Mr Santos lived in a quiet back street in a small Spanish village.  He had moved to Spain some time ago and had settled into a life of gentle relaxation.  He had no particular friends or acquaintances.   His neighbours in the houses on either side and opposite had sold up and moved away over the years and the new people had just accepted that Mr. Santos had always been there.

Some time ago Mr Santos had bought a small area of land, which he had planted up with Olive trees.  It is a well-known fact that Olive trees need plenty of bone meal, on a continual basis, if they are to thrive.  Mr Santos' Olive trees grew well and they certainly did thrive.

Mr. Santos ran a small restaurant with a small kitchen and one or two tables outside on the street.  He was not a great cook but managed to prepare simple food, which the English holidaymakers in the area enjoyed.

He was never very busy but always a few people would come and eat at his establishment on most days.  He made sure to charge just slightly less than the competition and managed to make ends meet by keeping the menu simple.  Breakfast was his speciality.  He had a certain reputation for serving delicious sausages and beef burgers accompanied by eggs, chips and tomatoes, all produced from the locality.  His butcher's bills were very low.

Mr. Santos had no real love for the English; in fact he thought them fat and lazy for the most part.  The years went by and the tourists came and went.  Most returned to England after their holiday.  Some, a very few, stayed on in Spain because the climate suited them.  Some were presumed to have stayed in Spain but sometimes no-one ever quite knew.

Time passed and eventually Mr. Santos died.  He had no relatives and the police were called in to deal with his effects.  Most of his things were of no value and went to the local market to be sold off for charity.  In the cellar was a locked strong box.  This was forced open and inside was found a set of butchers knives and a meat cleaver together with a powerful mincing and bone-grinding machine.

Following Mr Santos' death the Olive grove went into decline.

Stephen Habershon is Forestry Consultant to Balfours and can be contacted through Balfours' Offices in Craven Arms on 01588 673314.