The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2763 by Angharad Copyright© 2015 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 stood surrounded by expectant faces and felt my buttocks clench in anticipation or should that be dread? “Friends and fellow protectors of this wonderful planet and all its denizens, thank you so much for coming to help us save this wood, which I believe supports a colony of dormice. You will all be aware that dormice are protected animals so the felling of the wood is a criminal act, once the owner had been informed of their presence. I know for a fact that he was informed and asked to cease the felling and tree clearance. He did for a few days then started again thinking we’d forget or ignore it. I think your attendance here today proves he made a number of miscalculations.

“I’m sure you all have better things to do than stand around here all day, so I am proposing that if everyone goes home soon, the police will stop him doing any further clearance of the wood land. I therefore propose that if the police agree to such a contract then you can all go home and the wood should be safe from further damage. Might I therefore ask for a general agreement from everyone so I can go and negotiate with the police?”

There was a lot of mutterings and several people were seemingly far from happy with my suggestion. I suppose some of them wished to take on the forces of oppression/law and order, but that wasn’t in my plan. I suppose it was a calculated risk a bit like Pandora and her box.

“How do we know the landowner will accept the agreement?”

“We don’t, but only a fool would try to stiff the system. I’m led to believe Natural England are trying to get the planning permission revoked for the solar farm and a court order to prevent further demolition and clearing of the woodland.”

“So why don’t we wait until that arrives then? If he clears the wood entirely, there won’t be anyway of restoring it will there, an’ I’ve seen too many of them. Sorry your worships, my hired help or contractors misunderstood my instructions, I only asked them to tidy up the edges? Want anymore examples?”

I looked at the protestor, a man in his middle thirties and obviously not an anarchist judging by his appearance with good looking outfit of clothing and he was also quite well spoken.

“There is a small risk but that of someone getting hurt is too much for me to bear and is also why the police are so agitated.”

“So you’re tellin’ me that a few protesters falling out of trees is worth more than a whole colony of dormice?” asked another man, a bit older and more careworn.

“According to the law, people come before dormice.”

“Isn’t that bloody typical, we’re running amok like two legged locusts and yet we’re more important than those harmless, inoffensive animals. Isn’t that what is wrong with this bloody world? I say we stay.”

Obviously an agitator looking for confrontation, bugger, why didn’t I stay home? I raised my hand and asked for quiet, it took longer than when I first addressed them.

“I’m sorry you feel like that, but there is only one way to protect and conserve these animals and their habitats and that’s using the rule of law.”

“That’s what you always say–you’re nothing more than a toadie to the forces of oppression.” His fan club was obviously with him ready to cause a riot as soon as he gave the signal. Oh boy this was getting more dangerous by the moment.

“If you believe that then you are obviously mistaken. Once we step outside the rule of law we have nothing. It is only the law which has enabled us to have the time to study and decide which of these animals are in trouble and this deserve protection. I accept we don’t always get it right but if you take the course of confrontation you are most certainly going to get it wrong.”

“Bloody tories, we know your sort, go back to your bank Cameron and let the common people sort this out once and for all.” He was about to give his mates the get go and a most extraordinary thing occurred. Trish walked out in front of me and into the centre of the assemblage. She raised her hand for quiet. A general mutter ran through the crowd some of whom were looking for trouble and others who were looking to leave before it started.

“Excuse me, sir, but it was me who asked you all to come. Yes my daddy is bank director with High Street Bank, but at this moment he is investigating who is funding the damage to this wood. If it’s our bank and the law is being broken, he has told me he will ask for his money back because we don’t fund crimes. He also said, if it was another bank, he’d ask them to do the same–my daddy usually gets what he wants.

“Mummy is right, once we stop obeying the law people get hurt and there is nothing to protect them from people who might want to hurt them. I’m only a schoolgirl but even I can see we need rules or nothing gets done. If we do something really silly now like fightin’ the police, you and they will get hurt and there’ll be no one left to look after the dormice. I came here to help them not have a fight. Only silly people fight, clever ones negotiate to get what they want. So I ask you to let my mummy talk to the police and let them protect the dormice and make the farmer man pay for the damage he’s caused already. That’s what I think anyway...”

A huge cheer went up as she finished speaking and I felt so proud of her as well as being totally choked. Where does she get the balls to do this sort of thing–I couldn’t have at her age, I was too busy trying to avoid my parents finding my latest stash of girl’s magazines and clothing. She really is something special.

The trouble makers were isolated and began to slink away as people called for me to speak to the police and let them uphold the law, which is their primary function. I left Danni and Trish talking to people as I dashed down to see Helen and Inspector plod.

“The anarchists are leaving,” I told her, “seen off by a ten year old with more persuasive powers than any politician.”

“Oh?” said the plod his mouth open like goldfish.

“If you can agree to protect the wood and prevent any further damage, I’ll ask everyone to disperse.”

“I’ve spoken to my superiors and we can agree to that,” said the copper.

“A court order is on its way, I shall have it delivered to the owner as soon as it gets here,” said Helen, “ordering him to cease and desist felling the wood.”

“In which case, my officers will support it to the letter. If he so much as picks a blade of grass we’ll arrest him.”

“If you’d done that in the first place as we asked you, this could have been avoided,” I said hoping to load guilt on that gold braid.

“If you’d done that in the first place we would have supported you,” replied the copper.

“Mummy, I’ve told them all to go home–can we go and get some dinner now?” was piped up from beside me and I felt her arm around my waist.

“What a good idea, sweetheart, what a good idea.”