Shalott

An Unsettling Journey

Shirley was starting to feel a little nervous. More and more people had left the train and she felt as though she were the only person on board. She peered through the glass doors that led to the next carriage and found they were eerily empty. When they got to Ash Town Station, would anyone else be getting off the train? And if no one else got off the train who the actual fuck would be around whilst she waited for her cab?

The sun had set and the sky was navy blue.  She was quite sure that when she got to Ash Town it would be dark. She had been there before when they went to view the mill and remembered it to be a small station with no indoors, just a platform - the train only bothered to stop there twice a day. They had thought this a good indicator of how remote their new home would be but right now this was not quite such an alluring prospect. Shirley looked at her phone, she still only had one bar of signal. She tried again to call the cab company but  it wouldn't even ring.

'Shit,' she muttered. Why am I doing this? Oh yeah, because fucking Tommy told me to. What was he thinking? What had I been thinking? Even if I do manage to get this cab, will it be able to drive down the path to the house? And if not how will I find my way? That path was long, winding and overgrown.  Am I going to be able to remember how to open the door? 

She was sure it had had a fiddly lock. She rummaged through her bag and retrieved the keys. There were three of the bloody things, and one was large and rusty; an old key for an old door.

She exhaled wearily. Perhaps she should just get off at the next stop and get a hotel for the night. But what was the next stop? There was no big town as far as she knew. She pressed her face against the window and peered out into the night as far as she could. All she could make out was the dark curves of hills.

Oh, you'll be alright, dummy. There's nothing around to even be scared of. Just sheep. And how hard can it be to unlock a door and turn on a light? I can call Tommy and he can talk me whole way through it. Then... all being well I will be 'largin' it up in the crib tonight' as Tommy would say - cringe!

She allowed herself to relax, pulled into a daydream by the swaying of the carriage. Her mind travelled to Rory. She didn't allow herself to think of her this often but whether it was venue or something else, tonight she didn't block the memories.

She thought about after that gig. They had not partied for once, at least not with the band. Everyone had been tired from the night before and so they had grabbed a bottle of wine and headed back to their hotel. It was not a fancy hotel. They had not been making enough money from the band for anything above two stars but it had the basics, and most importantly, a bed. Their night of passion began long before they reached the room. It started on the street as they walked with their arms around each other, stopping to kiss, hands roaming everywhere, grabbing everything. People probably stared but they couldn't have cared less, it was as though they needed each other like air. Once in the elevator Rory shoved Shirley against the wall pulling down her top, kissing her, touching her.

Now in the train Shirley felt her breathing deepen and she touched her cheek as she felt it flush. It had been one of the best nights of her life.

But the beginning of something terrible.