The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike) Part 1964 by Angharad Copyright © 2013 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

“It’s, Killing me softly with his song,” corrected David.

“Yes, I know, Roberta Flack, my mother had an album of hers.” My improvisation hadn’t worked as well as I’d hoped, although I knew my singing was nowhere near as bad as Stella had suggested. She sounds like a banshee with a sore throat when she’s in the shower.

“What would you like for lunch?”

“I fancy a tuna jacket,” I felt quite hungry and that would go down a treat. Stella nodded that she’d have the same, so that’s what we had. We eat loads of the stuff, well I do. I try not to give it to the kids too often, partly because then I don’t get to eat it all by myself, and also because it’s supposed to be full of all sorts of poisons like dioxins and heavy metals–the accumulation effect of being a top predator. The same is probably true of man as well.

I left the kitchen to let David work his magic advising Ingrid and Hannah to stay in their cottage for safety reasons. For some reason they decided to go out for the day instead. It’s supposed to be a free country, so I couldn’t stop them and Ingrid was up to date with the cleaning, so I had even less reason. I think they went because they thought I was clearly a dangerous crazy.

“Do I need to keep protecting you all now?” asked Trish who was looking very tired.

“No darling, I’ll take over, you go and have a rest and thank you for your hard work.”

“It is hard, Mummy.”

It is, if you have to keep thinking about it. I threw a fresh bubble of blue around us and knew that would last until someone passed through it physically. I went and saw Jacquie and found out exactly where she lived with Jerry. Then I went back and found the address on Google and looked at the satellite pictures.

What had I got to do next? I had no idea, but I threw light around the house, three layers of light, blue, white and gold. I was sure she was in the house and the object was to keep her penned in there.

Then I created a small ball of very powerful pink light, and I imagined it passing through the air, and in through the chimney. As it passed down the chimney, it collected enough blackness from the soot and other poisons which lined the chimney to be disguised.

If she saw pink she’d zap it, but seeing black while feeling in a dark mood, I hoped I read her well enough to think she’d find it attractive. If she touched it, it would zap her very quickly, if she was close to it for any length of time over ten minutes, it would start to affect her.

Quite what the effect would be, I had no idea, but once the energy in the ball had been dissipated the energy in the layers outside her house would collapse inside the house and she would then have the healing offered by them. It looked good in theory and would do her no harm except to help her see another's point of view.

I went and had my lunch, which was delicious, and returned to my study–well there were things I needed to do for this conference thing and that kept me busy until late afternoon when Trish came into my study.

“Mummy?”

“Yes, sweetheart,” I smiled at her.

“You know the beautiful lady I sometimes see in my dreams?”

I felt a cold shiver run up my spine, “Yes, darling.”

“I just saw her.”

“You saw her–where?”

“Coming from here.” To demonstrate exactly where she meant she pointed to the floor of my room.

“She was in here?”

“She came to say we’d worked well and that she approved of your trickery, even though she wasn’t supposed to. What trickery was that, Mummy?”

I sat her down and told what I’d done to Jerry. She smiled and nodded. “You’re so clever, Mummy–I hope you never need to trick me, ’cos you’ll get me every time.”

“I’m not cleverer than you, Trish, just more devious.”

She laughed and went to play with the others. Just then the phone rang and without looking at the number I picked it up.

“Is that Cathy?” asked a voice which made my blood run cold.

“You know it is.”

“Yeah, okay–look I’ve been thinking...”

I said nothing she sounded slightly different.

“...I said some unkind things to you. I apologise, I guess I was jealous of the relationship you had with Jacquie and how you’d helped her cope with all those years of abuse.”

“I accept your apology.”

“Thanks, look I need to apologise to Jacquie too.”

“I can pass on a message if you’d like me to.”

“I was hoping to speak with her myself–you know in person.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Look, I promise I won’t harm her, I just want to say goodbye.”

“I don’t know if I can trust you.”

“Please, you can be there as well if you like, I just want to end it amicably.”

“You mean by getting her to take an overdose?”

“I regretted that immediately and got them to call you.”

“I was rather busy with another matter at the time.”

“Yeah, your mother in law–she’ll recover you know.”

“I know, I made sure of it.”

“I don’t know what made me act like I did.”

“I think power and pride were two factors.”

“Yeah, you could be right.”

“So is it all right if I call by and speak with her?”

“I’ll have to speak with her.”

“Okay, I’ll ring back in an hour.” She rang off and I went in search of Jacquie. We spoke for maybe ten minutes, she wanted to say goodbye as well, and even though I thought it was a bad idea, it appealed to my sense of redemption–I know, so New Testament, but that’s what years of brainwashing do to you.

It was some three hours later that Jerry appeared she and Jacquie spoke out in the drive–I wouldn’t let Jerry back into the house. I watched from a distance, having dropped another of my pink energy balls into her car and rolled it under the driver’s seat. Being distracted with this bit of legerdemain I didn’t notice them supposedly getting together for a goodbye hug or kiss and when I looked back, Jerry was trying to strangle Jacquie.

I fired blue energy at both of them and it caused Jerry to pause, by which time I was upon them and broke them apart.

“Did you really think your novice magic could harm me?” she scorned me. “I could quite easily kill you both.”

“I tend to take some killing,” I offered back and she walked determinedly towards me. “Come on girly-boy, come and see what a real woman can do.”

She jumped, and kicked at me, which I barely avoided though I did push her as she flew past me. The scenario repeated itself several times with her the aggressor attacking me, and I was having to take ever more difficult evasive moves. It was only a matter of time before she caught me and she did. It was only a glancing blow but I staggered backwards and she walked towards me, presumably to administer the coup de grace.

“Leave her alone,” shouted a female voice and Jacquie strode up to us.

“Go away you pathetic little worm,” sneered Jerry. It wasn’t the wisest thing to say to someone who was extremely angry.

“No, you go away,” and with that Jacquie swung a haymaker of an uppercut which I think lifted Jerry of her feet. Talk about the worm turning. I jumped to my feet as Jerry staggered back towards her car.

“I’ll get you bitch,” she yelled at Jacquie.

“You can’t hurt me again, so get the hell out of my life,” Jacquie shouted back.

Shaking her head as if to clear it Jerry got into her car and drove off. I threw a ball of blue light at the car to keep the doors locked until she got back to Salisbury. I’d forgotten about the pink energy inside the car.

I put my arm around Jacquie’s shoulders as we strolled back into the house. “I’ve been such a fool, Mummy.”

“That’s only if you haven’t learnt from the experience.”

“Oh, I’ve learned–not to trust anyone except my family.”

“I hope that isn’t true, Jacquie, we all have to take risks to grow.”

“Well I’m not taking any for a long time, if ever again. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you, Mummy, but you were right from the start. I’ll always listen to you in future.”

“If you do kiddo, you’ll be the first,” I said and we both laughed as we entered the house. We passed Trish who was walking about with a very smug grin on her face.

“What have you been up to?” I asked her.

“Oh just sorting out a small problem,” she said and went upstairs.

What happened we’ll probably never know, but for some reason Jerry’s car left the road, hit a tree and apparently exploded. The doors jammed in the impact and she was unable to escape, not that she’d have had much chance anyway. We didn’t go to the funeral, and rather than have to take Jacquie back to collect her stuff, Simon coughed up for a new wardrobe–he can be so generous.