A Keeper

by Graham Norton

She longed to return to her lonely life. The loneliness that had driven her to this awful place now seemed like a state of bliss.

Old age was such a cruel price to pay for youth.

Pushing open the door to the sitting room, she carried Elizabeth over to the sofa and wedged her between two cushions. From the hearth she picked up the largest poker and marched outside. Nobody watched as she flailed the heavy fire iron in the air and smashed the For Sale sign in two.