A Greyhaven Series
Mulberry Close the first doorway to Greyhaven
When Lorna first arrived in Greyhaven, she decided she hated the town.
It was too quiet.
Not the peaceful kind of quiet her father seemed to appreciate, but the uncomfortable kind. Every sound seems louder than it should be. The ticking of the clock. The creak of the wooden stairs. The wind pushing against the windows at night. Her own voice is quiet, echoing in silence.
Even the birds seemed to keep their distance.
Her father had called the town a fresh start. Lorna thought it felt more like an ending.
Their new house stood at the edge of town, a small, weather-beaten place with a crooked fence and a garden that had been neglected for years. Her father spent most days unpacking boxes, fixing things and making phone calls. He rarely cooked and has been digging into his wine collection. She never saw him drinking. Her mother is the wine drinker, the connoisseur, her father always says, or used to say.
He was always busy, always tired.
And somehow, always somewhere else, even when he was standing right in front of her. It was as if this town, that seems even greyer than it's name, has taken possession of their joy. Most days the fog is so thick you can hardly see you own hand in front of your eyes. It comes over the ocean, then it consumes the whole town. Only later in the day, once the sun's rays are warm the fog disappears. That's when her father sits on the beach, staring into the blueness, silent.
Lorna had tried talking to him, at first.
But he seemed to disappear into himself whenever she mentioned the past. She so badly wanted to understand. Why did they need a fresh start? And why without her mother? The answers did not come.
So she stopped trying, she became silent like him.
There was no school yet. No friends. No one who knew her. And, strangely, no one in town seemed interested in getting to know her either.
She began walking, hoping to find more than her eyes can see. She walked along the beach, feeling the peace the ocean always brought her. She ventured into the outskirts of town, trying to find ... something.
Every afternoon, she wandered farther from home, exploring the narrow streets and old buildings of Greyhaven. That was how she found Mulberry Close.
She wasn't sure why she noticed it.
The street wasn't marked on any of the maps she had seen. It sat behind a row of old shops, hidden between two crumbling brick walls. A forgotten, quiet neighbourhood where even less moved.
There was a narrow entrance. And beyond it, a street that seemed to have stood still in time.
Old houses stood shoulder to shoulder beneath enormous trees. Their windows were dark. Their gardens had grown wild. Some of the houses looked abandoned, as if it's owners just gave up and gave into the silence of the town.
At the very end of the street stood a large wooden door. It was the most beautiful door Lorna had ever seen. Dark oak. Heavy iron hinges. A brass handle polished almost golden by years of use. This must be what a castle door would look like.
The first time she saw it, she simply stood there. She didn't know why. Something about it felt familiar. She reached for the handle. Then stopped.
A voice came from behind her. "You're not supposed to open it."
Lorna spun around. A boy stood beneath one of the trees. He was perhaps seventeen or eighteen. Dark hair fell across his forehead, almost covering his dark brown eyes. He wore an old-fashioned grey jacket.
"Who are you?"
He smiled. "Sebastian."
"Do you live here?"
His smile faded slightly. "Not exactly."
Lorna frowned. "That's a strange answer."
"So is coming here."
She glanced back at the door. "I don't know why I keep finding this place. I can't keep myself from coming here."
Sebastian looked at her for a long moment. Then he asked, "When last have you spoken to anyone?"
Lorna stared at him. "Yesterday."
"Who?"
"My dad."
"And before that?"
She thought. “I don't know."
Sebastian didn't say anything.
Lorna suddenly felt uncomfortable. Sebastian's eyes pierced into hers. “I’m going home."
She walked away. But the next day she came back. And the day after that. Every time, Sebastian was waiting. Sometimes they talked. Sometimes they simply sat beneath the old mulberry tree.
He told her stories about the town. About the houses and the people who had once lived there. But he never talked about himself and he never opened the door.
Then, one rainy afternoon, Lorna asked him why. “What is behind it?"
Sebastian looked at the wooden door. “Where do you think it leads?"
"Somewhere."
He smiled sadly. “It does."
Lorna reached for the handle. This time, Sebastian didn't stop her. The door opened without a sound. Beyond it was not a room. It was a light, a warm, golden light and friendly light. Somewhere in that light, Lorna heard laughter, a woman's laughter.
She froze. She knew that laugh. “Mom?"
Sebastian stood beside her.
And suddenly everything came rushing back. The rain, the headlights and the sound of twisting metal. She remembers her father's hand reaching for hers. Her mother's voice, calling her name, then darkness, and silence.
Lorna stumbled backwards. "No."
Sebastian caught her arm.
"I can't be dead."
He said nothing.
"My dad..." she whispered.
Sebastian's eyes filled with sadness. "He couldn't let you go either."
Lorna looked at him. “What do you mean?"
"He moved here because he couldn't bear the house you lived in. Couldn't bear the memories. He thought if he started again somewhere no one knew him, he could learn how to live without you. He knew how much you loved the ocean and Greyhaven felt like the place he would be able to find his healing. Your mom used to tell him about the town, she always wanted to bring him here. This is where her parents grew up."
Lorna shook her head. "I've been with him."
"No."
"I've talked to him."
Sebastian looked at her gently. "Lorna, he hasn't seen you."
She stared at him.
"He talks to you sometimes," Sebastian continued. "He sits in your room. He holds your photographs. He talks as if you're still there."
A tear slipped down Lorna's cheek. "But I am here."
Sebastian nodded.
"That's the problem." He looked beyond her, toward the distant town. “Mulberry Close is where the ones who cannot let go find their way."
Lorna turned. For the first time, she noticed something strange. There were no cars, no people, no children playing, no lights burning in the houses.
"Why is the street hidden?"
Sebastian's expression changed. “Because people choose to forget about it."
"What happened here?"
"Years ago, people began getting sick."
"The people on Mulberry Close?"
"At first." He paused. "Then it spread."
The town became frightened. People left their homes and shops closed. The roads were blocked off, Mulberry Close and this part of town was sealed off. People of the town abandoned everyone in Mulberry Close.
"Quarantined," Sebastian said quietly.
"Everyone?"
"Almost everyone."
Lorna looked at the houses. “So how are you here?"
Sebastian smiled. “That’s another story."
She looked at the open door. The light beyond it seemed warmer now. And for the first time since she had arrived in town, Lorna wasn't afraid.
"What happens if I go through?"
"You stop holding on."
"And my dad?"
"He gets to live."
Lorna closed her eyes. For weeks, she had followed her father. She had watched him unpack boxes. Watched him make coffee for two. She saw him sitting at the kitchen table, staring at an empty chair. She had thought she was keeping him company, but perhaps she had been keeping him trapped.
Lorna looked at Sebastian. “Will I see my mother?"
His smile returned. "That's why the door is there."
Lorna took a breath. As she stepped forward and crossed the threshold, she heard her father's voice behind her. His voice did not sound broken anymore, For the first time, it sounded free.
The wooden door slowly closed and Mulberry Close disappeared once again.
Sometimes, late at night, when the wind moves through the old trees at the edge of town, people say they can hear laughter coming from somewhere beyond the forgotten street. They whisper about Mulberry Close, too ashamed to admit their guilt.
And if you are very lonely, if you have lost someone you cannot let go of ... you may find a narrow road that wasn't there yesterday. At the end of it stands a large wooden door and beside it, waiting patiently, is a boy named Sebastian.
He will look at you and with a smile he will ask the question.
"When last have you spoken to anyone?"
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