A short story by Erika M Szabo & Lorraine Carey
Join Ava Jenson on vacation
in her grandmother’s old country when all mysterious events are connected to an
ancient legend about a cursed church bell.
Ava Jenson sighed as
she glanced over the travel brochure for the impressive resort in Siofok,
Hungary. Hotel Azur overlooking Lake Balaton with an elegant glass facade
looked inviting. It had a spa, an outdoor café and a five-star restaurant. She’d
always wanted to visit Hungary as her grandmother was born there and immigrated
to the US as a young woman. Her stories always fascinated Ava, but her husband
for ten long years had refused the idea of a European vacation and always
bullied her into doing what he liked.
It’d been five years
since her nasty divorce, and she was finally ready to venture out on her own. She
hadn’t had a vacation since then and with so much unused vacation time from her
job at the boutique, she decided to make it a two-week stay.
Sipping her coffee,
she remembered what the travel agent told her about Lake Balaton's clean water
and the striking emerald-green color due to its chemical composition. It’s
heavy in carbonates and sulfates, and there are also around 2000 species of
algae that grow in its waters. Ava phoned the travel agent; she’d made her
payment and was all set to go at the end of the month.
The two weeks flew by fast, and after nine hours of an exhausting
overnight flight, she arrived in Budapest. The two-hour taxi ride to Siofok was
pleasant with the chatty driver who entertained her with local legends as he
drove toward Lake Balaton.
Ava trailed behind
the porter who carried her luggage on a huge cart down the long hallway covered
with lush red carpet. She tipped him and threw herself on the bed, arms
outstretched. “I can’t believe I’m here!” she said, her head turned toward the
large sliding glass doors that overlooked the calm water of the lake. She
marveled at the classy pool that showcased the many tables and lounge chairs
with oversized umbrellas.
She could just
picture herself lying out there getting some well-needed sun. But first,
lunch, she thought smiling when her stomach rumbled.
With a quick trip to
the bathroom, she washed her face and applied some light makeup. She piled her
long blonde hair into an updo and changed into a knee-length black cocktail
dress. This should be fine for a five-star eatery, she thought as
she glanced at her slim figure in the bathroom mirror.
After a delicious lunch
of stuffed cabbage rolls and Gundel pancake for dessert, she returned to her
room ready for a few hours of rest. Feeling exhausted, she slept through the
afternoon and night, and the following morning she ordered room service and ate
as she perused the booklet in her room that featured various places of interest
to see in the area.
She dressed
comfortably and decided to book the historical tour in the village of Tihany.
The resort shuttle promptly left at 10 a.m. She had to quicken her step to
catch it before it left without her. Taking a backseat on the shuttle allowed
her to have some privacy and reflect on how blessed she felt at the moment to
be able to take this trip.
She joined the group
after departing the shuttle to listen to the guide who explained the schedule
for the day and the time she’d need to be back at the bus. Glancing at her feet
thought, Glad I packed these old sneakers. They’ll get some good use today.
The tour of the huge
Benedictine Abbey that was built in 1055 was the first stop, and its beauty was
overwhelming, not to mention its size. Ava took several photos before they had
moved deeper into the village where she was looking forward to shopping in the
various pottery shops and having lunch in one of the quaint outdoor cafés.
The tour had
exhausted her and even though it was almost dinnertime she took a well-needed
nap on the comfy king-size bed.
Opening her eyes, she
glanced over at the clock on the bedside table. "Six O’clock already? This
clean air and walking all day are doing me good!”
She headed to the
shower and then to the closet to select a dress that would be appropriate for
the dining area. Hmm, this red cocktail dress is just the ticket. Red has
always seemed to give me more energy.
A few stares were
quite noticeable as she entered the stunning outdoor restaurant with a
beautiful fountain in the center of the seating area. The hostess led her over
to a table close to the fountain. Strings of small outdoor lights were strung
along the walls making the alfresco area seem almost magical.
After ordering a
glass of white wine she read the menu and couldn’t help but notice a loud but friendly-looking
young couple who had taken the table next to her. They had a pile of brochures
and other literature that they had brought to their table along with a camera.
The young redhead
turned to the hostess. “I’m sorry, ma’am. We don’t mean to be so loud but we’re
nature photographers and so excited to be here. If we take a few shots of this
gorgeous outdoor patio, please forgive us.”
The hostess smiled and
waved her hand to dismiss the woman’s apology. “No problem at all. Enjoy your
stay,” she said.
The waitress took Ava’s
order and asked if anyone would be joining her. “No. I’ll be dining alone,” she
stated with a sad smile.
The young redhead stared
at her for a second with a sympathetic look and walked over to her table. “Sorry
to bother you, I just heard you speak English. My name is Tessa Jergenson. My
husband over there is Kevin. We are professional photographers and are here to
take photos of the wildlife in the marsh, especially the birds. The Small
Balaton is a huge wetland habitat that is unique in Europe. We’re planning to
go down to the river Zala delta tomorrow.”
“Hello, I’m Ava. I
hope you’ll enjoy your adventure to the wetland. I prefer to relax and enjoy a
quiet two weeks in the comfort of the hotel,” she laughed.
Tessa took her hand.
“We’re so excited! The wetland has a large population of plant and animal
species such as bee-eaters, cranes, and marvelous herons. The Small-Balaton
area is also rich in other species of animals. European pond turtles, otters,
ermine, martens, various species of dragonflies, and about 30 species of fish.
Also, numerous species of orchids can be found there. Oh, sorry for bugging
you, but I’m so excited about the trip and we can’t find too many people who speak
English.”
“No bother at all!”
Ava assured the chatty young woman. “Enjoy your adventure.”
Tessa returned to
her table and whispered to her husband that she felt a tone of loneliness in Ava’s
voice. “Maybe we should invite her to join us tomorrow,” she suggested while
picking up a menu.
Kevin nodded. “She
didn’t sound like she’d be into that sort of thing.”
Ava couldn’t help
but overhear their muted conversation. Hmm, so I see they feel sorry for me.
I should put on a happy face, but no. I did that way too many times when I was
married.
After dinner Ava
took a stroll around the grounds, admiring the lush vegetation and colored
lights that lit up the pool area. A strong breeze had picked up and she rubbed
her arms trying to erase the goosebumps. The all-so-familiar odd feeling came
over her that always warned her of impending danger. Perhaps it just signals
a normal storm this time. I hope... She headed back to her room to turn in
for the night.
Right before she
climbed under the covers, she looked at the other brochures, one featuring the
Water Tower in the village's main square. She thought that if the storm was
coming, she may not be able to do the tour. Maybe that’s what that feeling
was I had out there and nothing more. However, the uneasy feeling stayed
with her and made her think of the countless disasters, accidents, and people
getting hurt that followed after she experienced those eerie feelings.
She sighed and after
looking through another brochure she became drowsy and quickly fell into a deep
sleep.
The loud sound of
the church bell had awakened Ava out of her deep slumber and the foul smell of
rotten eggs filled her nose. She sat up in bed startled and nauseous. The clock
showed 6 a.m. Is there a fire? Perhaps here they sound the church bell
instead of the fire alarm, she thought as she rose quickly to look out of
the large glass doors.
She saw a large
plume of black smoke engulfing the back pool area. She quickly threw on her
robe and made it to the lobby to see what had happened.
Several guests had
congregated in the lobby as the desk clerk and manager had informed them all
was okay now. There was a grease fire in the restaurant’s kitchen. Firemen were
called and were attending to the fire.
Ava shook with
chills—the same ones she’d felt last night. I just knew something bad
was going to happen. I felt a storm may have been in the works
but even so, my intuition is usually a natural alarm system.
She had noticed
Tessa and Kevin now rushing to the lobby and making their way over to her.
“What’s going on?” Tessa asked, her arms folded across her chest trying to ease
the chill in the air.
Lorraine and I had a lot of fun writing this story together. I mentioned a Hungarian legend to her, and ideas for a story started bouncing between us :)
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