Chapter 9

• Ayla POV
• A large stone arch looms over the road leading up to the house with large black metal gates that are open. The stone arch is grand and beautiful and the stone wall connecting to it seems to run around the whole property. Just to the side of the metal gate is a sign attached to the old stone with the name of the luxury apartments ‘The Miners’. The road seems to go straight up to the house which looks larger than I remembered as a child, but I did only ever see this building from afar, as I drove through the gates that chill that ran down my spine as I crossed the border into town seems to reverberate through my whole body, and my heart begins to race. The house itself is spectacular. It’s large with two bays that jut out. On the very top of the right bay is a large bluish-coloured clock with a bell at the very top of the roof. Windows cover the front of the house, with the lower ones framed with beautiful white flowers. The very centre of the house has stone columns that run to the roof of the house and an arched door made of thick wood. Beautiful full and vibrant looking trees are the backdrop to this magnificent house. They tower above, making it look like something from a story my dad used to read to me as a child. To the right of the house is a beautiful garden. I can see a bridge that leads over the small stream that runs through the property with a bench looking over the water and a beautiful range of vibrant colours. Just beyond the garden is a large barn. It has large wooden doors that stop me from seeing inside. I pull up outside the house and climb out of my car, the air feels so fresh instead of being polluted with car fumes and I can hear the sounds of nature instead of cars driving past in a hurry and people speaking loudly for everyone to hear. I look up in wonder at the grand house before me when the door flies open.
• “Wow, this is beautiful!” I gawk as my mum's arms wrap around me.