By Janet
The terrified girls clung to each other until the dazzling, bright light disappeared, and blackness surrounded them. As their eyes grew accustomed to the dark, they made out the shapes of stone structures emerging from a vast, open rocky landscape of dry scrub bushes and dusty, sandy soil. Overhead, the ink-black sky was filled with twinkling stars, and a white moon loomed large and round. All was quiet, apart from the occasional high-pitched howling sound of a wild animal in the distance and the rustling of insects, which unsettled them.
“Where are we?” Jess whispered panickily.
“I don’t know,” Hannah replied, trying to be calm, suppressing her own panic to reassure the younger girl, “but we need to find somewhere safe to wait until morning.”
Keeping close, the girls moved slowly and quietly towards the skeleton of a house, careful not to draw attention to themselves; they didn’t know what was out there watching them.
“We’ll shelter here until light,” Hannah said, “hopefully, we’ll be able to get a better idea of where we are by then.”
Inside the derelict structure, crouched into a sheltered corner, they huddled together, wrapping their waterproofs around them to keep out the cold. Like this, they slept fitfully until the first rays of sunshine penetrated through the open roof of the house, gradually warming them.
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The smell of bacon frying mixed with the rich aroma of fresh coffee roused Dean from his deep sleep. Audrey was always up first when they were on vacation, taking pride in making a breakfast that would set them up for the day’s hiking, pancakes, eggs, hash browns and thick, crispy bacon, washed down with strong black coffee. Dirk smiled as he remembered how they’d met at high school, thrown together by their names, their parents’ love of the stars of the post-war movies determining their future together. That was sixty years ago, and they still got the same wisecracks when they met new people. ‘Hey Dino, was it breakfast at Tiffany’s or just amore that brought you two together?’
“Have I got time for a shower?” he shouted, easing himself out of the soft, comfortable bed.
“Sure, it’ll be ready in ten,” Audrey replied. “I’m just waiting on the bacon; this stove’s a bit slower than my one at home.”
A shower would’ve been unheard of in their early days together, Dean thought; a dip in an icy, cold river every few days was more like it then. Hiking the canyons and parks of America was their passion. Some people wanted to explore the world, but not them; they didn’t even own a passport. They were content exploring their own backyard, and that enthusiasm continued even now, well into their retirement. They loved the wide-open spaces, the quiet, the fresh, unpolluted air, the wildlife, and the magical night skies. Their boys had enjoyed their adventures when they were younger, but now it was all fancy resort hotels abroad for them. They had seen the raised eyebrows when they promised their grandchildren, Joe, Evan and Mia, a trip soon, but they didn’t care, they knew they would love it, just like they did. The RV had been a retirement gift to themselves, and they appreciated its creature comforts, though sometimes Dean hankered after the old tent, his body feeling the contours of the ground beneath him, rather than the soft memory foam mattress in the RV. The shower was definitely a bonus, though.
“You’ve surpassed yourself today, Ms Golightly,” Dean teased, taking in the large breakfast in front of him.
“You’ll thank me when you’ve hiked for a few hours,” Audrey countered in her mother-knows-best voice, “now eat before it goes cold.”
Dean didn’t need any more encouragement to tuck in.
Breakfast things washed up and stowed away, they drove to the start of the Peñasco Blanco Trail, 7.5 miles of rough, rugged terrain passing the ruins of stone Chacoan houses with their fascinating petroglyphs and pictographs, a 4-6 hours hike depending on whether the Chaco Wash is flowing or no.
Swapping their moccasins for walking boots and carrying day packs containing lunch, snacks, plenty of water, emergency gear, satellite phone and waterproofs, they set off.
“I think this trail is one of my favourites,” Audrey said as they made their way along the Petroglyph Trail branching off the main one, taking in the carved spirals and mazes, stick figures, animals, birds, hands, sandals and insects on the rocks, the RV and civilisation a distant memory. “It’s the magic and mystery of the place that I love, so many unanswered questions.”
“I know just what you mean,” Dean replied, taking her hand and giving it a small squeeze. “I think the Chacoans knew a darn sight more about the universe than we do now, for all our technology.”
“I don’t think they did, I know they did,” Audrey replied seriously. “Just think about the way they aligned the buildings to capture the cycles of the sun and the moon and their rock carvings and paintings showing eclipses, comets and supernovas. They knew there was something special about this place which we have never got to the bottom of. We just dismiss it all as superstition and ritual, illogical and unscientific. Why are we so arrogant? It irritates me.”
“I know it does, and I agree with you, but I think that’s enough philosophy for a lovely day like this, don’t you?” Dean replied, trying to lighten the mood, afraid of the sadness he saw lurking behind his wife’s eyes that he had spent a lifetime keeping in check. “Race you to the Wash.”
Audrey watched slightly stunned as her husband broke into a lumbering run, briefly turning to make the “loser” sign on his forehead with his fingers.
“Not so fast, old man,” she shouted, breaking into a run to catch him up.
The running was short-lived due the rugged path, gnarly bushes and rocks determined to trip one of them up at any moment, but it had broken the mood, and they couldn’t help but laugh at themselves.
Crossing the Wash was easy as it was dry, no dangerous sticky mud as there is when it is wet, and they started to climb up the multitiered sandstone benches of the canyon to the great house, Peñasco Blanco, stopping to look Supernova Pictograph at the bottom of an overhanging section of cliff and passing caves and crevices carved into the canyon walls.
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Hannah watched the man and woman for some time as they moved towards her and Jess’ hiding place. They looked friendly, but she was wary. Not knowing where they were or how they had got there, she didn’t know if anyone could be trusted but they needed help, food and water, they wouldn’t be able to survive in this place without it. She would have to take the risk. She waited until the man and women took a rug out of one of the backpacks spreading it on a smooth piece of ground to sit on and started to lay out what looked like a picnic, before slowly emerging from the building, motioning for Jess to stay hidden.
“Excuse me,” she shouted from a safe distance.
The man and woman turned, surprised to hear a voice in the wilderness. Wary the man stepped in front of the women.
“Don’t take a step nearer,” he said commandingly. “I’m armed and I’m not afraid to use it. Where are your friends? We’ve heard about kids like you, giving it the little girl lost routine and then your friends arrive on dirt bikes and rob us.”
Hannah saw the man slip a small pistol from his pocket
“No, you’ve got it wrong, please, there’s just the two of us,” she said shaking, motioning for Jess to come out of hiding, frightened tears flowing down her cheeks. “We were left here last night. We don’t know how we got here. We have nothing. We’re cold and hungry. We don’t know where we are, and we just want to go home.”
The woman stepped out from behind the man. She looked at the girls in their ill-fitting clothes, so small that they looked like they were wearing doll’s clothes, their deathly pale skin and bare feet and indicated to the man to put the gun away.
“And where is home?” she asked gently.
“Brighton, England,” Hannah replied.
The man whistled.
“Well, you sure are a long way from home,” he said.
“You’re safe now. We’ll look after you and make sure you get home, but let’s first get you warm,” the women said reassuringly, wrapping them in foil survival blankets she pulled out of her day pack before making them drink and eat everything they had with them.
“Good thing I had that massive breakfast,” the man said to the woman winking.
“Better call the park ranger,” she said taking out the satellite phone.
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“You go and rest for a while, darling, and I’ll bring you up a cup of tea in a bit. You’ve had a long day, and I expect you could do with a bit of space,” Sarah said, trying to keep things low-key, to not fuss.
Hannah nodded without saying anything and turned uncertainly.
“Top of the stairs, first door on the right, your name’s on the door, remember?”
Hannah nodded again.
“I remember,” she said, smiling fleetingly as the letters of her name in blush pink, surrounded by hearts and flowers, filled her head.
Memories started to trickle back into her mind as she climbed the stairs, the creak of the fourth and ninth step that she had to avoid when sneaking into the house way past her curfew and the familiar sweet, fresh smell of her mum’s apple shampoo coming from the bathroom.
She pushed her bedroom door open hesitantly, taking everything in before entering, seeing it as if it were for the first time, familiar but not familiar. It was so beautiful, she thought, although deep down she was sure it was never this tidy! She savoured the pale wood and white furniture, the bold retro-style floral wallpaper framing her bed, the shaggy rug, curtains and velvet cushions, which picked up on the colours of the flowers. Her fingers traced the trinkets, jewellery, tubes and bottles of make-up, eyeliner, foundation and blush on her chest of drawers, enough to notice but not get caught at school. She pulled the wand out of a tube, and tiny, black snowflakes of dried mascara billowed around her. A chemistry textbook lay open on the desk, and above it, a pinboard full of photos. Her eyes lingered on each photo, her friends smiling, laughing, fooling around. A sadness crept over her as she realised how much she had missed in the last five years, 18th birthday parties, “A” level results, Uni. Sitting on the bed, she spotted a furry brown tuft between two brightly coloured cushions and pulled out an old, well-worn teddy bear with one eye and a lopsided smile. She hugged it tightly, the tears that she hadn’t been able to cry since she had been found now silently ambushing her. Did you miss me, Sid? She whispered to herself. I certainly missed you.
When Sarah came up later, she found Hannah curled up asleep on her bed, her arms wrapped around her old teddy bear like she used to when she was a little girl. Questions would come later, but for now, she was safe, and she was home.
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