Gods and Monsters

VI

Brosnan's Farm - Denham, Buckinghamshire

The well-trodden gravel road was surrounded by beautiful overhanging trees that led to an expansive vista of fields, all containing either corn, wheat or other product. The early morning sun shone bright, low between the trees with not a cloud to be seen. Since moving from her family home in Kent to London, Peggy hadn't really had the chance to visit places as rural as this anymore. The fresh air and never ending greenery was something that she had always loved and whilst London was fantastic, she wouldn't mind the chance of working further out here. As she looked over at Charlie she realised that was something she envied. For years Charlie had spent his life travelling the globe, free from constrictions, visiting beautiful places with beautiful people whereas the furthest Peggy had been abroad was a weekend in France.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Charlie said as if reading her mind.

"Yeah, although considering all the places you've been I would've thought you would be fairly apathetic with the English countryside?"

Charlie smiled at this, seemingly having remembered a story he was bound to share. They weren't too far from the farmhouse now so she let him go for it.

"It was Christmas Eve, maybe 2007, and I was in Yorkshire, not one of my more exotic locations I'll admit but still lovely, especially at that time of year. Scarlett and I had heard reports of this posthuman who was out there, a real nasty bugger but that's not too important. Scarlett had gone back home for business reasons but I, having met this woman, decided to stay a while. I figured we could make a go of it, see how things went. She was the most beautiful lady I had ever met. Long blonde hair that flowed to just above her shoulders, icy blue eyes and the cutest button nose."

He paused for a moment, remembering her face and basking in the beauty of the image in his mind.

"As I was driving back to her home, I ran out of petrol. I had been so excited I had forgotten to check and now there I was, stranded in the middle of nowhere, no traffic, no cars to help me, just me and a car full of presents. I decided to walk, taking what I could in my hands saying that I would return when I could to get the car with the rest of the presents. The beautiful leafless trees hung above me as I walked, the snow crunching under foot. Despite it being late I could've sworn that I saw a little robin that was following me for most of the journey. I must've walked 4 miles to get home but the thought of the warm light on the windows, the smoke billowing out of the chimney and the smell of the tree kept me going. I was so upset that I'd have ruined Christmas for her, being late, leaving the presents in the car but the closer I got to her home, the more I realised how funny this whole story was. How much she'd love it. Me running out of petrol and how every Christmas from then, we would recount the story and there'd be so much joy from telling it at my expense. So that memory of me walking through the fields, the trees, the snow, the little robin, that to me describes why the English countryside is so special. It was set to be the best Christmas I'd ever had."

Peggy felt all warm inside, amazed at the sincerity and honesty in Charlie's story. Maybe she would let him tell more stories from now on. She had had some great Christmases with her family of course but she couldn't think of one that really matched that same feeling that Charlie had.

"What happened to the women? Did it not work out in the end?" Peggy asked but she instantly regretted this as she saw Charlie's gleeful smile turn into a much more sorrowful look. He didn't answer as they pulled into the driveway of the farmhouse.

The team walked over to the front door of the old stone farmhouse and peered inside the windows. It didn't look like anyone was home as there was no answer when they knocked and they didn't have a warrant to allow them to enter. Charlie walked to the door, placing the side of his face against it to listen in.