March 19th - Many Un-Happy Returns

    Both the Colonel and Thorpe stand looking on as their ex-colleague makes his way towards the Gloster Meteor jet aircraft, which eventually taxis towards the ends of the runway, and within moments the Prisoner is on the next phase of his epic journey, to discover the whereabouts of the Village.

    Exactly what happened after the Prisoner left the airfield, whether or not they did refuel at RAF Gibraltar, or if they went straight into making the first sweep of the 1,750 square mile search area we shall never know. If by this time they had refuelled at RAF Gibraltar, then the pilot must have remained in the aircraft's cockpit all the time, wearing his helmet. Why? Well otherwise the Prisoner would have realised that the pilot isn't the Group Captain, and the game would then be up! But that's all by the by. Because before too long the location of the Village is discovered. "Sweep nine degrees south-west.....That could be it. Get closer.....There it is, we've found it!"

    And in that the Prisoner's fate is sealed. With a hand on the rear seat ejector leaver, the pilot raises his visor and with a cheery "Be seeing you" pulls the said leaver which ejects the Prisoner out of the aircraft, and is left dangling from the end of a parachute as he gently floats down to the beach below.

   The Prisoner is right back where he started! There's no-one about, save for the black cat which is in the exact same position it was on the day the Prisoner set out on his epic sea voyage. A surreal moment that.
   But it's the Prisoner's birthday, and Mrs Butterworth, the new Number Two is on hand to celebrate Number Six's many unhappy returns to the Village. Well it's hardly a birthday celebration, there being only six candles on the cake!
   But at least now the Prisoner-Number Six can lie in his bed at night, in the possitive realisation that when he tries to escape again, he at least knows where he escaping from, which is one advatage he didn't have some twenty-seven days ago!
   One final observation. As the Prisoner looks out of the window, we could be forgiven for thinking that Number Six is looking at the scene below in the square. But look again, Number Six isn't looking out at the Village, his eyes are turned skywards, possibly looking for the aircraft that is now long gone!

Be seeing you