Chapter 26 Trouble

 

Chapter 26

Trouble

A few hours later, when all were safely tucked up in their sleeping bags, the heavens opened. Most of the boys slept through it except those who left the tent flaps open, and the next morning the camp was a desert of mud. The Scoutmasters told the boys to stay under cover till the rain stopped but it didn't.

The tents with the open tent flaps let rain in and those boys were in distress. The big tent was dry so the boys who were wet, gathered there and Mr. York and Dennis helped by giving the boys towels.

As instructed by the Scoutmasters, all clothing had been packed in their bags as they slept, so they could take their travelling bags to the big tent, and get dressed.

None of the boys ate breakfast so York distributed water for all to drink. Finbar sipped at the cup but didn't like the taste of the water so he, surreptitiously, poured it away.

A great big pot of tea was made as a primus stove was lit in the big tent. Boys took their tin mugs to the tent where there was milk and sugar. Those were the days before the tea bag ruined tea, by the import and use of tea bags from America. Nonetheless Finbar didn't like the tea. At home he knew that Carmel bought fine leaf tea from a wholesalers opposite from where they lived. Sometimes Finbar fetched it – half a pound of fine leafed tea, please - every Saturday morning.

Noon came and there was no sign of the rain stopping, in fact it got heavier.

In the big tent senior scouts and Scoutmasters retrieved bread from bread bins and the boys from each tent took it in turns, tent by tent, to run to eat something; it wasn't much but at least it broke their fast.

It was Tuesday morning, four nights left of the trip, and there was no alternative but to call the whole thing off. Mr. York had to go to his car and find a public telephone to arrange transport. He ascertained that all boys had parents at home and if any parent had a telephone. Not that it was easy to call long distance in those days, lots of pennies were needed to call long distance from public telephones.

Danny's parents were the only ones with a telephone.

Mr. York wanted to be assured that parents were at home and Finbar told them he was expected at his neighbours, Irene and Sydney, but not until Saturday. As Irene and Sydney were elderly they presumed they wouldn't be away on business and, in any case, they would make sure when they got back to Birmingham.

Other troop leaders went with Mr. York to their vehicles and to call various transport companies who brought them to the location, and when Mr. York returned the information wasn't good as the bus company, they used, didn't answer Mr. York's call.

Mr. Reynolds had brought the scouts from the Saint Agatha troop and one of those boys had come in his own vehicle. He could probably take an extra one one from Finbar's troop.

Danny had enough money with him to travel by train from Bromsgrove Railway Station to central Birmingham, Mr York could fit three into his car which meant that his troop had five left and Dennis, who was a senior scout from headquarters could take four if the other car from the Saint Agatha scout could squeeze in the last one.

Tommy, the senior scout that Finbar didn't like lived closer to Finbar in Sherbourne Road, and he was the one with the car.

It was arranged for the senior scouts, who had put the tents up in the first place, to return on the first dry day and after the young scouts had been taken care of.

Tommy's car had enough room for Finbar's luggage, but it seemed that Finbar didn't want to go with him. He remembered that his father had told him to beware of him.

'Why don't you want to go with him?' asked Mr. York.

'I want to go back with Shamshad' he said.

'I just can't squeeze anyone in' said York 'What about Shamshad going with you?'

'I'm afraid I can hardly get Finbar in' said Tommy.

He looked at Tommy who was looking at Mr. York and he was looking at Tommy to try and see what was wrong.

'I don't like little cars like that with no roof – I'll get wet' said Finbar.

'I'm sure Tommy will keep the top on, won't you Tommy?'

'Of course – it's dry in there now – come and take a look.'

'Wait here.' said York to Finbar 'I'll go and check.'

He went off to where their cars were parked.

'What happened to the bus?' said Finbar.

'I'm not surprised, I hear it hardly got you here.' said Reynolds.

'I don't think there's any alternative, old boy' said Dennis 'it's a squeeze in all the vehicles and we don't have enough money for train fares.'

York and Tommy came back. 'It's as dry as a bone in there, Finbar' said Mr. York 'and there's room in the boot for your bag.'

'All right' said Finbar.

'You'll go with Tommy?'

'Yes' said Finbar and he took his bag and put it into Tommy's boot and climbed into the passenger seat. It was a little bucket seat and when Tommy started the engine; it gave a loud whoosh.

Eventually the boys knew which vehicles they were assigned to and off they went.

Other vehicles exited the car park, Dennis with his few boys, Mr. York with Alan Pitt and Shamshad Khan and others and Mr. Raynolds came back from dropping Daniel at the train station.

The nights were drawing in and Finbar could see lights on other vehicles getting brighter as they travelled along.

'Klaatu barada.' said Tommy.

Finbar knew what he was saying but ignored him.

'What's the rest?' said Tommy.

'I don't know.'

'Yes you do' said Tommy.

'I know I do' said Finbar 'and I could see what you were doing.'

'When?'

'Back then – covering yourselves up when you played with the kids willies.'

Tommy laughed.

'Willies?'

Silence.

'Don't you mean, pricks?' said Tommy.

Finbar didn't answer.

'Do you think I want to play with your prick – or your little willie, as you call it?'

Finbar didn't say a word just looked to see where they were going and noticing how dark it was getting.

Suddenly Tommy reached across and squeezed Finbar's knee.

'Stop that' said Finbar.

'Don't you like being tickled?' said Tommy.

'Not particularly' said Finbar.

Darkness descending.

Silence.

'Where are your parents?'

'What about them?'

'Where are they? Chris York told me you were staying with neighbours.'

'That's right, yes. They'll be expecting me.'

'On Saturday night?'

'My mam and dad are in Dublin - gone to see granda Joe.'

They drove on for a while.

'Do you think I'm a paedophile?'

'A what?'

'A paedophile.'

'I don't know what you're talking about – what is it?'

'Grown men who have sex with children.'

Finbar said nothing.

'I wasn't a grown man when you say, 'I played' with the little kids' willies.'

Still nothing from Finbar. No argument, no response, he didn't know what Tommy wanted but whatever it was he wasn't going to stick around to find out.

'What do you think of the scout movement' said Tommy.

'I like it – it's good.'

Quiet for a while.

'I've been in the scouts for fifteen years.'

'Which troop?' said Finbar.

'You know which troop; Saint Agatha. I don't know why you didn't join our troop, it's Catholic?'

Silence.

'Do you like the scout uniform?'

'Yes - - '

'You don't wear your tabs correctly, you know.'
'Why?'

'I don't know why – look' he reached over to the top of Finbar's sock, 'this – it's supposed to go underneath the top of the sock and folded over the elastic. You have it on top of your sock; it's supposed to be a garter.'

He fiddled with Finbar's stocking top.

'Me mam made an elastic garter for me, which holds it up lovely.'

'I see. Do you see where my tab is under the fold in my sock.'

'I can't see anything' said Finbar 'in any case I'm not interested in your sock.'

'You should be if you want to wear the uniform correctly.'

Tommy put the interior light on, and lifted his knee up to show the tab at the top of his sock.

'Feel it.'

'No, I'm not interested.'

He put his leg back down and his hand across to Finbar's tab and squeezed his finger down the top of his sock.

'That's too tight for you, you know' he said 'here let me pull it down.'
He pulled Finbar's sock out and down.

'That's better, isn't it?'

'No' said Finbar 'I don't think so.'

'Do you think I still want to play with your willie?'

Finbar recognised that they were approaching The Lickey Hills and wondered if it always rained there.

They came to Rose Hill, which descends steeply and suddenly, and Tommy slowed down suddenly.

'Whoops!' he said.

Finbar was fourteen years old and knew what was going on, or thought he did, but he didn't feel like taking any chances. As the hill needed careful driving Tommy had to let go of Finbar's knee to steer the car.

Finbar fiddled with the door handle but it didn't open.

'What are you doing' said Tommy 'you'll get yourself killed?'

'I want out' said Finbar.

'Come away from the door.'

'I want a wee' he shrieked 'I want a wee.'

Finbar knew exactly where they were - 'not far from the picnic'

'You what?' says Tommy.

'I'm getting out' and he tried to open the door –

'No – no' shouted Tommy 'Careful.'

Finbar tried to hold the door open 'You'd better stop or I'll jump.'

'Be careful' said Tommy 'I don't want to hurt you.'

He stopped the car and no sooner was it stationary that Finbar was out and running back up Rose Hill.

Tommy got out and shouted 'come back, Finbar – I don't want to hurt you.'

He grabbed his flash light, got out of the car, and could see Finbar high tailing it up the hill. He shone the light to see Finbar ducking into the trees and he shouted 'Finbar, come back.'

Finbar felt the scratches from the trees and bushes he had dived into; as he looked back he saw the torch from Tommy, flashing left to right, right to left. Sometimes flashing over him as he slowly slid sideways down behind something. He didn't know what it was, a bush or a clump of something, he just didn't know. It was getting dark and the flash light looked brighter by the second. He didn't know if he should move or not, because if he did, Tommy might see him and if he stayed where he was, he might be found. Then he saw that Tommy was going the other way so he sneaked to where he knew where they had the picnic, but whatever happened, he didn't want Tommy to get an inkling to where he was.

He did a leopard crawl, which he had seen Jungle Jim do in the films, but instead of having his head up, he dipped to the ground till he came to the tree trunk, with the (invisible) etching, and he knew where the gap was 'there it is!!! - 'there's the gap' – he saw it, his life saver, he hoped, and went through it and into the tree.

Safe.

But no harmonica.

Approaching the 'circumflex' of a door it looked dark inside with no light reflecting to the outside, but when Finbar was in the tree, the green man on the wall of the inside, was perfectly visible. He knew the Murdochs couldn't see the man but there it was – looking at him.

He could see the place to sit as he knew that was there too. He could also see outside and there was a silence apart from the remnants of the earlier rains dripping from the trees. It sounded like a loud 'shush' a sound like the end of his world.

He didn't move a muscle as he listened out for Tommy – for a moment he thought he heard rustling in some bushes and presumed it was an animal, or was it?

All Hushed.

All Quiet.

Then: ''Finbar?' Tommy's voice.

Again.

'Finbar?'

Was it near, was it far?

He didn't know.

A flash of the torch between the breaks in the trees.

He didn't move.

He tried hard not to breath.

Chapter 27

Irene and Sydney.