Page 148 of In at the Deep End

Matt pushed his plate away with a happy sigh. “That was delicious. Callum was right about the steak and ale pie too.” He had a pleasant buzz going on from his second pint of Sleepy Dormouse Ale.

“There’s a cheesecake on the Specials board, if you’re interested.”

He snorted. “If I eat another mouthful, you’ll have to roll me up those stairs like a barrel.”

Owen wiped his lips with his napkin. “Well, we could go for a walk, if you like.”

“Do you have somewhere in mind?”

Owen’s smile was answer enough.

Alex appeared at their table. “Was everything okay?”

Matt beamed. “That was fantastic. And now we’re going to walk it off so there’s room in the morning for breakfast.” He pointed to the sign behind them. “Which also looks amazing.”

Alex flashed them a grin as he collected the plates. “No one ever goes hungry around here.” He walked off in the direction of the kitchen.

Matt pushed back his chair. “So where are you taking me?”

“Out the front door, for one thing.”

He followed Owen to the door by the stairs, and out onto the lane where they turned right towards the main road. Stone walls lined one side, houses the other, and there was no pavement. A stone church sat ahead of them on the right, and as they drew closer, bells began to ring, a beautiful melody that carried on the evening air.

“Must be practice time,” Owen commented.

They reached the end of the lane and turned left, then right onto the other side.

The Terrace was narrow enough to have no road markings, and they strolled along the centre of it, tree canopies meeting over their heads. The hum of traffic behind them diminished as they walked.

“What’s at the end of this?”

“You’ll see.”

Matt glanced at him. “You’re being very mysterious.” He hesitated for a moment. “Did you and Ben ever do this walk?”

“A couple of times.” Owen let out a chuckle. “He used to complain that all we ever did when we came over here was walk. When we weren’t on the bike, of course.”

“I’m going to bet you did something else too.”

Owen’s laughter rang out. “It’s as if you know me.”

Not as well as I’d like to.

It wasn’t the first time today Ben had entered the conversation, but on each occasion Matt had been the one to bring him into it. Owen had talked about riding the bike, walking along a beach looking for fossils, swimming in the sea…. He didn’t stay long on those memories, and Matt loved hearing them. Owen and Ben had shared six years of happiness, and he couldn’t imagine Owen not wanting to remember those times.

But every memory carried the same unasked question.

Where do I fit?

At the end of the Terrace were four houses, and beyond them, the sea. Owen led him through a gate and then stopped. He pointed to the edge of the cliff.

“Can you see what that is?”

Matt peered at it. “Wait… that looks like…” He blinked. “It looks like a door step. You know, in front of someone’s house.”

Owen nodded. “That’s exactly what it is. Once upon a time, a house stood there. But on this side of the island, the land gets eroded at a pace of one metre per year. And the land where the house stood is no more.” Then he pointed to the right. “Now look over there.”

Matt wandered over, and found himself staring at the cliff edge where it met the shingle-covered beach. It looked like a huge scar in the landscape, the land slumped, almost like a disused quarry. Then he spied bits of masonry, parts of brick walls, things that had no place being there.