THE CHIMING OF THE
By Richard Banks
“An extension?” he asked, fearing that
this was the start of home improvements likely to last for many weeks ahead.
Informed that it was only the fitting
of CCTV and burglar alarms, Mr Pry was at first relieved and then puzzled. “Had
a break-in then?” The thought of this happening sent an icy shiver racing down
his back, and regions further south. He stared down at the crazy paving about
his feet, half expecting to see it coated with frost.
On learning that he had not been
burgled, but that, “it was far worse than that,” both men visibly paled as Sebastian
informed them of the impending tidal wave of violent crime about to be
unleashed on their previously tranquil street.
“But what about the Police?” said Mr
Sharpe, struggling to remember when he had last seen a policeman.
Sebastian described Margo’s unavailing
attempts to summon assistance before proclaiming, that like the ancient Britons
abandoned by
Taking his leave of them Sebastian
continued on to Mr Patel’s shop where he filled up both of his bags before
returning home. To his surprise, Mr Sharpe and Mr Pry were now part of a larger
group, and another, still larger, had gathered outside his house and, grim
faced, were deep in discussion with each other and Fred. Walking swiftly past
them so that his purchases of frozen foodstuffs should not spoil he entered his
side door to find Margo and half a dozen ladies of the Mews gathered around
their kitchen table. Noting that Sebastian had been stocking-up on foodstuffs
and loo paper the ladies on their leaving lost no time in hot footing it to Mr
Patel’s shop, within a day he'd sold his entire stock, despite raising his prices
by 200% and selling his last pack of ‘Comfort Tissue’ for thirty pounds.
In the week that followed Greenacre
Mews was a hive of activity as Mr Watts and his expanded workforce readied
house after house for the onslaught to come. On work finishing at dusk, the
street’s residents locked their doors and apprehensively settled down in front
of their TVs to view CCTV footage of their front gardens and the road beyond.
Although not as action packed as the average Tom Cruise movie they were
understandably perturbed by the sight of masked desperadoes running up and down
the Mews shouting and setting off car alarms that often rang throughout the
night.
After a week of such disturbances, the
sleep deprived residents of the street were seldom seen before midday when they
would emerge timorously from their houses for a quick dash to the High Street
shops and back. To their surprise they found the streets beyond their own to be
surprisingly normal with no sign of civil disorder beyond a crack in
Concluding that the situation might not
be as hopeless as first thought Mr Dyson from number 36 delivered a leaflet to
every house in the street announcing the formation of, ‘The Greenacres Action
Force’. Echoing the sentiments previously expressed by Mr Watts he announced
that it was now time to take the fight to the enemy. Only when they had driven
their tormentors back to
Warming to Mr Dyson’s message of hope a
large crowd assembled in the Hall with at least thirty more peering in through
the windows that lined each side. Addressing his audience in Churchillian
fashion he revealed his plan for the setting-up of a machine gun post at the
top of the street on the roof of Mr Simpson’s garage. The gun and ammunition
had been secured from an undisclosed source along with searchlights that would
be used to illuminate their assailants before their shooting. Asking for a show
of hands from all those wishing to volunteer, Sebastian was the first to do so,
although he had only intended to scratch his head. Emboldened by his example, a
dozen more volunteers raised their hands and ‘Operation Lethal Outcome’ became
the worse kept secret in Greenacres Mews.
(to be continued)
Copyright Richard Banks
The plot thickens...
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