Ben

Sitting by the fire side listening to the storm approach, Ben was glad that he didn't have to go back into the wild night. Throwing another log on to add to the warmth, he watched the sparks fly up the chimney breast, then settled back and closed his eyes. The noise of the storm grew as it approached but he knew that it was still quite a distance away. Living so far up the mountain as he did, he could hear storms coming from quite far away. He had never wanted to live anywhere else but here, high up on one of God's most wondrous creations. The mountain never failed to inspire him, it's beauty amazed him every day. For something so solid, it managed to change so many times a day. During one day alone, the view from his cottage could change many times. Mornings could find the mountain bathed in soft glowing mists that would caress its way across the crags and the grasses. Then as the sun heated the air, the mist would disolve leaving behind a grass so much greener and lusher for the moisture it had taken in. Standing in his small plot of land, the views afforded to Ben were always different, sometimes he could see for miles, other times he could see nothing more than the wonderful cloud formations as they hugged the mountainside, at times like this he could reach out and grasp the wisping clouds as they surrounded him. It always made him think that this was his way of touching Heaven. Other days the sun would beat down on the mountain side, reflecting off each tiny piece of quartz in every one of the rocks and stones strewn around making it seem as though he was surrounded by the wealth of a thousand diamonds. But he didnt need the diamonds to make him feel as though he was the richest man in the world. Looking out of his bedroom window each morning and surveying his small part of this most magnificent mountain was all the riches he needed. It always had been.

Just as he was drifting into a comfortable doze, Ben heard something outside the cottage window. It was a moaning sound that he could not associate with the wind.
His dog Jess had heard it too and stared hard at the window. Covering the room in a few strides, Ben pressed his face against the window pane staring into the night outside. A flash of lightning illuminated the hillside but he saw nothing unusual.
Listening he stood there for a few moments, but heard nothing else, and as Jess had settled back down, he returned to his chair. The cottage interior was weakly lit up by a distant flash of lightning, the thunder following a few moments later. Jess and Ben sat in companionable silence, being lulled to sleep by the warmth of the fire in the small room. It began to rain, large drops hitting the window pane making the fire seem even warmer. Then the noise came again, but nearer this time. It was a strange moaning sound, and now that it was louder it was definitely nothing to do with the storm. Ben sat up and strained his ears trying to hear the noise again, there was only the noise of the storm. He watched Jess sniffing around by the front door, and laced up his boots.

"C'mon Jess, we will have to take a look I suppose" he smiled at the dog. It was probably one of the sheep that had got out of the enclosure. Not that he had ever heard a sheep moan like that before though. He pulled on his coat and with Jess at his heels, left the warmth of the little cottage. Standing in the yard he looked around him, there was nothing unusual at the front that he could see. The noise had come from the left side of the cottage, so he walked in that direction, holding his lamp up to light his way. The sheep pens were here, Ben checked all the fences and did a quick head count. The sheep were all as he had left them huddling together against the weather, so that excluded one of them from being the source of the noise.
A great flash of lightning overhead was swiftly followed by a loud crack of thunder, staring up at the sky Ben realized that the storm was right overhead. As he brought his gaze down from the sky he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye on the mountain side. Jess had seen something as well because he barked looking in the very same direction.

"Who's there?" Shouted Ben for the outline had been a figure, of that he was sure. He began to climb to where the figure had stood, but when he reached the spot there was no sign of anyone. Now he was grateful for the storm because the lightning lit up the landscape better than his lamp could ever do. Carried on the wind came the low moaning sound again, it came from the crest of the next hill towards the lake. Running now Ben followed the sound wondering how the person had managed to get to the crest without him seeing them. For some reason, he knew that when he reached the crest there would be nothing there, but he could not stop himself from going onward. Why would someone be up on the mountain in weather like this he wondered, unless they were lost. When he reached the crest he was not surprised that he couldn't see anyone, so he stood staring towards the lake. A feeling deep inside was telling him that he would find whatever it was there. The rain was coming down in a torrent, and the lightning was so frequent that it was almost like daylight up there. The noise of the thunder crashing and echoing around the mountain was almost deafening, and Ben was tempted to cover his ears, but didn't in case he missed the strange moaning. As if reading his thoughts another moan drifted through the noise of the thunder. His heart began to pound in his chest! He was beginning to think that maybe this was not a lost walker after all. The moaning sounded like a soul in torment and was heavy with grief.

Now Ben began to fear for the person by the lake, had they come all the way up here to end their life; where no-one would disturb or stop them? He could not let that happen and so rushed to the shore of the lake. He stood scanning the sides of the lake trying to see who was here with him. Suddenly he felt rather than saw the person at his side.

Turning he saw a woman in a white dress that was torn in many places, she was soaked to the bone. She was beautiful but was obviously in great distress. Ben took his eyes off her for a moment while he took off his coat to wrap around her, and when he looked up she was gone. He looked around, how could she vanish like that, where had she gone? Jess was sat on the ground with his face on his paws, and even though Ben called to him, he stayed put as though he was asleep. Ben began to feel uneasy, what exactly was going on here? As another flash of lightning lit up the area, Ben saw her. She was standing on a large rock at the edge of the lake, her arms reaching to heaven. Ben ran to the rock to pull her back, for he just knew that she was going to dive into the lake. Also he knew that if she did, she would not come out again.

He reached the rock in no time at all, but she was not there. Ben frantically called out, the rain was coming down so hard that he could not see if there were any ripples on the lake to show whether she had jumped in or not. What could he do, it he could jump in the lake to find her, it would be too dark for him to see anything. He looked around him for Jess, but he had not followed him. The lightning showed nothing when it flashed, and Ben felt sure that the woman had drowned. Not knowing what else to do he sat down at the edge of the lake staring into it's dark and murky depths. The lake reflected the lightning and the surface was churning with the rain. Ben felt desolate. Why hadn't he been able to save her? Weary and wet he stood and turned to go. It was then that he heard the singing. A strange and wonderful sound carried over the storm, drowning it out even. Facing the lake he was amazed to see the woman standing in the middle of it holding her arms out to him. A strange feeling engulfed Ben, although he knew it was foolish he had to go to the woman. His feet moved of their own accord, his eyes never leaving the woman in the lake. It was strange but the water was not cold but warmed him to his very soul. As he walked he felt the water closing over him, and his last vision was of the woman waiting for him with the lightning all around her. He smiled and let the water take him.





Next morning the sun rose over the summit of the mountain and lit up the lake.
Two walkers approached looking for a nice place to have a rest when they spotted the two figures lying on the shore.

Jess was sleeping by his master. He looked up as the two walkers approached and nudged Ben with his nose. The walkers looked down at Ben and realized that he was dead. He lay as though asleep, but his face looked so peaceful. He wore a smile that showed he had been content to die, and in his hand he held a small piece of fabric.

There were some who wondered what an elderly mountain man had been doing out on such a night without a coat. Poor man had obviously died of exposure they said.

Other mountain farmers knew better though. It would be their turn one day, but for now they had been overlooked. On stormy nights they will sit in their cottages and listen for the moans drifting from the lake and would be relieved when they awoke in the morning. None of them knew when the woman of the lake would call for their souls, all they knew was that one stormy night death would call to them........The way it called to Ben. Until that day they will tend their farms, and wait.