Free Dragon Land by Maureen Reynolds Page B

book before hurrying to get my coat from the lobby cupboard.
    As we made our way down the stairs, Mum took her powder compact from her bag and looked critically in the tiny mirror. ‘Goodness, I look a right mess,’ she said as she dabbed powder over her cheeks.
    We quickly made our way to Dudhope Crescent Road. Milly lived with her mother in a flat on the second floor in the close next to the church. It was then I noticed with dismay that her window overlooked the old graveyard that Emily and I often dared one another to go into to hide behind a headstone. As I recalled, neither of us had done this, as the place had an overgrown appearance, with many of the gravestones covered with moss.
    It was a stranger who answered the door and we could hear the voices of many people in the small flat.
    Mum said, ‘I work with Milly. How is she?’
    The tall, thin elderly woman, who turned out to a neighbour, whispered, ‘She’s in a terrible state, poor lass. Her mother seemed fine when Milly left for work this morning, but just after dinnertime she was climbing the stairs after going down to the shop when she suddenly collapsed and died. It was terrible, because none of us could do anything for her.’ She leant forward towards Mum, as if she wanted to whisper in her ear. ‘If you ask me, she died of a broken heart because she never got over the death of her son and, of course, Milly’s lad as well. That bloody war has a lot to answer for.’
    I saw Mum’s face grow pale and I was afraid she would collapse as well, but she walked resolutely towards Milly, who was sitting by the fireside and refusing the offer of more hot, sweet tea.
    When she spotted us, she quickly stood up, and Mum hugged her as she began to cry again.
    ‘Oh Milly, I’m so very sorry,’ said Mum. ‘What a terrible shock for you.’
    I went and stood beside the window that overlooked the graveyard, and even though I was young, with little experience of life, I did recognise how terrible it must have been for the two women to have this reminder of death every time they left the house or looked out the window. Perhaps if the two dead men had been buried there, Milly and her mother could have comforted themselves by visiting the graves with flowers, but a son and a fiancé were now lying in another country and far from home.
    The room had become unbearably hot, which was made worse by the kettle boiling on the stove and another teapot being filled from it. One elderly plump woman came and opened the window before sitting down on an empty chair beside me. She began wiping her face with a large red handkerchief. She turned to her neighbour and sighed.
    ‘Aye, it’s a sad day for the close. I was just speaking to Bella this morning and it’s hard to believe she’s dead.’
    Her companion just nodded wordlessly and went to refill her cup from the teapot before retaking her seat on the wooden kitchen chair. ‘I don’t know what Milly will do now that she’s on her own without any family left,’ she said.
    I noticed Mum coming towards me and I felt relieved that we would soon be leaving. She spoke to the plump women.
    ‘I’ve asked Milly to come and stay with us for a few days, but she says she wants to stay here.’
    The woman said that the neighbours would all look after her and Mum said, ‘Thank you.’
    As we went out the door, I glanced back at the scene of mourning. It was difficult to see Milly because of the crowd.
    When we got back to Victoria Road, we saw Granny looking out the window, and when we reached the house she rushed to open the door. ‘I’ve been so worried about you. Where have you been?’
    Mum explained the sad news and Granny was shocked. ‘That’s terrible. How is Milly?’
    ‘She has all the neighbours in with her, so they will be a great help to her, but later, when the news sinks in, I don’t know how she’ll cope. I did ask her to come here for a wee while, but she wanted to stay. She could have slept in my bed and I