History Keepers 1: The Storm Begins Read Free Page A

overseeing the inevitable chaos of an installation. He was a big man, well-built and over six feet tall, and Jake always felt he just didn’t fit into neat suburban bathrooms. Not just on account of his size, but also of his larger-than-life personality.
    As he’d sat, waiting, two figures had rushed into the showroom.
    ‘There you are, darling,’ Miriam had puffed, trying to organize her cascades of dishevelled dark hair. She was an attractive woman with an air of voluptuous warmth and an olive complexion like Jake’s. She had big eyes, long, curling lashes and a honey-coloured beauty spot just above the corner of her mouth. Alan was rugged and fair-skinned, with thick blond hair and the shadow of a beard. He looked as if he might give a mischievous grin at any moment.
    ‘Disaster with Dolores Devises. Her overflow pipes weren’t fitted properly,’ Miriam had sighed with a glance towards Alan. ‘I had to give her her money back.’
    ‘I could spend all year fitting them,’ Alan had replied , ‘but Dolores Devises will never be happy with her overflow pipes!’
    There’d been a pause, as there always was – then Alan and Miriam had started giggling. They both had an infectious sense of humour. Anything could set them off, but usually it was a certain type of person: a supercilious bank manager or a pompous customer like Dolores Devises. They would rather laugh at things than let events get them down.
    Miriam had turned to Jake. ‘Now, we have something to tell you.’ She’d attempted to keep things upbeat. ‘We have to pop off for a few days.’
    Jake had felt a pang of disappointment. Miriam had tried to carry on cheerfully. ‘It’s my fault – got the dates mixed up. Trade event in Birmingham. Boring beyond belief, but we need to – what was it the accountant said? – broaden our range of merchandise .’
    ‘Granite and sandstone are very in at the moment,’ Alan had added sheepishly.
    ‘We’re leaving today – straight from here.’ Miriam had indicated a packed red suitcase behind the counter. ‘Rose is going to stay while we’re gone. Is that all right, darling?’ she’d asked softly.
    Jake had tried to nod, but it came out more like a shrug. His parents had started going to these trade shows three years ago – just once annually to begin with, but this year they had already disappeared twice, on both occasions announcing their departure at the last minute.
    ‘We’ll be back by Friday afternoon!’ Miriam had smiled, running her hands through Jake’s thick curls. ‘And you’ll have our undivided attention then.’
    ‘We have surprises planned,’ Alan had chipped in. ‘Big ones!’
    Miriam had thrown her arms around her son and squeezed him tight. ‘We do love you so much!’
    Jake had let himself be squeezed for a short while before pulling away. He had just been straightening his school blazer when his father had also grabbed him in a bear hug.
    ‘Look after yourself, son,’ he’d told him, sounding like a father in a Hollywood film.
    Jake had extricated himself. ‘Thanks. Have a good time anyway,’ he’d mumbled without looking at them. He’d then left the shop and headed into the windy street.
    Jake had sulked all the way across Greenwich Park, and had sat on a bench until it started to get dark . He’d hated not saying goodbye to his parents properly, but he’d wanted to punish them.
    It was not until an hour later that he’d had a change of heart. In an instant he’d forgiven them and felt a pressing need to get back before they left. He’d rushed up the high street, his heart pounding.
    He’d arrived too late. The shop had been closed, the lights extinguished. The red suitcase had gone.
    As promised, Alan’s sister, Rose, had arrived that evening. She was one of Jake’s favourite people – eccentric, outspoken and very entertaining. She always wore a mass of clanking bangles from her travels around the world. She was the type of person who happily talked to