(On hold for edits) Vitae Dator

Country Road chapter ten

While at home with a fever I thought about one thing over everything. Mum’s diary. It wasn’t as if I didn’t want to think about other things such as Michael and Kane, but a voice in my head nagged me to investigate. When my shaky sensitive hand touched my contact book I had to take a deep breath. Without thinking I started to dial the number into my mobile.

“-Hello? Is anyone there?” I blinked, squeezing my eyes tightly, “yes, hi. I’m looking for the owner of this property...” I tried professionally, “speaking?” The voice was young only just in the twenties I’d say like maybe 21, and female. Impatient almost, “hello?” the voice said again taking a frustrated groan, “-look if you’re selling, I’m not buying!” I cleared my throat, “no.” I said then tried to focus, “I’m doing an um... School assignment on farms... and-and my mother used to work here. She uh, she suggested it.” I waited, “what’s her name?” I pressed my sweaty palm to my forehead, “Helen Dator,” a couple of seconds then the distant call for someone. The phone made a crackling like sound and the voice changed, “hello?” wheezed an old voice, this time male. “Yes, hi, I’d like to talk to the man who owned this home when my mother was younger,” a chuckle, “that’s me, uh yes young Helen, how is that little lady doing?” I grinned, “She’s good, look I’m not really doing an assignment on farms, I’m just curious about her history, she’s a bit sensitive and I’m very curious.” I tried to say as honestly as possible. “Uh, hah ha, you sound just like her! How about you come down and I’ll go through her old routine with you? Maybe Helen could come down as well? I do miss that soul.” I smiled, “that sounds great!” Suddenly I couldn’t help but blurt, “My mother can’t make it! But my friends and I are going on a trip down south! I might stop by! Can I get your address?” He gave me the details and I didn’t know I had just fibbed again until the twins were on the other line.

“Hello mum?” I asked voice croaking a bit,” I heard laughs then a hushed, “hang on...” I waited, “hey,” came her unruly voice. “Mum can I go on a camp with the twins?” I asked quickly, “you’re sick,” I shook my head; even though she couldn’t see it. “No, I’m feeling much better!” she sighed, “Yes ‘munch better’” mocking me. “Look can I go?” I whined blowing my nose, “fine, but give me the details.”

I dragged my travel bag and handbag into the boot of Kristy’s Ute. “Whose ready!?” called Valley I smiled, “yep, ready as can be!” though I could feel the uncertainty in my voice. “I dibs shot gun!” roared Valley jumping into the front seat with Kristy. I slouched into the woollen back seat. Then felt a presence below me. I looked down out of curiosity, then away, then felt my heart skip and looked back. “Michael!” I screeched seeing his beady eyes gaze toward me, “what on earth are you doing down there?!” He held his hand uncomfortably to his lips, “Shh” he hushed. Without turning Valley started to say, “we can’t come with you girl,” I blinked staring at her head rest in pure shock, “what!?” Valley laughed, “We’re kidding! But we’re taking Michael James and...” She gulped, “Damon.” I heard a yawn from behind me and didn’t as much as jump seeing the two other guys in the trailer. “My mum doesn’t know about this!” I yelled gesturing to my house next to the Ute. “That’s why they’re hiding.” Said Kristy sounding like it was the most obvious explanation. Shoot me now.  “Ok, well let’s go before she does see.” My head jerked back as Kristy revved the engine and we screeched away. Michael started to sit up and smiled at me lightly. Sending little bursts of warmth through my heart. “Stop eyeing each other! It’s so gross, plus you can do that when we reach our destination.” I rolled my eyes and felt Michael’s warm hand wrap around mine. My eyes searched for a map, “you have no map!” I cried to Kristy’s head rest, “well der, live in the moment my friend it’s called a GPS,” I groaned feeling stupid. ‘Turn left at the next intersection’ the feline voice robotically instructed. I started to settle down and smiled to myself, “-so...” Michael began looking at our joined hands, “care to explain, why we’re going to an old farm your mum used to work at.” I froze in my seat as Valley glanced my way with the question in her eyes, “I need to find something out, I barely know anything about my family history,” I said searching for the closest truth. “Fair enough,” He leaned toward me and kissed my cheek and I smiled a bit more. “I’m serious guys cut it out.” I heard a twin say but wasn’t interested in knowing who it was. “This trip will take us at least two days,” I informed everyone in hearing range. “Well yeah why do you think we brought Ute?” I shrugged. “Music anyone?” I heard a muffled voice ask, I turned my head to see the bouncing body’s of James and Damon behind us, “Sure,” replied Michael loudly they nodded and held up an old radio then hit the on, button blasting music through the speakers of the radio and car.   

As midday arrived we were already knee deep in lolly wrappers and chip buckets. I was now in the passenger seat and Michael had traded with James so that Kristy and her boyfriend could be together in the back seat. So Valley drove and Damon remained in the trailer. “I absolutely love this view,” Valley gushed pointing slightly east. I nodded eyeing the dusty roads and vegetation gripping the soils of the earth for any remains of water. A few scattered goats dotted the sides of the country road and I smiled at each one. “It reminds me of when we first moved house from the middle of nowhere. “Man I miss that old shed of a place,” Her head jerked back slightly and she diverted her eyes to the review mirror, “Oii, Kristy, remember our first house?” I didn’t have looked behind me to know that Kristy was nodding, “yeah, and Misty our dog,” Valley shook her head, “no that was a cat,” I groaned knowing what was about to happen, “dog!”

“Cat!”

They both paused, “Hamster!” they said in unison, “well I’m glad that’s sorted,” Said James jokingly. Then he said, “Ooff” as I’m guessing Kristy punched him. “So where are we staying overnight?” I asked yawning, Valley shrugged, “side of the road probably. I nodded, “ok.” We were all silent again so I reached forward and started surfing channels for the radio. “-What would you say? Would you think how unreal? Because everybody’s got their way I should feel, because everybody’s talking how I can’t, can’t be your love, but I want, want to be your love for real...” I started humming along with my favourite old song.

We pulled over at 9:15 and rolled out a blow up mattress across the trailer and a small tent on ground the pillows and blankets in the front and back seats. Michael and I were sharing the trailer, Kristy and James got the tent and Damon took the front two seats whilst Valley took the three backseats.

We decided to create a small bon fire before we all went to our little sleeping destinations. The fire started out as small red amber of light sparking between gathered dry sticks and small wedges of nearby wood. About seven minutes later it was big and warm enough to cook marsh mellows and canned spaghetti.

“Horror stories!” muttered Damon with a mouth full of crispy mellows. “Mmm, I know this great one!” He said swallowing, “ok go ahead,” said Valley. We all turned to her; it was maybe the first thing she’d said that was moderately nice to Damon since they broke up. “Ok, well not far from my house there used to be an old factory. This was back when the Japs came and bombed us. People never really thought much of it, but soon people started to disappear.” I shivered and took Michaels jacket that he was offering. “Anyway, it wasn’t exactly surprising with the war and all, but then people noticed a pattern, they all were teenagers. So a fine lasso with the name Tom goes searching for them. He recorded everything in a journal. It took days of camping outside the old factory for him to finally witness the next victim. It was a young girl in her early teens with a small giraffe teddy; she was looking for her dog and had followed it there. Tom followed her and wanted to warn her of the recent events, but, by the time Tom reached her, all that was left was the giraffe teddy. He kept up searching for another couple of days until the local paper reported her missing. So he decided to leave with no such luck. Until it got to him. As he started to pass the iron gates a sticky hand slid round his arm and dragged him. He kicked and screamed! But no one heard. He stopped the struggle and let the slimy creature take him into the factory. Eyes wide and heart beating he wasn’t yet ready to discover that his favourite bacon wasn’t bacon at all. The smell of rotting flesh hung on the walls and further up laid the dead kids who’d wondered into the factory. Now if you ever eat bacon and it comes in a yellow wrapper with black spots, you know that that was the girl with the giraffe teddy.” I could find many errors in his story but it still made me want the protection from my friends and Michael, “I think I’m going to go vegetarian,” mumbled Kristy. We all chuckled lightly and continued telling stories and making fun of each other.        

  It was getting late but none of us were yet tired so we agreed on an old game of truth or dare. “We’ll spin the bottle for it, and the whoever it lands on first will get the question or dare to them and the second spin with the one creating the dare or truth.” Said James smiling. The top landed on me first and then on James, “truth or dare?” he asked, I don’t if it was the sugar but I wanted dare, “d-dare,” I said then saw him grin, “lick someone’s toe.” I almost gagged, “uh ok, uh-uhm Valley?” I wasn’t going to lick a guy’s toe that was more than vial. I quickly skimmed my tongue against her toe and jerked away spitting into the sand. I spun the bottle and it landed on Valley then on Damon. “Truth or dare he asked,” Valley’s cheeks reddened, “truth.” Damon took a deep gulp of air which bounced his Adams apple, “do you still love me?”