Alex’s assessment day went according to plan and exactly as Moira had described it. The building where Martin, Sandy and Alex were dropped off by the taxi was exactly like a Government building, although once inside it seemed suitably child friendly with pictures on the wall , child size furniture and a good selection of toys in reception. Alex was in good form and by now being nearly two was crawling and quite enjoying himself. After about a fifteen minute wait, two obviously separate groups of people came into reception. There were two men in suits following a very smartly dressed young lady. The lady introduced herself and the gentlemen as part of the assesssment team and explained that the two young women who followed slightly behind them and were dressed in casual clothing would take Alex to the play room.
The smart young lady turned to Alex and said
” You prepared the Suitcase as requested, just in case your little boy needs to stay overnight for tests.”
Sandy nodded and handed the case to one of the casually dressed girls. The other girl had knelt down and was asking Alex about the tractor and the bricks he was playing with.
” We’ve got a bigger tractor next door, would you like to see it?” She smiled. Alex was smitten.
He looked up at Sandy as if to say was it alright, but Sandy didn’t get a chance to say anything . One of the men said
” My that’s a great idea! You seem a clever little chap, definately, you’ll like the tractor next door. Yes!”
Alex still looked at his mum, but it was too late, the young girl lifted Alex up and whisked him off. All Sandy and Martin saw was him disappearing behind two swing doors. Alex turned and looked at them both, he seemed unsure.
“I put his medication in the suitcase, he’ll be due some in 3 hours.” Sandy said to the smartly dressed woman.
” Oh that’ ll be fine, don’t worry. We have his full medical records on file, the girls will make sure he get’s it. Or perhaps you can give it to him yourself . Hopefully we’ll have sorted something out by then.
As things turned out they never saw Alex again that day. They had been interrogated like criminals, and the facade that they would be taking Alex home with them was kept up right until they were shown into a lift which took them back down to reception. They sat in reception an hour while their case notes were discussed. Finally the smartly dressed lady came down to reception and explained that Alex was going to be kept in for “tests”, there was nothing to worry about and someone would be in touch.
No one ever did get in touch with Sandy and Martin. After three weeks , they received a formal Government letter saying that Alex was to be placed in permanent residential care and that it would be better, it was felt, as he was so young that there would be no further contact with his natural parents, he would be well looked after and would get the best of care for his limited life. Meanwhile they recommended a course of fertility treatment and that as Alex could no longer qualify for the incentive payments, the sooner this was started the better.
Sandy was prepared for the harshness of the letter, Martin despaired but what could he do?
On Moira’s advice Sandy had arranged for Alex to be microchipped by an underground agency who were known for gathering information and protesting about missing children. Sandy had found them online with Moira’s help. There had been an Cable programme made about such organisations and Moira was able to access the archives .The chip was not traceable , the Authorities always scanned for them. The only reason the chip would stop transmitting was because it was destroyed in a fire, a crematorium fire. The child would have passed then. This was explained bluntly to Sandy over an automated encrypted phone call , Sandy felt drained at not being able to ask questions or respond, she just sat silently and listened to the computer generated voice, it was Alex’s only lifeline, so she persisted , it broke her heart.
Sandy and Martin, with their finances again affected by not officially having any offspring continued with their lives and with the fertility treatment. Sandy became pregnant with the Twins and a year after the assessment meeting on a dark , cold , winter’s night Sandy told Martin that Alex’s tracker signal had stopped. They both felt helpless that they had been unable to save their son. The pain would never go away. Their priority now though was the twins and now that they had fulfilled their Statutory Procreational Obligations life must go on.
Tedi gazed out of the large bay window at the top of the House. It was Tedi’s bedroom and was on the top floor at the back of the Palace Residential wing. He gazed out of the window , his head resting on a silk pillow embroidered with the letters TFM , delicately intertwined in fine gold, green and red thread. The motif was also on the fluffy fleece blanket which lay discarded on the floor and had fallen or being kicked off sometime during the night. It had been a warm night. The bed had been especially designed and fitted into the extensive windowsill by a local Carpenter , the view was superb .
Tedi surveyed, the panoramic landscape that he had spent many happy hours exploring . He knew by heart every tree and blade of grass , the types of wild animals and insects and the caves and hidden nooks . His eyes followed the stream that lead to the large lake and it brought back memories of paddling paw deep in the water and the excitement of being chased by the bad tempered swans and geese. Happy memories of warm sunny days.
Cross the butler would be up shortly to take him for his walk.
“Funny name Cross” he pondered, for the man who had looked after him and his interests for nigh on seventeen years and had never once said a cross word to him. Cross had came with the Palace, the arrangement had worked well over the years. Cross was a loyal and stalwart Butler. Tedi, shifted in his bed and thought , might as well have a snooze before Cross comes and as he dozed off he thought back to his younger days and the story of how he inherited this wonderful palace.
Tedi’s first visit to the Palace had been with his adopted mum and dad when he was just a Puppy. He had been newly adopted from the local Dog’s Trust and his mum and dad were taken aback when Tedi pulled relentlessly on his lead wanting to go into the Palace. It was early days with his training and they felt perhaps that he needed more time to learn his basic commands. So he was kept on lead despite his pulling in the direction of the big gate. They decided that a walk around the grounds would be a good idea to tire the little puppy out and then they would have coffee and a cake in the quadrangle restaurant.
At least that was the plan, little did they know that visiting the Palace had ignited a rush of memories in the little puppy’s head. Familiar smells, visions of men and women on horseback, kitchens, bedrooms, children in period dress. Were they ghosts or were they memories of what had been? Tedi did not know or care, he just knew that he had been there before and he felt an overwhelming draw to the place , he did not know it was a Palace. He sensed though, it was in his blood.
Mr and Mrs Graham finished their coffees more quickly then they had anticipated, as Tedi had been unsettled the whole of the time in the quadrangle café and had frankly spoiled their visit, they were relieved to wander back to their little cottage which was just on the edge of the Palace’s estate. When they got home and settled onto the sofa with their little dog, all was peaceful as Tedi was tired and he fell asleep on Mr Graham’s lap.
“He’s a funny little thing , isn’t he?” Mrs Graham said as she got up from the sofa.
” Yes, he is , we’ll have to persist with his training, I thought he was making progress, but today , well he wasn’t paying any attention to us. He nearly manoeuvred himself backwards out of his harness, I’m sure he would have been off into the kitchen if he could have.” Mr Graham replied.
“The kitchen! My that would have caused chaos. He really wanted to get into the Palace didn’t he? Shame they won’t let dogs in.” Mrs Graham said.
” Don’t think the Duke and Duchess would approve of their precious antique furniture having a leg cocked on it.”
” Honorary Duke and Duchess, they ain’t the real thing , not like in our day. Australian ain’t they? They don’t have Royalty , monied royalty , not proper royalty.”
This subject was a bone of contention between the couple, they had worked in the “big house ” for the old Duke and Duchess , twenty years before. They had been allowed to keep their tithed cottage as part of their retirement at a peppercorn rent. Mrs Graham had been Head Housekeeper and Mr Graham and been Head Gardener respectively . The real Duke and Duchess as Mrs Graham always referred to them had no issue , so there was no one to pass the Palace onto , well at least no one that was traceable.
” Issue” Mrs Graham thought as she walked into her small but tidy kitchen.” What a strange upper class word that was.”
Mrs Graham had worked for the Duchess and was with her through all the traumas of losing the babies that would have brought a succession to the family. It was never to be , eventually they had to accept that it would endanger the Duchess’s health to try any further.
The Duke, had been a wonderful husband, he threw himself into all sorts of causes to help unfortunate children and animals and he made sure that his wife was involved too. The Duke gave his Lady time to mourn but rightly so , he asked her to be involved with his projects, and it helped her greatly. The good work they had done together had been amazing. Both for animal and human welfare.
On the wall of the Graham’s kitchen there was a picture of The Duke and Duchess with their dogs Maisie and Marmaduke at one of the Great fundraising days that had been held on the Estate. The Fundraiser had turned into a very big event and the House was open to everyone, and their animals, there were horses and all sorts of domestic animals. Even an exotic animal show, where pet owners could show their pet spiders, lizards and snakes. It became an international event with all sorts of people far and wide attending. The Children and Pet Charities benefited greatly. The picture was of great comfort to Mrs Graham and she had chosen Tedi from the rescue centre as she thought he was the double of Marmaduke. He certainly had Marmaduke’s attitude as she later found out.
Mrs Graham turned on the radio to listen to some classical music as she prepared Sunday dinner. She enjoyed the peacefulness and hoped that Monday would not bring any more “letters” from the Big House and those troublesome Australians. Meanwhile, Tedi had moved himself to his own bed near the fireplace and Mr Graham had got up to water the plants in their garden.
“It had been a good day and they should count their blessings .” She thought , though in reality she was very concerned about the future.
It was two or three weeks later that Tedi realised he had to do something. The “letters” had arrived from the big House and they seemed to be very threatening. Lawyers were involved and it appeared that Mr and Mrs Graham were being asked to leave their home with nowhere else to go. Apparently they had no legal right to live their and unless they agreed to a significant increase in their monthly rent , which they simply could not afford , they would have to leave.Tedi knew something wasn’t right but he only knew this by instinct. Mrs Graham was crying a lot.
Fortunately Tedi had made a few dog friends in the village and there was much talk about how much he resembled old “Marmaduke”. Unbeknown to the Graham’s, Tedi regularly slipped out of the Graham’s little cottage and met up with the “village dogs” at night. He learned about Marmaduke from them and Marmaduke had always said that the Duke and Duchess were passing the Palace on to Marmaduke in Trust and that everyone in the village would always be looked after. Marmaduke would make sure of that.
However, all the villagers were getting letters to say they had to move out. It wouldn’t have happened in Marmaduke’s day, they said. They didn’t understand how they could do it. What had happened to the “Trust”?. There must be some sort of record , the Duke had said that it was all in writing and that everyone would be looked after.
That night in a flash of inspiration, or dog instinct. Tedi realised that he had to get into the Palace. There was a box he needed to find , he knew exactly where it was and it would have details of the Trust. He didn’t understand everything about it , but he just knew he had to find it. He told his “crew” that he needed to get into the Palace. He discussed with his “gang” , how they would break into the Palace and find what he needed to prove who the rightful owners of the Palace were.
The following night, they followed their plan and several village dogs were able to show Tedi how to get into the Palace grounds and also some underground passage ways that lead directly into the house. Other dogs would act as guards.
When they reached the iron grate that led into the Library of the Palace, there were two dogs left Tedi and Freddie as the others had stayed on guard to warn if anything untoward had happened. Tedi had a feeling that he had been here before. They were both small Jack Russells and they were extremely adept at breaking in. Tedi was thinner then Freddie who couldn’t fit through the bars, but Tedi slipped through by scrunching up his shoulders . A few seconds and he was in.
Freddie looked concerned and quizzically at Tedi. Tedi sniffed to say it was alright he’d continue alone. Tedi knew where to go. Which indeed he did, he could smell the house, Marmaduke’s scent was still there, they were like signposts to him. He came out through the kitchen and decided not to cock his leg as he didn’t really need to, but it would be natural as that would be the way to find his way back. However, he knew that wouldn’t be a problem, once he found what he was looking for, he would not need to go back. This was going to be his home.
He ran along the corridor, there were a lot of pictures hanging on the walls , big and small and statues, some of white marble ones were quite scary as they looked like real people .At this moment Tedi did not want to see any people. At the end of the corridor , he came to a massive room with a large dining table and loads of chairs. Again there were a lot of pictures on the walls with people in them and they were staring down at him. Tedi began to feel very nervous. So he ran along under the long table and when he got to the end of the room he went through the doorway which was ajar and into the hallway which he knew led to the stairway.
“So far so good ” Tedi thought. He could smell Marmaduke’s scent even stronger now.
He came to the large stairway and jumped up the stairs two at a time, he turned to the left and ran quickly down another corridor. There were rooms on either side and he knew he was looking for the “Old Duke’s Office” which was right at the end . When he reached the door , he was dismayed , it was closed and probably locked, how could he get in? He sniffed and pawed at the door, frustrated, what could he do?
It was then that Cross appeared. Cross was aware that there was an intruder in the house. The alarm from the CCTV had woken him and despite having been given his notice that morning by the new Duke and Duchess, he felt it was his duty to investigate. He had seen the little white dog running through the house as if he knew exactly where he was going. Cross thought he was seeing a ghost , he had worked for the Palace since he was sixteen and he had known Marmaduke.
Cross arrived just as Tedi was scratching helplessly at the door.
“Marmaduke, is that you?” Cross said in disbelief.
Tedi’s heart leapt into his throat and he looked up in horror at the tall man dressed in his pyjamas and dressing gown.
Tedi gave a little yelp and sat bolt upright , just like Marmaduke used to do.
” Good grief, it is you Marmie, come on let me pick you up” Cross reached out for the little dog.
Tedi let Cross pick him up in his big arms, but made it quite clear that he needed to get into the “Office”. He struggled to get down again and when his feet touched the ground again he clawed at the door with his front paws.
” Marmie, for a ghost you are very solid, but it’s great to see you , I can’t believe it. Do you want to get into the office, why?”
Tedi thought , I don’t know who Marmie is but , yes I do want to get into the “Office” so he sat looking up at Cross with his big eyes, which were just like Marmaduke’s.
Cross said . ” Well , it just so happens that I’ve got the keys, and if you want to get in that’s OK with me.” Cross unlocked the office door and Tedi rushed in and Cross followed him slowly , closing the door behind him.
Tedi looked around the room and saw the desk which he knew had a secret compartment. Only Marmaduke and the Duke knew about it. Tedi crawled underneath the desk and found the little drawer which was underneath the bottom of one of the main drawers. Instinct kicked in and he tapped with his paw three times and the drawer opened. It was dark and when Cross knelt down on his hands and knees and used a small torch to see what the little dog was doing , he watched as the drawer popped open and revealed a small gold box.
Tedi was stumped, what did the gold box mean. He couldn’t open it. He would need the man to help him. He sat up again and looked up pleading for help.
” Alright , Marmie, so this is what you were looking for? What is it, I’ll have to see if I can open it”.
Cross took the box out of the drawer and to his relief , it did not need a key and he lifted the lid. Inside there were some papers. Cross began to read them as Tedi looked up gratefully.
” Good Grief, this changes everything!”
Tedi realised his job was done, the ” Trust Papers ” had been found, there was proof that the Duke had indeed passed the Palace onto Marmaduke .Tedi was Marmadukes son and therefore Tedi was the rightful owner of the Palace. The Australians had “bought” the Palace under false pretences. They had used scurrilous means and legions of Lawyers to buy the Palace and though the Duke’s and Duchesses wishes had been known to everyone, there had been nothing found in writing , even though everyone had been sure the Lawyers had all the details. The the Law Courts had been used to prove that the Duke was not of sound mind in leaving his Estate to a dog and it’s progeny. So it and the village and been bought by them at a bargain price.
The papers though proved otherwise, Cross looked in disbelief, this dog wasn’t Marmaduke , this was his son!
” Good Boy, Good Boy! ” We wondered what had happened to you and the others. You disappeared overnight. Let me have a look , I see you’ve got a collar on.
” You live just down the road! Well my boy , this is going to be your home now! “
Cross picked up Tedi and he put the papers back in the gold box and they went back to Cross’s living quarters where , Cross gave Tedi a drink of water and some ham from his fridge. They both sat on the sofa and Cross read through the papers again and found the number for the old Duke’s Lawyer with the intention of ringing him in the morning.
Meanwhile Freddie who had waited for Tedi at the other side of the grate decided that he best go home, he hadn’t heard anything and decided he would catch up with Tedi in the morning. That the Palace must have very big fridge and that Tedi was probably eating his way through it.
Martin lay in bed , he was so tired, he felt like he was going through the motions of living. Would it ever stop? Did he want it just to stop? His mind went over again and again the events of the last few years. It didn’t solve anything.
Sandy, his wife, was in their en-suite bathroom putting the finishing touches to the make-up that she so expertly put on each day. Perfecting her brow shape and applying concealer, which she felt she needed more and more of as the month’s went by. Sandy felt increasingly overwhelmed trying to keep up her Media Career as well as trying to run a household and looking after the twins. She complained to Martin about being tired all the time and of having permanent black rings around her beautiful almond shape eyes.
“Just like a fucking Panda!” she’d say to him.
Martin could not see what she meant and thought she looked much better without make-up. Sandy was driven by her ambition and only half listened to him anymore. Their two World’s were so different, Martin worked in Archeological Research and Sandy was part of the ruthless cut throat World of the Media.
When, after a few glasses of wine her tongue loosened and she told him about her work , he was uneasy. It sounded petty and brutal and totally alien to the the sweet woman he used to know. He had come to realise that the work had taken it’s toll on the beautiful fun loving girl he had met and married after graduating from the University of Bathlea. One of the top Provincial Universities specialising in Sports and Residential Training for Top Athletes, fortuitously also it had a well respected Archeology Department.
As A2’s accepted for tertiary education they had been selected for fast track and expansive leisure time rewards, with plenty of time to discover themselves in preparation for the role they were being prepared for in Society.
Sandy’s sports scholarship had been a wonderful opportunity to travel the World while she competed at the highest level in her sport , athletics, indeed she held the UK record in the 100m and 200m sprint at Junior level. Together Martin and Sandy had experienced truly uplifting and life enhancing experiences as indeed the life plan for dynamic adults in their early twenties deigned. It had been a rite of passage for two intelligent and talented people.
Now Sandy and Martin were in their early thirties, with a healthy pair of twins, a still born baby and Alex whom no one now mentioned and officially did not now exist.
They had a very large mortgage which loomed each month like an impossibly high mountain to climb, but somehow each month they managed to pay. Increasingly, the strain between them was showing and although they rarely spoke about it, losing Alex and the feeling that he had been taken away from them made them question what exactly their New Society was about. Martin felt that they were heading for disaster, a marriage split, he felt out of control. Sandy avoided the subject , it was too deep for her and Martin gave up trying to speak to her. They were just going through the motions of living.
Her A2 Procreational Contractual obligations had to be fulfilled, she was running out of prime fertility time. Sandy , at heart felt it was a priority both financially ( having children was incentivised) and emotionally to start a family. In reality her longing to have a child superseded not achieving a primetime presenting job. Martin knew Sandy wanted to be a mother. State interference had worked in both their favours on this count. It was just that it hadn’t been straightforward , nothing like what they had both imagined.
As A2’s , Martin and Sandy had been assessed thoroughly , mentally and physically. Their first child being still born , was a shock to them both. The emotional trauma along with the feeling that they had “failed the system” had been hard to bear. The labour had gone on a long time, when they finally held the limp lifeless child coddled in a soft white blanket , they both cried together for their loss.
Strangers appeared from nowhere, Government people. There were a lot of questions, a moratorium almost. Sandy discussed her whole pregnancy with them, had she missed any appointments, had she fallen at any time? Sandy had to describe in every detail her pregnancy. Martin could not believe what was happening , Sandy was in tears as she said that there had been blood pressure issues, but that she had been assured that everything was fine. The labour had perhaps gone on too long, in the end they had determined that the baby had been starved of oxygen. It was no ones fault.
Martin felt the bereavement process had been badly handled. A few hours after the birth and their interrogation, they had a discussion about the arrangements for disposal of what was described as the foetal remains. They were told that trying again was the best way to overcome their grief.
They both started the process of trying for another baby a few weeks later. The Doctor’s firmly suggested that Sandy cut back on her athletic training and she complained to Martin that she felt frumpy and frustrated. Martin had tried everything to make the process of conceiving fun and not a chore , but in the end he cottoned on to the fact that Sandy was being made to feel like a brood mare.
Sandy told him that she had even asked the Counsellor for advice on inseminating herself with Martin’s sperm. Martin felt that he was being excluded , that all Sandy wanted to do was tick a box and have a child . He dutifully filled the tube in the bathroom and then Sandy used the device to inseminate herself.
“Night” Sandy had often said without so much as a cuddle or a kiss on the cheek. Martin did not know what he had done to deserve such treatment and he felt very alone. The next morning it was back to the routine of getting up , doing her make up and going to work. It was soulless. Martin knew that Sandy had not been ready emotionally to try for another child and when Sandy announced one morning at breakfast that she was pregnant, he felt guilty that he had mixed feelings, indeed , the strain of the last three months had made him feel more like a sperm donor , than a lover or a husband.
The safe arrival of Alex was a great relief to Martin and Sandy. It had been another tough labour . The new baby brought back the joy into his and Sandy’s relationship. The initial optimism was tempered by Alex’s gradually deteriorating health . Sandy tried everything to comfort the child but nothing worked. Martin was away a lot in the first few months of Alex’s life, so each time he returned he saw a healthy growing baby, who slept a lot , but when awake could scream the house down.
Martin noticed Sandy’s trepidation as she picked up Alex to breast feed him. She had gone from a confident mother to one who simply dreaded the piercing screams Alex made . He remembered one incident , when they were all at home , and Alex was due his feed.
Sandy turned to him before picking Alex up and said. ” I’m so afraid , I’m hurting him.”
As she picked him up , the screaming started, she moved her nipple towards his mouth and he suckled for a short while and then pulled away again and started screaming again. One pediatrician had told her that Alex might be allergic to her Breast Milk, so she immediately stopped Breast Feeding and started Bottle Feeding . Things did not improve and as time went on Sandy began to feel more desperate. This was not how things should be. It was Martin who suggested a Counselling session, Post-Natal Depression was a treatable condition and the Counsellor was very helpful. It was through Counselling that Sandy voiced her concerns about Alex’s health, it was only much later that she realised it was the worse thing she could have done.
When Alex reached six months, he begin to fit regularly, and his health began to deteriorate quickly. There were numerous hospital visits and tests and the diagnosis of a rare genetic disorder came back.
Alex had inherited a defective gene, it was life limiting and he would need special care for the rest of his life. Sandy and Martin were devastated, they were A2’s , they had been screened , how could this have happened? The doctors said that there was an outside chance that the damaged genes were the result of external influences, such as environment, but that was a long shot. It was something that they hadn’t seen for some time, they would have to report it to The Authorities. The State Machine intervened and within a few days they were both asked to attend Alex’s Assessment Meeting.
Until the fateful meeting about Alex’s future , Sandy and Martin as A2‘s had never came across A1‘s. People wondered did they really exist. No one was sure and certainly Sandy and Martin had never met one. There was no identifiable career path or progression to becoming an A1. To most it was unachievable and the ambition to be one did not resonate with many, but Sandy and Martin were about to find out that they did exist and they were very powerful people.
The letter with the A1‘s names and titles inviting them to the “Assessment Centre” had come a few weeks after their last hospital appointment. Martin’s Company had already been advised about his time off work to attend and as Sandy read the details of the letter out to him while Alex was asleep upstairs, Martin saw that she was worried.
The appointment would be in the next two days, they should bring Alex along with them , as well as his medications and an overnight bag for him. He would be allocated a place in their Day Nursery, so Martin and Sandy could be free to participate in the discussion about his future care. The letter stated the attendees , which included the Counsellor who had been working with Sandy on her Post-Natal Depression.
There were three other attendees whose names Sandy nor Martin did not recognise. It was made quite clear that there was no option of declining the appointment as all the arrangements were in place. Martin , Sandy and Alex would be collected by Taxi and taken to the assessment centre. There would be no cancellations or need to rearrange.
Instinctively Sandy and Martin acknowledged together that this was indeed a crisis point and they began to talk to each other like they had not been able to do for some time. Neither had dulled their senses or loosened their tongues with a bottle of wine. Martin was getting ready to go to bed and Sandy wandered in to their ensuite bathroom as Martin was brushing his teeth: she held the letter in her hand, she stood behind him and looked over his shoulder at him in the mirror. Martin looked at Sandy’s reflection , she was pale and drawn and he knew she was very frightened.
” Something awful is going to happen, I just know it.” She stared directly at Martin’s reflection in the mirror
Martin couldn’t reply straight away as his mouth was full of electric toothbrush and toothpaste. He listened to her intently and began to rinse his mouth . When he’d dried his hands and face he turned to her , put his arm around her and gently moved her into the bedroom.
Sandy explained that a colleague of hers in the Newsroom where she worked had said that a Government Policy to remove children deemed not genetically perfect existed and over the last 30 Years or so and they had expanded the process. The Letter Sandy and Martin had received was the start, because of Alex’s condition , he would be taken away from them.
Sandy had tears in her eyes. Martin turned to her and gave her a big warm hug.
” Sandy , it’s only a meeting , nothing is finalised. Alex will be fine, he’s not going anywhere.”
Sandy whimpered as she rested her head on Martin’s shoulder, the terry-towelling of his dressing gown absorbed her tears.
“They’re going to take him away.” Sandy lifted her head and looked Martin in the eye.”
“Shhh,Shhh, don’t say that Sandy, it’s early days. We need some help with Alex’s health that’s all.” He put his hand on the nape of her neck and gently massaged her trying to soothe her.
” We just need to find out more information that’s all. It’s a meeting to discuss what’s best. They can’t do anything if we say no, Alex is our child.”
Sandy looked up again at Martin.
” Martin, they can and do. We just never hear about it. Children are taken away as a matter of course now and no one knows what happens to them. Moira at the Newsdesk said it didn’t sound good, having the letter and the meeting.” Sandy started to cry.
” Martin no one ever sees those children again.”
They both sat on the bed ,their shoulder’s touching.
“Surely that’s not possible, we have rights”. Martin was not trying to reassure Sandy anymore, he was beginning to think what she was saying was right. Alex was going to be taken away from them.”
“What exactly did this Moira in the Newsroom say?” Martin put his hand on Sandy’s hand.
” She said that I should be prepared, that it was unlikely that they’d let me keep Alex and that we would not be given any choice during the discussion’s about his welfare. It would be residential care and no contact. Basically just telling us what they were going to do and to say goodbye. We cannot refuse. All the arrangements will have been made.”
” Don’t we have any say?” Martin looked at Sandy and bowed his head, it was Sandy’s time to put her arm around Martin.
” Moira said, some parents do kick up a fuss. They run off and tell their stories, none of them reach the Mainstream Media. It might go out on an obscure satellite channel . The Parent’s win a big Court Case, and the child is amazingly cured. It’s rare, and frequently linked to some Medical Breakthrough story. Curing the incurable. An opiate, that gives the general population hope and in reality neglects the decline in real health care. Easier to destroy then try to treat.
Sandy continued ” Real investigative journalism no longer exists, but journalists still have access to information that other’s don’t . The Powers that be, see it as an effective means of dissemination of information when needed. Journalists are motivated by the “Scoop”, they call it “Taming the Tiger”, let them have their scoop. I’m really shocked how much we are controlled”. Sandy had stopped crying, she sniffed and reached for a tissue from the bedside table.
Martin was exhausted and so was Sandy . They could say little to comfort each other , but they both understood that they would face whatever happened next with a united front. They both got under the cover of the duvet and curled up beside each other and fell asleep.
Christmas was always a difficult time for Stan, because it was at Christmas Time when he was abandoned as a puppy and was left to fend for himself on the street. Up until he was 8 months old , he had a family and then something awful happened. His family could no longer look after him and the father said it was kinder to let him loose on the streets, where someone was bound to take him in, whereas if they handed him to the shelter if he wasn’t claimed in 4 weeks then he would be put to sleep. His family were very sad but they thought they were doing the best for him.
The little pup; though he went through some very hard times and lots of adventures survived on the streets. In truth , he had lost faith in people and felt it was only other animals he could trust. He avoided getting involved with people and would only steal food when he knew he could get away with it. He was always hungry , he was very careful not to trust people, even when they offered him free food. He had heard what the man who used to care for him had said , so he was very wary.
When he met Milo, the mouse, he knew he was OK. In truth Stan was down on his luck, being so big it wasn’t easy to sneak away with food and he’d had some lucky escapes. One man had tried to throw hot oil over him. Stan was getting older and couldn’t move as fast as he used to. .Stan, though was a dog of the World , he knew how things worked and Stan knew that Milo, despite being very rich and very able at business needed looking after. So it was a good relationship, they both looked after each other’s backs.
It was their first Christmas together and Milo had put a heater in the Stan’s shed and also decorated it with some festive cheer and a new bed with an electric blanket. Secretly ,Stan was very pleased and it on Christmas night he settled into his new surroundings which were very comfortable and said goodnight to Milo as he wandered by just taking a breath of fresh air in the garden.
” See you tomorrow Stan” said Milo as he waved goodbye ” We’re having turkey for breakfast and dinner!”
Stan smiled , he knew he would now dream of turkey, but he didn’t mind, he was tired and he knew he’d sleep well.
That was unless something happened.
Which of course it did.
At 3.00 am in the morning Milo came rushing out to the garden, still in his pyjamas and with his mobile phone glued to his ear. His Big Department Store down in the city had been broken into , the alarms were going off , the Police were on their way , but the Security Guards were in real trouble. They needed help, they were being held hostage. Milo had them on the telephone and they were very scared.
Stan leaped out of bed immediately , he didn’t know the full details but he could tell Milo was very concerned.
Milo got the car out of the garage and put the phone on speaker phone. They were driving along and suddenly the voice of one of the robbers came on the speaker.
” Call the Police Off Mr Big Mouse, or else the Concierge get’s it !” Milo could hear the concierge in the background he was crying.
” Hold on, I didn’t call the Police , someone else must have, I can’t stop them, they know there’s a burglary going on. Look I’m on my way , as soon as I get there I’ll let them know, I don’t want them interfering. Please don’t hurt anyone.”
” We want access to the safe, nobody here seems to have a clue, when you get here can you come up to the fifth floor and let us into it.”
” Of course , I will! Look just don’t hurt anyone!”
Stan rolled his eyes this did not sound good. He had to start thinking of a plan and what to do.
Eventually, Stan and Milo got to the store and Milo immediately went in, he’d made a call to the Police Commissioner explaining the situation and asked that the police keep quiet and be there to help if needed. Milo promised the Commissioner that as soon as he had made sure that everyone was safe he would let him know.
So it was that Stan and Milo made there way up to the Fifth Floor of ” The Big Mouse Department Store”. That was the administrative floor and Milo had been told to come up alone and knock on one of the office doors . Which he did. Stan stealthily hid in the cleaning cupboard of the Fifth Floor, and with the headset that Milo had given him awaited further instructions.
Milo knocked on the office door he had been instructed to , he knew it was the one with the safe in it. One of the thieves opened it and roughly grabbed at him to come in. Once inside Milo saw the hostages and the thieves standing around the safe.
Milo gave a very unhappy look at the thief who was manhandling him and the leader of the thieves said.
” Leave him alone, he’s the one who can let us into the safe, so leave him be. Your going to cooperate Mr Big Mouse aren’t you?” Said the Thief in Charge.
” Yes, of course. Now let’s see if all three of you can stand aside , then I will open the safe and then we can let you get out the back way with all the money and the Police won’t see you and you can make your escape”.
” Right, that sounds like a good plan, that is if we can trust you, first though open the safe.”
” OK, let me see, right I have to turn this and then twist this lever and as soon as I do that , put the following numbers on the dial, five, four , three, two one!”
Stan leapt through the door and within seconds all the thieves were flattened underneath him and those that weren’t were unconscious as he had thrown them backwards against the wall. The Security Guards who were tied up were quickly released by Milo biting through the string binding their wrists and as the Thieves Leader regained consciousness, he was tied up and along with the other thieves.
The Police Commissioner was very pleased when he heard from Milo that everyone was safe and that the thieves had been apprehended. It didn’t take long before the thieves were led away by the Police and that Milo and Stan could go back home.
It wasn’t quite breakfast time when the two friends arrived home and they were both very tired , so they decided to go to bed and have a late breakfast.
On Christmas Day they would be able to talk to their friends about their adventure and they had even invited the Security People and their families from the store to come and share their Christmas Day with them as everything in the end had worked out alright and Milo wanted them to forget the bad bits when they had been frightened and remember how brave they had been and how it had all worked out alright because of Stan.
A good time was had by all, and Stan didn’t mind that Milo exaggerated his role, certainly he didn’t remember Milo giving an uppercut to the jaw of the biggest thief, but then again it was a good story and everyone enjoyed it. There was loads of turkey too, enough even for Stan.
Peeve is not a commonly used word. Indeed, it’s a long time since I heard anyone say it or even write it. I obviously don’t move in the right digital circles. It’s a good word in a bad way and perhaps I will try and integrate it somehow. Seems a shame to waste it. Or should I say it would be peevish to waste it?.
So perhaps we should start with a definition, as a verb, it’s to annoy or irritate. Certainly plenty of things in daily life that will do that. Though I think to peeve you really have to be at the extreme of annoying or irritating without actually doing physical or emotional damage. Possibly there are many other words that would do that which is maybe why peeve has became less frequently used.
As a noun , “peeve” is a source of annoyance, there is even an example of one such peeve on the internet.
“another peeve of mine is these so called reality shows.”
In honour of the Internet, I will say that yes that is one of my peeves.
Reality shows are for losers, make your own reality and make it yours no matter what it is. Whatever happens life is not a voyeurs game, you can pick on a sore and it will become septic and can make you very ill. Reality shows are a very specific form of the entertainment machine and a classic example of picking on sores.
If you stand and watch someone bandage someone else’s sore and watch it get better, what you have learnt maybe it’s good to cure and make better, but do you understand the mechanics of how that bandage worked or what medicines they used or the care that went into the cure and the difficulties that the curer faced. No because you are a voyeur and everything happened in a thirty minute time-slot on demand.
Thank you internet, one down , two to go.
Hysterically, I am struggling to find the other two, as annoyance and irritants are just maybe not that important to me. There is just too many things happen that are positive to be peevish about much. Perhaps that is why peevish almost sounds like a Victorian word to me and why has gone out of use. Maybe the Victorians were more peevish than us.
“Barnaby was a peevish scamp”. Poor Barnaby.
Anyway, I suppose I get peevish if anyone around me says they are bored. As there is so much to be done that can improve things for everyone. Even if it’s just saying hello to someone.
One to go! It peeves me to see too many goals set for the sake of it and targets. Targets are are very often wrong and when they are, they can skew the planet and it’s people. It’s more the arrogance of the people who do the setting that peeves me. The disastrous effects their beliefs can have on others goes way beyond me being peevish.
thenotsomightyom 