The Holiday
The sun shone through the crack in the curtain, it was like a slither of a spotlight and within its glare, a thousand tiny dust particles danced and then disappeared back into the darkness.
The alarm sounded. It was five thirty in the morning. Normally, James wouldn’t be happy about his clock waking him up at this time, but today was different. Today was the day.
He slid out of bed, still sleepy, but with an excitement that wouldn’t normally match this time of day.
He slid on his slippers and began to get ready for this momentous day.
He checked his phone when he got back into the bedroom from the shower. Two missed calls. From Shaun.
Shaun had been James’ best friend since primary school, and for years they had one thing they wanted to do, which was go on a camping holiday around America. And today was the day that the dream became a reality.
He dabbed and swiped his phone until it connected.
‘Hello mate. I can’t believe we’re really doing it.’ he said as he punched the air in excitement.
‘I know.’ Crackled Shaun’s voice. ‘I’m just getting ready, and I’ve got a taxi booked from mine at seven. We’ll pick you up and then on to the airport.’
The two of them made their last-minute preparations, double checked passports and boarding tickets and hung up the line, both as excited as the other.
Quarter past seven came and the taxi was right on time. James kissed his mum goodbye and fumbled with his heavy cases down the driveway.
As his mum waved them both off, the epic journey had begun. Neither of them could believe it was happening. It had been years in the planning, and now all the hard work and late nights had paid off. They were on their way.
Once they touched down at JFK airport, they waited to get their bags and jumped in the first taxi that they could find. They knew exactly where they were going; a camping and survival shop. They had spoken to the manager online and had already purchased a large two-man tent with their card. It would be waiting for them when they got there. They figured it would be easier to buy one there rather than trying to cart one around on the plane.
It took them only ten minutes to arrive at the shop and the manager had their purchases ready; two large army surplus rucksacks, a two-man tent, camping stove and other camping paraphernalia.
They had pre-booked a hotel for the night before they began their journey into the unknown. The hotel was cheap, really cheap. It was basically a couple of beds in a dingy, small room with a dirty window, dirty enough that any sunlight had a hard time penetrating. It made the room look bleak and lifeless, but they didn’t care. It was a bed for the night, and the two of them set their sights on having one amazing night on the town before they would think about pitching a tent.
They dropped off their bags, had a shower and went out. They would start by sampling the legendary food that New York was so famed for, then, once they had lined their stomachs, would head out to the pubs and clubs.
It was just after two in the morning when they crawled back to their hotel room. They had definitely felt like they had a good night, and even though they were drunk and having a good time, they knew they were going to feel the hangover in the morning. The coach would be picking them up at six, and they had a long, long journey ahead of them.
The coach ride took eight hours. Eight, grueling, uncomfortable hours squashed into seats that were obviously designed for people under five foot. They stopped occasionally for toilet breaks and a chance to walk around and get some air, but these short breaks weren’t enough to make the journey any less arduous.
Eventually, they saw the sign. White Mountains National Forest – New Hampshire. They had arrived. They were finally going to take the first steps into their adventure of a lifetime.
They stopped at a large wooden building, which was the information centre for the forest. It was advised that they stop there, get some tips on camping, lifesaving advice and what animals to look out for, and what to do if they encountered them.
There was a man at the counter, he was very friendly, and seemed pleased and stunned that they had travelled so far for this experience. He very kindly offered to check their equipment for them, just to make sure they hadn’t forgotten any essentials.
They spent an hour with the man who was satisfied that they had everything they needed for a successful trip. He was impressed that James and Shaun had the very latest in Satellite phones and GPS trackers; they had saved up for two years to buy the best of the best.
It was now just after three in the afternoon, and the pair went on their way. They hadn’t expected just how steep the mountains would be, and these were not even the biggest ones. They would need all their strength to haul their gear up the hills.
They figured they could probably walk around three or four miles into the forest before they would stop and set up camp for the night. Maybe, on a day, they could have covered a little more distance, but they were still feeling the effects of the drink the night before.
It was dark in the forest, even though they had only just pierced the outer edges of the vast area. They checked the time and decided it was a good time to rest, relax and hopefully sleep away the grogginess of the day before.
The night was a success! They had managed to build a campfire, cooked their meals of beans and sausages, and most importantly of all, they didn’t get eaten by any hungry bears.
A week had passed, and they were still in the forest. They had an itinerary and the first week was dedicated to this forest. A lot of time had gone into researching the area and the beautiful scenery it had to offer. They did everything and went everywhere they planned and were becoming very accustomed to bush craft and even hunting for small game.
The week was over, though, and it was on to the next destination. Allegheny, in Pennsylvania. It would be a longer road journey than before.
13 hours after leaving White Mountain National Park, they arrived in Allegheny. They drove past the borders of New York and onto Pennsylvania. By the time they got there, they were exhausted. The decision was made to find a hotel and sleep in moderate comfort for the night. The adventure would resume once they were properly rested.
It was two days into the Allegheny Mountain leg of the trip. Their tiredness had faded, and their spirits were high.
On the second night, they found a clearing in the forest that they thought would make a perfect camp. Shaun set up the tent while James walked further into the forest to try and find some logs and twigs for the campfire.
As he wandered past another clearing, his eyes gazed forward, and his jaw dropped. He stood there for a few minutes, looking at what he had just discovered.
As Shaun was hammering the final tent peg into the ground, he heard rustling in the bushes. James leapt out, with a big grin on his face. ‘You gotta come see this!’ he yelled and grabbed Shaun by the hand without any further explanation.
Shaun tried to ask what the cause for all the excitement was, but as he was led through the clearing, he needed to ask no more questions. They both looked on in awe. And smiled. What a treasure they had found!
They ran back to the campsite and packed up all their stuff. They had found the campsite of all campsites; the ruins of what looked like a medieval church. It had no roof, but the walls still stood tall and proud, almost as if it was designed to look this way. The architecture was amazing, they figured it had to be at least three hundred years old.
The new camp was set up in no time, this was the perfect spot for them. After setting up camp for the second time that evening, they were too buzzed with excitement to settle down and wanted to explore more of this part of the forest. If there was a church, maybe there would be some other old structures to discover.
They set their GPS trackers and wandered off into the thick shrub.
As they continued their exploration, Shaun noticed that the air was feeling ‘off.’
‘It feels strange. Don’t you feel the difference in the atmosphere?’ he asked James.
It wasn’t until Shaun had pointed it out that James realized that the air had thickened. On top of this, a fog was starting to emerge from the forest around them. They knew by their extensive research, that fog or mist would only happen in the forest in very humid climates. The climate was far from humid that night.
An unspoken concern came over the two of them, and for the first time in their trip, they felt uneasy about being alone within this massive and secluded space. They felt very small, and the area felt immense.
As the fog became thicker, their steps quickened as they searched for their camp, but they could not find it. The GPS tracker was starting to malfunction. A muted panic began to set in.
As they wandered further, they had lost all bearings and didn’t know if they were creating more distance between themselves and their camp, with all the equipment that they would need for a safe night.
‘Jesus!’ said James suddenly, which broke Shaun from his conflicted mind.
James pointed into the distance. Shaun followed the direction of his finger, and in the distant fog he could see the outline of another structure. A house. As they approached they could see that this dwelling seemed in far better shape than the church was, but it still looked like it had been abandoned many years ago.
A tingle in their backs lifted the desperation of their plight from their shoulders. They would at least have some sort of shelter, although it would be full of bugs and rats, but they would make do.
James and Shaun made their way to the front door, now with spirits lifted, joking at how this would be a great story to re-tell when they got back home.
The door was in a derelict state. It was barely clinging to the hinges, which were losing their own battle to stay attached to the frame.
They pushed open the door, it didn’t move easily, it scraped along the floor with its now deformed and precarious hanging. The floor itself didn’t help, with debris all over causing a barricade of mortar from the walls and ceiling.
‘This is going to be grim.’ Whispered Shaun.
No great expectations were imagined for the night ahead. They were going to be forced to sleep on floors that were cold, damp and full of creatures. They would do their best, though.
Rotten wood creaked and strained under their feet. The floors were littered with dirt and, probably, dead rodents. Every step was fraught with possible danger of a breaking floorboard or a collapsing ceiling. Their torches highlighted the dereliction of this rotting abode. It was probably a beautiful home in its day, but now, nature was slowly taking back the space that the structure had stolen from it long ago.
James stopped suddenly. Shaun walking into him. ‘What’s up?’
‘Can you smell that?’ asked James.
Shaun sniffed the air. ‘It smells like cooking. Christ, does someone still live here?’ he asked, as if James knew the answer.
‘Hello?’ shouted Shaun in a muted volume.
No answer.
They were in a long corridor, and at the end was a door. It was shut. As they stepped carefully closer to this closed door, the smell of cooking became stronger.
‘There is. There’s someone in here. We need to leave.’ Said Shaun. He was beginning to breathe a little deeper, only taking in more dust and probably mould that they had disturbed.
‘Shh.’ James held his hand up to show he was calm and in control.
‘Hello?’ he shouted this time.
The door at the end of the corridor began to open. James and Shaun froze in their places, now gripping the torches harder, not knowing what to expect.
As the door opened a little more, a dim light emerged from the room it was concealing. Only a little light, but enough to show the silhouette of a small, and hunched over woman. ‘Hello?’ she said. She didn’t sound frightened, or even shocked that there were now two men stood in front of her, in her house, in the middle of the forest.
There was a brief pause while the woman’s silhouette just stood in the doorway.
James regained what he could of his composure. ‘Oh, we’re really sorry. We thought this place was abandoned. We didn’t think anyone lived here.’
The silhouette remained motionless and didn’t say anything.
‘We were lost, and we just wanted to sleep here for the night, but we’re really sorry, we didn’t mean to come into your home.’ Stuttered Shaun.
The silhouette shuffled a little closer. James was ready to run, but the silhouette spoke in a lovely, old voice.
‘Don’t you boys worry. If you’re lost, you can stay here. I’m just making stew. There’s enough for both of you.’
The old lady’s kind and heart-warming voice soothed them of any anxieties, but they had still barged into her home unannounced. ‘Thank you very much, but you don’t need to feed us,’ said James. ‘Just point us in the direction of the old church and we’ll be on our way.’
‘Nonsense.’ Said the old lady as she began to move awkwardly further towards them.
They no longer felt scared. They actually felt at ease with the old lady. She had an air of calmness and peace. ‘You boys are trying to get out of the fog. It’s only going to get worse, and you’ll get lost in no time. It’s my pleasure and my obligation to give you some hot food and somewhere warm to sleep tonight. You can go and find your camp in the morning.’
‘Thank you.’ Said James. ‘But only if you’re sure?’
‘Absolutely.’ She said. ‘Now go into the little room on your left, sit at the table and I’ll serve you up some lovely stew. It’s nearly ready.’
As they entered the room on the left, they were greeted by a large, warm fire with a round table in the centre. It only had two chairs.
This room seemed in far better condition than the corridor they had just been in. It was almost like a normal home, apart from the dampness in the air.
‘Did you see the light from the fire out in the corridor?’ asked James.
Shaun shook his head. They hadn’t even seen the door, but they were sure they would have seen the light from the fire, even if the door had been shut, which it wasn’t when they entered the room.
They both sat in silence and listened to the old lady in the kitchen shifting pots and pans.
‘Should we see if she needs any help?’ suggested Shaun.
James was just about to answer when the door opened, and the lady shuffled in carrying two large bowls of steaming hot stew.
’You two boys get that in your bellies, and I’ll go and make your beds up for the night.
‘You really don’t have to go to all this trouble.’ Said James as he sniffed the wonderful smell of the stew.
‘Not to worry. It’s my pleasure and my obligation to make sure you have food in your bellies and a safe place to sleep.’
‘You’re really being too kind.’ Said Shaun. ‘We really don’t want to cause any trouble for you.’
‘Nonsense. I’m a Christian woman and have been all my life. God brought you here tonight, in your hour of need, and I’ll be damned if I let you go back out there tonight. You two boys eat up and I’ll make up your rooms.’
Before James or Shaun could thank the lady, she was out of the room and was making her way up the stairs that they hadn’t seen on their way in.
‘Oh my god, she is the sweetest lady on earth.’ Said James.
Shaun nodded as he tucked into his stew. ‘Wow.’ He said, ‘This is amazing.’
Before too long, they had cleared every morsal from their bowls, just in time for the lady to enter the room again. ‘Right, you’ve both got a bed, and I’ve run you both a bath. I expect you haven’t been bathing properly while you’ve been in the forest.’
There was a bath of soothingly hot water in each of their rooms, and next to the bath was a beautiful hand-carved bed. The bedrooms were sublime and felt a million miles away from the dirty, mould-ridden house that they had seen from the outside.
Once they had finished with their baths, the two of them got into their beds and closed their eyes. They felt a peace like they had never felt before. The comfort of the mattresses was what they could only dream of back home.
The old lady went from Shaun’s room and then into James’ room. ‘Goodnight.’ She said, with a soft whispering voice.
‘We really do appreciate all you’ve done for us tonight.’ Said James. ‘We are so grateful for helping us.’
The old lady smiled. ‘It’s my pleasure and my obligation.’ She said as she pulled the door to.
James fell asleep almost as soon as the old lady closed the door.
The alarm buzzed, waking James suddenly from his deep sleep. He struggled to open his eyes, but when he finally managed to focus, he could see the light slither cutting through the gap in the curtain. He could see the particles of dust appear within the spotlight beam, dance for a second and then disappear again into the darkness void.
The alarm was still buzzing.
After a few seconds, he was composed enough to reach out his hand and mute his alarm. This was enough activity to kick his brain into gear. He laid there, trying to gauge the comfort of the mattress he was laid on. It was hard, not the sumptuous comfort he had remembered from the night before.
He lay there.
Pondering.
Racking his brain.
He felt the same old spring that had poked him in the back for the last two years. The spring that made him swear that he was going to buy a new mattress, but never got round to it.
He was in his bed. He had had the most ludicrous of dreams, a dream that seemed to extend over weeks, and one that he could recount like it was a real memory.
He lay there.
Thinking.
Recounting his nocturnal vision. It felt so real, he could reignite the smells of the trees, the sound of the campfire, and the voice of the old lady.
He lay there for ten minutes. Confused and lost in his thought that his own brain could conjure up such a vivid tale.
Once he was back in the land of the conscious, he peeled himself from between his sheets. He looked at the calendar. Today was the day.
But he didn’t feel excitement. He wasn’t jumping giddily into his slippers. He just stared at the calendar.
Numb.
Unenthusiastic.
Indifferent.
He was pulled from his catatonic state by the sound of his phone chiming. It was a text message. From Shaun.
I had the craziest dream last night. I dreamt that we went on holiday and got lost in the forest and ended up in some old lady’s house. It was so vivid. Call me when you’re awake.
James scrolled for Shaun’s number and hit dial.
‘Hello?’ answered Shaun.
James didn’t say anything for a few seconds. He didn’t have the words.
‘Hello? James?’ Shaun asked again.
‘Erm, what the hell was that text message all about?’ he asked. Not knowing what else to say.
‘Well, I had this mad, crazy dream that we were….’ James interrupted him mid-speech.
‘I had the same dream.’ He said.
‘What?’ Asked Sean.
‘I had exactly the same dream.’
As the two of them described their dreams, they both came to realize that they did indeed share the exact same vision. They both went into great detail about what had happened, and the fog, and the old house, and the old lady with her stew.
Both of them were in shock.
This was the day when they were supposed to be going away. The day that they had planned for so long, and the day that they had spent years looking forward to. But now, it was flat. The dream was nothing more than a fairytale.
‘I’m coming round.’ Said Shaun.
James’ mum came into his room. ‘You need to be getting up now, you’ll need to be setting off soon.’ She said.
James, with his indifferent tone said ‘Yeah.’
Twenty minutes later Shaun arrived at the house. He was greeted by James’ mum who was a little bemused by his lack of luggage.
Shaun made his way up to James’s bedroom where he was still sitting on his bed, no attempt made at getting ready for the trip of a lifetime.
‘None of this makes sense. I don’t know what happened. All I wanted to do for the last ten years is go on this trip, and now I really don’t want to go at all.’ Said Shaun.
James shrugged. His eyes still fixated on the calendar. ‘Maybe we shouldn’t go.’ He said.
Two weeks later, the pair were sat in the King’s Head pub. It was their local and it was their Saturday night haunt before they made their way to the clubs in town.
Two weeks had passed, and they never went on their trip. No decision or agreement had been made between them. They just didn’t go. Their families couldn’t figure it out, only concluding that they must have gotten cold feet and decided not to go. Although, it was a very expensive decision as they would lose all their travelling fees.
James and Shaun never really spoke much of their decision. They knew enough not to talk about it too much. All the friends, on the other hand, were more than intrigued as to why they didn’t go, but they just made the excuse that they couldn’t afford it right now, and they would do it sometime in the future.
‘Look!’ Shouted Faye from across the bar. She was pointing at the TV.
Faye was a close friend of both James and Shaun; she had listened to their plans to camp across America more times than she would care to remember.
‘It’s Allegheny Forest. The place where you said you were going to go. Check it out, there’s been a massive forest fire there.’
As James and Shaun focused in on the news report on the old TV in the corner, they could see a massive blaze sweeping across the forest.
The news report stated that amidst the inferno, while firefighters were tackling the flames, two bodies were found who were believed to have been camping in the remnants of a three-hundred-year-old church.
