The Weekly Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 3420 by Angharad Copyright© 2024 Angharad

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This is a work of fiction any mention of real people, places or institutions is purely coincidental and does not imply that they are as suggested in the story.
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I phoned Simon and told him what had happened and at least he understood that i couldn't leave a toddler on her own in a park, he also realised that I hadn't attacked the mother so why couldn't the police? No wonder the post office scandal was happening we had no standards of any sort. It seems from reading the paper, the Guardian of course, the number of times the government were told that something wrong was happening but they just ignored it because, it was going to cost money, it was going to damage their reputation - ha that's a laugh, or they couldn't get votes or money out of it.

I came home in my Barbour as the plod still had my nice winter coat. They would find signs of the toddler because she had been cuddled into me for an hour or more, so that could leave fibres from the mother's clothing as I presume she cuddled her little girl as I would have. I related this to Jason who informed the police as a precaution to them arresting me over a couple of fibres, especially as I had no idea what the mother was wearing when she was attacked. I suggested sending flowers to her in hospital but Jason said that it could be seen as an indication of guilt and I would only plead guilty to caring about a loose toddler with no apparent parental unit about.

It transpired that the mother had been sexually assaulted so I assumed that cleared me from suspicion but then I thought that they know I'm originally transgender, and of course, according to scandal sheets like the Daily Wail and the Torygraph, we are all dangerous sex offenders and if not public enemy number one, at least public enemy 1.5 or thereabouts. Why doesn't everyone know that being transgender isn't something we can help, we are born with it, why is open to speculation, and also why some people take decades to do anything about it, while others like me, do something as soon as it's possible. It doesn't explain why it's so prevalent nowadays or why the Republicans in America and the Tories over here, seem to need to persecute us, I suppose it's because we are such a small minority and a good distraction from real issues like war in the Gulf or the cost of living crisis.

It's also used to rally support from the Christian right, you know those who hate women, stopped abortions, hate blacks and coloureds, gays and everybody who isn't like them. If Jesus were here now he'd be executed by such Christians as he wasn't one of them, he'd also be mortified, suggesting it wasn't supposed to be like this. Personally, I don't believe in a supernatural, okay, the goddess thing is something I'm dealing with, but the 'Son of God' thing seems a load of nonsense and added well after he had died. I also think worshipping a man also turns me off the whole idea of religion, which was why he became a god, elevated by his followers to stop that happening and remember the public were just as ignorant as they are now, except some can read and write these days.

I contacted Sergeant Andy Bond to enquire how the mother was and had they found the man that attacked her. He couldn't tell me much except she was stable but very ill. He couldn't tell me anything about the little girl as she was now in the care of Social Services. I reminded him that I had something of a history with them but he told me that they weren't seriously considering me as anything but a do-gooder with a litigious lawyer. I also asked about my coat and how long they would have it.

I was in my office drinking tea and fuming, how could anyone think I was anything other than concerned for the child? Did they really think I wanted another one, surely ten or eleven is enough?

Diane kept me busy and our meeting with the accounts department went our way simply because Simon has a degree in economics and one in accountancy, so knows his way around a spreadsheet. He also briefed me about the meeting, I was amazed that I remembered most of it considering my adventure in the park the day before.

The meeting concluded with Diane and I dancing round my desk once the Taliban had gone; we still had our budget and just needed to keep our numbers of students up, she had the nerve to say, looks like it's time to do another film, we need the publicity, "Are kittens wild in this country?"

"Only wildcats, up in Scotland."

"Well, their kittens should look cuddly enough to get lots of girls applying to want to find them and cuddle them just like you do."

"I've got news for you, I have never seen a wild cat, let alone cuddled its kittens."

"Just cuddlesome tabby kittens, they look the same don't they?"

"That would be fraud and sink what's left of my reputation, remember helping the police with their enquiries?"

"You could have been helping them with anything, looking for a lost dormouse, telling them what to put in their bird feeders, how to reduce their carbon footprint, anything."

My phone peeped indicating a text from other than my family, we have a special one that Sammi organised for us. I looked and it was from the police telling me I could collect my coat. I hit the roof again, they took it they should return it. I phoned them and told them so, also that I would examining it closely to make sure their forensics people hadn't damaged it. Mid afternoon, Andy Bond came by with it and told me my petulance wasn't helping my cause. That lit the blue touch paper and I was off on one again. 'Petulant'? I'll give them 'petulant', and while he was still in my office I began looking at the coat with a hand-lens, checking for damage.

He coughed and I told him in no uncertain terms that anything could have happened to that tot, all I did was to call the authorities and look what that did. He looked uncomfortable for a moment and tried to pacify me and I told him next time I'd let the child wander until it met a mishap or someone else rescued it.

"I can't believe you're saying that."

"Well, I'm just pissed off by the police; even when I'm trying to do the right thing, so if I do the wrong thing perhaps they'll leave me alone."

"Cathy, you are one of the nicest people I know, you've taught me so much about so many things including about transgender people. I know you could no more ignore someone in need, than I could, especially a small child. So don't change, okay we get things wrong, but you know when something happens we're trying to process what has actually happened and sort the facts from the fiction and other people's stories which may or may not be true. Look, I know you wouldn't hurt a fly let alone a child, but they had to check you out just as you would someone claiming a scientific proof. I'm sorry that you felt violated by us, it wasn't intentional."

"Well, perhaps you could have some charm lessons, the way that two or three of you plod said things with innuendo of me turning boys into girls, I haven't done that to any of mine, as you know, unless they wanted to be girls and then I have facilitated their opportunity to do so, as long as at least one expert in paediatric mental health tells me to continue. Also, I didn't go out to adopt lots of children they told me they wanted me to be their mother because they had had such poor experiences of motherhood."

"There are plenty of those about, the numbers of poor parents are multiplying exponentially. We see them or the consequences everyday."

"I can't save them all, just those who come to me for one reason or another."

"I know you can't and this government doesn't seem to care unless it reflects well on them; how can it, they caused half of it with their stupid policies so a few over- privileged types can make even more money."

"Not all of us over-privileged types, want to make things worse for the poor or unfortunate, but I am concerned for the tot I found in the park, to make sure she is not disadvantaged by this episode nor her mother. Have you got the bloke yet?"

"Rumours of an arrest are flying around the office - they know who it is from the DNA, he's known to us, previous for sex-assaults. They'll get him and when they do they won't be gentle either."

"If you think I can help her or her mum, let me know."

"I will, Cathy, right off to save the world, must go, bye." He was off back to his very difficult job and I could get back to mine, equally difficult at times but in a different way.

"Boss, Henry's slipped and broken his hip."

"Oh, great, just what I needed."

"We need someone to cover his lecture, it's too short notice to cancel."

"What is it?"

"Evolutionary adaptation in aquatic wildlife."

"Not sure I know enough about that to cover."

"I'll bet you could, you've told me lots about your pond dipping days and there's no one else free tomorrow."

"You could cancel for that."

"Yeah, but I want them to see how it should be done for once on this course, so I'm calling up the expert."

"Oh yeah, who's that then?"

"You are, now get sorting what slides you need, John is coming up with what Henry was going to use, I'm sure he's got a few extra slides up his jumper for you to use seeing as they tell me you made lots of them yourself."

"Get me a roll for lunch will you and be prepared to make some tea when John gets here, I've never seen anyone drink it as much as he does."

"Oh, I think I know someone, " she said dashing out the door and I felt incriminated again. How come that happens to me all the time? No wonder the police tried to implicate me in Jack the Ripper's murders, only I was too young and hadn't lived in London.

John came up and as Diane wasn't back from the refectory with my roll, I sent him to make two cups, he and I, then we got down to reviewing the slides I would use. It so happens I had been looking at the development of respiration in aquatic invertebrates, tracheal gills, spiracles, apneustic (no functioning spiracles) it's the holes that insects use to breathe, normally two rows, one each side of their abdomens. In aquatic insects obviously they have to get round having holes in their bodies especially in the larval stage which may be entirely aquatic. There are all sorts of ways they get around things and some only appear after moults, though in one insect in New Zealand, it actually exits the water, moults and then goes back to the water, sounds like me getting out of bed to pee.

Some of the air hole or spiracles aren't functional, they all breathe somewhat through their skin or gaseous exchange takes place to us scientists, some have water resistant hairs which cover them, some have siphons to the water's surface and breathe atmospheric air, like some hoverfly larvae do and also things like mosquitoes float on the water's surface to breathe, usually in a pupal form, that's before they start biting us. Actually, as larvae they filter feed like many dipterans do (fly larvae) and help to clean the water. They are also food for fish and predatory invertebrates - yeah, okay I know a bit about it, enough to keep some first years busy, so maybe Diane was right - as always - bloody women - whoops, I'm one too.