Episode 1 (start)           Episode 19 (next)            Info         Use Search for other Episodes

    Short Fat Stubby Finger Stories PRESENTS:

Episode 18

The sound of a car pulling up snapped Mary’s mind back to the present, and she immediately attempted to ignite her engine the minute that Joseph had closed the back door of the grey Mercedes and the car had begun to drive off.   Her little British racing green Mini had been running a tad sluggish over the past few weeks and this would not have been the right time for it to not start, she thought inwardly.   And then, as if she had just placed a mocker on it, the first two tries were nothing more than a series of whining, vibrating, clicks.  Mary closed her eyes in frustration and panic as her mind immediately began to wonder if her entire night, and her efforts this morning, would end up being a complete waste of time.    She knew that she had Gizmo as a back-up to locate them, however she also realised that without a car Gizmo was of no use to her, he was fitted, installed, not a portable device – and if she somehow, magically, got hold of another car, she still no longer had the use of Gizmo, because she couldn’t simply plug it in to the new vehicle which meant she would have no idea how to follow them because she wouldn’t know where they were.  

   Mary was in a quandary: on the verge of absolute panic, and she took a deep breath to settle herself down.    And then, as she slowly exhaled, she tried again … and this time a sound that roared like a dragon filled the narrow lane-way as the beautiful sound of an ignited engine bounced off the building walls … and she moved out onto the roadway and sped off in pursuit of  Joseph, her foot heavy on the accelerator pedal as if in fear that the car would take it into its own mind to come to a stop should she slow down.

   Eventually Mary caught up with the Mercedes and dropped her speed back.   At the moment Mary felt safe and in control of the situation.    With just the right amount of traffic surrounding or preceding her she could easily see and follow the Mercedes at a comfortable pace, and do so from a safe distance.   There was no reason to hide herself on this exciting, yet tranquil, morning.   The occupants of the car she followed wouldn’t have any reason to suspect that they were being pursued … all they would see in their rear vision mirror would be a variety of headlights following them on a main road leading from the city limits and they would have no idea, and nor would they care, who was behind them; they had their own journey to keep them busy, but why take risks?, she thought.    So, content in her mind that all was going to plan, Mary relaxed and took in the beautiful sunrise as a slowly rising orange sun bounced its scattered rays of light on to the many high rise buildings and shops that lined the road ahead in a way that reminded Mary of her childhood … and Christmas lights that lit up the city.

********

   But her mood took a turn for the worst as they reached the end of the central traffic area and took the turn-off to gain entrance to the motorway.   Without any warning, the slight feeling of anxiety that she had tried to push out of her mind, a feeling of anxiety that had sat slowly pulsating away at the back of her thoughts since she had woken up that morning, was suddenly pushed to a higher level.   The cars that had been accompanying the grey Mercedes and The British Racing Green Mini unexpectedly resumed their real identities as Grand Prix contestants as they moved into practice mode and disappeared at an average speed of around one hundred and thirty miles an hour, leaving Martin and Mary as the sole occupants of the outward bound lanes of the motorway within seconds.

   As a result of the flag fall that only the grand prix contestants had seen Mary now found her cover had completely disappeared, and she soon realised that following a car at night, or through the streets of outer London in the early morning’s subdued illumination, was one thing, but following a car for miles through country roads as the sun shone bright above them, with little other traffic for cover, was going to be something else.   Mary took a glance in her rear vision mirror to see how long it would be before she was passed by on-coming traffic so she would have some cover once again and was surprised to see that there was nobody coming.   ‘Must be a problem with the lights at the turnoff.’ she thought.   ‘Oh well, they should arrive shortly.’   Mary wanted to keep the Mercedes in sight, but herself out of theirs.   It was going to be a challenge, she thought, then she remembered Gizmo, dropped her speed back even more than the snail’s pace for a motorway that she had been travelling at, pressed the start button, then called out Martin’s registration plate number in the manner she had been requested to use the previous evening.   To Mary’s amusement and amazement Gizmo welcomed her back in a much more respectful tone than on their first meeting.   Even to the point of enquiring if she had been successful the previous evening, to which Mary replied with a non-committal “It’s all still in progress, thank you.

   “Wish I’d had thought to do this earlier’, Mary thought with some regret, ‘I really have to get used to Gizmo.   I could have pulled over and bought myself a second coffee at least six times before we reached the motorway.   Maybe I’ll find a Wild Bean garage exit on the way.

   In compensation for her lack of additional morning caffeine, Mary flicked on the c.d. player, and settled back to her Adele and Ed Sheeran mix as her eyes began to take in the tranquillity of an open highway: the beginnings of calming, green, countryside scenery, and not another car in sight other than the far distant grey Mercedes she was tailing.   No hoons tailgating her, passing her at a supersonic speed then suddenly pulling into her lane and dropping their speed back until their boot was within inches of her bonnet, no oldies dawdling along at a speed one could imagine was allowing them to pour out fresh boiled tea into bone china cups which they would slowly sip on as they travelled.   No ancient nineteen sixties caravans swaying from side to side in front of her.   No cheeky children sticking their heads to the windows and pulling faces or sticking out their tongue as their car flew past hers.   Nothing … nothing anywhere, with the exception of the grey Mercedes, and losing sight of it at the moment didn’t phase Mary in the least … after all – she had Gizmo on board.

********

As Mary and Joseph’s little group traversed the open road towards Trenthamville, the minuscule convoy provided slim pickings indeed for the solitary police officer standing, beside a huge billboard at the side of the road.   The policeman, his trusty radar gun resting idly in his hanging arm, looked like he was in a scene from an old western movie.  A gunfighter waiting for his gun slinging rival to arrive at the O.K. Coral for the inevitable winner-takes-all shootout at high noon, but the frustration of the lack of traffic for the past twenty five minutes was beginning to wear him down.   Twenty five minutes ago he had reached a quarter of his quota for the day in one big hit, the cars had been travelling so fast he had trouble getting them all in his sights. but since then … nothing.   He raised his gun, aimed it at the green Mini and pressed the trigger as hard as he possibly could, but it was all to no avail as he knew it would be.   ‘Where is everybody?’ he thought to himself, ‘There should be dozen’s and dozens of vehicles heading out of the city by now.   It’s like every delivery truck driver and salesman in London has either slept in, or are taking an extended holiday weekend.   I’ve never seen it so empty.”    He shook his head in disbelief, then headed back to the out-of-driver’s-view police car stationed behind the huge billboard, where, waiting patiently on the back seat, rested a huge picnic hamper full to the brim with several large tea flasks, and dozens of fresh buns and other assorted goodies.   A minute later, with three super-sized iced buns sitting precariously on the arm rest beside him, and a hot cup of tea in his right hand, the now-on-an early morning-tea-break policeman used his free hand to press the on-button for the classical music station on the car’s radio … and in the early morning air, at the edge of a country road, with not a car to be seen on the outbound lanes since the green mini had began disappearing in the distance … and nobody around to annoy him, Officer Harrison sipped on his tea, munched on his buns, and let Bach, Beethoven and Handel rule the world that surrounded him at full volume.

********

   Mary had no idea that she was driving with her very own soundtrack blasting away in the background, but like the policeman who was providing the inspiring accompaniment to her adventure-of-a-lifetime, Mary herself was becoming concerned that there were no other cars travelling the way she and Joseph were headed.   There were the odd vehicles travelling towards London, but absolutely nothing showing up in her rear vision mirror no matter how long and straight the road behind her was.   She had already been travelling at five miles an hour below the speed limit, but she decided that in itself may give cause to her being noticed by those in front, who could not fail to notice her on such an empty road whenever they looked in their rear vision mirror, and decided to drop back a little bit more.   She never for a moment thought that they would realise that she was following them, she just didn’t want her Mini to be noticed by them in case it caused them to become suspicious of her motives at a later stage.

   What Mary hadn’t expected, however, was a reaction to her decision from Gizmo.

   “Are you alright, Mary?  Is your car having mechanical problems?   Do you need help?”   The voice asked, its tone polite, though displaying concern,  but Mary knew that it was demanding an answer … otherwise why did it bother to ask a question.

   “Yes, no, I’m fine, Gizmo,” Mary replied awkwardly, uncertain of Gizmo’s prime question,  “You are doing a great job, but I need to follow the car to its destination without being noticed by the occupants.   I felt I was still too close to them.   Does it cause any problem to you if I am too far away from the car?”

   “No, Mary.   I only ensured that you, or your car, were not having any problems as you have slowed down to a pace well below the speed limit.   I have an inbuilt automatic program installed that advises me to contact you whenever there are apparent changes in your brainwaves or the car’s performance.   Should you break down I have the ability to arrange a quick rescue service, or get medical help if that is what is required.   The program is currently active and your brainwaves showed some signs of stress, so when you slowed down the car’s speed at the same time I had to obtain an assurance that you were not in distress, or that the car was not malfunctioning.”

   “You have the ability to monitor my mind and body?”   Mary asked in complete disbelief as she began freaking out at the thought of her privacy being invaded in such a personal way.

   “No – I don’t.   That information is fed to me from the prime computer when you activate my help.   Once your levels appear to be running abnormally it is my responsibility to communicate with you to ensure your well being and safety.   The initial safety program is only initiated with the complete authority of the recipient, and it is not used for invasion purposes.   It is designed purely to provide help whenever it becomes needed … and that can include help such as providing  immediate physical medical help for problems such as remote resuscitation and C.P.R. providing  the driver is mentally awake and physically active, or there is a second person in the vehicle at the time.   The installer should have mentioned that to you and had you sign an authority agreement when you took back possession of your vehicle, but the actions of the system is a standard protocol in cases such as yours.   I shall send a memo to Mister Biggs immediately to ensure that he speaks to you about this matter as soon as possible.   I am sorry if this knowledge has offended or worried you.”

   Mary was stunned by Gizmo’s reply and was undecided whether to seek clarification of the wording of ‘Cases such as yours’, or to continue with her enquiries about Gizmo’s medical capabilities. and eventually decided on the latter.   “You can provide C.P.R. remotely – is that at all possible?”

   “Mary, you are classified to a very high level, but not a high enough level to be given the complete details to fully answer your question, but I can tell you the following.   However, what you are about to be told, limited as it may be, is for your ears only.   Is that clearly understood?”

   Mary was becoming simultaneously overwhelmed and confused at the information that Gizmo was currently providing and she began to wonder exactly what it was that Johann P. Biggs was really getting her into.   ‘Was there more to things than just Joseph’s promotion?’ she wondered.   “Yes.”  She replied to Gizmo’s question, her voice toneless as she spoke.

   “Thank you, Mary.   Now, please remember that I am only giving you the basic details.   You may have many questions to ask once I am finished, but I am afraid that it will be most likely that I cannot answer most of them.   But what I can tell you is as follows.   Firstly, using nano technology, there have been a series of instruments and devices installed in your car besides this communication system.   These devices are usually invisible to the naked eye as they are given a chameleon coating which allows them to blend perfectly with the exterior of wherever they are placed, which is usually somewhere out of the way of drivers and passengers normal movements in a car.   Amongst the various items installed is equipment that collects a continuous reading of the vital signs of life that are automatically produced by your body: your heartbeat, pulse, brainwaves, body heat, and so on, as well as monitoring the car’s performance.   Many of the things installed are similar to what is used to take readings from your body in doctor’s surgeries and hospitals, but these are more like bluetooth applications because they can pick up your readings without anything physically attached to your body.   To make this simple for you, the devices that read your body work in a similar way to a microphone and a recording works, except that these devices are extremely sensitive, and each one is programmed to only react to one individual sound or sense such as a heartbeat, or body heat.   Your body is connected to the system from the moment you get into the car, and stays active until you tell it to turn off.   There is no on switch, it runs off a combination of solar power and your car battery and is activated by your opening the door to enter it, but is only deactivated by your vocal instruction.

   If you have already me turned on, then when a reading detects something apparently not working correctly, the system will relay any transmitted anomalies it notices to me so I can make verbal contact with you, as I am now, to verify the problem and your current safety.   If I am not turned on and an anomaly shows up on the main computer system I will be turned on remotely and initiate a conversation with you.   Should you not respond to my voice you will be immediately contacted by a call on your mobile.   If you fail to answer the phone your location will be already known to the G.P.S tracker that is following your medical signals and you will be physically contacted as soon as it is possible.   Should you depart the vehicle and travel a distance of five hundred yards or more away from it,  the system will lose contact with you as that is the maximum limit of the range of the equipment, but it will continue searching for you as the system will remain active until you turn it off. ”

   “How would I do that?”   Mary asked, her curiosity up, despite the reservations she had about her privacy.

   “You should have been given a personal security code which you emit when you are exiting the car.    The code is voice activated.    When you first called me to follow the taxi last evening the security system automatically recorded your voice and fed it through the main system, so now, anytime that you have a need to use any of the voice activated products in your car your voice will be recognised by the security system and it will allow you access to the device you are requiring.  

   Mary thought back to the time that she had collected her car from Johann’s garage.   “I vaguely remember the mechanic going on about ‘quantum leap’ for some reason.    I had no idea what he was talking about.   It was all gibberish to me at the time.   But now I wonder … could that have been my access code?”

   “It is quite possible.”    Gizmo replied, but offered no more.   Mary had expected a bit more from Gizmo at this revelation, however, as nothing was offered she changed tact.   “Why does the computer want to follow me for five hundred yards,` anyway?”  

   “The extended range of five hundred yards is for safety reasons.   It is for situations when you may be under threat, possibly been made to leave the vehicle under duress, perhaps injured and moving away from the car after an accident, or you may even have become lost and can’t find your way back.    It gives us a location, or location direction, should it be needed.   The systems in your vehicle will tell us where you currently are, or, at the very least, where the vehicle is parked and which way you travelled when you alighted from the vehicle, at least for the first five hundred yards.   It will not, however, continue to track you if you have turned it off as you left the car.   Should you alight from the car and travel for some distance away from the vehicle without turning the tracking system off, the system will automatically place you on alarm stand-bye, create a rescue plan, and continue monitoring your progress.   Should you be injured and have moved away from the vehicle for safety purposes and, for some reason, you cannot reaccess the vehicle, or if you are physically forced to move away from the vehicle, regardless of how far you have travelled away from the vehicle … the rescue plan would be put into action once you had failed to return to the vehicle to turn off the transmission within fifteen minutes.   And that includes situations where you have appeared to have only moved a short distance from the vehicle, but are still not answering your mobile.

   The human recipients of the original readings, the ones who use me to communicate with you should it prove necessary, are housed in a control centre whose location I cannot reveal.   The staff there are all highly qualified specialists in their fields of expertise, including a wide range of surgeons and search and rescue personnel, and they are on a permanent roster: on stand by for emergency situations.    Should something unexpected happen to the driver of a vehicle fitted with the special applications as is your vehicle, the staff would be made aware of the situation almost immediately, though not the exact details.   Providing the driver is still in the vehicle, and their vital signs are still being picked up, the specialists can talk the driver through the steps required to get themselves out of trouble, at least temporarily.   Additionally, a passenger in the car can be given permission to speak on the driver’s behalf and use the applications.   If the driver, or an authorised passenger, can’t communicate with the control centre within the fifteen minutes the rescue team will be dispatched to the current G.P.S. location.

   “How would a passenger get permission to talk on my behalf?”

    “I am afraid that that question must be answered by Mister Biggs,”

   “Yes, okay, fine, thanks.   So tell me, Gizmo, how does it work, this self help from the bowls of the car.   Is there a robot in the boot that jumps out and attends me or something?”

  “Nothing like that, Mary, I’m afraid.   I mentioned earlier that there were medical devices hidden within the car.   These devices require voice activation to make them visible and usable.    To show you what I mean call out ‘Quantum leap’.   If this is your code then the system will activate itself and await your request.”

   Mary did as she was requested and nearly jumped off the seat as she drove when a loud male voice asked her to affirm her full name and age, but managed to calm herself enough to answer his question, albeit in a slightly shaky voice.   The male voice then asked her what her request was.

    Mary felt perplexed, she had no idea what she should say, but, as if she was reading Mary’s mind, Gizmo came to the rescue,    ‘Just say ‘Air tube.’   She advised Mary.

   Mary had no idea what to expect, but did what Gizmo had instructed and almost lost control of the car as a hidden panel on the dashboard unexpectedly sprung open with a bang, exposing a gap of around four inches square in the timber panel as it did.   Mary blinked at the hole, then screamed loudly as she simultaneously fought to retain control of the steering wheel, check her rear vision mirror for any cars behind her, and watch what was happening on the dashboard – as a plastic tube, around half an inch thick, with something bulky attached to the front end of it, ejected itself from the dashboard and loudly whacked itself down onto the armrest console that sat between her and the passenger seat.   And as soon as it had touched the top of the armrest the strange apparatus that had been attached to the end of the tube sprung open exposing a combination of rubber and metal.   In a reasonably mild state of shock considering the ongoing occurrences that were currently doing her mind in, forcing herself to keep her eyes fixed primarily on the road, while also forcing herself to calm down, Mary still managed a glimpse at the strange object on the passenger seat and suddenly realised that it was an oxygen mask.   She took a deep breath of air into her lungs and then put all of her concentration into her driving as she slowly released the air and let what she had just seen wash over her.

   She was fascinated, exhilarated and confused all at the same time.   The questions in her mind splattered themselves against a brick wall in her mind like raindrops in a storm.   ‘Where had it come from?’  she wondered, ‘Why hadn’t I seen the joins?    This is so thrilling … it’s like a James Bond movie, but why would I need things like this in ‘my’ car?   Why has Johann gone to so much trouble just to ensure that Joseph is fit for promotion.   All this security and James bond thingees are just too much for me …. am I in danger?   God, I hope not.’

   But before she could begin to analyze her own questions, the questions were put to one side as Gizmo unexpectedly continued with the lesson she was giving.    “The air hose is ready to be used by yourself, or administered by anybody that is with you … provided you have authorised that person to be accepted by the computer.   I cannot advise you any further on that aspect of the security system.   As I said earlier it should be explained eventually by Johann or his appointed agent.  To return the hose to its holding area simply say ‘return air hose to storage.'”

   Mary repeated the words and found herself surprised that she hadn’t suffered from whiplash … literally – so fast had the hose retracted.   “How many gimmicks like that are there?”  she asked, uncertain that she really wanted to know the answer.

   “More than enough to keep you alive until help arrives …in most cases.”  Gizmo replied lightheartedly.

  “But how could somebody apply C.P.R. remotely.   Wouldn’t there be a need for an injection at the very least?”

    Gizmo appeared to pause momentarily, as if deciding whether or not to go on.   Finally she came to a decision and continued, albeit with a rather pensive tone.   “My program information on this matter is restricted to a rather minuscule explanation, Mary.   So although what I give is only a basic overview, I am afraid that it would be of no use to question me further because I know no details other than what I am about to share with you.”    Gizmo paused again and this worried Mary slightly.

   “You seem to be reluctant to explain this aspect of  the system, Gizmo.   Does it distress you to do so.   If it does there is no need to go on.   I am certain that I can go on living without knowing everything about the things that I now find myself becoming involved in.   There is no need for you to go on if it distresses you.”

   “That is very nice of you, Mary.   Thank you, you are a kind person, but there is no problem.   It was something else that was distracting me.   I will try to retain concentration.   The human mind and body is a unique thing.   It can often cure itself of the most deadliest of illnesses and damage, but it sometimes needs a kick-start to get the self-repairs into motion.   There are data chip devices that can be inserted into various parts of a body which allows access to vital parts of the brain and major arteries from a remote location.   Access which will help your body to get back to normal following a major breakdown of your system by making your mind and body do the work necessary to repair itself …without the aid of the physical appliances usually associated with such medical issues as a stroke or heart attack … at least long enough to get you to a physical environment such as a hospital.   The devices that you have inside your car communicates with the medical staff at the control centre, which means that they, in turn, can gain access to the chips remotely.   With their assessment of the individual case, combined with the aid of the computer, they can feed back information to the car’s equipment which will send the required information to the chip you have installed that will, in turn, activate  the self-healing process.”

   “You said that the chips had access to the brain and several major arteries.   I think that I understand the connection to the brain, but I don’t understand what they can do to an artery.   Surely the arteries would require physical connection to do anything productive such as destroying a blood-clot.

   “The chips have built in nano-lasers.    Lasers that are all but invisible to the human eye, but powerful enough to disintegrate the largest blot clot with one blast.”

   “What!!!”, Mary jumped in excitedly,   “Do you mean that they can fire something like a rocket that flies and flies until it reaches its target no matter how many twists and turns it takes to reach it?   How can you possibly produce that much power in something that small?   Where does it get its power from … do they blast it down the wi-fi trail from the computer like they do with a movie to your computer?”

   Mary was uncertain, but she thought she heard an audible smile in Gizmos initial response when she said ‘No,’  however she soon repressed that thought as the rest of Gizmo’s reply was given in a much more sombre tone.   “No,” she repeated, “the power charge comes from the both the body and the brain.   The body produces electricity in order to go about its business, the chip simply taps into it and feeds that to the laser.    However, the laser does not aim for the clot itself unless the clot is in a direct line to it.    The laser blast is not an explosive as such.   There are several nano contained droplets of a chemical installed inside each chip which can cause the clot to disintegrate when injected into the artery that houses the clot.   The chemical is similar to what is now used in hospitals, but much stronger in its chemical composition to compensate for its reduced size.   Each chip has its own laser and under normal conditions the closest chip to the clot is selected.   The laser absorbs the contents of one of the droplets installed in the chip and fires it directly into the appropriate artery and it will destroy the clot within several minutes.   It will depend on how far that the chemical needs to travel in the blood stream.   However, should the clot be in a close proximity, and there are no obstacles in its way, the laser will be directed to inject the chemical directly into it and in that case the clot will dissolve completely within nano-seconds.”

“How do they know if they have been successful?”

“There is camera with a zoom lens attached to each chip.”

“How did they get cameras that small?”   Mary asked in total disbelief.

   “Again, nano technology,”   Gizmo replied.

   “That is incredible,”   Mary said, her voice reeking of awe, “but what happens if you physically can’t use the equipment because of your situation?

   “That is why all of your life signs are monitored.   Should something physical  happen to you while you are either parked or driving the accompanying sound will possibly be picked up on the audio monitors along with the readings.   If you are within the five hundred yard radius and you are capable of making sound you will be heard and the chips can be activated within that distance.   You will be contacted immediately either by me if you have activated me prior to the incident, or by a device that is installed in the car.   The device can accurately pick up a whisper from one hundred yards, the voice recognition program will listen only for your voice and if you can’t reply I will be turned on remotely if I am not currently switched on and give them your co-ordinates and a rescue program will swing into action.   And that is all that I can tell you, I am afraid.”

   “I have one more question for you, Gizmo.   I know that this is a bit of a personal question, but considering I had expected you to be an over qualified, aggravating, computer program with a monotonous vocal tone when I first switched you on … and now to find you communicate as elegantly as anybody I have ever known … as elegantly as any human, it perplexes me no end to fully understand what you really are.   So, please, I just have to know.   Are you a robot, computer program or human.”

   When Gizmo’s replied it was in the sweetest, softest, friendliest voice that Mary had heard for many, many years.   Not since her mother had consoled her when she had injured herself as a very young child.   “I am none of those, Mary … I am what’s left.”

   Mary was far too shocked and confused at what she had been told to say anything more than “Thank your Gizmo … I think,”

********

   The wheels of the small green Mini had traversed many miles of the motorway since Mary had spoken to Gizmo, but it was only now that Mary had stopped mulling over all she had learnt from Gizmo’s revelations for fear of a headache joining her already over-crowded mind.   ‘Digesting too much information in too short a time was not good for one’s brain,’  she told herself as she went back to the c.d and Ed Sheeran.

   The open country morning light exploded in its brightness as she drove closer to her destination, and as she drove she could not help but notice a dramatic increase in the volume of scattered packs of vehicles to be seen heading towards London, but still absolutely nothing followed or passed her.   The road that she traversed at the moment was long in distance and wide in lanes, both going forward, and for miles behind her, but in her rear vision mirrors Mary still saw nothing but an empty road behind her … and it was beginning to unnerve her.   It felt to her that hours and hours had elapsed since she had first driven onto the motorway, when in fact it had been but a little over an hour, but she felt the need to speed up; at the moment Mary felt that she was travelling at a snail’s pace.   It was boring; it was frustrating, however she still felt that she needed other cars to travel with her so she could get closer to the Mercedes without being noticed.  

   The sign she had passed a minute earlier had advised the Trenthamville turn-off to be only ten minutes away – twenty at the speed she was travelling at, and Mary was frightened that she may run into them unexpectedly in the village which is why she had wanted to be closer to them when they had arrived there.   She wanted to be able to see if they pulled over in the village or kept travelling to the farm.   She knew that she could get that information from Gizmo, but she had no idea of the layout of the village.   She wanted to see their movements for herself from a safe distance, not in her imagination.    For all she knew they could have stopped the car and split up once they arrived at the village and Martin could have travelled on to the farm by himself.   However, with no other traffic on the road when she arrived it was going to be hard not to be noticed if she was to run into them when she herself arrived either in the village or at the farm.    “Ah, well, c’est la vie.”   She sighed as she resigned herself to the inevitable and cautiously increased her speed slightly.

********

   There was, however, a valid reason for the lack of traffic that Mary was unaware of at the time … as were Joseph and his friends, and even the policeman who was still enjoying his buns and tea and music, for that matter.   And had she known the reason … then perhaps she may have thought twice about taking the trip to Trenthamville in the first place.   Perhaps they all would have thought twice about taking the trip to Trenthamville, and that thought includes the policeman who lived in Trenthamville.   At that stage it is doubtful that any of them would have seen the connection … but it was there.

PRESS HERE TO GO TO EPISODE 19