Dinner with Filomena was part of the renter’s agreement. If Illandra was in the vicinity of the cottage around the dinner hour, she was to sit down and share a meal with Filomena. And if she wasn’t in the vicinity on too many occasions, there would be trouble. While Filomena insisted that the rule was because cooking for 1 was difficult and she refused to waste good stew, Illandra was sure that the hag simply wanted the company. She had been with her for nearly a year and could see that Filomena didn’t really need the 20 pieces she charged, she let out the garden room because she liked having someone else in the house with her, who was happy to be there.

Being the local hag was surely something of a downer.