A PLUMMETING SACK-FULL of the unknowing drifted weightless for what felt like forever, clinging tightly together, tangled into a ball of limbs and torch-lit faces floating ethereally through a place unfriended by light, except what they’d brought with them.
Time seemed almost to have stopped. Sam turned his eyes slowly up towards the open end of the tarpaulin, the beam from his head torch catching shards of fragmented mirror spinning slowly in the open end of the enveloping sheet, falling along with them through whatever it was they were all passing through. But he could see nothing else, just the tumbling shards spinning and colliding in total darkness… Then he noticed a bright spot far in the distance. He couldn’t make out it if it was going away from them, or they from it, but it continued to shrink into the nothingness until it was just a pinprick of light amidst the fragments of glass…
The shards began to accelerate their spin, and started drifting down towards them. They could all feel some form of gravity begin to load their limbs with weight.
The acceleration began increasing alarmingly. Time quickening.
Sam raised his arms and began trying to gather the edges of the tarpaulin tightly together, cocooning them from the jagged fragments hitching a ride.
The perceived speed continued to increase. ‘Hang on!’ Sam shouted, sensing that their fall may be nearing some kind of climax, else they may just continue to accelerate until their speed passed that of light itself, and their molecules just froze in the aether – locked together in a timeless state for all eternity.
They could began to hear a tinkle from the fragments of glass around the plummeting sack. The area around their feet started to glow light-blue, some kind of light source approaching from what they perceived to be beneath them.
Sam tightened his grip around the gathered tarp, and wrapped his free arm around the others.
The blue light suddenly intensified, illuminating the entire sack. They all instinctively braced.
There was an almighty crash! A brief impact jolting through their legs. They hung momentarily weightless, before the pull of gravity swung down through their shoulders, and they all thumped down onto something solid.
They remained static in their tangle of limbs, processing what they had all just experienced, trying in vain to relate it to something they may have felt before, but none of them succeeding.
‘Is everyone okay?’ asked Sam.
‘We think so,’ answered Lucy, speaking for the rest, her arms engulfing the children – their expressions a mixture of excitement, relief, bewilderment and hope.
Sam tentatively released the ends of the sheet… He’d been gripping it so hard his hand had cramped into a claw.
He heard pieces of glass sliding off the tarpaulin as he released it, and landing on what he desperately hoped to see. ‘Be careful of the glass,’ he said, slowly spreading the ends of the tarpaulin apart with his hands like the head of a flower.
Sam’s face broke into a smile, then a grim, and he tentatively released a laugh laced with more relief than he can ever remember feeling in his entire life.
They all peered through the opening to see what so amused him… Lucy’s face also brightened, and she joined in the relief-fuelled manic laughter, folding the sheet carefully away from the children, and rising triumphantly into the dining room of Hobswyke Hall.
Sam staggered to his feet. He pinched himself, checking he wasn’t dreaming.
Lucy turned a face incandescent with joy towards him, wilting a look of gratitude into his red eyes and flinging her arms around his neck. She pressed her soft, round lips hard against his, it was only the second time in their entire lives their mouths had touched. Sam – riding on the joy of the moment – never wanted it to end…
Lucy pulled out of the hold. ‘You saved us!’ she cried. ‘You did it! You fucking did it!’ Her smile relaxed. She welled with ultimate gratitude and looked deep into his soul. ‘You saved me,’ she muttered into his adoring gaze, ‘you saved my life, Sam…’ She embraced him again, dropping her chin on his shoulder.
Lucy felt that Sam was shaking his head. ‘No, Lucy… Any thanks goes to you. You were incredible, and I, and these two, will never know how ever to thank you. You’re one brave lady.’
They squeezed their relief into each other’s weary bones, their eyes slowly morphing back to turquoise and chestnut-brown.
Sam hoisted Lucy into his arms, and carried her across the sea of broken glass. They looked back at the shattered mirror pushed into the corner of the room. So that’s what you were up to in here before.’ She smirked. ‘Bloody hell, Sam, you’re amazing – do you know that? You think of everything.’
They turned to the children who were wandering about the room, drinking in the warmth of the light and atmosphere of their new world.
Jill was staring up at all the portraits lining the walls. Row upon row, stack upon stack of images of other people. Different faces from different eras, many more faces than she’d ever been given a chance to relate to in her life. She found the experience overwhelming.
Lucy limped up behind her, and rested her hand on her shoulder. ‘Who are these people?’ asked Jill.
‘These, are my ancestors,’ she explained. ‘An ancestor, is someone who has been a part of your family in the past. They’re people I’m related to, but who are no longer with us – if you understand.’
Jill looked confused at Lucy’s description, having never had anything similar in her life to compare it to. But she was happy just to gaze in wonderment at the wall of faces, trying to imagine what it would be like to meet each and every one of them.
Sam dropped to a knee to inspect Lucy’s leg. ‘May I?’ he asked, looking up at her – making gestures to lift the leg of her trousers.
She smiled at his unwavering adherence to manners and the rules of etiquette, despite all they’d just been through together. She nodded. ‘Of course,’ she said.
Carefully, he rolled up the hem of her trouser leg, and sucked in air at the amount of heavy bruising mottling her skin. ‘Bloody hell, Lucy!’ he cried. ‘Are you sure you’re going to be okay?’
‘I’ll be fine,’ she assured him, shaking the trouser leg down again. ‘Don’t worry about it, I’ll heal.’
Sam stood again. They both looked over at the fascinated children. Jill was leading Jack around the room by his hand. ‘So what do we do with this pair now?’ asked Sam,
Lucy began to laugh. ‘I have absolutely no idea.’
‘Well, don’t worry, I’ve sorted something out, at least for now,’ he explained.
‘Like what?’
‘Like never you mind.’ He grinned, then it softened. ‘Come on, I’ll show you.’
He looked across to the kids. ‘Jill, Jack,’ he called, ‘we’re going to take you to a place where you can stay, just for tonight, okay?’
Sam spun a look back towards Lucy, and beamed at her with more than a little excitement. ‘Wait until they see sunshine!’ he whispered.
Lucy’s eyes widened. She stepped away and stooped to glance up at the sky through one of the windows, the earlier cloud had cleared, and the sun was out in full force. ‘Oh my God!’ she exclaimed – her face brightening at the thought of the joy she knew she’d feel just watching their reactions. ‘Crap-in-hell, Sam! Come on!’
They collected the kids, and made their way out of the dining room and across the marbled floor.
The children spun in wonderment at both the differences, and the familiarity of the house.
They all arrived at the main entrance. Sam stopped and turned to face them. ‘Now, are you two ready?’ he said to their expectant faces. They both nodded, but neither of them knowing what it was he was referring to.
He stepped to the doors, gave the handles a theatrical twist, then swung them wide open, unveiling the full, unbridled beauty of a sunlit day.
Two tiny faces widened to the vision, overwhelmed by the beauty of the sight that met their eyes. They wandered out into the warmth and the breeze, serenaded by the joy-filled birdsong saturating the air of the purest of summer days.
A tear of happiness snaked down Jill’s cheek at a sight she never imagined could exist, Jack loosing her hand and galloping down the steps. He stopped half way, and looked at the railings. He turned a look up towards Sam and pointed to the gap.
Sam nodded. ‘That’s it,’ he confirmed, ‘that’s how we found you.’ The boy beamed, and continued to bounce down the staircase.
He stopped at the bottom and froze, looking out at the vista of hills stretching far to the horizon.
Jill dropped down the steps to join his side. They both looked out, observing ‘distance’ for the first time in their lives.
Sam and Lucy watched, sharing in their experience, and finding new-found appreciation of the beauty of the world into which they were lucky enough to be born.
Lucy turned to Sam. ‘Come on then, Samuel,’ she said, affectionately squeezing his hand, ‘show me this idea you’ve had for the kids.’
*
They all made their way across the grounds towards the far side of the estate, tiny heads on tiny bodies spinning like meerkats at all the far off details that never existed in their world.
Sam gestured to the group to wait by a large, splintered Yew tree. He trotted out onto the lawn that dropped away towards the stables, lolloping with feigned nonchalance down the bank, scouting the area for any unwanted faces… The coast looked clear.
‘Come on,’ he called, turning back to the others who were skulking behind the fractured truck of a tree. He waved them through.
Sam kept a keen eye out while they all rushed across to the stable block. ‘The third one along,’ he called to Lucy – she nodded her understanding.
Sam caught them up, and strode ahead to stable number three. He walked the bolt from its staple, then parted the door slightly.
He turned to front the children’s intrigue. ‘Now, listen. This will only be temporary, okay? It’ll just be for now, at least until… Well… until.’ He opened the door and the children stepped tentatively inside…
They were presented with a freshly swept stable cleared of all dust and cobwebs. A heavy, brass-framed bed they already knew had been placed against the wall at the back, made up with fresh bedding and flanked by two side tables, each topped with a chintz lamp that filled the room with warm light.
There was a small fan heater set on a thermostat to correct the chill that the star-encrusted night would inevitably bring. And two chairs sat neatly beneath a small table reeking of newly applied furniture polish, all sitting atop a freshly beaten rug, laid over the concrete to protect their feet.
‘Did you do this, Sam! It’s fantastic,’ Lucy mewed, clasping her hands together beneath a smile.
The table top was strewn with an eclectic mix of all things edible: sandwiches, fruit, cakes, crisps, chocolate bars and biscuits. And there were two flasks – one labelled ‘Soup’, the other one ‘Tea’. There was even a bowl of sugar and a small jug of milk set between two freshly washed mugs.
‘Blimey, Sam!’ Lucy said, nudging him. ‘I never had you down as such a nester!’ She beamed at him, fondly. ‘It’s amazing.’
Sam attempted to play down his efforts. ‘Well, of course, I wasn’t actually sure we were ever going to get to use it,’ he said, ‘but, we managed it, thanks to you.’
‘No,’ she insisted, ‘we did it, together. It’s us.’
More than a little excited, the kids wandered over to the bed. Freshly washed garments lay folded neatly into two piles. Jill turned quizzical eyes back at Sam.
‘Oh yeah, those are just some clean clothes for you to put on, you know, if you want to.’ He pointed to each pile. ‘They’re just some old jeans and T-shirts of mine that are too small for me now – they’re for you Jack. And there’s a couple of Hilly’s dresses for you Jill. Or there’s a pair of her jeans and a loose top too, if you’d prefer that.’
Jill lifted one of the dresses into the light, her eyes flooded with smiles. The only form of attention she’s ever received in her life before this, was when she was the recipient of spitting hatred. The kindness overwhelmed her, and she collapsed where she stood and began to cry, slumped on her buckled legs, clutching the dress tightly in her tiny hands. She was overcome by the tide of kindness, and the relief she felt at escaping the prison of her life.
Tears ran freely down a happy face. A face smiling at finding there’s another world, and another option. A world motivated by kind intentions and manned by people with an ability to care.
Jack knelt down next to her, and wrapped himself around his sister, they both took time to share in each other’s relief…
Jill eventually struggled to her feet, Lucy stepping in to help her up. The young girl wiped her eyes dry and looked up at Lucy. ‘Who is Hilly?’ she asked, holding the dress out.
Lucy’s brow brightened. ‘Of course, you haven’t met Hilly yet, have you,’ she said. ‘Hilly is Sam’s sister,’ she explained, pointing across the room. ‘I think the same way that Jill is to you, Jack? Is she your sister?’
He shrugged and nodded in unison. ‘I think so,’ he said, sensing that that was somehow right.
‘Well, you look so alike, I think you must be.’
Lucy’s phone vibrated. She pulled it from her pocket, there was a voicemail symbol flashing on the screen. She tapped it…
‘You have one new message. New message – Beep!’
‘Lucy? It’s Grandma. I’m sorry to bother you my love, but there’s some things I need to tell you. Your mother told me that you had spoken to her. I don’t know what your motivations where in telling her, but I guess it’s probably better that she knows… Anyway, I don’t want your mum knowing what I have to say, so I was wondering if it would be at all possible for you to come over and visit me on your own sometime? It would be nice to see you anyway. Let me know if you’re able to come.
Love you… Bye.’
Beep! You have no more messages, and no saved messages.
Lucy stared down at her phone, looking mildly troubled…
‘Lucy?’ said Sam – concerned. ‘Is everything okay?’
‘Listen,’ she said, ‘there’s something I’ve got to go and do.’
‘Is everything alright?’
‘Yes, it’s fine – there’s nothing to worry about.’ She turned to the children who were now perched on the edge of the bed. ‘Are you two going to be alright on your own?’ she asked. They nodded.
‘Don’t worry,’ Sam assured her, ‘I’ll sort them out. I’ll introduce them to the joys of tea. And I can show them where the garden toilets are so they can wash up, and – well, whatever else they might need to do. But we shan’t go into that.’
Lucy smirked. ‘Okay…’
She turned to the children again. ‘I’ll see you both tomorrow, alright. Now it’s going to get dark soon, that’s normal here too, so don’t be afraid. But when it gets bright again – like it is now – we’ll be back to see you, and we’ll work out how on earth we’re going to make people aware of your existence.’
Sam smiled at the new arrivals, then at Lucy. ‘I don’t know where it is you’ve got to go, but good luck,’ he said, ‘it’s been a hell of a day.’
She laughed at the level of understatement. ‘Hasn’t it just.’
‘I’ll be leaving myself in a bit,’ he said, ‘I’ve got to help my dad mend some fencing.’ He looked at the kids. ‘But I’ll also be back to see you tomorrow, and then you can meet Hilly… Oh! And you might want to wait a while before you eat any of that. Then it’ll probably taste alright.’
Lucy stepped in and hugged the children. ‘See you soon, kids,’ she whispered, placing a kiss on top their heads. She turned and hugged Sam, then parted to find out what it was her grandmother had to say…