Blue Remembered Hills

She’d set out to declutter, but would Eileen find more than she’d bargained for?

- David Kind

The rainwater overflowed from the gutter, plopping forlornly into the rapidly filling water butt underneath. As she stared up at the leaden skies, Eileen searched in vain for a break in the clouds. Oh, how she hated rainy days. This was the fifth in a row, and with husband Ken at work and daughter Jill away at university, she was all on her own.

The dusting and hoovering were done, the charity shop where she worked was closed on Mondays… and now, it was raining. Sipping her third cup of coffee, she wondered whether to grab her umbrella and take the dog for yet another walk.

‘Well, they say that exercise is good for your mental health,’ she informed Rags. By way of reply, Rags yawned, stretched out lazily on the floor, closed his eyes and promptly fell fast asleep. Clearly their springer spaniel felt differently.

So it was back to the drawing board once again, but suddenly Eileen had the perfect idea: the loft! She’d been meaning to have a clear-out up there for ages, but had just never got round to it. Today was the perfect opportunity to declutter.

Yanking down the ladder, she carefully negotiated each step up to the loft. It smelt of mustiness, moth balls and old times, she thought, as she fumbled for the light switch.

Boxes, row after row of them, met her gaze. It was hard to decide whether the constant rain or the Stonehenge of boxes made her feel more dispirited. She resolved to begin with the smallest and leave the larger ones till later.