JUNIPER’S DAUGHTER - A HOLIDAY HORROR

JUNIPER’S DAUGHTER - A HOLIDAY HORROR

   Dan won a holiday in a competition he had entered three months ago. It was a break for two in Central Norway. As he was single, he took his mate called Lee with him. Both lads had been single for some time and welcomed a break from grimy Ashton.

   They were stood on a medium size mountain overlooking a glacier in a two mile wide valley. It was a stunning sight. “Quite something isn’t it?” Dan said, shielding his gaze from the midday sun. The glacier seemed to glow blue in the light. It was sunlight reacting with air bubbles within the ice.

   “Yes mate. You can see forever. It’s beautiful,” Lee commented, nodding in agreement.

   “Come on, let’s climb the rest of the mountain,” Dan indicated, pointing to the heights.

   “Okay if you want to. We’ll have to be careful,” the other agreed. It was potentially very dangerous, with jagged rocks on the icy mountain side.

   Both men turned and slowly ascended the two thousand foot high granite mountain. It towered over the one they were already on. On the way up, Lee thought of what Dan had done the year before. It was a nasty thought of a nasty event. He kept quiet, not alerting his mate to any trouble.

   Half an hour later both climbers reached the top. It had been an easy climb, avoiding the perilous rocks. Dan stood near the edge, at the summit. A pile of rocks indicated the highest point of 2,046 feet. He was about to say how nice the view of the valley was when Lee acted out his revenge. Anger burned inside his evil twisted heart, he thought of his wife who was now pregnant and living in France. She had slept with Dan and fled the country back to her parents.

   “I know full well what you did with my wife, Dan. For that, you must die!” Lee whispered, breaking Dan’s reverie of the valley.

   “What? What the fuck are you talking about?” Dan retorted, his eyes on his friend.

   “You fucked my wife and got her pregnant. Then she left England and fled to France, leaving me,” Lee angrily explained. He took a step towards Dan.

   “How... how the hell did you find out?” Lee gasped, his secret found out. He was seized by panic and looked around at the cliff edge. It was very close.

   “That’s right Dan, I’ve known all along. I saw you both together fucking, your cock going into the slag’s pussy. She was loving it, you pounding her cunt. And now you must pay the price.”

   “She seduced me. It wasn’t my fault. She started it, blame her!” worry filled Dan’s entire body. He tried to speak but couldn’t.

   “Maybe so but she’s not here, she’s in France. You are and it’s time to die, you twat!” In one simple action, Lee pushed Dan off the top of the mountain. It was a long way down. Dan screamed once and fell out of sight.

   “Game over Danny-boy. You thought I never knew. I bided my time till now. Now that you’re dead, my revenge is complete. They’ll say it’s a simple climbing accident and I’ll get away with it. You swine!”

   Down below, Dan thudded onto the rocks, dead. Every bone in his body was broken.

***

   Step back in time. What would you have done? Murder your best friend or let it all go and forgive him? The ex wife was a cow and look at the times Dan and Lee were having now, in lovely Norway. Time reverses. Back on the mountain top, above a blue glacier, two men take in the moment. After ten minutes, one spoke: “This place is beautiful. Look at it, this is perfect.”

   The other replied, “Yes, nothing is equal to the majesty of the mountains.”

   A cloudless powder blue sky arced overhead and black ravens flew cawing past. One of the two men, Lee, commented. “You did me a favour, last year.”

   “I know. I’m sorry but I had to do it Lee. I do regret it, making love to your wife,” replied Dan. His expression was like the stony ground that he gazed down upon.

   Lee thought for a minute. Should he confess his evil thoughts? Yes. Best this is sorted out, now while they were alone. Anything could happen. “I was going to push you off the top and kill you, right now.”

   “What? You were what?” Dan gasped. The enormity of what his friend said hit home. I could be dead in the valley, at this instant, if Lee had pushed me off the edge. Why did he tell me, not do it? Does he feel guilty? Dan was full of anxiety, worry and another emotion he couldn’t place.

   “Yes, I was. I’d be a murderer then and carry the mark of Cain. I was so close to doing it Dan and I stopped. A split second before I was going to do it,” Lee whispered. He became morose and distant. Up above, ravens circled and chattered to one another. An omen?

   “I don’t know what to say, I don’t.” Dan gasped, his heart beating in his chest. He began to sweat and wiped his brow. He looked away from his cunning friend and at the valley. It was a peaceful scene.

   “Don’t say anything, forget it.”

   “No, I won’t be silent! I did you a favour Lee. The wife who took your cash is back in France, out of your life. Now it’s like the old days. We can go to the pub, see a live band and go on holiday. How can anything be better than this? Look at it,” Dan angrily shouted.

   “I was going to kill you, now I’m not. Don’t you see? I saw the error of my ways. I should have seen sense before I married the money grabbing bitch. I didn’t. You did me a favour, even if you did it like a cunt. I’m free of the gold digging bitch. You hurt my pride, that’s why I was going to murder you. My wounded pride, silly I know.” Lee had never been this honest in his life, not even to the cops when he had stolen a car when he was fifteen. He got off on that as there was no evidence. This was different, this was almost murder. What was he thinking? Almost killing his friend and now admitting it. Was he mad? Had he done the right thing? Slowly, the tension left his body and he knew he had. One of the ravens flew off, into the valley.

   Dan looked incredulous. The realisation that he could have been dead, two thousand feet below was a strong one. It bounced around his head like a rubber ball. Dead, pushed by my friend, he admits it, all because I fucked his bitch of a wife. I had to get rid of her somehow! I couldn’t kill her, fucking her was the next best option! Dan kept his eye on his friend. Silence descended while both men collected their thoughts.

   “Okay. I’m sorry on sleeping with your wife and for hurting your pride, I apologise. Form the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you. Look, forget what happened. Let me buy you a beer in the tavern in the valley,” Dan finally said. He felt relieved at his apology. Would it be accepted? Would he be unharmed?

   Silence and the valley became magnified, like they were the only things on earth. Lee looked at Dan.

   Dan was going to comment again, he wanted this problem to end, in this remote place that belonged to God and nature. Why had it surfaced here, on the mountain? Was it a cleansing experience by forces both men couldn’t understand nor comprehend? Was it God at work? Or just coincidence? Away from busy England, the thoughts from the past year coming to the surface like trapped air underwater, because it was the right time. There was only one raven overhead. It flew in a circle, cawing to itself.

   “Yes, I accept your apology. Screw it, a beer sounds good. No, let’s have ten beers. Forget my ex wife, she won’t ruin our friendship. Good riddance to bad blood,” Lee said, smiling. A line had been crossed, for the better. He had accepted Dan’s apology and it looked like Dan forgave Lee.

   “On what you said on what you were going to do to me, forget that too. I forgive you; you saw common sense before it was too late. That was your wife making you act, not you. Let’s go to the tavern. We both need a drink.” Dan also forgave. The matter was at an end. The two men descended the mountain; both had been on a journey and had changed inside. One had lost his guilt and the other his anger; both had forgiven.

   Up above, the single raven descended to look for his mate. A clear blue sky remained and the peace of the valley was unbroken by an act of death. High above, almost out of sight, sun glinted off a silver object. It was a flying disc and inside was a witch called Juniper’s Daughter. She had achieved a positive result, changing both men’s intent, so evil wasn’t committed. The glinting object shone one more time and vanished. They never saw it. Two men were now at peace. The tavern beckoned...