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of a person before it vanishes from sight.
    I have lost my husband, my wealth and my sanity. I won’t lose my last few belongings
.
    She races up the garden path and reaches the door. Her shaking hand fights to get the key into the lock. The door swings inwards with the force of the wind and slams violently against the wall, knocking coats off their hooks. She scans the room frantically. Through the windows she sees someone running across the garden.
    She slams the front door shut and races to the back door, before flying through it into the garden.
    Large footprints in the snow lead to the garden wall. Broken ivy leaves hang from the torn stems, still clinging to the bricks. She can hear the rustling of leaves on the other side of the wall as the intruder flees.
    Louise climbs up the cold, slippery leaves, gripping the ivy strands with clenched, gloved fists until she is straddling the top of the wall. She looks into the woodland and spots the dark figure running further into its depths.
    She climbs down the other side of the wall and heads into the woodland, kicking up leaves and snow into a frenzied flurry. Her ankle burns from the strain, but she must keep going. She has to see who enteredher house, and find out what this person was after.
    She can still see the figure in the distance, darting between trees, never looking back.
    Louise runs for several minutes, heaving for air. The arctic wind stings her airways and flushes her face red. She heads further into the woodland, unsure how much longer she can keep going before her ankle gives way and she falls to the ground with a thud.
    Eventually, she reaches the end of the woodland and finds herself in a clearing at the end of the lane, in front of the abandoned barn. In the diminishing light of the setting sun, it looks dark and menacing. The shadows within accentuate the whiteness of the snow outside. Old hay, matted with ancient animal dung, rots in piles around the dishevelled structure, the flies that once hovered over them long dead. The external wooden panels have begun to fall apart from neglect and the harsh winter weather. Roof tiles have cracked and slid free, revealing gaping holes in the roof. The doors were unlocked by optimistic thieves long ago – the chain that once secured the doors is now rusty and severed. One of the large doors is ajar. Footprints lead to the doors of the barn.
    Louise approaches the barn, her heart pounding in her chest.
    You’re crazy! Call the police! What do you plan to do when you get inside?
    She doesn’t know the answer to her question, butstill she finds herself advancing towards the door. Standing before the rusty, broken padlock, she dares to look up at the sinister building towering above her. She listens at the door for any sign of life inside, but hears nothing.
    Before she can stop herself, Louise pulls open the door. It creaks on its rusted hinges. She steps inside.
    With a slam, the door shuts stiffly behind her and plunges her into darkness. She stands in the dark, breathing fast and trembling. The only light comes from the darkening sky above; it shines, in pitiful beams, through the gaps in the roof.
    Although long abandoned, the barn still smells of the animals that once lived inside: the strong stench of manure and putrid urine seeped deep into the surface of the concrete floor.
    ‘I know you’re in here,’ she says, timidly. ‘I know you were in my house.’
    At the sound of her voice, bats flee from the shadows, screeching as they escape through the holes in the roof. The echoes of their screams surround her head as though the creatures are inches from her face. She ducks instinctively, covering her ears with her hands and squeezing her eyes shut. She stays crouched until the chaos abates, then stands slowly, removing her shaking hands from her ears.
    ‘I don’t know why you were in my house,’ she says into the darkness. ‘But I definitely saw you.’
    The darkness replies with silence.
    ‘Whatever