Author: Alexander Fawn

The fact was, it was simply too quiet for her.

She was sitting in the lounge armchair, wishing she had someone to talk to. At the very least, she needed to have some sort of sound happening around her, even if they weren’t very loud, just enough to let her know that she wasn’t in the house alone. Her husband was at work, naturally, but it was school holidays and both her kids were at home. The silence made her feel totally ignored. When they were younger there was always a racket going on. There’d be shouting, crying and laughing echoing through the place all hours of the day. She looked up at the ceiling. They were both in their rooms, most likely playing computer games.

The solution came to her.

Having a strong sense of new-found purpose, she got up and crossed the room. Finding the switch on the back of the modem, she flipped the thing off.

She returned to her chair, and waited…

He missed the train by just two minutes.

It was a cold evening with a constant, chilly wind blowing along the platform. The weather forecasters had definitely got it wrong today. He looked up at the display. It told him he had a fifteen-minute wait before the next one was due. He began stamping his feet to keep warm. It wasn’t working. He looked around at the dozen or so passengers, most of them were doing the same. After about five minutes the cold really began to bight. He was so focused on the fact that, like most of the others, his clothes didn’t suit the weather, he hadn’t noticed the man next to him had moved a little closer. He was quite short and wore a large hat. He was amazed to note that the man was also wearing a heavy overcoat with a great woollen scarf wrapped around his neck.

Sideling up even closer, the man said, “You know, I’ve just been reading this really great book.”

He said, “Oh, yes,” out of politeness and looked to see if the train might possibly arrive early.

“Yes, for instance, did you know that there’s this island that France and Spain take turns owning, every six months they sort of swap around, and I found out it was actually a dentist that invented the electric chair and believe it or not, the opposite sides of a die will always add up to seven, that a blob of toothpaste is called a nurdle, women blink nearly twice as much as men, the King of Hearts is the only king in a deck of cards without a moustache, bees have five eyes and that nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.”

Feeling that he had to reply, the man said, “No, I didn’t know any of that,” while wondering what had attracted the pesky little man to pick on him.

The other went on. “Not many people know that ketchup was used medicinally in the early 1800s or that maps sometimes have fake placenames to prevent plagiarism, that about one trillionth of a second is called a jiffy, that a snail can sleep for three years, your body contains about 100,000 miles of blood vessels, a crocodile is not able to stick out its tongue, that the cigarette lighter was invented before the match or that apple seeds contain cyanide.” He grinned up at the other.

Despite the man feeling that the unwanted pest was actually making both the wait and the cold even worse, he mumbled, “Oh. Really? You don’t say.”

“Ah! But I do say. I bet you didn’t know that Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise or that playing dance music can help ward off mosquitoes, that babies are born without kneecaps, that a cat’s jaw cannot move sideways, that your fingernails grow faster on your dominant hand, that your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every fortnight, that the house fly hums in the middle octave key of F, that dragonflies have six legs, but can’t walk, that Alfred Hitchcock didn’t have a belly button or that a female mayfly only lives for five minutes. Only five minutes! I bet you didn’t know that.” He looked up at the other with wide-eyed wonder. “Just think of that. I mean, just imagine, what would you do if you only had five minutes to live?”

With a wince and a shudder, the man said, “I would certainly start looking for someone better to spend my time with.”

At which point, he moved further down the platform.

He sat quietly reflecting on his past sins.

He had a burning need, in this place, to confront those things he had done. It was time to own up to those wrongdoings that he alone was fully responsible for, in an earlier part of his life. It all seemed to be such a long time ago, but in truth, it wasn’t. These transgressions had been weighing on his conscience of late, despite his present circumstances. He realised that it was time for him to face up to the full measure of it. He opened his eyes slowly and sighed. He began in a low whisper.

“Forgive me, father, for I have sinned…”

Suddenly, the guilt of it, had him swallow hard. Moments later, he began again.

“Forgive me, father, for I have sinned. I used your password to clear out your bank account and transfer all of it to a bank in Hong Kong. From there I have drawn out money to pay for a small luxury villa on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, where I am now living comfortably.”

There! That got if off his chest.

He sat back in his comfy chair with its view of the mesmerizing, sparkling waters of the Caribbean Sea.

“You mean old sod.” He added.

The three men sat discussing their erstwhile friend.

The truth was, none of them had ever really liked him. They all agreed that he always had to be right about everything and always had to have the last word. He was forever telling really bad jokes that were in bad taste and got annoyed when others didn’t find them funny. He often ridiculed others regarding their ethnicity or religion. He was a born risktaker, especially when he was behind the steering wheel of a car. Although married he had always been boastful about his affairs with other women. He would brag about how he never helped with household chores, but regarded that sort of thing should be left to his wife. They all knew that he had a violent streak in him. It had often got him into trouble with the police. He was a heavy drinker, sometimes getting into fights with other patrons in pubs.

However, they weren’t so much concerned about the body buried in the garden as the problem they now faced regarding finding a suitable replacement for when they play doubles at the Tennis club every Saturday afternoon.

The young couple had recently moved into a newly built house.

They were at number 11, located in a new housing estate. It was only days later that a couple, of around a similar age, arrived and took up residence next door, at number 13. The day following their arrival, the man from 13 came knocking on their door. He wanted to know what days the garbage trucks came through. It just so happened that 11 had never thought about it. They informed 13 that they would make a call and find out, then let them know. They got the impression that 13 was disappointed with the response he received. Number 11 were surprised by that, but knew that they needed to be nice, because, after all, they were their neighbours.

The following day, the woman from 13 appeared at their front door. She was immediately informed about the day garbage trucks did their rounds. This information was instantly dismissed, being told that she knew that. The woman at 11 turned and went back into the house. 13 said that her husband wanted to know if they intended to put grass down at the front and if so, how often did he intend to mow it.

Number 11 said he hadn’t thought about it, but was happy to let them know when the time came. Their neighbour only shrugged and went on to ask whether they both worked and if so, what times did they leave for work in the mornings.

The man at number 11 had really had enough. Although, as a couple, they had decided to put up with the couple from 13, he decided to put an end to the relationship by saying that before they are asked about what mail they received and how often they cleaned their teeth, he would like her to go home and not call on them again, ever!

Slamming the door in the woman’s face, he went in to let his partner know what had transpired.

Three long, uncomfortable days later, a removal vehicle pulled up outside number 13. The couple at 11 stood at their front window and watched the comings and goings of the removalists bringing out 13’s belongings. Eventually, it and the people from 13, drove away.

The couple from 11 immediately jumped into their car, found a newsagency and bought a lottery ticket.

Whether or not the ticket was a winner, all of this is Indisputable proof that happy endings do happen.

It was getting late, but she was determined to finish the crossword.

She had always been fond of crossword puzzles. Now, with her son tucked up in bed, the dishes cleared away, the news and a show watched on the box, she liked to finish it off before going to bed. Sometimes, she would get it finished on the train, going in and travelling home from the city, most times not. This was the quietest time of the evening. For some reason, the newspaper had offered up a tricky one, but she didn’t mind the challenge. In fact, she enjoyed it. Tonight, she had managed to get it down to the last five clues. She sat staring at the paper. It was on the tip of her tongue. Seventeen across, ‘maltreatment’, six letters, the first ‘a’, the last ‘e’. With a soft moan of success, she entered the word ‘abuse’.

Sitting back, she thought about how such a thing had once been a part of her life. Memories began to swirl around, about what it had been like back then. This was something she hadn’t really dwelt on for such a long time. He had been such a brute of a man. What had she ever seen in him? The drinking and the violence began soon after their marriage. He deserted her a few weeks after her son was born. He was five now, and her life as a single mum has settled into a much better routine. Those first years after he left, with no alimony payments to support her, were definitely the hardest, but now…

Her reverie was broken by her cell phone ringing.

Looking at the time and the unknown number, she hesitated before answering. Picking the phone up, she accepted the call. A woman came on, and after confirming that she was speaking with the right person, said she was phoning from the city’s main hospital about her husband.

She went on, saying, “Looking at the records, we see that you are listed as the person to notify. I’m afraid, your husband has been hit by a car while crossing a road, this evening. The medics believe he had been drinking. He is currently in intensive care, but he does require emergency surgery. I see that he doesn’t appear to have any medical cover currently…”

No longer listening, she ended the call and returned to her crossword.

It had been a hard day in the office and it was late.

Homeward bound, he almost fell asleep on the bus. Getting off and feeling the cool night air on his face freshened him a little. At the apartment block, he took the elevator as usual. Getting out, he made his way along to the fifth door. It opened as he approached, and a woman he didn’t recognise invited him in. As he entered, she gave him a brief hug, telling him that tea was ready. It was no doubt his lethargy the had him wander into the room and take a seat. Looking around, he got the impression that like him, she lived alone. The conversation during the meal included her discussing her failing sight.

He enjoyed the meal. When it was finished, he thanked her. When he stood, there was an awkward moment when he thanked her again for the meal and said he needed to get home.

Walking back to the elevator he confirmed what he’d suspected, he had come out on the wrong floor.

On the way down, he couldn’t help wondering just how bad her eyesight really was.

They were laying in the meadow when it happened.

It was one of the places the couple liked to frequent on the weekend because very few walkers trekked across it. It was a quiet retreat, well away from the sound of traffic. They never had to speak above a whisper when they were there. The weather was bright and sunny, warming their bodies through there clothes. The remaining cans of beer had been heated to the point of being undrinkable. They hadn’t spoken for several minutes, and this is when he noticed that she had fallen asleep. He wasn’t sleepy, just content to stare up at the clouds moving slowly across a clear blue sky. Before fully realising what he was doing, despite being in his mid-twenties, he found himself playing a game from his early childhood. He was making animals out of the clouds as they moved and reformed in slow motion.

Then, as he watched, clouds shifted and two large words formed in capital letters; FIND ANOTHER.

After a moment or two, he sat up rubbing his eyes. When he looked again it was gone; just regular clouds were there. The truth of it was, he didn’t believe in this sort of nonsense. Anyway, he was probably drunk at the time. Life moved on and a week or so later she moved into his apartment and before long wedding plans were being made.

Time passed. Most of it was pretty unpleasant. Now, a decade or so later he was homeless, lonely, penniless and starving. He’d been living on the streets for several long months with his future prospects looking particularly grim. In his regular alley, without a roof over his head, he was used to gazing up into the night sky before making an effort to fall asleep. On this particular night, he was studying the way stars were grouped, trying to remember the names of constellations.

Then, as he watched, stars shifted and two large words formed in capital letters;

TOLD YOU.

It was the middle of the night when he heard it.

He had been fast asleep. He was now laying very still, listening to the noise. It was a strange sound, one that he was sure he hadn’t heard before. It sounded like a series of repetitious notes being played on a stringed instrument. He doubted that, at this time of night. Although it could just as easily be some creature constantly scratching at something in the space above the ceiling. It was like a gramophone’s needle skipping on an old vinyl record, or the soundtrack playing on a radio or television. It could even be the sound of a child’s battery-operated toy left on. It could simply be the high shrill call of a night bird or a branch scraping a window, or some pulsing sound coming from a water pipe. It occurred to him that it could well be that it was just the hinges of a squeaky gate swinging in the wind.

After all this, his final thought was that it was most likely to be the distant cry of some night animal.

He gave a sharp cough, and it stopped.

There was obviously something going on in the department.

Nobody was talking about it, or even commenting on the fact that several meetings had been taking place in the chief’s office between him and three others. These were obviously top brass from other departments. Each time the door was locked and the blinds were all drawn down. The four of them had been doing this regularly for several days. Only they knew the detail regarding the mission. Only they knew that a dedicated team was working feverishly on a selection process in a quite separate location. The first stage of this was to create a list of the top one hundred personnel from all arms of the military forces. The team was required to scan military records to identify them. This being done; they went on to arrange sessions of psychological testing of a nature that was specifically customised for the mission.

The forty-three personnel who passed this stage successfully were then put through a rigorous programme to assess their physical fitness. The top nine of these were asked to fill out a personal questionnaire, designed to record their individual strengths and weaknesses, with an accent on their tolerance levels to excessive heat, humidity and so on.

It was at this point that the selection of the top four candidates was made, comprising of two men and two women. After being fully briefed on the nature of their mission, they were put on standby.

At a time to be appointed, they would board an aircraft and fly to another country, where they would land, only momentarily. From there, using precise coordinates, they would be taken by helicopter to a remote area of dense jungle.

At this point, it is planned that this selected team of four are deployed from the helicopter by fast-roping down to the jungle floor.

Once on the ground, using their military grid reference system along with GPS, they would carry out their retrieval mission.

All other information regarding the mission is classified.