Chapter 8 - The wrong choice.

It was close to four in the afternoon. The preparation had been done, and the food was in the oven. Giving the sides a good rinse down, Violet headed upstairs for a quick jump in the bath. Leaving the door open in case she heard any sounds. Ok it was a quiet village, but where she normally left the doors unlocked, it would be harder to hear anyone coming in. The next thing she realised was the sound of footsteps on the stairs. “Hello?” she called out. The sound stopped. She panicked slightly. “Hello?” she called out a little more fearful this time. Still nothing. She would have to go and investigate just to make sure. Wrapping a towel around herself, she edged slowly towards the top of the stairs.

Having passed the interview and trial shift with flying colours, Jackie had been accepted for the Public House Assistant role. It was the start of a third week there, and she’d already got to know a few of the regulars. It wasn’t apparent to her that there were problems behind the scenes, nor that she was working for a fraudulent franchise. The pub itself was fine, the regular punters and the landlady, were not. Drake soon popped in. He hadn’t seen his partner at work before, and was a surprise visitor for her. One of the things the landlady hadn’t told her, was that she would be better without a partner because the banter wouldn’t be entirely suited to their ears, but that was just part of the con.
“Drake,” she hissed. “What are you doing here?”
“Can’t I come see you while you work in a pub?” he replied, confused.
“Not really,” she replied. “I’m getting out and doing my own thing, and I’m enjoying it here.”
Drake was a little startled. She’d never behaved like this before.
“I’ll talk to you later,” she said, as she ushered him out the door.
Bemused, he slowly made his way over the gravel to the main road.

As she looked around the top of the staircase, nervously anticipating someone being there, she had a mild shock. There was no-one there. But there was a piece of paper rustling away near the bottom, that hadn’t been there before. Hurrying down to pick it up, she missed a step and crashed to the floor. Bashing her right knee into the wall, landing awkwardly on her hip, her head bouncing off the wooden flooring, it took a moment to sink in. Screaming loudly, in the hope that someone would hear her, she felt a sharp pain through the parts of her body that she’d hurt.

Happy hour was just starting. It was clear to Jackie that all the drinks had a price reduction, and there would be a group of four to six guys always coming in just to get the cheaper prices. Today however, there was a seventh member. After serving the regulars, she turned to the newcomer and asked, “So what can I do for you?”
“That depends, gorgeous,” he replied with a cheeky smile. “What would you want to do for me?”
“Preferably get you a drink,” she winked. He wasn’t like the others. They were all a fair few years older than him, it was like he was a newbie everywhere he went. “Although,” fluttering her eyelashes, she continued, “I might consider something else for you.”
“I think I’ll stick to just a drink. For now,” he replied. “Is there a beer garden I can go to?”
Jackie pointed at a side door. “Just through there,” she answered.
Not many people had used it lately, what with a flurry of wet weather days rendering the seats unusable. However it was a bit drier today, and he took himself out.
A little hot under the collar, she felt her heart beating quite forcefully. The last time she had got anything like this, she remembered it well, it was meeting Drake for the first time. Back then just the sight of him had set her heart racing, made her throat quite dry, and words didn’t seem to make sense coming out of her mouth.

Drake returned to the house. Yes he knew Violet was hosting her first business event of the year, but he didn’t have many other places to go right now. Neville’s had been closed since three due to a minor mishap in the city, Simon had closed the post office early too, and Derek wasn’t anywhere to be found either. He could hear something, but couldn’t make out what it was. Hurrying towards the front door, the inaudible sounds turned into audible screaming. Something didn’t feel right. Pushing the door ajar, he froze. His ears felt like they were going to burst at the sudden piercing scream, but his eyes couldn’t quite believe what they were seeing.
“Sis!” he cried. “What happened?”
Kneeling down beside her, he spotted an open wound around her left ear. Not knowing what had happened himself, he grabbed her towel from off the stairs, and wrapped it around her forehead, covering the wound in the process. Racing up the stairs he frenetically searched for clothes for her. She was, after all, naked.
There was a rap on the door. Grabbing the nearest thing he could find, a quilt, he made his way back downstairs, and covered her body so only her head was visible.
“Anyone home?” came a grainy voice, through the letterbox.
“Just a minute,” Drake responded, a hint of panic in his voice.
When he was sure his sister was comfortably in the recovery position, basic first aid knowledge applied, he opened the door cautiously.
“Hello. Is Violet here?” enquired the man stood there. A well built figure, he towered above Drake, at six foot four. “I’ve been told this is where she lives. I’m a DJ, and have been requested to set up for a gig tonight.”
Drake hesitated. “I’m not sure she’s going to be fit enough to host this party tonight,” his reply was anxious.
“Why ever not?” asked the DJ, known to many as simply DJ Vic. “Have I got the right place?”
Drake paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. “Yes, you do have the right place, but she’s a little, out of sorts,” the anxiousness in the reply rung a few alarm bells.
“I’m guessing something’s not quite right. Can I come in and see?” Full of questions, DJ Vic wasn’t one to cancel without good reason, but the minute Drake opened the door a little wider, Vic knew. Scanning the floor he’d spotted the towel, with a little bit of blood seeping through. “Oh my,” he was in shock. “I think I’ll call the party organisers.”
Drake said, “That might be a good idea. I would look to see how to keep this going, but I think there’s only one option available and that’s for your help to get her to a hospital.”
Vic pulled out a shiny new mobile phone. “Mr Jackson?” he wasn’t too sure if he’d got the right one or not. “Yes, there’s been a slight problem down at the entertainment venue. Is there a way we can reschedule this party until the hostess is available again?”
A long pause, as Mr Jackson relayed the information to his wife. Giving a response, Vic was relieved to hear. “Ok, we’ll see what we can re-organise when the time is right.”
“I’m guessing they are ok to just postpone until she gets better?” Drake requested, a little shaken.
“Yes that’s right. Oh, how rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m DJ Vic. Was born as Victor, but I felt that didn’t work as a stage name.”
“And I’m Drake. I’m Violets younger brother. Any chance you could help get her up to the city hospital?”
“Sure Drake, do you want a few minutes to get a few things for her before we head off?”
“That sounds good. I was just trying to find something when you knocked,” Drake replied. “We’ll get on with this as quickly as we can, this head injury looks a little worse than I first thought.”
Violet had been quiet throughout this conversation. She’d drifted off into unconsciousness as a result of the collision her head had made with the floor. Vic took himself out to his van, and Drake grabbed the nearest clothes from the dirty laundry pile. It wasn’t important what she wore, as long as she had something on. The only issue with her being unconscious was her body had become a ‘dead-weight’, and she wasn’t the lightest person either.
“Vic,” called Drake. “Could you come back in here for a sec? I think this would be a two person job to lift her up into the van safely.”
Staggering out the door with the seemingly twice as heavy Violet between them, they sat her up in the back half of the cab. Drake was going to sit alongside her and maintain her posture upright as best as he could. Vic jumped in the drivers side and they pulled off the driveway.

Susan had made her way back down to the main floor of the pub. Happy hour was almost at an end, and the regular cheap punters were almost ready to leave. “Time for you to have a break,” she called over to Jackie who was just clearing a couple of glasses. “You can have soft drinks while on shift, but if anyone buys you an alcoholic drink, that has to wait until the end.”
“Ok,” came the reply. “Think I’ll go and enjoy a little bit of sunlight that’s still out and about.”
“You’ve got twenty minutes.” Susan was a pretty strict timekeeper, but Jackie had got used to this. Passing through the side door into the garden, she noticed that the young man was still about. Keeping her distance, she could smell something strange. But all she could see was a hand-rolled cigarette in his hand. He was also on the phone, and didn’t notice her at first. Not deliberately meaning to eavesdrop on his conversation, she couldn’t help but over hear him talking about the pub.
“Yeah, this is a real nice place. Feels like it could become a second home to me,” he said. “And there’s some real good eye-candy here. Who knows, might get lucky.”
She was a little confused. Did this guy mean her or Susan? And whatever he was smoking, sure smelt strong.

Susan popped her head out the door. “I said twenty minutes,” she said, tapping her watch, looking rather annoyed. “You know I don’t like late runners, or extended breaks.”
She paused for a moment. She also could smell something strong, and like Jackie, could only see this cigarette in the guys hand. “Come inside,” she beckoned. “That really doesn’t smell like it needs to be lingering on your clothes, if it is what I think it is.”
“Oh?” Jackie was puzzled. “What do you think it could be?”
“I can’t say out here, he might overhear us, and that could possibly cause offence,” hissed Susan.
Going back in and closing the door, with no punters around at this moment in time, Susan explained her suspicions. “That didn’t smell like no ordinary cigarette to me,” she began. Before she could continue the side door opened again and the young man come through. “Shall be back in a short while, I’m just going to get some friends of mine and show them this place,” he winked at the two of them, before seeing himself out.
“Well anyway, as I was saying,” Susan continued. “That was no cigarette. Sure smelt like something illegal.”
“Illegal?” What do you mean?” cried Jackie. “Surely we shouldn’t have that in and around here at all?”
“You’d think so, but I’ve been here for too long on my own, I can’t keep tabs on what everyone does. I can politely ask them to use the garden, or they tend to throw a tantrum if I ask them to leave,” it was rather awkward for Susan to explain. It was a previous habit of hers but that wasn’t for Jackie to know.
Jackie was now a little more on edge. She’d overheard this guy talking about ‘eye-candy’, ‘might get lucky’, and now this illegal smoking. “What’s it been like with you allowing it in the garden then?” She quizzed Susan.
“It’s been better than kicking them out and having issues being out muscled by other people,” Susan reluctantly said. Some would say that it wasn’t worth the risk of having police drive by and smelling it. They’ve been fortunate though, that there hadn’t been many illegal drug smokers through of late. It was rather unappealing to Jackie, but as Susan did have a history, she’d occasionally join in.

Arriving at the hospital, Vic turned to Drake and said, “Keep her upright for a couple more minutes while I go and get someone. She may need relatively urgent attention to this head-injury,” he added, indicating another red blotch appearing through the towel. She’d lost a little bit more blood than they would have liked, but it was quicker than waiting for an ambulance. After catching a couple of guys attention, Vic explained what he knew. He didn’t know how it had happened, all he knew was that there was a head-injury at the bottom of a staircase, and that perhaps a trolley would be more beneficial than a wheelchair.
“Come on guys!” Drake was getting a little impatient. His sister was in a relatively urgent need for treatment, but it seemed like they were taking a bit longer than necessary.
Moments later, a trolley was wheeled out to the side of the van. A paramedic came out with a little first aid box and hurried over. “Ok, so we’ve got, Violet Anderson, thirty seven, no known history of any diseases or conditions,” the medic had all the relevant documentation that they needed. It looked like it could have been a lot worse, but the medic was undisturbed. Peeling off the towel he immediately place a small dressing over the cut on her head.
“Can you put some extra pressure on that,” he called out to a nurse walking past. “It needs a steady hand and we have a couple of shaky guys here.”

An hour later, and this cute guy that had set Jackie’s heart racing, had been back in the pub for fifteen minutes. He had brought along three of his friends, and they were all toned, strong, and supple. Ok, so he smoked an illegal substance, or at least, Susan thought he did, but that didn’t put Jackie off. Drake had upset her earlier on that afternoon, so she was going to have a little bit of fun.
“Hi boys,” she said as she went into the garden. “Having fun?”
Swinging her hair from side to side, the guys all froze, one of them started drooling without realising. “Hey there gorgeous,” the cute guy said. “Yeah, we’re having a great time.” Winking at his mates he dropped his voice so Jackie couldn’t hear it, “Do you see what I mean about eye candy? She’s perfect to look at in every way.”
“Sure do,” drawled the guy who had drooled. “Adorable. I bet she’s got a tight ass too.”
“Now now lads,” chuckled a third guy, this one wore slim line spectacles, so was slightly different to the drooling one and the cute one. “We’re here to have fun, she’s definitely got the figure for fun.”
Jackie blushed a little as she caught that last line.
“No need to blush sweetheart,” the last guy chimed in. “You’ve got it, so flaunt it.”
She had an inkling she knew what they meant by fun. Wasn’t too sure if she was going to do anything though.
“Come have a puff on this cig,” the cute guy suggestively approached.
“I’m a non-smoker though boys, I need to keep my fitness up elsewhere,” she winked.
This took the cute guy by surprise. “So,” he wandered over to her, “How would you like to come back to mine after work?”
“Seems like it could be fun,” she replied. “Will these guys be there or will it be just you?”
“Just me. Here’s my address if you do want to come on over,” he gave her a folded piece of lined paper. “You’re welcome any time, after work is usually better.”
“I’ll bear that in mind,” she gave him a little peck on the cheek.
Heading back inside, she had to get away for a minute. Realising what she had done, she was a little worried about what Drake would think if she didn’t go straight home. But here was a guy offering her a night of fun. Would she be able to resist temptation and stay loyal to her partner?

Wheeling the trolley into the main accident and emergency waiting room, the paramedic asked specifically for a doctor to come straight through. There was no-one sitting with a major emergency injury, only her head wound was seemingly severe. She’d lost a pint of blood already, and every minute was beginning to me more precious as the wound had shown no real signs of slowing down with its oozing.
When the first doctor was free he came through a set of double doors, and was quick to assess. “Right,” he said. “We need to get this wound cleaned up as best as we can. Pressure application is key because its very close to the temple on the left side. We also need to take an X-ray just to make sure there’s not been any cranial damage too.”
Drake was worrying. “Is she going to be ok?” he asked, trembling.
“I wouldn’t like to speculate right now,” the doctor replied. “Lets process this one step at a time.”
“But I just want to know if she’s going to be alright!” Drake’s nerves were getting the better of him, and the frustrations were also beginning to show.
“We need to concentrate and remain calm, for,” the doc paused to look at the notes, “Violet.”
“I’m her younger brother, her older brother is away on a tour of the world with her husband, our parents are in the other half of the country. I’m all she’s got around right now,” Drake was still visibly upset. “I don’t know quite what would happen if she was to go.”
“Can you take him back to the waiting area?” the doc said to the medic. “There’s not much he can do right now and its really not going to help us focus.”
Finding himself ushered out, he began to pace up and down. ‘Why couldn’t they give him a straight answer? Why did it have to be so vague? Was everything going to be ok or was she going to not know who he was?’ So many thoughts ran through his head that he eventually had to sit down.

It was last orders. Three of the guys had left already, as they all had an early start on their city roles, but the cute one had remained. He was scheduled for a day off, but being his own boss, he could choose when he was going to take these. Susan popped her head out from the cellar, “Jackie, if you want to go a little early, you can. It’s virtually dead in here, there’s not really much point in you staying to do a tiny bit of clean down.”
“Really?” Jackie was confused. “I’m paid until closing up is done, aren’t I?”
“Oh you are being paid what you are worth, I’m sure,” replied Susan. “And he’s not taken his eyes off you since he’s come back in,” she indicated the guy from the group of four.
“I know, he’s invited me to go back to his place tonight,” she gave a knowing look. “All the fun of having no partner to speak of.”
“That’s the spirit,” said Susan. “Now go on before I change my mind.”
Without hesitation, Jackie strolled up to the guy on his own. He was the only one left in the pub it was that quiet. “Hey, still open for me to come back to yours?” she asked.
“Sure. Anything for you sweet cheeks,” he was playful, and Jackie was excited at the thought of adventure. Jumping into the taxi, they took off, leaving Susan to close up.

When they got to his place, she was in awe. It was as big as Violets, only it had an extension, with an indoor swimming pool. Lighting up a cigarette, he unlocked the front door and she followed him into the sitting room. It wasn’t too different in set up to Vi’s, but there was the minor infringement of him smoking indoors. Other than that, he seemed pretty perfect to her.
“Grab yourself a beer if you want one,” he pointed at the fridge. “Nice and chilled. Relax and put your feet up. I’ll be two minutes.”
Meanwhile, he’d left his cigarette on his ashtray, and the smell was a trifle overpowering for her. Yet it intrigued her to want to know what it was like to be a smoker. She called up the stairs, “Mind if I have a pull on your cigarette?”
“Sure, if you want to,” he called back, his voice carried well as it was night time and it was deep.
Walking over to it and picking it up, she played a little with it in her fingers before putting it in her mouth. Taking her first ever drag on a cigarette, she wasn’t entirely sure she had done it right, but she didn’t cough. Exhaling out of the corner of her mouth, she felt a little swagger come about.
Coming back down in just a vest-top and shorts, he clocked her enjoying it. “Some good stuff that is,” he chuckled. “Sure helps release tension too.”
“I wondered what the smell was earlier, now I can taste it. It’s rather, interesting,” she giggled. It was almost like she was having a little too much fun, but being caught up in the moment, she wasn’t about to spoil it.
“I know the right people,” he winked. “I get this stuff cheaper than most. If you want, I could get hold of some just for you, and make a few of these up for when you finish work.”
She agreed. “What harm can it really do?” Her giggling lit up his face. “How about we, take it upstairs?” she gazed as his well defined muscular structure.
He wasn’t one to say no, not to an offer like that from a gorgeous figure such as hers. “Lets go,” he said, taking her by the hand and passionately kissing her lips.

Chapter 7 - Violets business.

It was five o’clock in the evening. The three of them were already there, having agreed to make a journey that whilst it would be time consuming, it would also expand their knowledgeable horizons. There would be picture taking, sightseeing, exploring the cities where these landmarks were located.
“Did you tell everyone,” asked Chris, as Jake strolled through to the conservatory.
“I sure did,” Jake replied happily. “Oh, wait, I didn’t tell Drake, but I did tell Jackie so I would anticipate him coming along. You know what she’s like. Always punctual, and the two of them when together are never late.”
“Well, that’s settled. We know at least two are definitely going to be here,” said Andy. He had watched Drake grow up from birth, and ever since he’d got with Jackie, they had always been on time, especially when together.

Jackie had been busy herself that day, when she’d run into Jake. He’d mentioned something about a sightseeing tour, and to be at Vi’s for seven. She however had one more person to talk to regarding getting herself a job. Having been out of work for the last few weeks, landing an opportunity after the turn of the year was always going to be a challenge. Also, this particular opportunity was a rare one. She didn’t have to dress smart, she could be casual for the interview because of what the occupation was. The title, Public House Assistant, was rather appealing, but she knew deep down it was simply just a barmaid. The local pub was only a few moments down the road, so she headed off for her interview.

The pub itself was offset from the road with just about enough parking spaces for a dozen or so cars. Being a quiet country pub, there wasn’t an excessive need for too many. It was a gravelly car park, one of those where if you walk on it for too long you’d end up with a stone in your shoe. Also there was a four foot high hedge which ran around the sides of the car park, barely enough space for two cars to pass on entry from the main road. The pub itself had formerly been two cottages, and this was evident from the stony white exterior. It was hard to maintain, and the building itself was listed, so it could not be knocked down without prior permission. Striding over the gravel, Jackie opened the wooden door and stepped inside.

The inside of the pub was decorated with a variety of artwork, from famous painters to more local artists. Solid oak beams were the backbone of the building, often visited for repair to prevent any collapsing. The bar area itself was long enough to have four stools for punters on the outside, and stood behind was the landlady. She was relatively young in features, being only twenty-eight, and her hair was short and curly. Being advantageous in the chest area, she often wore a low cut top, and was also frequently having flirtatious banter with most of the guys who popped in on their way home from work. To Jackie’s left, there was a jukebox, which, connected to the PA system, had a variety of classic songs and newer releases. The new releases were updated weekly, as that fitted the marketing of chart based new sounds.

Approaching the bar, the young landlady greeted her. “Hi, you must be Jackie. I’m Susan, your landlady, and interviewer for this position.”
“Hello Susan,” Jackie professionally extended her right hand. “A pleasure to meet you.”
“No need for being too professional here,” Susan chimed. “We’re not exactly thriving of late, after the New Years Eve party we’ve been pretty quiet.”
Jackie pulled her hand away.
“You ever worked in a pub before?” quizzed Susan, looking Jackie up and down. “You sure look like you’d fit the part, if you can hold a conversation about whatever the guys want to talk about.”
“I have, once,” replied Jackie. “I was only twenty at the time, and it was away in the city. That was a bit much for me if I’m honest. Too many guys kept trying to get hold of me when I was clearing tables and I lost patience with the management structure there.”
“That won’t be a problem here, our regulars barely know how to keep straight on the stools. They can have a bit of a laugh and a joke, so you have to be able to laugh at yourself at times,” Susan explained. “If you want to come through, I’ll run you through where everything is.”
Jackie followed her through to the cellar. Susan ran her through the wines and re-trained her on how to change the barrels too.
“If you are free tonight, I could give you a trial run,” Susan was hopeful that she could hire Jackie there and then. “I’ve been asked to go to my sister-in-laws tonight. I think a couple of our close community in the village around the corner are going on a round the world sightseeing tour. Could we reschedule for tomorrow if possible?” Jackie queried.
“Sure thing, that wouldn’t be a problem. Living so close it would make it less time for you to get home after a shift too,” came the reply. “I’ll see you here about four tomorrow afternoon then.”
“Ok, that would be nice. Hope tonight goes ok for you, and thanks for taking the time to interview me,” Jackie was pleasantly surprised. She hadn’t been expecting that kind of response for a casual interview, and left.

Seven o’clock chimed on the grandfather clock that stood in the hallway at the back of the house. Everyone had turned up, although there was some confusion as to why they were all there at such short notice.
“Hello everyone,” stated Andy. Chris was stood alongside him, and Jake was just behind them.
Derek, Neville and Simon, looked up from their conversation that they had stifled.
“We would like to announce,” Chris began, “that the three of us have agreed to accompany each other on a trip around the world.”
“That’s right,” Jake interrupted. “We’re looking at going to many different tourist attractions.”
Jackie looked over at Violet. She could sense there were tears about to flow.
Derek finally spoke out. “I hope you have it all well thought out. It would be more advisable to check what vaccines you would need too.”
Chris replied, “We’ve already thought that through. After Jake had come to tell everyone, we went and got ourselves prepared.”
Derek was impressed. “Well I’m glad to hear it,” he applauded. “Lets hope that it all goes well for you then. When do you leave?”
“It would most likely be first thing in the morning,” Andy said. “Probably best that we all get a good night’s sleep first.”
“Wise choice,” Simon boomed.
“Bro, you gonna keep in touch?” asked Drake.
“We’ll be sure to try and send letters your way,” Andy replied. “Can’t guarantee how long they are going to take to get here though.”
All of the attention in the room turned to Violet. She was starting to shake with a few tears running down her face. Chris walked over to her and, holding her tightly, whispered in her ear, “Everything will be fine. You said yourself you could throw your efforts into getting this business up and running. Who knows, without me getting under your feet, this could be your time to really shine.”
“I’m just scared that something bad will happen,” she pleaded, through the tears. “I’ve never stopped you doing anything before, and why should I do that now?”
The room went silent. Neville turned to Jake.
“You have to remember, listen to these guys, don’t go wandering off on your own,” he warned. “They are there to protect you. Don’t get them into any unwanted situations if you can help it.”
Jake had a reply ready. “Of course, uncle Neville. I’ve been around these guys a few years now haven’t I?” “And no wise-guy backchat either,” Neville said, disapprovingly shaking his head.
“Think its time we have a little drink and then head to bed,” Andy said. “It’s already eight-thirty and we have to get our rest.”
The rest of the group nodded in agreement. The next few months were hardly likely to be the same without these guys around, but it was exciting that they were going to experience such an enviable trek.

A few weeks passed. Today was the first of Violet’s summertime parties. A group of ten people were coming around for a reception of light entertainment and drinks. She had been given a menu selection from which to prepare a few snacks, and was aware that a DJ was coming in to set up a karaoke themed selection. It was around ten-thirty in the morning, and a familiar knock at the door made her jump back into reality. Of course, it was only Derek with the post, but she was still anticipating the first letter from the boys. Hastily opening up, she took the letters that he had for her, checking each one in turn. Today, there was just one letter that stood out. It was postmarked from India. Ripping the envelope open, she anxiously unfolded the paper. Unaware that Derek was still standing there, she scanned over what had been written.

‘To my darling Violet. We hope you are well, and that your business is looking up. Jake’s been a little bit of a handful, but we already knew this was likely to happen. The Taj Mahal is a supremely beautifully crafted building. It has given me a new incentive to look at how we can expand our own home too. Just a short one this time. May go into more detail with the next one. Love you forever and always, Chris. P.S. Andy and Jake send their love.’

She looked up excitedly at Derek. “They’re safe! They’ve let me know they are safe!” she exclaimed.
“Calm down Vi,” Derek chuckled. “This has come from India, so I’m expecting them to be further along than that. Plus, don’t you have something else today?”
“Oh yes, so I do. I’m expecting a DJ turn up at some point to connect his equipment,” she was still hyper. “But now I’ve heard from them, I’m relieved and can concentrate properly and professionally. It’s a little bit of luck that this happened on my first accepted booking.”
Violet’s business was simple. She had placed an advert in and around the local cities for small events catering, in which if a menu was provided, she would provide the food and the option of the use of the building. Costs would be worked out accordingly, but she had every intention of using her previous experiences of being a head chef and really getting stuck into it.
“Thanks Derek. If I need any help I’ll be sure to call you, but I must get on,” she breathlessly said.
“Ok, Take care. Let me know how it goes tomorrow when I drop by.” On that note, Derek turned and strode down the front path to his trusty bicycle, and Violet closed the door.

A short while later, there was another knock at the door. Violet had been humming to herself all morning since the letter had arrived, so she answered the door in a bouncy mood. “Hello there,” she said to the couple at her doorstep. “How can I help you today?”
The gentleman was dressed in a tuxedo, all clean, and well pressed. Clean shaven, and in his mid-fifties, he looked for all the world like he was a manager at least somewhere in the catering industry. “We are, Mr and Mrs Jackson,” he proclaimed. “We have come to meet with Violet, the lady described in the advert as the host with the most.”
“That would be my good self Mr Jackson. Please, do come in,” Violet invited them into her kitchen area. “Would either of you like a cup of tea?”
“Yes please,” piped up Mrs Jackson. She was also very well groomed, not a hair out of place, with a little bob on the top, and wearing a knee length crimson coloured dress, she certainly didn’t look like she was his wife. She looked more likely to be his daughter, but she had looked after her physical being with a fair few anti-wrinkle creams over the years.
“To what do I owe this pleasure?” enquired Violet.
“It’s about tonight,” Mr Jackson stated. “We are here to talk you through what we are expecting of not only yourself, but of our guests.”
“Please, do continue,” Violet replied. “And how would you like your tea Mrs Jackson?”
“I usually have milk and one sugar,” answered Mrs Jackson.
“Anyway, hot beverages to the side,” Mr Jackson continued, “We would like to see the room in which the DJ will be playing the music from. Also, we can see that your kitchen is well looked after, so we have no problems with the food preparation.”
After the kettle had boiled and Mrs Jackson had been given her cup of tea, Violet said to them both, “If you would like to follow me, I will show you where the best room is for the DJ.”
Accompanying her through to the sitting room, they looked at the spaciousness of it.
“Is there any chance we could perhaps move the furniture through to the conservatory?” Mr Jackson was used to doing much of the talking. He was a political representative for the city in which he’d driven down from. “We have a number of people who like to sing, so the rest of the room would need to be opened up a little bit more if possible.”
“I’m sure I can arrange some assistance for this,” Violet was a little cautious but firm toned. “As part of the small village I am proud to represent here today, I have a few people I can ask.”
“It seems like everything is under control and going to plan very nicely,” said Mrs Jackson, before her husband could ask any more awkward questions. “We shall leave you to carry on with this. The DJ should arrive around four-thirty, and we will be back with a guest list around five.”
Ushering her husband towards the door, she turned back to Violet, “Thank you for the cup of tea, my dear. It was wonderful. We shall see ourselves out.”
Violet was pleased. That had gone far better than she had initially hoped. Now she had a couple of hours to spare, so she threw on an old pair of tracksuit trousers, and a long sleeved t-shirt. It was a little chilly outside, but she had to see if she could catch Derek and get some help.

Derek had paused outside Neville’s shop. Leaving his pushbike to one side, he noticed something different about it. But what it was he couldn’t put his finger on. Just as he was about to go and enter, he heard a voice behind him.
“Derek!”
He turned around and saw Violet coming up the road. “Derek,” she paused to catch her breath. “You remember offering to help me out if I needed it,” she continued. “Thing is, I had a couple come and knock on my door asking me if I could re-arrange my furniture a little bit. I could probably manage the armchairs, but the settee is a two person job.”
“Why Vi, I don’t see why you should have to do this at all. Come inside a minute, I just want to get a couple of bits for my lunch,” Derek went through and held the door open. She followed inside.
“Hello Derek, Violet,” said Neville. “What can I do for you today?”
“I’m just after a few bits for my lunch Neville, but I was wondering if you could close up for thirty minutes or so and come and help me move some furniture at Vi’s?” Derek enquired hopefully.
“You know lunchtime is my busiest spell of the day, right?” Neville wasn’t in the best of moods today. “I could lose a fair bit of business!”
“If you can’t help, its ok. We understand. But this is Vi’s first catering party, and without Chris and Andy around to help, she was going to do it herself,” replied Derek.
“I’ll see what I can do. I might be able to call someone to cover,” Neville remembered the conversation of the night before they boys left.
“Thank you for at least trying to help,” Derek said, as he paid for his goods and left. Violet hurried after him.
“You don’t need to ask someone else to help, we could do it ourselves,” she started.
“I’m a bit too old fashioned for that Vi,” sighed Derek. “I’m so used to being around where guys have done more of the physical workloads.”
“We don’t have a lot of time available to us though. Needs must,” she continued. “If it means me lifting heavy things, then so be it.”
“Ok, calm down,” He was a little put out by this. “I’ll ask Neville not to come.”
Popping his head back into the shop, he relayed this information, and then they both set off back to the house.
“Where is the stuff going?” he asked.
“Into the conservatory for now,” she replied. “It has enough space in it.”
With one at each end of the settee, they slowly lifted it up, and moved it through the opening into the conservatory. Following that with the two armchairs, it looked like there was room for thirty people, not ten.
“One more tiny detail,” she added. “lets move the central table up against the staircase wall. This will be easier for me to put the drinks and snacks on if they get low. And thanks again for your help. You’ve been a godsend for me today.”
“What are communities for,” he grinned. “I know I’m old fashioned, but you know what you’re doing.” He left her in peace to carry on with the food preparations. It was only twelve-thirty, but there were a few items on the menu of nibbles that would take a little while to prepare.

Chapter 6 - Planning the journey

So here we were. Winter had just ended and the seasonal weather change was starting to show. Trees were blossoming again with their green leaves, birds were singing their happy tunes, and the gardens in the village were showing signs of flowering. The village was as pretty as a picture. A few houses and a few shops, with a pub a little way up the road. It was about fifteen minutes away from the nearest city, and the community spirit was frequently shared between all.

The main house that stood out was rather expansive. It had belonged at one point to a builder, who had an eye for detail. There were three double-rooms, and a single room. One room had a full en-suite bathroom, One had an en-suite shower, and there was a spare bathroom. All of these were on the upper floor, parted evenly around a wooden staircase. This had to be well looked after to prevent any wear and tear causing potential damage, and was often varnished. Downstairs there was a large kitchen, leading to a study. At the bottom of the stairs themselves was where the front door stood. The other side of the staircase was a sitting room, spacious to many, with a conservatory and a little hallway to a back door. Out the back there was a sheltered porch, with a rather sizable garden. Tucked away in the corner of the garden was a shed for all the tools, as the garden was well maintained, and there was a patch of garden reserved for growing all manner of fruit and vegetables, from potatoes to turnips, tomatoes to strawberries.

This house was owned by the parents of a trio of siblings, Andy, Violet, and Drake. More often than not there would be parties hosted here, and Violet was using her prior experience as a restaurant head chef at these events. Andy was the oldest of this trio, having recently divorced from his long-time partner, Crystelle. They had bore just one child in that time, Trevor, who hadn’t seen his dad since. There was written communication, and although Trevor was still relatively young, he knew that it would be his choice, and nothing that his mother said would influence that. Violet, the only girl, was the middle child. She had studied catering courses at college and university, before falling for restaurant manager Chris. It had ups and downs like every relationship, stress of working together meant that he occasionally took himself to a hotel in the city, but they were still persistent on working through it all. Eventually, they were married, and Violet had decided to concentrate on maintaining the house herself. Third in line was Drake. He had been trying to make it in the music industry, but was frequently overlooked. Was he different enough in vocal style? The business experts had often called him in to try recording a song but found that there was too much holding him back. In the end he chose to give that up, but as a hobby in his spare time, he would often tinker around with a little keyboard that he had stashed away. He also had a partner, Jackie, who had been a family friend for a number of years. She had known them all since she was Violets room-mate at university.

The post office, just one of the few other buildings around, was Simon’s livelihood. It had been in his family before him, although he was the sole remaining survivor. No children to hand it down to, he often wondered why he was there. Downsizing from his bank role in the city, he was welcomed into the village by Derek, the postman. Derek had been there for years, he knew how to get everywhere within the village, he also knew everyone who had come and gone over the years. He wouldn’t trade the village for the city, and although it had been suggested to him, some twenty-five to thirty years ago, he had refused.

Moving on to a little grocery store, and there was a man who’s appearance was surprising for his tender years. Neville had, like Derek the postman, been a village stalwart. Yes he had a couple of sisters, but over time they had decided to seek fortune and fame from moving to the city and beyond. One of these sisters had bore a son, Jake, who, having learned of the village ways while younger, asked his mum if he could stay living here with his uncle. It was a heart wrenching decision for him, but he knew he would be able to develop a keen interest in maintaining the shop so it wouldn’t be bought out by corporate societies in the city. His mother explained that she may move around a bit, but she would keep in touch with Neville at least to share how he was doing.
There was no breeze on this early spring morning. The regular commuters were passing through, occasionally stopping to pick up Simon’s stamps or Neville’s nourishments. Yes, even weekends had commuters, and Simon’s was a rare post office. It was open seven days a week, just in case there were important letters from the village that needed to be transported up to the city to carry on their way first thing Monday morning.

Chris and Andy, were in the sitting room, having a general bit of banter about the way the previous week in the restaurant had gone, and whether or not it was time for a change. Chris had been in this place for a long time, but he just wasn’t enjoying it anymore. Ok, there were more businesses competing, which initially stifled some of his regular punters, but a fall-out with his head chef had left him short on staff, overstressing them, and falling behind on quality.

A knock on the front door disrupted their conversation. As they got up to go answer it, they heard Violets voice come through from the study. “I’ll get it!” She was too predictable these days, always coming up with inventive ideas but being a better hostess than some of the city hotels, it was no surprise she was still joyful and full of life. Jake was there.
“Hi Jake, dear,” Violet said, “Do come in. I’ll put the kettle on.”
“Hey, ok. Shall I go to the sitting room?” he replied.
“Sure, Chris and Andy are in there. Just be cautious, Chris isn’t in the best of moods.” she explained hastily.

“Hey guys,” Jake acknowledge the others in the sitting room. “How’s it goin’?”
Chris shot a disapproving look at Jake. “Not good,” he replied rather grouchily.
“Vi warned me about that,” Jake responded, aiming the comment at Chris’ grouchiness but looking at Andy.
“Things aren’t great. Lets just leave it at that for now,” Andy spoke out, silencing Chris from retorting angrily.
“Tea’s up!” Vi called through. “I would bring it through but I must get back to my planning.”
Jake nipped through, “Thanks,” he whispered, before he went back to the other room. An idea had just popped into his head, although he’d been considering it for a while himself. He would like to travel around and see some of the more global sights. He’d seen some of the postcards that Simon had on display in the post office, and would love to actually have himself there in a picture with it.
“Hey, sorry about that guys,” he said to the other two. “Did either of you want a top up?”
“No thanks, we’re fine,” Andy said back. “What brings you here anyway?”
“I was just thinking something this morning. I’ve been considering asking my uncle what he would think about me going off to travel around the world, taking in some of the sights that Simon’s postcards have,” Jake was enthusiastic. “But I’m not overly sure I would want to do it on my own.”
Andy scanned his eyes over Chris’ face. Chris had a pensive look about him, like he was deep in thought.
“It sounds like an idea,” he mused. “Maybe it would even do me good to get away from work for a while. I’m sure they’d be happy for me, but what would I have to come back to?”
Andy was quick to reply. “Violet does her parties. You have the best chance of keeping this house on that alone, and if you really wanted to, could set up a family business of you and her.”
The more they talked about it, the more excited they got. Jake could sense that something was possible where the three of them headed out together. At least that way they’d be with people that they knew and respected.

Violet popped her head round the corner. “Is everything ok in here?” she enquired inquisitively. “I could hear raised voices but didn’t catch the conversation.”
“Well,” started Jake, but Andy cut across him. “Sorry Jake, but this might be better from me.”
Jake looked crestfallen. It was his idea initially and he wanted to tell the story but he had learnt to respect his elders. Something that wasn’t particularly valuable from what his mother had told him about city life, but this tightly knit community was pretty much all he’d known.
“Jake suggested an idea,” Andy continued. “He was looking at possibly travelling the world and taking in all the sights.”
“Oh that sounds like fun Jake,” Violet beamed.
“But me and Chris have also discussed this,” Andy was intent on getting through the message. “What if we were to go along with Jake, so he had someone he knew around him rather than being overwhelmed by everything by being alone?”
Violet was a little taken aback. “Well, how long would you look to go for?” she asked.
“Possibly four to six months.” Andy admitted. “I know it would seem like forever, and there’s always a risk that we might not all make it back, but we feel we are capable of succeeding.”
“Four to six months,” she repeated back. “That would be the longest we’ve ever spent apart. What if something happened and you couldn’t get in touch with me?”
“I think we’d at least try to send a letter. But some countries take forever to return letters that you might not get it until after we get back,” Jake piped up. “I know this from something Simon was telling me.”
“Just make sure you do. I’m still going to worry every day that you’re gone,” Violet replied, a little shakily. “For now I’m going to throw myself into hosting these parties because I honestly don’t want to think about it until it happens.”
With that, she headed back off to her little studious workspace.

“So,” said Jake, pulling out a pad of paper and a pen from his old school bag that he used for everything these days. “Where would we consider going?”
Chris opened up a little. “Jake, hold that thought a second. We’ve not decided fully if we are going to go anywhere just yet.”
“Indeed,” added Andy. “Lets look at what we are doing right now and if there is a way we can logically take the time out to do this first.”
Even though they spoke sense, Jake was still going to write down a few places anyway. While he thought about where he would like to go, the conversation flowed a little more freely between the older two.
“Ok,” said Andy. “You aren’t happy in your job. Why don’t you consider this opportunity of travelling around the world? There’s all kinds of places, the houses of parliament, Edinburgh castle, the Whitehouse, and that’s just in the UK.”
“It would be nice to see the rainforests in South America,” mulled Chris. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to at least give it a go. What if we don’t like it and are stuck in somewhere like halfway up Mount Everest?”
“We’ll stick together Chris. We have to take into consideration not only where we go, but what we do if the going gets tough. We are relatively bright individuals, and we wont have much time to consider dealing with this if we don’t act upon the idea sooner rather than later,” Andy spun out. “Shall we list a few places that we would like to visit as Jake suggested?”
“I guess no harm could come of it,” Chris at last, agreed.
“So Jake, have you put any places down yourself yet?” Andy asked, looking back over to him.
“Yeah, I’ve got Sydney, for the opera house, India, for the Taj Mahal, and Mount Rushmore, to see the faces of the four guys they put in there,” Jake replied calmly.
“Ok, so how about we list a number of other countries/sightseeing possibilities?” Andy followed up with.
After a few moments of discussion, and with a number of possibilities put up, there was a list of sights to see.

Global Sightseeing Tour
Taj Mahal
Mount Everest
Mount Rushmore
Sydney Opera House
The Whitehouse
Pentagon
Houses of Parliament
Edinburgh Castle
Table Mountain
Amazon Rainforest
River Nile
Great Barrier Reef

Having compiled their list of historic sights to see, they had to also work out how they were going to get to all of these places. The countries were the UK, India, Australia, South Africa, Egypt, the USA, and the Amazon Rainforest was in South America. The next step was to organise which route would be best to take. Either the USA, India, or Egypt could be the last destination before returning to the UK, to mark the shortest return. Many of these places would need flights or cruise ship to get to, even though money wasn’t exactly a lacklustre commodity for these well off, they still had to make sure they were able to travel as a trio. It took a bit of discussion but they all agreed eventually. They would end in the USA, giving an option of flight or boat return. So they decided that visiting India, Nepal, Egypt, South Africa, Australia, South America, the USA, before returning to the UK, would be the preferred route. This would minimise flight times between countries, allowing more time to spend enjoying the actual sights and tourist attractions surrounding them.

Flicking through her diary, she was looking to see when she had a date free. Violet really was just throwing herself into her little self catering business, where she was sure that the guys in the other room would actually go ahead with the travelling around the world. She wasn’t one for stopping them either, she’d often allow Chris to make up his own mind, and that was one of the things that had kept their relationship going. Another knock on the door. She was a little reluctant to get it, but being used to it, she was there while she heard the others with their discussions.

“Morning Violet,” chirped Derek. “How is your business coming along? You’ve had a fair few letters recently, and I forgot to ask before.”
“Morning Derek,” Violet sighed a little. “The business is starting to pick up a little after the new year lull. This was expected because purse strings are a bit tighter.”
“You don’t seem yourself this morning,” Derek was good at reading people. “Is everything ok?”
“Everything is ok,” She took the letters from him. “Its just Chris, Andy and Jake talking about touring the world and being away for a few months.”
Derek paused briefly to digest the information he had been given.
“I see,” he said. “And you are ok with this?”
“I have to be Derek. I don’t wish to be a martyr, and I’ve never stopped Chris before,” she mulled over while opening the letters. Bank statements, Bills, More business based requests.
“I am sure you will be fine, and their trip will be a successful one,” he encouraged. “You will still have the rest of us around, Drake, Jackie, Neville, Simon and me. We could even join in the hosting of the parties, if you needed a little extra community spirit.”
“This is true,” she reluctantly admitted. “Its not worth disputing that we are a close community. You are like having a second father around,” she added, jokingly.
“Is it my wisdom?” he laughed.
For a split second the tension that she’d been feeling had been lifted. Sure, she was going to miss Chris if he did decide to follow up and take this opportunity, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be her usual self.

“Honey,” Chris called through. “Can I give work a quick call?”
“Sure you can darling,” Violet chirped back. Having Derek stood there made her realise that she was doing the right thing in allowing him to go, and she felt a bit better knowing there was still going to be support.
Chris picked up the phone. “Hey George! I would like to give you my notice with immediate effect,” he pressed. “I’m sorry but I’m not able to lift people’s spirits and I think it would better all around. For all your hard work I would like to thank you and the team, its not been easy of late, and they all deserve a pat on the back.”
There was a pause while George spoke. Andy and Jake couldn’t make out quite what he was saying either.
“Yes I know its difficult to find someone with experience such as mine. But I’m thinking of globe-trotting for a few months. If, when I come back, you haven’t found someone to replace me, I’ll give you a call.”
Hanging up the phone, he turned to the other two.
“Didn’t expect him to take it well,” he sighed. “But that’s over and done with. Shall we consider what we are going to pack?”
Andy voiced a wise option. “How about we travel light? If we need anything, I’m pretty sure we can buy it as we go.”
“Sounds like a great idea,” agreed Jake. “No time like the present.”
“Only one small detail we’ve forgotten,” Andy added. “We would need to let all the others know that this is definitely what we are doing.”
Chris stood up. “Think we need to find a day that Violet has free so we can organise a little gathering before we head off out into the unknown territory of the world.”
With that, he strode out of the sitting room and over to his wife. “So Vi, hun, how’s the diary looking?”
She picked up a little black book she had on the side. “Hmm. Not too hot at the moment, I’ve had a few requests put in, but they aren’t until later in the month,” she replied. “What’s up?”
“We need a day where we can get everyone together,” he was firm. “We’ve agreed that we are all going to go off on this tour around the world, but we would like to tell everyone.”
“How about tonight? If you go sooner, you may well get back sooner,” she was a little tearful, but remained composed.
“Ok, shall we say about seven?” he suggested. “I’ll get Jake to spread the word around, after all, he would probably seem the most enthusiastic about this being so young and slightly naïve.”
“Seven is fine,” Violet was despondent, but she wasn’t about to let that cloud her agreement to this.

Chris headed back off into the sitting room to let Andy and Jake know. “Jake, can you do a favour and go and let everyone know to come here for seven tonight?” Chris asked. “If you don’t wish to, we can all go.”
Jake jumped at the chance. “Its ok, I will do this. I have to tell my uncle anyway that it is organised and what is going to happen.”
“Remember. Seven o’clock. Back here,” Chris called as Jake had got his back and opened the front door.
“Sure,” came the reply, before the door closed.

Chapter 5 - Nightmares

Simon was just closing up the post office for a scheduled lunch break. Both he and Derek were going to head to Neville’s store for a spot of light lunch. However, when they both turned up, the store was locked, with a note on the outside. “Gone to Violet’s. Meet me there. Urgent. Neville.”
“That’s odd,” Simon said.
Derek nodded. “Most unlike Neville to be shut up at lunchtime. It’s his busiest time of the day usually.” “Something must be up. We need to get over there. When does Neville use the word Urgent?” Simon’s booming voice dropped into a worried tone.
“Only when there’s a village crisis,” Derek sighed. “Something’s got to have happened to one of the younger ones. It’s only happened once before when I’ve been living here. But that was the situation.”

Jackie woke up with a start. “Harry, leave me alone, no Harry, NO Harry,” she cried. Angela stopped the car. “Have a hug,” said Angela, opening her arms. Jackie didn’t know what else to do, so she burst into tears and leant across into Angela’s arms. “Only say, what you can. We’re almost back at mine.”
“Do you live alone?” Jackie asked, tensely.
“No, I live with my two daughters. Carrie and Emily. They are five and three and a bit of a handful if I must say so. I wouldn’t change them for the world though,” Angela was determined to help Jackie, even though there had been little communication where Jackie had dozed off.
“Ok. That’s fine. I can’t be around men,” Jackie was firm, especially emphasising the last part.
“I suspect something happened that was with a man then, that was barbaric and destructive, would I be right?” Angela gingerly enquired.
“How do I know you won’t tell anyone?” Jackie was sceptical. The kindness wasn’t something she remembered after the horrific events of the last two days.
Angela pulled out a tape-recorder. “Here, I’ll give you this,” she said, pressing record. “You can take my car, and you can take my girls. If I was to ever tell a soul anything of what you tell me. Angela.”
Jackie pressed stop and swiped the tape. “Ok, we have a deal, but only when I am up for it. I’m not sure why you want to help me. You may not have a clue what I have been through,” she was still quite tense.
“That’s fine. Depending on what’s happened, I may even know what you are on about,” Angela replied calmly. She had a soothing voice. Jackie, although her guard was up, was beginning to think, maybe she could trust Angela after all?

They had a name. Harry Davis. They had a number plate. H4RR* (but H4RRY would make most sense). They also knew he was a rule breaker, so he would more likely than not have been in trouble with the cops before. The question was, how would they know how to link him to any form of crime scene if they didn’t know where she was? Simon and Derek arrived and were ushered into the sitting room. Violet was curled up in the corner being looked after by Lauren. Jake was pacing with Drake, trying to keep him calm and focused on sticking together. Neville, Chris, and Andy were thinking about what would be the best option to pursue.
“What have we got going on here then?” Simon asked in a clear, strong voice.
Chris, being the wisest with words, hushed everyone for a moment.
“Well, from the information we have got, Jackie is missing. She wasn’t physically seen being bundled into a car, but Jake spotted a black car with the number plate H4 RR*. He couldn’t remember the last letter, but Jackie had been planning to meet someone called Harry. It’s the most obvious choice to fit the last letter as a Y on that. Violet came out with a couple of suggestions, before Andy realised the one Harry that it was most likely to be, was a Harry Davis. The only dilemma we have, is that Davis is a common surname, there could be a few thousand around. Would he necessarily have ownership rights of the car in question? Spray paint is easily obtainable, as are number plate changes. These are all meant to be noted in a car’s logbook though."
Simon thought for a moment. “There’s only one thing we can do. We have to report it to the nearest city police. We know what Jackie looks like, and we also know just what she was wearing on that morning, or do we?” He looked over at Violet and lowered his voice a little. “I know it’s a shock to us all, but if you can remember any detail about what Jackie was wearing the other day, it would help us all.”
Violet, shakily stood up. “I remember her being in her jogging suit and getting changed. I didn’t see her leave, but I remember her wearing an ankle-length dress on the return home of Chris, Andy and Jake. The only other dress she had, was a pink frock. I would put money on that being her outfit of choice to meet up with someone she hadn’t seen in a few years. She always liked to look her best.”v “Thank you Violet. That is very useful. And it would probably be better for us to tell this to the police in case you freeze under questioning,” Simon turned back to the guys. “Ok, we’ll get Neville’s Zafira. We can fit seven people inside, so we’ll leave Lauren and Violet. Drake and Jake.”
Drake spoke out. “She’s my partner. I want to help find her!”
Andy calmly said to his brother. “You are not in the right frame of mind bro. If you saw this Harry bloke, you’d do something that would end up with you doing time, and that’d be the last thing that Jackie, if she’s still alive, would want. I’m sorry, it’s for the best that you stay.”
Drake was insistent. “But-b-b-but…..”
“No buts Drake. Andy’s right,” Derek finally added. His voice of reason and fatherly tones kept the younger one’s in line when they were straying away.

Angela pulled onto her driveway. It was a little three-bedroomed house, not quite what Jackie was expecting for a single mum of two girls young enough to share a room to have. “The girls are staying with their grandmother this weekend,” explained Angela. “That’s why I was alone in the car and why they are not here.”
Jackie was a little disturbed by this. “I thought you said you lived with your two girls? Is this a trick? I want to leave!”
Angela had expected this question and was ready with an appropriate response. “My girls have never had a father figure in their life. He got me pregnant then left when he realised he wasn‘t going to get any sex. My dad walked out on me when I was thirteen, so I’ve only had my mum, and my girls.”
“Oh.” Jackie was surprised. “But your girls are aged five and three. What happened for the second girl?”
“A detail that is still sore with me today. It may be very similar to yours if all the signs that I have read are what I think they are.”
Jackie didn’t quite know what to make of this. Sunlight had begun to fade, and although she was physically worn out, she was dreading darkness. Angela showed her to the room that she was going to be sleeping in, at least for tonight, and said, “If you need to leave the light on to help in any way, then do so.”
It was almost like Angela knew what Jackie had been through without being told a thing. Had they been through a similar experience? Jackie was a bit scared to ask. But there may be no other option. Angela had been so kind, and considerate, Jackie was feeling guilty about not saying anything.

The five guys poured into the car. Derek sat up front with Neville, and Simon, Chris and Andy sat all in the middle row. The nearest city was twelve miles away, so it wouldn’t take long for them to get there. Who would do the talking? Probably Simon and Chris. Derek would chip in if necessary, Neville was driving. Andy, was moral support as it was taking its toll on his brother and sister.

Drake was worn out with pacing up and down. Jake suggested going to run a hot bath, to try and relax a little bit with, as the rest of the guys had gone, but Drake was having none of it. “I want my Jackie back!” he screamed, before breaking down into tears. Violet sat on the settee next to her brother, “Drake, we’re all as worried as you are. None of this is going to help us, we have to stick together as a family, as a community.”
Lauren wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself. “Jake darling, I’m going to go jump in the shower at least. I really don’t know quite what we would be expected to do other than be there for these two, but we need to keep ourselves looked after too.”

Jackie decided she was going to leave the light on. After all, it was darkness when she was violated, and she didn’t want to relive that. She couldn’t stop it playing over and over in her head. “Are you in your own mind. Do you consent to this. Take one more puff.” Every time she closed her eyes it was all she could see, but every time she opened them, she saw light, and could only picture the aches and the underwear round her ankles. She wasn’t going to get to sleep anytime soon. It would have to be physical exhaustion for that to work. But how long would she sleep for when that happened? By the time she was starting to feel too drained to stay awake, there was a hint of light outside the window. She began to curse her luck and was really not looking forward to what was likely to be happening. Angela was sound asleep in her bedroom. So what was Jackie going to do? Was she going to leave this kind hearted woman behind? Or was she going to stick it out and maybe open up to her?

It only took them fifteen minutes to get to the police station. Neville pulled up outside and let everyone else out. “I’ll just go find a place to park guys. I’ll be there in a moment,” he said, and off he drove. The other four, entered the police station looking rather serious. Simon was about to approach the officer behind the desk, when Andy pulled him back. “Just before you say anything, have a look at the name plaque. It says H. Davis. Could this be a coincidence, or could this be a corrupt policeman?”
They huddled together. “Do we ask for someone who isn’t a H. Davis?” asked Simon. “That would be the most sensible option given what we know,” answered Derek. “Good job you spotted that Andy,” whispered Chris. Andy then approached the desk himself.
“Good afternoon officer. I have a strange request, but there is a reasoning behind it. Could I speak to someone who isn’t a Mr H. Davis please?”
“And what can they do that I can’t?” replied the officer.
“Our particular situation is highly sensitive. We have the right to request this, it’s not written in the rule books that we have to stick with who is on the desk,” retorted Simon. “Your attitude needs checking.”
“What gives you the right to speak to someone other than me?” The officer was getting a little bit irritated.
Chris stepped forward. “It’s the simplest of requests. Why are you being so defensive and obnoxious about it?”
“Sarge!” barked the officer. “Can you come and speak with these people here, they seem to have an issue with the H. Davis name?”
The sergeant poked his head around the corner. “Well I’ll be blowed. It’s only Derek from the village down the road. He’s been their postman for years on end. And the last time he came to see us, we had a similar issue then didn’t we Derek?”
“Sergeant Manning! Why yes, yes we did,” Derek was surprised to see his old school buddy still patrolling the sergeant stripes.
“Ok Derek, would you and your friends like to follow me to the interview room please?” Sergeant Manning asked.
“What about Neville?” asked Chris. “Someone should wait here for him.”
“I will,” announced Simon. “I think you know enough Chris. And Derek will back you up if need be.”
“Right ok. See you in about twenty to thirty minutes then.”

It was light enough to hear the birds chirping in the trees around the house that they were in. Jackie felt half confined, but a fair bit more secure when she double checked that the doors had been locked, bolted and chained securely from the inside. Angela might be hiding something herself. She might also be a control freak. But Jackie was just beginning to drift off. She was physically drained to a point of barely existing. It had barely been half an hour, and she was awake again, screaming at the top of her voice. “No Harry. Stop! Please stop Harry! NO MORE! I’m not agreeing to this!”
Angela jumped out of her bed. She was feeling a little bit wary about what she’d let herself in for, but ran into Jackie’s room. “Who’s Harry?” she cried. Jackie woke up from her nightmare. “Harry? Harry who?”
“You were screaming Harry out.. Stop, Please Stop Harry,” explained Angela. Jackie crumbled. “Ok, I think I may have been raped by someone called Harry. Harry Davis. I knew him from fifteen years ago,” Jackie was distraught.
Angela gave her tissues. “I had a feeling that it was something like that,” she instinctively replied. “Harry Davis you say?”
Jackie nodded.
“Was he better known as.. Rebellious Harry?”
Again Jackie nodded. But this time asked a question with it. “You know… Rebellious Harry?”
It was Angela’s turn to nod in agreement. “Yes. I told you about my three year old girl being from a situation that was still with me to this day?”
Jackie responded, “Yeah, what’s that got to……. Oh.” The realisation had sunk in. She’d not been the only one sucked in.
“Emily is half his. I have to take certain medications to help me get to sleep and to help try and prevent me reliving my night of.. Rape.” The word stuck in Angela’s throat a little bit. “I see her, I see a beautiful girl. I realise she’s his, and I see a beautiful girl violated.”
Jackie reached out and hugged Angela.
“You knew. You understood because you’ve been there. And I was so sceptical about saying anything. I feel so sorry.” Jackie was in a mild state of shock.

Neville popped his head in the door. “Hey Simon, where are the others?”
“They’ve gone through to talk with someone Derek knew from the last time something from our village was this urgent,” Simon replied.
“Ah,” Neville understood. “Sergeant Manning still floating around up here I see. And also,” dropping his voice, “No case talk out here.”
Simon nodded. “Andy caught me before I spoke to him.”

“So Derek, What do we owe this meeting today?” Sergeant Manning ignited the conversation.
“Well, its like this Sergeant Manning,” began Derek, but then Chris interrupted.
“Sorry to intrude on your knowledge of each other. But the situation is, a girl has gone missing. A squeal was heard so followed up only to see a black Mercedes being driven away furiously with wheel-spin effect. Upon a little knowledge passed between our friends and family,” he said indicating Andy, “This one being the missing girls brother-in-law, we’ve established that there was a number plate of H4 RR *, but likely to be a Y on the end, as the name was Harry Davis.”
The sergeant took a few notes. “Any idea on what the girl may have been wearing?”
“Yes, a pink frock, thigh length. Although possibly not now if she’s been discovered and offered help,” added Derek.
“We shall get some investigations into this, and I shall have a word with the colleague on the front desk. Sounds like he was too eager, but possibly a little defensive,” said Sergeant Manning.
“Now what happens?” said Jackie. “Do we tell anyone to stop it happening to someone else?”
Angela replied. “There is only one person I will ever trust completely. They are in this room.”
“Not even your own mum?” quizzed Jackie.
“She didn’t believe me at the time. Said I was making it up. Then she saw Emily in the twelve-week scan,” Angela was a bit downcast now.
“How can we prevent it continuing to happen though? And how did you get on the meds to help?” Jackie was full of questions. Angela replied, “We will have to come up with a plan, and at least a doctor (female, preferably), to refer you to a female therapist.”
Jackie was intent on doing something. This man had not only ruined her, he’d ruined a brand new friend she’d made by virtue of exactly the same circumstances. “We need to get you to hospital to be checked over to make sure he didn’t plant a seed. If he did, we need to advocate an abortion so you don’t see the violated little child I do,” explained Angela.
“But what if I don’t want an abortion?” Jackie cried.
“You’ll end up in the same position I am, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Oh by the way, your dad’s a rapist. Wouldn’t go down too well I don’t think,” Angela sighed. It was time to try and kickstart her med to go back to sleep. Old memories had been disturbed again, and would it affect her?

Chapter 4 - Jackie’s secret

It was mid-morning back at the house. Jake, Lauren, Jackie, had all upped and left, Violet was also up. No surprises that Chris and Andy were still in bed, they had completed a global journey, seeing sights on all continents, but Drake, well, he seemed like he was just having a lazy day. After she’d finished her coffee and cigarette, she began to potter about, flicking the TV on, eventually settling on a music channel to enable her to do other things rather than getting stuck on watching TV and doing nothing for hours on end. Today, she had chosen to throw on some older clothes, a pair of jeans with holes at the knees, and a top that was less than flattering. No doubt Chris would love her regardless, after all, they had been married ten years. She was in a cleaning mode, and, having seen the amount of dirty laundry to be done, and knowing what her brother and partner were like, it would take forever to get done if left for them, so she started by unpacking Andy’s stuff. Chris had a wardrobe full up in the bedroom still, he could last a few more days at least.

After finishing her run, which she’d gone twice as far on, Jackie decided she would pop into Neville’s and pick up a drink of water. It was still a bit of a warm day, and she had just spent forty-five minutes on a continuous bout of exercise.
“Morning Neville,” she said as she walked in, a little sweaty, but only to be expected.
“Good morning Jackie, how was your run this morning?” Neville asked.
“It was bizarre. I had so much energy left after normal distance, I went and did it all again,” she replied.
“Wow, that’s impressive. I wish I had the looks to go for a run. Might get a few tongues wagging around the village if I did it though,” Neville sighed. His physical body had aged seemingly faster than his years of existence in the world.
“I’m sure you could do something,” said Jackie, enthusiastically. “Never say never, and don’t give up at the first attempt. I learned that the hard way back in school, and I’ve never looked back since.”
Neville looked straight at her. “These joints aren’t what they used to be my dear,” he moped.
“If you want to do it, you will. If you don’t, that’s your choice too. Its not my place to say,” she admitted. “I best get on, I have to go visit my friend up at the church. Think I need to freshen up first though.”
“I would, if I were you. Take care,” Neville called as he went through to the back for some more stock to put on the shelves.

“This is really sweet of you Jake,” said Lauren, as they’d just about finished eating their breakfast hamper. “I daresay when I first moved down here, I wasn’t expecting any of what’s happened so far. It’s almost like a fairytale to me.”
“I have to agree with you on the fairytale part,” Jake replied. “After meeting so many people around the world, I wasn’t anticipating finding the most beautiful girl I’d ever set eyes upon living and working in my home community. My parents brought me up here, but then when I was old enough they decided to relocate to a city somewhere else. If it wasn’t for my uncle Neville, I wouldn’t still be here.”v “I’m not beautiful,” Lauren blushed, but Jake interrupted her. “Sorry to interrupt, but I believe you are. You have an oscar-winning smile, a beautiful personality, a willingness to learn, and a gorgeous singing voice. Who knows, we may even become a duo and go into the cities playing in pubs and clubs, to get heard.”
“We could do that?” she asked.
“I think we could, a little practice, and maybe me learning some harmonies,” he responded. “It’s an idea.”

“Hey Vi,” said Jackie, as she returned from her run. “You ok hun?”
“Sure, just a little annoyed at the boys laziness today. It’s almost eleven and Chris, Drake, and Andy, are all still in bed,” groaned Violet.
“Drake has always been lazy though, hasn’t he. Lets face it, I knew what I was getting into,” Jackie confirmed what Violet already knew about her younger brother.
“This is true. With Chris and Andy though its slightly different, they did tour the whole world inside six months, so I can’t really complain,” Violet said.
“I’ve got to go freshen up. You remember Harry? I’m meeting him up at the church in a little bit, going to go play catch up,” Jackie explained.
“Harry? Lord almighty!” exclaimed Violet. “Wasn’t he the one who always rebelled against any rules that were set out in front of him?”
“Yeah. He claims to have changed now though, and that he’s found his, ‘peace with god’,” Jackie responded. “Though I’m not sure I fully believe that, until I see it with my own eyes anyway.”
“If you see it with yours, I’ll believe you,” giggled Violet. “You crack on, I’m going to be busy all day with this lot.”
With that Jackie took herself off to freshen up. Having worn the ankle-length dress for the welcome home party, she decided to pop on her pink frock. It was a little revealing but Drake knew she was often chatted up.

There was a little knock on the door. Violet was still the only one left in the house that was awake, so she was the only one who could answer it. When she did so, it wasn’t Derek as she might have thought. Neither was it Jake or Lauren coming back. Jackie had just gone out, having spotted Neville at work, and also dropping the hint that the post office was open so Simon was in work too. The three boys were still in bed. Who was it?

“Oh…. My… God….!” Violet exclaimed. “Do come in! I’ll go and see if I can wake him. Make yourself at home, the kettles there the mugs are in one of the cupboards above.”
Violet raced up the stairs.

Up at the church, Jackie was a little early. Harry had asked her to meet at eleven-thirty, and there was a few minutes to spare. Looking around the church, she spotted Jake and Lauren having such a good laugh with their music, that she didn’t see him creep up behind her. The next thing she knew, she had tape over her mouth and was bundled into the boot of a black Mercedes. Where she was going she had no idea. All she knew was that she was frightened as to what might happen next.

“Andy!” she cried. “Andy get up! There’s a surprise visitor here for you!”
Her older brother rolled over and opened his eyes slowly. “What’s the time?”
“It’s eleven-thirty, but get up, you will be surprised!” she shook him a little. “I’ll get the kettle on.”
“Ok, I’ll be down in ten minutes.”
Violet raced back downstairs to the surprise visitor.

The visitor was a young man, recently having turned twenty, and he was of a similar build to Andy. He didn’t have Andy’s hair colour, his was more a dark brown, just like his mother, Crystelle. He did have moustache as well, but no beard, as he didn’t wish to be just like Chris.
Andy and Crystelle hadn’t worked out, and had finalised a divorced two years ago, but this young man was keen to retain the family values, which were, ‘if two people you know and like fall out, you stay friends with both because they haven’t done you no harm. The only difference was that they were his parents.

In the middle of all the fun they were having with the music, Jake stopped for a second. He thought he’d heard a bit of a squeal. “Sorry, sweetie, I just want to check I wasn’t hearing things.” He raced over the bridge, and up to the church. While doing so he heard the screech of tyres in a wheel-spin, which was the car he saw furiously driving away as he got there. He did manage to catch the number plate, well, most of it. “H4 RR*” He couldn’t make out the last letter. Running back to Lauren, he said, “We have to go back, now. I think something has happened, and it doesn’t look good. I’ll explain when I talk to everyone.”
Lauren looked a little scared. “What’s gone on?”
“You know I thought I was hearing things?” Jake said.
“Yea.” Lauren replied, apprehensively.
“I don’t think I was. I saw a car speeding away from the church after a wheel-spin. And got all but one letter of the number plate,” he said, panting after the speed he’d run to get a look.
“Oh my god. What are we going to do?” She was voicing concern, although timidly.
His response was simple. “We are going to unite as a community, and see if we can work out who may have disappeared. It’s a small village, there’s not that many people here. Let’s go!”
He grabbed the guitar and the hamper box. She grabbed the tablecloth.

After what felt like an age cooped up in the back of this black Mercedes, the boot was finally reopened. Jackie was shaking with fear, but that didn’t stop her captors from roughly dragging her out, tying her hands behind her back, and her legs together too so she couldn’t kick out. All she could notice was the darkness of the area. Very little light around, woodland surrounding, black tarpaulin covering where any source of natural light would have filtered through. Dragged through this darkness, she found herself blindfolded too. Now she couldn’t see, or speak. But when she was eventually released, she was forced to sit on an old wooden chair. On which her hands were tied.
“Remove the blindfold!” barked a voice from the sides. “I want her to see my face!”
Now she was really scared, but she was helpless to do anything. She felt the blindfold lift from her face. And she stared in disbelief.
“Now I’m going to remove the tape. There’s no point in screaming, no one will hear you. We are in the middle of nowhere,” barked the angered voice.
The voice belonged to someone she knew, but unless he said his name, she couldn’t quite picture it. This guy had long, wavy hair, past his shoulders in length. He was six foot two, and looked like he was a former club bouncer. Not usually one to be messed with.
The tape was removed from her mouth. She got her breath back.
“Remember me?” the barking voice smoothed over.
“Not off the top of my head I don’t,” she squeaked.
“Are you sure?” he seemed persistent.
“I can picture you but I can’t remember you name.” She was a little more forceful this time.
“Its Harry. Harry Davis. The one who was always rebelling. The one you were too naïve to believe may have changed his ways.” He laughed with a hint of evilness.
“This was all a con? To get me here? To be your… puppet?” She was fairly vocal given that she couldn’t move her hands or feet.
“You are in no position to say anything my dear, sweet, Jacqueline,” he smiled.
She turned and spat on his face.
He grabbed her mouth, “I wouldn’t be so foolish if I were you, Jacqueline. It wouldn’t get you very far,” he snarled. “Johnson. Bring me the pipe,” he barked at one of the guys who’d dragged her from the car. Turning back to her, he said “Now we are going to see just what happens to good girls who go bad. You are going to smoke this pipe, whether voluntarily, or forced.”
“You’ll have to force me, I wouldn’t do anything voluntarily for you, you snivelling, pathetic, coward….”
“ENOUGH! JOHNSON, WHERE’S THIS PIPE?”
A humble side to the rough handler, “here sir.”
“So, Jacqueline doesn’t want to play nice. She wants to play games?” He sneered. “I guess I’ll have to force you to smoke this myself.”
She was outnumbered. And had no freedom of her limbs. The pressure of so many against her, wasn’t going to work. She gave in, and started smoking the pipe. The effects of this pipe were to fuel her with drugs that would make her do his bidding regardless.
“Are you still in your right mind?” He asked.
She nodded.
“Do you give your consent?”
She nodded faintly.
“Take one more puff.”
She did as she was told. She passed out.

Andy was stumbling down the stairs. Violet was still super excited and didn’t want to give this away. With her screaming, it woke Drake and Chris up. “What’s all this commotion for?” cried Drake.
“Get your lazy butt out of bed and come see for yourself,” chirped Violet. Chris was dressed quicker than Drake but soon they were all in the sitting room. “Ok, coming through,” called Violet.
Andy couldn’t believe his eyes. Drake had to rub his eyes twice to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. And Chris knew already. He hadn’t told Andy because that would have spoiled the surprise.
“Trevor! What are you doing here?” Andy was shocked.
“Hello, father,” Trevor replied. “I’ve come to see how your trip was. I heard you were going and was expected back last night.”
“Who told you? I didn’t think anyone knew?” Chris intervened.
Violet was still too excited herself. “I sent a letter first-class yesterday. He must have got it handed to him on route by someone Derek knows.”
“There’s always one,” chuckled Drake.
Suddenly the door burst open. Jake and Lauren had made it back.
“Hold the phone.. Where’s the fire?” asked Andy.
Jake relayed what he thought he’d heard, and then what he’d seen. “A number plate,” he panted, “H4 RR*. I didn’t get a good enough look at the last letter.”
Violet dropped to the floor. “Oh no, oh no no no no no!”
“Sis, what’s up. You have to tell us?” Andy, and Drake said in unison.
“I… think.. It has something to do with.. Jackie.” Violet whimpered. “She said about meeting someone up at the church. Someone… called… Harry,” Her voice tailed off.
“Harry? That would explain the missing letter!!” Chris cried out. Getting a piece of paper he drew it out for the others to see.
“How many Harry’s do you know of Vi?” Chris pressed. “This is important!”
“Two, or Three.” Violet tried to stay firm, but the disappointment was evident.
“What could their last names be?” Chris was determined.
“Harry.. Bones… Harry.. Smith… or Harry…,Rebellious Harry…” Violet was a bit shaken by now.
Andy racked his brains. Chris didn’t quite know Jackie as well as Violets brothers. Drake paced up and down, “My Jackie… My Jackie…”
Jake walked with him, “take a breath, in for three seconds out for five. Just try and stay with us.”
“Eureka!” cried Andy… “Rebellious Harry is Harry Davis! The question is, how to go about finding him?”
Chris pondered for a moment. The cops would take time. Could they get any more information out of Violet herself?

Jackie could feel some breeze in her hair. It was all roughed up. Her make-up had been smeared across her face, her pretty pink frock was in tatters, and her underwear, was down around her ankles. She felt sore, in three areas. Her mouth ached, as did her vaginal cavity and anal passage. She burst into tears as she pieced together where the aches were. She knew what had happened. She’d been raped, but couldn’t remember whether she’d consented to it or not. She just had no recollection of the actual event taking place. There was no-one around. It was like she had been dumped in the middle of nowhere. Stumbling to her feet and pulling her underwear up to hide the physical looks of the abuse, she slowly started walking. She didn’t know where she was going, nor did she know where she was going to end up. Did she remember anything about what had happened? Only that she was thrown in the back of a car, and that she was forced to smoke a pipe that contained a date-rape drug. After a while she found a road. There were no road signs, so she opted to walk down the hill. Her feet soon covered in blisters. She felt violated and ashamed. Could she bear to face anyone if she was headed in the direction to the village?

It seemed like forever had passed, but the daylight was still there. There had been no sign of any cars for a few hours now, and she was struggling to keep going. She hadn’t eaten for over twenty-four hours, and could barely make out something that looked like a shelter up ahead. Out of nowhere a white Vauxhall Corsa pulled up. The driver was a twenty-nine year old blonde haired, brown eyed, female of a very similar build. She introduced herself as Angela. Jackie didn’t know who Angela was, but felt like she wanted to be alone. In trying to push Angela away, she collapsed to the floor in a heap. She had run out of energy and was fading fast. Angela scooped her up, and put her in the front passenger seat.
“I’m going to help you,” said Angela. “I know you don’t believe me, and it looks to me like something has happened. I won’t push and pry for you to tell me anything, I just think we need to get you checked out. If not, at least come back to mine and I’ll give you a change of clothes.”
Angela handed over a box of tissues. “You’ll need these for now. I can sense a breakdown.”
Jackie really didn’t know who Angela was, or why she was being so kind. But somehow she managed to utter, “Thank you,” before drifting off into a sleep.

Chapter 3 - Hidden Talent

“So Chris, how was the experience?” enquired Neville. “Did you get to see many places along the way?”
“Neville, we saw all sorts of things. We posed for pictures under the Taj Mahal in India, saw the Sydney Opera House, and even took a ride on the Amazon river.”
“I hope you have pictures. Ones that I can put in my shop window,” said Neville.
“Sure we do Uncle Nev,” piped up Jake. “And I didn’t realise just how many people were living around these places either. Opened my eyes to how different places live around these famous places.”
“There are people living along the Amazon River?” asked a bemused Derek. “I thought it was a rainforest?”
Andy joined the conversation too. “Yeah Derek, people live almost everywhere these days.”
“Guess that’s what the world population increase is doing,” boomed Simon.

Over in the kitchen, there were excitable giggles. “So what do you want to know about Jake then Lauren?” pressed Jackie. “I got a little bit of inside information from when I worked with Neville, after all, Jake is Neville’s nephew.”
“Really?” Lauren was surprised. “Neville? He’s the oldest looking yet youngest of the older guys isn’t he?”
“That’s our Neville,” said Violet. “Things do happen in weird ways sometimes, that we don’t even know what’s going on.”
“Anyway, Jake, he’s twenty-six, and you’ve seen what he looks like. He even said you’re out of his league, so if you do like him, he’d be a fool to say no,” said Jackie, intent on making a positive statement.
Violet seemed a little reluctant to join in the conversation. She wanted to know how the boys were getting on, as it was starting to get a little late. It had been a long day, and she was feeling it.
Lauren and Jackie were still in an intense conversation. “Well, I’m twenty-two, and I think he’s adorable.”
“Each to their own,” sighed Violet.
“That’s true Vi. Are you ok?” asked Jackie.
“Not really. I just want my Chris and my bed. It’s been a hectic day,” replied Violet.
Lauren had perked up when she’d seen Jake, and was now chattier and showing that she could be outgoing too, and fitted in. “I’ll see what I can do,” winking at Jackie, “To help you out Violet,” said Lauren.
“Thanks.” Violet plumped herself down on a stool, as Lauren walked towards the sitting-room.

Andy, Chris, and Drake, were all perched on the settee. Simon and Derek were in the armchairs, Neville was on the box of bits. Jake was stood by the TV in the corner. Lauren walked in. “Hi boys.”
Simon boomed, “I can’t be a boy, I been lookin’ after these kids for years round here.”
“Ok boss, I’ll let you off. By the way, Chris is it? You might want to go check on Violet. Drake, I think Jackie could do with a hug too,” Lauren continued. “Neville, would you mind if I poached Jake for a few minutes?”

Chris and Drake reluctantly got up, and on their way to the kitchen, Andy called out, “Back home, under the thumb again,” grinning as he said it.
“Sure Lauren, as long as he comes back in one piece. He’s got a bit to catch up with, but tomorrow I’ll let him rest,” replied Neville.

Jake was a little surprised. “B-b-b-b-but you,” he stuttered a little. “You heard what I said outside.”
“Yeah,” she winked. “I like that really. Come with me and we can talk a little.”
They made their way down the hall towards the back door and the porch. “Ooh, a little bench, perfect for two people,” she mused.
“Yeah, but that’s where Violet smokes, if I remember right,” said Jake. “Surely you wouldn’t want to be around a smokers area.”
He shuffled untidily a little. “I’m a smoker too.”
Lauren took him by the hand, and gazed into his eyes. “That’s not a problem for me,” she said, as she pulled out a pack of cigarettes. “Shall we?”

Back in the kitchen, Violet was struggling to say anything. She thought she was fine, but it was clear to Chris that the wine had gone to her head. She wasn’t one for drinking much, and it showed. “Come on you, lets get you upstairs to bed. You looked exhausted.”
“I’m fine,” she slurred, swaying side to side on the stool. “Just get me another drink.”
Drake called through to the sitting room. “Andy, think Chris might need a hand with this one.”
“I just want a drink Drake, what’s the problem?” her speech was getting more slurred and difficult to understand. Andy strolled into the kitchen. “Violet Anderson,” he scolded. “You are in no fit state to have another drink.” With that, he looked at Chris, “On three? One, two, three!”, and the two of them proceeded to navigate her up the stairs to bed.
“I really really love you Chris,” said Violet, in a last-ditch attempt to show she was ok.
“I love you too my pickle,” he romantically replied. He gave her a sweet kiss on the lips, and with Andy’s help, got her into bed. “Goodnight my princess, I shall be up shortly, just going to say thanks to the guys for being there with you.”
Before he’d finished his sentence, she was snoring a little, looking peaceful and as beautiful to him as she always had.

In the sitting room, there were the three stalwarts of the community. Derek, the postman, Neville, the grocer, and Simon, the Post Office clerk. “I think it’s nearly got to be time for us to be heading off. Sun’s down, Jake can look after himself,” said Neville.
“Think we should at least wait for Chris and Andy to come back down,” boomed Simon. “Would be kind of rude to just up and leave without saying bye.”
“That’s a valid point,” agreed Derek.
It wasn’t long before Chris and Andy had rejoined them though.
“Sorry about that guys,” Chris apologised.
“It’s ok,” Derek responded. “I guessed it was something to do with Violet.”
Andy went to the kitchen and got Drake and Jackie, Chris headed off to the porch to get Jake and Lauren. “Come back to the sitting-room for two minutes, we’re going to call it a night and let this old boys get along home. Their jobs won’t run without them.”

Everyone but Violet was now congregated in the sitting room. Jackie was perched on Drake’s knees, Lauren and Jake were stood hand-in-hand. Chris stood up by the TV. “On behalf of myself, Jake, and Andy, we would like to thank you all for being there for us upon our return. No doubt you shall hear more in depth about our travels over the next few weeks, but it’s nearly time to call it a night. Derek, no-one will get their post without you, Simon, while you are teaching Lauren, no-one will replace your internal post office knowledge, and Neville, your shop thrives while you are there. We should really let you go home. Once again, many thanks.”
Turning to the others, he briefly continued. “Andy, you got the single room. Drake, you and Jackie have the en-suite shower room, and Jake, you and Lauren have the double room that sits just above the porch.”

As Simon, Derek, and Neville headed towards the door, Chris shook each of their hands. “A pleasure as always. We have a great community spirit here.”
“Have a good evening,” boomed Simon.
“I’ll be posting in the morning,” cheered Derek.
“Don’t forget your essentials,” added Neville.
“We wont,” chorused everyone else.

“Right folks, I’m going to get my head down too. Don’t want Violet to think I’ve abandoned her up there, goodnight,” said Chris, and with that, he went upstairs. Andy soon followed, as did Drake and Jackie.
Jake and Lauren however, were far from tired. They had been told earlier in the evening that they both could have the next day off. “Shall we watch a little bit of TV?” asked Jake. “Or shall I give you, a pleasant surprise?”
“We’ve got all day for the pleasant surprise, let us just relax for now,” giggled Lauren.
“Shh, we don’t want to wake anyone up,” laughed Jake.
It wasn’t that long, however, before they curled up on the settee. Lauren was cosy in Jake’s arms, and he was over the moon.

The following morning, the first to awake was Lauren. It must be something in the youthfulness of her appearance, and how she’d looked after herself while away at university. She was of sporty physique, mousey-brown hair, and at five foot four, she didn’t need to wear heels with Jake. Her eyes twinkled like the stars in the sky, and her eyes were just as blue as crystal clear waters. Stirring from her comfortable position in Jake’s arms, she soon had him awake.
“What are we going to do today?” She asked, as he rubbed his eyes.
“First thing I’m going to do is have a shower at least,” he replied groggily. “I think that might help me wake up a little too.”
“I could always join you,” she said, fluttering her eyelids. “That is, if you want me to.”
“I wouldn’t mind, but no-one else is awake yet,” he responded. “Although, it is a bit of a thrill.”
“The choice is yours hun,” she winked. “I can wait or have a bath instead.”
“If you have the bath, and I have the shower, I can prepare one of my surprises,” he winked back.
“Oooh. I love surprises!” Lauren was getting a little excitable.
“Remember everyone’s still asleep,” he chuckled.

The sun filtered in through their master bedroom window. Where everyone had left quite tired last night, they hadn’t been closed properly, and as a result, Violet woke up with a start. Had the last twenty-four hours been just a dream? Was it all in her head? She rolled over and saw him, all innocently adorable in her words. Pinching herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, she pressed her lips gently against his forehead and got herself out of bed.

Having had his shower, Jake was frantically trying to find his instrument. Yes, he had a hairstyle that was more commonplace in the music industry of late, with which, his uncle had advised him, to consider learning the guitar. He had been practising for four years, learning chord shapes, patterns, and popular songs based on basics of this. Glancing over at the door to make sure she wasn’t there, he spotted a piece of paper on the floor. Reading what was on it, he was able to locate the strings, and he even had a little barring helper. In the guitar world, its called a capo. Now he had the guitar, he had to just check that it was in tune. So very quietly, he played about with the strings to tighten them up if they were too flat, or loosen them so they were too flat to re-tighten them.

Nothing like a relaxing bath time, she thought. New to the village, but accepted pretty much instantly by everyone she’d met here, even at just twenty-two, she found herself empowered with this. And also having met Jake, she was anticipating a day filled with fun. What surprises did he have in store for her? She was interested in finding out. So instead of soaking for an hour in the bath as she normally would, she only stayed in there for half an hour, and got herself dressed. Going back to the bedroom she thought Jake was in, all she found was a note. A little bemused, she read the note that had been left for her, (it did, after all, have her name on it). It asked her to go to the post office and ask Simon where the ‘free to roam’ field was. Now she was more excited. She liked adventure, and she liked open spaces too. So taking the note, she headed to ask Simon where this field actually was.

Jackie was already up. She’d been awake for the last hour or so in fact. Yet Drake was still fast asleep. For her, she begun every morning with a five mile run, which took her in almost a circle, but today, she felt over energised. She did the first five miles as normal, and with this extra bundle of energy, decided she’d carry on and redo the whole loop. For some reason, she was able to complete it, and even though she was a little out of breath, she found that her ten mile time was only slightly slower than two lots of her five mile time. Maybe one day she would be able to run the half-marathon, starting at the nearest city and ending up back in the village.

Pushing open the door to the post office, Lauren realised the bell sound would alert Simon that someone was about. Knowing the code to the lock on the door, she let herself in the staff area. “Good morning Simon,” she said.
“Good morning Lauren,” he replied. “What can I do for you today? I thought you were meant to be off somewhere with Jake?”
“I am, he left me a note that asked me to meet him in the ‘free to roam’ field. Now I’m not too familiar with where everything is yet, so could you tell me how to get there?” She asked.
“Oh, he’s on a surprises day is he? He’s full of them I can tell you,” grinned Simon. “If you turn left out of the front door, walk until you reach a church. Turn right at the church and you will see a stream, with a little bridge. Once you cross that bridge you are in the field that you are looking for. Just think, right at church, over the bridge, you’ll be fine.”
“That’s all?” she reacted surprised.
“Yup, That’s all. Have a good day.” Simon went back to sorting out the letters that people had given him in passing through that morning.

She’d rolled out of bed, and had herself a refreshing shower. The sun was up and shining brightly again, but today, there were a few fluffy white clouds. It really didn’t feel like it was autumn, yet the leaves were still turning gold, brown, orange, red, and yellow, and still falling from the trees. Chris was still sleeping peacefully, so she decided against waking him up, and went and made herself a coffee. This time she used a standard white mug. After all, it was more likely to be just a normal day. A normal day with a twist, of course, Chris was home and she’d missed him terribly. Coffee and a cigarette. Her perfect way to start a morning. Some people had tried to tell her to quit, but that wasn’t likely any time soon.

Having navigated her way to the ‘free to roam’ field, Lauren was a little nervous by now. Still uncertain as to where she was to go, she thought she’d have a little wander. As she did so, she heard the sound of music filling the air. It wasn’t the sound of the wind in the trees, there was no breeze. It wasn’t the sound of the stream, although that was flowing and making a little noise. It sounded a little familiar. She had studied music at university, and wondered where this familiar sound was coming from. Using her ears more than her eyes to follow the sound, she nearly slipped down a rabbit hole, but after about fifteen minutes of looking, she found one of the best surprises she could have imagined.

Jake was strumming away, the guitar strap round his neck holding the guitar in place so he could stand up to do so. Playing a select blend of romantic songs, he was unaware that she had spotted him. Yes, there was a tablecloth on the ground, along with a picnic hamper. A breakfast picnic hamper? Of course, it was the most important meal of the day. He then heard a beautiful singing voice. So beautiful it was like time had stood still. Passing it off, he thought it was just in his head, yet, it was the tune to the songs he was strumming. A little confused by this, he continued to mix it up, but every song the voice seemed closer than the last. Opening his eyes, he froze once again. Only this time, he stopped playing the guitar, took it from around his neck, and set it on the ground.

“You like surprising people too?” He giggled shyly.
“Its not wrong is it?” she quizzed him.
He chuckled a little louder. “No, its not wrong. I just didn’t realise someone would know all the words to all the songs I know how to play. Above all that, I didn’t anticipate such a beautiful voice.”
Now it was her turn to be shy, “I can’t sing. I failed my singing part of my music exams at uni.”
“Now those lecturers clearly don’t have a clue, they must be older than Derek and out of touch.” he replied. “Come over, take a seat. And if you look over there,” he said, pointing back to the field she’d walked past, “you’ll see a few cows and sheep grazing in the same place.”
“That’s awesome. I didn’t know you played guitar either,” she was a little surprised, yet more composed than he was. “Anyway, lets eat first, we can talk and find more out about our talents, a little later on.”
Before they sat to eat, he took her in his arms, and gave her the comforting hug that reminded her of the night before.