start of novel

The view out of the window was a bleak landscape with several slate walls, a few bare trees and a seemingly endless road disappearing in a mass of fog. The window itself was grimy and brown like most things in the Larson's house. Even the dainty little stool that Jane was sitting on had a brown cover, her dark hazel eyes looked around her simply furnished room. Her long, auburn hair swept through the air as she turned, she looked at her bed, her washstand and her table with papers and books on and her best clothes on her bed. She heard a clatter, glass shattering, a cry and a series of loud bumps. Something, or someone was rolling down the stairs.

Jane saw her sister and two of her brothers on the landing as she left her room, she wasn't that fond of these siblings, she was most fond of John, they all headed for the top of the stairs. She heard her mother sobbing. Her mother was leaning over the motionless body of her eldest brother John. His arms and legs were sprawled out awkwardly.With horror Jane saw a pool of blood on the black and white tiled floor. Fragments of glass crunched under her boots.

When Jane's mother could stop sobbing, at this point the children had gathered closer, she dried her red and blotchy eyes on her cream blouse, staining the blue spots with her tears. She told the youngest to run up to the village to fetch a policeman and a doctor. He went without a word. Jane was distraught, on her knees next to her brothers body. Jane was holding his pale, cold hand in hers as tears dropped from her face onto his cheek. It was unreal.

A few minutes passed until the young boy returned, he entered through the heavy wooden door, three men fallowed. Tall figures appeared and cleaned there shoes one by one. First came the doctor, a worried look fixed onto his face, his bulging bag made a strange noise as it hit the floor beside him as he knelt next to the body. Next came the policeman, in dark colours and a bowlers hat being pushed aside by the young, curios and elegant detective. The detective knelt down next to the doctor as the police man recovered and strolled into the house, he glanced at the body for as little time as possible.

"I don't think he merly tripped" he said to Jane's mother who was now standing about half a meter away from the feet of John with the smallest boy under one arm. The detective suddenly looked up at Jane, which scared her slightly, he sighed and rolled his eyes dramatically. He stood up and towered over the body; now being inspected by the doctor. He turned to face Jane's mother and explained how he thought that he should have the points of view of the children taken into account, he spun o the balls of his feet to face Jane once more. "Maby i will start with this one," he said raising his right eyebrow slightly.