“So . . .” Alex laid the magazine out on the table in front of us and took out his trusty pen and green highlighter.
I ate my breakfast and looked down at the magazine. I’d had a great sleep the night before, despite the mist, and had woken up feeling refreshed and starving.
“We only have two more to go.” Alex circled them and I stared at the magazine.
“Really?” I pulled it away from him and looked. “Oh God, I can’t believe we’re almost through the list already.” And then a thought hit me uncomfortably in the ribs: what would happen when we finished the list? This adventure with Alex would be over and that would be it. I looked up at him. He was looking at me too.
“There’s no rush to get through them, though,” Alex suddenly said, pulling the magazine away as if he was thinking the same thing.
I smiled happily. “No need to rush,” I repeated.
“So shall we go exploring the town after breakfast?” Alex asked, fighting me for the last croissant on the plate. I managed to grab onto the end of it before he pulled it away and it tore in two. We both laughed at this and stuffed the food into our mouths.
Alex sat back on his seat and rolled his shirt up, looking down at his stomach. “I’m really going to need to get back to the gym when I get home.”
“Oh, please!” I tutted. “Says the man with an eight pack and a rock-hard chest of steel.”
Alex suddenly stood up and held his hand out for me. “This place is meant to have really nice walks.”
“A walk?” I shook my head. “I’ve already walked once this holiday.”
“Once is not enough.” He grabbed my hand and started pulling me out of the chair.
But—” I started objecting but was quickly interrupted.
“But nothing, Val. But nothing.”
I giggled as Alex wrapped his arms around me and pulled me forcefully. We bumped into someone else’s breakfast table on the way.
“Sorry.” Alex held his hand out. The couple eating gave us a slightly disapproving look which made me laugh.
We stumbled outside the hotel and found ourselves back on the street once more. There was no sign of the mist from the night before. It was as if it had never been there at all. The day was warm, not too hot though. A perfect temperature that made it pleasant to walk.
“Look,” Alex suddenly said, pointing at a sign that indicated a walking trail off the road and into a wooded area.
“Uh . . . But it’s just pointing into a forest,” I said, looking into the tall thick trees.
“Don’t worry, we won’t get lost.” Alex took my hand and pulled me up the path and into the woods.
“Famous last words,” I said, as I glanced around. Just like the mist the previous night, this was, once again, the perfect start to some kind of horror movie. Two hikers going into the woods for an innocent walk. All goes well until a madman with an axe jumps out from behind a tree and decides to turn their skulls into little ashtrays.
We walked through the forest, the tall trees dwarfing us on all sides, rising up so high that when you looked up, you couldn’t see their tops. It was silent here, except for the sounds of our feet crunching down on the carpet of pine needles. The sweet scent of pine permeated the air and a slight breeze made the leaves rustle.
We continued to walk on in silence for a few more minutes before something made us both stop. Soon, the fresh smell of pine needles was no longer what filled the air.
I inhaled deeply and looked over at Alex, trying to ascertain if he was smelling the same thing, or was I just imagining it?
“Is it?” I asked, taking in another whiff.
“It can’t be, can it?” He looked at me, also sniffing.
“I think it is,” I said. I looked around to find the source of the smell. I didn’t have to look for too long because, suddenly, raucous laughter broke through the air.
Soon, two distinct voices could be heard. The voices sounded young. They were laughing and talking in French. We smiled at each other and followed the sounds until we found what we were looking for. Two teenagers slumped against one of the trees, smoking something that was definitelynota cigarette.
Alex and I shared another smile and continued to watch the two teenagers.
I tutted softly. “Naughty-naughty,” I whispered quietly to Alex. It was obvious what they were up to. The distinct smell, the hysterical laughter, the angry-looking teenage clothing coupled with the fact that they were loitering in the woods, dead giveaway. Alex took a step and something loud crunched underfoot. Suddenly, two pairs of startled teenage eyes were on us. The looks on their faces changed immediately; surprise, shock and then panic. Then one of them said something in French and, at the speed of light, they were off, running through the forest. Clearly these weren’t career criminals.
