fifteen

George continued to walk and the sun was continuing to set, its face reddening and lowering towards the pillow of night. The countryside was growing dim, the sounds fading into a more echoing realm and even the clouds were disappearing back home over the horizon; it was time for rest, for sleep, for recovery.

With darkness descending the lights of distant houses could be seen more clearly. No longer were the roads headed by mirages of hope, but rather by the twinkling lights of a kitchen candle, or the glow from the hearth. These impressions left George with a feeling of loneliness, with the thought that he had no home, no kin, no place where he could lay his head down and relax. He was a vagrant, and itinerant, homeless and, worst of all perhaps, lost. There was nothing now but the desire to find a charitable person who could offer shelter.

George had finally reached a large flat field across which he could see a large house. Light shone from several of its windows, and George wanted nothing more than to be welcomed inside. It was an eager walk along the narrow road, with the house slowly growing in stature until it finally stood before him, its whitewashed body reflecting the gentle moonlight from above. George knocked and awaited his fate, for that was how it felt to him.

Suddenly the door opened and the person who did so was a child, a young girl no more than five years old, who looked at the visitor with curious and innocent eyes.

‘Hello.’

‘Hello, is there anyone home? Your mother or father?’

‘I’ll just get them,’ the little girl responded before turning and running off, her thumb in her mouth. ‘Mummy, there’s a man at the door,’ her high-pitched voice filling the house.

George continued to wait patiently, and was very glad to see the kind face of a middle-aged woman appear. ‘Yes?’

‘Hello, I’ve been walking since this morning, trying to find a place called Shepley Down, and I was wondering if it would be possible to spend the night here. I can pay you for your trouble.’

‘No need for money, come on in.’

George could not believe that his anxiously pronounced speech had succeeded in getting him a roof over his head, and he walked into the warm house with a joyful smile and gratitude spilling from his lips; ‘thank you very much. You’re very kind.’

‘Come and join us for dinner. We were just about to eat.’

George was led into a big dining room that was simply decorated, had a warm fire crackling away at one end, and was filled with the chatter and the pleasing chaos of a large family. At the head of the table was the father who introduced himself as Roy, and George was placed by the fire, with children either side of him. The meal was hearty and hot, and George ate all that he was offered, meekly agreeing to another plateful when offered.

‘So you’ve been trying to get to Shepley Down I hear?’ asked Roy.

‘That’s correct, I started walking this morning from Gorlis, but I think I was making little progress. I eventually got directions from a old couple, but it didn’t help.’

‘Well, never to mind, I’m sure you will get there soon. And in fact, if you will help me with a little work in the morning I will be able to drive you on the cart some of the way. Point you in the right direction.’

Everything had turned out better than expected for George. He slept on the couch in the living room, with the embers in the fireplace casting a homely glow across the carpet. He was warm, well-fed, and although his feet ached and his knees were sore, he knew he would feel better in the morning.

fourteen

But wanting something will not make it so; the wishes of little children and the prayers of fervent souls spill into nothingness. George’s progress was slow therefore, his legs tiring and his back aching from carrying his bag. He grew frustrated at the sun for shining so brightly, and when he was within a copse of sheltering trees he wanted to admonish the cold, only resisting due to futility.

The road he was following would occasionally branch onto smaller paths, many that were nothing more than the dusty grooves left by wheels. And after what felt like many hours, the road itself began to thin, as if it were the highest branch of a tree. Finally, in the distance over a field of yellow, there was a large farmhouse to be seen and George resolved to ask here for directions. It had been the first house he had seen in some while and for a long time his steps were weighted down by the doubt that comes from being in unfamiliar surroundings.

The farmhouse was very charming, with a gabled roof and ivy that covered the front of the house like a living jacket. By the door was a large sign that read Primrose Farm and this jolly name gave to George confidence that he would find a warm reception here. He knocked upon the door and was relieved to hear steps approaching.

‘Hello, how may I help you?’ asked the plump woman who opened the door. She smiled as she dried her hands on her apron.

‘I was wondering if you could give me directions. I’m trying to get to Shepley Down.’

‘Where?’

‘Shepley Down. I think it’s quite far from here by foot, but I think I’m lost.’

‘Hmm, let me just go and ask my husband.’

The woman pushed the door nearly shut, and went to look for her husband. She was gone some time, and eventually there came the sound of heavy footsteps.

‘Hello. Where is it you’re getting to?’ It was the husband, a burly man with a thick moustache and a cap on his head.

‘Shepley Down. I am going wrong?’

‘I should say so. I think your best option is to walk back the way you came here. When you get to the little wood that has a red house in front of it, then you need to head to the right along a small road. It should have a signpost. Hopefully going along that way you will reach the road you need.’

‘I see, and how long will it take me?’

‘Well if you go quickly I think you can get somewhere before nightfall.’

‘Alright, thank you. Goodbye.’

George returned to the road and with reluctant steps continued his journey. His heart was filled with bitterness and he really needed a drink now. He wondered if it would be worth it to try and get to the town or whether he should just give it all up, and decided that he would try to spend the night somewhere as soon as the opportunity arose.