The Weekly Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 3300 by Angharad Copyright© 2021 Angharad

---

This is a work of fiction any mention of real people, places or institutions is purely coincidental and does not imply that they are as suggested in the story.
####

3300 = 275 dozen (who says it's not educational?)

Simon had been home about an hour and after doing his greetings to everyone and me in particular, trying rather clumsily to say he was pleased to see me and that he'd be even more pleased to see me later, wink wink, nudge nudge, know what I mean, say no more. By going into a Monty Python sketch he began to lose any enthusiasm I may have had for doing 'naughty things' later, not only that but Eric Idle did it rather better in the original.

I was trying to finish some letters for Diane to send off on Monday and I wanted to get them finished, he eventually took the hint, thankfully without any more sketches. If he'd started the Spanish Inquisition one, I think I may well have referred him to OD, or Opus Dei as the inquisition became, which was made use of by Dan Brown in his Da Vinci Code film, which was total hogwash but of a quite enjoyable form and made watchable by the ever dependable Tom Hanks and the beautiful, Audrey Tautou, two of my favourite film stars.

The evening wore on and I finished my letters and sent them off to Diane for her to deal with next week. David served up a paella which I adore, with small amounts of meat and shellfish all cooked in a delicious sauce which virtually evaporates to nothing. I'd made it myself in the past but never as good as David's which even had me thinking about seconds.

After dinner, Danni mentioned she was going training tomorrow at Reading and had I booked the car? We went down to my study and I had booked the car but she needed to buck herself up because it was a friendly game not a training session and she was to be there by ten o'clock, so her ride would be here at eight. She groaned, scratched her head and went off to check her kit.

Simon appeared bearing mugs of tea, put one on my desk and seated himself on the sofa still bearing the other cup which he began to sip. "What's this about some book you got presented for saving some old guy's life?" I pointed to the shelf and he got up to see. "What am I looking for?"

"Did they tell you what I was doing when I discovered the old boy?"

"Pond dipping, wasn't it?" he asked blushing slightly.

"Yes, so what book up there could be linked to that activity?" He's quite capable of coherent thought when I encourage him to try.

"Uh, Freshwater Life?"

"It is." He was right, the other twenty or more volumes mostly published by the FBA (Freshwater Biological Society) I acquired later and they are much more advanced works than would be suitable for a twelve year old girl, even one as precocious as me - started acquiring them when I was thirteen, with their guide and key to caddis fly larvae or Trichoptera. Only joking, those books weren't published then but the one on rotifers was and with the microscope I was allowed to use in school and later in university, Mrs Pontin's book of A key to the planktonic and semi-planktonic rotifera of the British Isles got quite a bit of use as well as various other books like the one Simon had in his hand in helping me identify tiny freshwater creatures. It's something I still enjoy doing but I've been distracted by giants like dormice and other vertebrates. I don't even have a plankton net these days, my original one was made from a kids net with the mesh replaced by one of my mum's old stockings with an even older Alka-seltzer bottle on the end. I'd also replaced the bamboo pole handle with one twice as long and strong. Not bad for a girly of thirteen and as I was making something my dad even allowed me access to his garden shed, his 'man cave' although the term wasn't in use then.

Simon glanced at the dedication in the book and then read the clipping. "This predates Lady Macbeth?"

"By about three years, you can see that from the length of my ponytail."

"To Charlotte, so how come you didn't continue with that name?"

"It wasn't me who called myself that, except when others had already used it. My mum told me once the hairdressers had called to alter my appointment, but that was later as well and she'd heard the name mentioned before, even used it once or twice to tell me off when she thought I was being too girly."

"So why didn't you use Charlotte, it would have been the closest to Charlie, the boy?"

"I think you've just answered your own question."

"Oh, right, fine," he spluttered blushing. He put the cutting back in the book and replaced it on the shelf and sipped his tea. "I didn't realise you had so many books on pond life. I didn't realise there were that many in existence."

"There's thousands, a lot of them are American, especially the bigger volumes but they're prohibitively expensive, the university has some of them, but I don't need them much of the time and the FBA ones are excellent and much cheaper."

"How about I buy you one of the dearer ones for your birthday?"

"No thanks, I've got most of the ones I need already."

"Okay, I get the message. Tell me, what's this about Murray picking on you for this little episode," he tapped the spine of the book he'd just replaced.

"It was the first time my gender had been brought to his notice and he let me know he was a homophobic old git."

"You were twelve and he carpeted you about your sexuality, as he saw it?"

"I suppose so," I felt myself blushing and I was tired of the subject. "Why are you asking, Simon? It was a long time ago, he can't hurt me now and I'd like to forget it."

"What he did was abuse and he should have been reported for it."

"It's too long ago and I no longer have any evidence."

"Perhaps I should get Jim to poke about in his past, see if anyone else was victimised by him."

"Why? It's too long ago."

"Time isn't a factor in them trying a concentration camp guard, is it?"

"I think that's wrong as well. I won't condone anything he did but trying someone who's a hundred years old, I think it's wrong."

"The families of his victims may disagree with you."

"That's their entitlement, but shouldn't justice be tempered by mercy, or is it just retribution? If so, I don't want anything to do with it."

"The law is what it's about and that is what these people want, to see the law carried out."

I felt we wouldn't agree on this and if anything we'd get further apart and I didn't want that. "Can we just agree to differ on this, respecting each other's view if not agreeing with it?"

"Yeah, okay." he put down his cup. "What happened in Plymouth yesterday?"

"I don't know what happened there?"

"Didn't some guy shoot half a dozen people including a kid?"

"Oh goodness, that's what they were talking about in the kitchen, some bloke with a pump-action shotgun. He killed a child?" I felt quite sick.

"Yeah, shot a three year old and her dad," Simon looked it up on his mobile.

"How can anyone kill a little girl?"

"Happens all the time, at least this one shot himself afterwards, shot his own mother as well."

"Why do they need such guns?" I asked feeling sick at the horror of such objects.

He shrugged, "Never had one myself, but I suppose they could be useful."

"For killing children?"

"I feel as sick about it as you do, babes, but the guys who do these things are often doolally and don't obey the niceties of behaviour until they've done what they feel they need to do and are only then aware of what they've done and so kill themselves."

"Poor kid, three years old, you say?"

"Yeah, c'mon let's chase the rest of them up to bed and have a cuddle." As I always do what my lord and master requests of me, that's what we did - all we did, the thought of someone killing a child left me upset all night, at least until I eventually fell asleep.

It was an early start as I had to make sure that Danielle was ready for the car to pick her up to take her to Reading and then bring her back. It was costing a small fortune but it did at least free up some time for me and meant she could carry out her commitment to the football club.

She may be sixteen but I still have to check up after her, she usually forgets something so I make her compile a checklist and we go through it before she leaves. At least this time she didn't forget her boots. It makes me laugh that you'd think she was going clubbing rather than playing soccer by the amount of makeup she wears and her hair has to be just so. Compared to Trish, who is very pleased to be a girl but she doesn't have half the girlyness of her sister, actually none of the youngsters do, they do wear skirts occasionally at home but more often jeans or leggings, if it's warm, then shorts are the custom.

The three older girls, Hannah, Livvie and Trish are allowed to catch the bus to the hotel to use the pool. They have junior members' cards and I let them go by themselves but they have to stay together. It's a way of allowing them to take on board a little self responsibility enabling them to grow up a little. When they asked if they could go to the beach by themselves I told them no very firmly. I've heard loads of stories of children going to beaches around the country by themselves all summer but I still say no as those other children aren't children of multimillionaire parents and thus less of a kidnap risk. Having had children abducted before and also adults, it's not an experience I wish to repeat, ever.

It was Saturday and Simon, once I got Meems to get him up, went into town after breakfast, whereas I stayed behind and cleared up the mess, I know I shouldn't pander to stereotypes but someone has to do it and some of the girls had gone swimming and the younger ones were out in the garden with Meems and Jacquie playing some sort of game. We were waiting for Jacquie's results, she'd completeed her degree and we were just waiting to see what grade she got a 2:1 or 2:2. Jacquie ended up doing English and Gender Studies, not the most academic of courses but enough to test her and hopefully draw her out of herself. She's a lovely girl when she's encouraged to shine and I do hope she's done well.

Talking of results, we're waiting for Danni's GCSE results. Since she's relaxed into her femininity she has done really well and we'd all be shocked to think she'd do anything but pass quite high in most things.

Trish already has GCSE and A-S level mathematics and is likely to add physics to her palmares this year. She is so good at both physics and maths but I don't feel she is capable of autonomous living. She would argue that she was but as I get the final say, it's irrelevant and I get to play the big bad Mummy. But she did get to go to the hotel by herself with the others today.

David had gone to the cash and carry to stock up the cupboards, I'd also asked him to get some lamb for roasting for tomorrow. He nodded and went off in his car. I got on with some chores, assisted by Cate and Puddin' who for some reason enjoy polishing furniture. there are worse things I suppose, but they seemed even more stereotypical than I am.

I'd just finished the vacuuming when the phone rang. Usually, it's for one of the kids despite their own mobile phones, but I took the call as none of the others were going to.

"Hello, Cathy Cameron?" I waited for the caller to speak.

"If you wanna see your girls alive do exactly as we tell you. No cops or we'll feed you back pieces of your children." Stunned didn't come anywhere near what I was feeling, shocked perhaps, but sickened and red hot angry. I sent Simon a text to come home asap, though he seemed in no hurry to call home to find out what was happening.

Stella came through with a cuppa and caught me weeping, "What's the matter, Cathy?"

"I think someone has kidnapped, Trish, Livvie and Hannah."

"What?" she gasped, "Where are they?"

"They went to the hotel for a swim, they were catching the bus."

She immediately called the hotel to be told they had left half an hour ago, which means they should have been home by now. They weren't and until I had more info, there was little I could do except worry myself to death.