The Traveller

The idea for the story was inspired by a TV program and made me wonder, what if....? Having read and re-read it, I can't decide on how well it works. So, I thought I would let the readers decide.

The sun beat down mercilessly as Adam trudged the narrow country lane. It was far too hot he had decided, perspiration making his hair damp and causing his t-shirt to cling to his body. He needed to find some shade, and quickly before he caught sunstroke. Taking his backpack off for a moment, he climbed the steep banking on one side of the lane hoping to spy somewhere to shelter. The left side, when he reached the top of the bank, simply gave him a view of open fields stretching as far as the horizon. From his vantage point, he looked across to the other side and spied a wood off in the distance, at least it would offer some shade he thought as he scrambled back down into the lane and retrieved his backpack before climbing the opposite bank.

It was further than he had first thought as he crossed several fields, heading slightly uphill all the time as the wood and the promise of shelter drew nearer. At one point he did not think he would make it, the heat becoming unbearable and oppressive but then suddenly he was in among the tree's and under its canopy. Immediately he felt cooler as he took off his backpack again and retrieved a bottle of water, gulping half of its contents down before lowering it from his lips. There was a second bottle in his bag, but he would have to find somewhere to replenish them soon if he were to venture further in this heat. Hoisting his pack once more he moved further through the dense foliage, the temperature dropping substantially the further he moved into the wood. Off in the distance, he could hear the sound of water tinkling and splashing as headed in its general direction.

Finding the small stream, he followed it, trying to keep it in view as he weaved his way around tree and bushes, the undergrowth in places quite dense. He was so intent at following the sound of the water that as he approached the daylight ahead, he nearly walked off the edge of a small cliff. Standing stock-still and keeping hold of a sapling, he looked down into the clearing, twenty or thirty feet below. The rockface formed a semi-circle and he seemed to be stood at its highest point, the stream becoming a small waterfall as it ran from a crevice in the rock, falling into a hollow below and forming a natural pool. Looking left and right, the ground sloped steeply downwards into a clearing and then opposite the land rose again slightly and was covered by tree's but at least he could see more daylight beyond. Carefully he worked his way down, keeping hold of trunks and branches as he descended, an accident now was the last thing he needed.

Down in the clearing, the temperature was humid but pleasant; dumping his backpack, he went over to the pool and scooped handfuls of cold water, splashing it over his head and face and immediately feeling refreshed. Leaving his rucksack below, he climbed the slope opposite. As he reached the top and moved twenty yards through the trees, he came out into the daylight again at the top of a high hill and looked down towards a hamlet settled in the valley below. The scene was idyllic but for some strange reason, it resonated in his conciseness as though he had seen this vista on other occasions. He knew he had never been in this part of the country before but had seen similar views where he had lived and so thought nothing of it.

Walking along the ridge and following the treeline, the hill seemed to curve slightly as he stopped and looked down at a farm situated about halfway down. Further down was a large house set in its own grounds, at one time it had probably been the squires or landowners home he imagined, his eyes suddenly attracted to a middle-aged woman down at the farm below, herding cows through the farmyard.

Scanning all around him, apart from the woman below, he seemed to be the only person about as he re-entered the treeline and went back down into the clearing. Looking at his watch he saw it was mid-afternoon and decided that this would be a perfect spot to spend the rest of the day, he was quite used to sleeping rough, his backpack containing everything he needed.

On impulse, he went back to the pool, looked around and then stripped off and immersed himself in the clear cooling water. The pool was only about four feet deep in places, the excess water slipping over the surrounding rocks at the far edge and disappearing somewhere underground.

Getting out of the pool naked, he went to his backpack and firstly got his bottles of water; he emptied their warm contents, refilling them from the small waterfall. Next, he grabbed a towel and a bar of soap before returning to the pool and washing. It felt good to be clean again he thought as he lay back against the rocks and relaxed. He had his eyes closed and even though the water was cold the sun was warming his upper body as he listened to the sounds of the birds and insects in the clearing.

He had just gotten out and dried himself, pulling his clothes back on when his reverie was interrupted.

'Who are you?' A female voice enquired.

Adam looked up to see a young girl, probably fourteen or fifteen watching him as she came down the slope into the clearing. She kicked off her shoes and sitting on the rocks at one side, dangled her legs and feet into the cool water, her smile radiant as she continued to stare at him but completely at ease considering he was a stranger.

'My names Samantha but everyone calls me, Sam,' she said, introducing herself, 'This wood is on the edge of my parent's farm and you must be the first person I've ever encountered here. 'What's your name?'

'I'm sorry, I didn't realise this is private land,' he said, 'I just needed somewhere to cool off and it looked so inviting.'

Adam introduced himself shaking her hand when she held it out with a mischievous grin. She was extremely pretty with her blonde hair fastened in a ponytail, the vest top and shorts she wore showing legs and arms tanned from being outdoors as she continued to chatter away merrily. 'Did you know this is called "Adam's Wood" and is supposed to be full of magic? What brings you to these parts?' She asked inquisitively

He explained that he had finished college and was not yet ready to settle down and so had packed his belongings and just set off one morning. She asked about his family but there was nothing Adam could tell her.

'I haven't got one,' he said, 'I grew up in orphanages and with occasional foster parents, but I have no idea who my real mother was or even where I come from.' He finished, suddenly looking sad for a moment Sam decided

'I was watching a woman down in the farmyard, was that your mum?' he asked when she went quiet for a moment and he managed to get a word in edgeways.

Sam laughed, 'Yeah, that would be mum probably bringing the cows in. There is just me, her and dad. How old are you?' She asked and then she was off again, one question after another and completely happy to be sat there chatting.

'Where are you staying tonight,' she asked.

He told her he had planned to spend the night here but as it was private property he would move along shortly and find somewhere else to camp for the night.

'Don't be silly,' Sam laughed, 'Stay here, nobody will mind. 'Anyway, I'm only just getting to know you.' This again was said with a mischievous grin.

She stayed for what was left of the afternoon as they talked and she told him about herself, at one point she took him to the edge of the treeline and pointed to what looked like a headstone, it looked old and had an odd inscription.

'In Memory of Sarah & Adam'

'Travellers amongst the Stars'

'It's supposed to be magical,' Sam told him in a whisper, 'Strange things happen if you touch the stone,' she said, pulling his hand back as he reached out to touch it and making him jump as they both laughed hysterically.

It was time for her to leave, 'Mum will be wondering where I have got to, promise me you'll stay the night here. Promise me you'll still be here in the morning.' She seemed loath to leave him until he had promised and then with her now-familiar smile, she had learnt in and kissed his cheek before climbing the slope and disappearing into the trees.

Creating himself a shelter in the clearing, he got out his stove and some rashers of bacon. Firstly, he collected some water and put his kettle on and then set about rummaging for kindling which he used to build a small fire over which he fried his bacon and made himself a sandwich. With his hunger satisfied and a hot cup of tea, he settled back and watched as the evening drew in.

He was awake as the sun came up the next morning and after boiling some water, quickly washed and shaved; just because he was out in the countryside was no reason to look like a tramp he thought.

He had put his belongings into his backpack and had cleared away the remnants of the fire when Sam appeared again. She seemed a little disappointed when she noticed everything had been tidied, 'Not leaving already?' She asked, 'Please stay a little longer,' she pleaded incessantly until Adam gave in and nodded his head.

He explained that he needed to pick up some supplies and asked if there were any shops in the small village. Sam said that she would bring him some milk and eggs from the farm and that she would walk down into the village with him and show him where the general store was situated. She made him smile and laugh as they walked towards the village, it seemed impossible for her not to talk, speaking constantly as they walked along. She was fourteen she told him and when she wasn't at school, she helped out on the family farm. In the hamlet, she knew everyone by their names as they strolled through the main street.

Sam told everyone that he was camping up in the woods as they headed for the general store where he picked up all the bits and pieces he needed before they set off for the return journey, Adam finding it harder going back up the hill than he had when they had come down it. They had spent the day together as Sam showed him around the local area until late afternoon when they had returned to the wood's, Sam continuing to follow him like some puppy dog. Normally he would be getting ready to move on, but for some reason was happy to stay a little longer which delighted her.

She had disappeared again as tea-time came around and Adam had settled down to spend another night in this magical place. The evening was exceptionally warm, and he was laid on his waterproof groundsheet and sleeping bag when he heard the sound of someone approaching through the trees. He saw the light of a torch first and then Sam entered the hollow once more.

'What brings you back?' he asked, 'You really shouldn't be out alone at this time of the evening,' he told her, concerned for her safety.

'I just wanted to make sure you were still here,' Sam said, Adam, worried that she had become a little too besotted with him.

'Tell you what,' he had said, I'll walk back down with you and make sure you get back safely, and I promise to still be here in the morning.'

She asked what he did for a living as he escorted her home and he explained that he had just finished horticultural college and had as yet to find a job. Excitedly she asked if he wanted her to have a word with her father, 'We always need help on the farm at this time of year.'

Sam had never had a brother, and to her, Adam felt like he should be part of her family. She loved being around him, he didn't treat her like a child and never complained about her non-stop chattering, 'Yes,' she thought to herself with a wry smile, 'He would make a perfect brother, all she needed now was a sister.

'We'll see,' he said noncommittedly, not certain that he wanted to get tied down with a job just yet.

Returning to his encampment, Adam felt the wind picking up and reckoned they were in for a storm that night and so back in the clearing, he had moved his shelter nearer to the rock face giving him a little more protection as he battened down the hatches, watching the broiling sky as the storm approached.

Under his tarpaulin, he felt the wind which had been gusting, suddenly drop as the heavens opened and unleashed a torrent of rain, thunderclaps starting to roll in. They sounded extra loud in the clearing as they reverberated off the cliff face, just before the hollow was lit up white for a second as lightning flashed overhead. Under his covering, he was at least dry, but with each crash of thunder, it felt as though the ground shook and he hoped there were no loose rocks above him that may suddenly come crashing down. He had just decided to move when there was a lightning strike which lit up the clearing, hitting the ground at its very centre, followed seconds later by another and hitting the very same spot.

And then, as though by magic, the storm was gone, and the clearing fell eerily silent except for a faint vibration that Adam could feel through the soles of his feet. Slowly, the darkness of the clearing seemed to recede as a dim light grew in magnitude until all-around was bathed in a blue flickering glow. Leaving his shelter, he walked into the middle of the clearing to the spot the lightning had struck but to his surprise, there was not even a burn mark in sight. As he turned, he could see that the strange light was emanating from the pool; cautiously he approached it, staring down into the brightly lit fluorescent water.

Adam bent down, he was finding the colour of the water mesmerising as he reached out and dipped his fingertips into the surface. It was as though the shimmer from the water ran up his fingers and then his hand; he felt sick for a second and suddenly the world swam in front of his eyes as there was a flash and he was hurled backwards after which everything went black.

It was daylight when he opened his eyes, the sun quite high in the sky. He felt a little groggy as he inspected his hand but could not find any marks and overall, he had no aches or pains, just a bit of a thumping head. Everything about the clearing seemed the same at first glance and he was beginning to wonder if he had dreamt it all. Climbing the far slope, he moved through the tree's, coming to a halt at the edge and looking down towards the hamlet, again everything looked normal. As he returned to the clearing, he noticed that the inscription on the headstone had changed, it now read,

'In Memory of Sarah'

'A Traveller amongst the Stars'

Back down in the clearing, he heard the sound of someone approaching, sure that it would be Sam, as a young woman came out of the treeline carrying a towel and then stopped suddenly as she spotted him. Staying where she was, she called out to him, 'Hello, can I help you, do you realise this is private land?'

From where he stood, she looked a little like Sam, only much older and he wondered if this was her mum.

'Hi, are you Sam's mother, I thought it was perhaps her visiting again. That was a hell of a storm last night and I'm sure something strange happened.'

She sounded a little fearful as she called back, 'Who's Sam? 'My name is Annie, and this is part of my parent's estate.'

He started up the slope towards her as she began to back away looking a little scared, 'I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else, do you know Sam?

'She is fourteen, her family own the farm, she said that this was on her parents land,' he told her.

'I can assure you, I don't know any Sam, the people who work the farm are my father's tenants and they don't have any daughters,' she called back slightly haughtily.

Suddenly Adam felt sick and the last thing he remembered was the ground rushing up to meet him. When he came to, Annie was kneeling over him and was dabbing his face with the towel which she must have moistened in the pool. She helped him sit upright as he stared around him, feeling confused.

'I've been here for the last few days and I got to know a young girl called Sam. Strangely, she looks a bit like you. You haven't got any sister's, have you?' Adam asked.

At last, she smiled and apologised for not having any sister's as he told her of the storm last night and how he had touched the water in the pool and then blacked out.

'I'm sorry, whatever your name is, but I was here yesterday, and I certainly didn't see you, and there was no storm last night, we haven't had rain for the last two weeks.' She said it with a small amount of concern but at the same time, it seemed she was humouring him as if he was slightly imbecilic.

From the look she had seen on his face, Annie could see that he was worried, no, more than that, he seemed to be scared. He was a good-looking young man, even if he did seem to dress strangely, she wondered if he was a foreigner, because she had never before seen the type of clothes he wore. Adam buried his face in his hands, try as he might, nothing made sense; shaking himself he stood, 'I'm sorry, I'm forgetting my manners. 'I was just about to brew up, can I interest you in a cup of tea?'

Annie smiled and seemed to relax as she nodded her head. Filling the kettle from one of his plastic bottles, he popped it on the stove as Annie picked up the bottle, turning it in her hand and looking at it strangely. It was the same with the plastic cup he handed her, she stared at it as though she had never seen one before. With a hot drink inside him, he felt better, even quite peckish, 'Would you like some breakfast?' He asked as he went to his shelter and produced eggs and bacon.

Annie shook her head, 'No thanks, I've already had breakfast. 'Anyway, it wouldn't be fair for me to use your rations.'

Now it was Adam's turn to look at her as though she was mad, 'Rations? 'Since when?' He asked her with a laugh, expecting her to suddenly break into a grin.

'Since the end of the war, of course. 'Where have you been, abroad?' Now she did look at him as though he was a madman.

'What year is it Annie?' He asked hesitantly.

'1952, of course.'

When Adam came to, Annie was kneeling next to him once again and this time she really did look concerned. He managed to sit upright wondering if she, in reality, knew Sam and they were playing some kind of a practical joke.

'I can prove it!' He said suddenly, 'Sam and I went down into the village yesterday to get provisions, she seemed to know everyone we spoke to, they will all remember me.'

He had finally managed to persuade her to accompany him into the village, but to his dismay everywhere they went he was met by people he did not recognise and who did not know this young girl called Samantha. The day was warming up nicely and in the general store he asked if Annie would like an ice cream cone, she held them while he produced some coins from his pocket.

'That's just a shilling, please.' The lady behind the counter said as Adam stared at the money in his hand.

'I'm sorry Annie, you couldn't lend me a shilling, could you?' he asked embarrassingly.

Outside, they sat on a bench around the small village green as Adam forgot about his cone and stared into space.

'What's going on Adam?' Annie asked, 'are you on the run or something? 'You keep acting very strange, it's a little frightening at times.'

Coming back to reality, Adam became serious as he tried to explain his predicament. He asked her how old she thought he was with Annie guessing that he was about the same age as she was.

'I'm twenty Annie, and I was born on the first of January...... 1976!' He said, staring at her intently. He could tell by the look on her face that she was now convinced he was some kind of lunatic

He stood so that she could look at him properly, their trip through the village had made him stand out and he had noticed all the strange looks he was getting, 'Truthfully, have you ever seen anyone dressed like I am?' Sitting back down, he pulled the money from his pocket and held it out in front of her.