fast, have you forgotten?”
“Yes, and so do they .”
They were silent for a short while, and then his father said in a harsh whisper, “You said - ‘ they ’. Do you mean…?” His voice trailed off.
“Yes, it was the Townsend girl, Jennifer; she was there with her mother.”
He heard his dad gasp, his voice quavered slightly, “Not her, are you sure?”
“They were in the shoe shop. Didn’t you see them come out?”
“I probably missed them. I was checking Aries’ hind leg. I thought he’d gone lame, but it was only a stone wedged in his hoof.”
“The bad news is he was taken with her.”
“What?”
“He was taken by her beauty, as they say, but we know better.”
His father’s voice filled with concern, “It had to happen one day. One of them was bound to come along. It’s like a magnet to them - his kind.”
“We cannot move from here, not yet, so what do -.” Her voice broke and then they were quiet.
He listened to the silence. He heard them, they were sobbing. In between the sniffs, he heard his mum say, “You try to keep them pure, teach them the ways, and then they get snared.”
“Are you sure he was taken with her?”
“Yes, they touched, or should I say, he touched her, then to make matters worse she offered him her hand and he took it. As I said, her mother was there, too.”
His dad sounded angry, “What about her , did she condone it?”
He heard his mum blowing her nose then she said, “I think not, as she was angry when she left, dragging the girl along.”
Jason struggled to hear as they lowered their voices, as if they knew he was listening at the door. He heard his mum’s voice again, muffled this time by her handkerchief as she blew her nose once more. “I feel it was my fault…know she was …inevitable…” She blew her nose then continued “…warning…secret kept too long… said this would happen one…a change…cannot afford…at a loss as to what we can do.”
She blew her nose, a dry sound and his dad asked, “How old is the girl?”
She cleared her throat and told him, “Not quite his age, maybe a good year younger, but she’s tall for her age, which is a typical trait for them .”
His father sounded hopeful. “Not quite ripe then. If that is so, then we have nothing to worry about.”
“Yes, but he has met her, he will want to see her again, Iain, he is after all only-.”
His father cut her off sternly, “That’s the problem, he isn’t.”
“We must seek advice.”
“I will, first thing in the morning.”
Jason moved away from the door, he made his way back up to his bedroom, the milk forgotten. He lay down and pulled the duvet over him, his mind in a whirl, What was all that about. What did his mum mean, ‘snared’? His kind? What secret? What have they got against Jennifer and what did they mean by ‘taken’. He did find Jennifer ‘nice’, she was ‘nice’ to look at, ‘nice’ to talk to and most of all, ‘nice’ to touch. He recalled the feeling as he held her hand in his, it was a warm feeling, it had enveloped his whole being, and it was something he yearned for and he fell asleep, her vision foremost in his mind.
Lucas.
The name, printed in bold letters on the door, read- L. Blackfield. Qualified Surveyor. But Blackfield wasn’t the real name of the man sitting at his desk. He was listening to someone on the telephone while answering quietly. His name was Lucas, and he wasn’t a qualified surveyor. He replaced the telephone in its cradle and leaned back in his upholstered office chair and thought for a moment, after which he picked up the telephone once more and dialled. He waited for a while then spoke, “Sorry, did I wake you?”...“I want you to leave straight away. I’ve spoken with Doctor Nielsen and he told me you have been accepted and that you may arrive whenever you wish, but
“Yes, and so do they .”
They were silent for a short while, and then his father said in a harsh whisper, “You said - ‘ they ’. Do you mean…?” His voice trailed off.
“Yes, it was the Townsend girl, Jennifer; she was there with her mother.”
He heard his dad gasp, his voice quavered slightly, “Not her, are you sure?”
“They were in the shoe shop. Didn’t you see them come out?”
“I probably missed them. I was checking Aries’ hind leg. I thought he’d gone lame, but it was only a stone wedged in his hoof.”
“The bad news is he was taken with her.”
“What?”
“He was taken by her beauty, as they say, but we know better.”
His father’s voice filled with concern, “It had to happen one day. One of them was bound to come along. It’s like a magnet to them - his kind.”
“We cannot move from here, not yet, so what do -.” Her voice broke and then they were quiet.
He listened to the silence. He heard them, they were sobbing. In between the sniffs, he heard his mum say, “You try to keep them pure, teach them the ways, and then they get snared.”
“Are you sure he was taken with her?”
“Yes, they touched, or should I say, he touched her, then to make matters worse she offered him her hand and he took it. As I said, her mother was there, too.”
His dad sounded angry, “What about her , did she condone it?”
He heard his mum blowing her nose then she said, “I think not, as she was angry when she left, dragging the girl along.”
Jason struggled to hear as they lowered their voices, as if they knew he was listening at the door. He heard his mum’s voice again, muffled this time by her handkerchief as she blew her nose once more. “I feel it was my fault…know she was …inevitable…” She blew her nose then continued “…warning…secret kept too long… said this would happen one…a change…cannot afford…at a loss as to what we can do.”
She blew her nose, a dry sound and his dad asked, “How old is the girl?”
She cleared her throat and told him, “Not quite his age, maybe a good year younger, but she’s tall for her age, which is a typical trait for them .”
His father sounded hopeful. “Not quite ripe then. If that is so, then we have nothing to worry about.”
“Yes, but he has met her, he will want to see her again, Iain, he is after all only-.”
His father cut her off sternly, “That’s the problem, he isn’t.”
“We must seek advice.”
“I will, first thing in the morning.”
Jason moved away from the door, he made his way back up to his bedroom, the milk forgotten. He lay down and pulled the duvet over him, his mind in a whirl, What was all that about. What did his mum mean, ‘snared’? His kind? What secret? What have they got against Jennifer and what did they mean by ‘taken’. He did find Jennifer ‘nice’, she was ‘nice’ to look at, ‘nice’ to talk to and most of all, ‘nice’ to touch. He recalled the feeling as he held her hand in his, it was a warm feeling, it had enveloped his whole being, and it was something he yearned for and he fell asleep, her vision foremost in his mind.
Lucas.
The name, printed in bold letters on the door, read- L. Blackfield. Qualified Surveyor. But Blackfield wasn’t the real name of the man sitting at his desk. He was listening to someone on the telephone while answering quietly. His name was Lucas, and he wasn’t a qualified surveyor. He replaced the telephone in its cradle and leaned back in his upholstered office chair and thought for a moment, after which he picked up the telephone once more and dialled. He waited for a while then spoke, “Sorry, did I wake you?”...“I want you to leave straight away. I’ve spoken with Doctor Nielsen and he told me you have been accepted and that you may arrive whenever you wish, but
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