"A Crime in East Hunsbury" short story competition winner

locked the door. The girls stayed as still as possible as they heard movement in the rooms below.

Do you think he's still there?” Sarah asked her sister, as they cowered behind the locked bathroom door.

“Don't know”, replied Kate,” but it has gone quiet”.

Sarah and Kate were house-sitting for their parents who were celebrating their 30th anniversary in London.

Whilst the family were close, they kept in touch mainly through social media. It had been a while since they had spent time together and a Pearl wedding celebration seemed a good reason to go "home".

The London trip was a gift from the girls. Sarah drove her parents to the station and would pick them up when they returned, as she and Kate were staying to spend some "sister time" together.

Back at home, Kate had rustled up one of their favourite childhood meals, fish finger sandwiches, followed by Viennetta ice cream which they had as a treat when growing up.

Something they didn't have when children was wine, but there was some Pino Grigio in the fridge so they had a glass each.

They spent the evening reminiscing. Overtaken by nostalgia, they decided to share the double bed in the attic as they had done all those years ago. This house would always be home, comforting and safe; and replete with those happy memories they didn't take long to fall asleep.

Were those memories soon to be shattered?

Shortly after 2.00a.m Sarah woke with a start. She had heard glass breaking and the back door squeaking as it opened, then creaking of the stairs. She woke Kate and they crept to the bathroom and

The intruders clearly thought the house was empty. Wardrobe doors and drawers were opened; things crashed to the floor.

Panic started to set in.

Why hadn't they set the alarm? How could they both forget to pick up their phones? Was it one or two people, or more? Would they come up to the attic?

The attic conversion had been done when Sarah and Kate were small and the stairs up to it were behind a door in the smallest bedroom. They had been reading the Chronicles of Narnia at the time and their Dad had added the door so that the girls could enter their own world through the wardrobe. Perhaps the intruders wouldn’t notice the door to the attic stairs.

A phone rang. The intruder spoke. “Yeah I'm in. No-one here. Only the small bedroom to check. I've found the keys to the Beemer, so you can push off”. “I know that voice” mouthed Kate to her sister. “So do I” whispered Sarah “but what is he doing here and why?”

The girls froze as they heard the door to the small bedroom open. The relief was palpable when they heard it close again.

The intruder had gone back downstairs and now sat quietly in the kitchen waiting for the girls to come down from the attic......

Thank you to Brenda for sharing her story with us - we hope you enjoy spending your £20 book token.

A special mention should be made for Alexander Hamilton, aged 7 for his entry “Mr Boone”; and Sophie Lah-Anyane, aged 8 for her entry “The Mystery of the Faraway Kidnapper”