The Grimm Dossier

Chapter 4 - The Carriage

West Coast 
Devonshire,
Exeter Central Station
3 November 1898, 5:54 pm

The small carriage was just big enough to seat four people. But that was already plenty of room. The benches were anything but comfortable, the upholstery sagged and the musty smell of many years lingered in the carriage like some kind of perfume. On the solid, rectangular roof above the side windows of the doors, the surly coachman had merely secured the luggage between two iron retaining bars with ropes, causing Kyle more than a little concern. Not only because he didn't like his baggage being carelessly thrown and lashed down like a stubborn mule, but also because his fancy suitcase contained some fragile things whose integrity was important to him. To top it all off, Kyle had to realize that, moreover, they would not be making the journey in just the two of them. With washy looped turns of words that met with hard-rolled R's that seeped under the tones, the coachman threw out to them in a typical Jenna accent that they would have to wait for another passenger.

Since there were obviously three passengers, there was some possibility of positioning their legs in such a way that they did not bump their knees during the entire journey, but there would definitely have been no space for his luggage. But that didn't change the fact that he had never had to sit in such a tiny, uncomfortable means of transport. The only thing that lifted his spirits was the view out of the dirty windows.

He had to admit - the view on this journey did offer some variety. From Exeter, they had set off in a south-westerly direction. The landscape had quickly taken them over and enveloped them in autumnal colors. It was fascinating how the death of nature could look so beautiful as the trees dressed in colorful robes and strewn a carpet of brightly painted foliage across the meadows. After less than half an hour, the interesting field system of the countryside finally caught his attention. He had already read that these endless streams, like a patchwork quilt of fields separated by scrub and another overgrowth, had been laid out in the Bronze Age and so preserved. Among other things, there were also correspondingly old dwellings from this period on Dartmoor.

It was exciting to travel to an area that had inspired numerous writers with its dark and mysterious scenery. But all that still interested him far less than the stone circles that could be found everywhere in the area. It was unfortunate that their first assignment did not take them to one of those ancient sites to do research or investigate any events related to it. Of course, he knew not to expect too much. Many cases were nothing but humbug and in the end attributable to the superstition of the people who were too quick to recognize a ghost in the shadows of a sheet in the wind.

Deep forests, endless like labyrinths. Anyone who got lost could be lost forever, for nature was not merciful. Craggy rocky slopes, dangerous heights, and pitch-black nights with only the stars twinkling down. Far from any major towns, the sleepy villages found themselves embraced and enclosed in equal measure. In deceptive safety and at the same time damning loneliness. They grew up hearing tales of big bad wolves, ghostly figures in old walls, or the undead rising from graves. In the darkness, everything was more sinister. The otherwise familiar took on new forms and sounds that were otherwise lost in the din of daily sounds suddenly stood out so much more succinctly in the stillness of the night. Then the wood groaned, the metal of the stove creaked, a curtain blew in a little breeze or the branch of a tree knocked unexpectedly on the windows of the upper floor.

If one then shared one's fear with others and these sparks caught fire in other spirits, people could draw each other into a vortex of fear. Stories like this abounded, especially in small villages. Old instincts awoke when the sun disappeared and tightened their nerves. Kyle would be lying if he said he didn't understand or felt differently.