LITMIR.BIZ

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Ben repeated.

      “Well, um, if Alex promises to keep her stuff tidy and not constantly expect me to clean up her mess, then I don’t mind if the singing tarantula comes along.”

      “Ah – the singing tarantula! Your mom’s training you well.” Jinx pulled a face at her. “Thanks, Gabi!”

      Alex nodded enthusiastically. “I’ll help with everything, promise.”

      “Right, then, we have a horse for Gabi and a BF for Alex – whatever it takes to get my girls to go on holiday with me,” said Ben. “Let’s get moving! I want to get to Plett before dark.”

      “A horse, a BF and a potential stepmother,” said Alex. “All I ask is that she’s cooler than Marcus.”

      “Well, Val is … much younger than Marcus.” Ben’s green eyes glinted.

      “I hope so! Marcus is practically on the waiting list for Shady Pines Retirement Home,” continued Alex confidently.

      “Just remember, girls – and you too, BF, er, Jinx – that if anyone asks me about this – your mother, for example – I won’t lie. I’ll say that you both decided to bring along a school friend you bumped into at the petrol station.”

      “That’s cool, Dad,” said Alex. “Mom and Marcus are playing old-age-home in Melkbos – what they don’t know can’t hurt them.”

      “So, Jinx, you sorted for a lift?” Jinx’s brother shouted from behind the wheel of the Golf. Jinx responded with a thumbs-up, jogging back to grab his luggage from the crammed boot. The Citi Golf passengers wolf-whistled loudly as they drove off, leaving a trail of exhaust fumes behind them.

      Ben threw Jinx’s backpack on top of the other bags in the Land Rover’s boot. Then he looked around for a spot for Jinx’s guitar.

      “Careful with Lola,” said Jinx.

      “Lola?”

      “My guitar. Her name is Lola.”

      5

      And then they were four

      The N2 was busy all the way – half of Cape Town seemed to be heading to Plett.

      At about 5pm the GPS beeped and they turned right onto a gravel round that snaked along under huge trees. The horsebox hopped and bopped a bit at first, but the gravel road was in good condition and soon the Land Rover was dragging Briggs and his trailer smoothly through the forest.

      Hitting the gravel road had made Alex sit up. She’d been asleep on the back seat, her head on Jinx’s lap, ever since the town of George, where they’d stopped at the side of the road for a late lunch.

      “Ooooh! Eeeek!” she suddenly shrieked, startling Gabi, who was in the front passenger seat listening to her iPod. “We’ve left civilisation behind! Help! Where are the people, the shops, the tarred road?”

      Jinx grinned.

      “Plett is just around the corner, Alex. There’s always action there,” Ben reassured her.

      “Yep, Puff-Girl, matric-rave Mecca is within spitting distance,” Jinx said comfortingly.

      But Alex seemed genuinely upset. She sat bolt upright, like a meerkat, and desperately scanned the forested surroundings. “All I can see are bushes and trees! Where are we actually going? Oh, jeez, this is so not my scene.”

      Gabi watched the GPS, fervently hoping they were near the guest house. She knew by the pitch of her sister’s voice that she was close to snapping. Again.

      “I’m not a hundred per cent sure of the way myself,” said Ben, which wasn’t exactly reassuring to anyone. “Val gave me the GPS coordinates, but all I know is that it’s a guest house on a farm near Plett, and that was the turn-off. Look, according to our eye in the sky, we’re almost there.” Ben pointed at the black-and-white checkered flag in the centre of the GPS screen.

      “Harkerville Forest … Harkerville Bos …” From the back seat, Jinx read the signposts as they passed by. “Hey, Jonathan Harker was the agent who killed Dracula in the first ever Dracula movie, 1931.” Jinx was a big fan of vampire movies and books.

      Ben glanced at him through the rear-view mirror. “There was a remake of that in 1992 – Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Total classic,” he commented.

      “Marcus would never have known that.” Alex sounded impressed, and Gabi felt relieved that Jinx and Ben had together managed to change the subject. She was feeling tired and worried about poor Briggs, who’d been cooped up in that box for the entire day. She really didn’t feel like stressing about Alex’s moods right now – when they got to the guest house, her first priority would be to take care of her horse.

      The road continued to wind through the forest. The trees were massive – obviously very old – and tree ferns grew thickly amongst them. The Land Rover passed a few artistically handmade signs pointing to unseen destinations tucked along narrow tracks in the forest.

      “Just in case you’re wondering, Magic Forest Cottage is that way,” said Ben, pointing to a wooden sign indicating a turn-off to the right.

      “Blue Butterfly Cottage,” read Gabi as another sign popped up. Beautiful blue wooden butterflies dangled from the branches of an ancient tree above it.

      Two cyclists were slowly trundling up the forest path and they gave the passing procession a friendly wave.

      “Still not our spot. Our place is called Night Owl Forest or Night Forest or something like that.” Ben tapped the GPS screen.

      “Sweet Water Guest Farm,” Jinx read the next sign.

      “‘Welcome to Harkerville Village’,” read Alex, and then improvised: “where we should probably be on the lookout for Dracula. So where’s the village? Anyone see a village?”

      The road widened slightly as they passed a farm stall and a coffee shop. A few mountain bikes and 4x4s were parked outside a small office building, which a sign proclaimed to be the Harkerville Forestry Station. They had passed “the village” within seconds.

      “A forestry station, a corner shop and some cyclists. Dad, I’m getting seriously worried about this guest house your girlfriend found for us,” said Alex.

      “Well, your mother didn’t want you to leave the Western Cape, and you wanted to get as far away from Melkbos as possible,” said Ben cheerily. “And in case you haven’t noticed, we have a horse with us. This was the best Val could do to please everyone. And that was before the BF joined us.”

      “We’re getting closer,” said Gabi, studying the GPS. She really needed to get Briggs out of the trailer soon.

      The road narrowed and Ben was forced to slow down.

      Deeper into the forest they went, on a road that felt neverending. And increasingly narrow. Tree ferns began to brush up against the car as it passed. Dusk was falling fast when, without warning, two white gateposts appeared alongside the road.

      Ben braked hard and stopped in front of a heavy black wrought-iron gate. Perched on the gate were three big owls made out of wire, their glass eyes glowing a deep yellow.

      “Is this it?” asked Alex.

      “Nice owls,” noted Ben.

      “OMG, their eyes are actually glowing!” Alex shivered and hugged herself tightly.

      “Nightwalker’s Rest,” Gabi read from the ornate letters on the gatepost.

      “It’s a bit eerie, you guys, don’t you think?” said Alex.

      Beyond the gate and through the trees an estate stretched out, dotted with buildings and houses. The forest bordering the grounds made Gabi think of a green tsunami, threatening to drown the grounds.

      Suddenly the gate silently slid open.

      At

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