The Weekly Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 3270 by Angharad Copyright© 2021 Angharad

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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.
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Trish and Livvie were still squabbling in the kitchen when I entered. "What's going on here?" I demanded hoping they wouldn't spot my reddened eyes.

"I need that book for my homework," declared Livvie, "an' she won't give it me."

"Which book is that?" I asked.

"Our geography book."

"Is this true?" I demanded of Trish.

"I need it too."

"Have you any other homework to do?"

"Only my French."

"Right, let Livvie have the book and go and do your French," I addressed to Trish and to Livvie I instructed, "Go and do your geography and then give the book back to Trish to do hers." They both nodded and Trish handed over the book and they went to the dining room to do their study. Shaking my head and went to the kettle and filled it from the filter jug and switched it on. I felt desperately in need for a cuppa.

Simon entered and I offered him a cuppa which he accepted. "Monica reckons Dad is in a bad way."

"He was told." I said placing the mug of tea in front of him.

"I know, but you know what he's like, stubborn as a mule buried up to its neck in concrete."

I tried to visualise this and its use as a metaphor, I wasn't sure it worked for me unless it was the unmoving bit. I suppose that was it. "I'm aware he can be difficult to move."

"You or Stella seem best able to help him change his mind, he worships both of you."

"That's the first I've heard of it," I felt very surprised at his disclosure. I knew I could wheedle things out of him, it was how we got half the funding we had for university projects, he'd been very generous. But that was simple girly persuasion and Stella had been practicing it for much longer than I had, so he was almost conditioned to respond to it, almost Skinner's operant conditioning. Palov would have been proud of us, Stella and me, that is.

"So you expect me to talk him round before the eleventh hour?" I wasn't sure it would work and it may already be too late.

"He won't listen to me or Monica."

"Did you speak to Stella?"

"She's not there and her car has gone."

"Oh, I think she was meeting her friend, she's was taking her two as well."

"I didn't see them either. Cathy, please can you try and talk him round or ask your goddess to help him."

"I'm not sure she'd be very disposed to that, call Danielle down."

"What for?" He looked at me as if I was asking for something stupid. I wasn't.

"Just do it." He went off calling our daughter and I speed dialled Henry. Monica answered it. "Could I speak to Henry, Monica?"

"He's not at all well, Cathy."

"Please just do as I ask, it's important."

"I'll try but whether he'll be able to talk..."

I heard the wheezing on the line. "Henry, just listen to me. Unless you do what I ask you, you are going to die. You may still do so, but I am going to try and intercede with the goddess to let you live, but you must make the changes she requests and this time there will be no prevaricating, unless you want Simon to take over the bank. She won't give you another chance if she agrees to my plea this time."

"Okay," he managed to wheeze.

"In a short time you will go into a deep sleep, if she agrees to help you she will tell you what you have to do. You will obey her to the letter. If she doesn't, I'm afraid you will never wake. It's that serious."

"Okay," he said with a bout of breathless coughing.

"I will do all I can, Henry, but if it doesn't work, know we all love you."

"Okay," he said breathlessly. I heard him release the phone to Monica.

"He's gone off to sleep, Cathy."

"Thanks, Monica." I rang off.

"Daddy said you wanted me?" announced Danni coming into the kitchen.

"Come with me to the study, we're not to be disturbed, Si." She followed me through the door which I locked. "Henry is going to die."

"Oh no, not Gramps?" she cried "Can't we help him?"

I placed my finger on her lips. "We are going to summon the goddess and you are going to ask her to save your grandfather."

"Me?" she looked bewildered.

"If I ask her she'll just tell me that I wasted the chance she gave me, or he did. If you ask her, she may just allow it, especially as she was pleased with you earlier."

"Isn't that taking a huge risk, I mean, you're her favoured agent?"

I smiled at her and shook my head, "I don't think I'm quite flavour of the month at present."

"How should I ask her?"

"Tell her he's done lots for the environment and for children and that essentially he's a good man and that we all love him, hence you begging for his life."

"No pressure then," she joked and I smiled back.

I threw a wall of light around the room and we sat down and began to clear our minds of all extraneous things. I began to visualise the goddess appearing and before long the room began to get very cold and I became aware of a presence and huge surge of energy entered our space. I desperately held my concentration and hoped that Danni did the same. The slightest slip now and we'd lose the connection to her and that would be that, Henry would die.

I visualised Danielle asking her to save Henry and why she we wanted her to. I didn't want to do anything but hold the connection and give Danielle the chance to plead for his life. It was a real struggle and I felt my energy depleting as if things were trying to prevent us. I drew down more light and threw all around us, protecting us and the space from interruptions. I felt extra energy join us and knew that Trish and Livvie were trying to help us remotely. I felt weak and my strength was draining out of me, when Trish's energy fired itself into me and lifted me again and once more I kept us safe in my study while my daughter negotiated for the life of her granddad. Despite the cold, I could feel sweat running down my back and around my neck and hairline. This was like cycling up a mountain if not worse.

The light in the room was so intense it was hurting my eyes but I offered the energy to the goddess to use as she wished, then it got even brighter and everything went black.

Danielle was rubbing my hand, "Are you okay, Mummy? Mummy, are you okay?" Somewhere in the distance I could hear pounding and hammering and then a rush of air as if a door had been opened and Trish was holding me and yelling and crying at me. It took me a while to come-to, I was totally exhausted.

"What happened?" asked a near hysterical Simon, "The energy from this room nearly set off the fire alarms, I could see a pulsation under the door."

"I don't know, I just asked her to save Gramps and she agreed she'd give him one last chance but because Mummy failed to make him change before she made Mummy provide the energy to heal him. Trish helped too."

"I need to rest," I said and Simon picked me up and carried me up to our bedroom and laid me on the bed.

"Are you going to be all right?" he asked me.

"I think so."

"She punished you, didn't she?"

"I suppose so."

"D'you need anything?"

"Just to sleep."

"Okay, I'll go and see the others." I was asleep before the door closed, I was as drained as if I were a used battery, which I suppose I was for this effort. I hope Henry got the message because there wouldn't be a next time.

The next day Danni and Trish told me what they experienced. Obviously, Danni appeared sincere enough for the goddess to give Henry a second chance but once he recovered, he'd make the changes she demanded or he'd relapse and die. I suspect he'd had enough of his lungs dissolving and would play ball this time.

Trish who has a strong link to the goddess herself, realised she was visiting us and tuned into me and seeing my energy being depleted fired me up with her own. Apparently, she went off to bed half an hour later. Livvie, who has much weaker links just helped as she could.

"So he's going to be okay?" asked Simon.

"She'll make him suffer because he messed her about before, so it will take time but if he makes the changes, he will recover unless he reneges and then so will the deal."

"So he could still die?" Simon sounded quite anxious.

"Not if he does what he's been told. When you speak to him, remind him he should be dead, he's a very lucky man."

"You saved him again?"

"Not me, his granddaughters."

"Yeah, but you were supervising."

"I wasn't, Simon, Danni and Trish assisted by Livvie saved him, or shall we say gave him another chance, there won't be a third, he will die."

"I suppose I'd better try and make sure he does what he's been told then, hadn't I?"

"That, my darling man, is the best thing you could do to help him. He knows what he has to do, when he's well enough make him write it all down and then make sure he does it all."

"So you don't know what it is?"

"No, the goddess spoke directly to him, he's very privileged and extremely fortunate, she must like him."

"Er, yes okay, but it's you she likes best, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't bet on it, Simon, you could well lose your money."

"Tea?" he asked.

""That's the best offer I've had today," I smiled at him and he went off to make some. I knew he'd think of it eventually and I honestly didn't have the energy to do it myself, maybe a bit later I would, I hoped so, I really did.