Only 69 miles to Braunston

Hello

Oh.. er.. hi.

Nice afternoon for a walk along a canal towpath.

Yes.

Going far?

No, just out for a Boxing Day stroll. How about you?

I'm on my way to Braunston.

Braunston? But isn't that way up...

Sixty nine miles.

Really? That's very precise.

Yes, Look...

Oh, the distance marker. I hadn't noticed it before.

The distance markers never lie.

And is that G.U.C.C. from the days of the Grand Union Canal Company?

Not quite. That's a 'J' and not a 'U.' The Grand Junction Canal Company. One of the original companies that merged to form the Grand Union Canal Company in 1929.

Oh! I didn't know that.

Interesting isn't it?

Well... yeah... I guess...

Mind if I join you on your Boxing Day stroll?

Sure, why not?

Thank you... This is the life, isn't it?

What is?

Walking the tow path, on a quiet, bright, sunny, winter’s day. I remember when it was busy with barges carrying cargo between Birmingham and London. Cargo going down. Empty hulls coming back.

That must have been a long time ago.

Not so long as people think.

No?

No. Ah! Look! Another lock.

So many of them along this stretch. I like the solid construction. Those balance beams for heaving the lock gates look really sturdy.

Yes, they needed to be to force the gates open against the pressure of the water.

Oh! What's this writing on the end of the beam.

Writing?

Yes, writing. Something about a top-hat-wearing, hatchet-wielding, ghost-ship-riding canal man: ha, ha.

Oh, I wonder how that got there.

Must be some kids' idea of a Halloween trick.

Yes, you could be right. Oh, well, we had better press on.

I must be heading back soon.

Must you? We are having such a nice walk together. How about one more lock?

Well... okay then. Just one more. Everyone will be wondering where I have got to. They'll be having dinner soon and all this walking is making me very hungry.

Dinner sounds good. Such a long time since I have eaten...

Perhaps there will be some shops up ahead. Or maybe a café.

Or... how about a little soul food?

What?

Look... just around the next bend.

Oh! What a lovely old church.

Yes, indeed. Perhaps you should take a look inside.

Well... I don't think so. Not today.

What better day than the feast of Saint Stephen to say a prayer? Or perhaps you could just sit in quiet contemplation.

Hmmm... I am not much of a church goer.

No? Well, it's up to you of course.

I think not.

You sure? A last chance to make your peace before...

Ha, ha... it would take more than a visit to a church to make my peace with...

Very well then... let's be on our way.

Right...

And here we are at another lock. Another marker along the way. Another stage in the journey.

Yes, that didn't take long. So many locks.

And, here is another.

Yes. But... didn't we just pass that broken brick in the wall? Seems like we are walking in circles.

Walking in circles? Ha, ha, how can that be, if we are walking along the tow path of a canal?

Yeah, I s'pose. Seems to be getting dark, though. How long have we been walking?

Not so long.

And here is another lock. And another.

Yes.

And another. What time is it? Oh! My watch seems to be busted... it's spinning. The hands are just spinning! I need to get back to my family for our Boxing Day dinner.

It may be a little late for that now, lad.

What do you mean, a little late? They won't have started without me. I said I would turn back at the next lock and now it's dark already.

Well, don't you worry about that m'lad. Only one more lock to go.

Only one more lock? It can't be.

But it is. And here we are.

Here we are, where?

Where do you think we are?

I don't know but I'm going straight back.

Back where?

What do you mean, back where?

Look behind you.

Uh! Where's the tow path gone? It's all dark and misty. And what's that swirling in the middle of the canal? And... that looks like a flag on a pole... A black flag on a pole rising from the water... and that... that... that's a boat rising up. But how can it...

A boat rising from the waters of a canal?

It can't be. The canal is not that deep. And why are you suddenly wearing a hat? And what's that you are holding behind your back?

What? This? This, my young fellow, is a hatchet. A hatchet for reaping lost souls...

Ah... No, no, no... A hatchet, a top hat, a boat...

A boat? Look again, boy.

Uh! Uh! Not a boat... a ship... a black ship...

Ha, ha, ha, ha ha! A ship it is, young sailor.

Sailor? What do you mean? I'm not... I'm not a sailor...

You are now.

But I don't want to be a sailor. I want to go home to mum and dad and our Boxing Day dinner.

Come, now! You had your chance. You could have turned back long ago. You could have ended this whole journey at the church.

What? No! I didn't mean... Oh, no! Tell me this is a nightmare. Tell me it's not real.

A nightmare it is. But don't expect to be waking up from it.

No, no, no! Please, I'm sorry. I want to go home. Please let me go home.

Ha, ha, ha, ha ha... Too late for that now m'lad! Jump aboard… it's time for you to join the crew of the

The Black Swirl

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