Page 11 of Secrets of Starshine
“Have I died and gone to heaven?” I mutter, rubbing my hands together.
“Maybe, who knows? My name’s Ella, by the way. I’m a pirate.”
“I see that. Is it a full-time gig, or just when the mood takes you?”
“Well, the rest of the time I pretend to be the village GP…that’s not quite as much fun. Come on, let’s get you a drink. I realise that must have been a strange experience. Are you staying here? I thought all of the guests had arrived…”
I follow her to the bar, stare at the vast amount of beverages on offer, and settle on a small glass of red. I’m hoping not to drive again any time too soon, but I can’t risk getting drunk. I don’t really like red wine that much, so it’s always my go-to tipple when I have to be sensible.
Ella leads me to a table in a corner, and as I trail in her wake, I get a better look at the place and its people. A few are not in fancy dress, and look bemused but happy, but the rest of them are. There’s a really tall man with a long beard who looks like a pirate wizard, and a couple of teenagers around Sam’s age. They look like siblings, or even twins, and the boy is wearing a Rapunzel costume from the filmTangled, but busting it open at the seams. He has a long blonde wig, and is currently engaged in a game of Twister with his sister, who is dressed as a pirate. A little girl with bright red hair is spinning the wheel and shouting out instructions with glee.
“It’s Meg’s birthday party,” Ella explains. “She’s four, and currently crashed out over there.”
She points across the room towards one of the booths, and I see a big shaggy Golden Retriever on the floor beneath the table, with a small child curled up beside it. There’s another dog as well, who seems to sense us looking and gallops over in our direction. He is a strange-looking little creature, layers of grey and white fur and eyes peering up through his fringe. I lean down and offer him my hand to sniff, and he gives my fingers a soft lick before jumping up to sit next to Ella.
“This is Larry,” she announces, scratching his ears. “Half dog, half lamb. I found him up in the hills on the first day I arrived here, and he’s been with me ever since.”
“He’s gorgeous,” I say, smiling. “I always wanted a dog, but never had the time...”
“I never wanted a dog at all, but here we are – sometimes life gives you what you need rather than what you think you want. Do you have a name, by the way? Because, I warn you, if you don’t then the villagers will make one up for you…”
“Cally,” I respond quickly. “Cally Jones. And can I just double check that this is actually a place called Starshine Cove? I’ve been looking for it all day…”
“Yes, it definitely is – and well done for finding it. There’s a kind of Bermuda Triangle feel around here, isn’t there? Except with snow. So are you booked in to stay?”
I sip my wine, and slip off my coat, and shake my head. Now I have to explain myself to a stranger, I feel foolish; being spontaneous is one thing, driving across the country in search of a possibly mythical seaside village is entirely another. Ella waits, a gentle smile on her face, and I get the feeling that she won’t judge me too harshly.
“No, I’m not,” I reply eventually. “To be honest, I think I had a moment of madness, and it stretched into a whole day…I came here once, on holiday, when I was just a little kid. And for reasons I won’t bore you with, I found myself at a loose end for the first time I can ever remember, and decided to just…head here again. Except at the time I set off, I didn’t know the name of the place, or even for sure what county it was in. I just packed myself and my son in the car and left Liverpool this morning. That sounds completely bonkers doesn’t it?”
“Yes,” she says firmly. “It does. I think you’ll fit right in here. I had a great night in Liverpool in the summer. Went to a karaoke bar and ended up best friends with a load of people whose names I never knew.”
“Ah, that sounds about right – a good place for a karaoke night, Liverpool. So, if you don’t mind me asking, what made you think I was pregnant?”
It’s not the kind of thing any woman welcomes, really, when they are in fact not at all pregnant but very possibly a little on the well-upholstered side.
“Oh, don’t worry, it was nothing personal. Just before you came, Connie – you’ll meet her soon, she’s just slicing up more cake – was telling us all about how every year, they wonder if someone will arrive to give birth in a stable. Or a garage, or something like that. Apparently it’s actually happened a few times, though I do add a big dollop of salt to some of their stories. Just as she’d finished regaling us with one of her nativity tales, you walked through the door – your timing was impeccable!”
I’ve spotted that one of the pirates – a grumpy-looking young woman with a painted-on moustache – is slouched in a corner seat, hands folded over a swollen belly.
“Looks like you already have your candidate for this year’s Mary,” I say, gesturing towards her.
“Yeah. That’s Miranda. She’s a week overdue and feeling it. Who knows, you could be right? I’d rather have her in hospital than a stable, but we’ll see how it goes. So, you mentioned your son – where is he?”
“Oh, I got annoyed with him halfway. Dumped him at a service station near Bristol and legged it.”
“That’s not true, is it?”
“It’s half true – he is annoying. But also wonderful. Sam, he’s called. He’s in the car still. He’s not been overly impressed with our festive adventure so far. He’s eighteen.”
“Ah. Well, that explains it. So, Cally, I hate to break it to you, but the rooms here are fully booked…”
“You mean there’s no room at the inn?”
“Exactly! But the weather has taken a turn, and I’d stake my life on the fact that you won’t be allowed to drive out of here tonight.”
“Won’t be allowed to?” I echo, feeling a vague stirring of rebellion. I mean, I wanted to come here – tried very hard to get here – but nobody likes being bossed around, do they?
“Don’t worry, I don’t mean that in a sinister way. When I turned up here, in the summer, they wound me up something rotten – I was half convinced there was some kind ofWicker Manscenario unfolding. No, what I mean is that we’ll find you somewhere to stay. We’ll make room at the inn, even if it’s not actually the inn. So relax. Have another drink. Shiver your timbers, whatever you fancy – but know that you’re welcome.”
