and for a
moment Tony considered believing in God.
Now onto the soft
grass, Sam paused to remove her shoes, and they half-ran over the grounds to
the building. There were no lights showing from inside, but there were half a
dozen cars parked outside, and the doors and windows were open. As they reached
the car park Sam stopped again to put her shoes back on. Tony waited
impatiently, and then as soon as she had them back on, set off again, with her
trailing him. He neared the open doors of the conservatory and heard voices
inside. At last! People! Someone who could help him.
They walked into the
bright conservatory and looked around. There was no-one in the room in which
they found themselves, though there were some half-eaten meals grown cold on
one of the tables near the window. The voices were coming from deeper inside,
in the gloom of the pub proper. Probably gathered at the bar, Tony thought, and
led Sam through.
The talking stopped as
everyone watched the new-comers walk in.
A large dark-haired
man and a much smaller, rounded blonde woman were standing behind the bar. In
front of it, his hand raised, finger accusing, in the middle of making a
serious point was an older man with a shrew-faced woman next to him. Beyond
them, perched at the bar were a young couple. She was holding a babe in arms,
cooing to it. Two men in builder’s garb were beyond them, and then finally were
what looked like the chef and the waitress for the pub’s restaurant.
Tony raised his hand
at all the eyes staring at him. “Erm… hello?”
“Ah good, someone who
is bound to agree with me,” said the angry man at the bar. The woman Tony
presumed was his wife nodded, while the others rolled their eyes. The man who
appeared to be the landlord simply sighed.
“Don’t give me that,
Alan,” said the man in answer to the sigh. “You know I’m right, you just don’t
want to admit it.”
“I’ve told you once,
Bert, and I’ll tell you again. The power might have gone, but that is not a
reason for me to give you a free drink.”
“Yes, it is. You’ve
already told me that I can’t have my sticky toffee pudding and custard because you
need electricity to cook it. And, I might add, you advertise it as home-cooked
and now I find out that you microwave it.”
Now it was the turn of
the blonde woman – the landlady, Tony guessed – to sigh. “I do cook it myself,
but then we chill it and heat it up again as it’s needed in the micr-.”
Bert cut her off.
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you advertise this dish as available
and now it’s not, so you should give me some kind of recompense. And what I
want is another pint.”
“And I don’t care what
you want. I’ve told you about that too. The drinks are pumped from the cellar
using an electric pump, so we can’t do that either! If you want a drink you can
have anything we have in a bottle or can. But-,” Alan continued even as Bert tried to interrupt him, “- BUT, you will have to pay for
it. You can have another of our desserts. All the ice-creams are still
available, at least until they melt. But the pudding is off!”
Bert mumbled something
which sounded very rude under his breath and turned an appealing eye to Tony.
“Come on in, lad. You
can tell him. Surely you can see that I’m right!”
Tony just looked
around the room as every eye looked to him for his verdict. He thought of all that
had happened to him in such a short while, and how normal this new situation
seemed, and didn’t have a clue what to say.
Sixteen
Despite the hobbling
of the still-wounded, the group emerged from the Centre’s woodland trail much
faster than they’d entered it. Having shouted the retreat, Nicola had stolen
the march on them and was at their head as she plunged back into the forest.
Alyssa was in her arms once again but was no longer quiet. When her mother had
shouted and snatched her up she had started wailing and hadn’t stopped as her
mother had
moment Tony considered believing in God.
Now onto the soft
grass, Sam paused to remove her shoes, and they half-ran over the grounds to
the building. There were no lights showing from inside, but there were half a
dozen cars parked outside, and the doors and windows were open. As they reached
the car park Sam stopped again to put her shoes back on. Tony waited
impatiently, and then as soon as she had them back on, set off again, with her
trailing him. He neared the open doors of the conservatory and heard voices
inside. At last! People! Someone who could help him.
They walked into the
bright conservatory and looked around. There was no-one in the room in which
they found themselves, though there were some half-eaten meals grown cold on
one of the tables near the window. The voices were coming from deeper inside,
in the gloom of the pub proper. Probably gathered at the bar, Tony thought, and
led Sam through.
The talking stopped as
everyone watched the new-comers walk in.
A large dark-haired
man and a much smaller, rounded blonde woman were standing behind the bar. In
front of it, his hand raised, finger accusing, in the middle of making a
serious point was an older man with a shrew-faced woman next to him. Beyond
them, perched at the bar were a young couple. She was holding a babe in arms,
cooing to it. Two men in builder’s garb were beyond them, and then finally were
what looked like the chef and the waitress for the pub’s restaurant.
Tony raised his hand
at all the eyes staring at him. “Erm… hello?”
“Ah good, someone who
is bound to agree with me,” said the angry man at the bar. The woman Tony
presumed was his wife nodded, while the others rolled their eyes. The man who
appeared to be the landlord simply sighed.
“Don’t give me that,
Alan,” said the man in answer to the sigh. “You know I’m right, you just don’t
want to admit it.”
“I’ve told you once,
Bert, and I’ll tell you again. The power might have gone, but that is not a
reason for me to give you a free drink.”
“Yes, it is. You’ve
already told me that I can’t have my sticky toffee pudding and custard because you
need electricity to cook it. And, I might add, you advertise it as home-cooked
and now I find out that you microwave it.”
Now it was the turn of
the blonde woman – the landlady, Tony guessed – to sigh. “I do cook it myself,
but then we chill it and heat it up again as it’s needed in the micr-.”
Bert cut her off.
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you advertise this dish as available
and now it’s not, so you should give me some kind of recompense. And what I
want is another pint.”
“And I don’t care what
you want. I’ve told you about that too. The drinks are pumped from the cellar
using an electric pump, so we can’t do that either! If you want a drink you can
have anything we have in a bottle or can. But-,” Alan continued even as Bert tried to interrupt him, “- BUT, you will have to pay for
it. You can have another of our desserts. All the ice-creams are still
available, at least until they melt. But the pudding is off!”
Bert mumbled something
which sounded very rude under his breath and turned an appealing eye to Tony.
“Come on in, lad. You
can tell him. Surely you can see that I’m right!”
Tony just looked
around the room as every eye looked to him for his verdict. He thought of all that
had happened to him in such a short while, and how normal this new situation
seemed, and didn’t have a clue what to say.
Sixteen
Despite the hobbling
of the still-wounded, the group emerged from the Centre’s woodland trail much
faster than they’d entered it. Having shouted the retreat, Nicola had stolen
the march on them and was at their head as she plunged back into the forest.
Alyssa was in her arms once again but was no longer quiet. When her mother had
shouted and snatched her up she had started wailing and hadn’t stopped as her
mother had
Similar Books
