Down A Forgotten Road

Two road engineers stumbled on it quite by chance. The hedge had completely grown across its opening; the markings had gone and a small verge was there where dust and earth had been thrown up by fast passing traffic; yet there it was - a lost road. Yes; they could see it clearly now by pushing apart a gap in the hedge growth. Much overgrown with scrub and saplings it was true, but a tarmac road nevertheless. They did not believe it for a time; peered into the distance to see where it went; then scratched with their boots for the evidence of worn markings. "Wait!" one of them called, and crossed to the other side of the thoroughfare to disappear into the hedge on that side. His colleague heard him gasp and reappear. "A signpost; the stump of one anyway. And I can see the sign itself lying flat - washed blank more's the pity. Vehicle damage too; come on  .  .  . "

The two ran back to their van to consult the map. After inching the van through the hedge (shallow roots lifted from the tarmac surprisingly easily) and pushing it aside with outstretched arms, they picked a slow uneven way along the overgrown road. They eased over the hill. Before them in a valley stood a small community, a hamlet. They stopped and got out. The road wound down to the small settlement, and seemed to continue beyond but in an even more faded way. Five figures, adults, stood in the road before the settlement, staring at them and fidgeting from side to side a little. They all seemed to be men but too far away to reveal their mood. One of the engineers waved his arm in greeting and thought about calling, but decided against it. "Come on  .  .  ." he said to his colleague, getting back in, "We'd better check everything."  The other got in beside him and still watching the group asked "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do we have to check everything .  .  . ?"

The other laughed hollowly. Later, bumping down the hill, he added: "Look what's happened to the road. We've forgotten it. Left it like this for years, I shouldn't wonder. What's happened to these people?" He paused. "Anyway look at them down there. Something's not right is it .  .  ."
"What do you mean?"

"It's not; is it. Why are they standing like that? You'd go about your business until someone drew up, wouldn't you? And they were there before we'd even come over the hill, weren't they. Waiting. Heard the sound of our engine, I guess. It's odd I say."

He eased forward yard by yard, trying not to spook these lost people any more than he had to. With the exception of one man, the group scattered until it felt safe and concealed, some in doorways some looking over walls. The nearer they got, the more faces they noticed peering at them from places of safety. The one man who remained exposed had initially started to flee, then checked himself. He'd rushed sideways across a small lawn but then stopped and deliberately fallen slowly on all fours, and now gazed at the ground like someone about to be sick. He trembled as they pulled up; but then seemed to collect himself, leapt to his feet and smiled sheepishly. They got out and walked up to him extending their hands which he shook a little weakly.  

"Who are you?" they asked.

"Mister Davis sir," he replied quickly .  .  . " The Davis family. We live here sir, all four of us in this house; I've got a son and daughter you see .  .  ."

He turned and waved somebody out of the house behind him. The engineers now noticed a boy and a girl in the window, up till now obscured by reflections on the glass. They didn't move and the man dashed towards them a little and waved more. They disappeared and half a minute later appeared at the door. 

"They're frightened," the man grinned. "It's the uniforms. They don't know what you're really like, not like I do sirs .  .  . but don't worry; I'll explain it all to them."
He glanced back at his children who had stepped behind him, quite close and half obscured by his protection.
"Here they are sirs, like you ordered - The girl's Lucy, the boy's David .  .  ."

The engineers hadn't asked him to show his children at all; but they let the matter lie. And besides, the children now preoccupied them. The girl, Lucy, was being urged by her father to walk forward and offer them a handful of the cake she was carrying. Once she'd thought she'd realised what the two men wanted, she didn't seem shy at all; quite the opposite, the engineers thought, for she was stepping up to the first of them looking deep into his eyes, almost a sexual approach, they thought. The girl wore a thin green dress, favoured and overused now, too tight at the bosom. She laid a hand on the shoulder of the leading engineer, pressed her mouth to his ear and whispered something; then releasing her hand she reached into her bag and teasingly put a piece of the cake into his mouth and removed it again, while laughing and gazing up at him. She leant forward and whispered again (he could make it out this time) - would he take her off and they could gallop the land like a knight and his maiden? At length she gently pressed the piece of cake right to the back of his mouth and let her fingers enter also. Suddenly on his guard, the engineer sensed her stiffen and he pushed her away as she tried to pinch his throat. The two of them sprang apart, and the girl's brother, a slightly freakish boy, darted in front and stood between the engineer and her, with knees bent and shoulders forward casting quick glances back, more concerned for her approval - it seemed to the engineer - than to pose any real threat to himself. The engineer wondered at the boy's hairiness. Despite his youth (the boy could surely not be more than twelve years old) already his arms and shoulders were black; and his temples were combed oddly (he thought) for straight side hair had been brushed flat and forwards obviously with care.

The girl pressed up close behind her brother now, staring at the engineer over the boy's shoulder, and continuing to make up to this engineer of hers. The engineer veered round them in disgust, stepping on the lawn in his haste to search out this householder, this Mr Davis who was no doubt concealed behind these two, pushing them forward in an attempt to defend himself, and he would upbraid the man. And sure enough there was the cowering man leaning and pushing the backs of these two children like a stupid cow nudging against a tree; and how stupid one must be, he thought, to push forward this distorted couple to represent one. He pulled the man out by the collar and began to push him back towards the house. 
"Come on you - in the house! What secrets are you hiding in there?"
He pushed the man forward making him bend and stumble - "In you go! Let's all have a good look now."
Through the house he pushed the man, snorting over debris on the floors, a sofa piled high with broken bicycles, beds left unwashed .  .  .

The man Davis would not meet his eye, seemed tired now and followed him listlessly, only looking now and again through the window at his children below whom he had told to wait. He muttered something.
"What?" snapped the engineer. "I can't hear you."
"Are you going to kill us?" Davis asked.
The engineer froze. He silently closed the cupboard he'd been looking in, and signalled the man to follow downstairs. Others had gathered at the bottom of the garden. They seemed neither curious, nor interested particularly in what was to happen to Davis. They merely seemed to be awaiting something. One of the dogs ran to and fro before them, looking up at them as he barked. The engineer put his hand on Davis' shoulder. "Sorry .  .  ." he said.
"Take us back .  .  . please?" Davis asked simply. "Take us back."
The engineer moved his arm round the man's shoulders and reassured him. "Of course. Right now. Come on, we'll go right now."

Walking next to Davis up the hill, he looked back to check on the others. The family were close behind, and the others straggled in groups all the way down to the bottom where his colleague was waving the dogs, tails wagging, into his cab. Reassured, he looked up and found they were nearly out of it.