The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2796 by Angharad Copyright© 2015 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.
*****

“Did you see her, Mummy?” asked Trish tapping my arm. I wished she wouldn’t do that, talk about invasion of personal space. “Mummmm—meee, I’m talking to you, you know?”

“What?” I played stupid it was easier than pulling her arms off.

“Did you see her?” came back the emphatic questioning.

“Who?”

“Billie—who else?”

“You might as well tell her,” grumbled Simon, “before she gets the sodium pentathol.”

“What?”

“Truth drug isn’t it?”

“If I said yes, I’d be lying.” I pulled the duvet over my head.

“You got school today?” Simon asked Trish and I presume she nodded because he told her to get the others up.

“What about Mummy she’s got to go to work?”

“I’m working on that, kiddo.”

“Geez, why did we have kids—remind me again?”

“So you could buy train sets without feeling embarrassed.”

“They’re all girls if you remember?”

“I had a feeling they were. So what, never heard of Cassie Jones?”

“I think that was KC Jones as in initials.”

“So she was Karen or Kathleen.”

“I think she was a he.”

“Gosh,” I said sat up too quickly and fell out of bed, fortunately with minimal damage—the radio got knocked off station.

“You all right?”

“Yeah, least I think so.” I rolled over and pushed myself up. I noticed a few bruises as I showered, didn’t really surprise me it had been quite an energetic night. After breakfast—for me a cuppa—I dropped the girls off at school and drove out to the field study centre, advising Diane of this as I went with my hands free set.

When I got there two uniformed police were mooching about the place possibly looking for a way in, although Dan’s assistant should have been there even if he wasn’t. “Is it locked?” I asked.

“Seems to be, madam,” replied one of the coppers.

I pulled out my keys and opened the door. I followed them in and discovered that Shirley, Dan’s assistant was there all the time. She jumped a mile when I went into her office. “Oh Professor, we had a break in and they nearly murdered Dan.”

“Yes I know.”

“But he fought them off single handed.”

“How resourceful of him,” I said without revealing anything at all. “Could you do an inventory of anything missing or broken?”

“It might have got broken when Dan was fighting them.”

“Quite,”

“There are two police officers waiting in the foyer perhaps you could help them.” She almost skipped off with excitement to help the long arms of the law. While she was out I had a quick look around, I couldn’t see anything missing and the damage wasn’t that much.

She bounced back in then realised I was still there. We had a coffee and I signed some cheques for her to pay some bills. She looked at the desk then sighed loudly.

“What’s the problem?”

“We have a school party due any moment.”

“D’you know what they were supposed to be doing?”

“Not really, Professor.” She appeared more useless than usual, still, I suppose things were a bit different today. I looked at my clothing. I had trousers on and I keep some boots in the car along with my old Barbour. Had I bought it in Spain I suppose it would have been the Barbour of Seville. Depending upon what sort of age the kids were and what they were here to see or study, I might be able to help.

I went into Dan’s office and looked at his diary, it just said school visit followed by S2. I asked Shirley what that meant and she said it related to the teaching pack. She showed me file and I took it and sat down. “There’s a set of handouts in the teaching room, I’ll put them out.” I thanked her and saw the stuff was very basic. Difference between a deciduous and evergreen tree, how trees distribute seeds and so on. I could probably do that without too much difficulty and it would make a change from Krebs cycle or mitosis.

I heard a bus pull into the parking area and lots of young voices plus adults calling instructions to them. Looks like my debut as a primary school teacher was about to unfold. While the children were seated in the education room I spoke with the teacher in charge.

“I’m sorry but we had a break in last night and our manager was beaten up by some thugs.”

“Oh, is he alright?”

“I think so, just having a day or two off to get over it.”

“Don’t blame him, you want us to go?”

“That’s up to you, I’m prepared to do something with the kids if you like.”

“I uh...I mean have you been CRB checked?”

“Yes, but you’re going to be there anyway, aren’t you?”

“Of course.”

“We’re you going outside or is it just a teaching session?”

“Isn’t it a bit wet underfoot?”

“That depends upon how well shod you all are and if you mind a bit of mud on things?”

“Most of these kids have no idea about what a woodland is let alone how it functions.”

“Right, let’s see if I can show them, shall we?”

“Can I ask your name so I can introduce you?”

“Cathy Watts.”

“Okay, Children this is Mrs Watts who’s going to tell you all about woodlands. Please sit still, if you need to go to the toilet put your hand up, Shona Bennett you do not need to go again, you’ve only just been. Matthew Thomas sit down.”

“Professor,” called Shirley, “here are the hand outs, I had to photocopy some more.”

“Professor?” gasped the teacher, “You’re a professor?”

“Is that a problem?”

“Uh no.”

“Is that you with the dormouse?” the other teacher pointed to the bank poster.

“I’m afraid so.”

“Didn’t you do the dormouse film?”

“Yes.”

“That was brilliant, I liked the harvest mouse one, too.”

“Thank you, shall we teach these young people a bit about woodlands?”

“Children, please we’re very lucky to have Professor Watts from the university to teach us today. What do we say to Professor Watts?”

“Good morning, Professor Watts,” said twenty little voices.

“Good morning, children—now let me tell you a little story about this dormouse.” I pointed to the picture of Spike and I in the bank poster.

I regaled them with stories about the different animals and birds and showed them pictures of the different type of tree. Then we went out and I showed them the tree for real which they could touch and pick up leaves. They could then match it to the picture in their hand out. An hour and a half later they left with the teachers telling me they’d enjoyed it so much and would I be here again. I didn’t know, if Dan wasn’t back soon, we’d have to either close the centre or get in a temporary manager.

“You like teaching kids, don’t you, professor?” asked Shirley.

“It’s a bit like teaching first year undergraduates but I pitched this a bit higher,” I joked.

“They all went out thinking you were wonderful and we’ve sold out of pencils.”