Loved this book and really admire the writing, flair and spirit in it.My thoughts are my own.
Poetry is not my passion, so I’ve never read much or studied poets and their output. However, Sylvia describes incidents in a way that captured my interest. She uses the word “ptomaine poisoning” to describe an outbreak of shellfish poisoning which happened to her and ten of the girls on her secondment as an assistant editor to a prestigious New York Magazine. Ptomaine is now an outdated term , but so powerful, I can almost taste the crab.
As “The Bell Jar” is Plath’s only published prose book and is regarded as semi autobiographical, I came to it with a freshness and curiosity, with my ears ready to listen to a story and I was not disappointed.
I found myself fact checking some of the details in the book . Sylvia Plath was indeed a straight A student and I believe had the potential to have been a top academic if she had wanted. The Physics class she took reluctantly and excelled in then used her success to persuade her college that while she would attend Chemistry classes(which she hated) there was no need to sit an exam. Only someone who knew how to play the academic system could have done that so successfully and with such aplomb.
I suppose it was the era that she was born in that defined her view on relationships with the opposite sex. A ” woman’s role” to keep house, have children and worship her husband (the main bread winner) seems like something that she would grow to hate. Perhaps she did or perhaps she didn’t. The scene in the bell jar where the the diamond pin man tries to rape her and she sticks her stiletto heel in his thigh and leaves him to search around in the grounds for the diamond pin that he gave her and then insisted she gave him back was classic sassy woman. Sylvia could give as good as she got when she needed to .
I love the descriptions of her mother, whom with such a talented daughter , verging on genius as a writer had to support her both emotionally and financially taking into account Sylvia’s sensitivities. I appreciate Sylvia’s honesty in describing how her mother made her feel, but my overall impression was that she knew she was loved and also that she had many people around her that cared for her too.
What strikes me as sad, is it was all based on competitive writing, she wanted to win competitions , earn money for short stories from Publishers of Magazines , win , win , win. She could do it to, really she was invincible and curious and had a lot to offer the World. Did she stop winning, or did she stop believing she could win.
I don’t think those times were easy, there was not much money floating about. I love her frankness in saying that her family would run out of financial sympathy for her and she would be moved from expensive private psychiatric hospitals to public facilities where her treatments would be inferior. She wanted to get better before that happened. Which indeed she did,as at the end of the book she does return to college and eventually goes to Europe, the rest is history.
I will return to the Bell Jar again and again, because it’s language, it’s descriptions and it’s story are absolutely fascinating, so much better than J.D. Salinger’s “Catcher in the Rye” which as a coming of age novel left me slightly doubtful of it’s characters. Plath’s writing was heartfelt and visceral and frank. There was nothing phoney about her.
This is a fictional story not a commentary on what is actually happening at the BBC. A purely fictional story from my imagination, inspired by Primo Levi’s book The Periodic Table, which touches on how, he, as an Italian Chemist looking for work after the war had to deal with people who he had known while working at a big rubber plant next to Auschwitz. Although a well qualified chemist , he was in fact just another slave worker because of his Jewish religion. One of his bosses, “Mueller”, he came across years later while working as a free man in an Italian factory as an Industrial Chemist.
It fascinates me that the survivors were not only those who were prisoners in the death camps , but also those who played a role in managing businesses attached to the camp in an effort to support the Economy that the Nazi’s so heavily relied on. Where are those people today and have they forgotten what was taken away from them?
As Primo Levi outlined, his protagonist sought some sort of forgiveness which Levi felt he could not give. I on the other hand believe that there are some who think that their actions during the war were justified and those who would never see them as wrong or against humanity.
Well those people still exist and perhaps a great Institution like the BBC is one of their targets. After all the BBC did a lot of damage to the German War Effort , it’s independence and World Service were examples to everyone… and that is where my story begins.
Carbon survives and is part and parcel of our World. No matter what happens.
Maximillian pushed back in his office chai and stretched his long legs under his desk. He smiled as he remembered his Great Grandfather’s soliloquies on “George Orwell”, calling them soliloquies perhaps was too kind or perhaps a stylish remnant of Max’s penchant for flowery language which he had on what he regarded as false pretences(what nonsense English Poetry was) achieved his double first in English Literature at Cambridge.
English Literature indeed, once you knew German, proper German, every other language was der unsinn or garbage and easily mastered if you put your mind to it which of course Max had. His English accent was perfect and no one but his close circle ever heard him speak German.
His Great Grandfather’s speeches were indeed rants, just like his progenitor Adolf Hitler and in the care home that he eventually landed up in England, he would rant on endlessly about “George”, the Socialist, that Communist Bugger. All his Great Grandpa’s care staff were from the Phillipines and hadn’t got a clue what he was talking about. They saw him as an acerbic old grouchy man, harmless and quite lost in his own World, but Maximillian had known what his Great Grandpa was talking about and he totally agreed with him.
His Gramp Pa had gone into hiding after World War two, he had lost everything. He like thousands of others was a refugee, wandering the streets of Berlin, looking for his wife and children.
Unfortunately his house , his old life all gone Kapuut. After finding out his wife and children had died in one of the allied bombing raids , he managed to get to West Berlin before East Berlin was cut off. He was helped by some Nazi colleagues who were able to provide him with false papers, a false identity and a method of escape. He was indeed a wanted man as many who had anything to do with the “death camps” were.
With his new identity he blended into his new life.Working his way gradually across Europe as a travelling salesman.His penchant for languages stood him in good stead and he thought it genius that his false identity included a reference to Jewish ancestry.It had got him out of many a pickle as people looked at him in horror and if needed he would refer to a death camp and those he had lost in them .He was a good actor too.
Why he hated George Orwell so much, Max could never quite grasp, until when Max joined the BBC in the late 1990’s as fresh undergraduate, direct from University, full of ideas and on a fast track to be a producer , that perhaps he understood what had gone on as he had access to BBC archives .
Orwell worked for the BBC from 1941 to 1943, and during those years the Reich’s war had flourished, it certainly looked on the cards for a big change to happen to the World and for the Reich and it’s belief in it’s own destiny to be fulfilled. The German Army were largely in control of Europe, they were attacking the Russians and their allies. The Rest of the World too was beginning to see the benefits of authoritarian regimes , Japan was a strong ally and the Americans were keen to keep out of the War.
So what did Orwell do, living in drab London, under war conditions and doing a job as a journalist for the BBC which as an Institution he was largely unimpressed with. He stuck to the truth and he learned how to communicate succinctly and meaningfully with people who needed to hear the truth. He questioned authority and reported facts on the BBC’s World Broadcasting Stage which reached many that were living under authoritarian regimes or in conditions of extreme danger and at the same time gathered his ideas to write a book which would become “1984.”
This was why Max hated him and that was why Max had worked hard at the BBC to ruin it’s ethical stand and to ensure that the truth was a version of what Max and people like him wanted people to know. However, Max knew he had to be clever and he had helped with the process that lead to Orwell’s statue being placed outside the new building that became Broadcasting House. It appeased the BBC “socialists” and was part of his strategy in achieving Board Status at the BBC. Once on the Board of Governors , anything was possible.
(to be continued)
Thank you for reading and may your omnipotent being go with you. 🙏
Tedi woke up from his dream, the day he arrived safely back at the House after the kidnapping was one of the best days of his life. He lay on his sofa in the drawing room enjoying the moment . Trinnie was beside him and only stirred when she sensed he was about to open his eyes.
Once she knew he was awake, Trinny leapt down from the sofa and went and got a drink from the bowl of water, some of the other dogs stirred and they all decided to go downstairs and see what was going on. Tedi rolled over on the sofa , he would rest a little longer. There was no rush.
Tedi heard a bit of commotion downstairs, the dogs were obviously very excited about something. Probably Mrs Graham had put out some leftovers , or perhaps James had appeared to bring them out for a walk. Tedi rolled over on his back and thought.
“All in good time”.
He stretched his paws and yawned. As he did so , a young boy about sixteen years old appeared at the door and walked towards the sofa. It was Tommy , he was back to visit from boarding school. Tedi immediately jumped down from the sofa and ran over to Tommy. Tommy picked Tedi up and gave him a big hug.
” Hello, my boy, how are you?”
Tedi licked his face. He was very pleased to see Tommy, the school term seemed so long but now they could be together for at least a little while. Tommy put Tedi back down on the floor.
” A bit stiff I see, oh well, a gentle walk will do you good. I need a bit of fresh air.”
Tommy carried Tedi downstairs and put him gently on the floor.
Cross and Lettie appeared, they were married now and had two children, they lived on the Gatehouse at the entrance to the estate. They were both just starting work and were delighted to see Tommy.
Cross , Lettie and Tommy all hugged each other and Tedi was very excited and pleased. Meanwhile James arrived to take some of the other dogs out.
” I’ll take one of the buggies , don’t think Tedi will make it all the way around.” Tommy said to James as he gathered up all the other dogs.
” No, you’re right, I’m just taking this lot for a good run around the fields, catch up later.” James smiled.
Tedi followed Tommy out the door , his days of running around in the fields had long passed and he loved going out in the electric golf buggie with Tommy.
On Tommy’s first day back from school, Tommy and Tedi had the same routine , they would go and visit the place on the estate where Bruno, their friend was buried.
Bruno had lived a year on the estate , he had to have a lot of treatments from the vet during that time, but he was very happy and Tedi had showed him lots of the places that he knew, but even Tedi could see that Bruno had slowed down a lot. Bruno treatments sometimes made him very tired, but he was never grumpy and would always make the effort to go out on their walks.
However as time moved on Tommy realised that Bruno needed help to get around and that is how they started using the Buggie. As Bruno was quite big , they got a special trailer and Tedi and Bruno would sit on it and gaze out at the countryside.
Eventually though they had to say their goodbyes to Bruno, and he was laid to rest in one of Tedi and Bruno’s favourite places, which had a view of the House and the Lake.
Today the buggie without the trailer trundled up a steep incline towards the spot where there was a bench to sit on and a small headstone for Bruno. They had left the driveway and were on the grass. Tedi sat on the seat beside Tommy , it was a bit uncomfortable and he was thrown a lot from side to side , he loved it and he occasionally gazed at Tommy.
” You alright” Tommy would say and Tedi would look up at him with his big puppy dog eyes.
” Not long now”
As soon as they arrived at the top of the hill, Tedi hopped out, he could sense Bruno’s presence and he was excited to be in their special place. Tommy walked over to the bench , which had a little plaque on it .
” Bruno’s Bench”
Tommy sat down and stretched his legs as he was getting quite tall. He gazed at the view, it was magnificent , the sun had nearly risen completely and the lake glistened.
Tedi scurried around and sniffed and licked, while Tommy sat and relaxed.
The estate would be Tommy’s when Tedi passed, a Trust had been set up and Tommy would inherit the Palace and the Estate. Cross knew that he could trust Tommy, especially after what Tommy and Tedi had been through together. The estate would be in good hands. Cross realised that Tommy saw the beauty of what he would inherit, it wasn’t about the land or the money. It was a special place to all of them and Tommy would ensure it was looked after.
Cross sat by the phone on his desk and gazed out the window from his office hoping to get some news on the whereabouts of the dogs. He distracted himself by looking at the view up the long drive to the House . In the far off distance he thought he saw a small dot moving closer to the house and gradually the small dot became a silhouette of some large dogs, a small dog and a little boy. Dawn had broken and the birds were chirping. The sun was rising behind the little group and the grey drive gradually became bathed in sunshine and appeared to glow beside the trees that lined it . As the colours of the day returned, Cross realised that at the front of the little group there was a little white dog leading the way.
“Teds!”
He immediately got out of his chair , ran out of his office and down the stairs to the front door. He was shouting.
“They’re back, they’re back!” He sprinted down the drive way.
Lettie and the Cook heard him, the Cook appeared out of the kitchen with her hands all covered in flour as she’d been baking bread. Lettie realised what was happening and went and got some camera gear and some dog collars and leads from the storeroom.
Cross ran as fast as he could and as he got closer was getting more and more out of breath.
Meanwhile Tedi and the others kept their pace as they were very tired and just wanted to keep going particularly for Tommy’s sake as they knew he needed proper food and a bed. The little boy had done very well , but they were scared he might be sick and knew that he certainly couldn’t run. So they kept walking and everyone stayed together.
James was out walking his new arrival who began to pull on his lead and whine when he saw his friends.
” Hey boy, what’s up?” James said to him, and then looked in the direction the dog was pulling.
” Wow, Good Boy, you want to go and see your friends, steady!” James held the dog on the lead but started heading towards the little group.
Tedi meanwhile had spotted Cross running towards him, it was the best sight ever, he still stayed with his little group but Tedi had a smile on his face, he was home, very tired, very hungry and he thought he might have picked up some fleas or tics and would be so grateful to have his regular worming tablet , but he was home.
Cross reached him and picked him up off the ground in his arms.
“Oh my boy, it’s good to see you!” Cross picked Tedi up and hugged him ,Tedi was light as a feather and had lost quite a bit of weight . He put him down when he noticed the other dogs and the little boy were not too sure what would happen next. Tedi was safe but were they?
“And these must be your friends, come on , come on into the house, you look as if you could do with a good meal!” Cross, though , realised that he would need to contact the doctor and the vet as soon as possible.
James arrived with the other dog and Bruno in particular was very pleased to see him, the other dog let Bruno know that everything was fine here, there was good food and the people were very nice and there was plenty of room for everyone.
Lettie arrived with some collars and leads but they weren’t necessary, all the animals were so tired that they just followed Tedi. Lettie noticed Tommy and his rucksack , she walked over to him and said.
” Hello, what’s your name?”
” Tommy” Tommy said looking up with his big eyes at Lettie.
“Do you want me to carry your rucksack, you look very tired, do you want some breakfast?” Lettie smiled at the little boy.
” Yes please” Tommy replied.” Be careful though it’s got a little fox in it , I rescued it , I’ve given it water and a little food, it’s got a sore leg.”
Lettie , took the rucksack, which wriggled and took Tommy by the hand and began to lead him up to the House. They were just passing by James and Lettie looked down at Tommy and said.
“I’m going to give your little Fox to James, he will look after it and we’ll go and see him after you’ve had breakfast and a bath , is that alright?”
James let the dog he was with , off the lead as it obviously wanted to be with the other dogs and he watched as they all nuzzled each other, glad to know they were safe. He took the fox and when he got back to the House put it in a secure cage with some food and water and made it as comfortable as possible. He then took one of the House vehicles back to collect the dogs who now they knew they were safe were resting on the grass. When he arrived back with the vehicle the dogs all hopped in straight away and Tommy got in the front with Lettie and James.
Once back at the House, word had got around that ” Tedi was back”.
Trinnie was the first down the stairs, but she couldn’t believe how thin and unkempt her Tedi had become. She went over and sniffed him and licked his face, he in turn greeted her and let her know he was very glad to be back home. Then all the other House dogs appeared and there was utter pandemonium
Meanwhile James went and rang the vets as all the dogs would need to be assessed, and Cross and the cook arranged food bowls and water bowls in the drawing room along with some cushions and blankets that the dogs could lie on. The sun shone through the big curtained windows of the drawing room and it was warm and clean and Bruno and his friends could not believe their luck. They ate a little and drank, but mainly they wanted just to lie in the warm sun and have a sleep.
Tedi , Cross and Lettie went upstairs to the office with Tommy. They would have to decide what to do with the little boy, but in the meantime , what he needed was a good bath and to go to bed. They’d get the doctor to visit in the afternoon.
” Thank you , ” was all Tommy could say, he was very tired and barely could stay awake. They found some fresh pyjamas and tucked him into bed near Lettie ‘s room and Lettie stayed with him just in case he woke up and needed something. In truth Tommy had been too tired to eat.
Meanwhile the dogs and Tommy made good progress, fortunately Tedi’s navigation brought them through two Country Parks, they were called Langley Country Park and Black Country Park. They were safe places for the dogs to be , the weather was pleasant and not too cold even though it was night time, there was good ground coverage of trees and shrubs that they could all hide when necessary.
Bruno kept watch all the time, he was wary of people , however as they walked through the woodland and across the heathland of South Buckinghamshire, the only thing they could hear and see was the nocturnal wildlife that surrounded them. There were many bats flying around , the dogs listened as they whizzed through the air. Tommy wasn’t frightened as the dogs didn’t seem bothered by them and increasingly as Tommy’s eyes became accustomed to the dark, he began to see more and more.
There were lots of voles wandering around, they smelt the dogs and would move back into their little burrows, but the mice seemed oblivious and scurried around in the twigs and moss underneath their feet. Tommy heard and saw frogs and toads, and the air was full of insects, which buzzed around them and drove the bats crazy. Hedgehogs wandered back and forward scurrying along and sometimes you could hear them crunching on the shells of snails and munching on slugs.
Bruno signalled to Tommy that he wanted to go off alone, so Tommy untied himself. Tedi understood and stayed close to Tommy, they were both at the front. They heard a scurrying and snuffling sound that was near them as they approached some woodland. They had came across a Badger Sett, which had a few families of badgers within it, all the families were out , looking for food and getting some fresh air, the cubs were playing and although the parents heard the approach of Tommy and the group , they were not frightened. To the badgers, the little group were part of nature, they smelt just like them. So Tommy gleefully looked on as he walked by and saw the cubs wrestling and playing and screeching and squeaking.
Tedi though kept up the pace, and Tommy kept going, as they walked through the woodland they noticed picnic tables where food had been dropped and apart from Tommy who had a rucksack with fresh food in it, the dogs scavenged a little, but it was not the best of food and they were wary of getting sick. As Tedi explained to them, it wouldn’t be long before they’d have the best of food and a nice bed to lie in.
They reached the end of the wood and Tedi looked up in the sky and checked the stars against his internal GPS.
” Yes, we are heading in the right direction”. He thought to himself.
The terrain they came to after the forest was known as the Carr, it was a landform that is a type of waterlogged wooded terrain, that is a precursor to the formation of land. The land became marshy and there were a lot of shrubs. The dogs sensed the wetness and tried their best to find a way that wasn’t too marshy.
It was then that a group of Roe Deer appeared in the distance being chased by Bruno. Tommy watched fascinated as Bruno ran around them and chased them backwards and forwards. They were getting tired and Bruno was going at full pelt. Tedi and the other dogs looked in awe, however , they all stood still as they knew what was coming next.
One of the deer slipped in the muddy ground and fell and within moments , Bruno , being the Podenco he was , jumped on him and the other deer ran even faster away from the inevitable fate of one of their own.
“What is he doing?” Tommy asked. Tedi looked at him , he couldn’t explain it , it was nature, it was a natural instinct in hunting dogs. The deer would make a good meal for the dogs and then they would be on their way.
By the time they reached Bruno , the deer was dead and Bruno signalled to the dogs to have their fill. Tommy wandered off to a nearby stream so he wouldn’t see them eat and then joined the other dogs. The meat was delicious and by the time they had finished there was nothing left apart from the bones. There was no denying it , it was the best meal any of them had ever had.
It gave them energy for the next phase of their journey and Tommy had understood the importance to them and that it was natural. However, he was certainly put off when he saw the faces of the dogs all covered in blood and led them back to where he had been sitting to have a drink and he helped them clean up. As soon as this was done they continued on their journey, the dogs with renewed energy. Bruno dutifully linked up with Tommy as before. It was going to be hard for the little boy and he needed all the help he could get.
They walked through the marshy area and through more forest until eventually they came to a car park at the end of the Country Park. The moon had disappeared and the first birds were beginning to sing. They would need to find somewhere to shelter as Tedi and the other dogs could smell rain in the air. Bruno thought that it would be best if they followed the road, there weren’t many cars at this time of night. So they padded along gently heading West. Whenever they saw the lights of a car or a delivery van they hid in the undergrowth beside the road.
They came to what looked like an abandoned farm, there were many buildings that looked disused. It was three hours since they left the Country Park and they were all tired and it was getting light. Tedi and Bruno , said to the others to wait while they checked the farm out. Luckily quite near the road was an old barn, which had straw in it , but no sign of any other animals.
” This will do” Tedi said,” We can stay here until it’s dark again tonight and tomorrow we will be home.”
Bruno went off to get the others. They were all ready for a sleep, but it was agreed that one dog would stay awake and be on guard to listen out for anything untoward. So they lay down together, while each dog took turns guarding to protect the others while they were asleep.
Tommy was exhausted and after having some of the juice he had in his rucksack and a sandwich, he fell asleep almost immediately and slept soundly. Bruno lay beside him to keep him warm.
On Friday morning Chief Superintendent Napper drove up the long driveway to the ” House” . He was driving his wife’s car to maintain the status that the Police were not involved, even if he knew Tedi was not in danger , at least from the kidnappers.
It was a pleasant day and the Superintendent was pleased to say that he had some good news. There had been a two or three reports of sightings of a white dog with a small boy and it appeared that they had travelled out of London and had been spotted with some other dogs. The little group had so far evaded capture and seemed to be heading West. Increasingly the Chief Superintendent felt that Tedi was heading home. Even better he had CCTV photographs of the little gang which he felt would reassure Cross.
Napper was intent on getting the kidnappers, he hated kidnappers with a vengeance. One of his most difficult cases was a kidnapping that was never resolved to Napper’s satisfaction. So he was determined to get the person responsible . This was an opportunity to get the main protagonist and he had to persuade Cross to follow his plan. He felt Cross would be reassured that they could proceed with the plan without endangering the little dog.
” So there you are” Napper handed Cross and Letitia the photographs.
” Yes, that’s definately him! ” Cross and Letitia gasped. ” I don’t know the other dogs with him or the little boy”.
“They seem to mainly travel at night, how they got out of London and crossed the Motorway without being killed, I don’t know, but now we’re beginning to get reports from the smaller villages. Some people have reported the dogs sleeping in their outhouses and have given them food and water. The little boy has stayed out of the way when people are around, might be he’s scared someone will catch him. Either way , they’re covering a lot of ground , about twenty miles a day.”
” Is there nothing we can do, put out a search party, posters anything?” Cross asked.
” If you don’t mind, they seem to be doing OK, we can’t say anything yet, I want to get this kidnapper, you said that you were getting a call at 6.00 o’clock tonight , to arrange a rendezvous to hand over the money. “
The Chief Superintendent continued.” You’ll get full backing and I’ll get whoever is behind this. I’m pretty certain the kidnapper will ask for a meeting tonight. We’re going to fill a suitcase full of monopoly money and a little surprise, the techhie people will brief you. You know he hasn’t got the dog, but you can bluff it. Whoever the kidnapper is , they aren’t going to trust their underlings with ” a million smackers”. The Chief Superintendent smiled.
So Cross took the call as agreed at 6.00pm, the technicians were listening in and gathering evidence. They managed to trace the call to a telephone box in Oxford, and the local Police , once they knew the coast was clear , followed through and took finger prints from the phone in the box. It was a long shot but it had to be done.
The kidnapper was oblivious to all this evidence gathering and was pleased with himself for setting up the rendezvous. He would handle this alone, he would have some dinner at a local restaurant and then make his way to the Industrial Estate he had chosen for the money to be handed over and agreed Ten O’clock. He would bring a little white dog which looked like Tedi, it was in the back of his car. In the dark no one would know and anyway if there was any trouble he would use his gun.
Cross was in his car , waiting at the agreed Rendezvous spot in the middle of the Industrial Estate the kidnapper had requested. Cross had been waiting in his car for ten minutes , when the kidnappers car pulled up beside him.
Cross rolled down his window.
” You got the money in small bills in a suitcase.”
” Yes, I have, let me see my dog.”
” Look he’s there in the back, happy as Larry to see you he is.”
” It’s very dark, but yes , I can see his tail wagging, so he’s alright then?” Cross played along.
” He’s fine” The man took out a gun and said to Cross. ” Get out of the car, I’ll check the suitcase on the bonnet, no funny business, you’ve seen the dog”.
” Yes , that’s fine.” Cross wasn’t worried about the weapon, in his youth, he’d looked after many shooting parties, there wasn’t much he didn’t know about guns.
Lettie, however, was in the Chief Superintendent’s car watching on videocam and she was very worried.
” Oh no!” she put her hand to her mouth.
” Be careful everyone, suspect has a gun. Approach with care, but move fast if anything untoward happens. Listen for instructions and act when I give the command.” The Chief Superintendent said over the radio.
” Untoward?” Lettie looked at Napper.
In the meantime Cross had got out of the car with the suitcase in his hands and moved to the front of the car to lay the suitcase on top of the bonnet.
The kidnapper moved beside him but keeping his distance and pointing his gun at him.
“Open it”
” Surely that isn’t necessary, I hardly would have come here by myself without the money.”
” I wasn’t born yesterday mate, you posh ones are all the same, forget it , there’s no honour among thieves. “
” What ? What Century do you think we’re living in” Cross looked at him calmly.
” Open it!”
” Alright” Cross moved his hands towards the two locks on the suitcase.
As he pressed the locks, the case flew open and jets of orange gas spewed into the atmosphere.
” Go!” Napper shouted on the radio.
Meanwhile Cross jumped behind the passenger side of his car, and ran around the back . At the same time covering his face with the mask he had in his pocket. He ran around the back of his car over to the kidnappers car.
The Police came from everywhere, they shouted at the kidnapper to put his weapon down.
The kidnapper’s eyes were streaming and he couldn’t see a thing, the Police shone a beam of light on him and watched as the kidnapper threw the gun on the ground and bent over and began rubbing his eyes. The Police officers grabbed his arms and moved him away from the gas towards a wall of a building and then searched him.
The message came over the radio. ” Suspect detained. Weapon retrieved, cleared of live ammunition and bagged for evidence.”
” Right , lets go and see this fellow.” Napper said to Lettie.
“Is that OK? Well I’d appreciate it, I mean I ….”
” Right come on….” The Chief Superintendent said gruffly, he had cottoned on to the fact that Lettie was fond of Cross.
So as Napper walked up to the officers who had handcuffed the kidnapper, Cross appeared with a little white dog in his arms.
” I’ve no idea who this is ” He said to Lettie.
Lettie looked at him relieved and petted the little dog on the head.
” Are you alright?” she asked, really meaning Cross but looking at the dog.
” He’s fine, fortunately I got him into the fresh air before he breathed in any of the orange gas.”
” And how about you, you OK?” Lettie enquired .
” Oh yes, I think it all went to plan what do you think?”
” Sounded pretty good.”
They both looked over at the man in handcuffs being questioned by Chief Superintendent Napper. They spoke to some of the other officers involved and checked if it was alright for them to return home. The Chief Superintendent would be occupied for quite some time and while Cross and Lettie wanted the go ahead to start the Publicity to find Tedi and his gang. It was agreed they would speak to the Chief Superintendent tomorrow. So they said their goodbyes to the officers and some of the technical staff and headed back to the Palace with the new addition to their brood, James would be delighted and they had already decided he would be called ” Napper”
Tedi looked at the frail little boy that was Tommy and wondered how they were ever going to make it. Still ,Tedi’s homing instinct was very strong, he knew he had to just keep going. It was three O’clock in the afternoon and he knew the right direction to go. Tedi got up and Tommy followed him.
They walked along streets and alleyways heading towards what everyone would know as the North Circular, fortunately there were a lot of cafes and shops along the route where they were going. Food seemed to have been dropped everywhere and now and then Tedi stopped and ate what he found on the ground which was actually quite tasty, there were meat sandwiches, burgers and fries and his favourite fish and chips. Tommy couldn’t eat that , but he was quite capable of going into shops and shop lifting, he knew how to get in without being noticed and he came out with all sorts of things , drinks and food, even a dog bowl to put water in and finally a rucksack to put everything in.
However, one observant shop keeper, spotted Tommy and nearly caught him. Tedi was just having a wee when he saw Tommy running out of the shop being chased by three young men.
” Ooops” Tedi thought” and started running too, Tommy followed him. They crossed roads dodging the traffic and came to a load of abandoned road works, there were lots of signs but no one working on them. Tedi popped behind one of the big orange signs and onto the edge of one of the holes Tommy followed him. They hunkered down and waited for the men to pass.
The men were were quite out of breath, but still managed to talk to each other.
” We should report it to the Police, a little boy out on his own like that with a little white dog. It’s not right.” Said one of the men.
” Yes, poor little blighter , the little boy was skin and bone, ran like the wind though, best report it , someone might be looking for him.” One of the men gasped.
And so Chief Superintendent Napper, got the report of the little dog and a boy who matched the description of Tedi and Tommy and it looked like they were heading West out of London.
” That’s going to make the meeting with the kidnappers very interesting, I think I’ll pop in and see Mr Cross later on today. He’ll be glad to know that I don’t think that the kidnappers have the dog either.” Napper thought to himself, and decided to issue a request for other nearby Police Forces to report any sightings of a small white dog accompanied by a little frail boy.
So Tedi and Tommy sheltered behind the roadworks for a while and then continued their journey. The roads were very busy , it was getting to five o’clock and everyone was going home from work. It would be light until about seven O’clock and Tedi was beginning to feel tired, he knew he’d rather travel at night as it would be safer and less likely to attract attention. Also he needed the stars and the moon to help him navigate, he couldn’t rely on them but if he could see them it would reassure him.
Tedi decided that as they were near some very big concrete roads that they would find a culvert and hopefully find somewhere comfortable for him and Tommy to hide and have some rest.
Tommy was slowing down and he was really grateful when Tedi made a left turn and went under a bridge. Someone had discarded loads of cardboard and Tedi and Tommy were able to gather it up and protect themselves from the hard ground. The traffic was very noisy , but Tommy had something to drink and put some water in Tedi’s bowl and then they lay down, hidden from everyone and they both fell asleep , cuddling each other to stay warm.
They woke up at midnight, much longer than they intended sleeping. Tedi was woken by a paw in his face, it was a large brown mongrel who was fast asleep on the cardboard beside him. Tedi opened his eyes and raised his head to see four other dogs huddled together with Tommy and him. Despite being a chilly night they were all very cosy and all the dogs were snoring gently. Tedi looked at Tommy and saw how comfortable the little boy was cuddled up to the dogs.
Tedi wanted to get up and moved out of the way of the large brown dog, who he later found out was called Bruno. Bruno woke up and in a few minutes both dogs knew each others history. Bruno looked after the other four dogs with him, they’d been strays in London for a long while. Bruno found out Tedi was heading back to the Countryside and Bruno asked him if he and his friends could go with them. Tedi liked the idea immediately and said yes.
Tedi explained that he wanted to set off while it was still dark and his plan was to find shelter, food and water on the way. Bruno told him he knew the best way to get out of London and that there were loads of tunnels under the motorway that they could go through in safety and he knew a lot of the towns on the way to the Countryside. Bruno had had enough of London and it’s business and pollution. He wanted to live like a Lord like Tedi. Tedi said he would see what he could do. He really liked Bruno.
And so , one by one they woke up the little pack of dogs and finally they woke Tommy up who was very reluctant to get up . Tommy yawned, but brightened up when he saw the dogs, and patted each one and said hello. Bruno was nearly as big as Tommy, and Tommy hugged him.
Before finally leaving , Tommy opened up his rucksack and got some water for the dogs and some sausages, and Tommy drank a small carton of fruit juice he’d taken from one of the shops and an out of date bacon lettuce and tomato sandwich for himself which he ate, throwing small bits of bacon to the dogs who were delighted.
So guided by Bruno and the night stars, Tedi, Tommy and Bruno passed underneath the big motorway and began their journey into the Countryside.
“Hello Letitia, it’s Cross” Cross sounded grumpy and gruff.
Lettie held the phone to her ear; she had tried to get Cross to be a bit more relaxed and cheerful and recently she thought she’d cracked it , but he was back to his old ways. Then, she thought, something was wrong as she listened to the tone of his voice.
” You OK what’s the matter?”. Lettie asked.
” Tedi’s been kidnapped”.
” What?” Lettie nearly dropped the phone.
” Yes, this afternoon, he’s been taken, I haven’t heard anything yet, but I know they took him about 11am today and I know the car registration. I was wondering if you had any idea what I should do ?”.
” Good Grief, have you contacted the Police?”
” I wanted to run that by you, do you think I should? Suppose the kidnappers do something , you know if the police turned up at their door ,they might hurt him, it might make things worse. I don’t know.”
“It’s difficult , there’s bound to be a ransom demand, you’re right I don’t think they’ll harm him as long as they think they’ll get some money out of it. You say you’ve got the registration number of the car he was taken in. Here give it to me , I’ll make a few discrete phone calls and I’ll ring you back.”
Cross gave Lettie the Registration Number .
” Leave it with me I won’t be long , I’ll ring you back, for the moment we’ll keep this quiet, let me know if you hear anything.” Lettie said and hung up.
Once Cross came off the phone , a message came through from downstairs that a Parcel had been delivered and it was marked urgent. Cross ran downstairs, James had the parcel in his hand.
” Did you see who brought it ?”
” Yes it was the normal DPD Driver, is everything OK?” James asked.
” Unfortunately not, Tedi was taken at about 11am today from the village, we think he’s been kidnapped. I think this parcel might be to do with it.”
Cross and James opened the Parcel, it was just a normal sized box, all that was in it was Tedi’s collar.
” Damn, nothing else, no demand , no ransom.” Cross looked hopelessly at James.
” I’ve asked Lettie to find out what she can, I want to keep this quiet until she let’s me know what to do, we’ve got the reg number of the car he was taken in. James I need you to continue as if nothing is wrong, radio silence for the moment, try and keep everyone sweet, not asking too many questions. Do your best . I’ll keep you up to date, but for the moment if you see anything suspicious let me know.”
James nodded.
Later that evening , Lettie rang Cross.
” Police are involved but only low profile.” She said” Watts has got a friend whose high up and he’s in the process of following up on what we know so far. They reckon you’ll get a ransom demand soon. Have you heard anything?”
” We had a parcel delivered about an hour ago, DPD, a box , it had Tedi’s collar in it, no message just his collar.” Cross spoke softly.
” Right, well that’s a start, look I’ll let Watts know, I’m sure the Police will be able to track that parcel, but for the moment I don’t want the kidnappers to know we know anything about them.”
” OK, that makes sense. We’ve done what we can for the moment.”
” Yes, I’ll be over tomorrow morning, try and get some sleep. Night. ” Lettie pressed the call finished button.
Cross, put his phone down in silence and looked at Tedi’s collar and just hoped that everything would be OK.
The next day , Lettie and Watts arrived and Cross was downstairs having breakfast, the post had arrived and indeed there was a ransom letter among the post.
“If you want your little dog back send us a ÂŁ1million”
“Details to follow.”
It was printed on plain printer paper with no signature, the envelope it came in was plain brown and it had some stains on it. Cross had put everything in a plastic bag , just in case there were any clues that the Police might be able to follow up on. Lettie poured herself a cup of tea and sat down at the table with Cross and Watts.
“You know, I think I’m going to find Arthur and have a word with him, I’m pretty certain this is his doing.” She placed her tea cup on the table quite forcefully, she was annoyed.
Cross looked at her. ” As long as you stay safe, if it is his doing he’s going to be mixed up with some pretty bad people. Anyway do you know where he’s living now?”
” No, but I’ve got a fair idea where I can find him this afternoon, he’ll be drinking in his local”
” Do you want me to come?” Cross said.
” Probably best not to, I think he’ll only talk to me . I won’t want to give anything away, I might have to make up a story about not been able to find some pictures I need from back in the day, I mean he probably needs money, I’ll sweet talk him, to see if he knows anything.”
” OK” Cross thought it was worth following up on and the cover story seemed credible.
“I’m going to drive over to Police HQ with the ransom letter and the collar” Watts interjected ” It’s just another part of the jigsaw. You want to come with me?”
” Yes, that ‘d be good”. Cross finished his cup of tea, he was relieved to be able to do something other than wait.
While Watts and Cross were on their way to Police HQ . The Detectives had been busy discussing their progress in one of the meeting rooms with their Chief Superintendent. The registration plate number was false, but the Police were able to trace the garage that had made the fake number plates. All number plates have a digital code on them and it was picked up by the digital camera used to take a picture of the car when it was leaving the village.
The garage that had supplied the stolen black car that the kidnappers had used had also printed the fake number plates. The black car was a very distinctive model, and with a bit of detective work , there was enough to interview under caution the owner of the garage, and he sang like a canary. Within minutes the Police had a name and an address of who had paid for the car and the number plates. They had it from on high to tread carefully so they hadn’t followed up on that yet.
When Watts and Cross arrived at Police HQ , they handed over the ransom note and the box with the collar in it to the front desk .These would be checked for DNA and any other samples that might indicate the origin. Watts and Cross were in the Chief Superintendent’s Office when he came in after his meeting with his detectives.
Chief Superintendent Napper was a good friend of Watts, they had been at school together and had kept in touch. Watts introduced Cross to Napper and the Chief Superintendent gave them an update.
“Well, that number plate has been significant. I don’t think we’re dealing with anyone very sophisticated here, my only problem is the little dog’s safety, it’ll take minutes to get in a building but seconds to dispose of the evidence. So although, we have enough information to do a raid or at least arrest someone, who to be truthful has form and has done similar things in the past. In order to achieve what we all want I’m going to tread carefully. I don’t think we’re dealing with the brightest of sparks, but I want a successful conclusion for everyone involved.”
The Chief continued. “The ransom note still doesn’t detail where the ransom is to be sent, so you’re going to hear from them again. Perhaps the next communication will tell us what our next step will be. In the meantime we’ve got a few properties in the London area that we will be watching. We know who our man is. I just need you , Mr Cross, to be calm and collected and I assure you we will get that little dog back safely.”
The Chief Superintendent opened a drawer on his desk and handed Cross a mobile phone.
” Here let me know personally anything that you hear, it’ll speed everything up.” Cross took the phone and put it in his pocket.
Lettie and Cross had gone out to dinner, they were an item now. The dogs had watched as boring old Cross had been smitten by Lettie, they had spent a lot of time working together and they got on so well that the dogs all knew that it was inevitable that there would be a boring “romance”. The dogs thought it was a very long drawn out process, and apparently Lettie and Cross were now engaged.
Lettie had suggested to Cross that Tedi write his memoirs, so now and then Cross would sit down with Tedi and they would write down all their adventures together. Tedi’s memory was very good , perhaps too good and they had arrived at a point in his story that was difficult for both Tedi and Cross and had stopped for the evening. It had been a relief for Tedi , when Cross told him that he had a “date” with Lettie.
So now Tedi found himself sitting in his chair with those around him he knew he could trust. There was a few missing and that was part of his story too. He couldn’t help but think back to what had happened.
It had all started with Arthur, he had really grown to hate Tedi and blamed him for losing his job with Lettie. But Lettie had decided enough was enough when after numerous warnings Arthur turned up one day drunk. It appeared he’d been spending a lot of time in the local pub and had got in with a bad crowd.
Things had gone from bad to worse for Arthur when he lost his job. He had sold all his camera gear and was a regular in the pub, so regular that he was well known and one night he was approached by a man , who wanted to know all about the “little dog “who lived in the Big House.
Of course , Arthur knew everything that the man needed to know. The layout of the house , Tedi’s routine, where he went during the day , who he went with. Despite Cross trying to make everything as secure as possible Tedi was a free spirit and liked to go out with his friends. Arthur had spent months following him around when he worked for Lettie and it wasn’t long before the stranger had a good idea where Tedi’s favourite places were.
Tedi remembered very clearly the day he was kidnapped , he’d been around to Fred’s and had stayed a while , Fred hadn’t been well and there was talk of getting a new puppy, which had worried Fred. When Tedi left him and was making his way along the high street in the village Tedi noticed the black car pull up beside him. At first he thought nothing of it , but it was when two men jumped out and tried to grab him that he realised something was terribly wrong.
Luckily , he was able to dodge out of their way and ran down the street, the two men chased him and unfortunately Tedi made a wrong turning and ended up in an alleyway which was blocked at one end. He tried to jump over the fence but it was too high and the next thing was he was bundled into a black bag and shoved into the back of a car.
” Got him” said one of the men.
” Careful, Jack, he’s worth a fortune, we’ve got to look after him.”
And so it was Tedi was brought to a secure house somewhere in London, he was left alone in a room , it was cold and he was given his food in a bowl once a day and fresh water every two or three days. The conditions were not very good. He was let out in the garden late at night and early morning , but other than that he didn’t get any fresh air or walks. The people who were in the house didn’t pay any attention to him and Tedi was very much left alone. It was a very sad time for Tedi, because there wasn’t a lot he could do.
Meanwhile back at the Palace, it wasn’t until later on that evening that Cross realised something was seriously wrong. Tedi was nowhere to be seen and none of the other dogs knew where he was. Trinnie was very upset as she worshipped Tedi, but she managed to point to Fred on one of the pictures of the “Big Show” on the wall to signal to Cross that Tedi had said he was going to visit Fred.
Cross rang Fred’s owner immediately who confirmed Tedi had been there, but had left ages ago. Cross drove over to Fred’s house and looked in the immediate area, there was no sign. However, three of the local dogs who lived near Fred came out of their houses , they had seen what happened through their windows, one of them had even managed by barking and making a fuss to get their owner to take the registration of the “suspicious car” they had seen the bad men throw the black bag in the back.
It took some time for Cross to understand what the three dogs were trying to tell him, one of them took him down the alleyway and showed where Tedi had been captured; the little dog did the actions of trying to jump over the fence , so that Cross would understand that Tedi was trying to escape and that something bad had happened to him.
The other two dogs , who both lived in the same house, got Cross to follow them home and once Cross had spoken to their owner, the realisation that Tedi had been kidnapped finally hit home . The two dogs were very excited and calmed down once the owner had passed the details of the Car registration to Cross and also there was an added benefit that the owner had seen the two men and were able to describe them. The two dogs licked the owners hand they were so happy that the owner was able to pass the information on.
The first person Cross rang was Lettie. He couldn’t handle this alone.
At 7.00pm exactly on Friday evening, Sandy opened the door and was relieved to see Maria Turner standing there. Martin had gone out to collect the twins from his parents who had been twin sitting.
Sandy beckoned Maria in quickly and closed the door. ” I’m so pleased you’ve came Maria , we are so worried We haven’t heard anything from Alex. Come on in.”
Maria walked through into the kitchen ; turned to Sandy and handed her a letter.It was addressed to Mummy and Daddy and was in a child’s unsteady hand. It was a letter from Alex.
Sandy sat down at the table , the letter wasn’t sealed and she opened it up and began to read it.
” Do you have time for a cup of tea Maria. ” Sandy looked up at Maria .
” Yes , that would be lovely I’ll make it, you read Alex’s letter.”
Maria began to fill the kettle and took the mugs off the mug tree. Sandy gave a sharp intake of breath.
“How does he know? How does he know? Alex says there were bad people trying to catch him!” she looked up at Maria.
” Keep reading Sandy, he tells the story really well. We lost 90% of the children and a lot of key staff but they managed to rescue some including Alex. ” Maria put the mugs of tea on the table.
Sandy continued reading the letter, it was two pages written on both sides. She looked up at Maria. “Where is Alex now, is he safe?”
” Yes, as safe as we can make it. He’s in good hands.” Maria passed one of the mugs of tea to Sandy.
” Alex says he was on an underground train.”
“Yes , it was quite an adventure for him. He was, I’m told, very brave and was very upset about losing so many of his friends. He is quite the little soldier. If he survives he will be one of our protectors. Even at the age of six he knows that we are fighting a Great Evil.”
” Oh Maria, if he survives!” Sandy cried.” Who can tell with all this turmoil, how can they keep up his meds, suppose he has a relapse and starts fitting again. I mean he was doing well, but what will happen now?”
Maria replied.” All our locations are exceptional and have exceptional people in them. All knowledge is shared, one of the last things Dr King did before he was captured was forward the details of the cases he was dealing with to a virtual server. The information has been accessed and the server destroyed. Alex is still healthy , our other more dependant patients were not so lucky.”
” How did they find the location , Maria?” Sandy asked.
” We don’t know, there’s always the potential for a clink in the armour , a leak. To be truthful it’s getting harder for us all the time. It was very bad though, we’ve lost some good people , like Dr King for example. The cover of P.NeelOrganic Greengrocers is blown, so no more deliveries from now on; keep a look out for anyone following you or watching the house. We need you still to make the payments , we’ll use the emergency phone to send you the account details to pay the money into each week. Same as before.”
” Yes , that isn’t any problem, we can do that.What will happen to Dr King?”
” That is something we just don’t know. We’ve never been in a position to find out , but we are hoping that you ,Sandy ,might be able to help us.” Maria looked at Sandy.
” Me , how ?” Sandy looked puzzled.
” We think because of your job that you might have a chance to find out. You may be able to go undercover and find out where they are taking our people and what they are doing with them. William King is not the first. There have been a number of disappearances and we simply don’t know what happens to them.”
” How do you mean?”
” Well I’m aware of some of your work you’ve been doing recently. Investigative work about Modern Day Case Histories of the Miraculous Cures of Genetic Disorders that are promoted as a cover to stop people finding out what they are really doing and what a Global Tragedy this is.”
” I’ve been given a project at Work, yes, I’m working quite independently, it’s supposed to be confidential , but how did you know Maria?”
“I was told, one reason we survive is we don’t ask. I know it’s sounds silly on one side we are asking you to ask lots of questions and on the other side we want you to not ask any for your own safety. I don’t know where the information comes from, so I have nothing to hide, you see that keeps us safe as we can be. We want you to try and find out about doctors or medical staff who have ” reformed ” after they were captured. That was all I was asked to find out. We think that these people are not murdered, they might not be the same people with the same motivations before they were captured, but we would like to find them all the same. You at least have an advantage that you know what Doctor King looks like.”
As Sandy listened to Maria, the penny dropped. It would make sense to follow that path. Gerry had opened that door for her. The initial research she had being doing was historical and based on factual information she knew she was being fed information to ensure the current status quo of Genetic Cleansing was supported. She had tried to push for the truth but that would never be forthcoming. She realised she had to change tack. Sandy needed to integrate herself into the mechanism’s and vehicles of this deadly organisation, and become one of them. They wanted to justify their reasoning and Sandy was going to give them every opportunity to do it. She would pitch her idea to Gerry to film a programme about the ” Organisation” and the good work it does to protect future generations from contamination with faulty genetic material. She still didn’t trust Gerry as far as she could throw him, but she had a chance to help and she didn’t need to give it a second thought.
” Maria, I understand now, and I can help, I’d be only too glad too. I’ve been reluctant to follow through on some stories because I felt I was being used for propaganda , but I wonder if I towed the line what else I could find out, I’ve had some invitations, conferences , hospital visits and seminars, maybe I need to start following through with those. As far as they are concerned I’m just another Media contact for them to promote their cause.” Sandy finished her mug of tea and began to stand up.
Maria began to stand up too.” Sandy thank you.” She looked at Sandy and hugged her tightly, as she moved away she clasped both of Sandy’s hands in hers and said.
” I have to go now, but rest assured Alex is in safe hands and I’ll let you know when I can, how he is getting on. Keep the phone we gave you on charge, it might be the only way that we can stay in touch. In the meantime we need the money, We’ve had a lot of unplanned expenses over the last few weeks.”
Sandy thought perhaps she needed to explain about where the money was coming from.
” If you need more let me know, just text me the amount and where you want it to go. Alex is not Martin’s child, the father is an executive at Sunshine Media. We had to blackmail him to get the money, but he is now a very wealthy man and the money supply is endless and untraceable. Mainly from gambling. I think.”
Maria looked perturbed. ” How much have you told him and do you trust him?” They both walked towards the front door.
“I’ve told him that Alex is being looked after and it is very expensive. Alex is his only son and he wants what’s best for him it appears. I’ve only told him what I know and as you say that isn’t that much. It was his idea to give me the project to work on and in the back of my mind I worry that he is the chink in the armour, but without his money we can’t do anything. So I’m being careful with him. I’ll never trust him completely. “
” Good , perhaps we have no other option. Good luck, I’ll be back in touch when I can. Goodbye.” Maria opened the front door and quickly disappeared into the night.
As Sandy shut the door she realised that she had planned to write a short note to Alex and give it to Maria. Sandy opened the door again, but Maria had already disappeared. Sandy closed the door again and walked back into the kitchen. Martin would be home soon. She would tell him all that had happened and that Maria wanted help to trace Dr King. Perhaps he would think it was dangerous , but she didn’t see any other option.” She washed up the mugs and checked the mobile that was on charge and out of site in one of the kitchen drawers.
thenotsomightyom 