Steven:

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Alice has been missing for a while now. A real tragedy. The police say it’s not looking good, that she most likely wouldn’t make it this long on her own. Family’s devastated, obviously. Stood there on the doorstep crying. Heart breaking. I went round offered my condolences. It's always rough when someone you know dies. Hard to adjust to a different life, you know, them not being there. I went round and said I hoped they were feeling okay, which obviously they weren't, but I didn't want to go on about it. Too soon for all that. They invited me in, and offered a coffee, and we talked about it. She was seventy-three. They said she was struggling to get around a bit, and her sight was going, but other than that she was doing well so they don’t know what happened. She just wondered off and hasn’t come back. “Shocked us all” Danny said. Danny's her kid. I say kid, he's forty-eight, so he's her adult, I guess. Although that makes him sound like a carer. Which I suppose he is. They’ve both lived here as long as I have, and goodness knows how much longer. Danny got a girlfriend a few years back, who moved in with him not too long ago. They both took care of his mum. Hell of a commitment. They do all the washing, and the cooking. I could see them hanging out the laundry some evenings. She's not too bad looking, Danny's girl. Sophia, her name is. Younger than him, but not too much younger. Not worryingly. 

 

I liked Alice. I know it's one of those things that people just say, but I really did. It is a shame. She really was a good person. She kept herself to herself. I mean she did all the local community activities, all the knitting and tea nights, and stuff at the town hall, but I didn't go to those. It’s all old people, and I don't like crowds too much. They make me uncomfortable.

 

She's been over here a few times, Alice, with leftovers and stuff. She liked the conversation, I think. She always tried to come in for a bit of a gossip. I don't really like having visitors. The house isn't in a good state for guests. She always took it well. “Got to get back anyway,” she said “Bake Off’s on”, and then she'd go off in her slippers and dressing gown. I'm sure Sophia made extra food. From what I can see, she can't eat much. Danny's got a bit of a belly on him, but she must know how much he eats. I don't think Alice ate much, so why the leftovers? Could be to give Alice a reason to get out of the house. It could be because Sophia's secretly in love with me, and wants to make sure I'm eating well.

 

I guess I'll never know.

 

I can't imagine I'll talk to them much anymore. Not that I ever did really, just polite small talk. Alice was the bridge between us. She was only a little thing, around five foot, curly, grey hair, small glasses that sat at the end of her little, rounded nose, always centimeters from falling off her face. I think her failing sight made her other senses heightened, like a bat. She could always tell the temperature of a room to the degree never complained that it was too hot, or too cold, she just knew it. Like it was trivial, like anyone can do it. Her hearing was top notch as well. She could hear the postman or the bin lorry coming from a mile off. She always stood in the door and waved at them.

 

Last week, she came round to drop off a shepherd's pie from the night before, when she asked about the smell from my house. She said it seemed worse. She mentioned it sometimes but I always changed the topic. I couldn't smell anything. I know it exists, obviously, but I think I've adjusted to it by now. It's been around a while, I just don't like talking about it. She said it seemed like it was coming from the basement. I know it's coming from the basement. I tried to change the subject as usual, but she just wouldn't let it go. She kept saying I needed to get it checked, to get someone around to have a look at it, clean it out. She tried to get past me, kept pushing it and pushing it and pushing it and wouldn't take no for an answer. 

 

I tried to get her out. I made my excuses and said that I had jobs to be doing. I turned around for just a fraction of a moment, just to put the pie down on the side, and when I turned back…she’d reached the basement door.

 

More than that, actually. She’d opened it.

 

Even I don't open it unless I have to. It's not a nice thing to see.

 

All those faces staring back from the darkness.

 

She went pale as she looked at me with eyes that had stared straight into the soul of death, and I knew right then and there…I knew I didn't have a choice. I knew she couldn’t leave.

 

I liked Alice.

 

I’ll pop around again tomorrow see how they're doing.