Escape to Honeysuckle Hall

by Rebecca Raisin

  Outside birds chirp and the sun shines – it’s a good start.

  Yesterday was only a hiccough. Bound to happen every now and then. On the back deck a note is propped up between two planters.

  Without any ceremony, I read it: You’re putting people in jeopardy.

  That old chestnut. It’s written on the same kind of paper, with the same block handwriting. In all the visions I had of me moving to the hall and starting up camps, never did I think I’d have to turn into some kind of modern Jessica Fletcher. I’m miffed though as I thought I’d had the last of the notes.

  I go back inside and call Maya and update her on all these bizarre happenings.

  ‘Ooh, I love a good whodunnit!’

  ‘What?’ I screech. ‘You told me not to worry about it before. Should I be worried?’

  ‘I have no idea who and I don’t think you should be worried, darling. It’s not like you’ve had a brick through the window, or midnight knocks at the door, or anything.’

  ‘Well, I sort of have. No bricks through the window but a lot of activity at night.’ I duly fill her in on all my night-time terrors. Again, I’m sure it’s just the moans and groans of an old building, but at the witching hour these things are magnified to the point that sometimes I hope the big hairy spider returns so I know I’m not alone, and that’s how I know I’m truly losing my grip.

  ‘So that wasn’t you, banging and crashing around the house each night?’

  I squirm. ‘No, it wasn’t. But I didn’t want to tell you the truth in case you left.’

  ‘Bloody hell, Orly. How do you stand it, being there all by yourself? Aren’t you scared?’

  ‘Well, let’s just say I don’t love it, especially when it sounds like the person is outside my bedroom door, but then I figured it was ghosts, come back to get some resolution, so they can find the light – you know like in The Sixth Sense? So I just pretend I can’t see or hear them, so they know I’m not like that little boy and I can’t see a bloody thing, and they will eventually give up and try someone else, but now I’m not so sure it’s ghosts.’

  ‘Oh, Orly, have a listen to yourself! Ghosts, like in The Sixth Sense! Are you for real? You never said they were outside your bleeding bedroom wall!’

  ‘Bleeding! WHAT!’

  ‘No, no not literally bleeding, darling! As in … look, forget it. What I meant was you never told me they were inside the cottage!’

  ‘Well, I didn’t think they were real. I thought they were the undead!’

  ‘And that makes it all right? This is a nightmare. This is … this is a case for the POLICE!’

  ‘Can you imagine, Maya? Oh, hi, I’m the new girl in town who sees dead people, and I’m a little scared. Can you help? I have these notes and a card and I collect these things usually, but now they have a sinister edge to them …’

  ‘YES!’ Maya screeches so loud the phone pops out of my hand. ‘That’s it, Orly! Go and say all of that – except the seeing dead people part.’

  ‘Maya, they will laugh me out of town.’

  ‘Just go to the bloody pub instead, darling, and start asking the hard questions. Oh, how I wish I was there. Surgery this afternoon is going to be torture.’

  ‘Blimey, don’t let your patient hear you saying that.’

  She giggles. ‘Yeah, best not, I suppose. Ring me tomorrow and tell me what you find out.’

  ‘I’ve got the campers here, though. I can’t just leave them.’

  ‘Group excursion. You’re supporting the local community.’

  ‘Good plan.’

  ‘OK, darling, gotta dash, lives to save and all that, but quickly tell me how things with Leo are?’

  ‘Oh, nothing to report. He’s probably not even real, he’s probably dead, and haunting me, knowing my luck with men. The ghosts of boyfriends past have got nothing on me.’

  ‘Now you’re just overwrought. Go have a stiff drink and get on with it.’

  ‘At 7 a.m.?’

  ‘I’m a medical professional, and I won’t be questioned like this.’

  ‘OK, OK, a quick vodka should settle the nerves, I suppose.’

  ‘That’s the spirit.’

  ‘Wooooo,’ I say, laughing as we ring off.

  I fling the card in the cutlery drawer and head outside, determined I’m not going to be cowed by whoever this is. Outwardly I will not show I’m freaked out. I don’t think anyone wants to harm me; I just think they want the hall back, but why? Or they want to run me out of town, and again, that makes no sense. I plan to bring extra business to the community with these camps, so I can’t see why that wouldn’t be appreciated. Still, it could be for lots of reasons I can’t even fathom right now. First priority is my campers.

  In the hall, everyone is clustered around the kitchen, pouring coffee, buttering toast, blitzing smoothies. Everyone except Anomaly that is.

  ‘Morning all,’ I say chirpily. ‘I trust you had a better night?’

  ‘Sure did, lassie. Slept like a babe, I did.’

  Thomas stretches lazily. ‘I think we all did. It was lights out early on; the fresh air certainly works wonders on a person. I feel ready for anything the day brings.’

  Noah appears, dressed like he’s ready to hike in khaki pants and an athletic tee.

  ‘Morning, gang. Who’s up for some gorge scrambling?’ Noah says. It’s a beautiful day for it. The sun is baking, the lake glittering and I figure the gorge will be a lot safer than the day before with its freak summer storm.

  Lulu jumps up. ‘I’ve been hanging out to try this! Just how dangerous are we talking here? Hopefully super dangerous?’

  ‘It’s not overly dangerous; it’s more of an obstacle course over rocks and into pools of water. It’s a lot of fun and I think you’ll all love it. You can’t beat the view when we get through the course and you come out the other side.’

  ‘Count me in,’ Lulu says. ‘The only scrambling I do is eggs, so this is going to be a definite improvement.’

  There’re a few titters; everyone loves Lulu’s sense of humour. Already, the change in her from being at camp is visible. She doesn’t look so worn down anymore; her eyes are lit with the excitement of the upcoming challenge. I wonder if Lulu will make the camps part of an annual self-care plan. I sure hope so because I love her daredevil attitude towards everything.

  ‘You should try bungee-jumping,’ Thomas says to Lulu. ‘If you want dangerous.’

  ‘Or a slingshot,’ Teani says. ‘My friend went on one in Bali and the video was hilarious. But it sure looked frightening.’

  ‘Now we’re talking,’ Lulu says. ‘Any of that possible here?’

  ‘Never say never, but never,’ I say. My stress levels would be on overdrive if I had to watch my campers plummet down on a bungee rope or up in a slingshot. ‘But we do have a surprise for you all, and if you want danger, then you shall have danger! When you return from gorge scrambling all will be revealed!’ And when I say danger I mean the very opposite. The goriest injury I predict might be a stubbed toe.

  ‘Ooh,’ Jo says, adjusting her specs. ‘I wonder what it is? I should be able to build quite a bit of anxiety about it while we’re gone for half the day.’

  Teani laughs. ‘She will too, you know. Give us a clue.’

  I ponder it. ‘OK, let’s just say there’re some gold medals up for grabs, so bring your A-game. And disclaimer, when I say gold medals, I mean medals made out of cardboard and painted yellow, so also bring your imagination.’

  Jock rubs his hands together. ‘Aye, those medals are mine.’

  ‘But you don’t know what we’re doing yet. What if it’s a gold medal for knitting the longest scarf?’ Lulu asks.

  ‘Then win it, I will.’

  They take stock of one another and I realise we have a competitive group on our hands. Well, except Anomaly. Which reminds me. ‘I’m going to check how the tepee held up overnight and I’ll see you upon your return, yeah? Save a bit of energy for next challenge!’

  I leave
them musing about what the challenge will entail, smiling that they’re on the wrong track, with guesses about cake decorating, and a bocce tournament.

  I approach the tepee and yell out to Anomaly who does his usual grunt in response.

  ‘The campers are having breakfast, and then they’re getting ready for gorge scrambling. Are you going to join in?’ I yell through the canvas.

  ‘No.’

  There’s movement inside and then the flap of the tepees opens to reveal a half-asleep Anomaly who lets out a big yawn. ‘Sleep well?’ I ask.

  ‘There was some kind of dog howling all night; might have been a wolf by the sounds of it.’ He shrugs as if it’s no big deal, and I count my lucky stars that it wasn’t the homicidal chicken because then I might just have a lawsuit on my hands. ‘But talk about boring. No Xbox, no TV. I fell into a dullness coma in the end. How many days of this do I have left?’

  ‘Two nights left. So why not give something new a try today? You enjoyed making the photo frames yesterday, once you got started.’

  ‘Not really. I just knew the quicker I got it done, the quicker he’d put up the tepee.’

  ‘Can I put your name down the for challenges this afternoon? I’m setting up a little circuit of fun outdoor games, and I’d love for you to give them a try.’

  ‘Fun outdoor games?’ He lets the words fall, full of mockery. ‘Not for me. I’m going to wander into town and find some decent food.’

  ‘OK, well I can’t stop you, but there’s plenty of food in the hall.’

  ‘If that’s all?’ he says, then disappears back into the tepee.

  ‘I’ll come back after lunch, and see how you’re feeling then.’

  ‘Don’t bother,’ comes the muffled response. I walk back to the hall, dejected. Why won’t he even try? I know I should just move on and focus on the others, but it feels like failure if one camper isn’t getting anything out of the experience except boredom.

  By the time I return to the hall, the campers have gone, leaving only the scent of toast in the air. Esterlita is in the kitchen wiping down the benches. ‘Morning, Es. You don’t have to do that.’

  ‘It’s no problem. They were eager to get away so I said I’d wash up. Do you think they’ll be OK today?’

  ‘Of course. Noah has done the same route himself and says it’s not too challenging. And there’s only five of them to keep an eye on.’

  She grimaces. ‘Why can’t they just participate in karaoke, eh?’ Already, Esterlita is like a mother hen, fussing and fretting over her brood.

  Esterlita’s answer to life’s troubles is to pull the microphone out and get those hips a-swinging. ‘Well, we’ve got the karaoke competition lined up for the last night, but I think if we market the place as an adventure camp then we do need to provide some adventure.’

  ‘Bosh. I just don’t understand why flinging themselves over rocks is fun.’

  ‘The view at the end. Pushing the body to try new things. The group dynamic.’

  ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. You can get all that by eating my pork adobo too.’

  I laugh. ‘They loved your big Filipino lunch yesterday. So did I for that matter.’

  ‘Was there ever any doubt?’ She hangs the tea towel over the rail on the oven. ‘Well, we’d better get this course set up.’

  ‘I can’t wait to see their faces, especially Jock.’ Jock liked the idea of a nostalgic return to the past, so that’s how we came up with the plan to go back in time and hold our very own Honeysuckle Hall Olympics.

  We go to the storeroom for our loot and take it outside to set up.

  ‘I’ll put orange cones at each event, and number them so we can keep track of who’s done what and their scores.’

  ‘Great idea,’ I say. ‘I hope they think it’s fun and not super cheesy.’

  ‘What’s wrong with super cheesy anyway?’

  ‘True. Cheesy is good, like the Eighties were good. I’ve made a playlist with some epic beats.’

  ‘Did you just say epic beats?’ Esterlita laughs.

  ‘I did!’

  We set up our stations: sack races, musical chairs, donuts on a string, limbo and the classic egg and spoon race. The campers will be weary after their gorge session so I’m hoping some light-hearted fun hits the spot.

  Esterlita tries out the limbo and of course makes it bawdy, by pumping her hips and somehow not falling backwards. ‘You look like you’ve done a lot of limbo-ing before, Es.’

  ‘Cebu champion 1970 through to ’71.’

  I shake my head laughing. Who knows with this woman?!

  We finish our course as Leo arrives, his face like thunder. ‘Leo,’ I say. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Can I speak to you privately?’ His blue eyes flash and I wonder if I’ve done something to upset him.

  ‘Sure.’

  Esterlita will only follow us to eavesdrop but I suppose he doesn’t know that.

  We go into the hall and sit at the kitchen bench.

  ‘I was at Rise, having some morning tea with my crew,’ he says, running a hand through his blond locks. ‘And this guy came in, a real smarmy sort, hair styled to within an inch of his life, swaggering around like the owned the place. I’m sure he was the same guy who was plastered all over those sleazy tabloids.’

  Oh God, Leo’s seen those tabloid articles? Not one of them painted me in a good light.

  ‘He was asking about you. Asking about where an old finishing school was. One of the locals overheard him say he knew you very well from back in London. He wanted to know where this place was, who was here with you, when you were likely to be alone. I got a bad vibe from him, Orly. I think it might’ve been Harry come crawling back.’

  ‘Oh no! It does sound like Harry.’ Could he and Carly C be over already? My gut roils. ‘Oh, Leo, I don’t want him anywhere near my campers. You never know quite what he’ll say. I have a bad feeling about this.’

  ‘I’ll stay with you, Orly. Don’t worry, OK? If he turns up, I’ll convince him to leave before the campers even notice he’s there.’

  Despite my shock, I smile. Leo’s gone to a lot effort to inform me of Harry’s surprise unwanted visit by taking time out of his busy day to come to the hall and let me know in person, when he could have just phoned. His actions and his concern make me feel like I matter. I thought I had something special before with Harry but I see now it was all smoke and mirrors, whereas Leo is all heart and honesty. ‘Thanks, Leo, but you’ve got work to do and I don’t want to hold up your job on the off chance he finds me. What did the locals tell him?’

  ‘They said nothing, didn’t know who he meant, never heard of an Orly. So he made his way up the street, from business to business, I’m assuming getting the same response. People are mostly caring here, despite their gossiping about you. You’re one of us now, and his brusque manner won’t help his cause.’

  I hate to think what he’s up to, but still none of it makes sense. ‘Why wouldn’t he just call me and ask me where I am?’

  Leo throws his hands up. ‘Would you tell him?’

  I consider it. ‘Not a chance. I don’t want to see him ever again.’

  ‘And I’m sure he knows that, hence why he’s asking around town. He figures a surprise visit will work best. It won’t take long before he stumbles onto one of the old finishing school signs though and puts two and two together, so I wanted to warn you.’

  A glimmer of hope runs through me. The inhabitants of Eden Hills have already taken me under their wing, and I feel like I belong for the first time since I can remember. Leo, especially, has looked out for me, not just today but many times. ‘Thanks, Leo. I’m glad you told me. Let’s hope he gets bored and goes back to London, but Harry never was the give-up sort.’

  ‘Do you want me to stay?’

  ‘No, no, it’s OK. If he comes here, I’ll soon tell him he’s not welcome. But I do wonder if there’s more to it. Harry doesn’t easily admit his mistakes, so he’s probably after something.’

  �
�Yeah, you.’

  I laugh. ‘I don’t think that’s it somehow.’

  Leo raises a brow. ‘You think too little of yourself, Orly. And so did he. Just so long as you know that.’

  I get a little flutter at the compliment and feel my cheeks go scarlet. I’ve never been good at receiving praise. ‘Thanks, Leo.’

  He nods. ‘If you’re sure you don’t want me to stay I’ll come back a bit later once I’ve finished the job I’m on. Call me if you need me.’

  ‘I’m sure, Leo. I’ll be OK.’ He’s so sweet, but what does he think Harry is – some kind of knife-wielding maniac? More likely Harry is after something, but what that is I don’t rightly know. Now I can see behind the lies, I recall all the times Harry did what was best for Harry. And so I’ll be ready to read between the lines when he appears.

  *

  The campers arrive back with exhilarated smiles, and big appetites. They chat away about what they saw and how they managed while I assemble lunch things for them. We had a delivery of fresh bread rolls from Rise and a range of small goods from the local Italian deli. Once Esterlita hugs them all in relief – as if they’ve returned from climbing Everest or something equally scary – she heads to the veggie patch to harvest the fresh elements. Just then, I see Noah wander towards the green in the direction of town. Does he only plan on doing half-days? I’ll have to have a word with him. He’s not taking the job seriously.

  They eat ravenously, and I wonder if they’ll want to crash out after lunch or if they’ll get a second wind. I pour them juice and sparkling water and set up the platters so they can make their own fresh rolls.

  ‘Did I see a sign saying Honeysuckle Hall Olympics?’ Jock asks between bites.

  ‘You sure did.’ I beam. ‘Do you think you have what it takes to grab the gold?’ I waggle my brows.

  ‘Aye, I do.’

  ‘I’ve got my eye on the gold,’ says Teani and flexes her impressively large bicep.

  ‘I’ll be happy with bronze,’ Jo says. ‘Bronze is always overlooked, but how grateful would you be for bronze if you were close to coming fourth?’