Chapter 21

Elizabeth traipsed up the shrubbery path with much determination and for a second there she imagined Jasper waiting for her with a shot gun in his hand, but to her relief the ranch was emptier as always. Elizabeth never saw the full landscape of the old house beside the ranch. It was covered by tall grass and the roof and porch that was exposed to the eyes almost made it seem as if it was a part of the shed. The fence gate had a flimsy lock of wood slanted across that was shredding away from existence. She didn’t have to open the latch, as she could easily hop over it, but a dominant paranoid part of her resisted her from leaping over onto anything no matter how welcoming they looked.

The creaky fence opened to the dry pasture and the paddock, and from the fence gate a vaguely detectable wooden pathway made to look like ladder steps led towards the house where the wood had sunken into the ground and wild roots sprouted around them. It was truly the ruins of a forgotten utopia.