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PENNYWORTH COTTAGE

Pennyworth Cottage was a dark place of mystery to the townspeople of Heaen!s "oor#$eh%nd %ts la%sh& caref'lly(tended gardens& an 'nseen phantom l'rked# )ate at n%ght&

passers*y co'ld see a fl%cker%ng shadow %n a s%ngle l%ghted w%ndow& *'t no one eer set

foot o'ts%de or came to the %llage for a cheery !hello! and coffee at the )o%n! C'p Cafe#+n a town where eeryone knew eeryone else!s secrets and scandals& they fo'nd s'ch an

el's%e f%g're 'nsettl%ng& a so'rce of *o'ndless spec'lat%on and c'r%os%ty##

Yet no one co'ld acc'se the cottage!s owner of d%st'r*%ng the peace w%th lo'd part%es&

*ark%ng dogs& or no%sy cars# No& Pennyworth Cottage s%mply e,%sted& tho'gh someone

clearly cher%shed the l'sh flowers on the front gro'nds# Old -oe .orr%s& an e,pert

gardener& once went there to offer h%s ser%ces and e,pert ad%ce& *'t was pol%tely t'rnedaway *y a sad(eyed ma%d %n cap and 'n%form#

Th%ngs m%ght hae cont%n'ed l%ke th%s %ndef%n%tely 'nt%l one damp& dr%//ly morn%ng %n.ay that started o't l%ke any other day#

$acon had 0'st *eg'n to s%//le on the gr%ll at the )o%n! C'p when a f%g're swathed %n a

dark cloak and low(*r%mmed hat p'shed slowly thro'gh the door& *r%ng%ng the locals!chatter to a s'dden halt# +n the s%lence& .agg%e H'rley!s fork clattered on her plate&

mak%ng eeryone 0'mp#

Pete Anderson& the gr%ll cook& t'rned and am*led to the co'nter& w%p%ng h%s greasy handson h%s already(sta%ned apron# 1Can + help yo'21 he asked cheerf'lly& as %f strange hooded

folk wandered %n eery day#

1.ay*e&1 answered the other %n a depleted o%ce that seemed dra%ned of emot%on#

Pete reached for a damp cloth and mopped the co'nter n la/y c%rcles# 1Oh21 Noth%ng

really rattled h%m& not een a hold('p attempt a few years *ack *y a w%ld(eyed dr'gadd%ct pack%ng a Colt #34# Pete had s%mply knocked the k%d flat w%th the *ack s%de of h%s

meaty f%st& pl'cked the g'n from the wo'ld(*e ro**er!s l%mp grasp& and sat on h%m wh%le.agg%e H'rley made a frant%c dash to the pol%ce stat%on# They had to carry the g'y o't

the door and st'ff h%m %n the s5'ad car& *arely consc%o's#Word went o't among the

lowl%fes of the town ( yo' d%dn!t mess w%th $%g Pete#

$'t no*ody 5'%te knew what to make of th%s almost otherworldly appar%t%on# A co'ple of

farmers who!d *een chew%ng the fat oer stock pr%ces got 'p stealth%ly and left w%tho't

pay%ng# Eeryone else rema%ned fro/en %n the%r seats# The hooded man2 woman2 ch%ld2stood s%lently& sway%ng sl%ghtly as %f *arely a*le to stand#

1Cat got yo'r tong'e21 Pete!s gentle pat%ence was *eg%nn%ng to wear th%n#

6%nally the stranger sa%d& 1He!s off h%s *leed%n! n't& he %s#1

1H'h21 Pete *l%nked conf'sed *y the $r%t%sh accent and odd cho%ce of words#

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The f%g're shook %ts head# 1+!e had eno'gh&1 %t sa%d& a l%ttle lo'der th%s t%me# W%th

trem*l%ng hands& the stranger reached 'p and p'lled off the hat# A dark mane of ha%r

t'm*led down and reealed a pale& p%nched face w%th large p'rple *r'%ses on one cheek#

Gasps of horror r%ppled aro'nd the room# .agg%e clapped her pl'mp hand to her mo'th

and retched#

1Yo'!re *adly h'rt&1 sa%d Pete 'rgently& reach%ng for the phone on the wall# 17%t down& +!llhae an am*'lance here %n two m%n'tes tops#1

$'t the woman shook her head ehemently# 1+ don!t need a doctor# + 0'st came to ((wo'ld

yo' h%de me21

1What2 Wht21

1He!s look%ng for me&1 she wh%spered# 1Please& 0'st for today# Then yo' won!t see me eeraga%n#1

Pete shook h%s head# 1+!ll gladly help yo' *'t yo' really need a doctor for those *r'%ses#1

One of the coffee(sw%ll%ng locals yelled& 1"on!t do %t& Pete& yo'!ll get 's all %n tro'*le#1

Pete %gnored h%m and sa%d %n a low o%ce& 1Come *ack here#1 He 'nt%ed h%s apron andtossed %t on the co'nter# The hooded woman hes%tated& and he sa%d %mpat%ently& 1Come on

now& we haen!t got all day#1

7lowly she edged *eh%nd the co'nter& and eeryone co'ld see she was l%mp%ng *adly# Pete

shook h%s head and reached for her arm& s'pport%ng her as he led her thro'gh the narrow

doorway %nto the k%tchen#

A *'// of e,c%tement followed %n the%r wake# People got 'p& scrap%ng the%r cha%rs as %f

they co'ldn!t wa%t to leae# 7oon the coffee shop was deserted +n the small k%tchen& Peteopened the pantry door and gest'red# 1Yo' can stay %n here#1

The woman hes%tated& then war%ly h%tched herself %nto the t%ny room& am%d *'ckets of

coleslaw and rows of canned egeta*les and stew# 6or the f%rst t%me& she sm%led& reeal%ngseeral m%ss%ng teeth# +t was a death!s head sort of sm%le and not at all all'r%ng# Pete

g'lped& m'ttered& 1Yo'!ll *e safe here&1 and sh't the door *eh%nd h%m#

He leaned aga%nst the wall and *lew o't h%s *reath# As he pondered the *%/arre s%t'at%on&

th%ngs fell %nto place# The woman m'st hae come from Pennyworth Cottage& where a

cr'el h's*and kept her a %rt'al pr%soner# No wonder no*ody recogn%/ed her#

Pete dec%ded he needed to call the cops# He went *ack to the phone and f'rt%ely d%aled

/ero# Els% 6r'mly!s t%nny o%ce came on at once# 1How may + d%rect yo'r call21

1Els%e& can yo' fetch me the cops2

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1Oh no8 Are yo' *e%ng held 'p21

Pete tho'ght& +f + d%d& + s're as hell wo'ln!t *e m'm*lng %nto the phone#1No& there!s a lady here need%ng to h%de from some 0erk# 7he!s pretty *eat 'p# Now

h'rry81 W%tho't wa%t%ng for a reply& he h'ng 'p and went *ack to check on the cloaked

damsel %n d%stress#

7he was gone# Not a trace of her rema%ned %n the crowded pantry# 7wear%ng 'nder h%s*reath& Pete searched the k%tchen& open%ng c'p*oards as %f a f'll(s%/ed h'man *e%ng co'ldsl%p %ns%de and h%de#

6%nally a pol%ce s%ren wa%led o'ts%de& and two cops *'rst %nto the room# They saw the

empty seats and e,haled& shak%ng the%r heads at each other 1Waste of t%me&1 the short onesa%d %mpat%ently# He t'rned to go#

1Wa%t8 + th%nk + hear someone#1 They headed for the *ack 0'st as Pete emerged& nearlycoll%d%ng w%th h%m#

He shook h%s head# 1Gone#1

1Gone2 Who21

1That lady# Came here look%ng for a place to h%de# 7he was pretty *eat 'p and dressed l%kePhantom of the Opera#1 He felt as %f he were slowly com%ng o't of a d%s0o%nted dream#

1Yo'!d *etter look for her or ne,t th%ng yo' know& there!ll *e a *ody %n a d%tch#1

1Chr%st81 sa%d Cleary& the tall cop# They took a few more deta%ls from Pete and hast%ly

left& s%ren scream%ng#

Alone %n the empty cafe& Pete leaned aga%nst the co'nter and p't h%s head %n h%s hands#Yo' d%dn!t see *attered w%es %n Heaen!s "oor ( %ron%c name %t seemed now# Or %f there

were& they were kept 'nder lock and key l%ke th%s woman# +t gae h%m the sh%ers now top%ct're what she was try%ng to get away from#

The ne,t day %t was %n the papers& and Pete *ecame a cele*r%ty# +t was the last th%ng he

wanted# 1+ d%dn!t do a th%ng&1 he kept say%ng# 17he ran away *efore the cops got here#1Eery t%me he recalled the *r%ef ep%sode& h%s sk%n crawled# $'t people cont%n'ed to ha%l

h%m as a hero& een as he tr%ed to r%d h%mself of those ha'nted dark eyes# The cops hadn!t

t'rned 'p anyone l%ke her& dead or al%e#

Grad'ally the f'ss d%ed down and eeryone *'t Pete forgot a*o't the %nc%dent# Three

months passed# One day a co'ple of k%ds pok%ng aro'nd %n the woods st'm*led oersometh%ng that looked l%ke a *'ndle of rags# They poked at %t and a *ony hand flopped

onto the leaes# 7cream%ng %n terror& they ran all the way *ack to town to report the%r f%nd#

And Pennyworth Cottage stood acant& %ts l'sh gardens t'rned to w%thered tw%gs andshr%eled leaes# No one saw anyone mo%ng o't# The empty w%ndows stared o't at

passers*y l%ke hollow eyes& rattl%ng %n the .arch w%nd l%ke *ones#

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Pete had started ha%ng a shot or two of -ack "an%els when he went home at n%ght#

Wracked w%th g'%lt oer not *e%ng a*le to protect the woman from *e%ng m'rdered& heneeded more and more wh%skey to drown h%s pa%n# People *egan to not%ce h%s glassy eyes

and fa%l%ng memory# He got orders m%,ed 'p& ser%ng *'rnt ham*'rgers to those who

wanted them rare& spaghett% to those who had ordered stew# $'s%ness waned& and he feltc'rsed# He was on the erge of clos%ng 'p the )o%n! C'p when one day a pla%n 'nmarked

enelope appeared %n h%s ma%l*o,# War%ly he opened %t and fo'nd h%mself look%ng at an'ndated check for ten tho'sand dollars& made o't to 1Coffee 7hop owner1 %n a shakyhand#

The s'dden reersal of fort'ne left h%m een more st'nned and d%sorented than the

ep%sode w%th the *attered woman# H%s oerta,ed consc%ence made h%m feel he wo'ld *ecash%ng %n on someone else!s m%sery %f he kept the money# +nsteady& he gae most of %t to

the local chapter of the Red Cross# He kept f%fteen h'ndred %n a 0ar for emergenc%es (

what k%nd& he d%dn!t know#

Pennyworth Cottage was *o'ght *y an older co'ple named Hartwell# They came from the

c%ty look%ng for a charm%ng& 5'a%nt place %n wh%ch to ret%re# They knew noth%ng of theho'se!s h%story& and no one was a*o't to tell them# .rs# Hartwell co'ld *e seen to%l%ng %n

the gardens& and *y s'mmer& h%nts of color and green leaes *egan to grace the *l%ghted

gro'nds# .r# Hartwell was an art collecto who en0oyed %n%t%ng people %n to see h%s latest

Rem*randts and .at%sse pr%nts# Grad'ally& l%ght and la'ghter f%lled the once(gloomyhalls& and the co'ple renamed the place 1Carpe "%em1 ( 17e%/e the "ay#1 Not *e%ng well(

ersed %n )at%n& locals tended to call %t 1Carp Ho'se&1 to the am'sement of the new

owners#

Pete co'ld neer *r%ng h%mself to set foot %n the re0'enated place& desp%te cord%al

%n%tat%ons from the Hartwells# He tended to dr%e two m%les o't of the way to ao%d

pass%ng %t on the way to work& st%ll see%ng those pa%n(f%lled eyes that for a fleet%ngmoment had tr'sted h%m *efore flee%ng to take the%r own chances# +t was as %f Pennyworth

Cottage had lodged %tself foreer %n h%s psyche# He felt possessed *y %t day and n%ght#6%nally he sold the 1)o%n! C'p&1 packed 'p h%s scant *elong%ngs got %n h%s tr'ck and

droe away from Heaen!s "oor& neer to *e seen aga%n#He left *eh%nd cartons of empty

-ack "an%els *ottles and a l%nger%ng legacy of w%ll%ngness to help a desperate stranger

when no one else wo'ld# People hoped that whereer he had gone& he wo'ld f%nd thesame#

7%' Wa% 7troshanep%anomama9::;