Free Hawthorn by Jamie Cassidy

and I find that I may have made a friend. Jen is funny and straightforward. I like her a lot.
    “So tell me about the rumours.”
    She leans forward and lowers her voice. “Well, they say that Karen Henry’s wife, murdered their newborn and then killed herself. They say she went crazy. She believed that the little people had taken her baby, and if she killed the one they had left her with they would bring back her real child. Obviously, once the baby was dead there was no coming back from it. Once she realised what a mistake she’d made, she was overcome with grief and guilt and she killed herself, threw herself into the sea off the cliffs by Learmonth House.”
    “Little people?”
    “You know, the fair folk, the good neighbours.”
    I stare blankly at her.
    She rolls her eyes. “Fairies,” she whispers. “But you don’t say that word around here. It’s considered bad luck, they say. If you say it then you summon them.”
    “You believe all this stuff?”
    “I don’t know. When I first moved here I thought it was kinda cool, you know? I mean, what young girl doesn’t want to believe in magic? But there really is nothing magical about it. The stuff they believe in is dark and dangerous and downright creepy. Have you seen the horseshoes above the houses, and the Rowan trees in the gardens?”
    I nod.
    “Yeah, well that’s all to ward them off. There are so many little superstitions. I did some research a year ago and found out that the woods by the coast are made up entirely of Hawthorn trees and bushes.” She looks at me meaningfully.
    “So?”
    “Hawthorn is their tree, their vessel.”
    My mind jumps to the huge twisted tree with the mouth. I shudder.
    She smiles. “Have I scared you?”
    “Hardly. If the place was haunted or inhabited by…little people, I’m sure I would have seen or heard something by now.”
    “You got any babies up at the house?”
    I laugh.
    “Well, in that case you should be safe.”
    “You really believe in this?”
    She shrugs. “There’s no smoke without fire, right?”
    We lapse into silence. I can’t help but think of all the tiny little things that have happened at the house since we moved in, especially Heather’s imaginary friend and Danny’s fear. I think of the armoire and the giggles and the mirrors that paint the house and hide in wardrobes and under beds. It’s all too much of a coincidence, yet I am not ready to make such a crazy leap.
    “You want to come up for dinner?” I ask.
    She grins. “I thought you’d never ask.”
     
    Jen’s mum says she can ride her bike up to the house, but she’ll pick her up after dinner.
    The ride back up the hill passes so much faster in good company. We park the bikes on the gravel outside the house and Jen lets out a low whistle.
    “Nice.”
    On impulse I begin to walk toward the gate and the woods.
    “Where we going?”
    “I want to show you something,” I say.
    “Ooo! Intriguing.”
    We crunch through the woods as quickly as possible. I want her to see the tree before it gets dark.
    For a moment I think I have taken a wrong turn, but then there it is, rising up like a shadowy claw.
    “Now that is something.” Jen circles the tree. “Creepy, eh?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Have you?” She indicates the hole.
    I shake my head.
    She grins. “Superstitious after all, huh?”
    I open my mouth to tell her, no, that Sam stopped me, but for some reason the words won’t come. Instead, I say, “Come on, let’s get back. I think its shepherd’s pie night.”
     

23
    GEMMA
    Jen’s no nonsense forthright attitude is a big hit with mum. She even tones it down for the kids, which makes me like her even more.
    We are on coffee and the kids have been excused before she brings up the ghosts.
    I can tell from Mum’s and Jules’s faces that Karen’s fate is no news to them, but the rest, the little people stuff, is. Mum frowns a lot during the conversation. Jules listens with a rapt expression on her face. I can tell that