The Nobody's Stones

Introduction;

INTRODUCTION

The grass had a cold sting to it, as she wobbled through the pine forest; left over autumn leaves crunching under her feet. Clarimond hardly ever wandered alone, her mother warned her of the mysterious and haunting atmosphere of the deep, pine forest. The moon highlighted the rustic, dusty path that twirled through the dim woods, the occasional call of a barn owl rupturing the ominous silence. All Clarimond needed was some peace and quiet, some time to think, reflect and escape the bustling life she had awaiting at home. She didn't know how much further the path continued, but she was certain that she would try and travel as far as she could, until she found a stream or a pleasant row of bushes where she could rest and enjoy her now lukewarm tea.

At this midnight hour, the air was thick with a foreboding feeling, as if there was something waiting for her, watching through a parting in the dense forest. Clarimond continued regardless, hobbling over pebbles and sharp twigs as the path became more rugged and less defined in front of her. 'Where am I going?' thought Clarimond, as the forest became increasingly darker, and the dim light that resembled her mother's cottage had faded into the distance. After what felt like hours, she could hear a faint, babbling brook nearby, 'at last!' she thought, she had reached somewhere where she could set up a small camp for the night. The body of water was smaller than she had thought, but it would provide enough water for her to fill her tea canister once it was empty.

Soft steam escaped from Clarimond's tea canister as she hastily gulped down the spoiled Earl Grey, enjoying the taste as she looked around at her surroundings, the moon still acting as a temporary lamp of nature. Brisk wind travelled past the trunks of the pine trees as the clouds slowly parted in the midnight sky, sending a shiver down Clarimonds spine. What if she wasn't alone?

A rat rustled past, and stopped to point it's nose into the air and Clarimond tucked her legs up under a tartan blanket, she knew that rats had sharp teeth. It scurried off, luckily. Clarimond could hear a faint, yet familiar sound in the distance. It seemed like a train, and it the sound seemed like it was becoming closer and closer. Clarimond found it strange, she didn't remember hearing of a railway being near her house, and she had only travelled less than a half hour on foot. "TOOOT TOOOOT", the sound erupted within the crisp, night air. A train was certainly approaching, but there was no station or railway nearby. Clarimond thought she was imagining the sound of a train's chimney chugging along and the faint scraping of wheels upon steel rails.

'Chug, chug, chug, chug', Clarimond could now smell the faint dusty smoke billowing from the rain and with a brief gust of wind..a black, locomotive appeared in front of her eyes. "ALLLLLL ABOARD", shouted a pasty and plump man from the front of the train, his potato-like face smothered by his black cap. "You coming on lass? Don't waste time, we have to move on, love!".

Clarimond looked back and forth, the forest looked empty and she rubbed her eyes to check if she was dreaming. She wasn't. "W-where will we go?" Clarimond asked. "Don't worry about that, jump on, it'll take all of your worries away", the driver chuckled. "I just want to be safe, will I be safe?", said Clarimond. "Just jump on, it'll be the time of your life", he whispered. Clarimond, felt queasy, unsure as to whether she should go through with it, but with a quick shrug, she tossed her belongings into the open carriage and stepped upon in.