Chapter 11

The Edison's reached a security gate. On arrival, the security guard opened the gate without asking for any form of identification or what their destination might be. Soon the large hill from earlier protruded behind a row of tall eucalyptus trees. The perceived protected area appeared desolated with roads leading in all different directions. The houses seemed of the ancient type with old asbestos roof sheets and white plastered walls. Most of the gutters hung loose and were disconnected from the brackets that used to hold them in place many years ago. Some gutters even had grass and weed growing in them. The walls were cracked, and the faded paint jobs on the walls were almost black from age-old mold. Very few owners cared to patch up the cracks.

They soon passed a church to their right with the old-fashioned bell still suspended between two large poles. The road led to an academy with a training centre to the left where navy seals got trained from time to time. The road became worse as it ascended further up the hill. The view was spectacular when they reached a sad excuse for a gate. It was loose from its hinges, rusted with age. Large pine trees appeared to the right with a full view of the beautiful beach and ocean to the left. The tar road was soon replaced with a dirt road destroyed by heavy rainfalls during winter times and almost impossible to use. Besides that it was narrowed by heavy overgrowth, it also had large ditches which Craig had to watch out for. It was evident that the road was not used anymore. The tall grass on the middle man scratched the chassis of the kombi as it passed over. Occasionally one of the long pine tree branches screeched against the sides of the kombi. Shafts of sunlight streaked through the large pine branches where they were lesser dense.

The road passed through scattered but desolated houses. It seemed like they had seen civilization many years ago. Most of the roofs were caved in with cracked walls. Large window openings were visible where they were fitted many years ago. Small wooden sign boards suspended from poles might have been used for directions in the past, but none of them had the words or meaning they bore years ago.

They soon reached the remains of a large building that seemed to have been burned down centuries ago. Only the thick wall structures sticking out of the ground survived. It appears to be an old castle. A castle that would have had a spectacular view of the vast ocean. There was a small island not too far from the shore.

'Wow,' Emily said looking at the majestically but scary-looking building from earlier centuries. 'Wonder what this place was?'

'According to legend, it was the home of the Vikings whose ship got stranded nearby,' Craig said bringing the kombi to a halt. He felt a deep appreciation as he stared at the ruin. He got out and walked towards the remains. He could hear the ocean roaring in the distance while the wind whistled through the tall grass.

'Cool,' Patrick said from behind Craig. 'Those Vikings must have been quite powerful looking at this structure. Either way, they had the best spot ever. Look at this place.'

Craig looked over his shoulder and noticed that he was joined by his whole family. He could tell by their expressions that each of them had their own appreciation for the tranquil environment and the rich history that once haunted the very ground they stood on. He could almost feel the events from the past.

'How do you know about this place and the Vikings?' Sarah asked looking at Craig with astonishment.

Craig looked towards the ocean again. 'I came across an article when I was doing my thesis. I discovered the same thing when I've done some research about Saldanha. I wanted to know as much about the place before I accepted the offer.'

'Vikings?' Andrew asked surprised. 'That doesn't really make sense. The Vikings are from way up north, Norway or someplace. Saldanha would have been way off their course.'

'That's what I thought,' Craig said.

'Maybe they got it wrong,' Andrew said. 'Normal pirates would have made more sense though.'

'Yeah,' Craig acknowledged.

'What else did they say?' Patrick asked.

'Well, not too much. Obviously, there weren't many people around to tell the story after what happened. They said however that a large wooden ship got smashed against some rocks. It can't be too far from here. In those years the population of Saldanha was small and isolated. They said there were a few killings after the Vikings got stranded here.'

'Killings?' Sarah asked.

'Yeah, apparently there's quite some history in Saldanha. Of course, no one knew about the ship that got stranded but soon things started happening. First people disappeared and shortly thereafter some were blatantly killed and raped in the open.'

'Hey, watch it,' Sarah said.

'Bad things happened,' Craig corrected. 'No one was strong enough to oppose the Vikings. They were a rough crowd of men, hungry from the ocean with no intention of leaving. They mentioned in the article that the Vikings also had a gift or an object they used to carry around. Some say the object made them powerful, others say the Vikings were just plain evil by nature.'

'Creepy,' Sarah shrugged.

'Then came one day,' Craig continued. 'Most of the community gathered, what was left of them, anyway. They decided it was time to put an end to their unwelcome newcomers once and for all. By then someone knew where the Vikings were hiding, which was right here I assume. The angry community gathered and quietly sneaked up to the Vikings' hideout one night. They confronted the Vikings when they least expected and wiped out the whole clan. After they were certain there were no survivors, they burned down the entire building you see in front of us. Well, that's what they say on the internet, but with all the rubbish on the net, one could never be certain anymore.'

'How could they have built it so quickly?' Andrew asked.

'I think it had to do with the gift or power they mentioned. The other thing was no one knew how long the Vikings had been up here because no one ever came this way. So they could have been here for a long time before they started the killings.'

'Crazy,' Patrick said shaking his head. He looked at the structure again and tried to imagine how a town folk could have destroyed a Viking clan when they were sheltered by such heavy walls.

'They also mentioned that before the killing started, people witnessed strange things happening in town. Some folks got sick for no reason, especially the men. The folks in town became more aggressive and there was frequent fighting among them. They mentioned that some were possessed and started killing each other. The folks also noticed sacrifices, animals got dissected and mounted on poles.'

'I think that might be enough for one – '

'That's an amazing story,' Andrew said ignoring Sarah. 'Do you think it's true?'

'What's so amazing about it?' Sarah frowned looking back at Andrew from the front seat. 'It's quite upsetting.'

'I don't know if it's fact or fiction,' Craig ignored Sarah. 'One gets so many stories on the internet nowadays. It might be true.' Craig sensed the uneasiness in Sarah and her body language. Maybe he had given too much information already, but he had to admit, it was quite a good story.

Everyone stood in astonishment looking at the ruins. Craig looked at the ruins again. The walls were thick and solid. Anything that withstood the coastal conditions for so many years meant fine craftsmanship.

'I wonder how the town folk got inside the building to get to the Vikings,' Andrew said.

'I was wondering the same thing,' Craig said. 'Probably waited for the right moment. Maybe the Vikings were drunk or asleep. They might even have become arrogant and let down their guard. Especially after spreading fear and terror throughout town. I mean, who would dare to oppose them after all?'

'Yeah. And I suppose they were strong too,' Patrick said.

'Yip. Remorseless as well,' Craig added. 'No mercy for anyone standing in their way.'

'I'm surprised no one's ever decided to fence off this area,' Andrew said. 'If the stories are true, then surely the government should protect this place somehow. In my opinion, this is a historical site. That's if the stories are true.'

'You're right Andy, no doubt about that,' Craig said admiring the remaining structure again. He sometimes wished that he could travel back in time. If it was possible, he would have liked to witness the Vikings building this place. He knew they did not have any of the modern tools back then. The only tool those Vikings had was their strength. The other thing that caught Craig's attention was the precision of the walls. They were not only solidly built and perfectly balanced with the various rock sizes, but they were also built with meticulous straightness where the walls intersected at exactly ninety degrees. There was something else about the place. Besides the mysterious element hidden in the walls, Craig was certain he felt a vibration almost like something was alive deep underneath the ground.

As Craig walked back towards the kombi, he thought about time travelling again. If he could travel back in time, he would not only have liked to witness the Vikings building the place, he would have changed quite a few things from his own past. He wondered if he would have avoided his affair with that horny thing he met in the bar one night or if he would have removed the panty from underneath the kombi seat so that Sarah could never find it. He considered this for a moment. He would probably have gotten rid of the panty.