Enar's Vacation - Open Beta

Chapter 40

2991 Words

This is a beta version of Enar's Vacation. Changes can - and probably will - be made as a result of reader feedback. I hope you'll enjoy it and I hope you'll take the time to give me some feedback. It will help me make this story the best it can be.

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They stepped out into the afternoon sun; Amanda first and Enar a few steps behind, slightly out of breath. He stopped and blinked for a moment, almost blinded by the brightness after the darkness of the tunnel.

"Here we are," said Amanda. "Ready for some rain?"

She stood with her hands on her hips and her head tilted back, looking up at the sky; clear and blue - not a cloud as far as the eye could see.

"I don't know..." Enar put on a deep, very serious, frown. He scratched his chin. "I just don't know. Does your cart float? Maybe we should pack some oars - in case of flooding you know."

Amanda nodded and pursed her lips. "Then we'll need life vests too, and a harpoon - in case of a shark attack."

"Food rations."

"And rum - lots of rum."

They both looked at each other - big silly grins on their faces.

"Right..." Amanda cleared her throat, giggled a little, and then composed herself. "We should get moving. I'll go fetch Sofie. Would you mind getting the cart out?" She nodded at the wagon shed. "You can just pull it. It's not that heavy."

"Sure, but..." Enar looked at the stables. "Isn't she just in there?"

"No. She's wandered off somewhere. There's a pasture for her a little further up the hill. She's probably there."

"Oh... okay." What if she wasn't? They really trusted their horses out here.

Amanda fetched some ropes and straps - probably a bridle or something - from within the stables, before she disappeared around the corner and up into the forest.

Enar turned to the shed with the cart. How heavy could it be? She would have pushed it in there, right? Probably easier than making the horse back it in. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. Pulling it out again should be easy enough.

Enar walked up to the cart and lifted one of the two beams you tied the horse between. What were those called again? He thought about it for a moment, but the word eluded him. Not that it mattered, the thing would work no matter what he called it. All he had to do was hold on to it and haul - so he did.

The cart rocked forward and the other beam dug into the ground next to him. He sighed and glared at it. Hadn't thought about that. Very well then, time to play horsie. Enar turned around and placed himself between the two beams - just where the horse would be.

Bending down he lifted up the beams, flexed his fingers to adjust his grip and pulled - hard. He strained against the weight of the cart; clutching the beams until his fingers ached and pushing with his legs. He clenched his teeth, crammed his eyes shut, and - little by little - got the cart moving. Slowly at first and then, as he built up momentum, it rolled out of the shed and he had to brace against the ground with his feet to stop it before it rolled too far.

Enar wiped the sweat from his brow. That'd do. The cart stood in the middle of the open space between the sheds, facing the little road that lead away down the hillside. He picked up the basket from the bench by the door and hoisted it up on the back of the cart. The tarp from yesterday still lay there, up near the front, just behind the driver's seat. With a push he shoved the basket up there too. He'd put it on top of the tarp later, once they'd climbed up and were good to go. That way it wouldn't rattle around.