Valverde Maclean
Copyright © 2021 Penheylg Associates · All Rights reserved
1 Where’s Ash
At least this morning, the sun was shining and hope had returned.
But for how much longer would depend on us. The fear remained that, once again, events could turn against us.
Last night had been a night from Hell. The memory of it was seared into our minds and would be lodged there forever. Before the planned meeting, the thought that the day would not go well had crowded our minds. That concern still lingered, although we had survived. Last night it had seemed that even the weather was conspiring against us with the black, starless night, the roar of the driving wind, the lashing rain and the bitter chill of the winter air. Hell is supposed to be hot but then not all bad things have to be hot. Hell can freeze over but it’s still Hell.
The day had begun with heavy cloud, then lightened, the weak sun had shone briefly, but with the coming of dusk the rain and the chill wind and darkness returned. We sat waiting, not speaking, in the lay-by of the back road as ordered. Would they come or would it be another false hope like before?
The headlights of a car appeared in the rear vision mirror, braked, then crawled past us without stopping before finally disappearing around a bend into the murky distance. We waited, puzzled by its disappearance, for the road led nowhere, only deeper into the forest before coming to a dead end.
Headlights reappeared coming back towards us. We assumed it must be the same vehicle that had passed us five minutes earlier and they had been checking us out. The big pickup pulled to a stop almost touching our front bumper, blinding us with its headlights and high-mounted driving lights blazing at us on full beam.
A black clad figure in a hoodie emerged. “Have you got it?”
“Where’s Ash?”
Perhaps to understand the situation I need to tell the whole story and bare a family’s secrets.
At least this morning, the sun was shining and hope had returned.
But for how much longer would depend on us. The fear remained that, once again, events could turn against us.
Last night had been a night from Hell. The memory of it was seared into our minds and would be lodged there forever. Before the planned meeting, the thought that the day would not go well had crowded our minds. That concern still lingered, although we had survived. Last night it had seemed that even the weather was conspiring against us with the black, starless night, the roar of the driving wind, the lashing rain and the bitter chill of the winter air. Hell is supposed to be hot but then not all bad things have to be hot. Hell can freeze over but it’s still Hell.
The day had begun with heavy cloud, then lightened, the weak sun had shone briefly, but with the coming of dusk the rain and the chill wind and darkness returned. We sat waiting, not speaking, in the lay-by of the back road as ordered. Would they come or would it be another false hope like before?
The headlights of a car appeared in the rear vision mirror, braked, then crawled past us without stopping before finally disappearing around a bend into the murky distance. We waited, puzzled by its disappearance, for the road led nowhere, only deeper into the forest before coming to a dead end.
Headlights reappeared coming back towards us. We assumed it must be the same vehicle that had passed us five minutes earlier and they had been checking us out. The big pickup pulled to a stop almost touching our front bumper, blinding us with its headlights and high-mounted driving lights blazing at us on full beam.
A black clad figure in a hoodie emerged. “Have you got it?”
“Where’s Ash?”
Perhaps to understand the situation I need to tell the whole story and bare a family’s secrets.