The following day played out pretty much the same as the previous one and I began to get worried about Robert. He had not eaten or drunk anything since the potion Kris had given him and he had been sweating constantly ever since. He must have been getting severely dehydrated, but Kris refused to try to get him to swallow any water.
“It may cool him down,” he said, “and that might stop the venom being entirely burned up. Lack of water will make him weak for a while, but it won’t kill him. Cooling him down too soon will.” How could I argue with that?
The next morning Robert’s fever finally broke, though he didn’t wake up. He was no longer sweating and felt cool to the touch. Too cool. Kris stoked up the fire and I put one of my blankets over Robert, who had started to shiver.
The day was long and tedious, with me checking on him regularly, looking for any sign that would indicate he was waking up. As the sun was setting and I was facing the prospect of spending yet another night stuck between the wood and the swamp, he opened his eyes.
“Help him sit up, then give him water,” Kris said. Once he was upright, Robert grabbed the cup from my hand and started to gulp it down.
“Slowly,” Kris called out. “If he drinks too fast he will be sick.” I pulled the cup away from Robert before he had chance to consume too much and put it to his lips, tipping it gently so that only a little trickled into his mouth.
“Thank you,” he said once the cup was empty. “How long have I been asleep?”
I told him and if he had had the strength I am sure he would have sworn, loudly. Instead he just groaned. “I feel like shit,” he said. “And I am starving. What have we got to eat?”
I looked at Kris, who was cooking something over the fire. “Broth,” he said, making Robert groan again. He did, however, eat it all and was even polite to the chef, thanking him for his efforts.
“You are extremely weak right now,” Kris said.
“No shit Sherlock,” Robert muttered under his breath.
Kris ignored him. “But you might be well enough to continue the journey in the morning, as long as you have another cup of broth before you go to sleep and one more for breakfast.”
Robert did not look enthusiastic, but didn’t argue. We all went to bed early, though I lay awake for a long while, wondering if Robert would be fit enough to continue travelling in the morning, or how he would react if he wasn’t.
My fears were put to rest as soon as I opened my eyes. The first rays of sun were pouring into the tent and I could hear Kris and Robert talking outside. I couldn’t hear every word they were saying, but I got the general gist. We will be packing up and heading off as soon as we have finished breakfast, so I am quickly updating my diary before letting the boys know I am awake. I can smell bacon frying so it is time I stopped. Hopefully today will be uneventful and we will get to Pestilence’s home soon.
Day 8
Well, the day turned out to be very uneventful, unless you count traversing a swamp and meeting Pestilence.
We ate a rushed breakfast, with Robert complaining when Kris would not let him have any of the bacon, and were soon packed up and ready to go. First major task of the day – cross a swamp. Correction, cross a swamp that is infested with snakes that are venomous. Great. No sweat. What’s the second task? Walk on water? It’s actually my own fault. Kris wanted to take us back into the wood filled with killer trees, explaining that we would be able to get through the rest of it during the hours of daylight, but I managed to persuade him it was a bad idea. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut.
As it turned out it was not actually as difficult as I first feared. Although it was hard to find, there was a solid path through the wetland, but it was narrow. We had to walk in single file, with the boys insisting I go in the middle. Kris took the lead as he knew the tell-tale signs that marked the pathway. A number of times I heard movement in the murky water beside me, but whatever had caused it had disappeared by the time I looked around.
Midday arrived, but none of us were hungry enough to want to stop and eat. The smell of the stagnant water was making me gag and I was sure it would be unhygienic to expose food to the polluted air.
A short while later a snake slithered across the path in front of me. Its colouring indicated that it was not the same species as the one which had bitten me, but I was taking no chances, so I patiently waited for it to get out of my way.
Wondering what the holdup was, Kris turned around and spotted the reptile. He grinned. “You can step over it you know.”
“I’d rather not risk upsetting it,” I said. “I’m sure it is very nice and friendly, but so was the green one and look what happened there. I am perfectly happy to let the wildlife have right of way.”
Kris chuckled as he turned back around. I’m glad I was amusing him. I expected Robert to complain about the delay I was creating, but seeing the cause, he said nothing.
There was still much of the day left when our feet hit the solid ground of the meadow on the far side of the swamp. We continued walking for a while longer before breaking for a meal, making sure we were far enough away for the smell to no longer bother us.
Then Kris gave us some welcome information. “If we do not rest for too long, we should reach Pestilence’s house before nightfall.” Yes. A bath and a proper bed were within reach. I almost suggested we skip lunch, but Robert looked exhausted. Food seemed to revive him and we were soon back on our feet.
As Kris had predicted, the sun was just beginning to set as we reached a wall. It was tall, but in the distance we could just make out the roof of a large house. We followed the wall around for a short while before reaching a large iron gate. I expected it to be locked, though why it would be in Hell I have no idea, but it opened easily as Kris pushed it.
“Follow the path down to the house,” he said once Robert was through, closing the gate behind us as he spoke.
“Are we expected?” I asked.
“Of course.”
As the house came into view I was shocked by how modern it looked. I had been expecting a traditional manor house, old yet perfectly maintained, but instead I was faced with something from the 21st century. Huge darkened windows dominated the building, which seemed to be made entirely from steel or aluminium or some other silvery metal. As we approached we could see a large swimming pool around the side of the building with what appeared to be a hot tub next to it.
“Wow,” was all I could say.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” Kris said.
Robert grunted. “Tasteless and over the top,” he murmured. Translation – he loved it and was jealous.
“It’s so modern,” I said. “I was expecting something more...” The right word wouldn’t come to me.
“Subtle?” Robert suggested. I threw him a dark look. Kris ignored him.
“Pestilence gets bored and remodels it every few years,” he said. “The swimming pool has doubled in size since the last time I was here.”
“When was that?” I asked.
Kris shrugged his shoulders. “A couple of months, I guess.”
As we made our way toward the building the front door opened and a young man with wavy blond hair walked out.
“Kris,” he exclaimed. “It’s good to see you. Nobody told me you were showing our visitors around the realm.”
“It’s good to see you too Len,” Kris said, embracing the man warmly. Len, whoever he was, gave Kris a quizzical look, as though his words surprised him. Kris met his gaze, but said nothing. What passed between the two I have no idea, but Len suddenly nodded his head then turned toward me.
“And who is this lovely young thing?” he asked as he brushed his hair away from his face, revealing the palest blue eyes I have ever seen. His face was pleasant to look at, tanned with the faintest trace of light stubble. He was of average height, slim and fit. If he had been wearing a wet suit instead of shorts and a Hawaiian shirt he could easily have been mistaken for a surfer.
“Where’s the beach,” I heard Robe
rt mutter. Was he determined to annoy everyone?
“I’m Rachel,” I said, holding out my hand for Len to shake, hoping he hadn’t heard Robert’s comment. His hand was soft and warm as he grasped my finger tips and lifted my hand up to his lips.
“Delighted to meet you,” he said as he released me. “I am Pestilence, but my friends call me Len.”
This was Pestilence? This young surfer dude was one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse? He had to be joking. I glanced at Kris and raised an eyebrow. Kris nodded. OK, he was serious.
“Not quite what you imagined, am I?” he said, grinning.
“I’m Rob, in case anyone is interested,” Robert said.
Len turned to him and I held my breath. How was he going to react? And what could he do to Robert if he was not happy with him?
“Of course I am interested,” he said. “After all, you are the reason we are all here. You have provided me hours of entertainment thinking up the puzzles you will need to solve.”
“What?” Robert asked.
“It’s been a long journey Len,” Kris said. “Can we at least bathe and eat first?”
“Of course,” our host replied. “Follow me.”
As we entered the house I was surprised at how minimalistic it was. There was very little in the way of furniture in any of the numerous rooms we passed and what there was was purposeful and practical. There were no ornaments or statues or decorations of any kind. Everything was neat, tidy and clinically clean. This was not the house of a young man.
There was no sign of carpet anywhere. The floor appeared to be polished marble, but it couldn’t be, could it?
All of the walls were light and the rooms airy. From inside, the windows did not appear darkened as they had from the outside, providing a wonderful view of the surrounding gardens. The setting sun poured an orange glow into the house making it seem warm, cosy and a little less hospital-like.
“I wonder how he keeps everything so clean and dust free,” I whispered to Robert. “I would love to meet his housekeeper.”
Robert gave me a withering look. “He is the son of a god,” he pointed out. “The Lord of the underworld, to be more precise. Dust is probably too scared to even cross the threshold.”
We were led to the back of the house and Robert and I were assigned adjoining rooms.
“Fresh clothes are in the wardrobes,” Len said. “Take as long as you like settling in. Dinner will be a while yet.” He turned to Kris. “You are in your usual room.” Kris nodded and departed back the way we had come.
His usual room? Just who was Kris that both Hades and his son treated him like a regular visitor?
My room was no different to the rest of the house. The metal bedframe and white bedclothes looked cold and uninviting, but the quilt was large and fluffy enough to soften the effect. The wardrobe was more like a large filing cabinet than something you would expect to find in a bedroom, except that it had floor to ceiling mirrors.
I unceremoniously dropped my bag on the floor and walked over to the only other door, which I presumed led to the bathroom. I have often wondered why such rooms are called ‘bath’ rooms when they usually contain a toilet and sink as well, and some don’t even contain a bath. That thought did not cross my mind as I entered this one. It was huge. It made the bedroom look small and insignificant. Have you ever read the fourth Harry Potter book? Goblet of fire, or something like that. If so, do you remember the prefects’ bathroom? Picture that, but with all of the fittings made from polished silver instead of gold and you may get some idea of the sight that met my eyes the moment I walked into the room.
From the steam rising from the bath I presumed that the water was hot. I stripped off and dipped my toes in, checking the temperature. I was right - it was hot, but not unbearably so. I sat on the edge and eased myself in, gasping as the water rose up my legs. I soon acclimatised enough to allow the rest of my body to sink below the water line and half swam half walked over to the taps. There were a number of them and each was labelled clearly with what they contained: shampoo, body scrub, one even stated it was full of mouthwash.
I tentatively chose a tap labelled ‘Shampoo – Lemon’ and turned it. Light yellow liquid filled my hand as the distinctive smell of fresh lemons filled the air. I rubbed it into my hair and it created a soft, smooth lather.
I have no idea how long I had been luxuriating in the bath when I was disturbed by a knock on the door. “You may want to get out of there sometime,” Kris’s voice rang out.
“Get out now Rachel,” Robert’s harsh tones sounded through the closed door. “I want to solve Pestilence’s stupid puzzles and get back on the road as soon as possible.”
I did as ‘requested’ and was soon sitting on the bed, dressed in a long towelling robe and running a comb through my hair. My clothes had been taken away and a short red dress had been placed on the bed, along with clean underwear. I was not in the mood for ‘dressing up’, but it looked like I had no choice.
The dress was very tight, but once it was on it was comfortable. I looked at myself in the mirror and was pleased to discover it looked good on me. With my hair tied back with a ribbon, all I needed was the right pair of shoes to complete the outfit.
I opened the wardrobe door, expecting it to be empty, and was surprised to find a pair of high heeled sandals that perfectly matched the dress. I never thought I would say this, but I was beginning to love Hell.
Seeing my wet towels on the floor where I had dropped them, I picked them up to return them to the bathroom, but when I opened the door I stood transfixed. The bath was completely empty. When had the water disappeared and where to? Come to think if it, why was it full when I needed it to be. Yet another puzzle to this house that I really didn’t want to waste my time thinking about.
I left my room, uncertain as to where I should be going. Hearing the sound of voices, I headed toward them and found myself exiting the house through a large glass door. Len, Kris and Robert were on an immense wooden deck overlooking the pool, drinking what appeared to be beer.
“Glad you could finally join us,” Len said without looking around.
Kris and Robert both turned their heads toward me and I heard Kris gasp. Robert stood up and walked up to me. “Sorry I was so sharp with you earlier,” he said as he handed me a drink. “I am just anxious to get to Tammara.”
“I know,” I assured him, giving his hand a friendly squeeze as I took the glass. “It’s alright.”
The beer was cool and refreshing. I took a seat beside Len, who complemented me on how good I looked. “I think I chose well,” he said, when I asked who picked out the dress. “Don’t you agree Kris?” Len winked at him and smirked. Kris had still not spoken. He seemed lost for words and this pleased me for some reason.
Dinner was eaten outside. It was a quick, simple affair and once it was over, Len told Kris to leave.
“Now,” he ordered when Kris started to protest. “I cannot trust that you will not aid with the puzzles, so please leave us alone.”
Kris looked at me, opened his mouth to say something, then changed his mind and left. Once he was no longer in sight, Len turned his attention to Robert and me.
“Here’s the deal,” he said, smiling at us. “I’ll give you a puzzle. If you solve it, you get to continue on your journey.”
“And if we get it wrong?” Robert asked.
“You stay here and have to solve the next one. Sound fair?”
“OK,” I said tentatively. I had a bad feeling about this, but didn’t know why. Our host was treating us as honoured guests, so remaining a little longer would be no hardship and I am quite good at solving puzzles, so why did I feel like there was a catch?
“No sweat,” Robert said, winking at me. “After all, how hard could these puzzles be?” We soon found out.
“A police car is stopped at traffic lights that are on red. A truck driver goes past, but the police do not chase him for going through a red light. Why not?”
Huh? Had
I heard that right?
“How may guesses do we get?” I asked.
“Just one,” Pestilence replied. Great. “But you can ask me as many questions as you wish.”
We started with the obvious ones. Was the truck driver going in the same direction as the police car? Yes. Was the police car occupied? Yes. Was it working OK? Yes. Were the traffic lights working correctly? Yes.
We were getting nowhere, fast. And I was running out of ideas. Luckily Robert wasn’t.
Is everyone in a country where red traffic lights mean stop? Yes. Was there a filter light and the truck was turning? No. Were the police busy dealing with another incident? No. Were the police on duty? Yes. Did they know the truck driver? No. Was the truck an emergency vehicle of some kind? No.
Eventually we gave up. Maybe the second puzzle would be easier.
Pestilence laughed when we finally admitted defeat. “I never said the truck driver was in a truck. He was walking.”
What? What sort of answer was that? That was stupid. I couldn’t argue that Pestilence had said anything wrong or misleading; we had made an incorrect assumption, but it was still stupid.
“Ready for the next one?”
“Yes,” I lied.
“There are two girls tidying an attic. When they have finished, one has a dirty face while the other’s is clean. The girl with the clean face goes to wash, but the girl with the dirty face doesn’t. Why?”
This one was just as stupid as the first. Were they all going to be like this? If so, we were in trouble. I had no idea what questions to ask. Nor did Robert. Neither of us had any ideas. Eventually we gave up.
“There were no mirrors,” Len said gleefully. He was really enjoying himself at our expense. “The girl with the clean face saw her friend’s was dirty so assumed hers was as well and vice versa.”
Were we really talking to the son of a god? Could he not come up with anything better than that?
The next few didn’t go any better. The pilot of a bomber plane pressed the bomb release mechanism, but the bomb didn’t drop. Why not? Was there a bomb in the plane? Was the pilot in the plane? Start with the obvious ones given the answer to the first puzzle. Was the mechanism working correctly? We asked many more questions before giving up. None of the answers helped.
Diary of a journey through Hell Page 8
