‘Walking in the Dark’ by Joyce Hayward

That night we had gone to a ball in the local town hall, leaving my parents to care for our four very young children who would be up early – if not awake during the night itself. So it was imperative that we got home at a reasonable hour. Also, we needed to milk a herd of cows ready for milk collection at 8.00am.
We had left the town and were going up a gradual bank when the old, green Volvo estate car ground to a halt. We tried in vain to get it to go; but to no avail. There was no option; phone boxes were far away ( no mobiles then ) and so there was nowhere to ring for help. We realized we had no alternatives, so we had to leg it home in all our finery – and me in high heels too.
We knew the family at the first farm we passed; but at that time of night there was no way we could call there for help as they had an Alsatian guard dog because there had been a spate of farm fires and the arsonist was still at large in the vicinity.
When we reached the next tiny hamlet, about a mile further along the road, our footsteps disturbed every dog in the district; but no one was about and everywhere was in darkness.
By now I was beginning to get very weary and footsore and clung on to my husband. The wind was getting up and the trees started creaking. The leaves in the ditches were rustling and shadows appeared everywhere. Owls were shrieking and things were running across in front of our path. By now, I was scared stiff and as I was never keen on the dark, my imagination was beginning to run riot.
Eventually we heard a vehicle approach from behind; but it passed and turned off at the next lane. So we carried on regardless.
A few minutes later another drove up from the direction in which we had just come. The car slowed down and a voice said, ‘I thought it was you two – I saw your car on Birch Bank. Do you want a lift?’
You bet your life we did and he took us home.
He was a young neighbour of ours who lived in a lane overlooking our house. In fact he had passed our car and gone home. But then decided to drive along the lanes until he returned to find us in his headlights.
Years later he and our eldest son are now brothers-in-law having married two sisters from a neighbouring village.