Sophie Cleverly - The Lights Under the Lake

“Will there be horses?” Rose asked quietly.

“Definitely,” I said, though I had no idea. “Probably with glass carriages and footmen.”

The bus carried on, and soon everyone had pulled open the tiny windows above the seats.

“It’s so hot,” Ivy moaned.

“I’m boiling,” Ariadne said, blowing away a lock of hair that kept trying to stick to her face.

I pointed out of the window. The sun was lower in the sky now, slipping behind the trees. “The sun will set soon. Then we’ll hopefully stop melting.” I was sticking to my seat.

Ariadne nodded and yawned. Moments later, she’d fallen asleep.

The landscape started to change around us. We passed through a town I didn’t recognise, all red brick and smoking chimneys. Then there was more countryside, dappled with houses here and there. The sunset washed the sky with orange and a deep blood red.

“Are we there yet?!” someone yelled, making everyone laugh. Ariadne awoke with a jolt and nearly hit Ivy in the face with a flailing arm.

“Miles to go before we sleep,” said Mrs Knight.

I sighed. Everyone had been quiet until that point, mostly just staring out at the darkening road. My excitement wasn’t draining; it was more like just … postponed. Being kept on hold for when we got there.

Twilight fell, and brought cooler air with it. I wondered where we were. The sloping hills of the countryside I knew were starting to look more like mountains. There were stone walls and pine trees and bubbling streams.

Some time later, the bus drove between two enormous rocks, and I spotted a waterfall cascading down the side of a cliff. I could hear the rushing water over the roar of the engine. “Rose, over there!” I nudged her, and she looked where I was pointing and smiled. We were quite high up, I realised, and as we rounded a corner I saw why. We were on the edge of the valley, overlooking the vast lake. “There it is!”

I glanced over at Ariadne and Ivy to see if they were awake. Ariadne looked like she had nodded off, but Ivy was staring out of the back window of the bus. I poked her arm. “What are you looking at?”

“There are headlamps behind us,” she said, a concerned expression on her face. “That car’s been there a long time, I swear it.”

“Never mind that,” I said. “Look at the lake!”

I spoke loudly enough that I not only woke Ariadne again, but several other people nearby snapped to attention and peered out at the lake.

It was getting dark, but the landscape was still visible. The lake was huge, and looked a deep navy blue against the black of the hills. “Is that a tower?” I said, pointing at a shadowy structure rising out of the water. Rose nodded. She looked fascinated.

“There’s lights,” said Ariadne, squinting out at the darkness. I wasn’t sure if she was entirely awake.

“What?” I said.

“Lights under the lake,” she replied. “Near the tower.”

I couldn’t see what she was talking about, and then, just for a moment, I thought I saw a flash of something .

“Hmm,” Ivy said.

We all watched the surface of the water as the bus descended the hill, but I couldn’t spot anything else. The road became bumpier as we went along and I was nearly jolted out of my seat.

As I righted myself, I heard Rose gasp. The bus was pulling out on to an enormous stone bridge. Everyone stood up to get a better look.

“Sit down, girls,” I heard Mrs Knight warn sleepily, but I didn’t listen to her. I saw the dark water spreading out in all directions around us.

“There’s the hotel!” Nadia cried, pointing.

I could see it, a big shadow on the landscape with flickering lights in the windows. “We’re almost there!”

The bus crossed the bridge, and the first few stars began to wink in the sky as I stared out. After what felt like an age, we reached the other side of the lake and the bus started climbing again, up to where the hotel stood.

“Right, everyone,” Mrs Knight called, sounding a little more alert. “We’re very close to the Shady Pines Hotel now.” I could see where it got its name. The pine trees surrounded us on all sides. “I’m sure they’ll give us a lovely, warm welcome!”

And then the bus slowly came to a halt. The car that had been following behind roared past us, making everyone jump.

We’d stopped next to a sign that I could just make out. It was peeling and cracked, and hung on a wooden pole with hinges that were creaking in the wind.

At least, I thought that was what it was meant to say. Three of the letters had worn away from the bottom line, making it look more like it said Pleas enjo your sty .

“Can’t you go right up to the door?” I heard Mrs Knight say to the driver.

He stood up. “The engine’s gone,” he said. “Too steep. Going to have to roll it back down the hill to start it. Can I drop you all off here?”

Mrs Knight sighed. “All right, girls! Everyone off! Don’t forget to pick up your bags!”

“But, Miss,” I heard someone moan sleepily from the front.

“No buts!” said Miss Bowler. “Off!”

We all began sluggishly pulling our things down from the luggage rack. “I can’t believe they’re making us walk up there,” I said to Rose as I stared out into the dark. She shivered and wrapped her cardigan tighter round herself. At least it was a clear night and we had the moon to see by.

We made our way to the front of the bus, Ivy and Ariadne not far behind, and stepped down. There was a chill in the air and the road was bumpy beneath my feet. I was about to complain some more, but I saw the horrified expressions on Elsie and Cassandra’s faces and decided the discomfort was worth it.

Miss Bowler took charge. “Everyone here? Right! Off we go! No dilly-dallying!”

“The hotel looks a bit … old,” muttered Ariadne as we began to trudge up the hill with our bags.

“Perhaps it looks better in the daylight,” Ivy replied optimistically. I grabbed her hand. I didn’t mind the dark, but even now I didn’t like being alone in it. It reminded me too much of the past. And you never knew who might be lurking round the corner.

The hotel building was above us now, and I looked up at it. It was huge and gloomy, and I could just make out dark stone and pointed roofs, and what looked like oil lamps flickering in some of the windows.

Eventually the steep road curved round to the left and became a gravel driveway that crunched under our feet. The pine trees were everywhere, tall black shadows in the darkness.

“I’m cold,” Nadia moaned.

Elsie whacked her on the arm when the teachers weren’t looking. “Stop whining,” she said.

I glared at her. What a hypocrite. She was a champion whiner!

The driveway eventually opened out into a sort of courtyard, with the hotel itself to the left of us, a lamp glowing in its front porch. There were a few motor cars parked outside. To the right was what looked like a stable yard and coach house, and I could hear a horse whinnying somewhere. Rose smiled.

We stopped in front of the porch. “Here we are!” said Mrs Knight, spreading her arms wide.

For goodness’ sake, please don’t give us another motivational speech , I thought. I was starving hungry, not to mention cold and tired. I just wanted to get inside. The hotel would have food and warmth and beds.

Thankfully, if Mrs Knight had been about to give a speech, it didn’t happen, because Miss Bowler shouldered past her and made for the front door. It groaned open as if it hadn’t been used in years, although I knew that couldn’t be true.

The hotel reception was a wide room with a desk in the middle. There was a bell and an old-fashioned oil lamp on the desk, and not much else. Electricity hadn’t reached the place yet, then.