Page 28 of Be More Octopus

'I thought you'd like it. I was here in the spring, but it was raining the whole time. I want to get some sunny photos for the book.'

They put on their walking boots, Jack grabbed his rucksack from the car, and they headed towards the house.

'How long has it been ruined?' Em asked.

'It's been abandoned several times in its history. The first time was when Emma was widowed. That's why she became a pirate. Her husband was killed in a fight about gambling debts. He left her penniless. She didn't have many options for earning a living in the 18th century.'

'A better choice than selling your body, I suppose. Are you alright there?'

Jack was messing with the fancy camera he'd pulled from his rucksack. She looked over his shoulder.

'I want more detail in the brickwork, but it's coming out as a solid black shadow,' he complained.

'You need to use exposure compensation.'

'I have no idea what that means.'

'Can I try?'

Jack passed the camera to her. It was the same make as the one she'd used at college. It should be easy to get the setup right for what Jack wanted. She twisted a couple of dials, then took a photo. Right first time. She showed him the result.

Jack looked impressed. 'That's exactly the effect I was aiming for.'

'Don't sound so surprised. I studied photography as part of my art degree. I think one from that angle would work well,' she said, pointing to the opposite side of the building.

'Over to you, Annie Leibovitz.' Jack smiled as he sat on an exposed rock while Em took several more photos. She even managed to sneak a couple of candid shots of him relaxing with the house in the background.

Em looked at the tree on the top of the hill. If she could get in a position so that it framed the house, it would make a stunning image. 'I'm just going up here,' she said, heading uphill.

'Ok,' he shouted back.

Em walked up the slope and over the brow of the hill. She lay down in a hollow just over the crest. The sun was in exactly the right place to emphasise the textures of the ruined walls, and the tree was in the ideal location. Click. She looked at the result on the back of the camera. Perfect.

She rolled onto her back to get up and came face to face with a large sheep with curly horns, glaring aggressively at her. Sheep weren't aggressive, were they? Judging by a large amount of flesh dangling between its rear legs, it was a ram. It started pawing the ground. Surely only bulls did that? Stay calm. Wave your hand, and it will go away.

It didn't. Instead, the ram took a step closer, staring even harder at Em if that was possible. Why did she have to encounter a stroppy herbivore today? She looked around. There weren't any loose branches or rocks she could throw to distract it. She would have to ask for help to get out of this situation.

'Jack!' Em shouted. The noise didn't faze the ram.

'Yes,' she heard him reply in the distance.

'You know you said I didn't do the damsel in distress thing.'

'Yes?'

His voice was getting nearer, thank god.

'I am now. Help!'

'I'm coming. What's wrong?'

'An animal has cornered me. It must have sneaked up on me while I was concentrating on taking a photo.'

'What the hell ….? ' Jack crested the hill, out of breath from running and stopped dead in his tracks.

'Seriously? It's just a sheep. I thought you were about to be mauled by the Beast of Dartmoor.'

'There's a beast here?'