Peace Far Away

By Mark Howard

A small family decided to leave the land they loved.

Their search was for something very simple, although they never knew it at the time.

This story is true. Only the names of a few of the people in it have been changed.

Their memories may still be a little raw, and they do not need reminders of what happened.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mark Howard
• Release date: Mar 23, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458066619

Book preview

Peace Far Away

By Mark Howard

Copyright 2011 Mark Howard

Smashwords Edition

A small family decided to leave the land they loved. Their search was for something very simple, although they never knew it at the time.

Enjoy

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Mark knew something was not right as he gave the address to the taxi driver.

Are you sure?

He and Clare had just disembarked from the train in Boston and were on their first vacation in the United States of America. Mark had come across for his first business trip to the USA, spending two weeks being overwhelmed by everything he encountered. The two of them met in New York and stayed at the Edison Hotel for a few nights. Two South Africans exploring new horizons.

The company had provided two tickets to a Broadway Show, Miss Saigon. They went to the Carnegie Deli. They took in Central Park, and the twin towers. When someone told them the Staten Island Ferry was free, they jumped aboard and saw the magnificent skyline leave them, and then returned a few hours later.

New York was more than they had expected, but Boston and New England was where they wanted to be. The autumn leaves were coming into color, and Boston had some underlying appeal to both of them.

From New York they took an Amtrak train up the coast to Boston, where they met their taxi driver.

Yes, I have a booking for this hotel. How much will it cost to get there?

About twenty five bucks, let’s go.

The driver had thrown the two bags into the trunk, and they headed off, with Mark and Clare excitedly sitting in the back seat. Boston’s sky line on that September day was beautiful. They held hands tightly as they saw their chosen destination ahead of them. And then they saw it disappear behind them as they headed away from it.

It must be a short cut into the downtown area.

Mark was a planning freak and had carefully laid out every detail of the itinerary. He knew where everything was, and where they were going to stay. The meticulous planning had made New York a success, with the only deviation from plan being the Staten Island Ferry. That had been a highlight of their stay, anyway.

He had a small stack of cards, one for each hotel, and one for each flight or train departure. There was a duplicate set for Clare in her carry-on in case they ever were separated for some reason. He was confident of his planning.

But, as the driver sped north, and Boston disappeared behind them, his confidence in his abilities as a travel agent waned.

He leaned forward with the card, reminding the driver of the address of the hotel.

Yep, we will be there in a few minutes.

Boston had disappeared. There were old derelict houses, a few factories, and plenty of evidence of decay. What they saw outside was not what one would find in a book on the 1,000 places you had to visit before it was too late. And, that would even apply to people who lived in Boston and preferred to never venture more than an hour from home.

Looking anxiously at the counter on the dash as it crossed over thirty dollars, Mark was concerned. Clare was not looking at him.

The taxi slowed, exited from the interstate highway, and came to a stop at the bottom of the exit ramp.

There we are. It’s over there.

Mark and Clare looked across the road at a hotel nestling between warehouses, a series of used car lots, and concrete. There was not a tree to be seen. Concrete had covered every square inch of ground, and the place was falling apart.