Bureau of Visual Records

   The dummy of the laughing sailor in a glass case at the Kursaal funfair at Southend-on-Sea, was perpetually laughing. As a boy I recall looking up at the dummy asking what it had got to laugh about? later of course, seeing the dummy again in ‘The Girl Who Was death,’ it reminded me of when the recently resuscitated Number 2 is taken below the cavern and placed in an Orbit Tube.

  Sealed in a Perspex Orbit tube he stood there laughing. As with the dummy, I had to ask myself what Number 2 found so funny in his current situation. Having died they couldn’t let him rest in peace. They resuscitated him, changed his appearance. The sealed him up in a Perspex tube. How worse could things get? As for Number 2 he always had a keen sense of humour, no doubt he could see the funny side. And besides if you can’t laugh, what can you do?

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