up and down stairs would no longer be a battle. The appointment was for nine-thirty and she was anticipating spending the rest of the day and the rest of her future without plaster covering her leg.

Kissing Gate Woods entered her thoughts and she couldn't wait to return later in the afternoon. It would be much easier to get along the pathways and maybe she could do a little more exploring in the area. Perhaps Patrick could show her around. Gazing out of the car window, she remembered she hadn't had a chance to ask Grace anything about him and Bess was dying to find out. A boy as good looking as Patrick would surely have a girlfriend tucked away somewhere. But hopefully she was wrong. He had seemed keen for her to come back and visit them again, but he might be like that with everyone. They had both been very welcoming, but it could just be the way they had been brought up.

Before too long, her father drove off the road and along a fenced driveway into the carpark of the small country hospital. It looked as though the building had once been an old manor house which had been converted to a medical centre. A few extra wings had been built on, and the surrounding grounds were picturesque and peaceful. In the green fields, horses grazed, and large open gardens hosted enormous shady trees that looked as though they were the original occupants of the land.

After checking in at reception, they slowly climbed the wooden staircase together and sat on chairs in a waiting area reserved for outpatients. Flicking through a magazine dated three months ago, Bess became even more nervous about having the plaster removed and hoped there wasn't any pain involved. Finally, after what seemed like hours, her name was called.

"Would you like me to come in with you?" her father asked.

"Well I'm not going in by myself," she said. Bess felt as though she was too grown up to have her dad sitting there holding her hand. But on this occasion she said yes just in case there was anything wrong.

After a quick chat the doctor announced the plaster could be removed without further ado. If Bess could have managed a cartwheel, she would have done one there and then. Smiling to herself, she thought about the rest of her summer holidays and how much more enjoyable they would be without the plaster.

Sitting in the small curtained off cubicle in the hospital wing waiting to be seen, she pictured herself walking through the woods hand in hand with Patrick. Interrupting her fantasy, a nurse entered and pulled the curtain across behind her for privacy. The woman was very jolly looking, and Bess felt at ease instantly and any nervousness disappeared.

"Hi Bess, I'll be taking your plaster off for you today. Now this little gadget is a saw and it will cut through the cast, but it won't cut your skin. It might get a little hot, but not for too long so it won't burn you at all. It will be over before you know it," she explained. "Oh and it's a little noisy, but don't be alarmed about anything. Are you comfortable?"

Bess looked at the small round saw that the nurse was holding and then at her father who just smiled. It didn't look too menacing, so she nodded having full faith in the woman before her who seemed to know what she was doing. Bess watched as the saw was carefully maneuvered through the plaster and as it came apart, a terrible odour wafted up from inside the cast.

"Pooh, it smells disgusting. Kind of like bad cheese," Bess said wrinkling her nose at the stench.

"Everybody says that," the nurse informed her, as she removed the entire cast revealing the mended leg. "Would you like to keep it?"

"Um, not really, it stinks," Bess told her. "But thanks for offering." Had it not smelt so horrid, she might have thought about taking it home with her. All of her friends had signed it, and some had written short verses on it. Sadly, she dismissed the thought and decided that she could live without the smelly thing cluttering up her bedroom and repelling her friends with its foul odour.

"I'm just going to give your leg a wash and then we'll do an x-ray just to make sure it's healed properly. The doctor will be in to have a look at it before you go home," the nurse explained.

Bess was thankful when her leg had been cleaned and the smell washed away. A review of the x-ray revealed what she had hoped for. Bess stood and walked up and down the room a few times and then was allowed to leave, but not before a warning to be careful for a few more weeks. It felt strange to walk without the cast and her leg felt really light.

As her father drove the car from the hospital parking lot, a feeling of euphoria washed over her and all the way back to Smackleton Bess rested comfortably in the car pleased she could finally sit with her knee bent. Although, there was a tiny bit of stiffness there. Remembering what the doctor had told her, she figured it might be better not to do anything too dangerous for a while, like hunt through ruins, or chase ghosts. But nothing would keep her from Kissing Gate Woods and the extremely good looking Patrick.

"How is it?" her mother asked.

"It's great Mum," she announced when they arrived back at the bungalow. "Look I don't have any crutches." Bess stood there with her arms outstretched to the sides smiling.

"The doctor had a good look at her leg and Bess has to be careful for another few weeks, but apart from that, it's healed quite nicely," her father explained.

"My knee's a little stiff, but I just have to keep bending it," Bess said as she bent and straightened her leg a few times. "What's for lunch? I'm starving," she asked, suddenly remembering she had skipped breakfast that morning.

"I'm making chicken salad rolls," her mother said. "Take a seat at the table and I'll bring you one over."

Tom arrived just as they were about to sit down. "Is it gone Bess, are you free at last?" he asked his sister.

She nodded smiling. It seemed as though the removal of the plaster was a relief for the entire family and they listened over lunch as she revealed how smelly the inside had been and how she had decided not to keep it.

After polishing off two salad rolls, Bess left the bungalow by the back door and was thankful to wear both of her shoes for once. She could run, walk, skip and jump and was hoping that nobody was watching as she tested her leg out in the field. Finishing off with the cartwheel she had thought of attempting in the hospital, she even managed to avoid the stinging nettles.

Approaching the cottage in the woods, Bess spotted Grace outside in the neat little garden that surrounded the house. She wondered why the girl was just standing there staring up into the air.

"Can you feel that?"

Bess wasn't sure what Grace was talking about. The sun that managed its way between the leafy trees felt warm on her face, but that was about it. She looked up to see if there was something above them, but it was only the sky.

"The forest has a spirit of its own. It's in the earth, the air, the sun, and the water. When the elements merge together, a powerful dynamic develops," Grace told her. "Listen Bess, listen to nature and feel the energy of the alignment."

Listening carefully, Bess couldn't hear anything special. There was the breeze rustling the leaves and the sound of flowing water somewhere in the distance, but other than that, it was just the normal natural sound you would expect in a forest. She couldn't really feel anything different.

"Come with me," Grace said. "There is something I want to show you."

Walking along beside the girl, she wondered where Patrick was. Perhaps he was already at the thing Grace wanted to show her. Bess hoped so. As they walked through the woods on a path that had clearly been trudged many times before now, the sound of running water became louder and it was apparent where they were headed when the waterfall came into sight.

Removing her shoes, Grace stood on a large flat rock and let the cool water run over her feet. "It's so refreshing, try it Bess. You have your cast off now, so you can paddle with me. We should all enjoy nature and what she has to offer. It's free, all she asks in payment is a little respect."

Bess did as Grace suggested. Standing on the rock beside the other girl, her feet cooled immediately, and she was once again thankful the plaster had been removed that morning. Now she would be able to sit out in the sun and work on tanning her lily white legs. As they stood there amongst the free nature Grace was so fond of, the sound of music being played on a guitar reached her ears and she turned her head back towards the cottage.

"Patrick's home," Grace said smiling. "Let's go back to the cottage and see him. He likes you a lot Bess. Plus there's some cake left over from yesterday."

"Really?" It was exactly what she was hoping to hear. "He likes me?"

"Yes. He'll be pleased to see you," Grace told her as she tried to dry her feet on the grass by the falls. "Yesterday after you left, he was talking about how pretty you are, and in case you were wondering, he doesn't have a girlfriend at the moment."

Grace seemed to know what Bess was thinking and answered her questions before she could ask them. "Did he really say that, or are you just making stuff up?"

"Yes, he really said so. I would never make up stuff like that, it's a waste of time and we don't have much more to spend with you. Patrick wanted to come and see you today, but it's very difficult for us," Grace said. "We don't leave the cottage much. We've only just turned sixteen and Mum wasn't sure she should even leave us home alone, so we just keep to ourselves and mind our own business. Patrick does a little grocery shopping every few days, but apart from that, we lay low. Things are much simpler that way."

Bess wondered if that's where Patrick had been and if what Grace had said was true. She seemed far too honest to make up a lie about her brother liking someone. As the sound of the guitar grew louder, it reached out with its mystic, magnetic, melody and drew her towards Kissing Gate Cottage. Feeling as though she was floating, just the sight of Patrick through the window made her forget everything else.

"Did you get some crisps?" Grace asked her brother, as the girls entered the cottage.

He nodded and smiled at Bess. She smiled back and for a moment felt as though she might just faint.

The afternoon was spent getting to know each other better and the three teenagers drank tea, ate cake and crisps, and laughed a lot. They listened as Bess told them how she solved the mystery of the cornerstone and how she broke her leg. Nothing was mentioned about ghosts and time travel dreams though, that was something she didn't feel ready to share with anyone. She learned how their great grandfather had won the cottage and the surrounding land in a card game and their family had lived there ever since. It was all very interesting, and Grace attempted to teach Bess how to read tarot cards. The lesson was without success and although she tried to use her instincts, ended up inventing ridiculous stories which had the other two in hysterics.

"I have an idea," Patrick said getting up and going to a nearby cupboard.

Bess hoped it had something to do with him kissing her and she crossed her fingers under the table.

"Let's set up the camera and get a picture of the three of us," he suggested.

"That's a great idea," Grace agreed. "Our father was a photographer and we have a lot of really cool equipment. The camera has a timer, so we can all be in the picture together."

Bess helped with the tripod and wondered why the camera wasn't digital. It was quite old really and there was a little roll of film Patrick had to put into the back of it. Maybe their father had used it a long time ago.

"So let's sit here on the sofa," Patrick said. "Bess you should be in the middle. I'll just focus the lens and set the timer."

She sat there between Grace and Patrick and he put his arm around her. Bess felt as though she could stay that way forever. After the shutter clicked, Grace stood up.

"I'll take one of the both of you together," she offered.

Bess snuggled up a bit closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder smiling. The scent from the shampoo he used reached her. Apple, he washed his soft blonde hair with apple shampoo. Grace clicked the button on the camera.

"Now you two," Patrick said standing and taking over the camera while his sister sat beside Bess.

After taking several more photos, they put the equipment away and Grace made them all some more tea.

"These will be ready tomorrow," Patrick told her. "I know how to develop them, and I can do it tonight. So when you come back, you'll be able to choose a couple to keep if you like."

Developing photos, playing the guitar, shopping for crisps, she wondered if there was anything this good looking boy before her couldn't do. He appeared to be both domestic and artistic at the same time, everything she had ever wanted in a summer romance.

When Bess left later in the afternoon, she decided that she would invite Tom to come along to the woods tomorrow to meet Patrick and Grace. But just him, she couldn't really ask Scott without his annoying sister and didn't fancy spending more time with her than she really had to. There would be more jibber jabber about the pendant, and now her leg was out of plaster, Bess had no excuse, she would have to spend time investigating its disappearance with Maisy. Her holiday would be ruined. It was unavoidable though and sooner or later, she would have to read through the scribble about the pendant and see if she could even begin to work out how to find it, or at least cook up some sort of story about where it might be and send Maisy off on a wild goose chase. The situation was tricky, but Bess knew if she put her mind to it, she could work out a whole load of different ways to make Maisy think she was looking for her precious inheritance when she really wasn't. That way she would be able to spend the rest of her holiday getting to know Patrick.

Pleased with herself, Bess took a short cut and climbed the wooden stile in the corner of the field instead of going through the kissing gate as she usually did. Instantly, for some reason or another, she felt as though she had done the wrong thing. Looking back towards the woods, a strange feeling as though she had forgotten something made her hesitate. But she hadn't left anything behind and so continued towards the bungalow not giving it a second thought.

Sleeping came much easier that night. Curled up with both of her knees bent for the first time in weeks, comfort returned and as Bess closed her eyes, she thought once more about Patrick and his apple scented hair, but there was something wrong tonight, the feeling was strange, and Bess couldn't quite work out why.

Chapter Six

Now she was free of the plaster, it was time to take her brother on a little holiday adventure. So, the following morning, Bess persuaded Tom to come along with her to Kissing Gate Cottage. Although he was slightly apprehensive after what Scott had told them, reluctantly he joined his sister after she convinced him that the woods were perfectly safe and there was nothing bad in there. They climbed the stile and crossed the field to the familiar pathway that would lead them to the cottage. Excited about seeing the pictures they had taken on the previous afternoon, she ushered him through the woods to meet her new friends she had already told him about. It was quiet today. The laughter and the familiar smell of cake baking that usually travelled out to meet her was missing and there was no sound of Patrick's friendly guitar. The only music was the song of nature. As they neared the home of the twins, the sight that reached her was one of disarray. Bess couldn't believe her eyes. The pretty little country cottage looked as though it had been abandoned for decades.

"This joint looks like a broken down piece of crap," Tom said, as he took a few steps closer to the old building. "Nobody lives here. What the hell is wrong with you? Did you lose your mind when they removed your cast, or are you just making things up to annoy me and waste my time?"

"This is weird! It wasn't like this yesterday and there were people living here, I swear. This is where I met Patrick and Grace," she insisted, slightly upset by his sudden rant. "I don't get it. Grace and I went for a walk to the falls nearby and we put our feet in the water. I promise you Tom, yesterday this place looked like something you would see on the box of a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle. It almost reminded me of a cottage out of a fairy tale. You have to believe me, I'm telling the truth."

"Well, I don't have to believe you and it doesn't look like that anymore, but I get it," he said calming down a little. "You've lost your marbles. Perhaps it's hanging around with crazy Maisy that's done it. Maybe you've caught stupid or something."

"I'm not stupid," she said indignantly. But she understood why he would say that. Bess couldn't believe the dilapidated state of the place. What had been a sweet little home in the woods was now a ruin. Thatch from the roof lay on the ground and the windows were shattered. Paint was peeling away from the exterior walls and the front door had fallen off the top hinge and leaned precariously against its frame in an effort not to fall. Covering a lot of the crumbling mess was a coat of shiny green ivy. It was probably the only thing holding the decaying building together. The pink climbing rose that had grown around the doorway was gone and the dry skeletal stems only sported thorns. Bess was deeply disappointed and extremely confused about the scene, that instead of greeting them, did its best to push them away.

"What the hell happened to it?" she asked. "Yesterday it was perfect." Turning she looked back the way she had come to make sure they hadn't taken a wrong turn, but this was her third visit and she was absolutely sure of the path. It was eerie, and the situation gave her the creeps.

"This could be the reason Scott and Maisy don't come here. Maybe there's something peculiar about this house and their granny knows all about it. Never mind, let's have a look around," Tom suggested feeling a little curious. "We're here anyway, we may as well make the most of it."

Bess nodded in agreement and carefully made her way towards the ramshackle cottage. Crunching beneath her feet was the pebbly pathway, now well overrun with weeds. Around the house, some of the grass was waist high and there were blackberries growing in places. All of the colourful flowers that had decorated the garden only yesterday, were gone. It was strange.

"I bet there are forest creatures living in there," Tom said as he tried to peer through the window to get a look inside. "Probably loads of rats and maybe even a badger or two."

"Be really careful Tom, I don't want you getting hurt," Bess instructed, slightly worried that he could fall and break something. or get attacked by wild animals.

"I can see a table," he said, "and some chairs. There's also a teapot. It looks as though they were having a tea party."

"Does the tea set have red roses on?" she asked him, remembering every cup of tea Patrick and Grace had prepared for her.

"Yep," Tom said. "There are some cups too. Three of them. They all match. Everything's covered in dust by the looks of things. Oh, I just saw a mouse. I think you should stay back Bess. There's too much broken house in the grass and it's not safe. Your leg has only just healed. You should see all the spiders though, I reckon there's about a million. I think they live in that old guitar in there."

Patrick's guitar, it had to be. Although Bess wanted to get a closer look, Tom was right, she knew it was dangerous, and she hated spiders, they frightened her. The entire situation sucked. Bess had met Grace and Patrick and had a cup of tea with them, and even went back to visit after the plaster had been removed from her leg. Today, the place was a shambles and the twins were nowhere to be seen. She couldn't have imagined it. According to Tom, the teapot was on the table with the cups. Plus, she had visited the cottage twice before now, not just once. Bess watched as her brother disappeared around the side of the building and she heard him making his way through the long grass that had previously been a garden with roses and a few different vegetables growing neatly in rows.

"Around the back is even worse, and it smells funny. The ground is all soggy like there's water leaking from somewhere," Tom explained as he returned from his inspection. "There are some tiny little flies hanging about, the sort you'd find in a swamp. Are you sure you came to this cottage? Maybe there's another around here somewhere, because nobody lives in this dump. There are only nasty creatures. Although, that little mouse was kind of cute. I should try to catch it."

"Don't be ridiculous Tom, it's wild, and mice bite. I'm certain it was this cottage. I even knew what type of teapot they had, and the guitar you saw, it belonged to Patrick, he was playing it when I met him. It must have been here. There's no other cottage like this in the area. I wonder if Scott and Maisy know anything about it," she said. "Or perhaps their gran might. It's all very mysterious."

"Scott might, but that sister of his is a bit dim-witted," Tom said. "We could ask him. The gran seems a little scattered too, so you can forget about her knowing anything, except for the direction of the wind. She's always going on about stuff like that."

"You can ask Scott," Bess suggested. "I'm a little tired and really confused about the whole thing. I think I need to lie down for a while, my brain is clearly not functioning as it should be. I don't understand any of this and it's giving me a headache."

"Oh no you don't Bess. If I have to put up with that sister of his, then you're coming with me," Tom insisted, knowing Bess was simply making up an excuse to avoid Maisy. "She drives me nuts and yesterday, she asked me how you were getting on with the pendant investigation. All she does is talk about that ridiculous thing and how she needs it to shape her future or something."

"Ha ha, she likes you," Bess revealed, smiling as she remembered the conversation. "The other day when we were sitting on the swings together, Maisy told me you were good looking."

"She did not say that," Tom said. "You're just making stuff up because you don't want to come and see them with me."

"She did so, and then she asked if you had a girlfriend," Bess told him laughing.

"I don't care what she said, you're still coming with me to see them," Tom said.

Bess agreed reluctantly. Maisy was alright, but in small doses, it was all the giggling and the moaning about the pendant she found annoying and she hadn't even had a chance to look at the information in the envelope the girl had provided, well not properly. But Maisy seemed, as Tom put it, dim-witted and Bess didn't think she would know anything about the cottage. However, curiosity gave her the courage to accompany her brother to visit them. Inventing a story in her head to tell Maisy about how the investigation was going, she agreed to go and talk to them all, hoping they could shed some light on the mysterious situation she had suddenly found herself in.

Following him from the wreckage they headed across the field and through the kissing gate into the lane that would take them to the bridge and across the brook. Suddenly Tom stopped, and Bess almost bumped into him.

"What's wrong?" she asked wondering what was going on.

"Can you hear that?"

Bess listened carefully. "What are you talking about? I can't hear anything," she told him.

"I'm not sure. For a moment I thought I heard guitar music playing, but it could be coming from the bungalow. Come on, our lunch will be ready soon," he said, leading the way towards the bridge. "After we eat we'll go and find Scott and Maisy and interrogate them. Maybe we could torture her until she either tells us something or shuts up completely."

Bess laughed at her brother, but silently wondered about the strange occurrence she had encountered. She had heard music and that's what had led her to the cottage to begin with. What if Tom had heard the music too. Should they turn around and go back to the woods? But as they neared the narrow bridge which crossed the tiny stream, Bess could also hear the music and it was getting louder. She realised it must be coming from the bungalow they were staying in and her parents probably just had the radio on.

Lunch was a quick round of corned beef sandwiches, and Bess discovered if she sat on the floor in a certain spot in her bedroom, she could use her mobile phone. Sending messages to all of her friends, she told Eloise how much she missed her and wished she was back in Endless Hiccup. Climbing up onto the bed, she picked up the book she had been reading, but no matter how hard she tried, Bess couldn't get her mind off the run down cottage in the woods. It was bizarre, and she had no idea what had happened between yesterday and today when she had attempted to take her brother there to meet the twins.

"Come on," Tom said from the doorway of the room. "Put the book down and let's go and find Scott and dimwit."

"You shouldn't talk about her like that. I told her you like fat girls," Bess teased. "She's probably eating more cake as we speak because she likes you Tom and she wants to be your girlfriend."

Purposely ignoring his sister, Tom went outside. Following him from the house, Bess yawned. She would have liked to have taken an afternoon nap so that she could sneak over to the woods later when her parents were asleep. The first time she had heard the music and noticed the lights peeking through the trees had been in the middle of the night. Still confused, she walked along silently trying to work out what had happened between leaving the cottage after her last visit, and this morning when she returned with her brother.

September Cottage was quiet, and it was obvious there was nobody home. Secretly they were both relieved as neither really wanted to have to deal with Maisy, although, Bess would have liked to speak to their gran. She might just happen to know a little bit about the mysterious cottage in Kissing Gate Woods. Perhaps she had been in the area for a long time and even knew the family who had once lived in it.

"Well, I'm going back to the bungalow to have a nap," Bess announced. "I'm tired and I might take a better look at the information about that pendant so the next time I see Maisy I can at least pretend to be a little bit knowledgeable about it. Perhaps if I do, she might stop going on about it shaping her future for a day or two."

"I'll see you later then," Tom said. "I'm not going to spend my holiday lying around asleep. Scott's probably at the park anyway, he goes there a lot."

She left him outside of the unoccupied home of his friends, not even bothered by what he was going to do. Bess really wanted to tell him what her plans were, but after witnessing the dishevelled property today, she felt as though he really wasn't supposed to go there. The situation was odd and although she hated to admit it, Grace might have been on to something. She had said there was magic in the air and something about the elements combining or some sort of powerful dynamic. Perhaps it all meant something, but what? That was the real question on her mind.

Chapter Seven

Fragrant steam wafted from the water as Bess ran herself a nice hot bubble bath after the evening meal was finished. It was such a relief to soak herself after weeks of showering with a plastic bag on her leg. Closing her eyes she relaxed, thankful the cast was no longer there. Picturing the cottage in the woods, she retraced her steps in her mind trying to work out whether or not she had just gone the wrong way and found a house that looked very similar to the one her friends lived in. Over and over she thought about it wondering if she had done something different, and then it dawned on her that when she had left the cottage on the previous day, she had climbed the stile in the corner of the field and then used it again today when Tom was with her. Bess wondered if that was the key to whole thing. Kissing Gate Woods and Kissing Gate Cottage, was the key the old wooden kissing gate? Was it some sort of doorway to the past? They had come home through the gate and that's when Tom had thought he heard music playing. But it had been coming from a radio in the bungalow. Perhaps she was wrong about it all, but the theory needed to be tested. There would be an opportunity to go and explore again tonight. Bess had slept for just over three hours that afternoon and was prepared to stay up until her family were asleep again. If there was any hint of activity in the woods, she would definitely go and check it out instead of just looking at the light from a distance, and this time she would be sure to use the kissing gate to get into the field and not the wooden stile in the corner.

Back in her room, curled up on the bed in her pyjamas, Bess looked up at the night's sky through the window. As the stars twinkled their secrets, a full moon embellished the darkness watching over them and there was no cloud cover at all. It was still quite warm outside, and she knew it was the perfect night for what she had planned. Waiting for the right moment was the most difficult part. Bess now had a few hours to kill until her family went to bed and she was running out of books to read. Wandering out into the lounge where her parents and brother were watching television, she looked at the stuff on the bookshelf. There were several novels that belonged to the owners of the place and a couple of classic board games too. Cards, a deck of cards caught her eye and she took them back to her room to play solitaire. That would occupy her for a few hours at least. Shuffling the deck, Bess thought about the tarot cards that Grace had used to tell her fortune. It was odd to think that people would believe a few cards could reveal so much.

"Three of those are missing," Tom announced as he stood in the doorway of the bedroom. "I checked them out the other night."

"You're kidding me," Bess groaned. "Do you want to play a game of snap? We can still play that, even if the deck has cards missing."

"Okay," Tom agreed as he sat on the end of the bed. "I bet you're glad the plaster is off your leg."

"You have no idea," Bess told her brother. "Did you end up finding Scott this afternoon?"

"Yep and his annoying sister. They were all in the park hanging out with the trees and flowers or something. The grandmother is weird. We came to get you, but Mum said you were asleep. I asked them about that old abandoned house, but they didn't know anything, and their gran seemed to be away on some sort of personal quest in her head. Perhaps she was hunting daffodils. Are you sure you actually went to the cottage and didn't just nod off under a tree and have one of your strange dreams Bess? I know in the past you have seen things that happened a long time ago and visited other places in your sleep, so you might have done the same thing this time."

"I'm beginning to wonder about that myself," she lied. Bess knew fully well that she had visited the cottage and met the twins who lived there. "Perhaps it was all just in my head after all. Maybe I read something about the cottage somewhere and it led to some really colourful dreams with a cute boy and his sister and the exact same tea pot."

"A cute boy. So that's what it's all about, a boy. I should have known. Anyway there's a book about the area on the bookshelf in there," Tom told her making a small hand gesture towards the loungeroom. "It's a little boring, I couldn't get past the first page and when I flicked through it to find something interesting, the pictures that I saw were just black and white sketches. You might want to check it out. There could be a chapter about the cottage and the woods, and the cute boy."

"Oh shut up," Bess said, and they both laughed.

They played a few games of snap and after beating her every time, Tom started yawning. Leaving Bess to play solitaire with the incomplete deck, he went off to bed and not long after, her parents retired to their room. Switching off the light, she lay there in the dark listening. The sound of her brother breathing, the light snoring of her father and the song of the night which wafted in through the open window mingled into one, as she waited until she could make her escape.

Suddenly the faint sound of music met her ears and she sat up staring out into the darkness. In the distance, Bess could see specks of light through the trees as she had a few nights before. Quietly she dressed and tiptoed from her room, closing the bedroom door just in case one of her parents got up and passed by on their way to the bathroom. Once through the back door, she crossed the garden and then the bridge. Taking a look back at the house to make sure that she wasn't being followed, Bess ran along to the kissing gate and then carefully made her way across the field to the woods, managing to avoid the nettles in the dark. As she neared the house, the music became louder and the lights more than just chinks through the trees. Before her, the scene was once again the pretty puzzle box cottage she remembered from her previous visits. It was all very odd, but something Bess was slowly growing accustomed to. After the recent mystery of the cornerstone, she knew strange things happened all the time. Through the window of the cottage, she could see the twins and as she approached, Patrick looked out and spotted her. As he greeted her at the door, her heart skipped a beat or two and she went inside. Everything was as it should be.

"Nice to see you again Bess. It's a lovely night," Grace said. "Just right for a midnight stroll. I'm going to get some cakes in the oven, but you both might like to go out and enjoy yourselves. The cottage is a little warm, sorry, but the cakes will be delicious. I promise, and we have some ice-cream to go with them."

"I'm game if you are," Patrick said to Bess smiling.

All she could do was nod her head and she knew if she tried to talk at that moment, it would be accompanied by some sort of girly giggling and might just put him off.

They walked slowly along the pathways that wove in and out of the imposing oak trees. He told her about his mother and how long his family had lived in the cottage in the woods. Bess listened as Patrick spoke of how he and Grace were home schooled and also about the music lessons he had received from his father who had sadly died of cancer a few winters ago. The guitar had belonged to him, but now it was treasured and played regularly by Patrick.

"I brought my brother to the cottage to meet you today, but you weren't here," she said gazing into his eyes. "The cottage was quite different. It was as if nobody had lived in it for a very long time."

Patrick smiled to himself and then looked at Bess. "Are you sure?" he asked her. "Because we've been here the whole time. Maybe you took a wrong turn. It wouldn't be the first time somebody's taken the wrong path in these woods. It's like a labyrinth at times and it's not unusual for anybody to get lost in amongst the trees. But we were definitely home, I stayed in and developed those pictures this morning. They'll be dry by tomorrow."

Bess didn't want to argue with him, he was far too good looking for that. "Maybe I did," she agreed.

"Is your leg better then?" he asked her.

"It's still a little weak, much better now that the cast is off though," Bess told him. "But, it's still a bit stiff from not being used properly too. I have to take it easy for a few weeks."

Stopping for a moment to rest was the perfect opportunity for what happened next. With her back against the tree, he moved closer to her and put his hands on her waist. Beneath the light of an enchanting full moon, as Patrick's lips touched hers, Bess closed her eyes and put her arms around his neck. In the pit of her stomach, something stirred as his tongue caressed hers gently. It felt as though they were the only two on the planet and as the kiss ended, she gazed up at him. In the right light, Patrick's eyes were the colour of dark honey. Everything about him appealed to her and she wished for the moment to never end. Bess wondered if this was what true love was like. If time never moved forward from that very second and they were stuck there forever, her life would be complete with Patrick.

"Let's go for a moonlight swim," Patrick suggested. "It's a warm night and there's a pool at the bottom of the waterfall."

"I don't have anything to swim in," Bess said not wanting to get her clothes all wet.

"We don't need anything," Patrick said taking her by the hand.

Was he suggesting they swim naked? Bess wasn't sure. She stopped for a moment. "Patrick, I don't really feel comfortable swimming without anything on."

Looking at her he smiled. "Okay, let's go back to the cottage. Grace will have something you can wear. Maybe she can come with us. She likes to swim," he said, leading her back the way they came.

Although she didn't fancy going skinny dipping and was thankful that he suggested she borrow something from his sister, Bess hoped Grace would decline the invitation so she could be alone with Patrick. But after spending time in the warm cottage baking cakes in the middle of the night, of course Grace jumped at the chance of a cool dip. After finding Bess a one piece costume to wear in the water, the three of them headed off for a swim.

At the top of the waterfall, they carefully crossed to the other side and then made their way slowly down a crooked path which led to the bottom of the glistening cascade. By the light of the moon, Patrick removed his shirt and shoes and dived into the water in his shorts. The girls weren't so game and sat on the rocky bank sliding in gently. Instantly the cool water refreshed them from the warm day and the three laughed and splashed about for what seemed like hours. It was just what they all needed, and now she wasn't restricted by a big lump of plaster, Bess gained some more of the courage she had lost when she broke her leg and dived in a few times too. It was then that she realised why the twins were so tanned. They had the perfect swimming pool hidden away in the woods.

Returning to the cottage, they dried off and changed their clothes. A midnight snack of cake and ice-cream with a hot cup of tea was on offer and after spending time in the fresh night air, Bess was hungry. Grace never offered up a bowl of broccoli, it was always something baked, and Bess began to wonder if the twins ever ate anything healthy. Not that it bothered her of course, she enjoyed the sweet treats Grace prepared for them, but she was a bit concerned that when her holiday was over, her clothes would be too tight. It would mean she would have to live on carrots and celery until they fit again, and the idea didn't appeal to her at all.

"I really like hanging out with you guys and that's the first time I've ever had a moonlight dip in a pool at the bottom of a waterfall. But the sun is starting to come up and I have to go. If my parents find out I've been out all night, my holiday will be over, and I'll be grounded until I'm too old to enjoy life."

"I'll walk you along the path," Patrick offered standing.

"Bye Bess," Grace said. "Please come back and visit us again."

"Bye," she replied as Patrick took her by the hand.

Serenaded by the twittering dawn chorus, they walked slowly together to the edge of the woods where he kissed her again. She felt so comfortable in his arms and at the end of the kiss he held her tight for a moment.

"It's a shame you live so far away from me," Patrick said as he looked into her eyes. "We could have spent a lot more time together. I would have liked that."

"I know, but I'm not leaving yet, I'm here for another week," Bess said. "So at least we still have a bit more time."

They said their goodbyes and she ran across the field and through the kissing gate. Turning, Bess looked back at him to wave, but Patrick was gone. Hurrying along the path to the bridge and into the garden of the bungalow, Bess crossed her fingers and hoped nobody else was up yet. Luckily, the house was in silence and tiptoeing back to her room, she closed the door behind her and changed into her pyjamas. Once under the warm covers, as she thought about the boy in the woods, the morning light began to stream in through the window. Bess gave in to drowsiness and the comfort of the bed, and it didn't take very long before she slept with her secret.

Chapter Eight

It was almost noon when Tom prodded his sister in the arm. "Wake up lazy bones, lunch is ready. You missed breakfast this morning, so I ate yours. It was a bacon and brown sauce sandwich, your favourite, and it was the best sandwich I've ever tasted. Come on Bess, get up. I can't believe how much time you spend sleeping. You're such a loser."

Opening her eyes to the sound of her brother's annoying voice taunting her, Bess recalled why she had slept for so long. The midnight adventure, the cottage, swimming in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall, but best of all, the kissing. Smiling to herself, she needed to tell Eloise. Grabbing her phone, she found the reception sweet spot and sat on the floor messaging her friend about the beautiful boy in the woods with blonde apple scented hair and dark honey eyes, and how he had kissed her twice during her midnight visit to Kissing Gate Cottage. Instantly her phone rang, and the voice of her best friend sounded from the other end of the connection. Details of the moonlight jaunt were shared along with a few giggles. Eloise filled Bess in on the current gossip from Endless Hiccup, and after being reminded the midday meal was ready several times, Bess reluctantly ended the call.

Dressing quickly, she stared out of the window at the woods across the field and smiled to herself. It just seemed like a normal bunch of trees clustered together, but Bess knew its secret. What she didn't know was why she had suddenly begun to get involved with freaky situations. First there had been the mystery surrounding the abandoned school in the village where she lived. Now this strange cottage in the woods that seemed to be a deserted wreck at times and full of life on other occasions. This time the key seemed to be the kissing gate, but it might just be a coincidence, perhaps it also had something to do with taking Tom to the woods. Maybe the house was frightened of twelve year old boys.

Dragging a brush through her tangled hair, it really needed a wash, but she had already slept half of the day away and decided she would wait until later. Tying it in a ponytail, once again, Bess heard her mum call out to her and hurried out to the kitchen. The sooner she ate her meal, the sooner she could go and spend more time with Patrick.

Salad and fishfingers were served for lunch and Bess was ravenous. Not only had she been out running around with her friends all night, she had missed out on breakfast. Polishing off the meal, along with a few slices of bread and butter, she gulped down a cup of tea and poured another from the pot.

"I'm going shopping this afternoon Bess, would you like to come? It's been a while since we spent an afternoon out together," her mum invited.

Bess really wanted to go and spend more time at the cottage in the woods, but being a teenage girl, she rarely passed up an opportunity for new clothes, so she agreed to go with her mother. "What are you and Tom doing Dad?" She knew how much her brother hated shopping, so there had to be some other sort of activity planned.

"We're going to a vintage car museum," her father told her. "It's one I've been looking at for a while. There's an exhibition of nineteen twenties cars from the UK and the USA."

"That sounds like fun," Bess said, thankful that she didn't have to endure an afternoon of motors and wheels. But shopping on the other hand, maybe she could persuade her mum to buy her a new bikini to wear swimming at the secretive pool in the woods. "But if you're going to a look at vintage cars and we're going shopping, how is that going to work Dad? We only have one car. We're not going on the bus are we? Because if that's the case then I think I'll give it a miss."

"Relax, the shopping centre is on the way to the museum. We'll drop you both off and then pick you up on our way back," her father explained. "You don't have to catch a bus. Besides, there wouldn't be a bus big enough to accommodate the amount of shopping you do."

Bess smiled at her father's joke but knew in some ways it bordered on the truth. Happy with the arrangements, she finished her cup of tea and went back to her room to make herself a little more presentable. All she could think about was the night she had spent in the woods with Patrick and Grace, but it puzzled her too. Perhaps she could ask her mother some questions about being able to see and do things others couldn't. Maybe she knew of somebody else in the family who had experienced something similar. Surely Bess would know if her mother or father had some sort of special gift. After all, a talent like that would be hard to keep a secret from everybody in your life. One of their relatives would have let it slip along the way.

After an afternoon of sifting through sale racks and trying on clothes, sitting in a café in the shopping centre surrounded by bags, one of which included the much wanted bikini, Bess sipped at a chocolate milkshake thinking. "Mum, I was just wondering something," she said, silently questioning how to approach the subject without giving too much away.

"What's that love?"

"Well I was sort of curious if any of our relatives ever had any type of gift," Bess said hoping she didn't sound stupid. "I mean fortune telling and that type of thing."

"I'm not so sure. I remember one of my aunts, Aunt Lois, supposedly being able to see things others couldn't, but it may have meant she had an eye for detail," her mother told her. "Although, she always seemed to know what was in the Christmas presents under the tree before we opened them and silly little things like that, so there could be something to it. Why are you asking?"

Bess didn't know what to say. Revealing the reason to her mother might lead to telling her about the midnight adventure and the kissing, and she didn't want to share either. "I was just interested. I read something somewhere about strange hereditary stuff and we all seem so ordinary. That's all."

Clearly her mum was unsure about the extent of Aunt Lois's gift. Not wanting to endure endless stories of her mother's childhood and Christmas presents of the past, Bess dropped the subject. She didn't want to make anybody suspicious about anything and she certainly didn't want people to think she was some sort of freak. They chatted for a while longer about the things they had bought, including the bikini which was half price due to the end of summer being near. As she finished the milkshake, Bess thought about old Aunt Lois who could see things others couldn't, and she wondered if any of those things were the type she saw herself and not just what was gift wrapped under the tree at Christmas time.

When her father and Tom arrived to take them back to the bungalow, they couldn't believe the number of shopping bags Bess and her mother and been carrying around. Tom mumbled something about girls always spending money, but it was pointed out that a few of the purchases were for him and he was quiet after that. It became apparent to Bess that boys also like new clothes, even if they did protest about shopping for them.

Sitting on the bed back at the holiday house, she took a picture of the new bikini with her phone and sent it to Eloise. Red wasn't a colour that she normally chose to wear, but it was such nice style and the two piece swimsuit fit her perfectly. She imagined swimming in the secluded pool at the base of the falls with Patrick and hoped that the skimpy outfit would entice him to kiss her again. Although, she figured she didn't need anything but herself. Patrick had already kissed her without any props. Maybe Grace would stay home and bake more cakes for them so Bess could have some more alone time with her brother.

As the afternoon dragged on, Bess longed to get away from the bungalow, but her parents had suggested dinner out at a nearby Chinese restaurant and then a night at the picture theatre and she couldn't possibly think up a believable excuse in the short amount of time remaining, not to join them. If she faked some sort of ailment, it might screw up the next few days, so visiting Patrick and Grace was out of the question. Bess decided that she would just have to wait until tomorrow and hoped it would be warm and sunny and a good day for swimming. She really needed to work on her tan.

The family meal out together was a lot more fun than Bess thought it would be. They talked about vintage cars and gangsters over an oriental banquet and laughed together over fortunes from cookies. Almost falling asleep in the picture theatre a few times, Bess was looking forward to bed. Even though she had slept until lunchtime, it didn't make up for staying up all night swimming and she was beginning to feel the aftermath of sneaking off to the woods, which clearly resulted in exhaustion.

Falling into bed around midnight, Bess slept soundly until morning not even giving the strange occurrences from the past few days a second thought.

Chapter Nine

A forlorn sky of grey threatening rain dismissed any swimming plans. Dismayed by the view, Bess purposely stayed in bed an hour longer the next morning so Tom would be out by the time she got up, just in case he suggested she hang out with him and his friends.

Finally, dragging herself to the bathroom, Bess washed her hair and dried it with the hair dryer. As she stared miserably at the overcast sky through the window, she knew instantly the temperature wasn't what she had hoped for. A chill in the air greeted her when she left the bungalow and forced her to go back and get a jacket. Slightly disappointed at not being able to show off the red bikini, Bess made her way across the field to the woods. Unable to detect the usual sound of music, she crossed her fingers hoping the cottage wouldn't be the run down, rickety ruin her brother had witnessed when he was with her. Fortunately, fate was smiling on Bess that morning as she walked quickly along the pathway to the picturesque home of Patrick and his sister. But even from the outside of the building, looking through the window into the normally cheery home, she could see there was a problem within.

"What's the matter?" Bess asked as she entered the cottage. The sight of the usually happy Grace crying was a little disturbing. It must have been something really bad that had upset her. The poor girl hadn't even done any baking.

"I've lost the triskele," Grace explained sobbing. She sat at the table with a hanky dabbing at the tears flowing down her face and sniffed constantly.

"It's alright, we'll find your necklace," Patrick told her patting his sister on the arm. "It has to be around somewhere."

"You don't understand how important this is Patrick. It's not just any necklace, it's the triskele and it's gone forever. What's going to happen to our gift now? Does this mean I've ruined the future for all of the girls yet to be born into our family?"

"I don't think so Grace. I think you put too much faith in the triskele. I think the gift comes from you, not something that hangs around your neck," Patrick told his sister.

Bess didn't know whether to stay or go. Grace was clearly distressed over the necklace and Patrick didn't seem to be bothered by it. The situation was really awkward. But she liked Grace and wanted to help her. "When was the last time you had it on?" Bess asked sitting down beside the girl.

"I think I was wearing it yesterday. I went for a walk along the primrose path towards the waterfall. You know how I enjoy the sound of the water splashing down on the rocks, it's so peaceful," Grace told them both. "Anyway, I tripped, but I don't remember the triskele falling off. I went back and looked for it last night when I discovered it was gone, but I couldn't find it anywhere." Grace began to cry again, and Patrick put his arms around her and patted her on the back like you would an infant.

Bess wondered if she started crying whether Patrick would hold her like that. He was so handsome, and she couldn't stop thinking about the way he had kissed her, but she had to concentrate on the problem at hand. "I'll help you both look for it Grace," she offered. It was the only way she could think of to spend more time with him and if it meant traipsing about the woods hunting for a lost necklace then so be it. Perhaps they could split up and she could go with him and Grace could hunt for it by herself.

Although the plan in her head was more favourable, the three teenagers left Kissing Gate Cottage together. Dappled sunlight patterned the pathway in front of them, but as the sun disappeared behind a cloud, it quickly faded leaving just the cool shade. Looking up at the grey sky, Bess began to wonder if summer had abruptly come to an end. It would be a shame not to swim in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall one more time before her holiday ended. As the air around her became a little chillier, she zipped up her jacket and put her hands in her pockets hoping the clouds would soon pass by and the sun would return.

In the short space of a week, Bess had met two sets of twins and the female siblings had both started crying over necklaces. It was very odd. But she understood Grace, the triskele was unusual and from what she had been told, a family heirloom with great significance to their heritage. The women in the family believed it held some sort of power and provided the gift of foresight. Although hunting for a necklace was the one thing she hadn't planned on doing that afternoon, they gave the area a thorough going over, but there was no sign of it at all.

"It's gone forever," Grace sobbed, wiping her nose. "I should have taken more care of it, but I didn't realise the leather strap was loose. Mum's going to be furious Patrick. She'll bloody kill me. I'm going to have to leave home before she returns."

"Don't worry too much Grace, you're being overly dramatic about it all. I'll find the triskele. I won't stop searching until I do. Meanwhile, Mum won't be back for another week, so there's still time. I don't reckon she'll be as angry as you think though, you mean more to her than a necklace."

"I can help look for it some more. I'm staying here for another five days," Bess offered. She really just wanted Grace to stop crying. It was awful. Her eyes were all puffy and red as if she'd been sobbing uncontrollably for weeks and it wasn't a very pretty sight. Feeling sorry for her, she hoped the necklace turned up. "Are you sure you were wearing it when you were out walking? Maybe you left it in the cottage somewhere."

"That's the thing Bess, I'm not sure. I could have lost it before I fell on the path, or even afterwards. Because I always wear it, sometimes I don't even realise it's there. It's almost like a part of me and now it's gone."

There was no tea and cake that afternoon and sadly no alone time with Patrick either. Not a single second went by without hunting for the triskele. Every inch of the house was searched, but they couldn't find it. Bess even checked the flour bin in case it had fallen off when Grace was baking. Looking amongst the neat little rows of vegetables that grew in the back garden turned up nothing. A small wooden wheelbarrow the twins had used to collect some carrots and beans the day before, along with their potting shed, were given a thorough going over, but once again it was fruitless. When Bess left, there wasn't the usual cheery goodbye from either of them and she felt slightly depressed by it all. Maybe she could sneak back in the middle of the night again. Her sleeping was really irregular anyway and by that time, they might just have found the necklace and things would be as they were before.

After dinner that evening, she lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. Remembering the photos that had been taken at the cottage, Bess wondered how they had turned out. She had forgotten to ask and realised after she had left the woods.

Now though, necklaces and crying girls were on her mind, along with the face of Patrick. But there was something strange about the whole situation. It was odd that she had come across two sets of twins with both of the girls either losing a necklace or looking for one that was lost. Plus there was the cottage. She had taken her brother into the woods and the cottage had been rundown. Patrick and Grace were nowhere to be found that day. In fact, it looked as though nobody had lived there for a long time. Was it the kissing gate? Perhaps it was some sort of portal, or worm hole. After the last mystery, Bess had done quite a bit of reading on time travel and although it wasn't really clear, she understood it more now. But she still wasn't sure if it was really possible and she was a little sceptical of the entire adventure to date.

Waiting until her family were all asleep wasn't difficult, the thought of seeing Patrick again kept her going. Outside, the light splatter of rain began. It wasn't a surprise, the day had become increasingly cloudier and cooler by the minute. Bess closed the window until it was only open a crack. Looking towards the woods, she couldn't see any lights or hear the faint sound of music that she had grown accustomed to. Perhaps the rain drowned it out. Bess lay down waiting for the weather to clear up. As it drummed on the windowpane, she closed it completely, and climbed under the covers to warm up. When the rain slowed, she would go over to the cottage. But the sound of the water droplets tapping away at the glass lulled her into a deep sleep and the next time she opened her eyes the sun had crept in amongst the clouds. Bess had missed her opportunity.

Chapter Ten

Continuing well into the morning, the rain came down in intervals confining Bess to the Bungalow. Every time she thought that it might have stopped for good, it started up again heavier than before. The last thing she wanted was to get drenched on her way to Kissing Gate Cottage and have to put up with rain hair and wet clothes for hours. Her brother Tom on the other hand had braved the elements and headed off in search of some sort of entertainment. Bored, she wandered restlessly from room to room looking for something interesting to do until the sun made a reappearance.

Remembering the book about the area Tom had mentioned a few nights ago, Bess began to peruse the titles on the shelf in the living room but couldn't find it. Taking one very tattered book from its place, Bess checked the inside. This was exactly what she was looking for. The spine was missing, and the hard covers stained. Age spots blemished the dogeared pages and it had a subtle musty odour. Listed in the front were the chapters and she ran her finger down the index until she came to the one she thought might help her, Kissing Gate Woods, page 86. Flicking through the book until she found the chapter, Bess sat on the sofa and began to read. She read about the gypsies who had lived in the area. There were some small sketches of people and also a drawing of the triskele, which surprised her. A picture of the cottage caught her eye and she read about the people who had lived there supposedly practicing all sorts of black magic. The house had been abandoned in the mid nineteen-sixties and Bess once again felt confused about the entire thing. If the place was empty and rundown, why was it that she could go and visit with people who had perhaps lived there in the past? The book was very old, maybe it was out of date or something.

"Bess, Maisy's coming over later to check out your progress on the pendant investigation. I just thought I'd give you heads up," Tom interrupted entering the living room. "Are you reading about that cute boy?"

"Shit, I haven't even had a proper look at that stuff that she gave me. I'll do it now," Bess said remembering the envelope containing the information, and the drawing of the missing item. "And no, I'm not reading about the cute boy. If you must know, I'm trying to solve a mystery."

Taking the book to the bedroom, she picked up the envelope that had been pushed under the bed a little and once again removed the contents. Reading what the grandmother had written, Bess paused for a moment. Although the drawing of the pendant had been done with a shaky hand, she knew it instantly. Opening the book to page 86 again, she found the picture of the triskele. They were the same. The necklace that had gone missing and rightfully belonged to Maisy was the same as the one that Grace had been wearing and had lost in the woods. Suddenly, Bess found it all very interesting, but was no closer to finding the pendant and no closer to understanding why she had apparently gone back in time. She needed to go and see Grace and Patrick again. She had never bothered to ask them what year they were living in, but now was the time and she had a hunch the twins were teenagers in the sixties. It sounded ridiculous, but to Bess, it made perfect puzzling sense.

Pulling on her shoes and a jacket, time was of the essence. Running from the bungalow through the rain that was falling steadily, Bess headed for the woods. Her leg still bothered her and the grass in the field was slippery, but this was important. As she ran along the path to the cottage, she could see it was in ruins. Picking her way through the debris to the front door, she peered through a window off to one side. On the table sat the familiar china that she had used on the few occasions she had visited the twins and in its position on a chair nearby, Patrick's guitar. It looked as though they had just left in a hurry and not even bothered to pack anything up. Glancing around, Bess knew there was nothing she could do about it, and she had a feeling she had seen the last of Grace and Patrick, but how did it happen? Why was it that she could go back in time and meet people who had lived there decades ago?

Bess wasn't surprised by the events of the past week, just a little confused about it all. It would be nice if someone came along and tapped her on the shoulder and gave her a logical explanation. Thinking sensibly about the events chronologically, she remembered the delicious chocolate cake she had tasted on the morning she had met Scott and Maisy. That was the same cake Grace had made or a very similar recipe. Bess was absolutely sure about it, which might mean that her friend Grace was in fact the grandmother who lived in September Cottage. The woman had said she was wondering when Bess would arrive. Plus there was the deck of cards she had been playing with. Were they the tarot cards Grace had used when Bess had first visited the cottage in the woods? Heading back across the field, there was only one thing for it, she would have to go and see the elderly lady. What if she was wrong though? The woman might think she was crazy and speak to her parents. But Bess had a gut feeling that Gran and Grace were the same person and there was only one way to confirm her suspicions.

Hoping she would find the old woman at home alone, she hurried along in the rain. The conversation might be easier to have if there was only the two of them there. Knocking on the front door of September Cottage, Bess waited patiently for someone to answer while she went through all of the coincidences in her head and thought about what questions she might ask. Grace had been quite honest, and Bess felt sure if she was right about it all then the old lady would answer truthfully.

"Come in," a voice called out. "I'm in the kitchen."

Opening the door and wiping her feet, Bess entered the cottage and made her way through to the room that overlooked the back garden. Maisy's gran was sitting at the table.

"Bess, it's so nice to see you again. Would you like a cup of tea and some cake?"

"Yes please," Bess nodded and sat at the table. She watched as the older woman set up the cup and saucer and poured the tea from the pot into the cup. Placing a slice of cake onto a side plate, she handed it over. Taking the plate, Bess smiled at her. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

The woman shook her head, "I don't mind at all dear. You can ask me any questions you like."

"Are you the same girl I met at Kissing Gate Cottage? Is your name Grace?" Bess waited for the answer.

Chapter Eleven

Sitting there before her, the woman stared at Bess for a moment and then smiled. "I wondered when you would realise," she said. "I hoped you would work it out without me telling you. I wanted to you know, the morning you came here with your brother. But I didn't want to confuse you. I had to bite my tongue and let you figure it out for yourself, and you did. I knew you would, you're a clever girl Bess. It's so nice to see you again. I've waited such a long time."

"But I don't understand how it can happen," Bess said. "It's just not logical."

"There are somethings in life that don't make any sense. You clearly have a gift Bess, and it apparently you can travel through time. There are those who say only a thin curtain separates the present from any other date in time, and it seems as though you can just pull it aside when required. Have you experienced anything like it before?"

Bess had and although news of the mystery would have circulated, the ghosts and other weird stuff had been kept a secret between herself and Tom. "Well, there have sort of been a few occurrences in the past," she admitted, not wanting to reveal too much. "But this time, well, I thought it might have something to do with the kissing gate. When I invited Tom along to the cottage in the woods to meet you, we used the stile at the corner of the field. When we arrived at the cottage, it looked as though it had been abandoned for a long time. So I thought going through the kissing gate might have something to do with it."

"There was a story my mother told me when I was a little girl. It was believed that one of our ancestors blessed the gate. She spoke of visions of the future when the divine portal would be needed to help the progression of our gift of foresight. My mother told me it was legend there would be one who could cross the years and that person only would be able to use the sacred gateway for the purpose intended. Perhaps that person is you Bess. It might well be the blessing was for you and you alone. I expect it wouldn't matter whether you took your brother through the kissing gate, the outcome still would have been the same and he wouldn't have been able to travel in time."

Bess sat there nodding but felt confused about everything.

"Our gift of foresight is one that can give us an awareness into what's ahead and although over the years it's grown weaker as we practice less, originally it was known to be very powerful," Grace explained. "I remember when you first arrived, I could tell by the way you were dressed that you were the one. The girl from the future who was destined to save our gift."

"I had a dream about some sort of ceremony at the gate, and the person performing the blessing looked like Maisy. When I have strange dreams like that one, it's usually for a reason, but I didn't realise at the time. I understand there was a legend, but why me? The whole thing, well it seems impossible. How can there be two of you at once?"

"I can't answer that question, but Bess, as time goes by and you get older you'll realise nothing is impossible," Grace said. "As the years pass, I expect your gift will grow as ours did and then perhaps as you stop practicing and life becomes more demanding, you may lose it again."

"So if you're the same Grace, then Patrick must be an old man by now," Bess said suddenly remembering the woman had a really cute twin brother.

"I don't know how to tell you Bess, but Patrick passed away not long after you first met us at the cottage. There was a storm, just like the one we had last night. He slipped on a rock in the waterfall while he was out searching for the triskele and hit his head. I found him the next morning and it almost broke my heart. I felt responsible. I left the woods and walked for miles, I had to get a message to my mum and she came home immediately. She wasn't angry about the necklace at all. It seems Patrick was right about that. My mother took me away for a while. We packed a few things and left the cottage and the memories it contained behind. It was difficult for both of us, he was such a lovely person. Soon after, we returned to the area and she bought this cottage, but I've never been back to the woods since. When Patrick passed away, a part of me went with him," Grace explained, her eyes growing watery. "He really liked you a lot though Bess."

"I really liked him a lot too," Bess revealed. "He kissed me you know. It was my very first kiss and I think if the circumstances had been different, I would have fallen in love with him and maybe even did. I'm not sure."

"He told me about the kissing, and I'm certain, if you really wanted to, you might be able to go back and see him again. All you have to do is work on what you've been given."

Bess didn't want to return to the 1960's. Now she knew what had happened, she didn't want to do anything that might change the current time. "I'm sorry for your loss, I know how close the two of you were. I don't think I'll be going back though. To be perfectly honest, I don't know how and sometimes it's best to leave the past behind where it belongs. If I did manage to get back, I might do something wrong and ruin someone else's future."

"You're very wise for your years Bess and I think you've made the sensible choice," Grace said. "Oh and I have something for you."

Bess waited as Grace left the room and returned with an envelope. "Go on, open it," she insisted and handed it to Bess.

Unsure of what it might hold, she wondered if it were some sort of love letter from the past, but as she pulled back the paper flap, Bess smiled. Taking them from the envelope, she looked at the photos one at a time. They had taken them in Kissing Gate Cottage, she had completely forgotten in the realisation that Grace was Gran. Patrick was so handsome, and she wished they had spent longer together.

"I wanted to give them to you when you were on your own. I'm not sure how I would be able to explain it to Scott and Maisy if they saw you with me when I was a girl," Grace told her. "It's best if you have them. Nobody else has ever seen them and I expect now you have them, nobody else ever will."

Fighting back the tears, Bess looked at Patrick in one of the photos. Thankful that she wouldn't have to meet him as an old man, Bess realised at the same time what a shame it was. Such a kind person shouldn't have lost his life at such a young age. "The cottage is run down now, nobody lives there. It looks miserable, almost as if there was never any happiness inside. Is that why everything is still in it? The tea set you used is still on the table and Patrick's guitar is still there. You must have left in a hurry."

Grace nodded. "We still own the cottage and most of the woodland around it from the pool at the bottom of the water fall to the kissing gate, but I can't bring myself to go back there. You and I both know what a cheery place it was though, and that's what really counts. But that's enough about that for now. Let's not dwell on the sadness. Maisy told me that you were helping her find the triskele, have you had any luck with it?"

"Not at all. The last time I saw it, you were wearing it and then you thought you had lost it on the primrose path," Bess said. "Remember, the three of us went to look for it? It's probably still there in the woods somewhere. Can you tell me exactly what you did on that day? I know it was a long time ago, but it's very important you remember as much as possible."

Pausing for a moment, Grace sipped her tea slowly and then took a bite of the cake. Sipping the tea again, she swallowed her food and then commenced with the memory. "This was quite a while ago so it's all very vague, but I'll tell you what I recall. I went out that morning because it was warm. I'd been baking as usual and I felt like a paddle in the waterfall. On the way I sat for a while beneath one of the big old oak trees because there were some tiny red squirrels playing nearby and I wanted to watch them. You don't often see them nowadays you know. Most of the squirrels around here are grey, but that's beside the point. When I set off again, I tripped on a tree root along the primrose path and fell. It didn't hurt at all and after I got up and dusted myself off, I didn't even think to check for the necklace. It was only when I returned home after I paddled in the waterfall I realised it was gone. That's when I began to panic and wondered at the time if it would affect my gift and the ability of future generations. I was awfully upset to think I might have ruined the legacy, well you remember how much I cried." Grace finished the story and took another bite of the cake.

"When you paddled in the waterfall, were you at the usual place, you know, the spot where we paddled together on the large flat area near the edge?"

"Yes, it was on that very same rock. I have no idea where the triskele went. I wish I could help you a little more," Grace told her as she poured another cup of tea. "Would you like me to read your cards again Bess? Perhaps there's a clue in the tarot. I've asked the cards on a number of occasions, but they might help us a little more if you ask the question."

"Not right now, but I'll be back again tomorrow, maybe you can read them then," Bess said looking at the familiar pack of illustrated cards. She patted the elderly woman on the hand. "Thank you for the tea and the cake and the lovely photographs. I can see myself out, and Grace, I'm going to find the triskele. Maisy told me I would, and I think she may have inherited a lot more from you than you realise."

Leaving the cottage, Bess walked slowly along the road towards home. She wondered what had happened to the pendant. The three of them had looked in the grass under the tree and all along the primrose path but they hadn't been able to find it. They had hunted high and low, but it couldn't just disappear. Although, her recent experiences told her anything was possible. Perhaps her brother would help her look for the triskele, but then again, he hadn't seemed to be interested in it at all and had fobbed Maisy off onto her straight away.

It was strange, now Bess knew the significance of the pendant, she understood the annoying girl and was sure that over the next few days that were left of the holiday, Maisy would become less annoying and maybe they could even be friends.

This necklace search felt like something she had to do by herself. But it would have to wait until tomorrow, right now she just wanted to get out of the rain and into some dry clothes.

Sitting on the bed after getting changed, Bess took the photographs from the envelope to have another look at them. Once again, tears welled in her eyes. As she tried to choke them back, emotion conquered her, and they spilled onto her cheeks. Holding the pictures close to her chest, Bess sobbed quietly for her lost love. Remembering his touch, his smile, his voice, his smell and most of all the way he kissed her, she put the pictures under her pillow and curled up on the bed. Patrick was gone and although Bess would never see him again, she knew she would never forget him.

Chapter Twelve

A different day weather-wise greeted her the next morning and relief coursed through Bess when she awoke to find the sun flooding in and not a cloud in the sky, perfect for the day she had planned. It was a brilliant blue as far as the eye could see and when she opened the window, warm air drifted into the bedroom.

After breakfast Bess headed for the woods again. For some reason, as soon as she worked out that things weren't quite as they seemed, and Maisy's gran was her teenage friend Grace, there was no more going back to the past. Even though Grace had told her she might be able to, Bess didn't feel as though it was the right thing to do. Besides, she might get there after Patrick's accident and she didn't fancy that at all. Returning to the cottage was difficult knowing she wouldn't see him again, but it had to be done. Bess knew the triskele was in the woods hidden somewhere amongst nature and she planned to find it and give it to its rightful owner so Maisy could enjoy the hereditary gift Grace was so keen to pass on to her.

Unsightly and dishevelled, Kissing Gate Cottage stood before her as if in agony, framed by the towering trees that reached out to each other with their leafy fingers as if to seek comfort from the pain projected by the lonely house. It was such a shame to realise it had gone from such a vibrant place to what it had become today. Perhaps one day it would be restored by Scott and Maisy or even a future generation.

Heading along the primrose path, the flowers stretched towards the sun with their tiny petals and although Bess had never been the flowery type, she liked the way they lined the route like a floral guard of honour. Everything she saw and did reminded her of him. Bess had walked along the very same path with Patrick in the moonlight on the night of the swim and he had kissed her beneath the big oak tree just along the way.

Stopping for a moment at their spot, she put her hand against the rough bark of the trunk and recalled what it had felt like. His hands on her waist and the touch of his lips. For a moment, she was lost in the past. Holding back the tears, she snapped out of it. Bess was there to find a missing necklace, not to reminisce.

Grace had been wearing the triskele when they swam in the pool at the bottom of the falls. Bess was sure of it. Perhaps it had fallen off then and they hadn't noticed. They wouldn't have in the dark. Removing her shoes, she crossed the water just near the edge of the drop, carefully leaping from stone to stone, and cautiously picked her way down the rocky path. It was overgrown now, and she wondered how they had managed with just the moon for light without falling over any of the rocks. But Patrick had held her hand all the way that night and helped both her and Grace to get down to the pool. Finally reaching the bottom of the sloping zigzag pathway, Bess stood at the edge of the water and strained her eyes trying to see if the necklace was on the bottom anywhere. Although the pool was crystal clear, she found it difficult to see beneath the shimmering surface and decided the only way to have a proper look was to get in. She knew she was alone. Nobody came down here and she would never have found the swimming hole without the help of Patrick. Stripping off, she left her clothes on a large flat rock they had used as a diving platform. Standing naked, Bess plunged headfirst into the refreshing pool. A sense of freedom overcame her, and the cool clear water felt invigorating against her warm skin. Diving down to the bottom of the pool time after time, Bess scanned the watery floor moving rocks and leaves in search of the pendant, but it was no use. Feeling slightly deflated at not finding the necklace, she floated on her back relaxing in the sunshine wishing she had brought some sunglasses with her. Bouncing off some sort of reflective surface in one of the trees, the sun's rays shone right in her eyes and Bess put her hand up to shade them. Thinking to herself the reflection was bothersome, she climbed out of the water and lay on the warm rock beneath the blue sky. It was heavenly lying there drying off and after a while, Bess dressed and took another look at the pool. She could pinpoint the exact spot where she had been floating by the shimmer on the water from something in the tree that was redirecting the sunlight downwards. Shading her eyes, she looked up to see what was there. At first she saw nothing, but as a breeze picked up slightly, it moved with the wind and Bess knew exactly what she was looking at.

Climbing the path towards the top of the falls was a lot more difficult than coming down. When she came to the branch with the lost necklace dangling from it, she reached out and tried to grab the triskele from the tree. The pendant was just a little too far away and Bess climbed onto a branch and inched forward slowly. As it came into reach, she pulled it from the place where it had dangled all of these years seemingly waiting for her to find it. The leather had broken, and it had become lodged in a fork in the branch by a knot that was still intact. Putting it into her pocket, Bess climbed out of the tree and continued back through the woods.

Wondering how on earth it got there, she guessed it must have fallen off at the top of the waterfall and Grace just hadn't noticed. The main thing was, it could be passed on to Maisy and the girl would stop pestering her and Tom.

On her way back to the bungalow, Bess stopped for a moment and stared once again at the old cottage. Silently it screamed with the hurt of abandonment and she left it so it could cry in peace. Still eluding her was the reason why she was the one who had been able to visit people who no longer lived there. It was the one part of the mystery Bess would probably never be able to solve. All she knew was for some reason she was lucky enough to do so.

When she finally returned to the bungalow, lunch was almost on the table and her brother was sitting on the sofa watching television.

"Found it," Bess said dangling the pendant in Tom's face. "I'll take it over to Maisy later and she won't pester either of us about it again. Or her brother."

"I can't believe it. How did you manage? I saw the drawing of it and it was bad," he said taking the pendant and turning it over and over looking at the triskele that was tied to a very weathered piece of leather. He gave it back to his sister. "It's strange that something so insignificant would cause so much trouble."

Bess knew the true meaning of the necklace and it wasn't insignificant at all. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you how I found it Tom," Bess said tucking it into her pocket. "What's this you're watching?" Sitting beside her brother on the sofa, Bess settled down to watch a program about how stamps were made. Ordinarily she wouldn't be interested, but the contentment of finding the lost trinket gave her a feeling of peace and she just wanted to sit and not think.

"Did it have anything to do with that weird run down old cottage in the woods?" Tom asked, as he sat beside his sister watching the television.

"You might say that," she answered, not wanting to give too much away. "I have something to show you tomorrow."

Later in the day, as the sun began to set for the evening, Bess and Tom went along the road to deliver the good news and the pendant to Scott and Maisy and their gran. The journey had been difficult with so many barriers. Feelings of jubilation and anguish fought within her as they both tried to surface, but she kept herself in check for her own peace of mind more than anything.

"I can't believe you found it," Maisy cried hugging Bess. She held it up to her neck and looked at herself in the mirror. "The leather is very worn and broken, I'll put it on a new one, that way it won't get lost again. I think I'll choose pink though. I prefer it to black."

"Where did you find it Bess?" Grace had been listening in and was curious to know where she had lost the triskele.

"I found it in a tree on the sloping path by the waterfall. You must have lost it the night of the midnight swim," Bess explained sitting down with the elderly woman. "Or it could have fallen when you were paddling on the rock at the top. Either way, Maisy has it now so there's no need for you to worry about it anymore. Your heritage is safe and clearly in good hands Grace."

"Thank you Bess. I'd forgotten all about the midnight swim," Grace said smiling as the memory invaded her thoughts.

In the smile on the old woman's face, Bess could see the teenage girl she had met in Kissing Gate Cottage. She would always remember Grace and Patrick and the afternoons they had spent drinking tea and eating cake together. Moving closer to Grace, she leaned forward a little. "We had a lot of fun this summer," Bess whispered. "I'm so glad I met you both."

"We did," Grace whispered back. "Now young lady, another card reading?"

Once again Bess asked a question, but this time it was different. "Will I ever really understand any of this?" Cutting the shuffled cards she watched as Grace turned three of them over one by one, the tower, the nine of wands and the empress. It seemed as though those three cards were destined to find her no matter what the date was.

"You know Bess, my daughter doesn't have the gift and I always thought it was because I lost the triskele. But when the twins were born, I knew straight away that Maisy would be just like me, and I believe she is. We owe you a lot. Is there anything you want or need? Because if there is, all you have to do is say the word and it's yours."

Sitting there, she thought about it. All Bess really wanted was something to remind her of this summer. Something she could look at and remember Grace and Patrick the way they were in the cottage and she already had the photos. "There's nothing." she said. "I'm just pleased things worked out for Maisy. But thank you for everything Grace. I'll always remember this summer holiday."

Chapter Thirteen

A parcel arrived at the bungalow the next morning. Only one word was written on the outside of the small package, Bess. Sitting at the table, she stared at the strange delivery turning it over in her hands. Maybe one of her friends had sent her something, but there was no stamp and no address, just her first name. Removing the string and the brown paper carefully, a familiar set of tarot cards was revealed to her. She had seen them on more than one occasion and although there was no note, Bess knew exactly who they were from.

"What's that you've got?" Tom asked sitting down at the table with her.

"These are tarot cards," Bess told her brother.

"Well, where did they come from? There's no address or anything on the wrappings, just your name," he said, as he examined the packaging that was on the table.

"I expect they're from Maisy and her gran. You know, for finding their pendant," Bess told him as she took the cards from the worn cardboard box and shuffled them. She wanted to learn about them and know their secret. Spreading them out on the table in front of her, she remembered where she had first been introduced and the real meaning behind the parcel she had received that morning. The legacy that was the gift of foresight had been passed on to its rightful owner along with a new set of tarot cards. The old ones had been retired to Bess to care for.

"I still don't understand how you found the pendant with the information Maisy gave you. A few lines from her gran and a badly drawn picture wasn't much to go on," Tom said. "I saw it myself and it was rubbish."

"I had a chat with their gran and went over a few things with her. She was the one who lost the pendant, so I just helped her to remember what she was doing at the time. It's no real mystery, but there is a really nice place I want to take you all. Let's go and get Scott and Maisy, and you need to wear something you can swim in," Bess instructed.

She went to her room and changed into the red bikini then put her clothes over the top. It was a perfect day for a dip and Bess knew summer would be over in a few weeks and she would be back at school with her friends. This might be the only chance to wear the swimsuit.

"Where are we going?" Maisy asked when Bess and Tom turned up and invited them to come out for a while. Not very comfortable wearing a swimming costume, she did so anyway after being pressured by the other three.

"We're going swimming," Bess told her. "That's why I asked you to wear a costume."

"There's nowhere to swim around here though," Scott said. "I should know, I come here to visit Gran a lot."

Bess just smiled and led the way through the kissing gate and across the field towards the woods.

"Wait, we're not going in there are we?" Maisy asked stopping in the middle of the field.

"Yes we are," Bess replied. "There's nothing to be frightened of. I've been in there loads of times and I think you're going to enjoy yourself."

Bess led the way into the woods along the familiar path and as the small troop passed the cottage, Scott paused for a moment taking a good look at it.

"Come on," Maisy said. "That's gross and it's probably haunted. I've heard music coming from these woods at night. I expect the ghosts live there."

"This is the cottage Gran lived in Maisy. Kissing Gate Cottage. She lived here with her mum and dad and her twin brother Patrick. He died looking for the pendant you're wearing. Apparently there was a storm and he slipped on a rock near a waterfall and was killed instantly after hitting his head. Gran hasn't been back here since," Scott told them all. "That's kind of why we don't come here. It brings up bad memories for Gran. They say his ghost haunts the woods and sometimes you can hear him playing his guitar. That might well be the music you say you've heard Maisy. Is this the place you asked me about Tom?"

"Yeah," he answered. "This is the place."

"Ew, it's all broken down, with spider webs and creepy smashed windows," Maisy observed. "Why would anybody want to live in something like this?"

"I think it would have been much different when your gran lived there," Bess said, remembering the cake and cups of tea she had enjoyed, and the pink roses that had decorated the entrance. "Come on, let's go."

It would have been handy for Bess to know about the stuff Scott had told them when she first started looking for the necklace, but she had still solved the mystery regardless. It was funny to hear him say Patrick haunted the woods. In a way, she did meet a ghost, but not a dead one, just a ghost from the past.

Tom smiled at her and kept tight lipped about the things Bess had told him about the cottage. Clearly his sister had been involved in something strange again and although she appeared to be keeping it to herself for the moment, he felt that when the time was right, she would be sure to fill him in on the whole ordeal.

Once again they followed her, further into the woods she led them. Along the primrose path that twisted in and out of the old oaks, avoiding the twisting roots that rutted the ground in places, towards the shallow water that ran down the hill. Bubbling over the edge of the cliff, it showered the rocks below splitting into individual rivers and joining up further down to form the glorious pool Bess was about to reveal to the other three.

"That looks dangerous," Maisy said peering over the edge. "We're not going to jump, or anything are we? Because if that's your plan you can count me out. I can't even see what's down there. The trees are in the way."

"No, were going to cross the waterfall and follow the pathway down the hill on the other side. Come on, hold my hand, I'll help you," she encouraged the girl, offering her a hand for support. Leading Maisy across the rocks, Bess was followed by Tom and Scott. "This way," she said heading down the hill on the overgrown rocky path. "We're almost there."

At the bottom of the fall where the water hit the crystal clear pool, the sound of splashing met their ears.

"Wow, look at this, it's really beautiful," Maisy said. "It's as if the elements have all come together to make this special place for us to enjoy. We should be thankful to Mother Nature for she has certainly blessed us today."

The others looked at her and Tom and Scott just shrugged, but Bess smiled. Maisy was exactly like Grace and the more time she spent with the girl, who had irritated her to begin with, the more she liked her.

"Let's get in," Tom said stripping down to his shorts and jumping from the rock into the water.

It wasn't long before the four of them were in the pool. Beneath the sun's warm rays that flooded Kissing Gate Woods, the water shimmered. Around them the breeze carried the sounds of the forest and through the undergrowth, small animals scurried from the noise of the children, tunnelling and hiding behind rocks for protection. The four elements, earth, air, fire and water, offered up their gifts together to provide the visitors to the woods the perfect place to enjoy during the last few days of their holiday in the countryside.

Chapter Fourteen

As the Hooper family headed back towards Endless Hiccup, Bess was much more comfortable sitting in the back seat of the car than she had been a few weeks before. Anxious to get home and see her friends, she checked her mobile phone again. No service. Putting it in her bag, she looked across at her brother. Once again he had fallen asleep.

Smiling to herself, Bess thought about the mystery she had solved. Tom had no idea. She had tried to include him by taking him to the cottage in the woods, but he clearly wasn't meant to be involved this time. This mystery had been for Bess alone and supposedly foreseen by someone long ago. She wondered again why these things seemed to be finding her. That was still one question she couldn't answer but searching for a solution could be a mystery in itself. Perhaps she could go and speak to her nan about Aunt Lois. Maybe there was more to the story than her mother remembered. It would be nice to know the heritage, if there was one. If not, well perhaps one day she would be able to pass her gift on, just as Grace had done.

Leaning against the car window, Bess closed her eyes and she felt herself drifting off. When she opened them again, they were pulling into the driveway of their home. The sight of the house was a comfort to them all and although it was nice to go away for a few weeks, it was even nicer to come home.

After unpacking her suitcase, Bess sat in her room and took the tarot cards out of the box they were in. It was definitely the same pack she had seen when she first met Grace and Patrick at the cottage in Kissing Gate Woods. Shuffling the cards, she remembered that important day, the day she learned about the triskele and what the three spirals meant to their family. Past, present and future. Bess wondered if she would ever time travel into the future, she had been to the past twice. It might be cool to see what she was like in ten, maybe fifteen years.

The night Patrick had kissed her under the old oak tree once again returned to her thoughts and as she flicked through the photos once more, she smiled. Bess would never forget her very first kiss and finding out Patrick had passed away was kind of sad, but at least she didn't have to meet him in the present day. That would have been sort of awkward, and also a bit creepy.

This was the second mystery Bess had unravelled and they both involved some sort of time travel. Realising it was phenomenal to be able to so, she wasn't sure whether Tom could. Bess knew he had heard things she had heard in the past, but he only seemed to be able to pick up on some of the stuff. It was obvious this time he knew something strange had occurred but was happy to wait until Bess was ready to tell him and she didn't really want to yet. Especially the part about falling for Patrick. Bess could just imagine the teasing when her brother found out she had kissed someone who was, in the present time, dead. It was nice to be able to keep some things to herself and not share them with anybody.

Putting the photos away with the diaries which had helped her to solve the last mystery, Bess was sure she would add to the secret stash as time moved forward. She wondered what was in store for her next.

In a few weeks, Bess would be fifteen and her brother would be thirteen. They would both be back at school and the two weeks spent in the countryside would be just another memory. She wondered how Maisy was getting on with the tarot cards and learning to make those delicious cakes. Grace had said she was going to pass her cooking skills along and Bess wished she had asked for the recipe. But she had exchanged mobile numbers with Maisy and could contact her friend anytime if she ever felt the need for chocolate cake.

Checking her watch, it was two-thirty. Picking up her mobile, she messaged Eloise and they agreed to meet in an hour at their favourite café. Bess changed her clothes and brushed her hair. She thought about what she would and wouldn't tell her friend as she touched up her mascara and wiped away a little that had smudged while she was asleep in the car. There was so much she wanted to share, but Bess was unsure of what Eloise would think. She would definitely show her the cards though. They could learn to read them together. Maybe even tell fortunes for others.

Meeting up with her bestie was the final realisation things were back to normal. Talking to Eloise about the friends she had made would be difficult as she still felt quite emotional after the news of Patrick. She had already revealed the kiss with him, but he was from a completely different century. Bess wasn't ready to explain how she had travelled through time to the 1960's and met the grandmother of the kids along the road who was a teenager at the time. It sounded really complicated, but when it happened it had been such a simple thing to do. That was another secret she would keep to herself and although she wasn't ready to tell her about the entire adventure, there was sure to be plenty of opportunities to involve her best friend in mysteries in the future.

Sitting in the café, the girls ordered and for a moment each waited for the other to start talking.

"Anyway, this boy Patrick, I'm guessing he was just a summer fling," Eloise finally said.

"He was. We live too far away from each other for anything to continue, but I had a lot of fun Eloise," Bess told her. "It was nice to get away for a while and although I resented Mum and Dad at first for dragging me off to Smackleton, once I met Patrick, it quickly changed."

"It sounds as though you enjoyed yourself, sneaking around in the middle of the night in the woods and kissing boys. This is one of those things that I can't tell anybody isn't it?"

"Yep, you have to keep it a secret," Bess said. "You should be thankful I even told you."

"As if you would ever keep anything from me Bess Hooper. I'm your best friend remember," Eloise reminded her.

Bess smiled, if only Eloise knew the truth about the secrets she kept from her.

"So what was it like, the kiss?"

"It was amazing and I'm starting to get a little embarrassed talking about it so stop it," Bess told her.

Eloise laughed.

"There's something else too," Bess said. "On the night that I kissed him, he wanted me to go skinny dipping."

"But you didn't, did you?" Eloise stared at her friend intensely and waited for the answer. Around them other conversations carried on and the hum of chatter made her lean forward so that Bess didn't have to talk too loudly.

"No way, but I did swim naked in the pool by myself," Bess told her.

"Oh my God! I can't believe you did that," Eloise said. "I wish I had a holiday like yours. It sounds fantastic."

"Anyway, what did I miss? What's been going on here while I was away?"

"Well, you know Olivia Pilkington, her cousin Samantha is back from overseas and they had a party for her. I don't know Sam very well, but Olivia asked me to come to the party anyway," Eloise told her friend. "Oh and I went to visit my cousins who live near Stone Arches. They invited us to visit for a few days. You remember Jack and Amelia don't you? Well anyway, it's really nice there and Jack has some really cute friends our age. We could go for a weekend if you like, there's plenty of room and loads of stuff to do."

Their order arrived at the table, and Eloise carried on with the conversation. Bess listened as her friend continued with the gossip about the goings on in Endless Hiccup while she had been away. Although only two weeks had elapsed, there was a lot to catch up on and Bess wondered if Eloise would ever get through it.

"Craig Watkins is having a pool party. It's a couple of days before school goes back." Eloise told her as the girls sipped milkshakes through straws and shared a plate of chips. "Shall we go? Apparently the pool is just one of those inflatable kiddy pools, but it's a chance for us all to catch up before the term starts."

Bess smiled. Patrick had chased Craig from her thoughts, but now he had arrived back to regain his rightful place and although she had misplaced him momentarily, she found him again with the mention of his name. "Yes," she agreed. "I think it might be fun." There was no reason not to attend the party and although Bess Hooper, the girl who could travel through time, didn't have the gift of foresight like her friends Grace and Maisy, she knew exactly what she was going to wear to Craig's pool party.

The Mystery of the Stone Arches

Bess Hooper the time travelling teenage sleuth is back and this time she has help from her best friend Eloise.  
When Bess has a vision of a crying boy on the night of her fifteenth birthday, she dismisses it after a few weeks when no other clues appear. But after being invited to spend a week at the home of Eloise's cousin's home, the mystery begins to evolve after she spots a picture of the boy from her vision in a frame in their library.  
After finding out that the boy, Sebastian Wescott, went missing in the forties, she joins forces with Eloise and her cousin Jack to try to solve the mystery.  
But can Bess help solve the puzzle and keep her secret?

About the Author

Born in a library, I was raised on literature and fed off the great and masterful writers of classic fiction. Now it's my turn.

After several attempts to have my work published, I'm doing it myself. Residing in the UK, I spend most of my waking hours researching and writing. This is my life and the characters I create are the imaginary world that hooks me in for hours at a time.

This series is just a subsection of my work and although I love fantasy and time travel, I'm delving into other genres. Primarily I prefer young adults or early teens literature, but there's always room for growth.

I hope you enjoy my work as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Keep on reading!

Sandra Maggs

Friend me on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/sandra.maggs.7

Connect on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-maggs-b6517532/

Visit my website – https://www.sandramaggs.com

Other Books in this Series

The Mystery of the Cornerstone

The Mystery of the Stone Arches

The Mystery of Wicklow Hall

The Mystery of the Vanishing Lake

The Mystery of the Cracked Wall

The Mystery of the Clock Tower

97

