My little dog had too big a drink of water before he went to bed as he woke up at 3.00am in the morning wanting to be let out.
Dutifully my partner in crime got up and put his jacket over his pyjamas and tried to put the harness and lead on the dog, who never stays still when you are trying to put these things on.
I got up to see them go out and they disappeared out the front door. It was ghostly quiet and there was frost on the ground. The LED street lights gave the street a strange glow and there were some lights on in the house opposite us.
I went into the the kitchen for a glass of water and as I came back out.
I heard the most horrible barking. I knew it was my dog and in the silence of the night it was awful.
I opened up the front curtains, I could see nothing, the barking had stopped and then it started again . I couldn’t see anything.
It stopped again and I thought was it two dogs, did they give each other a fright?
All I could do was wait to see when they got back what had happened.
They were at least ten minutes, which seemed like an eternity, but eventually I heard the click of the back door key.
They were back .
My little dog came running towards me and my partner was laughing.
“What happened ?” I asked him.
“He was in the middle of his wee and a fox ran by him at speed being chased by a cat, the fox nearly ran into him , the fox was inches away.
The fox and the cat disappeared down the alleyway ; but of course muggins here had to do a “pawtrol” and follow them slowly. They had long gone.”
My little dog was all hyped up after his experience and took a while to settle down, but eventually we all went back to bed and settled down in the warmth again.
Simon Paddlebuck was born in 1685 and died in 1762 at the splendid age of 77, he had lived a good and prosperous life, never married but had many relatives and friends who kindly arranged when the time came for him to have a lovely plot in the graveyard of St Bostsophine’s Church in the Parish of Winterstone and there he lay for many years undisturbed.
He had indeed not really lay there all his death, in truth he wondered around a lot. He never lost his zest for life and truthfully Heaven , where everyone actually ended up, was actually quite boring . Sometimes when he was required by the rules, to take a statutory break; for what seemed like an eternity; he went up to Heaven to have his soul MoT’d. This was a necessary part of being part of Heaven, some took longer to pass than others, but everyone passed eventually.
After the break and achieving the required certificate , Simon would return to his usual routine, listening in to everything that was going on around him where he used to live and sleeping at night in his favourite place, his grave.
Simon had been an industrious chap all his life and liked to stay busy , so he was quite happy to go back down and potter around his old town and see what was going on, visit old friends incognito, keep an eye on Council meetings and on a weekly basis watch the various competitive games of darts, cribbage and quoits that were played in the local pubs. He even liked watching television although he got frustrated that he couldn’t change a channel himself.
At night he’d slip into his grave and fall asleep, it was very comfortable and quite quiet, and to him it was warm as he didn’t feel the cold now at all. He also had no concept of darkness as he could see through everything. He would listen to everything around him, it was so much more interesting than boring ol’ Heaven.
It was in the 1970’s that Simon began to notice something rather unpleasant happening in the Church Yard.
People were walking their dogs, lots of them, some of the dogs were allowed to run around and weed and pooed wherever they wanted, some were on lead and the owners would follow them and let them do their business anywhere and although some of them cleared up the mess a lot of the people didn’t.
Unfortunately as dogs are pack creatures, once the pack leader had decided on a spot , all the dogs followed and the dogs had decided on the spot right beside Simon’s headstone.
Simon was not happy, he still had a strong sense of smell and he wasn’t able to sleep at night, not to mention the unsightly look of his grave. He was not going to allow this sacrilege to continue.
At first he’d thought he’d highlight it to the vicar. He decided a bit of telekinesis might help, he had permission to use telekinesis on his Heaven MoT Certificate so he began moving the offending article of poos to the entrance of the Church.
On a Saturday night he would move two or three particularly gross turds onto the pavement close to the door of the Church. Sunday would come and the congregation would be treading carefully up the path. The vicar couldn’t help but notice the waft of dog excrement as he started his sermon.
There was talk among the parishioners of how inconvenient it was and how they hated sitting at Church knowing that their shoe had dog poo on it. No matter how hard they tried to scrape it off on the grass outside before they entered the Church, it always seemed to stick and the smell never seemed to go away.
The Vicar heard the murmurings, but what could he do, he’d put polite notices up, but it was a Country Parish, most people had dogs. One of his parishoners had told him that
“It was perfectly natural and anyway her dog always did it in the bushes, not on the path.”
He had proposed to the Bishop putting a poo bin up in the Church Yard which The Vicar felt this might solve the problem . The Bishop, unfortunately , declined his request saying that it would cost too much money and anyway who would empty it?
So things continued as they were for a while. Simon felt he had no choice but to take things himself in hand the telekenisis had worked a treat, but perhaps he needed to up it a gear and do a little proper ghost work.
He would however, have to make a brief visit up to Heaven and to gain some extra permissions to do some extracurricular activities. He’d have to give his reasons why he needed these “extras” and there would be a lot of paperwork to fill in. Simon though was determined and his plans were becoming more concrete and it didn’t take too long getting the extra permissions to “speak” “appear” ” glow” and “limited poltergeistism”. Armed with his certificate of achievement and a pledge not to bring Heaven into disrepute he hurried back to the Church Yard and was dismayed to find the mess and smell around his headstone. He knew where he had to start.
The worst offending dogs were the ones that roamed around the Church Yard at night by themselves. They were a rough lot and often got into scrapes such as escaping from their gardens and stealing food and bringing it to the Church Yard to have a party. The leader Shane was most disrespectful, Simon hated the sound of Shane cocking his leg on Simon’s Headstone and overtime the Headstone was beginning to turn green.
Simon settled down for a nap, it wasn’t long before the village dogs arrived. They were their usual noisy, messy selves with Shane as their leader showing the worst example of all. Leaving food wrappers and dog excrement everywhere. Simon could stand it no longer.
He shot out of the grave in full glow. The dogs were stunned they couldn’t believe their eyes. Shane the bravest began to bark, but Simon leapt at him and though his hands went through Shane, the movement was enough to make him jump back in horror, he knocked over another smaller dog as he did so, who ended up in a heap .The other dogs looked on in disbelief and began to run away down the path. None of them were brave enough to hang around.
With Shane in front they ran down the path and to the front gate of the Churchyard, it was locked, they ran back , but they had to go by the ghostly figure again , who using his telekinesis began to pelt them with dog poo. They just kept running and didn’t stop until they had all made it home. Shane was shaken and when he got back ,his owner was very puzzled as he was trembling.
” What have you been up to my lad , you look like you’ve seen a ghost and my you stink, have you been rolling in fox poo, you smell terrible. Come on out to the shed and I’ll wash and shampoo you!” Shane was just grateful to get home, so dutifully followed his master out to the shed. Shane never went near the Church Yard by himself again, not even during the daytime with his owner. Shane would shiver and shake when he reached the gates of the Church Yard, so eventually his owner gave up and avoided the Church Yard.
Simon felt he had done a good nights work and after moving all the dog poo to the compost heap at the end of the Church Yard with his telekenisis, he settled down to have a sleep. He was very comfortable and he knew he’d have to wait until Saturday night for the next bit of his plan and it was only Wednesday. He ticked off his calendar and slept soundly.
Simon had just woken up and was ticking Friday off, when he had a sudden thought. The Bishop, maybe needed a bit of persuasion to help the Vicar. Perhaps a good ol’ haunting would do the trick. At 10′ o’clock that night Simon made his way to the Bishop’s Palace and when he arrived he found the Bishop in bed asleep, he set to work.
First he opened the windows, so the cold would wake the Bishop up. Then he started to wail and move things around in the room. The Bishop who was a sound sleeper , began to stir and when he opened his eyes, he saw a figure holding a piece of paper on which was written the following.
” I hereby allocate the necessary funds to provide two poo bins in the Churchyard of St Bostophine’s Church . One bin at the front entrance to the Church path and one at the back gate exit and to ensure that the bins are maintained and emptied on a regular basis. “
“Sign, Sign” Simon wailed and handed the Bishop a pen.
The Bishop signed the paper and then immediately fainted. Simon thought he had done enough and pulled the cord for the Bishop’s butler to come and revive the Bishop who in truth had turned quite pale. With a very rapid telekinesis, Simon tidied the room and closed the windows and disappeared the signed piece of paper in hand. When the butler arrived he found a very pale Bishop shivering in bed. He got him a hot drink and some medicine as he thought he might be coming down with the flu.
Simon posted the piece of paper into the Vicar’s letterbox and headed off for a rest. His plan for Saturday night would keep him busy, and he was sure that would be the end of it, Heaven would be happy if he didn’t need to extend his “extra powers”
The next morning the Vicar looked at the piece of paper that had came through the letter box, he was absolutely delighted and tried to ring the Bishop to thank him, but he was told the Bishop was indisposed and so he left a message.
The Vicar got everything underway with ordering the poo bins and he decided that he would employ a part-time gardener who would be responsible for the maintenance of the Church Yard, well the Bishop hadn’t been very specific with the budget and the old adage give an inch take a mile came into his mind. This would be good news to tell his congregation on Sunday.
Saturday night came and Simon was ready to follow through on the rest of his plan. He had a list of parishioners who were the worst offenders when it came to not picking up after their dogs. Between 7 O’clock and ten O’clock at night , they routinely walked their dogs, sometimes in the Church Yard and sometimes in town. He followed them all.
Each time any dog stopped and the owner didn’t clear up the mess. Simon would appear in front of the owner saying.
“Pick it up! “
If they didn’t have a poo bag , Simon would magically telekenise them one. The dog couldn’t see Simon, and each dog was pleasantly surprised when the owner turned and cleared up the mess as the dogs knew people weren’ t happy with them when they left a mess. This went on all night and amazingly the owners were not frightened out of their wits, because Simon was using his ghostly powers just to look like a normal human being, they didn’t register that he has appeared from nowhere , they didn’t argue as Simon used his special persuasive hypnotism to make them agree.
When Sunday arrived and the Vicar was standing at the door to greet his Parishoners, the Vicar was relieved not to see the usual dog mess. A lot of the Parishioners were talking about meeting a man the previous night who told them very nicely that they needed to clear up after their dogs mess and that actually it was a very good idea. They were doubly pleased when the Vicar told them that the Parish had been given the go ahead to order the poo bins and also employ a part- time Gardener. They all promised to each other to stock up on poo bags.
Simon could relax now, and when he was having a rest in his grave , he could smell the wildflowers again and he was happy. He sent all his paperwork back to Heaven as agreed and hoped he would never need to use his “extra” haunting skills again. Shane’s owner too was happy as Shane paid a lot more attention to him now and Shane didn’t go running off by himself. They had more fun together.
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.
Cross held the phone and talked , as Lettie looked on.
“Yes a small boy with four or five dogs, including a small terrier. Where? Where are they now? They escaped? You managed to capture one of the dogs. Look give me your address and we’ll come and meet you at the barn. ” He glanced at Lettie, and signalled that they would go over there in the car together.
The farmer whose barn Tommy and the dogs had taken shelter in had seen the story on the News that morning about the dog who had been kidnapped and escaped from it’s kidnappers and seemed to be making his way home cross country from London with some other dogs and a small boy.
So when he went into his barn to get some rusty old equipment that he was planning to clean up and sell, he was surprised when he heard a dog bark and looked up to see a little boy running towards him holding a rucksack, followed by three other dogs and a small terrier. They ran by the farmer and out the barn door.
The dog that had barked and had warned the others stood his ground as there was no room to get by, so the farmer thought quickly and ran out of the barn and closed the door behind him. The farmer just had time to see a white tail and the head of the little boy disappear around the corner of the stone wall surrounding the farm and run onto the road. The farmer thought about following them in his car ,but he decided it was useless. The feature on the News had said to ring a number if you had any information, so that is what he did.
When Cross and Lettie arrived and talked to the farmer , they were very happy to hear some good news, and they arranged to take the dog that was in the barn. They told the farmer that James would collect him later that day. They also had a look at where the dogs had ran around the stone wall. They could see paw prints and the footprints of a small boy. After following the prints for a short while , they realised that the little group were long gone. Cross found the spot where they had crossed the road and ran into the undergrowth, Cross couldn’t follow, but he checked his GPS on his phone and he reckoned that they were heading in the right direction to get back home. He just hoped they would be safe on their journey.
Tommy, Tedi and Bruno along with the other dogs had kept going until they were well away from the farmer. They were now in fields and countryside and they were making their way through open fields which had crops in them. Tedi was sure of his navigation now and there wasn’t any need to follow roads, the terrain was flatter and easier and there were lots of small brooks and rivers that the dogs could get a drink out of.
Tommy was very tired ,he wasn’t too sure where they were going , but he did his best to keep up and knew if they needed anything that there were built up areas in the distance, which were sure to have shops or petrol stations. As it was after their experience at the barn , for the moment they all wanted to stay clear of anyone. They missed their friend , but what could they do? Tedi thought that if he could get home , then they could search for him then, Bruno agreed. They couldn’t go back now.
They made good progress , they had been travelling by daylight and it was about three o’clock in the afternoon. They had came to a stile and they all crossed over it but they were so tired they decided to rest up, and found a sheltered area under some trees and lay down together. It was a beautiful day and the sun was warm. They all fell soundly asleep.
They were rudely awoken by the sound of dogs barking and the horses and people running from the other side of the field. They watched in amazement at they saw the red coats of the people on the horses and the hounds running in all directions barking , not knowing quite in what direction to go. One lady went to jump a fence and fell out of her saddle with a thump on the ground. This stopped the progress of the hunt somewhat as some of the riders stopped to see if the lady who had fallen was alright, others jumped off their horses to catch the stray horse, who had kept going for a short distance after losing it’s rider but was now standing around not too sure what had happened. It was easy to catch.
Tommy then noticed the fox, it was moving slowly along the edge of the field , obviously looking for somewhere to hide and keeping an eye on the people in the red coats on horses. The hounds had lost the scent and that is why they were confused.
The fox clung to the hedgerow and almost seemed to be crawling on all fours. Bruno thought about distracting the hounds, but Tedi said it would be too dangerous, that the hounds as a pack could be very vicious and they might attack Bruno. Luckily the fox had made it to the other side of the field and was hunkering down in a hedgerow.
Tedi , Bruno and Tommy looked on as they watched the lady who fell off her horse remount and the hunters and their pack began to regroup.
They hoped that the fox would stay where it was and not move and indeed , the hunt changed course and went off in the opposite direction with the hounds braying and running around trying to find another scent.
” Stay where you are little one, you’re safe.” Tommy said out loud, but speaking to himself. The dogs had lost interest in the fox and wanted to go back to sleep.
After the hunt had disappeared, Tommy decided to check out the area where the fox was. It was still light and the dogs were fast asleep. Tommy walked over to the hedgerow and once he had cleared away some undergrowth he saw the fox laying low on the ground, it was injured , there was dried blood on it’s back leg, and it looked in pain. Tommy didn’t want to leave it there , so he gave it some water and the last bit of food that he had left in his rucksack. The fox was very thin, so Tommy decided that it would fit in his rucksack, he would take it to safety and see if he could make it better.
That evening , they set out on what Tedi knew would be the final leg of their journey home. Tedi could almost smell home. It took a few hours and it was dark when they arrived at the outskirts of the estate. Tedi was relieved, but the estate was quite big and it would still take some time to reach the House.
Meanwhile , Cross and Lettie were back a the House awaiting any news. James had picked up the stray dog and had settled it in one of the kennels. All they could do was wait and hopefully hear some good news soon.
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.
Totally unaware of the kidnapping rendezvous and the capture of the kidnapper , Tedi , Tommy and Bruno and his friends continued their journey.
Tedi and Bruno had developed a very close bond. Tedi knew he could rely on Bruno to help him get back home safely with Tommy. Bruno was originally from Spain and was a type of hunting dog called a Podenco. He was mischievous and knew the ways of the world.
As dogs, on their first meeting within seconds they both knew everything about each other, their health , their history and also their honesty. As they travelled together Tedi picked up on the hard times Bruno had been through. There was a sadness about Bruno that was always present.
Bruno was fascinated by the images of the Big House, the Countryside and the Fields, in turn Tedi picked up on Bruno escaping off a boat that was being used by drug dealers to land drugs off the coast. He had made his way to London, and lived rough for about seven years. He had loads of friends and loads of adventures, but he was getting older and wanted to find a “safe” home.
So that’s how Bruno and his mates, accompanied Tedi on their journey back to the Big House.
After crossing under the M4 motorway. They made their way cross country, following Colne Brook while it was still dark and found a road which pointed in the direction that Tedi wanted to travel. Bruno said that roads were “good” as they always led somewhere , usually shelter and food. Bruno showed everyone how to keep out of sight and even found a bit of rope for Tommy to attach himself to Bruno. Tommy would be able to keep up with the dogs and no one would get lost.
Tommy was relieved to reach the road, it was getting light and he was wondering if there would be any shops or garages in Iver to get something to eat. They followed the road, walking on the grass behind a hedgerow so no one could see them and they came across a brightly lit petrol garage that had just opened. Some of the dogs headed for the bins at the back, when no one was looking they rooted around in the darkness, and ran away as soon as the doors opened with people bringing out cages of empty cardboard.
Tommy though knew what he was looking for, and entered the shop unseen and left the shop unseen. He had untied himself from Bruno and Bruno watched as the automatic door slid open and Tommy entered the shop. Everyone was too busy setting up the tills tidying, restocking and cleaning to notice the little waif of a boy who quietly gathered something for breakfast ,some drinks and some bottled water and some fruit and then left.
Bruno was impressed when Tommy came out again without being noticed. To be truthful, having some fresh food was a real treat, so he called to the other dogs, to leave the bins alone and to move on . The little group went back behind the hedgerow and walked a bit further on and then they stopped when they found some shelter under a tree and beside a small bridge crossing. They were all tired and they had the cover of some trees and thick bushes and were able to feast on what Tommy had brought and drink fresh water , they could then have a well deserved sleep. The day was just beginning but for the little group of dogs and Tommy it was time to rest. They all snuggled up together.
Tedi’s head was racing as he lay among the warm bundle. He was dreaming of home and he could almost smell it. He reckoned 60 miles or so. Three days travel if they kept up this pace. He was trying to keep a note of the shops that Tommy had taken items from and planned to settle up with them once they had got back home. For the moment it was necessary , but he didn’t want Tommy to get into trouble or the shops to be out of pocket.
So far they had got on quite well sleeping outside, but it wasn’t what Tedi was used to. They would rest for today and then head out again when it started to get dark.
Dogs don’t think in terms of days, but it was going to be Saturday night when they set off again. Cross and Letitia had been given the go ahead , as the kidnappers were now behind bars, to launch a Publicity Campaign to look out for Tedi and the other dogs as well as the little boy. They had used the CCTV images that the Police had gathered and the plight of the Dogs and the little Boy was all over TV and Radio. They concentrated their efforts on the area where the dogs were travelling through, so everyone was on the lookout for them. Bruno though knew how to keep out of sight , so despite the coverage there were no reports of sightings, which frustrated Cross and Lettie who couldn’t help but wonder where they were.
It was seven o’clock at night when the dogs and the little boy all woke up. The weather had been kind to them, it had been warm with no rain and it was just getting dusky and turning into a pleasant evening. They had all slept soundly and had eaten and drank. Tommy put some bowls of water out for the dogs and they had some snacks and soon it was time to go.
Bruno was up and ready , snuffling at the others to get a move on .In truth Tedi was a bit stiff and did some stretches as he always did. Downward Dog and Upward Dog which was his way of limbering up and getting ready for the long walk. Tommy meanwhile was refreshed and put his little rope leash over Bruno’s head and tied it to his own waist. Bruno seemed to understand the pace that Tommy could go at so they both walked together. Tedi was always at the front.
Tedi sniffed the air for a few minutes after doing his stretches. He let the dogs know his plan and with Bruno’s help they began the penultimate stretch of their journey back to the ” Big House”.
Meanwhile back at the Big House it was all stations go. Lettie was making and taking telephone calls, and putting out Publicity to search for the little dogs and the boy. The villagers now knew the full story and were on the look out for any sign of the dogs and the local Police Forces were notified.
“Surely they would be spotted soon” .Lettie and Cross thought. They were worried but hopeful and now the news was out, it was easier to keep everyone informed. Mr and Mrs Graham now knew what had happened, and just hoped that Tedi was safe, and they said if there was anything that they could do let them know.
” It’s a waiting game now” Cross told Mrs Graham on the phone ” We’re doing all we can.”
Tommy and Tedi ran down the street away from the Police Raid. After about ten minutes , they both felt they were far enough away to stop and get their bearings. Unbeknown to a lot of people, dogs have an amazing GPS system, no one knows how it works, but their brains are like supercomputers, in fact probably a lot of animals have this ability. When Tedi stopped, he knew he was free and there was one thing now he had on his mind and that was getting back home. He was going to take Tommy with him.
They were in London, and they had to get to Oxfordshire, and they would have to find food and shelter on the way and avoid busy roads and anybody that might try and capture them. Tedi sat down and Tommy sat down beside him.
” What will we do now little dog?” Tommy said quietly, not knowing what to do himself.
Tedi put a paw on Tommy’s shoulder, Tedi’s brain was processing the information of where they were, he sniffed the atmosphere and realised that there was an awful lot of pollution. So initially scent was not going to help. However, a picture came into his head and he knew exactly where to go. The little boy would help him with the roads and perhaps finding food. They had rested enough it was time to go.
Tedi stood up and signalled to Tommy to follow. Tommy got up and followed him and their adventure began.
Meanwhile Chief Superintendent Napper was on the phone to Cross.
” We had sight of the little dog, but he disappeared during the raid, no one knows where the dog is.” The Chief Superintendent said very disheartingly.
” Do you know if the kidnappers have still got him?” Cross asked .
” We don’t know, none of the people that we arrested seem to have a clue , it could be they are lying but I don’t think so. I think we need to go along with the meeting on Friday. Act as if no one knows anything. Someone is behind all this and that is the person I want.” Napper said firmly.
” Do you think Tedi is still alive.” It was a question that broke Cross’s heart to ask.
” My gut feeling is he is , we haven’t found the little boy who was looking after him, both of them are missing. My feeling is that the boy took him and probably has headed for another safe house. On that assumption then the people you are meeting on Friday still have the dog. “
“OK, well the meeting’s on and I’ve got the money, but I’m not handing it over until I get Tedi back. “
” We’ve got a team of people trained for this eventuality, I’m just arranging for them to go see you , they’ll have the cover of maintenance people, so they’ll be with you tonight. They’ll go through everything with you. “
“I had the usual threat, don’t get the Police involved. ” Cross said
” As far as the raid was concerned it was drugs and animal welfare, bit of a coincidence perhaps, but as I say the ones we have in custody are not the brightest. The ones you are dealing with , may well be a bit brighter, personally I think they’re going to try and pull the wool over your eyes and get the money without giving you anything.” The Chief Superintendent said matter of factly.
” Well in that case , I hope your people can help, so you think they’ll get here tonight? ” Cross felt disheartened , but that he did need help and he wanted to do the best for Tedi he could.
” Oh yes, and they’ll have a lot of monitoring equipment and believe it or not a psychiatrist too, to help you negotiate .” Napper smiled, policing had become so much more than when he started on the beat.
” Thanks Chief Superintendent.” Cross put down the phone gently. He was worried.
Lettie arrived at the House later that evening , and Cross updated her about what had happened, shortly after that the ” Maintenance Team ” arrived and both Cross and Lettie went through with them everything that had happened so far and they looked at the monitoring equipment the Police had and talked through when and where the meeting was going to happen on Friday. Cross said the money was in a suitcase in the safe.
Cross , got James to show the ” Maintenance Team ” around and where to get coffee and tea when they wanted and anything from the larder in the kitchen if Mrs Graham wasn’t around. There were also rooms to set up their equipment and camp beds if they needed them.
All this busyness helped Cross not to worry and also it was good to have Lettie around.
Tedi rolled over onto his tummy on the posh velvet padded chair that was his favourite in the State Drawing Room of the Palace. All the other dogs were asleep and Trinnie was beside him in her favourite chair. Meanwhile the dream Tedi was having continued and he began to growl and his paws flicked backwards and forwards as if he was indeed running.
Tommy and Tedi had heard the man and woman downstairs who came to look at the puppies. Tommy got washed in the bathroom and signalled to Tedi that he would bring him outside. They walked down the stairs and passed by the couple who were looking at the cages where there were a number of female dogs who had either recently had litters or were about to have them.
” Oh , do we need to get a puppy? Look at that nice little dog , can’t we get that one, look he’s house-trained and he’s walking so nice with that little boy”. The detective said out loudly , turning around to pet Tedi.
The two detectives realised who Tedi was.
” That one’s not for sale, he’s the little boy’s dog, special he is , Tommy wouldn’t be parted with his little dog would you ? Tom.”
Tommy looked up and shook his head, he wondered who the man and woman were who were looking at the puppies.
The dealer who was selling the pups said. ” Now rung along , you let the dog out in the garden and get some breakfast, good lad.”
” Shame, he would have been ideal. ” The two detectives looked at each other.
Tedi and the little boy disappeared downstairs and out through the back of the house.
Back at Police HQ, the detectives who had been looking at the puppies and had indeed purchased two of them were now in the meeting room.
” You’re not getting those on expenses!” Chief Superintendent Napper said gruffly.
“No Sir, we just wanted to keep our cover straight, and anyway I couldn’t leave them there, some of those dogs are in a hell of a state. We need to raid the place.” The puppies licked the police officers faces.
” Well, looks like we know where our little Lordship is and there’s nothing to stop us now. ” The Chief summarised the situation. ” We best move quickly as we don’t want to lose them. Lets put our plan into action.”
So just after lunch, the kidnappers had a knock on their door and all hell let loose.
The plain clothes officers who entered the building, knew exactly where to go, they had weapons because the police knew that this group, as they were involved with drugs, as well as illegal puppy farming could be dangerous and sure enough once the criminals realised that it was the Police all hell let loose. They ran into different rooms and into the garden trying to hide evidence and escape if they could.
Meanwhile Tommy and Tedi were upstairs in Tommy’s room looking out into the garden below.
Tommy heard the word “Police” and said to Tedi, “We got to get out!”
In the chaos , Tommy and Tedi ran by everyone on the stairs and out the front door and down the street. Tommy was so small and the Police and the gangsters so big and everyone was fighting that no one saw them leave.
Back at base, once the raid was over and the relevant agencies contacted. Chief Superintendent Napper was not happy.
” Great Job on animal welfare, rubbish job on solving the kidnapping, where is the little dog now?”
” We’ve checked the cctv and the bodycams , it looks like Tedi escaped down the street with a little boy. None of the others we arrested will say anything about who the boy is and they won’t admit that the dog is theirs either. We’ve got a description. Should we go public?” One of the officers said.
“Great !” The Superintendent said exasperated ” The Police are after a little boy and his dog, the News will have a field day. What a mess!” Chief Superintendent Napper barged out of the room. Thoughts raced through his head. No he was not going public, but he knew he had to get hold of Cross and tell him what had happened. What would the kidnappers do now? Would they still try to get the money off Cross? That was a possibility. No , no publicity. He quickly turned around and went back to the room.
” Guys, we need to keep the lid on this a bit longer, I’m going to speak to Cross , in the meantime let the uniforms and anyone else you know in London keep an eye out for the little boy and the dog. Great if we find him, but if not the kidnappers are going to still be looking for him. We need to find them first, or keep the kidnappers sweet, they’ve got to think that we still think they’ve got the dog.”
Tedi was very annoyed with himself, he had brought all this trouble on him and the House through his own carelessness. Cross had tried to tell him not to go wandering off by himself, that he was at risk of being kidnapped and now it had happened.
The first night he was there he had been let out in the garden accompanied by one of his minders, the same thing had happened the next morning. However, it had been a while since anyone had came, and there had been a lot of noise in the house. Tedi thought he heard the whining of puppies and barking of dogs somewhere but he wasn’t sure where. There were slamming of doors as well as regular arguments and men and women shouting.
Suddenly the door opened and a little boy aged about ten came in the room. He looked very uncared for and very thin and there were holes in his teeshirt and jeans. He closed the door very gently and walked up to Tedi and said.
” You alright little fellow?” and bent down and rubbed Tedi on his tummy.
Tedi looked up at him with his big eyes and gave him his paw.
” Aw you are so cute, I wish you were mine. I’ll wait until it’s clear and get you some nice biscuits and some fresh food. The door hasn’t got a lock on it , so as long as no one sees me coming in and out you and I can be friends. I can’t stay long but I’ll be back.” The little boy tickled Tedi under the chin and stood up and quietly went out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Tedi watched as the little hand of the boy closed the door gently. The little dog saw this as a ray of hope and it cheered him up.
Later that evening the little boy came in again and this time he had some kibble biscuits and half a tin of fresh dog food. Tedi had to eat it out of the tin but the little boy helped him, he gobbled up the biscuits and then the little boy poured some fresh water into one of the bowls.
” That will keep you going for a while, I’ll just take a little out at a time, they never feed the dogs enough.” He said.
Tedi looked up gratefully and held his paw out in thanks. ” I wonder how many dogs are here?” He thought to himself.
“That’s alright, they’ll be up later to take you out in the garden, I’ll be going to bed , but if you look up you’ll see my window, it’ll have the light on. I’ll make sure you’re alright little one.” Again the little boy left the room very quickly.
Tedi was amazed , who was this little boy? Sure enough, that night the man came with the slip lead and roughly dragged Tedi out to the garden. Fortunately, when they reached downstairs, he just let him go into the garden as it was totally enclosed. Sure enough Tedi looked up at the back of the building and timed it just as he took his wee. There, indeed,was a light on in the window.
Tedi counted the floors and the position. Perhaps he may visit the little boy some time, maybe not tonight, but he knew where he was. The strange man put the collar over Tedi’s head again and pulled him roughly. Tedi cooperated resentfully so as not to get hurt. He was tired and wanted to go to bed. Once he got back to the smelly , dark room, he lay on the floor and fell soundly asleep.
Unbeknown to Tedi , the Police had enough information to know the location of where he was being kept and they were watching the house.
Tedi sat in his chair in the grand living room, all his friends and sisters and brothers were spread across the room in various dog beds and baskets , some near the fire , some underneath tables. They’d all been fed, it had been a Mrs Graham’s leftover day, so they were all very happy, they had been treated to the leftovers from the café and from the staff meals and it had been delicious.
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.
thenotsomightyom 