Novel Chapter 33

 

Chapter 33

The Rescue.

It might have been the Evening Despatch or The Birmingham Mail who wrote the headline 'Boy Scout Found' first, but as it was such an easy headline, it so happened that each paper had the same wording. The sub editor of the Despatch called the sub editor of the Birmingham Mail and accused him of copying the Despatch headline. 'Is that why you called?' said the sub editor of the Mail 'to accuse me?'

'Yes' said the sub editor of the Despatch.

'Well . . .' said the sub editor of the Birmingham Mail, and, not knowing what to say next blurted out 'j'accuse.'

The Despatch fella, who had never heard of Emil Zola said 'what?'

'j'accuse.' said the mail.

'Who's Jack Hughes – I don't know Jack Hughes. What's he got to do with it?'

And so it goes.

As Carmel and Patrick approached Finbar he looked dead. He was laying against a rock and it looked as if he had fallen against it, and cracked his skull but you, dear reader, know differently because we knew he lay down as he was exhausted. He had been in his wilderness for ten days and had he eaten anything?

Well, apart from his funny mushrooms - which he couldn't identify - he just knew they weren't magic mushrooms.

What about the nettles he had eaten?

Were they leaves or stingers?

What about the soup Henry made?

Did he eat the soup?

He asked himself all this as he lay in the hospital bed, with wires and tubes coming out of him - his mind went back to the times he had soup with his father who asked every time do you eat soup or drink it?

He tried to open his eyes – do you eat soup or drink it?

Who's asking?

Sofia came to see him in hospital, as she had got to know Carmel quite well, and as Patrick had to deliver the milk she was company for Carmel.

They stared at Finbar in his slumber when he blurted out – 'You drink it!!!'

Then he fell back.

Sofia looked frightened and Carmel thought it might not be a good idea to bring her again.

They were at West Heath Hospital and it was quite a journey by bus in any case.

Silence.

He was just as quiet when he was sent home, he ate his usual breakfast and whatever it was for dinner. His harmonica was conveniently left on the table for him to pick up but he never did. Once in a while he blew the whistle and his parents didn't know how he came by it.

Every day he would sit on the sofa inside the bay window and if the television was on he watched but didn't take a lot of notice. Patrick and Carmel were worried about him and he didn't respond to Daniel, or Shamshad when they came to visit.

One morning as Patrick was heading for work he found Finbar's scout uniform in the bin. They had wondered what happened to the scout badges and how he had managed to cut them off, but decided to let it go. They both knew that Finbar had experienced some kind of unexplained phenomenon.

His school was due to open for the new term in September and as Finbar was due to be fifteen at the end of that term, in December, it was his last few months of school.

Carmel decided to take him to school on that first day, which was a Tuesday and to his new class Four 'A' – a new teacher called Mr. Norman; at the end of the previous term Finbar was delighted as he was in the top ten of his year.

Two Shredded Wheat, Two Weetabix in hot water heated sterilised milk and away they went along Moseley Road. Past his so called Aunty Phyllis and down St. Paul's Road, instead of the longer walk via Brighton Road, so he could pass Sofia's house, and all the way to the bottom of St Paul's Road to Ladypool Road. 

There they stopped.

He took hold of Camel's hand, kissed it and headed off down Ladypool Road without her. She watched him as he ran into the distance then she turned and went home.

Since Finbar's return, Carmel didn't go to work. Lyons Tea Shops seemed to understand, at least the one where she works, in New Street, did. They knew she would probably move on, one day as she was highly educated but they were wrong, as Carmel liked the simple life and was only working for the money.

Every morning was the same: Finbar tucked into his Shredded Wheat and Weetabix, kissed his mother and went to school. When he returned in the evening he was as quiet.

One morning, around eleven -o-clock Carmel saw Sydney come out of his house and take a small plate down past the bottom of the garden, and head towards the lavatories and washhouse. Then he came back empty handed.

Carmel went to investigate and could see that Sydney had been to Finbar's sheriffs office. She didn't go in there but she knew Finbar was hiding in his little office eating toast and marmalade.

She was sitting in the Lloyd Loom chair when Sydney came out of his front door. She went to their fence.

'Sydney' she called, not too loud.

He didn't hear her.

A bit louder 'Sydney.'

He turned with a smile and came to her.

'What's going on?'

'Where?'

'He likes his toast, doesn't he?'

'Oh dear' he said 'I could see he was trouble – I was going down to empty the slops when I saw him climbing over the roof. That was on the first day you took him to school – he'd climbed over at Brighton Road, went along the embankment and climbed back.'

'Every day?'

'I'm sorry, Carmel – after that he made sure you weren't looking and went straight into his little space. That's what it is, you know, his place, his safe place.'

'How did you . . .'

'How could I see him climbing over?'

She nodded.

'I couldn't' he said.

They had taken Finbar to their doctor's surgery in St. Paul's Road. He was a good doctor, a good Irish doctor and had advised Carmel and Patrick to send him back to Dublin when he wasn't well before going to school. There was a lot of tuberculosis around and he wouldn't get the vaccine before he went to school so Carmel stayed with Patrick's father to 'eat good Irish food' as the doctor had said and breath the fresh sea air.

This time the doctor didn't know what to advise he just knew Finbar was in some kind of shock from whatever experience he had suffered. It wasn't clear, at the time, what Tommy Bull had done to him. He had been bound over to keep the peace, and had protested he was only playing with Finbar in an innocent way and, eventually, the police believed him.

Chapter 34