The Cheap Bargain
A house too cheap to be true
Emma and Tom have just moved into an old house on Ashby Lane.
They have wanted a home of their own for many years.
The house is far cheaper than any other place they have seen.
"This is the best we have ever found," Tom said with a wide smile.
The building is older and larger than their old flat in the city.
Its tall windows have watched the quiet street for almost a hundred years.
Emma has always dreamed of a garden, and this house has a big one.
The rent they used to pay was much higher than the for this place.
"Why has nobody bought it before us?" Emma asked quietly.
The estate agent, Mr. Voss, had already prepared all the papers.
He was a thin man whose smile never quite reached his eyes.
"The owners left in a hurry," he explained without looking up.
"Houses that stay empty for long always drop in price," he added.
Emma signed her name, though a small had settled in her mind.
Tom carried the last boxes inside as the afternoon light grew weaker.
The rooms felt colder than the temperature outside seemed to suggest.
"We have finally done it," Tom said, holding Emma's hand tightly.
Mr. Voss handed them the heavy key and stepped toward the door.
He paused at the gate, as if he had forgotten something important.
"One more thing," he said, turning back with a strange, tight face.
"The house has chosen well before, so please be kind to it."
Emma laughed, sure that she had misheard his quiet words.
But Tom's smile had frozen, and he said nothing at all.
By the time they looked again, Mr. Voss had already gone.
The gate swung shut, though no wind had touched it that evening.
In the growing dark, the old house seemed to be waiting for them.