The sun cast its first rays over the eastern horizon in a hazy yellow glow. Andrew, Emily and Patrick were heading down a road leading past some houses. The neighbourhood was quiet and peaceful as most of the people were still asleep. Andrew and Patrick had backpacks stuffed with what they deemed necessary for the day's outing to the hill of Emily's dreams. They had packed most of the things the night before except for the meat and cold drinks. They had arranged to meet Bernard and Delmar at the garage in town. The slight cool breeze that brushed over them was welcome for it would certainly turn out to be yet another scorching day.
'Just remember that we need to get matches from the garage otherwise we are carrying this meat for nothing,' Andrew said.
'Imagine that,' Patrick chuckled.
'Well, I'm not walking all the way back just to get matches. It's quite far you know,' Andrew said.
'I wouldn't forget, don't worry,' Emily said.
The roads were quiet with the occasional vehicle driving past. Andrew could see two figures standing next to the wall as they approached the garage. It was only after a greeting wave from their side that Andrew knew it was Bernard and Delmar.
'Hey, hey,' Bernard said when they were close enough. 'I hope you packed your swimsuit, Emily.'
Emily rolled her eyes, 'we're going to the hill remember.'
Andrew noticed a backpack on Delmar and Bernard's backs as well. They seemed more than ready for their adventure for the day.
'Let me get some matches for the fire later and then we can be off,' Andrew said.
'I got some bro,' Delmar confirmed. 'I grabbed a box of matches from home. I got us some firelighters as well. We're sorted.'
'Great. Shall we go then?' Patrick asked already heading towards the main road leading towards the hill.
The sun was blazing by the time they got out of town. They passed several old buildings and some old warehouses and shops to the left. Soon they approached the main entrance of the navy camp where security officials guarded the gate. It was not much of a security gate as the officials did not even ask about their motives when they walked past.
The navy camp was a vast land of nothingness except for a few scattered weather-beaten houses. Andrew imagined the navy camp to be the ideal place for wild animals with its tranquil feel and long grass to hide in. There were several roads snaking in different directions adjacent to large eucalyptus trees. They passed an old white church with a large brass bell. The church had been severely beaten by the constant coastal winds and weather. Andrew knew that if this church would have been in Johannesburg, the bell would have been stolen many years ago.
They could see the hill in the distance as the road ascended through various undergrowth and shrubs. Soon the road forked. They kept to the right which was an old beaten road that had not been serviced, never mind used in many years. As it ascended up, they had a spectacular view of the ocean as well as the beach. Andrew knew the rest of the ocean was stretched out beyond the other side of the hill as well. They had a clear view of the whole town as well as Vredenburg in the far distance. Both towns were connected by two double-lane highways with a large space in the middle. Andrew could hear the shrill sounds of some insects in the grass close by. Occasionally there was a rattle where small animals fled, obviously not used to being disturbed.
They soon reached a rusted old iron gate which led to an even tougher terrain. The trees were dense and high. Several beams of light shone through as their branches blocked out most of the sun. Birds could be heard amongst the clattering leaves slightly stirred by the sea breeze. The ocean was a dark blue mass of mystery with white beaches surrounding it in the form of a horseshoe.
'This road is still being used for some reason,' Patrick said. 'Not much though.'
'Yes,' Delmar responded. 'There is an old radio tower up here, very cool. Not sure what it's used for, really.'
'Guys, my legs are killing me and I'm thirsty,' Emily said blowing a strand of hair from her red face. 'Can't we rest a little?'
'Sounds good,' Andrew said. 'This backpack is fucking heavy. You better eat and drink everything in it because I don't feel like carrying everything back again.'
Delmar and Bernard laughed.
'Let's park off here in the shade where it's nice and cool,' Delmar said placing his backpack on the ground next to a large rock.
They all found something from the environment to sit on. Andrew sat on an old tree stump facing the ocean. He passed Emily a bottle of water which she almost devoured.
Patrick looked up at the clear blue sky. He enjoyed the peace and calm around him. It was like the natural environment replenished his energy levels. He dropped his gaze towards the ocean and asked, 'So what do you guys think happened to the Viking ship?'
'Viking ship?' Bernard asked.
'Yes. My dad told us that he had read on the internet somewhere that Vikings got stranded and stayed here for many years,' Patrick said.
'Oh, you're talking about that old structure up there,' Delmar said indicating with his head in the direction of the hill.
'Yes. Apparently, that's where they stayed,' Patrick said.
'Well, that's the legend that goes around, but it doesn't make any sense though,' Delmar said. 'I mean, the Vikings were active in the northern hemisphere, Norway and those places. What were they doing this far south? It's unusual for them to travel this way and why did they travel here in the first place? This is totally off their course if the story is true.'
Andrew nodded, 'Yeah. That's what I told my dad. It's quite strange. They knew the ocean pretty well I suppose, and they usually carried livestock with them, so I guess if they wanted to come here for a reason then it would have been possible. They were the pioneers of building ships and weapons. Their ship would have been able to make it this far through the daring ocean. Something must have happened for them to get stuck here though.'
'Nobody knows for certain if they were in fact Vikings. It's pure speculation,' Bernard said staring out at the ocean. 'I think the main question is, what were they looking for and why all the way down South.'
'Well, according to my dreams the Vikings were here,' Emily said.
'Then again, you have a wild imagination at times,' Patrick said.
'I know, but the dreams were not normal. They were real.'
'Maybe it's because we were here previously and your mind made up the rest,' Patrick said. 'Dad told us about the Vikings that day, remember? Maybe your mind linked this place with them.'
'Yes, but why do I keep dreaming about the same place all the time? That's not normal. I'm telling you something happened here.'
'It would be nice to discover something up here that no one has ever discovered before don't you think?' Patrick asked. 'About your dream not being normal, I think it's because you, my dear, are not quite so normal.' Patrick smiled at Emily.
Emily nudged him with her elbow. Her cheeks turned red. They all laughed.
'Should we go then?' Andrew asked.
'I'm ready,' Delmar said.
Soon they reached the top of the hill where the road forked once more. One road was leading back around the hill. The other road descended down the hill and ended on a steep cliff overlooking the vast open ocean. To the far right, the ruins of the Vikings' living quarters were hardly visible due to the nature that outgrew it.
'We haven't been up here in a very long time hey Bernie,' Delmar said admiring the view.
'Yeah, man. I guess not many people come this way either. Most don't even know this place exists.'
'Imagine you had a house right here,' Andrew said pointing to the ground directly underneath his feet.
'I actually forgot about this place until you guys mentioned it the other day,' Delmar said.
'We should come here more often. This is nature at its best,' Patrick said.
'What I like about it is that it's almost a different world up here, breathing and living on its own,' Delmar said. 'There must be some good history here.'
'Hey, check that out,' Andrew said pointing to an old rusted structure that had been erected underneath a grove of eucalyptus trees. It was more like someone tried to build an old shack by sticking together a few zinc plates. It was severe with rust. There was no way that anyone could still be staying there as it was hardly any shade from the sun, never mind the rainy season.
'It seems like someone had the right idea,' Patrick said.
'So where do you guys want to park off?' Bernard asked.
'Maybe there by the shack,' Andrew said. 'There's enough shade underneath those trees for our stuff.'
'Cool, let's go,' Patrick said, already headed towards the shack.
They placed all their backpacks on the ground around the shack and peeked inside. Someone had been staying in the shack many years ago it seemed. The floor had been overgrown with dry grass. They noticed a torn mattress with rusty springs sticking out around the far left corner. Some large tin drums lay scattered around which were probably used for chairs.
'Hey guys, there's even a perfect place to build a fire,' Andrew said pointing towards some rocks that had been arranged in a round formation not too far from the shack.
'Great man, seems like we were destined for this spot. Now we just need something to sit on because I don't trust these rusty drums,' Bernard said.
'Yeah, let's get some rocks. There are plenty around here,' Delmar said and headed into the nearby field to explore.
Soon they were all sitting on their own rocks that has been arranged neatly around the fireplace in a circle. They had gathered a large stack of wood. Although it was too early for the fire, they have already stacked the wood. It only needed a single match to spark it up.
Emily took in her surroundings. It was almost the same as her dreams, but there were also some major differences where Mother Nature patiently degraded even the toughest of rocks over time. The position of the ruins was more or less where they had been in her dreams. The main thing that concerned Emily was the position where the Vikings had dug the hole to bury the wooden cube. It seemed a little different from her dreams.
'Em, why so quiet?' Delmar asked, sensing concern on her face.
'I'm just trying to figure the place out. Where they buried, the cube was different in my dream.'
'Different how?' Delmar asked.
'In my dream, there was nothing, just the open land. The Viking grave is supposed to be over there,' Emily said pointing towards a bunch of prominent trees not too far from where they were sitting. 'Even the landscape looks different.'
'Yes, dreams are mysteries,' Delmar said. 'Maybe those trees were not there back then. Just the fact that you saw this in your dream is amazing on its own already. It will never be a hundred per cent.'
'I suppose you're right, but I still feel stupid for believing there might be something up here, especially because I had a dream about it.'
'What if there really is something up here?' Delmar asked.
'Yes, but if we don't find anything here? That will be the lowest moment of my life. Dragging you all up here and for what...to build a fire and braai some meat?'
'What's wrong with that?' Bernard asked. 'Even if we don't find anything, this is a fantastic place. I wouldn't mind coming here more often.'
'That's right,' Andrew said. 'We don't have to find anything here to enjoy our day. The view is spectacular. We've got the ocean, we've got nature and we've got no people in sight except for us. This is heaven.'
'Yeah, if we do find something up here, that would be a major bonus,' Delmar added.
'Well, we can only try, right boys?' Patrick said. 'Let's see if there's something hidden around here. He got up from his rock and headed towards the trees Emily had pointed out earlier.'