Sad to say we have moved on from mud ridden Santa’s Grottos and overly thin reindeers needing a good worming treatment wandering around waiting to be petted with no hand washing facilities and the risk of e-coli infections ever present.
Ah yes, Commercial Christmas’s answer to making a quick buck has moved on. We now have what could be , if well orchestrated a wonderful show that would make everyone’s eyes light up in the glow of LED’s . Ginormous reindeers filling the sky with red noses , followed by Giant Snowman floating across the stratosphere and a soundtrack bellowing out the story to bring it all together. How wondrous, what could go wrong in a field in Sussex?
Well quite a lot actually, basically a lot of the drones failed to work, so the light display looked like few LED’s randomly moving through the sky; the display was like nothing really ;and so detached from the deep masculine voice generating the obviously digitised soundtrack, as to make no sense at all to the parents , never mind the poor freezing children standing in the mud and wondering why they hadn’t stayed at home and watched “Frozen” on their bedroom television.
Guilt ridden parents headed for the food outlets , only to find that they were vastly over priced and of inferior quality to what they could make at home.
Anyway by that time the children were demonstrating their lack of faith in their parents choices and screaming to go home.
Even the promised visit to Santa at his Grotto was a disappointment. Santa didn’t seem very enthusiastic to be associated with this bunch of amateurs and actually seemed quite curt. The presents he gave out, for the £20 cost of the ticket , were left unopened and given to their mothers to carry. Santa had said it couldn’t be opened until Christmas Day.
Understandably the parents were suspicious and sneakily checked what it was, a £5 bit of cheap plastic in the guise of a tractor, made in China .It would be best thrown out as the paint(probably lead) was peeling off and those bolts were a choking hazard. The parents thought about which rubbish bin it would go in, plastics or metals and if disposing of lead paint was allowed. Perhaps they would have to ring the Council.
The promised Christmas Market had been cancelled and for that the Parents were incredibly grateful, but the children kicked off as they had been given “pennies” to spend by their Grandparents and there was nowhere to spend them and they were never doing this again and what a waste of time it was. The Parents had to agree, but were very hurt when they said that “Johnny and Maggie’s parents had taken them on a trip to Lapland to see the real Santa, ride on a horse and play in the snow”. Thanks Mum and Dad.
And so everyone went home and hoped they could claim a refund for the” Christmas Disaster.” The older children retreated to their bedrooms, and the younger ones did the usual of getting their nappies changed or sitting on their potties and once ready for bed having a story read to them. Tomorrow the baby would have a slight cough which would turn into a full blown cold which would last a week and would make preparing for Christmas relatives “difficult”. The thought of chasing a refund for the “Disaster ” was paling into insignificance.
Such is the expectations and disappointments of Christmas. Still it is the make or break time for “Seasonal Business”, don’t worry it will soon be January.
Namaste and Thank You for reading. 🙏
NB If you haven’t guessed already I use the images generated by AI, and I must admit this one is a little bit scary , but obviously a poorly lit drone show is not yet in AI’s digital memory bank.
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.
Thanks to BBC Online News for the inspiration from their slightly modified Headline.
Here we are, so close to the 5th of November so this Headline about the danger of handmade fireworks is very poignant. There is however a much bigger picture and that is about caring about the Health and Safety of people in populous countries like India and also the ever present danger of using cheap labour , in this instance Child Labour.
The story is about a young 14 year old boy who has suffered serious eye injuries from a home made, rudimentary device . Unfortunately during the Diwali celebrations the young lad was injured as the device did not go off as expected. He is waiting to hear how much his eyesight has been damaged.
He is worried as his parents depend on the income he brings into the household from his job repairing televisions. The young man sounds a budding electronic engineer, but he no longer goes to school and the Law now in India states that as long as the work is non-hazardous, he can work and does not need to attend school.
I wonder if the Law was the same in the UK , how many 14 year olds would elect to do non-hazardous jobs. Our Health and Safety Laws would definitely say that doing any form of work is potentially hazardous. Some would say it is overkill. I do hope that we never arrive at a position that 14 year olds are allowed to work, no matter what the Law says.
Meanwhile, like any 14 year old he wanted to have some fun and was out and about enjoying Diwali. I hope he recovers and I hope he gets a chance to learn as a young 14 year old should. Sounds as if he could be very good at Electronics.
AI Generated Image of young boy from India repairing Television
Headlines or articles aren’t always read as the writer intended. On this particular ocassion I have used device as it was more appropriate to do so . What I was left thinking about from this headline was just hoping the boy’s eyesight would recover and also that he got a chance to learn. I wasn’t interested in the actual device itself or the descriptions of how to make it or why it was impressive or dangerous. Yes it may be a Social Media Craze, but given the dangers it’s probably better not to disseminate it , again through any Media. No I don’t not need to know the ingredients or how to make it and I hope no silly idiots start throwing them around on the 5th November.
You have three magic genie wishes, what are you asking for? A young boy, called Rab, many years ago, lived on a croft, that his family worked; way up in a remote mountainous region of Scotland called the Highlands. The family did not have much money and if any of the sheep they farmed were ill or died then they would very often have to do without. Rab worked hard looking after the sheep and in winter,would sleep in the small barn with them to protect them from the cold and the wolves and bears that would eat them given a chance. One night,while laying out some dried moss to sleep on.Rab noticed something shiny underneath the fresh moss that he had recently gathered from outside. Earlier on, while taking in the moss and drying it he had mumbled to himself wishing that his family could have a bit of luck,instead of facing hardship all the time. He dug his hands deeper into the moss and picked up the object.It was a tin lamp. “Not much value in that he thought,it’s a pretty object.My mum might find it of use or we could sell it to one of our neighbours.I wish it was gold.” The Lamp changed into gold,but Rab couldn’t tell the difference,to him it was just a dirty old lamp.He laid it to one side and completed his chores which meant feeding and watering the sheep in the barn. The carrots and turnips that he had for feed,were well passed their best and he felt sorry for the sheep. “Oh if only I had some decent food,not these rotten carrots and turnips”. Rab said to himself. It was then he noticed a bag in the corner of the barn,it was full of corn that the sheep loved.Rab was puzzled,but thought his dad must have bought it at the market for winter feed and forgot to tell him. He supplemented the meagre carrots and turnips with the corn. After,the sheep were fed and watered Rab settled down for the night on his bed of dried moss and slept soundly. Unbeknown to Rab,the lamp contained the Laird of The Lamp,who by now had granted three wishes to the boy and could now escape from the lamp in which he had been trapped by a spirit for being an evil and greedy Laird of his people. The Laird looked down at the boy as he slept and was very grateful to Rab.The Laird had needed to grant three simple wishes to someone who was near the lamp and true of heart and not greedy. Rab had done so and the Laird was free. From that day, Rab’s family had better luck and they began to make their way in the world.They sold the gold lamp and eventually were able to buy their own land and live on it happily for many generations. The family knew of the Laird nearby who had returned weary from battle and had settled in the area. He had been a great help to many people and things had improved since his arrival.He was fair and intelligent and offered good advice with everyday problems No one knew his real story,not even Rab, only the Laird knew what turned him from being a Bad Laird to a Good one.
What do you mean if? Well I have my own little dinosaur I hatched from an egg I found in the garden. It was a large egg and I’ve no idea how it landed there. It was still warm, so I thought it best to keep it warm and put it in the shed wrapped up in a fleecy blanket.
A few months later the egg hatched and here is a picture of Rupert. I’m not sure what type of dinosaur he is but we are both very used to each other. It’s been trial and error looking after him, but so far so good.
Yes, he does eat meat and it tends to be raw from the butcher. I discourage him from hunting, but I have noticed that the cats that used to frequent my garden are no longer there, either through fear, or perhaps Rupert’s natural instincts.
Rupert is not trainable , but he is actually very timid and won’t leave the garden. Which makes my life so much easier, he has his toys and he doesn’t need walked like a dog. It’s a long garden , so he has plenty of room to run around when he takes the notion, he likes to chase the birds but never catches them. His hopping motion is really funny to watch. I don’t think he’d survive by himself.
He’s three years old now, and the neighbours have got used to his occasional roaring. I’ve had advice from the local zoo, who say he really isn’t that dissimilar to a bearded dragon or a gecko, just bigger. I’ve filled in all the necessary forms for DEFRA, who are totally stumped with classifying him , so don’t bother. As far as there concerned if he stays in my garden then that’s fine.
I’ve ignored the media frenzy and despite being offered pot loads of money, I won’t subject Rupert to all that nonsense, he’s a sensitive soul and I just want him to enjoy his garden, his toys and his food.
The one drawback is dinosaur poo. You don’t want to be near a dinosaur with an upset stomach. Cow’s milk does not agree with him and although when he was a baby I fed him on it and he thrived . Now , he still likes the taste of it , and it’s a disaster when he raids the fridge in the house and drinks his fill. Projectile poo covering twenty metres of lawn and you better hope you’re not standing nearby when that happens. The smell is unbelievable.
Otherwise, on the right diet of raw meat and leafy vegetables, he’s fine and in truth his poos are no problem to clear up with a wheelbarrow and spade. Great for the plants as manure.
Anyway so I’m sure I’m not the only one who has hatched a dinosaur egg, maybe one day I’ll find a mate for my Rupert. I hope so.
Namaste and thank you for reading, 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 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.”
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”
thenotsomightyom 