“Beautiful, isn’t it?” said the English lady sitting beside me.Jolted from my daydreaming, these words gushed from my lips, “Yes! Captivating! The Peak District has hardly changed at all!” My eyes roved to the lady, who may have been in her late thirties.
“You have been here before?” said the lady sounding very interested.
“Yes! I used to study here about 30 years ago. It is only now that I am able to come back.”
“You are very lucky!” she said.
We were on our way from Manchester to Sheffield. The train tracks between the two cities were under repair. Passengers going down south from Manchester needed to board a coach from there. Then change onto trains midway i.e. upon reaching Sheffield. Along the journey, the coach meanders along the mountainous beauty of the Peak District. I was mesmerized by the exquisite scenery. The undulating fields, foliage and living things.
“You, a tourist?” asked the lady again.
“Not actually. I am on leave but still engaged in some work,” said I. Noting the frowns on her forehead, I let out a laugh and then said, “I am on leave from my normal work back home but am presently doing some research here in this country of yours. How about you?”
“Is that so? I am on my way back home. Actually, I was attending a Christian convention until I received a phone call saying that my mum has suddenly taken ill. So, I decided to cut short on my stay and head straight home,” said the lady.
“Where to?”
“To Scarborough.”
“Oh! That reminds me of a song which I used to listen to when I was little,” said I jokingly.
“Yes! Scarborough Fair!” said the lady, laughingly tossing her hair around.
“Parsely sage, rosemary and thyme. By Simon and Garfunkel, right?” I said gleaming a broad smile.
“You should come to the place!” said she.
“If I have the time, then certainly I would try to.”
“There is one more place that you should pay a visit,” said the woman. This time, in earnest.
“Where would that be?”
“Lake District. A real beauty! Well preserved. Just like it was, a hundred years ago.”
“Yes! I was there once. But not this time though.”
“You want to know who played the most important part of sustaining and preserving the place?” said the English lady, turning her body around in her seat, as though wanting to tell me, face to face.
“Not really sure, but I certainly would love to!” said I, showing my interest.
“A woman. An author of children’s books. Here is the story…”
(To be continued...)
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