4
Cottonwood
She had seen it on a map, of course, but never had cause to come here. Hidden down the country lanes tangled between two major roads, it was one of those places which everyone local knew of, but, unless you had a relative living there, you had little reason to pass through. As a result, after passing a sign saying “Welcome to Cottonwood”, Emily found herself surprised to discover that rather than a collection of isolated houses as she had expected, Cottonwood was actually a genuine village. A neat flowerbed-lined green stood at its centre, overlooked by a church on one side of the triangular village square, a pub on the left, and a terrace of holiday lets on the right. Three narrow roads led off. Initially lined with houses, they eventually turned into farmland. As she pulle
