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January 20, 2025 · 7:23 am

The Cuckoo In The Nest Chapter 11

A Dystopian Thriller

@GeraldineBanksJanuary2025

Sandy arrived at work one morning to be handed a message that she had an appointment with the Great Gerry Reid at 11.00am.The news had raised a few eyebrows in her highly competitive team, everyone was interested in everyone else’s business. Sandy knew exactly why Gerry wanted to see her. The expense claim, had increased tenfold, Ten thousand pounds. It was going to be the cost of visiting Alex. Maria had confirmed the arrangements. A rendezvous had been arranged, Sandy was, as agreed, going alone.

When she knocked on the door of Gerry’s Office. She heard him shout from inside ” Come In! The door’s open.”

” Thanks Gerry, you wanted to see me?” She smiled and closed the door behind her.

” Sandy. Good. I’m pleased to say the Powers that be liked your piece about Rehabilitation of Offenders at the Archaeological Consultancy your husband works at. Very Powerful Piece they said. Socially Aware. And surprisingly the figures were really good. They’ve told me they’d like to see more of that sort of thing. Coffee?” Gerry stood up and went to the back of his office where the coffee machine was. He continued with his back to Sandy.

“Yes thanks, black please.”

“It’s new ground for us, so you’d be working by yourself for a while, coming up with new ideas and then we can build a team around you… I just wanted to run it by you… It’s only fair why don’t you sit down?”

Sandy sat down in the big leather executive chair opposite Gerry’s desk. When Gerry turned and came back to his desk he handed her a mug of coffee .

“I think it’s a good opportunity for you.” He regarded her with an intense look, that meant he wanted information.

“Yes, it sounds good, I’ve got a weeks holiday coming up, I can start after I come back. If that’s OK?”

” A weeks holiday? I couldn’t help but notice that the expense claim this week is bigger than normal. Have you been able to arrange a visit to see Alex?”

” Yes I have,” Sandy nodded, she was reluctant to share this information but she could hardly deny it. ” I’m going to see him next week”.

” I thought as much, I suppose it’s all very hush , hush. ” Gerry stirred his coffee.

” Oh yes, we work on a need to know basis. I have one meeting point and even that can change at the last minute. I’ll be away for a few days. Martin knows and you do now. No mobile phones, they seem to know what they’re doing. I’m going to be totally off the radar.”

” I’d like to see Alex too one day, my son, I know you think I’m a heartless bastard, but this is gnawing away at my insides. I’m glad to help with the money. I hope the visit goes well, let me know when you get back. I’ve got an office for you, sorry but it’s in the basement. I’m just arranging for it to be converted, it’ll be state of the art.”

” Sounds fine Gerry, I’ll update you on my return. My own office wow!”

Sandy , no longer saw the big important Media Mogul, but the man concerned for the welfare of his son, Gerry had asked her directly which was not usually the way he operated, but she was not letting her guard down. The less said the better.

” Thanks for the coffee, I’ll head back downstairs if you don’t mind , tie up a few loose ends. I wont say anything to the crowd They’ll find out soon enough. I’ll let your secretary have the mug back.” Sandy stood up mug in hand.

” OK Sandy, let me know if you need anything. I’ll make the announcement when you’re away. You can move into your new office when you get back.”

” Sure. “

Gerry became the Media Mogul again , their connection had finished. Sandy left the office and went downstairs. The coffee was very good. She would ask for one of those machines in her new office too. Something told her she was going to need it.

“

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January 20, 2025 · 7:13 am

The Dog That Inherited A Palace Chapter 6

©GeraldineBanksJanuary2025

Tedi saw the vintage Rolls Royce on the drive outside the House. It was always very exciting having visitors.

Cross had asked Mr Watts, who was a friend of Cross, and during his long and successful career had been involved with a lot of Public Relations (PR) Companies to recommend a PR Company to represent Tedi and the House and all the events that were planned.

Watts, as that was how Mr Watts liked to be known suggested a small Company ran by Letitia Morgan called LM Media.

Letitia, Watts and Cross were sitting in the office talking over the plans, when Tedi dashed up the stairs and in through the office door followed by three of four of the other dogs. They had all seen the Vintage Rolls Royce outside the house and were wondering who was visiting.

Tedi had a better idea how to behave and ran straight to Cross’s side and jumped up on his lap, but the other dogs were jumping up and yapping at the visitors. Luckily , Watts and Letitia liked dogs and didn’t mind, but Letitia’s assistant , a man who was a bit nervous of dogs and shooed them away which of course made their behaviour worse.

Cross knew they would get no work done unless the other dogs were removed so, he made a quick call and one of the duty gardeners came up and took them out.

“Sorry about that” Cross smiled. ” As you can probably guess this is Tedi and he is the reason we are here with the sole purpose to continue the Duke and Duchess’s legacy as they intended.”

At that , Tedi looked at each of the three people in the meeting, Watts, Letitia and the other Man whose name was Arthur and was there to take the photographs. Tedi put his paw on the table which meant “OK”.

“At the end of the day what Tedi says goes, I’m obviously here to do most of the talking and any paperwork, but please don’t underestimate this dogs role, he is extremely canny and seems to know instinctively what the Duke and Duchess would have wanted. It’s quite a story how he got here and you are probably aware of the details from the Press.

Letitia bounced up out of her chair. ” Oh Yes, it is quite a story and I’m so glad to meet you, you are quite a star! Tedi”

She stood up and rubbed Tedi’s chin which he loved and looked up at her with his big eyes.

Letitia sat back down and began to speak.

“Well, we see our job as making sure that whatever you want to do is presented to the Public in a timely and comprehensive manner, so that all your hard work and event planning is successful. For a small PR Company , we do have a Global Presence , which I think will help with attracting Global attention and make all your events a success and raise lots of money for the good causes that the Duke and Duchess had in mind. Publicity is key to ensuring a good revenue stream return on all your hard work and assets.”

Letitia smiled and continued.

“In line with what I’ve been told by Watts , I’ve put together a plan, and already have a lot of interest from the big Media Players. So today , if you are in agreement , we are keen to do a photo shoot and set the scene for what Tedi’s day is like,” A day in the life of the ” Richest Dog in Britain.””

“Hhhmm, I’m not too sure I like the idea of ” Richest Dog in Britain”. Cross gave a concerned look at Watts.

” It could lead to a lot of unwanted attention and begging letters or worse attract criminal activity. Let’s stick to his pedigree and his “normal” life as a dog. He does have one you know.” Cross said. He continued. ” Tedi might be the “Head of House”. but he’s also part of the team, as time goes on we want to introduce his team. They all have a story to tell.”

“Well, maybe “Head of the House” is a better idea, I take your point.” Letitia smiled.

Cross said ” We probably won’t get all the photos done today, I’d like some shots of our grounds aswell as the inside of the House”

” Of course , that’ll be fine , Arthur, where would you like to start?” Letitia turned to Arthur, the photographer and general assistant.

Arthur spoke. ” Well that’s a really good shot, with the picture of the Duke and Duchess on the wall behind, Tedi will just need to sit on some cushions and then if he could do that paw thing. I think that would go well with the caption ” The Head of the House”.

” Good Idea, well I’ll let you get on , while Mr Cross and I sort out some details.

” OK”

So Arthur set up his equipment and took the picture of Tedi at the desk and then he followed Tedi around the House taking photos of Tedi in various poses, after an hour Tedi was very bored and was fed up of being poked and prodded so he headed back to sit on Cross’s knee. Letitia and Arthur packed up their things and said goodbye. They had some more dates in their diaries to get some more pictures and come back with more proposals.

Cross suggested to Watts they go downstairs and have some dinner, Tedi thought this was a very good idea and joined them.

He wasn’t able to say to Cross, but he had got a bad feeling about Arthur and wasn’t too happy that he would have to spend more time with him, but the blonde lady had been nice.

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January 13, 2025 · 1:34 am

The Cuckoo In The Nest Chapter 4

@geraldinebanksJanuary2025

A Dystopian Thriller

It was a cold day in January, Martin had just parked his car and was heading into the house. Just as he placed the key in the door a young woman approached him and touched him gently on the shoulder.

“Martin Smith, are you Martin Smith?” She said with an urgency like rapid gun fire.

“Yes, that’s me , what can I do for you?” He turned to look at the person who had approached him, Martin was relieved when she took a step backwards.

“My name is Maria Turner, I know your wife Sandy, I just wanted to let you know that Alex is safe, he is with us.”

This was news Martin did not really want to hear. He turned and faced Maria.

What do you mean? Alex is dead, our son is dead. Who are you? I don’t want you upsetting my wife. We’ve been through enough. We’re OK as we are.” Martin turned and put his hand on the key and turned it , the front door opened.

Maria said sharply.” We’ve got your little boy, we rescued him from them and now we need your help.”

” Alex was taken away from us, he was cared for by the authorities, we couldn’t look after him ourselves. He was a very sick little boy”. He pushed the door open to go into the house.

” Alex is alive” Maria again touched Martin’s elbow, Martin turned around.

Maria continued ” We know you lost the signal, but there is a window of opportunity just before the children go to the final processing stage where we can rescue them from certain death. We were able to do this for Alex. His original chip was removed, he is at one of our secure research and development facilities, being well cared for. It his best chance. The authorities are killing children : “healthy” children. We have to stop them.

Martin had the opportunity to enter the house and close the door on Maria’s face, he chose not to.

“Alex was not a healthy boy, we couldn’t have cared for him. We have two other children now.” He looked at Maria, and reached for the door with his hand to close it.

Maria opened the bag she was carrying and handed him a photo. It was Alex. He looked about four years old now, pale and skinny but smiling and being held comfortably by a stranger. Alex held on tightly to his favourite toy elephant, the one Sandy had insisted on putting in his little suitcase when she was packing for him to go away.

“That’s him, he’s a very happy little boy, we saved him Martin. I know it’s a lot to take in, so keep the picture. I’ll let you think it over. We will get back in touch , you must let Sandy know. Be aware though, that if the authorities find out he’s alive, they will kill him, or denature him as they like to call it. We have pictures also of that and the facilities the Government use, they are not pretty. Goodbye for now.” Maria turned and walked away quickly.

Martin closed the door behind him and walked into the hallway clutching the photograph of Alex. Sandy wasn’t home, she would be late back from work and the twins were staying with Sandy’s mother for a few days. Martin had time to think. He sat down on the kitchen chair and put his head in his hands and burst into tears . He held Alex’s photograph and looked at it as he sobbed. Eventually when the tears had stopped he felt exhausted. He put the picture on the table and got up and boiled the kettle to make himself coffee.

Many thoughts and different scenarios went through Martin’s mind as he sipped his coffee. Alex was alive and looked well but according to what he and Sandy had been told he should be dead. Sandy will want him home with his family no doubt. The Authorities obviously would not want that or indeed permit it.

Whoever had Alex , would have to keep him and look after him. Perhaps there could be visiting rights. What help could him and Sandy be, probably financial, but they had no money, everything was accounted for . It was all monitored everything was online, the Government knew where every penny went, there was no way they could use any of their earnings for this , it would be discovered very quickly, and what would the Authorities do? Was Maria telling the truth? It was difficult to know. Martin thought it all through but could not see an answer or indeed what they could do next. He closed his eyes and let his mind wonder.

He woke up from a deep sleep and raised his head from the kitchen table . Sandy was standing over him.

” Alex, it’s Alex” She cried out, her hand reached out for the photograph. Martin straightened himself up in the chair and handed the photograph to Sandy, she held it up to her face and kissed it.

” My beautiful little boy, when was this taken? He’s grown, he’s grown so big and what a big smile!”

Martin stood up and turned to Sandy.

” Sand, this is going to get very complicated, Alex is alive, a lady called Maria said that she knew you….”

” Yes , there was a Maria who I spoke to initially about the chip, but I never heard anymore from her, it was all very hush, hush.”

” Well , whoever has Alex, Maria didn’t or wouldn’t give me any details other than to say he was safe and well, will be back in touch with us, until then we don’t need to make any decisions….”

” Decisions? I want my baby back. What the hell is going on?”

” Sandy, we have to be careful, whatever has happened to Alex, well he is still in danger, we have to know all our options. “

Sandy calmed down and Martin brushed some loose hair that had fallen on Sandy’s forehead, onto her temple. They held each other and Sandy began to sob…there was nothing to say, he knew they that they were faced with an uncertain future and had to wait, but she looked at the photograph again.

” My Alex, my gorgeous little boy, he looks well. ” Sandy sobbed and put her head on Martin’s shoulder. She began to sob uncontrollably

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January 12, 2025 · 9:50 am

The Cuckoo In The Nest Chapter 3

A Dystopian Thriller

@GeraldineBanks January2025

Alex’s assessment day went according to plan and exactly as Moira had described it. The building where Martin, Sandy and Alex were dropped off by the taxi was exactly like a Government building, although once inside it seemed suitably child friendly with pictures on the wall , child size furniture and a good selection of toys in reception. Alex was in good form and by now being nearly two was crawling and quite enjoying himself. After about a fifteen minute wait, two obviously separate groups of people came into reception. There were two men in suits following a very smartly dressed young lady. The lady introduced herself and the gentlemen as part of the assesssment team and explained that the two young women who followed slightly behind them and were dressed in casual clothing would take Alex to the play room.

The smart young lady turned to Alex and said

” You prepared the Suitcase as requested, just in case your little boy needs to stay overnight for tests.”

Sandy nodded and handed the case to one of the casually dressed girls. The other girl had knelt down and was asking Alex about the tractor and the bricks he was playing with.

” We’ve got a bigger tractor next door, would you like to see it?” She smiled. Alex was smitten.

He looked up at Sandy as if to say was it alright, but Sandy didn’t get a chance to say anything . One of the men said

” My that’s a great idea! You seem a clever little chap, definately, you’ll like the tractor next door. Yes!”

Alex still looked at his mum, but it was too late, the young girl lifted Alex up and whisked him off. All Sandy and Martin saw was him disappearing behind two swing doors. Alex turned and looked at them both, he seemed unsure.

“I put his medication in the suitcase, he’ll be due some in 3 hours.” Sandy said to the smartly dressed woman.

” Oh that’ ll be fine, don’t worry. We have his full medical records on file, the girls will make sure he get’s it. Or perhaps you can give it to him yourself . Hopefully we’ll have sorted something out by then.

As things turned out they never saw Alex again that day. They had been interrogated like criminals, and the facade that they would be taking Alex home with them was kept up right until they were shown into a lift which took them back down to reception. They sat in reception an hour while their case notes were discussed. Finally the smartly dressed lady came down to reception and explained that Alex was going to be kept in for “tests”, there was nothing to worry about and someone would be in touch.

No one ever did get in touch with Sandy and Martin. After three weeks , they received a formal Government letter saying that Alex was to be placed in permanent residential care and that it would be better, it was felt, as he was so young that there would be no further contact with his natural parents, he would be well looked after and would get the best of care for his limited life. Meanwhile they recommended a course of fertility treatment and that as Alex could no longer qualify for the incentive payments, the sooner this was started the better.

Sandy was prepared for the harshness of the letter, Martin despaired but what could he do?

On Moira’s advice Sandy had arranged for Alex to be microchipped by an underground agency who were known for gathering information and protesting about missing children. Sandy had found them online with Moira’s help. There had been an Cable programme made about such organisations and Moira was able to access the archives .The chip was not traceable , the Authorities always scanned for them. The only reason the chip would stop transmitting was because it was destroyed in a fire, a crematorium fire. The child would have passed then. This was explained bluntly to Sandy over an automated encrypted phone call , Sandy felt drained at not being able to ask questions or respond, she just sat silently and listened to the computer generated voice, it was Alex’s only lifeline, so she persisted , it broke her heart.

Sandy and Martin, with their finances again affected by not officially having any offspring continued with their lives and with the fertility treatment. Sandy became pregnant with the Twins and a year after the assessment meeting on a dark , cold , winter’s night Sandy told Martin that Alex’s tracker signal had stopped. They both felt helpless that they had been unable to save their son. The pain would never go away. Their priority now though was the twins and now that they had fulfilled their Statutory Procreational Obligations life must go on.

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January 9, 2025 · 12:03 am

Chapter 3 The Dog That Inherited A Palace

©Geraldine BanksJanuary2025

The next morning Cross headed out to see the ” family lawyer” and Tedi headed off back home to Mr and Mrs Graham as he did not want them to worry about him. Cross let Tedi out for what he thought was just a toilet break , but Tedi ran off across the grounds. Every now and then he looked back at Cross calling him , but he kept going. Cross knew that Tedi lived close buy from the Post Code on his collar tag, but he didn’t know exactly where. For now the priority was to speak to the Lawyer, which he was happy to do so , he had a feeling the little dog would be back. The Palace was his inheritance.

Tedi bounded through the small garden of Mr and Mrs Graham’s cottage.

Mr Graham spotted him before he got in the house and stopped him in his tracks.

” Where have you been, we’ve been worried sick, little one”

Tedi sat down and gave his paw to Mr Graham and looked up with his big eyes.

Mr Graham’s heart melted. ” Oh , you, I don’t know what you’ve been up to all night, but I for one am glad that you’re back safe and sound. Now don’t do it again, you hear! Come on let’s tell your mum you’re back she’ll be over the moon. You and I might get sausages for breakfast eh? ” The man and his dog headed into the kitchen.

Later that afternoon the Graham’s got a phone call; it was Cross , by making a few enquiries in the village Cross had established where the little puppy lived and arranged to visit Mr and Mrs Graham at their cottage and explained over a cup of tea the momentous news.

Tedi was the rightful owner of the Palace , and all the Estate relating to it. Everything was in Trust for him. There could be no legal challenge against the Estate as the paperwork quite clearly stated that it was a Trust for the Benefit of Marmaduke and his heirs. Tedi was Marmaduke’s heir there was no doubt about it. It would take a couple of months to remove the incumbent Australians, but their skullduggery had been discovered and they would be moving out and Tedi would take up his rightful place. Tedi’s adventures were just beginning.

That morning over a cup of tea, toast and sausages, the Graham’s couldn’t believe what they were hearing , but with the sad realization that their puppy most likely would be a visitor to their house , rather than “their little dog”. Tedi would have a much bigger role to play in the village and possibly further afield. They both agreed that Cross was the man to help him fulfil his destiny, and The Graham’s were grateful for that and the fact that as Cross explained, the threat of losing their home had gone forever.

It took a few months to remove the Australians , the Law was quite clear, however , and once the Media heard about the story then Cross and Tedi’s life became hectic and the villagers looked at the Papers excitedly when they saw pictures of those wicked Australians being evicted.

Before the Media Onset, Cross had researched through the Dogs Trust what had happened to Tedi’s brothers and sisters, as Marmaduke was known to have had a litter with his beloved Maisie. He was able to trace all the litter and once the owners heard the story, they were more than happy for their dogs to live in the “Big House ” as long as they were allowed to visit their dogs ocassionally. So , soon Tedi was reunited with Tizzie, Duke, Trinnie, Blaze and Marmie. Cross told their owners not only could they visit , but the House had a lot of rooms and they were more than welcome to stay for a Holiday with their dogs should they so wish.

And so began life at the big House for all the dogs and the people who knew them.

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January 8, 2025 · 9:27 pm

The Cuckoo In The Nest Chapter 1

A Dystopian Thriller

Chapter 1

©GeraldineBanks2025

Martin lay in bed , he was so tired, he felt like he was going through the motions of living. Would it ever stop? Did he want it just to stop? His mind went over again and again the events of the last few years. It didn’t solve anything.

Sandy, his wife, was in their en-suite bathroom putting the finishing touches to the make-up that she so expertly put on each day. Perfecting her brow shape and applying concealer, which she felt she needed more and more of as the month’s went by. Sandy felt increasingly overwhelmed trying to keep up her Media Career as well as trying to run a household and looking after the twins. She complained to Martin about being tired all the time and of having permanent black rings around her beautiful almond shape eyes.

“Just like a fucking Panda!” she’d say to him.

Martin could not see what she meant and thought she looked much better without make-up. Sandy was driven by her ambition and only half listened to him anymore. Their two World’s were so different, Martin worked in Archeological Research and Sandy was part of the ruthless cut throat World of the Media.

When, after a few glasses of wine her tongue loosened and she told him about her work , he was uneasy. It sounded petty and brutal and totally alien to the the sweet woman he used to know. He had come to realise that the work had taken it’s toll on the beautiful fun loving girl he had met and married after graduating from the University of Bathlea. One of the top Provincial Universities specialising in Sports and Residential Training for Top Athletes, fortuitously also it had a well respected Archeology Department.

As A2’s accepted for tertiary education they had been selected for fast track and expansive leisure time rewards, with plenty of time to discover themselves in preparation for the role they were being prepared for in Society.

Sandy’s sports scholarship had been a wonderful opportunity to travel the World while she competed at the highest level in her sport , athletics, indeed she held the UK record in the 100m and 200m sprint at Junior level. Together Martin and Sandy had experienced truly uplifting and life enhancing experiences as indeed the life plan for dynamic adults in their early twenties deigned. It had been a rite of passage for two intelligent and talented people.

Now Sandy and Martin were in their early thirties, with a healthy pair of twins, a still born baby and Alex whom no one now mentioned and officially did not now exist.

They had a very large mortgage which loomed each month like an impossibly high mountain to climb, but somehow each month they managed to pay. Increasingly, the strain between them was showing and although they rarely spoke about it, losing Alex and the feeling that he had been taken away from them made them question what exactly their New Society was about. Martin felt that they were heading for disaster, a marriage split, he felt out of control. Sandy avoided the subject , it was too deep for her and Martin gave up trying to speak to her. They were just going through the motions of living.

Her A2 Procreational Contractual obligations had to be fulfilled, she was running out of prime fertility time. Sandy , at heart felt it was a priority both financially ( having children was incentivised) and emotionally to start a family. In reality her longing to have a child superseded not achieving a primetime presenting job. Martin knew Sandy wanted to be a mother. State interference had worked in both their favours on this count. It was just that it hadn’t been straightforward , nothing like what they had both imagined.

As A2’s , Martin and Sandy had been assessed thoroughly , mentally and physically. Their first child being still born , was a shock to them both. The emotional trauma along with the feeling that they had “failed the system” had been hard to bear. The labour had gone on a long time, when they finally held the limp lifeless child coddled in a soft white blanket , they both cried together for their loss.

Strangers appeared from nowhere, Government people. There were a lot of questions, a moratorium almost. Sandy discussed her whole pregnancy with them, had she missed any appointments, had she fallen at any time? Sandy had to describe in every detail her pregnancy. Martin could not believe what was happening , Sandy was in tears as she said that there had been blood pressure issues, but that she had been assured that everything was fine. The labour had perhaps gone on too long, in the end they had determined that the baby had been starved of oxygen. It was no ones fault.

Martin felt the bereavement process had been badly handled. A few hours after the birth and their interrogation, they had a discussion about the arrangements for disposal of what was described as the foetal remains. They were told that trying again was the best way to overcome their grief.

They both started the process of trying for another baby a few weeks later. The Doctor’s firmly suggested that Sandy cut back on her athletic training and she complained to Martin that she felt frumpy and frustrated. Martin had tried everything to make the process of conceiving fun and not a chore , but in the end he cottoned on to the fact that Sandy was being made to feel like a brood mare.

Sandy told him that she had even asked the Counsellor for advice on inseminating herself with Martin’s sperm. Martin felt that he was being excluded , that all Sandy wanted to do was tick a box and have a child . He dutifully filled the tube in the bathroom and then Sandy used the device to inseminate herself.

“Night” Sandy had often said without so much as a cuddle or a kiss on the cheek. Martin did not know what he had done to deserve such treatment and he felt very alone. The next morning it was back to the routine of getting up , doing her make up and going to work. It was soulless. Martin knew that Sandy had not been ready emotionally to try for another child and when Sandy announced one morning at breakfast that she was pregnant, he felt guilty that he had mixed feelings, indeed , the strain of the last three months had made him feel more like a sperm donor , than a lover or a husband.

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