The Walk

The Walk

The sound of water is a constant comfort.
With every step across the desert his canteen slaps against his thigh as he walks, but the sound is worth such a minor irritation. June waits for him at the end, but it’s getting tough; the sun is brutal and the air hot and thick. He can’t remember at this point how long he’s been walking
but the longer it takes, the more it reassures him he’ll be back among the living soon, and that’s another constant comfort. Geoff counted his steps at one point, every dry crunch of his boots on the sand, but he lost count after six hundred and began mouthing music to himself, enjoying it in his head but unwilling to sing out loud.

The crunch of his steps go uncounted, rolling into hours and more, before Geoff stops walking for a moment to glance up at the sky, his sunglasses keeping the furious sun from burning his eyes. He looks around the desert at dunes that rise or fall at every angle, smooth and unbroken except for the footprints behind him. He suddenly catches a glimpse of something to his left; the shape of a man? Too far to see a face, and gone by the time he looks again. Had they not seen him? Even if they were walking away from him, they must have glimpsed him. They’d disappeared awfully quick, obviously down the other side of the dune...why would anyone hide from him? Geoff doesn’t cut an intimidating impression, at five foot ten and under fifteen stone. He looks at his compass, certain he’d been going the right way, but now a sense of doubt creeps in; whoever that is, they’re heading at least 45 degrees left of his direct-north journey. If it was another hiker, surely he should follow him? Better to be lost with somebody else even if they are going the wrong way? If it isn’t a hiker...

Geoff puts the thought aside. Who else would be out here? To have disappeared so quickly they mustn’t have seen him, Geoff tells himself. He’d never done anything like this before, so he would feel more comfortable following another hiker than his own judgement. He didn’t want to miss June. The heat beat down on him as he stood thinking. The figure had been several hundred yards away from his current position. Which way to go? Geoff wipes his bottom lip with the back of his hand. He considers taking a drink, but quickly ignores the thought to turn, heading towards the rise of the sand dune in long strides. The chance for companionship and hopefully an experienced friend overtake any other thoughts. He’s been alone for so long he suddenly craves company he realises, almost desperately so. He continues to stride forward, spurred by hope, but as he reaches the top of the rise, the figure is nowhere to be seen below, or in fact in any direction. He stands still a moment, unsettled, his head darting from left to right as he notices the only footsteps leading up to his position are his own; no others leading up, and more worryingly, none walking away. Geoff scours the landscape again, turning in a full circle and picking up nothing in his line of sight. Anxiety grows inside him fast, and he resigns himself to continue north from where he now stands. As he begins walking, he hears the water in his canteen again, and it relaxes him a little. Be thankful for the small things, he thinks to himself.

 Geoff walks until early dusk without stopping, arching his neck left and right until it hurts in the hope of spotting another walker. He sees nothing, hears nothing, and he doesn’t eat or drink. Eventually as the sky turns a deep red, he starts to forget about the idea of company. Later still the light fades further and his vision becomes limited. Frustrated, he makes the decision to rest; he has the energy to continue, but doesn’t want to misread his compass or fall down a steep incline. Sitting, he looks around and in the corner of his eye as he turns, he sees the figure again. He leaps back to his feet so fast he almost loses his balance. This time when he looks again, the figure remains. Tall and stocky, he’s convinced it’s the same – person? – he saw earlier. Stood tall and still, he -it?- stands too far away for Geoff to tell if it’s even looking at him or not. Geoff feels a frustrating conflict; the figure is fifty yards away, directly east, and darkness is falling so quickly he may struggle to regain his already altered route. In another moment of decisive instinct, Geoff begins walking towards the figure. He doesn’t look at his compass, or pay attention to how many steps he’s taking, or listen out for the sound of his canteen; he strides without pause towards...it.

As he gets closer he feels a coolness to the air, which continues to grow colder with each step; so much so he begins to see his own breath in front of him in the last few ghosts of light. The figure is now close enough for Geoff to judge he’s a male, well over six feet tall, and wearing a long dark coat or cloak, with a drooping hood. The lack of light is preventing him from seeing a face; it unsettles Geoff, slowing down his approach but not stopping him. I have to know who that is. He’d hoped to say hello and share stories of how they got here, but the coldness of the air and the deathly silence that almost emanates from the figure demoralises him quickly. His stomach clenches and the clouds of air billowing from his mouth escape in small, quick puffs.

Geoff stops less than five feet from the figure, who still hasn’t moved an inch. It stands tall with head bowed, and doesn’t make a sound. Geoff suddenly has a pang of fear: he’s never going to make it to June. His plans will fall apart. He’ll be stuck here forever. As his mind races, the figure’s head rises, and it glides towards Geoff on legs that seems to cover five feet in a single stride. Geoff’s breath freezes in his throat as he stares at the head of the figure, still unable to see anything under the hood. Feeling as if he’s about to choke on the vacuous silence, Geoff waits for an eternity before speaking, unable to form a sentence in his mind.

‘Are you part of my group?’

The figure stands motionless, its head still bowed low. Its head turns slowly to say no.

‘Are you here with us? Like a...a guide or something?’

The figure’s head slowly nods. Geoff feels his stomach churn, tearing itself apart.

‘Am I close to the end?’

The figure nods, and its head rises. Instead of the pitch black shadow he half-expected, Geoff meets a powerful stare eye-to-eye; a blank, colourless face, expressionless, with pale eyes. They appear blind, but Geoff feels the stare as powerfully as he felt the sun. He blinks, and tears roll down his cheeks.

‘Where am I?’

The figure’s chest rises, as if to breathe, and speaks with a deep and gentle voice that seems to fill the entirety of the desert.

‘You passed away, Geoff’

Geoff’s lower lip trembles and tears slowly fill his eyes until his vision doubles. The figure takes a step closer.

‘You have no memory of it, or of what occurred before’

The figure looks at him almost ponderously before continuing.

‘How long does it feel you’ve been walking?’

‘Ten years’ he answers instinctively, without conscious thought, his voice breaking and his mind captivated by the pale eyes and the soothing, baritone voice. Ten years?

‘You’ve been patient. You died in an accident; a plane crash on the way to Holland for a business trip. You were due to arrive in Amsterdam on the 22nd of June, 2010. You were one of fifteen fatalities, and you were buried close to your family home. Your friends and loved ones made it as wonderful a funeral as can be’

Geoff begins to sob, overwhelmed. He forgot he could feel anything, out here in the desert. Even his voice sounds alien to him now, and his mind rises and crashes like a wave, full of sadness and relief, love and fear, but no pain... He continues to look into the eyes of the figure, finding solace in them.

‘You’ve been very patient, Geoff. It’s commendable. Now it’s now time to leave. Your walk is over’ Not understanding the figure’s words, Geoff looks around nervously. The figure reaches out a long, strong arm, and places its hand on his shoulder. The touch is comforting, prompting Geoff effortlessly as he begins to walk again, the figure keeping pace alongside him. He looks at his guide, feeling almost recognition behind those eyes, and Geoff walks further into the depths of the desert, into deeper, darker shadow that slowly begins to fill with light.