The rain was relentless; big heavy drops of water soaked right through their clothes within a few seconds. The grey denseness of the sky contradicted the crisp whiteness and glass exterior of the reception building, and the entrance path was lined with decorative cacti and olive trees twisting from a blanket of sandstone pebbles. Welcome to Variana Holiday Village said the sign. After receiving their welcome pack, Esther and Dan hurried along the row of chalets. With flat hands raised to their brows to protect their eyes, every step caused an icy splash to sting their ankles and sandalled feet.
They spotted B42 and, with keys ready, opened the door to a large bright Scandi-style room. The bed looked inviting with a soft puffy quilt and huge pillows. There were sofas and a table, and even more padded seating on the balcony, though currently soaked through from the rain.
“This is nice. Let’s get the kettle on.” Esther sighed. They were typically English, and a good cuppa was an essential requirement after a long day of travelling. Esther began to rummage for the jar of coffee they’d packed among the socks. Dan stopped her.
“Um, don’t bother. It looks like there’s no kettle,” he noted, disappointment in his voice. “Nice big telly though. But look at this station list, nothing in English!” He, ever the eternal optimist, quickly said, “We won’t need a telly! Let’s go and explore.” He searched the cases and realised he’d left his rain jacket at home on the kitchen door handle where he wouldn’t forget it.
Esther laughed. “Typical!”
The only bars they could find were outside: one by the pool, a mobile bistro sitting in a huge puddle, and one in a sheltered area where tatty old tennis tables were stacked against a wall without their bats or balls. Both were closed because of the rain. Esther and Dan satisfied their rumbling stomachs in the restaurant serving a cold buffet, then went back to the chalet to drink water from the tap, watch some German TV, and hope the rain would stop soon. Neither of them could speak German. Neither of them noticed the delicate red light flashing from the microphones just visible on the light fitting over the bed headboard and behind a picture on the wall.
***
Three women walked into the operations room, dressed in receptionist uniforms, smiling.
“Perfect. A good start. Everyone’s happy, optimistic, and feeling good.” said the taller one.
“Little do they know this rain’s here to stay. Their weather apps will be telling them otherwise, but they don’t understand our unnatural cloud system. They definitely don’t know it’s Zvonimir who controls just about everything around here, and that includes the weather! Most of them haven’t got a colossus in their country—they’d think we were mad if we tried to explain.”
“I do feel sorry for them though,” replied the younger one. “They’ve only bought summer clothes with them, and now they’ll have a rubbish holiday, and all because we need sample guinea pigs for our study.”
The other woman shrugged. They needed to get on with the job in hand. Mr. Novak had told her to check the recording equipment was running smoothly, and to make sure the staff had all signed their confidentiality forms.
“I know, but it has to be done. How else can we gather the information we need? We have to collect data on how to make this the best holiday resort there is. That’s the only way to get more visitors. Everyone’s on board. All eyes and ears are to be kept open.”
***
In their late sixties, but still twenty in their heads, Molly and Jake were in B24. After pulling two heavy cases up the staircase to their first-floor apartment, Jake flung himself backwards onto the inviting bed.
“Wehay! We’ll have some fun on this beauty!” He laughed.
“Someone fancies his chances,” Molly scoffed. “Where’s the kettle then?”
“According to this, there’s a shop—we’ll just have to buy one. I’ll pop down and get one now, I know how you need your cuppa in the morning,” Jake said. He scanned the information booklet for a map.
“Let’s see if there’s beer in the fridge.” The fridge was empty.
Molly, all suntanned leather skin and crimson nail polish, loved nothing more than draping herself over a sun lounger with a Martini by her side and a crisp new Edna O’Brian novel. Jake preferred to spend his time in the pool, honing his biceps and showing off his crawl, while admiring the bathing beauties from behind his sunglasses. This particular holiday package promised beefburgers and hot dogs from the pool bar between three and five in the afternoon. He was definitely looking forward to that!
The rain kept pouring. A puffy black roof of clouds covered the land. Thunder rumbled from behind the mountains where you couldn’t see where the land ended, and the sky began. The next morning, before Molly woke, Jake went to find the resort shop, buy a little kettle, some milk and tea bags. Breakfast wasn’t until nine, so he had plenty of time. The tiny shop was closed for repairs. There was a notice saying that coffee, tea, and beer was available from the pool bars, but he already knew they didn’t open until midday. He had a grumble about the lack of facilities to a chalet maid as she passed, but he knew he was being unfair; it wasn’t her fault.
The food in the restaurant was good. Jake had his usual egg, bacon, and baked beans while Molly enjoyed fruit salad and muesli. There was only one coffee machine, behind which was a line stretching all the way across the to the other side of the restaurant. In the end, it was quicker to get a fruit juice. Jake eventually braved the queue and was rewarded with a tiny paper cup of coffee.
“I don’t know how I can get by without me coffee!” Molly exclaimed loudly so a waitress passing by could hear.
There was nothing to do for the rest of the day except eat at the dictated times only and read their books as it was too wet to go for a walk without umbrellas or macs. Back at the chalet, the sofas were artistically designed, all right angles, and the cushions were deceptively thin. Not normally one to complain, Jake found they made his back ache so much he had sit on the bed instead. This resulted in him falling asleep, much to Molly’s disappointment. She sat alone with her book for the afternoon. A red light silently flickered, registering the snoring and page-turning where there should have been laughter.
***
At the end of their shift, Magda and Anna removed their tiny microphones from behind their name tags and deposited them in the basket to be assessed. Each member of staff had a questionnaire to complete, and a few were instructed to reset the cameras from the manhole covers and street posts ready for the next twenty-four hours. The rain kept falling. They heard a heavy rumble that started behind the mountains and echoed down through the valley towards them like a giant wave.
Magda shivered. “Someone’s not happy,” she said.
Anna glanced fearfully through the window. “You’re right. Zvonimir is hungry,’ she said, “we need to get some meat to him soon or all hell will be let loose!”
***
Harry and Alice were in C16 with their mum and dad. Exited for the first day of their holiday in the sun, their swimwear was laid out with the suntan lotion and plastic slip-ons ready for the morning. They’d slept well after the long day of travelling. Bored of waiting in line and sitting nicely, they were now ready to stretch their legs. They couldn’t wait to blow up their floating toys and annoy all the grownups by splashing about in the water and screaming at the top of their lungs.
Mum and Dad had assured them that the sun would be out soon, and they’d be able to go for a swim.
They were mistaken.
The rain was like being under a waterfall, and it looked as if it would last all day.
“I know!’ Dad said. “We can still go to the indoor pool for the morning!”
Everyone else’d had the same idea. The small pool was packed, and the sound of little wailing voices filled the air when mums and dads spotted the signs saying “No toys in the pool. No running. No diving. No splashing”.
“There isn’t even a slide or a shallow end for the kids,” moaned Mum. The lifeguard looked embarrassed when he had to answer a grownup,
“No, there isn’t anywhere to get an ice cream. Sorry.”
They went back to the apartment to watch some German-speaking cartoon characters on TV.
“But Daaad, I want Peppa Piiiig!” wailed Harry. Dad punched in a cartoon channel on his electronic gadget and set them up with some English kids’ programmes.
“We could’ve done this at home, he said. AND been able to give them some fizzy drinks and treats. This place really doesn’t cater for kids at all. If it’s raining like this tomorrow, we’ll have to see if we can hire a car for the day. The brochure didn’t tell us we’d be miles away from anywhere or without a shop for supplies.”
“You should have checked it out properly before you booked!” Mum growled.
That’s just great, he thought. Now we’re gonna have a row! The red lights in the room kept blinking.
***
At the end of the week, there was a notice up on the staff noticeboard.
There was to be a meeting with Mr. Novak to discuss the week’s results from all the data gathered from visitors’ conversations. Also, a brain-storming session for ideas on how to improve the quality of the service they provide for their holidaymakers.
“We need to attract more visitors!” he said. The aim was clear.
“More visitors meant bigger meals, and a wider variety of flavours for our colossus, the mighty Zvonimir!”
He signalled for the staff to take their places and sit.
Anxious to get on with it, the company catering staff, the domestics, the human resources department, the groundsmen, and the entertainment staff were ready to offer up an idea or an opinion. They waited for Mr. Novak to take the stand.
Then, each looked up in surprise as they recognised the week’s holidaymakers slowly filing in through the door and taking up seats in rows down the left side of the room. There was Esther and Dan, Molly and Jake, the Wilson family, and all the other familiar faces they’d been accustomed to seeing miserable, bored, and exhausted from keeping their children occupied in the rain. Now their faces were blank and devoid of all emotion as they looked ahead into the waiting, confused, collective.
Mr. Novak addressed his staff. “This week, your task has been to watch and observe your holidaymakers for complaints and recommendations, in order to be able to offer a better service. You did that well, and I now have a list of improvements to consider. So, thank you for that.”
Then, after a pause, “Unfortunately, while you were watching them, they were watching you.”
Multiple intakes of breath filled the room.
“What’s going on?” gasped Magda to her friend.
Novak continued, “I have asked the guests to name a member of staff who didn’t come up to expectations.” His eyes looked black, pleading. “How else do I chose? Ask someone to volunteer? You know Zvonimir can’t wait any longer. We’ll bear the brunt of his anger if he doesn’t eat tonight.”
Then Mr. Novak turned to Mr. Wilson. “Mr. Wilson, I asked you to speak for the group. Have you come to a decision?”
“We have,” Mr. Wilson replied.
“Throughout this week your staff have been nothing but helpful, and we have seen their embarrassment at our discomfort. They do not deserve this. Therefore, Mr. Novak, for putting us all through this hideous predicament in the first place, we choose YOU, to be this week’s sacrifice to the Colossus.”
With his mouth gaping in a silent scream, beads of sweat appeared on Novak’s forehead as his fate became clear. The group started shuffling forward, closing in on him. The doomed Novak immediately scanned the room for support, his eyes wide in panic. Finding none, he turned and charged toward the exit.
“Let me out! Let me out, damn you!” The terror in his voice would have been terrible to hear, if it could have been heard amidst the cacophony of scraping and tumbling of chairs and shouts.
“Get him!” Came the call of many.
Then silence fell across the room. Four of the largest men threw the struggling and screaming Novak into the open doors of a waiting van. His pleading, blood curdling, screams were unheeded, yet painful to hear, as the van eventually disappeared into the black mountains and toward the ancient caves beyond.
