The Deepest Abyss

The Dirt Path [Heart of Water]

 A 2004 Kia Rio drove along the quiet roads of rural South Africa, having just turned off the N0 highway and onto a smaller single-lane road. Its occupants, a married couple and their taxi driver, were heading further away from civilisation. This road put the small town of Witmond directly behind them. Tall grass encompassed the plains around the car, and scattered trees passed them by as they drove onwards.

"We just passed Witmond. Not long now," said Roy, attempting to sound casual. He and his wife, Alex, were both exhausted from the trip there and needed a good rest and a shower. Small talk was becoming more and more difficult as the hours of the journey continued to stretch.

"Yup," she replied. There was a coldness to her response that he didn't take personally. After all, the trip there hadn't been easy on either of them.

"So, what's the first thing you want to do in our... town?" Roy asked.

"I don't know, Roy," she replied.

"I'll bet it's going to be quiet there," he thought out loud.

"Can you just stay quiet for a sec? I've got a headache."

"Sure, sorry about that."

'Our town.' It was a strange choice of words. It was more like a village, and it certainly wasn't theirs. What really was theirs was the large manor on the giant plot of land next to the village.

The property just dropped into their laps, just like that. They actually picked it up at an auction. Who would have thought that people still do that? It was something organised through Alex's work. They both work as realtors for a fairly reputable firm based in London, you see.

They spent a lot—more than they'd care to admit. The thing is, sometimes you just need to get away from it all. The house was in Roy's home country, after all, and Alex's parents came from there, too. In actuality, Alex's uncle was the previous owner of the estate the couple had just bought. It seemed like a pretty nice idea to get to see another side of life. So anyway, one huge downpayment later, and they were both on their way to the heart of South Africa.

It wasn't as expensive as you might have thought, either. The place had a sordid past, and most people wouldn't touch it. Honestly, the couple didn't really check. It was an impulse buy, and they didn't put a lot of stock in history or ghost stories.

The previous owner was a bit of a tycoon who owned both the property itself and the meat packing factory inside the adjacent town. Both of these places bore the same name – Isibane. The meat packing factory was the main source of income for the whole town, for a time. He had deep pockets and a heavy sway, but not a lot of popularity. You'd struggle to find anyone willing to talk much about him, even in the family.

"It feels like a dream. It's just so surreal, hey?" Roy added quizzically.

"Roy, shut it. And it's not a town; it's a hamlet."

"Same thing."

"It absolutely is not. Now, quiet."

Roy caught the taxi driver glancing at them in the rear view mirror. He thought about making conversation but figured he'd already caused poor Alex enough of a headache.

Some more minutes passed. The city was getting further behind them at this point, but they still had some time to go. There were no more people or villages on the side of the road. There were no farms, cows, or impatient drivers to watch out for. They were really "in the boons," as they would say back in the UK.

"We're really in the boons," Roy said.

Alex said nothing. She went from looking out the window to holding her hand to her head.