The Hamleys have been married for too long. After raising three children and seeing them off to college and away into careers they've realised they have little, if anything, left to say to one another.\n\nTo combat this, they have become socialites. Wine tasting, costume parties, barbeques, charades - anything to keep the house full and the alcohol flowing. Anything to avoid being alone together.\n\nWhen they are forced to, they usually take the opportunity to go on a holiday. Mini-breaks to Majorca, cruises in the Carribean - whatever it takes to find something to talk about.\n\nFor this reason, they are very friendly with the rest of the neighbourhood, often making unexpected housecalls during the day.\n\n[[Go Back|Our Hero]]
Exhausted, she lifts herself back up onto the windowsill and crawls into her room, flopping down on her bed - out for the count.\n\nThe [[next day...|The Next Day]]
Emily Daigneau is a friendly old spinster who can often be found at the Hamleys' parties soaking up gossip and drinking herself unconscious.\n\nDuring the summers though, when her sister Rebecca spends the season working abroad - she takes in her two nephews, Greg and Harry.\n\nThe boys relish the time with their alcoholic aunt, who imposes no curfew and insists on no house rules. Though too young to join the gang across the street in No.41, they occupy themselves with their own endeavours and can likewise often be found in places they shouldn't.\n\n[[Go Back|Our Hero]]
Before she even has a chance to knock on his door she hears the heavy blinds across his living room window clack together and realises he's been watching her this whole time. The sound of heavy feet thumping across a hardwood floor draws closer - she has just seconds left to [[get away|Run home]].\n\nBut she is [[rooted to the spot|Rooted to the Spot]] by fear. In the back of her mind she thinks she can hear the sound of her fathers car somewhere in the distance, and even in her fear she knows she needs to [[get home|Run home]] before he catches her up...
The door swings open and there he stands, livid - a shock of silver hair and a stern, lined face. He seems a little confused by her and looks down his driveway, as if expecting some sort of ambush. But he sees nothing, so he grabs her by the scruff and yanks her inside.\n\nShe gets out a scream just before the door slams, and across the street her dad - pulling into their driveway - feels sure he just heard her voice. He looks across the street at Mr Malkin's house, and then up at his daughters open window - and resolves to head over and investigate.\n\nInside No. 39 she is fighting furiously against Mr. Malkin, who keeps asking her what they want with him, why do they keep harassing him, why can't they just leave him alone? She doesn't know what to say and can only flail against his powerful hands.\n\nOutside, her father reaches the front door and notices the scuffle inside. Through the stained glass he can see the indistinct shape of two people, one considerably smaller than the other, fighting in the hall. Then he hears her voice.\n\nInside, their melee is cut short by the sound of her father shoulder-charging the door. Mr Malkin looks confused, and she takes the opportunity to wring herself out of his grasp and run for the nearest door - down to the basement.\n\nShe hears the crash as her father barrels through the front door, and the wallop as he careens into Mr Malkin. Both men shout and grunt as they fight above her, her father demanding to know where she is. She edges back up the stairs to him, just as silence descends and she hears something heavy fall to the floor.\n\nWithout warning, the basement door swings open, knocking her off balance. She stumbles backwards, locking eyes with her dad for a brief moment before falling down the stairs, her [[fragile neck snapping violently on the stone steps]].
Tim and Martha McDougall are a solicitor and an office administrator who both come from middle-class backgrounds. They met 6 years ago, their offices were in the same building. \n\nOpting not to have children, the McDougalls instead devote all their love to their two dogs: Chip & Dale, a checkerboard Collie and a shaggy grey wolfhound.\n\nWhen not soliciting or administrating, they relish the chance to take their dogs on long walks through the countryside. Keen hikers, their weekends are normally spent in the hills with their two enthusiastic dogs racing ahead of them.\n\n[[Go Back|Our Hero]]
Her eyes shutting sleepily, she determines to wait it out a little longer - just to be sure her dad comes home. Just as she's about to give up and retreat to her [[warm, cosy bed|Go to bed.]], she hears a noise from somewhere in the cul-de-sac. It [[sounds like a whimper|Investigate]].
She crawls back in her bedroom window and heads downstairs to the front door, opening it slowly in case her dad suddenly arrives home. When she's sure there's no sign of him, she quickly sprints outside into the cul-de-sac.\n\nTip-toeing as quietly as she can, she makes her way up Mr Malkin's driveway, inching towards his front door. She bites her lip, suddenly very aware of how dark it looks inside the house and how dark it's getting outside.\n\nShe considers just [[going back home|Run home]], but [[then again...|Mr Malkin]]
She lives three houses down the right-hand side of the cul de-sac. There are nine houses in all, her whole world so far.\n\nThere's [[Mrs. Daigneau|33 Oakfield Grove]] on the left, whose nephews come to visit in the summers and tie a rope swing from the tree in her front garden.\n\nThere's old [[Mr. Sykes|34 Oakfield Grove]] on the far left, who doesn't come outside too often and whose grey tabby cat can be seen patrolling the cul-de-sac at night.\n\nThere's the [[Hamleys|36 Oakfield Grove]] on the right, but all their kids have grown up and gone away so they spend most of their time on holidays or throwing parties.\n\nNext to them is [[Ms. Somerville|37 Oakfield Grove]], who teaches at the primary school. She always has the best sweets at Halloween.\n\nNext to her are the [[Johanssons|38 Oakfield Grove]]. They have a young boy, Tommy, and his older sister Lisa - but Tommy is very shy and Lisa doesn't hang out in the cul-de-sac.\n\nAfter them it's [[Mr. Malkin|39 Oakfield Grove]]. He mostly looks outside from between his blinds, and she never sees him talk to any of the other grown-ups.\n\nBeside him are [[Mr and Mrs. McDougall|40 Oakfield Grove]], who have no kids but the two best dogs in the world - Chip and Dale. They're super smart and never leave the cul-de-sac so during the day they're allowed wander around outside.\n\nThe [[last house|41 Oakfield Grove]] of the cul-de-sac has been empty for as long as she can remember, and sometimes the older kids from elsewhere in the estate break in and hang out there - making noise and getting in trouble.\n\nAnd of course there's [[her house|35 Oakfield Grove]].
Laura Sommerville is a young primary school teacher. She moved to the are just a few years ago but quickly became a popular figure in the Grove thanks to her pasttime: baking.\n\nWhen switching off after a long or stressful day Laura will often bake cookies, brownies, apple tarts, cinnamon buns and other baked treats to bring with her into class the next day.\n\nHer baking became a regular feature at neighbourhood get-togethers, but it was Halloween where she really shone. Kids would often loop back around to her house two, three, four times in the night to get another of her Halloween themed cupcakes and homemade sweets.\n\n[[Go Back|Our Hero]]
She crawls back in her bedroom window and heads downstairs to the front door, opening it slowly in case her dad suddenly arrives home. When she's sure there's no sign of him, she quickly sprints outside into the cul-de-sac.\n\nShe walks up the Hamley's driveway, taking care to stay out of sight of their front facing living room - and comes around the side of the house too peek in through the kitchen windows.\n\nAll she can see is a bunch of grown ups standing around with glasses in their hands. One of the men, smiling at everybody, takes out his car keys and drops them into a glass bowl. She can see at least a dozen other sets of keys in the bowl. She hopes nobody gets confused later when they're looking for their keys.\n\nAfter determining this was not the source of the noise, she heads back out on the path and takes a look over at [[No. 41|No. 41 (A)]], [[No. 39|No. 39 (A)]] and back [[home|Run home]].
Tip-toeing as quietly as she can, she makes her way up Mr Malkin's driveway, inching towards his front door. She bites her lip, suddenly very aware of how dark it looks inside the house and how dark it's getting outside.\n\nShe considers just [[going back home|Run home]], but [[then again...|Mr Malkin]]
It's been a long time since anyone has seen Mr Malkin in person, but his eyes are omniscient and omnipresent from their vantage behind his thick wooden blinds.\n\nOn Halloween the neighbour kids know to scuttle past his house, and nobody has ever seen him open the door to anyone - be it postman, Jehovah's Witness or long-suffering family member.\n\nThough he keeps to himself and doesn't seem to bother the grown ups, he has become a sort of mythic figure to the children of Oakfield Park - a grim spectre they use to frighten each other, the subject of many a dare.\n\n[[Go Back|Our Hero]]
The scratched and paint peeling door is wrenched inwards and a bleary eyed, mohawked man stares at her. \n\n"What the hell are you doing here little girl?"\n\nShe stumbles over her question;\n\n"Did you hear a noise?"\n\nThe teen looks at her incredulously, then sort of looks around for someone to tell him what he's supposed to do in this situation. But there's no one else there, so he slowly, bemusedly, closes the door in her face.\n\nDisheartened, she looks over at [[No. 36|No. 36 (A)]] and [[No. 39|No. 39 (A)]] again - deciding whether to try them or head for [[home|Run home]].\n
She walks up the Hamley's driveway, taking care to stay out of sight of their front facing living room - and comes around the side of the house too peek in through the kitchen windows.\n\nAll she can see is a bunch of grown ups standing around with glasses in their hands. One of the men, smiling at everybody, takes out his car keys and drops them into a glass bowl. She can see at least a dozen other sets of keys in the bowl. She hopes nobody gets confused later when they're looking for their keys.\n\nAfter determining this was not the source of the noise, she heads back out on the path and takes a look over at [[No. 41 (A)]], [[No. 39 (A)]] and back [[home|Run home]].
Abigail
Arnold Sykes emerging from his house is a rare sight. Normally when he does, it's to retrieve post from his letter box or greet the delivery men who brings his weekly shopping. His customary walk is a furtive dart. There is a reason why Mr Sykes acts this way.\n\nFour years ago a group of teenagers broke into Sykes' house. This was part of an ongoing feud he had with them over No. 41.\n\nThe house at the end of the cul-de-sac used to be home to Mr Sykes' best friend, Ted Phillips. When Ted died, it was Mr Sykes who found the body and arranged the funeral - they having served together in the military and made a promise to do this for one another when the time came.\n\nA few weeks after the funeral, and after Mr Sykes had helped clear it for the estate agent - the house went up for sale. It was at this time that Mr Sykes discovered Ella - his late friend's grey tabby. Obliging and lonely, Arnold opted to take her in.\n\nNo. 41 remained empty for some time. Mr Sykes would watch Ella scamper across the cul de sac to spend time in it some nights. Gradually though, she went there less and less, until one day he realised she hadn't been in more than a few weeks.\n\nHe wondered about this and, one evening, set out to investigate. This is how he discovered the local teenagers new favourite spot - squatting in his late friend's home. Beer cans and cigarette butts strewn everywhere, and the disrespecful brats burning what was left of his furniture in the fireplace.\n\nHe tried to shoo them off, but they ignored him. And when they couldn't ignore him anymore, they confronted him - and Mr Sykes was forced to retreat back to his home.\n\nThat night he called the police, and though they came and evicted the youths - they were let off with a warning.\n\nThe next night the teenagers came back, but not for No. 41. They smashed Mr Sykes front windows and forced their way into his house, destroying everything in sight with golf clubs and baseball bats. Sykes, too afraid to go downstairs, just let them at it until they left.\n\nThe following day he installed heavy locks and reinforced glass and determined never to bother them again. And in his house he has stayed since, with Ella patrolling the cul-de-sac - hissing every time she passes by No. 41.\n\n[[Go Back|Our Hero]]
She crawls back in her bedroom window and heads downstairs to the front door, opening it slowly in case her dad suddenly arrives home. When she's sure there's no sign of him, she quickly sprints outside into the cul-de-sac.\n\nStepping across some broken glass bottles and crushed beer cans, she makes her way down the garden path of No. 41.\nShe timidly knocks on the door. A rough voice informs her to [[wait a minute|Wait a minute]]. Panicking a little, she considers [[running back home|Run home]].
As soon as she gets home from school the next day she changes into her runners and goes out to see if she can play with Chip & Dale before they get taken in for the evening.\n\nShe does a quick scan of the cul-de-sac and can't see them anywhere, but she knows they sometimes play in [[Mrs Daigneau]]'s garden, or scavenge [[Ms Somerville]]'s bins for crumbs, or harass [[Mr Sykes]] cat. And if not there, they're probably just in their [[own garden|McDougalls]].
Her bedroom is on the second floor at the front of the house. Her dad's bedroom is just down the landing but most nights he sleeps downstairs.\n\nThe house looks the same as all the other houses in Oakfield, only nobody cuts the grass anymore. There is a little step ladder in the kitchen for her to reach the food on the high shelves if her dad isn't home from work yet when she gets home from school.\n\nMost nights she watches the cul-de-sac from her window, sometimes opening it out full and dangling her little doll legs out over the widow walk. When she's feeling very brave she'll lower herself down onto the pseudo-balcony and sit with her head against the windowsill, enjoying the warm air.\n\nBut [[one night|One Night]]...
Leaning forward, she strains her ears to listen for the sound. She can't tell which direction it came from, so she scans the cul-de-sac for any sign of life.\n\nThere are lights on in [[No. 36]], she's pretty sure she can see the blinds moving in [[No. 39]] and she sees the door of [[No. 41]] closing.\n\nIt's getting very late now and her dad is sure to be home at any minute. She should really [[go to bed...|Go to bed.]] If he catches her out of bed again she'll be grounded and he'll get Lisa Johansson to come babysit her - and then she'll never be able to figure out where the noise came from.
As she heads back home, she hears the familiar whining engine of her dad's car. She quickly scampers home, carefully shutting the front door behind her, and runs up the stairs and is [[in her bed|The Next Day]] before he pulls into the driveway.
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Her father still wasn't home yet, so she decided to lower herself onto the little roof. She would see his headlights before he turned into the cul-de-sac anyway.\n\nIt was a calm night, no breeze, no clouds - just pristine purpling sky as she sat there waiting for the stars to pop out.\n\nShe could see the living room lights in each of the houses around her cul-de-sac, save for a few, and she imagined warm happy families within - glued to a TV screen. \n\nIt was so peaceful she was almost ready to [[doze off|Go to bed.]]. But her dad [[still wasn't home...|Day 1(Awake)]]
This is a story about leaving well enough alone.\n\nAll you have to do is leave it alone and [[she|Our Hero]] will be alright.
Unfortunately, your persistence got our hero killed. Please try again, and next time - leave it alone.
Stepping across some broken glass bottles and crushed beer cans, she makes her way down the garden path of No. 41.\nShe timidly knocks on the door. A rough voice informs her to [[wait a minute|Wait a minute]]. Panicking a little, she considers [[running back home|Run home]] and maybe trying again tomorrow.
The Johanssons are the most recent addition to Oakfield Grove.\n\nLaetitia and Lucas Johansson moved to Oakfield to give their son, Tommy, a chance at a fresh start after the bullies who plagued him at school started following him home.\n\nThey chose the Grove and it's sleepy little cul-de-sacs so he could have some peace and quiet, much to the annoyance of his older sister Lisa - who unlike Tommy was uprooted from a social life she quite enjoyed.\n\nLisa quickly sought out and befriended the local teenagers.\n\n[[Go Back|Our Hero]]
Danny O'Leary
This empty house is the source of a lot of consternation for the denizens of the cul-de-sac, most of whom have had to chase squatting teenagers out of the structure at least once.\n\nEveryone is looking forward to the day the building is sold and they won't have to deal those belligerent kids anymore.\n\n[[Go Back|Our Hero]]