Open Writing

A blanket of fog dropped down suddenly on an already misty and darkening afternoon shutting out the bleak countryside. Almost at the same time the windscreen wipers on his car played up, the engine spluttered and nearly died and the petrol gauge dipped. On that lonely stretch of unknown road David suddenly felt anxious.

He peered about trying to remember if he had seen a farmhouse or building or any sign of life recently but it struck him that he had been travelling in a grey misty shroud for some time without quite realising it. He had been listening to a favourite radio programme and, too late now, he noticed how thick the fog had suddenly become. Dark patches came and went almost playfully, sometimes giving David hope that the fog might lift but he soon realised that it was in fact getting darker and gloomier by the minute.

Urging his erratic car forward at a crawling pace David found that the landscape had changed. Craggy rocks loomed unexpectedly close on one side and possibly a ravine or valley on the other side, judging by the way the road fell away at the edge. He could only see a short distance ahead and he knew that he had to find a lay-by soon, or somewhere safe to sit it out and wait. It would be a long cold and lonely wait as night was fast approaching and he wasn’t sure exactly where he was. David cursed himself for taking what he thought would be a quiet road back. He should have stuck to the route he knew. How had he got himself into such a predicament?

Suddenly in the swirling mist he thought he caught a glimmer of light ahead, but he couldn’t be sure. It was faint and fickle, yellow and vague, and seemed to flicker on and off at the whim of the fog. Hoping that it was not his imagination, he crawled along a road he could now barely see hoping to catch another glimpse of the light and was relieved when he was just able to make out a dirt track going off the road. He thankfully turned into it.

David stopped the car and got out to take a look. A cold and wetting fog immediately swamped him . He stood shivering outside the car for a minute or two, nevertheless, searching the fog before he saw the light again. It wasn’t much clearer but he hoped that the dirt road he was on would lead him to it. A farmhouse? Maybe a bit of shelter, even a nice warming tot or at least a cup of tea. He hopped back hopefully into his car.

Keeping his eyes glued to the sides of the track so he would not land in a ditch or worse, David inched his car slowly forward. It took him some time, but eventually the illusive light he had been chasing for so long although still dim looked a lot closer. In fact, shortly after, a grey mass suddenly loomed up, almost blocking his path. David had been concentrating so hard on the track that he wasn’t aware of what was immediately ahead. He stopped his car to take a look. It must surely be a house; shelter at least, he hoped. Groping around, he discovered a door, discernible by it’s darker shape and knocked hard on it.

A man, appearing in the doorway in answer to his knock, assessed the situation and grudgingly asked him in. He appeared morose and not exactly welcoming but offered David a couch for the night when David explained that he could not safely carry on driving. After some hesitation, the man offered him a hot drink, which David was glad to accept.

David gathered from his rather taciturn host that he owned the remote farming property they were on and that neighbouring farms were several miles away. Leaving a pot of coffee for David, his host excused himself saying that it was his practice to retire early. David was glad enough to get to bed early himself. It had been a harrowing drive at the end and had mentally tired him. After giving David a couple of rugs the man went up a steep flight of rough hewn wooden stairs and disappeared into one of two the rooms at the top of the landing.

David made himself as comfortable as he could on the rather battered old couch. Trying to get some warmth from what remained of the log fire, he gazed around room he was in. The furniture was old and shabby and his attention was drawn to an ancient but well-preserved piano in an alcove. It had a stack of old music sheets on top and next to it was a large framed photograph of a beautiful woman.. He wondered if it was a photograph of his host’s wife, mentioned briefly by him as not being too well and in bed upstairs.

Eventually, becoming fairly comfortable, David dozed off. It was perhaps the sound of a door squeaking open that woke him up some time later. He was at first disoriented, briefly wondering where he was. Then by the light from the fire which had burnt to a soft glow David saw a woman in a long pale nightgown standing at the top of the stairs, gazing down at him. It appeared to be the woman in the photograph, and she stood uncertainly there for a moment or two before starting down.

David scrambled up but as the woman took a few steps she tripped on her gown and with a cry rolled all the way down the stairs to the bottom and lay still. David rushed over to her, calling out in panic to his host, who appeared very quickly. They both knelt beside the woman, and the other man took charge. He picked the woman up and without a word carried her up to a room at the top of the stairs from where she must have emerged, closing the door behind him.

David waited anxiously below, shivering with cold and shock. He wanted to go up to the room to see if he could help but it was very apparent that his host didn’t want any interference from him so he wrapped himself in his blanket against the chill and prepared to wait for his host to come down with some news. He waited for a long time and though he didn’t think he would fall asleep again for the rest of the night, he must have dozed off. The next thing he was aware of was the welcoming smell of coffee from the kitchen.

David immediately asked his host how his wife was but the man seemed reluctant to discuss the events of the night, merely saying that his wife was all right and resting, and went about silently making a pot of coffee. He informed David that he had had a look at his car, fixed the wipers and topped the car up with some petrol and that it should take him safely to the next town a few miles further on. It surprised David that he had slept soundly right through and didn’t hear his host come down and attend to his car.

As David sipped his coffee he still worried about the woman who appeared to have been unconscious as a result of the fall. He asked the other man if he could see about getting a doctor or nurse from the nearest village to take a look at her. To David’s surprise, the seemingly innocent question angered his host who suddenly snapped at him and told him not to interfere and to be on his way as soon as he finished his coffee. David was taken aback. He only meant to be helpful but seeing the man’s reaction, hastily gulped down his drink and stood up to go. He felt extremely unwelcome now and was anxious to be on his way.

As David’s was getting ready to leave, his host apparently relented somewhat and asked David if he explained the situation to him would he promise to go away and leave them alone and in fact to forget all about the events of the night. He had no choice but to reluctantly agree. Besides his curiosity was now aroused.

When he heard the other man’s explanation however, David sat frozen and incredulous and a shiver ran down his spine. He even wondered if he had done the right thing in agreeing to listen to a madman’s tale, but the man seemed sane enough as he calmly told David that his wife had been dead for several years, having fallen down the stairs, breaking her neck just as David had seen her do, on exactly such a night as the last one when they had once put up a stranger seeking shelter. David felt himself gazing open-mouth at the other man and it took him several minutes to gather himself together and give himself a mental shake.

Dazed and speechless, David staggered outside. It was all the more incredulous when David found that the fog had completely lifted and a beautiful day with bright sunshine greeted him. The green undulating countryside was serene and normal, the looming crags and hills towering over him in his car the night before had disappeared – had he imagined them in the fog? Still shaking from what he heard, David was unsure what was real and what was – ghostly. Was the other man playing a joke on him? David immediately decided not, he certainly didn’t look the type. And now the man, almost as if he knew what David was thinking, stood grim and silent waiting for David to go.

David was glad to be leaving this place and getting back to normalcy, to the city and people and traffic where he belonged. He couldn’t get away quick enough and thankfully the car started without any trouble. As he drove off, he saw his host standing forbiddingly in the doorway watching him leave and David wondered if he would ever feel normal again after such an experience.

A couple of minutes later, at a slight incline in the dirt track leading to the main road David couldn’t help but take a final look at the farmhouse where he had spent the night. His nerves already stretched almost to the limit, he gave a yelp and jumped out of his car. His scalped prickled. There was no house, no building no sign of life of any kind for miles around.

The countryside lay untouched and peaceful as far as the eye could see.

David jumped back into the car, put his foot down and sped off. This time he didn’t look back.