Old Age Home

By Crystal Tarling

When my grandmother passes and leaves her huge property to me, we decide to open an old age home for those fit enough to be on their own, but who need help with remembering their medicines or just want company.  We also start looking after children and they work so well together - the aged and pre-school children!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Crystal Tarling
• Release date: Apr 25, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393578642

Crystal Tarling

I was adopted as young baby and had a wonderful life full of adventure and imagination.  Stories come naturally to me.

Book preview

Old Age Home

Crystal Tarling

Published by Crystal Tarling, 2020.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Old Age Home

Also By Crystal Tarling

I was exhausted but could not stop. The rain was torrential and the wind nearly blew the car off the road. I kept seeing things in the flashes of lighting. According to the GPS, it was nearby, only 5 kilometres or so but I could not see anything.  The disembodied voice said turn left in 6 metres. Left? It is all trees! There is no bloody road here, you nincompoop! I slowed right down and squinted through the windscreen, hoping to see something when the lightning flashed and there was a path off to the left! I gingerly turned onto the pathway and drove slowly down the rutted, muddy mess that was loosely called a road. I don’t remember it being so far, but I was only 10 when I last came here.

Continue for 4 kilometres and turn right. The voice droned.

4 kilometres of this crappy excuse for a road?  My poor car! I mumbled.  Suddenly my headlights caught a pair of orange eyes in the middle of the road and I slammed on my brakes, skidding to a halt. There in the light, was a beautiful dog. Black with a grey muzzle. The eyes were golden brown and it stared at me and then turned and ran into the trees.  I shook my head and drove on.

In 200 metres, turn right.  I drove slowly.  Turn right now! I glimpsed what must be the turn-off and turned praying for a slightly better road. Continue for 500 metres to your destination. I was beginning to dislike this voice intensely! How Grams lived here in the forest on the hills above Knysna and travelled these roads, I do not know! She must have had a 4x4!

Suddenly around the bend in the road, a massive house seemed to just appear out of nowhere. I stopped and stared. It was at least 3 stories and seemed to go on forever. I drove towards the front door and switched off the engine and sat and looked at it. I was lost in my musing of Grams and the last time I was here, when my door was wrenched open and someone grabbed my arm. Get out of this abominable weather before we both freeze to death! I grabbed my keys and handbag and stumbled out of the car.  A tall man was holding a massive umbrella and I stepped under its cover.  He opened the back door and grabbed my case and escorted me to the front door. He opened it and ushered me in, lowering the umbrella and dropping it unceremoniously in a large pot just outside the front door. He closed the door and shook off his jacket.

May I take your coat?  There is a fire in that room where we can sit. He indicated the room on the right.  I handed him my coat and walked through the door he indicated and went to warm my hands by the fire. A few minutes later he entered with a tray of tea and muffins. He put the tray on the coffee table and sat down on the settee. My name is Maxwell and I am the caretaker here. You must be Allison Fletcher. Welcome to this stormy haven! He held out his hand.

I shook his hand: Please call me Alli. I took the cup of tea he offered and munched on a muffin and groaned. "This is delicious! Did