Midwinter Mystery Series - Chapter Three

_{The Town of No Return – Chapter Three}

_{“ A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to ...”}

    John, moved away from the station, just managing to side-step a line of precariously looking low-hanging icicles, from the roof's guttering, at the last moment. Preparing himself for the unwanted excursion ahead, he turned his tweed overcoat collar up around the ears – hoping to reduce exposure to the elements - and tugged his black trilby hat, further down, tightly over his head.

   _{A bright full moon made the most fleeting of appearances through a cloud filled night sky, below it the wintry landscape seemed to gleam and sparkle as a myriad of frozen ice crystals were caught in it's gentle lunar glow, and surrounding distant trees were little more than a collection of dark, silhouetted shapes set against the horizon.}

   _{Detective Inspector John Foxe, set off on the journey towards 'civilization', a long slow trek against the most inhospitable of terrains, waiting ahead of him. At first it was just the thought of the distance that concerned him, but after a while it was the growing cold and the condition of the long winding road, that really started to take it's toll. The bitter winter wind cut right through his clothes, numbing everything, but a determination to reach his destination. Whilst, what passed for a 'road', was nothing more than an indistinguishable snow ridden track without borders or end.}

   _{After, locating and crossing the old wooden walk through bridge,} he proceeded to doggedly follow the rest of the Station Master's directions towards the next landmark feature - the crossroads - which characteristically to this region... was not signposted. From there on in the going became tougher as the darkness seemed to close in around him the further he pursued the 'road' into the growing dense forest. Continuing along the woodland 'avenue' - heavily lined with a variety of tall, thin stark trees - he could hear the whistling wind playing it's lonely symphony on the organs of the forest, a supernatural composition, for his ears only. Added to this, he was plagued by the constant impromptu cascading of unwanted snow from the more thinner loftier branches and hampered by the restriction of any illumination as the trees filtered out any of the fleeting moon's rays, as it weaved itself in and out of the starless night cloud.

     _{John felt his feet beginning to slip and slide from under him, the tread in his shoes now being completely negated by the frozen packed ice deposited into their very soles by the deceptively deep snow. As he tried to maintain his balance and plot the most expedient course through the maze of trees and bushes – which consisted heavily of a thick gorse undergrowth - he became aware of an eerie silence. Only the sound of his own feet breaking through the crisp virgin snow, crunching and compressing it underfoot, and the serenading from some unseen owls – disturbed the tranquility of the unnatural scene.}

_{He stopped a moment for respite, his breath becoming short erratic gasps as his lungs filled with the freezing winter air, which seemed to becoming increasingly sharper with every inhalation. He'd just changed carrying the suitcase to his other side - it's constant collision against his kneecap having become a sore point – when he felt the ground rumble under his feet, followed by a chilling, in-human clamour from somewhere behind him. Turning to face this strange disturbance head on, a baying and wild eyed charging steed loomed out of the darkness baring rapidly down on him. Desperately discarding his bag into a nearby ditch and then throwing himself immediately after it as the rampaging bronco stormed it's way past. There then followed a crashing, rattling, ear-splitting sound of splintering wood against metal and a strangled human cry, “Whoooa, there boy ! Easy, Lad !”}

   _{John laid stunned and breathless – the landing had knocked the air out of him – for while, but the cold wet snow soon hastened his recovery. Slowly he raised himself to his knees, and from there he carefully rose to his feet, after conducting a brief inventory of appendages. Treading carefully back to the 'scene of the crime' he discovered that his assailant was a small pony and trap set-up, led by a considerable large sweat slathered carthorse and it's smaller, crumpled looking, distressed, sweat slathered driver.}

_{"Damn fool ! You could have killed me, man ! “ John shouted out furiously.}

_{"Who's that, there ?” the driver queried his unknown accuser, straining his eyes to look beyond their ability.}

_{"Never mind who I am ! Why the hell are you driving around like some crazed maniac, at this time of night ?” pressed John.}

_{"What ! Well, I don' have much choice in the matter, do I, not when a man's 'ome is at sake, !” answered the heavily sideburned driver.}

_{"Oh ! I see ! Whose home is in danger ?” John's tone changed to one of concern.}

_{"Mine ! Who else would I care about ?” the driver squinted at John oddly, as if to get a better measure of the man.}

_{"Your's ! Of course ! What ever was I thinking of !” replied John, sarcastically.}

_{"So, what's wrong with this house of your's, then ?” his curiosity getting the better of him.}

_{"It be on fire, that's whats 'wrong' with it !”}

_{"Ah, so you're rushing over there, to save what you can ! “}

_{"No, I be on me way to fetch the fire brigade, and bring 'em back with me !” said the driver.}

 _{"Wouldn't it be easier to just call them over the telephone? ”}

_{"NOPE !”}

_{"Why not ?”}

_{"Cos.... I DON'T HAVE ONE !” exclaimed the driver. 
“ Besides, it wouldn't of done much good even if I did, what with it being Sat'day, and all !”}

_{"Ah, Saturday ! That old chestnut again,” said John. “ But, please go on, enlighten me, what has Saturday to do with anything,” he continued.}

_{"Well, Emily, always goes to the pictures on a Sat'day night”}

_{"I see... well actually... I don't ! Who exactly is Emily ?”}

_{"She's the local switchboard operator !”}

_{"Let me guess, she's with that George fellow, too !”}

_{"That's right ! How d'yer know about that ?” the driver said, slightly surprised.}

_{"Lets just say, he's on my 'most wanted' list, right now ! ” John quipped.}

_{He approached the driver from his guarded position, behind a large tree, whilst still detaching clumps of the wild gorse bush from his overcoat, remnants from the near hit and miss incident, while the front of his trousers were saturated by lying in the snow, “ Look, are you heading any where near Mistry, by any chance? Only, I'd really appreciate a lift, if you were !” he asked.}

_{"Well, if it stops yer blathering then climb up, and be sharp about it ! I've wasted enough time on ye already !” responded the harassed driver.}

_{John hastily threw his suitcase onto the bench seat, between the driver and himself, and then took his place beside them. The driver whipped the reins, and commanded loudly, “ Gerrup, Boy ! Away with ye Lad ! “ The horse snorted, nodding and waving it's head, in the air, before taking up the slack and slowly breaking into a steady cantor.}

_{As they resumed their neck breaking mission through the night, John wondered if the trap had an emergency brake system fitted. “ How, do you know where you're going, I can't even see beyond your horse's head !” he expressed concern.}

_{"Ah ! Well, Lucky and me have bin travelling up and down this road, fer so long that we can tell where we are by the bumps in the road," the driver smiled proudly.}

_{"Hmmm, like a phrenological road map,"mused John.}

_{“ Eh ? Look don' worry y'self , Mister ! We know ev'ry inch of this old track, don' we boy ?” said the old boy, gently slapping the reins once more.}

_{This statement didn't help John's growing anxiety, especially as it was almost immediately followed, by a swift departure from the road, and a careering, jostling ride through a curtain of wet twigs and dead branches. Then, as quickly as began, it was over, and they were back on track again.}

_{"Haven't you ever heard of the old saying ' Less haste, and more... a full and long life'?” asked John, as he gripped harder onto the wooden bench seat.}

_{The driver glanced over at him, one of his wiry grey eyebrows arched in an expression of bewilderment, “ Look, Mister, we can't afford to dawdle abou', the nights one thing, but the mist is somethin' else all together,” he said.}

_{"What are you talking about, man ? There isn't any sign of mist !” questioned John.}

_{"Not yet ! But, mark my words, there will be, and it's gonna be a mighty thick one, I can feels it stirrin' in me bones,” there was an element of fear in the drivers voice.}

_{"Really?” doubted John, as he looked around him . “ Do you get many mists around here, then ?”}

_{"Aye, real heavy pea-soupers, that's what you city folk call them, ain't it ?”}

_{"What makes you think, I'm from the city ?”}

_{"Ye dress too fancy for these parts, ye talk funny, and nobody I knows walks around at night with a suitcase ! ”}

_{"Fair enough !” countered John, and then returned to the previous topic of conversation, “So, is that where Mistry, gets it name from – the weather ?”}

_{"Mebbe ! One of the reasons, anyway”}

_{"What would the other ones be then ?”}

_{"We don't talk about 'em, not to strangers anyway. But, you'll find out for y'self soon enough, 'specially if you go 'round pokin' your nose into things that don't concern ye.”}

_{"Well, that's an occupational hazard for me I'm afraid to say, asking questions is my business” said John.}

_{"It's not the questions ye have to worry about, Mister.... it's the answers”}

_{After that, they rode together but in tandem silence, one waiting for the inevitable, the other a sign - that the end was near. John was the one to break first, as another imponderable dawned on him, “ Just, why do you call your horse, 'Lucky', anyway ?”}

_{"Ahh ! 'Cos, he's blind in the left eye.”}

_{"I fail to see whats so 'lucky', about being blind in one eye ! ” stated a slightly flummoxed, John.}

_{"Well.. he's got one good one, don' he ! What are you, one of those 'Pissomists' – eyes half closed – types ?” speculated the driver.}

_{"That's PESSIMIST ! “ exclaimed John. “ And, NO, I'M NOT ! We obviously just have different views on the definition of good fortune, that's all !” He exhaled, deeply, through his mouth, trying to dispel this irrational line of thinking.}

_{Then, on the subject of 'second sight', he concluded, “ It must be quite tiring having to be the lookout for the both of you, especially in these conditions.”}

_{"Aye, even 'arder since the cataract took me right eye,” the driver confessed.}

_{"WHAT ! You mean you can't see either ! Why, that's the blind leading the... criminally negligent ! Stop this thing now, man ! I'll walk the rest of way, on my own ! Go on stop it, STOP IT NOW, YOU OLD FOOL !” and with that John leant over, as he tried to make a grab, for the reins.}

_{"THERE IT BE !” the driver shouted out proudly, “ I TOLD YE IT WAS COMIN', DIDN'T I !”}

   _{John looked up, to see a towering wall of impenetrable mist, looming up before them, there was nothing he could do, it was too late. They plunged deep into it's heart, at full gallop, shouting and swearing.... now nobody could see where they going, or knew how it was going to end.}

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