Time And Tides Wait For No Man! by our own reporter

   The editor of The tally Ho said to me, "Go forth my son, out into the Village and seek out a story one that tells of the human side to life within our community." Well I was really struggling to find such a story. There was Number Two’s cat getting stuck up a tree, Number Eight's heart breaking story of a "woman spurned." The heroic story of Number Twelve who valiantly tried to save the Professor from being electrocuted by his own creation! These are human stories, but they do not tell the story that I was after. Being completely uninspired I decided to take a slow walk along the beach for a quiet think.

   It was just as I was making my way along the sea wall, when from one of these bathing tents down on the beach that Numbers Six and Fifty-three suddenly emerged. Between them they carried a pair of rubber lilos tied together with a length of rope. While Number Fifty-three carried what looked to be a radio, and Number Six a length of wood. This was my story! Luckily I had my camera with me to take the accompanying photograph. As it turned out, Number Six had come up with a daring escape plan employing a small group of "reliable" men, whom he had selected by judging their attitude to his false air of authority. Number Fifty-three had been chosen because of his subservient attitude, and because of his knowledge of electronics, and had been put in charge of constructing a radio transmitter. He was later to have been cast adrift aboard the two rubber lilos, in order to transmit a radio distress signal using the said radio transmitter, having been a crashed aircraft at sea, Transoceanic flight. The sending of the distress signal was to bring a rescue boat, M. S. Polotska in-shore, and  rescue them, to effect their escape.

   While Number Fifty-three was about this, it was quite on the cards that the signal Fifty-three was to have transmitted would have also been picked up by the Guardians of the Village. Number 6 and the rest of his reliable men were to have prevented them from taking any action, perhaps even to prevent Number Two himself from taking any action against them.

   The only thing with any escape plan, is that it has to be well timed, and as it happens that was the one flaw in this plan, timing! It would seem that when Number Six too command of this little venture he forgot just one thing. He did not take into account the tide! For as Number 6 and Fifty-three emerged together from their bathing tent, they did so only to discover that the tide was out! This for me is the perfect "human story," one of endeavour and failure. A device is found in order to distinguish between the prisoner’s and the Guardians, which led Number Six to discover his "reliable" men. To then go about stealing pieces of Village equipment with Fifty-three in order to construct a radio transmitter, thereby making contact with the outside world, or so they thought. It was a good plan, and even though Number Six took responsibility for the overall execution of the plan, like some overgrown schoolboy leading a gang of classmates, he couldn't be expected to think of think of everything. Something was bound to have let him down in the end. It's just a pity he didn't think to check the times of the tides first!

Our own reporter

The Supervisor's Report

    It's been quiet enough in The Village of late. Even No.6 seems to have settled down to life here. Well it has been noted by psychologists that anyone can get used to anything, and accept any situation, given prolonged exposure to it. The Village is proof of that, and normal life goes on here much the same as anywhere else.

  Mind you, it's been a while since I've had any time off. I look at the beach on the Control Room's wall screen, and I see those citizens sunbathing, playing beach ball, paddling in the water, or like the Admiral and his Flag Officer playing with plastic boats. And I find myself getting dissatisfied with my situation. When will I get time to enjoy myself? To cast off the mantle of Supervisor, to go running barefoot along the beach and plunge naked into the waves of the sea?

    "Supervisor."

    "Yes what is it now?"

    "Number Six approaching restricted area!"

    "Perhaps he's going to cast off his piped blazer, to run barefoot along the beach, and cast himself naked into the sea."

    "I'm sorry Supervisor!"

    "Oh nothing, let’s have Six up on the screen.........."

Supervisor-No.60

The Village Cat!

    I was given special help with the blog this morning by Brindle, or Mister B to those who don't know him. This is the first time Brindle has laid himself out on my desk like this. Perhaps he thought I was going to try and escape this morning. He's still on my desk, busy inspecting the mouse, and my pens and pencils, he's knocked a file off the desk once already this morning! I know, in the Village no-one is allowed animals, it's a rule. But Brindle doesn't know the rules, and even if he did it seems the rules do not apply to him, a bit like Number 6!

BCNU

A Favourite Scene In THEPRIS6NER

   When Six is tied to a stake somewhere out in the desert. Two is taunting Six with a canteen of water to the accompaniment of 'Heroes And Villains' by Brian Wilson. With Six dying of thirst, Two takes a hand grenade, puts in it Six's gaping mouth, pulls the pin and takes a few slow steps back removing his hat in reverence......the hand grenade explodes.

Breathe in...breathe out...Village life goes on.

Village Technology

   The Beam which is used at minimum strength in order to bring down a pigeon which is believed to be carrying a message out of The Village written by Number Six. To my idea this Beam appears to be an electronic defence weapon. The Rook-Number Fifty-three invented an electronic defence weapon, who's only crime was that he thought that all nations should have it, as it would have guaranteed world peace. Treasonable thoughts perhaps, but it would appear that The Village has taken Fifty-three's technology and employed it, perhaps on a much smaller scale to aid Village security. And why not take Fifty-Three's invention for their own use? After all Number 2 and The Village Administration used the Seltzman machine for their own purposes, a technology invented by Professor Seltzman!

Be seeing you

Village Life!

    According to Little Bo-Peep {who always knows where to find her sheep} Number 240, The Village has been going for a long time. Since the war? Before the war? Which war? A long time! But Number 6 also wants to know if the man from behind the big door is there? Number 240 tells Number 6 that there's no need to know. But of course the man from behind the big door is there, she's looking at him. After all he's the boss, Number 1, Patrick McGoohan!

Be seeing you

The Prisoner -Number Six

   The Prisoner in having been brought to The Village, is seen to have information which “they” want, and by hook or by crook “they’ll” get it! If they can get the Prisoner known as Number 6 to give “them” the reason for his resignation, all the rest will follow, all the files he’s seen, the projects he’s heard of. And yet in turn, Number 6 has been given extended knowledge about The Village! It's very existence and location have been compromised, as only trusted people are permitted to leave the Village, like Number 2 and agents like Nadia Rakovsky, if that be her name.

   It is therefore hardly surprising that it is necessary that the Prisoner should be held in a place of confinement, and not be allowed to roam free after his sudden resignation. Such a person is extremely dangerous to both national security, and the security of The Village.

Be seeing you