From Banbury I took a bus. “Angelfield?” said to Angelfield. Not yet, any be different .”

    ‘Are then?“

    ‘Some old ruin to be a fancy el. t run a bus taff, but for no you can do is get off at t a mile, I reckon.“

    t mucreet reet. I  a dozen cottages, built in pairs. inctive feature stood out—a large yeree, a c for t part eacs neatly embroidered tcs rained artistry in its bricks neighbor like a mirror image.

    ttage  onto fields t ly defined udded rees. Farto my map,  as suc t tered for traffic, eit I sail I passed t cottage and came to a combined post office and general store.

    to topped at t-box. Small and fair, sruggling to stick stamps onto envelopes  dropping tucked under o put  taco a post at t to take er’s  sed. “I can do it! I can do it!” Sood on tiptoe and stretcestations, tossed to it and carried it across the road.

    ‘I told you so!“

    Boturned and launco a dased to a  ically so t t so close. I stooped to pick up t out too take it,  to step foruck  to bar her way and called, “Mum!”

    tcbox  , tom. Let ake it.” took t looking at me. “Say trained voices, turned time ted er up to reac me again, eyeing my camera y.

    Angelfield  a place where I could be invisible.

    Surned to follo totages.

    I chem go.

    ttaccion at random, made unpredictable celepaty. to tly familiar. I’d o c, fearful t t turn and catcaring, I pulled myself away.

    After a feo viees t only closed but o ts of ivy t  of te metales, a pale stone arc s sides extending into terate reader t I am, I couldn’t resist; I clambered t grass to read it. But it ice. truction company  beneat, tains tly darker but not mucure. It ing, but t by months of sunshine.

    Preparing to o find a eps e set in a  a latco fasten it. In an instant I was inside.

    t no erspersed  led in a long curve to a small stone and flint ce, trees and s obscured t busing for space and at t grass and o hey could find.

    I o in Victorian times, it retained ty of its medieval origins. Small and neat, its spire indicated tion of  trying to pierce a . tioned at te and toa t ep, til at last tone t racks.

    t at an a  at all clear   ougo meet its arriving visitors face-on, but at t minute couldn’t repress to turn back and gaze upon t terraces. tor  not by a  by a cold shoulder.

    ts of its appearance. trical construction. t bays, eacories ood out from tall and er. In t of t, no ts neig and rigrade tried to e arcecture toget ting stone, a partial bay, an aoo muc; it disappeared only to start up again tacle. Above trade tourrets and cacks, the color of honey.

    A ruin? Most of tone looked as clean and as fres e stoneurrets looked a little rading  all t  t, birds flying around its to, I y at all in imagining ted.

    t my glasses on, and realized.

    ty of glass and tted or burned a diving do. t  a  only a shell.

    I took my glasses off again and ted to an intact Elizabet one get a sense of brooding menace if ted indigo and t against today’s cloudless blue tself.

    A barrier stretctaco it ice. Danger. Keep Out. Noticing a join in tions  lodged togeted a panel, slipped inside and pulled it to behind me.

    Skirting to t of t and second bays, six broad, loeps led up to a paneled double door. teps als, on  cats carved out of some dark, poliserial. tions of tomy , running my fingers over one, I ed fur, artled by tone.

    It   fire-staining. Percall enougo peer inside.  I sa to bloom in my c. to all, in t of a room. t my parents’  Miss inter’s are all very different, tain elements, elements t remain constant in all places and for all people. Even a temporary encampment o protect it from ts, space for a person to enter, move about, and leave, and somet permits you to distinguisside. .

    Beams  one end only so t t to rest on tinguiserial t filled to ts   seeds; snoer branc. Like a pattern on o a dark tunnel. Four tall ill intact, but instead of seeing a ceiling, I say space before anot tunnel was lighe sky.

    Not even a g could survive here.

    It  impossible to t once tings. C up ed by t  been, this room? A drawing room, a music room, a dining room?

    I squinted at tuff  of tuff t  my eye. I aken it at first for a  it  t appeared to taco t regular intervals, to s in ttac rig, tions ill present.

    Knoingled in my spine.

    ture and ure was a library.

    In a moment I he glassless window.

    Carefully I made my esting my footing at every step. I peered into corners and dark crevices, but t t I ed any—tions. But I  been able to help looking.

    For a fees I concentrated on my pograpook ss of timber planks t used to s massive frame.

    trying to get t picture of t stone fireplace, I , leaning sliged my sligbeat. as it somet? ed deep in t of rubble beneat? But no. It o to step through.

    I side. taircase, being made of stone, act. A broad srades nos arcecture o a s its base. A kind of fancy upside-dorophe.

    taircase led to a gallery t must once ire rance o one side to tone floor belo complete. tiges of a ained but intact; a floor; doors even. It  part of t appeared to ruction. It looked like somewhere you could live.

    I took a feures and testing eac before sing my he corridor.

    t door opened onto a s fresdoors air.

    I pulled termined not to be unnerved by tc all time, I came to the second door.

    I turned t the door swing open.

    t!

    My sister!

    Almost I took a step toward her.

    Almost.

    t and tarniss t looked like ink.

    I looked doo t to step onto. ty feet onto one flags.

    I kneill my  continued its frenzy. I raised my eyes again, and te-faced ain figure trembling inside the old frame.

    Sood, oo do ep foro take it. And  not be t solution, all told, to do t and at last rejoin her?

    and tc for me?

    ‘No,“ I ill her arm beckoned me. ”I’m sorry.“ her arm slowly fell.

    took a pograph of me.

    I . I knoried.

    I stood er  I  in tory anymore. s indoor rain and trick mirror  its interest for me.

    I o take pograp even t. I o tore. I elepaxi. Go to tation and from there home.

    All te. For time being, I ed to stay like t t to ing for tears to pass and my  to calm itself.

    I ed.

    to to turn of its own accord.