I apologise if you feel something ~fransykes~

Chapter 1

I used to dream of
Adventure
When I was younger
With lungs miniature
But now we're killing
Our brain cells
Is this called living
Or something else
Or something else

This small town was nothing like London. Nestled in the deep depths of Cumbria was the sleepy village of Coniston. The streets of the village centre were paved with worn cobblestone and contained old brick houses that sloped with the valley. It contained a little over a 1,000 people, mostly elderly, one school, two pubs and a dilapidated library café. On Saturdays there was a market of fresh fruit, apart from that the nearest thing to a grocery store was the old corner store on May Street. Everything else was miles away, in the cities.

On the outskirts of this quaint town was a cottage made of whitewashed brick.  It was secluded by thick forest, a 10 minute walk from the village centre. This was Josh's aunt Beth's house. She lived alone, her children well grown and departed from the nest in search of the thrills of city life. Now Josh was going to live with her for the summer.

Josh's dad ordered he was sent away to the queens sisters house until private  school started again. Apparently Josh's friends were a "bad influence" on the young boy and he needed to "straighten up" his act. Josh didn't know what triggered this, maybe it was the time he came home wasted at 3am stinking of cheap weed, or maybe it was the time a picture of the prince kissing another boy went viral.

As he drove through the trees, Josh couldn't help but think about all the parties  he would be missing out on at home. Maybe he could find something out here to keep him entertained? Probably not, the most exciting thing for miles was the pub and even that was filled with middle aged dads watching football.

"Any cute boys around here?" Josh asked, turning to his aunt in the seat next to him. She just laughed, shaking her head slightly whilst smiling.

"Not even an hour into living here and your already looking for a boyfriend? Kids these days." She muttered the ending as she pulled into her driveway, parking the car by her cottage. The first thing Josh noticed was the stream that ran through the garden, down between the trees of the hill and into river. Separating her garden and the forest was a small brick bridge that was smothered in a layer of moss and small flowers.

""I need something to stop me going stir crazy out here. Besides, what better time to get a boyfriend, my father can't exactly complain about me kissing boys when I'm out here." Josh frowned slightly remembering the first time he bought a boy home. He had never seen his father so angry before. That's why Josh made sure rock the bed extra hard with every boy he had been with since them, just to piss his dad off that little bit more.

"There are more constructive ways to stop you going stir crazy Joshua. Like maybe helping out old people or volunteering at the library?" Aunt Beth retorted.

"But which part of them ideas involve me meeting people my own age?" Josh rolled his eyes. He waited for his aunt to open the wooden door to the cottage. All he wanted to do right now was sleep, he had been up since sunrise catching train after train till he got to Cumbria. The inside of the cottage was exactly as he remembered it. The small doorway lead off to the cosy living room, containing low beam ceilings, a beaten down cream sofa and a grand fireplace. In the corner was a slightly old TV next to a stack of DVD's and used books. The window ledge was also covered in a plaid blanket stacked with more books mixed in with a row of small cushions.

Down the hallway was the kitchen; red tiled floor and more beamed ceilings. A wooden country dining table to match the dark wood of the kitchen cabinets. There was a nook behind the steep staircase that contained a rack of food, mostly canned beans and fresh vegetables.

Upstairs was 3 bedroom and a bathroom. Josh's room was the smallest. The walls were off white and slightly slanted with nothing but a wooden double bed and a matching dresser. The covers were white again, leaving the room looking extremely plain. He hated it.

Exhausted beyond belief, he collapsed backwards onto the cold bedsheets, taking in the small of burning candles that seemed to always linger in his aunts house. His eyes dropped shut instantly, blocking out the world around him as he easily drifted to sleep.

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Authors note; if you want to I would really appreciate if you checked out my newest story, it's really flopping at the moment so give it a read if you have the time.