It was after the fifth round of drinks that events took a turn for the worse, or better, depending on your opinion. Harry announced her birthday wish was to go skinny dipping in the lake with her friends.
‘God no,’ I said. ‘Have you any idea how cold it will be at this time of night? Not to mention the fact Pat might see us out of his window.’
‘It will be nothing he hasn’t seen before,’ said Harry.
‘In your case, maybe. Not for the rest of us.’
‘I’m up for it,’ said Zoe.
‘Me too,’ said Maggie, throwing her remaining wine down her neck.
‘Well, if you’re all game, so am I,’ said Mel, ‘but absolutely no photography, or phones, for that matter. The last thing the local headteacher needs is photos of her naked carcass being spread around the village.’
‘I think I’ll have to give it a miss,’ said Beryl, her words slightly slurred. ‘It’s not the skinny dipping I object to, but the walk to the lake. My legs couldn’t take it, not after five G and Ts.’
‘I’d better give it a miss too,’ I said. ‘I should get back to Bertie.’
‘Bertie? He’s got three very capable men looking after him. No, you’re coming with us.’
Harry grabbed hold of my wrist, pulling me out of my seat and towards the door. It looked like I had no choice in the matter.
Chapter Thirty-Four
We staggered through the forest, the effects of all the alcohol we’d consumed only hitting us once we were out in the fresh air. It was pitch black, and we relied on the torchlight from our phones to help us on our way.
‘Ow!’ My foot caught on a tree root, and I went sprawling flat on my face on the forest floor.
‘Oh, God, Liv, are you hurt?’ Maggie rushed towards me. I felt something on my face and reached up and pulled a leaf from my cheek. Maggie giggled.
‘It’s not funny,’ I said.
Harry shone her torch light on my face, spluttering into her hand. I felt my face again. My fingers came away brown. I sniffed the brown substance, relieved as the smell of earth and rotting leaves reached my nose.
‘Help me up.’
Maggie’s giggles were infectious, laughter leaving our muscles weak. Zoe heaved me to my feet, only for me to fall into her, pushing us both to the ground once again. We all collapsed in a drunken huddle on the earth, lying on our backs, trying to stoplaughing. As soon as one of us gained composure, someone else would giggle, setting us all off again.
‘I’m too old for this,’ said Mel, flinging her arms above her head before attempting to make snow angels in the dirt of the forest floor.
A flash of light pierced the darkness. ‘What was that?’ I said, sitting up and looking around.
‘Dunno,’ said Harry, ‘probably one of our phones.’
‘It couldn’t have been,’ I said. ‘We were all lying down. No one had their phones out.’
‘Don’t worry, Liv,’ said Mel. ‘It was probably a flash of lightning or something. Come on, ladies, let’s get to that lake. We can’t stay here all night.’
We pulled ourselves to standing, but my laughter had left me. The night was clear and still, not a cloud in the sky. I felt certain the flash wasn’t lightning and couldn’t shake the feeling we weren’t alone.
By the time we reached the lake, my fears were forgotten. Harry’s enthusiasm was infectious, and we stood on the jetty, peeling off our clothes. The phone ban Mel had implemented meant that despite being naked, the whole experience was a very modest affair. We could barely see each other’s faces, never mind anything else.
‘Right,’ said Harry. ‘On the count of three, we go for it. Ready?’ We all nodded. ‘OK, one, two, three, GO!’
We stepped off the jetty, holding our noses, screaming. Just before we hit the water, the surrounding air lit up. I emerged spluttering, brushing water from my face.
‘There was the light again,’ I said, as the others bobbed around me, squealing from the cold.
‘It’s probably just climate change,’ said Maggie. ‘It’s doing strange things to the weather.’
