by Benson, Tom
“You don’t have to say, but does Bill ever have bad times—he always seems so strong?”
“He has memories which will never leave him, and no amount of counselling or group discussion will remove some of his demons. Bill has learned over the years to push his darkest thoughts to one side. He does it by prioritising the needs of others in the here and now.”
They lowered the large sideboard in the space they’d made earlier and returned to the other room to lift two of the four chairs from around the dining table.
“It must take great psychological strength.”
“You should know, Anne—it’s what you’ve been demonstrating since we arrived in Auchcarn. In the early days and weeks, you helped me and several others by pushing your horrors aside. One of the most touching things I ever witnessed was when Craig confided in a couple of us that he wanted to support you in your pregnancy. Pessimist he may have been, but he was determined that you would not be left to feel like a lone parent while still grieving for Kenny’s dad.”
Anne smiled. “I would never have imagined myself with Craig. He was so understanding with me in our early days, and I rapidly saw a man that none of us had known previously.”
“Well, my friend, you’ll soon have another little one, but will you two go on to have more?”
“Craig wants us to have four children because he wants us to feel that we’ve played our part in the new world as it evolves.”
“He wants more children because he has so much fun with them—you can see it.”
They moved the other two chairs and lifted the dining table, tilting it to one side before easing it out of the room.
Anne said, “I hope it’s not long before we all feel that we belong here.”
“It will help if we maintain a good pace today. This house will evolve into what you two want and the sooner we can do that, the better. Apart from which, if we think of it as your house, it will feel like less of a task.”
.
Thursday 6th October
Jay-Dee nodded to Bill, and they lifted the stretcher to carry it out of the house. “This may be necessary, Bill, but it’s heartbreaking, isn’t it?”
“It is, mate. As I said before we started this job, it doesn’t matter how tough you think you are when it comes to moving human remains, it takes a certain aptitude.”
They left the smart old house which was on the main road through Dalwhinnie. It was part of an ingrained human instinct which made them both look along the old tourist road before crossing to the woodland.
The two men paused at the side of the road and stared into the massive hole as they lowered the stretcher. It had taken considerable effort over most of the previous day for six of them to excavate the deep trench on the forward edge of the woodland. This was not to be merely a mass grave. It was set up to be seen from the railway station directly opposite at the other end of Perth Road.
While the five men and Cherry had dealt with the grave, Fiona and Anne shared food preparation and childminding duties. The grave-digging task had been open to volunteers because domestic roles were not designated in the community—just like back at Auchcarn. Apart from being a physically demanding task, the mass grave would be depressing work.
At their first meeting, it was Jay-Dee who had said, “If we’re going to bury the remains of all those villagers who stayed, we ought to respect their wishes to die here. Instead of multiple burials, we could create a memorial to them. A single grave sited in a prominent place—somewhere it will be seen each day.”
The others had nodded their agreement, and the decision was made.
Craig had been the first to speak after Jay-Dee’s suggestion. “There are only a few small trees across the main road at the far end of Perth Road, yeah. It would be the ideal location, yeah?”
Bill had made a stand when it was being decided who should deal with the ‘clearances’ as he referred to the transfer of the villagers to their final resting place. “I’d prefer not to argue this point, but in my opinion, if I can have one person to help me, it will be sufficient to do the job.”
Cherry had spoken up as she was known to do. “We’re not weak little women, Bill—”
Calvin stepped in. “Bill is well aware of how strong you girls are, but I agree with him—this will be a task for the least number of people. Personally, I’d prefer not to take part.”
“You and me, Bill,” Jay-Dee had said with a tone of finality. “In the past, we’ve both dealt with the results of a disaster.” He’d then looked around at the others. “It isn’t a job you should do unless you must.”
And, so it was that the grave had been dug by six people, but only two would deliver the remains. Bill and Jay-Dee had worked steadily through each house which Bill had long ago marked with an ‘X’. They knew what they were dealing with in numbers, and it would require a massive grave.
Now, on their second day at this task, they continued the ritual they’d used for each bundle. They lowered the final sheet with as much care as if it were a living being. It was the last part of this phase, and they agreed, it had been the most difficult. As they’d done with each, they quickly shovelled earth over the covering sheet so that the uppermost layer was merely brown soil.
“Are you okay to get this finished?” Bill said. “We could fill in now and deal with the mound later.”
“Yes, that sounds good. Isn’t Fiona putting together a memorial plague of some sort?”
“Yes, she’s drawn something up to etch into wood so that we have a temporary marker. We’ll search for a suitable block of stone to engrave and place in the front centre of the mound.”
“I heard her mention that Steph and Jean were giving some input—what was that for?”
“Fiona has an eye for presentation, but she told me that the combined efforts of an author and a teacher would produce a fitting epitaph.”
“Isn’t that the sort of thing they’re doing up in Aviemore?”
“Yes,” Bill said. “Apparently, the ruin of the hotel which had been the safe haven is already overgrown. The guys up at the farm are producing a memorial marker. They’ll set it not far from where the front of the building used to be. A small garden opposite the doors has survived and flourished.”
The thought of so many people losing their lives in what should have been their safe place was depressing. The two men lifted their spades and silently commenced the laborious task of filling the long and deep grave. Their silence wasn’t due to running out of conversation, but more a final mark of respect to those whose remains they’d buried.
“Okay, Calvin, try the taps again, mate!” Archie stood back from the pipes after his shout and listened for confirmation that he’d succeeded.
“The water is dribbling out, and it’s a bit dirty … no, it’s flowing better now.” Calvin watched.
“Watch for it running clear.” Archie stepped nearer to the doorway.
“Running clear,” Calvin said.
Archie walked into the kitchen. “That looks great—switch it off now, mate.”
“Will we achieve hot and cold running water in every house do you think?”
“It will depend on the system fitted for the heater, but I discussed that very issue with your lovely partner, Cherry, and it was her who came up with the plan we’re using.”
Calvin nodded. “She does tend to see some things before other people. What did she say?”
“It’s superb in its simplicity. She suggested, that while you and I were dealing with the plumbing system—”
“And I was underway with my plumbing apprenticeship.”
“Yes,” Archie laughed, “we mustn’t forget that you’re learning to be a plumber. Cherry said it would make more sense for her to go first and check the electrics of houses which have a solar or electric-powered heating system. She said that we ought to prioritise those for running water before we continue with the rest.”
Calvin pulled out his note of addresses. “Next one is Ash Cottage.”
<
br /> “Two doors along and Cherry is just leaving.”
“Hello boys,” Cherry said when she paused. “It’s safe to go in there, and the electrics are good.”
Archie said, “The one we’ve just left is ready for cleaning. If we can get this second one finished today, it will mean we’ve done the basic checks on our four designated houses.”
Cherry said, “I know Anne and Fiona are cleaning Anne’s house, but I haven’t seen Craig recently.”
“I saw him a while ago,” Archie said. “He was taking the children for a walk around some of the back gardens to show them all the fruit and vegetables we have available here.”
Calvin said, “Ah, of course, that’s the diversion tactic while Bill and Jay-Dee get the clearance job finished.”
Cheryl nodded. “As we agreed, it’ll be okay to talk to the children about the memorial site when it’s covered by a mound of earth. They shouldn’t have to see what’s gone in there.”
In the evening as they’d been doing so far, the group met to eat communally in the railway station cafeteria. After their meal, the children were content to play hide and seek within the building, which was still a relatively new environment for them—notably, it was safe.
Jay-Dee said, “You guys will be pleased to know that we’ve completed the house clearances, and we also created a mound on the second phase of our special task.”
“That’s great,” Fiona said. “Bill hinted a while ago that you two discovered a little gem.”
“Ah,” Jay-Dee said, “my new place of business.” He grinned. “It will take a visit from Cherry and Archie to make sure it’s in good working condition. One of the buildings we dealt with late today was a house converted for use as a local doctor’s surgery.” He winked at Fiona. “It’s a similar house conversion to the dental surgery you’ve got now.”
“I can imagine,” Fiona said. “A village this size would probably have made all medical appointments by phone call.”
“How come nobody realised before about the surgery, yeah?” Craig said.
“Greenery growing on the front wall covered the small wooden plague which said what it had been.” Jay-Dee shook his head. “Even when you look inside at the moment, it doesn’t scream out health and hygiene. If the plumbing and electrics can be checked out, I’d be happy to take on the cleaning as a personal task until it’s done.”
“No,” Bill said, “it’s too big a job for one person. We’ve got our four houses checked over now. When these guys say that the utilities are serviceable, we’ll clean the two surgeries from top to bottom.” He grinned. “Once we’ve helped you make yours spotless you can put your stamp on it.”
Craig said, “I thought it might be an idea to empty one of the smaller cottages, yeah? You know, clean it up really well, and convert it into a kindergarten, yeah?”
“I like the thought of that,” Cherry said.
“As we discussed recently, we could take turns at the childminding, yeah, but it would be good to have a single building with a garden, yeah?”
Cherry nodded. “As we find any toys, books or activities we could get them all along to the kindergarten.”
“A kindergarten is a great idea,” Anne said. “I don’t know why we hadn’t thought of it before.”
Fiona said, “Probably because we’re all so focused on trying to create a community rapidly. How about us sticking with Craig and the children tomorrow and we can go looking for the best house and garden to use?”
“I’d be happy to do that,” Anne said. “Okay with you, Craig?”
“Of course, yeah.” He shook his head. “Four active children can be fun, and a nightmare, yeah.”
All of the others laughed at his expression of exhaustion.
.
Friday 7th October
At the end of another day of hard work by all concerned, everybody, including the youngsters, enjoyed a pleasant meal. The four children were playing with a box of toys and books which Anne had discovered, so they were delighted. The adults were in conference nearby.
Bill said, “While Jay-Dee and I were up on the main road this afternoon, we saw something which might help explain one of our ongoing puzzles.”
The others looked from Bill to Jay-Dee and back again, eager to hear the news.
“We saw what I think was a family of Iron-Age pigs. I’m not a farmer, but I recognise a few breeds and these were quite distinctive, big, black, hairy and mean-looking. They wandered into a garden and busied themselves for a while feeding on the vegetables.”
Craig said, “Right, so they might be eating the vegetables and fertilising the garden at the same time, yeah?”
“No,” Bill said, “which is why we’ve only solved part of the puzzle. Contrary to what used to be said about pigs, they’re clean and don’t leave anything unpleasant where they eat. Basically, it told us part of the reason why the gardens have not overgrown, so everything would rot away.” He smiled. “We waited until they wandered away and we followed them.”
Anne said, “Did you find anything else?”
“Yes—we found out that they’re living at the old distillery.”
“Wait a minute,” Cherry said, “didn’t we check that out on our first visit here?”
Bill shook his head. “We only went so far into the grounds because the place was such a ruin, but the mesh fence at the back is torn down, and the neighbouring property was a pig farm by the look of it. There is a row of huts near the back of the distillery property. Tamworth and Saddleback are the other two pig breeds which are roaming around, and they’re all huge animals.”
Jay-Dee said, “It was the size of them which was more perplexing than their existence. Those pig breeds would be big normally, but they are all much bigger than average, their legs are thicker, and they’re healthy and strong.”
“Maybe I’m missing something,” Fiona said.
Jay-Dee continued, “We’re wondering if a small amount of a biological warfare agent reached this area years ago in rainfall, and affected the plant growth. It would in due course affect any creature which consumed the vegetation.”
“Wait a minute, yeah,” Craig said. “You guys said that you ate vegetables when you came here before, yeah?”
“We did,” Bill said, “but think about it—we ate stuff that had been growing on and off for a couple of years. Any biological effects would probably have faded by the time we ate the produce. If our theory is right, the pigs might have been responsible for continually devouring the new growths, and each time, the vegetables in the rotation would become purer.”
Cherry said, “Surely if there were some sort of agent, it would kill the animals?”
“Most domestic and farm animals,” Jay-Dee said, “but a pig’s constitution is more robust than most other animals.” He laughed. “In South America, for example, there was a species of peccary, which is similar to a wild pig. It ate mud to clear toxins from its digestive system.”
“I wish there were some way we could check this out.” Fiona slowly shook her head.
“I think we can,” Jay-Dee said. “We have Tina, now in Aviemore, and we have Victoria and Harry both back at Auchcarn.”
“Of course,” Anne said, “The three of them together would solve it. Tina is a vet, Victoria is a botanist, and Harry is … well, he’s Harry.”
Bill said, “We can get in touch with them tomorrow and see what they think.”
“If pigs are as clean as you say, yeah,” Craig said, “that still leaves the issue of fertilisation, yeah?”
“Mother Nature would take care of it,” Bill said. “If you look at the forest floor, you’ll find that any rotten vegetation is consumed. In the end, the earth is replenished with nutrients to help regrowth. There are plenty of birds and animals around too.”
Fiona said, “Is there anything else you two would like to share with us about your walk along to the distillery?”
“Yes,” Bill said and grinned. “We knew there were foxes, badgers and deer arou
nd here, but on our way back we saw at least six small terriers, which is why this village isn’t overrun with vermin.”
Jay-Dee said, “When we were here the first time we saw a couple of small mongrels, and they avoided us, but these other dogs are so small it wouldn’t take much to miss them.”
“I think we should leave them all to their own devices,” Cherry said and smiled. “More tea, anyone?”
24. Aviemore
Saturday 8th October
Sandy steered the kayak close to the bank when he recognised the description which Flint had given him. Fifty metres away in mid-stream were two large rounded boulders and the waterway became narrower shortly afterwards. Closer to hand was the marker—embedded at the base of an oak tree was a small polished piece of wood. It had once belonged on the back of a rowboat—a rowboat called Adventurer.
Imogen tethered the kayak while Sandy camouflaged the craft with a few branches. The pair stepped away between the trees and looked back towards their vessel.
“Sandy,” Imogen whispered, “thank you for trusting me to join you.”
“You’ve earned your place. Okay, from here on in we don’t talk and I’ll give you the signal when I want you to wait—and then I’ll return to signal you to join me.”
“Okay, I’ve got it.”
The pair set off between the trees with only two metres separating them. It was a foregone conclusion that there would be the possibility of booby-traps but probably not a face-to-face meeting with the two people who lived in the remote area. Sandy led the way along the side of a field high with vegetation and then he turned to go east, still alongside fields heavy in growth.
This was a critical mission on different levels. Primarily, it was going to be a monthly covert visit to the building where Patsy lived in the woodland with her daughter. At Eagle’s Nest Farm, the two strangers were referred to as the wild couple. Sandy never reminded anybody that it was an adult and a child. That was how it was to stay. Sandy, Flint and Bill had discussed the matter and agreed that it would be too difficult to explain how dangerous the daughter was—irrespective of age.