Exhibition of Arts And Crafts

                            “2b Napoleon!”

BCNU

Caught On Camera!

   No not Number 50! Number 22 who is supposed to be Number 2’s assistant, yet as another of his kind to find himself reduced to working in the Control Room, as assistant to the Supervisor-Number 26. There he is, with the Supervisor watching the wall screen as Number 50 enters Number 6’s cottage. I would say that Number 22 is another of those inept assistants who Number 2 can well do without, and has been reduced to the ranks in order to go and assist the Supervisor. It may be assumed that being an assistant to Number 2 whilst he was overseeing all the projects Number 2 had undertaken for The Village and its community, would also keep Number 22 busy. But now, seeing as Number 2 was about to retire, would see Number 22 eventually reduced back into the administration. As it is, there’s very little Number 22 can assist his superior with. 

    So with little to do, because of Number 2’s term of office coming to its end, this Number 22, is reduced to working in the Control Room. Yet he does know about ‘Plan Division Q,’ because he has contact with the interim Number 2, as sen in the presence of the interim Number 2 at that time. And yet 22 seems uninterested in assisting his superior in his current predicament, knowing full well that Number 2 is to be executed by his own people. But then what could Number 22 do? He simply has to accept the situation, and so stands about doing nothing much at all, his hands are tied, he is but one man. He might have thrown in his lot with Number 6, in the same way Number 12 once did during that episode with ‘the General.’ But then look what happened to him! And it cannot be guaranteed that Number 22 is the kind of man to put himself out for anyone, let alone put himself in harms way, even to be presumed a traitor, no matter the cause! Mind you I shouldn’t think there was much for Number 22 to do working in the Control Room. The Supervisor-Number 26 is a very capable and competent man. For example, see how his spur of the moment idea about having the door to ‘6 Private’ left unlocked aided Number 50’s easy access to the cottage and made Number 6 instantly suspicious, and putting him on his guard. Yes, a very able fellow that Supervisor, who didn‘t even know it wasn‘t Number 6’s birthday when he read out that birthday greeting from Number 113. He didn’t even know that 113 had been an old woman in a wheelchair, who had died a month ago! But then why should he? Number 26 is the Supervisor responsible for the running of the Control Room, and he does that with great efficiency. So really the likes of Number 20 and 22 as assistants would be superfluous to requirements. And yet there was Number 60, who was promoted to the rank of Supervisor as Number 26 was removed from that position. Mind you he looked like an assistant, he even carried a clipboard!
    At times we see a day Supervisor and a night time Supervisor, but in ‘Checkmate’ the same Supervisor-Number 56 is responsible for both the day shift and night shift in the Control Room. A man like that would be in need for an assistant, that of Number 269.

Be seeing you

Thought For The Day

   Dark clouds gather over a long and deserted road. Cue thunder, cue dark clouds, the long deserted airstrip, and the green, yellow nosed Lotus Seven……..
    We know where ZM73, for want of a better name, well I can’t call him the Prisoner as he’s not a prisoner as yet, is going, and what his ultimate destination is. He’s on his way to hand in his letter of resignation, as that’s the proper way to do it. He’ll then go home, and from there ultimately be abducted, to wake up in an Italianate Village, called quaintly enough The Village.
    That’s all fine and dandy knowing that information, but it really doesn’t get us very far. And really it’s no longer become that interesting. Far more interesting is the question, where did he come from? A long and deserted road, well it looks like a road, although for a single lane road it’s wider than most. And that’s what makes it unusual. We know what lies at the one end of that road, London. It must be because that’s where ZM73 ends up, driving over Westminster bridge. What we don’t know, and this is the vexing part and therefore more interesting, is, we don’t know what is at the far end of that road. ZM73 must have driven from somewhere to end up on that road. Not from home surely, as he lives in London, and would have taken a matter of only a few minutes to drive from his home in Westminster to that underground car park. And its highly unlikely that he would have driven out of London only to drive back again…………………..unless………………. he was coming from the Colonel’s residence in the country! In ‘Many Happy returns’ ZM73 told Mrs. Butterworth that he had two calls to make, one in town, the other in the country. So perhaps that’s what he had been doing during that opening sequence, making two calls. Only this time the one in the country first, to see the Colonel, and the second call in town in order to hand in his letter of resignation to that bald-headed, bespectacled bureaucrat sat behind that desk in the London office! 

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Bureau of Visual Records

    This Mini-Moke is an unmarked vehicle, not a regular taxi, but a vehicle used by bomb disposal, what’s more it has a very distinctive high pitched whining siren. Its crew were called to attend to a suspicious Cuckoo clock left at the door of the Green Dome by Number 6. However once the said suspect device was dismantled, it was found that that’s all it was, a Cuckoo clock!
    Other unmarked Mini-Mokes are used as an ambulance, which tows a red cross trailer. Red cross that’s a laugh, It may well be supposed that the Red Cross never got anywhere near The Village! There is one other unmarked Mini-Moke, it has a black and white striped canopy, although its not actually seen in The Village, obscured by the cortège. Used for Cobb’s funeral, and no doubt for other funerals, that of the Professor, Number 12, and Number 113, and Number 73……….The Village hearse!

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Caught On Camera!

    How does the1960’s song go?
“They're coming to take me away, Ha-ha
They're coming to take me away, Ho-ho
Hee-hee-haa-haa
To the funny farm
Where life is beautiful all the time
And I'll be happy to see those
Nice young men in their clean white coats and
They're coming to take me away, ha-ha!”
   And here’s Number 6, just in time to be taken away to the hospital by three men in white coats, for his medical. Number 6 had previously seen off two bully boys during a fist-fight in the woods. And it seems that Number 6 isn’t ready for another such fight, besides this time he’s out numbered three to one. So perhaps discretion is the better part of valour….this time. What’s more that chap to the left of Number 6’s shoulder is a man giant, who has to squeeze himself behind the wheel in the Mini-Moke!
    Number 6 had been in the woods on his own, watching the Cormorants, and possibly chewing things over in is mind. That his isolation within the community was beginning to get to him. And these three hospital orderlies, what had they been doing lurking in the woods, or had they been just hanging about on the off-chance? No, if it was time for Number 6’s medical, they had been sent to find him! And yet it was Number 6 who found them, or rather stumbled upon them in the bushes!

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The Therapy Zone

    In The Village there are no locked doors. The only time doors are locked is at curfew time, because the administration doesn’t want The Village citizens roaming free during the night. Some, like Number 6, might take it into their heads to try and escape away under the cover of darkness. That was attempted twice by Number 6, and both times he was aided. First by Number 8. But then that was fair enough as she was an agent working undercover. The second time Number 6 had his chosen men about him. But that time there was a slight mix up. The Rook-Number 53 thought that Number 6 was one of “them,” having put to him his own test. Such was Number 6’s air of authority he had over his “reliable” men. So at the end of the day Number 6 only had himself to blame for the failure. Besides which, that motor cruiser, even if it had been a genuine vessel looking for the downed aircraft, would never have reached The Village, seeing as the tide was out at the time! And strange that Number 6 should choose to send a mayday call from an aircraft in distress, especially when in the previous episode, ‘Dance of The Dead,’ the amended body Number 6 found on the beach, was to have been put in the water so that it was Number 6 had died in an accident at sea.
    And in that same episode ‘Dance of The Dead,’ Number 6 found that the door to his cottage electronically locked at Curfew time. But that for some reason the French door had been left unlocked. And as we know Number 6 is never one to miss taking up any given opportunity. So he stepped out onto the balcony, climbed over the railings and disappeared into the night. Down on the beach Number 6 encountered the Guardian. It looks as though Number 6 is trying to run away, but that is impossible, as the Guardian can easily outpace the running figure. It’s more like Number 6 is testing himself against the white membranic thing, which leaves Number 6 on his knees on the sand. I was going to write that Number 6 having been locked out of his cottage, he had no opportunity but to spend the night on the beach. He could have returned to the confines and comfort of ‘6 Private’ via the French window. But I expect Number 6 much preferred the freedom of the beach.
    The only time doors are locked in The Village is when Number 2 and the administration have something to hide, as with the time Number 6 made a sweep of the Town Hall the evening of the ‘Dance of The Dead’ Ball. Yes there was one door which was previously secured against Number 6, but which later allowed him access to the room. But only because Number 2 allowed it so. Then there was that time Number 6 woke up to find the Village deserted, the doors of the café and Old People’s Home were locked against him, but not that of the Green Dome. The door of the General Stores might have been left open as to make it easy for Number 6. But then that may not have been a good idea, and might have made Number 6 suspicious. And in any case why make things easy for Number 6, who is the most capable fellow, and would have broken his way into the General Stores with no great difficulty.  Anyway I’d best be on my way. It’s almost curfew time, and I don’t fancy spending a night on the beach. The tides in!

Be seeing you

Quote For The Day

   “But I must have them!”
   “For the last time, your weeks credit allowance is all used up. Come back tomorrow.”
   “But I can’t go through an entire day without my sweets!”

                     {Number 36 and the Kiosk attendant - It’s Your Funeral}

    Thursday is Appreciation Day, so the day Number 36’s weekly allowance had been all used up by was a Wednesday, and there was still another three days in the week, so how would Number 36 manage? The kiosk attendant told 36 to come back tomorrow. Why did he tell her that? Thursday was generally payday in Britain at that time, so perhaps that’s the day in The Village when weekly credit allowances were placed on credit cards, and Number 36 would be able to satisfy her sweet tooth. Except Number 6 bought her a bag of sweets, seeing another lady in distress, although Number 6 said “Candy.” Number 2 said Number 6 never eats candy, and that’s an Americanism. Being English Number 6 should have said a bag of sweets!

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