The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike) Part 1411 by Angharad Copyright © 2011 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

The girls only had one more day in school whereas Danny had a couple of days next week as well. He had a new found passion–cricket–at which he was quite good, at least he thought so. The final week in his school culminated in a cricket championship between the four houses: apparently each played the others and the two with the most points played each other in the final. He was looking forward to the competition.

The girls however were looking forward to their respective end of term parties and I had to help each one of them take some food and drink to these. Of course they hadn’t told me, so we had to call by Morrisons to get some food and drink for each of them. At least they each got what they wanted to take with them and I did a small amount of shopping too–milk and some bread, that sort of thing.

We were doing quite well for time until we got to the checkout, when some chap in the queue next to ours was taken ill–he collapsed–went down like a stone, smacking his head on the conveyor belt housing as he went.

There was chaos as first aiders and others rushed about getting in each other’s way and I was surprised but pleased that when the paramedics arrived–there was an ambulance getting diesel at the petrol station attached to the supermarket–the man was still alive.

I had to hush the girls from suggesting I help him, although Trish confirmed what I suspected–the light was being drawn from me by the injured man. She could see it, I could feel it as a slightly cool sensation on my forehead and near my heart.

Back in the car, Trish suggested, “It was only you who was keeping that man alive, wasn’t it, Mummy.”

“I don’t know, Trish, I was just feeling concern for him, because he really bashed his head as he fell.”

“Fank goodness our shoppin’ wasn’t on fat conveyor belt, it would have been covered in bwud.”

“Ugh,” declared Livvie, “I don’t think I’d want to eat it after that.”

“Nor me neither,” agreed Billie, while Trish and Mima simply made faces and pretend retching noises. Sometimes the girls are a delight–today wasn’t one of those occasions.

I took them to school and returned home to find Jenny and Stella feeding both babies–Jenny with a bottle and Stella the old fashioned way. Puddin’ was wandering about looking for a socket to insert her fingers into, after she’d wet them–but thankfully, didn’t actually know what a socket looked like, so failed miserably in her attempt to get curly hair and electrocuted all at the same time.

Seeing as the babies were sorting out the two adults, I went to play with Puddin’ and we did dressing up dolls and putting them to bed–we all sleep in our Sunday best, don’t we? This kid is as strange as her mother–mind you, I suppose months in the company of the household nutter, viz. Stella’s sister in law, would make any child a bit strange.

I was saved by the rattle of cups and the sound of the kettle boiling which indicated the babies had been topped up and hopefully had had an oil change as well.

“I thought the sound of the teacups would bring you from wherever you were hiding,” teased Stella.

“Natch, but I could see the babies had everything under control, so I went to play with Pud.”

“Where is she?”

“Taking the legs off the dog, I think.”

“She’s what?”

“Well she had the chainsaw and was last seen heading towards Kiki.”

Stella laughed but went to check all the same. Jenny smirked, “Okay, where is she?”

“Asleep on the sofa, why?”

“Stella will kill you.”

“No she won’t, she can’t cope with cooking for more than about three–so I’m safe, but she might kill you as an example to me.”

"Examples of what?" asked Stella giving me an old fashioned look.

“An example of baroque music,” I said quickly.

“Is that right, Jenny?” Sella demanded.

“Oh yes, Stel, it’s right.”

“So what was this example of baroque music, then?”

“Um–I can’t remember what you said now, Cathy–was it–um–the four seasons guy?”

“What, Frankie Valli?” asked Stella.

“I think she meant Vivaldi, Stella.”

“I was going to say,” said my sister in law, blushing.

“This is what happens when you eavesdrop on others,” I teased her.

“I wasn’t–I just happened to overhear a bit of your conversation.”

“A likely story–don’t you agree, Jenny?”

“Absolutely, now we can see where Puddin’ gets it from.”

“Just a minute,” said Stella beginning to froth at the knickers, “You leave my babies out of this.”

“Did you find her?” I asked.

“No–where is she?”

“Perhaps the dog killed and ate her.”

“Don’t be silly, Kiki’s a spaniel.”

“So, spaniels can be bad tempered especially towards children.”

“Kiki is soppy with everything, she’s a lot safer with kids than you are.”

“Are you implying that I wouldn’t be safe at the hands of children or t’other way round?”

“How can you be threatened by children?”

“I didn’t say I was–that was you.”

“Cathy Cameron, stop fibbing.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Hey, you two, have you seen this?”

This turned out to be a report of an earthquake off the coast of Portsmouth yesterday.

“Did the earth move for you?” I asked Jenny.

“Can’t say as I’ve noticed.

“Nah, nor me.”

“Obviously the end of the world.”

“Yeah? As long as they do it quietly I won’t mind so much.”

“That sounds a bit defeatist, Cathy.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“So, just how did you mean it?”

“I didn’t sleep very well last night–so I possibly don’t care as much as I might after a normal night’s sleep.”

“Oh, I see–I thought you were getting kamikaze in your old age?”

“Divine wind? That would only be if I was planning on blowing myself up.”

“Off,” corrected Stella, “You’d be blowing off.”

“I’ve got to go and collect the girls–enjoy having them under your feet all day for the next umpteen weeks.” With that rejoinder, I set off to collect my party girls and hoped they hadn’t drunk too much pop–I’d hate to have them sick in the back of the car.