Poppy Blake - The Windmill Café - Autumn Leaves

‘I think Steph might have other destinations on her list before Athens,’ laughed Rick, the chairman of the Myth Seekers Society and the person who had organized the trip to Norfolk. ‘Especially if you’re going to drone on and on at her like you did with us about the type of scaffolding the ancient Greeks are supposed to have invented. Oh, and you might like to avoid all topics relating to the Greek waste management system, the poor air quality in Greece’s largest city, and where to buy the cheapest film for your camera, if you don’t want Steph to slit her wrists from boredom.’

Rosie stared at Rick, taken aback by his rudeness and the jeering tone he had used to speak to one of his friends and fellow enthusiasts. What shocked her the most, however, was that no one challenged his boorish behaviour.

Nevertheless, when she chanced a quick glance from beneath her eyelashes at Phil, she could see his cheeks had reddened and his shoulders drooped a few inches. He detached himself from the group, lined up a few photographs, and then took out his notebook to record some notes with the stub of a pencil he kept behind his ear. Rosie’s heart gave a nip of sympathy and she resolved to have a chat with Phil about his hobbies and, if she got the chance, to ask him about Rick’s offensive attitude.

‘Right, is everyone ready for an Ultimate Adventure?’ asked Matt, coming to stand in front of the assembled crowd like Bear Grylls’ younger brother with a beaming Freddie as his right-hand man.

‘Yes,’ chorused the group, minus one voice – Rosie’s.

‘Let’s go, then!’ declared Matt before leading the way along a well-trodden footpath through the woodland that encircled the outward-bound centre.

Rosie took up the rear, just behind a chattering Mia and Freddie, with the enthusiasts up front with Matt so they could get the most from his running commentary on the variety of flora and fauna that could be found in the local area.

Once she got into her stride, Rosie realized she was actually quite enjoying herself. She had never even considered taking a walk through the trees at night – for obvious reasons – and this was one way of being able to do that safely. And October was a good month to experience everything that the Willerby countryside had to offer because all around her the autumnal woodland architecture excelled itself. Ancient oaks stood tall next to sturdy sycamores dressed in leaves of russet brown, burnt orange and dark gold. Vibrant red berries dangled from the branches of the rowan trees like fairy lights and tiny toadstools poked their heads through the carpet of mulch adding their pretty faces to the visual medley.

When the group eventually left the woodland behind them and started their hike across the fields to where they would be camping that night, Rosie sighed with pleasure. The vista laid out before them, bathed in the silvery light of the moon, was enough to impress even the most jaded of sceptics. She had to accept that, once again, Matt had been right about challenging herself to try new things. She experienced a sudden surge of energy and picked up her walking speed to a trot to join him at the head of the group.

Maybe this wild camping expedition was going to be fun after all, she thought. Until she stubbed the toe of her unfamiliar hiking boot on a large stone protruding from the path and was catapulted to the ground with a loud umph .

‘Enjoying yourself?’ asked Matt, a cheeky glint of amusement dancing in his bright blue eyes as he stuck out his hand to help her back up.

‘I was.’

Rosie grimaced as she tried to untangle a sprig of dried-out grass from her bushy hair – glamorous, it wasn’t! Now that they were out in the open, the calm night air of the forest had morphed into an insistent breeze sending a helix of leaves and twigs into their path. Her fall had knocked the stuffing out of her and sent her spirits southwards; her shoulders ached where the straps of her rucksack dug into her skin, her nose and eyes watered from the constant slap of cold air, and there was a blister forming on her big toe – and they still had another mile to go until they reached the clearing where they would set up camp for the night.

She met Matt’s eyes, recognizing the gleam of an outdoors fanatic. Clearly, he was in his element, enjoying whatever nature decided to throw at him, the more challenging the better. If she could have turned around and trudged back to the cosy warmth of the Ultimate Adventures office she would have done so without any hesitation. The only thing stopping her was the fact that everyone else in the party was having the time of their lives, not to mention the enthusiastic chatter about what kind of ghosts they were likely to come across before they arrived at their destination, Garside Priory, the most haunted place of all.

‘What in God’s name possessed me to listen to you and Freddie and agree to this torture?’ Rosie rolled her eyes and tried to laugh, but her voice sounded more like a hysterical hyena.

‘What’s the matter with you? It’s character-building!’

‘That’s complete marketing drivel spouted by masochistic morons from the comfort of their air-conditioned desks. It’s soul-destroying, that’s what it is! How can spending the night in a cold, damp, miserable environment with a bunch of outward-bound fanatics and dedicated ghost hunters possibly change my personality for the better? Now, on the other hand, if we had found ourselves lounging in a Jacuzzi, sipping iced cocktails and listening to the faint drift of jazz music then I could see how that might persuade me to build better relationships with my fellow sufferers.’

‘They’re a strange bunch, aren’t they?’ said Matt, lowering his voice as he fell into stride next to Rosie to allow Freddie and Mia to take the lead.

‘I’m so glad you said that. Did you hear the way Rick spoke to Phil earlier?’

‘Seems like our chairman of the Myth Seekers Society has let some of the power go to his head. Before you arrived, he had a real go at Brad and Emma for not studying, and committing to memory, the detailed file of notes he’d prepared for everyone on the local folklore of Norfolk, and more specifically, the many myths surrounding Garside Priory. In fact, he was so annoyed at them he even threatened to introduce an exam before allowing members to put their names down for future Myth Seekers trips. Brad apologized, but I thought Emma was going to launch an attack for his jugular. He’s not an easy man to like, I have to say.’

‘I agree. Would you believe he asked me what the annual turnover was of the café? When I told him that Graham was the owner, not me, he accused me of lacking ambition, saying I should make it my business to know everything about the organization I work for, no matter how small and “insignificant”. It was the first time I’ve seen Mia lost for words and she’s avoided him ever since for fear of being unable to resist the urge to spike his coffee with a generous dose of rat poison.’

‘What’s his wife like?’

‘Oh, Helen’s lovely! She visibly cringed when Rick was interrogating me about the café’s finances and five-year plan. You should have seen the relief on her face when she waved everyone off tonight. If you ask me, I think she was really looking forward to some alone time. Rick doesn’t speak to her in that arrogant tone he reserves for everyone else, but he does tend to talk over the top of her, mainly to contradict what she has to say. It’s embarrassing, but I guess she’s just become used to it.’

‘And Phil’s wife?’

‘Steph. I like her, she’s like a mother hen protecting her mate. She’s the only one I’ve seen challenge Rick when his comments become overtly obnoxious. In fact, she took him to task only this morning when he called Phil a wimp for wearing thermals and telling him that real men brace the elements! I thought they were going to come to blows! I’m not sure why Phil is so often in the firing line because he seems like a decent guy, if a little obsessed with his camera. I swear he sleeps with that thing around his neck!’