The Hay Barn

Built of dark timber gone silver with age, the old barn is far bigger inside than it looks from the lane. Hay is stacked in great golden bales almost to the rafters, leaving narrow passages between them that seem made for hiding in, and dust hangs glittering in the bars of light that slip through the gaps in the boards. Swallows dart in and out through the open loft door high above.

Rusting tools and bits of harness hang from nails along the walls, and a wooden ladder, missing at least one rung, climbs up into the hayloft. The wide double doors stand propped open onto the lane, letting in the smell of the fields and the occasional curious hen.