by Eli Ingle
With that happy thought in his mind, he curled up under his blanket and fell asleep.
The next morning, he was woken by Jhoan, who was cooking breakfast. After they had eaten, they fired up the cart again and got on their way. There was a short debate about whether they should be feeding the patients but after one attempt to give Erdiz some fried egg and nearly getting their fingers bitten off, they decided to give it a miss.
The day progressed without anything much happening. At one point they found a large pond with a small stream running both into and out of it, so they stopped there to refil the water tank.
Jhoan tested the water with a small kit they had, and after working out that it was safe to drink they also filled all their containers, pans and water tank ready for the next leg of the journey. Feeling happier and more secure, they set off again. Jhoan was driving now, which gave Rigel the chance to sit at the back and steer.
A few hours after lunchtime, Erdiz, Laurie and Rona suddenly went very quiet and then without warning all opened their eyes and began crying out wildly. Rigel was so surprised at the sudden change that he jumped and then fell off the back of the cart. In the following confusion, Jhoan lost control of the cart and ran it into a rock.
Rubbing his bruised coccyx, Rigel got to his feet gingerly and walked over to the cart. Pulling down the ladder, he climbed up and found the others staring at him.
“Er … hi,” he ventured, staying a safe distance away on the steps.
“Hello, Rigel,” said Laurie. His voice sounded faint and unused. He looked just as bad as when he had been asleep.
“Rough night, huh?”
“Yeah, you could say that.” Laurie paused for a moment before bursting out laughing. The others joined in, and in his relief Rigel found himself laughing along with them, suddenly feeling that everything was going to be okay.
“Shall we stop for a bit?” asked Erdiz. “I could murder a cup of tea.”
Ten minutes later, they were sat around on the floor drinking tea whilst the dying embers of the fire blew heat off in the other direction.
“So are you going to tell us what happened then?” asked Rigel.
Rona nodded.
“We left you and went through the gorge and more or less as soon as we got there we felt brilliant, I mean, absolutely fantastic. The sun was shining and it was warm, the air smelt nice and there were flowers everywhere. We kept on travelling although we had no desire to rush – whatever it was in there that made you feel like that seemed to take all urgency out of your body. Anyway, we carried on travelling although, out of the corners of our eyes, we could see these shadows. But whenever you looked at them they disappeared. Still, we were feeling so good it didn’t bother us. I couldn’t even feel bad for you – I was just so glad we were in there that we forgot about you, which sounds awful! But we couldn’t help it, it was so ….”
“Intoxicating?” suggested Rigel, as he remembered the feeling flowing through him when he had entered the gorge.
“Precisely! So we were travelling along and then completely by accident, although it was probably the enchantment doing its work, whoever was steering slipped and the cart went off course and crashed into a rock. The jolt sort of woke us up a bit and we suddenly realised that the shadows we had been seeing were piles of bodies … and they were everywhere. We tried to keep on going but the enchantment was stronger and kept pulling us down. We could see through the lies but it was no good.”
“It was so warm and comforting,” interjected Erdiz, a hazy look glazing her eyes. She paused with a smile before suddenly shaking her head. “See? It still gets me now.”
“By this point, we were getting pretty panicky,” continued Rona. “We went at full speed, but that’s when we arrived at that huge wall of bodies and we couldn’t get past it! There was no way around it and I was seriously thinking we were done for. In desperation, we abandoned the cart and tried to tackle it on foot. But that also turned out to be a mistake, because we lost sight of each other and ended up climbing over the bodies. The enchantment had taken hold and more or less just as we got to the top of the wall, we fell unconscious and fell to the other side. I don’t really remember anything else until we woke up now.”
Rigel blew out his cheeks. “Lucky we found you then.”
“More than a bit.”
“So what happened to you, then?” she asked.
Rigel and Jhoan told the story between them, not really realising until it had been concluded how horrendous it had actually been. They commented on this as they finished their tale.
“So where do we go from here?” asked the bandit.
“Ever onwards,” said Laurie. “We’ll travel a bit further today, rest up early and get going tomorrow with the aim of making good time. I’ve missed the travelling …. Anyway, we’ll see where we end up. We’ve been travelling for so long now that I’d be surprised if we don’t hit something soon.”
“Here’s hoping … I wouldn’t say no to a nice civilised town to stay in again.”
“Depends on what you define as civilised,” chuckled Jhoan darkly, obviously thinking about Ludo. The others laughed uneasily.
“You know what I mean.”
“Shall we get on then?”
“Yeah ….”
“Hey,” said Rigel, “can me and Jhoan go to sleep? We spent most of the night awake to make sure you didn’t wander off again.”
“Wander off where?”
“Oh … we’ll tell you about that later.”
“Okay, have a nice sleep.”
They clambered back up onto the cart and settled down, falling asleep just as Laurie pressed the lever forwards and Erdiz sat down in the back to start steering.
The sound and smell of cooking food woke them much later when the sun was setting again. The cart had stopped. Sitting up, Rigel stretched and smiled, feeling much better, stood up and looked around. The cart had been parked next to a wind-worn column of slate. The occasional scrub grew around the base. Rigel briefly wondered when or if they would start to see any birds or insects.
Stepping off the cart, Rigel went down to find the others gathered around a cooking fire.
“Hello!” said Laurie brightly. Rigel noticed that he was already looking much better. Colour was returning to his cheeks and the skin had stopped looking so taut and stretched across his skull.
“Hello. That smells nice.”
“It’ll be ready in a minute.”
They ate dinner together, laughing and talking like old times, and Rigel finally felt safe after days of insecurity.
“I’ve been thinking that we should be making the most of our time,” Laurie announced as they were finishing the food. “I’ve had enough of lying around sleeping so I think we should drive through the night and then we’ll make good time.”
“Can you really stay up that long?” Rigel asked.
“I’ll try,” laughed the Captain. “And if not, I’ll wake one of you lot up.”
“I don’t mind taking turns,” said Erdiz.
“Alright then.”
Climbing back up onto the cart, they settled down for the night’s long journey. Rigel, who was not yet prepared to go to sleep, having only just woken up again, settled himself in between two crates with Rona sitting nearby.
“Happy to be back?” he asked. From the front, he could hear Laurie firing up the engine. Rona nodded.
“Oh yes,” she said. “It just feels so strange after being in that state – it’s almost like you forget what’s real.”
“So what was it like, when you were in that coma-like state?”
“When we were driven away from the gorge, it was horrific … It felt a bit like being starving and not being able to reach the food cupboard or, to be honest, what I imagine a drug addict feels like. I was cold and shivering all the time and couldn’t concentrate. It was like I wasn’t there and at the same time I was and just couldn’t focus on anything because all I
was remembering was the warmth and the sunshine of the gorge. And the perfume and the flowers ….” She broke off, looking dreamy, and Rigel had realised a smile was even creeping across his face as he remembered travelling through. “Anyway!” she said, snapping back. “Bad, isn’t it? I’m already slipping off thinking about it.”
“It must be a really powerful enchantment if it can still do that to us,” agreed Rigel.
“It’s scary to think how we could have just wasted away in there.”
Rigel nodded. “Funny thing is, though,” he said, “Jhoan was never affected by it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, as soon as we got in there, I was enchanted by the sunshine and everything, but he never noticed it and said there wasn’t really anything there, and then when I was starting to fall asleep and become comatose he just kept going and going. He was the one who drove the cart out and got us all out to safety.”
“I thought you said you woke up again?”
“I did, but if it hadn’t been for Jhoan, I’d never would have. It was only his urging and actions that got me out of there.”
“Gosh, that is weird, though, that he wasn’t affected by it. Why do you think that was?”
“No idea. Maybe we should ask Erdiz at some point.”
“Or ask Jhoan.”
“Well, yes … we’ll ask both of them.”
It was later now, so they decided to go back to sleep. The rumbling of the cart settled them off quite easily, leaving Rigel feeling content once more.
The next morning, he was surprised to find that they were still travelling. By this point, he would have expected them to have stopped for breakfast at least. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes and looked around. Laurie was steering and Jhoan was driving at the front. Erdiz was making them some food on a portable stove.
“Why are we still going?” asked Rigel as he yawned. The blanket slipped off him so he pulled it back on after the cold air stung him.
“We think we can see something up ahead in the distance,” said Laurie, pointing just to the right of their direction. “So we’ve decided to try to aim for it as soon as we can rather than stopping. We can eat on the go; it’s fine.”
“Alright,” he said, rubbing his arms to try to warm them up.
“Gruel?” offered Erdiz, holding out a bowl of food that looked like it had lost the will to live. Rigel’s stomach rolled uneasily.
“I’m okay, thanks,” he said. “Can I steer?”
Laurie nodded and moved out of the way. Rigel slipped into his place and took the wheel, watching as the Captain took Erdiz’s proffered bowl of porridge, took a sniff and a spoonful and grimaced as he swallowed it.
“That looks nice,” grinned Rigel. Laurie scowled at him. “Well, you didn’t have to eat it!”
“I’ve been up for most of the night and I’m starving. I’d eat some cardboard if you offered it to me …. Do you have any cardboard?”
“Oi!” shouted Erdiz from the front. She was giving a bowl to Jhoan. While her back was turned, the bandit tipped it over the edge of the cart. Erdiz turned back and beamed at Jhoan when she saw the empty bowl. “At least you like it, Jhoan! Gosh, you must have been hungry. Here, have some more.” The bandit looked miserable as the wise-woman filled his bowl with twice the amount of porridge she had given him originally and stood smiling expectantly as she waited for him to eat it. Jhoan tried to smile, as the spoon went halfway to his mouth, he hesitated. Erdiz nodded and smiled. The spoon hovered for a moment before plunging into the bandit’s mouth. He chewed with his eyes scrunched up until something in the food went crunch. The bandit’s eyes widened and he looked at Erdiz with betrayal.
Rigel turned his attention away from the scene and back towards the horizon, his eyes settling on the grey-black mass in the distance.
“What do you think it is, then?” Rigel asked.
“We’re not sure, obviously, but we think it’s a town,” Laurie replied.
“Oh good!”
“That’s what we were thinking. It would be nice to get back to civilisation again.”
“Maybe they’ll have shops and food. Hot baths!”
“I know, but don’t get your hopes up. If there isn’t anything I don’t want you feeling overly disappointed.”
“Yeah, but still ….” The Captain laughed.
“I know, I know.”
“Full steam ahead!” ordered Laurie. Jhoan nodded and pushed the lever down to the floor. The pistons hissed and increased their speed, making the cart hurtle towards its destination, leaving plumes of dust in its wake.
As they increased speed, it approached rapidly, and around a quarter of an hour later they had reached its outskirts. Laurie ordered Jhoan to reduce their speed, and they slowed to a crawl with Rigel directing them between the buildings.
“It’s empty,” commented Rona as she looked around.
“Oh good, I love all these empty towns we arrive at,” said Jhoan. Rigel watched as the hand not holding the lever loosed his pistol from its holster and held it by his waist.
“Just be quiet and keep driving,” Laurie ordered. “Rigel, if possible, try to direct us towards the centre of town.”
“There’ll be a courtyard. There’s always a courtyard,” muttered Rona.
“Are you parodying our own journeys?” asked Rigel. Rona laughed.
“Shut up, you two,” Laurie snapped.
“Rude.”
Following what he thought to be the main roads along the way, Rigel directed them to the centre of the town. He knew he was heading in the right general direction when the houses became larger and more affluent. The road bent around a corner and they arrived not in a courtyard but in a main central street that in any normal town would have been full of people shopping and going out to lunch at cafés. As it was, the place was deserted and looked unpleasantly as though no-one had lived there for years. Jhoan pulled up the lever and brought the cart to a halt, allowing Rigel to let go of the steering wheel.
They stood tensely on the cart as they waited to see if any people would come out and find them but no-one came. Laurie tried shouting and waited but still no-one appeared from around any of the corners.
“Well, either they’re very shy or there isn’t anyone here,” he said, walking to the back and lowering the ladder. He jumped down and hit the pavement, looking around as he did so.
Rigel followed him, pushing past Erdiz and Jhoan as he did so.
“Keep your gun close,” he heard Erdiz mutter to the bandit, who nodded.
“What’s the plan?” asked Rigel. The Captain looked down at him.
“We’ll have a quick scout around and see if anyone’s here and then we’ll look for supplies and be on our way. Rigel nodded. “We’ll split up,” he instructed. “Rigel and Rona, you’ll come with me. And Erdiz and Jhoan, you go together.”
“Yes, sir.” They saluted and began walking down a street on the left.
“Come on you two,” said Laurie, leading them down a street on the right.
Following Laurie, they kept a look out for anything or anyone that might be of some use. Rigel thought he could hear music playing in the distance. When he pointed it out to the others, they stopped to listen.
“I think I can hear something,” agreed Rona.
“We’ll go and have a look,” said Laurie. “Which way do you think it’s coming from?”
Rigel pointed through an archway. Laurie took the lead and the others followed in step behind him. Walking under the arch, they arrived in another street that was lined down the middle by lamp posts with hanging baskets suspended from the side. Attached to the other side were rows of speakers, quietly playing what sounded like an old jazz record. Once it finished, the crackling came to an end and a pre-recorded message began.
“Welcome to – insert name here – town! Here we offer a quality of living away from the urban hustle of most modern towns. Life is quiet and the graves are qui
eter – because there’s no-one in them! This experimental town is under a Government expansion programme and within the next ten years, we expect it to be a thriving hub of civilisation where you ccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc-cccccc-ccc-can send the children to their graves. Send the children to their graves. Send the children to their graves. Send the children to their graves.”
Rigel shivered as he heard the message that had been repeated so many times throughout their journey. What did it mean? Laurie, unlike Rona, did not seem to be perturbed by this at all.
“What kind of name for a town is ‘insert name here’ town?” he scoffed.
“Maybe they just haven’t got round to naming it yet,” suggested Rona.
“Send the children to their graves. Send the children to their graves,” continued the speaker.
From around the corner, a little old man shuffled, pulling a trolley. He spotted them and squealed, dropping the handle. The trolley fell to the floor with a clatter. Quicker than a flash, he had pulled a gun from his back and aimed it at them, shooting on sight. Laurie managed to pull the children to the floor and the shot went over their heads, hitting the archway behind them.
“Wait!” cried the Captain. “We’re friends!”
“Dear Gods, it talks!” exclaimed the old man, grabbing his trolley and shuffling over to them. They remained on the floor and he pointed his gun at them. “Get up! Get up!”
Slowly they rose to their feet, hands on their heads.
“How are you moving? Has the government programmed you to walk now? You don’t look like models ….”
The three looked at each other, confused.
“We’re not models,” ventured Laurie. He stuck out his hand. “I’m Lorrirone Orunstone Peririer the Third. How and who are you?”
The old man looked at Laurie’s hand as though he could not remember what he was supposed to do with it; then, like sunshine hitting the water, realisation struck and shook it heartily, not letting go.
“Good to see you, sir! Good to see you indeed! Oh, this is a pleasure – such a surprise. Real life people! They’ve finally sent real life people after all this time. Oh thank the Gods! Yes indeed, I thought the day would never come. Please, we have so much to talk about! Are you on a temporary or permanent contract?” He was still shaking Laurie’s’ hand.