Dream Cottage by Harriet J Kent Page B

and was thrust down into the hole, feet first. She tried to grab the sides of the hole as she fell but couldn’t get a handhold. She screamed as gravity drew her down and down until she hit the ground with a resounding bump.
    “Oh, shit! Heeeelp!” she shouted out into the darkness. She lay in a crumpled heap on the ground. She swallowedand tasted gritty particles of earth in her mouth. She made a face and spat out a clump of mud. She began to move. She was covered in dust, cobwebs, masonry and wet, claggy earth. The hole smelt musty and the air filled with damp. Greta felt across her arms and legs to make sure she hadn’t broken any bones. She flicked dirt from her hair and tried to brush it away with her hands. With relief she was able to stand without too much pain, just grazes and bruises from the fall. She looked up from where she had fallen and could see a small chink of light from the kitchen.
    “Just my luck,” she winced. “Trust me to fall into a well. Urgh!” she shuddered. Suddenly her fear of spiders raced through her mind; she clutched her sides in horror.
    “I bet there is an army of them down here, just waiting for me.” She reached for her mobile phone and turned on its light. She peered into the darkness; her imagination was running riot. She looked about her and could see countless cobwebs that had broken her fall. There were extremely large cobwebs. Her mind raced as she thought of tarantulas crawling from the inner confines of the hole. Or perhaps a gargantuan arachnid, larger than a man, with tree-trunk proportioned legs that could crush a human effortlessly with a thrash of its tentacle-like leg. She tried to compose herself. “I watched too many B-movies,” she nervously cackled to herself. Her mind recalled the severed hand incident and she shuddered. She held her breath and then held on to her shoulder. She dialled Max’s number. She was in luck. She could get a very faint signal; one bar. Max answered immediately.
    “I have done something really stupid,” she began.
    “Really? Now that is a surprise.”
    “Listen, I am in a hole…” Greta started to explain.
    “Yes, its called Greenacres Farm, isn’t it?” Max laughed.
    “Shut up Max, no seriously, I’m in a hole. I have fallen through a hole in the kitchen floor. I think it’s an old well. Luckily there isn’t any water in here. I haven’t hurt myself, too much, but its bloody dark down here and I think there might be urgh… you know what… around. Can you hurry up and get me out of here… please!” she urged.
    “I don’t believe it! Trust you to wait until everyone has gone home to do something stupid like falling down a hole!”
    “Spare me the lectures. I just want to get out of here. I’m lucky to get a signal on my phone.”
    “Yes, that’s a first! Can’t you try to climb out?” Max offered jokingly, he was still highly amused.
    “Don’t you think I’ve already tried to do that?” she angrily replied. “Not really, it’s a long way back up and I don’t know how stable the walls of the hole are. I think I’d rather sit tight until you get here. Then you can find one of the builder’s ladders and rescue me, like the hero you are.”
    “Okay, as long as you haven’t hurt yourself. I’m on the ferry now so I will be about another half an hour. It should still be light when I reach you. Just stay put and hold on.”
    “Well, I can’t go anywhere else, can I? If I freak out, I’ll ring you.”
    “Shall I ring your mother?” asked Max.
    Greta looked incredulously at her phone.
    “Do you really think I could cope with her shouting instructions down the hole at me? And the father would be down here with me like a shot. No, I think I’d prefer to wait. It seems the safest option.” As Greta spoke, a steady line of sand and dust cascaded down the walls. Looking around her, she swallowed slowly. “Just hurry up, Max. Please!”
    “I’ll hang fire on the takeaway then. Till we have got you out