N: Grimley Fiendish

Tracy stopped by the Post Office and looked in the window. There was
a children's bike for sale, a cleaner offering their services, two cars
for sale, a red Mondeo and an Austin Mini. Tracy was tempted by the
Mini but could not afford it. Then she saw in the bottom corner of the
Pin Board there was an old faded advert. The black ink of the lettering
was now web like and the yellow dye had left the black some time ago to
give the message and ecliptic appearance.

The message read, "room to rent in house, forty pounds per week, no
time wasters." Then there was an address, "22 Grimley Crescent." Tracy
had been looking for accommodation for months now, she was staying in a
rancid B&;B whose proprietor hated her with a passion. Tracy was the
only visitor for some time, she was sure that the proprietor, a Miss
Gorgon, didn't want any visitors, she seemed content to sit with her
cats and smoke. From what Tracy had seen the effort of having to cook
Tracy a breakfast seemed to be unbearable to Miss Gorgon. Tracy was
keen to find an alternative address, but in this City she couldn't
afford much. 22 Grimley Crescent was the first possibility she had
found and she was soon on her way to view it.

She found Grimley Crescent in a part of the City which was not too far
from where she was staying. It was a reasonably nice area, Tracy wasn't
too choosey, she couldn't afford to be. Grimley Crescent however was
different to the surrounding area, it was mostly derelict. Twenty two
was right at the end of the crescent and Tracy felt extremely lonely
under the Silver Birches that lined the fossilised street. When she got
to the door she stopped, the paint was peeling off the windows and the
front garden was overgrown. She opened the iron gate and approached the
front door, she thought she saw the net curtain move in the upstairs
front window, but wasn't sure, but by now she was spooked and was just
about to turn around when the door opened.

No one appeared. Tracy stood perplexed by her situation, she was still
going to leave, but something willed her to go closer to the house. She
stepped inside and was immediately struck by an intense odour. Tracy
was convinced something was amiss and tried to leave, she turned and
there he was. An old man of diminutive stature, he was scruffy and
smiling. "Oh, my pretty, how nice of you to visit."
"Get out of my way" yelled Tracy
"Oh but you can't leave, you have only just arrived!" Stated the man
rubbing his hands together.

Miss Gorgon paced the hallway of her B&;B for a few days and then
after cursing that girl Tracy to hell, went through her stuff and kept
what she wanted, the rest she threw away. In North East Norfolk where
Tracy's elderly mother, Edith lived, people asked her how her daughter
was getting on, but this was just politeness, Edith had been senile for
some time now and just grinned back at them.