by Benson, Tom
For a few minutes, apart from sobbing, and whispers of reassurance, there was no conversation. It was Victoria who grasped the chance to move things forward.
“Could you tell us how you all ended up here, Helen?”
“I’ll give you the basics, and then my friends here will be able to fill in the blanks, later.” Helen explained that she had been a teacher at a sixth-form college on an official trip. “I had the college mini-bus and brought some students with me to spend a week here in Aviemore. The aim was for them to gain practical experience with livestock and in arable farming.” She paused. “There were eight students—“
Amber reached out and placed a reassuring hand on Helen’s arm. “We’ll explain about the others later?”
Helen nodded. “Anyway, I suppose that explains why my companions are all the same age.” She forced a smile. “When we arrived here six years ago, I was a thirty-two-year-old teacher who was trusted to take a bunch of sixteen-year-olds out for a week.” She looked around the table. “For at least four of the past six years they’ve been taking care of things, including me.”
Glen laughed. “Don’t listen to her, guys, if it wasn’t for Helen’s quick-thinking and leadership in the beginning, none of us would be around now.”
Victoria said, “Where was the college you were all from?”
“Glasgow,” Emma said. She pushed her long fair hair back from her face and wiped her eyes. “We’ve tried to accept that there isn’t much left of the world as we knew it, but it’s still hard.”
Cherry said, “From where I’m sitting, I think you’ve all done extremely well, both in support of each other and how far you seem to have come.” She looked around the others’ faces. “Our group were all adults when our survival story started, but some of us still go through dark periods—it’s a sign that you’ve still got your emotions.”
Quincy, a dark-haired and muscular man, said, “How many are there in your group?”
“Twenty-five adults and eight children,” Cherry said and smiled. “All of the children have been born since we became a group.”
Bill said, “Helen, what made you decide to stay here instead of trying to get back on the road?” He avoided using the word ‘home’.
“I was stuck with eight young students who were depending on me because our vehicle was taken. Hundreds of the townspeople and tourists panicked. We were all out in a field as a group, and one of these guys … it was you, Josh, wasn’t it … saw the convoy?”
“Yes,” Josh said. “We were in the middle of a field about half an hour from here on foot. Something caught my eye, and I turned to see a continuous line of fast-moving vehicles on the main road.”
Glen took up the story. “We ran back to the farmhouse as fast as we could, but our mini-bus was gone, and so were the three cars which were outside. I got back here close on Imogen’s and Amber’s heels—the girls are all more athletic than me. The front door was open, and the six people who should have been here were gone, and, as I said, so were the vehicles—including ours.”
Jay-Dee said, “I know it’s a farm, but how did you get by in the early days?”
Imogen nodded towards Helen. “Our teacher saved us.” She grinned. “I ran back here after checking the main road. I told the others that nobody would stop to tell me anything, and every vehicle was going fast. We switched on the television and caught a bulletin which told us the bad news.” For a moment, she stared at the table. “We all thought we were going to die in this farmhouse. For a while, we sat and cried together in the living room.”
Quincy put a muscular arm around his partner and kissed her on the cheek. “Helen kept her head. She got us to hitch up the two-ton grain trailer onto the big tractor. We all climbed inside the trailer and Helen drove us the short distance into town. There wasn’t a soul around. Outside the biggest building in Aviemore, The Cairngorm Hotel and Spa, there was a sign saying, ‘God, protect this place,’ but it was locked up.”
Helen said, “The Cairngorm Hotel and Spa was the town’s safe haven and secured from inside.”
Cherry shook her head. “What did you do?”
Glen said, “Our teacher became a superhero—Resourceful Woman.” He smiled. “Helen drove our tractor back to the supermarket on the edge of town and parked outside. She told us to get ready to shop.”
The Auchcarn team were all mystified and looked from Glen to Helen and back again.
Glen continued, “Helen lifted an iron bar that was on the tractor and forced open the main doors of the supermarket. She told us to get inside and fill trolleys, but we were all to go to different sections.” He laughed briefly. “I think it helped that we were teenagers, and Helen’s attitude inspired us. I can’t remember how long we did it, but we were ferrying out trolley-loads of everything, and there were eight of us at that time.”
Cherry said, “You just brought the cans and packets out and threw them into the big trailer?”
“Yes,” Amber said. “A two-ton grain trailer takes a shitload of stuff. Helen told us not to touch chilled or frozen goods and to avoid bottled drinks except water. She was in the trailer with a side panel dropped, stacking the gear as fast as we could get it out to her.”
Quincy said, “By the time we stopped it was easier for a couple of us to hang on to the big tractor for the ride back, rather than try to get everybody into the trailer. We got back here, and Helen drove the tractor and trailer straight into the barn. All the buildings in this farm complex are interconnected. We came through to the house to catch up with the news.”
Victoria said, “What was on the news by that time?”
Helen said, “Grace Jeffries, the Prime Minister, was pleading for everybody to go to their safe havens. We knew by then, of course, the local safe haven was already full of people and closed to us. The tractor wouldn’t have taken us very far, but I knew that Hamish who owned the farm had made preparations. I briefed everybody quickly on what we were going to do, we grabbed a load of food and drink and went down into the basement.”
“Did you have any facilities down there?”
“Yes,” Helen said. “We had running water, a camping stove with a large gas container, and there was a small but functioning toilet.”
Imogen, the curvaceous blonde said, “For a while, we cried, and then we tried reassuring each other although our situation seemed hopeless. I remember after a while, we even discussed how we could perform a mass suicide, but Helen wouldn’t hear of it.”
Helen laughed briefly. “I think that was my incentive to keep it together. And that was how our journey of survival started.”
2. Assessment
Eagle's Nest Farm
The Auchcarn team took turns at telling small parts of their story. Victoria explained about being relative strangers on their planned three-day coach and hiking trip into the Highlands when it was all interrupted by international events. Bill talked of Paul’s bravery and the desperate drive to the old, disused tunnel. Jay-Dee related the fear and panic of spending two days in the tunnel aboard the coach. Cherry brightened the mood as she gave an abbreviated version of the mass exodus to the hydro-electric installation.
Helen and her six young friends sat listening in silence, their eyes wide and their heads slowly shaking side to side as they heard the tale of escape and survival.
Jay-Dee said, “It took five years before we considered testing the environment because we could see the death and destruction on the hills across the loch.”
“How did you manage with food and … water—” Josh was incredulous.
Victoria said, “Have any of you ever been to Auchcarn on a visit?”
All seven of the farm residents shook their heads.
Victoria went on, “The installation is over one-hundred years old, but the people who worked there over the years weren’t content to sit back and produce electricity. As certain large areas inside the hollow mountain were made redundant, the spaces were redeveloped with new ideas.” She smiled. “As a botan
ist, I was enthralled when I saw that the temperature was ideal for growing tropical plants and trees alongside the main road through the place. I was astounded when I saw the indoor orchard and greenhouses.”
“Indoor orchard—really?” Emma said.
Victoria nodded.
“And greenhouses?” Quincy said, looking at Victoria as if she was mad.
The botanist nodded again. “Only three of the original team remained when the place was evacuated, but fortunately one of them was Ramona, the chef, and she works miracles.”
Glen said, “I can understand that you have a loch or reservoir to feed the system to produce electricity, but what about drinking water?”
Cherry took over. “First of all, the system might be old, but it was a forerunner of modern systems because it uses a reverse pumping system. The water is used once as it’s fed from the reservoir to the loch. It’s used again when it’s pumped back to the reservoir.” She grinned at the expressions on their faces. “Our drinking water is a separate source because it comes from a natural spring deep under the mountain.”
Imogen said, “We’re all content with how our lives are here, but it sounds amazing, and I’d love to see it one day.”
Cherry said, “I don’t think there’s any reason why you couldn’t.” She turned to her team. “These guys could visit, couldn’t they?”
“Of course,” Victoria said, “and it would be neat for the children too.”
Helen said, “You took a week to get here. How could any of the children make such a trip?”
Cherry said, “I’m sure that like us, you have learned about how resilient you can be. We’ll find a way to make it easy to have children making the trip.”
Bill said, “While you’re all discussing trips back and forward, is there somebody who could give me a tour of the farm buildings?”
“I’ll do that, Bill.” Quincy stood. He had a mop of curly dark hair, and though he was big, he had a physique honed from many hours of hard work. “We’ll go back through the house and out front first.” He led the way.
Bill followed the younger man out across the gravel courtyard to the edge of the nearest field. When they turned to look back at the buildings, the place already felt familiar. Earlier, Bill had circumnavigated the entire complex on his covert approach before going back to the main road to make a more obvious entry. He had respected the team’s desire to be included as part of any reconnaissance, and as it turned out, using the approach they did, it had gone well.
Quincy stopped and turned. “If you look at the house from certain angles, like from along the driveway, it looks like a typical old farmhouse because of the building materials. It’s not until you’re up close that you see the garage away back on the left side and the barn on the right.”
“When were the glass corridors put into place?”
“Hamish did all that stuff with the people he employed here. It’s funny, really. He must have watched programmes and read books about preparing for a nuclear catastrophe. He converted the basement to be an emergency living area, complete with plumbing, and with some help built those greenhouse-style corridors between each side of the house and the outbuildings.”
“And yet,” Bill said, “when the unthinkable happened, this Hamish guy left and deserted a bunch of teenagers and their teacher?”
“Yeah, I suppose the emergency haven was okay while it was a fantasy, and he could build quirky extensions. When it came down to reality, Hamish was as scared as the next man.”
“Were there crops growing in the greenhouse corridors when Hamish left?”
“No, they were originally intended as all-weather glass passageways. When they were built between the buildings, a special frame was erected to allow a more robust glass to be used. The glass corridors that run along the sides of the bed and breakfast extensions existed already. They were built so that guests could go from their rooms along to the dining room.”
“Right, so you can walk from the garage, around the house to the barn and other outbuildings?”
“Yeah, and never have to step outside. It took us a while to utilise the corridors as actual working greenhouses where we could grow tomatoes and a few other things. What you don’t see is that when you reach the barn, there is another short corridor which takes you out to the mill.”
“The mill?” Bill said, acting as if he didn’t know the building was there. On his recce, he’d seen a wind-pump and wondered what else might be inside the buildings.
“The mill is only small, but we eventually worked out how to grind grain and make flour.”
Bill smiled. “I give you guys credit for all you’ve done, and I can’t wait to see it up close.”
“Let’s start at the garage,” Quincy said and led the way. “First, Helen came up with ideas to keep us occupied, but every time she made a suggestion, we’d all get together with her and thrash it out with drawings and notes. Fortunately, Imogen, that’s the curvy blonde, is artistic and pretty quick at producing a few sketches to work with. Josh is more of a thinker, so he’s good on technical issues and safety.”
“What about the rest of you?”
Quincy paused to open the garage door. “Glen and I are the muscle behind any scheme, whether it be building or demolition.” He grinned. “Emma, the slim girl with fair hair, is a domestic goddess—everything from stitching to cookery. Amber is the pretty and athletic girl you met first. She is an action woman who can climb, sail, shoot and tackle just about anything.”
“It sounds like you have a great team and everybody plays their part.” Bill followed Quincy into the sizeable garage and waited while he closed the door behind them.
Quincy said, “We were all classmates but not really friends before we came here. As you’ll appreciate, it took a while before we settled into working on projects.” He laughed. “It was even longer before we relaxed enough to pair off and sneak into dark corners together.”
Bill smiled at the thought. He looked around at the cavernous space and how it had been converted. “Is that a furnace of some sort at the back?”
“That’s one of our greatest achievements—it’s an oven. When we lost electricity, we were able to use the big fireplace in the living room for cooking and making a hot drink. Behind the barn is a massive lean-to. It’s where the wood has always been stored for the log fires throughout the complex. Helen and Emma both said they’d love to bake bread. We had the ingredients but nowhere to do the actual baking. We cleared the wall at the back of the garage and spent a couple of weeks designing and finding bricks and other materials to build an oven and a chimney.”
“Did it work straight away?”
“Good lord, no—we nearly burned the place to the ground the first time we used it, but we learned lessons along the way. I think it was about two months before we finally made bread.”
“Where did you get the flour—oh, of course, the mill.”
“Yes, the small gristmill behind the big barn. Helen and Emma knew the theory of using wheat, rye and barley to make flour, so that was another challenge. We had stocks of all three to experiment with, but we also had the desire to succeed.”
“Do you have a natural water supply, like a well?”
“There’s a spring in the woodland not far from the farm buildings. A long time ago, Hamish had an underground feed pipe, and a wind-pump fitted, so the water reaches a well behind the gristmill. It’s probably a bit like the thing you guys have in your old tunnel.”
Bill looked around at the layout of the garage. “I suppose not having any vehicles in here makes it a great storage area, and a good workshop for all your experiments and building projects?”
“Yeah, we keep some firewood in here so that it’s handy for the oven. As you can see, we have a great selection of power tools hanging on those brackets over there, but we’ve never been able to use them. Again, only because there were plenty of old hand tools we’ve been able to get by with our ideas.”
“I like that you guys have
kept this place tidy, even though you do so much in here.”
“We all take pride in what we do and how we live.” Quincy walked to the rear door. “Are you ready to experience our glass corridor system?”
“Lead the way.” Bill smiled, impressed by the young man and his companions’ efforts.
Quincy walked through the short greenhouse to the outer corridor along the side of the west extension guest rooms. At the front end, he went through a door into the T-shaped hallway of the house.
Bill said, “Due to it being a bed and breakfast place too, I can see why the kitchen and dining room are large but so too is the living room.”
Quincy nodded. “Once we’d become acclimatised to our new life we had a few meetings and discussed how we could make the place even more comfortable.”
“You were all about sixteen when you arrived here, so how long did it take before you got into the renovations?”
“I think it was after the second year. I recall Helen saying that she’d love us to have a bigger communal room and the planning started. As you can appreciate, we had time on our hands and the freedom to do as we pleased.”
“Yes, I’m well-acquainted with the notion. Our community is always coming up with new projects, so strangely, we’re occupied all the time.” Bill nodded towards the building. “What did you start work on first?”
“Apart from the extensions on either end which have three bedrooms each, there were two big bedrooms in the farmhouse. We removed a wall to make the dining room twice the size, and then we did the same on the other side of the hallway, which made the living room twice the size.”
“Did you all get involved in some way?”
“There were a lot of discussions because we didn’t have electricity, but we still didn’t want to damage the wiring. Then, of course, we had all the rubble to remove. Most of the bricks were reused when we improved our first attempt at the bread oven.”
They went through to the other side of the house and along the side corridor. As they walked towards the back end, Bill took in the view of the driveway and the massive barn.
