The
village was deserted; there was no two-ways about it! The café was closed and
the door securely locked, as was the Old People’s home, and the General Store.
Eventually I had to break into that place in order to supply myself with
provisions. I wrote down on the counter what I owed, and left my credit card.
“Why did you do that if as you say
this village was deserted?”
I don’t know really, out of duty I
suppose. There was no-one parading in the Piazza, no-one clambering about in
the rigging of the stone boat. I eventually made my way back to my cottage.
“Why did you do that?”
Well I didn’t have anywhere else to
go.
“The Town Hall, did you try and go
into the Town Hall?”
No.
“Now why was that?”
Its funny about who it lets in, being
protected by an electronic force field.
“So you made your way back to your
cottage.”
Yes. But then I saw the Green Dome,
and thought I bet whatever’s going on No.2 will be behind it.
“Number 2 being the Chairman of the
village.”
That’s right. Anyway I made my way
into the Green Dome, there was no sign of the diminutive butler, and the pair
of steel doors were open. I went into Number 2’s office, it was as deserted as
the rest of the village!
“What did you do then?”
I went home.
“To your cottage.”
Yes, it was then that I discovered
both the electricity and the water had been cut off!
“What did you do then?”
I ate cold baked beans and corned
beef straight from the tins, and drank pear juice.
“Again straight from a tin
presumably.”
Yes.
“Why do you think the village had
been deserted or evacuated, why do you think everyone left but you?”
I don’t know.
“What did you do next?”
I waited.
“What for?”
Well if it was some kind of ploy
against me, I thought if I waited long enough someone would be about to put in
an appearance. And perhaps if I went to sleep I would wake up and the village
would be miraculously repopulated, just as though nothing had happened. At
night time I lit a number of candles, and went to bed. Then the next morning
when I woke up I went outside to find the village……..still deserted!
“I see.”
It was then that I realized that I had
to get away. So as I said, I went back to the General Store and filled a knapsack
with tinned provisions and anything I thought I should need for the journey. It
was then I had another thought, what about the Guardian?
“The Guardian, ah yes, this thing
that’s made entirely from membrane.”
Had it been deactivated, or was it still
roaming patrolling about as large as life?
“And was it?”
I don’t think so, I never encountered
it, didn’t even see it from a distance.
“So you made good your escape, how
did you manage that?”
I walked, I hiked over the hills. I
found a road, but which way to go? It was getting dark and thoughts turned to
making a fire, then out of the distance lights, headlights coming towards me. I
stood in the road waving my arms and shouting. The lorry stopped, and the
driver gave me a lift. Eventually the lorry arrived on the outskirts of London.
“This is as far as I can take you
mate” the driver told him.
“That’s okay, this is fine.”
I climbed out of the cab and stood on
the pavement watching the lorry drive off and merge with the traffic. There was
nothing for it, having no money would not make it ideal for me to get about, so
there was nothing else for it but to walk. Luckily I was only a few miles away
from my ultimate destination.
“Here.”
“Yes Colonel.”
“What do you think of our friend’s
story Rodgers?”
“I don’t believe one word of it. A
village where names are not used only numbers.”
The village is a place where people
simply turn up, people who have a certain type of information which is to be
either protected or extracted. And they go to the most extraordinary lengths to
break a man…..are you sure you haven’t got a village here?
“My dear fellow, whatever are you
talking about?”
“How did you do it?”
I’m not quite with you old boy, do
what?
The glass slipped from his hand and
he fell unconscious on the floor.
“That should hold him” the Colonel
said “it’s a pity really.”
“Shall I make the call sir?”
“Yes if you would Rogers, tell them we have a body for
removal.”
It was about 8 in the morning, he had been
allowed to sleep in after all he had been through. It was a housemaid who had
roused him from his sleep.
“You can’t lie in bed all day, I dare
say you would like a cup of coffee” the housemaid said.
“Do you know I’ve had the most
extraordinary dream.”
“Really!” the housemaid said making
her way to the kitchen.
He rose out of his bed, put on his
dressing gown and opening a French door went and stood on a small balcony. It
was a bright sunny day, people were promenading around the pool and fountain in
the Piazza.
“Coffee’s ready” he heard a voice
call out.
He went back inside “I dreamt I woke
up and found the village deserted.”
“Really, how every odd, why did you
dream that?”
“Yes Number 12, why do you think he
dreamt that?”
“I really have no idea sir.”
“Do you think we should tell him?”
“Why would we want to do that sir,
now we know it works, and we can use it again?”
“Quite right Number 12, mustn’t let
the cat out of the bag. What have we on for today?”
“Number 6 sir………….”
“Ah, if there was no-one else there
would always be Number 6. He’s proving to be a very stubborn fellow.”
“There’s always the comfy chair sir.”
“You think so?”
“It worked with Chambers, he became
very talkative.”
“You think that would work with
Number 6, a man who wouldn’t drop his guard with his own grandmother!”
“Well its worth a try, nothing else
has worked so far!”
The pair of steel doors opened and the tall
figure of No.6 stood framed in the doorway.
“Ah there you are Number 6, do come
in, do come in and sit down.”
Be seeing you
