My Weird Stories 3 by Paul Audcent - HTML preview

The pleasant surprise.                                                Copy write P. Audcent 2014

I had a friend called Henry John who lived in the house opposite and one day over a beer he related a strange occurrence that happened to him some years previous.

He lived for a time with his parents in the high country and used to enjoy cycling and exploring the many roads and lanes and footpaths in his locality. One day his mother packed him a full lunch as he said he was not going near any villages but would head for the forest instead. So off he cycled a backpack with his mothers lunch and a flask of cider to drown it in when he stopped. At first he rode along a long country road that he knew so well and then he turned off a narrow little lane he had often passed but not explored. So he decided this was the time to do so and continued cycling up hill and down dale with the lane getting narrow each mile. Then abruptly the lane ended and a narrow footpath could be seen under the boughs of a gigantic tree, looking carefully around he could see that was the only entrance so he stowed his bike against the tree trunk and prepared to walk into the undergrowth along the small path. It was obviously used as the earth beneath was firm and vegetation free. He thought it might lead to a small farm up on the hills above so he continued on setting a steady pace with his back pack firmly on till he reached a cross road of paths. Now the quandary which to use so he broke a small branch of the bush on the path he had come on and took a right hand turn on the crossing path which took him down into a little dell by a stream. He stooped and drawing his hands together he scooped up the water and drank it slowly.

“ You should never drink from water you cannot be sure of.”

He turned around and noticed a little half bent lady peering at him from over a fence hidden by the vegetation. She had white hair and wrinkled eyes.

“You quite frightened me Madam, but the stream's water looked so clean that I couldn't resist it.”

“Well you shouldn't is all I can say especially as you have that flask of cider in your bag and a lovely lunch besides.”

“Now on earth did you know that?” Henry John rose up from the stream edge and approached this strange lady. “I am feeling hungry and Mother made a fair amount as she always does so may I offer you a share of my lunch.”

“Well I don't mind if I do, come into the cottage and I will set the table up.” The old lady beckoned him through the gate and then into the cottage. She helped him off with his back pack and hurried off into the kitchen and bought back two plates and two glasses. Then she changed her mind and went back into the tiny kitchen and bought another glass and plate and knife.

“Henry will be back soon from his snooping trip, he does love keeping his eye on other peoples business.”

 She then unpacked the lunch pack and inside were three M&S medium pork pies.

“Oh” she squealed I do so love those pies, they are shocking to try to make yourself, did she make them?” Then followed “but I doubt it, they have Cellophane wrapping to keep them fresh.”

“I wonder Mrs? Do you have a name I might call you?”

“I'm Edith, Henry's wife, you should call me Aunt Edith.”

I sat up at least ten centimetres in shock.

“I used to have a Great Aunt and Uncle by those names, that's why I am called John Henry after Great Uncle Henry.”

Just then a gust of  wind blew, a door had opened, and in whisked a bearded gentleman with a broad smile and a very long scarf. It was the scarf  that John Henry noticed and Aunt Edith immediately said,

“Its to keep him warm when he's out in the cold but now it won't leave his neck!”

Aunt Edith returned to the kitchen and fetched a long loaf and some pickles. John Henry poured some cider in each cup and they supped heartily on those three M&S pork pies.

“My” said Uncle Harry, “they were scrumptious Always said your Mum Mel was the best cook in town.”

“Oh you know Mother?”

“Many years ago, and your Dad, pity about the prawns though, your Mum did a great job by herself.”

John Henry was taken aback by the mention of his father, “I think I have to get home before it gets dark I have no lights as a rim dynamo slows me down!”

“Right you are, now Uncle Henry will show you a quicker way back to your bike and be sure to mention to Mum how we enjoyed having you and those wonderful pork pies.”

“And that cider” said Uncle Henry as he guided John Henry outside.

“Now John listen, at the cross paths instead of taking that path with the broken branch go straight on and you will come into that clearing by the big tree.”

Well by all accounts John Henry followed the directions and came upon his bike which he mounted and rode away back home. So full of this amazing discovery he ran into the house and holding his mother tightly recounted all that had happened that afternoon. She was astounded at first and then a look of bewilderment crossed her face. Then she unhinged  his back pack off and looked inside.

“Well John you have left your lunch box behind, next Saturday you will take me on your motor cycle and we look for it, it was a present from Grandpa for your third birthday. Its too precious to loose.”

I, like you my readers, was beside myself to know what John Henry's mother found on her trip to the forest that following weekend, they did find the lunch box next to the stream. Inside was a scrap of paper and in pencil was written,

'Thank you dear Mel, they were delicious and Joe is fine.'

“Well that's strange,” John's mother scratched her chin, “I was going to buy you one  pastie but something changed my mind and I bought those three small pork pies.”

I later met Andy, John Henry's younger brother, and told him what John had said to me, I was intrigued to understand a bit more of the story he related. Andy smiled and said his father Joe did indeed die of a seafood complaint and Great Aunt Edith did in fact exist, she and Henry looked after John and mother for a year on their farm.

They were killed five years ago in a freak accident when an aircraft landed on their farmhouse. Andy shrugged his shoulders and did not know what to believe.

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