Hetty's Legacy Part Five – In Search of King Arthur…and aliens
The next day, after an excellent breakfast, Starsky and Hutch said their farewells to Sophie and Lewis and packed their things back into their car.
"It's still orange," Hutch muttered under his breath but then quickly forced himself to shake off the tiny flicker of irritation.
Starsky looked at the sky. The weather had been very hot since they arrived and today was looking to be humid with it. A few dark clouds had begun to gather, suggesting the prospect of a refreshing downpour later.
"Hope it doesn't rain till we're safely at Wells," Starsky said to no one in particular.
Hutch looked up at the sky and nodded. "Won't be a storm for a while," he announced, with the certainty of one brought up to know the feel of the weather and changes in the atmosphere. He was usually right so Starsky took his word for it.
"Who's driving and who's navigating?" Starsky wanted to know.
Hutch flipped a coin and Starsky chose heads and lost.
"I'll drive. You navigate," Hutch said, knowing that today's trip would be comprised of two short journeys; the first would be taking them to visit Stonehenge, which was only about forty miles from Winchester; and then they would travel a similar distance onto Wells in Somerset, where they would be staying for the next two nights. They took the A34 and then turned onto the A303 and headed towards Amesbury.
Today's adventure was set to follow one that Hetty and Minnie had experienced so they were following his aunt's instructions and not going to drive all the way to the iconic ancient monument. Hetty and Minnie had taken a bus to the village of Amesbury (from the place where they had been staying) and then travelled on foot to seek out the monument, Stonehenge. It was supposed to be only a two mile walk so Starsky, who wasn't usually one for walking, was happy to oblige his friend in following in his beloved Aunt's footsteps.
As they drove into Amesbury, Starsky read from his guidebook: "The monument was in private ownership until 1918 when Cecil Chubb – what a funny name! – a local man (who had purchased the land from the Atrobus family at an auction three years before) gifted it to the British nation. Now it's English Heritage's job to conserve the site. Fancy that, Hutch! Imagine owning Stonehenge!"
"It's crazy that a private family could have been allowed to own it at all," Hutch agreed. "I guess in times gone by, everything was about the landowners' rights. I'm glad good old Cecil was a forward thinker and gave it to the nation."
They had arrived at the small car park (to which they had been given directions by Sophie) and the pair of them got out and paid the small fee for a day's parking. They had no idea how long they might stay at the monument so thought it best to be safe and pay a little extra rather than pay a bigger fine if they were late back.
Following a mixture of Hetty's directions and a walking guide Hutch had purchased, they set off in the direction of Stonehenge, first walking past quaint cottages and the local parish church, which was complete with a Norman tower and spooky churchyard – at least Starsky thought it was spooky. Once past the church's drystone wall, the track took them out into farmland, where they passed by fields of grass and cows. Hutch stopped in a gateway to look at the giant herbivorous animals and remarked on them reminding him of his grandfather's farm.
A little further on, they came to a field of golden corn and as Hutch leaned on the fence he got a soft look on his face that Starsky knew only too well. The fields of Minnesota had obviously been brought to mind.
Starsky had a quick look around and then observed, "There's nobody around. I reckon no-one will mind if you want to go in and touch the corn."
Hutch hesitated, but only for a moment and then he was climbing over the fence into the field. With careful steps, he walked up close to the almost chest high corn and reached out with reverent hands, which he passed gently over the golden ears. Seconds later, Starsky was beside him, doing the same thing. He turned to look at Hutch and was delighted to see the beatific smile his partner was wearing. He brought his camera up to his eye and took a photograph of Hutch before taking one of the views of the cornfield and beyond.
"Beautiful," Hutch whispered and Starsky agreed.
By mutual silent consent, they stood standing in quiet contemplation for a few more seconds and climbed back over the gate and returned to the well-worn track. They walked along, enjoying the sunshine and chatting about nothing in particular and only keeping a vague eye-out ahead of them and so it was by chance that Starsky saw them first.
The stones.
All his looking at photographs in Hetty's book hadn't prepared him for the actually reality of them. He felt a thrill run down his spine.
"Wow!"
Hutch looked ahead to see what had caught his friend's attention and whistled.
"Wow is right! Aunt Hetty wasn't kidding when she said the stones were an impressive sight."
The mid-morning sun was hitting the stones and making them stand out against the now glowering horizon; deep tones of dark grey and brown ran towards the top of each vertical stone and covered the whole of the horizontal ones. The lower half of each vertical stone looked pale grey.
Unconsciously, they quickened their steps and soon arrived at the gate leading into the field, where a small hut housed the lady selling tickets. They bought one each for the sum of forty pence and stepped through the magic portal into a world of ancient mystery.
The stones stood in isolated magnificence in the middle of the field. A well-worn path ran around them in a circle. A single rope fence stood between the path and the monument itself.
"This rope is only a recent addition," Starsky told Hutch in a hushed whisper, "to stop people climbing on the stones and wearing them down."
He didn't know why he felt like whispering he just did and if Hutch thought it was strange, he didn't show it. There were a few other visitors walking along the path and pausing every few yards to take a photo from what they thought was the best angle or where it would exclude the sight of the other people. Starsky fiddled with his many camera lenses and then took his first shot.
When they reached the half way point, Starsky asked, "You think it's all right to sit?"
"Don't see why not. Other people are."
Hutch pointed across to a family, who at that moment had decided to sit down a little way from the path and share a picnic.
As the two of them settled on the warm grass, Starsky said wistfully, "We should have brought a picnic with us."
Right on cue, Starsky's stomach rumbled. Hutch sighed, opened his backpack and pulled out a candy bar and a granola bar. He handed the candy to Starsky, who ripped the wrapper open as if he hadn't eaten for a week and proceeded to wolf down the contents. Without waiting for confirmation, Hutch handed his partner a second bar to eat and then slowly bit into his own.
"Ambrose is supposed to be buried under the altar stone over there," Starsky said, pointing at the impressive slab of stone of purplish-green sandstone lying flat to the left of the centre. "That stone is supposed to have come all the way from Wales, although that's not definitely proven, and Mary Stewart says it comes from Ireland…So…you think it was slaves who built this under the direction of Merlin?...Or aliens?...There's something about the atmosphere here, don't ya think – kinda out of the ordinary, magical, alien."
Hutch decided he could go with the description of magical, but not alien.
"Yeah, it's definitely got an otherworldly, out of its time atmosphere. I'll grant you I could be convinced Merlin was instrumental in its construction if he really was the head druid of his age."
Starsky reached into the back pocket of his denims and retrieved a slip of paper covered with his scrawling writing. He read it aloud: "So it was we brought the stone again to Amesbury, and I raised the fallen circles of the Giant's Dance into their places for his monument."
Starsky stood up and walked as close to the rope as he dared and stood, staring. Hutch joined him.
"I can just imagine Merlin standing here with his arms raised, muttering incantations and moving all the rocks into place."
"'Course you can. It's a nice thought but-"
"-Don't finish that sentence," Starsky pleaded and Hutch nodded, deciding to leave his friend's imaginings intact.
Just then a crow flew over their heads and landed on the nearest stone. It put its head on one side and stared at them, silently.
Starsky side-whispered, "Do you think that is Merlin? You know, like reincarnated or something?"
"It's just a crow, Starsky. Get a grip on that overactive imagination of yours!…I think we should probably head back now. Those clouds are getting closer and we want to be back in the car before the rain comes."
Starsky shook himself out of his reverie but kept an eye on the crow.
"Okay, yeah. Let's go."
As they walked back to the entrance, Starsky kept checking over his shoulder and noticed that the crow was now following them in a mixture of short flights and hops. He found it a bit unnerving. Hutch didn't seem to notice.
As they headed towards the path they had arrived on, Starsky heard the lady at the entrance say, "Hello Merlin. Have you come for your treat?"
He paused and watched as the lady threw some scraps onto the ground which the crow hastily gobbled up, before taking once more to the skies. Starsky looked around to make a comment to his partner and found he was way ahead of him. He had to jog to catch up.
"The lady called the crow 'Merlin'."
"Did she?" Hutch sounded unimpressed.
"Yes, she did. What do you think it means?"
"It means she's as crazy as you are!"
/\/\/\/\/\
The car journey to Wells took them past Stonehenge again. Hutch had forgotten he was supposed to be driving and had climbed automatically into the passenger seat. Starsky didn't mind; driving was his happy place. Like many of the other drivers on the road, Starsky slowed the vehicle as they passed the ancient monument on their right. Both of them took a long second look.
"Amazing."
"Yeah they really are…I'm glad we walked to them though – seeing them like that was something special."
Hutch nodded as he said, "Well, we can thank Hetty for that suggestion."
"D'ya think we should call in again on our way back up to London? I kinda feel like I need to come back again to take it in and remember it. Ya know what I mean?"
Hutch nodded. "Yeah, I think that would be a great idea."
Starsky grinned happily. A few minutes later he asked, "So what did Hetty write about Wells?"
Hutch reached into the seat pocket behind him and produced the much-worn, leather bound journal. He opened it reverently and began to read: "Today, Minnie and I arrived in Wells. What a picturesque place! The streets and avenues were delightful, with many of the buildings made from a beautiful yellow stone – sandstone possibly. From the ancient market place, we could see the two square towers of the cathedral just peeking above the rooftops. It didn't look very impressive. How wrong we were!
"Once away from the town centre, we found that the cathedral was set back from a smartly kept grass lawn. People were gathered around the outside, looking at some of the external features while others sat in groups having picnics or ice creams. The whole place was filled with a happy atmosphere.
"And now I must mention the clock on the outside wall. The red and gold design is pretty but the most interesting aspect is the two carved knights. They stand on either side of the clock and their job is to strike the bells above their heads when the clock reaches the hour. It was enchanting. The Latin inscription on it read 'Ne quid pereat'."
Starsky glanced at Hutch as he asked, "What's that mean?"
Hutch peered at the diary.
"Hetty's written a small note in pencil at a later date – it says 'Let no one perish' – I guess that's the translation…You want me to read more or wait till we get there?"
"You can read some-oh, look, a sign for Warminster!"
Hutch rolled his eyes as Starsky started peering around the car and upwards.
"Hey, keep your eyes on the road! You aren't going to spot any aliens here!"
"How do you know?" Starsky demanded, but nevertheless returned to concentrating on driving.
"Didn't you tell me most so-called sightings happened at night? It's daylight."
"Yeah, well, you wait till tomorrow night. I bet we see something."
"I bet we don't! Ten bucks says we see nothing."
"You're on!"
Hutch looked at the diary again.
"Right, where was I?...Inside the cathedral was even more impressive than the outside. There were fantastic vaulted ceilings, the bright blue organ pipes, and the stained glass window dating from 1340. All impressive but I fell in love with the wonderful clock located inside. How to describe it? It's an astronomical clock, part of a famous group of clocks found in the West of England between the 14th and 16th centuries. The original parts were made in 1390. It's supposed to be the second oldest clock in Britain and possibly the world and the clock face is the only surviving one of its kind anywhere!
"The structure of the clock face represents a model of the universe. The inner dial has a painted background of stars around which a large gilded sun moves, showing the hours. The dial is marked with Roman numerals. A smaller star shows the minutes. Four painted angels stand in each corner and it also has knight statues but these knights joust! When the clock strikes the hour, they rush around the top chasing each other. It is utterly charming! I could have stayed there all day. Minnie had to drag me away!"
"Sounds like we're in for an interesting visit," Starsky said. "And those are the clocks that inspired her purchase of the clock you now have; the one with silver knight ringing the bell, right?"
"Yeah, that's right. Well remembered."
"We're almost there and the rain's holding off. Shall we go straight to the cathedral and see the outside clock? Then we can be inside if the rain comes. Maybe we can get some lunch in the town afterwards."
"Sounds like a plan. We should just be in time to see the clock strike the hour!"
Starsky smiled to himself at the excited tone in Hutch's voice. This trip, following in the footsteps of Hutch's aunt and her friend, was doing wonders for his partner. The total change of scenery and immersion in history was providing rest and relaxation of a totally different kind from normal; and of a kind that Hutch seemed to be loving. He had already lost the stressed look he'd been wearing the last few weeks.
Starsky was enjoying the trip so far, but a large part of his feeling of winding down from the stresses of their job came from seeing his partner so enthralled with everything they were seeing and hearing. If Hutch was happy then he was happy too.
/\/\/\/\/\
The next day was going to be one of the busiest they were going to have during their vacation. Starsky had wanted to visit Cheddar Gorge and Wookey Hole so they were doing that in the morning. Hutch had wanted to visit to Bath to see the Roman baths so they were spending the afternoon there. Then after dinner, it would be time for a little alien spotting at Starsky's insistence.
As they drove the short distance to Cheddar Gorge, Hutch said, "Remind me what we're going to see this morning?"
"Well, Cheddar Gorge is a gorge that's been carved out by nature from the limestone in the Mendip Hills. There's a series of caverns and the biggest is called Wookey Hole. There are loads of stories of magic and witches and all that good stuff."
Hutch rolled his eyes.
"And, of course, it's famous for cheese. I'm going buy me some."
Hutch frowned.
"For some reason, I've got a hymn my Grandmother used to sing popping into my head."
"Rock of Ages?"
Hutch looked slightly freaked out. "How did you know that?"
"Don't you remember Sophie told us it's where it was written? That guy with the weird name got inspired to write it while hiding in a cave from a thunderstorm."
"Oh yes, of course. Augustus Toplady."
"Exactly."
Hutch hummed a few bars of the hymn before turning to his partner and asking, "Are you absolutely sure you want to go alien spotting tonight?"
"Yes, why wouldn't I?"
"'Cause it's a complete waste of time!"
"Hutch, you promised we could go."
"Okay, but why do I need to go? I get enough of being sat in a car for long, boring hours on stakeouts!"
"So you're saying you would happily leave me to face an alien on my own? Some partner you are!"
Hutch shook his head in defeat. "You won't need me watching your back because you aren't going to see anything but, if it makes you feel better, I guess I'll come along."
"It does make me feel better and you are coming…Thanks."
/\/\/\/\/\
Around nine in the evening, Hutch found himself sat in the car in the middle of a desolate spot on the outskirts of Warminster. Starsky had taken directions from the amused hotel manager and driven them out to where it was claimed there had been several sightings of lights in the sky.
After an hour of watching Starsky watching the skies, Hutch murmured, "See. I told you. Nothing."
"Ssh. Any minute now."
"Why are you shushing me? No-one can hear us!"
"I'm listening out for the hum of a spaceship."
"I think I saw an asylum down the road," Hutch observed. "I might drop you off there."
"Ha ha."
"What would you do if a spaceship appeared right now and parked right in front of us?" Hutch wanted to know.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, have you got a welcome speech prepared or what?"
"I don't want to actually talk to an alien. I'm hoping they won't see us. I don't want to get experimented on!"
"I don't think there's any danger of that."
"No? Why not?"
"Because given the choice between a prime specimen and…you…I know who an alien's going to pick."
"Hey! What am I? Chopped liver!"
Hutch shrugged.
Starsky returned to looking out of the window. Hutch opened Hetty's diary and read it by flashlight. A few minutes later, he sniffed the air and muttered, "The car stills smells of that cheese!"
"It was delicious. You should have tried some."
"No, thank you. Anyway, I was happy enough with that shortbread I bought from Bath."
"Mmm, that was good. I'm glad we went to the see those baths. Imagine that; us walking where the Romans socialised. Hope Ma gets my postcard; she'll be astounded."
After another hour, Starsky was finally ready to concede they probably weren't going to see anything and they headed back to the hotel, resuming their argument over who was mostly likely to be attractive to an alien.
/\/\/\/\/\
The journey to Glastonbury was uneventful. The hotel they'd chosen was a little way out from the town centre. They visited the George and Pilgrims (that Hetty and Minnie had stayed in) for a lunchtime meal but, remembering Hetty's description of how the church clock rang all night, they had decided it would be wise not to actually stay there.
After lunch, they walked the short distance to the grounds of the long ruined Glastonbury Abbey, where King Arthur and his Queen, Guinevere, were supposed to be buried. There was a hushed, peace about the place that both of them could feel sinking into their bones. They both walked silently through the ruins, pausing every so often to read the small signs giving information about the different areas of the original abbey. Hutch tried to imagine the place as it had been with monks tilling the allotments, illuminating texts by hand and filing into the sanctuary for prayers. While Starsky wandered off to take some artistic shots, Hutch sat down on a bench to try to soak in the timbre and ambience of the place and to think about Hetty.
Slowly, he felt a calm, warming presence next to him as if someone had come and sat down beside him. He didn't understand the sensation and wasn't even sure he was feeling what he was feeling, but just in case Hetty was there with him, he whispered, "Thanks Hetty. Thanks for the money to come on this trip. Thanks for all your guidance and thanks for all your loving support."
A moment later, the warm feeling began to dissipate but he still felt strangely at peace. Starsky was making his way back towards him. Hutch stood up.
As Starsky drew level, he asked, "You okay?"
"Yeah…just thinking of Hetty."
"Oh." Starsky nodded with understanding. "You ready to go? I saw a tea shop around the corner. I'll treat you to something to eat, if you like."
"Thanks, pal," Hutch said, with a smile. "That sounds perfect and exactly like something Hetty and Minnie would have done."
Starsky smiled back at his partner.
/\/\/\/\/\
The final stay of their journey down through the West of England was to be near Tintagel, where King Arthur was supposed to have had a castle. They had found a small guesthouse in Boscastle not far away and stayed there overnight. The next day, they set out early to visit the castle, having been warned by the owner of the guest house that the site could get incredibly busy during August as would the village.
They parked at the tiny car park at the top of the village and walked down past a church, teashops, shops selling Arthurian and magic related items, past residences made out of grey stones with grey Cornish slate rooves. Some of these were so buckled and bowed with age, Starsky was amazed that they hadn't fallen in on themselves.
As they reached the bottom of the road, they saw the ruins of the castle. It was perched across two sites at the top of rocky cliffs. Starsky knew from his reading that the site had been eroded by the waves over time and a lot of the original centre of the castle had been taken by the sea.
The two of them paid the small fee and climbed up the steep pathway to one side of the ruined structure. After exploring that side, they walked across a narrow wooden bridge to the other side and read more information on panels there. A little while later, they walked up onto the hillside above the ancient stones so that they could try to gain a perspective of what the whole site must have been like.
"Wild."
"Yeah, it sure is."
It was still quite early and there were only one or two other visitors beginning to appear in the distance.
Starsky headed off further up the hill, saying over his shoulder, "Follow me."
"Where are we headed?"
"You'll see."
As they passed a couple of small, gnarled trees, Starsky scanned the ground and picked up a long thin stick.
"Perfect."
"What's that for?"
"You'll see."
Starsky led them a little further until they came to a long, flat stone peeking out of a grassy knoll.
"Here we are. This is the spot."
"What spot?"
"Do you remember reading me the bit in Hetty's diary about Minnie knighting Hetty? They did it right here."
Hutch looked around and smiled.
"Oh, that's nice. I can just imagine them here, giggling as they did that."
"Kneel down, Hutch," Starsky ordered.
"What? No," Hutch protested.
"You have to," Starsky said. "That's what the stick is for. I don't have a sword but I'm sure an ancient Cornish stick will do."
"You're nuts!"
"So you're always telling me but humour me. Okay?"
Hutch went to protest but, as he searched Starsky's face, all he could see was a seriousness that demanded the right response.
"All right, but I feel ridiculous."
Hutch knelt down on the slightly sun-warmed, smooth, alabaster stone then said, "Now what?"
"Shush."
"I really hope no-one is watching."
"Shush. Keep quiet, will ya?"
Starsky stood in front of his partner and formally tapped the stick on first one shoulder and then the other, saying in a very solemn tone, "By the power vested in me, I pronounce you to be Sir Bergdin of Bay City."
Hutch unexpectedly found he had a lump in his throat. He stayed kneeling until Starsky offered him his hand and gently pulled him to his feet.
"Starsk…"
"I figured after you told me that Hetty's middle name, Bergdin, meant 'protected by spirits', it would be an appropriate name for you…and it's my wish for you too, pal."
"Thanks." As they started to walk back down the hill, Hutch laid an arm around Starsky's shoulders and gave him a quick squeeze. "I don't think I need spirits to protect me, pal. Not while I've got you as a partner…and as a friend."
"Let's not get into a soapy scene…but…thanks Hutch and likewise."
They walked the rest of the way back down through the castle ruins and on to the village in companionable silence. When they got back to the car, Hutch asked, "Where we headed to now, Sir Starsky?"
Starsky grinned. "Well, my good Sir Bergdin, methinks a trip to the beach would not go amiss."
"Agreed."
Starsky started the car and headed away from Tintagel towards a place called Trebarwith Strand. When they reached it, they parked in a small roadside parking space big enough for three cars and followed signs pointing towards the edge of a cliff.
"Wow! I ain't never seen nothing like that before!"
They looked down into a small cove covered with golden sand, rocky outcroppings and saw the bluest waves with white horses they had seen in a long time. They carefully picked their way down the steep path until they reached the beach. One lone dog walker was on the shoreline. Otherwise they had the place to themselves.
They found a flattish piece of rock and sat down, watching the ocean.
After a few minutes, Starsky said, "Thanks for bringing me on this vacation. I can't tell you how much I'm loving it."
"Even without seeing any aliens."
"Even without seeing any aliens," Starsky snorted.
"Well, I'm so grateful to Hetty that she gave me the money so we could do this."
"I think she'd be pleased we followed in her and Minnie's footsteps."
"Oh yeah, she definitely is," Hutch said, momentarily thinking back to Glastonbury Abbey, "…I mean she would be if she knew."
Starsky looked at him out of the corner of his eye.
"I think she knows, pal. I got a feeling yesterday like she and Minnie were around…You think I'm crazy?"
"Nope, not in the slightest."
"Glad we got a few more days around here before we start making our way back."
"Me too."
Starsky stood up as he asked, "Wanna see who can throw a stone the furthest?"
"Sure…By the way, you owe me ten dollars. We didn't see any aliens!"
As they walked down to the shoreline and began to collect the right sized pebbles, Hetty and Minnie smiled at each other.
/\/\/\/\
Author's Notes:
Descriptions of the boys' visit to Stonehenge are partly from my memories as a small child and partly from the article: Stonehenge: Inscrutable and Untouchable by Roger W Miller (April 9, 1978) He writes: "….so I took a bus to Amesbury. From there, it was about a two-mile walk to Stonehenge, probably the most delightful two miles I have ever stepped off. The paved walk runs through quaint Amesbury, past an old church complete with graveyard, over a literally babbling brook, past thatched-roofed houses and yards with the usually magnificent English gardens, by fields where cows stand motionless and pheasant hide. In the background is that neat, fully utilized, green-on-green hilly English countryside. About a half mile from the destination, the asphalt walk reaches the crest of a hill. There one looks down on Stonehenge for the first time. The view is splendid. The ruins stand alone. The mystery is unfolded."
Quotation Starsky reads is from Mary Stewart: The Crystal Cave –Book 4 chapter 10.