Getting Lost

Dougie hated those people who said all cities look the same, how could people say that? Okay they all might have the same shops and the same things in the shops but if you only go to cities for shops then you deserve what you get. Raise your eyes above the signs to see the unique buildings, structures and intricate patterns that adorn the facades. Those same people usually sang the virtues of the countryside but Dougie thought all trees looked the same? And you’ve seen one mountain you’ve seen them all. Dougie was not a fan of the great outdoors, he preferred the ordinary indoors with a nice cup of coffee and a good book.

Having said that Dougie was enjoying the fresh country air that he was breathing it while he was traipsing up a mountain behind his colleagues. His colleagues were the outdoorsy type and if there was a mountain to climb they’d climb it in the name of teambuilding, dragging the more reluctant Dougie along in their wake.

Dougie paused for a moment to catch his breath, it was a warm day without being boiling hot but he was still working up quite a sweat. He took his bottle of water out of this rucksack and took a gulp. He looked at the 50 shades of green on the hills in front of him and smiled, maybe he was wrong, maybe all trees didn’t look the same. Whispy clouds sailed passed on the breeze casting shadows on the grass in front of him, he had to admit it, it was kind of idyllic.

He put the bottle away and started walking again, he couldn’t see his colleagues but there was only one path, they must just be up ahead. But up ahead was a fork in the path, and there were still no sign of his colleagues, had they gone left or right? He took out his phone, he’d call them, but the was no signal. Oh well, simple choice, left or right, what could go wrong?

He went right, which was wrong. He trudged on, seemingly deeper into the forest, it was getting dark, the trees were terrifyingly tall, towering over him. Birds screeched and he could almost hear the ants crawling beneath his feet. He looked up and saw the whispy clouds were forming into darker, more threatening ones. He knew he’d gone the wrong way now, the path was heading downwards and he knew they were meant to get to the top of the mountain. He decided to turn back and try to find the fork. But try as he might he didn’t seem to come to a fork in the path, he was sure he’d gone back further than he came but he didn’t reach the turning. It was like gremlins had emerged from the trees and changed the layout of the woods he was trekking through. He looked around, tree after tree, they all looked the bloody same now and no mistake. People say you can feel lonely in a city full of people but Dougie had never felt more lonely, more isolated more scared than stuck on a Slovak mountain with storm clouds gathering and not having a clue where he was.

He took the last mouthful of water and a deep breath.  There was nothing to do but to keep walking. He followed the path hoping it would lead him at least into the light so he could get his bearings. After what seemed like hours but was in fact 22 minutes, he emerged from the wood on a main road. He looked left and right. There was a bus stop. As he arrived at the bus stop the bus arrived with the town the hotel was in clearly labelled on the front. He hopped on and just as he did a huge drop of rain splashed on the windscreen, followed by another, followed by a million more.

To his relief the bus stopped directly outside the hotel and he managed to get to the sanctuary of the bar with barely a drop of rain hitting him. He ordered a hot toddy, sent a message to his colleagues to tell them he was safe and well and got his book out. For the first time that day he was truly happy. He was even happier when he saw the sight of 12 drowned rats coming into the hotel, mud on their legs, mud on their faces, wet to the skin, they looked the picture of misery. Dougie couldn’t help but smile; getting lost had obviously been a lucky escape.