The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 3080 by Angharad Copyright© 2016 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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The next few days were spent in virtual lockdown. The gates were kept closed and the close circuit cameras were on. Trish had got a name from the second hire car but on investigation, it appears he was sitting at the roadside taking a phone call. The first car still eluded her.

James even went and chatted up the woman behind the counter at the car hire firm but she was unmoved by his charm and kept her secrets. When I mentioned it to Andy Bond, he had no such difficulties.

“The hirer was the man and his name is Damon Corbett, comes from Hove.”

“I know Hove a bit, I went to Sussex Uni and that’s in Brighton.”

“Sorry, Cathy, that’s all I can tell you about him. The woman, we don’t know anything about.”

“So she could be the Smurf’s biological mother, a colleague of the man, or someone with another interest in my daughter.”

“Quite. We don’t have an occupation for the man but we’re assuming he’s either an investigator or a journalist.”

My tummy flipped. If the truth got out, the press would have a field day and because of Danni’s international career, would probably end up with someone posting it on the net in another country. It shouldn’t stop it because the FA and FIFA allow transgender players to represent their country. But the publicity would probably stop her wanting to touch a football again. Sometimes the price of being different makes me understand why people kill themselves. The problem is, Danielle is different in two senses, she’s transgender, or was and she’s very talented on the soccer field. If left alone, she could well captain her country and make a successful living at it, she’s that good.

If it gets out that she’s transgender, it needn’t stop either of those happening but it does make it less likely and even becoming a PE teacher could be more difficult, especially if the bigoted tabloids get hold of it. One already as good as murdered a teacher by hounding her to her death and was unrepentant about it. But then, the gutter-press has no scruples or morals yet pretends to be outraged on behalf of the halfwits who read them.

Mind you, Mark Steel, in the i newspaper, let rip at the Daily Wail about its inaccurate and biased account of some Syrian migrants being housed in Devon. Apparently, it had headlines of the locals being upset at the migrants being sent there—they were upset, seeing the people had so little they organised a collection of clothing and toys to give to the refugees. The Wail listened to one or two dissenters and omitted the fact the community as a whole, were committed to helping the refugees, especially the children. Seeing the news coverage of what is happening in Syria, the butchery by Assad and Putin, is very distressing and St Claire’s were organising a Christmas Fayre to send money to one or two charities assisting the people still stuck out there. I suggested MSF as one of the few who turn up everywhere there are casualties regardless of the politics and sometimes even the danger. Sister Maria thanked me for my suggestion.

When I mentioned to Simon that the girls were angry that I wouldn’t let them help at the fayre, he told me to tell Sister Maria he would match whatever amount they made and the girls could present it to the school. I pointed out that it would make Danni’s profile possibly higher than was advisable at the moment. He told me to forget the presentation bit, he’d get his dad to do it.

“Why don’t we just say an anonymous donor gave the money?”

“Okay, or how about an anonymous customer of High Street Banks gave the money?”

“I’m sure that would be fine.”

“How much d’you reckon, couple of thou?”

“Dunno, shouldn’t be more than ten, anyway.” I watched him stagger away hoping he didn’t have a stroke. Two or three thousand is more likely but who knows these days. The fayre will be opened by some charity worker who’s been out there helping the UN trying to get food and medical supplies into Aleppo.

If I live to be a thousand I don’t think I’ll ever understand the need for war or the money and lives it wastes or blights. Homo sapiens appeared on the planet 200,000 years ago, if they’re so bloody clever how come we’re still fighting them?

The news that the president elect has nominated a climate change sceptic to head the US Environmental Protection Agency, tends to suggest he may have met with Leonardo Di Caprio but he didn’t listen to anything he said. I also heard that there were rumours he’d be indicted before he was White House for very long for various reasons, not least the election and his business methods in general. I’ll wait and see but won’t be holding my breath: having said that, I’d laugh my socks off if all his golf courses were destroyed by global warming.

Talking of global warming a recent study suggests that nearly half of all species so far examined had suffered up to a decline of forty seven percent through temperature increases so far and many had become extinct in areas where they had previously been found—a very worrying trend. What I don’t understand is why more environmentalists aren’t pointing out that overpopulation by humans is one of the root causes—perhaps they feel, given its current growth, the species will end up starving itself to death or continuing its lemming like attempts to cross the Mediterranean to avoid famine or diseases or wars fought over resources like water.

Something which did take my attention as also that of the media were the pictures of a piece of amber which contained feathers and part of the vertebra of the tail of a small dinosaur which was found in China.

Apparently the creature was a juvenile and probably only the size of a sparrow. It would have been a land animal as the feathers weren’t evolved for the purposes of flight and may have been used for attracting mates or helping to stay warm or cool.

All I’ve ever seen have been insects trapped in amber and those were hugely expensive, so what that piece the size of the palm of your hand, must have cost defeats me. I suppose it would all depend upon whether the person selling it realised its significance. Anyway, the research it will assist in terms of the evolution of feathers and ultimately birds, will hopefully make it worthwhile.

Picture courtesy of Royal Saskatchewan Museum/ RC McKellar (via the Guardian)

I glanced down the drive as the shadows lengthened. It would be at least another month before the process reversed itself and probably two before we noticed it. I heard tawny owls hooting the other night, so not everything dislikes the long dark nights, but then they aren’t worrying about the possible exposure or abduction of their children.