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Contents

ARTHUR HoUsTon’s spIRITUAL EXpERIEnCEs .......

......................................................... 6
NOT FOR CLOSED MINDS ........................

............................................................................. 6
DEDICATION ........

............................................................................................................... 7
CREDITS .................

.............................................................................................................. 7
To all who read the following!.

.............................................................................................. 8
IN THE BIBLE JOSEPH AND THE PHARAOH’S DREAM ....................................................... 10
Now I give you one of my dreams ............................................................................................ 12
MY DREAM ........................................................................................................................ 12
70 YEARS LATER.............................................................................................................. 14
Another dream that I had!........................................................................................................ 15
SALVO AND TOM‘S REWARD ....................................................................................... 15
MY MOST UNUSUAL EXPERIENCE ....................................................................................... 18
GWEN O’BRIEN CLAIRVOYANT EXTRAORDINAIRE ........................................................... 20
My First Hurdle.................................................................................................................... 20
My Second Hurdle ............................................................................................................... 21
My Third Hurdle .................................................................................................................. 22
My Fourth Hurdle ................................................................................................................ 23
MY MOTHER HER TWIN SISTER ROSA AND ME ................................................................. 24
SUE ........................................................................................................................................... 28
PROOF OF SURVIVAL ............................................................................................................. 30
THE GRIM REAPER................................................................................................................. 31
NEVER HEARD THIS BEFORE ............................................................................................... 31
**THE SECOND TIME ............................................................................................................. 32
HEAVENLY KNOWLEDGE ...................................................................................................... 32
**MALCOLM MOSS ................................................................................................................. 33
BRIAN SMITH.......................................................................................................................... 34
THE UNWELCOME VISITOR .................................................................................................. 35
THE HOUSE SAVER ................................................................................................................ 35
ALAN COOK ............................................................................................................................. 36
VALERIE HARTIGAN & MARIE CRUTCHETT ....................................................................... 37
GEORGE ELDRED.................................................................................................................... 40
PEGGY DEEKER ...................................................................................................................... 41
I HAD TO TELL SOMEONE ..................................................................................................... 41
MY ONLY READINGS .............................................................................................................. 45
ALLISON DUBOIS .................................................................................................................... 47
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GREETINGS FROM SWEET JESUS ......................................................................................... 48
UNUSUAL PEOPLE AND HAPPENINGS ................................................................................. 48
POSSESSION ............................................................................................................................ 50
VISIONS AND MATERIALISATIONS ...................................................................................... 52
UFO’S ....................................................................................................................................... 54
THE COURT CASE ................................................................................................................... 55
ISABELLA ................................................................................................................................ 55
OLD OR ANCIENT ................................................................................................................... 56
FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T BELIEVE PROPHECY OR CLAIRVOYENCE ............................... 56
BRIDIE’S OUT OF BODY ......................................................................................................... 57
TO HEAVEN AND BACK ......................................................................................................... 58
PROOF OR NOT! ...................................................................................................................... 59
ANOTHER FUTURISTIC DREAM ....................................................................................... 60
MY LOST USB .......................................................................................................................... 60
THE POWER OF PRAYER ....................................................................................................... 61
PRAYER DURING THE WAR .................................................................................................. 62
THE DISCARNATE KATIE KING ............................................................................................ 62
PARACELSUS........................................................................................................................... 64
GERALDINE AND GERRY ....................................................................................................... 66
GOD’S LENT CHILDREN... ....................................................................................................... 68
IN SEARCH OF A CURE ........................................................................................................... 69
CREDITS ............................................................................................................................. 69
Chapter One ......................................................................................................................... 69
Chapter Two......................................................................................................................... 71
Chapter Three....................................................................................................................... 72
Chapter Four ........................................................................................................................ 73
Chapter Five ......................................................................................................................... 74
Chapter Six........................................................................................................................... 76
Chapter Seven ...................................................................................................................... 78
Chapter Eight ....................................................................................................................... 81
Chapter Nine ........................................................................................................................ 86
Chapter Ten .......................................................................................................................... 90
Chapter Eleven ..................................................................................................................... 96
MIRACLES BY THE SCORE ................................................................................................... 103
LUCKY ESCAPE ..................................................................................................................... 117
WE ALL HAVE A STORY ....................................................................................................... 118
MAN WANTING ME TO BUY A BOOK ................................................................................. 118
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QUICK ONE ............................................................................................................................ 119
IVY COMING THROUGH ....................................................................................................... 119
GOD AND THE MAGICIAN .................................................................................................... 120
THE PARALLEL WORLDS .................................................................................................... 120
**ALICE AND WENDY .......................................................................................................... 135
THE CLAIRVOYANT’S VISION .............................................................................................. 140
PAST LIVES PLUS.................................................................................................................. 143
BYRON THE DREAM READER ............................................................................................. 151
**THE HAUNTED MANSION ................................................................................................ 161
THREE THOUSAND B. C. ...................................................................................................... 181
THE FUTURE EQUINELINE .................................................................................................. 198
**HIRAM MOSS ..................................................................................................................... 209
**THE PRAYER WHEEL ....................................................................................................... 224
CARLO TROMBONE’S FAMILIA ........................................................................................... 240
THE TURN AROUND ............................................................................................................. 252
DREAM TIME ........................................................................................................................ 256
**THE FRIENDLY FOLKS...................................................................................................... 263
**FROM IDEALISM TO REALISM ......................................................................................... 278
Chapter 1 ............................................................................................................................ 278
Chapter 2 ............................................................................................................................ 280
Chapter 3 ............................................................................................................................ 282
Chapter 4 ............................................................................................................................ 286
Chapter 5 ............................................................................................................................ 289
Chapter 6 ............................................................................................................................ 292
Chapter 7 ............................................................................................................................ 296
Chapter 8 ............................................................................................................................ 298
Chapter 9 ............................................................................................................................ 301
Chapter 10 .......................................................................................................................... 305
Chapter 11 .......................................................................................................................... 307
Chapter 12 .......................................................................................................................... 309
Chapter 13 .......................................................................................................................... 313
Chapter 14 .......................................................................................................................... 316
Chapter 15 .......................................................................................................................... 319
Chapter 16 .......................................................................................................................... 324
Chapter 17 .......................................................................................................................... 327
Chapter 18 .......................................................................................................................... 330
Chapter 19 .......................................................................................................................... 333
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Chapter 20 .......................................................................................................................... 335
Chapter 21 .......................................................................................................................... 340
Chapter 22 .......................................................................................................................... 344
Chapter 23 .......................................................................................................................... 347
Chapter 24 .......................................................................................................................... 353
Chapter 25 .......................................................................................................................... 357
Chapter 26 .......................................................................................................................... 361
Chapter 27 .......................................................................................................................... 365
**THE FORK IN THE ROAD .................................................................................................. 367
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ARTHUR HoUsTon’s SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES

NOT FOR CLOSED MINDS
My own and others Spiritualist and Paranormal Occurrences and **Automatic writings which
they have given to me or others I have heard or read about.
My name is Arthur Houston, I am 90 years of age and I was a practicing Iridologist and
Homoeopath from 1975 to 2016.
I have set out here under my thoughts and Spiritual experiences over these many years,
including the dozens of **Automatic stories given to me from the other side. They used to
get me up every morning about 2a.m. until 5a.m. typing on my Computer but I never
stopping to think about what I was typing until at last it stopped!
I have typed over 200 thousand words with one finger and have finally finished, which I
never believed would have an end.
I can only hope that you enjoy reading it!
I thank the Spiritual body or bodies who chose me to be their messenger.
My claim to fame is that when I was in the A.I.F. ‗Australian Imperial Force‘ I was in the
Water Transport and along with my fellow crew members I stood on the very top of Australia
on Cape York Peninsula.
We used to tell the girls who asked us what we did, that we used to take the water up to New
Guinea.
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DEDICATION
I dedicate this publication to my late wife Ivy Irene Houston, nee McNamara.
We were married for forty six years and five months she was Mayoress of Preston, Victoria
in 1960-61.
She was without a doubt my best friend and greatest stalwart.
She gave me two beautiful daughters and was responsible for me being involved in
Homoeopathy and Iridology.
Upon examining our life together I found that the only thing I did not like about her, was her
husband!
CREDITS
I would like to thank the following people for contributing to its finalisation and making it
readable. I can't put them in order as to the help they gave me, for they were all so very
generous, therefore I will list them alphabetically.
Thank you to my nephews Paul and Wayne Boucher, their mother the late Melina Fanny
Boucher, Peggy Deeker, Kerrie Lemin, the now Reverend Gordon McKenzie, Sheridan
Morris, Brian Rooney, Betty Varveris and Konstantin Vlahos.
A special thank you to my nephew Allan Ritchie who drew my attention to the Philippine
Faith Healers.
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To all who read the following!
I welcome you to my journey through life, which I must admit have neither been boring or
uneventful.
I hope that you enjoy it, like I have.
My theory as to what happens to us when we leave this world and travel to the next is
complex. I do believe it is fair to say that since time began, as far as we humans are
concerned, the age old question has been;
“Do we continue our journey after we leave our physical body?”
After listening to and being told personally, multitudes of stories about people being visited
by their departed loved ones, plus people who have had out of body experiences and seen and
talked to those who have passed over. The answer must be YES!
It seems that it is a lovely place that we go to and meet those who have gone before us.
When I think of my own passing my thoughts are not about where I am going but how I am
going to leave this earth and with that in mind I hope that Our Lord Almighty allows me to
leave this world in my sleep.
I am a Spiritualist. This means to me that I believe in Almighty God the Creator of
everything, Sweet Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
I do not believe that the Almighty God is my God.
I believe that he is Our God, belonging to all of us!
I believe that all his followers should follow this Golden Rule:
„DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD, THEY SHOULD DO UNTO YOU!‟
The Late Arthur Calwell a Labor politician from way back uttered these beautiful words.
„GOD MUST HAVE LOVED THE LITTLE PEOPLE, HE MADE SO MANY OF THEM!‟
It is a strange world that we live in, a world where multi millions of people believe in
completely different things.
My late wife used to say to me. ‗When you are dead, you are dead! And that it is all there is
about it!‘
Six months after my wife died my very good friend and brilliant Clairvoyant, the late Val
Hartigan who had never met my wife said to me when I was at her Church in Fawkner.
―Arthur your wife has just come through and she says, to tell you that she is finding it very
hard to adjust, as she didn‘t believe in it!‖
Three months later I went to her home also in Fawkner.
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―Arthur‖ she said, ―your wife has just come through and tells me that she met up with
Mavis.‖ Mavis was my sister in laws, sister.
When we get down to the cold hard facts we are faced with there are only two possibilities.
‗Either there is a place we go to and we will know about it or there isn‘t and we won‘t know
about it!‘
I heard this American man say years ago when he was asked what he thought of death he
replied. ―I think that death is a long sleep without disturbing dreams.‖
One thing I will tell my readers is that after all I have been through in my life if this is all
there is I am going to put on the greatest act they have ever seen!
Another thing which has captured my attention over the years is the capability of the brain.
Take for instance the 10 year old Autistic boy who stood in front of a blackboard where ten
numbers had been placed under another ten numbers and they asked him to multiply them,
which he did! There was a man on a Computer with the same numbers and he multiplied
them and both answers were the same.
Another man who had an operation and when he woke up could speak and understand
Manchurian.
There are those who believe that we can‘t see into the future. I have had three dreams about
the future all which came true! You will read about these as you get further into my
experiences.
Heinrich Heine 1797-1856 Quoted in 1843 according to a writer in the Herald Sun.
„A drama will be enacted in Germany compared to which the French Revolution will seem
like a harmless idyll, because once Christianity was shattered, savagery will rise again!‟
There are thousands and possibly multi millions of others that we do not know about!
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IN THE BIBLE JOSEPH AND THE PHARAOH’S DREAM
Pharaoh had a dream; He was standing by the Nile when out of the river there came up seven
cows, sleek and fat and they grazed among the reeds. After them seven other cows, ugly and
gaunt came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. The cows that were
ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek fat cows. Then the Pharaoh woke up!
He fell asleep again and had a second dream seven heads of grain, healthy and good were
growing on a single stalk. After them seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched
by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy full heads. Then
Pharaoh woke up, it had been a dream.
In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of
Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams but no one could interpret them for him.
Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, ―Today I am reminded of my
shortcomings. Pharaoh was once angry with his servants and he imprisoned me and the chief
baker in the house of the captain of the guard. Each of us had a dream the same night and
each dream had a meaning of its own.‖
Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him
our dreams and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his
dream. Things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us; I was restored to my position
and the other man was impaled.
So the Pharaoh sent for Joseph and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had
shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.
Pharaoh said to Joseph, ―I had a dream and no one can interpret it! I have heard it said of
you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.‖
―I can‘t do it!‖ Joseph replied to Pharaoh, ―but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.‖
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ―In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile when out
of the river there came up seven cows fat and sleek and they grazed among the reeds. After
them, seven other cows came up scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly
cows in all the land of Egypt. The lean ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first
but even after they ate them no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly
as before. Then I woke up!‖
―In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good growing on a single stalk. After them
seven other heads sprouted withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads
of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians but none of them
could explain it to me.‖
Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, ―the dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed
to the Pharaoh what he is about to do! The seven good cows are seven years and the seven
good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. The seven lean ugly cows
that came up afterward are seven years and so are the seven worthless heads of grain
Scorched by the east wind. They are seven years of famine. Seven years of great abundance
are coming throughout the land of Egypt but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all
the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance
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in the land will not be remembered because the famine that follows it will be so severe. The
reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly
decided by God and God will do it soon!‖ And God did!
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Now I give you one of my dreams
MY DREAM
I was fifteen years of age and thought I knew everything and ventured out into the big wide
world to make my fortune. I had heard that there was plenty of money to be made fruit
picking. So off I went to Shepparton and joined thousands of others in quest of the almighty
quid (Pound). It was piece work which meant that you got paid for what you picked and you
had to put your head down and your tail up to get a good days pay but you could get one.
They supplied the food and the lodgings and you could eat some of the fruit.
As soon as I got off the train I knew I was in trouble, for I was seeing things that I knew that I
had seen before but it wasn‘t déjà vu. All the things that I was looking at, I had seen in my
dream. I felt this knot in my stomach tighten for I knew amongst other things that I was going
to be involved in a fist fight and get a hiding.
We were walking down the side of this park, there were four of us. One boy wanted to go to
the toilet very urgently and not to pass water.
I said, ―The toilets are not far from here, there is one around the corner we are coming up to,
it‘s only about 20 yards up from the corner.‖
I couldn‘t believe what I had said for I knew what was going to happen and it did!
He took off and the last we saw of him was him sprinting around the corner. We waited for
him to come back and when he reached us, he walked straight up to me and said, ―you told
me that you had never been here before and if that is so, how did you know that the toilets
were there?‖ He asked in a very menacing voice. I didn‘t know what to say.
So I said, ―Somebody must have told me.‖
He looked at me for a few seconds and he said. ―If I find out that you have been here before
and you are kidding me, I will sort you right out mate!‖
―I haven‘t been here before.‖ I said.
―You had better not,‖ he replied. We returned back to the orchard.
I was walking on eggs the whole time I was there for I knew that things were going to happen
but I couldn‘t do anything about it! These two boys both had their eyes on the same girl. One
of them dropped a pear on the other boy‘s head, as he was walking under this tree. The boy
the pear hit just reached over and pulled the ladder from under the other boy and it was on
and I mean really on, none of this step back and hit. It was toe to toe for the lady whom they
both fancied was picking off the opposite tree.
It took three men to pull them apart and I waited and sure enough, the man in charge said to
them, ―Shake hands.‖ As I saw in the dream one of the boys put out his hand for the
handshake and the other king hit him and knocked him out cold. They sacked him and
escorted him off the property.
Then I knew that it was going to be my turn. I knew as soon as I awoke for the boy opposite
was standing in front of me wearing red underpants, exactly as I had seen in my dream. The
day progressed as normal and I thought I must be mistaken but then the man in charge took
me to another part of the orchard and there were these two boys I had seen in my dream.
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The biggest of them Kevin and he told me we were going to work as a team, he and his mate
Mattie would do the picking and I would take the buckets over to the loader who marked
down who they were from and how many there were and he put them in their boxes. It was
hard work for me as they were very experienced pickers.
At last it was over we were the last to finish picking. I stood there exhausted and sure enough,
Kevin said, ―Let‘s go and have a beer.‖
I told him I was too tired and would give it a miss.
He looked at me and said. ―We who pick together, drink together OK!‖
It was not a request it was a statement. Sure enough we went to the canteen and his mate
Albert, ‗Call me Bert‟ was waiting for us.
―If you don‘t mind I will have only one drink as I don‘t drink,‖ I said.
―Well you do tonight Arthur,‖ he said and that was that!
I knew then that I was going to get my hiding tonight, for everything I had dreamed was
happening. What the hell, I evidently couldn‘t change what was going to happen to me, so I
had to play along with it. Four beers later I staggered into the shower, passed the boy I knew
was going to king hit me, undressed and got under the shower and then I was lying on the
floor after being king hit from behind by the boy I had seen in my dream.
Please don‘t ask me why I went to the shower for I really don‘t know.
I got to my feet and tried to fight him but I had no chance. He was just using me as a
punching bag. In the dream I was told to get out but I couldn‘t get a clear run. Then I saw an
opening and off I went only to be hit in the forehead by the now late Alfie Nelson. I made for
the canteen. I was bleeding badly from my face and my body. They put me on a table, there
was blood everywhere, it was all mine! They asked me what had happened and I told them
that I was drunk and slipped in the shower but they didn‘t believe me. Another boy, Georgi
Cassasis, I believe a relation of Alfie Nelson walked into the canteen.
―What did he say happened to him?‖ He asked.
―He says that he fell and hit his head while he was showering, but we don‘t believe him!‖
―He is telling you the truth‖ he said. ―Because I saw him hit his head and came over to see
how he was going.‖ He then left.
I was in big trouble and had a most terrible night.
I went into Shepparton the next night after work and I was very sad and feeling sorry for
myself, I was really hurting.
I went to the Post Office to post a letter that I had written a couple of days ago and the boy
who had king hit me was walking past and he looked up and saw me.
―Well, well!‖ he said. ―Now I can finish what I started last night.‖
Whatever little courage I might have had disappeared as I was doing it hard. Then out of
nowhere came this voice. It was Alfie Nelson‘s.
―He‘s had his hiding and took it well. You will leave him alone or I will give you a hiding,
ok!‖
―Ok!‖ said the other boy and walked away.
I didn't see that in my dream but I was surely thankful that it happened. Many months later
lying in bed I started to recall all that had happened. Everything I had dreamt had happened
except Alfie Nelson stopping me from getting another hiding. But it leaves me in no doubt
that people can actually dream of things which happen in the future.
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70 YEARS LATER....
It was Sunday the 1st of January, 2012 and as usual I made my way to the VSU, ‗Victorian
Spiritualists Union‟ meeting in A‘Beckett Street, Melbourne.
During the meeting George brought books from the book shop, telling people what they were
like and how much they cost.
He held up this book it was called ‗Meditation and the Bible‘ by Aryeh Kaplan which was
selling for $7.70. I had no intention of buying it until he mentioned „Moses and the Covenant
of the Ark‟ and I found myself reaching into my pocket for the money, which I gave to
George as he left the stage.
I started to read the book on the way home in the train. It was very unusual quoting man
Jewish Rabbi‘s and their opinions on meditation. The psalms were also mentioned. As was
the Kabbalah and the Jewish names for meditation ‗hit boded and hit bodedut‘.
On page 15 this caught my eye ‗When will I be worthy that the light of the Divine Presence
should dwell in me‟ and it gave me much food for thought.
While sitting at the kitchen table reading the book I was suddenly overcome with tiredness to
such an extent that I had to go and lay down on the bed, which I did and I fell asleep.
I awoke to see a man sitting in a chair at the right hand side of my bed in the corner. He was
nicely dressed in a suit. He had a paper folded over his knees I knew that it was the Herald
Sun. We looked each other in the eyes neither of us said anything!
I tried to recognise him but I couldn‘t and then he slowly disappeared.
I lay there for a few minutes then got up went to the kitchen and opened the Herald Sun,
Sunday January 1st 2012 and started to look through it. On page12 heading;
‗1982 CABINET PAPERS‟ was a photo of Alfred Nelson who was believed murdered but his
body was never found.
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Another dream that I had!
SALVO AND TOM’S REWARD
My wife Ivy and I were regulars going to the horse races nearly every Saturday.
We went to Moonee Valley this day and as we entered the course you could hear the
bookmakers and there were dozens of them, calling out the odds they were prepared to give
you if you backed the horse with them.
The first horse I heard called was Salvo, ―I will give you ten to one, Salvo?‖
I stopped, something in my head was ringing a bell and then the penny dropped. I had dreamt
about this horse. Its number was eleven and it won the race in a photo finish, after leading all
the way. I opened my race book sure enough Salvo had the number eleven saddle cloth.
This is what I dreamed.
‗It was a hurdle race and Salvo had left the barrier first and led all the way until the last jump,
when two other horses challenged him and the three of them went to the post locked together.
There was a photo finish and after a few minutes up went the number, it was number 11,
Salvo.‘
I asked my wife Ivy who was our banker to give me a tenner, this being a ten pound note or
as we used to call it in those days, „ten Quid‟ and not like the monotony money we are using
today a „Quid‟ was a lot of money.
With five Quid you could pay your rent, buy all your food, buy clothes for the whole family,
pay all your bills, go to the pictures and put a few bob ‗shillings‘ in the bank.
You could buy a house for less than three thousand pounds. (Six thousand dollars)
That was before our politicians brought devaluation into existence.
I went looking for the Bookmaker who owned the voice ―Ten to one, Salvo” and I found him.
―I want ten quid on Salvo?‖ I said, and gave him the tenner.
―Thank you sir,‖ he said and he gave me a ticket for one hundred and ten pounds, for in those
days you got ten to one for your money, plus the return of your investment.
It was the most beautiful race I had ever watched. Salvo led into the straight for the first time
and continued to lead until the horses entered the straight for the last time and headed for the
winning post. I was jumping for joy inside, as everything I had seen in the dream was
happening. The three horses went to the line as one. My wife Ivy was cheering for Salvo to
win as for me I was thinking. ‗I will give Ivy the hundred quid, and keep the tenner.‟
The photo finish sign went up.
―Do you think we won?‖ asked little Ivy. She liked to be called Little Ivy.
I laughed. ―I am going to give you the hundred quid and I will keep the tenner,‖ I said.
She looked at me and said. ―A hundred pounds if he wins. We will win a hundred pounds!‖
That was about twenty week‘s wages.
―Do you think that he has won?‖ she asked.
I put my arm around her and gave her a hug and a kiss.
―I‘m not sure love,‖ I said. ―I am positive!‖
She looked at me. The crowd roared; Number 11 was signalled as the winner. This was
Salvo‘s number. So Ivy got the hundred quid and I kept the tenner.
Please don‘t ask me if I won or lost it? As I honestly can‘t remember!
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The next dream I had was quite a long while after. The horse I dreamt about was called
Tom‘s something, it could have been Tom‘s Reward but I‘m not sure but it was definitely
Tom‘s something and I will always remember that part of the name, for Tom was my father‘s
name.
The races were at Caulfield and I had been having a bad trot and I could not back a winner
for love nor money.
I was looking through the fields on Saturday morning and there it was „Tom‟s Reward‟. It
was eight to one. I scraped up every penny I could lay my hands on and after the entrance fee
and lunch, plus afternoon tea, I had thirty pounds and that was everything we had in the
world.
Unlike in the dream when I saw Salvo win, I only saw the last half furlong of this race and
number five, was Tom‘s Reward. He won by about five lengths.
At last it was time for the race. I hadn‘t had a bet in any other race for it was in my opinion
‗All or Nothing!‘
I got eight to one it wore the number five saddle cloth.
―THEY‘RE OFF!‖ and I watched „Tom‟s Reward‟ all the way round and he was easy to see
as he was in last position all the way about six lengths behind the second last horse.
I just stood there like a stunned rabbit when they entered the straight, for Tom‘s Reward was
still six lengths behind the last horse.
―Where is our horse?‖ asked Ivy.
I pointed. ―Do you see that last horse coming into the straight, well that is ours.‖
―Oh!‖ she said. ―That‘s not a very good position is it?‖
I was wondering how I was going to tell Ivy that I had lost all our money and what she would
say. I know that you will forgive me when I say I was sweating like a pig but there are no
other words to describe it. I was going to cop it for sure and rightly so, for that was all the
money that we had in the world and I hadn‘t paid the rent.
The horses were about a furlong out from the winning post when I heard.
‗Look at Tom‘s Reward. He is absolutely flying‘ and he went to the line to win by about five
lengths just as he had in my dream.
Ivy grabbed my arm. ―We have won!‖ she said full of excitement. ―We have won!‖
―Yes!‖ I said. ―We are lucky aren‘t we?‖ But inside I was still shaking like a leaf.
―You don‘t seem all that excited,‖ she said.
―I wouldn‘t say that love,‖ I said. ―We have just won Two hundred and Forty quid!‖
This was equivalent to about 11 month‘s wages.
She looked at me. ―Two Hundred and Forty pounds, you must have got a good price.‖
―Any winning price is a good price,‖ I said.
I gave her a hug and a kiss and went to collect the money.
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Deep down where I lived I was shaking with fear. We only had thirty quid between us and if I
had blown it all, we wouldn‘t have had any money to pay our rent or to live until our next
payday which was Friday.
I went and picked up the Two Hundred and Seventy Quid. I gave Ivy two hundred to put in
her bank account as I didn‘t have one. Gave her a tenner for herself and kept the other sixty.
Unlike Salvo‘s win where my confidence knew no bounds, when Tom‘s Reward entered the
straight six lengths behind the last horse I lost all my faith and what I had done hit me fairly
and squarely between the eyes, the fear within me was unbelievable.
I had dreams about other horses winning after that but I only put one quid on them and none
of them won. I don‘t have the slightest doubt that once you lose your faith you lose
everything!
It was after that a strange thing happened to me, something inside me told me to open another
bank account in Ivy‘s and my name and put at least the same amount in the bank every week.
It was on my mind every day, be it morning, noon or night this thought came into my mind.
It went on for weeks and weeks, never stopping. The same message every day! Open a bank
account in yours and Ivy‘s name and put money in it every week.
Then came the day I will never forget. The horse‘s names I have forgotten but not the last
horse‘s number, it was number five.
The races were at Caulfield, definitely one of my favourite courses.
I was no longer a thirty pound punter.
I was a pound double, Five shilling, Quinella, Trifecta and Quadrella punter.
I had been following these two horses for weeks. I used to bet five shillings each way on
them but up to date neither of them had run a place. This was the first time they had both run
at the same track on the same day. So off I go to the double‘s bookmakers and see that both
the horses‘ price was 20-1. This meant that if I put a pound on the double and they both won,
I would win 400 pounds, plus my own pound back.
The first horse won. My second selection was running third as they entered the straight,
So I decided that it was time for me to go to the toilet, and off I went.
Naturally it took me a little time to adjust my clothing and wash my hands and when I walked
back on the lawn and looked up at the semaphore board. Number five was in the frame. I had
won Four Hundred Quid ‗Pounds‘.
The following Monday we started our bank account. But please don‘t think that little Ivy
didn‘t get a nice little bit for herself, for you would be wrong!
From that day forward I have never missed paying something into our bank account every
week no matter how big or little it was and I suggest if I can do it, you can do the same for it
will stand you in very good stead.
18
MY MOST UNUSUAL EXPERIENCE
The following is without a doubt the most unusual experience I have ever had in my life.
If I liked a sip or two of alcoholic beverages it would certainly be easier to explain but as I
don‘t, I cannot explain what happened. But I will set out hereunder what happened to me and
you can come to any conclusion that suits you.
It was Thursday the 9th of May in the year of Our Lord, 2012.
I had left the Excelsior Hotel, a hotel in Mahoneys Road Thomastown, after contributing to
their poker machines revenue my usual twenty dollars, which I seemed to do on a regular
basis. It probably lasted about an hour to an hour and a half. Today it could on a good day
last about one minute.
I crossed over Edgars Road, which is on the North side of Mahoneys road and headed East
towards the Keon Park railway station, which was about seventeen minute walk from the
Excelsior.
I seemed to be walking slower than usual and although I tried to quicken my pace I couldn‘t
do so. I looked at my wrist watch it showed twelve minutes to seven. I felt a bit strange as
though I was not in control of myself. I remember thinking that the train goes at six fiftyfour,
and even if I hurry, I will miss it!
I looked over to the Reservoir side of Mahoneys road, this being the South side. I was
opposite the Merrilands Secondary School, just down from Curzon Street and as seeing it was
such a nice night I decided to walk as I had on numerous occasions.
It was only about a fifty minute walk to the Unit. So I crossed to the south side of Mahoneys
road, this being the Reservoir side and I entered Curzon Street and walked up to Merrilands
Road, turned left and continued up to Asquith Street. I crossed Hughes Parade, walked long
Asquith Street until I entered Sturdee Street, which meant that I was walking south towards
Reservoir.
It was while I was walking along Sturdee Street that everything went black and I mean black.
Pitch black. It cleared just a fraction and I saw old type houses with long steep roofs as are in
Europe today. But these were dark and old-fashioned as back in the earlier centuries. None of
them were showing any lights from their windows.
I have walked Streets in Britain, Europe and America. Very dark streets but have never felt
afraid or that I was in any danger but not now. I was afraid! Really afraid and I had this
premonition of danger and it was taking complete control over me.
I started to walk faster. My heart was racing. It was terrifying, and my fear was growing with
every step and just when I had given up hope of ever reaching Church Street which leads off
Sturdee Street and would take me up to High Street, I saw this street light on my left. This
had to be Church Street. Thank God, and felt the fear starting to leave me.
I turned into what I thought was Church Street, but felt the fear gripping me again, this was
not Church Street, it was too long and the houses were older. The street was wider and I
could see the side wall of a factory at the top of the street, but there was no factory in Church
Street. I didn‘t really care, for I was in a well-lighted street and I was heading for the top of it
as fast as my legs would carry me.
19
I was close to running by the time I reached top of the street. I tried to recognize the
surroundings, but all to no avail, not one thing could I recognise and all the relief I had felt
when entering this street disappeared.
I stood there, full of fear and confusion, trying to work out where I was and how I had got
there. I turned around to look down the street I had used to get to what I believed and hoped
was High street. I found myself looking into a fence.
I tried to gather my composure. No chance. Fear had me in its grasp. So I shook my head and
closed my eyes for a few minutes and tried to do it by numbers.
I opened my eyes and I looked straight ahead, across the road. I thought that I could see train
lines and a large building in the background. I looked to my left and saw traffic lights; I
believe it was a hanging light. I looked to my right and saw what could be best described as a
proverbial ‗Christmas Tree‘. I had never seen a blaze of lights like it. Then I saw corner
traffic lights, which I sincerely hoped were the lights at the corner of High Street and
Mahoneys Road.
I made my way very gingerly towards them and as I approached this very brilliantly lit area, I
found that the main lights were from a hoarding board, which was advertising ‗The Age‘
Newspaper. The other lights were from the Keon Park Railway Station, which is at the corner
of high street and Keon Parade. On the other side of High street Keon Parade becomes
Mahoneys Road.
I looked at my watch, it showed that the time was now six fifty- five, five minutes to seven,
seven minutes later than when I crossed to the South side of Mahoneys Road and entered
Curzon Street.
I entered the Keon Park station, waited a few minutes and caught the train to Reservoir.
My mind was not exactly working as it should have. There were questions flowing into it for
which I had no answers. How did I get from the South side of Mahoneys Road to the North
side without crossing Mahoneys Road? Or to put it more plainly! How did I walk along a
street that does exist, then up a street that does not exist into High Street Thomastown, which
does exist?
I know this to be true because I have doubly checked all the above in daylight hours and there
is no way I could have got from where I was in Sturdee street Reservoir which is South of
Mahoneys road to where ever I was in High street Thomastown which is North of Mahoneys
road without crossing Mahoneys Road and walking along High street.
I have thought about this many times in my life, but I cannot come to terms with it no matter
how hard I try. It just does not add up!
I even tried to make a joke of it. Like maybe I was taken up into a UFO but the cook gave me
the thumbs down telling those involved to take me back as he wanted lamb not mutton.
Although when I remember the fear that I felt at the time, I don‘t find that funny.
The mind is a very interesting organ and sometimes can draw to your attention little things
that might not be little things.
All my life I have loved numbers and I should have followed Pythagoras years ago!
My late wife Ivy was born 5-9-1918
My experience took place on the 9-5-2002
Add that together and you get 18
Play on numbers 5-9-18.
I have absolutely no answer for the above nor do I believe I will I ever get one, but the one
thing I do know is that I hope that I never have an experience like this again!
20
GWEN O’BRIEN CLAIRVOYANT EXTRAORDINAIRE
The first clairvoyant reading I ever received was from the late Mrs Gwen O‘Brien, at her
home in Bernard Street Reservoir, Victoria, Australia in the 1960‘s.
Mrs O‘Brien was without a doubt, one of the most honest, sincere and talented clairvoyants
from whom I have ever received a reading and believe you me, I have received literally
dozens.
She sat with me in her lounge on opposite sides of her dining table. She had a pencil and a
large pad in front of her. It was foolscap size but the paper was plain and she started to talk,
writing as she was talking.
―You will have four big hurdles to jump during your life!‖
My First Hurdle
―Your direction in life is going to change dramatically you will be involved in something
entirely different than you are at present. The transformation will be gentle and gradual.
You will find the real reason for your journey on this earth and by doing so you will help
yourself and many others. It won‘t be easy but it will be very satisfying.‖
Relative to my finding my true journey in life, I will let you be the judge.
At the time I received the reading from Mrs O‘Brien I worked in Real Estate. I had my own
little business and had been for seventeen years. It was in 1973 that I started to study
Iridology and so that you may be aware of not only the career change but also the economic
change.
My last half commission in Real Estate was four- thousand, eight- hundred and twenty-five
dollars. My first fee in natural medicine including medicines was five dollars and whilst I
might be bucket loads behind in wealth, I am so far ahead in satisfaction that it just doesn‘t
matter.
My introduction into the natural healing field was by making contact with a lady named
D‘Arne. She was an Iridologist and a Naturopath. After reading my iris and telling me things
about my body which I knew to be true. She gave me vitamins and minerals which she was
quite sure would be beneficial to both my mental and spiritual bodies.
As we were leaving she handed me a book on Iridology by an American, Bernard Jensen and
she asked me to read it and tell her what I thought about it next Sunday, when she wanted to
see me again. When I arrived home I opened the book, read as far as page three and put it
down, it did not mean a thing to me.
The following Wednesday night whilst having our dinner, my late wife Ivy brought up the
book that D‘Arne had given me to read.
―You told her that you would read it!‖ She said. ―And if she asks you any questions about it
on Sunday when we see her, you will look a fool if you don‘t know any of the answers.‖
21
I picked up the book and started to read it, I got to page seven and it still didn‘t mean a thing
so I put it down.
Then Friday night, at the dinner table I copped this.
―I can‘t tell you how disappointed I am in you! My husband keeps his word and you gave
yours and you‘re not keeping it. You told D‘Arne you would read the book she gave you and
you haven‘t.‖
Deadly silence, not a word was spoken, I left the dinner table picked up the book and started
to read it! I have not put down any book on Iridology or Homoeopathy since.
My Second Hurdle
―You will travel overseas to another land, and will see things which you will find hard to
believe or understand. You will find it very difficult to come to grips with what you are
seeing, as these things are so far removed from what you have been taught and accepted as
normal. But later you will accept them and see them as they really are, „Miracles from God!‟
You will witness miraculous mind-boggling incidents, far beyond your understanding and
they‗ll have a tremendous influence upon your future.
You will walk into a very dark building but do not be afraid as no harm will come to you.‖
In 1975, with my great friend John Thornton, I went to the Philippines to see the Faith
Healers „In Search of a Cure - Miracles by the Score‟ further in the book.
The incident Mrs O‘Brien refers to is recorded in, „Miracles by the Score‟ I will set it out
hereunder as it is a long way from here to there.
―You will walk into a very a dark building, do not be afraid as no harm will come to you.‖
On the second trip to the Philippines, I was accompanied by my wife Ivy, our niece Irene and
her husband Allan as well as other friends.
When we were in Baguio City on this Sunday morning Irene said, ―Let us go to the Sunday
Market.‖ Ivy and the others didn‘t want to go, so only we three went.
It was the usual type of market. Stalls everywhere selling anything and everything!
We had just about covered it all when Irene saw this big Army type Igloo with the corrugated
iron sheets on the roof.
―Let‘s go in there!‖ she said. So in we went, our eyes adjusted to the dimming of the light as
we moved deep into the Igloo.
Suddenly Irene grabbed my arm, ―Uncle Arthur,‖ she said. ―It is so dark in here and I am
frightened.‖
I looked to the outside doorway it was as bright as the day it was but in here it was almost
pitch black.
A little boy ran over to me and put his arms around my leg. I looked down at him, luckily I
spoke a little of their language and said, “Kamusta?” How are you? “Marbuti?” Good?
22
He laughed and all the people sitting in the dark with us laughed. I waved to them as we went
back into the daylight and they waved back. Allan was comforting Irene who was crying. As
for me I burst out laughing.
For I was remembering what Mrs O‘Brien told me in her reading.
―You will walk into a very dark building in another land, but do not be afraid as no harm will
come to you.‖ They both looked at me wondering why I was laughing but that didn‘t mean a
thing to me, I just couldn‘t stop.
My Third Hurdle
―You will find yourself in great financial trouble where you cannot see your way clear, but
don‘t worry for you will receive help from a most unexpected source.‖
When my very good friend John Thornton passed away on the 23rd day of December 1976,
he was 77 years of age. When John left us he mentioned me in his will for which I was
sincerely grateful. It was a Trust and we who were involved were all under the impression
that all the monies we received were to be tax free, but we were wrong, for I received a bill
from the Taxation Department for Nine thousand dollars. I went and saw them but I was
wasting my time, I owed them Nine thousand dollars and that was the end of it.
I didn‘t have nine thousand dollars, nor did I have any chance of getting it. My poor wife Ivy
was worrying herself sick about where we were going to get that sort of money but for me I
didn‘t care one hoot. The Taxation Department didn‘t want me. They wanted the money and I
believed at that time rightly or wrongly that they would make me pay them the Nine thousand
Dollars, plus interest over a given time.
My favourite scratchy ticket game at that time was „Tic Tac Toe,‟ the old noughts and crosses
game and I was the king of the two dollar winning tickets. If I bought two or three tickets I
could bet on getting two dollars.
It was about one week before the due date to pay the Taxation Department what was now
their Nine Thousand dollars. As usual I bought two tickets at „Toy World‟ in Edwardes Street,
Reservoir. I scratched two sections, two noughts, scratched the other two sections, two
crosses. You little beauty - another two dollars! I scratched away and saw not two dollars but
ten thousand dollars. I went pale, ten thousand dollars in those days was a lot of money, as it
is in these days.
I couldn‘t get home fast enough to tell Ivy of our good fortune. I walked into the kitchen gave
her a great hug and a kiss and told her that we had won ten thousand dollars.
―Oh isn‘t that lovely!‖ she said. ―Now you can pay the Taxation Department the nine
thousand dollars that you owe them.‖ I felt like somebody had poured the coldest of cold ice
water all over me. I had not even given them a thought.
Oh blimey! What a pain in the posterior that was and I am telling you the truth. When I was
writing that cheque to the Taxation Department for nine thousand dollars, there were tears in
my eyes and they fell upon that cheque.
23
My Fourth Hurdle
―You will make a very bad mistake which will be responsible for causing you quite a lot of
physical suffering. A man will stop you from being very seriously injured. You will feel as if
you are dying, but it is not your time.‖
When I was about fifty- five years of age I had an altercation with a boy about nineteen. It
had been coming for a long time and after having enough, I offered him out. It might not have
been the silliest thing that I have ever done in my life but it was close. He sorted me out in
about four hits and as I lay on the ground he gave me a kicking and he was wearing big heavy
army type boots. If it had not been for a neighbour interfering and stopping him, I believe that
he would have kicked me to death.
24
MY MOTHER HER TWIN SISTER ROSA AND ME
I must mention my mother Melita Elizabeth Houston, nee Cane. She was a tea leaf reader.
She and her twin sister Rosa used to attend spiritual meetings back in the 1930s.
I believe that they were both very clairvoyant and that something of this nature has rubbed off
on to me for I see many visions, which incidentally give me great joy.
Mother was an excellent tea leaf reader and people used to seek her out during the depression
and this was when money was worth money. They paid her say a shilling or two shillings a
reading, depending on their circumstances. She was always spot on and she didn‘t have the
advantages that we have today. In those days you either knew or you didn‘t know and
everybody knew who did and who didn‘t. They were the cold hard facts.
When I first started to see visions, I was very surprised and possibly a little shocked.
To be sleeping, resting or meditating and upon opening your eyes to see someone standing in
front of you although you are alone in the house, certainly catches your attention. But not
today for now I love to see them and welcome them with open arms.
The late Rae Smith, the wife of the also late Banks Smith. The then President of the Victorian
Spiritualist Union gave me a reading from the platform which resulted in me being able to
accomplish something, which I believe that I would never have accomplished, had she not
giving me this reading and for which I am most grateful.
I went to the VSU this Sunday. My ears had been playing up a treat and I had made up my
mind to go to the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital tomorrow morning and get them
checked.
Rae Smith was on the platform.
―Is anyone having trouble with their ears?‖ She asked.
Three people besides me put up their hands.
―Who is having trouble with their hearing?‖ She asked.
Another lady and I kept our hands up.
―The person coming through is a lady; she tells me that you are very concerned about
something very personal.‖
My hand stayed up and the lady lowered hers.
She came to me, ―It is your mother,‖ she said, ―and she says to tell you not to worry about the
problem confronting you as everything will be alright.‖
Well that was a piece of good news to say the least for I was trying to solve a problem which
seemed to be unsolvable in my mind. So I gave it to the Almighty who has the ability to solve
all problems. The very next week what had seemed to have been unsolvable didn‘t even exist.
―Relative to your ear problems, your mother tells me that you are going to have a lot of
trouble with the left ear. The right ear will take a few seconds but the left ear is going to take
about half an hour or even more but don‘t worry everything will be alright!‖
She then told me things about my Scottish ancestors. Some of which I had heard before but I
had not heard about the Laird brandishing his claymore and giving me a good kick up what I
sit on, as I deserved it!
25
Monday morning I went to the Eye and Ear Hospital. The nurse asked me if I wanted a doctor
or was I prepared to let her perform the procedure. As it didn‘t worry me either way I told her
to go ahead. She went to my right ear inserted some type of instrument, removed it, put in
some oil, waited a few seconds and then put the instrument back into my ear. I felt a small
tug, but no pain and she showed me a long length of what she said was wax. She then did the
same thing to the left ear waited a few seconds and then inserted the instrument. She kept
turning it gently all to no avail, this went on for nearly half an hour then she said, ―I think I
will have to get a doctor as I cannot move it.‖
‗Well Mother,‘ went my thoughts you were not wrong. The nurse stood up and went towards
the door, then stopped and turning to me said, ―Would you mind if I had one more go? There
is just one other thing I could try.‖
―Be my guest.‖ I replied for she had not done me any harm.
She picked up a funny looking instrument almost like a type of corkscrew and inserted it into
my ear and moved it very gently in and out, not turning it, just pushing it in and out. I felt
something move, she laughed picked up the other instrument inserted it into my ear and
easily and gently pulled out this very long, very round piece of hard wax. She was so happy
almost as happy as I was which I can assure was very happy. She thanked me, I gave her a
hug and left, hearing sounds I had not heard for quite a long time.
After receiving so much help from my Mother, I decided to visit my Mother‘s grave. Mother
and her twin sister Rosa are both buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery, as are her
Mother and Father, her brother Frank and her sister Vena and her husband Louis.
When I reached the grave the first thing I noticed was that all the colouring in the lettering
had faded. The lettering was excellent but it was plain white, and the headstone was in
excellent condition.
I decided to visit my Grandmother‘s grave. She was my father‘s mother and had married
again! Her last name was now King. It was in another section about five minutes from
Mother‘s grave.
When I eventually found the grave I received quite a shock, as there was no headstone on it.
It was then I remembered that there had never been a headstone but as it had been so many
years since I had been here that I had forgotten.
I can‘t say that I was overly impressed with those whose place it was to put a headstone on
Grandmother‘s grave, especially since she had been dead since 1946 and it was now 1998.
On the following Monday morning I rang the cemetery to ascertain who were in the grave.
There were three people;
Charles Houston killed in a motorbike accident in 1923, Grandmother‘s son.
His son Charles Houston, an Air Force Pilot, drowned in Port Phillip Bay in 1936.
My Grandmother Lydia Marian King who died 1946.
I rang three Stonemasons. I was told that a headstone would cost me between two thousand
and ten thousand dollars, depending upon the size and what was written upon it.
I must mention that when I arrived home from the cemetery that day and opened the door of
the unit, the first words I heard from the radio which I had evidently forgotten to turn off,
were by some very American singer, who was singing,
„Every grave should have a headstone‟ this I swear to is the truth!
As I usually do when confronted by things which I believed can better be handled by the
Almighty, I said, ―Lord, if you give me the money I swear to you that I will put a headstone
on Grandmothers grave and paint the letters on my Mothers headstone.‖
26
This was in November 1998.
It was on a Saturday morning, the 1st of May 1999 and I was as usual getting ready to study
the racing papers when I looked up to the heavens and said to the Lord.
―Lord you had better smarten your footwork if I am to put a headstone on Nanna‘s grave and
paint Mum‘s headstone, I need the money. You must admit it has been a long time since
November 1998.‖
Being a punter from way back I used to study the races every Saturday morning and had done
this ever since I had started betting.
I liked to take Doubles, Quinellas, Trifectas, and Quadrellas.
I loved numbers, did not matter what the number was, if I fancied it, I backed it.
Today was the 1st of May, 1999. Therefore 1+5+1999 equals 34, 4-3=1. It could have been
number 7, but as it was the 1st half of the month, the number was one, had it being the second
half of the month the number would have been 7.
This was my system for that day. I took all the top weights, and all those horses which had
drawn number one at the barrier. I put them in a Quadrella the total cost being eight dollars.
I also took Doubles, Quinellas, and Trifectas with other numbers which I cannot remember.
My total outlay was around the thirty dollar mark.
Off I went to work as I did most Saturday afternoons not all, as I liked going to the races.
I finished work at around 5pm and I walked from Keon Park to the TAB which was at that
time in High Street, Reservoir.
I went over to the result board and couldn‘t believe my eyes. I had won the Daily Double, the
Quadrella, two other Doubles, one Trifecta and two Quinellas. All the horses that had drawn
barrier one, had won the Quadrella.
I couldn‘t get home fast enough and rang the TAB and gave the operator my phone account
number and my code and then I heard these beautiful exciting words.
‗You have a balance of Seven Thousand Nine Hundred and Fifty dollars and Seventy-Five
cents.‘
Blimey, I couldn‘t believe my ears, that were a lot of money and to say it was unexpected is
putting it mildly.
On Monday the 3rd of May 1999, I rung around the Stonemasons and got a quote for a
headstone for one thousand three hundred dollars, they were all about the same price after
telling them what I wanted on the headstone, subject to the size of the stone.
The man who gave me the last quote was more interested than the others and asked me if I
would like to sign up today.
―Yes please!‖ I very quickly said.
He came to my home, checked what I wanted on the headstone and told me it would cost
one thousand two hundred and eighty dollars.
―Thank you kindly,‖ I said.
I couldn‘t sign quickly enough.
So thank you to the Good Lord. My Grandmother, her son and his son plus all the others she
had borne, have their names on a headstone and I was as proud and happy as a dog with two
tails.
27
Relative to my mother, who there is no doubt was the instigator of all that transpired, I had all
the letters on the headstone painted black so they would stand out and be easily readable. I
know not why but the person who told me he would paint the letters at three dollars a letter
did not ring back after six weeks, so I gave the job to my Nephew Wayne at the same
remuneration.
Wayne found out something very interesting, which I believe puts my Mother, her twin sister,
Rosa, and their brother Frank in a most unusual position.
For Wayne found when he reached the bottom of the headstone, the lettering instead of
reading.
‗In God‘s Care‘ read, ‗In Goo‘s Care.‘
Instead of ‗od‘ in God, there were two ‗oo‘ So when I go looking for my Mother and Aunty
Rosa and their brother Frank when I pass over, I will have to ask Saint Peter or whoever,
―Where is Goo?‖
28
SUE
I first made contact with Sue through this very good friend of mine, Peggy Deeker.
In 1994, I was in quite a fix. My wife Ivy had died and I was left trying to sort out the mess
of cleaning up, mentally, physically and spiritually, this was not easy.
We had a „holiday account‟ which we both contributed money to every week and as we had
not been on holidays for quite a few years it had nearly four thousand dollars in it.
I knew this for a fact, for a few months before my wife went into the Caratis Christi Hospice
in Kew, where she had taken her last breathe on this earth. She came into the lounge and told
me that she had counted the holiday money and there was nearly four thousand dollars in the
tin.After Ivy died I went to the tin and counted the money, I found there to be just over one
thousand five hundred dollars, there was about two thousand five hundred dollars missing.
Whilst I could not prove it, it is my considered opinion, later verified by Sue, that Ivy, who
was suffering from „Alzheimer‟s Disease‟ had been taken advantage of by two very delightful
human beings. Evidently they told her that what they delivered to her should have cost her
two thousand five hundred dollars more, so she evidently gave whoever another two thousand
five hundred dollars.
Sue told me that one of the men wanted to take the money but the other was most reluctant.
However it seems that two thousand five hundred dollars was too great a temptation to refuse.
My wife had this beautiful diamond ring, which she had promised to our Daughter Sheryl.
Although I had searched high and low I couldn‘t find it anywhere and I was getting angrier
and angrier, for I believe that the two men who took the money could also have taken the
ring.
I asked Peggy if she knew of any clairvoyant who could help me and she referred me to Sue.
Sue was and still is a great Sai Baba devotee and had been to India many times to see him
and had the joy and privilege of meeting him face to face.
I rang Sue and asked her if she could help me!
She made me no promises but said that she would meditate and would contact me if she got
anything.
Two weeks later I received a call from her.
―The two men had taken the two thousand five hundred dollars from your wife. They
mentioned an amount of money and she thought that she had to pay that amount of money to
them which she did. One of the men was most reluctant to take it but the other was not and
they took it! The men didn‘t take your wife‘s ring it is still in the house. Your wife has an
old-fashioned dressing table, the ring is on the end of a plastic tape, be very careful of the
vacuum cleaner.‖
I put the phone down and searched underneath her dressing table. My hand felt a piece of
plastic tape, I pulled it out and on the end of it was Ivy‘s diamond ring.
I went back to the phone and told Sue that I had found it. She was as pleased as I was.
I thanked her from the bottom of my heart, for it had been causing me much anger and
distress.
29
What a wonderful gift it must be to have, which enables you to see things in the past and the
future with such clarity, that you can tell people what occurred at that time.
Let us analyse what occurred.
I rang Sue. She had never met my wife or me. She had never been to our home. Yet by going
into her own special world and using the gifts given to her by „HE‟ who gives us all our gifts,
she could tell me what took place in our home when my wife was alive and that her diamond
ring was under her old fashion dressing table.
Sue told me of her seeing a small red devil up in the corner of her ceiling and it was looking
down at her. She asked it to leave, she said a prayer and it disappeared. She told me not to
curse it or say anything rude to it for evidently it can harm us.
30
PROOF OF SURVIVAL
A young lady about twenty two came to my clinic to get treatment, she seemed very upset
and I asked her why and this is what she told me.
Her grandmother had died about five months ago and she had not got over it.
Then this little girl about 15 years of age who went to the same school and whom she had
seen often but didn‘t know, came up to her and told her that she wanted to tell her something.
This is what she told her...
―I have this old lady standing next to me and when you come near me she leaves me and goes
over to you. Then leaves you and comes back to me. I believe that she is your grandmother.‖
The lady asked the little girl to describe the old lady.
She described the old lady, including something about her glasses, so exactly that she has no
doubt what so ever, that the lady she was telling her about was her grandmother.
She was finding it very hard to come to grips with what she had been told and was shaking as
she told me.
I believe that you could accept this as Proof of Survival.
31
THE GRIM REAPER
Being a Spiritualist many people and my patients tell me of their experiences and what they
have heard or been told and one of my patients told me that she couldn‘t get here quick
enough to tell me what her friend had told her.
Her friend‘s husband woke up to see the Grim Reaper standing at the end of his bed and he
was full of fear that his time was up, when the Grim Reaper turned away from him and
walked through the wall. He heard a scream and everything went quiet. Their neighbour came
in next morning and told them that his wife had died during the night.
NEVER HEARD THIS BEFORE
My patient a lady in her thirties told me that years ago she was in her car when she ran into
the back of another car. She was shocked and finding it very hard to breathe. Then she saw
this bright white light coming out of her chest and it was growing bigger all the time, she
could not take her eyes off of it.
All of a sudden her car door was opened and the lady who opened it said to her.
―I am a Nurse please don‘t worry as there is nothing wrong with you, please just breathe
gently.‖
As soon as the nurse she said that, the lady started to breathe very gently and she felt the air
going into her lungs. The light went very slowly going back into her body and she could
breathe very easily.
32
**THE SECOND TIME
This lady was lying in bed she was wide awake when she saw this little white light in her
bedroom it moved very gently towards growing larger as it did until it was the size of a small
watermelon, it entered her chest she didn‘t feel anything or think anything, she awoke in the
morning feeling her usual self but she thinks about it quite a lot.
HEAVENLY KNOWLEDGE
This very rich man had died and he found himself outside the Heavenly gates. All of a sudden
there was an Angel at his side, it was Saint Peter. When Saint Peter saw who it was he
grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously.
―Oh! Mr Jamison how lovely to see you, we have been watching you for years, helping all
those unfortunate people and putting God‘s name up before anyone that you came in contact
with, God will be so happy to see you!‖
The man thanked him and said ―I would like a favour from you?‖
―Anything!‖ said Saint Peter. ―What would you like?‖
―I would like to go back to Earth and get something I left there.‖ He said.
Saint Peter laughed. ―But there is nothing on Earth that we haven‘t got here in Heaven.‖
―Please!‖ said the man.
―Well if that is what you want, that is what you will get,‖ said Saint Peter and when you want
to come back to Heaven say. ―Saint Peter please bring me back!‖
He found himself back on Earth.
He sold everything that he had and bought gold bars. He put the gold bars into six large cases
and said. ―Saint Peter, please bring me back!‖
He found himself standing again in front of Saint Peter.
―What have you got in the cases?‖ asked Saint Peter.
The man opened one of the cases revealing bars of gold.
Saint Peter looked at what was in the case and asked him.
―What are you doing with the paving stones?‖
33
**MALCOLM MOSS
A few years ago, after a church meeting at the VSU as usual my friends and I were
downstairs having our after church tea and whatever. I was sitting at the top of the table
enjoying the conversation, my tea and cake with my friends, when Malcolm Moss a fellow
spiritualist came over and asked if he could sit with us. I moved over and he sat down next to
me, we chatted briefly. Then he gave me a reading about my mother and father in 1936.
Years before he was born.
I sat there transfixed. I couldn‘t believe what I was hearing, for he told me all about my
mother and father and how they had separated each going their own way, neither contacting
the other although they were not divorced. He went on and on, covering things that I had
forgotten. I could not believe what I was hearing and he made the picture so clear that I felt
like I was living it again, he kept telling me personal things that only I would have known.
He paused for a moment then continued, ―Your mother is a Healer of great renown on the
other side. She welcomes the souls going over and helps those who are in trouble. She is
extremely happy and content. Your father loved the good things of life and enjoyed himself
with a zest for loving and living. He misses terribly all these things and is already on the
wheel coming back to earth, he cannot get back here quick enough.‖
He must have gone on for at least ten minutes and then he stopped.
I just looked at him ―Mate,‖ I said, ―you‘re something else!‖
He just nodded and smiled his thanks.
I have spoken to him a few times about the reading he gave me that day, but he always says
the same thing. ―I don‘t remember anything about it!‖
34
BRIAN SMITH
It was Sunday 19th of July, 2009 along with about ninety other people I attended the Victorian
Spiritualist Church. The service had finished and the mediums as usual were on the platform
giving readings to those in the assembly. Brian Smith asked Alice if he could come to her and
give her reading and she agreed.
This was the reading she received;
―Your husband has just died.‖
―Yes.‖ She replied.
He laughed. ―He came back and visited you.‖
Alice laughed, ―Yes,‖ she said, ―He did!‖ and she told us the following.
She went into the bedroom, they both knew that he didn‘t have long to go. He was a smoker
and he suffered from emphysema.
―I would love a smoke?‖ he said, Alice went and got him a cigarette and his cigarette lighter,
he lit the cigarette and Alice left the room.
She returned about a quarter of an hour later and he was dead. The cigarette had been put
into the ashtray and it had been butted „put out.‟ She rang the doctor and told him that her
husband had died. He told her that he was very busy and that he would be there later.
Two hours later she walked into the bedroom and looked at her dead husband.
She felt something brush up against her and then her husband‘s voice loud and clear from
beside her said, ―Where am I?‖ He said. ―What‘s this bright light?‖ She told him where he
was but she didn‘t receive any reply.
He didn‘t believe that you went on after you died and used to say to her, ‗When you‘re dead
you‘re dead, this is all there is.‘ He was a non-believer.
The next Sunday after the church service was over I sat with Alice and she told me that when
the doctor came she told him what had happened.
―I don‘t suppose you believe me?‖ She said.
―I wouldn‘t say that,‖ said the doctor. ―I have seen and heard things I find hard to believe
myself.‖
She also told me that during the week she walked into the bedroom and the bed lamp was on.
She turned it off and went about her business. About ten minutes later she walked past the
room and the light was on again! She went and turned it off, it came back on and she did this
three times and then said. ―If you do that again, I will pull the plug out.‖
The light stayed off.
35
THE UNWELCOME VISITOR
A patient and friend of mine told me about his sister who had committed suicide, much to the
heartache of the family. Not long after she had passed he was lying in bed with the light off,
when a cloud of white smoke started to form at the end of his bed. It got thicker and thicker,
until it formed a person. It was his sister, dressed exactly as she was when they buried her.
She started to speak, imploring him to tell their father something.
―I want you to tell Dad.‖
He pulled the blankets over his head, ―Go away!‖ He called, ―Go away!‖
When he lowered the blankets she had disappeared.
He told me that he wished he had spoken with her.
I believe that is fair to say that there are millions of people on earth who see and hear things
like this but don‘t want to be involved, they reckon that it is hard enough dealing with
everyday things without getting involved in „SPOOKSVILLE.‟
THE HOUSE SAVER
This is a True Story
This very lovely lady, whom I know, lost her beloved husband from a massive heart attack.
She was left with her pride and joy, her twelve year old son George and like all mothers
absolutely adored him. She still does, as do all mothers, their sons and daughters.
She went to work at the Lincoln Woollen Mills to provide for them.
Things were going from bad to worse and the people all around her were telling her to sell
her house and she was in such a quandary that she didn‘t know what to do!
She had to come to a decision ‗Will I sell the house or will I keep it?‘
She was looking out the window one day when her late husband walked past, he then
appeared before her in the kitchen. Stood in front of her and swung his head from side to side
signifying NO! He then turned around and walked out, but she didn‘t see him go past the
window. Whilst it is true that she might have still kept her house had her late husband not
appeared, she definitely did keep it because he did appear.
36
ALAN COOK
I have sent dozens of people into the Victorian Spiritualists Union (V.S.U) to get readings
from Alan Cook and naturally I get feedback and the feedback I get has been very pleasing.
It was Sunday the service was over. Now it was the mediums turn and they went to different
people giving them readings. This is called „proof of survival‟.
Alan Cook‘s turn came and he asked if anyone had or was writing a book. Two hands went
up, another man‘s and mine.
―Have either of you written another book?‖
Both our hands stayed up.
Alan looked at both of us and as the man was a stranger he went to him, which I believe was
fair and reasonable as I have had many readings.
―There is a man very close to you named Tom.‖
―No,‖ the man replied.
My father‘s name was Tom.
―He loved a gamble.‖ again, ‗No!‘
My father loved a bet.
―And you love a bet.‖ ‗No‘ Again!
I have been known to have a small wager; I actually started when I was twelve years old or
should I say young?
Alan persisted, ―When you were at school you amazed everybody by getting the highest
marks in Algebra?‖
―No‖ came the answer.
I went to Brighton Technical School and to say I was an interested student would not be the
truth but knowing what I know now, you give me that time over again I certainly would be a
most interested one.
Mr Bell, our Algebra teacher to say the least, did not like me. I was the biggest pain in his
posterior you could imagine, he was not slow in letting the entire class and school know what
he thought about me.
It was breakup time and we were all in the main hall for the best students to be acknowledged
and it came to Mr Bell‘s turn to acknowledge the dux of the school in Algebra.
―I can‘t believe what I‘m about to say.‖ He said. ―In my opinion the most unlikely student in
the entire school is the Dux of the school in Algebra.‖ He took a deep breath,
―This year‘s Dux of the school in Algebra is Arthur Houston!‖
There was up roar, everyone knew how much I loved school. As I left my seat to go up on to
the rostrum I got kicked, punched, pushed, shoved and booed.
―I can‘t believe I am doing this,‖ he told the assembled teachers and students as I stood next
to him on the rostrum.
―But I know that he did, for he was the only person to answer three of the hardest questions in
the exam.‖ As I went back to my seat I was called teacher‘s pet and copped another set of
fists and kicks.
Alan gave up on the man to whom he was giving the reading and he was most disappointed,
as the man said ―No‖ to everything. I went to him after the close of the meeting and told him
what had happened.
―It happens to all of us!‖ he said.
But I could see that he was disappointed.
37
VALERIE HARTIGAN & MARIE CRUTCHETT
My wife and I like all other husbands and wives did not always agree on everything.
Being Spiritualist, my belief is that life continues on after death and this did not go down too
well with her, as she used to say ‗I don‘t believe in what you believe, when you‘re dead
you‘re dead and that is all there is about it!‘
Every Sunday I went to Val and Jim Hartigan‘s church at Fawkner, what a church it was.
They used to do flower readings and overhead readings or whatever. They were brilliant!
Overhead reading means that the readers comes to a person who has given them an item, say
like a flower, a ring, or whatever and gives them a reading.
I lost my wife Ivy on the 4th of May 1994. It really hit me hard! To say I was looking into a
black hole would be putting it mildly. For after forty six years and five months of marriage
anytime I wanted to talk with her or see her, there she was and then one day she was not.
That is a very bitter pill to swallow.
I first met Ivy at a dance in South Caulfield, I walked into the dance hall and this girl danced
passed. She was wearing a black dress and looked absolutely gorgeous!
I had five dances with here and asked her if I could take her home.
―I have just broken up with my boyfriend,‖ she said ―and he is standing at the door and he
told me he would belt anyone who took me home.‖
I took her hand and held it above her head and asked her to spin for me, which she did, what
a lovely sight she was. She was definitely something else!
I took another good look at her. ―Well you‘re certainly worth getting belting over,‖ I said.
―So if it is Okay with you? I will willingly take you home.‖
She laughed and said ―Yes.‖
Her ex-boyfriend was at the door and as we walked past him, I said. ―Good night mate!‖
He just nodded.
Five months later we were married.
Ivy had been dead about six months and I was really hurting. I was turning back into my
shell. I was not interested in seeing or talking to people. All I wanted to do was to be left
alone!
It was Sunday and I really had to force myself to go to church that day. I didn‘t want to go
but something was making me. So very reluctantly off I went, but it wasn‘t easy.
Once I arrived at the church. Valerie Hartigan was setting the table with the little niceties that
she liked to put on it to attract the spirits.
I must have been there for only about five minutes and had made up my mind by this time
that I didn‘t want to be here. I remember putting my hands on the seat of the chair and started
to stand when Valerie looked over at me and said. ―Oh! Arthur,‖ She said. ―Your wife has
just come through. She said to tell you that she is finding it very hard to adjust, as she didn‘t
believe in it!‖
Not a bad message from someone who had never met my wife.
38
I sat down. I felt this terrible weight that I had been carrying all these months lift off of me. I
felt vibrant and alive, as I do today, for every clairvoyant who has ever read for me or visited
me as a patient has told me. ‗Your wife is with you, she is always with you!‘
Another time when I went to visit Valerie at her home, as she let me in she said,
―Arthur, your wife has just come through. She says to tell you that she has just met up with
Mavis.‖ Mavis was my sister in law‘s sister.
I do believe one of the strangest readings ever given by Valerie was to a young girl named
Fiona, she was getting married. Valerie gave her the most incredible reading possible to
imagine.
She told her that in all her years she had never seen anything like it. It was like; she was
walking around in heaven. It was so beautiful, so peaceful and full of pure love. She was
almost glowing as she was giving the reading and when she finished, looked at the girl who
as you can imagine was out of this world, the joy of receiving such a reading as this before
her wedding day, clearly etched upon her face.
Everyone wished her well for her coming wedding.
The following Sunday when I went to church I was greeted with the news that Fiona, the girl
who had had that unbelievable reading had been run off the road on her way home, pushed
into a cutting wall and killed.
I do believe that it is fair to say that we were all devastated at hearing such dreadful news, but
all we could do was ask progression for her soul.
Valerie was heart-broken and it took her a long time to get over Fiona‘s death.
We had another flower reader her name was Marie Crutchett. She was a scream, one of the
best and funniest flower readers I have ever come across. She and Valerie had been friends
since little girls and they worked together like clockwork.
Marie picked up this little paper bag, took out this very lovely little violet flower.
She stroked it for a second. We all knew whom she was reading for but she didn‘t. The lady
in question was not in the happiest frame of mind, as in the love stakes she was batting zero.
―Well.‖ She said. ―It‘s about time, your luck is going to change and I see this very nice
looking man approaching you. He has had his eye on you for a long time and has made up his
mind to make his move. It will be within one week and quite by accident. You will be very
pleased when you get together, for he is very kind and considerate.‖
The lady who had put the flower in the bag stood up. ―It‘s mine!‖ She called, ―It‘s my
violet.‖ She was laughing, almost crying with joy.
Marie looked up from the flower and turning to the lady in question said, ―By the way find
out if he has got plenty of money because you can‘t live without money.‖
It brought the house down and as for Marie she didn‘t blink an eyelid.
My flower a daisy came out of the little brown paper bag in which I had placed it.
Marie picked it up, put it in front of her face and very gently stroked it. I watched her very
closely and I do believe that she went into a trance.
―A man named Tom has come forward. He is in uniform and served in Gallipoli, as did his
brother.‖ My father Tom and his brother Albert both served in Gallipoli.
―He has passed over for quite a few years and while not unhappy where he is at present, he
does miss the joys of the earth and would like to return.‖
39
I have been told this by another clairvoyant.
She kept stroking the flower, still in my opinion in a trance.
―Another man comes forward, he is also in uniform but a different colour. He tells me that he
drowned, he was rather surprised as it wasn‘t an unpleasant death.‖
My Cousin Charles was an air force pilot who drowned in Port Phillip Bay, back in 1936.
She mentioned a couple of other things relative to my family then put my flower back into
the bag. She then shook her head for a few seconds and reached for the next bag.
I know for a fact that many of the people involved in Spiritualism, whilst not looking down
on those who read flowers are not impressed. As for myself I have not the slightest doubt that
not only can they read them but in many cases they are more spot on than many other
clairvoyants. Just take a look at Marie‘s reading surely you couldn‘t get more spot on than
that, could you?
40
GEORGE ELDRED
The YMCA in Elizabeth Street, Melbourne was where the late George Eldred went after he
was unseated as the President of the Victorian Spiritualist Union Inc. where he had been
President for twenty eight years. His Esoteric Meetings which I attended were very well
patronised and many who left the VSU when he did, never returned.
George was an excellent trance medium.
I was very surprised that Michael Withington did not take over after George died, as he had
stood in for George on a few occasions, he is without a doubt a very advanced trance
medium and spiritualist.
Like many others I went to the esoteric meetings to hear George make contact with those on
the other side. He would go into a trance and his wife who was also on the platform with him
would send him energy, you could almost see it leaving her body and entering into her
husband‘s, leaving no one in any doubt whatsoever that they were connected spiritually.
Many long years ago I believe it was in Richmond, Victoria the newspapers of the day
reported a strange phenomenon. At irregular intervals day or night in this house there would
be continued knockings. They could be from any part of the house, neither the Council
officers, the police or anyone who visited the house could not find out where they were
coming from or what was causing them.
The main newspaper people contacted George and asked him to investigate this matter for
them but he declined to do so realising that they had no spiritual interest in what was
happening. They were only interested in selling their newspapers.
After a few weeks, like all other stories, this one was passed over for the next one and they
went merrily on their way.
George went to the house and introduced himself to the tenant, who was an aboriginal, he
asked him where he had heard the noise and when he had heard it?
He took George upstairs to a little room, told him that this is where he had heard it about an
hour ago.
George asked him to describe it and the man said it was like someone was trying to capture
his attention.
He asked the man to go downstairs as he wanted to sit in the room alone for a little while.
Twenty minutes later he came downstairs and told the man that he would not hear the
knocking anymore. It was his late nephew and he gave him his name.
‗That little room used to be his, he didn‘t know that he was dead and was trying to capture
your attention and was very angry when you didn‘t acknowledge him that is why he kept
knocking.
I informed him that he was dead and asked if he could see a bright light?‘ The man replied
that he could and George told him to walk into it so that he could join his family and friends.
The man thanked George and evidently complied, for everything went quiet.
There was never any knocking in the house after that day. George led a long and
distinguished career in Spiritualism and will be remembered for many years to come.
41
PEGGY DEEKER
I have known Peggy Deeker for over fifty years. We both attended Valerie Hartigan‘s
Spiritualist church in Fawkner. Peggy had been there many years before me.
Life has the peculiar habit of drawing together people who think alike. You find yourself
drawn to somebody and you start talking to them and you find out that you have many things
in common. Take Peggy and me for instance.
Her father and mine were both at Gallipoli, as was my Uncle Albert.
We both live in the same street and went to the same Spiritual church.
When my late wife little Ivy was Mayoress of the City of Preston in 1960-61. Peggy was the
Treasurer of the Preston Mayoress Guild, although I didn‘t know her at that time.
She has been a patient of mine for many years.
We have told each other of our visions, dreams and thoughts that we believe have come from
Spirits.
I HAD TO TELL SOMEONE
This very Catholic lady, a regular patient of mine was most uncomfortable. She was not her
usual self. She was very edgy. I asked her is something wrong? She didn‘t say anything for
a few moments then started talking.
―I have just come from my friend‘s house, she buried her husband a couple of weeks ago and
as all our family were away on holidays, we had not heard of his passing. I went to give her
our apologies and tell her how sorry we all were that she had lost him and why we had not
attended his funeral.
I couldn‘t believe it when I saw her she was in a terrible state, very agitated and very
frightened, it took me quite a while to calm her down, when I did she told me what had
happened.
Her husband was taken to hospital suddenly two weeks ago. He was very ill and the doctors
told the family they had better come and see him that night as he would not be alive in the
morning. All the family came to pay their last respects, except his daughter, who was visiting
her friend who had just given birth to her first baby. Her friend lived in Mildura. Upon
hearing her father had taken a turn for the worse she left immediately. She was his favourite
daughter and he made no secret of it.
He tried desperately to hold on until his daughter arrived, all to no avail and the doctors
pronounced him dead. The family were all standing around the bed when his daughter ran
into the room, seeing her father laying there not moving, threw herself upon the bed, crying
for him not to be dead, for she wanted to say her goodbyes and tell him how much see loved
him. My friend told me that she went to the bed to take her daughter away and try and
comfort her when her pronounced dead husband sat up and put his arms around his daughter,
kissed her and called her by her pet name.
42
As soon as he started to talk the nurse who was in the room with them left the room and
returned almost immediately with a doctor. Not one of those who had pronounced him dead,
but another one. The doctor asked her daughter to move away from the bed as he wanted to
examine her father. Her now alive husband was talking; he was repeating the same thing over
and over again!
‗Thank you God! Thank you God, for letting me come back to say goodbye to my beautiful
daughter, Giovanna.
I‘m so happy and I will willingly come back to you in two days.‘ He went on calling God‘s
name and thanking him.
The doctor leaned over him, he had a needle in his hand which he pushed gently into his arm
and pressed down on the plunger. Her husband stopped talking almost immediately, looked
very surprised, closed his eyes, he was unconscious.
Three new doctors and a different nurse came into the room, the presiding doctor asked the
family to please leave as they wished to do further examinations.‖
My patient stopped talking took a very deep breath, she didn‘t say anything for a couple of
minutes. I just sat there waiting for her to continue.
―I don‘t know if I can go on!‖ She said.
I didn‘t say anything.
She gave this huge sigh. Then she continued.
―My friend Maria is beside herself, she can‘t handle not only what has happened, but what is
happening now. She keeps seeing her pronounced dead husband sitting up and putting his
arms about his favourite daughter, laughing, kissing her and thanking God for allowing him
to come back, telling God that he will willingly go back to him in two days.
When she left the hospital and reached her home, being like me a very strict Catholic, she
went to see her priest. The priest listened very carefully to everything she had to say. He said
‗God works in mysterious ways his miracles to perform.‘ This didn‘t go down too well with
her and she left the church full of fear and terrified as to what might happen from now
onwards.
She arrived at the hospital at nine the following morning, she had rung earlier but as the
doctors were carrying out some tests on her husband, they had asked her not to come before
nine. She told me how fearful and frightened she was as she approached her husband‘s new
room on the other side of the hospital. Evidently he was the only patient in this ward as far as
she could see, for there weren‘t any nurses and all the rooms she went passed seemed empty.
The doctor who met her and took her to her husband‘s room was not one of the others she
had seen yesterday. He explained that he was in charge of all the doctors and like them he
had no idea why or how her husband had come back to life, as he was definitely dead when
the attending doctors examined him.
Relative to his believing, that God had given him permission to return to life for two days so
that he could say goodbye to his beloved daughter. We had him examined this morning by
our chief psychiatrist and there is not the slightest doubt that your husband believes this to be
true.
43
She told me that she wanted to run away, but couldn‘t. The doctor took her into her
husband‘s room and over to the bed. He was lying with his eyes closed she could see that he
was breathing. He opened his eyes and greeted her in Italian, all the time she was with him
they spoke in Italian.
‗Oh! Maria.‘ He told her, ‗I don‘t know where I was but it was beautiful! I was so happy and
I felt young and strong again. I saw my mother and my father, Uncle Guido, Aunt Vittoria
and Cousin Toni. He can walk and run now and he really loves it!‘ Cousin Toni was in a very
bad car accident and was a paraplegic.‖
She took another deep breath, I believe that I was taking a few of them as well, for I was
getting a bit concerned that she wouldn‘t finish telling me the whole story and that was
definitely not an exciting thought.
She continued.
―Maria told me that her husband told her that he had met all those in the family who had
passed over in the last ten years and how happy they were to see him, they welcomed him
with open arms. He was so happy and he didn‘t have any pain, he could breathe easily. The
family told him that he had to follow them through the very fine veil in front of them. They
went through it and beckoned him to follow them telling him that his life on earth was now
over but he told them, ‗No! I can‘t go with you as I have not said goodbye to my beloved
Giovanna.‘ He told her that they insisted but he said, ‗No!‘
He was then bathed in this beautiful bright light, it was full of love and a voice speaking to
him in Italian and said, ‗If I let you go back and say goodbye to your daughter, do you give
me your promise to return to me in two days and go through the veil and join your family?‘
He told the voice that he agreed and awoke to find Giovanna in his arms.
Maria was terrified and was getting more terrified as she stayed with him. He raved about
seeing Angels at the end of his bed and asked her if she could see them, that he still had one
day to go before he would leave her and the family. It was only after the doctor gave him a
needle, he stopped talking.
She went back to hospital the next day it was exactly the same as before. She had asked her
daughter Giovanna if she wanted to come with her but she said ‗No, I want to remember my
father as he was before all this happened.‘ Maria told me that it was the longest and most
frightening day of her life, listening to her husband raving about God and Angels at the end
of his bed.
Six o‗clock at last. She told me that she never thought it would come, but it had. She went to
her husband and kissed him on the head. He looked at her making eye to eye contact and said,
‗God has told me that I must leave now. Goodbye Maria, thank you for everything, I will see
you later.‘ He closed his eyes and stopped breathing.
A nurse who had come to tell her it was time for her to go, went to the bed lifted her
husband‗s arm and after lowering it gently, left the room returning in a few minutes with a
doctor. He was the doctor who had brought her to see her husband. He went to the bed and
after giving her husband a very thorough examination told her he believed her husband had
gone. But seeing what happened previously the hospital would do more tests and ring her
later.
They rang her that evening and told her that her husband had definitely passed over.‖
―I don‘t know what I can say to her‖ my patient said.
―I have never heard anything like this before and it frightens me. When I had a good look at
Maria I saw that she was wearing three cardigans and a thick house coat.
44
I asked her if she was cold.
She told me that she was freezing and that she had not been able to get warm since the
funeral. She put her electric blanket on high just to keep warm, wears three cardigans and a
house coat and just feels normal.‖
My patient stopped talking and started to cry, I tried to comfort her but it was a complete
waste of time, for she was as frightened as her friend. She stopped crying.
―I was so glad that I had this appointment with you!‖ She said.
―I didn‘t want to stay in that house, it felt spooky and I only got away from her because I told
her of my appointment with you!‖
She stopped talking, gave a huge sigh and said, ―I‘m so worried because she has asked me to
go and see her tomorrow, as she needs a friend. I am ashamed to say I don‘t want to go, but I
know that I must!‖
She hesitated for a moment and then with a wry smile asked, ―Can you put something in my
drops to stop me feeling spooky when I get there?‖
―Not an easy task‖ I said. ―But as there are quite a few Homoeopathic medicines to counter
fear of this nature, I promised that I would try.‖
However, as she had stated previously that she was going to see her friend tomorrow, after
what she had been through today. I had no doubt that her courage would overcome her fears
and anxieties.
As she was leaving she turned to me and said, ‗thank you for listening, I feel so much better
and I had to tell someone!‘
The above is a mystery to me, for it came out of nowhere but I honestly believe that it was
told to me by this Italian lady, years and years ago! I found it on an old USB but there were
no names or anything to identify who she was but every time I keep putting it into my mind,
I see this Italian lady sitting opposite me telling it to me.
45
MY ONLY READINGS
My Spiritual experiences are that I see visions. These are „Delusions‟ according to my
Homoeopathic Materia Medica but who cares.
According to Sweet Jesus, „Life is only an illusion‟ and who would know better!
I love been a Spiritualist and seeing and hearing things, makes me feel blessed.
Not any better than anyone else, just luckier.
I have given two clairvoyant readings in my life, thousands of little messages but only two
readings. The reason I say this is that when I gave the messages is that I was in full control of
myself and I knew for a fact that somebody was using me as an instrument. When I gave
these readings I had no control whatsoever as to what was coming out of my mouth and I was
terrified.
It was at my practice in Reservoir. I had just finished doing my Iridology, asking questions.
Reading the face and body for which I have to thank Paracelsus, who said „If you want to be
any good as a doctor you must learn face reading and palm reading.‟
But at 88 years of age, looking at the lines on the hand I believed that by the time I had
finished learning how to read them, that I would have been dead about five years. So I learnt
face reading.
On this day I had finished making up the medicines and was handing them to her when out of
my mouth came these words, directed to the lady sitting opposite me.
―You will have to forgive her. You can‘t keep mulling it over and over every day, you have
to put it in the past and get on with your life!‖
I was dumb founded, for I knew it was coming out of my mouth but it wasn‘t me who was
saying it.
The lady looked up at me, ―I don‘t know what you are talking about!‖ She said.
―Yes you do!‖ My voice said. ―You know very well what I am talking about!‖
I started to sweat, I could be polite and say perspire but I wasn‘t perspiring I was sweating.
―I don‘t know what you are talking about!‖ She said. But she did not look at me she kept her
head down looking at her hands.
The voice continued. I say this because I couldn‘t stop it. I didn‘t have any control over it
whatsoever.
―You can‘t go on through life like this!‖ The voice said. ―She is your mother and she loves
you dearly.‖
The lady looked up at me, there was anger written all over her face.
―What a wonderful way to show me how dearly she loves me!‖ She said.
―I took her into my home when my father died and treated her with all the love and affection
any daughter could have given their mother.‖ She took a deep breath and continued. She was
furious. ―And when she made friends with Gerald, I went out of my way to make him
welcome every time he came visiting her and even went to the pictures by myself so that they
could have private time together.‖
Her chest was going up and down and her face was full of anger.
I thank God! For the voice, did not utter a word.
She continued, ―Then they go on holidays to Queensland and are gone for three weeks, when
they return they come back as husband and wife. When I asked my mother why she didn‘t
tell me that they were getting married? She replied that she had not made up her mind before
she left and Gerald had swept her off her feet.‖
46
She stopped talking, just sat there looking down at her hands. Then in a very quiet, much
softer voice, she said.
―Then this night we were sitting together in the lounge when it turned chilly and as I was
going upstairs to get a cardigan, the phone rang. It was for Gerald, halfway up the stairs I
remembered I had left my cardigan in the kitchen so I turned back and as I neared the lounge
door, I heard Gerald say to whoever he was speaking to, ‗no we had made up our minds to
get married long before we went to Queensland.‘
Her face coloured, her anger had returned. Looking me straight in the face said.
―If she loved me that much why didn‘t she tell me that she was going to marry Gerald and not
just go on a holiday and return as his wife and then tell me that he swept her off her feet,
when in fact they had agreed to get married before they left! Then be told when I confronted
her.‖
‗So what, what difference does it make. We are married now and that is all that counts.
Don‘t be so touchy!‘
She was livid and shaking with anger.
The other voice had gone and the only one available to me now was mine. What do you say
to someone after they have had these things said to them, especially when you said them?
I was genuinely sorry and I told her so, but I knew that I had opened a deep wound, one close
to her soul and she wasn‘t thanking me for it.
I wasn‘t thanking the voice, which had led me into the lady‘s private life, but there was
nothing I could do about it. Our parting I am sorry to say was as far as she was concerned,
not on good terms.
I gave her the medicines and she just threw the money on to the desk and stormed out without
saying a word.
I lost a patient for I never saw her again!
The next time I was taken over was years later, it took me into another lady‘s private life, but
thank God it was on the phone and whilst the voice was still talking she hung up, for which I
was very thankful. The only thing that worries me and I know the reader will agree.
Most things come in threes!
47
ALLISON DUBOIS
Many years ago a patient and friend of mine and all of her family, except one daughter was
killed in a most horrific car accident.
Another patient and friend of mine, who knew her and her family, told me the following.
The surviving daughter hearing that Allison DuBois the Psychic Medium from America who
played in the TV Show „Medium‟ was coming to Australia to give readings, made an
appointment with her. She was told that the cost for readings was $500 per half hour. She
booked herself in for one hour.
She was only in with Allison for a few minutes when Allison stopped talking and said, ―You
lost your whole family.‖ The daughter agreed. Allison then brought three of the family
through, but couldn‘t get one of the daughter‘s sisters to come through.
The daughter told Allison how disappointed she was. Allison went quiet for a little while, not
saying anything and then she brought the other sister through.
She was with Allison for about an hour and twenty minutes but Allison didn‘t charge her any
more money.
After it was over Allison asked the daughter to come back and see her when she came back to
Australia.
―Do you want to give me another reading?‖ She asked.
―No‖ Allison replied, ―I want to give you a hug.‖
I asked if I could put what she told me in my book and she told me that she would ask the
daughter.
Shortly after my friend and patient told me that the Daughter didn‘t want her family‘s name
mentioned.
Hence the above!
48
GREETINGS FROM SWEET JESUS
This man is a diabetic and he and his wife went to Queensland for a holiday, his leg was sore
so he went to see the doctor who after examining him he told him that he might have to
amputate it.
Full of fear he went back to the motel where he and his wife were staying and went down on
his knees and prayed to Jesus that he doesn‘t lose his leg.
That night in bed whilst asleep he saw this bright light and upon opening his eyes he saw that
the whole room was light up, although the lights were off.
He looked over to the corner of the room and saw Jesus.
He woke his wife.
―What are you doing with the lights on?‖ She asked.
―Look over to the corner of the room and tell me what you see?‖
She looked over to the corner and said, ―that‘s Jesus!‖
He kept his leg.
UNUSUAL PEOPLE AND HAPPENINGS
I do believe that is fair to say that, there are many unusual things which occur within our
world over which we have no control and find difficult to understand.
Take for instance levitation, when Arthur Conan Doyle stated in his book,
„The New Revelation and the Vital Message‟ this is definitely worth buying. That in his
opinion D.D. Home was the greatest medium of them all. He showed his phenomena in broad
daylight, when he floated from one building to another about seventy feet above the ground,
in front of dozens of people watching him from below.
He was a Scottish-American who possessed powers which make him one of the most
remarkable personalities ever to walk the Lord God‘s earth. His powers were many and
varied;
 Self-levitation
 Fire handling, with the ability to be able to include others in fire handling without
them being harmed
 The moving of items at a distance
 The rapid growth of plants
 The raising of tables
 The visible materialization of spirits
 Healing
 Messages from discarnate spirits
These are only those that we know about.
49
According to Conan Doyle he converted the hard-headed Scot, Robert Chambers, when
Home repeated to him the actual dying words of his young daughter.
If you want to see how times have changed in the material world, I would like to draw to your
attention this delightful statement when referring to books written by a clergyman.
Rev Fielding Oulds.
„Is Spiritualism of the Devil?‟ purchasable for two pence.
Then we have Miss Julia Ames, in her beautiful posthumous book says in memorable words;
„The greatest joy of Heaven is emptying Hell‟
Of all the statements made about our Creator The Lord, Our God! The Divine Master! The
incredible intelligence which created everything! This in my opinion is way up there with the
best of them, attributed to Robert Browning.
„I only saw the things you did, while you yourself you always hid.‟
Other interesting and strange phenomena I have read include;
When in America a man took these four professors into a canyon, where five rocks the height
of a five story building and fifteen feet wide were spread about twenty feet from each other.
They left the canyon and when they returned ten minutes later, the five rocks were lined side
by side with only a few feet between them. It was obvious that he knew how to control
gravity but he refused to tell them how he did it!
Then the Guru in India who was urging the people to rise against the British and was causing
so much trouble that they put him in front of a firing squad and the officer in charge told him
that if he didn‘t stop causing trouble that they would shoot him.
His answer was to call out to the people to defy the British.
The officer told the men to take aim and on his order fire.
The men aimed their rifles and waited for the order, as the officer opened his mouth to give
the order the Guru disappeared.
Two days later they heard he was in a village two hundred miles away.
Also the Paracelsus story where witchcraft or whatever has caused the most harmful things to
happen, only to be returned to normal by the utterance of other words. Or following the
instructions as the witch gave to the dairy farmer further in the book.
Miracles during the cholera epidemics where people who have been declared dead have given
a slight twitch of their hand and some observant soul had given them Camphor. The basic
cure of cholera and brought them back to life, so he decided to give all the others in the
mortuary the same medicine with gratifying results.
The miracle worker in this case being the Lord Our God, as it is stated in the Bible Psalms;
Chapter 104, Verse 14, „He causeth the grass to grow for cattle and herbs for the use of
man.‟
50
POSSESSION
I have told the readers about my own experience relative to the above, being possessed by
something which used me to give two readings, so I won‘t repeat it here!
But I must admit that to be possessed or to believe that you are possessed and have no control
over what you are saying, is as far as I‘m concerned, one of the most frightening things on
God‘s earth!
In the Bible, Sweet Jesus took the evil spirit out of two possessed people; Jesus told then to
‗GO!‘ and they went into a herd of pigs that jumped off a cliff into the sea and drowned.
One of the best-known and possibly most well publicised possessions known to man was
when the discarnate spirit Dr Adolfo Fritz took possession of the Brazilian peasant Jose
Pedro, De Frietas called ‗Arigo.‘
It is on the Internet and the subject of the book;
„The Surgeon of the Rusty Knife,‟ by John G. Fuller and afterwards by Henry K. Puharich,
MD.
It tells of the possession of Arigo by a discarnate spirit. Dr Adolf Fritz whom we are told
passed over in 1918. He was evidently being helped by a Thirteenth Century monk who used
a green ray to stop the bleeding.
Arigo when under the control of Dr Fritz spoke with a German accent and wrote prescriptions
for medical prescriptions which only a medical man with a very profound knowledge of
medicine would be able to do. Some were very old medicines and some of the latest to come
on to the market.
This was not a one off occasion. It went on for years and years, it was reported in the main
newspapers, along with proof that he was genuine, operating on Members of Parliament and
the daughter of the President.
When Dr Fritz was in control of Arigo, people who could speak German spoke to him in that
language and he answered them accordingly.
When he was as himself he could only speak his own language, Brazilian.
Arigo used to put a knife into the eye and turned it around to suit himself, but the patient
suffered neither pain nor fear.
He operated on thousands and thousands of people, as many as three to four hundred a day.
His operations covered everything possible to imagine, from the top of the head to the tip of
the toe.
Cancerous tumours were evidently just another operation.
The doctors who watched him operate were amazed at how he worked and how the patients
no matter how big the operation was they didn‘t suffer any pain.
If the patient started to bleed he would tell it to stop and it stopped.
Many doctors, MDs‟ supported Arigo and were prepared to testify that he did perform these
operations.
One in particular Dr Ranulf de Melo, a doctor from Congonhas de Campo stated that he
would testify about ovarian-cyst and cataract operations he had personally witnessed and had
followed up after the operations, the patients concerned didn‘t have any after operation
problems.
I believe that it would be fair to say, that this would be the first time in history that medical
doctors stated that they were prepared to stand up in court and tell the world that a Brazilian
51
peasant, with absolutely no medical training whatsoever has carried out unbelievable
operations on other human beings using a rusty knife.
It also tells you what wonderful people that they were by being prepared to put themselves on
the line despite what they could expect from the establishment and their colleagues.
It was impossible that these operations could be done as Arigo was doing them and it was
obvious that they were being done by someone or something outside our knowledge or
understanding.
Imagine you or me going to our medical establishment and being told, ‗Sorry but we can‘t
help you.‘ Or if you don‘t have any cover or money, ‗We will put you name down on the list,
but we won‘t be able to operate until next year.‘
Imagine out of all those thousands of people who Arigo operated on, how many must have
heard those words, gave up the ghost and were just waiting to die when they heard of Arigo!
Fancy if you can, you standing in line watching while other people got a rusty knife stuck in
their eye or wherever and your turn is coming up, you are thinking to yourself, Good! ‗Only
twenty more to go and it‘s my turn!‘
According to the doctors watching these operations the patients being operated upon didn‘t
feel any pain and the people standing in the line obviously waiting to be operated upon did
not show any fear.
The most astonishing thing is as far as I‘m concerned, relative to Arigo performing these
operations, is that not only was he not allowed by Dr Fritz to charge for them but he was also
not allowed to accept donations.
This doesn‘t sound very 2016, does it?
As the reader will know I have been to the Philippines and have seen real Psychic Surgeons
operate on people, removing materials from within their bodies which were of great danger to
them.
They are without any doubt, definitely a ‗Gift from God!‘
Somewhere in this world of ours are psychic surgeons we have not heard about, who are as
good as Arigo, Josephine Sison, Jose Mercado or Placido Palitayan but please be careful as
charlatans are also out there and they are only interested in money.
52
VISIONS AND MATERIALISATIONS
Materialisation spiritually means that a spirit makes its appearance in front of you and you
can see it physically. We are told that the spirit can do this by using ectoplasm from us
human beings.
I have seen half a green man, this been the top half. He was as Irish as Paddy‘s pigs.
He was not facing me. He was side on, he had a crooked hat, a pipe in his mouth, weighed at
least twenty stone and all his clothes were green. I blinked my eyes and he was gone!
------------------
I was lying in bed, it was a hot night and my wife was lying next to me. Her night gown was
up above her thigh. We didn‘t have any drapes at that time and the moon was shining through
the curtains. I saw this beautiful little Fairy on her thigh. She had her little wand in her hand
and a crown on her head, she looked absolutely gorgeous!
I felt this thrill go through me and I knew that we were not in the same world for as she
looked at me, it was obvious that she couldn‘t see me. I tried not to close my eyes, for I knew
when I opened them she would be gone but I had to eventually and yes, when I opened them
she was gone!
------------------
This night the television programs were absolute rubbish, I couldn‘t believe it! There wasn‘t
anything worth watching. What else is new?
I had my eyes open and was mulling things of the day over in my mind, as I like to do, when
out of the ceiling came this young lady, possibly in her twenties, very nicely dressed and she
seemed as if she was skiing, even her body would lead you to believe that she was, although
she didn‘t have any skies on her feet, just shoes. She looked up and saw me, we made eye
contact and she got this very surprised look on her face and disappeared.
------------------
Meditating again happy as Larry, enjoyed the day immensely, had lots of good news!
Same position on the couch, lights out, eyes closed, opened them. Less than one metre from
me on the couch stood the beautifully dressed school girl, neat as a pin, blonde hair with a
ponytail. She was facing the other wall and I couldn‘t see her full face, only the left hand
side. I kept my eyes opened as long as I could, she just stood there, didn‘t move a centimetre.
Blinked my eyes and she was gone!
------------------
53
Another night, a lady packing milk buckets and this little lady, about six inches high running
along the floor of the lounge room besides the skirting board looking at me in absolute fear.
I woke up at 5 a.m. a lady was standing beside my bed, she was dressed in working clothes
and was holding a duster in her hand. I took it to be a hint and got out of bed and cleaned the
unit. I told a clairvoyant friend of mine about this and she laughed and said, ―She was telling
you that she was going to clean the unit for you.‖
Blimey! Now she tells me.
------------------
I awoke and opened my eyes and there before me were two people about three feet over my
bed. One was a lady and the other was a little girl, they were side by side holding hands and
laughing, they were both dressed in pink and looked absolutely beautiful.
------------------
I was fast asleep when I heard this noise it wasn‘t very loud but loud enough to wake me and
I got quite a shock when my eyes opened, for standing at the end of my bed was this very
nicely dressed man with his hands full of parcels. We looked at each other for a few
moments, neither of us said anything. Then I must have blinked my eyes for when they
opened them he was gone!
I have told many clairvoyants about this and they tell me that it was this man‘s way of telling
me about all the gifts I have or all the gifts that I am going to get but I liked the third
Clairvoyant who told me. ‗They are either the gifts I have or the gifts I‘m going to get!‘
There is no doubt in my mind that they are all the gifts that I have been given for the plusses
out-way the minuses many times over.
------------------
My late sister Melita ‗Ninks‘ told me, ‗You cannot say that you have seen them, you can only
say that you thought you have seen them!‘
Well as I said before, Sweet Jesus said that „life is only an illusion‟ and who would know
better!
54
UFO’S
The British Government have just released their secret Unidentified Flying Objects files and
they contain some very interesting facts. But not as interesting as to why they released them
now when they were entitled to keep them secret for about another hundred years.
I love to hear, see, read or watch anything about UFOs. „ET‟ was icing on the cake, as are the
Star Trek, Star Gate, and Star Gate Atlantis series and is anything else that has been directed
by Gene Roddenberry.
My late sister rang me one day and told me she had spoken to a fellow teacher who told her
this unusual story.
At her mother‘s birthday party last night which her family had put on for her. There were
about fifty people and it was an outstanding success. In fact they all enjoyed themselves so
much that they didn‘t want to go home, the last ones left at around one in the morning.
Her mother, father and she then set about cleaning up and they had nearly finished when her
father remembered that they had not walked the dog. As far as they were concerned, walking
the dog was not a chore but a pleasure and as the cleaning up was nearly finished, she and her
father decided to take the dog for a walk whilst her mother finished cleaning up.
They left the house with their dog, a little white terrier. He was so glad to get out and the
three of them went down Clarke Street towards Broadway, Reservoir just down from the
shopping centre. As they approached Broadway the little terrier started to growl and his hair
was standing up. They tried to calm him to no avail; he was straining on the lead.
As they reached the end of the brick house on the South East corner of Clarke Street they
looked over the street and stopped dead, for in front of them above the service station was a
flying saucer. A long pipe was reaching down from the saucer into the service station.
There was a slight humming noise, it was circular in appearance and there were lights
flashing on and off. It covered the entire area of the service station, could even have been
larger. She was too shocked to take it all in and neither she nor her father could move. Her
father took her hand and gently pulled her and the dog that had stopped growling away from
the corner of the house and hurried back home.
They told her mother what they had seen. Her father was very unnerved and told her that
she must not under any circumstances tell anyone what they had seen. He expected it to be on
the news in the morning and in the papers, but it wasn‘t and it upset him visibly.
Realising what could happen if his daughter told anyone that she had seen a flying saucer, he
made her promise that she wouldn‘t tell anyone, as she could find that people could ridicule
her. But she said to my sister, ―how can you possibly keep something like this to yourself?‖
It has been reported and is on the internet that both the American and Russian Astronauts
have seen and taken photographs of incredibly large angels, wings and all. But those in
control of us have decided, God knows why to keep it a secret!
55
THE COURT CASE
Years ago I read in one of the British „Psychic News‟ or similar publication, that this woman
was charged under some old obscure British law with „Witchcraft‟ whereas she had falsely
taken money from people, telling them that she could materialize their departed ones and not
only could they talk with them, but they could also take their photograph.
The strange part of this was that it wasn‘t the people involved who laid the charges, it was the
police. As you can imagine she got the very rough end of the stick and her chances of getting
a fair trial were very slim to say the least.
The judge in charge gave her no lee way whatsoever, and told her in no uncertain terms
That in his opinion, that she was a most despicable person and charlatan to boot.
The lady in question had evidently had enough and realising that she had nothing to lose
stood up, addressing the judge said, ―I‘m not any of those things you are accusing me of,
I am completely genuine and I can prove it!‖
She continued and said to the judge.
―Your mother who is in spirit is standing next to you she is most upset and has given me
permission to materialize her.‖
The Judged glared at her. ―DON‘T YOU DARE!‖ He roared, ―DON‘T YOU DARE!‖
And she didn‘t.
She was fined a very small amount of money and stopped from practicing her Art, Gift, or
whatever! With the threat that if she ever came before the court again on any like charge she
would be imprisoned.
ISABELLA
Isabella a very good friend of my late sister Melita told me this little story which I found most
interesting. She lived in the country and her home was surrounded on all sides by grazing
land and trees. It was a beautiful day and she and her mother were sitting in this room which
over looked the countryside, enjoying each other‘s company and the beautiful day.
She asked her mother if she would like a cup of tea. ―I would love one dear,‖ she said.
So Isabella went to the kitchen and was waiting for the jug to boil when she heard her mother
say,
―It‘s all over then!‖
When she went back into the lounge room, she found her mother had passed over.
56
OLD OR ANCIENT
I have been involved in Spiritualism for years and years and having now turned 88 I‘m sure
that you can imagine what I have heard, read, witnessed and been told during that time.
I have this very funny friend who did some work on the „Dead Sea Scrolls‟ and he told me
that he would go back in time and see what they would have thought of a man at 88 years of
age in those days.
He rang me and this is what he told me.
‗According to my translation of your age group, according to the people of that time you are
halfway between an Antique and a Fossil.‟
With friends like him who needs enemies!
A year or so ago I saw my Father‘s hand in a dream, I knew that it was his for he had his
thumb cut off and it was exactly the same and in the palm of his hand were two eights (88).
I thought that him being a punter from way back that he was telling me to back number eight
(Wouldn‘t the Chinese love this!) which I did and had ups and downs.
Last month I had a rotten night and I couldn‘t sleep and I was so tired that through the day I
fell asleep at my desk and when I woke up my Father‘s face in a ring was looking at me, he
looked in his twenties, his hair was very nicely cut and he looked young and healthy.
I told this to a Clairvoyant what I had seen and she told me that, this could be my Father‘s
way of telling me that it was all over!
FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T BELIEVE PROPHECY OR CLAIRVOYENCE
In a Bible, (Page38) For the rest, the gifts which St Paul gives us as being necessary for the
Christian Disciple, is simply the list of gifts of a very powerful medium, including prophecy,
healing, causing miracles or physical phenomena, clairvoyance and other powers.
1 Corinth xii. 8.11.
„The early Christian church was saturated with spiritualism and they have seemed to have
paid no attention to those Old Testament prohibitions which were meant to keep these powers
only for the use and profit of the priesthood.‟
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BRIDIE’S OUT OF BODY
It would be fair to say that my late sister-in-law was down to earth. A spade was a spade.
My wife Ivy, my brother-in-law Allan and his wife Bridie and I were discussing people
leaving their bodies during operations.
―I left my body,‖ said Bridie.
―Í was looking down at this Sheila on the table and I got a hell of a shock, for it was me.
The doctors were cutting bits out of me and talking about some turn they were going to that
night.‖
I said, ―Eh, good oh! Don‘t worry about where you are going tonight concentrate on what you
are doing! But they evidently didn‘t hear me for they kept on talking.
They were working very quickly, helped by some very smart nurses. One of the nurses went
to a cabinet and picked up a little tin. She dropped it, so she picked up another one and
returned to the operating table. I found myself being drawn back into my body and when I
woke up, I was back in the ward.
I was laying there thinking of all that had happened, when two nurses came to my bed. One
was the day nurse and the other was the nurse from the operating room, the one who had
dropped the little tin.‖
―How is the patient today?‖ she asked, ―feeling any better?‖
―I‘m a bit sore,‖ I told her, ―but otherwise I‘m Okay!‖
―That‘s good!‖ She said and looking at her watch she said, ―Got to go, duty calls.‖
―Did you pick up that little tin you dropped during the operation?‖ I asked.
She had been walking away as I was speaking and she stopped, turned and looked at me.
―How do you know I dropped the tin?‖ She asked. ‗You were under anaesthetic.‘
―I was outside my body, I saw and heard everything!‖ She laughed at me.
―I have heard that dozens of times, but it is only your imagination!‖
―Well, I told her, if you go into the operating room, you will find the little tin you dropped,
under the cupboard on the back wall.‖
She didn‘t say anything just walked out the door and returned about five minutes later
holding in her hand a little tin.
―Tell me what happened?‖ She asked.
So I told her everything, she was shocked and it showed.
After I finished she thanked me and left the ward and I never saw her again!‖
I have heard many stories like this and read of dozens of similar ones but this was the first
one I had heard personally.
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TO HEAVEN AND BACK
Years ago this lady and her husband came into my clinic, she was rather talkative but he
never said a word. I did my usual examination and face reading and I asked her a few
questions, I was completely satisfied with my diagnosis and the treatment I was going to give
her.
Evidently something was said about people leaving their body during an operation and going
to another world. I don‘t know why I would have said it but I must have, for his wife burst
out laughing and turning to her husband said. ―That happened to you, didn‘t it?‖ she said.
He just nodded his head.
―Don‘t nod your head,‖ she said. ―Tell the man what happened!‖
He gave a huge sigh, took a deep breath and looked at me.
―I was on the operating table I was looking down at myself being operated upon.
The nurses started to run round getting all types of things, including these two things they put
on my chest, whatever they were it made my body jump. They did it again!
I found myself going through a tunnel towards a light at the end of it. I landed in the light, I
saw my dead mother and father standing before me. They both gave me a hug, telling me
how pleased they were to see me; I told them how happy I was to see them, for I really loved
my mother and father.
I looked around and sitting by themselves was my two best friends, Billy and Jack, we had
been friends since we were little boys and were the closest of the close. They were sitting by
this round table, drinking tea out of a couple of mugs. They called me over and both of them
shook my hand with a handshake reserved for friends. Billy handed me the mug that Jack had
poured out of the billycan on the little fire next to them, just like we used to do when we were
on the farm.‖
He took a very deep breath, looked down at his hands and then looked me in the face.
―I can‘t remember when I was so happy.‖ He said. ―I was with my mother and father who I
missed and my two greatest mates who I missed just as much. As far as I was concerned I
was in heaven! We were sitting around the table, drinking billy tea and talking over old times,
it was fabulous, we were all laughing our heads off at what we had done, when all of a
sudden I felt something tugging at me, I tried to grab my mates hands and they mine but they
couldn‘t and I was back in the tunnel.‖
He paused, you could see that this was really hurting him. He didn‘t say anything just looked
down at his hands.
His wife‘s voice broke the silence. ―Tell him! Tell the man what happened and what you said
to the doctor.‖
He looked at me; he was without a doubt one of the unhappiest people I had ever seen.
―The doctor who did the operation came into the ward, came over to my bed.‖
―Good morning Mr lucky.‖ he said ―How pleased I am to see you today, you gave us quite a
lot of trouble and we were sure that we were going to lose you but thanks to all involved and
the Good Lord, we saved your life and here you are safe and well.‖
He stopped talking. ―Go on!‖ She said. ―Tell the man what you told the doctor.‖
He sighed. ―I just told him that I wished he had minded his own bloody business.‖
His wife laughed, ―What happened then, tell him, go on tell him!‖
The doctor just looked at me dumbfounded and walked out the door.
―You‘re not afraid of dying, are you?‖ She said.
―No‖ he replied, ―in fact I am looking forward to it!‖
His wife sat there laughing. Her husband just sat there looking down at his hands.
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PROOF OR NOT!
Sister Rebecca, the head Sister at St Agnes hospital and Jean Drake, a voluntary visitor to
hospital patients who didn‘t get visitors had known each other for many years. They often
shared some of the unusual things which had happened at the hospital or what they had been
told by the patients.
Jean was telling Sister Rebecca about what Mrs Williams in room six, ward fourteen had told
her when Dr McCoy walked in.
―Oh! Dr McCoy‖ said Sister Rebecca. ―You might like to hear what Jean was told by Mrs
Williams, especially as she is a patient of yours.‖
The Doctor, nodded.
―Well?‖ said Jean.
‗She told me that when she was in the operating room that she found herself looking down at
her body and could see the Doctor‘s operating on her open body. She then left the operating
room and went up the Albert Street side of the hospital and into the sky where there was a
very bright light shining and as she approached it, a voice said ‗It is not your time, go back‘
and she awoke next morning in her hospital bed.‘
The Doctor laughed ―I have heard dozens of those stories, it‘s just their imagination!‖
Jean continued, ‗She said something most unusual about when she was going up the side of
the hospital and reached the top she saw a half filled bottle of Coca Cola and two white
cardboard plates on the window sill where the generator is kept.‘
―Ha ha!‖ said Dr McCoy. ―What say I go up and see if Mrs Williams really saw these things
or if she is just imagining that she saw them, maybe at last we can really prove if people
really leave their bodies or not when they die under an operation?‖
―See you ladies in ten minutes.‖ He said and walked out the door.
Sister Rebecca and Jean sat talking about Dr McCoy and wondering if he would find
anything and if he did what would he say?
Ten minutes passed but no Dr McCoy and then in he walked with his hands behind his back,
his clothes were covered in dirt.
―I had to climb through a tunnel at the side of the generator to reach the landing,‖ he said.
―And all I found when I went to the window sill were these things,‖ and bringing his hands
from behind his back, he had a half empty bottle of Coca Cola and two very battered
cardboard plates. He put them on Sister Rebecca‘s desk, said ―Good night ladies!‖ and
walked out the door.
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ANOTHER FUTURISTIC DREAM
I have seen many television programs where people have dreamed of accidents going to
happen and before these accidents happen, they contact either a radio or television station and
tell them what they dreamed.
What they have dreamed is exactly what happens.
A clairvoyant patient of mine in middle part of 2009 told me that she kept dreaming of water,
not just water but torrents and torrents of water. ―It is up north,‖ she said.
―The land is dry and cracked. The rain just won‘t stop. It doesn‘t seem to be in the one place,
it looks like it is all over both farmland and cities are involved.‖
But you must admit for somebody to tell you that it is going to rain, rain and rain up north,
when they are having one of the worst droughts in Queensland‘s history this certainly capture
ones attention.
MY LOST USB
I think that it is fair to say that everybody has sometimes gone looking for something and
searched high and low to no avail only to sit down and find what they have been searching
for right in front of their eyes, or like this lady I know, who although she searched high and
low couldn‘t find her tea pot and her husband on opening the refrigerator asked her.
―What‘s the teapot doing in the Refrigerator?‖
Quick as a flash came the answer.
―I thought I would like some iced tea,‖ she said.
I went looking high and low for my USB Transcend, turned the computer room upside down
but it was nowhere to be seen. I emptied the pockets of my coat and pants, all to no avail. So
I gave up hope. Had some work to do on the book sat down in front of the screen and settled
down to work. Looked down on my bright red Mouse pad and sitting there in the middle of it,
as large as life was my lost USB.
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THE POWER OF PRAYER
My very good friend, the late John Thornton had this American friend John Lipscombe he
was a lay preacher. He was very surprised when his church approached him to take over from
his predecessor who left their area, as he liked and told some naughty jokes.
Not the filth that we have today, just nice ones as the one below;
These three men had finished playing golf on Saturday afternoon they had all had played
their best. They had made small bets on the side and had come out, about even.
―What say we play again tomorrow?‖ said, one of the men.
―Don‘t know about that the other two replied, it all depends on the wife.‖
However they made a tentative appointment for Sunday morning at nine o‘clock.
Sunday morning came and the first man arrived, a couple of minutes later the second and a
few minutes after him, the third.
The first man asked the second man, ‗did he have any trouble?‘
―Had to promise the wife to paint the laundry‖ he replied ―What about you?‖
―Have to mow the lawns and trim the tree.‖ He replied.
Then both turned to the third man. ―Any trouble?‖ they asked in one voice.
―No‖ he replied. ―I just said to my wife intercourse or golf course?‖
―Don‘t forget your umbrella.‖ She said. ―It‘s in the laundry and it might rain!‖
When he told them that he didn‘t think he was the man for the job, as he liked to hear and tell
naughty stories. They told him that they disagreed, so he became their preacher.
He told John that he had witnessed the „Power of Prayer.‟
This lady was in her thirties, she was definitely dying, the doctors tried everything to save her
life but she was too far gone, her body wouldn‘t respond to any treatments.
They told her relatives that she would be dead by the next morning and there was nothing
more they could do for her.
As her preacher John asked his flock to attend church that night so that they could pray for
her recovery.
The church was packed anybody and everybody turned up and prayed for her recovery.
John asked that they please put her in their prayers.
She struggled to survive for over a week, the doctors were astounded, there was no way she
could have lasted this long. The parishioners kept praying for her and she started to get better,
and three months later she was walking around as good as ever.
John didn‘t say anything but I know he was definitely thinking about what his friend had told
him.
When John‘s time came and he was dying his family received a telephone call from John
Lipscombe who was in America telling them that if they wanted to see John alive, that they
would have to visit him that night for he would be dead in the morning.
John Lipscombe was correct, John was dead next morning.
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PRAYER DURING THE WAR
He and his men were surrounded on all sides, there was no way that they were going to
survive, outnumbered and running low in ammunition, their chances were zero.
He ordered all the maps, communications and radios be destroyed. He was a Spiritualist and
decided to go further into the woods and pray. He had been praying for about ten minutes
when a storm broke and the rain just teemed down, it kept raining and raining, when it let up
after about four days later, he found that the army surrounding them had withdrawn and they
returned safely to their main unit.
I have read quite a few stories like this one been of a soldier being by himself in a trench, he
was on his knees praying when a shell landed beside him but it didn‘t explode, whilst every
other shell that landed in the other trenches did, killing dozens of soldiers.
THE DISCARNATE KATIE KING
In his delightful and informative book „The New Revelation and Vital Message‟ by Arthur
Conan Doyle, a medical doctor and author of the „Sherlock Holmes series,‟ I came across the
following;
It is referred to as the „Crookes‟ episode and it tells how a young lady named Florrie Cook in
her late teens was used as an instrument by a Professor Crookes for the materialisation of a
discarnate spirit.
He tells us that whilst Florrie lay in her trance state or whatever, on a couch in a locked room,
the only exit being a curtained opening, which led into his study. Professor Crookes and his
friends waited patiently for something to occur and eventually it did and over the next few
years this discarnate spirit whom they got to know as Katie King, materialised regularly. She
proclaimed herself to be a materialised spirit whose mission it was to bring the fact to their
attention that we humans were immortal.
She appeared before them many times, allowing herself to be photographed forty eight times.
She even allowed her pulse to be taken, which was markedly lower than ours. She walked
amongst them, talking to them individually and collectively. I must admit that I was very
disappointed not to be told what they were talking about because I am sure that like you and
possibly those she was talking too, I would‘ve been asking her some very pertinent questions.
Florrie Cook who was acting as the instrument was seen lying on the couch in her trance
state, at the same time Katie King was visiting them.
Finally she departed saying that her mission was over and that she had other work to do!
According to Arthur Conan Doyle when she vanished, materialism should‗ve vanished also,
if mankind had taken adequate notice of the facts.
Also in his book, Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the following;
Mr Funk, a joint compiler of the standard American dictionary, tells this story, which he
personally guarantees to be true.
An American doctor friend of his had a cataleptic seizure. He was aware that he had left his
physical body, for it was lying down beside him. He looked down at his body it looked the
same as his body on the floor. He thought of a friend in Paris and suddenly he found himself
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in his friend‘s room. He looked at his friend and his friend looked at him, it was obvious that
he saw him. He returned to his body, it was still in the same position as when he had left it.
He looked down at his body lying on the floor. ‗Will I or won‘t I go back into it?‘ he argued
with himself and finally after due deliberation, he decided to return to his body and continue
his life.
Later he received a letter from his friend whom he had visited, telling him that he had been
aware of his presence. The above story is, according to Arthur Conan Doyle more graphically
described in Mr Funk‘s „Psychic Riddle.‟
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PARACELSUS
Phillipus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, called „Paracelsus‟ born in
1493, died 24th September, 1541. He was an absolute genius his medical skills still
reverberate through the medical profession. He was a brilliant Alchemist and stated that his
great knowledge was due to Experience.
His motto being, ‗Let no one who can be his own belong to another!‘
In my little practice Iridology-Homeopathy, I use his cancer remedies on a regular basis. My
only known case history is where my patient had a very aggressive prostate cancer and he
was told by his doctors that they didn‘t fancy his chances. He took the Homoeopathic
remedies as they should be taken. He was also being treated with Chemotherapy, when next
examined about four months later he was completely free of the cancer.
Paracelsus was very deeply involved in the Occult. He wrote a book on Curses and Spells and
how to use them. Over the years they have been burnt, confiscated and removed from
circulation, which is a good idea, for I am sure it will be appreciated that a book of this nature
in the wrong hands today could cause havoc.
I believe if I read it correctly, according to the book that I was studying at the time, there are
still some of these books in the hands of people who have had them passed down to them
over the years. He also used signs, symbols and Magic Sigils effective against disease, as
well as setting out how others could be used to our detriment.
One case of his which I read many years ago, although not copied but from memory went as
follows.
A dairy farmer when going out to milk his cows found that all their milk was thick and
smelly and his cows had yellow spots all over them. He tried everything he could to get his
cows return to normal but to no avail, and he was just about to give up when a friend of his
from another village came to his farm and told him of a Witch who lived in the forest, in a
cave about four hours away from his village. He gave him a list of food he would have to take
with him as payment and a map showing him how to get to the cave.
He put all the food he had been told to take on to his donkey and using the map his friend had
given him headed for Witch‘s cave. About four hours later he stood outside the cave. A few
minutes later an old crone walking with a stick emerged, went to the donkey and sniffed the
packages it was carrying, then turning to the man said.
―You will milk your best cow at half past five tomorrow morning. You will then fill the pail
to just below the top and you will take it down to the stream by the bridge. You will cross the
bridge and you will see an old oak tree, you will put the pail in front of it and then you will
go back across the bridge and stay there. When the Sun rises and is shining above the top of
the pail you will go back to the tree, take the pail and pour its contents under the thorn bush
with the yellow flowers just downstream from the oak tree.‖
The farmer put the food he had brought on the ground and thanked her. She didn‘t say
anything, just started to pick up the food.
Next morning he did exactly as the old Witch had told him. He milked his best cow and took
the pail of her milk down to the river, placed it in front of the oak tree and walked back to the
other side.
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He waited until the rising Sun was above the pail, went over picked it up and emptied its
contents under the thorn bush with the yellow flowers. He returned to his farm and found that
all of the yellow spots had disappeared from his cows and their milk was normal.
Next day as he was walking through the village he saw this other dairy farmer with whom he
had a few arguments walking down the street. His face was covered with yellow spots.
Many people today do not believe in witchcraft, well my friends I‘m not one of them!
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GERALDINE AND GERRY
I have read many cases about people with dual personalities but this one was quite different
and really captured my attention. I believe that I read something very similar to this in a book
written in the 1900 hundreds, so I don‘t claim it to be mine and I have written it as I see it
today.
Ever since her parents could remember, their daughter Geraldine, now eighteen, personality
changed from Month to Month like clockwork. One Month they had an Angelic daughter
who loved her name Geraldine. The next Month they had this daughter who had the biggest
mouth you had ever heard. She called herself Gerry and told everyone else to call her that.
She was untidy, ungrateful, and only cared about herself for everybody else could go and
jump.
They had tried so many psychiatrists that it was no longer funny and the cost over this long
period of time was to say the least substantial. They had just about given up when they heard
of this Hypnotherapist, Christopher Jones, who was making a great reputation for himself,
and with nothing to lose and everything to gain they contacted him.
He knew of her case and made an appointment for them to bring her to him. He asked them to
be in the room with him when he hypnotised her, so that they could see and hear everything
that occurred.
The daughter being hypnotised was Geraldine and went under practically straight away.
Christopher as always, went in very gently asking her questions about herself and her life
which she answered immediately and honestly. It was when he started asking her about Gerry
she began to become agitated and move restlessly on her chair.
―Do you know Gerry?‖
―I know of her.‖ She replied.
―Have you ever met her?‖
―Not face to face.‖ She replied.
―Do you ever dream of her?‖
―I don‘t know but the girl I dream of who looks like me, she is very rude and very selfopinionated.‖
―Do you talk with her?‖
―No‖ came the reply. ―We seem to be in different worlds.‖
She seemed most comfortable and at ease.
Christopher stopped talking and turning to the mother and father said
―I will try to get the other girl.‖
―Are you there Gerry?‖
No reply.
He asked again! Still no reply, so he asked a third time.
And a very raucous voice answered him.
―Of course I am here, how many times do you have to ask?‖
He asked Gerry the same questions as he had asked Geraldine and received the same answers,
only in a much ruder voice.
When he asked her if she saw Geraldine in her dreams she answered.
―I see lots of people in my dreams.‖
He asked her again, there was a slight pause.
―Yes, I do!‖
―What do you think of her?‖ he asked.
―I don‘t think anything of her.‖ She replied.
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―She lives in her world and I live in mine!‖
The girl in the chair leaned back and yawned and closed her eyes.
Christopher snapped his fingers and started counting slowly and when he reached eight
She opened her eyes completely awake and alert.
She looked at him and her parents and laughingly said,
―I feel like I have been asleep and just woken up, I feel lovely!‖
She was still Geraldine.
He made another appointment for a week‘s time and he told the parents that he would try to
put Gerry to sleep and let Geraldine to be their only daughter.
Both parents agreed.
The big day had arrived and Geraldine and her mother and father were in Christopher‘s room.
Everything was ready as far as they were all concerned.
Christopher hypnotised her. She went under very quickly and he asked the usual lead up
questions which she answered, then asked Gerry to talk to him.
There was a silence for a few seconds then Gerry came through, but before he had time to ask
her any questions.
―What do you want with me now, why don‘t you leave me alone?‖
Christopher sat back in his chair, in all his years he had never had this happen.
―I want you to go to sleep.‖ He said.
―Why would you want me to go to sleep?‖ She asked. ―I will go to sleep when I am tired and
I‘m not tired.‖
Christopher persisted, and Gerry‘s voice became very angry and she started to stand up. Her
face had a very angry look. Christopher didn‘t know what to do!
―THAT‘S ENOUGH!‖ It was a very strong feminine voice from out of the girl‘s mouth.
―STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING IMMEDIATELY!‖ It said.
Christopher sat back in his chair.
The voice which had spoken was not either of the girls. There was a silence. He looked at the
mother and father they were also stunned.
The voice spoke again but this time in a much softer and gentler tone.
―There are two girls in this body and in an earlier life they were twins, but they were taken
before their time and if you keep interfering with them, you will leave me no option but to
withdraw the girls from the body and leave you the corpse.‖
Christopher looked at the parents and then at the girl sitting in the chair, he started counting,
he reached eight when she responded and came back to consciousness.
―Wow‖ she said. It was Gerry ―Where have I been?‖
She looked over and seeing her mother and father stood up as they did and walked towards
them, she put her arms around her mother and gave her a lovely warm kiss. A thing she had
never done before then she hugged and kissed her father, which also she had never done
before.
―Come on folks lets go home I‘m hungry.‖ She said. She went and opened the door for her
parents and turning to Christopher said, ―Goodbye Shrink!‖ and closed the door.
Christopher sat there for a moment trying to work out what had happened, but couldn‘t make
head or tale of it.
He was wondering how he could tell his fellow therapists what had happened and what they
would think about it and decided that he wouldn‘t bother.
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GOD’S LENT CHILDREN...
By Anon.
‗I will lend you for a little while, children of mine,‘ God said.
For you to love them while they live and mourn them when they‘re dead.
It may be for a few short years, or longer we will see.
But will you, till I call them back, please take care of them for me.
They‘ll bring their charms to gladden you, but should their stay be brief.
You‘ll always have their memories as solace in your grief.
I cannot promise they will stay, since all from earth return.
But there are lessons taught below, these children need to learn.
I‘ve looked the whole world over in my search for teachers true.
And from the folk that crowds life‘s lane I have chosen you!
Now will you give them all your love and not think the Labour vain.
Nor hate me when I come to take my lent children back again!
I fancy that I heard them say „Dear God‟ thy will be done.
For all the joys these children will bring the risk of grief we‘ll run.
We will shower them with tenderness and will love them while we may.
And for all the happiness we have ever known, we will ever grateful stay.
But should the Angels call them much sooner than you had planned.
Brave the bitter grief that comes and try to understand.
The above was written in the singular and I have taken the liberty to alter it, I do hope that
Anon and you understand!
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IN SEARCH OF A CURE
I dedicate this to the Late John Thornton, a warm and sincere friend, John passed away on the
23rd of December 1976, at the tender age of 77 years.
In John‘s case it is true to say he was 77 years young.
He was my companion on my first trip to the Philippines and his company made it most
bearable. He had a delightful sense of humour and it stayed with him to the end.
I cannot honestly say that I miss him, for I do not feel as though he has gone!
CREDITS
Barry Meyers of the „Hill of Content Book Shop‟ I am most grateful!
His editing of the original manuscript went far beyond the call of duty.
Chapter One
„In Search of a Cure‟ these five little words caused two Australians to embark upon a journey
which took them into a realm far beyond the limits of their understanding!
A realm where logic as they knew it was treated with contempt, where the extra-ordinary was
commonplace and mind boggling feats were performed daily with such dexterity as to leave
them gasping with fear and disbelief. Feats of frightening magnitude defying explanation or
understanding, yet drawing those involved closer in lest they miss seeing that which their
mind tells them is completely unacceptable.
The story begins in Melbourne, Australia at the end of January 1975. I didn‘t believe in
miracles, nor did I readily believe those who professed to have witnessed them, for they
usually ended by saying, ‗The day of Judgment is near.‘ Not, that it might not be but like a
lot of other people in this world, I just did not want to know about it!
My biggest worry was me and my very poor state of health. I was riddled with arthritis the
medical term for my particular complaint was ‗Bechterew‘s Arthritis.‘
This is described in the medical dictionary as ‗Arthritis of the spine‘ in which only the
intervertebral discs are affected.
According to the doctors I saw. I had large deposits of acid along my spinal column, an
extremely large deposit in my lower back area. This acid could have been manufactured in
my system by bad dietary, salt being dropped by the blood as it coursed the veins and arteries
or by any of the many bodily complaints which can cause the arthritic symptom.
One x -ray revealed I had a ball of fluid in my lower back and one doctor told me, ―If that
ever leaves its position in your lower back area and enters into your system you will really
know about it!‖
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I tried drugs, medicines, remedies, you name it and I tried it! It got so bad that I was taking
so many pills I thought I was going to rattle. The doctors admitted they didn‘t know of a cure,
but thought they might try to find one drug to give me relief and experimented accordingly.
Some drugs worked for a while, but not for long.
I went to chiropractors, manipulators and herbalists. One chiropractor told me after
examining my x-ray plates, that my condition was chronic and like the doctor he pointed out
a ball of fluid in my lower back which he described as a very large deposit. ―If that ever
moves,‖ he said, ―you are really in trouble.‖
He informed me he could treat me, but couldn‘t guarantee a hundred per cent success. The
treatment was to take four months and was to consist of a series of manipulations three times
a week. At the end of the first month I was absolutely exhausted. Trying to describe how I
felt, it was as though I had been run over by a ten ton truck. I honestly didn‘t know which
was worse, the Arthritis or the treatment. Still in search of help I went to manipulators, they
were much gentler than the chiropractor but my condition continued to worsen.
The herbalists I saw told me that it would take a long time to remove the acid out of my
system as it was so ingrained and seemed to have been there for a very long time. By this
time my back was starting to feel like a board, it actually seemed to creak when I turned.
My nerves were shot to pieces and I started to develop headaches and migraines. This as you
can appreciate was almost the last straw. I didn‘t know what to do or where to turn, there just
did not seem to be any answer. I remember lying in bed on those long nights they were even
longer than the days – thinking. ‗Surely there is something or somebody somewhere who
could help me? But if there was I didn‘t know about them, who or where they were.‘ By this
time I had just about accepted my fate, for when hope is gone what is there left?
71
Chapter Two
The old saying ‗It never rains but it pours‘ applies to this next incident. By profession
I was an estate agent and like others in that profession I used to place metal „Land for Sale‟
signs upon blocks of ground, which I had for sale. One day while placing one of my signs on
a block at Whittlesea the hammer I was hitting the iron stake with, ricochet off and I lost my
balance and fell backwards pulling the sign with me. The pointed corner of the metal struck
my head, cutting the skin and became imbedded in my skull. The pain was unreal, I felt the
scream start from deep within me, my mouth was open but no sound was emerging from it
and my head felt like it was split in two. When I realized what was happening, I found I was
running almost in a circle like a fowl when it has had its head cut off. Both my hands were on
top of my head, and every nerve in my body was seemingly on fire. I don‘t know how long it
was before I regained control of myself, for I shook uncontrollably for what seemed like an
eternity. It didn‘t bleed much and only stung a little as I bathed the cut with iodine when I
arrived home.
Shortly after this incident, the real headaches started, and not the tiddling, ordinary headaches
that a Belladonna or Bryonia cures, nor those tiny little migraines but one hundred per cent
fully fledged headaches. Pain and I were constant companions, my eyesight started to weaken
and to put it simply.
I wished that I were dead!
I started to forget things, silly, ordinary, everyday things. I remember one day when
discussing business with a client, all of a sudden everything went blank. I felt as though
something inside of me was trying to grasp the situation, but to no avail. I stammered, tried to
collect my thoughts and for a second it was as though I was watching someone else from a
great distance, as fear shot through me I struggled desperately to regain my composure. It
was an uncanny experience, the first of many.
This was my first actual attack of this nature. It shook me. They started to happen more
frequently, until I was nearly out of my mind. My confidence left me, I felt like an empty
shell. With strangers and business acquaintances I managed to get away with quite a lot, for I
was able to condition myself to work in short bursts. I didn‘t get away with it all of the time,
but for quite a lot of it. My wife was the only one to know just what was going on and the
term ‗Street Angel House Devil‘ applied to me.
I started to withdraw, until I had almost reached the point of no return and just when I had
given up hope and was thinking, ‗What is the use!‘ Fate decided to intervene.
A friend of mine, John Thornton‘s son Dick, had been very ill, with a sinus complaint. He
had been receiving treatment for it for about four months but was not getting any relief.
His condition worsened to such an extent, that his doctor sent him to a specialist. Thorough
tests revealed that he was not suffering from sinus, but from a blood clot on the brain.
An operation was imperative, and he was rushed to hospital, where an operation was
performed. All seemed to go well, the surgeons operating upon him were extremely happy
and it was, in their minds, a complete success. It was on the return journey to the ward, when,
as I said before, ‗Fate Intervened‘.
As Dick was being lifted off the trolley to be placed into the bed, the trolley slid out from
under him and he fell, hitting his head heavily against the ward wall. He was rushed back into
the operating theatre, where the surgeons worked again for many hours, this time, not only to
treat the damage caused by the fall, but to try and save his life. They managed to save his life,
but all was not well in other areas, and, sad to say, it is not well today. His capabilities of
today are in no way equal to those of the days before, ‗Fate Intervened‘.
72
Chapter Three
A few months after Dick‘s accident, while discussing his progress with my nephew Allan
Ritchie.
Allan asked, ―Why don‘t you tell John to take Dick to the Faith Healers?‖
―What Faith Healers?‖ I asked.
―The ones in the Philippines,‖ he replied.
He then told me the story of a friend of his, receiving treatment for cancer at a well-known
institute in Melbourne. According to Allan, his friend‘s foot was to have been amputated in
January 1975, but after visiting the Faith Healers in the Philippines, he had been told by the
institute when he returned for a check, that for some reason unknown to them, his condition
had improved and the amputation of his foot was no longer necessary. I asked Allan for this
man‘s telephone number for I thought John should contact him.
I rang John and told him all Allan had told me. Like myself, he was not impressed with Faith
Healing, for it was at that time the term ‗Fake Healers‘ started to receive prominence in the
newspapers and on television. However, with nothing to lose, he contacted Allan‘s friend,
Martin Downing and the following day told me all that had transpired at their meeting.
Martin Downing, he said, ―Was a very nice fellow and a busy partner in a prosperous
business.‖ Despite the pressure of the business, hearing of Dick‘s trouble, he gave John over
twenty minutes of his valuable time.
He told John that Allan Ritchie was telling him the truth about his treatment from the
Melbourne institute, his foot was to have been amputated in January 1975.
Martin said. ―Then I heard about the Faith Healers in the Philippines and decided to give
them a go, for what did I have to lose?‖
John questioned him for quite a while, specifically about his faith and to find out if Martin‘s
faith was of such a nature that would put him in a category, that his receiving of this
particular type of healing, was an extension of what Martin already believed.
Martin‘s answer never varied, ―I didn‘t have any hope left, here in Australia and so I decided
to try the Faith Healers.‖
He then told John a most peculiar story of the operations performed by the „Healers‟ and the
methods they used.
―First they place a towel over the part where you tell them you want treatment. They sprinkle
the area concerned with what they call Blessed or Holy Water.‖
Then he said, ―They put their hands inside your body and remove what is wrong with you.‖
Now John was deaf and used a hearing aid, he said to Martin, ―would you mind repeating
that?‖ Martin duly obliged.
John didn‘t believe in fairies or miracles. John was a hard- headed business man with both
feet planted firmly on this earth. He was not backward in telling Martin, that this sort of
thing took a bit of swallowing. Martin offered to provide John with fifty names and addresses
of people who had been on the same plane that he was on, who also had been operated on by
the Faith Healers. But as John said, to both Martin and me ―Why does it matter how they do
it! They do it and what better living proof was there than the man he was speaking to!‖
He then asked Martin, ―Did it hurt?‖
―No,‖ Martin replied, ―It just felt uncomfortable.‖
He couldn‘t describe his own operation as he could not see what the healer was doing.
73
Chapter Four
Martin had given to John the name of another Melbourne man who had been treated by the
Healers and who had witnessed Martin‘s operation and he gave him his telephone number.
John rang him, made an appointment to see him. The man, Murray Roberts, was only too
pleased to talk to John about it and he described it to him in detail.
―Placido did it!‖ He said. ―Placido Palitayan from Baguio City, he placed Martin on the table,
there were nearly twenty of us watching.‖ (In later operations Placido worked privately in a
closed room). ―He placed a towel over Martin‘s foot, looked at it for a moment, took the
towel away and he sprinkled some water on his foot, then seemed to push his hand right up
into the arch of the foot. There were squelching sounds and blood went everywhere. He
seemed to wriggle his hand around inside the foot, when he brought it out it was covered in a
watery blood-coloured fluid. In his hands he was holding two or three gristly balls of material
about the size of pigeon‘s eggs.‖
―Tumours,‖ he said. Then he repeated his actions again!
And altogether he removed five tumours from what he called ‗Martin‘s artery.‘ After the
operation the foot was inspected by the people watching the operation but there was nothing
to see no mark or scar.
John asked Murray ―what does Placido designate is it some form of address in the
Philippines?‖
―No‖ he replied, ―that is his name, everybody calls him Placido.‖
Murray evidently was different from Martin, for he was a believer in Faith Healing before he
left Australia and John was inclined to think, that he was rather religious. He told John that
his own operation consisted of the removal of fifty pieces of calcium from his body. Murray
worked in the meat industry as an inspector, in the slaughter yards and this, he said, was the
reason for all the calcium in his body.
He told John about quite a few operations he had witnessed. They varied in different cases.
The one thing however which did not vary, was the method employed by the healers, in all
cases they only used their hands.
Now all this takes a bit of swallowing. Operations to cure people certainly, marvellous herbs
or drugs with which to treat all types of growths and diseases, accepted as a matter of course.
Microsurgery is a proven and accepted fact. Doing Operations using only your hands, Major
Surgery, no anaesthetic and no safeguards against infection and to top it all off, no mark, no
scar to show where entry into the body has been made. My thoughts at that time were. ‘Come
off it mate! You have got to be kidding.‘
74
Chapter Five
Murray Roberts told John of a man, Russel Uglow a friend of his, who was soon to return
from the Philippines. He gave John his address and telephone number so that he might make
an appointment to see him. John gave me the number and I rung it. A lady answered the
phone. I told her that I had been given Mr Uglow's number by Mr Murray Roberts, whom I
believed was a friend of his. The lady, Mrs Uglow told me that Russell‘s family and friends
were giving him a coming home party tonight and I was welcome to come. When I explained
that there were four of us, my wife, my sister, my friend, and myself.
―Good,‖ she said. ―The more the merrier.‖
The night to meet Russell Uglow eventually came and it turned into a most unusual night for
me. Everything went wrong firstly my car didn‘t want to start and secondly, the weather was
rotten and to top it all off, when we arrived at the house, we could not make anybody hear us.
It seemed as though nobody was at home. We waited quite a long time, the four of us and I
was starting to worry when the door opened. An extremely attractive young lady in her early
twenties greeted us, ―I‘m Sally Uglow,‖ she said. She told us that everybody had been at the
rear of the house and had not heard us ring. ―Please call me Sally.‖
I introduced Ivy my wife, Melita my sister, my friend John Thornton and myself, Arthur
Houston. Mrs Uglow invited us inside, motioned for us to seat ourselves, while she went and
fetched Russell. She returned a few moments later, arm-in-arm with her husband.
Introductions over, she excused herself and returned to her guests. Russell Uglow was a sight
to behold. I have yet to see a fitter looking man, he was sun-tanned, he almost glided as he
walked, was full of vitality and above all, he radiated health. He was very kind and explained
to us his condition before he left Australia and how he was and felt today.
He had, he told us, been in a brace for the last three years, his complaint having been a
degenerate disc. His doctors told him they could operate but would guarantee him only
eighty-five per cent chances of complete success and recovery. One of the stipulations was
that he would have to be confined to lie in bed on his back for two years. Now this was
definitely out, under no circumstances was he prepared to take that risk! He told us he would
rather have suffered the pain than accept something of that nature.
Having heard about the Philippine Faith Healers from Murray Roberts, he decided to give
them a go, for as he said, ―What did I have to lose?‖
He went on to tell us of his constant pain and the many nights of restlessness and
sleeplessness.
He had gone to Baguio City to see Placido-Palitayan, the healer that the returning Australians
were claiming, had cured them. In the Philippines he had had two operations, the first by
Placido-Palitayan and the second by Madam Josephine, who had lived in Barongobong in the
Pangasinan Lowlands, about 125 kilometres from Baguio City. She operated in an old,
disused church.
He was very matter of fact about the whole thing.
‗They just put their hands on your body, the skin opens up, they remove what is causing the
trouble and that is it!‘
Now this was the third time this statement had been made and like Martin Downing and
Murray Roberts, Russell Aglow was not an uneducated backwoods man, nor was he full of
guile, for what would he have to gain? I still found this very hard to swallow.
75
I know my look must have conveyed my innermost thinking for he turned noticeably cool.
We then started to question him but his answer was always the same.
‗I don‘t know how they do it, nor do I care, all I know is that for three years I suffered hell
and wore a brace; today I am fit and well and I don‘t wear a brace.‘
As far as I was concerned, to that most factual statement, there was no answer.
It was then that I made up my mind to go to the Philippines.
How these people opened or closed you was of little consequence, the only thing that
mattered was they cured you and as my chances of being cured in Australia seemed, to say
the least remote, I decided to go!
76
Chapter Six
I had one of the worst, most painful nights, that I had ever had in my life that night, every
part of me ached and pained and as for my nerves, enough said. Whatever doubts I might
have had about going were quickly put aside.
Next morning I rang John, and said, ―I do not know what to think about these faith healers,
maybe they are real and maybe they are not but I am in such a mess, that I do not believe that
I have any option but to go and find out for myself.‖
John agreed whole-heartedly and we decided to travel together and undertake the journey to
the Philippines.
The first plane we could book seats on left from Sydney, so as soon as all the formalities,
such as passports, inoculations, etc. were completed we went to Sydney, then to Manila. We
landed in Manila late at night. It was hot and steamy; the month of March in the Philippines
is an exceptionally hot month. I found myself actually gasping for breath but as soon as I
adjusted I started to like the feeling of hot air in my lungs. I don‘t know if it was my
imagination or not but my Arthritis was not paining as much as usual and my head felt quite
clear.
As we proceeded into the terminal I started to feel the effects of the steamy conditions, I was
soaked to the skin and perspiration was pouring out of my body but strange as it may seem, I
found the air in the Philippines invigorating to me. We boarded a tour-bus which took us to
our modern air-conditioned hotel, situated near the International Airport.
We rose early next morning, not to go on any tours but to contact Mr Kemplan, the man who
Murray Roberts told us conducted a Healing School in Manila. He had given John
Mr Kemplans telephone number and told him that not only were healers being trained there,
but subject to satisfactory arrangements being made, Mr Kemplan would provide a healer to
come to Australia, to treat John‘s son Dick.
I rang the number and asked to speak to Mr Kemplan, I was told by the lady who answered
the phone that he was not available and would not be available until seven that evening. I
made an appointment for both John and I to be at the address given to John by Murray
Roberts and verified by the lady to whom I had spoken, for seven that same evening.
We left the Hotel and decided to spend our day of waiting, investigating Manila. I was
surprised upon reaching the street to see what appeared to be a squad of armed guards, not
policemen or soldiers but uniformed armed guards. I approached one of the Tour guides who
was standing by the entrance to the hotel and asked her,
―Where is the trouble?‖
She looked at me and replied,
―What trouble? I do not know of any trouble.‖
I pointed to the armed guards and said, ―Why the armed guards?‖
She laughed it could have been with relief and answered, ―Oh! Do not worry Sir, they are
only changing shift. We now have curfew in Manila and curfew time is 12 o‘clock.‖
She continued, ―Prior to Martial Law being introduced, there was much killing and robbing
and to safeguard their lives and property people of business and substance engaged the
services of armed guards. Today they have become part of our way of life and you will find
them all over the Philippines.‖
What she said turned out to be true but I never saw any trouble, nor did I hear of any while I
was there.
77
Our hotel was on the outskirts of the built-up area. Asking around, John found that there were
three means of transport available to us if we wanted to visit the Central Business District of
Manila. Taxi the common tourist method, walking, which was unheard of or a bus. John
decided he would like to travel by bus for as he said, ―It will bring us closer to the people.‖
It certainly did the people on the bus couldn‘t believe what they saw when we boarded the
bus. It was quite obvious that the tourists were not a common sight on the buses.
We spent the entire day walking in Manila, a city teeming with people. Workers with their
machines out on the footpath, in alleys, in lanes it was an adventure just walking around the
streets. The day quickly passed and near our appointed time to meet Mr Kemplan, I
approached a passing Filipino and asked him if he could direct us to the address I had written
on a piece of paper. He informed us that the building in question was located in Manila‘s
Central Business District and was quite a long way from where we were at present. Despite
this he took us physically to the entrance of the building and placed us in the care of the
guard on duty.
After our very kind guide left us, I asked the guard if he could direct us to the healing school.
He obligingly informed us as to the floor the school was on, adding as further information,
Mr Kemplan‘s name is on the door.
One thing which did catch my eye as we were talking to the guard, was the size of his gun
sitting snugly in the holster attached to his belt, the holster incidentally being tied to his leg,
as you see with the ‗Fast Guns‘ in the cowboy movies. It was an American forty-five and it
looked as big as a cannon.
We climbed the stairs of this rather old building. It had been around for quite a long time with
a wooden staircase winding around the lift and each landing as you progressed upwards was
an exact replica of the previous one. A long narrow corridor ran away to the right with the
doors of different offices facing it. As we reached the third floor, the office we were seeking
could be plainly seen, as could Mr Kemplan‘s name upon the door.
I was by this time exhausted, my head was aching like fury I was covered in perspiration and
my Arthritis. Well?
78
Chapter Seven
I knocked on the door. A pretty little Filipina girl opened it, smiled at us and bade us to enter.
―Please come in,‖ she said.
We entered a hot, stuffy room with people smoking the local strong tobacco. This tobacco
has a most unusual flavour and aroma. I found it to be rather sickening. I could hardly see
and by the time we had grown accustomed to the smoke a very dapper Filipino was standing
in front of me.
‗Mr Thornton or Mr Houston?‘
I introduced John to this man who turned out to be Mr Kemplan himself. John got straight
down to business. He told Mr Kemplan all about his son and his troubles. He also told him
that Dick was too ill to travel and the healer would have to go to Australia.
They talked for quite a while. John saying quite clearly that he wanted to see the Healer in
action and that, subject to his performance being satisfactory, he John, was prepared to pay
all expenses for the trip to Australia to operate on Dick but stipulating that there were five
friends of his in Australia, whom John would expect the healer to operate on as well. I put in
my penny worth and offered to contribute on those same grounds.
It was getting late by this time and I was worrying about the curfew, for to be in a strange
land with all these people carrying guns quite a long way from our hotel was not a comforting
thought. I asked Mr Kemplan where the Healer was.
―He should be here shortly.‖ He replied.
I looked around the room. It was the first time I had taken the time to take a good look, being
far too engrossed in conversation with Mr Kemplan. There were about twenty people in the
roomy office, some sitting on chairs, some on desks, others leaning against the wall and four
men squatting on their haunches it was pretty evenly divided, men and women, to my
surprise, four other Europeans, two women and two men, who evidently like ourselves, were
waiting to see the Healer.
I asked Mr Kemplan if all these other people were Healers.
―No‖, he said, ―Just learners.‖
I asked him if there was anything special required being a Healer.
―Only belief in God and to follow his commandments,‖ he said. ―I teach them the art of
breathing and of meditation, the rest comes to them.‖
He then said, ―Oh by the way, the healer might not be in the mood to operate tonight so you
might have to return tomorrow night.‖
I politely replied, ―that my friend, I am afraid is impossible. We have only a limited time in
the Philippines and if your healer cannot show us his capabilities tonight, then we will have
to try elsewhere.‖
He promised he would do his best to allow us to see the Healer in action.
Not long after this a youngish Filipino arrived and we were introduced. His name was Ben.
He had evidently been told what was expected of him and after talking to John and I for a few
minutes he said, ―I am ready to operate.‖
John said, ―Will you operate on me?‖
―Certainly,‖ said Ben.
One of the desks was cleared, Ben asked John what was his trouble. ―I have two hernias and
constant stomach trouble. Can you fix me?‖
―Yes,‖ said Ben.
79
Ben asked John to take off his shirt, loosen the front of his trousers and get up on to a desk,
which Mr Kemplan and a few of the others had cleared while John was getting his clothes
off. They had placed a dilapidated old blanket on it. Ben put himself between the wall of the
room and the desk-operating table. The people in the room congregated around the desk on
the opposite side to Ben. John said ―that he was ready.‖ Ben motioned him to get on to the
desk, face up. This John quickly did. Ben closed his eyes and began to murmur, it could have
been a prayer. He seemed to be working himself up to something. By this time all the people
in the room were crowded around the desk and the air was full of anticipation and
excitement, all eyes were on Ben.
He opened his eyes, fixed them on to John‘s stomach and then with a very quick movement,
he took a step towards John. He clapped his hands together as though to pray and then he
drove and I mean drove them into John‘s stomach. John gasped as I am quite sure we all did!
Ben then proceeded to knead and push John‘s stomach around. There were squelching noises,
grunts and gasps from both John and Ben as the exertion took its toll. How long this went on
I do not know, but one thing I do know was that John‘s stomach was red raw and another was
that no matter what Ben was, the one thing he was not was gentle.
John‘s voice shattered the spell, ―Fair go this is hurting!‖
Ben stopped, all eyes were on him but he ignored us completely and walked over to another
desk, picked up a none-too-clean dessert spoon and casually walked back to his operating
desk, held the spoon up for us all to see then placed it firmly round side downward into
John‘s stomach. I am quite sure that, like my own, every eye was on that spoon but nothing
happened. Ben pushed the spoon down further and further until John‘s flesh overlapped the
sides of the spoon. He was holding it in one hand as you yourself would. Still nothing
happened. Ben said something and you could feel the shock waves travel through the crowd,
loud Ahhh‘s and gasps, for where a moment ago had been an empty spoon, from the flesh
over-lapping the spoon a dark murky substance flowed. It was a reddish, brownish, waterish
substance, rather like unclean blood.
I heard from out of nowhere my name being called. ―Arthur, Arthur!‖
I turned towards the voice and answered, ―Yes John?‖
―What the hell is going on?‖
I looked for a moment at the spoon full of murky blood and then back at John.
―I don‘t rightly know John.‖ I said. ―But I think that you have just been operated on.‖
Ben took the spoon away from John‘s stomach holding it up for everyone to see. I looked at
John‘s stomach and all I could see was the indent where the spoon had been pressed. I felt a
little sick and a little fearful, for this sort of thing was a bit remote from the world where I
belonged and we have been taught to be fearful of the unknown, however thanks to he who
made us, I do not suffer from that anymore.
John got dressed and asked me what had happened, I told him the best I could but must admit
that I felt a bit of a fool in the telling. John took it in his stride.
―Where is the blood?‖
We walked over to where Ben was holding the spoon and the audience. John looked at the
spoon and then at Ben.
Ben said, ―No more stomach ache.‖
80
―Good!‖ said John.
―Can you cure headaches?‖ He asked Ben. ―I have had one for months.‖
―Yes‖ Ben replied.
―All right,‖ said John. ―Cure mine.‖
John sat in a chair, the people gathered round for by this time, Ben was the hero of the hour.
He hung his head as if in meditation, a hush fell over the room and as before, all eyes were on
him. He slowly opened his eyes, looked at John, he held up his fourth finger for all of us to
see. It was small by our standards, a little crooked perhaps but nothing unusual about it, the
only outstanding thing was the fingernail, it was incredibly thick and about a quarter of an
inch long. Ben then moved round to face John who was seated in his chair. The crowd moved
back more or less into a semi-circle, allowing everyone a reasonable view of the two men.
Ben then bent forward and inserted that finger up John‘s left nostril. With his finger firmly
planted in the nostril he started to turn it and twist it from side to side, pushing upwards as he
did so. Now I have told you Ben was not gentle and in this particular incident he excelled
himself, for he was pushing and twisting so hard that John was almost lifted erect in his chair.
The pain must have been really something, John‘s face was scarlet and he gasped in pain.
―Right oh! Give me a go that is really hurting!‖
I saw John‘s hand move towards Ben‘s arm but just before he reached it there was a cracking
sound, as though something had broken. John cried out in pain. Ben pulled his finger out of
John‘s nostril and as he did, blood, pus and a white matterish-like substance poured from
John‘s nostril. The enraptured audience did everything but cheer. I do not know for the life of
me why they did not. As for John, he was being helped by a couple of girls with
handkerchiefs trying to stop the copious flow of blood coming from his nose getting on his
clothes
As for Ben!
Well, Ben was standing in front of his new-found disciples holding up his blood-stained
finger for all and sundry to see. There was pride and happiness written all over his face and
he was completely satisfied with the looks of adoration he was receiving from those
assembled in front of him. As for me, I was shocked to the core, for this was without a doubt
one of the most primitive acts I have ever witnessed in my entire life. I remember thinking,
‗If this is their Faith Healing, then I am going to give it a big miss.‘
We left after John had finished cleaning up and his nose had stopped bleeding. The others
evidently stayed for healing or religious instruction as the case may be.
John had told Mr Kemplan that he would return the following night for further treatment and
to arrange for Ben to come to Australia.
When he told me this I said. ―Not me mate, I am off to Baguio City, there is something wrong
somewhere. He certainly is a Healer of some type but he is too primitive for me. The people
back in Australia never mentioned the type of operation you had, so as far as I‘m concerned I
am going to see Josephine and Placido.‖
John agreed to come with me for as he said, ―We have seen this man in action. Let us have a
look at the others.‖ So I rang Mr Kemplan and told him that we were off to Baguio City and
that we would see him on our return.
81
Chapter Eight
By this time we had left the tour completely but to keep our room in the hotel, we had left
some of our clothes and other gear there and the next morning at eight-thirty we left the
Domestic Airport in Manila on a D.C.3 for Baguio City. It was cheap by our standards,
seventeen dollars, Australian plus a few pesos airport tax.
Although the distance from Manila to Baguio City is only 200 Kilometres, the flying time
was fifty minutes but to me it seemed rather longer, for this type of aeroplane is not exactly
modern and you are aware that you are flying. The terrain we flew over was incredible. Some
parts were quite flat and as we neared Baguio City, so steep it almost looked vertical. One
thing I did notice however was that almost every piece of cultivatable ground was under
intensive cultivation.
Baguio City Airport is typical of any other small airport around the world and quite adequate
for the traffic on this route. After we alighted from the plane and entered the terminal
building we were besieged by porters and taxi drivers, all eager for our custom. When you
realize that a man can earn as little as seventeen cents Australian, an hour, you will not have
to wonder why they seek your business.
It turned out to be a real battle of wits, everyone trying to be the lucky one, to such an extent
that there was almost a fight between them. While all the battles were taking place I had been
looking at the taxi drivers trying to get the job and I saw this man, he was standing quietly on
his own, as if he was waiting for somebody.
I approached him,
―Are you a taxi driver?‖ I asked.
―Yes Sir,‖ he replied.
―Do you know Josephine the Healer?‖
―Yes Sir, I do!‖
―Where does she live?‖
―Pangasinan Sir, about four hour drive from Baguio City, at Barongobong.‖
―Do you know Placido-Palitayan?‖
―Yes Sir, he is a friend of mine.‖
This was the man we needed. His name was Felix, a driver for a staff car company in Baguio
City.
Having made our choice of taxi driver, the others left us alone and concentrated on the other
passengers. We loaded our luggage into the taxi and headed for The Pines Hotel.
Felix like most other taxi drivers we drove with had a little printed card on his dashboard
with the words ‘God Bless Our Way’ set in bold type.
After driving with Felix and other taxi drivers in the Philippines I soon found out why they
needed the Blessing. It was because things like, brakes, good tyres, second or third gear, were
in many cases considered as optional extras. The rule of them watching the road was virtually
non-existent. I can‘t say that I was over impressed with their lay back attitude as they drove
merrily along breaking what we considered to be every rule in the book.
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Now Felix turned out to be the best piece of luck we could have had. He was honest and
sincere and fun to be with. We found that all the Healers knew him and Felix managed to get
us to see them without any trouble. He also became a friend and looked after our interests
where ever he could.
We had been told that the Pines Hotel was the best hotel in Baguio City and this was true. It
was air-conditioned and very clean. After checking our luggage we left the hotel and returned
to Felix who was waiting for us outside and asked him to take us to Placido-Palitayan. About
ten minutes later we pulled up outside a double story house. It was an ordinary home such as
you would see in this part of the world or for that matter like any house you would see in the
older part of Brisbane, Queensland, in Australia. Not in any way pretentious. Felix asked us
to wait while he went to see if Placido was available.
About five minutes later he returned with the disturbing news that Placida was down at the
beach, healing and wouldn‘t be available until tomorrow. Felix informed us that Placido took
people needing healing to the beach, this beach being according to Felix, a sheltered sandy
cove by the sea and was about 90 minutes‘ drive from Baguio City, a distance of 50
Kilometres. Now, time was our greatest enemy as we had to be back in Manila on Sunday
night for our return trip, today was Tuesday, so what to do?
I asked Felix if he would drive us to Josephine‘s and when he agreed asked him how much.
―Two hundred Pesos ($20.00), Sir.‖ He said, ―for both of you.‖ I queried the both of you bit.
―Full price sir,‖ he replied.
―In other words 100 Pesos each,‖ is that right?
―Yes Sir,‖ he said.
So off we went.
The first part of our journey out of Baguio took us along a very steep and winding
mountainous road with a steep drop of possibly a thousand feet, if you went off it that would
be the end of you. The sharp corners gave you plenty to think about. It was on this particular
journey that I discovered Felix‘s complete unconcern for the lack of brakes.
When I asked him what was wrong?
―Nothing Sir,‖ he replied.
―Why do you have to pump the brake pedal?‖ I asked. He looked at me in complete surprise.
―To put the brakes on sir,‖ he said.
―Yes, I know that but do you always drive your car like this?‖
―Oh yes Sir.‖ He replied.
―Always,‖ I said, ―Look mate! What about your brakes?‖
―Oh Sir they are not very good today.‖
I said rather sarcastically, ―Do you mean they get better?‖
He laughed, ―Oh yes sir and they get worse!‖
Oh! What the hell. I just shut up and let him drive.
The very hot steamy conditions were causing John some concern for he was in his late
seventies. Just when I was about to try and suggest something to ease his distress the road
flattened out and from seemingly nowhere sprang up a glorious breeze. It was cool and
refreshing and John soon recovered his composure and settled down to enjoy the trip.
I didn‘t bother to give him that piece of information about the brakes. I just thought that if I
do not say anything, maybe they will just get better by themselves.
Felix turned out to be a good guide and brought us up to date with the local history. The
people, the river, the valley, the mines, he would have done justice to any of the tour buses.
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I had found out by this time that Felix‘s favourite saying was ‗Yes Sir,‘ it didn‘t seem to
matter to whom or what ‗Yes Sir‘ was the answer.
I said to Felix, ―Do you understand all we, John and I say?‖
―Why no Sir,‖ he replied.
We all burst out laughing.
Where we were heading was called the lowlands, approximately 125 kilometres from Baguio
City and about the same distance from Manila. Things to see such as water buffalo pulling
carts, Jeepies and jeeps covered with brightly painted pictures and awnings with extras
galore, horns and mirrors. Towns, farms and villages made it a most interesting and
worthwhile trip, one that I suggest you take when you visit the Philippines.
Some of the places along the road were good places to eat, others were not so good and Felix,
like our truckies, knew the best. The land we were passing through was very rich and fertile,
and according to Felix the best in the Philippines. We stopped for a meal. I had rice and
watermelon, Felix had the local special but John joined me. I was not keen on eating meat
while I was there, for Filipinos are a little different in their approach to eating and eating
habits than we are and you had better believe me when I tell you that, ‗Choice Dog‘ is a
delicacy in the Philippines.
Off we went after lunch, passing through the village of Bacag. Felix pointed to his left and
said, ―That is where Mercado lives and Mercado is very good on backs.‖
Although I turned around quickly I didn‘t see anything to designate that Mercado lived there.
Turning to Felix I said, ―If he is any good on backs then he is my man. My back is terrible.
Why don‘t we go there first?‖
Felix replied, ―If we go to Mercado‘s first we could miss Josephine.‖
That settled the matter very quickly, for Josephine was according to our Australian sources a
healer who had cured many of the people they knew and we had heard about her. Another
time he pointed and mentioned the name Flor. He does acupuncture with his fingers but as
before I didn‘t see any spignel or sign to tell me where.
We approached a stream but just before crossing its long bridge, we turned to the right and
went down a side road. This we travelled for about three kilometres when Felix pulled off the
road on the right hand side, stopped the taxi and pointed to our left and said, ―Josephine‘s.‖
Looking over I saw a sapling fence, just like our tea-tree fences with a cluster of buildings
behind it. All of a sudden we were surrounded by children, there must have been about thirty
of them. John finished up buying ice creams for all of them from the local ice cream man,
who, luckily for the kids, just happened to come along at the right time.
I went to explore what was behind the sapling fence. To my left as I entered, I saw a table
similar to a picnic table, with wooden seats along either side, shaded by a thatched roof. Four
Europeans were sitting around it. They gave me a most casual glance and went back to their
own thoughts. They had not been talking when I saw them and they looked most
preoccupied.
All along one side of the fence where there was the most shade sat a group of Filipino people
they just glanced casually at us and returned to their conversation. The only other thing to be
seen was an old dog, not the dirtiest I have ever seen but close, he was burrowing in the dirt
and naturally was covered in it.
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While I was watching him, he stopped digging and simply rolled over into the hole as a horse
does in a horse-roll. The only other sign of life were the flies and they were in abundance.
The air was full of life and the sounds of the birds and the insects echoed from their hidden
places, adding to the charm of the rather quaint surroundings.
Directly in front of me was a building made of concrete, which I discovered later had
previously been a Catholic Church but was now Josephine‘s Church and operating theatre. To
the right of me was a typical farmhouse. I could hear voices raised as if in anger. I didn‘t take
any notice of what was being said but whoever the lady was who owned that voice was
laying down the law in no uncertain terms.
I entered the church. It was the usual scene, stools set out for the congregation, a raised dais
in the front and a low partition running along the front of the dais to separate it from the rest
of the church-like the communion rail.
A rather lovely gold-fringed collared banner hung from the ceiling, it was purple and gold,
purple background with gold writing on it. The writing on it said, „Union Espiritista
Cristiana de Filipinas.‟ (Christian Spiritualist Union of the Philippines Inc)
On the wall at the front of the church were two signs, one stating, „GOD, does the work and I
am only HIS Instrument PLEASE PRAY!‟ and the other;
„EVERYDAY HEALING 9:00a.m. – 12:00 noon and 2:00p.m. – 4:00p.m.‟
A table covered with blue plastic, a chair, a green cupboard on the wall, some bottles,
A roll of cotton wool, some little black tins and a vase with one flower in it!
To the right was a small wall plaque and underneath that a calendar. On the opposite wall was
another sign, which stated, „This to certify that Josephine Sison is a member of the „Union of
Spiritualists Inc. of the Philippines‟ and four signatories were recorded as members.
AGPAOA, MERCADO, BLANC and JOSEPHINE SISON.
I sat on one of the stools within the church and took stock of what I had read and seen with
that rather quaint outside scene quite vividly in my mind. Now, what are we faced with?
Evidently Madam Josephine belonged to a Union of Spiritualists, as did the three other
members. What this meant I didn‘t know was it a Union with the Spirits? Was it a Union for
the benefit of Registration or was it for their own protection, against excessive taxation?
Being incorporated leaves me very little doubt that they could be considered a religious body,
therefore might not have to pay any tax.
The words „I‟m only GODS instrument‟ applies to us all and if you do not believe in God,
anything that takes your fancy will do, for it is quite obvious that something is controlling
this world of ours.
The part that really threw me was.
„EVERYDAY HEALING: 9:00a.m. – 12:00 noon and 2:00p.m. – 4:00p.m.‟
Miracles, fair enough but only during office hours. Now that is a different matter.
Here I was thousands of kilometres from home. One hundred and twenty five kilometres
from Baguio City or Manila waiting for some unknown lady to finish her lunch and work
during the hours 2:00p.m.– 4:00p.m, performing miracles. If our Australian informants were
correct, with the same aplomb as a lady doing her housework. I felt this little trickle of
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perspiration flow down my face and I honestly believe it was the last vestige of my already
flagging courage.
I went outside and found John, surrounded by the ice-cream happy children. They were
having a ball.
―Well Arthur.‖ He asked. ―What is the lay of the land?‖
I told him all that I had seen, including the 2:00pm – 4:00pm. Everyday Healing!
John‘s only remark was, ―What time is it now?‖
It was 1:45pm.
―Not long to wait,‖ he said.
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Chapter Nine
Just before 2:00p.m. we heard movement from the house. The people who had been sitting
around as if by command made their way towards the church. John and I followed, from the
house emerged three people, a youngish-looking Filipina lady, dressed in a floral short
sleeved frock, this I found out later was the Healer, Madam Josephine. A slightly built
European with a wispy beard he was wearing a collared shirt, long trousers and sandals. He
turned out to be Madam Josephine‘s assistant. An elderly looking Filipino man, who turned
out to be Josephine‘s husband, he was wearing an opened neck shirt, long trousers and shoes
and carrying in his hand what looked like an exercise book.
The people entered the church by the front door and made their way to the stools provided
and sat down. Josephine, her assistant and her husband entered from the rear door.
Josephine had in her hand a little bowl not unlike those you get with salad at take-away food
places, it was plastic and yellow. Josephine‘s husband walked to the front of the church and
stood on the dais, opened up his exercise book and asked people wanting healing to come
forward and write their names in the book. I don‘t know how far down the list I was but my
name was recorded with the rest.
Josephine faced the assembled gathering, held up the plastic bowl filled with water and
holding her hand as you would see a priest when he gives a sacred blessing, moved her hand
horizontally then vertically over the bowl in the form of a Holy Cross.
It now became the Holy Water or as I have also heard it called, the Blessed Water. She
looked expectantly at her husband, he called a name out of the book, a Filipina lady, very
pregnant was the first patient. She waddled to the dais around to the table and with the help of
Josephine‘s assistant climbed on to the table and laid there, face up. Josephine lifted the
lady‘s dress and calmly pulled her pants down under her stomach, while we the entire
gathering, moved from our seats to the front of the church where the low partition separated
us from the operating area and waited for the operation to begin. We did not have long to
wait, Josephine looked at the lady on the table and said something to her in Tagalog, the non-
Spanish language of the Philippines and the lady answered. Josephine nodded then sprinkled
the Holy Water on the lady‘s stomach and in complete view of all those watching started to
operate and one thing I did notice was the calm almost stoic expression on the lady‘s face it
was evident that she trusted Josephine completely.
Josephine put her hands into the lady‘s right side lower abdomen and kneaded and pushed for
a few seconds, not like Ben but very gently yet firmly. There was a slapping noise. All eyes
were glued to the area where her hands were. She seemed to pull something out of the skin
she moved her fingers quickly then took her hands away and I saw what I believe was instant
healing. Her assistant wiped the area. It was reddish-looking but no mark or scar to be seen.
Josephine meanwhile was working on the lady‘s upper abdomen on the same side of her
body. By the time my eyes reached there she was off again working on the left side of the
lady‘s body. I seemed to be out of step with time, for I could not seem to catch up with her
and when I did it was all over. The most vivid recollection I had was that of her assistant
wiping up the blood. I felt stunned by the whole thing and I didn‘t seem to comprehend
what had happened.
The lady was being helped off the table. When I recovered enough to notice, I saw a young
Filipina girl waiting to get up on the table. She was about nine years of age. She spoke to
Josephine who then looked down at a Filipina lady who was evidently the girl‘s mother, they
conversed in Tagalog. Josephine looked into the little girl‘s eyes and reached for a small
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black tin it was larger than a fifty cent piece and about three eighth of an inch deep.
I made up my mind to watch this next operation, much closer and if possible with a clearer
mind, for I felt there was definitely something I was missing.
The little girl lay face upwards on the table, Josephine sprinkled holy water on her forehead
and I fixed my eyes on Josephine‘s hands. She placed the small black tin into her hand, said
something then smacked her hand with the tin in the palm quite hard into the little girl‘s
forehead. There was a squelching sound as when an egg falls and breaks.
I felt my stomach turn. I looked into the little girl‘s face. She seemed to be dazed. Not hurt
just dazed. Josephine took her hand away. A trickle of blood flowed from the girl‘s forehead,
a red imprint with the outline of the round tin clearly etched on her forehead and Josephine‘s
hand was empty.
Now this was a different kettle of fish this was not a Ben-type operation. This was something
new.
It was strange but when Ben operated all I felt was fear, at his primitive operation, shock and
disbelief but with Josephine something had been added, something far beyond my
understanding. I realized I was trembling. I decided that as far as I was concerned it was
interval and I went outside, over to the fence and proceeded to vomit uncontrollably.
I vomited for at least two or three minutes. Then I felt my stomach settling and realizing it
was no good not good not to go back, I re-entered the church and watched further operations.
I watched a European man being operated on for a back complaint. Josephine sprinkled water
on his back, picked up a piece of cotton wool dipped it into a bowl of oily substance, screwed
it into a tight ball and pushed her hands right into the base of his spine. When she took her
hands away they were empty.
Open handed she then made sweeping motions over the man‘s back, not touching the skin but
staying at least four to five inches away. She did this until she reached his neck. She then put
her fingers at the base of his skull, pushed fairly hard with the points of her fingers and
seemed to be groping for something. She then pulled a piece of cotton wool out of the base of
the man‘s skull, it was soaked in blood and adhering to it a whitish, matter-looking substance.
I shook my head a couple of times to clear it. I thought I must be dreaming.
Josephine went over his back and shoulders leaving a trail of red marks and blood which her
assistant, who was following up behind, wiped as she went. Soon it was all over and
Josephine was wiping her hands on a towel.
As the man was getting off the table I heard, as if from out of nowhere,
―Houston.‖
I didn‘t move.
Again, only this time much louder, ―HOUSTON.‖
I still didn‘t move. I do not know if it did not register or what.
I heard John‘s voice boom out, ―Right oh! Arthur it is your turn.‖
―Sweet Jesus! What now? Err thanks John.‖ I said. And very quickly lest I went to water, I
shed my shirt, opened my trousers and literally jumped on to the table.
The assistant asked me what my troubles were. Now that was an interesting question. I was
scared, shaking inside and not too happy to be on the table in front of all these people half
naked, but I told him of my back trouble and my headaches. Josephine was looking at me
while I was speaking. She knew how I felt. She motioned me to turn over and lay on my
stomach. This I willingly did. I felt water hit my back. I waited expectantly. Her fingers
pushed into the extreme end of my spine and I felt a little warm flow of something run down
between my buttocks and a funny vibration along my spine, and then her hands as they
pushed into the base of my skull. Another warm sensation and it felt as though my back was
being pinched. It didn‘t hurt just felt uncomfortable.
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A hand tapped my shoulder. I looked up into the darkest eyes I have ever seen but the face
was completely without expression.
Josephine motioned me to turn over. I stared at her.
―Please turn over,‖ she said.
I started to tell her about my headaches and by the time I had finished, so was she. She
sprinkled water on my temple, pushed her hands into it, grimaced, tugged at something and
then pushed her hands very hard against my skull.
Then she turned, picked up a towel and wiped her hands. It was over.
I was helped off the table by the assistant.
―Thornton.‖
John‘s name was being called by Josephine‘s husband. I looked towards John. The words
―Your turn John,‖ were framed upon my lips. I need not have bothered. He had taken off his
hearing aid and was well on the way to disrobing. John hopped unassisted on to the table and
in answer to her assistant, he told of his deafness, hernias, his stomach aches and the pains in
his chest.
Josephine motioned him to lay face upwards. She pulled down his underpants far enough for
her to work in the groin area. She sprinkled his body with the water, and pushed her hands
into his right groin, he winced a little, and there was a popping sound, like a cork. When she
took her hands away she was holding a mass of what looked like fibres. My eyes returned to
the spot where she had worked. All I saw was what seemed to be an incision about two
inches long, and only a very small fraction deep. There was a pink edge along each side of
the incision and there appeared to be a row of what reminded me of fish eggs and above them
a fine layer of pink skin. While I was looking at it, it disappeared. Not with the ‗instant‘
healing I had seen on the Filipina lady but it simply disappeared.
Josephine was working on his left side by then and I kept my eyes on his groin the whole
time. I saw exactly the same thing in there as I had on the other side and like its counterpart,
it also just disappeared.
Josephine then pushed into the centre of his stomach, not like Ben but just gently pushing and
rolling the stomach. There was a whooshing sound and when I looked, there was Josephine
quite unconcernedly pulling tissue from John‘s stomach. She threw it into a bucket. This
incidentally was the first time I had noticed what she did with the bits and pieces she was
taking out of people.
All I could see on John‘s stomach was watery-looking blood and after the assistant had wiped
that away, nothing at all, the skin looked the same and there were no marks or scars, leaving
the stomach area. Josephine went to his head and proceeded to work on his ears.
She pulled out from behind and underneath them, some of the worst phlegmatic material I
had ever seen, it had the same type of action as chewing gum, when you pull it out of your
mouth and stretch it. She must have pulled four or five lots out of each ear.
For months John after visiting the Healers never wore his hearing aid but within twelve
months his hearing had deteriorated again not to the same extent as before, but enough to
make him wear his aid again.
John turned over and I witnessed the same type of operation that I had already seen with the
man with the cotton wool in his spine and which John told me later, had been performed on
me. At last it was over. I told John I would meet him outside and going out the rear door into
the open air I reached for a cigarette, in an effort to calm, my now completely shattered
nerves.
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As I was preparing to leave, having returned to the church to make our donation, I heard the
words.
―I want my virility restored.‖
The speaker was a man in his seventies and he was trying to get Josephine to understand the
word ‗virility.‘ Her assistant was nowhere to be seen and it was quite obvious that Josephine
had no idea what this gentleman was talking about. When you go to the Philippines you will
find that nearly everybody speaks the English language but very few understand it. I called
Felix and told him what the man was asking Josephine for. Felix didn‘t understand the word
virility either, so I took him outside and showed him what it meant by using the Esperanto of
sign language. We re-entered the church and Felix spoke to Josephine in Tagalog.
When Felix had finished speaking, Josephine looked at the man. She then did the most
amazing thing she threw back her head and roared laughing. It was a joy to behold. The
transformation was unbelievable for every single part of her was laughing and her laugh, it
was one of the most infectious I have ever heard. She controlled herself with a great effort
and looking up at the ceiling of the church for a few moments she said, with laughter still
twinkling in her eyes.
―I have spoken to God and God tells me it will be all right!‖
You can imagine that after all the tension and fear which is, at first associated with operations
of the type previously described, what it was like to see this little bit of nonsense. The whole
atmosphere changed and many a chortle was heard from various people who had seen the
incident.
―If he does any good I am coming back,‖ John said.
―I will come with you,‖ I replied for as we get older we all need all the help we can get and I
wasn‘t getting any younger.
Felix had told us that he had once seen Josephine Sison stand in front of a lady and raised her
hands and metal nails had left the ladies body and went to Josephine‘s hands as if by a
magnet.
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Chapter Ten
We returned to the taxi and after John had eventually managed to extricate himself from
the thankful children, we headed back towards Baguio City.
As we approached Bacag village, Felix asked us if we were going to see Mercado, before I
could answer, John said ―We are going to see all of them.‖
So it was decided.
Not long after, we turned into Mercado‘s church and home, these being situated together
opposite the Bacag School. As we drove in I noticed a man sitting on a chair under a shady
tree smoking a cigarette. He was a picture of relaxation and didn‘t move as the
taxi pulled in, nor did he make any sign that he had seen us until Felix approached him.
He spoke to Felix for a few moments looked at us and nodded, Felix waved to John and me to
join them. ―Mercado,‖ said Felix.
John and I introduced ourselves.
―Do you want Healing?‖ He asked.
―Yes,‖ we both replied.
―Good!‖ He said, ―Please wait here and I will go and get the Sacred Towel.‖ He left us,
returning almost immediately with a hand towel slung over his shoulder. He nodded to it.
―The Sacred Towel,‖ he said.
Not wishing to be rude or disrespectful, this was in my opinion the oldest Sacred Towel in the
world, for it certainly it looked like it.
Things were not going good for me at that moment, here I was thousands of kilometres away
from home, listening to a Filipino telling John and me that he had a Sacred Towel and he was
going to operate on us.
Mercado was talking to John, ―Like an X-ray,‖ said John.
―Yes‖ Mercado replied.
―You see that man over there?‖ He said, holding up the Sacred Towel in front of his face and
pointing to me.
―He has a ball of pus in his lower back and I‘m going to take it out.‖
Now that really captured my attention, for I had, had X-rays in Melbourne and both a doctor
and a chiropractor had told me that I had a ball of pus in my lower back and if it ever moved,
I would be paralysed.
I had never told John. I had only told my wife Ivy.
We followed him into the church. Through another door came a Filipino man.
―My assistant,‖ said Mercado.
Both Mercado and his assistant were dressed in slacks and short sleeved T-shirts, both were
wearing sandals. The church was much bigger than Josephine‘s. There were plenty of stools
and a raised dais similar to other churches. An old wooden kitchen table was in front of the
dais.
―You can go first,‖ said John. These were the truest words John had ever spoken. I was going
first. I had been in pain for years and years, even if Mercado used the same tin as Josephine,
as far as I was concerned it wouldn‘t have mattered because I had, had enough!
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I climbed up on to the table and lay face downwards, and I told Mercado of my back troubles.
I am no snob but looking down at the table I remember wondering how many other bodies
had lain on it and what did they have wrong with them, then I remembered the Sacred Towel
and let myself completely relax.
Water splashed gently on my back, I heard John‘s voice.
―OH, MY GOD!‖
But all I could feel were the hands pressing gently into my spine, no pain, just as if you were
pressing your own hands firmly into your body.
A pool of warmth seemed to be spreading around my spine as if somebody was pouring
warm water on to my back. I heard a voice. I turned my face towards it. There was Mercado
holding out his hands for me to see, they were full of the most repulsive looking pus you
could ever wish to see. It was yellow and black and streaked with grey.
―This is your trouble,‖ he said, ―Very bad, cold in the winter and holds all the pain.‖
He continued to work on my back. I didn‘t know for how long and I didn‘t care, I just lay
there completely relaxed. I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked up into Mercado‘s face.
―It is finished,‖ he said. And I hopped off the table.
John was looking at where I had been laying and he didn‘t look too happy. But he disrobed
and took his place on the table. Mercado went through the same ritual as I had seen at
Josephine‘s, the Sacred Towel, the water and then the operation.
Mercado and his assistant were standing between the front wall of the church and the table. I
was standing on the opposite side of the table with my back to the body of the church.
Mercado placed his Sacred Towel on John‘s back and studied it very carefully; you could feel
his intense concentration. He pointed to the small of John‘s back, the lumber region.
―There.‖ He said. ―It‘s a very large deposit of Calcium.‖
He removed his ‗Sacred Towel‘ and sprinkled John‘s back with what he said was,
‗Holy Water.‘
He motioned me closer so that I could have a better view of the operation. He flexed his
fingers, made his hands into fists, unclasped them, and again flexed his fingers. Making sure
that I was watching, Mercado placed his fingertips of both hands into the lumber region of
John‘s back, resting them gently on the spinal cord. I moved closer and bent forward until my
face was only a few inches away from the spot where Mercado‘s fingers were. If there was
any trickery I wanted to see it.
He moved his hands forward in a pushing motion, as one would when smoothing out a
ruffled surface. He did this for about twenty seconds then took his hands away. He then
placed his thumbs, nail to nail, on the spot where he had been before, pressing gently
downwards and began rotating them from side to side. Suddenly from underneath his thumbs
a little piece of whitish substance appeared. Mercado continued the rotating movement and
the substance grew in length and in size, until it was about fifteen centimetres long and
resembled in colour and in shape, ‗A stick of chalk.‘
Mercado removed his hands, nodding to the substance now resting on John‘s back,
―Calcium,‖ he said.
Mercado‘s assistant wiped up the very small amount of blood on John‘s back and I examined
the area where Mercado had been working.
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Perhaps it was a little reddish, but there was no other mark to be seen.
Mercado showed the stick of Calcium to John who said,
―I have been having a bit of back trouble and that is probably why.‖
Mercado offered it to me, I gingerly took it. It felt like a piece of bone, only more porous, like
chalk. I handed it back to Mercado who threw it into a metal rubbish bin.
Mercado performed a few minor operations on John‘s back, comprising, almost of a series of
pinches. He left a trail of little red marks and pools of watery blood all over John‘s upper
back area and around his shoulders.
Mercado stepped back from the table. He had finished. His assistant wiped up the water and
blood with a piece of cotton wool. John climbed off the table and proceeded to get dressed.
We gave Mercado 200 pesos to cover our donation. He asked us to return on the following
Thursday so, as he put it, ‗I can check my work.‘
He then told us not to drink any coffee, aerated waters or liquor. Not to eat any seafood and
under no circumstances were we to bathe for twenty-four hours.
―If you do any of these things,‖ he said. ―You will interfere with the healing force.‖
As we were driving out I turned to wave. Mercado had resumed his seat under the tree and
was contentedly puffing a cigarette.
John was eager to talk and he told me what Mercado had taken from my back.
―About half a cup of the vilest looking substance I have ever seen, but worse than that,‖ he
said, ―It spilled all over the table and I wasn‘t too happy at the thought of having to get on the
table after all that pus had been spilled on it.‖ My sentiments exactly, I told John about the
Calcium and the other bits and pieces Mercado had removed from his back.
―Good,‖ he said, ―I should start to get better shortly.‖
It was a two hour drive to Baguio City and by the time we arrived I was wishing Mercado
had not mentioned about the no bathing, for as you can imagine neither of us smelt like attar
of roses, one thing John and I did have in common was, we both loved our shower.
We were to see Placido-Palitayan on the next day, so we ate and then went straight to bed.
We were both completely exhausted. We left an early morning call at the desk before retiring.
It was a good thing that we left that reminder call, for I‘m sure I could have slept forever.
I heard the persistent ringing and I wished that it would go away. The fog started to clear. It
was the telephone. I picked up the receiver a cheery voice wished me, ‗A very good morning
sir‘ and informed me it is seven o‘clock. I thanked the lady concerned, but why you ever
thank anybody for waking you up, I will never know.
I looked over at John‘s bed, he had not stirred. I got up, washed my face and hands, shaved
and cleaned my teeth. That was the extent of my ablutions. I woke John, reminded him of
Mercado‘s no bathing instruction and he did the same.
The breakfast was not very exciting but the way I felt nothing would have cheered me up. I
felt very sick, tired, sore and worse than all that, I felt dirty. Put them together and you have a
very sorry spectacle.
Felix arrived and he must have caught our mood for he was very restrained. We headed for
Placidos. If you had asked me why, I couldn‘t have told you. I was sick of the sight of blood
and was not particularly interested in being operated upon. I felt queasy, not only in my
stomach but in my mind for I couldn‘t make head or tail of this business.
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Were they real?
Or was it just a lot of hocus-pocus?
The more I pondered the worse I became, and the story of the dog chasing his tail, described
my state completely.
When we arrived at Placido‘s there were already two cars in front of us, and to try and bolster
my low spirits, I said jokingly to Felix,
―I thought you told us you had made ours the first appointment with Placido?‖
―I did sir,‖ he said. ―But I was late I must have had my watch on Philippine Time.‖
‗Philippine time,‘ I had never heard of that before, so I asked Felix,
―What is Philippine Time?‖
―Oh that Sir,‖ he replied ―is whatever time you arrive.‖
The cheeky blighter! I started to laugh, my whole mood changed. It was like a tonic.
We climbed up the very steep single flight of stairs leading to the interior of this spacious two
story dwelling where Placido lived and operated. At the top of the stairs we were greeted by a
very beautiful Filipina girl. She spoke firstly to Felix in Tagalog and then to us in very soft
precise English.
―I am Helen, I work for Placido. I‘m his secretary. I make all his appointments and answer
his letters. Felix made your appointment yesterday. Please be seated Placido will not be
long.‖
There were four other Europeans in the room, two women and two men. They were the same
people we had seen at Josephine‘s the day before. We exchanged pleasantries but not for long
and soon the conversation lapsed.
The room we were in was quite large and obviously the original lounge room. An area had
been set aside as an office for Helen, containing an old fashioned desk with the pigeon holes
on top, which incidentally were filled to overflowing with letters. An old typewriter and the
usual assortment of office requisites, and a wooden kitchen chair. The rooms other
furnishings consisted of an old fashioned three-piece lounge suite, seven or eight kitchen
chairs, a stool along one of the walls, two mats on the polished wooden floor and a couple of
nondescript pictures on the walls.
An open curtained doorway led to I don‘t know where and the only other doorway with the
exception of the one leading to the street, was directly opposite where we were sitting and
the closed door led me to believe that it was in a room behind this door that Placido was
operating.
The door opposite opened and a man and woman came out.
They were European. She was crying and he didn‘t look too happy.
A small Filipino man followed them out, Helen walked over to the Filipino man and said
something in Tagalog and he answered her in English.
―Do not worry,‖ he said, ―Everything is all right!‖
The man Helen was speaking to was possibly five feet tall, very slim, in his early thirties.
He was dressed in a collared shirt, long trousers and was wearing leather shoes; this was my
first glimpse of Placido-Palitayan, the faith healer of Baguio City.
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The other two couples entered the room opposite and when they re-appeared and were
leaving I watched them as they walked to the door leading to the street. They didn‘t seem to
know what to do, as if they were in a trance and just walked past us with their heads down.
When I came out of that room after being operated on I didn‘t know what to do either and to
tell you the truth I felt like a damn fool.
Our turn came and in we went. It was a small room containing a chair, an old typewriter,
operating table covered with plastic, a cupboard, cotton wool and bottles. A similar set up as
Josephine‘s. The small Filipino whom I had seen talking to Helen said. ―I am Placido,‖ and
motioning to the three other Filipino men who were standing at the head of the operating
table, ―These are my assistants.‖
I introduced John and myself. The formalities over, he asked us our troubles. I told him of my
back aches and head pains, he listened intently and when I had finished, he said,
―I will operate on your back today and I will see you tomorrow when I will operate on your
head.‖
He turned to John, John told him of his poor hearing, his sore groin, stomach and chest and of
the pains in his head. Then said, ―You can fix anything else you may find?‖
Placido didn‘t seem to notice John‘s last remark, for he just looked at him and said,
―I will operate on your groin, stomach and chest today, as with your friend I will see you
again tomorrow, when I will operate on your back, your head and attend to your hearing.‖
Placido performed the same type of operation as Josephine, according to John who watched
him operate on my back. The Sacred Towel, the water and a little piece of cotton wool placed
in the base of my spine and removed from the base of my skull. The only difference as far as
I was concerned was the pain factor. I was so tender that every time he touched me I felt that
red hot pokers were being pushed into my body. I was also very mentally disturbed and was
most relieved when he finished.
Now John‘s operation was a different matter altogether. Placido seemed to push his hands
inside John‘s stomach and groin, each time he did there was a whooshing sound like wind in
a wind tunnel. When he removed his hands from John‘s body, little balls of fibrous tissue
were sitting on the skin. Placido placed his Sacred Towel, which incidentally was a lot
younger than Mercardo‘s upon John‘s chest and studied it very closely. He looked at John
and asked, ―Have you had any trouble with your heart?‖
―No I have not,‖ John replied, ―Why do you ask that question?‖ Placido didn‘t reply but
picked up the Sacred Towel, shook it and replaced it on John‘s chest. He called to his Filipino
assistants to come and inspect the towel, and they gathered around him. He pointed to the
Sacred Towel and spoke to them in Tagalog, they nodded in unison. He spoke to them in
English.
―Can you see it?‖ They all replied ―Yes.‖
I had a good look at the Sacred Towel on John‘s chest but other than it looking very clean, I
couldn‘t see anything else. John was getting a bit hot under the collar by this and said quite
angrily to Placido.
―What is all this business, have you found something wrong with my heart?‖
Placido quickly placated him. ―Please do not worry‖ he said, ―and I will fix it!‖
―Well, get on with it then.‖ said John.
Placido removed the Sacred Towel. An assistant sprinkled John‘s chest with the water, he
rubbed his hands together; not hard but just as you would on a cold day. He leaned over
John‘s chest, and forming his fingers as you would when you make a ‗spider‘ and placing his
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other fingers on top of them, also in the form of a ‗spider‘. He started to press, he was
pressing down quite hard and we were all watching. Suddenly from John‘s chest came this
bubbling sound which grew in intensity, I started to feel uneasy. The sound like air being
blown through water grew louder then ‗WHOOSH‘ and out of John‘s chest gushed this mass
of livery-looking substance. It fell back on to John‘s chest with a ‗plop‘ and sat there
quivering like jelly. It covered an area of about five square centimetres. I just looked at it, too
stunned to speak.
Placido nodded. The assistant wiped it up, John‘s chest looked quite normal. Placido once
again formed the ‗Spiders‘ this time there was only a faint gurgling, a not very loud
‗Whoosh‘ and only a hardly audible ‗Plop‘ two pieces of the same reddish liver-looking
substance were sitting upon John‘s chest and they were quivering quite noticeably.
The assistant wiped them up.
Placido looked at me and said, ―Your friend had a very bad heart condition, many blood
clots.‖ I looked down at John,
―How do you feel mate?‖ I asked.
―Not bad son.‖ he said, ―Not bad.‖
Then nodding to Placido he said, ―When are you going to do my hearing?‖
I couldn‘t help myself, ―Hearing and Heads only on Thursdays, John,‖ I said.
―What is today?‖ He asked.
―Today is Wednesday.‖ I replied.
―Not long to wait,‖ said John.
After we had finished being operated on and were preparing to leave, having each donated
our 100 pesos, Placido asked us to make an appointment with Helen for the same time
tomorrow.
―By the way,‖ he said, ―Please do not drink any coffee, aerated waters, or liquor. Do not eat
any seafood and most importantly do not bathe.‖
Realizing that if the pattern of this was to be followed tomorrow, it would be Friday before
we would be able to shower, and we had not showered since Tuesday morning.
I asked Placido if he could give us a later appointment. He readily agreed and our
appointment was for ten o‘clock on Thursday morning.
We left and went back to the Hotel and asked Felix to pick us up about nine thirty the
following morning. John went to write some cards and letters. As for me, I went off on my
own to try and think things out.
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Chapter Eleven
I found myself a corner in the hotel garden and sat down and pondered what I had seen, or
perhaps thought I had seen. This business of people using their hands to perform major
Surgical operations were to my way of thinking, completely inconceivable. For someone to
make insertions into the body by a means unknown to us, I can accept. To remove through
these insertions, all kinds of material and substances supposedly from within the body then
close the body again leaving no mark or scar to show where they had been was definitely
unacceptable.
On and on I went until I had reached the point of no return. It was just too unacceptable to be
true. Hypnosis and illusion were my pet theories. As for the bits and pieces supposedly
removed sleight of hand, animal or birds parts or whatever, but definitely not human tissue or
neoplasm. So I decided to find out for myself one way or the other.
How you may rightly ask?
I‘m a student of the Science of Iris Diagnosis, or Iridology. This Science states that all
malfunctions of the body are recorded in the Iris of our eye. Experts have sectionalized the
Iris into forty- four areas and each area represents organs or specific sections of the body. The
stomach, intestines, blood, skin, the nervous and lymphatic systems are all designated in this
manner and transversely, nearly all the other areas.
In Australia I have correctly diagnosed many people whose eyes I have read and I say this
with certainty, for many had returned from their doctors and informed me of the confirmation
of my findings, but others were so obvious that I didn‘t need any confirmation.
Armed with my light magnifier and Iris Chart I went into the lobby of the hotel and from that
moment became the biggest pest you can imagine. I approached dozens of people and
requested to read their eyes. As you can appreciate my popularity was, to say the least, zero.
However I was not in the least deterred, as I was not asking for the ‗winning friends and
influencing people‘ Award. I was after proof and that proof meant a lot to me. Eventually I
ended up with the room numbers of twelve people. It had not been easy but then what is?
To each person whose eyes I had read, I said, ―Please do not tell me where the healer
operated on you.‖
In eleven cases I told them where the healer had operated upon their bodies. The first man
had a stimulatory sign in the area of the pituitary gland. This is charted at the bottom of the
life-Animation cycle. I told him he had been operated on his head, in the brain area. He told
me that he used to be an alcoholic, but he had not had a drink for over a year. Placido told
him he was going to stimulate the glands in his head and that his condition would improve
rapidly. I asked him if the operation had hurt.
―No‖ he said, ―It just felt like I was having my head vibrated by one of those clippers the
barbers use. He put his hand on my head and my head felt like it was being vibrated.‖
I asked him if he had felt anything since.
―Yes,‖ he said, ―I get this buzzing noise but it comes and goes.‖
―Does it hurt?‖ I asked.
He laughed, ―No to tell you the truth, I rather like it!‖
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The next man was the chap from Josephine‘s who had asked to have his virility restored.
When I asked him downstairs in the lobby if I could read his Iris, he didn‘t hesitate and gave
me his room number. The first thing I noticed was the strength of the healing lines in the Iris.
They were really powerful. I told him that his back had been operated on. I was examining
him further when I saw it. I looked closer, zooming in until I had the area isolated. In the Iris
there is an area for the sex impulse and standing out like a beacon in this man‘s eye was a
stimulation sign. I didn‘t know what to say for a moment, in case he thought I was having a
go at him. But it was there, so I told him. He didn‘t say anything for a while, then he said,
―Are you sure?‖
―I‘m more than sure,‖ I replied. ―I am positive.‖
He then told me for the first time in years he had, had that morning a part erection, not to its
fullest as in years gone by but a quite stiff erection. He was as happy as a dog with two tails
as he was telling me about it.
As I left I said, ―Good luck to you, Mate!‖ He smiled his thanks.
The next man was the most nervous I had ever seen. I wondered why I had not noticed it
downstairs.
―Here for your nerves?‖ I asked him.
―No,‖ he said ―my stomach.‖
I tried to examine his Iris, I saw healing lines and a section in the stomach and intestinal area,
which had been worked on but I couldn‘t pinpoint everything, exactly for he was shaking too
much. As I was taking my light away he grabbed my arm.
―Jesus! Oh Jesus,‖ he said. ―I‘m so scared, I can‘t believe what I have seen today. All that
blood and guts and bits of God knows what being pulled out of people with their bare hands,
with nothing to show where they have been or if they have been. I don‘t know if it is true or
not, I only know that I am scared stiff.‖
Before I went to the next room I had to have a rest, for I had caught some of this man‘s fear
and I had enough of my own without catching any from anybody else. The next man was
easy, he had hurt his knee. It kept giving him trouble and he could not get any further help in
Australia, so he came to the Philippines. Placido had taken a very fine splinter of bone from
behind his kneecap. I asked him if he felt anything.
―No,‖ he said ―Not a thing!‖
There was a little red mark in the knee area of the Iris. The other people whose rooms I
visited, were as far as the operations were concerned of a like nature and I had no trouble
telling them, where the healers had been.
The last person who‘s Iris I read was a woman and unlike the others, knew what I was doing
and had no qualms whatever in letting me examine her eyes thoroughly. This as you can
imagine was a welcome change after all the trouble I had to get people to agree to let me read
their eyes.
I spent quite a time studying this woman‘s Irises, for I wanted to be spot-on with my
diagnosis. I went from eye to eye, but to no avail. I was stumped. No healing lines. No
stimulation signs. No sign of any operation in her entire body. I was bitterly disappointed, the
one person who understood what I was doing and I couldn‘t tell her where she had been
operated on.
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―I‘m so sorry‖ I said. ―But I can‘t see any sign in your Iris showing where the healer
performed his operation. I can‘t even see any healing lines.‖ I continued quite dejectedly.
―The only sign I can see in your eye at all is a malfunction. It is in your spinal column, just
above the sacrum and one vertebra seems to be spread as though it were split.‖
She looked at her husband then turning to me, she said, ―I went to the healer in Baguio City
to receive treatment. He told me he couldn‘t help me. I didn‘t receive any healing nor did I
have any operation. The reason I am here is that I have a split vertebra and I am going to the
lowlands tomorrow to see the Healer who works in the old Catholic Church, Josephine. She
may be able to help me!‖
I examined her husband‘s eyes.
―Have you seen the Healer?‖ I asked.
―No,‖ he said ―and I am not going to either.‖
I told him, ―You cough a lot don‘t you?‖
He replied in the affirmative.
―Well,‖ I said ―The Healers can help you.‖
He just shrugged his shoulders it was quite obvious he didn‘t believe in them.
When I eventually returned to the hotel lobby it was getting dark, off to the coffee shop for a
light meal, finished off with a cup of tea and absolutely exhausted I went to bed. I left an
early morning reminder call and fell asleep. I awoke covered in perspiration, I had been
dreaming, I looked at my watch it was 3:30a.m.
I tried to go back to sleep, but couldn‘t. I got dressed quietly so as not to disturb John who
was asleep in the next bed and went down to the coffee shop. I took with me pen and paper. I
wrote all I could remember my observations of what had occurred and how it had affected me
at the time. When I had finished, I looked at my watch. It was 7:30a.m. I had dozens and
dozens of foolscap pages in front of me, I must have written at the speed of light.
Only one hour to shower time. It passed quickly and I cannot remember enjoying anything so
much, as I did that particular shower. I also had a quick swim, for I realized that I would have
to wait another twenty-four hours after my next lot of operations before I could bathe again.
When I returned to the room, upon opening the door I heard the sound of running water. John
was in the shower.
As the time approached to see Placido I started to get ‗That Feeling‘ again and by the time I
had finished my breakfast, Felix had arrived to pick us up I felt sick, mentally, physically,
and spiritually and had an awful dread of going. As for John, he couldn‘t get there quick
enough.
Everything worked out very well for as we entered the room at the top of the stairs Helen
welcomed us.
―Good Morning,‖ she said, ―you are lucky, you can go straight in.‖ I remember as I entered
that room where Placido was waiting, a voice seemed to say to me.
‗Oh ye of little Faith‘ little faith nothing! I did not have any.
John was first on the table. Placido examined him thoroughly, using the towel. He gave
particular attention to the heart area. Evidently he was satisfied for he did not operate. He
then turned his attention to John‘s ears, sprinkled water on both just behind them. He seemed
to insert his fingers into the side of the head, when he withdrew them, sticky with the same
tacky substance to that I had seen at Josephine‘s attached to them.
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He pulled his hand away and for about four or five inches it stretched and fell away. He did
the same the other side, with the same result, then returned to the first ear and cupped his
hands under the lobes, little drops of black liquid appeared in his hand and the same thing
occurred when he worked on the other ear.
―Your friend will be all right now,‖ he said, ―and he will not need his hearing aid.‖
John got off the table. It was my turn.
I started to disrobe but I was full of dread, I now knew that this man could enter my body
using only his hands and that scared the hell out of me. I do not honestly know what makes us
go on, but the next thing I remember, I was lying face up on that table. The towel was placed
gently over my face and I felt a sprinkle of water. I closed my eyes for I didn‘t want to see
anything. I felt something boring into my forehead, it did not particularly hurt but I was
scared. I felt as though something had broken and a warm liquid was running into my eyes. I
heard this voice and I realized someone was talking to me. I opened my eyes but I couldn‘t
see anything for they were misty with whatever the liquid was, then as if someone wiped
them I could see clearly. Placido was holding an egg-shaped, fleshy-looking substance in his
hands.
―From your head,‖ he said.
I just lay there, I felt his hands on top of my head, I felt a vibration like a small electric shock,
and the skin left my skull, it felt very good. Something hard was the base of my skull, it was
really hurting and as I went to pull away, it ceased and Placido was holding in his hand
another piece of egg-shaped fleshy material. At last it was over. I was too worn out to move. I
just lay there. I was helped off the table, sat in the chair for a few moments and then got
dressed.
―Do not forget,‖ said Placido ―No coffee, No liquor. No...‖
I interrupted, ―Yes I know, and no bloody shower!‖
We collected our belongings and returned to the taxi and Felix drove us back to the Pines. We
paid our bill, said our goodbyes and headed outside to where Felix was waiting with the taxi,
loaded our luggage and prepared ourselves for the trip to Manila.
John told me what Placido had done to my head. His hand seemed to disappear inside my
forehead and when Placido pulled it out he had this, what Placido called Tumour, in his hand.
John told me that he had taken a similar thing out of the base of my skull. I was glad when
that particular conversation lapsed, for I didn‘t wish to hear the gruesome details. I had made
up my mind no more operations for me - I had, had enough.
We left the steep winding road, travelled along the flats and as before this most beautiful cool
breeze greeted us. It was sweet and refreshing and within a very short time I was lolling back
enjoying myself, there was plenty to see and light conversation flowed easily. We stopped
along the way and had an interesting meal it consisted of all types of greens and fruits,
finished off with an exceptionally large helping of water melon, followed by ice-cream. I
almost waddled back to the taxi.
By the time we reached Mercado‘s I was feeling wonderful, so much so that I had my shirt
off and was laying on the table when Mercado and his assistant entered the church. He was
carrying in his hands the bowl of Blessed Water and the Sacred Towel was slung over his
shoulder.
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John laughed, ―you are keen today son!‖ He said.
―I sure am John,‖ was my reply. ―I sure am!‖
Mercado went through the now familiar ritual with the towel and water. He ran his hands all
over my back, no tugs and no pinches, and then he went to my Sacrum. I felt his hands push
into the Sacrum. It really hurt, my skin was drawn tight something seemed to be coming
through the skin. I looked around my shoulder, a sharp tug. I was well aware that something
was happening; Mercado was standing there holding a flap of flesh about two centimetres
square. He handed it to John to examine and as I straightened up and faced frontwards again,
I had this tingling sensation, it ran from the base of my spine to the top of my head with an
electric shock type of feeling accompanying it. Mercado signified that he had finished and I
climbing off that battered old wooden table, I mentally thanked him and his Spirit for what
they had done.
John was examined but no operation was necessary and although I didn‘t think it was
necessary or expected, we donated our 100 pesos each. I asked John to take a photo of
Mercado and me, which appeared on the First Edition of ‗In Search of a Cure and Miracles
by the Score‟ 1977. I thanked Mercado for all he had done for John and me and climbed into
the taxi.
―Right-oh Felix, Manila here we come!‖
―Yes Sir,‖ was his reply, and off we went.
While on the journey to Manila it suddenly struck me that today was Thursday, I glanced at
my watch and it was three o‘clock. So from Tuesday to Thursday of this same week, not
counting John‘s two operations by Ben, we had both been operated on over seventy times. A
startling thought but factual. I began to wonder how many operations they can perform on
you before you run out of bits and pieces. In this frame of mind I went back into my life and
mentally listed all the accidents and illness I could remember during my forty- nine years.
Starting at the beginning, I was a premature baby weighing at birth, two and a quarter pounds
and apart from that which I have inherited from my parents and my ancestors as I said before
I have had the following, at six weeks I had Enteric Fever, the Mumps, Measles, Coughs and
Colds, Influenza, Cuts, Bruises, Splinters, Sunburn, and Malaria.
I have been kicked, punched, kneed and jumped upon. I have played football and many other
vigorous sports. I have eaten all types of grilled, fried and greasy food, good and bad. I was
in the Australian Army (A.I.F.) and have been vaccinated dozens of times. Arthritis and head
and body wounds would just about complete the picture. I have scars!
Realizing that the body must deal with all these things and repair in its own magnificent way
all the damage caused by the incidents of bad food, accident, disease, smoking, drugs and
drinking and the like, leaves me in little doubt as to the number of bits and pieces which must
be sitting there waiting for some Josephine, Mercado or Placido to remove.
It was many years after this that I let my body know that I really appreciated it, and now
every day I say to it and mean what I say.
―I‘m glad that I am yours, and I‘m glad that you are mine!‖
We eventually arrived at the Philippine Village Hotel. It was nearly nine o‘clock at night.
When we entered the built-up area and came in contact with their peak hour traffic -
you think ours is bad. We paid Felix 400 pesos for the drive and gave him a little something
for himself and wished him a safe trip home. We waved goodbye to a friend when he left.
101
I had the most wonderful night‘s sleep and awoke in the morning feeling very refreshed. I
was still quite sore, but the next couple of days which I spent almost exclusively in the hotel
pool altered this, I began to feel extremely fit and well and completely free of pain.
The Saturday morning is a morning that I will not forget in a hurry. John and I had been
discussing Dick‘s condition and I had said something to which John had taken exception. As
you will appreciate we had both been through a most harrowing experience and living as we
were, so close together without any separate privacy, something had to give and give it did!
The upshot of the whole thing was - you go your way and I will go mine.
So after that we went our separate ways. I did not get back into the room until quite late that
Saturday night, luckily John was asleep and for this I was most thankful as I was in no
condition for any further argument.
Awakening next morning, I heard John moving around and not wishing to start the day off on
the wrong foot I decided to wait until he left the room before I got up. While I lay there with
my eyes closed, though fully awake, a most peculiar thing happened. I felt a buzzing in my
head, not very loud but like a bee buzzing and then before my eyes a picture seemed to
appear.
I saw what seemed to be a rough-edged incision or cut about two inches long, it began to join
together from either end and as it did, it was making a spluttering sound like fusing of
electricity, until it joined together. I looked closely at it. It was very pink raw flesh.
I thought, ‗What the hell is this?‘ Now, I know I was awake and I was not dreaming, unless it
was a type of daydream, and if so it would soon disappear. As I watched another picture
appeared. It was of a stone structure or aeroplane fuselage, there were portholes around
whatever it was and it was under water. Inside lying on what appeared to be a slab was the
body of John. He was rigid as in death. I had the feeling that the temperature inside the
Structure was icy cold and that it was dank. I saw a face at one of the portholes I strained to
see whose it was. It was mine. Directly behind my head the sunlight was streaming down
through the water lighting up my face. The water was beautiful and green, light and clear. It
was I believe salt water. I thought, ‗How the hell am I going to get him out of there, I can‘t
see any entrance.‘
I tried to analyse what was happening and I distinctly remember thinking.
‗I wonder if I can find out where this is or what it is?‘ and as I thought this, the picture
disappeared. I kept my eyes closed for a long time after I had heard John leave the room,
waiting for the picture to return, but to no avail. I have never seen it since, nor has any other
picture like this ever appeared to me during my waking hours. People who are clairvoyant,
have given me so many different versions of what the Vision, Dream, or what every you like
to call it meant, that I no longer relate it to anyone, but just put it down as an extension of my
Philippine experience.
It was getting near time to leave the Philippines. The Hotel Lobby was crowded with people
and luggage. It was 11 o‘clock at night. The plane was due to leave at midnight on this very
hot humid Sunday. John was talking to a man whom I had seen at Josephine‘s and Placido‘s.
They were deep in conversation. I started to think of Dick, John‘s son, and a deep feeling of
sorrow came over me.
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John had asked all the healers if there was any chance of them coming to Australia to treat his
son and had offered them, as he had with Ben, to pay all their expenses. Josephine had simply
answered, ‗My people are here and they need me.‘
Mercado told John that he was going to England, but owing to the adverse publicity he had
received, he was staying in the Philippines. Placido said he would give the matter
consideration and took John‘s name and address, telling him he would write and let him
know if he ever decided to come to Australia. It is sad to say that at the time of writing this,
March 1977, he has not yet visited and as for Dick, what can one possibly say!
We boarded the plane taking us back to Australia. As it was taking off I sank contentedly
into my seat, the next thing I remember was the hostess gently wakening me and offered me
an orange juice. I had slept almost the entire journey. Later that same day I was re-united
with my family.
As to my health, my arthritic condition disappeared overnight. The improvement was
unbelievable. A tiny twinge where I used to have agony and suppleness where there was
stiffness and I can now run, jump, swim and play golf, not that I am any better at any of them
but I can now participate, where I not long ago, could only have observed.
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MIRACLES BY THE SCORE
„Miracles by the Score‟ is the follow on of „In Search of a Cure,‟ and it deals with the
experiences of six people who went on a journey to a not-so-far distant land seeking cures for
their ails and illnesses which, to say the least, would require Major Surgery and at the most,
nothing short of a Miracle.
The Author, by virtue of an earlier exploratory journey, became their guide and led them
along what was to him, a now familiar track not familiar enough, however, for him to be able
to readily accept all that transpired, or to stop his mind from reeling at their awe- inspiring
incredibility.
It all began not long after I arrived back in Australia. A group of friends, whom we had
invited to hear of my experience in the Philippines, attended a get-together at our home in
Reservoir, a Melbourne suburb.
I tried valiantly to explain to them what I had seen and what I had seen recorded in the Irises
of people I had examined. Now it takes a bit of swallowing, this opening of the body with the
fingers, and closing it again without leaving any trace of entry or exit. By watching the faces
of my listeners I soon became aware of just how hard it was going down with some of them.
What can you do in a case like this? You do not blame them for not believing, yet you want a
couple of them to believe urgently.
One man in particular had a severe heart condition, another lady was so ill that it just was not
funny, another man who told me that he was, ‗As fit as a fiddle‘ was not the fiddler he
thought he was and so on, it soon became quite obvious that politeness was the main reason
behind most of their attention, so I would conclude as quickly as possible without being too
abrupt. The departure of our friends flowed smoothly, but I was certain in my own mind that
even if they believed me, they would not do anything about it, and with the exception of a
couple of them, this proved to be correct, for scepticism had been clearly etched upon their
faces.
The next couple of weeks proved very hard for me, I found that trying to adjust was not as
easy as one would imagine. People I had known for years approached me and referred to
matters which happened prior to my leaving the Philippines. I was in a terrible quandary as I
did not have the remotest idea what they were talking about and add to this the questions put
to me about the ‗Faith Healers,‘ which I could not answer, and you will have a pretty fair
insight as to my state of mind. It soon got that way that I did not want to talk about them
anymore. With the exception of people who were in trouble and who were interested in going
to the Philippines, I dodged the issue whenever possible.
By this time I had made up my mind to take my wife, Ivy to the Healers. Ivy suffered from
amongst other things, skin cancer. She has had operations on her face that would put most
women in the grave, but thanks to the magnificent skill of a Melbourne specialist and Ivy‘s
own courage, she pulled through these fearful ordeals with flying colours. She is also a
smoker and at the risk of having a very cool wife on my hands, has a cough that can break the
sound barrier. She denies this and tells me she has been bronchial all her life, but we will find
out about that later.
104
Allan Ritchie, who is the husband of my niece, Irene and who incidentally, was the main
reason that I embarked on the exploratory journey to the Philippines, called in one day with
the exciting news that he and Irene had decided to go to the Philippines. This was
exceptionally good news, for not only would we have company, but family as well.
A friend of mine who has had one sixth of his brain removed by surgeons in Melbourne was
in great trouble as his condition seemed to be getting worse and he was worried sick that he
would have to go back into hospital and undergo another operation. I told him of what the
Healers had done and how they had performed the operations. Jim was most impressed and
questioned me at length finalizing the conversation with, ―Do you think that they can help
me?‖
I told him that I didn‘t know, but I thought that they were worth a try. A couple of days later
Jim rang back and upon learning that we were heading for the Philippines in a couple of
weeks, asked if he could join us.
―You certainly can,‖ I replied. Now there were five of us!
Another lady not in the best of health contacted me and asked to go about getting to the
Healers. I told her we were going in two weeks. She asked if she could join us, her name was
Pat and she brought our little party to six.
I wrote to Felix, our taxi driver and friend, telling him of our proposed trip and when we
expected to be in Baguio City. The usual preparations had to be made, the procuring of
passports, health books, inoculations, traveller‘s cheques, and plane tickets. We all tried to go
the same way but only four of us, our family group who had booked the tour made it together.
The tours, being package deals, were hundreds of dollars cheaper than the normal return fare
and included hotel accommodation and guided tours of Manila.
Owing to the heavy bookings the only way Pat and Jim could be with us in the Philippines
was to travel normal fare and this they did, we agreed to meet at the Baguio City Airport.
The plane trip was quite eventful. We met a couple of other people who were going to the
Healers and like ourselves they found this way to be cheaper. We also met a couple of other
characters who I specifically mention here, for later in the story they are responsible for a
most interesting incident. In fairness to them, and for easy identification, let us just call them
Harry and Fred.
We arrived at Manila Airport and as with the previous trip, all the tour guides and the girls
were there to greet us. The customs people were very good and only checked our documents
and soon we were loaded into the buses, and taken to our hotel. The air was not as vibrant as
the first time because I believe it was later in the summer. We were taken to our rooms and
after showering went straight to bed, for besides being tired, we had booked our flight to
Baguio City and that left Manila Domestic Airport at eight-thirty in the morning.
Please do not think me discourteous, but I decided not to take the family to see Ben.
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The flight to Baguio City was to me like all flying, a journey I was happy to be finished with.
I do not know why but when I think of how far off the ground I am, I seem to lose that
portion of my anatomy, commonly referred to as stomach. Fifty minutes flying time later our
D.C.3 landed, and as we approached the terminal buildings the first face I saw was that of our
friend Felix. After being introduced to the family, he took control of our luggage checks,
while I went in search of Pat and Jim. It didn‘t take long to find them. Jim was talking to
some Filipinos about their wartime experiences. And standing next to him, quite unconcerned
and certainly not the slightest bit interested in the conversation, was a lady who he introduced
to me as Pat.
The introductions were soon over and we piled into two cabs, ours driven by Felix and the
other by his friend Rick. They drove us to the ‗Pines Hotel.‘ I asked Felix if he had made our
appointment with Placido. He told me that Placido was at the beach, this being the area by the
sea where he had taken people to the beach and would not be available until tomorrow.
However Mercado and Josephine were both available. We registered at the ‗Pines Hotel‘ and
I decided, as before to go to Josephine‘s and from there to Mercado‘s.
The trip along the flats was excellent, with the cool breeze cooling our over-heated
bodies. I asked Felix how his brakes were. ―Much better today Sir‖ he replied. He was right,
for he only had to pump them twice to get them to work. Some improvement!
There was plenty for us all to see and conversation flowed smoothly. Our family was in
The cab driven by Felix and Pat and Jim were in the other driven by Rick. We stopped at a
cafe for a meal of rice and vegetables, followed by a very large helping of juicy watermelon,
some local homemade cakes and green tea. Total cost in Australian money would have been
six dollars. I never ate any meat while I was in the Philippines and to give you an idea why I
will relate to you an actual incident which happened to a friend of mine.
He was enjoying his meal to such an extent that he thought he would find out the name of the
dish, so that he could order it by name wherever he went in the Philippines. In answer to his
query the waitress politely informed him, ―That is a great delicacy in our country Sir,‖ she
said, ―It is choice dog.‖
As we approached Bacag, I felt a thrill of excitement which heightened when we passed
Mercado‘s. It is hard to explain the feeling, rather like that feeling where fear and thrill seem
to go hand in hand, and as we headed off the main road towards Josephine‘s, I felt it intensify
until I was actually shaking with excitement. So much so that when we pulled up at
Josephine‘s I was out of the taxi before it stopped. Allan must have realized what was
happening for his, ―Take it easy Art!‖ was like a bucket of cold water and I calmed down.
Here I was again, 125 kilometres from Baguio City and only 20 kilometres from Mercado‘s. I
felt it hard to believe and felt like pinching myself to make sure. We had it all to ourselves
that day. No other Filipinos or Europeans were there. Our little party entered the church,
Felix and Rick electing to stay outside. It was empty. Jim cracked jokes about the operating
table, surgeons and so on and the obvious lack of equipment.
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The white, spotlessly clean atmosphere we expect in Australia was conspicuous by its
absence. Despite all this humour, it was obvious there was tension in the air and this was
proven to be the case, for when Josephine entered the church there was a deadly silence.
―You want Healing?‖ She asked. I answered for all of us,
―Yes please!‖
―Who is first?‖
―I am.‖ I said, undressing quickly I climbed on to the table. There were two reasons for this,
first it was up to me to lead the way and secondly I wanted her to check my head. As I lay
there full of bravado, for I knew what she could do, I thought to myself I wonder if she will
operate.
She turned to the body of the church and said, ―I need an assistant and will one of you help
me?‖ Allan duly volunteered and Josephine went through her to me now familiar ritual of
blessing the water. The water had been drawn from the well located at the rear of the church.
Josephine had half-filled a yellow plastic bowl of medium size which she had then brought
into the church, holding it in one hand she formed the fingers of her other as would a priest
during a blessing and made the sign of the Cross over it.
It now became the Blessed or Sacred Water. She sprinkled it over my face and on my nose,
then placing her hands on to the bony bump at the side of my nose she pushed. Blood went
everywhere, I felt it and I heard it spurting, it went into my eyes, down my face, and I heard
Allan gasp. As did the others for not only did Josephine open my nose, she opened across my
cheekbone to my temple and then upwards until she had me open to the top of my head, and,
according to Allan, left a trail of blood of such magnitude as to make him doubt the reality of
what he was seeing. Josephine was saying something but for the life of me I could not make
out what it was. All of a sudden I heard the words,
―Smoking, this is all because of smoking. The nicotine has reached his brain and it is killing
him.‖
There is no need to tell you that I went a paler shade of pale. I would‗ve liked to have seen it
for myself. As for Ivy, she was almost out of her mind and didn‘t believe what she was
seeing.
When I got off the table Josephine gave me the greatest tongue lashing I had ever had. She
held up her finger and shaking it in my face said, ―You keep smoking and you will die, so if
you do not care about dying keep smoking.‖
I was really taken aback with the vehemence of her verbal tirades. I looked around at our
little group to see how they were taking it. It was like looking at a group of statues and shock,
disbelief and fear was plainly etched on their faces.
Josephine was most unconcerned and looking at them said, ―Who is next?‖ Allan started to
disrobe and then climbed on to the table.
Josephine turned to me and said, ―Will you be my assistant?‖
―For sure!‖ I replied, and why not! I might never get the opportunity to see her in action so
close again and this sort of opportunity does not come every day in the week. She handed me
a wad of cotton wool.
I made up my mind to watch very closely for I wanted to see if I could discover how she did
her operating and with this as my goal, I didn‘t look at Josephine but kept my eyes firmly
fixed on Allan‘s face and I saw the water as it splashed on to his nose and his cheekbone.
Josephine placed her fingers near the bony bump at the side of Allan‘s nose, and quite
leisurely moved across his face leaving a trail of blood from his nose to his ear. I wiped it up
and looked closely at his face. Not a mark to be seen.
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Allan turned over. I shook my head to clear it for I wanted to make sure that I saw everything
that happened. The water landed on his back and seemed to cover the area from his buttocks
to the shoulder blades. Josephine handed to me a clean piece of cotton wool. I kept my eyes
averted from hers and she placed her two hands together, and with deft little turning
movements proceeded to operate. She went so quickly I could not follow her movements, and
when she eventually stopped and stepped back from the table I looked up at her and then
back at the table.
What I saw stopped me in my tracks. Allan‘s back, from the top of his buttocks to his
shoulder blades was literally covered in blood, not great quantities of blood, but dozens of
patches of watery blood. It was unbelievable. I had been so keen to try and find out how she
operated, I had forgotten what I was there for and had not wiped up one drop. I looked at the
cotton wool in my hand. It was unused. I looked at Josephine full face, it was absolutely
blank. Maybe it was my imagination but when I noticed her eyes, I could have sworn they
were laughing. She was wiping her hands on a towel and turning to our little group said,
―Next please!‖
Nobody rushed forward. In fact I do believe they took a couple of steps the other way. Then
out stepped Pat, who wanted work done on her stomach and her leg. She told Josephine all
her troubles and Josephine just nodded and motioned her to lay on the table.
You will appreciate, that all this is done out in the open in front of whoever is there to see, so
I asked Pat if she wanted one of the ladies to come and wipe up the blood. She declined. I
think she realized as well as I did that the most important thing was the operation and not
false modesty. Josephine completed her diagnosis with the Sacred Towel, sprinkled the
water and placed her hands over Pat‘s stomach.
With incredible swiftness she worked her fingers deep into the stomach and they re-appeared
with little pieces of gristle, which she called scar tissue. She did these three or four times and
each time her hands emerged full of gristle. I was so involved wiping up the blood that I did
not know exactly what she did, but one thing I did notice was what Josephine did with the
pieces she removed from Pat‘s body. She threw them into a rubbish bin. As Pat was getting
off the table, Josephine was wiping her hands and without looking up she again called,
―Next!‖
Next was my wife, Ivy. I told Josephine about her skin cancer and her cough. Ivy undressed
and lay face up on the table. Josephine placed the Sacred Towel, looked at it, took it away,
and after sprinkling the water worked on her chest. She took little balls of fleshy substance,
and a large quantity of stringy fibrous material out of her chest, then moved down to work on
her stomach, where she removed a large growth about the size of a Ping-Pong ball and
seemed to be comprised of a mass of fibre. I wiped up the blood and as I was finishing I
heard that now familiar, ―Next!‖
Jim took off his shirt and hopped on to the table. He had asked me to tell Josephine what had
happened in Australia and about his brain operation. I told all this to Josephine, who after
performing her ritual placed her hands away from the back of Jim‘s head and looked through
them having formed her thumbs and index fingers in the form of a triangle. Jim who was face
down called to me, ―What is she doing Art?‖
―I do not know Jim,‖ I answered.
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Just then Josephine put her both hands on Jim‘s head and gently pushed. I don‘t know what to
call what appeared in her hands, but it did not look very wholesome. The only description
which comes to mind is clag, that murky sort of paste. There was quite a lot, she washed her
hands in the ‗Sacred water‘ dried them on a hand towel and gently massaged Jim‘s head. His
whole body relaxed. He seemed to stay like that for a few minutes and Josephine removed
her hands.
I heard Jims, ―What is she doing now Art?‖ Before I could answer I heard Josephine‘s,
―Next!‖ and Jim climbed off the table.
But the ‗Next‘ was not forthcoming, for my niece Irene was not going to be in it.
Why? Well that I do not know. I only know that Josephine looked at Irene and Irene looked
back and both ladies seemed to sum the other up with that look. I don‘t know what would
have happened had not at that moment a man appeared at the rear door of the church, all I do
know is that all the tension immediately disappeared. It was Josephine‘s husband.
We donated our 100 pesos per person and thanked Josephine. We talked to Josephine and her
husband for quite a while, covering many subjects, from the war, to Faith Healing. We also
discussed money and its place in Josephine‘s work. We had a lot of fun with Josephine and
her husband, who turned out to be quite a character. He told us that shortly Josephine was to
go up into the mountains to be granted, subject to God being pleased with her, extra powers.
This, he said, was the true test of a Healer, when they go forth to be judged by the Power who
granted them the gift of Healing. We gathered our belongings together and were about to
leave when Josephine approached Pat.
―I did not work on your leg,‖ she said.
―Oh! It does not matter.‖
―Yes it does,‖ said Josephine.
―I will take off my pantyhose,‖ said Pat.
―Do not bother,‖ said Josephine. ―Please sit on the chair.‖
We all gathered around. One thing I will give Josephine, she was a great show lady. First she
went to the cupboard, which was beside the operating table and took out a roll of cotton wool
and from the roll she removed a little wad which she soaked in oil. Going on back to where
Pat was sitting she stopped, and working the cotton wool between her fingers, into a tight
ball, she bent over Pat‘s knee, but not to obscure our view, she put her hands together and
with her fingers pushed the cotton wool in behind Pat‘s kneecap.
She then moved her hands away from the kneecap until they were six inches away from it,
and proceeded to move her hands across the kneecap several times as a magician when he is
going to produce something from under a cloth covering an object.
Josephine then pushed her fingers in behind Pat‘s kneecap on the opposite side to where she
had inserted her fingers together took hold of the end of the cotton wool and gently pulled it
out from behind the kneecap, it stretched over two inches. We all looked at Pat‘s kneecap.
No blood, no scar, and no oil mark. I started to laugh; honestly it broke me right up. It could
have been tension-relief or amazement, I don‘t know, I only know I was in stitches. I must
have a peculiar sense of humour for when I looked around I was the only one laughing and
everybody was looking at me.
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We made our way to our respective taxis, questions flowing quick and fast and everybody
seemed to be talking at once. Allan was comforting Irene and we all felt sorry that she had
not gone up for an operation, but that was her right and that is all there was to it. We got into
our separate taxis and off to Mercado‘s. Out came cigarettes for Ivy and me although
Josephine had warned me I would die if I smoked.
When we arrived at Mercado‘s it was like holiday time. There were a couple of women
sitting under a tree where I had first seen Mercado. They were drinking fruit juice from long
collared glasses, a little dish of sweets were on another chair and they were talking and
laughing and really seemed to be enjoying themselves. Five or six small children were
chasing each other and a couple of men were working on the house. Felix approached Mrs
Mercado and told her of our needs, she called, ‘Jose,‘ and out of the house came Mercado
who had evidently had been working inside, he was covered in dust and debris.
He recognized me as he approached and said something in Tagalog to Felix. Felix grinned.
―Mercado remembers you and you were here with the tall man. How is your back? Is it
better?‖
―Yes thank you!‖ I replied and motioning to my friends said, ―I have brought you some more
to Heal.‖
Mercado smiled, ―I will have a shower and see you when I return.‖
He disappeared into the house.
We had quite a discussion with Mrs Mercado who provided us with fruit juice. She was a
most beautiful looking woman. Ivy, Irene, Allan, Jim, Pat and I gathered around the two
ladies and we had a good old chat. When asked about the chances of Mercado coming to
Australia she got very angry.
―My husband is going to stay here in the Philippines amongst our own people. Last time he
left the Philippines the newspapers and television berated him, and said he was a fake.‖
I thought about the terminology and there is no doubt that she is not prepared to have her
husband attacked by the media, who evidently gave him a pretty bad time and I believe that,
in England, they tore him to pieces. Can you imagine a man of his ability being exposed to
the bad yellow journalism which certain of our papers seem to thrive upon? Or better still can
you imagine you being exposed to it?
I suppose that like most men, I‘m not very bright about some things and I must admit I got a
bit of a surprise when Irene said to me, ―Did you see the ring?‖
―What ring?‖ I asked.
―The one on her finger.‖ Came the withering reply.
I walked over to where Mrs Mercado was sitting and looked down at her left hand and there
on her finger was a most beautiful diamond ring.
I walked back to Irene. ―So,‖ I said. ―It is only a ring.‖
Silliest thing I ever said, for the next ten minutes I copped it, not only about the diamonds in
it but it must be worth… and so on and so on.
Saved by the bell, Mercado came out of the house, the Sacred Towel was slung over his
shoulder and he walked towards the group where his wife was sitting. He was dressed in
slacks, T-shirt and sandals. He spoke to his wife and they conversed for a few moments in
Tagalog. He then turned and faced us.
―No,‖ he said ―I do not want to go through all that again. I will stay in the Philippines.‖ So
evidently his wife had told him of my questions. Mercado looked at me,
―You want Healing?‖
110
―Yes please, I would like you to re-check my back and I would then like you to check my
wife‘s back. She also has skin cancer and if possible I would like you to help her.‖
Inside the church as I lay on that wooden table he went over my back but no worry, a couple
of little bits of gristle and I was on and off in only a few seconds.
Mercado looked at Ivy‘s skin and shook his head; he just looked at me and shrugged his
shoulders. He then asked her to undress. This she did, the only people present were to give
him his full title ‗Brother Jose P. Mercado‘ whom people called Mercado, his assistant, a lady
standing by the door, Ivy and myself. Mercado led Ivy to the side of the dais and lifted up a
large sheet. He motioned her to stand behind it which she did. He studied it for a few
seconds, grunted and pointing to her back said, ―I see the trouble.‖
Ivy laid face downwards on the table and Mercado sprinkled water on her back. I was
watching with an almost detached interest, for I expected that as with the others to see a drop
or so of blood, a piece of gristle and a pigeon egg-shaped ball of fleshy substance, or even a
slab of calcium.
There is nothing worse than a know it all. Mercado placed one hand on top of the other and
with a sliding motion he moved his hands apart and as he did, I froze. I have never in my life
seen anything like I saw on my wife‘s back. It was like a doughnut in size, only without the
hole in the centre. It was about twenty centimetres long. It was full of liquid and had little
‗pipes‘ sticking out all around it. The ‗pipes‘ looked like they have been cut and you could
almost see them pulsating.
My mouth was open but no sound came and I‘m sure my eyes were bulging out of their
sockets. As I tried desperately to get my breath, I heard a woman‘s voice exclaim, ―Oh my
God!‖
I turned towards the voice; it belonged to the lady by the door. I was still gasping and
suddenly from out of nowhere I heard my voice calling, ―Allan, Allan, come here quickly.‖
Mercado picked up the ‗thing‘ and quite unconcernedly tossed it in the rubbish bin. As for
me, I found where all my fear had gone - straight to my stomach. Mercado looked at me,
―Your wife‘s cough.‖ He said. I couldn‘t answer I was still too stunned. When Allan arrived
after what seemed to be forever, I tried to describe what had happened but even as I tried to
tell him what I had seen. It sounded, even to my own ears, that I was talking gibberish.
I took a long time to settle down after this, for unlike my companions I thought I was a bit
like the ‗Old Soldier‘ who having been in battle had a fair idea what to expect.
How wrong can you be? It was a good thing I learnt my lesson here otherwise a later set of
circumstances would really have put the fear of the unknown into me.
While Ivy and I had been inside with Mercado receiving Healing, the others had been taking
photographs outside. We got back into our taxis and after leaving our 100 pesos donation per
person, we left Mercado‘s. His last words endeared him to me forever.
―Don‘t forget, no coffee, no aerated waters, no sea foods, and most important no shower!‖
I kept the straightest face in the world when I thanked him.
We went back to Baguio City and by the time we reached ‗The Pines‘ we were all tired out.
We paid Felix and Rick, and wished them, ―Good night, see you in the morning,‖ for we
were to see Placido-Palitayan the next day.
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Over dinner of fruit and vegetable salad we all tried to discuss the day‘s events but we were
too tired and all we wanted to do was to go to bed and sleep. We left an early-morning call at
the switchboard and staggered to our rooms. I was asleep the moment I hit the pillow and did
not waken till the phone beside my bed rang wishing me a cheery. ―Good morning!‖ the lady
on the switchboard informed me, ―It is seven o‘clock.‖
We were a motley-looking lot at breakfast that morning and I believe we all felt as we looked
rotten. Nervous tension was on everybody‘s face. Poor Jim who had had part of his brain
removed by an operation in Melbourne was in great difficulties. His nerves were so bad that
he was piling pills into himself in an effort to meet the coming crisis. As the time approached
for Felix and Rick to arrive, the tension in the air was like static electricity. In due course they
arrived and we went to Placido‘s. Allan asked Irene if she was going to let Placido operate.
She told him that she didn‘t know.
Helen, Placido‘s secretary greeted us as we entered the waiting room of the two storey house
which Placido used as his operating clinic and home. The climb up the very steep one flight
of stairs had taken my breath and it was a few moments before I could introduce our party.
There were two other people waiting to see Placido and we had just sat down when the door
behind which I knew Placido was operating flew open and out ran a man, a frightening look
of terror on his face. It was Fred from the plane, he had a camera in his hand. He was
trembling from head to toe, eyes bulging and perspiration was oozing out of him like water.
He was in deep shock and kept repeating.
―I am getting out of here! He is not touching me.‖ His voice was rising higher and higher,
―I am getting out of here!‖ Behind him, still doing up his trousers came Harry.
―Turn it up Fred,‖ he was saying, ―Turn it up!‖
Fred‘s idea of turning it up was to put as much distance between him and Placido as it was
humanly possible, for he bolted down the stairs and that was the last we saw of him. Harry
though shaken, told us what had happened. He was to be operated on while Fred took pictures
with the movie camera, then Fred would have his operation and Harry would take the
pictures. However it did not work out like that, as soon as Fred saw what was happening he
started to shake. He then took off, leaving Harry to his own fate.
Harry was not as upset over the fact that Fred had bolted, as he was about that Fred had taken
the camera with him.
While we had been talking with Harry, the other couple had been seen and was leaving.
Helen‘s gentle, ―Who is next?‖ caught us all unawares.
Without a word Irene left her chair and with Allan right behind her she went into the
operating room. When they came out, Allan was holding Irene, who was visibly shaken.
I was too stunned to say anything; I just looked at the others and saw they were looking at
Allan and Irene with the same stunned look.
Ivy and I went next. I told Placido of Ivy‘s skin cancer and asked him if he could help her. He
asked her to remove her top and bra and lay on the operating table face downwards. He then
went through the towel and water ritual, and when he took the towel away he said,
―I‘m going to work on her nervous system, for she is very nervous and then I will purify the
bloodstream.‖
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His hands went to the upper portion of Ivy‘s back and seemed to open it. I thought I saw part
of her spine and a lot of little whitish fibres. Then the blood started to appear and I could not
see anything except the blood. He moved away from that area and his assistant wiped her
back, there was nothing to show where he had been, only a reddish mark. By the time I
looked again at where he was working he had finished and his assistant was wiping Ivy‘s
back.
When my turn came I asked Placido to look at my back. He according to Ivy took two or
three pieces of gristle out. He told her however that I was not getting full use of my energy,
and that he would try to make another energy track for me as my track was not letting the
energy flow through strongly enough. According to Ivy he went straight down the centre of
my spine leaving behind him a fine red line. I don‘t know how good it worked, but I do know
that like most people I certainly could do with extra energy. We made our donation and left
the room.
Jim was next. Jim asked me to go in with him, which I did. I told Placido all about Jim‘s
operation and his nervous condition. Placido nodded and asked Jim to lay face down on the
table. He studied Jim for quite a long time, the longest in fact I had seen any of the Healers
study anybody. He constantly referred to his assistant and I had the feeling that he was
discussing Jim‘s brain operation as if he was looking at the brain itself. He clasped his two
hands together and seemed to concentrate very hard.
He then placed his right hand palm upwards at the nape of Jim‘s neck, and his left on top of
Jim‘s head. He then made about four or five sweeping motions with his left hand down to his
upturned right hand. Nothing happened. Jim‘s voice broke the stillness,
―What is happening Art?‖ Just when I was about to reply, the entire back of Jim‘s head
seemed to open and out spilled a great quantity of liverish-looking matter. It overflowed
Placido‘s hand and was sitting like jelly on Jim‘s bare back. I felt that knot in my stomach
tighten. I looked at the back of Jim‘s head and it was as normal as it had been before,
whatever it was had happened. Gathering my scattered wits as quickly as I could, in reply to
Jim‘s question I said, ―Jim, mate, I think that you have just had another brain operation.‖
―It‘s very bad and very dangerous for this man, all that bad blood in his head.‖ said Placido.
He then worked on Jim‘s back in the same area that he had for Ivy when he told me he was
working on her nervous system. Upon completion of the operation he asked me to bring Jim
back on Thursday for further treatment and check-up.
As we were preparing to leave I asked Placido if he would have dinner with us that night. He
did not reply, so I asked him to excuse me and I went to get Felix.
―Felix,‖ I said. ―See if you can get Placido to come to dinner with us tonight?‖
Felix spoke to Placido in Tagalog.
―He will come.‖ Said Felix ‗but he would like to bring a friend.‖
―He can bring who he likes.‖ I said ―and you too Felix, I would like you to come as well, and
you can bring a friend.‖
So it was arranged. At a restaurant in the centre of Baguio City at seven thirty that night,
Felix would pick us up at seven. We waited for Placido to see Pat and then we all left and
went back to ‗The Pines‘ We spent the rest of the day sightseeing in Baguio City. I had a
haircut and the others went to the markets. I was looking forward to that night, and having
dinner with Placido.
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Felix picked us up at seven o‘clock sharp, and drove us, Ivy, Allan, Irene and myself to a
very large restaurant in the main street. Pat and Jim had decided to stay at the hotel, for they
had had enough for one day. Seven-thirty came and went, as did eight o‘clock and eightthirty,
Felix was most worried. We drank four very large pots of Chinese green tea and I was
starting to gurgle. I said to Felix,
―It looks like he has changed his mind.‖
―Oh no Sir,‖ he replied, ―He will be here!‖
About five minutes later in walked Placido accompanied by a very solid powerful-looking
Filipino.
He apologized for keeping us waiting and explained that he had not stopped working until
after seven, and just as he was leaving a doctor who had tried to see him for three days asked
him to perform an operation. Placido said he did the operation in his car, for if he had gone
back inside the house he would never have been able to leave. I told him not to apologize as
we‘re pleased and thankful he agreed to have a meal with us. We sat down and ordered our
meal.
Where to start is always the most difficult thing. A wrong word can destroy all chance of
close communication and with this in mind we trod very gently. Feeling my way I asked
Placido how he had become a Faith Healer. He explained that he had always wanted to be a
Healer and that he had travelled all over the Philippines practicing Healing.
Nothing came easy he told us and the Healing he was practicing now was the result of years
and years of hard work. What type of work he did not say, but implied that it was to do with
God. I asked him how he did his Healing. He replied,
―I do not know all I know is that the Spirit which guides me tells me what to do and I do it!‖
―I am only the instrument not the power.‖
I asked him if this power was always there, and he replied, ―No, sometimes I must go up into
the mountains to be replenished.‖ We asked him question after question. He was not evasive,
he either told us what he could or would or said straight out, ‗I do not know.‘
I asked him about my Vision, Dream or what have you, in which I saw John and he just
looked at me. It was quite obvious he didn‘t know what I was talking about. His answer,
‗God moves in strange ways‘ did not help me.
Placido told of some incidents which happened to him, one early in his life, the other quite
recently.
It seems that while travelling around the Philippines, he was one day approached by a group
of tribesmen who had heard that he was a Healer, they asked him to come to their village to
treat the daughter of their chief who was ill. He was not happy with the prospect of
accompanying these particular tribesmen to their village, he said, for they were head hunters.
However he had no option but to go because if he did not, they would have killed him
anyway. He was quite relieved on arriving at the village to find that the chief‘s daughter
really was ill, suffering from blood poisoning with her body badly bloated. The Chief bluntly
informed Placido that he either cured his daughter, or he would lop his head off'.
Placido said, ―I promised to do what I could.‖ The girl was brought from her hut and placed
on a table. The Chief picked up a great knife and lifted it over his head like a sword. He then
said to Placido.
―Make my daughter better.‖
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―I prayed like I never prayed before.‖ He said. ―But all I could see was that Chief standing
there with his knife, so I told the chief that, unless he put down the knife, I could not heal his
daughter.‖ Reluctantly the Chief agreed to lower it to the ground. I then asked all the people
to pray.
―I placed my hands in readiness over her body to find the area where I was going to enter, he
continued, ―and prayed and prayed and prayed. Lowering my hands gently I asked my Spirit
for guidance and no sooner had I done this, then blood began to spurt out of her body. The
Chief, seeing this, lifted his knife and made a swipe at me.
I closed my eyes and waited for the knife to land, praying as I did, so I do not know how long
I kept them closed.‖ He said. ―But when I opened them, there was the Chiefs knife in hands,
trying desperately to strike me. But he was being restrained by some force. The Chief‘s
daughter got well and I was allowed to leave.‖
His other story I found most interesting and more in keeping with our problems and our own
seeking answers.
While he was treating a European man not so long ago he saw a tumour in this man‘s head.
The tumour was rather large and certainly active.
―I saw,‖ he said, ―where I could terminate it and placing my hands in the appropriate position
proceeded to follow the path to enter his head. However my hands landed a long way from
the spot I had aimed at, this being quite a way from the point of termination. I tried several
times to perform the operation but with no success. Every time I landed away from the area I
wanted. I then prayed to my Spirit asking for guidance to perform this operation. I received
no help and no answer. I stopped altogether and prayed aloud to the Spirit asking for aid and
guidance to terminate this man‘s tumour. Just when I was about to tell the man I couldn‘t
operate on him that day the voice of my Spirit came to me and said.
‗Do not try to operate on this man any further. His time is up!‖
Not long after this, we left and returned to our hotel. It was nearly midnight when we got
back and being tired, we just said our goodnights and went to bed. No early-morning call next
day, it was our day off.
The next morning, when I awoke, I felt very good. I looked at my watch. It was ten o‘clock,
how pleased I was that I had not asked for a wake-up call. Ivy was still fast asleep and with a
smile on my face I headed straight for the shower, and just stood under it and let the beautiful
water flow over my body. It felt wonderful. Seeing Ivy was still asleep, I headed for the
swimming pool and stayed there until they found me not that it surprised anyone, for as they
said, ‗When you were not in the coffee shop there was only one other place you would be.‘
We spent the entire day further exploring Baguio City and its surrounds. Returning late at
night, we retired to bed leaving our early reminder call.
Next morning everything flowed beautifully we had breakfast and were waiting for Felix in
the lounge and he, strange to say arrived on time. It was going to be one of those good days -
I could feel it. We arrived at Placido‘s the two cabs and our party of six. Helen gave us her
usual very friendly and cheerful, ―Good morning!‖
Allan and Irene went first. They were only in about ten minutes. Then Ivy and I, Placido
seemed a little wary at first but soon settled down. He checked Ivy over, took a couple of
little pieces out of her back and he was satisfied. He then picked up his Sacred Towel and
went all over her body with it, no more operations were necessary.
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I asked him about her nerves and her skin, he answered, ―I did that last time.‖
As Ivy was getting off the table I asked him a question, which held a great interest for me.
―Why can we not shower for twenty-four hours after an operation?‖
He looked at me in complete surprise. ―Because it will interfere with the force field,‖ he
replied.
―In what way?‖ I asked.
―The water earths it as it earths electricity,‖ he replied.
My turn came, a couple of pinches around the top of my neck, a little bit of work at my
throat, a couple of taps, as one would tap when looking for a hollow spot, on my head and
skull. He placed the towel nearly all over me and that was it. Ivy and I left the room and I
returned with Jim.
Jim lay on the table face down. Placido moved his hands and fingers all over Jim‘s head. He
seemed to be vibrating his fingers but he did not remove anything. He ran his fingers up and
down Jim‘s spine like you would gently drum your fingers on a table.
As with Ivy and me he placed the towel all over Jim‘s body and then stepped back.
He told me that Jim‘s condition would improve gradually, for operations on the brain were
much more intricate than those on the physical body, and took longer to heal.
While we were there I told Placido about my being a student of Iris Diagnosis. He was most
intrigued when I explained to him that you could read the malfunctions of the body through
the Iris.
―It would be good to work with people like yourself, if you can do that.‖ He said.
He also told me of his ambition to establish a clinic in Baguio City and work with doctors,
physiotherapists, and psychoanalysts.
We said our farewells to all our friends in Baguio City and returned to Manila where we
re-joined the tour. We had a very enjoyable couple of days. People we had met in Baguio
City spoke to us and asked us how we felt. They, like us did not go around telling everybody
about the healers.
The only time I remember any discussion taking place, Jim was talking and I was looking,
not at him but at the faces of his listeners and you have never seen such a lot of blank, bored,
polite looking people.
I must tell you that I quit smoking, I do not know what Josephine did but every time I put a
cigarette in my mouth I felt like somebody has used my mouth as a toilet, it was horrible. So I
put a packet of cigarettes in one pocket and a lighter in the other and carried them around for
about three months, my reason being that if ever I wanted a cigarette all I had to do was to
put my hand in my pocket. I have not had a cigarette or desire to have one since 1975, for
which I thank Josephine.
The health of all those in our party improved greatly and I can say without any fear of
contradiction that our trip to the Philippines was a great success. None of us were completely
cured of all our ails and illnesses but everyone received some benefit.
I would like to end on this note. The names mentioned in this book, belong to real people
who live, in Melbourne, with the exception of two, Harry and Fred who came from Sydney,
Australia, and at the time of writing, March 1977, they can all be contacted through me.
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To anybody who can‘t receive any further help in Australia, or wherever you may live, if you
decide to go to the Philippines for healing, you go with my best wishes. One other thing you
can take with you is this, that I have been as honest and sincere as I can be in recording these
events.
I don‘t know how the healers perform their operations, nor do I care, I only know if I ever fall
ill again and cannot get help where I am living, do not be the least surprised if you happen to
be in Baguio City and you seek the aid of a stranger, and the stranger who gives you that
aid…is me!
My friend Kerrie suggested that I bring you up to date relative to my condition at this present
time, February 2011, nearly thirty six years after being treated by Josephine Sibson, Jose
Mercado and Placido Palitayan, three very genuine Philippine Faith Healers, or Psychicsurgeons
depending upon your way of thinking.
In my eighty fourth year, I do not suffer any continual pain, I ride my bicycle six kilometres a
day, my back does not give me any trouble, appreciating all these things, I thank God
Almighty for my genes and the Philippine Psychic-surgeons, plus of course my
homoeopathic medicines. Sad to say, the three Faith Healer mentioned above I believed have
passed over.
But I do say to anyone suffering from any condition which you cannot get any help where
you live, take my advice and give this a go, for you have nothing to lose.
Make sure of course that the surgeons you visit are genuine, for today as we all know money
has a bad habit of making strange bed fellows.
Relative to the above it is so easy to find out if they can or cannot remove anything from our
bodies. Don‘t let us go into tumours or the like, let us deal with simplicity itself.
Take to these people, a person with gall or kidney stones and ask them to remove them. Then
all you have to do then is to have the person take an X-Ray and find out if they still have
them.
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LUCKY ESCAPE
True story!
This young woman was walking home after an evening out. She decided to walk down this
alley. About half way down the alley, she noticed a man standing up against the fence, almost
at the end of the alley, and she felt very uneasy, so she prayed to her spirit guides to protect
her.
Holding her head high she walked with confidence and as she got near him he stepped out in
front of her, and when she was only a few steps from him he stepped aside, and she walked
past him.
The next day she read in the paper that a woman was found brutally raped and murdered in
the alley that she had walked down the night before.
She rang the police and described the man whom she saw in the alley.
The police arrested him and she identified him as the man she had seen in the Alley. And he
was charged.
She asked the policeman dealing with the case to ask the man why he didn‘t attack her.
Not on your life, the man replied, she had these two seven foot black men walking with her,
one on each side.
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WE ALL HAVE A STORY
It was Monday the 31st of May, 2010. I was in the bank waiting my turn.
The lovely young lady behind the counter was as nice and polite as are all the other girls in
the bank, and as I wanted to as I was leaving, say goodbye to her by name. I put on my
glasses. Her name was the same as a lady in my book „Arthur Houston‟s Spiritual
Experiences‟ And I told her so.
―What is your book about?‖ She asked.
―It is about my spiritual experiences,‖ I replied.
―Do you see things?‖ she asked.
I told her about two things I had seen! One was a clown beautifully dressed with very red
hair, he was laughing, although I couldn‘t hear him. He shook his head and a wig went either
side of his body and he was as bald as a billiard ball. Another was a lady who came down
through the ceiling as if she was skiing she looked up and saw me, got this very surprised
look on her face and disappeared.
She then told me about her son keeps seeing this man in his bedroom.
―My little boy does not want to go to bed at night for he sees this old man who wants to talk
to him. So I contacted this clairvoyant lady named Lotus, who incidentally is a genius and she
came around to our house last night. She told me that she could see the old man and
described him to me exactly the same as my son had done. She also told me that there was a
lady with the man, but my son couldn‘t see her. She said that she would take the old man and
the lady that was with him who my son did not see, back to her house. Last night the old man
was not there and my son slept all night!‖
―How did we get on to this subject?‖ She asked.
I laughed, ―I told you that I had written a book and that one of the people in the book had the
same name as you.‖
We said our goodbyes, I thanking her by her name as I walked away.
I spoke to her on Tuesday the 22nd of June, 2010 and many times since and she has told me
that her son had not seen the old man since Lotus said that she would take him and the lady
whom her son could not see, away.
MAN WANTING ME TO BUY A BOOK
Years ago a man asked me if I would like to buy a book on how to survive in the next world,
it only cost Twenty Dollars. I told him that I wasn‘t interested in it, but I would buy the book
which could tell me how to survive in this world. ―Sorry mate,‖ he said, ―They are all out of
print.‖
I read a book 'In Search of my Soul' by Lucy Pignataro, it might not tell you how to survive in
this world but it certainly tells you what can happen to you!
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QUICK ONE
My patient told me that she went to see a Clairvoyant and he told her that her Grandfather
had come through and told him how pleased he was about the letter that she had put in his
shirt pocket when he was in the coffin.
IVY COMING THROUGH
On Sunday the 18th of October 2015, I went to the Victorian Spiritualist Union Inc.
I received a reading from a very lovely young Clairvoyant lady Amanda Peters who told me
the following.
―I have with me a lady who has sent so much love through that I am finding it hard to cope
with it!‖
This really caught my attention for every Clairvoyant who has ever given me a reading have
always said the same when my late wife comes through.
―The lady concerned tells me that when she was dying they took out her false teeth and it
caused her much distress, she also tells me that she took quite a while for her to die and she
has been over a long time!‖
I put up my hand for my late wife Ivy was in Caritas Christi Hospice in Kew and they took
out her false teeth which caused her much distress. She was in the Hospice for 51 days before
she died and she has been gone for a long time. She died on the 4th of May, 1994. Over 21
years ago!
She continued. ―She tells me that she is very pleased with the work you are doing!‖
I am an Iridologist and Homoeopath which is thanks to her as you will see when you read
further through the following documents.
―She also tells me that you had a bet and you liked it but why not, you will not let it do you
any harm.‖
I also found this a very interesting statement for I had not had a bet for over three years until
Saturday the 17th of October, 2015 ‗Caulfield Cup day!‘
―She also tells me that she is happy, strong and healthy but it will be a long time before you
join her.‖
Blimey I am nearly 89 years old I wonder what a long time means.
She again referred to the terrific love flow which was coming through her and she finished
the reading.
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GOD AND THE MAGICIAN
I love this story where the greatest magician on earth told the people that he could do
anything that God could. Upon hearing this, Lord summoned him before him and without
saying a word lifted his little finger and ranges of mountains appeared.
The magician waved his wand and ranges of mountains appeared.
The Lord looked at the desert and it became an ocean.
The magician waved his wand over a desert and it became an ocean.
The Lord looked up at the heavens and all the stars disappeared.
The Magician waved his wand and all the stars reappeared.
The Lord created another Sun.
The Magician waved his wand, another Sun appeared.
―I can even create humans‖ said the magician reaching down to pick up some earth.
―Use your own earth,‖ said the Lord.
THE PARALLEL WORLDS
The travelling between them as I visualize them to be!
Frederic Marsh was facing a terrible personal dilemma which was causing him
Considerable discomfort for the problem he was facing seemed to be unsolvable in his hands.
His daughter Marian was married to a man who seemed to be two entirely different people.
One month he was the nicest, funniest man you could ever wish to meet, the next month he
was quiet and withdrawn and did not wish to be with anybody including his wife and his
children. There were two children, Raymond 4 years of age, named after his father as all the
first born boys had been way back in time, and his three year old sister Anastasia, named
after Frederic‘s late wife, Marian‘s mother. It was not that he was rude or disrespectful to her
or their children in anyway, it was that he was just not full on like her funny husband.
When Marian asked him, her quiet husband why he was like this, he replied,
―I am what I am and I can‘t do anything about it!‖
He sounded most uncomfortable as he was saying it.
It upset her terribly as she could not do anything about it either, but she handled it the best
that she could, but did admit to her father that she loved Raymond One with all her heart. But
Raymond Two did not excite her at all, although she did not have any doubts that he cared
about her and the children.
What upset Frederic the most was that it was because of him that his daughter had met
Raymond, who on seeing her had fallen head over heels in love with her, and courted her till
she agreed to marry him.
He had always been different some months but everyone put that down to his position as the
owner and President of ‗Topper Industries,‘ a dynasty reaching far back in time and wealthier
than the wealthiest.
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Frederic was the owner and President of ‗Frederic Marsh Security Systems‘ one of the largest
Security firms in Britain. They installed cameras and alarm systems which were second to
none. He been asked to go and give a quote on installing alarm and camera systems in the
Topper residence, this being a very large Mansion on about ten hectares about six kilometres
from, Canterbury, in the County of Kent where he lived.
When he first arrived at the Mansion, he could not believe what he was seeing; he had never
seen paintings or artefacts like them outside of the museums. No wonder the insurance
company had refused to insure them unless he installed a security system to their satisfaction.
They were worth untold millions.
Frederic was a ‗hands on‘ worker who inspected personally every job his firm quoted for, no
matter how big or how small the job Frederic inspected all of them.
It was on one of his trips to the Topper mansion that he had his only daughter Marian with
him and Raymond One on seeing her was smitten on the spot, and formed a friendship with
her immediately, and after 12 months of courting they were married.
Frederic had only once come up against this man his daughter now called Raymond Two;
they were not married at that time. It was when his firm was installing all the security systems
and cameras and one of his workmen was in the dining room which was next to the study
installing a camera facing inwards. Raymond asked him what he was doing.
―I‘m installing a camera into the study Sir,‖ he said.
―No you are not,‖ said Raymond, ―the study is my private room and there will not be any
cameras in it, now take it down.‖
―I‘m sorry Mr Topper but I can‘t do that without Mr Marsh‘s instructions.‖ He replied.
Raymond steamed off looking for Frederic who was at the other end of the mansion and
when he found him he walked straight up to him and said very rudely. ―There will not be any
cameras in my study, that study is mine and mine alone and I don‘t want anyone looking over
my shoulder whilst I‘m in it!‖
Frederic just looked at him, he didn‘t know what to say, he had never been confronted like
this in all his working life.
―I am sorry Mr Topper.‖ He said ―but this is out of my hands. The insurance company has
instructed me to put cameras in every room except the bedrooms, bathrooms and toilets and
unless they instruct me otherwise my hands are tied.‖
Raymond did not say a word, he just looked at him turned around and walked away and it
was obvious by his posture that he was angry.
About an hour later Frederic received a call from the insurance company telling him not to
put a camera into the study. Frederic went to the dining room, the man working on the
camera had just finished installing it.
―Sorry Ken,‖ he said ―but you will have to take it out as Mr Topper won‘t allow a camera
looking into his study.‖
Ken looked at him, and said. ―It has taken me over two hours to get this in the correct
position, and I have cemented all the surrounds and I will have to break into the wall to
remove it.‖
Frederic thought for a moment.
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―Can you deactivate it?‖
―Yes.‖ Ken replied ‗Easy as pie!‖
―Well please do it!‖ Ken put his hand into a section of the wall and pulled out a small black
box.
―No camera now‖ he said. He handed the power pack to Frederick.
It was Raymond One‘s month and everything in the garden was lovely. Marian and the
children were happy, the house was filled with love and laughter, and it was a joy just to walk
into it, for you could definitely feel the difference.
Frederic was in his own home watching one of his favourite television programs. It was all
about cameras, lighting, reflectors and reflections and bending of light. It was right up his
alley. Then one of the men, Thomas Brown, starting talking about ‗Parallel Worlds‘ and he
said, ―When I was in America I saw a movie called ‗Parallel Worlds‘ where two persons
looking exactly the same physically in every detail but were not the same mentally, in fact
they were complete opposites, say an optimist-pessimist, noisy-quiet, generous-mean person,
would change places. They would both have to be at a certain place in their world at the same
time on the same month same day as the other and when the clock struck eleven o‘clock in
the evening a portal opened between these two worlds, those involved passed from one world
to the other and the next month they would return to their own world.‖
Frederic sat stunned at what he had heard. The man continued.
―I was so impressed with it that I waited for the credits. It was written by a person named
B.H. Wells, no relation to H.G. Wells, as I checked and it was taken from his book which had
the same name as the picture, ‗Parallel Worlds‖.
Frederic was stunned and he couldn‘t believe what he had heard. Luckily he taped all these
programs. He waited until the program ended then replayed the ‗Parallel Worlds‘ segment,
marking it so he could go straight to it any time he wished. He sat drinking his cup of tea, and
thinking of what he had heard about Parallel Worlds. Two people, direct opposites, travelling
from one world to another, via a portal, on alternate months, were definitely ringing a bell,
and what a bell it was.
He didn‘t know what to think, it seemed too good to be true. His mind was in turmoil.
‗What do I do if I can‘t buy the book?‘
He didn‘t have a good night‘s sleep. He kept waking up and thinking about the Segment in
the book where these two men, direct opposites, went every month through a portal to a
parallel world. He tossed and turned all night.
At last morning came and following his normal routine he left home around nine.
He drove straight to the central shopping Centre where the big book shops were and went to
the lady behind the counter. ―Good Morning!‖ he said and received a courteous reply.
―Do you have the book ‗Parallel Worlds‘ by B.H.Wells?‖
The lady went over to her computer. It only took her a minute, ―No Sir,‖ she said. ―We don‘t
have it. It has been out of print for many years. The only place you might get a copy is at a
second hand book shop, there are three in Riley Street about kilometre down towards the
roundabout and it is the last turn on your left.‖
Frederic thanked her and left the shop, he drove his car down to and into Riley Street. He saw
three second hand book shops, two were quite modern but the other was from way back and it
showed.
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He decided on the very old one, opened the door and entered into what seemed to be a not a
very well-lit shop and was most surprised to find as he passed the book shelves he could read
the names of the books very easily. A very old gentleman was sitting behind the counter; he
looked up as Frederic approached.
―Good Morning Sir, can I help you?‖ He asked.
―Good Morning!‖ Frederic replied. ―My name is Frederic Marsh.‖
―Mine is Albertus Magnus,‖ replied the old gentleman, ―how can I help you?‖
―Do you have the book ‗Parallel Worlds‘ by B.H. Wells?‖
―Yes sir, we have.‖ He said and stood up and walked from behind the counter and went to a
shelf on his left side, took a book from it and looked at the cover.
―Yes sir, here it is‖ and he handed it to Frederic who glanced down and read the title and the
author, this was definitely the right book.
―I will take it thank you.‖ He said. ―How much is it?‖
―It is ten pounds thank you sir,‖ he replied.
Frederic handed him two five pound notes, which he put in the till.
―Do you want it wrapped sir?‖ He asked.
―No thank you!‖ Frederick replied, ―I will take it as it is,‖ said his thanks and left the shop.
His heart was beating quite a bit faster than when he entered but surely that was to be
expected for he was very excited.
He didn‘t have a chance to even look at it through the day but that did not worry him one bit.
He had the book and that was all that mattered.
Home at last, dinner was over. He poured himself his usual Cognac, got himself comfortable
in his lounge chair in front of the fire and opened the book. It wasn‘t a very big book.
He read; I‘m no relation to ‗B.H.Wells‘ although people reading my book might think that I
am, for I am told that we both like to travel to places, far removed from that which is
considered by many to be reality.
Underneath was set out the qualifications of the author, and they were most impressive. He
was an American and held degrees in Engineering, Physics, Spiritualism and Astronomy. He
lived in Houston Texas and had a great interest in time travel which he believed was possible.
The book was written in 1936.
He believed that there was two of everything within the greater universe, of which there was
only one and that everything was interconnected by portals which were at certain times joined
with the portal of its parallel allowing contact between them.
Frederick looked at the clock it was seven thirty in the evening. He turned over to the next
page and started to read, having little sips of his Cognac as he read.
It was most interesting, the lead up was everything the man on the television had said that it
was, but as he went into the book, he started to worry that the part most interesting to him
was not there and he began to wonder if, maybe it was in the movie but not in the book. Then
he turned the page over and read;
‗Let me set up this hypothesis, say that there are two men both in their own worlds, it is just
before eleven p.m. on the night that the portal becomes activated. Both men, let us call them
Charles and Tom, are in their own rooms in their own worlds, sitting down having a quiet
drink. The clocks in their rooms both strike eleven p.m. at the last strike the portal opens, and
a rectangular shaped light about six foot high, six foot wide, and twelve feet long appears in
front of them. Charles puts down his glass and walks over to the portal looking directly into
it. He is on its left side and Tom does exactly the same except that he actually enters the
portal on its right side. Tom then appears in Charles‘s world and walks to the end of the
portal and stops, he is still bathed in its light.
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So now both Charles and Tom are in the same world, only Charles is outside the portal and
Tom is still inside. Then simultaneously they both walk forward, Charles into the portal and
Tom out. The light follows Charles as he walks inside the portal and out of the room, then the
light disappears and the room is normal. While Tom goes over to the table picks up the glass,
takes it over to a wash basin, rinses it and puts it back from where Charles had taken it. He
then walks over to the chair vacated by his counterpart, lowers his head on his hands and falls
asleep.
He awakens about two hours later and leaves the room.‘
Frederick gave a huge sigh of relief and put the book on the table, picked up his now empty
glass, went to the cognac bottle and poured himself a very generous drink, for he didn‘t have
the slightest doubt that this was a very special occasion and that what he had read was not a
hypothesis at all, but an event witnessed by the author and his contemporaries, and therefore
he felt entitled to shout himself this little pleasure.
He returned to his chair picked up the book and read the section again. It was word perfect,
and Frederic who had a very analytical mind had no doubt what so ever that the author had
written not a hypothesis, but an account of what he had actually witnessed.
He knew that he had the right book now, and this was verified as far as he was concerned
when he turned to the next page and read;
‗After much deliberation and consultation with those like myself who have investigated this
subject, I do not have the slightest doubt, that there is a way to break the bond which exists
between these fellow travellers, so that each will remain in the their own world and never
again travel to the other.‘
It is simplicity itself. All you would have to do is to prevent either of the participants being at
the place where the portal is activated at that time. The one who enters the portal will go into
the other person‘s world and stand there for five seconds, but when the other person does not
enter the portal he will return to his own world never to return again!
Another statement, evidently proven by those involved. He went to bed and surprisingly had
one of the best night‘s sleeps he had enjoyed for a long time, and awoke feeling very fit and
well, ready to take on the world.
After finishing his as always enjoyable breakfast he headed towards the mansion. It was
check-up day and he and Ken Jordan one of his most senior technicians were going to put the
complete system through its paces, as it was five years since it had been installed. He knew
that Ken was already there when he arrived as his car was parked outside in the garage. He
parked his, and went and said his hello‘s to Marian and the children, and then he went into
the security room where Ken was already setting up the testing.
They greeted each other as friends which they were and went straight into the testing. It was
all done by numbers; each alarm section was turned off from the main electrical supply which
was then programmed to switch immediately to a back-up supply run by generators.
Everything went perfect. Then it was the cameras turn. Every camera and there were dozens
of them, were switched off one at a time, each time a camera was switched off, a red light
appeared on the screen and a bell rang, which told the operator that the camera was not
working. They had nearly finished when they failed to get any reaction from one of the
cameras. This was very serious as the entire system depended upon every unit being in
working order. Ken pushed the trouble button and waited. Nothing happened. He pressed it
again, still nothing! He brought the complete camera system up on the computer, and put in
the search program, it took about three seconds and on the plan before him a little red light
was blinking.
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He zoomed in and saw this writing next to the camera.
‗Infra-red study, camera not activated authority of F.M. - 17th Feb 2003‘ and his signature.
They both laughed with relief as a problem of this nature could have meant a real lot of
trouble.
―I remember,‖ Said Ken, ―and I‘m sure you do when Mr Topper said we couldn‘t put a
camera in his study and went to the insurance company, so we didn‘t activate it!‖
Frederic caught his breath; he couldn‘t believe what he was hearing. The study had a camera
and Raymond went to the study every night before going to bed, some nights he only stayed
for a short time others for hours.
Ken left, and Frederic went and got himself a cup of tea and went back into the security
room. He put all the cameras up on one big screen; he could see where everybody was in the
mansion. The nearest person to him was Mary, one of the maids and she was making a bed in
the back room. Frederic went to a drawer where all the spare parts were kept, took out a
power pack and put it in his pocket.
He went into the equipment room, which lead off the security room, picked up an extension
ladder and took it into the dining room. He put it up against the wall and climbed up to where
the camera was located. He dusted it so that it was nice and clean, inserted the power pack
and tested it, it worked. He then climbed down the ladder, took it back into the equipment
room and went to the computer.
He put in its code. He found himself looking into the study for the first time, and as far as he
knew only both Raymond and Jones the head of the house staff had ever been in it, except of
course for the workers who had built it. He was not seeing everything as he would like so he
switched to the filter. The change was dramatic he could see everything as bright as day, as if
it was being lit by a bright light.
It was a very simple room, a ceiling light, bookshelves absolutely loaded with books, a desk
with a chair behind it, a hand basin, and a glassed section containing three green bottles. He
zoomed in but could not read the labels; under this was a shelf with a wine glass. The only
thing rather odd was what looked like a doorway without a door, it was on the right wall
between the shelves, and there were books above it. The doorway captured his attention it
was about two metres high, and two metres wide, there was no door handle, just plain wood.
Something was registering in his mind, and then it hit him.
The portal was over six feet high about six feet wide and about 12 feet long.
The doorway that he was looking at was about two metres high and about two metres wide,
but naturally he couldn‘t see the length of the portal as it was not activated.
He took a deep breath. He had to make up his mind now, for Raymond One‘s month had two
days to go, and all that he had to do to prove what he believed could be true, was to find some
way to stop the two Raymond‘s being together in the study at the same time.
It was Raymond One‘s last night tonight, Marian had invited him over for dinner but he
declined telling her truthfully that he had to attend to a matter which he couldn‘t possibly put
off. She was terribly disappointed for she knew it was Raymond One‘s last night and she
really wanted him to be there, but as much as he wanted to be with her and the family he had
to decline.
His computer at home was connected to the Mansion and he could see any part of it.
He went to the study camera and turned it on, he had left it on Infra-red, and filtered it and he
saw everything as clear as day. He put a disk into the CD-writer as he wanted to be able to
replay what took place.
It was ten to eleven. He activated the camera, the room was empty, and then the door opened
and in walked Raymond One.
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He switched on the ceiling light, walked over to the cupboard, opened it and took out one of
the green bottles, he poured himself half a glass of whatever it was, sat down behind the desk
and started to sip it.
Frederic felt the hairs on the back of his neck standing up, for the doorway opposite
Raymond one had started to glow. He stood up and walked towards it, the light was growing
stronger and stronger and by the time he reached it Frederic found himself looking at a
brilliant rectangular light about two metres high, two metres wide and four metres long.
Raymond One stopped in front of it on the left hand side. Another man appeared, he was
walking inside the rectangle, he was on the right hand side, and it was Raymond Two. He
stopped at the end of the light, and then simultaneously both men took a step forward,
Raymond One into the light, Raymond Two into the study.
Raymond One walked towards the doorway, the light following him and then he and the light
was gone. Raymond Two walked over to the desk and picked up the glass, rinsed it and put it
back where Raymond One had taken it from, he then sat down, crossed his arms and lowered
his head on to them and fell asleep.
Frederic rose from the couch and walked to the computer and turned it off. He was finding it
very hard to come to grips with what he had seen. It was like he had been transported to
another world and returned to his own, and Frederic‘s analytical mind was not taking this too
kindly.
Everything that ‗B.H.Wells‘ had said in his book was correct. It was now obvious that he had
seen it.
Frederic‘s mind was going over what he had seen and what he had read, surely it can‘t be as
simple as ‗B.H.Wells‘ had said. All that you had to do was to stop one of the men being at the
portal and that would break the bond, and they would stay in the world they were in forever.
But what if what B.H. Wells believed was wrong and it didn‘t break the bond?
He hadn‘t said that it would, he had just stated that after much deliberation and consultation
with those like himself who have investigated this subject, that he and they, did not have the
slightest doubt that if you stopped either of the people involved from being at the portal that
the bond would be broken.
He turned the computer back on, inserted the CD, and watched Raymond One leave and
Raymond Two return. It was unbelievable - the drink, the rectangular light, them changing
places simultaneously, one stepping into the light the other stepping out, the glass being
washed and placed back from whence it was taken, everything went like clockwork, it was
fascinating to watch.
The next month was one of exploration as far as he was concerned. He read books, studied
medicines, and thought of things which he could do to break the bond.
Raymond Two had come and gone and everything in the garden was lovely, the entire house
and all those in it vibrated to the laughter and love of Raymond One. Marian was blooming
like a rose; Frederic believed that she could be pregnant.
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After due consideration he had come to the conclusion that his plan had to be simple, easy to
implement and fool proof, and with this in mind he contacted a friend of his of many years
who was one of the top pharmacists in Britain.
After the usual pleasantries were exchanged he asked his friend,
―Maurice, I need a knock out drug which will work almost immediately and keep the person
to whom it has been given unconscious for about half an hour.‖
―You couldn‘t have come to a better person,‖ his friend replied. ―We are at present using a
drug which fits all your requirements, it is being used in keyhole surgery and it only has the
slightest side effect of causing the patient confusion, which two aspirin will remove within
five minutes. Do you want pills or liquid? If pills the dose is four pills. If liquid put five drops
into a glass of water, milk or whatever, when do you want it?‖
Frederic laughed, ―Liquid, and as soon as I can get it!‖
―Good, it will be in your office within have an hour.‖ He paused, ―Need anything else?‖
―No thank you,‖ Frederick replied.
―Good, see you later,‖ said his friend and hung up.
Frederic couldn‘t help laughing, no questions asked, no debate, no bill but he had to admit
had the boot been on the other foot, no matter what is was the above would‘ve been the same,
including no questions being asked.
All he had to do was to put the five drops of the liquid into Raymond One‘s drink and watch
and wait for the result, surely nothing could be simpler.
About an hour later a parcel arrived, it was a 500ml bottle. The label read ‗Dr Maurice Black.
MD‘ followed by a series of numbers. F. Marsh‘. Patients use only.
Maurice couldn‘t help laughing; he had enough medicine to dope thousands of people.
The morning of Raymond One‘s last day had arrived. Marian and the children were trying
desperately to keep up their spirits but failing dismally as they all adored Raymond One.
Frederic went to the mansion for lunch. Marian put on her usual brave front.
Lunch over she went about her normal duties. Frederic went to the security room, found out
where everybody was, went to the study opened the door with his master key. He entered,
went to the cupboard containing the green bottle which had been opened, took out the bottle
and unscrewed the top. It possibly had a glassful of liquid in it; he put in the five drops of the
liquid from the bottle which his friend Maurice had sent to his office, into the other bottle. He
recapped it, put it back where he had taken it from in front of the unopened bottles, closed the
door and walked out of the study. In less than two minutes, he was back in the security room.
He gave a huge sigh of relief, it was over, there was nothing more he could do, it was now in
the lap of the Gods.
He said his goodbyes and went back to his office and immediately became embroiled in its
daily workings. His secretary came to say goodnight. Frederic looked up in surprise and
looked at his watch, it was 6:30 p.m.
―Hello Mary, what kept you here so late?‖
―I had to finish the contracts for museum, Mr Marsh,‖ she said, ―They wanted them by
tomorrow.‖
―Thank you for doing that. It is most appreciated,‖ said Frederic.
―Yes sir, I know it is Mr Marsh, Goodnight!‖ She replied as she left his office.
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He rang Mrs McDougall his housekeeper and told her he would be home in about an hour.
Dinner was over, it was eight thirty and Frederic sat down and sipped his cognac. Only two
and a half hours to go. He tried to watch the television but as he wasn‘t interested and that
would‗ve been a complete waste of time. He tried reading the newspaper. No interest
whatsoever. What to do, he picked up ‗Parallel Worlds‘ walked over and turned on the
security camera, programmed the study, sat down on the couch and started to read it. Now
and again he glanced at the screen but found himself looking into an empty study. A light
caught his attention and he looked up and saw Raymond One enter the study. He looked at
his watch; it was five minutes to eleven. He put down his book. Raymond poured himself a
drink from the green bottle into his glass, recapped it and put it back in the cupboard and
closed it. He walked over to the desk, sat down, took a few sips from the glass and put it on
the desk. He sat there for a minute then slowly dropped back into the chair, it was obvious
that he was unconscious and it was one minute to eleven.
Frederic found that he was holding his breath as the portal started to glow. He felt his heart
beating faster as the portal expanded into the study, then in walked Raymond Two and
headed for the end of the portal and stopped when he reached it. He stood still facing
outwards. He stood in the same position for about five seconds, then turned and walked back
into the portal. The light didn‘t follow him as it had followed Raymond One when he exited
the study, and when Raymond Two went through the doorway it just disappeared, like
someone turning off a light. Frederic looked at Raymond One, he was sitting in the chair
obviously completely unconscious. It was about thirty minutes later that he started to stir, he
put his hand to his head and shook it a couple of times. He sat there for another ten minutes,
looked at the glass on the table, picked it up and took it to the wash basin, rinsed it and put it
back on the rack, walked to the door, turned off the light and left the study.
Frederic didn‘t know what to do or how to do it, he could not believe what he had seen but if
‗B.H. Wells‘ and his colleagues were correct the bond was broken and Raymond One would
stay in this world and Raymond Two in the other.
It was a long, very long night possibly the longest he could ever remember but at last it was
morning. He didn‘t have his usual breakfast only tea and toast as he was too churned up to
eat. He rang Marian and told her he was coming over to check one of the systems she asked
him if he wanted breakfast, but he declined.
He shaved, showered got dressed said goodbye to Mrs McDougall and headed for the
Mansion luckily going away from the city he had an almost uninterrupted ride to the
mansion.
What if? What if? Kept going over and over in his mind!
He arrived at the mansion, drove in, parked his car and entered the mansion through the back
door and said hello to Marian and the children, Raymond One wasn‘t there. He excused
himself and went to the security room and turned on the camera in the dining room. Marian
and the children were eating their breakfast. The door opened and in walked Raymond. He
looked dreadful, almost as if he was in a daze.
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He went over and kissed Marian on the cheek and the children on their heads. Frederic felt
his stomach drop, only Raymond Two did this. Raymond One kissed and cuddled them. He
sat down, ―I have this headache, have we any Aspirin?‖ he asked Marian.
―Yes dear, I will get you some.‖ She stood up and went over to the dresser and took a little
packet out of the draw and gave Raymond Two aspirin. He put them in his mouth and took a
sip of water from the glass in front of him.
He shuddered, ―Please excuse me.‖ He said. ―But I need some fresh air.‖ He stood up and
walked out through the glass doors into the garden.
Frederick was heartbroken everything that Raymond had done since entering the room was
exactly what Raymond Two would‘ve done. Marian was obviously upset but was trying not
to show it.
―Is daddy alright?‖ asked the two children as in one voice. Marian quickly assured them ―that
daddy was alright!‖
It hadn‘t worked. Raymond Two had returned he couldn‘t understand it. Raymond One was
unconscious behind the desk, Raymond Two waited for about five seconds turned around and
walked back into the portal. The portal had not followed behind him, it had just disappeared.
What went wrong?
He was finding it very hard to concentrate when he heard this laughter coming from the
dining room, it was very loud. He could hear Marian‘s, the children‘s and Raymond One‘s
laughter.
He switched on the dining room camera and all of them were laughing, singing and hugging
each other, this was definitely Raymond One.
He left the security room and entered the dining room. As he entered they all looked up and
ran towards him, the children were first to reach him, ―Grandpa, Grandpa, Daddy‘s back isn‘t
it wonderful?‖ Marian hot on her heels reached and hugged him, as did Raymond. The five of
them stood together laughing and hugging each other with pure love, respect and affection.
Frederic left the mansion on cloud nine, he couldn‘t control himself and as soon as he got out
of the grounds he pulled to the side of the road stopped the car and started to laugh and he
laughed and laughed until he cried, he had never been so happy in his entire life.
The days passed and Marian and the children were full of love and life for Raymond One was
her Raymond and the children‘s father. She admitted to her father that she was pregnant and
like the other two children, her Raymond was the father. Evidently Raymond Two wasn‘t
very interested in that side of the marriage, for which she thanked God!
Frederic was in the security room looking over the plans when in walked Raymond, they
greeted each other like friends. Raymond looked into the screen and saw this circled section
with writing underneath.
―What‘s that?‖ He asked pointing to it.
―That is the camera which points into the study, it wasn‘t activated after you complained to
the insurance company.‖ Raymond kept looking at it and reading the writing.
―Well you better activate it, I don‘t like doing things by halves and that is by halves.‖
He nodded to Frederic and left.
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Frederic was stunned. He went to the gear room, got a new power pack and the ladder, went
into the dining room and climbed to the camera. He put in the new power pack and returned
with the ladder. He threw the old power pack into the disposal bin. He went to the computer
and entered the code for the camera in the study, he went to the portal. He got quite a shock,
it was not there and where it had been were shelves with books upon them. He zoomed into
the cupboard, two bottles were in it, and both scotch and the other three green bottles were
gone. He couldn‘t believe his eyes, it was definitely over, Raymond One was here forever.
It was about two months after this incident Marian and her father were sitting in the dining
room before a lovely fire. Frederic was sipping his Cognac, Marian had a glass of light wine.
―There were two of them weren‘t there?‖ She asked.
Frederic looked up and faced her.
―Yes,‖ he said.
―You got rid of the other one didn‘t you?‖
He nodded his head, ‗Yes.‘
―Did you to kill him?‖
―No, I just stopped him from entering this world, so he returned to his own.‖
―Can he come back?‖
―No, never, he will stay where he is and your Raymond will stay here with you and the
children.‖
―Will you tell me what happened?‖
―No, it wouldn‘t be any advantage for you to know, enjoy what God has given you and leave
it at that!‖
Marian rose and walking towards her father who stood up.
―I must be the luckiest woman in the world to have such a lovely father and family.‖
―And we to have such a lovely, daughter, wife and mother.‖
They clung closely together for a few moments, Frederic looked at his watch and it was ten
thirty.
―Got to go, have a busy day tomorrow.‖
They said their goodbyes and parted.
Frederic thought about what had been said between them about the Raymond‘s and was
completely satisfied with everything.
He arrived home and as he drove into the garage thanked his lucky stars how everything had
turned out.
It was Sunday night, he had arrived home after having a most enjoyable day, he had been
invited to dinner at the mansion and it was unbelievable, the house rang with laughter all
through dinner. Frederic felt his heart glow with pride and thankfulness at what he had been
allowed to achieve.
He picked up the reason that he had been able to achieve this miracle and decided that he
would take it back to the bookshop in the morning. He went to bed and slept like a log.
Next morning he called into the bookshop, book in hand he walked up to the counter, the old
gentleman was sitting reading a book.
―Good Morning, Mr Magnus how are you this morning?‖
―Excellent sir, thank you, yourself?‖
―Full of beans Thank you.‖ Frederick replied. ‗Full of beans!‖
He put the book on the counter the old gentleman picked it up.
―Did you enjoy it?‖ He asked.
‗Beyond my wildest dreams, it is definitely a classic.‖
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―If you want to sell it back to me I can‘t give you what you paid for it, as I need to make a
profit,‖ he said. As Frederick put the book on the counter and pushed it away from himself.
Frederic pushed the book towards him. ―I don‘t want to sell it to you.‖ He said. ―I want to
give it to you.‖
―Oh Sir how kind of you,‖ said Mr Magnus, he paused for a moment then said.
―You are the fifth person to purchase this book and return it to me without seeking any
payment, it must be very special!‖
―It is more than very special, much more.‖ Frederick replied.
―I wonder Sir if you would mind putting your name, address and telephone number in my
book,‖ said Mr Magnus as he reached under the counter and brought up a red covered book
which he opened. He then reached over and picked up a quill, an ink bottle and blotting
paper, which he put on the counter and then he handed the quill to Frederic.
It was the most beautiful quill possible to imagine, long slender strong black and white
stripes. He opened the book, there were four names and addresses, and he glanced at them.
One name sprang out at him, it was Thomas Brown, and he looked at the old gentleman.
―Is this the Thomas Brown on the television?‖ He asked.
―I don‘t know Sir. I don‘t have a television set,‖ he replied.
Frederic picked up the quill, dipped it in the ink and wrote his name and private address plus
his home, work and mobile number, itemizing them in that order and handed the book to Mr
Magnus, who looked at it and said.
―You have certainly made things easy for anyone wishing to contact you, how kind of you.‖
Frederic nodded, said his goodbyes and left the shop, he felt as though he was missing
something but didn‘t know what it was, but as he had work to do he put it out of his mind.
Work, work, work, his company was flat out, he had increased the staff to fifty and all were
experts in their field and they were giving a service never before experienced in the business
world. No matter where you were day or night you could contact the switchboard twenty four
hours a day and someone would attend to your complaint, it was costly but it was paying
dividends beyond their wildest expectations.
It was Friday night, nine o‘clock and Frederic was absolutely worn out. Mrs McDougall had
gone to visit her sister, so he had his dinner at the canteen, which he was pleased to find out
was first class. He poured himself a cognac, the phone rang and he reluctantly picked it up.
―Evening, Frederic Marsh speaking.‖ He heard a woman‘s voice.
―My name is Betty Johnson. I‘m so sorry to ring you at this late hour but I have been ringing
since six o‘clock. I‘m in great trouble and my friend Janice told me that I should call you.‖
Frederic was just about to tell her that his business hours were between 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Monday to Friday and 7 a.m. until 12 noon on Saturday when she said, ―Janice is the great
niece of Mr Albertus Magnus, who has the second hand book shop in Rider Street.‖
Frederic‘s tiredness left him at the speed of light and at that second Betty Johnson became the
most important person in the world.
He asked her to start from the beginning and tell him everything that had happened and was
happening. She was excellent and gave him a detailed report on everything that had and was
happening and told him that her husband Edward, whom she loved and adored and who loved
and adored her, was to change into a not such a nice man on Sunday morning.
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He asked her about the room he went into, she told him about the little bungalow that they
had at the rear of the house and every month on the twenty- third he went into it at ten
minutes to eleven at night and came out a different person next morning and tomorrow,
Saturday was the twenty-third.
He took her name, address and telephone number. She told him that on Saturdays her
husband left home at 7 a.m. and returned at 1 p.m. Frederic told her that he would be at her
place at 8 a.m. She thanked him and hung up.
He was shaking with excitement he couldn‘t believe it, that Mr Magnus thought enough of
him to allow him to help another person in the same way that he had been helped.
He finished his Cognac, had his shower, set the alarm for six-thirty, went to the cupboard,
took out Maurice‘s special, put two aspirin into a bag and went to bed.
He was awoken by the alarm, he virtually jumped out of bed, had a cereal breakfast, cooked
himself some toast, covered it with honey, made a pot of tea and sat down to enjoy it all. He
couldn‘t believe his luck, he would now be able to see someone else changing worlds. He
cleaned up, went to his gear room took out a camera, inserted the power pack, checked it,
everything worked beautifully. He looked at his watch it was seven thirty, time to go, so out
to the garage he went, taking all he needed with him.
He arrived at Mrs Johnson‘s house at five to eight, it was a little old weatherboard many
years of age, and the garden was lovely and the house in good condition. He knocked at the
door, which was opened almost immediately and a little lady about five foot, slim build, blue
eyes and light brown hair greeted him. She was wearing a plain brown dress and an apron.
She smiled up at him.
―Oh! Mr Marsh I cannot thank you enough for coming, please come in.‖
Frederic entered the house it was as clean as a new pin and had a lovely home smell about it.
He asked to see the bungalow.
―I can take you to it but I can‘t get you inside as I don‘t have a key,‖ she said.
They went outside to the bungalow it had one of those old types of padlocks on it. Frederic
opened his key case, took out a key put it in the lock and turned it and the lock opened and
they entered. There was a kitchen table with a chair behind it, which was facing towards the
rear. To their right was a cupboard over a basin a glass facing down next to it, a wooden
wardrobe on the rear wall and a rectangular section to the right of the table showed him
where the portal was situated.
He walked to the basin and opened the cupboard above it and sure enough there it was, a
green bottle. Frederic took it down, opened it, it was only about quarter full, dropped in five
drops of Maurice‘s liquid and recapped it. He then placed the camera on top of the wardrobe.
―That‘s it,‖ said Frederic, ―Let‘s go!‖
―Is that all there is?‖ She asked.
―Yes,‖ he replied ―if what you have told me is true, that is all there is.‖
They walked back into the house and he followed her into the kitchen, on the table were three
bottles of money and turning to him she said, ―How much do I owe you?‖
Frederic didn‘t know what to say, he couldn‘t laugh, nor could he dismiss her lightly.
―You don‘t owe me anything. Mr Magnus is doing me a favour by allowing me to help you,
and money has nothing to do with it!‖
She protested that it was not fair that he should do all these things and not be paid.
He quickly put her mind at rest by telling her that he owed Mr Magnus many favours and that
this was only repaying one of them.
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They parted company as good friends, she promising to ring him in the morning and tell him
what happened.
What a day, what a wonderful day, he was as happy as he had been when Raymond One
became the only Raymond.
Ten minutes to eleven Frederic activated the camera in the bungalow. It was empty. At five
minutes to eleven the door opened and in walked Edward. He was about forty-five years old,
he had a very pleasant face, hair receding, very neatly dressed. He went to the cupboard,
opened it and took out the green bottle and half-filled the glass next to the sink. He put the
bottle back, picked up the glass went to the seat behind the table, sat down and took a drink
from the glass and put it on the table. He sat back in the chair and he was completely
unconscious.
Eleven o‘clock arrived, the portal was activated and everything that the Raymond‘s had done
Edward Two did to the letter and when Edward One in the bungalow didn‘t greet him, he
turned and headed back through the portal. The light didn‘t follow him, it disappeared the
same as the other had done.
Tired and very content Frederick went to bed and fell into a very deep restful sleep.
He was awakened by the phone, he picked it up, it was Mrs Johnson, she was crying with
happiness.
―How can I thank you?‖ She said through her tears of joy. ―My Edward woke up this
morning with a headache. I gave him the two aspirin you gave me and he tells me he feels
great. I don‘t know how I can thank you!‖
―That‘s easy,‖ said Frederic. ―Just tell Mr Magnus‘s grandniece to tell him what happened
and to thank him.‖
She said that she would, her voice and heart crying her happiness. She went quiet for a
second he could still hear her crying. Frederic took the opportunity.
―If it suits you I will come past on Monday morning about eight thirty and pick up my
camera?‖ He said.
Still crying with happiness she agreed and Frederic hung up.
What a great start for a day he thought, who could ask for anything more.
It was about two months later, the snow was falling very heavily, the traffic had been
detoured and was travelling slowly when he looked up and saw the sign, ‗Rider street next
left,‘ and as he approached it, put on his indicator and then turned left. He pulled up in front
of Mr Magnus‘s book shop, got out of the car and ran to the shop as the snow was pelting
down. He was rather surprised that when he entered the shop he felt quite warm and there
wasn‘t any snow on him. Mr Magnus was sitting in his usual place reading a book, he looked
up, smiled his pleasure.
―Mr Marsh, how pleased to see you, isn‘t the weather terrible?‖
―Yes, it certainly is.‖ He hesitated for a moment.
―Can I ask you a favour?‖
―Yes,‖ came the answer. ―You can ask me anything you like.‖
―May I see the red book?‖
―Certainly Sir,‖ he said, as he was reaching under the counter, came up with it and he handed
to Frederic.
He opened it, there were three names and addresses under his and he looked at the man
behind the counter.
―Albertus Magnus 1206 to 1280, are you any relation to him?‖ He asked.
Laughter greeted his question.
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―Over seven hundred years have passed since that gentleman existed, I really couldn‘t tell
you,‖ he replied.
Frederic put out his hand, it was very firmly shaken and he said.
―Anytime any place, that you need me please call me. I can assure that I will not let you
down.‖
―We all have to take our turn Mr Marsh and I have no doubt that yours will come again!‖
came the reply.
Frederic turned and left the shop. The snow was tumbling down, but as he walked outside
none of the snow was falling on him and the air around him was quite warm. He stopped and
sure enough not one drop of snow was falling upon him, he felt surrounded by lovely warm
air.
He couldn‘t help himself and he burst out laughing, as he walked to the car, opened the door.
No snow fell into the car. He closed the door and looked through his windscreen the bonnet
was covered in it. He put on the wipers, adjusted the heater and when the screen had warmed
and cleared enough for him to see, he drove gently forward towards his home and his future.
„Albertus Magnus 1206-1280.‟ Was the Bishop of Regensburg.
He was beautified in 1622. (to regard as Saintly or Blessed).
His sincere service and his devotion were rewarded by a vision in which the Virgin Mary
appeared to him and bestowed upon him great physiological and intellectual powers.
Albertus made a robot‘s head, which he gave the ability to speak and think for itself, possibly
the first Android in history. It was made out of metals and substances not understood by the
people at that time. He used the stars and magical spiritual formulas.
It took him over thirty years to construct. It was destroyed by St Thomas Aquinas who
considered it to be an atrocious invention.
Having become a Master of Magical sciences his magical powers were so great that he could
do things beyond the understanding of those around him. He was a profound student of
Medicine and Physics, an Aristotelian Philosopher and Astrologer.
He invited some very high nobles to a feast at his Monastery in Cologne. It was in the middle
of winter and the snow was falling very heavily. They couldn‘t believe when they arrived that
they were to eat their food on tables outside the Monastery in the open air.
As Albertus led them outside he uttered a few words. The snow stopped falling, the gardens
became filled with flowers and birds, the air became quite warm. Their food and drinks were
then taken to the tables and the weather stayed this way until they had finished their feasting.
Then Albertus took them back into the Monastery, uttered a few words and the snow started
to fall again and mid-winter returned.
135
**ALICE AND WENDY
David and Grace Hardwick had been trying for five years to have a baby but without any
luck, and had just about given up hope when they went and saw a picture called ‗Alice in
Wonderland‟ and the very next month she fell pregnant. They were presented with a little
girl, which they named Alice, after „Alice in Wonderland.‟
The happiness and joy she brought her parents was unbelievable, she was like a little angel,
telling her mother and father about all her little friends, the fairies, the elves and the gnomes
that she saw in the garden. She also told her mother about Nanna who came to visit, and
caught her mother completely off guard one day when she said to her. ―Nanna wants to know
why you don‘t make your fairy cakes anymore, they were delicious!‖
Her mother told her husband who laughed and said ―Why don‘t you take notice of your
mother and make some,‖ so she did.
Alice was very good at school and took it very seriously, so much so that she was dux of the
school. This made her mother and father very proud. One day her mother asked her if she still
saw the fairies. ―Yes mother I see and talk to them every day.‖
―Can any of the other children see them?‖ she asked.
―Only Wendy, but we keep them to ourselves as the other children laugh at us.‖ Wendy and
Alice became great friends and visited each other regularly, which was very easy for them as
they both lived in the same street.
These people came knocking on the door asking the people to invest in this new business
which they were going to open. They promised those who invested would be given cheaper
prices at the supermarket they were going to build. They also promised them a better return
on their money than bank interest.
Alice‘s mother and father like all the other people were most interested and had decided to
invest their money the very next day, when at dinner that evening Alice turned to her father
and said. ―Nanna said not to give these people any money keep it in the bank where it is
safe.‖
Wendy‘s mother called and asked them if they were going to invest their money with these
people, and Alice‘s father laughingly replied, ―No, Nanna told us not too.‖ Wendy‘s mother
laughed.
―That‘s what Wendy told us. So they didn‘t invest their money. Six months later the people
who were supposed to be opening the new business disappeared and so did all the money that
the people had invested.
Alice and Wendy were more than friends, they were soul mates. They loved the ‗little people‘
as they called them and would sit out in the back garden for hours talking to them. They came
in one afternoon very upset, their little friends had told them that a dreadful storm was
approaching and that lots of people would be hurt. Her father looked in the paper no sign of a
storm anywhere, so he thought that they must be wrong. Next morning over the news a
terrific storm had hit the East Coast causing tremendous damage and putting many people in
hospital. The weather bureau couldn‘t understand it as nothing had shown up on the radar, it
just came out of nowhere.
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Mr and Mrs Andrews from next door, who like Alice and her family had lived there all their
lives, were going on a European holiday and nobody could believe it. It was not that they
were mean but were certainly careful to the last degree. But they were both approaching their
twilight years and when Mrs Andrews saw this advert in the paper.
‗Go to Europe for half price‘ and after checking it up to make sure that it was true, they
signed up to go. This was a giant step for two people who had never been further out from
London than Bristol but they were going. The tour covered France, Germany, Italy and
Switzerland and lasted twenty one days.
Everyone in the street and beyond who knew them turned up to say goodbye and they got
hugs and handshakes galore. Alice and Wendy had stayed back until everyone else had said
their goodbyes and then went and hugged and kissed both of them.
They received a post card from France, telling them what a wonderful time they were having.
Another from Germany and one from Italy, everything was absolutely beautiful.
The last card saying that they were leaving for Switzerland tomorrow, this was Sunday.
Alice asked her mother if she could invite Wendy to come for dinner Sunday night, which her
mother agreed to most willingly because they were more like sisters than friends.
It was about half way through the dinner on Sunday night when Alice turned to Wendy.
―It‘s over!‖ she said.
―Yes I know‖ replied Wendy and they kept on eating their dinner.
Her father looked at Alice. ―What‘s over?‖ He asked.
Alice stopped eating put down her knife and fork and when her mouth was empty said. ―Mr
and Mrs Andrews are dead, the bus they were travelling in has gone over a cliff and all on
board have been killed.‖ Her father went pale and put down his knife and fork and looked at
her. Her mother did the same.
―Are you sure of this?‖ He asked.
―Positive‖ said Alice and looking at Wendy said, ―We both knew this before they left didn‘t
we?‖ Wendy nodded her head.
Her father stood up walked over to where the drinks were kept and poured himself a very
strong whisky which he drank straight down and then poured himself another one and took it
with him to the table and sat down. No one had spoken during this time.
Her father took a small sip of the whisky and put the glass on the table, and facing Alice said.
―Did you and Wendy know that Mr and Mrs Andrews were going to be killed before they left
on their holiday?‖ he asked.
―Yes father we did.‖ she replied.
―Then why did you not warn them and tell them not to go!‖
―Because we can‘t father‖ she said. ―It was Mr and Mrs Andrews time to go and when it is
your time to go, you will go!‖
―But.‖ replied her father. ―Couldn‘t you have warned them?‖
Alice gave a huge sigh. ―Did you see how happy they both were when they left, all their
friends giving them love, warmth and affection and I have never seen them so happy, have
you?‖
―No, I haven‘t‖ he replied.
She continued ―and what if Wendy and I had told them they were going to die today. Imagine
the fear it would have placed in their minds, instead of the happiness they were feeling before
the bus crashed.‖
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Everything went silent no one said a word, and then, ―Do you know when your father and I
are going to die, and how?‖ It was her mother speaking.
―No mother, we don‘t but we do know that you are both going to live a very long life,‖ Alice
replied.
―How do you know that?‖ Her mother asked. Alice looked at Wendy and they both laughed,
―Because the little people told us so!‖
―Oh well‖ said her mother, ―seeing that they told you, we have nothing to worry about!‖
Despite what had happened they all laughed including her father.
Next day the Andrews girls, Myrtle and Jeanette came and told them the sad news, their
mother and father had been killed in a bus accident in Switzerland, the bus had gone over a
cliff. They gave the girl‘s their condolences and asked them to tell them when their parents
were being buried.
Alice and Wendy were playing in the lounge when Alice‘s mother walked in and she
hesitated for a moment then asked the girls.
―Do you ever see or talk to anyone after they have died?‖
Both girls laughed.
―Only one.‖ They replied together.
―It was Mrs Brown,‖ and they doubled up with laughter, it took them a few minutes to settle
down.
―You tell Mother please Wendy,‖ said Alice.
Wendy wiped the tears from her eyes.
―We went to her funeral and went past the coffin and returned to our seats. Mrs Brown
climbed out of the coffin looked around and came over to us.
―Hello girls,‖ she said.
―I know that I‘m dead and that you can see and hear me, for you both have that marking in
your Aura. I couldn‘t stay in that coffin it was too hard on my back. You had better tell the
undertaker to put something soft under the corpse in future, just in case they have a bad back
like mine.‖ Wendy started to laugh.
―Please forgive me.‖ She said. ―But please listen to what she said.‖
―What a small crowd this is,‖ she said. ―But I‘m not surprised, for they are all down at the
Bingo as its double prize day and if I wasn‘t dead I would be there myself.‖
Wendy couldn‘t go on, she burst out laughing and so did all the others.
Alice and her mother were sitting by the fire when they heard a knock at the door, Alice‘s
mother answered it. She was greeted by the two Andrew sisters Myrtle and Jeanette the
daughters of Mr and Mrs Andrews who had been killed in Switzerland and who had been
buried last week. They wanted to see Alice. She invited them in.
―I hope you don‘t mind?‖ said Myrtle, the oldest daughter. ―But we are in trouble, we know
that Mum had a lot of money put away somewhere but we can‘t find it and we need your
help.‖
Alice and her mother and the two Andrew girls went into the house.
Myrtle put on the kettle they were all talking together when Alice said. ―Thank you!‖ and
went into their mother‘s bedroom walked over to an old fashioned dresser and pulled the
bottom draw out and put it on the floor, put her hand inside and pulled out a big old round
biscuit tin and she did the same again and brought out another similar tin. Myrtle opened the
first in it was crammed with notes. Then she opened the second tin and it was as full as the
first. She then walked out into the kitchen went to a very large pot plant and took out the
plastic flowers, removed the insert. The pot plant was full of money both notes and coins.
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Alice was about to sit down, then she stopped and said, ―Let us go out to your father‘s
workshop.‖ They all went outside and entered the workshop, Jeanette turned on the light.
Alice walked to the back wall picked up one of those very old very large toolboxes, she
opened it lifted out the top section which was only very small and handed the box to Myrtle,
it was full of money. The Andrew girls were ecstatic, they couldn‘t believe their good
fortune, the two tins and tool box obviously held thousands and thousands of pounds. Alice
told them that all the other money was in the bank. The girls couldn‘t thank Alice enough and
said their good nights.
Back in their own home Alice‘s mother asked her. ―Did you see Mrs Andrews?‖
―No mother, I only heard her‖ she replied ―and I wouldn‘t have for Mrs Andrews has not
come to terms with the fact that she is dead. She feels as if she is having a dream.‖
―What about Mr Andrews?‖
―No Mother, I heard him very clearly and he thanked me for helping his daughters.‖
Things settled down and life returned to normal.
The years passed very quickly and as her birthday were just around the corner in September.
Alice asked her Mother if she could invite Mr and Mrs Jackson, Wendy‘s father and mother,
and Wendy to come to her birthday party. Having been to their place for dinner on quite a
few occasions over the years and them being to hers, she told Alice that they would be most
welcome.
It was the party of all parties everybody enjoyed themselves. It went on until about one thirty
in the morning and even then nobody wanted to go home, but a last they decided it was time
to go and went and got their coats. They were saying their goodnights when Wendy looked at
Alice and said. ―Did you hear that?‖
―Yes I did!‖ Alice replied, and turning to her mother said ―Mr and Mrs Jackson and Wendy
must not go home tonight they must stay here.‖
―Why?‖ asked her mother.
Alice thought for a second then said, ―Because it is not their time!‖
Her mother didn‘t say a word and she went and got some bed clothes and made a bed for the
adults in the lounge. Wendy went with Alice who had a three quarter bed. About an hour later
they heard this terrific explosion and going outside saw that the Jackson house was on fire
and the houses on both sides were burning.
Alice looked at Wendy, they both smiled. Her parents were most upset, especially Mrs
Jackson, she was crying.
―We have lost everything, what are we going to do?‖
Her husband turned to her ―What we have lost is nothing to what we have saved. You,
Wendy and I are still alive and that is all that counts.‖ Mrs Jackson settled down and stopped
crying.
A policemen friend of Alice‘s father came to see the two girls.
―I would like to ask the girls some questions, if I may?‖ He asked.
Alice‘s father agreed.
So he said. ―We are trying to locate three little girls who have disappeared and we are
wondering if you can help us?‖
The two girls looked at each other. Alice nodded her head to Wendy who said.
―There is an open grave at the cemetery right at the rear next to the factory which blows its
hooter at twelve o‘clock. You will find the bodies of the three little girls in the grave.‖
―Can you see anything else?‖ asked the policeman.
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―I‘m not seeing anything.‖ Wendy replied. ―I am being told it.‖
The policeman left.
The next night a very big man came to the house and asked if he could ask the girl‘s a few
more questions? Alice‘s father agreed. The big man spoke to the girls for about twenty
minutes, but they told him that the only thing they were told was of the open grave.
At dinner on the next night which Wendy had stayed over, Alice‘s mother and father were
talking about what the girl‘s had heard, when Wendy looked at Alice and said.
―They got him!‖
―Yes I know!‖ she said. ―We were both right. It was the big man.‖
Alice‘s father looked at her and said.
―What does it mean, it was the big man?‖
―The big man means that your policeman friend would never have caught the man who killed
the three little girls.‖ She said.
―His son went to school with him. He told the big man what we had told him and the big man
thanked him, and was told not to bother any further and to leave it to him.‖ She laughed.
―Wendy and I were told that the big man was sitting by a grave quite a way from where the
children were buried. He had a big bunch of flowers in his hand and was talking to the picture
of a lady on the headstone, but she was not anyone that he knew.‖ She stopped for a moment
and then she continued. ―The man who had killed the little children walked near him, and
past him, about six times, but the big man didn‘t look at him just kept talking to the lady.
Then the man walked up to the children‘s grave and stood there looking down at it. A man in
a utility car drove up and told him to fill the grave in. He started to fill it in until the man in
the car was out of sight, then he jumped in and threw the dirt out again!‖ She paused for a
moment.
―He then walked down the roadway beside where the big man was talking to the lady in the
headstone and when he got opposite him the big man jumped on him threw him to the ground
and handcuffed him. He stood up and blew his whistle and police came from everywhere.‖
She laughed. ―He said a lot of very un-nice words to him and made sure that the man hit his
head when they placed him in the police van.‖
―Did you see the man‘s face when you saw the grave?‖ asked her mother.
―No mother,‖ Alice replied. ―Wendy and I didn‘t see anything, we were just told everything
that was going to happen including the big man capturing him.‖
The big man came around two more times after that to ask if the girls could help him in other
cases, but both their father and Nanna made sure that they had not heard anything.
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THE CLAIRVOYANT’S VISION
Many years ago I read in one of the English Psychic papers. I cannot remember if it was in
England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales, that there was this massive train accident and all the
crew and passengers were killed. And as always, there was a person or persons who for some
reason or other did not catch the bus, train. Why they didn‘t catch the bus or train was
interviewed, and their stories appeared in the media.
In this case there was a lady who had caught the 8a.m. train, every Monday to Friday for the
last thirty years she had never missed a day. They had asked her why she didn‘t take the train
this day, although she was on the platform. She said that she didn‘t know why but she just
decided to go by bus, just this once to see what it was like.
Now this didn‘t go down well with the Media. She was a well-known clairvoyant and they
kept at her and at her, but all to no avail she still clung to her story.
For many years her case kept receiving a mention and her Clairvoyant business became so
busy that she gave up her job as a clerk and she worked as a Clairvoyant from her home.
Then this day she gave one of her clients a message, telling her that her husband who was in
Europe must not go to work that day as she could feel that he could be in great danger.
The lady rang her husband and told him not to go to work as he could be in danger.
He just laughed and said he would still be going, until she told him who had given her the
warning.
After hearing who it was he cancelled all his appointments for that day and stayed in his hotel
catching up with his back work. He had finished his dinner and was watching the news on
television that night when they reported that a chemical factory had exploded in Frankfurt, at
ten fifteen that morning and all the people working there had been killed.
It was one the Companies that he had made an appointment with but after he had received
the telephone call from his wife, he had contacted them and cancelled it. He went and got his
diary. His appointment had been for 10 a.m. He rang his wife and told her what had
happened. She rang the Clairvoyant. Somebody told the Media and they landed on the
Clairvoyant‘s door in droves. She couldn‘t go outside her door and she could not see any of
her clients, as hundreds of people were outside wanting to see her. She had to take the phone
of the hook as it never stopped ringing.
Two days later in the early hours of morning she and her family with the aid of the police
were sneaked out of their house, and they went to an Aunties farm in the country.
They stayed there for three months; the lady herself was in a terrible mess for she could not
advertise herself as a Clairvoyant. She returned to working as a clerk as she had been before
running her own business as a clairvoyant. She sold her house through her solicitor and with
the money from the house and what she had saved she bought a house in the country.
On her death bed ten years later she asked everyone to leave the room as she wanted to talk to
her daughter alone and this is what she told her.
‗The morning of the train crash I was standing as usual on the train station waiting for the
train when I felt this terrible fear of death overtake me. When the train pulled in and people
started to board as they sat down they had all turned into skeletons.
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I didn‘t know what to do but I knew that I must not board that train. So I stood on the
platform and the train left and as the carriages went passed me all I could see were skeletons.
So I left the station and caught the bus. She reached out and took her daughter‘s hand, held it
for a few minutes, took a deep breath and died.‘
I believe that it is fair to say that at some time during your life you have had a dream. Some
good some bad, some about the present, the future or the past, but you must admit that the
most frightening ones are the nightmares, especially those which come night after night, the
same time, same place and same nightmare. Take for example those people who dream that
they are falling through space and just before they hit the ground they wake up, and to be told
by some expert that if you hit the ground you will be dead. This really captures their
attention.
Jake Marshal was a sufferer of this type of nightmare and it was driving him slowly crazy. He
was so frightened, for every night he dreamed that he was falling into an abyss. He tried
everything possible to keep awake and drank coffee like it was going out of fashion, but all to
no avail. When his body wanted sleep, it went to sleep and there wasn‘t anything he could do
about it! He had seen Doctors, Psychiatrists, and Herbalists who had given him drugs and
herbs to treat his condition, but none of them worked. In desperation he went to see this
clairvoyant lady who he had heard was very good.
Jenny Jones was as genuine as her name. What you saw was what you got! No frills, no
bulldust. She told you what she could see and what she was told and that was that. Her fee
was fifty dollars. Jake sat opposite her she looked at him for a moment and then she said.
―You have a vile temper, and it is getting progressively worse. You can‘t stand yourself and
you can‘t stand other people. You are rude even to the people who love and care for you, and
you are taxing their love to the limit.‖
Jake didn‘t say a word he just sat going red in the face and clenching his hands.
She closed her eyes and sat silent for a few minutes then she said, ―Black you are drinking
too much black.‖
―I don‘t drink at all.‖ He said angrily. ―Not a drop!‖
Jenny opened her eyes and looked at him. ―What do you drink?‖ She asked.
―I only drink coffee.‖ He said.
―With milk‖ Jenny asked.
‗No, I drink it straight black.‖ Jenny started to laugh.
―How many black coffees do you have a day?‖ She asked.
Jake looked at her, he was still quite angry. ―I have about ten cups a day!‖
―Small or large?‖ she asked,
―Large,‖ he replied.
Jenny didn‘t say a word for a few minutes. Then she said, ―Your mother tells me that she told
you not to drink coffee, as it doesn‘t agree with you.‖ Jake just shrugged his shoulders.
Jenny continued ―If you keep drinking coffee you will have the same nightmare you are
having for the rest of your life. The coffee is causing your mood changes, which are making
you angry and it is the anger which is the trigger for the nightmares,‖ she paused then said.
―I want you to stop drinking coffee and buy some Chamomile tea and drink one cup four
times a day.‖ She then sat back and it was obvious that she was finished.
Jake stood up and he threw the fifty dollar note on the table and left.
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Two weeks later Jenny was sitting in her room when she heard a knock on the door. She
opened it and before her stood Jake of the ten cups of black coffee a day. She invited him in.
He walked over to her table and put a fifty dollar note on it.
Turned to her and said ―Not one nightmare in over a week. My friends and family have
welcomed me back. A boy should definitely listen to his mother,‖ he laughed and walked out
closing the door behind him.
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PAST LIVES PLUS
They called him ‗The Past Life Traveller.‘ He had spent thousands of dollars going back in
time to visit his past lives. You only had to mention the name Bryon Burton to any
clairvoyant, trance medium or hypnotist in Sydney and you received the same answer.
―You mean the ‗The Past Life Traveller‘ he had never had one real bad experience of his
travels, but some had been very ordinary to say the least. His persistence however was based
solely upon one trip where he was so close to perfection that he couldn‘t get his mind off of
it. He could levitate, walk on water, fly like a bird and talk to the rivers and the trees. He
believed that he had stood outside the Creator‘s door waiting to be invited in, only to wake up
to find himself back in the twentieth century.‖
He was almost out of his mind trying to go back into that life but he couldn‘t get anywhere
near it. Then he received a note from a lady who had a shop down by the water front. She
sold amulets and trinkets, and was known to be able to do a little Witchcraft on the side. He
didn‘t even hesitate and first thing next morning caught the bus down to docks. It was half
past seven when he got there, and was thinking that maybe he was too early. But as he
approached the shop door he knew that it was open.
He opened the door and walked in, and got the shock of his life, for there was a big ball of
light glowing over the lady who was sitting in a chair. As soon as the door closed behind him
the light went out and he found himself in darkness.
―Don‘t be frightened came this very pleasant voice from the dark, I will turn on the light.‖ It
was a fluorescent light and lit up the whole shop. He found himself facing a woman about
seventy years of age, very skinny and when he looked at her face he found himself looking at
the face of a Witch but it was her eyes which captured his attention. They were the darkest
that he had ever seen and they were definitely full of mystery.
―Good morning Mr Burton‖ she said in this surprisingly pleasant voice. ―I was told that you
would be early but not this early, please come with me.‖ She walked through a door at the
back of the shop. He followed her and she went to a cupboard and opened it and took out a
package and put it on the table.
―This,‖ she said. ―Is over ten thousand years old and is called The Past Life Path Finder and
by you putting your finger into one of these finger holes and saying the necessary words, you
will travel back into one of your past lives.
You might have to visit other people‘s past lives before you arrive at the one that you are
seeking, to prove to the one who is sending you there, that you are genuine and worthy of his
consideration. The most trips you can take are twelve.‖ She handed him The Past Life Path
Finder. It was about ten inches long, about two inches wide and about one and a half inches
deep. It had ten finger holes in the front of it and one finger hole at each end.
Bryon didn‘t know what to make of this. Here he was in a shop by the waterfront with a real
live Witch, of that he had no doubt and was holding in his hand, according to the Witch, a ten
thousand year old Past Life Path Finder. Which subject, to him using the right words would
within twelve sleeps take him back to the past life he had been trying to return to for years?
―What is in this for you?‖ He asked. She looked him fair and square in the face and said. ―In
one of your journeys you will be approached by a man bigger than you have ever seen in your
life, his name is Manza, he will not harm you in any manner or form.
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He will hand you a broach and tell you to give it to Queen Madiera, I am she.‖
―What do you want it for?‖ He asked.
―It is mine!‖ She said, ―and contains all the knowledge that I need to know to continue my
journey to eternity.‖ she replied.
―How do I know I can trust you?‖ he asked. She lifted her hand and Bryon felt himself
floating through the air, he went out the window up into the sky, it was a lovely feeling and
he wasn‘t the least bit frightened.
All of a sudden he was outside the door that he had seen in his past life and the person that he
believed to be the Creator was sitting behind this screen. Bryon tried to go through the screen
but he couldn‘t do so. He looked up and got the shock of his life for the lady who was with
him was absolutely gorgeous, and dressed in the most beautiful clothes that he had ever seen.
He knew instinctively that she was Queen Madiera. Then he was back in the shop with the
old Witch. He tried to gather his senses and figure out what had happened, but he couldn‘t so
he decided to deal with the problem at hand.
―How do I know that you are not tricking me?‖ He asked. She waved her hand and he found
himself in a forest and he started talking to the trees and they answered him as they had in his
past life, but this time he was on his own. Then once again he was back in the shop with the
old Witch. He didn‘t know what to do, or say. So he told her that he was going home to think
it over and would contact her later if he decided to use The Past Life Path Finder and he
walked out of the shop. The Witch made no attempt to stop him.
A week passed and not one dream did he have. He went to sleep at night and awoke to his
alarm in the morning. He contacted Harry a friend of his who worked in the Museum and
asked him if they had anything on Witches. ―We have books and some going back thousands
and thousands of years.‖ His friend told him. ―I know the greatest expert on Witches in the
world today who is working in that Department and as he is a friend of mine, I will set up an
appointment for you to meet with him.‖ said his friend. Bryon thanked him and hung up.
Going to bed had become a chore. Nothing exciting was happening during those hours,and as
a regular dreamer this was not going down too well with him. Harry rang him a week later to
let him know that Jason Trimble the head of the Mystic section would see him on Saturday at
2 p.m. Byron couldn‘t have been happier, only two days to go. Saturday afternoon couldn‘t
come quick enough. Another dreamless night, he awoke to the alarm, turned it off and lay
there lamenting on what was happening to him and what wasn‘t happening to him.
He arrived at the Museum at five minutes to two and he asked the lady on the counter where
the Mystic section was located?
―First floor and second door to the right,‖ she replied.
He walked up the stairs along the passage into the second door on the right and was
confronted by a very nicely dressed man about thirty years of age. He was sitting at the desk
reading a book.
He looked up as Bryon entered and smiled. Bryon stopped dead, he was looking at the most
beautiful set of teeth he had ever seen, perfectly matched and white as snow. He looked into
the man‘s eyes they were smiling and Bryon felt this warm glow of friendship flowing
through his body.
―You are Bryon Burton aren‘t you?‖ He said. Bryon nodded.
―I‘m Jason Trimble, please call me Jason,‖ they shook hands.
Bryon asked Jason to call him Bryon.
―Harry tells me that you have a problem and maybe I can help you!‖
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Bryon didn‘t waste any time and told him everything that had happened from go to woe,
ending up with the Witch who told him that her name was Queen Madiera and that she was
prepared to give him, the Past Life Path Finder on the condition that he brought her this
broach back from one of the past lives he would be visiting. Jason had not said a word the
entire time that he had been speaking, he just sat there listening.
―Come with me.‖ He said and walked over to one of the biggest computer screens that Bryon
had ever seen. Jason typed in the name ‗Queen Madiera the Witch,‘ clicked on SEARCH and
waited. He didn‘t have to wait long, before up it came, ‗Queen Madiera the Witch.‘ He
opened the file and they found themselves looking at one of the most graceful, beautiful
looking woman they had ever seen. She took their breath away. Jason turned to Bryon.
―Is this your Witch?‖ He asked.
―I think that she is both my Witches,‖ said Bryon. ―She was with me when I was outside the
door of he who I believed to be the Creator and she was the old Witch I met in the shop when
I first arrived and when I returned from both trips she evidently sent me on. She is the one
who told me that she was Queen Madiera.‖
Jason rolled the pages until they came to the section telling them about Queen Madiera the
Witch. ‗Ten thousand years ago she was the leading white Witch of Transylvania, her beauty
and fame was known all over the world. She had been given a broach by the God of Honour
and Trust which gave her powers far beyond those of any other Witch or Warlock on earth,
which made them jealous and afraid of her.
Her protector Mountain Man Manza was tricked into leaving her clothes, when she was
bathing in a pool, as he thought he saw a lioness in the forest and when he returned someone
had stolen Queen Madeiras broach. This was a terrible blow to Queen Madiera and all her
flock for the broach had given them complete protection from any harm, or spells cast by the
black Witches and without the broach they could all be vulnerable. Hiraz who was the king of
many Warlocks and Witches had stolen the broach and taking all his Warlocks and Witches
to Queen Madiera‘s castle and standing outside, he held the broach up high for all to see, he
then sent the cursed broach towards the castle. It left his hand like a fireball but before it
reached it, it turned around a flew over the heads of all of Hiraz‘s people freezing them where
they stood and if history is correct they are still there today frozen as they were ten thousand
years ago. Without the broach Queen Madiera‘s power had lessened to such an extent that she
had to leave Transylvania, so she took her closest with her and escaped into the future but
nobody knows where she went.‘
Bryan laughed, ―Yes they do!‖ he said. ―I know!‖ Both men laughed together.
Jason did further searches to no avail, this was all the information they had on Queen
Madiera. Bryon thanked him and they left as friends.
What to do now? He turned the matter over and over in his mind. He didn‘t sleep one wink
that night and in the morning he felt worse than he could ever remember and to make matters
even worse he knew that things were not going to improve. He stayed home all that day
brooding over and over what to do but to no avail, and he knew that the only thing left for
him was to go back to the Witch and see what transpired from there. He made himself a nice
warm milk drink and went to bed hoping to go to sleep and dream, only to be awakened by
this hideous clanging noise, it was his alarm clock. He had slept all night.
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He shaved, showered, and made himself some porridge. Cleaned up, got dressed and headed
for the Witch‘s shop. He arrived there about 8 o‘clock. The door was open and as he entered
he was greeted as he was last time by this very pleasant voice.
―Good morning, Mr Burton how nice to see you again!‖ It said.
―Good morning Queen Madiera‖ he replied. ―What do you want me to do?‖
―I want you to go back into your past lives and as you are travelling in one of them you will
pass through a dark land where you will meet, as I told you before one of the biggest men you
have ever seen. His name is Manza, and he will give you a broach and tell you to give it to
Queen Madiera. I am Queen Madiera.‖
―When do I start?‖ He asked.
―You start tonight,‖ she said. She handed him The Past Life Path Finder. ―Place your finger
into any one of these finger holes and utter the words ‗Semper Paratus‘ and it will take you
into a past life. Do not use the same finger hole twice or the second past life could be quite
dangerous.‖
―When do I come to you?‖ He asked.
―You come to me when you have my broach.‖ She replied.
With The Past Life Path Finder in his hand he left and headed back home. He pondered all
day over which hole he was going to put his finger in, then he came to this very simple
conclusion, always start at the beginning! So before going to bed that night he stuck his
finger in the first hole and uttered the words Semper Paratus and was surprised when he
removed it to find a little drop of blood on the tip of his finger. Then he went to bed.
I was on the stage singing my favourite song, ‗Amazing Grace‘ and I had never sung it better,
and I sounded unbelievable. I finished the song and they gave me a standing ovation.
―What would you like me to sing now?‖ I asked. The answer came back loud and clear.
‗Amazing Grace‘ so I did and the applause was deafening. I had entered this singing
competition. There were only three of us left in the finals. The first prize was twenty
thousand dollars, plus the winner singing at the Albert Hall in London. I had never felt better
or sang any better in my life and I headed for home.
It was tonight and I didn‘t have the slightest doubt that I was going to put on the performance
of my life. We all handed our music sheet to the pianist Kevin O‘Brien, possibly the greatest
pianist alive today. He could make the piano talk. They had drawn lots to decide who went
first, second and third. Peter Duncan drew one, Jake Hailey drew two and I had drawn three,
which suited me down to the ground. Peter went first, he sang, ‗When Your Smiling.‘ He
sung it very well but while he wasn‘t another Sachmo. He still received an excellent ovation.
Jake went second and sang, ‗I Did It My Way.‘ He was no Frank Sinatra, but he was very
good, he received about the same applause as Peter.
Now it was my turn and I was waiting to hear my name called, when I heard this thunderous
applause and heard the announcer saying.
―Ladies and Gentlemen, you will never guess who has just come in, it‘s ‗Johnny Debreu.‖
Johnny Debreu was the top singer in the world today. You couldn‘t get into his shows for
months they were completely booked out.
―Come on Johnny, up on the stage,‖ the announcer called. The crowd went berserk. It took
five minutes for them to calm down.
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I didn‘t know what to do. I started to churn inside. Then the crowd started to sing out.
―Give us a song Johnny, please give us a song.‖ This went on for about five minutes then he
said, ―I don‘t have any music with me.‖ They kept calling for him to sing. He turned to Kevin
O‘Brien, ―What have you got there?‖ he asked pointing to the sheets of music on the piano.
―It‘s Amazing Grace‖ Kevin replied.
―Good enough for me‖ said Johnny ―Let‘s go!‖
I heard my beautiful song being sung by Johnny Debreu while I stood in the wings my heart
breaking in pieces. Then I heard this noise, it sounded like a fire engine. I looked over from
where the noise was coming from, it was my alarm clock.
He just laid there! What a great start this is and what a terrible dream, what is he going to do?
He didn‘t answer the phone or the door that day and as it got closer to bedtime he felt this
knot that he had in his stomach tightening. He went over to The Past Life Path Finder and put
his finger in the second hole, said ‗Semper Paratus.‘
Had a glass of warm milk and went to bed.
I had all these papers in front of me. There were dozens and dozens of questions. I looked at
the top of the form, it was a loan application and I wanted to borrow two hundred and Fifty
thousand dollars from ‗Greenhill‘s Bank‘ to become the Head Salesman in Jeffries and
Jeffries. The Company had won the contract to sell a new line of computers which had won
the award as the top computer in the world. I had been the Head Salesman at Jefferies and
Jefferies for ten years and knew where every nut and bolt was, unlike the two brothers Henry
and Frank who owned the firm. They were lucky if they knew where the toilet was. My
competition was Henry‘s son in law Gerald, smart as paint and a go-getter to boot. We both
had to go before Jack Fielding from the Computer Company and he made the rules, which
were. ‗I do not do business with anyone who is not financially secure.‘ So by Friday the 10th
of August, any person seeking to become the Head Salesman and take control of selling our
computer must lodge with the Company a cash bond of Two hundred and fifty thousand
Dollars.‘ To Gerald this was easy. He just had to ask his wife for the money and he got it!
Not me everything I had in the world had to be given to the Bank to get the loan and the
paper work was horrific.
Wednesday afternoon I had finished the paperwork, but as it was four o‘clock they couldn‘t
be presented to the bank until tomorrow morning. I was at their door spot on ten o‘clock and
was shown into the office of a Mr Albert Greenhill and what a piece of work he was, he made
me go over every article and item on the mortgage document.
He excused himself at twelve o‘clock and made the appointment for one o‘clock. In he strolls
at half past one smelling like a brewery and goes over the whole paper again, and at 3 o‘clock
calls in a Mr Gently to check the figures and makes an appointment for me to see Mr Gently
at ten o‘clock tomorrow morning. What a night that was.
Today was the day that I had to lodge the two hundred and fifty thousand dollars or lose any
chance of being the Head Salesman. Things started off great, Mr Gently had all the figures,
set out correctly and all that needed to be done was for the bank to type up all the documents
and give me the Bank Cheque.
148
He took the documents and left his office. I had been waiting about three quarters of an hour
when he returned.
―I am so sorry Mr Burton‖ he said, ―but one of your documents seems to be missing.‖
My heart skipped a beat. ―That can‘t be right Mr Gently,‖ I said. ―You and I doubly checked
everything before you left the office.‖ He nodded his head.
―You are quite right!‖ He said. ―But we can‘t place the valuation for you little house in the
country.‖
Then it was his lunch break and he excused himself.
One twenty wasn‘t bad, but I was no closer to getting the two hundred and fifty thousand that
I was on Wednesday and of course if I didn‘t have this cheque by closing time today, Gerald
would be the Head Salesman and I would possibly be his Sales Assistant.
Quarter to four they found the valuation. Ten past four all the documents were signed, but as
it was past four o‘clock the cheque couldn‘t be written out until Monday. Such is life!
Saturday afternoon I went to the pub to have a drink and guess who was sitting over on the
other side of the bar? Mr Greenhill, Mr Gently and Gerald, they all raised their glasses to me
when they saw me.
He woke up in a foul mood and it continued for the next three nights. He kept his finger away
from The Past Life Path Finder. Both it and Queen Madiera as far as he was concerned, she
could go jump!
Ten to go and not one decent past life and he began to wonder if these were past lives or if
someone was just tipping it all over him. Before he was given The Past Life Path Finder he
had, had some very interesting and exciting dreams, but the last two had been rat sack to put
it politely.
One week had passed, and he had started to settle down again. It was getting near his
bedtime and he walked over to the kitchen table picked up ‗The Past Life Path Finder,‘ put
his finger in the third hole, said the magic words, drank his glass of warm milk and went to
bed.
―Put the money in the bag and hurry up.‖ I was holding up a bottle shop. The girl behind the
counter was shaking with fear as she put the money in the bag that I had put on the counter.
―Come on put your mind to it, I haven‘t got all day!‖ I said. She started to cry.
I grabbed the bag which was bulging with money and ran out of the shop, jumped into my car
put the bag containing the money on the floor, put the gun in the glove box and drove off. I
was about a block away from the shop when the police cars came around the corner, their
sirens screaming. I kept the same speed. One of the police cars blocked off the street, the
other kept going. I looked down the street. A police car with its lights blinking was across
the road. I was passing the hospital when I remembered that Doctors had their own parking
space outside the hospital, so I drove into a vacant car space and turned off my engine.
I stayed there for about an hour and after making sure that all was clear,
I started the motor. I was so pleased with how I had eluded them that I decided to shout
myself a cigarette. I lit one and was about to pull out when a car pulled up alongside of mine
and a man got out of it and walked over to the car.
149
―Good evening doctor.‖ He said. ―How are you this evening?‖
―Good thank you!‖ I replied. ―What can I do for you?‖
―Would you please show me your driver‘s license and your permit to park here if you don‘t
mind, as you haven‘t got one on your windshield?‖
He awoke in a sweat, his mind full of the vilest thoughts about the Witch and the dreams that
he was having. This was the finish, no more for me and he decided on the spot that
he would take The Past Life Path Finder back to her and say his goodbyes. He had, had
enough of this and he sat down, started to eat his breakfast. All that had transpired flashed
before his eyes. What a load of rubbish, none of these dreams had been his past lives at all.
They had all been manufactured to serve some cause of which he had no idea.
He caught the bus to the water front, and walked into the shop.
The Witch greeted him with ―Good morning Mr Burton,‖ he didn‘t answer and threw The
Past Life Path Finder on the counter.
―This is not a Past Life Path Finder for my past lives.‖ He said, ―This is a lot of rubbish
which you and yours have tricked me into believing so that you can have a bit of fun at my
expense, and I‘m assuring you here and now that I will not be putting my finger in it again!‖
There was no sound from the Witch and he turned and walked towards the door.
He had nearly reached it when the Witch‘s voice said. ―Tonight is the night!‖ He stopped
dead and he turned and faced her.
―How can I trust you?‖ He asked. ―After all that you have put me through.‖
The Witch stayed quiet for a second and then she said. ‗I have not put you through anything.
―It was the God of the Dream and Time Worlds who put you through these tests. The one
who you thought was the Creator. He chose you after seeing you spending thousands of
dollars trying to get back to seeing him again and going through three dreadful dreams that
had absolutely nothing to do with you in any manner or form of your past travels. You were
proving to him how courageous you were.
There have been thousands he has tested before you, but none have ever measured up to his
standard. You are the first person that he has been prepared to allow to go back into time and
that other world and try and retrieve my broach.‖ Then she stopped talking. He walked back
to the counter, picked up The Past Life Path Finder and walked back to the door and opened
it.
―All going well I will see you tomorrow morning!‖ he said, as he closed the door behind him.
His whole life has changed. He was walking with the step of a man who had a purpose in life.
He was no longer the angry man who believed that he was being used up for some purpose
unknown to him. He was the man going on a journey into an unknown world to bring back a
broach which had been in that world for ten thousand years and it excited him. He couldn‘t
get there quick enough.
The day passed very quickly and he was sitting down eating his tea. He looked at the clock it
was seven o‘clock. He cleaned up, had a shower and picked up a book he had been reading
about people who had visited past lives. He became so engrossed that when he looked at the
clock he got quite a shock, it was 11 o‘clock. He warmed some milk and drank it, and after
cleaning up. He picked up The Past Life Path Finder and put his finger in the fourth hole, said
‗Semper Paratus‘ and went to bed, yawned, made himself comfortable and soon fell asleep.
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I was walking along this pathway there were trees either side of me. I was in a forest. The
moon lit up the path that I was travelling, when I turned the corner I saw this mountain of a
man coming towards me. He was about thirty feet away from me when four men dropped out
of the trees and attacked him. I looked around and saw this very strong bough which I picked
up, and ran to the aide of the man being attacked.
The first man had his back to me and I hit him with the bough as hard as I could behind the
knees, he fell to the ground. I then hit the other man behind the knees and he hit the ground.
The four men then ran away.
The mountain of a man looked at me and handed me a broach. ―I‘m Manza‖ he said. ―Please
give this broach to Queen Madiera.‖ He put out his hand to shake hands and I took it. I felt
the friendship in the handshake and then the man disappeared.
I heard this noise and turned towards it and I found myself looking at my alarm clock. It was
7:30a.m. I felt something in my hand, I looked down. I was holding a broach. I lay in bed
thinking about what had happened.
I had fallen asleep about 11:15p.m. Then I was walking along a moonlit pathway and I saw
this mountain of a man coming towards me. He was about thirty feet away from me when
four men dropped out of the trees and attacked him. I looked around and saw this very strong
bough which I picked up and ran to the aide of the man being attacked. The first man had his
back to me and I hit him with the bough as hard as I could behind the knees, he fell to the
ground. I then hit the other man behind the knees and he hit the ground. The four men then
ran away.
He couldn‘t understand it! He couldn‘t possibly have been asleep for eight hours, more like
eight minutes. He looked at the broach it was warn in his hands. It was beautiful and
definitely belonged to the Queen Madiera.
―Oh! What a beautiful morning. Oh! What a beautiful day. I have the funniest feeling that
every things going my way!‖
He caught the bus to the water front, got out and walked into the shop and put The Past Life
Path Finder on the counter and handed the broach to the Witch who was standing behind it.
She became covered in light, reached over and took his hand and they flew out of the
window.
They were standing in front of the God of Dreams and Time. The God whom Bryon thought
was the Creator.
As for the Witch, she was now the beautiful lady who had been with him the last time they
were here.
―Well done!‖ said the God of dreams. ―Your reward is that you will be able to decipher any
dream, no matter what it is. You will be given the answer and the meaning of the dream.‖
Queen Madiera looked at him and handed him a miniature of The Past Life Path Finder.
―This is so you will never forget us.‖ She said. ―My people and I owe you a tremendous debt,
which we will never be able to repay. You will have my protection as you go through this life
and your other lives, until we meet again! Thank you for everything.‖
Then he was back in the shop with the old witch. She thanked him again from her heart and
they said their goodbyes.
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BYRON THE DREAM READER
He went back home made himself a cup of tea and started to analyse his life.
His name was Bryon Richard Burton. He was Thirty five years of age and single. He had
been out with plenty of girls but never found one that he loved. He was employed by the
Education Department as one of their top men. He had degrees in English, French and
German and spoke Arabic like a native. He had his Bachelor of Arts, and his Master's Degree
in Mathematics and English. He owned a four block unit. He lived in one and rented the other
three. He didn‘t have a car as the traffic in this area was unbelievable and as he only lived a
couple of hundred yards from the Bus, Tram and Train, he didn‘t miss it.
It was ten o‘clock on Saturday morning, he was still in bed.
―What am I going to do now?‖ He asked himself.
―No more past lives journeys. How can I go about putting my newly granted gift of being
able to decipher any dream and know the meaning of any dream, into practice? For nobody
knows that I can do this!‖
His stomach rumbled. He jumped out of bed, walked to the kitchen put a couple of crumpets
in the toaster and turned it on. Switched on the Electric jug and went into the bathroom,
washed and shaved, cleaned up and returned to the kitchen. Turned the crumpets over, poured
the hot water into the cup which already had the tea bag and one teaspoon of sugar in it. After
finishing eating, he cleaned up, made his bed and walked down to the supermarket. He
bought everything he wanted and put them is his shopping cart and walked home.
He was trying to make up his mind what to do when the phone rang. He picked it up.
It was his very good friend Henry Spiers. They had been friends since school days. They had
both qualified as teachers and gone through University and language schools together. Both
of them getting honours in all subjects. They were more like brothers than friends.
―Bryon it is I, Henry,‖ said the voice. ―I have a problem which is unsolvable in my hands and
I need your help!‖
―You have it my friend, what is it?‖ he asked.
―It is about my girlfriend Sylvia.‖ Henry replied. ―She is in the art business and she was
given an antique parchment to examine. It is from way back in time and was supposed to
have been written by ‗Albertus Magnus‘ in the Twelfth century. Everything relative to it
seems to be genuine and has been tested and found to be correct. The parchment it had been
written on. The ink and the age of the parchment met every test that could possibly be carried
out. But what she can‘t understand is the set of numbers under Albert Magnus‘s signature,
numbers like this have never been seen on any other document that Albertus has written. The
document is worth untold millions.‖
He asked Henry how he could possibly help as he didn‘t know anything about art.
―I know that!‖ said Henry. ―But my girlfriend has been dreaming the same dream every night
since they gave her the parchment and she believes that the numbers contain a message and
as you are the only person I know who might be able to analyse her dream I decided to ring
you.‖
―Well you certainly rang the right fellow,‖ said Bryon. ―I have no doubt that I can tell you
and her, everything about what her dream means.‖
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―When do you want to come over?‖ he asked.
―Will Friday night at 7:30p.m suit you?‖ asked Henry.
―That would suit me fine,‖ replied Bryon.
So it was arranged that Henry and his girlfriend Sylvia would come to Byron‘s unit on Friday
night and she could tell him her dream.
It was Friday night. Bryon was sitting in the lounge with his friend Henry and his girlfriend
Sylvia. They were having a cup of coffee before getting started.
―Would you mind if I gave you a bit of background as to what happened in the last few
months before I received the parchment?‖ She asked.
―Certainly not!‖ said Bryon.
―You go right ahead!‖
Sylvia took a deep breath. ―Six months ago a man called Charles De Fratte who has a little
antique shop in Paris, put in the window of his shop an antique writing desk which he
claimed belonged to Albertus Magnus who was the Bishop of Regensburg in the Twelfth
century. He was asking ten million American dollars for it. When he was asked where he got
it, he said that he got it from a client of his who found it and other items in an old cottage
deep in the forest. This was acceptable as Albertus was known to regularly go deep into the
Forrest not far from his Monastery in Cologne.
An American Investor bought the desk and took it to America and whilst checking it he found
a secret draw in it which contained a formula written by Albertus. He believes it to be the
formula for the Android which took Albertus thirty years to make and which was later
destroyed by St. Thomas Aquinas, thinking the device to be a diabolical mechanism. The
formula refers to metals and unknown substances chosen according to the stars and endowed
with spiritual qualities, of which we have no knowledge. They have copies of Albertus
Magnus‘s writing, and he definitely wrote it.
Six months ago Charles De Fratte informed the world that he had the original document
which sets out in writing by Albertus his vision where the Virgin Mary appeared before him
and bestowed upon him Philosophical and Intellectual powers, and as you will appreciate it is
priceless. He will not sell it to them, but he will allow the highest bidder to buy a copy of it,
so close to the original, that it looks almost like that it was the original.
The Vatican has approached him on this matter, but so did the American Catholic Church
which are also very interested, they and the Vatican are at loggerheads. Both Authorities have
asked me to verify the document as I am the foremost Authority in the world on Albertus
Magnus.‖
She sat back in her chair. ―Ever since I have touched the document which is in mint condition
I have had this dream and I would like to tell it to you.‖
Bryon moved around the table and sat in front of her. They were now facing each other with
about six inches between them.
―Please close your eyes and give me your hands,‖ he said. ―Tell me your dream.‖
Sylvia gave Bryon her hands, closed her eyes, and started to talk.
―Í am sitting in this room, there is a man sitting at a desk. He is writing. I can‘t see his face
but I can see him writing with this beautiful quill and it is a joy to watch, as the words are
simply flowing out of his pen.
I can read everything that he is writing and he continues until he is completely finished and
then he signs it. It is exactly the same in every detail as the document given to me by Charles
De Fratte except that there are not any numbers underneath his signature.
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Then I see this man sitting down at the same desk, I can‘t see his face but he has the same
quill in his hand, he is going much slower but the writing is exactly the same. He signs his
name Albertus Magnus, and then writes all these numbers underneath running from right to
left. Then I wake up!‖
She opened her eyes ―Can you make any sense of it?‖ She asked.
―It‘s very easy,‖ said Bryon.
―The first person you saw was the original man writing it. The second person was copying
it.‖
―But how could he copy it so perfectly?‖
―Easy,‖ said Bryon. ―That is his gift and he is possibly one of the best copiers in the world.‖
―What about the numbers under the second letter?‖ she asked.
―Did you bring them with you?‖
―Yes,‖ Sylvia replied and opened her purse, took out a sheet of paper and handed it to him.
Bryon looked at it, got up went to his desk and got an exercise book and handed it to her.
He looked at the paper again and closed his eyes and said.
―Please write down the numbers as I give them to you.0211-4211-5121-etc, etc.‖
He started to laugh. ―Very clever, guaranteeing him his moment in the sun is long as the
document exists.‖
He opened his eyes. ―Have you a copy of the document?‖ He asked.
Sylvia opened the envelope she had brought with her, took out the papers therein and handed
them to Bryon.
―Please give me the numbers I gave you?‖
Sylvia handed him the sheet of paper on which she had written the numbers.
He then picked up his pen looked at the document and started to write.
He wrote for about fifteen minutes, then looking up at Sylvia he said. ―You were quite right,
it is a message.‖
He read what he had written on the paper. ―James Garner copied this document from the
original.‖
―What he did was to put the numbers to the right so that they had to be read backwards. As in
the first numbers he put 0211, which actually meant. Page 1 line 1 letter 20.Which was a J.
The next number 4211was page 1 line 1 letter 24 which was an A.
The next number 5121 Page 1 line 2 letter 15 which was an M
And so on and so on.‖
He handed the paper on which he had deciphered the code to Sylvia, and both she and Henry
studied it.
―It is so easy when you know how, isn‘t it?‖ said Sylvia. Both men burst out laughing and
almost in unison said. ―Isn‘t everything?‖
―What are you going to do?‖ Bryon asked her.
―I don‘t know. I really don‘t know.‖ She replied. ―I will have to sleep on it!‖
―If you dream anything please give me a ring.‖ he said.
They said their goodnights and Henry and Sylvia left.
Bryon saw Henry every day and on the following Monday morning Henry told him that
Sylvia was going to Paris to see these two men as they had ignored her over the phone.
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It was Friday morning and Henry was waiting for him when he arrived at his office.
―His girl-friend had rung James Garner and told him what she had discovered.‖
―I always thought you were clever and you have proved me right!‖ He said.
―What are you going to do?‖
―I want to see the original document and to meet the person who gave De Fratte the
document and the desk,‖ she replied.
―No can do! That is impossible.‖ Garner replied.
―Then I will go public.‖ She said.
―You can go where you like,‖ he relied. And he hung up.
Sylvia also rang De Fratte and told him the same as she had told Garner and she got the same
answer.
―You do what you want to do!‖ he said and hung up.
―She rang them both back the next day and told them to meet her at her office in Paris on
Wednesday afternoon at two o‘clock and if they didn‘t come she would be contacting the
police and tell them all what she knew. She also told them that it is quite obvious that the
desk was genuine and she was sure that Mr Fratte would be only too pleased to tell the police
the name of his client and from where he got the desk.‖
Henry burst out laughing.
―Wait till you hear this,‖ he said.
―She got both of them to agree to give both the Vatican and the American Catholic Church
people a copy each of the document for Five million dollars each. Garner was to do the
copies on as close to parchment as he could get. He asked her if he could put the numbers on
them as he had on the one they had seen. She told him that the numbers made the document
more exciting and that she could imagine the people who would try to decipher it in years to
come, therefore keeping it before their eyes and their minds. One more thing she told them
under no circumstances is any future documents to be referred to her for examination.
They both agreed. It was in the papers this morning that both the Vatican and the Americans
had their copies and it only cost them five million dollars each. They were ecstatic!‖ He
paused.
―By the way guess who got a copy on real parchment without the numbers?‖ Bryon couldn‘t
believe his ears.
―Oh! Henry,‖ he said. ―I am so pleased for Sylvia and you.‖
―Thank you.‖ Henry replied. ―But don‘t forget if it had not been for you, none of us would be
as happy as we are today.‖ He paused for a moment and again said, ―Thank you my friend, I
will never be able to thank you enough for what you have done for Sylvia and me.‖
Bryon only had three customers that week. All sent to him by the Witch but they were most
uninteresting to say the least and he was very disappointed after the excitement of hearing
and solving Henry‘s girlfriends dream.
Now it was late Saturday afternoon and he was bored to tears. What to do!
Then the phone rang, he couldn‘t pick it up quick enough.
He said, ―Bryon Burton speaking!‖
―Hello Bryon.‖ It was his Auntie Sophie, one of the most beautiful people in the world.
She had a heart as big as herself. When his father was killed in an accident in 1967, his
mother found out that she didn‘t have much money, as he had let his life insurance lapse.
This left her with a mortgage and no means to pay it.
155
When Sophie asked her at the funeral on that Sunday afternoon, what she was going to do?
She said, ―I will just have to find a job.‖
Monday morning Uncle Benjamin and Sophie went to the bank and paid off the mortgage.
Paid the undertaker and put ten thousand dollars in mother‘s bank account. Mother protested
that she could never afford to repay the money. Uncle Benjamin and Sophie hugged her
telling her not to worry about it!
When he went to college his mother went to the bank to see if she had enough money to buy
him books and clothes and found that she had twenty five thousand dollars in the bank. When
his mother died he took the deeds of the house around to them thanking them for all they
done for him and his mother. Aunty Sophie looked at him and said ―Benjamin and I never
had any children, so as far as we are concerned you are ours, and being ours means that you
do not owe us anything!‖
―Aunty Sophie, how lovely to hear from you, how are you and Uncle Benjamin?‖
―We are wonderful darling thank you, but I have a small problem which I believe you can
solve.‖
―Anything Aunty, anything at all, what is it?‖
―It is a dream I keep having and it is driving me mad, for I know someone is trying to tell me
something, but I don‘t know who it is, or what they are trying to tell me?‖
―I will be right over.‖ said Bryon.
He put on his coat and almost ran out the door. Aunty Sophie and Uncle Benjamin only lived
two stations further down and one street from the station. The next train left from platform
two in four minutes, he made it easy and fifteen minutes later he was knocking on their door.
Aunty Sophia opened it.
―You shouldn‘t have bothered Bryon it could‗ve waited till morning?‖
―Not for me it couldn‘t‖ he said. ―Hello Uncle Benjamin, how are you?‖
―Never better thank you Byron,‖ his Uncle replied. ―I am so glad that you came over, for
Sophie has been driving me crazy about this dream.‖
They all went into the lounge. Uncle Benjamin turned off the television.
―Like anything to drink‖ he asked Bryon.
―No thank you!‖ he said. ‗I just want to hear the dream.‖
They all got comfortable and Sophie started to talk. ―I‘m in the cave we were in, when we
were in Poland. The Germans were looking for people like us hiding from them. The cave
was behind a small water fall, if you walked in under the water you could not see the entrance
as it was behind another wall. In the dream I keep hearing this voice trying to tell me
something. But I can‘t see who it is, or hear what they are saying.‖
―Is that all?‖ asked Bryon.
―Yes that is all.‖ said Aunty Sophie.
Bryon didn‘t say anything for a few minutes. Then he put out his hands.
―Please put your hands in mine Aunty Sophie.‖ he said.
―Now close your eyes and remember the dream.‖ ―Can you do that?‖
―I certainly can,‖ she replied and she put her hands in Bryon‘s and closed her eyes. Bryon
also closed his and he saw this woman standing in a cave. She was saying something but he
couldn‘t quite make out what she was saying. Then he heard her loud and clear.
―Sophie, I am Anna. Beware everything is not Mazel tov.‖
Bryon opened his eyes and took his hands away from his Aunty Sophia‘s hands.
―The ladies name is Anna and she is saying.‖ ‗Beware, everything is not Mazel tov.‘
156
―Thank you Bryon,‖ she said ―you heard that Benjamin. Is everything ready?‖
―Everything is always ready.‖ He replied.
―Excuse me Bryon,‖ she said and picked up her mobile phone which was on the table and
dialled a number.
―I want to book two first class tickets to Warsaw on the next plane out and she gave her and
Benjamin‘s names, and credit card details.
―Yes I understand we will be changing Airlines at London. Seven fifteen at terminal three,
thank you!‖ She said and hung up.
She looked at Bryon, ―Excuse me!‖ she said and dialled another number.
―Anna says everything is not Mazel tov‖ she said. ―We will see you at the airport at six
fifteen, terminal three. The plane leaves at seven fifteen,‖ and she hung up.
―You will have to excuse us Bryon, but thanks to Anna and you we will be out of harm‘s way
tonight. We will not be back for fourteen days. Some people will contact you and ask where
we are, you will tell them that we left for Warsaw tonight, and that we will not be back for
two weeks,‖ she paused. ―We cannot tell you what you and Anna have done for us, but will
tell you when we come back.‖ Uncle Benjamin had taken the cases to the car.
―Let‘s go!‖ He said. ―We will drop you home Bryon and go on to the airport.‖
―I‘m sorry that I cannot tell you what is happening.‖ said Auntie Sophie. ―But you will have
to trust me until we get back and then I will tell you everything!‖
―You don‘t have to tell me anything Aunty Sophie.‖ Byron said ―I am just so happy that I can
help you.‖
They dropped Bryon off at his unit and drove away. Monday night he received a phone call
from a man who gave his name as John Fleming, asking if he knew where his Uncle and
Aunty were as he had to contact them urgently.
―They have gone to Warsaw,‖ he told the man. ―They left on Saturday night, something
urgent came up and they caught the seven fifteen to London.‖
―Do you know when they will be back?‖ He asked.
―They told me that they would be back in two weeks.‖ He thanked Bryon and hung up.
The next day at work he received a phone call from a Miss Delaney from Sheridan‘s
stockbrokers, asking if he could put them in contact with Mr and Mrs Myer.
―They are in Warsaw.‖ He told the lady, ―They left on Saturday night.‖
She asked him if he knew when they would be back.
―They told me that they would be back in two weeks and that he didn‘t have their address in
Warsaw.‖ she hung up.
Wednesday he received a post card from Warsaw telling him that the problem facing them
was more serious than they thought, but they could settle it and would still be back within the
two weeks. The weather was terrible.
He received two telephone calls on the following Monday. They were the same people, who
had rung him before, and he told them that he had received a post card from his Uncle and
Aunty, but there was no return address. They asked him when he expected them back and he
told them on this coming Saturday. They thanked him and hung up, but they were definitely
not happy.
157
He had, had ten dream readings in the last two weeks and was very pleased with his readings.
One in particular, where a lady dreamt about finding her father‘s Will in a box, but she didn‘t
know where the box was. He saw it on top of a wardrobe which they had put in their garage.
She rang thanking him and telling him that they had found it!
It was Saturday night, he had just finished his dinner when the doorbell rang he went to his
microphone and asked who it was, it was his Uncle Benjamin and Aunty Sophie. He pushed
the entrance button which opened the front door.
He went into the hallway and greeted them, he offered them a coffee and put some cakes and
biscuits on a plate, turned on the percolator.
―Welcome back!‖ He said, ―I got your card, did you solve the problem in Warsaw?‖
His Aunty Sophie burst out laughing. ―We never went to Warsaw.‖ She said.
―We went to Melbourne.‖ Bryon didn‘t say anything he just poured the coffee and put it in
front of his Uncle and Aunty.
―Please sit down Bryon‖ said his Aunty. ―Let me explain everything to you.‖
Bryon sat down. His Aunty started to speak. ―When we were running from the Germans in
the 1940‘s we hid in a cave behind a waterfall at Anna‘s farm out of Warsaw. We hid there
for many months. Until this night when we were to leave the farm and meet up with other
Jews like ourselves, and travel in lorries across Poland and head towards the sea and catch a
boat to take us away from the Germans.‖ She paused and had a drink of her coffee.
Bryon asked if she would like another, but she declined.
She continued. ―About four o‘clock in the afternoon a group of German soldiers arrived at the
farm and started to search it they almost took it to pieces. The man in charge was a SS man
and he did everything he could to try and find anyone who could be hiding. He was furious
when he and his men didn‘t find anyone. He sent his men back to the truck and walked over
to Anna who was standing on her own. He grabbed her arm and putting his face up against
hers said to her in Yiddish. ‗Don‘t let the people in the cave go tonight, as the SS are waiting
for the people at the crossroads and don‘t trust Abraham and his family any more for they are
not Mazel tov,‘ and he threw her to the ground and went back to the truck and they drove
away.
We stayed in the cave and in the morning Anna told us that all those who had left their hiding
places were picked up by the SS men and were taken to the concentration camps.
Abraham came to the farm next morning and asked Anna what had happened. She told him
how the SS men had searched the property and how he had done a lot of damage, and she
showed him the bruise on her arm where the SS man had grabbed her. But the reason that
they didn‘t find anyone was that she wasn‘t hiding anyone.
Two weeks later the same SS man came with his men and went through the farm house
again! As he was leaving he again spoke to Anna in Yiddish and said. ‗A big Army Van will
pull up at your gate at two ‘clock tomorrow morning. Put your people on it, they will be
completely safe. Mazel tov‘ and he went back to the truck and they drove away.
Benjamin and I were waiting at the gate with Anna when this big Army Van pulled up and
this big SS man got out. We were frightened when we saw him but Anna told us not to be
frightened as he was the man who told her in Yiddish, about Abraham and his family. He
opened the back doors there were other people and some children in it. We were still
frightened, but we put our faith in Almighty God and the Yiddish speaking SS man.
158
The Army Van drove for hours across Poland, only stopping to get petrol. At last it pulled up
and we were at the sea. A boat picked us up and we were taken out to a ship. It was an old
Transport ship and it brought us to America. Then after the war we came to
Australia.‖ She sat back.
―Could I have another coffee please Bryon?‖ She asked.
Bryon went over to the percolator and poured her a coffee. She sat drinking her coffee,
nobody said anything.
She gave a big sigh. ―Two years ago the Jewish group who run the Stock Exchange put out a
rumour that the Kenningworths were in great trouble with the Taxation Department, under
estimating their income by over twenty million dollars, and a statement was released on the
Stock Exchange saying that the Taxation Department was investigating this matter.
Although Kenningworths denied any wrong doing their share price dropped from twenty five
dollars to twenty dollars and the Exchange was flooded with shares. Luckily one of our
groups had a niece in the Accounts Department at Kenningworths and she told him that the
problem was in one of the Old Trusts and had nothing to do with their trading or income,
which incidentally was over thirty million dollars better than it was last year, and that they
would be paying over one dollar fifty dividend per share more than they did last year.
So our group went in the next morning and bought every share available and there were
millions of them. This brought the Jewish group undone, and they were not the happiest
people in the Stock Exchange because it cost them, millions and millions of dollars. They
checked up on who bought all the shares and naturally it led straight to our group, and we
knew that they are not going to forget us.
A month ago, a mine called ‗The Deborah‘ in Western Australia came on the market at ten
cents a share. It climbed slowly to fifteen cents and stayed there. Harry Jordan one of our
group received a phone call from a friend of his, who had a friend who was working as an
engineer at the mine, and he told Harry that they had hit ‗Real pay dirt,‘ but the people
running the show were getting their friends to buy shares very quietly, and that their shares
wouldn‘t be released to the Stock Exchange until the following Monday, which was one
week away. We put our people to work to find out how many shares were available, and there
were millions of shares available at twenty cents.‖ She paused again.
―More coffee, Aunty?‖ asked Bryon.
―No thank you!‖ she said.
―What about you Uncle Benjamin?‖ He asked.
―No thank you Bryon‖ he replied. ―I am too interested in the story, even though I know the
ending.‖
―Am I boring you Bryon?‖ she asked.
―Far from it Aunty Sophie,‖ he said. ―It‘s turning into a real mystery story.‖
They all laughed. She continued.
―Those in control of our group, of which we are two of, called a meeting of the group to
decide how we were going to deal with this matter. It was decided that any of the group
could put in what they wanted, but it had to be in cash and it had to be no later than Monday
morning before trading began otherwise they were not in the buy. Then they would buy every
share available until their money ran out. As Benjamin and I were out of the Country on
Monday we couldn‘t put any money in, and we were not in the buy. It was because of what
you told us that Anna was saying ‗Not Mosel tov‘ that we knew it was a trap, and we
pretended to go to Poland. We sent our friends who have the same names and initials as we
do to Poland. We went to Melbourne.
159
We couldn‘t warn our group when we found out, for it was too late when we knew that it was
a trap, and they would already have bought the shares by then. So we pretended to go to
Poland to be out of the way. Anna was right, it was a trap. The Jewish group had set it up.
Harry Jordan the man who received the phone call from his friend telling him that a friend of
his who was an engineer at the mine had rung him telling them that the mine had struck ‗Real
Pay Dirt‘ turned out also to be a friend of The Jewish Group.
The Jewish Group got in touch with the Stock Exchange and told them that the buyers of
shares in the Deborah had acted on ‗Insider Trading.‘ The Exchange immediately suspended
trading and everybody involved is being investigated relative to ‘Insider Trading‘ which if
they are found guilty can bring a jail sentence, plus the loss of all the money they invested.
To cap it all off even if they are found to be innocent they couldn‘t use the millions they had
invested until after the investigation has been completed, and that could take years.‖
―If it hadn‘t been for Anna and you, Benjamin and I would‘ve been involved.‖ She stopped
talking. ―Oh! Bryon,‖ she said. ―I would love another cup of coffee now if you don‘t mind?‖
They sat together talking for about half an hour then Sophie went over to Bryon.
―I am so sorry Bryon‖ she said. ―But we couldn‘t tell anyone.‖
Bryon put his arms around her. ―I cannot tell you how happy I am that I have been allowed to
repay some of the kindness you and Uncle Benjamin showed to mother and me when we
were in trouble,‖ he said. They hugged each other for a few minutes. Uncle Benjamin came
over and shook his hand and hugged him. They said their goodnights and they left.
Life must go on and he returned to his normal routine. It was Friday night he was sitting
reading a book when the phone rang. He glanced at the clock it was eighty thirty. He picked
up the phone ―Bryon Burton is speaking.‖
A very warm vibrant female voice said. ―I am so sorry to ring you so late but I always seem
to be so busy and cannot find the time to ring people throughout the day.‖
Bryon couldn‘t help himself and he burst out laughing. ―Well you have rung me now what
can I do for you?‖
―That old Witch down on the waterfront told me that you read dreams and I want you to read
mine. How much do you charge?‖
―My fee is fifty dollars.‖ he replied. He held his breath for a few seconds as he didn‘t get a
reply.
―Sounds fair‖ said the voice.
―When can we meet?‖
―We can meet anytime you like‖ she said. ―I‘m outside your front door.‖ he laughed.
―Stay put‖ he said. ―I will be right out,‖ and he hung up the phone.
He opened the door and standing in front of him was one of the most beautiful ladies he had
ever seen. She was younger than he was and very nicely dressed, she was holding this very
large carrying bag. She saw him looking at it.
―This is my treasure chest,‖ she said. ―I carry everything in it.‖
He invited her in.
―My name is Valentina Spano,‖ she said. ―I‘m a very qualified person who goes from job to
job helping people to sort out their problems. I am also involved in filming the unusual at
which I‘m very proficient.‖
He took her into the kitchen.
160
―Oh what a lovely unit, it‘s so homely.‖
―I think so too,‖ said Bryon. He invited her to sit on the chair he had pulled out for her.
She took off her coat and handed it to Bryon who put it on the chair next to his. She sat on the
chair opposite him putting her very large bag on the seat next to her.
―Where did you get my address?‖ he asked.
―The old Witch gave it to me,‖ she said. ―She also sold me this Past Life something Finder,
for two dollars.‖ She put it on the table.
It was a miniature Past Life Path Finder the same as his own. Bryon laughed to himself as his
Past Life Path Finder was behind his book, but she couldn‘t see it.
―Are you Miss or Mrs?‖ He asked.
―I am a Miss,‖ she said laughingly, ―In more ways than one. I live on my own. I am very
well-travelled and I have extraordinary dreams, and it is this dream that I have been having
that I have come to see you about. I have it every night and it never varies.‖
She took a deep breath. ―I keep dreaming of Queen Madiera, the Queen of the white Witches,
she keeps beckoning me to follow her, and I do. Then I see this Mountain of a man fighting
four men when another man with a big bough of a tree in his hand attacks them from behind
and they run away. I can‘t see his face but Queen Madiera says to me.
―This man is for you and I wake up!‖
Bryon looks down at his hands, his heart is beating faster. He looks at her. She is a very
lovely looking lady.
―That is a most unusual dream and not one I can solve quickly,‖ he said. ―In fact I would like
you to come back and tell it to me again so that I can understand it completely.‖
―That won‘t be hard‖ she said. ―I only live in the next street.‖
―Would you like a coffee?‖ he asked.
―Yes please,‖ she said. ―I would love one!‖
He put a plate of cakes on the table and as she leant over to take one, Bryon‘s miniature Past
Life Path Finder slid across over the table next to hers and they both fell into her bag.
161
**THE HAUNTED MANSION
What a day, from the moment she had arrived at work everybody wanted a piece of her.
‗Susie. Susie. Miss Brown! Miss Brown!‘ It didn‘t stop all day. Home at last. Thank God it
was over. She put her hat and coat, handbag and valise on the couch. Walked over to the little
bar she had in the corner of her lounge. Poured herself a very generous Scotch, took more
than just a sip and felt it going warmly down her throat and into her stomach. She gave a
huge sigh of relief and nestled back into her favourite chair.
She was going to run over in her mind what had happened today, then decided against it!
Enough was enough. She went to her music cupboard picked out one of her favourite ‗Andre
Rieu‘ DVD‘s. ‗Andre Rieu Live at the Royal Albert Hall‘ and sat back to enjoy it!
Everything changed and she found herself singing along with the orchestra. When the music
had finished she put the DVD back in her music cupboard and made herself a very nice
dinner and sat down to enjoy it. She turned on the television to watch the six o‘clock news,
and to eat her dinner.
It was the usual bad and good, mostly bad, then ‗THEY ARE DOING IT AGAIN!‘ and the
Commentator went on telling his listeners that the Public Trustees Office, who was in control
of the Estate, had received telephone calls saying that they have seen lights in the ‗Stewart
Haunted Mansion.‘ This had been happening regularly over the years, but the police
searching the property had never found anything to explain the lights. It couldn‘t be anything
to do with the electricity as it had been disconnected years ago. Possibly about six months
after the Stewart family were gassed, which was over Seven years ago!
Memories flooded in her mind. Has it been over Seven years already? She turned the
television off, finished her dinner, cleaned up and went and sat in the lounge taking her still
unfinished glass of scotch with her.
She made herself comfortable and settled back in her chair, took a nice little sip from the
glass of scotch in her hand and turned her mind back to when she and her mother had lived in
the Stewart Mansion. Her mother had been their cook for twenty years.
She had been born three years after her mother had started to work for them. Her father had
left them when she was ten years old. He had found himself another, so he just up and left,
not bothering to even saying goodbye. Her mother was more pleased than upset as he liked
his drink and he didn‘t treat her very well. As far as she was concerned personally it didn‘t
matter one way or the other, as there was no father and daughter love flow between them. She
and her mother lived in the rooms at the back of the two storey Mansion. The Stewart family
consisted of the father William, his wife Lydia and their four living children, Albert Fifteen
Thomas Twelve, Millie Ten and Archibald four. Many years ago they had lost their beautiful
little daughter, Violet by accident.
They were a lovely family and were very close. They had put in a portable gas unit to warm
the lounge which could become very cold. There was a large open fire place in the lounge,
but providing the wood to burn and amount of work it took to keep it clean was getting
harder, so they had opted for portable gas.
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Sunday was her mother‘s day off and every Sunday she and her mother went to her Auntie
Mary‘s place, which was about a mile from the Mansion.
When she and her mother arrived back at the Mansion on that Monday morning at seven
o‘clock, her mother upon opening the door, smelt gas. Luckily her brother in law, who drove
them back to the Mansion every Monday and always waited until they went inside, had not
left. When she told him of her smelling the gas, he drove them to the police station at Kings
Lynn, which was about two miles from the Mansion. The police contacted the gas people
who sent two men to check the portable gas unit. It was empty. Using gas masks the two men
entered the Mansion and went to the lounge where her mother had told them that was where
the gas fire was located. They found that all the family were dead. Evidently the flame had
gone out and the gas had kept flowing and killed them all.
Susie and her mother were allowed into the Mansion and they saw the family laid out on the
floor of the lounge, waiting for the people from the Coroner‘s Office to pick them up.
They all looked so peaceful. Both Susie and her mother felt as if their hearts were broken, for
they had been made to feel as if they were part of the family. About three months later both
Susie and her mother thought that they caught fleeting glances, of the family, but just put it
down to their imagination. There were headlines all over Scotland and even got a mention in
the ‗The Scotsman‘ the main newspaper in Scotland. The gas Company came under great
scrutiny and only after a very long investigation were they cleared of all blame, as their
equipment was found to be in first class order.
The funeral was attended by people from all over, as the family was well known and well
liked. Their solicitor Andrew McTavish and Son was contacted, but they couldn‘t find a Will.
The Mansion was searched from top to bottom, but no Will could be found. So the Estate was
placed into the hands of the Public Trustees Office, who had tried for years to find a
beneficiary but without any success. The Trustees decided to leave the Mansion empty just in
case somebody made a claim, for according to the law, if at the end of eight years no
beneficiary could be found the Estate would be sold and the money placed into a special
interest attracting bank account.
Susie went and got her diary. There was less than a month to go before the eight years would
be up. She and her mother had stayed in the Mansion for six months. The Public Trustees
Office paid her mother her wages and gave her a very nice bonus when they left. It was
during this time that they both when entering the lounge one night they both thought that they
saw someone, sitting in one of the lounge chairs. Once her mother told her that she thought
that she saw Mrs Stewart dressed as she was on the day she died sitting in the lounge chair,
but as she walked in she disappeared in front of her very eyes.
Every Sunday morning Susie would catch the train from Edinburgh to Kings Lynn. It was
less than a half an hour journey. She would then join her mother and her mother‘s sister Mary
whom her mother lived with and her Brother in Law, Bill and their daughter Vera and they
would all go to church together. She looked forward to this very much, as she loved being
with her family. She would stay at their place on the Sunday night and was driven by her
uncle on the Monday morning to the Kings Lynn station where she caught the train back to
Edinburgh.
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It was on the train, that she read in ‗The Scotsman‘ Newspaper that the Psychic Association
had asked the Public Trustees Office to allow them to set up cameras and recording
equipment in the Mansion to see if they could find anybody or anything unusual. Strangely
enough they had agreed. The newspaper article went on to say that the people involved were
going to have it all set up for next Saturday night. Susie was most impressed and wondered if
she contacted them, if they would agree to her joining them. With this in mind as soon as she
got to work she wrote a letter to the Public Trustees Office asking them if she could be
invited to join the Psychic people on Saturday night.
There were a few more items in the paper and especially the fact that the Public Trustees
Office had given the Psychic people permission to set up their equipment this coming
Saturday, for they knew that people were always interested in ghosts and psychic
occurrences. The paper also promised to let their readers know the result. It was on Thursday
afternoon that she received a telephone call from a Harry Edwards from the Psychic
Association. He told her that the Public Trustees Office had forwarded her letter to him and
that she would be most welcome to attend. They would be at the Mansion on Saturday at four
o‘clock in the afternoon setting up all their equipment and she could come any time after that.
She thanked him and hung up. Her mind was going at a hundred miles an hour. What if she
saw the family again? Wouldn‘t it be lovely! She couldn‘t help herself, she started to laugh.
‗Oh,‘ she said to herself, ‗Oh.‘
It was Saturday. Her Uncle Bill and her mother met her at the s Kings Lynn station. Her
mother was as excited as she was, for she remembered what she and Susie had thought they
had seen those many years ago. Susie asked her if she could get in touch with Harry Edwards
and asked him if she could join them. But her mother declined, saying that she would leave it
to Susie.
Her Uncle Bill dropped Susie off at the Mansion and told her that he would pick her up at
nine o‘clock on Sunday morning. ―That‘s if you are still with us,‖ he said laughingly as he
drove away.
She walked around to the back of the Mansion to the door which led to the rooms she and her
mother used to occupy. She turned the handle, the door opened and she entered. She could
hear voices coming from the lounge area.
She walked up the stairs to where she and her mother had lived, nothing had changed. The
wardrobes, dressing tables and beds were still there, no bed clothes just the bare beds. She
gave a huge sigh, went down the stairs and walked towards the lounge. She opened the door
there were people everywhere, lights, cameras, recording equipment, one of the largest
batteries that she had ever seen and two very large mirrors. One of the men, evidently the
man in charge looked over to her.
―Miss Brown‖ he said. ―Welcome! I‘m Harry Edwards, call me Harry.‖
Susie shook his hand, ―Please call me Susie.‖ she said.
He introduced the other people in the room to her. Counting herself there were thirteen
people altogether.
They were all running around doing their jobs and it was obvious that they knew what they
were doing. By ten thirty they were all finished and Harry called them all together.
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―If we are right the people who died in this room about eight years ago, will come back to
this room where they were last alive.‖ He pointed to one of the girls, about thirty years old,
wearing a blue dress.‖ He said. ―You all know Jenny Taylor, she is one of our best psychics,
and she tells me that she is definitely getting vibrations in this room.‖ You could feel the
excitement in the people involved. Susie didn‘t say anything but she had felt that same
feeling ever since she had put her foot inside the mansion.
They dimmed the lights. It was about eleven o‘clock when Mrs Stewart entered the room, the
door didn‘t open she just walked through it. There was a little light over the door from where
she had entered. She came straight over to Susie.
―Susie darling how lovely it is to see you again! How is your mother?‖ Susie looked at all
the others they were not even looking towards her, Mrs Stewart laughed.
―They can‘t see or hear me.‖ She said, ―only you and I can see and hear each other.‖
Susie took a deep breath. ―Mother is fine thank you Mrs Stewart‖ she said.
―Good, please give her my best. Wasn‘t it a terrible accident? It was caused by the children
running in and out of the doors and one of them opened the big bay window, and the wind
blew out the flame and the gas escaped and killed us all.‖ Susie looked at all the other people
in the room they were just sitting there waiting for something to happen.
Mrs Stewart continued, ―It was quite a shock when we found out we were dead, looking
down at our bodies. If it hadn‘t been for the little light that came to us we wouldn‘t have
known what to do!‖ Susie looked at the light which had appeared over the lounge door, when
Mrs Stewart had entered the room. It started to blink.
―Excuse me dear but I must go!‖ she said. ―But please come back and we can talk some
more.‖ And she walked out of the lounge through the closed door and as she did the light
went out.
Susie didn‘t know what to do or what to say so she didn‘t say anything but she had to admit
that, that night, was as far as she was concerned was one of the longest nights of her life.
She said her goodbyes to the Psychic people in the morning, after enjoying a lovely breakfast,
for they certainly came prepared. They were terribly disappointed that they had not seen or
heard anything. She didn‘t tell them about seeing Mrs Stewart for how could she prove it. Her
Uncle picked her up at nine o‘clock. He had his wife, her Auntie Mary, her mother and their
daughter Vera who was named after her grandmother on her Mother‘s side, in the car with
him. They couldn‘t ask her quick enough if they had seen anything.
―No!‖ she said. ―They never saw anything.‖ There was an obvious disappointment from those
in the car and they went quiet. She paused for a moment and then she said. ―But I did!‖
―What did you see?‖ They all asked in one voice. Susie told them everything that had
happened and how Mrs Stewart had walked over to her after walking through the door, which
had the little light over it.
How she was told by Mrs Stewart, that she was the only person in the room who could see or
hear her. She also gave her mother Mrs Stewart‘s best wishes.
She stopped speaking for a moment then she said. ―She also asked me to come back and see
her again! Then the little light over the door started to blink and she told me that she had to
go!‖
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Questions, questions, questions, all the way back to her Aunties house and all the way to the
church and back again until she had had enough.
―Whoa!‖ Susie called a halt. ―Enough is enough, now I have told you everything that I know
over and over again. Now let us talk about something else.‖
It was a waste of time, she did the best she could before she went to bed but Vera wouldn‘t
let up. She was awake at six o‘clock and she felt alive and refreshed. Her mother and her
auntie and uncle were in the kitchen eating their breakfast as she entered. The breakfast went
smoothly; luckily Vera was still in bed.
As she was sitting in the car with her uncle, she asked her mother if she wanted to go to the
Mansion with her next time she went.
―No thank you dear,‖ she said. ―I find life hard enough now without talking to dead people.‖
she laughed and kissed her mother and auntie goodbye and they drove off.
Her uncle didn‘t say anything about her experience he just talked about everyday things like
always. When they arrived at Kings Lynn station she leant over and gave him a kiss on the
cheek. ―Thank you very much, your consideration is appreciated.‖ He laughed.
―Isn‘t that what uncles are for?‖ he said and he drove off.
She sat in a seat by the window in the train and turned over everything that had happened to
her since she arrived at the Mansion and all that had happened after. By the time that the
train pulled into the Edinburgh station she had come to grips with not only what she wanted
to do, but when she was going to do it!
She went home, picked up all her working gear and walked to work which was only about
two blocks from her Unit. Work was a piece of cake, for she knew her job backwards and
what she had been annoyed about on Friday didn‘t even get a mention.
She arrived home very happy with her days work, everything had gone very smoothly.
As soon as she had finished her dinner and cleaned up, she sat down and wrote everything
that had happened at the Mansion in her diary while it was still fresh in her memory.
The next day it was reported in the local Newspaper and on the Television news, that no
ghosts had been seen at the Stewart Haunted Mansion.
She didn‘t know what had happened to her but she felt quite different and in complete
control. The week went like lightning and it was Friday night and she was walking home.
All through the week she concentrated on getting ready to go back to the Mansion. She rang
the Public Trustees Office and told them who she was and asked their permission to go back
to the Mansion this coming Saturday night as she believed that she might have seen
something but it wouldn‘t come forward as it didn‘t know the other people. They readily
agreed because they were preparing to Auction the property and a Mansion with ghosts
would sell exceptionally well.
They said they would send the keys round to her office, by courier they arrived about an hour
later. As she knew that there was no electricity, she was going to take with her a primus stove
and a glow light and a very big torch which she already had.
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The glow light was run off batteries but they weren‘t very heavy. She would also take a foam
mattress and a very warm cover-all, and some food. It wouldn‘t matter if she had to carry
these things herself, for she would only have to carry them from the bus stop which was right
outside the Mansion gate.
She rang her mother and told her what she was going to do and asked her if she wanted to
come with her and was very surprised and pleased when she said yes.
She arranged for her uncle Bill and her mother to meet her at the Kings Lynn station. She had
the railway people load what she had brought with her onto the luggage van. When they
arrived at the Kings Lynn station the Railway men who knew her uncle Bill carried all that
she had brought with her out to his car. Her mother had also brought some food, a foam
mattress, pillows and bed clothes. Uncle Bill carried everything into the Mansion. Their bed
clothes went to the rooms where they had slept, when they had lived there.
The primus stove, the food and the Fridge box were put in the kitchen. Her Uncle Bill said
his goodbyes and left.
―I will be back at eight thirty tomorrow morning. Sleep well‖ he said, and he drove away.
Both Susie and her mother were very comfortable in the Mansion. They felt as it welcomed
them as they walked into every room, dust was everywhere and Susie had to stop her mother
from going down and getting dusters and cleaning up. The day passed quickly because they
had so much to talk about and so much to see and besides being mother and daughter, they
were friends. As the night approached she asked her mother if she was frightened.
―No dear!‖ she replied. ―I‘m quite excited for I would love to see the family again, as I really
loved them.‖ On contemplating what her mother had said, she found that she was thinking
exactly the same.
Eleven o‘clock and they both saw a little light over the door where Susie had seen Mrs
Stewart enter last time she was here. Then in they came, Mr Stewart, his wife and the four
children. The children raced in front of their parents and ran over and hugged Susie and her
mother they were laughing, their happiness clearly etched upon their faces. Both Susie and
her mother were quite surprised because they could feel the children hugging them, and they
hugging the children.
―Now, Now children,‖ said their father. ―Leave Mrs Brown and Susie alone, your Mother and
I want to talk to them.‖
―Oh! Please William, just a little bit more,‖ said his wife. ―It has been a long, long time!‖
―Alright dear‖ he said, ―take it easy children.‖ The children hugged and talked to Susie and
her mother for a few more minutes and then their father said.
―Enough now go and sit on the couch,‖ and the children did as they were told.
Mr Stewart then told them how all the family were sitting in front of the gas fire, when the
children decided it was play time and chased each other around the room, one of them
evidently opened the glass doors leading out into the garden and caused the flame to go out,
and the next thing they remember when they woke up, was looking down at their dead
bodies. It was obvious that the bodies were dead but we weren‘t and I was wondering what
was going to happen next when this little light appeared. He pointed to the little light over
the door. ―It told us that seeing we had been taken by accident before our time was up, that
we had two options.
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The first option was to go with it and continue to evolve. The second option was that we
could stay earth bound. If we wanted to stay earth bound we could personally be involved in
shaping one of the two futures. And it showed us the first future, and then the second, and
asked us which one we wanted to select.‖ He paused. ―In the first future we not only saw
everything that would and could happen, including being here with you and your mother
tonight. We were also shown that by being involved as we are, whilst we cannot alter the
future, we can definitely influence it, because we are now part of it. In the second future
everything was entirely different and we had no say in anything. We could only be observers.
The light asked what we wanted to do.
Naturally we said that we wanted to stay earth bound and be part of the first future.‖
He stopped talking took a breath and said. ―The light told us how to materialise. All we need
is Ectoplasm from living people and the thought to be in our physical bodies, which we are
doing now. When you and your friends were here, we collected enough Ectoplasm to last the
family for months and possibly longer!‖
―How do we fit into the future?‖ asked Susie.
―You don‘t fit into the future‖ he replied. ―You are the future but we can‘t show it to you as
you are incarnate (live) spirits, and only discarnate (dead) spirits can see the future in this
manner.‖
Susie looked over to her mother it was obvious that she wasn‘t the least bit fazed about what
she had heard. She was sitting in the lounge chair completely relaxed as though she didn‘t
have a care in the world.
―Where do we go from here?‖ Susie asked Mr Stewart.
―You go about your life the same way as you always have, nothing I have said here can alter
you or your mother‘s life in any way whatsoever.‖ The little light started to blink.
―We have to go now‖ he said. Mr Stewart and his family walked through the door and out of
sight. The light stopped blinking and went out.
Susie looked over to her mother. ―What do you think?‖ She asked.
―I don‘t think anything‖ her mother replied. ―Evidently this is what happens to all of us when
we die and there isn‘t anything we can do about it. But I must admit how pleased I am to be
told what is going to happen to me once I leave my body, for it sounds very exciting,‖ Susie
laughed.
―Here I am trying to work out what is going on and what I can do about it, when as you so
rightly say there isn‘t anything we can do about it. So let‘s go and have a cup of tea and go to
bed.‖ Arm in arm the two ladies, taking their glow lamp with them, went into the kitchen,
made and drank their cup of tea, washed up and went to bed.
Sunday was the day of days. Susie and her mother told the family everything that had
happened down to the last detail. They couldn‘t believe it but knowing who was telling them
what had happened, they had no option. Her uncle, who had never said anything to her about
her or her mother seeing the Stewart family, was quite different as he was driving her to the
station. ―I have thought over what you and your mother have told us about seeing and talking
to the Stewart family,‖ he said, ―I find it unbelievable but I do not have the slightest doubt
that what you have told us is true. But the worst part is as far as I‘m concerned, is that I can‘t
tell anybody, for they wouldn‘t believe me.‖ He then went back to being his quiet self, not
inside but certainly on the outside.
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Back home and glad to be there. Susie settled down went and got her diary and wrote down
in detail everything that had happened. She turned off the light and sat in the dark going over
in her mind what she had seen and heard. She went to the kitchen and made herself a cup of
tea, cleaned up and went to bed and slept like a log.
Up early the next morning full of beans, had breakfast, looked at the time, it was seven thirty
five.
She didn‘t start work till eight thirty. She picked up her gear and headed for the office. The
guard let her in ―You are early this morning Miss Brown.‖ he said.
―Things to do! Charles.‖ She said. ―Things to do!‖ She took the lift to her office. She went to
her computer and typed out everything that had happened at the Mansion. Printed it out and
put it in an envelope which she had addressed to ‗The Public Trustees Office‘ and put it in the
Out File, just in time as the other workers started coming through the door.
It was two weeks later on Monday morning when the phone rang. She picked it up, ―Susie
Brown speaking!‖
―Good morning Miss Brown,‖ said a very well-spoken voice. ―My name is Henry Watkins
and I am attached to the Office of Unusual Events. We have received a letter from the Public
Trustees Office sent to them by you, relative to you and your mother, seeing and talking to
spirits in the Stewart Mansion, we would like to send a representative to discuss this matter
with you and your mother?‖ She was caught a bit off guard for a moment then said, ―It
would be our pleasure.‖
―Thank you very much!‖ he said, ―what we would like to do if possible is to meet you and
your mother on the property, around eleven o‘clock at night, as this seems to be the time that
these spirits appear.‖ Susie thought for a moment.
―You have caught me on the hop at the moment,‖ she said, ―and I would like to think it over,
if you could give me your telephone number I will ring you back.‖
―Excellent,‖ he said.
―I will give you two numbers. One is my direct work number the other is my private Mobile.‖
After giving her both numbers, he said. ―Please ring me anytime of the day or night.‖ And
thanking her again, he hung up.
She didn‘t even have time to think about what had been said, for the phone rang and
continued to do so until it was time to go home.
Sitting at home after enjoying her dinner, luckily she always did. She sat pondering if taking
these people to the Mansion would be a good idea or not. On impulse she rang her mother
and told her what these people wanted. She was most surprised at her answer.
―That would be lovely,‖ she said. ―I would love to see the family again!‖
They talked for a few minutes then hung up. It was all settled then, she would ring Mr
Watkins in the morning. She watched a soap opera on television. Had a cup of tea and went
to bed.
She had been on the phone since arriving at the office but luckily there were no problems.
She looked at her watch, it was Quarter past eleven. She rang the work number Mr Watkins
had given her.
―Good morning! This is Henry Watkins speaking.‖ said this very well-spoken voice. ―How
can I help you?‖
―Good morning Mr Watkins it‘s Susie Brown speaking. I just rang to tell you that my mother
and I have agreed to your request, for us to go to the Mansion at eleven o‘clock one night.‖
―How pleasing,‖ he said. ―What night would suit you?‖ He asked.
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―Any Saturday night would suit us fine, including the coming Saturday night.‖ She replied.
―Thank you Miss Brown, I will pass this information on and ring you back.‖
Susie put down the phone and laughed to herself. I wonder what mother and I have got
ourselves in for?
It was Friday morning she picked up her phone. ―Good morning, Susie Brown speaking!‖
―Good morning Miss Brown its Henry Watkins, sorry to have taken so long getting back to
you, but the man we are trying to get hold of is not answering his phone and we don‘t know
which man we will be sending. It will either be John Chapman or Gordon Stewart, but I will
let you know as soon as this has been sorted out. With your permission tomorrow night
would suit us fine.‖
―Please don‘t worry about brining any bed clothes, lighting or food as we will provide
everything necessary. If it does not suit you we will have to make it another time.‖
―Tomorrow night will suit my mother and I, what time do you want us to be there?‖
―Would nine o‘clock suit you?‖
―Yes that would be fine,‖ said Susie.
―Good then we will see you there.‖ And they said their goodbyes.
At three o‘clock she received a message that a Mr John Chapman would meet her and her
mother at the Mansion at nine o‘clock tomorrow night.
Susie felt this flow of excitement flowing through her body because it would be lovely seeing
the family again. She rang her mother and told her the news. She was as excited as Susie was
and she could tell by the way she was speaking over the phone. Susie would catch the train to
Kings Lynn, and as usual Uncle Bill would pick her up and take her to his place. Then take
her and her mother to the Mansion getting there about nine o‘clock.
Saturday for Susie was shopping day, washing the clothes day and cleaning up the house day.
Being a creature of habit, that is what she did. She caught the same train as always and
arrived at Kings Lynn station at five thirty, to be greeted by not only her Uncle Bill, but also
by her mother who looked radiant. Her mother ran over to her and hugged her.
―Only five and a half hours to go, isn‘t it wonderful?‖ She said.
―Yes mother it certainly is!‖ Her mother couldn‘t stop talking all the way home, neither she
nor Uncle Bill could have got a word in even if they had wanted to but as they didn‘t, it
didn‘t matter.
Eighty thirty at last thank God. Mary and Vera walked with Susie‘s Mother out to the car.
―Good luck girls,‖ said Mary to her sister and to Susie. ―I hope everything goes as you wish.‖
―Me too!‖ said Vera.
They waved their goodbyes as the car drove away. Susie‘s mother had calmed down and she
sat with Susie in the back seat. Uncle Bill, who didn‘t talk a lot, said ―I wish I was coming in
with you tonight, for I have been thinking over everything you have told us and it blows my
mind.‖ He gave a huge sigh. ―But what would be the use for I can‘t tell anybody.‖
―Would you like us to ask them if you could come in with us?‖ asked Susie.
―No I wouldn‘t dare,‖ he said. ―Imagine the quandary I would be in if I saw them and still
couldn‘t tell anyone?‖ They pulled into the Mansion‘s driveway. There was a big van at the
back door and two men were carrying packages into the Mansion. Susie and her mother
alighted, said their goodbyes and the car drove off.
The two ladies followed the men inside.
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They could hear men‘s voices as they approached the lounge and when they entered they
were greeted by four men, the two carrying the packages who they had followed in, and two
others. One was very neatly dressed, good looking, big brawny man, about the same age as
Susie. He was obviously a Scotsman. The other was an older man impeccably dressed, and
obviously the man in charge. On seeing them enter the older man walked over to them.
He shook hands with Susie and her mother. ―Good evening ladies,‖ he said.
―My name is Henry Watkins I‘m from the Office of Unusual Events. This is my colleague,
Gordon Stewart, the man we had been unable to contact until today.‖ And turning to him said
―This is Miss Susie Brown and her mother Mrs Brown, who have personally seen the spirits.‖
He shook their hand Susie liked the strong feeling of it.
―Let us hope,‖ he said.
―That the spirits are in a good mood tonight and will come and say hello to us.‖
―Don‘t worry,‖ said Susie‘s mother, ―Mr Stewart and his family will definitely be here
tonight.‖ Susie laughed.
―Are you that sure mother?‖ She asked.
―I am positive dear,‖ she replied.
One of the men came over to Mr Watkins.
―It is all set up now Mr Watkins, both the camera and the tape recorder. All Gordon has to do
if they come into the room is to press the button on the remote that I gave him, and the
camera and the recorder will do the rest.‖
Mr Watkins and the two men left, leaving the three people who were hoping to see the spirits,
or to be more precise, the two people hoping to see the spirits that night, as the other person
Susie‘s Mother, was certain that she would see them.
Susie and Gordon sat down in the lounge whilst her mother went and made a cup of tea.
There was a glow light in the kitchen, as there was in the lounge. Not glaringly bright, but
enough to light the rooms.
―Your last name is Stewart‖ said Susie. ―Are you any relation to the Stewart‘s who owned
the Mansion?‖
―No,‖ he replied ―but we do belong to the same Clan.‖
They got together like a house on fire, for they seemed to have so much in common.
―How does your wife feel about you going into a haunted Mansion with strangers?‖ Susie
asked?
―There is no Mrs Stewart,‖ he replied. ―I can‘t find anyone with the same interests as
myself.‖ Susie felt this nice warm feeling in her body and she liked it. She looked at her
watch. It was ten minutes to eleven. Her mother having washed the dishes came into the
lounge and sat down. She looked over at Susie and smiled.
―Not long now dear!‖ She said. It was five minutes to eleven.
They all looked at the door in expectation. A light lit up over the door and in walked the
family headed by Mr Stewart, followed by his wife and four children. Gordon pressed the
remote and put it in his pocket. The children ran over to Susie and her Mother and hugged
them. Mr Stewart walked over to Gordon and put out his hand.
―I am William Stewart,‖ he said, and turning to his wife said, ―This is my wife Lydia Marion
Stewart.‖ Gordon shook her hand. Then pointing to the children he said ―In order Albert is
the oldest, followed by Thomas, Millie, and Archibald.‖
―Hi kids,‖ said Gordon.
―Hi Mr Stewart‖ said the children as they cuddled Susie and her Mother.
―You‘re Jock and Margaret‘s‘ son aren‘t you?‖ asked Mr Stewart.
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―Yes I am, did you know my parents?‖ Gordon asked.
―No‖ Mr Stewart replied. ―I was only told this information in the future that they showed me
and my family.‖ Gordon nodded as he had read the report that Susie had sent to the Office of
Public Trustees, it was the most explicit, detailed report that he had ever read.
―Where do you go when you walk back through the door?‖ He asked.
―We can go where ever we want to go on this Earth, as we are Earth bound. But we don‘t go
anywhere because we are completely happy to stay here.‖ Mr Stewart replied.
The light over the doorway started to blink.
―Come children,‖ he said. ―Goodbye Gordon happy to meet you and shook his hand as did
Mrs Stewart. Goodbye Susie and Mrs Brown, so pleased to see you again!‖
The children ran over to Gordon and hugged him, threw kisses at Susie and her mother and
followed their Father and Mother through the door. Then the little light went out.
Gordon burst out laughing. Took the remote out of his pocket and turned it off and put it back
in his pocket.
―Wasn‘t that beautiful?‖ He said.
―It‘s unbelievable I have seen flying saucers and little green men. Men and woman like you
and I getting in and out of a Space Ships almost half as big as a football ground but they all
pale into insignificance at what I saw and heard here tonight.‖
―Would you like a cup of tea?‖ asked Susie‘s Mother.
―Cup of tea nothing,‖ said Gordon, pulling a flask out of his pocket ―Scotland‘s Scotch.‖ He
said. He took a good solid drink out of it and then offered the flask to Susie‘s mother who
declined, and to Susie who didn‘t, she took a very generous drink and handed the flask back
to him. He stopped for a moment and in a very serious voice said.
―Í wonder if the camera and the tape recorder captured all that happened here tonight. For if it
did, it is going to change the way the entire human race thinks and that is going to be worth
watching.‖
They sat up half the night talking about what had happened and how it had happened. Gordon
was beside himself. As for Susie she was tired and as for Susie‘s mother she was in heaven.
They said their goodnights and went to bed. When the ladies arrived at their room they found
that the beds had been made, for which they were most grateful and they both literally fell
into bed and went to sleep.
Gordon has his bed in the lounge, but unlike the ladies was not a bit tired and sat up thinking
about what had happened, then climbed into bed and fell asleep.
Seven o‘clock in the morning they were all up as they were all early rises, Susie‘s Mother had
gone to the kitchen to see what there was for her to prepare breakfast. She was pleasantly
surprised. There was everything, including, Porridge, bacon and eggs milk butter tea and
coffee and bread. There was even a toaster with its own batteries. She went into the dining
room, just as Gordon and Susie entered.
―Good morning!‖ she said. ―What would you like for breakfast?‖ and she told them what
was available. They both wanted porridge, bacon and eggs, toast and black tea, no sugar.
Susie‘s mother laughed.
―Three out of three is not bad, is it?‖ She said and she returned to the kitchen.
―What a night!‖ said Gordon ―I cannot believe that it happened. I keep pinching myself to
make sure that I‘m not asleep.‖ He burst out laughing.
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―I wonder what they will think of this at ‗The Unusual‘ when they get hold of it, because this
is definitely a first and what a first.‖
Susie‘s mother came through the door with three very large bowls of porridge, and they all
sat down and started to eat. The conversation flowed beautifully between them, for not only
did they like each other but what they had witnessed had bonded them.
At eight o‘clock the big van which had brought everything to the Mansion arrived.
In walked the same two men they had seen before, followed by Mr Watkins. Gordon stood up
and walked towards him.
―Henry what are you doing here?‖ He laughingly asked.
―Very funny Gordon‖ he said. ―You should be on the stage, for the question that every
human being has been asking ever since time began looks like being answered, and you are
asking me. What am I doing here?‖ Everybody in the room including the two men who had
come in with him all burst out laughing.
―Well‖ he said. ―Well Mr Watkins.‖ Gordon replied. ―Last night I spoke with Mr William
Stewart and his lovely wife Lydia Marion and their four beautiful children.‖ He stopped
talking. The effect on those who had not witnessed what had happened stood transfixed,
finding it hard to believe what they had heard.
―Did you remember the remote?‖ asked Mr Watkins pointing to the camera and the tape
recorder. Gordon put his hand in his pocket and tossed what he took out of it to Mr Watkins
who caught it.
―I sure did Henry‖ he replied. ―I sure did!‖
Mr Watkins motioned to the two men to sit down, as he did himself. Turning to Gordon said.
―O.K. Gordon let‘s hear it.‖ Gordon told them everything in detail what had happened. They
listened carefully as he told them of the little light which had appeared over the door leading
to the kitchen and Mr Stewart walking through the closed door with his family following him
and how he walked straight up to him, introduced himself, his wife and family, they shook
hands. It was a very firm handshake. Mr Steward knew his mother and father‘s names
although he had not met them. He said that he saw them in his future. He told them what had
followed. Then the little light started to blink and Mr Stewart said it was time to go and they
all left again, walking through the closed door. As the last child went through the door the
little light stopped blinking and disappeared.‖
Not a word was said after he had finished talking. Not one word!
It was Mr Watkins who broke the silence. ―If this is on the camera and the tape recorder, we
are going to create the greatest upset of all times and an awful lot of people are not going to
like it!‖ He said.
―Stiff!‖ said Gordon, ―The truth is the truth!‖
The two men started to take all they had brought with them last night out to their van. Mr
Watkins was talking and listening to Gordon, Susie and her mother, and he was being visible
affected by what he was hearing. One of the van drivers came into the lounge.
―We are finished Mr Watkins and ready to go.‖ he said.
―Thank you Andrew, we will be right out.‖ He then said his goodbyes to Susie and her
mother.
―I will get in touch with you as soon as I know anything.‖ He said.
―Me too!‖ said Gordon winking at Susie, ―me too!‖ Laughing as he walked out the door.
―I think that he likes you dear,‖ said her mother looking over at her.
―I certainly hope so mother.‖ She said. ―I certainly hope so!‖ She walked over and gave her
mother a squeeze.
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Uncle Bill came through the door. The two ladies walked to meet him.
―Yes or no?‖ He asked.
―Triple Whammy Yes!‖ said Susie‘s mother.
―Whew!‖ He said. ―I didn‘t sleep a wink last night and either did Mary.‖
Not one question did he ask all the way home, as he drove the car into the drive.
―You were very patient Bill,‖ said Susie‘s mother.‖ Not one question, aren‘t you interested?‖
―Oh!‖ He replied. ―I am interested enough, but like everybody else I haven‘t got one
question, I‘ve got hundreds and I knew if I started that I couldn‘t stop, so I didn‘t start.‖
Mary and Vera came flying out the back door.
―Yes or No?‖ they asked. Susie‘s mother wound down the window,
―Triple Whammy, Yes!‖ She replied. They both laughed with happiness.
―Please come inside and tell us everything. I have made you a cup of tea and Vera cooked
you some biscuits.‖ The all went inside and sat down at the table and Susie and her mother
told them everything that had happened.
They were so graphic, that when they were finished telling them everything that had
happened. Nobody said a word.
Then Vera brought the house down.
―Gordon sounds lovely Susie,‖ she said.
Susie couldn‘t believe what was happening everything around her was falling into place. She
had not heard from Mr Watkins or Gordon but as they were part of a special Government
Department she wasn‘t surprised, a little disappointed perhaps as she had not been able to get
Gordon off her mind. She read in the local paper that the Public Trustees Office was putting
all the furniture and the books up for sale, some of them were very valuable.
It was around three o‘clock on the Thursday afternoon when she received this telephone call
from the Public Trustees Office, it was a Mr Michael Brennan.
―Please excuse me for bothering you,‖ he said. ―But I‘m afraid that we are in a bit of a fix
here at the Public Trustees Office and need some help desperately. As you have probably
read we are going to put all the books at the Stewart Mansion up for sale, but we haven‘t got
a catalogue. We have been in touch with people, who do this kind of thing and to get the
books catalogued is going to cost thousands and thousands of pounds and as we are finding it
hard to justify this expenditure we were wondering if you knew of any catalogue already in
existence?‖
―I wouldn‘t have the slightest idea,‖ replied Susie. ―The only person who might know is my
mother, if you like I will contact her and ask her and ring you back?‖ He thanked her, gave
her his telephone number and hung up. She put a little note in her note pad, so that she
wouldn‘t forget, for she was ringing her mother tonight.
Seven o‘clock all done, everything cleaned up she rang her mother. They talked for quite a
few minutes then she looked down at her note pad.
―Do you know if Mr Stewart kept a catalogue of the books in the library?‖ She asked.
―Yes dear,‖ replied her mother. ―All the books are listed in this book with a tartan colour, the
same tartan as the Stewart Clan. I know this for a fact because I have seen it and I have seen
Mr Stewart writing the names of the books in it.‖
They talked for a little while longer and hung up.
Susie was having a few minutes break at work on the Friday when she remembered
Mr Brennan and dialled his number straight away.
―Brennan here,‖ said this male voice.
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―Good morning! Mr Brennan, this is Susie Brown. You rang me yesterday and asked me if
the Stewart family had a catalogue of the books in the library? I rang my mother last night
and she told me that there is such a catalogue and it has a tartan cover, the same as the Clan.‖
―Thank you Miss Brown‖ he said. ―I will follow that up from here.‖
Great weekend as usual and as they drove past the Mansion both she and her Mother who had
driven up with her Uncle Bill, blew kisses and told the family that they loved them.
Uncle Bill not to be outdone stopped the car got out, and waved to the Mansion and got back
in again. They all laughed together. As for the two ladies their whole life had changed and as
far as they were concerned, they felt that they were now a real part of the Stewart family.
What a wonderful weekend, life was like a bowl of cherries, and all the family felt special.
When they went to church last Sunday they all went into a world of their own, their love for
Almighty God, growing stronger every minute.
Monday morning flat to the boards, ―Good Morning Susie Brown is speaking.‖
―Good Morning! This is Gordon Stewart.‖ She felt her heart skip a beat.
―Good Morning, how are you?‖ She asked.
―I couldn‘t be better,‖ he said. ―The reason I rung is that they developed the film from the
camera and the tape from the tape recorder, they are hilarious.‖
―What do you mean by hilarious?‖ She asked.
―I can‘t tell you over the phone,‖ he said. ―I can only show you. I want to go down to the
Mansion next Saturday afternoon, I would like you to bring your mother and the other
members of your family to see and hear what is on the Camera and the tape recorder. Can
you meet me there? If so how would two o‘clock suit you?‖
―That would suit all of us fine,‖ she replied
―It‘s a date then.‖ He said and hung up.
She didn‘t put the phone back straight away, just kept it in her hand and had a vision of the
man she had been talking with, and took a deep breath and put the phone down.
Back to work, ―Good Morning Susie Brown is speaking.‖
―Good Morning this is Michael Brennan from the Public Trustees Office. You told us last
week about a catalogue that your mother says exists, telling us all about the books at the
Stewart Mansion, but we have searched the Mansion high and low and we can‘t find it, we
are wondering if your mother would be kind enough to come to the Mansion and try and help
us?‖
Susie thought for a moment.
―My mother and I can be at the Mansion at one clock this coming Saturday, if that suits you,
we will see you there?‖
―That suits me fine,‖ he said. ―See you on Saturday.‖
All her work done and the unit looking spick and span as always! Susie had a shower, got
dressed and with valise in hand headed for the station. What a day she had in front of her, Mr
Brennan, from the Public Trustees Office. Her mother and her family coming to the Mansion
to see and hear what had been recorded by the Camera and the Tape recorder. Wondering
what Gordon had meant when he said that what was on the camera and tape recorder was
hilarious. She thought for a few seconds then she decided to concentrate on the most
important of them all. Gordon and all the way to Kings Lynn she thought about him and
enjoyed every second of it.
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The train pulled into the station. Her mother, Uncle Bill, Auntie Mary and Vera were waiting
to greet her. The excitement of what they believed they were going to see clearly etched upon
their faces. The drive to the Mansion was full of fun and laughter. Uncle Bill was the quietest
one in the car but that was only on the outside.
They pulled into the driveway, there was a big black car in front of them and standing beside
it was a very smartly dressed chauffeur. He saluted them as they walked past.
―Good Afternoon‖ he said. ―Mr Brennan is inside.‖
Susie thanked him and entered the Mansion through the back door.
The all went to the library where two men were standing talking to each other. On seeing
them the obviously older of the two looked up.
―Miss Brown,‖ he asked. Susie stepped forward and he shook her hand and introduced his
colleague Mr James Phillips.
Susie introduced her family. The introductions over he asked Susie‘s mother if she had any
idea where the tartan covered catalogue could be.
Her Mother laughed. ―Yes I do!‖ She said. She walking behind the very old beautiful desk
put her hand under the desk, they heard a click and a draw came out, in the draw was a tartan
covered book.
Mr Brennan was ecstatic and as he opened it a letter fell out of it on to the floor. He picked it
up and on the outside it read ‗WILL.‘
―Well. Well,‖ he said. ―Look what we have here, the missing WILL. Now isn‘t that exciting.
We can‘t open it, as it must be given to their solicitors, which we will do on Monday
morning.‖ And turning to his colleague said, ―We won‘t do anything about the books until
after this has been cleaned up.‖ And walking behind the desk he put the tartan covered book
in it and pushed it shut. They both left thanking Susie‘s mother for helping them. The
‗WILL,‘ there was one after all. What a surprise! Everyone was wondering who the
beneficiary was but as it wasn‘t going to be one of them, so what did it matter.
Then in walked Gordon dressed very casually and it suited him. He was carrying a bag in his
hand. He walked straight over to Susie and kissed her on the cheek and did the same to her
mother.
―What about us?‖ asked Vera.
―My pleasure‖ he said and kissed both ladies on the cheek and turning to Uncle Bill said.
―I only shake hands with men,‖ which brought great laughter, introductions over.
―Let‘s go out into the kitchen,‖ he said.
―It is smaller and we can pull down the blind.‖
Upon entering the kitchen, Gordon opened his bag and took out a camera and tape recorder
and put them on the table. He took a rather large battery out of his bag, which he connected
them too.
―We will show the pictures on this wall he said as it is nice and white, and should give us a
very clear picture, everybody ready?‖ he asked.
All answered ―yes,‖ so he pulled down the blind and turned on the camera and the recorder.
They saw three people sitting in the lounge; they were Gordon, Eileen and Susie. They all
stood up and starting talking. Gordon had his hand out as if he was shaking hands and the two
ladies had their arms out as if they were cuddling somebody. You could hear their voices
clearly, as if they were talking to someone but there wasn‘t anybody there. Gordon let in run
for a few minutes then stopped it and started to laugh, everybody joined in for if you didn‘t
know the truth, they did look hilarious.
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After they had quietened down Susie asked Gordon what his people thought about it.
―They are out of their trees,‖ he said ―and I will show you why.‖
He restarted the camera at the beginning.
―What do you see over the door?‖ he asked. Over the door was a little light. He fast
forwarded the camera ―and what do you see now?‖ He asked.
They all saw the little light blinking and then go out.
Gordon turned off the Camera and the Tape Recorder, ―Proof, Perfect proof.‖ He said.
―They had read everything that you sent to them and there it is in black and white for all to
see. A little light appeared over the door. After a while it started to blink and the Spirits left
the room and as the last one went through the door the little light went out.
All this written before the camera and the tape recorder were placed in the room.‖
He turned to Susie. ―How can we possibly thank you and your mother for what you have
shown to the world? That there is definitely LIFE AFTER DEATH.‖
He walked over to Susie and kissed her on the mouth, she kissed him back. Then he walked
over to her mother took her in his arms and kissed her on the cheek.
―What about us?‖ said Vera. ―Where‘s ours?‖
He walked over and gently kissed Vera on the mouth and her mother on the cheek.
Turned to Uncle Bill and shook his hand.
―What are your people going to do?‖ asked Susie, her heart still beating with the excitement
of his warm vibrant exciting kiss.
―They are not going to do anything,‖ he said. ―In their considered opinion it would be too
dangerous to release this information to the world as it is today and it would cause chaos.
Imagine the effect that it would have on all the Religions and the churches?‖ He continued
―They are going to release a statement that they cannot prove definitely that life does exist
after death but it is most likely that it does!‖
They asked Gordon to stay and come and have dinner with them, but he declined as he had to
get back and finish his report. All the ladies including Susie got a kiss on the cheek, but he
did squeeze her hand. Uncle Bill got a hand shake.
On the way back to Edinburgh on the following Monday morning, Susie thought over
everything that had happened over the weekend. Her mother finding the Tartan covered
catalogue book and the Will. Gordon showing what had been caught on the camera and heard
on the tape recorder. The people that he worked for telling them, that they cannot definitely
prove that life does exist after death but it most likely does. Was without a doubt the greatest
cop out of all time! Then there was when Gordon kissed her on the mouth and she kissed
back and the gentle squeeze he gave her hand when he left. She gave a huge sigh and gently
went into her own world.
Monday afternoon she received a telephone call from Andrew McTavish and Son Solicitors,
asking her when she and her mother could come to their office, as they had something that
they wanted to discuss with them. She told them that she would ring her mother, and ring
them back. She rang her mother and told her what the solicitors had told her.
―Mary and I are coming to Edinburgh tomorrow we will be there at nine o‘clock.‖ She said.
―But we would like to catch the one thirty back.‖
Susie rang the solicitors and an appointment was made at ten o‘clock tomorrow morning. She
started to think of what it could be, but the phone started to ring.
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As she was lying in bed that night she started to think again about why the Solicitors would
want to see her and her mother, Gordon flashed into her mind and everything else faded into
obscurity.
Susie met Auntie Mary and her mother at the train station and took them to a cafe, just down
from the Solicitor‘s office. After the girl serving them had left Susie asked her mother.
―Why would the Solicitors wanted to see us?‖
―I don‘t know dear‖ her mother replied. ―But Many years ago, when Mrs Stewart and I were
in the kitchen, she said to me that as far as the family was concerned we were one of them
and that we would be looked after if anything happened to them.‖
They were shown into the Solicitor‘s office, Mr McTavish Senior greeted them.
Having all met before they felt perfectly comfortable. Mr McTavish sat down behind his desk
and faced them.
―Ladies,‖ he said. ―I have here in my hand the last Will and Testament of Mr William
Stewart, duly signed and witnessed by two doctors who visited him and his family when they
were alive and to shortcut all the legal jargon I wish to inform you that your mother is your
guardian until you are twenty one when you will inherit the entire Estate and all that belongs
to the Stewart family. Which is valued, with everything including shares at two million four
hundred and eighty Thousand pounds, give or take?‖
Susie felt the blood drain out of her face. She looked at her mother and she like Susie was
plainly in a state of shock.
―The reason that you are inheriting the Estate is that neither Mr nor Mrs Stewart had any next
of Kin, so they left it all to you.‖ He said looking at Susie.
―With your mother as Trustee until you turned twenty one, then it will all become yours.‖
He paused. ―But as you are now over twenty one, you and you alone are the sole owner of the
Stewart Mansion and everything that the owners before you possessed.‖ Both ladies sat
stunned, they couldn‘t believe their ears. Susie owned the Stewart Mansion and everything
that the Stewart family had owned. Susie started to cry, her mother joined her and the two
ladies sat side by side holding on to each other and crying.
It had taken about fifteen minutes before they settled down, then Mr McTavish told them
what had to be done for all the legal requirements to be met and that his firm would do it!
Which, they agreed to immediately. He had Susie sign the authorisation and showed them
out of his office, giving Susie his congratulations as she left.
Susie and her mother walked back into the waiting room where Auntie Mary had been
waiting. Neither said a word. Susie took them back into the café, order two pots of tea and a
variety of cakes. She took out her mobile and rang her work to say that she would not be in
today. Then she told Auntie Mary everything that had happened. When she had finished her
Auntie said. ―You own the Stewart Mansion?‖
―She not only owns the Stewart Mansion she owns everything related to it, lock stock and
barrel.‖ said Susie‘s mother.
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―What are you going to do?‖ Her auntie Mary asked.
―That‘s easy‖ Susie replied.
―I‘m going to sit in this café with two people that I dearly love, drinking tea and eating
cakes.‖ They all burst out laughing.
What to do now that was the question. What was she going to do? Being a realist she decided
not to do anything until everything was finalised, and then make up her mind.
It was Friday night and she rang her mother. ―I would like to go to the Mansion tomorrow
night will you come with me?‖ She asked.
―I have everything packed and ready to go,‘ said her mother. ―Do you want to invite Uncle
Bill, Auntie Mary and Vera?‖ She asked.
―I already have asked them, but they have declined as they believe that what is to be said
between the Stewart family and us, is only for our ears only, maybe some other time.‖
Saturday night, five minutes to eleven Susie and her mother were sitting on the couch in
the lounge room. At Eleven o‘clock, on came the little light and in came the whole family.
The children ran straight over to them and hugged them and they hugged them back. Mr and
Mrs Stewart didn‘t say anything they just let their children enjoy the love of those who loved
them.
―Now children,‖ said Mr Stewart. ―Your mother and I wish to talk with Mrs Brown and
Susie, so please go and sit on the other couch.‖ The children obeyed immediately.
―Now‖ he said. ―Before you begin to thank me and my family for what we have given you. I
would like to tell you what we saw in the other future. The Mansion was sold to an American
with no connection at all to Scotland. He altered it inside so that it looked like a fun parlour
that you see on the television. He burnt my books, put in his own library with the most
puerile garbage you could possibly imagine. The Public Trustees Office kept the money that
they had received, when they sold the property, for twenty years. Then paid it and all other
monies belonging to the Estate, plus the interest it has attracted, into the Governments
Consolidated Revenue,‖ he paused. ―The fact that we have been able to give it to you fills our
hearts with happiness far beyond what you could ever imagine.‖ He walked over and kissed
both Susie and her mother on the cheek, as did Mrs Stewart. The children ran over and
hugged and kissed them. The light started to blink.
―Come! Children,‖ said Mr Stewart and they followed their father and mother through the
door, and the little light went out.
Susie looked at her mother. ―We didn‘t even say thank you,‖ she said.
―We didn‘t have too‘ her Mother replied. ―They already know how thankful we are and how
much we truly love them!‖
Susie was now the proud owner of the ‗Stewart Mansion.‘ All the papers had been signed,
and lodged, and the bank accounts holding thousands and thousands of pounds had been
transferred into her name. She didn‘t feel any different. She was still the same Susie Brown
that she had always been. She had not heard from Gordon for three weeks, that being since he
showed them what was on the camera, and let them hear the tape recording, which as he said
was absolutely hilarious. She was disappointed the way that his bosses had treated what they
had seen and heard, but as they were in control there was nothing that she could do about it.
These three weeks without hearing from or seeing Gordon, was starting to tell. She found
herself getting a bit edgy over the smallest of things and try as she could she was finding it
harder and harder to control.
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When she visited her mother last Saturday her mother took her aside. ‗
―You haven‘t heard from Gordon have you?‖ She asked.
―No mother I haven‘t!‖ She replied.
―You love him don‘t you?‖ said her mother.
―With all my heart and soul,‖ Susie replied. Her mother hugged her and said no more.
She was trying to be as nice as she could be at work, but it was getting harder and that was
starting to worry her. Another bad day today and she was starting to think that it was time to
give it away.
It was nine o‘clock when the door-bell rang and when she opened the door there was Gordon
standing in front of her. He had a beard and his clothes were all grubby and dusty and he had
a suitcase in his hand.
―Oh! Hello Gordon,‖ she said looking down at the suitcase, ―Going away?‖
―Don‘t you give me that hello Gordon, going away bit,‖ he said. ―I‘ve been stuck in this
valley for three weeks, where somebody found a cave that contained Artefacts from way
back. I was the only person who could decipher them.‖ He took a deep breath.
―The Mountains were too high to climb for me to ring you and there wasn‘t any other way
that I could get you a message.‖ He took another deep breath.
―Now are you going to invite me in for a shower and a feast or are you going to keep me
standing out here looking and feeling like an idiot?‖
―Oh forgive me Gordon.‖ She said. ―Please come in.‖
He took off his boots and walked in and she took him to the bathroom, leaving his case,
outside the door.
She started singing to herself as she put the steak on the grille, completely content with what
she had heard. She walked into the lounge and saw this little light over the door. She turned
round and saw Mrs Stewart standing in front of her. Her heart beat with joy and she went
over and hugged her and kissed her on the cheek.
―I have to hurry dear.‖ She said. ―As I haven‘t much time as we are going with the little light
tonight. But I had to come and tell you the end of the future we saw, and why we took it. The
future ended with the name of Stewart being owners of the Mansion for generations to come,
and I thought you would like to know.‖ The light started to blink.
―Bye darling!‖ She said. ―Enjoy your wonderful life to come.‖ And walked through the door
and the little light went out. She went back into the kitchen and turned the steak over for she
remembered Gordon telling her that he liked it well done.
Gordon walked through the door he was clean shaven and casually dressed. He walked over
to her put his arms around her and kissed her very warmly on the mouth, she kissed him back.
He moved away from her.
―What‘s the matter?‖ She asked.
―You are the matter.‖ He replied. ―For the last three weeks I have been through hell, thinking
of you every minute of the day and night. I couldn‘t get you out of my mind and now I‘m
standing in front of you, all my worries and cares have gone and I can smell steak cooking
and I‘m hungry.‖ She put the steak down in front of him and he started to eat it.
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―Anything else you would like?‖ She asked.
―Oh yes, there is one more thing, I would like you to marry me. Will you?‖
―Yes,‖ she said. ―I will!‖
―Good,‖ he said. He stood up and walked over to her and put his arms around her and started
to kiss her passionately. They stayed together for a few minutes, their love flowing like a
river. Susie stepped back and her whole body was trembling with love.
―You had better eat your steak,‖ she said. ―It is getting cold.‖
―What steak?‖ He asked. Susie took him gently by the hand and led him towards her
bedroom.
181
THREE THOUSAND B. C.
Mesopotamia was located between the Tigris and Euphrates River it was approximately 300
miles long and one hundred and fifty miles wide. It is now mostly located in IRAQ,
previously called BABYLON. The language of Babylon was the ARAMAIC language.
It was during the third millennium B.C. in Sumer, of the Mesopotamian Region that the first
writing in the world appeared.
Oldest City is Nineveh. Other cities are Samaria, Uruk and Nippur. The first people were
called the Sumerians.
Farrah was unique in her field. She worked in the translation section of the ‗The Iraq National
Museum,‘ which contained precious relics from the Mesopotamian Civilization. She was a
translator of books, parchments or anything written in Arabic or the old original Aramaic
language, which she could read, write and speak fluently. Her father was a translator as was
his father before him. Their lineage went way back to the Sumerians and her forefathers had
made sure that all their children could speak and read the Aramaic language as it was spoken
at that time. She was an only daughter and her father had taught her everything he knew
about languages. He could read, write and speak not only the language of those millenniums
of years ago, but many of the different Arabic languages of yesterday and today, plus dialects
and of course English.
She had been very busy lately translating the parchments which had been found in a very old
cemetery not far from where the old city of Uruk had been, on the Euphrates River. The
parchments dated back hundreds of years before Christ appeared on the earth. She had
finished translating the parchments that she had been given, and emailed them to the Central
Area in America, which was registering and collating them. There were three others around
the world translating the same parchments as she, and all were forwarded to this central
location for checking by the top people in this field in the world. A couple of times they had
accepted other people‘s translations over hers, but she knew that hers were correct but did not
say anything .She had asked her father to check her translation, which he did, and told her
that hers was correct, the other person was not translating the original language, but one
about nine centuries later, and their translation differed slightly to actually what had occurred.
As usual when she was not translating Farrah went to the Archives to read parchments which
told stories of what had happened in the early ages, and which she found most interesting.
But whenever she did this she left a message on her computer and took her mobile phone
with her. She was just putting this message on her computer when looking up she saw this
very old lady coming towards the counter, she was walking very slowly. Farrah went to the
counter and looked the lady in the face. She could not believe what she was seeing. The lady
before her wasn‘t old; she was ancient and was dressed accordingly. She had a lovely white
broach shaped like the moon pinned to her coat, just below the lapel. Farrah shook her head
and looked again. The lady facing her was definitely ancient. The lady took a book out of the
bag she was carrying, it had a black cover. She handed it to Farrah and said in perfect
Aramaic.
―I want you to translate this book into the language of the day so that it can be understood.‖
Farah looked at the writing on the front cover.
182
„BABIL‟
„Gate of God‟
„ABRACADABRA‟
„Let the thing be‟
THE LIFE OF EJAKIM
„The greatest hero of all time who saved our world‟
She opened the book and was confronted by the most beautiful parchment that she had ever
seen. It was breathtaking. She didn‘t know what to say and the only words to come out of her
mouth were.
―Would you mind if I show this book to my father?‖ She asked.
The Ancient lady nodded. ―He would love it as much as you.‖ she said.
―How much will it cost me to have it translated?‖ She asked.
―It won‘t cost you anything,‖ said Farrah. ―My father and I will do it for the pleasure of
translating it!‖ The Ancient one thanked her.
―I will see you when it is finished,‖ she said and slowly walked away.
Farrah sat down at her desk, removed the gone to the Archives note and started to read the
book the Ancient lady had given her. Then realising that she was going to translate it into
modern language, she set her computer up and read and typed as she went along.
She looked at the time. It was five minutes to closing time. She printed out the pages she had
translated and put them in a folder to put in her carry bag. Turned off her computer and
picked up the book, the folder and went to the change room. She then left the Museum and
headed for home, the book clutched tightly in her hand.
She didn‘t say anything to her father during dinner, as the rule of the house was that business
or anything to do with business was never discussed at the table, only things to do with the
home and the family and despite what had happened to her today, the rule was the rule.
After they had finished their dinner and she and her mother had as always, cleaned up. She
went into his study, taking the book and the translations she had typed when she had started
to do the translation at the museum. Her father looked up as she entered. She didn‘t say
anything, she just handed him the book and her translations. He looked at the cover of the
book and read what it said. He opened it and started to read. He put it down and looked at
Farrah he had a strange look on his face.
―Where did you get this?‖ He asked.
Farrah told him about the Ancient lady and her wanting it translated into modern language.
―I told her that we wouldn‘t charge her any money to translate it.‖
Her father didn‘t say anything for a few minutes. It was quite obvious that the book had
captured his attention.
―This book,‖ he said. ―Is thousands of years old and it is written in pure Aramaic. You are
possibly the only person in history to ever have turned its pages.‖ He paused.
―The person who gave you this book is from that era and is possibly the person who wrote it.
She evidently promised someone, that after he had left this earth his life‘s story would be
brought to attention of those living on the earth at this time and she is keeping her word.‖
He paused again. ―Did she have white broach shaped like the moon on the left hand side of
her body?‖
―Yes father, how do know?‖ She asked.
He looked at his daughter, and said.
―The Ancient lady is a white witch from the time when Ejakim was on this earth and that is
thousands of years ago and she is thousands of years old.‖
183
―What are we going to do father?‖ She asked.
―We are going to translate the book into modern language and not charge her any money for
doing it. We will give the lady back her book and the translation and give the copy of the
translation to the Curator.‖
He set up the screen, lights and the magnifying glass so that the print was made larger and
easier to read. He picked up the papers she had translated and put them in his draw.
―It will be better if we will both translate together as we see it and compare notes after each
page. You will use your computer and I will use mine, please don‘t try and go too fast. We
will do it properly and correctly as we do with all other translations.‖
Two hours later her father called a halt. They checked their translations making very few
alterations to what they had typed and sat back in their chairs. They did this every night for a
week and the translation was finished. They both sat back full of wonderment at what they
had translated.
―Do you believe that this is true or is it just a story?‖ Farrah asked her father.
―There is no doubt that every word is true but who is going to believe it?‖ Her father replied.
Her father put a hardcover on the translations and made them look old. They looked
absolutely beautiful. Farrah took the book and the translation to work. She could not give the
Curator his copy today, as he was away at a conference. So as she wanted to give it to him
personally she decided to wait until the next day, when she knew he would be back. She was
about to go for lunch when the Ancient lady came through the door.
Farrah met her at the counter.
―My father and I have finished translating your book.‖ She said. ―I will go and get it for you.‖
She went to the safe where she had put the translations and the book and took them out and
went back to the Ancient lady. She put the book on the counter and handed the Ancient lady
the translation. She didn‘t open it.
―It is absolutely beautiful,‖ she said. ―I couldn‘t have asked for anything more! I thank you
and your father.‖ She put the translation in her bag and started to walk away.
Farrah called after her. ―Excuse me but you have left your book.‖
―You can keep that one,‖ said the Ancient lady. ―Í have another.‖ And she slowly walked
away.
Farrah couldn‘t get home fast enough but as she knew that she could not tell her father about
the book until after dinner, she left it in his desk in the study. Her father arrived home about
ten minutes after she had and after greeting his wife and daughter he went as he always did
into his study. It was dinner time and everything went as normal, his wife telling him about
her day and the usual bit of gossip. He acted the same as he did every other night. Farrah
joined in but it wasn‘t easy as her father had taught her all her life. Rules are not made to be
broken.
The table cleared, the dishes done. Farrah joined her father in the computer room.
―What did she say?‖ He asked. Farrah gave a huge sigh.
―I handed her the translation she picked it up and said.‖ ‗It is absolutely beautiful,‘ she said.
‗I couldn‘t have asked for anything more and she hadn‘t even opened it. Then she thanked
you and me. Put the translation in her bag and walked away leaving her book on the counter.
―I called after her that she had left her book, but she kept walking.‖
‗You can keep that one,‘ she said ‗I have another.‘
Her father laughed and said. ―How pleasing, this will be without a doubt one of the greatest
treasures the Museum has ever received.‖
184
When Farrah went to work next day she gave the book and the translation which she and her
father had done to the Curator. He asked her where she got it and she told him. He was
evidently in a quandary, for this was unbelievable. Where could you get something original
from thousands of years ago and from whom? He thanked Farrah for the book and the
translation. He knew he was not going to give it to anyone outside of Iraq. It was theirs and
they were going to keep it, plus of course he wanted to read it himself.
―I don‘t want you to tell anyone about the Ancient lady, this book or the translation.‖ He said.
―I want to take it to our people and let them decide what is in our best interest.‖
Farrah agreed to do as she was told and went back to work.
After dinner that night she told her father what the Curator had said about not telling anybody
about the Ancient one, the book or the translation, as he was taking them to our own people
and telling them what I had told him.
―I couldn‘t agree more,‖ said her father.
Farrah woke early Saturday morning, after a restless night‘s sleep. She couldn‘t get her mind
off the book that she and her father had translated. She got out of bed and picked up the copy
of the translated version which they had kept and which her father had also put a hard cover
and she started to read.
King Ejakim was a warrior as was his father before him. He had taken the love of his life to
his side nine months before but she was still not pregnant. There was much talk amongst the
Chiefs, who were disappointed that after nine months she was not pregnant as they wanted a
son and heir to the throne, and under the law of that time if the king‘s Queen, had not
produced a son within two years of them being together. The King had to take another and
Ejakim didn‘t want to do this as his Queen Endear was the love of his life, as he was hers.
During that time there were many witches and people of the night in and around
Mesopotamia and Esaki his closest friend knew of an old witch who lived in a mud cave on
the side of the Tigris River not far from Bagdad. Esaki had been told by friends of his that
she had helped them when their father was badly injured and nobody else could help him.
Ejakim decided to go and see the Witch and he set off on a horse to visit her. It wasn‘t a long
way from his village but he didn‘t go directly to her cave as he did not want anyone to know
that he had been there. He did not tell anyone, including Endear, where he was going. He was
riding an old horse and wearing common place clothes.
After an hour‘s riding he stood outside the witch‘s cave. An old crone with a crooked stick
came out. She looked at him and said. ―I know who you are and why you are here, and
subject to you do as I ask, your prayers will be answered. You will bring me food every
week, whatever fruit or vegetables are in season you will bring to me, also the red and the
sweet berries. If you agree, go down on your knee and your wife will be pregnant with a
child, a son before the year is up.‖ Ejakim went down on his knee and promised the old
crone. Ejakim brought the old crone food, which was in season. The next month his beloved
Endear was pregnant. Everybody was happy, except of course his brother, Allau, who didn‘t
want her to fall pregnant. He knew that Ejakim loved her with all his heart and Allau hated
Ejakim and wanted to be king.
185
As always with men who could be called on to fight any day or night, all of the male
members of the kingdom including Ejakim, practised their arts, be it with the knife, the spear,
bow and arrow, or their strength. It was during one of training sessions that Ejakim was
practicing spear fighting with his brother Allau and the fighting over both men lowered their
spears, then Allau pretended to stumble and drove his spear straight at Ejakims heart. Ejakim
stepped aside and cut Allaus ear off his head with the sharp side of the head of the spear, then
stepped back taking up his fighting position.
There was a deadly silence for unless Allau put down his spear and went down on one knee,
he and Ejakim would fight to the death. Ejakim stayed as he was, Allau picked up his spear
which had been aimed at Ejakim and put it on the ground and went down on his knee. Ejakim
turned around and walked away.
Ejakim would not practice with Allau anymore and the rift between them became greater.
Then by accident Allau found out that early every Sunday morning that Ejakim dressed in the
clothes of the people and riding an old horse and carrying food, rode out of the village and
along the Tigris River, then returned about two hours later without the food. He had one of
his men follow him and the man reported that Ejakim had gone to the old Witches cave and
left the food he had been carrying outside of her cave and returned home. Allau wanted to
know why Ejakim was doing this, but as he had no way of finding out he decided to pay the
old witch a visit and find out for himself.
Taking two of his most loyal men with him he went to the cave. He called the Witch to come
out but she didn‘t and he got very angry and told one of his men to go into the cave and bring
her out. The man didn‘t want to go as he was frightened of the Witch but Allau told him to go
in or he would kill him. The man started to approach the cave when the Witch appeared
carrying her crooked stick. The man very happily walked back.
The witch looked at Allau. ―Evil!‖ she said. ―You are evil and will come to an evil end, and if
you ever come here again it will be the last thing that you ever do!‖ Then she turned and
walked back into the cave. Allau felt fear, possibly for the first time in his life for he knew
that she was telling him the truth. Allau left with his two me following behind him, he was
seething with anger. When he was riding alongside the Tigris River he speared both men in
the back and threw their bodies into the river, for he didn‘t want anybody to know what the
Witch had said to him.
As he neared the village instead of taking the right track to his village, he took the left to the
village of the discarded. He rode his horse into the area where the real lower class
congregated. Nobody went anywhere near him in fact they walked or ran away, for they
knew who he was. He rode up to this drinking house, went to the back and gave the man
standing there his horse and walked inside. He heard this loud laughter and walked towards
it, the man laughing was massive, tall and big and vicious.
He saw Allau, ―Allau, how sorry I am to see you, they told me you were dead.‖ He laughed
―What happened to your ear?‖ Allau heard the laughter from the people in the drinking
house, for they knew that Ejakim had cut off his ear. He felt the anger rising within but he
quieted it as he had more important things on his mind.
―What can I do for you?‘ asked the man who had greeted him.
―Business,‖ said Allau.
―I want to talk business with you, Assassinator.‖ He said. The big man stood up.
―Then you had better come with me.‖ He said. They both walked into a room at the rear of
the drinking house.
Allau came straight to the point, ―I want you to kill my brother Ejakim and that old crone of a
Witch that he goes to see.‖ The Assassinator laughed.
186
―To kill your brother and a Witch is going to cost your dearly.‖ He said.
―When you become king I want that village just up from where the Tigris and Euphrates
come close together.‖
―It is yours.‖ said Allau. ―But how will you kill the Witch?‖
―Easy,‖ said the Assassinator.
―I have a Warlock who likes to drink blood.‖ Allau nodded, and walked out of the room,
retrieved his horse and headed back towards his village.
When he arrived back at his village without his two most loyal men, he told the Chiefs his
men that they had been killed by two spearmen and their bodies were thrown in the river. He
chased the spearmen but they got away. He sent ten men to try and find the killers, but all to
no avail. They could not find any trace of them.
Ejakim was unloading his horse at the Witches cave when he felt the ground shake and he
looked up and saw this giant of a man running at him, he had a spear in his hand. Ejakim was
unarmed and tried to get out of the way when the spear the man was carrying pierced his side.
He fell on the ground bleeding profusely. The big man lifted his spear and held it directly
above Ejakims chest thrusting it down towards him, but just before it reached his body the
man froze, the tip of the spear only centimetres away from Ejakims body.
The Witch who had come out of her cave went to Ejakim who was dying and waved her hand
and a drinking vessel appeared. She held his head up and he drank from the vessel. All the
pain left him, the Witch then placed her hand over his, which he had over the wound, where
the spear had pierced his body. It felt warm, she took her hand away and Ejakim lifted his, he
saw that there was quite a lot of blood, but when he looked at his skin it was as it should be,
there was no cut or marking.
―What do you want me to do with this man?‖ She asked. Pointing to the now would be
Assassinator.
―I would like to meet him in battle if I may.‖ Ejakim replied. ―He has killed many of my
people.‖
The Witch looked over to where the Assassinator‘s horse was standing, lifted her hand and a
spear came from the horse‘s back into her hand, she handed it to Ejakim.
It was the most beautiful spear that he had ever seen and knew immediately that it belonged
to King Khaleds son Atheer, who had disappeared and nobody could find him. Khaled had
sent his soldiers all over the land to find his son, but they couldn‘t find any trace of him. The
Witch looked at Ejakim and told him to move away from the frozen man, which he did and
the spear in the now not frozen man‘s hand, hit hard into the ground. He looked up and saw
Ejakim standing before him with this beautiful spear in his hand.
―I will have to kill you and the old crone now.‖ He said.
―For if Khaled finds out that I killed his son and threw his body to the dogs while he was still
alive, he will come after me and I can‘t let that happen.‖
Ejakim felt this tremendous anger welling up within and he took the warrior stance. The
Assassinator called out ―Come and do your job‖ and a man in a cape appeared, looked over at
the Witch and uttered some words, then threw his hands towards her. The Witch shrieked
with laughter. The man in the cape tried again but to no avail.
―I can‘t kill her.‖ He said. ―She is not from this world.‖
―Either are you now,‖ laughed the Witch. She pointed her crook at him and he disappeared.
Then the Witch walked back into her cave, shrieking with laughter.
187
Ejakim felt this burning fire going through his body. He looked at the Assassinator and
moved into range and they started to fight. He had never felt so strong in his life.
They fought for over half an hour neither man giving an inch. The Assassinator was talking
all the time he was fighting. Ejakim never said a word. Neither man had a mark on the other
The Witch came out of her cave. The Assassinator lunged at Ejakim who saw his chance and
hit him on the head as hard as he could with the side of the spear and knocked him
unconscious.
He turned to the Witch and thanked her. She didn‘t say anything just turned and walked back
into her cave.
He tied the Assassinator up and lifted him on his horse. He was astounded at the strength
which was flowing through his body. He then mounted his own horse and headed towards
King Khaleds kingdom which was situated further down the Tigris River. It was just before
night fall when he arrived and he rode to the building where he knew King Khaled and his
chiefs would be eating. He put on his sash which told people that he was King Ejakim. When
the guard saw his sash he called to another man to come outside. The man took hold of the
horse that Ejakim had been riding. The other man on seeing his sash took him and the other
horse he had with him before King Khaled. Ejakims father had fought with King Khaled, so
he was made very welcome. Having brought the horse carrying the Assassinator in with him,
Ejakim stood before Khaled and knelt on one knee. A silence descended over the gathering
because this meant that the person on bended knee had something to tell the king which was
for his ears only.
They left as one, until only Khaled, Ejakim, and the horse carrying the Assassinator were the
only ones left. Ejakim went to the horse carrying Khaleds son and Atheers spear, removed it
and placed it before him. Khaled picked it up and brandished it gently.
―I gave this spear to Atheer when he was just a little boy and he was so proud of it. I put my
mark on it,‖ and he pointed to just below the head of the spear. #‘ He said showing it to
Ejakim.
―Where did you get it?‖ He asked. Ejakim told him about the Assassinator who told him that
he wanted the spear for himself, so he used it on Atheer and threw him to the dogs while he
was still alive.
―Where is he now?‘ He asked. Ejakim pointed to the horse he had brought in with him.
―Is he still alive?‖
―Yes,‖ Ejakim replied.
―Good,‖ said Khaled. He clapped his hands, two men entered and came up to the king.
―Take my son‘s killer out to the stables and tie him up by the feet. He is to be guarded day
and night and if escapes whoever was supposed to be guarding him, will not see the light of
another day.‖
The Chiefs came back into the room. Khaled stood up and holding up his son‘s spear simply
said. ―Thanks to King Ejakim I have my dead son‘s spear back and the Assassinator who
threw him to the dogs while he was still alive.‖ Everyone stood.
―Kill him! Kill him!‖ They cried out as in one voice.
Khaled held up his hands and they all fell silent. ―I will not kill him.‘ He said.
―I will make his life last as long as I possibly can but I can assure you that every day he will
pray to the God‘s for his life to end.‖ All the Chiefs left, leaving Ejakim and Khaled alone.
Khaled sent a messenger to Ejakims family, that telling them that he was safe and would be
home in the morning.
188
Both men had a good talk that night before going to sleep, and made a pact that if one of
them was in trouble, the other and their armies would come to their aid. In the morning
before leaving Ejakim went out to the stables. The Assassinator was hanging by his feet and
upon seeing Ejakim said. ―You either hit me with a lucky blow or that old Witch tricked me.
Cut me down and let me finish what I started.‖ Ejakim laughed.
―I no longer have any interest in you. You now belong to King Khaled.‖
The Assassinator glared at him but Ejakim saw the fear in his eyes.
He went back into the main hall to say goodbye to Khaled, who on seeing him walked down
and met him half way and hugged him.
―I know that you don‘t want anything from me for what you have done.‖ He said.
―But I would ask you to please accept this little gift.‖ He raised his hand a man came running
from where Khaled had been sitting, bent down on one knee before him and handed him a
long parcel. Khaled took it from him and pulled out a spear. It was the one that Ejakim had
given to him when he arrived. He handed it to Ejakim.
―I can‘t take that,‖ he said. ―That spear belonged to your son Atheer.‖
―My son is dead!‖ said Khaled. ―I am too old to Sire another, so who better to give it to than
the man who brought my son‘s killer to me.‖
Ejakim knelt on one knee before him and accepted the spear.
He left Khaleds kingdom, followed at a discreet distance by twenty of Khaleds best warriors,
for he was going to make sure that Ejakim arrived home safely. They stayed with him until he
was in sight of his village, then raised their spears in salute and rode back the way that they
had come. As he approached his village he was met by a man who had fought with his father.
He went down on his knee before Ejakim.
―I have something I must tell you,‖ he said. ―I saw your brother Allau spear two of his own
men in the back and throw them into the river.‖ Ejakim went pale.
―Are you sure?‖ He asked.
―I am positive.‖ The man replied. ―I was on the other side of the river and saw him do it.‖
Ejakim thanked him and asked him to come with him into the village.
His father and mother, Endear and his son Baladan, greeted him with all the love warmth and
affection that one could expect from those who loved him and whom he loved.
He left them and took the man, who had told him what Allau had done to his men before the
Chiefs. The man told them, that he had seen Allau spear two of his own men in the back and
throw them into the river. Ejakim asked all the Chiefs to assemble their armies as it was time
to deal with Allau. When all the chiefs and their armies were assembled Ejakim addressed
them.
―As you all know my brother Allau tried to have me killed by the Assassinator but failed. He
was also seen spearing two of his most trusted loyal warriors and throwing their bodies in the
Tigris River. As you know I have it in my power the right to challenge him to a fight to the
death.‖
―Yes!‖ came the roar from the assembled gathering. He paused then said. ―But as I have seen
and been involved in enough killings, I am banishing him from our kingdom. Any of his men
who want to go with him can go, those that want to stay will be under the command of the
head Chief and they will do what he says. I am giving my guarantee, that Allau and those
who go with him will not be touched in any way as they leave. But once they are out of our
kingdom they are on their own.‖
189
There was quietness. Then one of the Chiefs standing behind Allau stepped forward and said.
―Neither I or any of my men will be leaving the kingdom. One of the men that Allau killed
was my oldest son, he was a loyal and courageous warrior and Allau speared him in the back
as only a coward would do, what a heartbreaking way for a warrior to die. As you King
Ejakim have guaranteed his safety through your kingdom, neither I nor any of mine will not
harm him in anyway, but when he is outside the kingdom we will kill him and throw his body
to the dogs.‖ He stepped back. Another man stepped forward. ―I am Cyrus, teacher of the
bow and arrow. Like the Chief who has spoken before me, my son was the other man killed
by this coward, speared in the back and thrown into the river, betrayed by the one he served.
Like him I will honour your word while he is in your kingdom and like him after he leaves
your kingdom I will not rest until he is dead.‖
Allau didn‘t say anything, just kicked his horse and rode away, nobody followed him.
Khaled was in great trouble three of the kingdoms bordering his has joined together and
formed an army and attacked him. Their army were greater than his and he needed help
desperately, so he asked Ejakim to help him and Ejakim responded immediately. On his way
he went alone to a farm house not far from the Witches cave and told the farmer to take fruit
and vegetable in season, including berries to the Witch‘s cave every week and by him doing
this he could keep his own entire crop. The farmer readily agreed for he had to give half his
crop to those who collected on behalf of the King.
The first time the farmer took food to the witch she came out of the cave went over to the
food and smelt it. It evidently pleased her for she didn‘t say anything and picked up the food.
It was on his second trip that he took his daughter who was crippled with him. Her arm and
leg on the left side of her body were badly deformed and she had a scar down the other side
on her face. The Witch came out of the cave.
―I cannot help your daughter.‖ She said. ‗But within one month she will be helped by another
like me. She will be on a bridge as will all your family and one like me will come and ask
your daughter for something. If your daughter says yes, you and your family will all live and
she will become beautiful and live a full and happy life. If she says no you will all die.‖
She picked up the food and went back into her cave.
Ejakim and Khaled were in great trouble, the other side had led them into a trap, their army
was on the higher ground and every time Ejakim and Khaled sent in their troops they were
met with hundreds of arrows, costing many of their soldiers their lives. They tried everything
but because of the other army being above them they were at too much of a disadvantage. It
was two weeks later that Ejakim had a dream and in the dream the Witch took him
downstream of the Tigris and floated him across it about forty centimetres above the water.
She took him to a little valley where a large group of people were eating and drinking, he
recognised them. They were the three kings who had joined together and attacked Khaled.
They were being protected by about fifty soldiers with spears and twenty with bow and
arrows.
When Ejakim awoke in the morning he told Khaled what he had dreamed. So they decided to
send a couple of men over that night to see if his dream was true. They returned in the early
hours of the morning. What Ejakim had dreamed was true. They were all in this little valley,
and were being guarded by fifty spearmen and twenty archers.
That night after the sun had gone down, a hundred of their best spear men, and bow and
arrow men swam across the river, and surrounded the people in this little valley.
When the sun rose in the morning Khaled sent a messenger over to the other side and told
them unless they withdrew immediately, he would kill all their kings and their families.
190
The armies withdrew and Khaled and Ejakim went to the little valley where the Kings and
their families were being held. The outcome being that they had to pay Khaled and Ejakim
ten thousand head of cattle, and a large quantity of fruit and vegetables for three years. And
as you can imagine, any of the other kings who might have thought of attacking them, very
quickly changed their mind, for if they lost this was an incredible high price they would have
to pay. Being a warrior King. As soon as his men arrived back home Ejakim made sure that
they practised their skills and were brought up to full fitness ready to protect the kingdom if
necessary.
Allau met a horrible death, the moment he left the kingdom those who had been following
him closed in and took their vengeance. He did not die a quick death and the dogs did get fed.
Ejakim was no longer young. He was aging physically in appearance, but not in strength and
to the amazement of all the people he was as strong as he had ever been. He could throw a
spear further than anyone, and he could shoot an arrow from the longest distance and still put
it in the centre of the target at which he was aiming. He had relinquished his Kingship many
years ago to his son Baladan who was a credit to his father and his people. He had lost his
beautiful Queen Endear. She went to sleep one night and did not awaken in the morning, and
in his heart he mourned for her every day. But true to his promise every week he took the
fruit and vegetables to the Witch and although he had not seen her for many years, every time
he went to the cave the food he had left had gone.
It was a beautiful day and Ejakim was unloading the food he had brought including some of
the red berries which had come into season. He was just about to leave when he looked up
and there standing before him was the Witch.
―Come with me.‖ She said. She walked back into the cave, Ejakim followed her. They went
along a tunnel, towards the light at the end of it. Ejakim thought they were going back into
the day light it was so bright. But he was wrong and he walked into a big room. There was a
humming noise. The Witch turned to him.
―Don‘t be frightened,‖ she said. But I am going to turn back into myself and she started to
glow, the Witch disappeared and Ejakim found himself looking at a bright light. The light
started to speak to him.
―Please do not be frightened this is the real me, I am pure energy. I know you will understand
what I am saying, for when you were dying with that spear in your body I gave you healing
and my energy force entered your body. I know you will not understand everything as your
brain has not developed enough, but you will understand everything that I am going to show
you in pictures.‖
The humming noise grew louder.
―Please close your eyes,‖ said the light. Ejakim feeling no fear closed his eyes. He saw
people like himself kneeling on the ground, their bodies started to glow with light, the light
left the body and the body disappeared. He looked up into the sky it was full of these lights.
―We are no longer physical like you,‖ said the light ―But we are still ourselves. We travel
from one of our worlds to another. As we were travelling from one of our worlds we went
through this door (portal) and we found ourselves in your world.‖ Ejakim opened his eyes the
light was still before him.
―Are you dead?‖ He asked.
―No we are alive and we will live forever, for you cannot kill energy.‖ Came the reply.
―What do you want with me?‖ He asked.
―You are going to save your world from the evil ones who are coming from another world to
take over yours,‖ said the light.
191
―How am I going to save our world?‖ He asked.
―You will be told everything later but I must put more energy into your body now, but not too
much to overload your brain, otherwise it will harm it.‖
Ejakim could not understand why. But he was not frightened, he trusted the Witch and knew
that she wouldn‘t do him any harm. Although he could not understand all that he had seen
and heard, he understood some of it.
―Is my Endear pure energy?‖ He asked.
―No‖ the light replied.
―Your Endear is in a different world where all the physical people go and where you will go
and meet her when you are dead.‖ Ejakim felt his heart beat faster.
―What do you want me to do?‖ He asked. For as far as he was concerned the quicker he was
dead, the quicker he would be with his beloved Endear.
―I want you to walk into that light which is forming in front of you and stay there until the
light goes out.‖ Ejakim didn‘t hesitate he walked straight into the light and stood still. He felt
the warmth of the light flowing through his body and it was a wonderful feeling. He saw
pictures flashing before his eyes, similar to the ones he had seen before. He saw other worlds
and little lights everywhere, then he felt the warmth of the light leaving him and when he
opened his eyes he saw the Witch standing in front of him.
―I will stay like this until the time comes,‖ she said. ―Then I will contact you in a dream and
tell you what to do.‖
―If you are energy?‖ he asked. ―Why do you need the fruit and vegetables to eat?‖
―Because,‖ she replied. ―The fruit and vegetables are full of a certain types of energy.‖
Ejakim mounted his horse and headed back towards his village, his mind was not full of what
he had seen and heard, but of hearing that when he was dead he would be reunited with the
love of his life, his beautiful Queen Endear.
He went to the cave two more times but neither the Witch nor the light appeared, so he
unpacked the fruit and vegetables plus the berries and left.
He had this dream; it was of the farmer whom he had taken the fruit and vegetables to the
Witch, when he was with Khaled. The farmer and his family were being chased by these
people. He didn‘t know why but he knew if they caught them, they would kill them. They
were running over this bridge and decided to hide, by climbing under it. The people chasing
them started searching on and under the bridge as they got near where the farmer and his
family were hiding, a Witch appeared. She went to the daughter who was badly deformed and
scarred, and said. ‗If you give me a small part of your energy, I will cure your condition and
make you beautiful and you will live a happy and full life, I will take you and your family
away from this danger. If you don‘t the people chasing you will kill you. If you agree give me
your hand. The girl gave the Witch her hand and the Witch took it. Then she put her cloak
over all of them and flew into the night and took them back to their farm house and then she
flew away. Ejakim looked at the girl she was standing straight and did not have any scar on
her face.
The dream stayed with him and the next time he was taking the fruit and vegetables to the
Witch, he went to the farmhouse to see if his dream was true. The farmer greeted him as his
king and bowed before him. His daughter came out of the house. It was the girl that he had
seen in his dream. She was completely cured, her legs were straight and she did not have any
scar on her face, she looked beautiful. Ejakim didn‘t say anything and continued to the cave.
The Witch was waiting for him. ―She was exactly as you saw her in your dream, wasn‘t she?‖
She said. Ejakim nodded and asked.
192
―Why did the Witch only want a small part of her energy?‖
―Because,‖ replied the Witch. ―She had not been pure energy very long and she only needed
that small part of the young girl‘s energy to give her life for many eons to come. But we are
not allowed to take it we must ask for it.‖
Ejakim unloaded the food he had brought, said goodbye and headed back for home.
That night he dreamed of something coming out of the sky. It was black and round like a ball
and had lights turning on and off like the lights in the Witches cave. A door opened and a
man walked out. He was big and ugly and Ejakim knew straight away that he was evil. He
saw himself dressed as the King walking into the ball with this man behind him, and the door
closing and the ball going up into the sky.
In the morning Ejakim awakened early. He knew this was the day. He couldn‘t get to the
Witches cave quick enough, for if he was right, this was the day that he would see his
beloved Endear again!
The Witch greeted him. ―You know don‘t you?‖ She said.
―Yes‖ Ejakim replied. ―I know that today is my day to die.‖
―Are you afraid of dying?‖ She asked. Ejakim laughed.
―Today I will die like a warrior and I will see my beloved Endear again. What more could
anyone ask?‖
She handed him a round shiny little ball the size of a passion fruit and said. ―When you are in
the room with this man and all his men, and the man in charge of them tells you what he is
going to do with the people who are in your village and all the other villages, I want you to
throw this up,‖ and she showed him how.
―You must keep your eyes closed when it starts to glow. I will come to you after all the
people involved are dead and we will talk.‖
Ejakim left the cave, mounted his horse and headed back to his village.
He called his son Baladan to him. ―My son,‖ he said. ―There is a man coming down from the
sky in a black ball, this man must think that I am the King, not you! I will then go with him
when he goes back up into the sky.‖
His son told the Chiefs to tell the people that his father was to be their King when the man in
the ‗Black Ball‘ comes out of the sky.
Ejakim and his son were talking about the black ball, when they heard the noise from outside.
They went to see what had caused it. Ejakim was wearing the Kings sash. They saw this
black ball about twice as high as a man, four times as long. There were lights flashing on and
off. A door in the ball opened and a man dressed in black walked out.
It was the evil looking man who Ejakim had seen in his dream. He told his son to stay where
he was and walked over to him.
As he approached the man the man said.
―I am Asslam the ruler of the Protenian people. We come in friendship.
Ejakim stopped before him and said ―I am Ejakim King of these people and many villages
beyond.‖
―I would like to take you and some of your people up into the sky, so you and they can see
the land from above,‖ he said.
―I cannot allow that until I have been there first, to make sure that my people are safe.‖ said
Ejakim.
―When will you come with me on your own?‖ He was asked.
―Now!‖ replied Ejakim, ―I will come with you now!‖
193
Asslam stood aside and Ejakim entered the ‗Black Ball.‘ He was taken to a seat and had a
strap placed over his legs as did Asslam who sat next to him. Ejakim felt the ball take off as
he was pushed back into his seat.
The ball flew over the land and the two rivers then went up into the sky. Ejakim rather liked
it. This rather surprised Asslam as he thought that he would have been frightened.
―Are you going to take me to see the ‗Big Ball‘ Ejakim asked?‖ This caught Asslam by
surprise, for he didn‘t know how anybody living in a world where their weapons of defence
were knives, spears and bow and arrows, would know anything about his ‗Big Ball.‘ But as
Ejakim was not coming back, what difference did it make. He laughed as he headed the
‗Black ball‘ towards the ‗Big Ball.‘ It was immense, even from a long way off and the closer
you get to it, the bigger it became.
The little Black Ball went inside the ‗Big Ball.‘ The door opened and Asslam went out
followed by Ejakim and four men behind him. He led them to a room where ten men were
sitting. As he entered they all stood up and shouted his name. He waved for them to sit down,
and turning to Ejakim said. ―These are my chiefs.‖
He then turned to the Chiefs and said. ―This is Ejakim king of the people‘s land we are going
to take.‖
All the Chiefs laughed and Asslam turning to Ejakim said. ―Did you know that you were
going to die when you got into the little ball?‖
―Yes‖ said Ejakim. ―I did.‖
―Then why did you get in?‖ He asked.
―Well,‖ said Ejakim. ―If I hadn‘t got in the little ball, I would not be here in the ‘Big Ball‘
and if I wasn‘t in the ‗Big Ball‘ I wouldn‘t have been able to kill you and all your people.‖
Asslam laughed and all his chiefs joined in.
―You are going to kill all of us?‖ he asked.
―Yes,‖ said Ejakim. ―I‘m going to kill you and everybody in the ‗Big Ball.‖
―How are you going to do that?‖ asked Asslam.
―With this!‖ said Ejakim. Then he tossed the shiny little ball that the Witch had given him
gently into the air as she had showed him. The shiny little ball was spinning slowly when one
of the Chiefs pointed a stick at it, which sent light from it to the slowly spinning ball. Ejakim
did what the Witch had told him and closed his eyes and when he opened them every man in
the room, including Asslam, was dead.
The shiny little ball was still spinning slowly when the Witch appeared beside it. She put out
her hand and the ball went to it and she put it in her clothes.
Turning to Ejakim she said, ―They are all dead, everybody on this ‗Big Ball‘ except you and I
are dead. Your people and all the other people on your world are now safe.‖ She paused.
―Do you want to go back to your people, or do you want to go and join Endear?‖ she asked.
―Í want to go and join my Endear,‖ he said.
―You are a Warrior King and a man of great courage,‖ said the Witch. ―And I promise you
that long after you have joined your Endear your name will ring with the heroes of your
world.‖ She put her hand on his shoulder and Ejakim fell slowly to the floor, she bathed him
in light and his body disappeared.
The people on the ground heard this tremendous explosion and the sky lit up as far as their
eyes could see. It stayed like that for a long time and then slowly cleared.
Farrah put the book down and there were tears in her eyes. Being a lady she couldn‘t help
feeling joyous about Ejakim and Endear meeting again!
194
Monday had been a long day but like all long days this one was coming to an end. It was only
ten minutes to closing time and Farrah was getting ready to close her computer, when she
looked up and standing before her at the counter, was the Ancient one who had given her the
book.
―Good afternoon dear,‖ she said. ―How nice it is to see you again and as I was passing, I
thought that I might drop in and give this to you, it might make your journey easier.‖ She
handed Farrah a map, showing where the cave that was mentioned in the book was located.
―There must not be more than six people, including you and your father come to the cave,‖
she said. Farrah looked at the map in her hand and she saw what the Witch had said was
clearly written in beautiful Aramaic, under the map. She turned round to get a folder to put
the map in and when she turned back to the counter there was nobody there.
What to do? Should she hand it into the Curator or take it to her father. Not one moment of
hesitation. She put the map into a folder and put it in her bag. Then she went to the change
room, hung up her uniform and returned to her desk. Looked at her watch and left for home.
After dinner that night she went to her father‘s study and handed him the map that the
Ancient one had given her. He read the map and what was on it. Went over to his copier,
turned it on, waited for it to warm up and made two copies, one which he handed to Farrah
and the other he put in his draw.
―What am I going to do with the map?‖ She asked.
―You are going to give it to the Curator in the morning,‖ he said.
As it was obvious that he was finished talking, she went to her room to study it. The map was
a modern one showing all the roads and Highways all over Iraq. There was a blue line drawn
along the left hand side of the Tigris River and it went for about ten kilometres outside
Bagdad‘s boundaries. The line stopped and where it ended was marked with an X.
Underneath the map were the words as she had seen before in the most beautiful writing in
Aramaic that she had ever seen.
‗There must not be more than six people, including you and your father, come to the cave.‘
She put the map her father had given her into a strong envelope and put it under her pillow
and went to sleep. When she awoke in the morning she felt full of happiness and strength.
She had not dreamed anything.
When she arrived at work, she went to the Curators office and handed him the map.
He read it and said ―Thank you!‖ And as she was leaving his office she heard him say on the
phone.
―I want you to come to the Museum this afternoon.‖ She closed the door behind her and
returned to her desk.
The Curator called her in to his office later that morning and told her not to tell anyone about
the map. A week later three men arrived in Bagdad. All were dressed in different types of
clothes each showing to which part of Iraq they belonged. Farrah received a phone call from
the Curator to come to his office. She knocked on the door and she heard the Curator‘s voice
say. ―Come in!‖ And she opened the door and entered. Her father was the first person she
saw, then the three other men and the Curator. The Curator asked them all to sit down.
He introduced himself as, Hass Abbadu, Curator of the National Museum. The three other
men were Abida Al-Alem, Yusuf Abdul-Mumen and Raheem Akim, Iraq‘s foremost
Archaeologists. I want you to meet Hakim Aqil and his daughter Farrah from our Museum.
They speak, read and understand Aramaic perfectly and like all of us, they speak English.
195
―You have all read the translation of the book that the ancient one gave to Farrah, and we
have decided that this will be an entirely Iraqi operation. We do not want any outsiders
involved. Now that we have the map and the location of the cave we are all set to go. We
have followed the Map to the letter and the cave is about a ten kilometres outside of the
boundaries of Bagdad. It is on this side of the Tigris River. My people tell me that there
seems to be a huge build-up of mud at this point. It is very high, wide and long, it could
easily contain a big cave but as we can‘t get any Ariel photographs without telling the people
concerned why we want them. We are at a slight disadvantage. However we will leave
tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. We will have our breakfast here. A Canteen car will follow
us, as will a truckload of heavily armed soldiers, as we don‘t want to be unprotected. They
will stop about one kilometre from the cave. Their officers will be in radio contact with us at
all times.‖
He took a very deep breath. ―We six people are going on a journey of our life time!‖ He said.
―If this map is correct and the Ancient one is in the cave, we are going back into the third
millennium of the Mesopotamic civilization. Before Christ was on the earth.‖ All present felt
the excitement in his voice and it was quickly transferred to them. They all spoke of how they
felt about being involved, said their goodbyes and left.
The Curator called Farrah back into his office, ―I have work to do!‖
Farrah and her father arrived on time, as did the other four people involved. You could feel
the excitement in all of them as they sat down for breakfast. They could have ordered
anything they liked but everybody had something light and easy, as they had more on their
minds than food. Breakfast finished the six people went and entered an eight seater four
wheel drive.
The driver was also a soldier and although he wasn‘t wearing a uniform it showed.
He drove carefully following other cars. Stopping at the lights, and giving way to other cars
when politeness demanded that he should. Then they were out of the boundaries of Bagdad.
The road they were driving along was a bit rugged, but as the eight seater, four wheel drive
was made for comfort, those riding in it, they didn‘t even notice. The driver pulled over to the
side of the road and stopped, as did the car following them. His passengers alighted. Ten very
heavily armed men, not wearing uniforms got out of the other vehicle. The Curator led the
way. The soldiers stayed behind. The river was possibly twenty metres from where they were
walking. There was a sloping mud wall about ten metres high on their right hand side, and
flat grassy land on their left. They came to a big hole in the mud wall; it was obviously the
entrance to the cave. They all stopped.
An old crone dressed like a Witch, pointed hat and all, came out of the cave. She was
carrying a wooden crook and on her dress under her left shoulder she was wearing a pale
white moon shaped broach. They all looked at her. Farrah gasped; it was the ancient one who
had given her the book to be translated.
―Good morning!‖ She said. ―Please follow me?‖ And she went back into the cave.
They followed her in, the opening closed behind them.
―Don‘t be frightened,‖ she said. ―No harm will come to you. I only close it to keep the people
out.‖ They walked along a tunnel it was dark but they could see where they were going. They
were walking towards a very bright light, as bright as the daylight outside. They entered this
room. It was a very big room but the light was so strong that they could not see everything
that was in it. There was a humming noise. There were six very modern comfortable chairs,
close together. The Ancient one dressed like a Witch motioned for them to be seated.
196
―I know that you have all read the book.‖ She said. ―And possibly some of you believe it and
some of you don‘t. Well I have in my hand this little ball,‖ and she opened her hand for all to
see. ―This is the ball I gave to Ejakim when he left my cave that Millennium of your years
ago and like today, when things can be recorded, this recorded what Ejakim said and did on
that day. Please close your eyes and relax.‖ She gently tossed the shiny little ball into the air.
It started to spin and glow and those sitting in the chairs saw this man riding away from a
cave.
A Witch was looking at him as he rode away. She looked something like the Witch who had
brought them into the cave only much younger.
He was not young, possibly in his fifties but he held himself very well. He rode into a
Village, a younger man obviously a relation greeted him. He was wearing a sash across his
shoulder. It was obvious that he was their king. They went inside a mud built building. They
were talking to each other and the watchers could hear everything that they were saying. It
was word for word as Farrah had read in the book. The young man took the sash off his
shoulder and gave it to the older man.
There was a loud noise and both men went outside. They saw this Black Ball about twice as
high as a man and four times as long. There were lights flashing on and off, a door opened
and this very big evil looking man walked out and he was dressed in black.
Farrah couldn‘t believe what she was seeing and hearing. It was exactly the same as seeing a
movie but there is always a difference between what was written and what appears on the
screen, but not in this case it was exactly the same. She became excited when Ejakim entered
the Big Ball and he was taken before the Chiefs. She watched Asslam‘s face when Ejakim
told him that he knew that he was going to die when he entered the Black Ball and that he
was going to kill Asslam and all his people. She held her breath when he tossed the shiny
little ball into the air and closed his eyes.
The ball was still spinning slowly when the Witch appeared beside him. She put out her hand
and the ball went to it, she put it in her clothes and turning to Ejakim who had opened his
eyes. Farrah heard her say.
―They are all dead! Everybody on this ‗Big Ball‘ is dead except you and me.‖
She listened very closely to hear the words that she knew were coming, as they would prove
conclusively that Ejakim had saved the world and all those on it.
The Witch said to Ejakim. ―Thanks to what you have done, your people and all the other
people on your world are now safe.‖ She paused. ―Do you want to go back to your people, or
to want to go and join your Endear?‖
―I want to join my beloved Endear.‖ He said.
―You are a Warrior King and a man of great courage, I promise you that long after you have
joined your Endear, your name will ring with the heroes of your world‖ said the witch.
She put her hand on his shoulder and Ejakim fell slowly to the floor. She bathed him in light
and his body disappeared.
Farrah shed a little tear when Ejakim asked to join his Endear.
They all opened their eyes. They couldn‘t believe what they had seen and heard, for it was
exactly as written in the book.
They all looked at the Witch. ―I have shown you that Ejakim saved your world and all those
who were on it at that time, therefore he is entitled to be remembered as the hero who saved
your world. Is he not?‖ She asked.
They all agreed.
197
―Now!‖ she said. ―I would like to show you my real self. I am not a witch and I am not from
your world. In my world I am pure energy having left my physical body eons ago. By
accident, when I and many like me, were travelling between our worlds, a portal opened in
front of us. We couldn‘t escape it and we have been in your world ever since.
As you can see outwardly I am ancient, but inside I am still the same but if you could help me
I would be most grateful,‖ she paused.
Then she continued. ―If you are prepared to put your hands in front of you and let me touch
them, you will allow my appearance to change and I will survive many more eons in your
world as a much younger looking person and by doing this, you will not cause yourself any
harm.‖
Farrah looked at her father, he put his hands out in front of him and she did the same as did
the other four people involved. The Witch walked past them and gently touched their
hands. They only felt a light tingle she walked away, turned and faced them.
They could not believe their eyes, for she looked like a young girl.
―I will now show you the real me.‖ She said. Then the Witches clothes drop off her and she
became a shining light.
―This is what we look like after we have evolved,‖ said the light. ―We can return to the
physical body any time we like but it is not as comfortable as being a ball of energy.‖ The
light stopped talking and then the light said ―You will not remember me or seeing me as I
really am. The book the translation and the map no longer exist. I have kept my word to
Ejakim and you and yours will spread it, for which I thank you!‖
Farrah walked slowly to work, she had not had much to do lately and was a little bored. But
there wasn‘t anything she could do about it. When she went to her desk behind the front
counter she got the surprise of her life, for on her desk was this big wooden box. She could
not believe her eyes when she opened it, for she found that it was full to the brim with
parchments and they were all in mint condition. She had never seen anything like them.
The Curator came out of his office and he was smiling like a Cheshire cat. He walked over to
Farrah‘s desk. ―Look what they found about a mile from the limits in a mud cave, aren‘t they
beautiful?‘ he was laughing with happiness.
―They are unbelievable,‖ she said. ―They look like they are brand new.‖
The Curator walked away he was still laughing. He stopped as he saw Abdul the property
steward approaching.
―Abdul‖ he said. ―We are going to put all the spears on display, make sure that beautifully
crafted one is put right up front.‖ Abdul nodded.
―Yes Sir, I will do it today.‖ The Curator returned to his office.
Farrah took the parchments gently out of the chest and put them neatly beside her computer.
She looked into the chest and saw a shiny little ball. She took it out and put it beside her
computer. She settled herself down and reached over and picked up the first page and she
read.
King Ejakim was a warrior, as was his father before him. The Shiny little ball beside her
started to glow.
198
THE FUTURE EQUINELINE
Jennifer Green had been going to the races ever since she was knee high, her father Tom was
a compulsive gambler. That is if a person who would bet on two flies crawling up the wall
could be called by that name. He was a form follower, and one of the best. He would study
for hours on end and this day it paid off. He had ten pounds each way on ‗Rimfire‘ when it
won the Melbourne Cup at sixty six to one. He told anyone who would listen that it was a
handicapper‘s certainty. That was when the basic wage was around five pounds ten shillings
per week.
Jennifer definitely had the bug and she went to the races every week but only to the City
meetings as she had a job as a shop assistant in the Melrays Variety store in Sandringham.
She also used to do waitressing at the local café at night, where beside her wages she earned
quite a few tips.
She used to take two pounds ten shillings to the races every week, her highest bet was five
shillings each way. She had gone to Mentone this day and met a boy she knew from the
Mentone dance and he told her to have a bet on Cable News in the first race it was a hurdle.
She had five shillings each way on the totalisator on Cable News. It ran third and paid twenty
six pounds five shillings for a place. She had ten shillings each way on her selection in the
next two races but they both lost. She watched the next race as she didn‘t like anything in it.
She fancied ‗Calgara‘ in the sixth race. She was going to put ten shillings each way but as it
was thirty three to one, she only had five shillings each way. It won, it was then that she knew
that her luck was in and she had a pound each way on ‗Temple Chief‘ in the next. It was also
thirty three to one, it also won. Her purse was full of money and she had never seen so much
money and she shook all the way home in the train. For her purse was full.
When she arrived home she counted the money in her purse. She had sixty eight pounds and
four shillings.
She lifted the money that she took to the races to five pounds but still had five shilling each
way bets and a ten shilling double with the doubles bookmakers. She used to stand opposite
Albert Smith one of the biggest bookmakers on the course and a personality to boot. She
noticed that on a regular basis he would offer better odds than any other bookmaker on the
favourite and other times less and he used to keep one or more horses safe, by this he would
not lift their price up when he was adjusting his board. She was standing there one day when
this very smartly dressed man approached Mr Smith, they talked together for a few minutes,
and then Mr Smith looked down at his clerk and said, ―Ten Thousand pounds on ‗Lord!‘ for
Mr Bailey.‖ He looked at the gentleman and asked him. ―Would you like it again, Sir?‖
―Yes please!‖ He replied. Mr Smith told his clerk to record the bet and Mr Bailey walked
away. ‗Lord‘ was six to one.
Mr Smith didn‘t alter the price on his board, he just kept betting. He then beckoned a man
from the crowd to come to him and when he did he whispered something in his ear. The man
walked away. Jennifer followed him. He stopped and talked to two men, then turned back and
talked to two other men at the other end of the ring. Jennifer looked at the boards. The
bookmaker in front of her he had ‗Lord‘ at seven to one. She opened her purse took out he
Cunning bin money.
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This being money that you put away for an emergency and as far as she was concerned
anyone having twenty thousand pounds on a horse, was definitely an emergency. Her
Cunning bin was twenty pounds. She went to the bookmaker offering seven to one about
‗Lord‘ and had a hundred and forty pounds to twenty. Then they came from everywhere and
backed Lord down to five to two. She walked back to Mr Smith‘s stand. He had five to two
the same as every other bookmaker ‗Lord‘ won on the bit. She went and collected her
hundred and sixty pounds, this being twenty pounds at seven to one plus her twenty pounds
back. She then went back and stood in front of Mr Smith‘s stand. The man who Mr Smith
had called over handed him a piece of paper, he looked at it.
―Well done! Julian,‖ he said. ―Well done!‖
Jennifer‘s luck was running at a lovely even bat, she had not had a losing day in over two
months. Today the races were being held at Caulfield, this was without a doubt her favourite
course. She had lifted her bank so that she took twenty pounds to the races. She had already
marked a couple of horses she was going to back. She had backed both of them on different
courses to no avail. She had only had five shillings each way on them but neither had got a
place. This was the first time they had ever raced together on the same day at the same track.
As soon as she arrived at the course she went to the doubles bookmakers. Both horses were
twenty to one with all of them. She had a pound on the double. She would collect four
hundred and one pounds if they both won.
She had a couple of bets on the first three races but she didn‘t get a place. Not that it worried
her, as she only had ten shillings each way on them. Race five was the first leg of her double
with the doubles bookmakers. She had a pound each way on the first leg of her double at
twenty to one. It won easily and she went and collected twenty seven pounds. No bet in race
six. Race seven was the second leg of her four hundred and one pound double. She didn‘t
back her selection as she already had it going for four hundred and one pounds. The horse‘s
number was five, her favourite number at Caulfield. As the horses entered the straight her
horse was running third on the rails. It was then that she decided that she had to go to the
ladies room and off she went. While she was in there she decided to freshen her makeup. She
went back out on to the course and looked up at the judge‘s numbers. Number five was in top
place. Her heart was beating much faster as she approached the bookmaker‘s stand where she
had placed her bet. The bookmaker‘s clerk counted out four hundred and one pounds. She
couldn‘t believe her luck four hundred pounds was a fortune. She didn‘t have a bet on the last
race as she had, had enough excitement for one day.
Moonee Valley, she liked, but it wasn‘t as good as Caulfield, but it wasn‘t bad. Lost on the
first four races, couldn‘t even get near them. She was standing opposite the bookmakers
stands when Michael Pitt walked past. She heard his name called and she looked over, a very
well dressed man with two very lovely looking ladies on his arms, went over to Michael and
introduced the ladies to him.
―What do you fancy Michael?‖ He asked.
―I have ten thousand on Tommy Hoppos mount,‖ he said.
―Do you think it can win?‖ asked the man.
Michael looked at him for a moment. ―I sincerely hope so!‖ He said.
She opened her purse, she had sixty pounds in it including the money in the Cunning bin. She
looked around the ring. The top price was five to two.
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―One hundred and fifty to sixty‖ said the bookmaker. This meant that, if it won with her own
sixty pounds back, she would get two hundred and ten pounds.
The jockey flogged it all the way up the straight. It won by six lengths and was bleeding from
where he had hit it. She decided not to have another bet, as she didn‘t fancy anything.
One day when she was at Moonee Valley with her father, one of his friends and workmates
Don Morrison, another railway man just prior to the last race came up and asked him to lend
him five shillings.
―I will give you a quid‖ (pound) said Dad.
―No thanks Tom,‖ he said. ―I have backed all the winners up to date and I have put it all on
this horse in the last race. I don‘t want to hear the race so I am going outside.‖
In those days if you left the racecourse even if the races were over, you had to pay to get back
inside. His horse got beaten by a nose in a photo finish.
Her father told her about the type of punter Don Morrison was. There was a horse named
‗Fresh Boy‘ who beat one of the best fields in Melbourne. They took it to Sydney and Don
told her father that he had four thousand pounds and that he was going to Sydney to back it as
long as he could get six to four or two to one. Being a Railway man he could get a real good
deal from the Railways, so off he went.
When he came back he told her father what had happened.
―The bookmakers were preparing their boards.‖ he said. ―And they had ‗Fresh Boy‘ at twenty
to one. He asked this Bookmaker when he was going to set his board.‖
―It‘s set!‖ said the Bookmaker.
―Don handed him a thousand pounds, twenty thousand to a thousand ‗Fresh Boy.‖ The
Bookmaker said, as he wrote the ticket.
Then he said to me. ―Would you like it again?‖
―Yes thank you,‖ I said.
The Bookmaker wrote another ticket. ―Would you like it again?‖ I asked.
―No thank you!‖ said the Bookmaker. Don finished up having four thousand pounds on
‗Fresh Boy‘ at twenty to one for the win and it bolted in.
Like her father who was now in the great racecourse in the sky, had taught her. She would go
around the stalls looking at the horses. She would also go and watch them being walked by
the strappers, watch them being taken to the mounting yard and heading for the barriers.
She was at Flemington when she again saw this man whom she had seen doing exactly the
same things as she did, at the other Race Courses. It was obvious that he knew what he was
doing. There was something about him which put him above everyone else but she didn‘t
know what it was, although she knew that he was definitely different.
She had never seen him have a bet or go to the betting ring. He had a pair of the most
beautiful binoculars she had ever seen. He used to watch the races at the furlong post,
standing about ten feet back from the railings. He was just over six feet tall and very
obviously kept himself in top class condition. Her curiosity got the better of her and after the
horses had passed them on the way to the saddling enclosure she walked up to him.
―Good afternoon!‖ she said. ―My name is Jennifer Green and like you I study the horses, but
unlike you I have a bet.‖ He smiled at her and it was a very genuine smile.
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―Glad to meet you Jennifer, my name is Abe Long,‖ he said. Holding out his hand to shake
hers, which she quickly did! ―You should know quite a lot about me?‖ he said, ―as you have
been watching me for weeks.‖
―And why not!‖ said Jennifer. ―We are both lovers of horses, aren‘t we?‖
―That is certainly true.‖ he said, ―I have no doubt about that!‖
―Where are you from?‖ She asked.
He laughed. ―Actually I am from here!‖
―Not at this time, future or past?‖ She asked. He burst out laughing.
―Now that would be telling wouldn‘t it?‖ He said. ―Just say that I am here in the present.‖
Jennifer shrugged. ―Whatever suits you? You never have a bet do you?‖ She said.
―No I don‘t bet,‖ he replied. ―My only interest is in the horses and I‘m an expert in this field,
I am in fact actually the top man in the world. There is not anybody in my world who knows
as much as I do about horses.‖
―You must be good!‖ said Jennifer.
―Yes I am.‖ He replied without the slightest ego in his voice.
The upcoming race was a six furlong race down the straight six.
―Oh isn‘t he beautiful?‖ He asked.
Jennifer looked over and saw the most beautiful looking stallion she had ever seen, going
past. He was being ridden by a lady jockey.
―He is a very strong looking horse.‖ She said. ―Don‘t you think that he should have a stronger
jockey?‖ He looked at her.
―Did you have a good look at her when she went past she looked like she was part of the
horse? There is not a jockey in the world who can ride him like she can and besides that,
they adore each other.‖
A little man approached them and walked straight up to Abe.
―Hello Abe.‖ He said.
―Hello Robert how are you?‖
―Good thank you, yourself?‖
―Never better thank you!‖ Abe replied.
He introduced Jennifer to him. ―This is my friend Robert Harley, Robert is a Veterinarian.
They shook hands.
―What did you think of him?‖ He asked. Robert shook his head.
―He is the most magnificent horse that I have never seen. He is so beautifully balanced.‖
―Do you think that he will win?‖ asked Jennifer.
Both men answered ―Yes!‖ As in one voice.
Jennifer persisted. ―You realise that the favourite has had three starts down the straight six
and won then all and there is only three pounds between them?‖
―Yes‖ replied Abe. ―But this horse is classes above him.‖ He and his friend walked down
closer to the rail.
Jennifer walked back into the lawns and headed for the Bookmakers. They had ‗Pythagoras‘
at twenty five to one. She looked at the totalisator board, number seven was showing over
thirty three to one. She opened her purse she had including her Cunning bin, one hundred and
twenty pounds. She went to the five pound window and had a hundred and twenty pounds on
number seven for a win. She counted her tickets and headed for the furlong post. Abe and
Bob were standing together very engrossed in what they were talking about. They stopped
talking as she approached.
The horses were in the stalls, the bell rang. ―THERE OFF!‖ Came the Announcers voice.
The favourite took the lead on the inside rail. ‗Pythagoras‘ was coming down the outside rail.
According to the Announcer they stayed the same as they approached the furlong post,
‗Pythagoras‘ was about two lengths behind the favourite who was leading; they were about
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four lengths in front of the other horses. As they went past the furlong post Abe looked over
at Robert.
―He certainly is a champion isn‘t he?‖ Robert nodded his head.
―Do you think he will catch the favourite?‖ asked Jennifer. Both men burst out laughing.
―He will catch the favourite before the half furlong post‖ said Abe.
Jennifer didn‘t say anything! She couldn‘t hear the Announcer over the noise of the crowd.
Both men were laughing, both obviously very pleased with the result. Abe looked at her.
―He won!‖ he said. ―You have no worry of that!‖ Jennifer smiled her thanks and looked up at
the judge‘s box. Then up came the number, it was number seven.
They walked towards where the horses came back into the mounting yard. Abe and Robert
were talking about the horse and rider and what a lovely job they had done. They clapped
them as they went passed them. The horse was not even blowing; he looked as though he
could go another around again. Jennifer could not be sure but she could have sworn that the
horse acknowledged them as it went past. As for the jockey she was patting it and talking to it
as they went in and she heard her telling him what a lovely horse he was. The second horse
the favourite was definitely doing it hard, being the honest horse he was he had given it
everything that he had and it showed.
She excused herself and went to the tote and stopped dead in amazement, she had forgotten
his price. Number seven had paid nine pounds ten shillings for five shillings making her
collect four thousand, five hundred and sixty pounds.
She had never had that much money in her life, she could buy a house with it. She couldn‘t
stop trembling. She collected her money walked out to the lawn and looked down towards the
furlong post but they weren‘t there. She kept looking down to the furlong post before each
race but they weren‘t there. Possibly they had left the course. She was quite disappointed for
they were good company, besides knowing a lot more about horses than she did. She didn‘t
have another bet that day she just watched.
She went to Moonee Valley the next week, hoping to meet Abe again but he evidently wasn‘t
there, or if he was she didn‘t see him. She looked at the horses, the jockeys and studied the
form but it was a waste of time there was something missing, nothing seemed the same and
for the first time she could ever remember, she was glad when the races were over.
It was a long week but then like all long days and weeks it came to an end. Friday night when
studying the form there it was. ‗Pythagoras,‘ race six, it was over a mile. His saddlecloth
number was eleven. He had drawn barrier five and was carrying eight stone seven pounds.
Pat Moran was the jockey. His price was twelve to one.
It was Saturday she preened herself to the best of her ability. Went to her now very healthy
Cunning bin and took out five hundred pounds which she put in the secret section of her
purse. She knew she looked nice and felt nicer. Five hundred pounds in the back of her purse,
in her Cunning bin and fifty pounds in the front and going to the races, who could ask for
anything more. She didn‘t want to make it too obvious so she never left for the furlong post
until just before the horses left the mounting yard. As she left the side of the grandstand and
walked on to the lawns, she looked down and there was Abe standing by himself. She felt her
heart miss a beat, not with love but with excitement.
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Abe welcomed her like an old friend and told her how pleased he was to see her. She thanked
him and asked him what happened last week and why he wasn‘t at the races.
―I was called away.‖ He said. ―I was needed to sort out a problem.‖ He laughed. ―I knew that
I would see you here today after what happened at Flemington, did you bring your Coming
bin?‖ Jennifer laughed,
―It is a Cunning bin, not a Coming bin, and yes I brought it!‖
―Good.‖ He said. ―I am so pleased.‖
―Do you think that he will win today?‖ she asked.
―Definitely,‖ he said.
The races came and went and Jennifer didn‘t have a bet. She and Abe talked about horses and
he told her how impressed he was of her knowledge regarding them. This pleased her
immensely.
Race five at last. She could feel the excitement coursing through her veins. They went around
to the stalls, his stall was sixty eight. As they approached the horse looked up and stretched
his neck in their direction and neighed.
―You seem to have an effect on this horse, don‘t you?‖ She said.
―Yes I do!‖ Abe replied, ―As he does on me. I love horses and he knows it, he knows that I
have a special feeling for him and being an intelligent animal it is naturally reciprocated.‖
The horse left for a warm up walk. Abe and Jennifer went to the betting ring. Jennifer got a
very pleasant surprise, for like it said in the paper. ‗Pythagoras‘ was twelve to one with the
books but he was fifteen to one on the tote.
―Aren‘t you surprised at his price?‖ asked Jennifer.
―I don‘t know anything about prices.‖ Abe replied. ―I only know about horses.‖
―You seem very confident that he will win‖ she said.
―Why not.‖ he relied. ―I have studied all the form of the other horses, the weights they
carried, their times and the distances. ‗Pythagoras‘ has only won one race and three of these
others have won three and the others two. But they are giving him seven pounds and he could
beat all of these if he was giving them seven pounds.‖
On the totalisator Pythagoras was sixteen to one, Jennifer opened her purse she had fifty
pounds in the front section. She went to her Cunning bin took out the five hundred pounds
and putting the lot into her hand walked up to the five pound window and put the lot on
number eleven for a win.
―THERE OFF!‖ Pythagoras settled down on the rails in second last position, he stayed that
way until they were turning into the straight. The horses in front when coming round the turn
left the rails to go out into the better going in the centre of the track. When they straightened
up Jennifer couldn‘t believe her eyes for Pythagoras was two lengths in front and coasting, as
he did to the line. She turned and looked at Abe and said.
―He‘s not a good horse; he is a champion, isn‘t he?‖
―Yes.‖ Abe replied. ―He is a world champion!‖
She was quiet for a minute then it hit her that she had invested five hundred and fifty pounds
on Pythagoras on the tote and it had won. Abe must have caught her thoughts.
―Let us go and see what you have won.‖ He said. They both walked towards the totalisator
area. Jennifer looked up it had paid Four pounds for the win and one pound five shillings for
the place. This meant that she was going to collect Eight thousand Eight hundred pounds.
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―That is a nice result isn‘t it?‖ He said.
―Very nice indeed!‖ said Jennifer, who had been adding it up in her mind. Eight thousand
Eight hundred pounds was a fortune. She felt like pinching herself to see if she was awake,
but decided against it. They enjoyed each other‘s company until the last race then they said
their goodbyes and parted.
Pythagoras was not entered for Moonee Valley and the fields were terrible. It was one of
those Country Cup meetings. Where boat races could be the order of the day! The winner of a
boat race is decided before the horses go on the track so she stayed home. She had never had
so much money in her life and it made her feel different, more independent.
Flemington again! There he was, Pythagoras. Race five, horse nine and barrier three. Weight
eight stone nine pounds. His price was two to one. Jockey Pat Moran.
Nice new dress, hair permed, new bag and shoes, she felt like a million quid. Walked out on
the lawn and looked down at the furlong post and there were Abe and Robert standing
together.
She walked down to them and as she approached they looked up. ‗
―Well! Well!‖ said Abe. ―Who do we have here?‖ Turning to Robert, he said, ―Do you think
we have a film star here?‖
―Either that or a heiress.‖ replied Robert.
They both carried on for quite a while, until the horses came down the track towards the start.
One of the horses shied as he came past and ran out into the centre of the track but it had not
done itself any harm and the jockey soon had it under control. Pythagoras went passed, he
looked dreadful. The jockey was looking down at him it was quite obvious that she was
worried.
Robert looked over at Pythagoras.
―This is the day!‖ He said. ―They had done it! This is definitely the day they have doped
him.‖ He called out to the jockey.
―Take him back, take him back now, they have doped him.‖ She turned the horse round and
headed back to the saddling paddock.
A clerk of the course came up to her, she spoke to him and they went back together. Robert
took off at top speed, closely followed by Abe and Jennifer at quite a distance behind him, all
heading straight for the saddling paddock. Robert kept showing who ever came near him a
badge he had in his hand and they let him pass. The stewards were talking when he reached
them, he held up his badge out.
―I‘m Robert Harley Chief Investigator for the doping of horses and I am taking this horse to
the Government Veterinary Clinic.‖ And talking to the strapper said ―Take this horse back to
his stall. You will find two men waiting for you to take him to the Clinic.‖
One of the Stewards started to tell him that he was not satisfied and that the horse should be
removed from the course. Robert raised his hand above his head, a policeman as big as a
house appeared. ―Go with this strapper and make sure this horse goes to the Veterinary Clinic
immediately.‖ He said. The steward stepped back as the strapper, horse, and the policeman
headed for the stalls.
Robert turned to Abe who was standing outside the fence. He said.
―Find out who it was and what they gave him.‖ Abe was gone in an instant. Jennifer stood by
the outside rail not knowing what to do, so she went off after Abe. Pat Moran the jockey was
standing there crying her heart out.
Jennifer followed Abe to the stall. A man in an open neck shirt was standing in the stall.
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―Do you know who did it?‖ Abe asked.
―Yes‖ the man replied. ―It was that big man standing up near the entrance.‖
―Who did they send?‖ He asked.
―They sent Jeffrey.‖ The man replied.
―Where is he then?‖ Abe asked. ―He is standing right next to you.‖ said a voice beside him.
Abe turned to him and said. ―It‘s that big man near the entrance, make it quick.‖
Jeffrey walked up to the big man near the entrance and started talking to him. The big man
lunged at him only to find himself flying through the air and landing on his back. Then as he
started to get up, Jeffrey who was standing beside him, leant over him and put his hand in a
most private area. You would have to been able to hear the scream that came out of his mouth
in the saddling paddock. He started talking to the man.
He looked over to Abe. ―It‘s over there in a cardboard box.‖ He said pointing to a small dust
bin. Jeffrey didn‘t move, neither did the man on the ground. Abe nodded to the man standing
next to him and he went over and looked into the dust bin. Put in his hand and pulled out a
cardboard box and opened it. He nodded, ―It is here!‖
―Take it to the clinic now,‖ said Abe. The man hurried off and turning to Jeffrey said, ―Find
out who got him to do it!‖ Jeffrey leant over the man on the ground and he put his hand back
to where he had put it before.
―I can‘t tell you that,‖ said the big man, ―he will kill me!‖ Abe just nodded to Jeffrey. The
scream was unbelievable but he fought hard to keep his mouth shut, but Jeffrey just applied
more pressure and the big man told him what he wanted to know. He looked at Abe.
―What will I do with him?‖
―Let him go!‖ said Abe. Jeffrey stood back and the big man stood up and staggered away.
Jeffrey had gone. Abe was standing in the stall. He didn‘t know how he felt. They had the
needle and the poison. They knew who did it and why. It was an illegal starting price
bookmaker. His clients had backed Pythagoras for hundreds of thousands of pounds. So he
doped the horse. Pythagoras was in the clinic being attended to by the best veterinarians and
toxicologists in the land, of which Robert Harley was one.
He sat on the stool in the stall and put his head in his hands. At least they knew what it was as
they had the needle. So they had a chance. He felt this movement in front of him, he looked
up. It was Jennifer. He stood up.
―This is what you came here for, isn‘t it?‖ She asked.
―You really are from the future and something happened back in our time which caused
tremendous damage in yours. You and your people have come back to try and correct it!
Haven‘t you?‖ Abe looked at her.
―Would you like a cup of tea?‖ he asked. She nodded. So he took her arm and they went to
the cafe. They ordered two pots of tea and some cake. Neither said anything!
Abe starting talking, ―Pythagoras is the legend in our world, no other stallion can get
anywhere near his progeny. Over the years it was noticed that many of the stallions and
mares developed a weakness in the leg which prevented them from galloping correctly and
eventually they went lame altogether. For years our Scientists tested every horse to no avail,
until last year, when Robert Harley, the man who was with me, discovered that it was a
Miasm being transferred through the genes.
He tried hundreds of medicines all to no avail, until one day by accident he put two of the
samples together and he found that the Miasm had an infection, which was stopping us from
curing it. We could cure up to the Miasm but couldn‘t isolate, or cure the infection. Nor could
we identify it. So it was decided that we would have to go back to the day when the actual
doping and infection took place. It is very tricky as we have to alter the time line, so that the
doping and the infection and the curing all occur on the same day.
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It was only after going through our records we came across this incident, which we now
know is the day he was doped. So here we are and here we will stay, until we solve the
problem.‖
Abe sat back and sipped his tea.
―Where are you from?‖ asked Jennifer.
―We are from here!‖ Abe replied. ―But not at this time.‖
―What year are you from?‖ She asked. Abe laughed.
―That my dear young lady is for me to know and for you not to find out.‖
―Why not?‖ asked Jennifer.
―It could get you into an awful lot of trouble. Imagine if your Government found out that you
had made contact with people from the future. You would be in great danger.‖ He replied.
―What about you?‖ ―Couldn‘t they take you prisoner and make you tell them about the
future?‖ Abe laughed.
―No, we can return to our time instantly any time we like and nothing can stop us.‖
―What about after you have gone and the people remember everything that happened about
Pythagoras?‖
―They will just put it down to another doping by somebody after money. Which it was,‖ Abe
replied.
―What about me?‖ She asked. ―What if I tell them all that I know?‖ Abe burst out laughing.
―I can imagine what sort of a reception you would get if you told people that you had been
talking to people from the future. Don‘t you?‖
―Yes,‖ replied Jennifer. ―I certainly do!‖ Abe stood up said his goodbye and left.
It was headlines ‗PYTHAGORAS DOPED,‘ Illegal starting price bookmakers suspected.
Police were hot on the heels of those involved in illegal bookmaking.
It went on and on and sold many newspapers but nobody was charged and nobody was going
to be charged. For in this day and age, business was business.
Robert and his crew were working day and night. Then Abe got the news he had been waiting
for. They had found a medicine which would not only cure the Miasm but would also destroy
the infection. They had tried it on ten horses in their time and within two days their blood was
clean, and the little sack on the rump which was controlling the condition had disappeared.
They had to give the medicine to Pythagoras on the same day as he had been doped. So they
were altering the time line.
Flemington again! There he was Pythagoras Race five, Horse Nine and Barrier three. Weight
eight stone Nine pounds. His price was two to one. Jockey Pat Moran.
Nice new dress, hair permed, new bag and shoes, felt like a million quid. Walked out on the
lawn and looked down at the furlong post and Abe and Robert were standing talking together.
She heard them talking.
―Did you give him the Medicine?‖ Abe ask Robert.
―Yes,‖ Robert replied. ―Right after the big man left, Kerrie washed the wound where he had
put the needle with Calendula and Hypericum lotion. The man, who put the needle in
Pythagoras, wasn‘t gentle with it. He was still bleeding where he had injected him. Then we
injected our Medicine.‖
―How long before it works?‖
―We believe it will work instantly but we will have to wait until he comes past us to know for
sure.‖
―What about the time line?‖ asked Abe.
―Excellent,‖ replied Robert. ―For today is the day he was doped.‖
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They stopped talking as Jennifer approached. She walked down to them she had the funniest
feeling of having done this before.
As she approached they looked up. ―Well! Well! Who do we have here?‖ asked Abe.
Turning to Robert said. ―Do you think we have a film star here?‖
―Either that or a heiress.‖ He replied. They carried on for quite a while until the horses came
down the track towards the start. One of the horses shied as he came past and ran out into the
centre of the track but it had not done itself any harm and the jockey soon had it under
control. Pythagoras went passed and he looked absolutely magnificent. Jennifer heard the
greatest sigh of relief it was possible to imagine. She turned and looked at Abe. Other than
his face being slightly pale he didn‘t look any different. Robert on the other hand was smiling
from ear to ear.
―Are you alright?‖ She asked Abe.
―I couldn‘t be any better.‖ He replied. ―I couldn‘t be any better.‖ Both men looked at each
other. The relief in their eyes and on their faces said everything.
Jennifer had been to the Bookmakers ring. Pythagoras was six to four with all bookmakers.
She had over a thousand pounds in her Cunning bin and was about to walk away when she
thought. Any winning price is a good price. She looked at the totalisator. Number nine was
even money. She walked past the Bookmakers they were not doing any business. Then out of
the blue as she neared this Bookmaker he called. ―Two to one Pythagoras‖ She had her purse
open and the thousand pounds from her Cunning bin in his hand before any other punter
could reach him.
Pythagoras came around the turn about four lengths in front. They all burst out laughing as he
went past. For Pat Moran his jockey was singing to him and he loved it! He went to the line
four lengths ahead of the nearest horse and he wouldn‘t have blown out a candle. Abe and
Robert were at peace with the world and it showed. Robert excused himself and left.
They walked up to the betting ring where Jennifer collected her three thousand pounds. Abe
excused himself and went up to the five pound window of the totalisator and bought a ticket.
―Well,‖ she said. ―This is definitely a first isn‘t it?‖
―And possibly a last,‖ he replied.
―What did you back?‖
―Not telling you,‖ said Abe. ―This is my secret!‖
―I love secrets‖ Jennifer said. ―Will you tell me later?‖
―Yes I will,‖ Abe replied.
They walked down to the furlong post together. Jennifer didn‘t want to bet any more so they
stood together watching the races and talking about Pythagoras, the good luck that she had,
had after meeting him and Robert.
The last race was over, Abe walked with Jennifer up to the betting ring. He turned to her.
―I probably won‘t be seeing you again.‖ He said.
―I am being sent to Sydney where Pythagoras is to be stabled.‖
He handed her a ticket, leant over and gently kissed her on the cheek.
―I will never forget you!‖ He said and walked away.
She looked down at the ticket he had given her it was five pound ticket for the daily double.
The numbers were eleven in the first leg and thirteen in the second. She looked at the result
board.
The numbers for the double were eleven and thirteen and the dividend was two hundred
pounds the ticket she was holding in her hand was worth four thousand Pounds.
She looked where Abe had gone but he was nowhere to be seen. She felt this tear rolling
down her face. She felt as if her heart was broken. Not romantically but certainly personally.
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For she had never met anybody who could talk about horses like Abe did and it seemed to
have filled a void within her. It made her feel important. She gave a huge sigh but what could
she do about it?
She decided to collect her winnings in town on Monday as she didn‘t want to have that sort of
money on her again.
She tried to work out all that had happened as she walked to the train station but decided to
give it the flick. She was too tired so she would try and work it out later.
209
**HIRAM MOSS
Hiram was an accountant and he was brilliant. He had been employed by his firm five years
before and as with every other accountant joining the firm he had started at the bottom. He
was now head accountant with fifty people working under him. He had this unbelievable
memory. He could read any document twice and tell you everything that was in it. He had
been married for ten years to his wife Rosa, who was without a doubt the best back stop you
could every wish to meet. Family first was her motto and she never deviated.
They had two children. A boy eight years old, named Hiram, after his father and a daughter
Fanny, she was six years old and was named after Rosa‘s mother. As far as Rosa was
concerned it was her job, to look after her husband and her children. She was quite clever in
her own right. But she did not go to work. Not that she wouldn‘t have gone had they needed
the money, but as they didn‘t she stayed at home.
Hiram had this one passion, it was the Stock Exchange. He absolutely adored it. He read
everything about it and the people. He was a walking encyclopaedia as far as he was
concerned, but not having any excess money and knowing that Rosa would not approve of
him investing any of their money on the Stock Exchange, so he just studied it!
Rosa was a voluntary worker and she would go where ever she was wanted, as long as it was
between the hours her children were at school, but only between those hours.
She naturally made a lot of friends among the staff and the other workers and every now and
again she would invite them over for dinner. As most of those invited were of the same ilk as
they, a good time was generally had by all.
Hiram as always arrived home around six thirty and was greeted very lovingly by his wife
and children. As far as Hiram was concerned this was the highlight of the day and he looked
forward to it.
Rosa had rung him that day to tell him that she had a wonderful surprise for him but refused
to tell him what it was.
On his arrival he was greeted as usual by Rosa and the children. A man and woman were
standing behind them. Rosa turned to them ―Louis and Vena Cane please meet my husband
Hiram.‖ She said. They all shook hands.
Hiram turned to Rosa ―Well,‖ he said.
―You will find out later,‖ she laughingly replied. Then turning to Louis and Vena said,
―This is an in house joke we will share it with you later.‖
As usual it was a most beautiful dinner, everybody enjoyed themselves immensely. It was
now after dinner. The children had been put to bed and the adults were sitting in the lounge
with their coffee and liquors. Rosa and Vena went out to the kitchen doing the dishes and
tiding up.
The two men were sitting in the lounge sipping their drinks.
―I believe that you are an accountant?‖ Louis asked Hiram.
―Yes,‖ Hiram replied. ―I work for Butterfield International.‖
―They are a big well known firm and sought after on the Stock Exchange,‖ said Louis.
Hiram looked at him ―What do you do Louis?‖ He asked
―I work on the floor of the Stock Exchange‖ Louis replied.
210
Evidently Rosa and Daisy had been listening at the door, as they both came into the lounge.
―Surprise, Surprise!‖ said Rosa. Both ladies were laughing.
Hiram looked at Rosa, ―Very funny!‖ he said laughingly, ―Very funny!‖
Rosa turned to Louis. ―My husband is mad on the Stock Exchange. He reads anything and
everything about it. He can tell you the names of the top twenty in that field and how the
prices of shares have changed since I know not when. When Daisy told me that you were on
the floor of the Stock Exchange, I just had to invite you for dinner.‖
Rosa and Vena returned to the kitchen, the two men got down to the nitty gritty. The Stock
Exchange, Louis worked for Benjamin Tuppence & Associates one of the oldest and biggest
Brokers in New York. He sat there in amazement as he and Hiram discussed people, prices
and information, that only a person involved in the Stock Exchange could have known and
the night passed so quickly. Now it was time for them to part, it was like telling two
honeymooners that the bridal suite was taken and it didn‘t go down to well with them at all.
―We will have to do this again!‖ said Hiram. Louis laughed.
―We will be doing this again, don‘t you worry about that!‖ He said.
―As quick as it can be arranged.‖ They all laughed and said their goodnights.
Their friendship developed and they became like two peas in a pod. Louis had taken Hiram
on to the floor of the exchange, told him and showed him everything. And everything was an
unbelievable amount of knowledge, gained over ten years as one of the foremost floor men
working for one of the biggest stock broking firms in New York.
Louis asked Hiram why he didn‘t invest and Hiram told him quite openly that Rosa didn‘t
want him to invest any of their money on the Stock Exchange and that was that!
Their friendship developed and Louis gave Hiram the tips that he got off the top men and
strange as it may seem he was not the least disappointed over this, as his family were doing
very well financially and he was completely satisfied.
Then Hiram received a letter from a Lawyer in Chicago informing him that his Uncle Aaron
had died and as he was his only relative, he left his entire estate to him.
Hiram went to Chicago and contacted the lawyer involved and got the shock of his life. His
Uncle was a millionaire and by the time everything was sold up with the exception of the
shares which Hiram kept, he received in cash just over eight million dollars.
Being Hiram everything was put in the bank, for he knew that Rosa would want him too.
He started a Trust portfolio for the shares from the Estate, for Rosa, their two children and
himself.
He came home from work one day and Rosa told him that after they had put the children to
bed that she wanted to talk to him.
They were both sitting in the lounge enjoying their coffee, when Rosa started to talk.
―I have examined our finances, I can‘t tell you how pleased and grateful to Almighty God I
am as to how much money we have. It runs into the multi-millions, so I have decided that I
will give you one quarter of Uncle Aarons Estate for you to invest on the Stock Exchange.‖
Hiram couldn‘t believe his ears. His Rosa was going to give him two million dollars to invest
on the stock exchange. He didn‘t say a word walked over to the bar and poured out a very
stiff whisky which he drank straight down. He looked at Rosa holding up the bottle but she
declined.
211
She continued. ―You must never invest any more than one quarter of your original Capital at
any one time and only twenty five per event of the profit made on any dealing also you must
not invest in futures.‖
His accountants mind started to laugh. Twenty five per cent of Uncle Aarons money, plus
twenty five per cent of any profit and no futures, was the same advice he would have given to
anyone who asked him how they should invest their money.
She stopped talking and sipped her coffee.
He stood up walked over to Rosa‘s chair held out his hand and helped her rise from the chair,
took her in his arms and kissed her. His love flow being greeted with hers as they stood with
their arms around each other. They parted gently. She walked over to the table and picked up
an envelope, walked back to Hiram and handed it to him. He opened it, there were two
cheques each for one million dollars, both were payable to him and both the cheques were
signed by her, all that was needed was his signature.
―You will open your trading account with this two million dollars; the account will be in your
name, mine and the two children. You will pay into Benjamin Tuppence and Associates one
million dollars which will put you in the millionaires club.‖
She paused. ―From then on what you do with it has nothing to do with me or the children,
you are in complete control.‖
Hiram looked at his wife. ―You are something else. Aren‘t you?‖ He said.
―I‘m not the only one am I?‖ Came her reply.
Lying in bed, Hiram‘s mind was ticking over like a clock. What he would do and how he
would do it. I won‘t get much sleep tonight he thought as he laid there. The next thing he
knew was the alarm going off. He had slept right through the night.
Usual morning chores for him and Rosa, everything had to be done just right, none of this
sloppy business, the children were being taught how things should be and would be done.
Hiram arrived at the office and rang Louis, and asked him if he could meet him at the Coffee
Club at noon?
―No worries!‖ replied Louis. ―I have nothing planned for today.‖
Hiram settled down to work. He had this system where he had an ‗IN‘ tray and an ‘OUT‘
tray. As soon as anything hit the out tray his secretary Beryl, who had been with him for five
years, took one look at it and knew what had to be done. The amount of work they could get
through in a day had to be seen to be believed.
Today was no exception, no thoughts of his meeting with Louis or the Stock Exchange
entered his head and as usual he concentrated specifically on what was in front of him.
He reached over to get another file when Beryl stopped him picking it up.
―It is quarter to twelve Mr Moss and you told me to tell you, as you have an appointment
at noon.‖
Hiram looked at his watch, thanked her and put on his coat and left the office.
When Hiram entered the Coffee Club, he saw that Louis was sitting in their usual alcove at
the rear. They were regular customers and only had to tell the owners they were coming, to
have it reserved for them.
The hellos over Hiram sat down opposite Louis.
―Have I got something to tell you?‖ He said. ―It will blow your mind just like it blew mine
but first let us eat and I will tell you everything later.‖
212
They had their usual snacks and the waitress brought their coffee.
Hiram took a deep breath and told Louis what Rosa had done.
Louis couldn‘t believe his ears.
―You are trying to tell me that your Rosa gave you two million dollars to invest on the stock
exchange?‖ He burst out laughing.
―I don‘t believe you!‖ he said. ―You are pulling my leg.‖
Hiram took the envelope out of his pocket, took out the two cheques and handed them to
Louis. Louis read them handed them back and started to laugh and Hiram joined him. But
they couldn‘t help themselves and everybody in the café was looking at them, but they didn‘t
care, for this was without a doubt one of the greatest miracles of all times.
The fact that Rosa, possibly one of the most careful people on Almighty God‘s earth would
give anyone two million dollars to invest on the Stock Exchange was unbelievable.
It took them about five minutes to settle down.
―What are you going to do?‖ asked Louis.
―I am going to do as I was told. I am going to take a cheque for one million dollars to your
firm today and make an application to join the millionaire‘s club and when I get my clearance
and my certificate I will sit down and talk to you.‖
―Good‖ said Louis and taking out his wallet he took a card out of it, on which he wrote
something on the back of it and he handed it to Hiram who read; ‗Dear James, please ring
me,‘ it was signed Louis.
―The man you will have to see is James Patterson. Tell the girl who answers the phone that I
told you to call him.‖ said Louis.
They left the café with Hiram telling Louis that he would keep in touch with him.
On his way back to his office Hiram called into their bank, which was in the same building as
the offices where he worked. The officer who handled the transaction told Hiram that he
could draw on the account immediately as both of the Accounts involved were with the bank.
Hiram asked for a Bank cheque to be made out to Benjamin Tuppence and Associates for one
million dollars and five minutes later he had it in his hand.
He arrived back at his office, his staff was still on lunch so he called and asked for Mr
Patterson.
―I don‘t know if he is available can I have your name?‖ The lady asked who had answered his
phone call. He gave her his name and told her that Mr Louis Cane told him to ring Mr
Patterson.
―James Patterson speaking, Mr Moss‖ came this very deep and authoritative voice. ―How can
I help you?‖
Hiram told him that he wanted to join the Millionaires club and that his friend Louis Cane
had told him to call him.
―I can see you at five o‘clock today or eight thirty tomorrow morning. Which suits you?‖
―Five o‘clock today would be excellent thank you!‖ said Hiram. So it was arranged.
The time as usual went quickly and at four thirty he left the office and headed towards Mr
Patterson‘s office. Arriving there a bit after four fifty, for as always he liked to be punctual.
A few minutes later he was ushered into Mr Patterson‘s office. Mr Patterson was sitting
behind this huge desk, it was plush to say the least everything in the office smelt of money
and success, Hiram could not help but admire it.
Mr Patterson was in his early forties and was definitely a fitness addict, he looked terrific. He
stood up from behind his desk, walked around and greeted Hiram with a very firm
handshake.
213
He motioned Hiram to sit down in this very plush chair, he felt his body being lowered very
gently down, it was a nice feeling.
Mr Patterson wasted no time. ―You know our Louis Cane?‖ He asked
―Yes.‖ Answered Hiram and handed him Louis‘s card.
Mr Patterson read what was on the back of it.
―Please excuse me.‖ He said. He picked up his phone. ―Please come in Jean!‖ He said.
The girl who had let him in came through the door with her pad and pencil in her hand.
―Thank you Jean.‖ He said. ―I want you to take down all Moss‘s particulars relative to joining
the millionaire‘s Club, fill in the form and get him to sign it!‖
―Please excuse me‖ He said to Hiram. ―I will be back in a few minutes.‖
Jean sat on the chair that she had taken from against the wall. It was an ordinary chair, not
padded like the one that Hiram was sitting on.
―Please call me Jean, Mr Moss.‖ She said. Whilst taking out a form, from under her pad
which Hiram saw on the top ‗The Millionaire‘s Club‘ she started asking him questions.
About ten minutes later Mr Patterson returned, just as Jean was asking her last questions.
―We need two references.‖ She said.
―Louis Cane.‖ Hiram Replied. He then gave her his address.
Jean looked up. ―Is this our Louis Cane?‖ She asked.
―Yes.‖ Hiram replied. ―But I will have to get you another one as I was not prepared for this.‖
―Don‘t bother,‖ said Mr Patterson and reached over and signed the paper. He then turned to
Jean. ―Make up Mr Moss‘s certificate and give him copies of all his rights and certify
everything when he pays the million dollars.‖
―I have a Bank cheque here with me for one million dollars made out to your firm,‖ Said
Hiram. Then he handed the Bank cheque to Mr Patterson, who took it, looked at it and
turning to the Jean said, ―Please make out Mr Moss‘s certificate and give it to him with all
the portfolio information.‖
Jean stood up, took the papers involved and the cheque from Mr Patterson and left the room.
Mr Patterson turned to Hiram. ―Welcome to our Company.‖ He said and he handed Hiram a
card. ―This is my direct number if you need any help in anything at any time, please
ring me.‖ Hiram thanked him and they shook hands.
As he walked out Jean who was typing looked up and said, ―Please wait a few minutes Mr
Moss, I only have a few lines to finish.‖ She took the paper out of the typewriter and handed
to Hiram.
―Please sign the original and the copy.‖ She said pointing to the area concerned. Then she
signed as having witnessed his signature. She then gave him a large envelope full of papers
and a wallet containing a number of cards.
―Each card is listed as to its activities and is very easy to understand.‖ She said.
Then she gave him a business card. ―If you have a problem please ring me on this number, it
is a closed line. Goodbye, Mr Moss and congratulations!‖ She said.
―Goodbye Jean and Thank you for everything!‖ he relied.
She smiled her thanks.
214
Driving home Hiram now a member of the millionaire‘s club was having a ball. He went over
everything that had happened and was as happy as he could possibly be for everything he had
to do, he had done!
Rosa and the children met him at the front door. He picked up Rosa and swung her around,
putting her gently down and kissing her. The children joined in the fun and he did the same to
them. They had a lovely dinner and everything was normal, nothing was said of what had
happened that day that would be kept for later.
The children had gone to bed and Hiram as usual helped Rosa with the cleaning up and the
dishes. He poured a couple of liquor‘s and they sat down in front of the open fire.
Rosa never said a word and then Hiram gave a huge sigh and told her everything that had
happened including Louis‘s card which opened every door.
He showed her his Certificate stating that he was a member of the millionaire club and all the
cards and pages of information that he had not yet read. Rosa asked him if he would like to be
left alone to study them but he replied in the negative and looking over at her said. ―No thank
you I would rather sit here and talk with you.‖ So the two of them sat together in the lounge
room sipping their liquor‘s whilst Hiram told her of his love for her and how proud she had
made him, for in his mind he had always wanted to be a member of the millionaire‘s club.
They talked together for about two hours then Rosa went to bed. Hiram stayed up and read
the documents relative to the cards and their uses and all the other papers that Jean had given
him. They were easy to understand, everything was plain and simple.
He had never felt happier in his life and he thanked the good Lord for looking after him and
his family. He joined Rosa in bed and within a few minutes he was fast asleep, as was Rosa
beside him.
The alarm went off and a new day had begun, everything as usual went as clockwork and
Hiram left for work, whilst Rosa got the children ready for school.
On arriving at work and as always a little earlier that he was supposed to start. He rang Louis
who was at home as he did not start till much later than he did and he told him everything that
had happened the day before and thanked him for what he had done. Louis‘s answer was as
usual, honest and sincere, ―That‘s what friends are for.‖ They spoke for about ten minutes
and arranged to meet at the Coffee Club for lunch.
The morning as usual was a busy one, for his firm had hundreds of clients and all problems
were sent to Hiram and him alone, no one else was allowed to make any decisions relative to
their client‘s problems other than Hiram.
Sitting in their usual alcove at the Coffee Club, after they had finished their meal, Hiram had
told Louis everything.
―What are you going to do now?‖ asked Louis.
―I am going to contact this friend of mine and ask him his advice as to what I should invest
in.‖ Hiram replied.
―You couldn‘t do any better‖ said Louis. ―He is definitely a hot shot.‖
They both laughed but deep down they were bonded and they both knew it.
Ten days later Louis rang Hiram ―Harry Finklestein told me that if I had a few dollars to
spare it would pay me to buy ‗Greenway‘ shares, but buy them today as tomorrow will be too
late. They are two dollars fifty at the moment and there are thousands of shares available.‖
―Buy me a hundred thousand,‖ said Hiram.
―Will do!‖ said Louis and hung up.
215
Hiram‘s day started the same as any other day his mind completely on what he was doing, the
Stock Market did not get a mention or a thought.
He received a phone call from Louis around two thirty. ―How does four dollars fifteen
sound?‖ He asked.
―Sounds good to me,‖ Hiram replied.
―Sounds good to me too!‖ said Louis and hung up.
The shares climbed gradually up until they hit five dollars. Hiram received a phone call from
Louis.
―Harry tells me today would be a good day to sell,‖ he said.
―Then let‘s sell,‖ said Hiram.
―O.K!‖ said Louis. Hiram checked the Stock Exchange as the close of business. ‗Greenway‘
was five dollars.
After he had arrived home and all the usual things had been attended too, he sat with Rosa in
the lounge and told her what had happened.
―We made a profit of about two hundred and fifty thousand dollars today.‖ He said.
Rosa didn‘t say a word, just kept sipping her drink. ‗
―Doesn‘t that excite you?‖ He asked.
She looked at him and said. ―Thanks to the Almighty Lord we have more money than we
ever dreamed of, why would more money excite me?‖ She paused, ―What does excite me is
that you are where you have always wanted to be and you love it! I love you being there.‖
Hiram looked at her. ―I couldn‘t have done any better than you could I?‖
―No,‖ she said. ―You couldn‘t.‖ They both burst out laughing.
In the next twelve months he invested only on the tips that Louis gave him and did very well
indeed, especially in a gold mine where he bought the shares for twenty eight cents and sold
them for six dollars and fifty cents.
Being an accountant he always kept his mind on all matters dealing with money and not
including the two million dollars that Rosa had given him. He had six million three hundred
thousand dollars and Uncle Aaron‘s shares.
He had not bought any shares for months when he received a telephone call from Louis.
―I have got to see you tonight.‖ He said. ―And it is on the utmost importance.‖
―Are you in trouble?‖ He asked.
―No, but I can‘t talk over the phone.‖
Hiram thought for a second, ―If you like I will ring Rosa and you and Vena can come over for
dinner?‖
―That would be great!‖ said Louis.
―Good‖ said Hiram I will ring you back.
He rang Rosa and asked her if Louis and Vena could come over for dinner?
―Seven o‘clock would suit me fine.‖ Rosa replied.
Hiram rang Louis back. ―Seven o‘clock how does that suit?‖
―Fine!‖ came the reply. ―See you then!‖
216
It was an excellent dinner and the conversation was as usual, no business or anything to do
with it. Only things in which the both families could relate to were discussed. Louis was a
trifle edgy and it showed and he tried to play along with the others, but it was hard work.
Then it was over and the ladies took the children upstairs and Louis and Hiram went into the
lounge.
―What would you like to drink?‖ Hiram asked.
―I will have double whisky, neat, thank you and I would advise you to have the same.‖ said
Louis. Hiram laughed and poured out the two very strong drinks, handed Louis his and with
his in his hand sat down opposite him.
Louis took a very big swig of his drink, then put it down on the table next to him, looked at
Hiram and started to talk. ―A friend of Vena rang her today, she works for Samuel
Rubenstein and she told her that after taking dictation she returned to her office but evidently
the door didn‘t close properly and she heard him talking on the phone.
―The Samuel Rubenstein?‖ asked Hiram.
―Yes.‖ replied Louis. ‗The Samuel Rubenstein,‖ he hesitated for a minute then he said.
―This is what he said and what she wrote down in shorthand. He was talking to someone on
the phone and he said.‖
‗Listen very carefully and take down all that I tell you. The name of the firm is White and
Holmes, they are investors.‘
―Evidently the person on the other end of the phone told him there was no such firm listed on
the Stock Exchange, for he said in a very angry voice.‖ ‗Shut up and listen! I know they are
not listed. You just listen to me and do what I tell you, they are being listed on Monday. You
will get in touch with our fifteen subsidiary companies and tell them on Monday morning
next, each using a different Stockbroker are to buy as many shares as they can from four
dollars to seven dollars fifty but no more, understand?‘
He was laughing, ‗This is the bottom floor, these shares will never see this price again and
within six months they will be four times this price and rising.‘
―He must have been asked if the shares were going to be four times the price why stop at
seven dollars fifty.‖
‗Because,‘ he said. ‗If we keep buying everybody will wake up and the price will go through
the roof but if we leave off at seven dollars fifty we can come in again later.‘
―He was evidently asked if he and his colleagues were going to be involved.‖
‗No, none of us will be anywhere near any Stockbroker or the exchange on Monday. We will
all be at our usual Monday morning meeting. Now repeat to me what I have told you to do?‘
―He stopped talking and there was quietness.‖ Then he said ‗Good‘ and he hung up.
Hiram didn‘t say a word, he stood up and went over and picked up Louis‘s empty glass and
went over to the whisky bottle and poured Louis and himself another very stiff drink. He
handed Louis‘s glass to him and sat down in his own seat and took quite a big sip of his
drink.
―Once in a lifetime!‖ said Hiram. ―This is what millionaires and billionaires are made of and
evidently you and I are being giving the opportunity to be involved.‖
Louis didn‘t say a word, he just sipped his drink. Both men fell silent engrossed in their own
thoughts.
Then Hiram looking at Louis said. ―I will talk with Rosa tonight and tell you in the morning
before the exchange opens, how much money I will have to buy these shares and I assure you
it will be the most I possibly can!‖
217
They went over all that which had been said by Samuel Rubenstein, who incidentally was one
of the top men, if not the top man on the share market. He was a legend at making those he
favoured and breaking those he didn‘t favour.
Louis and Vena had left. Hiram and Rosa were sitting in the lounge room sipping their
drinks. She looked up at Hiram, and said. ―Tell me everything from start to finish.‖
He was as usual his meticulous self, starting at the beginning and telling her everything that
Louis had told him in detail and what it could mean to be involved. It took him over twenty
minutes as he did not leave anything out.
Rosa never interrupted him. She just let him tell her what had happened, how it had happened
and most importantly where it had happened. He stopped talking, looked at her and said.
―I want you to allow me to put the most I can possibly put into this venture as it is only
comes once in a lifetime!‖
Rosa sat there full of pride that her husband was asking her to let him break their agreement
and go for broke.
―How much money do we have in the account?‖ She asked.
―We have six million three hundred thousand dollars.‖ Hiram replied.
―That is a lot of money,‖ said Rosa. ―Tomorrow I want you to go to the bank and get a Bank
cheque for three million dollars made out to Benjamin Tuppence and Associates and pay it
into your account and when the Exchange opens on Monday, I want you and Louis to have
the time of your lives.‖
Hiram leaped to his feet and started towards her. She held up her hand and he stopped.
―Í want you to know where I am coming from,‖ she said, ―This is where it is!‖
She paused. ―If we lose the entire four million dollars, this being the three million we are
putting into the millionaire‘s account tomorrow and the one million dollars which is already
in it. We are still in front Three hundred thousand dollars. Our capital is still intact. That in
my mind, that puts us in the ‗Let‘s have a go division‘ because we have everything to gain
and nothing to lose!‖
Hiram looked at her. ―You wouldn‘t be looking for a job would you?‖ He asked. ―If you are I
will hire you and the spot.‖
Rosa laughed. ―No thank you!‖ She said. ―I have my job and I am completely satisfied with
it.‖
She stood up and walked towards him and he towards her and they embraced with all the
warmth love respect and affection they had for each other. Rosa was tired and headed for bed.
Hiram rang Louis and told him the good news.
―Your wife is the most surprising person I have ever met in my life!‖ said Louis. ―And smart
as paint, you are married to a real treasure.‖
―Haven‘t we both.‖ said Hiram laughingly. ―See you tomorrow.‖
It was Monday morning and Hiram was sitting at his desk, it was five minutes to ten, the
exchange opened at ten o‘clock. He had put the three million dollars into his millionaires
account and all that could be done had been done. The battle between Hiram the Accountant
and Hiram the Investor was raging, fiercely. He was finding it difficult to concentrate fully
on what he was doing. Saved by the bell! The Chairman entered his office.
―Hiram!‖ he said. ―We have a Mr Nagato from Japan who wants someone to show him over
our firm and I could think of no one better to do that than you!‖
Hiram stood up put on his coat and followed the chairman to the boardroom.
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Mr Nagato was a small man, very impeccably dressed and looked as fit as a fiddle. He had a
handshake which told you that he was in control of himself and knew what he was doing. He
spoke perfect English. The introductions over Hiram took him to each department, introduced
to the head of the department they were inspecting and asked them to accompany Mr Nagato
and him, as they went to the different sections. It was fun and it soon became very obvious
the Mr Nagato was no slouch in the Accountancy business.
Hiram the Head Accountant was the man showing Mr Nagato around, Hiram the Investor
was nowhere to be seen.
It was lunchtime and Hiram asked Mr Nagato if he wanted to eat with the Board Members, in
the staff canteen or go out?
―I have always wanted to go to one of those coffee shops where you can have a light meal
and enjoy the surroundings.‖ He said.
Hiram laughed, ―I know just the place to go!‖ He said. ―My friend and I go there all the
time.‖ He excused himself and rang and asked the owner of the Coffee Club to reserve the
alcove for him and a friend.
Although it was only a block away Hiram asked Mr Nagato if he would like to walk or would
they get a cab?
―Let‘s walk.‖ He said.
So they set off towards the Coffee Club. Mr Nagato was having a ball because everything
you could imagine walked the streets of New York. They reached the Coffee Club and were
welcomed by the owner who escorted them to the Alcove. Both men ordered mixed
sandwiches, fruit, biscuits and nuts were on the table. A cover charge was made and if you
wanted to take any of these away with you, they were yours and a bag would be supplied if
you needed one.
Mr Nagato was in heaven. ―We have Coffee shops in Japan.‖ He said. ―But nothing like this,
this is superb.‖
Hiram excused himself and went to the cashier and paid the bill, then went back to the table.
―We had better get back,‖ he said, ―Otherwise they will worry.‖
―What about the bill?‖ asked Mr Nagato?
―Don‘t worry about that!‖ said Hiram. ―It‘s been fixed.‖ Mr Nagato nodded and they left the
cafe and headed back to the office.
He took Mr Nagato to the Board room, where the Board members were waiting for him. He
said his goodbyes.
―We will meet again! Mr Moss.‖ He said. And he gave Hiram a very firm handshake.
Hiram headed for his office, he looked at his watch. He got quite a shock, it was quarter to
three. He entered his office and was about to ask Beryl if he had any messages on his private
line, when the Secretary rang and asked him to come back to the Board room.
He left his office and went over to the elevator which took him to the twenty fourth floor.
He entered the Board room and Mr Nagato was there with another man who introduced
himself as Jeremy Hutchins, a Lawyer from Mercantile Lawyers, one of the most prominent
legal firms in New York.
It took Jeremy Hutchins about thirty seconds for him to get down to business, ―Mr Nagato
was not representing his firm, as he owns it completely. He was going to invest five hundred
million dollar units at a time in America, for which while it was not invested he wanted the
best interest available. What would that be today?‖ he asked. Everybody looked at Hiram.
―It all depends if Mr Nagato wants the best interest available or the safest interest available?‖
said Hiram.
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―Is there that much difference?‘ asked the Lawyer.
―It‘s about ten per cent.‖ Hiram replied.
―What is the safest interest?‖ asked the lawyer.
―It‘s five per cent.‖ Hiram replied.
―We will take the five per cent.‖ It was Mr Nagato‘s voice.
This went on and on for about an hour, then stopped.
Mr Nagato stood up and said. ―I‘m very impressed with your firm and your staff, I would like
to think over all that has happened today but if we do have business together, it will be on the
grounds that Mr Moss will be my contact in your firm. Good afternoon Gentlemen.‖ He said.
Then he and his lawyer left the boardroom.
Hiram looked at his watch, it was twenty past five. Hiram the Investor wanted out of here
and he wanted out of here now. He excused himself and returned to his office. He had twenty
two calls. He looked down at his desk and saw this piece of paper on his desk. Mr Cane
Calls; two, ten, fifteen, twenty two times and it was signed Beryl.
Hiram put in the code pressed the button two on the phone, to be greeted with this message.
‗High ho! High ho! When you were at work you know, I bought for you one million shares at
four dollars each, you lucky so and so!‘
He then pressed button ten, ‗Four dollars twenty and rising.‘
He pressed button fifteen, ‗Five dollars and rising.‘
He pressed button twenty-two, and was greeted with, ‗Oh, what a beautiful morning! Oh,
what a beautiful day! I have the funniest feeling that today is yours and my day. How does
seven dollars fifty sound to you? Please ring me! You know whom.‘
Hiram stood there holding the phone. This was his and Louis‘s day, they were headed for the
big time. He put the phone down and rang Rosa.
―It‘s been a very long day Hiram.‖ She said. ―The Stock Exchange closed at three o‘clock.‖
He apologised and told her how he had been caught with Mr Nagato.
―I forgive you!‖ She said ―How did we go?‖
―We bought one million shares at 10a.m. this morning for four dollars a share. We now own
one million shares tonight worth seven dollars fifty a share.‖
There was a silence. Then, ―That is an awfully large amount of money to make in one day!‖
She said.
―I couldn‘t agree more!‖ said Hiram. They spoke for a few minutes and he said that he would
be home as soon as he could.
He rang Louis. It was the telephone calls all over again and he was out of his tree.
―I blew them out of the water.‖ He said. ―I bought the first two million shares on offer for
four dollars. Then they came from everywhere, I have never seen so many different floor men
after the one product, it was awesome. One of those who had seen me buy the first two
million asked me if I would like to make a profit on them. I kept the straightest face you
could imagine and told him that they weren‘t mine and that I would talk to my buyer.‖
They laughed and joked about their good fortune, neither of them being in doubt that Samuel
Rubenstein was going to make a fortune out of them, as were both of them. They spoke to
each other for about five minutes then broke off as Hiram wanted to get home for dinner.
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He sat with Rosa and his children at the dinner table. His heart was full of happiness at being
here with them and what had happened to him today. For it was without a doubt one of the
best days that he had experienced in his entire life.
As for Rosa, sitting with her husband who she knew had, had one of the best days of his life,
and their beautiful children whom they both loved and adored. She could not have been any
happier.
Relative to the money that they had made on the Stock Exchange today, it didn‘t interest her
one iota but what had happened to her husband, because of the Stock Exchange today, was a
different kettle of fish altogether. His ambition had been realised he had made a little mark in
the market place. He was not a Samuel Rubenstein but he was a very happy and content
Hiram Moss.
Over the next few months as Samuel Rubenstein had predicted the share price grew steadily
and was hovering around ten dollars. Hiram was not interested in buying any more shares.
For some reason unknown to himself he was completely satisfied with what he had. Louis
was still picking up bits and pieces here and there but like Hiram most of his money was tied
up in the White and Holmes shares, which they were both pleased to see were rising in price
nearly every day.
They went to each other‘s homes every week and they met at the Coffee Club,
at least two or three times a week. It was during one of these times that Mr Nagato came
in with a friend and Hiram went over and said hello to him. Mr Nagato welcomed him like a
long lost brother, introduced his friend to and told him that it was because of Hiram that he
had found the Coffee Club. As they were saying goodbye Mr Nagato leant over to him and
said. ―I will pay you much more money than they are paying you if you ever leave them
please give me a call!‖ He said. He gave Hiram his card.
The years passed very quickly. Hiram had been made a member of the board and represented
his Company all over the world. He made at least six trips a year going to Britain, France,
Germany, India, Italy, Israel and Russia. He had been told that they had been approached by a
Chinese firm but up to date nothing had eventuated.
Louis was still the head floor man but was not that interested in buying shares.
White and Holmes had bought a goldmine which was supposed to have been cleaned out but
Surprise! Surprise! They found a vein as long as long and as deep as deep. Their shares
today were worth forty two dollars and fifty two cents.
It was on one of his trips to France that Hiram had this most unbelievable dream.
He saw himself in the New York Stock Exchange, looking at the floor people running around
like crazy, prices were tumbling and yet he wasn‘t the slightest bit interested, he was just an
observer. He put it out of his mind, as he had plenty to do without being involved in dreams.
Two weeks later he had taken Rosa and the children down to the sea. He was on holidays for
a month and felt real happy with the change of scenery.
He woke up in a sweat; he was literally covered in it. He was full of fear, Terrified! It was
the same dream as before. People were running around the Stock Exchange and prices were
plummeting down. He saw himself looking down on them and he had this worried look on
his face.
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He tried to go back to sleep but failed, so he just laid there until he couldn‘t bare it any
longer, as it was light and bright outside he got dressed and went for a walk along the
seashore. It was a beautiful moonlight night but he still felt uneasy. The Stock Market dream
clearly etched on his mind and he was just about to turn back when he saw this beautiful shell
between the sand and the sea it was rolling as the waves washed gently over it. He picked it
up and put it to his ear. His face went pale. He took the shell away and put it to his other ear.
His face went pale once again! He put the shell in his pocket and went back to his room, he
lay awake for the rest of the night.
After breakfast he and Rosa were watching the children playing by the sea. Hiram turned to
Rosa and said. ―I am going to sell all our shares.‖
―Are you dear,‖ she said. ―How nice.‖
―Don‘t you want to know why?‖ He asked.
―No dear! I‘m not the slightest bit interested what you do with the shares, that is your area,
not mine!‖ She replied.
He told her of his dreams. She listened very intently and then he told her of his walking along
the beach and picking up the shell and putting it to one ear then the other and what it seemed
to say. When he finished talking he asked her what she thought.
―I don‘t know what to think!‖ She said. ―But I know what I would do if I was you!‖
―What would you do?‖
―I would sell!‖ She said.
―That is all there is?‖ He said. ―You would sell?‖
―Yes I would sell.‖ She replied.
―Please give me one good reason?‖
―I can give you the greatest reason in the world.‖ She replied. ―You have everything to win
and nothing to lose for the shares do not owe you anything. You sold enough of them many
years ago for us to get all our money back, plus a very nice profit. This means that if you sell
them now, we will get a much bigger profit.‖
Hiram looked at her but didn‘t say a word and he picked up his towel and went back inside
the house they were renting.
Picked up the phone he rang Louis, they spoke together for a few minutes then Hiram said.
―I want you to sell all of my shares!‖
Everything went quiet. ―What did you say?‖ asked Louis.
―I want you to sell all of my shares now!‖ He then told Louis of his dreams and what he had
heard when he picked up the shell, what Rosa had told him about having everything to gain
and nothing to lose.
―Please ring me back when you have sold them‖ He said. And he hung up.
Ten minutes later Louis rung back, telling him that everything that he had, had been sold.
He thanked Louis and went back to the beach with Rosa and his children.
The family had two wonderful weeks of fun. Hiram was his old self again! Full of fun and
laughter enjoying his wife and his children, who were now young adults. The weather was
wonderful. He did not have a care in the world.
Their holidays were nearly over, one more day to go. Hiram was sitting in the lounge looking
out the window when the phone rang. It was Louis.
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―Have you heard about the crash?‖
―What crash?‖ He asked.
―The Stock Exchange crash!‖ said Louis. ―There has been billions of dollars lost, prices have
tumbled and thousands of people have gone bankrupt.‖
―What about you, are you OK?‖ asked Hiram.
―Yes I am thanks to this friend of mine telling me about his dreams and what the shell told
him, plus his very clever wife saying that you have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
I followed you and sold everything!‖
―I am so pleased,‖ said Hiram. ―Please tell Vena how happy we are for you and yours.‖
They spoke for a few minutes then hung up.
Hiram went down to the beach and told Rosa and the children what had happened and thanks
to God Almighty, Louis and his family had not been affected. When they arrived back in the
city, Hiram went to check his bank account it had Fifty Million Four Hundred Thousand
dollars in it.
It soon got around the Stock Exchange that Hiram had sold everything he had two weeks
before the crash and people were asking what made him sell. Mr Patterson of Benjamin
Tuppence and Associates rang him and asked if he could come over and talk to him.
―Of course you can!‖ said Hiram. ―When do you want to come?‖
―Would you be available this afternoon?‖ He asked.
―Sure!‖ replied Hiram. ―How is three o‘clock?‖ So it was agreed.
When he arrived Mr Patterson looked much older but was still nice and trim. Hiram took him
up to the Board room and offered him a drink which he declined.
―I‘m going to ask you something very personal Mr Moss.‖ He said. ―And you might not want
to answer what I ask you but so many people have asked me why you sold all your shares
two weeks prior to the crash and I thought that I would approach you to find out your reason
for selling?‖
Hiram looked at Mr Patterson, who he could see was most uncomfortable.
―Mr Patterson,‖ he said. ―Many years ago I walked into your office and you treated me with
the greatest courtesy any person could ask of another and with this in mind I will willingly do
this for you. You know that big hall that you have in your building which can hold many
hundreds of people. Give me a date and a time and I will tell everyone in the hall why I sold
my shares two weeks before the crash.‖
The man sitting opposite came to life and he laughed.
―What a great idea!‖ He said. ―The place will be packed.‖ As he was leaving he turned round
and faced Hiram. ―Please call me James.‖ He said.
―And you call me Hiram‖
―Thank you!‖ He said as he left.
It was Friday afternoon, the hall was packed. James Patterson was up on the stage. He was
the Master of Ceremonies.
Hiram walked down the aisle and up on to the stage. He received a tumultuous applause.
He said hello to Mr Patterson and shook his hand and walked over to the microphone and
began to speak.
―Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen, my good friend James Patterson has asked me to
tell you why I sold all my sharers two weeks prior to the crash.‖
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He told them of his dream when he was in France and how he saw all the prices falling in the
Stock Exchange and how he felt like he was not involved, he was just an observer. He told
them how he had put it out of his mind classing it as just a bad dream.
He then told when he was at the seaside, two weeks into his holiday when he awoke saturated
in sweat and full of fear, as he had seen the same type of dream again but it appeared nearer,
and he looked very worried. He had tried to go back to sleep but to no avail. So he got
dressed and went for a walk along the beach in the early hours of the morning and he was just
about to turn back, when he saw this beautiful sea shell moving in and out with the waves and
was almost on the beach.
He paused and then continued. ―I picked it up and put it to my ear, it seemed to be saying
something. I felt my face go pale. I took it away and put it to my other ear and once again I
felt my face go pale. Then I went back to the house we were renting and tried to go to sleep to
no avail, I stayed awake till morning!‖
He paused for a moment and had a drink from a glass which was on the table. Then he
continued. ―I told my wife Rosa all that had happened, about the dream I had in France and
the dream I had that night and of me walking along the beach, picking up the sea shell and
what it seemed to be saying to me when I put it to my ears.
Her advice when I asked what I should do was very specific.‖
‗Sell them!‘ She said.
―When I asked her why?‖ Her answer was very simple.‖
‗She said because you have everything to gain and nothing to lose!‘
―So I sold them all.‖
There was not a sound in the hall. A man stood up from the back of the hall.
―One question you haven‘t answered.‖ he said.
―What did the sea shell seem to say when you put it to your ears?‖
Hiram looked at him for a moment. ―When I put the sea shell to both my ears it seemed to
say the same thing, loud and clear. SELL! SELL!‖
The silence was deafening!
224
**THE PRAYER WHEEL
Sherman Blight was Mister Knock about, he lived in Carson City, Nevada and he loved it, his
idea of travelling was to go to New York but at this point in time he had never left Nevada.
Amongst his friends were Builders, Carpenters, Electricians, Plumbers, and Odd Job men and
he helped every one of them. He would get a call from one of his friends.
―Sherman, it‘s me Harry, I got this big job and I need your help?‖ Help arrived post haste
and his friends made sure that his help was well rewarded.
His father Andrew was most disappointed in his son as he had wanted him to follow in his
footsteps as a Historian but Sherman didn‘t have the slightest interest in History and was
quite satisfied with what he was doing.
His father was being honoured by his peers for the good luck he had in finding and bringing
to the attention of the world this beautiful Artefact going way back in time. He had found it
during his trip to Tibet. He was on his way up to see the Monks in this Monastery, when he
saw it sticking out from the Mountain side and he stopped the horse that he was riding and
walked over and pulled it gently out of the dirt. He recognised it immediately! It was a
‗Prayer Wheel.‘ It looked quite old. He brought it back to America with him and took it to
the antiques section of the Histological Society. They cleaned it up and it was in excellent
condition. It had a spinning wheel and it worked beautifully. They believed that it could be
one of the oldest Prayer Wheels on earth.
Sherman didn‘t want to go but his mother Jeanne, who was rather a strong lady, took him
firmly by the ear and said. ―This is not a request. This is a statement.‖ Just to make sure that
he went, his mother made him come with her in her car. Sherman sat next to her, he had on a
coat a shirt and tie and his hair was combed. He felt like he was going to a funeral. The
Histological Hall was packed, there was standing room only. Sherman looked at the crowd.
The men were all dressed in dress suits and the ladies in very expensive dresses. They were
all crowding around looking at that which his father had found.
―What the hell.‖ He thought. ―I may as well go and have a look at it.‖
The crowd parted and Sherman found himself looking at one of the most magnificent objects
he had ever seen and it was spinning gently around, it completely mesmerised him.
―Come on Sherman.‖ said his mother. ―Let us go and find our seats.‖
―You go ahead mother.‖ He said. ―I won‘t be long.‖ Sherman‘s idea of won‘t be long was to
sit and look at it while everybody else went to their seats. When Sherman didn‘t come and sit
with his mother, she was very disappointed for she thought that he had gone home.
All the people had left and Sherman‘s father and mother accompanied by Henry Bridges the
head of the Histological society came out of the hall and came across to the ‗Prayer Wheel.‘
His father and mother were very surprised to see him still in the building.
―Do you like the Prayer Wheel?‖ His father asked.
―It is without a doubt the most magnificent thing I have ever seen in my entire life.‖ Sherman
replied. His father and mother looked at him in astonishment as they couldn‘t believe their
ears.
225
Their Sherman was telling them that he actually liked this beautiful piece of history.
From that night onwards a new Sherman was born, his father and mother could not believe
the change in him. He tidied himself up and he also tidied his room. This in itself was the
miracles of miracles as Sherman‘s room had to be seen to be believed. From the next day
onward he visited the Histological Society every day and for ten minutes sat in front of this
beautiful artefact, he never tried to touch it just sat there looking at it!
He asked his father if the Society had any books on Tibet. His father went to the bookkeeper
and she looked through her books and found that the Society had four books on Tibet but she
didn‘t know where they were.
Then came the day of the accident! The water tap in the lower basement, which had been
leaking, decided that leaking wasn‘t enough and water poured out of it. The Secretary had
rung four plumbers to no avail and was at his wits end what to do when Sherman‘s father
came to see him. He had heard about the tap flooding and he knew that Sherman could fix it,
so he rang Sherman who luckily was at home and told him their problem.
―I will be around in about ten minutes.‖ He said. ―Please turn off the water at the mains.‖
His father thanked him and hung up.
As soon as he arrived he went to the lower basement where the tap had been leaking. It was
obvious that all that the tap needed was a new washer and it only took him about five minutes
to remove the old one and put in a new one. Knowing where the main was he went and turned
it on, going back to the lower basement he saw that everything was alright. He went up to the
Secretaries Office and the Secretary could not thank him enough and told him to send them
his bill.
Sherman went back to the lower basement doubly checked that everything was alright and
started to collect his tools. He had just about finished packing up when he smelt this most
unusual scent. He stopped his packing up and looked around him. He could not see anything
unusual but the scent was getting stronger. He followed it, it took him to a cupboard on the
wall. He opened it, the smell intensified and he found himself looking at four books. They
were like small magazines and he took them out of the cupboard and blew the dust off of
them. He couldn‘t believe what he was holding in his hand, for blazing across the cover of
the book he was looking at was in capital letters. ‗Tibet.‘ The other three books were the
same.
He took them with him up to the Secretary‘s office. He knocked on the door, a voice bade
him enter and he opened the door. The Secretary and his father were in the room.
―Cannot thank you enough Sherman.‖ said the Secretary. ―Please send me your bill.‖
Sherman nodded his head and turning to his father said. ―Look what I found in a cupboard in
the lower basement.‖ He handed his father the books that he had found.
His father opened them. ―They are still in very good condition.‖ He said. He handed them to
the Secretary. The Secretary excused himself and picked up the phone. He spoke into it.
―Mary we have found those books on Tibet, I will send them down to you.‖ He hung up.
―You have certainly helped us out today Sherman.‖ He said. ―Firstly with the water flooding
the lower basement and then finding these books which we thought that we had lost.‖
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Sherman said his goodbyes and headed for the door.
―Wait for me son.‖ said his father. ―I will walk down with you.‖ And picking up the books
he said to the Secretary. ―I will take these down to Mary.‖ They both left the room.
Sherman‘s father gave the books to Mary who thanked him. Sherman asked her if he could
borrow the books. ―I am sorry Sherman.‖ she said, ―but only members can borrow books.‖
Sherman‘s father leaned over her desk and picked up the four books.
―Please sign these out to me.‖ He said. Then both men said their goodbyes and they left.
Sherman couldn‘t thank his father enough.
―It‘s my pleasure Sherman.‖ He said, ―definitely my pleasure!‖
Sherman and his father walked together until they reached their home.
As far as Sherman was concerned he couldn‘t get home fast enough. The scent from the
books was so overpowering that he felt as though he was on a drug of some kind. At last he
was alone in his own room. His father had gone to his study. He put the books on the little
table that he had in his room. Pulled up a chair sat down at the table, opened the book which
had the number one printed on the cover. He was greeted with the most beautiful set of
colours he had ever seen; they looked like they had been painted yesterday and the scent
coming off of them was unbelievable. There was some writing underneath the paintings and
two sets of words. One was in English and the other in another language which he supposed
was Tibetan.
He read the English version.
‗Whoever reads these books and follows what they say to the letter, will be invited to live
forever in both worlds.‘ Sherman became more interested in the Prayer Wheel and the books
every day. His father was most impressed because Sherman was reminding him of himself
when he became interested in history. He even contacted friends to find out if there were any
Tibetan communities in America. A friend told him that there was one in Berkley but strange
to say when he followed it up he found that the Tibetan people were listed not as Tibetan‘s
but as Chinese Nationals. This seemed strange but such is life, for who know what politicians
do and why they do it! As the Society didn‘t have any contacts there, he couldn‘t take the
matter any further. Then a Tibetan teacher from Berkley contacted the Society asking if it
were true that they had an ancient Prayer Wheel. On being told that it was so, he asked if he
could make an appointment with someone to show it to him and an appointment was made
for the coming Saturday afternoon at two o‘clock. Sherman‘s father contacted Sherman and
told him of the forthcoming meeting with the Tibetan teacher for the coming Saturday and
asked Sherman if he would like to be there?
―Saturday cannot come quick enough.‖ Sherman replied. They said their goodbyes. His
father was beaming inside when he hung up, for the Sherman that he had been talking too,
was the son that he had wanted all his life.
It was quarter to two on Saturday afternoon and Sherman dressed very nicely, picked up his
bag with the four Tibetan books in it and headed for the door. He couldn‘t remember ever
being so excited. The Prayer Wheel had taken him over completely and he really loved it. It
made him feel like he was someone as he approached the Historical Society building his heart
started to beat faster. He felt like he was going on a journey. Up the stairs, into the building
and he made his way directly to the Prayer Wheel, standing in front of it was this very nicely
dressed man. He had a case beside him.
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I am Sherman Blight.‖ He said. ―My father is to meet you here today and he invited me to
join him. Please call me Sherman.‖
―I am Karma Lung.‖ replied the man. ―I am a teacher in Berkley and please call me Karma‖
putting out his hand, which Sherman took. It was the handshake of two men who were
pleased to meet each other.
Sherman‘s father entered the room and headed towards them, walking up to the man standing
next to his son put out his hand. The other man took it.
―I am Andrew Blight.‖ He said.
―I am Karma Lung.‖ The other man replied.
―I see that you have met my son.‖ said Sherman‘s father.
―Yes I have Thank you!‖ He said.
The three men stood looking at the Prayer Wheel, it was spinning slowly around and it
looked absolutely amazing.
―It was made in the twelfth Century.‖
―Are you sure?‖ asked Sherman‘s father.
―I am positive.‖ said Karma. ―You see that little marking on the bottom of the stand, well that
is a ‗Y‘ and although we do not know the name of the man who made them, we know that he
made many of these Prayer Wheels back in that time.‖
Sherman‘s father couldn‘t contain his excitement. ―Oh! How lovely,‖ he said.
The three men stood looking at the Prayer Wheel and talking of its beauty when Karma said.
―Thank you very much for your courtesy, it was very much appreciated.‖ They shook hands
and Sherman‘s father went to his office, whilst Karma and Sherman reluctantly both walked
away from the Prayer Wheel.
―Would you like a coffee?‖ Sherman asked Karma.
―I certainly would.‖ He said.
They both walked to the cafe at the side of the Historical Society.
They chatted about the Prayer Wheel. Sherman told Karma how it had completely taken him
over. ―I cannot get it out of my mind.‖ He said. ―And I don‘t want too.‖
They talked together for a few minutes.
―By the way,‖ said Sherman. ―I have something that I want to show you.‖
Reaching down to his bag which was under the table, he brought it up and put it on his knees,
opened it, took out the four Tibetan books and put them on the table. He looked at Karma.
He got the shock of his life! Karma was looking at them in amazement.
―Where did you get these?‖ he asked.
―I found them in a cupboard in the lower basement of the Historical Society.‖ said Sherman.
Karma took them off the table and put the book with one on it on top of the others in
chronological order. He ran his hands smoothly over its cover.
―They are really true!‖ he said. ―Not Mythological.‖ Sherman looked at him.
Karma smiled and taking a very deep breath said ―as you probably know written in English
on the first page of book one, are these words.‖
‗Whoever reads these books and follow what they say to the letter, will be invited to live
forever in both worlds.‘
―Yes I read that.‖ Sherman replied.
―Well‖ said Karma, ―written in Tibetan in this book‖ he said holding up the book with one on
its cover is the story of this man who wanted to live forever and he travelled to the sacred
place where the Angel who could grant him eternal life was located.‖
He hesitated for a few moments. ―Would you like me to read it to you?‖ he asked.
―Yes please!‖ Sherman replied.
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Karma turned the pages over and then he stopped. Sherman settled back in his chair.
―Here it is‖ said Karma. And he started to read.
―This is the story about a man called Grodno who wanted to become immortal and to live
forever. Grodno had never even heard of the word fear it was not in his vocabulary. Nothing
had ever frightened him. Death as far as he was concerned was as normal as taking a breath
of Almighty God‘s air. He was the first into battle and the last out. He was without a doubt
the most feared man in the land. He was Syrian by birth and had spent most of his life in the
Bad Lands. One day he came across this man sitting on the ground eating his food. He had
this most beautiful white horse. Grodno took one look at the horse and said to himself this is
mine and he drove his spear into the man‘s chest. The man stood up pulled the spear out of
his chest and gave it back to Grodno. There was no blood on it. Nor was there any blood on
his clothes.
―You are one of them! Aren‘t you‖ said Grodno.
―Yes I am!‖ the man replied. Grodno looked at him.
―Can I become like you?‖ he asked.
―I doubt it!‖ said the man. ―We are here to help people and you wouldn‘t know how to do
that would you?‖
―I could learn‖ said Grodno. The other man didn‘t reply.
―What would I have to do to become one of you?‖ Grodno asked.
―You would have to go through the three tests and should you pass them you would go before
the Angel who will either accept or reject you!‖ he said.
―What are the three tests?‖ asked Grodno.
―The first test is for you to cross the desert in three days and you will only be carrying water,
but no food. The second test is to go through the jungle carrying only your knife and your
spear and live off the land for one week. You must always travel north.
The third test if and when you make it will bring you to the bottom of the mountain which is
the home of wild bears and you will try and climb it! At the very top is a pool of water
guarded by an Angel.
If the Angel accepts you and you accept the conditions put to you by the Angel, then you will
drink the water from the pool and you will become one of us and live forever.‖
―And if the Angel doesn‘t accept me what then?‖ Grodno asked.
―Then said the other man you will stay a mortal and when your time comes to die you will
die!‖
―Who do I have to ask if I want to take the tests?‖ he asked.
―You don‘t have to ask anyone‖ the man replied. ―And you know where the desert is!‖
He waved his hand and he and the white horse disappeared. Grodno did not know what to do!
The man with the white horse was correct. The only person that he cared about was himself.
He examined where he was at this moment in time and he came to the very obvious
conclusion that he wasn‘t anywhere so what did he have to lose and he headed for the desert.
He made himself a hat from big leaves of the plants that grew there. He filled the bags of
animal skins which he always carried with him with water. He waited till nightfall and well
covered with his animal skin clothes started his journey. He was as strong as a horse and
covered a tremendous of ground by the time the sun rose in the morning.
There were rock ledges in the desert and having travelled over deserts before he knew how to
use them for his benefit. Two and a half days later he was standing on the edge of the jungle.
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He was hungry and went on the hunt for food. He smelt the scent of a wild pig, he followed
the smell. He found the pig lying on its side. It was as full as it could possibly be. Grodno
lifted his spear and threw it. Fully sated after his meal Grodno moved away from the pig and
continued on his trip into the jungle.
It was an easy journey for him, as he was a hunter by instinct. The procuring of food was
second nature to him. All he had to do was follow the animal, wait until it had let its guard
down. Then kill it and eat it!
He had Travelled North as he had been told and he came to the base of the mountain. He
could hear the bears up above him, roaring their power over their domain. He looked at the
mountain and worked out how he was going to traverse it. He headed away from the roars of
the Bears, not that he was frightened of them, it was because the trail that he had worked out
in his mind, was not where the bears were evidently congregating. The area he had chosen
was very heavily treed and would give him the advantage in any fight. Plus, of course, the
bears would not seek this type of area as it would be shaded and full of undergrowth.
Another bonus he had was that he could run faster than they could and he had a knife and a
spear.
He made his way up the mountain and he didn‘t encounter any bears. They were too busy in
their own areas letting everybody know that this was their mountain. He came to the top of
the mountain and looked down and there before him, as the man with the white horse had told
him that there would be, was a pool of water. He walked towards it. He was only a little way
from the edge of the water when an Angel appeared before him.
―Don‘t come any closer!‖ said the Angel. ―Or harm will befall you.‖ Grodno stopped.
―I summoned you here.‖ said the Angel. ―I want to tell you personally the conditions which
must be met by anyone wanting to live forever. I am the only one who can tell you what they
are. If anyone of those who are now going to live forever tells anyone else what these
conditions are, then they lose their immortality immediately and will live out their life and
die!‖ The Angel paused and then continued. ―I am going to give you the ability to understand
what I am saying, be it by words or pictures in your mind.‖
But before the Angel could start Grodno said, ―I am not interested in what they do or don‘t
do!‖ he said. ―I‘m only interested in what is going to happen to me and if you are going to
allow me to live forever or not?‖
The Angel spoke ―If the person before me has been judged fit to live forever, he or she is
given this choice. They must be prepared to discard their physical body altogether and
become a spirit like everyone else on this plane. When they want to be seen and to act as a
human being they must be near other human beings so that they can get from these other
humans the necessary energy for them to be seen. As you saw when you speared the man
with the white horse, he and the likes of him cannot be killed!‖
Grodno waited until she had finished speaking. ―Are you going to let me live forever or not?‖
he asked.
―No!‖ replied the Angel. And held both her hands up to the sky and Grodno found himself
back where he started with the man with the white horse. Grodno looked at him. The other
man didn‘t say anything. He just lifted his hand and he and his beautiful white horse
disappeared.
Karma put down the book and he looked at Sherman. Sherman moved in his chair but he did
not say anything for a few moments.
―Do you believe that it is true?‖ asked Karma.
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―Not the slightest doubt in the world‖ said Sherman. ―Whoever wrote that story was either
there at the time with Grodno or Grodno wrote it himself. For the detail is too explicit for it to
be written by an outsider.‖ Karma laughed.
―My people are going to love you!‖ he said. ―You are straight to the point and honest as the
day is long.‖ He handed Sherman the books.
―What I wouldn‘t give to get a copy of them‖ he said.
―Come with me‖ said Sherman and both men left the Cafe.
They walked about two streets when Sherman stopped in front of this shop. It had Films,
Photo‘s, Photo-stating and any type of copying, written on the window. They entered the
shop. A man came from the back of the shop.
―Hello Sherman‖ he said. ―What can I do for you?‖ Sherman handed him the four books.
―Full colour Jerry two copies, how much?‖ Jerry looked at the books.
―Aren‘t they beautiful.‖ he said. ―I have never seen anything like the colouring or the
printing. Everything is triple A plus. Let me make three copies and I will only charge you
thirty dollars and I will laminate them so that they will keep for Eons.‖
Sherman turned to Karma ―meet my friend Jerry, this is my friend Karma‖ both men nodded.
―Is that Okay with you?‖ Sherman asked Karma.
―No problem!‖ said Karma.
―They are yours Jerry, off you go!‖ he said.
He and Karma sat down on the seats set aside for Jerry‘s customers.
Karma wanted to contribute but Sherman declined his offer. They thanked Jerry and left the
shop.
Both men walked to the bus depot which was only about five minutes from Jerry‘s shop. The
next bus to Berkley was in ten minutes. Karma couldn‘t thank Sherman enough for what he
had done for him and his people.
―My pleasure!‖ said Sherman.
The bus was ready to leave. Karma handed Sherman a card. On it was his name and his
address in Berkley, plus his telephone and email address.
―You must come to Berkley Sherman‖ He said. ―You really have to come!‖
Both of the men shook hands and Sherman waved him goodbye as the bus left.
A week later Sherman received a letter from Karma, telling him of the tremendous interest
the four books had aroused in his people. As far as they were concerned these books were to
them what the ‗Dead Sea Scrolls‘ were to the world. His people had come from as far away
as Texas to see them, bringing with them their mothers and fathers and all their family, for no
longer were these stories just a myth. They were real and alive and they could see them and
read them for themselves. Sherman stopped reading. He felt this beautiful feeling of pride
surging through his body. He thought of the Prayer Wheel and started to laugh with
happiness. He returned to reading the letter. Karma continued. I am setting out here what is
recorded in the books.
The flames were all around them, there was no escape and they knew that they were going to
die. They huddled together against the mountain as the flames grew nearer. There were four
families altogether. Four men and their wives, they had eight children four boys and four
girls, each family having a boy and a girl. All of a sudden a man stood in front of them.
He beckoned them to follow him and he led them up a mountain path and took them into a
cave. It was a big cave and they had plenty of room. The fire went past and they went outside.
The trees were still burning and the undergrowth smouldering but the danger had passed.
They turned around to thank the man for saving their lives but there was no one there!
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I know that you love the Prayer Wheel and this is what is recorded in the books.
The Prayer Wheel lineage was brought to Tibet by the renowned Eighth Century mystic
Padmasambhava and later practiced by the great Indian tantric masters Tilopa and Naropa.
Naropa‘s disciple Marpa later renewed the lineage in Tibet and passed it on to Tibet‘s most
well-known Yogi Milarepa. Since that time the Prayer Wheel has been passed on through a
continuous lineage of enlightened teachers among these the great Kagyu Master Pagshi
whose important works are quoted by most subsequent writers on the subject.
You are without a doubt, a hero to me and my people and neither I, nor they can‘t wait for
you to come to Berkley. Please consider it!
Your Friend Indeed! And it was signed. Karma.
Sherman put the letter down. He didn‘t know why but he felt that he and Karma were linked
in some way and every time he went to the Prayer Wheel he felt that Karma was there with
him. His father was a changed man, whenever possible when Sherman went to the Prayer
Wheel, he sat and joined him. He didn‘t say anything just sat with him, which made Sherman
glad to see him and when Sherman stood up to leave, his father came over to him gave him a
hug and left.
It was Saturday night just after six o‘clock. Sherman had been as busy as a bee. He had been
called out on ten jobs with his friends. He couldn‘t believe the money they had given him. It
was hundreds of dollars. The phone rang. It was his father and after the pleasantries said.
―Ken Brown is going near Berkley tomorrow and he is prepared to take you with him. He is
leaving at six in the morning and could drop you off at Berkley and pick you up again at eight
o‘clock at night on his way back. Would you like to go with him?‖
―I would love to dad, I really would!‖ Sherman replied.
―Good!‖ said his father. ―I will tell him‖ and hung up.
Sherman couldn‘t believe his luck. He went and got the card Karma had given him and rang
the number. The person answering the phone spoke to him in another language.
―Is Karma there?‖ he asked.
―Sherman‖ said the voice in English. ―It is you, isn‘t it?‖
―Yes Karma it is, how are you?‖ Karma wouldn‘t stop talking telling Sherman how glad he
was to hear from him and how happy all his people were for what he had done for them.
Sherman burst out laughing.
―Slow down!‖ He said. ―I rang you to tell you something!‖ He could hear Karma laughing.
―My apologies‖ he said still laughing. ―Please forgive me. What do you want to tell me?‖
―I am coming to Berkley tomorrow and should be there about nine o‘clock in the morning.‖
―How wonderful I cannot tell you how happy my people and I will be to see you!‖ said
Karma. They spoke for a few minutes more then hung up.
Ken brown picked him up at six o‘clock. His mother had made him his breakfast, for she was
as thrilled as her husband at the changes that had taken place, since her son saw the Prayer
Wheel. Sherman was completely comfortable with Mr Brown, as his son Edgar was an
electrician and he and Edgar were the best of friends and he had been to dinner with his
family many times.
Mr Brown asked him about the Prayer Wheel and Sherman told him everything that had
happened and how he had met Karma and they had become friends. He also told him of
Grodno and the man with the beautiful white horse. Grodno had thrown a spear into this
man‘s chest and the man had pulled it out of his chest and had given it back to Grodno. But
there was no blood on it, nor was there any blood on his clothes. Mr Brown enjoyed the
stories he was telling as he did his company because on most of his trips he was on his own.
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They had had a good run and just before nine o‘clock they pulled up in front of the address
that Karma had given him.
It was an enormous building covering three house blocks, it had two separate entrances.
There was a Masonic emblem on a plaque on the fence. Karma was standing on the footpath
when Mr Brown pulled up. Sherman got out of the truck and shook hands with him. He
introduced him to Mr Brown.
―I have heard so much about you that I feel that I know you.‖ he told Karma, who laughed his
pleasure. ―See you about eight tonight Sherman‖ he said and drove off.
Karma took his bag and they walked down the right side of the building.
―This building used to be the Masonic Lodge‖ said Karma. ―But it was too big for them so
they sold it to us. One of the conditions of the sale was that the Masonic emblem on the fence
cannot be removed. We use the building on the other side as a temple and the building this
side as a meeting place and a school. At the rear of the building are six apartments, I live in
one of them.‖ He paused for a Moment ―I cannot tell you how pleased I am that you have
come, I wanted so much to show you our Church and our treasures. Amongst the most
famous of these, thanks to you being the four books that you gave us.‖
They walked along the side of the building until they came to a door. Karma opened it and
they entered this massive hall, it could have held hundreds. They walked to the back of it to a
set of stairs which they climbed. Karma walked along the metal walk way until he came to a
door which he opened and stepped back for Sherman to enter. It was a beautiful room. There
was a bed and a dressing table, Kitchen table and chairs. A gas stove with cupboards next to
it and overhead. In pride of place was this beautiful Prayer Wheel, turning very gently.
Sherman looked at it. He couldn‘t take his eyes of it and he felt this beautiful inner peace
flowing through his body. He sat in the chair and as he watched it turning, he felt as though
he was in another world. Karma walked over to the Prayer Wheel and put his hand on it. It
stopped turning and he took it into another room. Sherman shook his head and took a deep
sigh.
He stood up and looked around the room, it was full of Tibetan pictures and drawings and
they blended together perfectly. Karma waited until he had settled down then he showed him
another room which was full of religious artefacts and then the room where the shower and
toilet were. He looked at his watch.
―Just in time‖ he said. And went to his dressing table and picked up a yellow and white badge
with flowers around it and pinned it on Sherman‘s shirt.
―What is this for?‖ he asked.
―That is to let our people know that you are our honoured guest.‖
―Do I have too?‖ asked Sherman.
―You certainly do!‖ replied Karma and headed for the door.
―Come on Honoured guest!‖ he said and headed back into the hall.
It was full of people men, women and Children walking past these pictures which were
hanging between these long frames. He and Karma descended the stairs and went over to the
frames. There were the pages out of the four Tibetan books and they looked absolutely
beautiful. The pages had been set up in such a way that page one was next to page two
followed by three and so on. Somebody, evidently Karma had photographed them so that this
could be done. As the people walked past them they bowed.
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―You must be pretty important to your people Karma.‖ Sherman said. Karma laughed.
―They are not bowing to me, they are bowing to you and for it is thanks to you that they are
seeing in real life what they always thought was only a myth.‖
―Let‘s go buddy‖ said Sherman.
―I‘m out of here.‖ They both left the building.
―Please come here!‖ said Karma and he walked over to Sherman and putting his hand on the
badge, he moved the flowers into a different position.
―You will be right now.‖ he said. ―No more bowing‖ Sherman looked at him.
―You are sure?‖
―I am positive.‖ Karma replied. ―You are now an Honorary Tibetan‖ People walking past
acknowledged them but nobody bowed.
―I want to show you the temple, we call it Vihara‖ said Karma and he stopped just after
passing the door of the building they had left and removed his shoes. Sherman did the same.
―Please do as I do!‖ said Karma. He entered the temple and bowed. Sherman followed suit.
Lighted candles and a most beautiful scent greeted them as they entered the temple. Karma
took Sherman to this room.
―This is the Shrine room. It had a big statue and many smaller statues, pointing to the big
statues‖ said Karma. ―This is Buddha‖ and pointing to the smaller statues said. ―These are his
Disciples.‖ He pointed to the flowers and food under Buddha‘s Statue. ―People put food in
front of Buddha‘s Statue to help them get to Nirvana.‖
―What‘s Nirvana?‖ asked Sherman.
―Nirvana‖ said Karma ―according to the Dalai Lama is either ‗the state beyond sorrows‘ or ‗a
state of freedom from cyclic existence.‖ They went through the rest of the temple. He took
Sherman to these other rooms; The Meditation room, the Lecture room and the Library.
Sherman couldn‘t get over how peaceful he felt.
―I am so sorry that the monks are not here, but if I get the chance I will introduce you to them
later!‖ They then left the Temple, bowing as they did.
―Our Council is meeting this morning, I told them last night that you were coming and they
want to meet you.‖
People were acknowledging Karma as they walked past and he was acknowledging them
back. They approached this group of shops. They walked down along the side one of the
shops and climbed the stairs. Karma held the door open and Sherman walked in ahead of him.
There was another door. Karma walked around him and opened it and walked in. There were
five men sitting at a table. They all stood up as Karma and Sherman entered the room.
A very big man came towards them. He was very sure of himself and it showed. He put out
his hand and Sherman shook it.
―I am Tenzin, I am the leader of my people.‖ He said and stood back. ―All these men are on
the Council‖ and he motioned for the man in front of the men standing behind each other to
come forward. The man approached with an outstretched hand which Sherman shook.
―My name is Sawang and I am proud to meet you Sherman‖ he said and shook Sherman‘s
hand and walked back to the table. The next man was Kwangchow, followed by Pemba and
Mingma.
They all welcomed Karma with open arms. It was obvious that they respected him. They
then resumed their seats and sat down.
On the table was this beautiful Prayer Wheel and Sherman felt his heart leap as he looked at
it! It was unbelievable. Karma said something in his own language. Tenzin laughed and
picked up the Prayer wheel and took it into another room. He came back laughing.
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―I could not agree with you more‖ he said to Sherman. ―I can sit and look at it for hours.‖
Tenzin asked them all to be seated and when they were, he told Sherman how grateful they
were to him for giving them a copy of the Tibetan books which were part of their history. He
then asked Sherman to tell him how he found them.
Sherman told them how the tap had been leaking, then the water poured out of it and they
called him. It only took him about ten minutes to fix it when he smelt this beautiful scent. It
was absolutely breathtaking and how he followed it and found the books. He then told them
how he had met Karma and had given to him the copies of the four books and how they had
become friends and that is how he was here today.
They talked together for quite a while. Tenzin had arranged for morning tea and whilst they
were eating and drinking one of the men who was not eating told how when he was a little
boy he heard the tale about Grodno but he didn‘t know whether to believe it or not, although
in his heart he wanted to.
Each of the other men took their turn and Sherman was amazed at the excitement in the men
as they talked of the four books and how much they meant to them. It was time to go. Each
of the men came up to Sherman and embraced him and telling him how pleased they were,
that he was an Honorary Tibetan. Karma was so proud to be his friend and told him so.
Sherman thanked him and told Karma that ever since he had seen the Prayer Wheel and met
him, his whole life had changed dramatically and he couldn‘t thank them both enough.
They went to this lovely little cafe. The owner was a friend of Karmas and welcomed him
like one welcomes a friend. He took one look at Sherman and the badge on his coat lapel and
bowed. Karma laughed. ―Don‘t bow please Kamala‖ he said. ―Sherman doesn‘t like it.‖
Kamala apologised and as the waitress neared the table he said something to her in their
language.
―Kamala has told the girl not to bow and to tell all the others that they must not bow to you.‖
said Karma. Sherman laughed.
―Never thought that I would see the day when people would bow to me!‖ said Sherman.
―My people and I cannot thank you enough for the four Tibetan books you have given to us,
and the only way that we can show you that we honour you is to bow.‖
―Don‘t you every bow to me Karma.‖ said Sherman. ―I will never forgive you.‖
Karma burst out laughing. ―What will be, will be‖ he said. The two friends sat down to enjoy
their lunch.
The day absolutely flew. Karma took him everywhere to meet everybody and nobody
bowed. Sherman was having a ball, although he couldn‘t speak their language he felt like one
of them. A nice dinner at the same café, then back to Karma‘s place as they entered the big
room Sherman was surprised to see it packed with people.
―They must really like the books.‖ he said to Karma. Karma smiled.
―You will never know how much‖ he said. They went up to Karma‘s room. Karma took the
Prayer wheel and put it into the other room and he sat down with Sherman and told him how
proud he was to be his friend and how grateful he was that he had given him a copy of the
books. Surprisingly Sherman was not embarrassed.
―It was my pleasure my friend‖ he said. ―So please leave it as that!‖
Time to go, Sherman picked up his bag and Karma opened the door. He walked out on the
landing the room was still full of people. Tenzin and all the other Councillors were on the
platform and as soon as Sherman appeared they all started to clap and Sherman went bright
red. Karma walked over and lifted up Sherman‘s arm. The crowd roared. ―Hip Pip Hooray!
Hip Pip Hooray! Hip Pip Hooray!‖ Sherman shook hands with the Councillors and waved to
the people, they all waved back.
235
At last out in the street Mr Brown‘s truck was pulling in when they reached it. Sherman took
Karma‘s hand and shook it. They hugged each other and getting into the truck Sherman said.
―You‘ll keep, Karma.‖ he said. ―Every dog has its day.‖ Karma burst out laughing.
―Well I certainly had my day, today!‖ he said, as the truck pulled out on the street.
Sherman told Mr Brown all what had happened and how it happened. They laughed together
all the way home. The time just flew and they were pulling up in front of Sherman‘s home.
Mr Brown shook his hand and told him that he had never enjoyed any trip as he had this one.
And he got out of the truck and walked around to where Sherman was standing and bowed.
He burst out laughing. ―You are the only Honorary Tibetan I have ever met!‖ He said ―And
if they are all as nice as you are I hope that I meet more of them.‖ He shook Sherman‘s hand
again and walked away from him laughing his head off. Sherman waved him goodbye as he
left.
Sherman opened the door and walked in, the light was on in the lounge room, when he went
in he was greeted by both his mother and father who were sitting together talking. Upon
seeing him they both came towards him, his mother reached him first and cuddled and kissed
him. His father put his arms around him and hugged him. Sherman hugged them back.
―Would you like some supper?‖ asked his mother.
―Yes! Please mother, I would love some.‖ and his mother went to the kitchen.
―Did you have a good time son‖ asked his father.
―Yes Dad, it was wonderful, but if you don‘t mind I would rather wait until mother comes
back as I would like you both too hear what happened to me.‖ His father agreed.
It didn‘t take his mother long to get the supper ready as she had prepared it earlier in the
night. They sat together and he told his mother and father everything that had happened,
including Mr Brown bowing to him. They all laughed so much that they had tears in their
eyes. His father looked at his watch. It was quarter past one. Sherman said his goodnights
and went to his room. Took off his clothes and fell into bed, he was asleep before his head hit
the pillow.
His friends gave him a hard time. Mr Brown‘s son called him out for a job and bowed as he
came in the door.
―Well, well!‖ he said. ―We have an Honorary Tibetan in our midst.‖
―You and this Honorary Tibetan will be going outside for a little while, if you keep that up!‖
said Sherman. They both laughed as they were real good friends. A couple of his other
buddy‘s pulled the same joke on him and then they all settled down and got back to work.
Karma rang Sherman once a week and told him what they were finding in the Tibetan books.
It was very exciting and mention was made of things that had happened in the fourth century.
Then it happened, it was on the news. That night it was reported that the Chinese soldiers in
Tibet had killed monks and nuns after making them commit acts which went against
everything they believed in. The Chinese denied these accusations but too many people had
witnessed what they had done for them to be believed.
Sherman received a telephone call from Karma next morning telling him that he and his
friends would be coming through Carson City tomorrow morning at seven, on their way to
Los Alamitos Airfield and that they were being taken to Nepal in Tibet to be trained in
Guerrilla warfare by the CIA.
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Sherman was standing outside his home when the bus pulled up. He picked up his pack and
headed for it. Karma got out and looked at the pack in Sherman‘s hand.
―Where are you going?‖ he asked.
―I am going with you and my fellow countrymen to Tibet to fight the Chinese‖ Sherman
replied.
―You can‘t do that!‖ said Karma. ―This is not your fight!‖
Sherman got on to the bus. ―Gentlemen‖ he said addressing the men in the bus.
―My name is Sherman and I believe that you all have heard of me, please put up your hand
anyone who hasn‘t?‖ No hands went up. He continued. ―As you all know I am an Honorary
Tibetan and this being the case I believe that I am entitled to go to Tibet and fight the
Chinese. Anybody who disagrees please put their hand up.‖ No hands went up. Sherman
turned to Karma ―Come on my friend get on the bus we have an aeroplane to catch.‖ Karma
got on the bus. The man in the front seat got up and gave his name and shook Sherman‘s
hand. Every man on the bus did the same and returned to their seat. Karma shook Sherman‘s
hand. The bus driver put out his hand to Sherman who shook it. The driver closed the door
and the bus moved off.
―What a wonderful Honorary Tibetan you are‖ said Karma.
―What did you mother and father say, when you told them that you were going to Tibet to
fight the Chinese?‖
―My father was out of his tree‖ replied Sherman. ―He was a Sergeant in the Marines, he was
thirty when he enlisted and he saw action in Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. Mother
only wants me to be happy and if going to Tibet to fight the Chinese is what I want, then
although she will worry for me, she is on my side!‖
When they reached Los Alamitos Airfield there were another twenty five Tibetans waiting to
board the plane. This made a total of forty four men altogether. Karma took Sherman to meet
them. They all gave him their name and welcomed him as a friend and shook his hand.
They boarded the plane and it took off. The pilot‘s voice came over the speaker and told
them that the flight would take about seventeen hours and they would be landing at the
Biratnagar Airport and buses would take them to Nepal, to the Mustang Valley where the
CIA were training their compatriots in the art of Guerrilla warfare.
They were fed their Army rations for lunch and dinner. The food was very nice and there
was plenty for all. At last they landed. Karma went to the rear of the plane, it had dropped
down and the other men followed him. They walked out onto the ground. There were three
Army buses waiting for them and they boarded the buses and headed for Nepal. It was a
rough ride up and down hills and around a mountain, until they drove down into Nepal and
through it, down to the Mustang Valley.
The buses pulled up near this long building and all the men got out. A very Military looking
man approached them. He held up his hand. ―Are you all Tibetan?‖ He asked.
―All except Sherman,‖ Karma replied. The man looked at Sherman.
―You are him aren‘t you?‖ he said.
―Yes‖ replied Sherman.
―And you are here because you are an Honorary Tibetan?‖ Sherman nodded
―Yes! Well don‘t think that what you have done for our people are going to make your life
any easier than any of the others. For you would be wrong.
I and my men are here to teach you and all these other men to be killing machines, and that is
what you are going to be.‖ Sherman didn‘t say anything. The man then addressed them.
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―My name is Donee and I assure you that I am one but to you I am Sergeant and you will
address me accordingly. Do you understand?‖
―Yes Sergeant!‖ all the men replied.
―Good!‖ Now pick up your gear and follow me.
He took them to a large looking building. ―These are your barracks,‖ he said.
―This is where you will live for the next three months.‖ Another man entered the building.
―This is Corporal Jones you will address him as Corporal and do everything he tells you to
do. Corporal Jones and I both fought against the Chinese in Tibet and we acquitted ourselves
very well, he and I are going to teach you all that we know. Relative to army life Corporal
Jones will tell you what you have to do and how to do it. I will see you at 0600 in the
morning, that is six o‘clock your time‖ and he left the building.
Corporal Jones was a very efficient soldier and he took them through everything that was
expected of them. Then he took them over to the Quarter Masters store to get their bedding
and camouflage uniforms as they would be fighting in the mountains.
The first month was horrendous! Sergeant Donee and Corporal Jones put them through the
wringer and made them do, what they were being taught to do, over and over again! Until it
was part of their life! Putting them over the ‗Assault Course‘ which meant climbing up nets
on a ten foot frame, wearing full battle equipment, Rifle, ammunition, and full packs.
Walking up hills and crawling down hills, running and jumping. Starting and stopping!
Staying on the rifle range until they could hit the centre of the target or near it every time!
Bayonet practice, crawling under barbed wire just over their heads, with live ammunition
being fired over their heads! Throwing live hand grenades, they were running up the side of
a mountain carrying full packs, guns, and ammunition. Getting fitter and stronger every day!
Sherman loved it! Luckily he had an advantage over his friends as his father who was an ex-
Marine had taught Sherman how to use revolvers, rifles and machine guns. For he had taken
him with him when he did his refresher courses with other Ex- Marines, so that they could
keep up with the latest firearms and how to use them. Sergeant Donee and Corporal Jones
were not backward in praising or criticising them.
―Your life and your buddy‘s lives depend on what you do, so learn to do it properly.‖ And
they did! It was not unusual if they had nothing better to do than to challenge each other for a
run over the ‗Assault Course.‘
Sergeant Donee and Corporal Jones told them that the Chinese had no respect for life and
they would get their soldiers to charge you so that they could see how many people were
firing at them and from where. They had seen hundreds of Chinese soldiers killed this way.
Karma and the other men taught Sherman their language which made him feel like one of
them. Karma told him about ‗NYINGMA‘ (‗The Ancient Ones‘).
This is the oldest school of Tibetan Buddhism. It is based on a lineage of teachings and
traditions introduced during the reigns of the Buddhist Kings of the Yarlong Dynasty in the
Eighth and Ninth Century by Padmasambhava, Shantarakshita, Vilalmitra and others. He also
told him about their school of Buddhism, Gelug ‗Way of Virtue‘ which was founded by
Gyalwa Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), they are also known as the Yellow Hat Sect.
And that the Dalai Lama is believed to be the earthly manifestation of
‗AVALOKITESHVARA‘ (The Buddha of Compassion).
238
The men got out of the trucks. They were greeted by General Yeshe and his patrol leaders.
Each patrol consisted of ten men. He welcomed them and told them that two men would be
attached to each patrol. Until they became accustomed to patrolling they wouldn‘t be a lead
man or a van guard man as these were the two men the Chinese tried to kill first. If two
friends wanted to be together that could be arranged. Twenty men stood forward in pairs.
The patrol leaders walked over to the two men standing in front of them and took them to
their patrol and introduced them to the other eight men.
This man came over to Karma and Sherman. ―I am Dawa,‖ he said.
―I am your Patrol Leader.‖
―I am Karma and this is my friend Sherman‖ replied Karma.
―Sherman!‖ said Dawa. ―The Honorary Tibetan?‖
―Yes,‖ said Karma.
Dawa put this little whistle to his lips and blew it!
Everything went quiet. Nobody moved or said anything. He held up his hand.
―Gentlemen!‖ he said holding up Sherman‘s hand. ―I want you to meet Sherman the
Honorary Tibetan!‖ No one said anything they just made their way to where Dawa, Karma
and Sherman were standing. They waited for General Yeshe and his Officers to go before
them. They all shook his hand and welcomed him. The other men who had formed a line
shook Sherman‘s hand and gave him their name. Karma couldn‘t stop laughing. Sherman
gave him a dirty look.
Their patrol was going out at 0700 next morning. They took it in turns. They didn‘t find it
any different to what Sergeant Donee and Corporal Jones had taught them except that they
were neither leading or in the van guard. Their Patrol Leader Dawa told them that tonight
they were a patrol member and would take their turn as leader and van guard. It was
Sherman‘s turn as leader when he heard this slight noise. He lifted his hand and the men
stopped and Dawa came up to him.
―Well done! Sherman‖ he said. ―Come out Sonam‖ and one of their own men came from
behind the rocks.
―Did you hear him, see him or feel him‖ asked Dawa.
―I heard him‖ said Sherman.
―Well done!‖ he said. ―You are definitely one of us‖ and the patrol continued.
The Tibetan people were leaving Tibet in droves and heading for India. The Chinese were
firing upon them although they were unarmed. A photographer had given the Tibetan
Authorities a photo of the body a nun who was on the end of the line of the people escaping,
and the body of the lead man taken after the Chinese Soldiers had fired upon them and killed
them. The Chinese denied that they killed them. Then stated after the photo shown to the
world was proven to be genuine, that it was their right to protect themselves.
What in the world I couldn‘t understand is how unarmed people running away from the
Chinese could be considered a threat! Dead men can‘t kill you! Was the motto of the
Guerrillas. Kama and Sherman‘s patrol had been in a quite a few skirmishes with the
Chinese and had killed a lot of Chinese soldiers as they had thousands to pick from. They
had lost three men. It is hard to not lose men when the enemy sprayed the entire area with
machine guns and mortar fire.
239
A message had been received and a warning that the Chinese had found out about the cave
and were bringing up troops to attack. All the top men had to leave as they would be needed
deeper in to take control of the Guerrillas in that area. All the patrols took as much food and
ammunition as they could carry and headed up the mountains. They had a place to go, it was
an old abandoned village. There were sheds and out buildings, it was quite a way off the
beaten track and it took them, six hours to reach it but they did and they set up camp. One of
the oldest fighters in their force but one of the best, he had been a Guerrilla fighter for five
years.
The patrols went into the areas controlled by the Chinese and killed dozens of them but they
were replaced by other soldiers. It is often said that one‘s luck must come to an end and in
this case it did! One of the Chinese soldiers who had not been killed or wounded in the
affray followed the patrol back to their headquarters and went back and told his officers
where they were. The first they knew about it was when they were shelled with artillery and
mortar fire. Everyone went their own way grabbing as much ammunition and food as they
could get. The safest place for them was on the top of this mountain which would give them
the advantage over the Chinese as they would be below them.
They met at the top of the mountain there were only twelve of them, Dawa their Patrol
Leader being one of them. He quickly put them in the best position that he could and they
waited for the Chinese to come, when they did there were thousands of them. The men on the
other side of the mountain informed Dawa that they were surrounded.
―What do you want to do?‖ he asked.
―Kill as many as we can,‖ came back the answer.
So the fight began! The Chinese were quite a way from them but luckily not out of rifle range
so the twelve men kept picking them off one at a time. Then they started to advance and
came up the mountain firing as they came. Karma and Sherman were taking their time
making sure that their bullets hit their targets. Around them the guns fell silent until they
knew that they were the only two left.
Karma put his hand in his kit bag and taking something out of it wound it up with the key
sticking out of its side and put it on the ground. Sherman looked and burst out laughing. It
was a little Prayer Wheel. Karma joined in his laughter they could hear the Chinese
approaching. Sherman fired his last shots, as did Karma. Sherman put out his hand.
―See you in the next world‖ he said as he fixed the bayonet on his rifle.
―You certainly will my friend!‖ said Karma shaking his hand. Sherman couldn‘t believe his
eyes he was standing before a pool of water, he looked around. Karma was standing a little
way behind him smiling. He was holding the little spinning Prayer Wheel in his hand.
Sherman heard a noise in front of him and turned round to find that he was facing an Angel
coming out of the pool.
240
CARLO TROMBONE’S FAMILIA
Prohibition hit the United States of America in the year 1922. It was called ‗The Volstead
Act‘ and ‗The Noble Experiment!‘ Theodore Roosevelt was the President of America at that
time.
Prohibition changed everything! A new group of people were born. They were called
Bootleggers (People who sold liquor during Prohibition). It was at that time the biggest
money spinner ever known. Money simply poured into the coffers of the Italian criminals,
they were known as either ‗The Mafia,‘ ‗The Familia‘ or ‗The Cosa Nostra.‘ They were the
biggest distributors of liquor in America. They couldn‘t believe it, for as far as they were
concerned it was beyond anything they had ever dreamed. They were raking in Multi
Millions of dollars at a time when that amount of money was unheard of.
Before Prohibition the Mafia made most of their money from gambling, prostitution, stealing
and protection. There were many different Mafia families in Chicago and it was normal for
one family to destroy another, so that they could take over their territories.
The ‗Outfit‘ organized all the local gangs to distribute the liquor. The liquor was brought in
from Europe by ship, by a Captain William S. McCoy. The last time it docked it was raided
by the Authorities and all the liquor confiscated. In all future trips it stayed outside U.S.
Waters and the liquor was brought in by smaller boats. Liquor was also brought in from
Canada and Mexico. But naturally, those bringing it across the borders had to pay an Excise
to the people involved who let them bring it in.
Carlo Trombone had ‗His family‘- ‗The Cosa Nostra‘ territory below Chicago Heights. It was
about a fifteen block square. His father had started, ‗His Family‘ when he came to America
from Sicily in the Year 1900, where he had also had ‗His Family‘ His personal family
consisted of his wife Maria and their two children. His son was named Carlo which meant in
Italian, ‗A free man,‘ after his father. His daughter was named Anna, after his wife‘s mother.
There was plenty of trouble in Chicago at that time and Carlo‘s father approached all the
shopkeepers in the area and told them that he would protect them for a weekly fee. They
were so desperate that they all paid up without a murmur.
Two months later it was the safest area in Chicago. His father‘s motto was quite simple.
―We will give you only one warning. Stay away from our people or we will kill you!‖ Those
who didn‘t believe him were killed. In the two months it took him to clean up his area,
fifteen people had been killed and forty went to hospital. He had a friend who was an
undertaker and he used to, as they say. ‗Take the people, these dead people, off his hands‘
and he paid him well for his services.
After his father died, Carlo took over the Family and like his father treated each and every
member of his family, with the same respect as his father had, which made them a very
dangerous group of people, for it was the family first above all others!
Carlo got involved in the liquor trade ‗The Outfit‘ had approached him to open some
speakeasies. Within two months he had twenty operating and they were packed to the rafters.
He had his friends in the police force that looked after him and he looked after them. Unlike
many of the other speakeasies in Chicago at that time there was never any trouble because
those who patronised them knew who owned them.
It was two years later when this big man accompanied by about ten very big men entered one
of his speakeasies. Luckily Carlo was at the speakeasy and he went to greet them.
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―Who are you?‖ asked the big man in a very guttural voice.
―I am Carlo Trombone, I own this speakeasy.‖ He said.
―Not for long!‖ said the big man. ―Not for long!‖
Carlo looked him in the face. ―What say we all go to my office?‖ he said.
―Yes what a good idea!‖ He said laughingly.
Carlo put his right arm above his head and walked to his office and he opened the door and
stood back to allow the big man and the men with him to enter. When they got inside they
found that there were ten men lolling up against the wall. They were along the back wall both
side walls and facing the big man and his men. It was obvious that the men who entered the
office were uncomfortable and why not, they were surrounded on all sides.
Carlo went behind his desk and facing the big man.
―I am Vasilow Leniskou,‖ he said. ―I represent the Russian Mafia and we are going to take
over your territory.‖
Carlo laughed. ―What are ‗My Family‘ and I going to be doing while you are taking us
over?‖ He asked.
―If you want you and your own family to live, you will be running for your lives.‖ replied the
big man.
Carlo didn‘t say anything then said in Italian. ―Kill them all but the big man, you can wound
him if you want too. The air was filled with the sound of gunfire then everything went quiet.
All the men who had come with the big man were all on the floor dead. The big man was
lying on the floor with blood seeping out of his coat near his shoulder and down his leg, just
above his knee. Three of Carlo‘s men were wounded, luckily not badly. Carlo looked at the
big man on the floor and said. ―If I or my men ever see you or one of yours in our territory
again you will be killed and we will come over to where you live and kill every one of you!
He nodded to the man at the door and said to him in Italian. ―Take our people and this idiot to
hospital. Don‘t harm or kill him as I want him to take my message back to those who sent
him.‖
The man to whom he had spoken to helped the big man up and they left the office. He picked
up the phone a man answered it. He spoke to him in Italian telling him that he had ten bodies
he wanted taken away. The man thanked him also speaking in Italian and told him that he
would be right over. After that little incident Carlo was left well alone!
Carlo was talking with his friend and Accountant Michael Andretti. Michael gave him an
update of his position and cash flow. Carlo couldn‘t believe it! He had millions and millions
of dollars and was getting more every day. He called in his collectors who went round every
week to the shops and businesses to collect the protection money and told them to tell all the
business people that they wouldn‘t be paying it any more but they would still get his
protection.
Then trouble came to Chicago. They had the ‗St Valentine Day Massacre.‘ A man named Al
Capone started taking over the other families.
Michael, his Accountant rang him. ―We have big trouble,‖ he said. ―Al Capone is sending his
men around to all the territories telling them that they either come under his family peacefully
or he takes them over forcibly and forcibly means that all those involved and their own
families will be killed, my friend who works for the Accountant heard your name mentioned.
Carlo was many things but he was not backward in meeting trouble face to face and he
contacted Al Capone‘s right hand man and asked to see Al Capone. Three weeks later he
received a telephone call to be at Al Capone‘s office at ten o‘clock the next morning.
242
He went on his own and sat outside Al Capone‘s office door till twelve o‘clock. This didn‘t
worry Carlo in the least as he was a very patient man. The door opened and Al Capone‘s
Consigliere (Advisor) came into the waiting room and told him to stand up. The man
searched him thoroughly and escorted him into this immense office.
Al Capone didn‘t get up as he approached his desk. He pointed to the chair in front of him,
and Carlo sat down.
―Make it quick!‖ He said to Carlo. ―I am a very busy man.‖
Carlo got straight to the point. ―What are you going to do with me and mine?‖ He asked.
―It‘s quite easy what I‘m going to do!‖ Al Capone said. ―I‘m going to take over your
territory either the easy way or the hard way. That will depend on you!‖
―What about my family?‖ Carlo asked.
―Your family is now my family. If you want to work for me you will be paid very well, if you
don‘t you will either leave Chicago now, or never leave Chicago.‖
―When will you be taking over?‖ He asked.
―My Accountant will be around to your office today and you make sure that your books are
available.‖ He waved to his Consigliere. He came over to Carlo.
―Let‘s go!‖ He said and they both left the room together.
Carlo tried to work out what he could do to save his business and his family. The answer
came to him immediately. There was nothing that he could do! He could either leave Chicago
or work for Capone. They were the only two things that he had to make up his mind about.
It was a week later when this big ugly looking man walked into Carlo‘s office. He didn‘t
knock at the door he just walked in.
―Are you Trombone?‖ He asked.
Carlo nodded his head.
―My name is Louie La Rosa and I am in charge of this family and all your territory. What I
say goes.‖ Carlo did not say anything.
―Tonight you will take me around all the speakeasies and tell them that they have to do what I
say!‖ He stopped talking. ―I like this office‖ He said.
―So from now on it is mine, so get all your stuff out of here now!‖
Carlo couldn‘t believe his ears, this punk coming into his office and telling him that he had to
do everything that he told him too, plus losing his office.
Things went from bad to worse. Louie went into the speakeasies and sacked the men who
kept the crowd in control. He did the same with the street men.
―It will save us money.‖ He said.
The sacked men came to Carlo. They were all out of a job and controlling was the only job
they knew. He asked them to give him to Friday to find an answer as his Accountant Michael
Andretti would be back from New York by then. On Friday he rang Michael‘s office and
asked to see him. An appointment was made for two ‗clock.
Michael was trying to placate him but Carlo was furious. Louie was destroying everything
that he set up. He had sacked the controllers and already there had been ten fights in the
speakeasies and the people, who came because they felt safe, are not coming any more. He
went on and on and then he stopped.
―I will kill him for sure.‖ He said. ―If he opens his mouth one more time he is dead!‖
―And?‖ said Michael. ―So are you, your wife, your son, and your daughter.‖
Carlo went white.
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Michael started to talk. ―I believe you have a problem with the controllers as Louie has
sacked all of them and as they have nowhere to go and they are looking to you as their
Godfather to provide and protect them!‖
Carlo squirmed in his seat.
―Well.‖ said Michael. ―They have no worries! Their Godfather will provide and protect
them.‖
―Where will I get the money from to pay them?‖ He asked.
―You have a terrible memory‖ said Michael. ―I have told you before, that you are worth
millions and millions of dollars. You could pay everybody on your payroll for the next
twenty years and still have millions!‖
―Where is it?‖ asked Carlo.
―It is everywhere!‖ said Michael. ―It is in shops, offices, buildings, houses and land. It is in
that big strong safe in that private bank that you own. That safe is full of money and all that
money belongs to you and only you and I know the combination.‖
―I don‘t know any combination,‖ said Carlo.
Michael laughed, and started to sing. ―Four to the left, then four to the right and Carlo joined
in ―Turn it all around till the arrow points to the light. Then five to the left and four to the
right, keeping turning till your arrow faces down and pull with all your might!‖
Both men burst out laughing.
―You taught me that years ago but you never told me what is was for,‖ said Carlo.
―There are papers that you would receive after I had died or had anything happened to me
telling you where everything is!‖ said Michael.
After Carlo had settled down Michael told him to tell all the people on his payroll that they
would receive their pay the same as always. Carlo walked over to Michael and hugged him
and Michael hugged him back and they parted company. He felt strong again as though he
was back in control.
He contacted his Family and told them that they would all be paid everything that they were
entitled to, which of course as far as they were concerned Carlo was their Godfather, not Al
Capone.
Carlo received a phone call from Michael who told him that Al Capone‘s Accountant was
going to see Louie as his cash flow was thousands under all the others. He was not a big man,
but he was as hard as nails. Pierre Le Monte was his name. He arrived in that afternoon.
Louie was in the office.
Carlo was overseeing the unloading of a truck full of liquor. They could hear the two men in
the office arguing and they were going hammer and tong. One of the voices stopped, the
other said, ―Get him in here now!‖
Louie came out into the yard and pointing to Carlo.
He said, ―Come in here you!‖
Then turned around and walked back inside. Carlo stayed where he was and a few minutes
later this other man came out into the yard and looking over to Carlo.
He asked. ―Are you Mr Trombone?‖
―Yes!‖ answered Carlo.
―Would you please come inside?‖ Carlo stopped what he had been doing and followed the
man into the office.
He introduced himself to Carlo. ―My Name is Pierre Le Monte I am the Accountant for the
family. Mr Capone looks after the gangs and I look after the businesses.‖
Looking at Louie said, ―When you took this operation over, the cash flow was one of the
highest in the whole system and now it is the lowest, I want you to tell me why?‖
―Probably because there is less money down here now,‖ replied Louie.
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The Accountant looked at Carlo. ―Mr Trombone,‖ he asked. ―What is your opinion?‖
Carlo was not backward in letting the Accountant know that Louie was the greatest moron he
had ever met. ―The reason that the people no longer come to our speakeasies any more is that
they no longer feel safe! Louie had sacked all the controllers, both on the streets and in the
speakeasies. We have all the riff raff from around coming into streets and the speakeasies,
there are fights every night. Before your people came into our territory the police used to
have only one man patrolling our streets and the police cells were empty. Now the police
have four men and two patrol cars driving up and down every night and day. The cells are
full.‖
The room fell silent. Looking at Carlo the Accountant asked, ―if I put you back in control
how long will it take you to get everything back as it was before we came?‖
―I don‘t know if I can get all the men and women back!‖ said Carlo. ―Some of them have got
better jobs and better wages. Louie cut all their wages so that we were getting less than all
the others in the family although they were doing the same work.‖
The Accountant looking at Louie said ‗Starting from now Mr Trombone is in charge of this
territory.‖ And addressing Carlo said. ―My Assistant will be down in the morning with the
new pay rates and back pay of all those whom you employ.‖
He turned to Louie and said. ―Please get your gear you are coming back with me.‖
―I don‘t take orders from you.‖ said Louie. ―I only take my orders from Karl Ryder.‖
The Accountant picked up the phone and dialled a number. ―Mr Karl Ryder?‖ He said
speaking into the phone. The other person on the phone evidently answered yes, for he
continued. ―My name is Pierre Le Monte, yes we did meet at Al‘s party last week.‖
―I am here with a Mr Louie La Rosa and I want him taken off this assignment and returned to
the central area but he tells me that you are the only one who can give him orders.‖
He paused, ―Certainly!‖ He said and he handed the phone to Louie.
―Yes Karl‖ he said and hung up the phone. Walked over to the desk and emptied the draws.
―I will have to get my case‖ he said and he left the room.
The Accountant turned to Carlo ―I have heard a lot about you Mr Trombone. When you told
them not to come in they didn‘t or if they did, they wished that they hadn‘t‖ and he burst out
laughing.
―Now that you are back in control, I am sure that nobody will interfere with you any more in
the way that you run your territory. My only interest is the cash flow,‖ he put out his hand.
Carlo shook it. It was a very firm handshake on both sides.
―I want my own Accountant‘ said Carlo. ―Not that man who comes in every week.‖
―Agreed‖said the Accountant.
Louie came back into the room carrying his case. ―I will get you Trombone.‖ He said.
―You are a dead man!‖
―In your dreams!‖ said Carlo.‖In your dreams!‖
Both Louie and the Accountant left the office.
Three weeks later there was only one policeman patrolling the streets. All the riff raff had
been told that they were no longer welcome. After hearing that Carlo was back in control the
speakeasies were doing a roaring trade. The Accountant rang Carlo and congratulated him on
the turn around.
It had to come, as both men really wanted it. Louie put around that if it hadn‘t been for the
Accountant being in the office he would have finished Carlo on the spot. Carlo sent him a
‗You or me or both?‘ Your Choice!‘ He sent it with a White Feather. He had it delivered to
Al Capone‘s headquarters when all the men were having their lunch.
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A messenger boy went into the dining room and asked for a Mr Louie La Rosa. Louie held up
his hand. The boy stood in front of him, held up the Envelope and sang. ―Carlo Trombone
sends to you a ‗You or Me or Both?‘ Your Choice!‖ And he handed the man in front of him a
White Feather. Louie took it and stood up for all to see and broke the White Feather in two
and gave the messenger boy one of the halves and held the other above his head which meant
that he accepted the challenge. All the men in the dining room roared, as Louie stood holding
up half of the White Feather. He gave the boy the other half of the broken White Feather and
five dollars and talking to the boy in a loud voice said. ―Tell him my choice is ALL IN!‖ The
men roared again and the boy left. Louie sat down to finish his lunch.
A messenger boy asked to see Mr Trombone. Carlo came to the door. The boy handed him
the broken half of the White Feather and said ―ALL IN!‖ Carlo gave him five dollars and the
boy left. Carlo had never felt happier. Carlo Junior heard about his father challenging Louie
and went to see him. His father welcomed him with open arms.
―You do not have the slightest doubt that you can kill him do you?‖ asked his son.
―You have watched his every move every day. You have seen him fight with his fists, kicking
with his boots, practicing with his knife and shooting a gun. You know that you can beat him,
don‘t you?‖
Carlo didn‘t say anything for a few moments then turning to his son said. ―I stood there for
months every day watching him destroy everything that I had worked for, he subjected me to
the most humiliating things you can imagine and I couldn‘t do anything about it, for if I did.
You, your sister, your mother and I would be killed. What he did to me and mine has been
eating away inside of me for so long that unless I do something about it, it will destroy me.
But since I have been put in charge of the territory I have the right to challenge him to a fight
to the death, as we are both on equal standing. You are my son and will be the Godfather
when I die. I can‘t tell you how proud I am that you will be taking my place.‖
―Let me reminisce!‖ he said. ―I remember when we went to see those two men who were
causing us all that trouble. One was a big man, like two of the men we had with us. The other
was a man about your height, size and weight and he said to me.‖
‗Are you going to put one of your big hoods on to me or can I fight that man standing next to
you? He is about my height and weight.‘
―I looked around to ask you if you wanted to fight him and saw you taking your coat off and
giving it to Alex to hold. Then walking over to the other man and said. ‗Let‘s go!‘ He
paused. ―He knocked you down five times and you got up every time. Then you stepped
back. ‗Have you had enough the other man asked?‘ ‗I have had enough of dancing around
like a little girl.‘ You said. ‗Let us get serious and stand toe to toe!‘ ―And you stood toe to toe
and fought for about ten minutes then you hit him just below the heart and he winced, you hit
him there again and he buckled a little. Then you hit him in the same place again from the left
and he fell down on his knees and you stood back. And you standing there in front of me with
blood all over you said.‖ ‗What say that I clean up and you and I go and have a cup of coffee
and a piece of cake at Robbie‘s.‘
He paused again and said. ―That‘s the time that they brought that man before me who pistol
whipped his wife not once but twice. The first time because his lawyer told the Judge that he
had forgotten to take his medicine, the Judge let him off and the second time he went before
the same Judge again! He told the Judge that he had lost his medicine and he couldn‘t find it.
The Judge let him off again! And they brought him before me and when he came before me.‖
He said ‗I can‘t help myself and I will probably do it again!‘ ―And when I asked him if he
liked pistol whipping his wife?‖ He laughed. ‗I like to hear her scream!‘ He said.
―It was obvious that I didn‘t know what to do and you took him outside.
We all went with you and you asked him.‖ ‗Isn‘t your wife that little lady who works in the
flower shop, the one who always has a black eye or bruises over her face?‘
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‗Yes,‘ He replied. ‗But I am just letting her know who the boss is.‘
―You asked him if he had any bullets for the gun and he said that he had. Then you told him
to load the gun, which he did! And as you were putting gloves on your hands, you asked him
if he was right handed or left. He replied that he was right handed. You asked him to give you
the gun. He handed it to you. You put it against his right temple and pulled the trigger. Put
the gun in his right hand and pointed it to the sky and pulled the trigger again! Then you told
Frederick to call the police and tell them that he saw this man shoot himself. As you and I
was walking to the coffee shop I asked you what you felt when you killed him.‖ ‗Satisfaction
Father, pure satisfaction!‘ You replied.
Carlo beamed with pride. ―What a wonderful Godfather you are going to make.‖ He said.
―You don‘t know the half of it father,‘ said his son. ―Two weeks after I killed him. I went to
the flower shop to get flowers for mother. The little lady whose husband I had killed came to
serve me. She bowed before me, picked up my hand and kissed it and she said ‗Thank you
Godfather.‘ ―Then she told me that she had some beautiful flowers that had just come in,
which my mother would love, as they are her favourite colour.‖ Carlo burst out laughing.
―I‘m not even dead yet and you are starting your own family.‖ Both of the men roared with
laughter and their love bond as father and son grew stronger.
The time and date had been set. Carlo received a letter from the ruling body of the family
telling him that his ‗You or Me or Both‘ challenge was going to be held on this coming
Friday at two o‘clock at Warehouse Number five, opposite the entrance to the docks. He and
his second had to be at the warehouse at one-thirty.
Carlo never altered his routine. Every morning he rose at six o‘clock and ran around four
blocks. Went to the gymnasium and sparred with a man who like himself didn‘t mind hitting
or being hit. They both wore light gloves.
Then he would go down to the cellar under his house and fire twenty four bullets at a moving
target, practice his knife throwing for ten minutes. He would then shave and shower and eat
breakfast with his wife and his son Carlo and his daughter Anna. It was without a doubt a
wonderful way to start a day.
It came at last. It was Friday. The day he was going to kill Louie. He ran faster, he punched
harder but still took his time when firing at the moving target and throwing the knives.
When he arrived at the warehouse with Carlo Junior, who was going to be his second, he was
surprised to see that there were already hundreds of men, already inside the building and
more were coming in. Two tables had been set up. One was in the centre between the two
walls facing into the area where all the men were gathering. The other was to the side of it,
further away from the entrance. There were two men standing by the table and one of the men
beckoned them to come over.
Carlo and his son went to him. ―My name is Roscoe Marconi.‖ he said. ―I am in charge of
your weapons.‖ Carlo shook hands with him.
―I am Carlo Trombone‘ he said. ―This is my son Carlo Junior, who is going to be my
second!‖ Carlo Junior handed the man a revolver and a beautiful looking stiletto. The man
picked it up the stiletto and held it in his hand.
―It is beautifully balanced.‖ he said. ―I have never seen anything like it!‖ Carlo laughed.
―My father made it himself.‘ he said. ―He was a craftsman.‖
―He certainly was.‖ Said the other man and put the revolver and the knife on the table.
Louie walked in accompanied by another man who Carlo didn‘t know.
―Well.‖ said Louie on seeing Carlo. ―What a surprise I didn‘t expect you to be here.‖
―But I certainly am glad that you are.‖ replied Carlo.
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He walked laughing to the other end of the table. Carlo didn‘t say a word but he felt the fire
starting to burn up in his stomach.
It was two o‘clock. Al Capone was sitting in the centre of the table. His Consigliere stood up
and held up his hands everything went quiet. Speaking in Italian he asked all those present to
stand for the Godfather. All the men stood, Al Capone waved his hand and they all sat down.
The Consigliere told them that a ‗You or Me or Both!‘ had been served on one of the family
by another of the family of equal standing and that both parties has agreed to ‗ALL IN!‘
Carlo Trombone had given Louie La Rosa the right of choice to start the challenge by Fists
and boots, Knives or Guns. Louie had chosen fist fighting, ‗ALL IN!‘ which meant they
could kick bite of do anything that pleased them. The fight would be to the end, when either
one man or both men were dead.
The two men walked to the centre of the warehouse and stood facing each other. Louie put up
his hand. ―ALL IN!‖ He said. ―Boots and all!‖ and the fight started. Neither man stood back
they both went for the other man. It soon became obvious that both men could fight, for they
both had blood on them after only a few hits. It was rough and tumbles for about ten minutes,
when Louie stepped back and lent to the side and kicked his boot up towards Carlo‘s groin.
Carlo stayed where he was and as the boot headed for his groin he bent his body forward and
his rear backwards and grabbed Louie‘s foot and twisted it. There was a cracking sound and
Louie screamed in pain and dropped on to the floor. He tried to stand but couldn‘t and fell
back on the floor.
Carlo was heading towards the table where the knives and guns were, when a shot rang out.
He turned a man was standing over Louie with a gun in his hand. Louie was dead. The man
put his gun on the floor and put his hands up in the air. There was a deadly silence. Men
started to rush towards him. Another shot rang out. They all stopped. It was the Consigliere.
―Get back!‖ He said. They all went back.
―Come here!‖ He said to the man standing beside Louie‘s dead body. Still holding his hands
above his head he went to the Consigliere‘s table.
―You better have a good reason for doing what you have done!‖ He said. ―A very good
reason!‖ Carlo stood in front of the table where the knives and guns were.
―My name is Fedel Santicaro.‖ said the man. ―I have been a friend of Louie‘s since we were
both little boys and we both took a blood oath that if either of us was in danger of being killed
by an enemy and we could no longer protect ourselves, that one of us would kill the other so
that our enemy couldn‘t claim that they had killed us! In killing him I just honoured my
oath.‖
―Lower your hands.‖ said the Consigliere and turning to Carlo said. ―His life is in your
hands.‖ Carlos looked at the man in front of him, he had no fear in his eyes and was quite
prepared to accept his fate.
―This man did me no harm.‖ He said. ―He only honoured his blood oath. What more could a
man who has taken a blood oath do! I am completely satisfied.‖
―The challenge is over.‖ said the Consigliere and all the men stood up and bowed to Al
Capone, as he and his party left.
Fedel Santicaro came over to Carlo and his son who were collecting the gun and knife that
they had put on the table. He put out his hand and Carlo didn‘t even hesitate and shook it
firmly.
―Thank you for understanding!‖ He said. Carlo smiled.
―He was lucky to have a friend like you.‖ said Carlo.
The man nodded and turned and walked away.
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Carlo‘s world had turned around. He was walking over the earth as though he owned it. His
speakeasies were on top when it came to Revenue, and Pierre Le Monte was very pleased and
appreciative. Carlo Junior approached his father and told him that he would like to go back to
school to finish his schooling and graduate. This filled his mother and Carlo with much joy as
they loved their son dearly. So Carlo Junior applied for and was accepted to go to the
Chicago University.
Carlo was sitting in his office when Vince, who used to be a soldier with his father and was
as Carlo was concerned one of his personal family, came in.
―Giovanni call me Joe Gamboli wants to see you.‖ He said. Carlo burst out laughing.
―Please invite Mr Giovanni, call me Joe Gamboli to join me.‖
He stood up as the man entered his room, his face showing his friendship for him. He stopped
dead. The man who came through the door was not the Giovanni, call me Joe Gamboli that
he knew. The man who stood in front of him was a man with a million problems on his mind,
and he didn‘t know how to deal with them. Carlo walked over to him and put his arms around
him and the other man hugged him back.
Carlo stepped back.
―Would you like a wine?‖ He asked. The man nodded his yes.
―White or red?‖ He asked.
―I‘m Italian‖ the other man replied.
Carlo poured out two red wines, filling the glasses to the rim. Call me Joe took a real good
drink and the glass was half empty. Carlo filled it again to the rim and motioned for his friend
to take a seat.
―They have given us the sack.‖ he said. ―Sixty men and thirty ladies and we were all told two
weeks ago that we would be finishing up today.‖
Carlo held up his hand. ―Whoa! Whoa! Start at the beginning and give it to me slowly.‖
Call me Joe sipped his wine. ―Capone‘s Consigliere came to me two weeks ago and told me,
that I and all the men and women working under me for the Family, would be finishing up
today. When I asked him why, he said that the Family wanted a more modern look and the
young soldiers were not happy been told what to do by old men and women.‖ He paused and
had a drink of wine. ―I asked to see Capone but was told that the decision had been made and
we just had to learn to live with it!‖
Carlo was shocked to the core, for he knew that call me Joe and his crew were top class in
what they did, no matter how old they were.
―What are you going to do?‖ He asked.
―You know Hell‘s Kitchen at the end of your territory, well ‗The Outfit‘ has told us that the
speakeasies there are in a terrible state and they have offered us a terrific deal if we can take
them over. Capone has agreed that if we do, then it becomes our territory and we don‘t have
to pay anything to his Family.‖
Hell‘s Kitchen was the end all to end all. There were ten gangs controlling five blocks square
of buildings and they fought and killed each other every day. It was like a game to them.
The last family to try and take them over lost over sixty soldiers. For as soon as they entered
their area the ten gangs became one gang and they had hundreds of gang members.
―You know what happened to the last family who tried to take them over don‘t you?‖ said
Carlo. ―They lost over sixty soldiers.‖
―We won‘t lose one soldier.‖ Said call me Joe. ―And in two months it will be ours.‖
―You sound very confident‖ Said Carlo. Call me Joe laughed.
―Me and mine have been walking through their territory night and day for just over a week,
and they have more weaknesses than you can possibly imagine. Their only strength is their
numbers and we will soon take care of that!‖
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Carlo looked at him. ―You know that old tenement building just down from the corner. I own
that and I had to close it down as they used to come over and whistle at the girls and call
them names. I sent soldiers down there to protect them but they would run away and my men
would chase them and when they came back, there were another lot doing exactly the same
thing. It went on and on so I closed it down.‖
―That is what I have come to see you about.‖ Said call me Joe. ―I want to rent it off you.‖
―You want to rent it off me?‖ Said Carlo. ―Why do you want to rent it off me?‖
―Because I want to use it as our headquarters‖ call me Joe replied.
―But‖ said Carlo. ―It hasn‘t been lived in for years and goodness only knows what it is like
inside.‖
―I don‘t care what it looks like inside.‖ said call me Joe. ―I still want to rent if off you.‖
Carlo picked up the phone. ―Please bring the car around to the front.‖ He said. And he hung
up.
They pulled up in front of the building and they got out. Carlo led the way followed by Call
me Joe and Vince, the driver stayed in the car. Carlo opened the door with the key he had
taken from his desk draw and they walked into the building. It was Huge!
There were eighty separate rooms. The lounge was massive and full of furniture. They went
into the kitchen they couldn‘t believe the size of it. Five big wooden stoves were along one
wall. Tables and benches were everywhere as were cupboards and when they opened them
they found that they were full of kitchen utensils. They went upstairs and opened the door of
the rooms. Each one that they opened had a bed with mattress and bed clothes, a dressing
table with a mirror. There were curtains on the windows and linoleum on the floors which
was covered in dust.
―It is not in bad condition.‖ Said call me Joe. ―How much will you rent it to me for?‖ He
asked. Carlo laughed.
―One dollar a week!‖ He said.
―Be serious Carlo.‖ said call me Joe. ―How much?‖
Carlo put his hand out as if to shake hands. ―I told you how much.‖ He said.
―One dollar a week!‖ Call me Joe took Carlo‘s offered hand and shook it.
Two weeks later call me Joe took Carlo around to the tenement and showed him what he and
his family had done to it. It looked beautiful, it was as clean as a whistle and it had a lovely
lived in smell.
―If I had known it was going to come up this good I would have charged you a Dollar fifty.‖
said Carlo.
―Stiff!‖ Said call me Joe. ―We shook on it!‖
Then it started. Four of the top men of the Ajax gang were walking up this dark alley when
they were jumped upon by according to them by at least six men who had given them a
hiding. They all ended up in hospital. Two of the men had one of their arms broken. The
other two each had a broken leg. The police believe that is was the lower side gang as they
found a piece of a shirt with their colours on it, on the ground. The lower side gang denied
that they were involved.
Then six of the men from the lower side gang got into a fight in one of the speakeasies and
they all finished up with broken bones. Some had broken arms and others it was their legs.
The owner of the speakeasy was offered a good price for it, and he couldn‘t sell it quick
enough.
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Call me Joe‘s people took it over and brought in real liquor and before long their speakeasy
were packed. Any trouble makers were taken outside and asked if they wanted a broken arm,
a broken leg or a broken neck? They could please themselves. They all declined the offer and
they behaved themselves.
Three months later Hell‘s Kitchen was just a name, as none of the gang‘s operated around
anymore and at least forty of those who used to be members were walking around with either
their arms in a sling or using crutches.
Call me Joe had asked Carlo if he could use his Accountant and Carlo said that he would
have to ask Michael himself. Michael agreed and the two families came closer together.
Three years later the axe dropped on Al Capone he was charged with tax evasion and found
guilty. All the families were investigated including Carlo and call me Joe and they had the
Accountants from the Internal Revenue Service examine all their books. The man in charge
was an Antonio Di Agostini. He had a reputation for being a hard man.
Michael had provided all the books for both Carlo and Call me Joe‘s people to the Internal
Revenue Service. Three months later they had not reached a decision. Then Michael got a
call from Antonio Di Agostini the man in charge of the investigation and he told Michael that
he wanted to meet him and Carlo Trombone.
The three men were sitting in Carlo‘s office. Mr Di Agostini‘s people had brought all of
Carlo‘s books back and put them on his desk. Mr Di Agostini came in and he introduced
himself to Carlo and started to speak.
―The Internal Revenue Service has gone over your books from cover to cover but they can‘t
find anything that contravenes the act. The only worry they have is that although you have
paid your taxes, you obtained your income from an illegal source and despite it is out of our
field, they asked me to interview you and give them a report on you personally.‖
He then turned to Michael Andretti and said. ―This matter no longer concerns you and I
would like to talk to Mr Trombone alone.‖
Michael picked up the books off of Carlo‘s desk and took them out to his car. He came back
in shook Di Agostini‘s hand and waved goodbye to Carlo and left.
The Internal Revenue Service man closed the door. ―You don‘t remember me Mr Trombone
do you?‖ He asked.
―No I don‘t.‖ Said Carlo, ‗But there is something familiar about you!‖ The other man
laughed.
―Try Alberto Di Agostino.‖ Carlo stood up.
―I knew you reminded me of somebody but I couldn‘t place who it was. Your Alberto and
Stella‘s son Antonio, aren‘t you?‖
―Yes I am!‖ the man replied. Carlo became himself and he walked towards the other man and
put his arms about him and hugged him, the other man hugged him back.
―How are your mother and father?‖ He asked.
―They are excellent thank you! You know that they moved to New York?‖
―Yes of course I do!‖ said Carlo. ―Those were the days!‖
―Why do you use the name Di Agostini.‖ he asked.
―I have no option.‖ He replied. ―It is my real name. When mother and father came from Italy,
they like all the other people had to stand in line until their name was called. The man called
out the name Di Agostino and nobody came forward. I will call this name only one more time
the man said and he called out at the top of his voice ‗Di Agostino.‘ My father grabbed my
mother‘s hand and took her to the man who had called out. He took a look at my parent‘s
passports and the name on the list in front of him. ‗Near enough.‘ He said. He stamped their
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passports but when I was born my mother and father took their passports with them and gave
them to the clerk who recorded the correct information on them and registered it accordingly.
And as soon as I could understand, my father told me and showed me what had happened, as
he had kept all the paperwork.‖
He paused for a moment then said. ―When he became a member of your Family, you treated
him like a brother. When my mother was very ill, he came to you for help and you paid all
the bills for my Mother‘s operation which saved her life. When my father asked you how
much money he owed you, you said to him. ‗The only thing that you owe me is your loyalty.‘
He paused. Every night before my father and mother go to bed they ask God to bless you and
keep you safe and well.‖ He looked at his watch. ―I must go now but before I do, I am
recommending that no further action be taken against you, as I will with call me Joe
Gamboli.‖ Carlo burst out laughing. And he stopped talking and he bent over and picked up
Carlo‘s hand and kissed it.
―Goodbye and good luck Godfather.‖ He said. He closed the door behind him as he left.
252
THE TURN AROUND
Beryl was having a run like she couldn‘t believe, everything is supposed to come in threes
but in her case it was thirty threes. The latest was that she had parked her car in a two hour
zone, the train had been cancelled and when she eventually got to her parked car she was
greeted with a ticket for two hundred and fifty dollars under her windscreen wiper. Add that
to the registration and insurance of her car, her house insurance which was due, plus losing
her purse with over two hundred of her hard earned dollars in it, and you have the tip of the
iceberg.She didn‘t know what to do or how to do it! Then she felt this knot in her stomach.
She would have to go and ask her brother John for a loan. John was loaded, but was tight as.
Every time she had borrowed money from him she copped the same lecture, and it went on
and on for about ten minutes. But she had no option for there was nowhere else she could
go.She pulled into the supermarket picked up a basket and went into the aisles. It was in the
breakfast food aisle when the old lady in front of her lost her purse; it fell out of the trolley
and onto the floor. She kept walking, Beryl called to her and she turned round, Beryl picked
it up and handed her, her very well filled purse.
―Oh! Dear, how lovely of you!‖ She said. ―Please let me give you a little something as a
reward,‖ But Beryl declined.
―It was my pleasure!‖ She said. Then she walked into the next aisle and from there to the
cashier.
She put the ten items she had bought on the cashiers table and the lady put them through the
register, as the last item went through bells started to ring and lights were flashing.
―Congratulations!‖ said the girl on the register you have won our prize for the month. It is
cash for one thousand dollars plus whatever you have purchased. Beryl couldn‘t believe her
ears. One thousand dollars would pay for everything she had to pay and leave her a few
hundred dollars for herself. The manager took her into his office and he counted out one
thousand dollars in fifty dollar notes. He got her to sign for them and wished her well.
Beryl returned to her car, she was bubbling with excitement. A thousand dollars! She
couldn‘t believe it. She opened her purse and sure enough there it was a very nice wad of
fifty dollar notes. She started to cry with happiness. Her whole world had changed and she
felt like a different woman.
Believing that her luck had changed for the better she wrote to the Traffic Division requesting
that her fine be withdrawn as the reason for her being late was that the train had been
cancelled. Three days later she received a reply stating that ten other people besides her had
written to them with the same reason, therefore the fine had been withdrawn.
She went to work the next day feeling like a duchess. She had paid all her bills and had over
five hundred dollars in the bank. She could never remember having that sort of money in the
bank and it felt wonderful.
She worked at this dress shop just off the Boulevard, before the big firms had moved in, it
had been one of the busiest shopping centres in Down Town Burbank but now it was just the
locals who shopped there.
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She had been in the shop about an hour when this very oddly dressed man walked in. He
went over to Janette, the owner.
―Do you have any of those little girls dresses with the lace around the hem they used to have
years ago?‘ He asked. Janette laughed,
―I don‘t think you will get any of them.‖ She replied. ―They went out of vogue years ago.‖
The man turned to leave.
―Excuse me Janette.‘ said Beryl. ―But we have dozens of them downstairs. I know this for a
fact as I did the stocktake last June.‖
―That‘s good!‖ said Janette. ―Please take Mr?‖ She said looking at the man.
―Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson, no relation to the famous one.‖ He replied.
Janette nodded to Beryl ―Please take Mr Jefferson downstairs and show him the dresses.‖
Beryl took him downstairs opened the stock room door and took him to the corner of the
room there where hundreds of these ‗Dolly dresses‘ as they used to be called. They were all
covered as were all the other dresses in the stock room and were in excellent condition. Mr
Jefferson examined them and was pleased to see that they were in good condition. They went
back upstairs. He went over to Janette and said.
―Subject to all of them being in good condition I will buy two hundred and fifty of them but I
cannot pay any more than fifty dollars each.‖
―You will have to bring your own people in to check them?‖ said Janette. ―As we can‘t afford
to and don‘t have the time to check them for you. Now please excuse me while I check and
see if I can sell them to you at that price.‖ She returned about ten minutes later.
―Yes!‖ She said. ―You can have them at fifty dollars but once they are out of the shop they
are yours, agreed!‖ He put his hand out. She shook it, ―Agreed!‖ He said.
It took three days for the people involved to remove the dresses.
Monday morning was Janette‘s morning off and when Beryl arrived at the shop at eight thirty
there were about thirty people waiting outside the door. This didn‘t worry her as the shop did
not open till nine. She entered the shop put on her uniform and rang the number that
everyone rang if they needed shop assistants to help them. Two girls arrived within fifteen
minutes and Beryl told them and showed them what she wanted them to do. When the doors
opened, the people entering were greeted by three very professional sales ladies. It was one
o‘clock and in walked Janette. She looked at the two ladies who were preparing to leave.
Beryl introduced them to her. ―Janette, please meet Hazel and Rhonda, they helped me out
this morning.‖ Janette looked puzzled but didn‘t say anything until the two ladies had left.
―Please sit down.‖ said Beryl. Janette sat on the chair and Beryl told Janette.
―On Saturday afternoon I met a friend of mine who told me that she had just seen one of the
best children‘s shows she had ever seen, it was called ‗Broadway Dolls‘ directed by a
Thomas Jefferson and the dresses were superb. So I contacted the ‗Bargain Web Site‘ and
told them that we had exactly the same dresses as worn by the little girls in the play for only
seventy five dollars.‖
―Seventy five dollars!‖ said Janette. Beryl laughed ―Seventy five dollars!‖ Then she
continued. ―When I arrived at work this morning there were thirty people waiting outside, so
I contacted the shop assistants bureau and asked for two girls and when I opened the doors
there were over seventy people waiting. We sold one hundred and sixty five ‗Dolly Dresses‘
and forty four of our dresses.‖
―The ladies said that our dresses were lovely and very reasonable and they would tell their
friends.‖ Beryl walked over to the money draw, it was full to the brim.
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She then went into Janette‘s office and returned with two money bags bulging with money.
Janette didn‘t say a word, she looked at her watch.
―You had better take your lunch break.‖ She said.
Beryl went for her lunch break and when she returned there were five ladies in the shop
looking at dresses. By closing time they had sold more dresses not counting the ‗Dolly
dresses‘ than they had before the big firms had established themselves in the Boulevard. As
Beryl was leaving Janette called her into her office and handed her a large brown paper bag.
Beryl opened it! It was full of money, fifty and hundred dollar bills. She looked at Janette.
―What‘s this for?‖ She asked.
―That is for knowing about the ‗Dolly Dresses‘ and getting me fifty dollars a dress for two
hundred and Fifty dresses and seventy five dollars a dress for a hundred and sixty five
dresses, which cost me ten dollars a dress and getting them put on the ‗Bargain Web Site,‘
etc, etc. Plus of course giving us the best day we have had since the big boys took over and it
is definitely going to get better. By the way your wages have gone up fifty dollars from last
week.‖ Janette hugged Beryl and Beryl hugged her back.
When Beryl arrived home she went into the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea and she sat
down and took the money out of the bag that Janette had given her. Luckily she lived on her
own so she didn‘t have to try and hide anything. She looked at the neat little pile of hundred
and fifty dollar notes. She couldn‘t believe her eyes, for Janette had given her three thousand
dollars. She started to cry, they were tears of joy and gratefulness, for she had never been so
financially secure and it was a wonderful feeling.
Things went from better to better the sales in the shop were as good as they had been before
the big firms had taken over. They now had four sales girls in the shop and they all knew
their job. Beryl was the head girl and the head salesgirl and her wages had been increased
accordingly. She loved her job and Janette‘s dresses were first class.
It was Christmas and Beryl drove into the Supermarket car park. Janette had given her an
extra bonus and what a bonus. Over ten times her wages, which Janette had increased every
month. She entered the supermarket and she was entering the aisle where the biscuits were
kept, she saw this lady with three children two girls and a boy, standing in front of the toys
section. She heard the lady say.
―I am so sorry children but I haven‘t got enough money to buy you any toys, I just have
enough to buy our food.‖
Beryl stopped dead in her tracks and looked at the family. Their clothes were clean but they
certainly had, had a lot of use.
She turned on her heel and went to the Managers office .She knocked and the man who had
given her the thousand dollars opened the door.
―May I come in?‖ She asked. He nodded and stood back and allowed her to enter.
―Do you remember me?‖
―You do look familiar.‖ He said. ―But I cannot place you. Should I?‖
―I am the person who won the one thousand dollars and everything I had in my basket.‖ She
said.
―Of course, I remember you now.‖ He said. ―What can I do for you?‖
Beryl nodded towards the television monitor on his wall.
―You see that lady with the three children in the biscuit aisle. Well I want you to give her a
trolley full of groceries and one hundred dollars in cash.‖ And opening her purse took out
five fifty dollar notes and put them on his desk. The Manager looked at her and the two
hundred and fifty dollars and picked up the phone.
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―Jean, tell that lady in aisle three that she has won goods to the value of one hundred and fifty
dollars and when she has finished shopping take her to check out number six.‖ And he hung
up.
They both sat and watched as the lady was told that she had just won a hundred and fifty
dollars, worth of goods. She started to cry, then took the children to where the toys were and
they each picked one toy. The two girls picked dolls and the boy a meccano set.
They then went from aisle to aisle picking out all the bargains and headed to checkout
number six. The manager was waiting for her.
Beryl was standing away from them pretending to be looking at some of the goods in front of
her. The goods in her trolley came to one hundred and sixty two dollars. The Manager told
her that she had also won a hundred dollars in cash. He gave her two twenties, four tens, and
four five dollar notes. She was crying and kissed his hand and thanked him. He waved them
goodbye.
Beryl went over to him opened her purse and took out a twenty dollar bill. ―I owe you twelve
dollars.‖ She said.
―You don‘t owe me anything!‖ said the manager. ―Merry Christmas to you and yours‖ and he
walked away.
Beryl walked back into the breakfast food aisle to hear. ―Excuse me but your purse dropped
out of your trolley.‖ She looked towards the voice to see a young girl handing to an old lady a
bulging purse. It was the same old lady who had dropped her purse that she had picked up.
―Thank you dear‖ she said. ―Please let me give you a reward‖ but the girl declined and left
the aisle. The old woman looked at Beryl and smiled.
―How lovely to see you again!‖ she said. ―I cannot tell you how happy you have made me. A
Merry Christmas to you and yours.‖ And she pushed her trolley out of the aisle, she leant
over to get her Wheat Bix, when the bells started ringing and the lights flashing and she heard
this beautiful warm happy vibrant laugh coming out of her mouth.
256
DREAM TIME
It was a terrible night, the wind was blowing madly and despite being in an air conditioned
hospital all the patients were restless as the noise was keeping them awake.
It was 2 o‘clock in the morning and Sister Jean Farrell the head nurse and Nurse Betty
Somers were the only two on duty. The total staff consisted of two doctors a head nurse, her
two aides and eight nurses. There had to be the head nurse or one of her aides on every shift.
There were three shifts being 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. this
was undoubtedly the worst shift but everybody had to take their turn, and this was hers.
It was a portable Experimental hospital set out in the Northern Territory by the Government
to try and give the Indigenous people access to medical care and treatment, and to say that it
was a success was putting it mildly. They had twenty beds and eighteen of them were full,
most of the patients had never seen a doctor and they were in very bad shape. The hospital
itself was unbelievable; it was made up of forty four portable sections joined together. It was
fully insulated and powered by solar energy. It was also air conditioned which made it a very
easy place to work in as the temperature outside during the day time could be extremely high,
whilst at night directly the opposite. Those who had constructed it evidently knew exactly
what they were doing. The same could be said for the hospital, as everything had its place,
and in this hospital everything was in its right place, so evidently the hospital set up had been
carried out by those within the profession, who knew what they were doing.
Sister Jean had just put the kettle on when the front door opened and in walked John Curry, a
transport drive carrying a young Aboriginal boy in his arms.
The boy was bleeding from a very deep cut on his forehead. He had a badly crippled left leg.
―Sister‖ He said. ―I found him on the side of the road, he was unconscious and I was lucky
that I didn‘t run him over. He had this football beside him.‖ Sister Jean took the football and
put in on a chair. She pressed the emergency button, the nurse on duty Nurse Betty Somers
came running out of the ward, took one look and them then raced out, returning with a mobile
stretcher. The transport driver put him gently on it. The door from their quarters opened and
in ran Dr James Howe the head Doctor followed by his assistant Dr Jack Cunningham.
They were both in their night attire. Dr Howe looked at the boy.
―Get emergency ready immediately.‖ He said. It only took a few minutes for the nurses to do
this as everything had been put in place to deal with such a situation. They wheeled the
unconscious boy into emergency, removed his clothes and placed him on the operating table.
He was about fifteen years old. He was in a coma and was bleeding badly from a deep cut in
his forehead and unless something was done very quickly he was not going to be very long in
this world. Doctor Howe set about his task like the professional he was, injecting into the
boy‘s body the necessary vitamins and minerals to try and get the body to respond. Nurse
Betty attended the cut on his forehead. Sister Jean put him on a drip. Dr Howe examined the
young boy from head to toe. Whilst Nurse Alice Hardy who was the emergency Nurse during
that shift, took blood from him to do a blood count.
Dr Howe stepped back and said. ―He is in a hell of a mess and unless the Good Lord smiles
upon him he won‘t be on this world much longer.‖ And turning to Sister Jean said.
―If anything happens for the worse call me straight away but there is nothing more I can do
for him now.‖ He said his goodnights and he and Dr Cunningham both left. Sister Jean and
Nurse Betty took the young boy into the ward and put him into the bed and connected him to
the life support system. Luckily it was only a few meters away from his bed.
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They tucked him in. Sister Jean returned to her station, Nurse Alice to her bed, whilst Nurse
Betty sat down beside him.
John Curry was still waiting. ―Thank you for bringing him to us Mr Curry.‖ She said.
―I am sorry to say that his chances don‘t look too good but I promise that we will keep in
touch with you.‖
―Thank you Sister Jean.‖ He said. He gave her his mobile phone number and left.
All through the early morning, Sister Jean went to the young boy‘s bed but according to the
machine he was connected to there was no change. She was relieved at 6 o‘clock by one of
her Aides Sister Sarah Miller and two other nurses Christine King and the only Aboriginal
nurse in the hospital Abba Green. Abba went to his bed and put her hand on his forehead and
left it there for a few moments.
―This is very bad!‖ She said. ―He needs a lot of help.‖ She took her hand away and walked
out of the ward. They all said their good mornings. Sister Jean and Nurse Betty were going to
get their breakfast and then to bed. The others went about their duties.
Just after 7 a.m. Doctors Howe and Cunningham came into the ward and went straight to the
boy‘s bed. They looked at the connected machines dials, took his pulse and temperature. Dr
Cunningham checked the blood count, it was not good as there had been no change and as far
as they were concerned there was nothing more than they could do for him so they told the
nurses that if there was any change to contact them immediately.
It was about 8 o‘clock in the morning when a Medicine man from a nearby tribe entered the
hospital and asked to see the Doctors. He was taken to their office and he asked if he could
see the boy and he was taken to the boy‘s bedside.
―Very bad!‖ he said. ‗‖He is being held in ‗Dream Time!‘ and unless we can contact him he
will die.‖
‗How do we contact him?‖ asked Dr Howe.
The Medicine man pulled a tin out of his pocket. ―Get Nurse Abba to rub this ointment over
his forehead four times a day, starting today. Before Noon time! Also as the Sun is setting,
before the moon has reached its highest in the sky and before the Sun Rises in the morning!
If you do this the boy will wake up in the morning and speak with you.‖
―Do you know anything about him?‖ asked Dr Howe.
The Medicine man didn‘t say anything for a moment. ―My people do not like to talk about
the dead.‖ He said. ―But in this case I will tell you all that I know. His father and brother
were killed either late yesterday evening or early this morning in a car accident about thirty
miles from the hospital. Evidently Mr Curry found him along the side of the road and brought
him into the hospital. He must have been a passenger in the car but got thrown clear and
crawled away from it after the accident. His father was a salt water Aborigine, which means
he lived near the sea. His name was Henry Brown and he was a mad football fanatic who
evidently in his young days was an excellent footballer.
He had lost his wife at the birth of this boy and he had put all his love and affection into
Tully, while this boy was just brought along for the ride. As he has no family here, as far as
we are concerned he is now one of us. We are his family. The police are conducting an
enquiry as to what caused the accident and they will contact you later in the week.‖ He
stopped talking. He handed Doctor Howe the tin he had taken out of his pocket and turned
and walked out of the Hospital.
Dr Cunningham looked at Dr Howe. ―What are you going to do?‖ he said. Dr Howe laughed
and walked out into the hospital foyer.
258
―Sister Sarah‖ he called. ―Please ask Nurse Abba to come to my office.‖
―Yes Doctor!‖ came her reply.
He told Nurse Abba what the Medicine man had told him and asked her to do as he had
suggested. So at Noon, Nurse Abba rubbed the ointment given to Dr Howe by the Medicine
man on the young boy‘s forehead and she did the same as the Sun was setting and before the
Moon hit its highest in the sky. She woke early next morning and rubbed the ointment on the
boy‘s forehead before the Sun rose. She was talking to him all the time in her own language
every time she rubbed the ointment on his forehead.
It was the morning round time, when the Doctors and Sisters went from bed to bed examining
the patients. Both Doctor Howe and Dr Cunningham were with Sister Jennifer and as they
approached the young Aboriginal boy‘s bed, he stirred and opened his eyes.
He smiled and he had the most beautiful smile they had ever seen, his whole face lit up.
―Hello Smiley, how are you today?‖ asked Dr Howe.
The little boy burst out laughing! ―You know my name. What a wonderful ‗Dream Time‘ this
is going to be.‖ They all stood still, what could they say now!
All of a sudden a booming voice said. ―This is going to be the greatest ‗Dream Time‘ you
have ever had!‖
Every one turned towards where the voice had come from, it was the Medicine man. The
young boy laughed.
―You are a Medicine man aren‘t you?‖ he said.
―Spot on‖ said the Medicine man. ―You are a footballer aren‘t you?‖ the little boy couldn‘t
control his excitement.
―How do you know that?‖ he asked.
The Medicine man roared with laughter. ―You come into ‗Dream Time‘ carrying a football
and you asked me how I know. Aren‘t you funny?‖
The young boy doubled up with laughter, the two Doctors and Sister Jennifer joined in.
It was beautiful to see him so vibrant and alive.
―Are you hungry?‖ asked the Medicine man. ―Would you like some witchetty grubs?‖
―What a funny Dream Time this is‖ the boy replied. ―Witchetty grubs. Can‘t I have some
porridge?‖
The Medicine man looked over to the Doctors and Sister Jennifer.
―Can smiley have some porridge?‖ he asked.
―Smiley can have whatever he wants‖ came the reply and Sister Jennifer virtually ran to the
door leading to the kitchen.
It was hilarious the Medicine man knew exactly what to do and how to do it!
―What team do you play for?‖ He asked.
Smiley went quiet for a few seconds and he lost his smile.
―I train with the Ayers Rock Warriors, I only train with the seconds but I am not good enough
to get a game with either team. Bronco the head coach tells me that I am one of the fastest
players he has ever seen but the only skill I have got is marking, I am a good marker.‖
―Well‖ said the Medicine man, you are definitely in the right ‗Dream Time‘ because we have
two of the best footballers who play for Melbourne teams, at present in the Northern Territory
staying with us and I will get them to teach you how to play and get a game with the Ayers
Rock firsts.‖ Smiley laughed with joy.
―Is that a promise?‖ he asked the Medicine man.
―Yes!‖ He said. ―It definitely is and as sure that you are in ‗Dream Time‘ I promise to get
these two boys to teach you everything they know and they know a lot.‖
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Sister Jennifer arrived back with a steaming hot bowl of porridge it was only about quarter
full but she had a pot with her that had plenty more in it if he wanted it. He ate very slowly
until it was all gone. Sister Jennifer asked him if he wanted any more.
―No thank you!‖ he replied. ―I feel full.‖ He sank slowly back into the bed and fell asleep.
Dr Howe looked at the Medicine man. ―I can‘t thank you enough for being here, goodness
knows what would have happened if we had been left on our own? Possibly we could‘ve
done him a lot of damage.‖
The Medicine man smiled. ―I was told to come!‖ he said ―and if you don‘t mind I would like
to bring a few others.‖
―You can come as often as you like and bring whomever you like.‖ said Dr Howe. ― If we
can help you in anyway, what so ever please let us know?‖ Both Doctors shook the Medicine
man‘s hand. Doctor Howe, Dr Cunningham and Sister Jennifer went to attend to their duties,
while the Medicine man sat down by the boy‘s bed and although he was asleep, started
talking to him in his own language.
Smiley woke up just after 2p.m. Nurse Abba had rubbed the ointment on his forehead at
Noon and spoke to him in her language as she was doing so. The Medicine man had gone to
get the two footballers. Smiley asked if he could have some more porridge which was quickly
provided. He ate a little more than before and then he ate an apple. He had just finished when
in walked the Medicine man with two very strong looking young men. Smiley‘s eyes almost
popped out of his head.
―Your John and Nicky, you both play for the teams in Melbourne.‖ He was shaking with
excitement. Both boys shook his hand.
―You know that you‘re in ‗Dream Time‘ said Nicky and John and we are going to teach you
how to play football.‖ Smiley‘s face lit up like a Christmas tree, he was so happy.
Nicky continued. ―The first thing we are going to teach you is to hand ball and we are the
best in the league, we were taught by the best hand baller that there ever was, Polly Farmer.‖
―Polly Farmer!‖ said Smiley. ―He played for Geelong and he was and still is my favourite
player.‖
The two boys took up their position one about half way down the bed and the other about six
feet further down. Luckily this bed was well away from the other beds and they weren‘t
interfering with anybody. Nicky was the leader.
―Now this is how you hold the ball‖ and he put it in his hand with the laces facing upwards,
and the front of the ball pointed at John. He then brought his hand straight back and hit it
towards John, who caught it.
―You must make sure that you always hold the ball the same way so you don‘t have to look at
it, just look at the man you are passing it too.‖
―Now close your eyes and try it‖ said Nicky. Smiley kept his eyes closed and when he
opened them he had a disappointed look on his face.
―I missed him every time.‖ Nicky asked John to come to his position and he went to John‘s.
John showed Smiley what he wanted him to do and he and Nicky did it ten times.
John told him to close his eyes and try again. Smiley closed his eyes and when he opened
them said ―I was much better but I didn‘t reach him three times.‖
Nicky walked to the bed and held the football in his hand. ―When you hit, hit down hard and
tell us what happens.‖ Smiley closed his eyes. When he opened them he was smiling.
―I got him every time‖ he said. ―It was easy.‖ Both boys had to go but they made Smiley
promise that when he was out of ‗Dream Time‘ he would practice. Smiley opened and closed
his eyes all day until he fell asleep.
260
Smiley had a bit more porridge the next morning and talked and joked with the nurses. Nurse
Abba was still putting on the ointment at the times that Dr Howe had been told by the
Medicine man, and was talking to him in her language as she was doing it. Nicky and John
came in about ten O‘clock.
Smiley couldn‘t tell them quick enough. ―I was running around in training and Bronco gave
me the ball as I went past.‖ ‗Do some hand balls.‘ he said. After a while he called the boys in
and handed me the football. ―I want you to watch the way that Smiley hand balls‖ he said.
―He is as good as anyone I have ever seen.‖
―So I showed them how to do it. Bronco gave me a pat on the shoulder.‖
‗Well done!‘ Smiley he said. ‗Well done!‘
Both Nicky and John were as happy as he was and it showed.
―Today‘s lesson is how to kick a ball and make it go where you want it to go!‖ said Nicky.
Both he and Jon showed him how a ball must be held. ―If you always hold the ball correctly
then all you have to concentrate on is your kicking and that is the easiest part of the game.
Hold the ball correctly and follow straight through with your leg, make sure that you drop it
correctly on to your boot and follow through.‖ Smiley tried about ten times but to no avail.
Nicky asked him to describe what he was doing. Nicky listened very carefully.
―You have not positioned yourself to kick the ball where you want it to go, you must put
yourself in the correct position and kick the ball following through with your boot as you do
so.‖ Smiley closed his eyes. He opened them.
―I kicked it to the side of where I was aiming.‖
―Right or left?‖ asked Nicky.
―Left.‖ said Smiley.
John and Nicky had a talk. John walked over and putting Smiley‘s hand on the football said
―Hold the ball like this and make sure that you follow through when you kick it!‖ Smiley
closed his eyes and a few minutes later opened them. He was beaming.
‗Ten kicks, ten straight balls.‖
―By the way‖ said John. ‗When you are kicking for goal no matter where you are, always aim
for the dead centre of the goal posts.‖
Before they left both boys made him promise to practice and told him that they would see
him tomorrow.
Breakfast finished Smiley had his porridge, two pieces of toast with butter and honey on
them, and a cup of tea. He looked a little tired; Nurse Abba asked him if he felt tired.
―Yes‖ he said. ―It took a lot out of me last night in ‗Dream Time‘ as I was practicing what
Nicky and John told me to do!‖ He yawned.
Nurse Abba went and got him a glass of warm milk in which she had put the herb the
Medicine man had given her, should Smiley wake up tired.
He finished drinking the milk, Nurse Abba took the glass out of his hand and he was asleep
before his head hit the pillow. He woke up at 2 O‘clock, he was full of beans.
John and Nicky came into the Ward. He couldn‘t tell them quick enough.
―Bronco saw me kicking for goal and saw how good I was and he came over to me and asked
me to teach Billy the full forward in the firsts how to kick for goal. Billy was the best marks
man in the game but he couldn‘t kick very well. An hour after I taught him what you had
taught me, Billy kicked eight goals straight. Bronco couldn‘t believe it and he told me if I
kept improving he would put me straight into the firsts.‖
He was glowing with excitement. They talked for a while then John said ―Well as far as we
are concerned all you have to do now is be a team player.‖
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―What do you mean by a team player?‖ asked Smiley.
―Well‖ said Nicky. ―You must not play for yourself you must pass the ball or kick the ball to
the player who is in the best position, to help the team get it up to your goals.‖
Both boys asked him to close his eyes and they told him to imagine that he was on the
football ground and his team was trying to get the ball towards their goals. This went on for
about an hour when Smiley opened his eyes.
―It‘s easy‖ He said. ―All you have to do is look for your teammate who has the best
opportunity to play the ball forward, backward or sideways or is in a better position than
you.‖
―Well done!‖ said both boys together. ―Now you are ready to play football.‖
Smiley lay back in the bed.
―I will be glad when my ‗Dream Time‘ is finished so I can try out everything you have taught
me.‖ Both boys stayed for a while then said their goodbyes, telling Smiley they would see
him tomorrow.
Smiley had a beautiful night‘s sleep and he woke up full of beans and excitement, Nurse
Abba had just finished rubbing the ointment to his head.
―Nurse Abba‖ he said. ―I am playing in the team tonight, not the seconds but the firsts.
Bronco is so pleased with me that he is putting me on the wing.‖ He was shaking with
excitement.
―How wonderful for you Smiley,‖ said Nurse Abba. ―Won‘t Nicky and John be pleased?‖
Smiley couldn‘t wait for Nicky and John to arrive and when they did he told them all about
him playing on the wing, in the firsts tonight and it was all thanks to them. Both boys
congratulated him and told him how happy they were for him.
―What a ‗Dream Time‘ this is.‖ He said. ―I will never forget it!‖
The Medicine man walked in with four little boys all carrying a football Smiley couldn‘t tell
him quick enough.
―Í am playing in the Ayers Rock Warriors firsts tonight, we are playing the Flatlands Knights
they are second on the ladder and we are first.‖
―I know you are.‖ said the Medicine man. ―That is why I brought these boys to you. They
want you to sign their footballs.‖
Smiley beamed and asked the little boys their names and signed all their footballs. ‗From
Smiley to Jackie, Billy, Tod and Happy‘ Nicky walked over and picked up Smiley‘s football.
―What about signing this from Smiley to Nicky and John?‖
Smiley beamed and wrote on the football to my very best friends Nicky and Johnny, and
signed it. Nicky turned to John.
―We will treasure this for the rest of our lives won‘t we mate?‖ he said.
―We sure will‖ said John. ―We sure will!‖
The Medicine man went to the Doctor‘s office. Both Dr Howe and Cunningham were there.
They welcomed him and invited him in.
―Tonight‘s the night!‖ he said. ―Smiley is leaving us forever tonight.‖ Both Doctors looked
shocked.
―Are you sure?‖ asked Dr Howe.
―Positive!‖ replied the Medicine man.
―He is going to play football in that football field in the sky, now his time on earth is over.‖
Both men showed their disappointment as they, like everybody else in the hospital, really
cared for him.
262
―Is there anything you would like us to do?‖ asked Dr Howe.
―Just be yourselves that is all you can do! We will be saying goodbye to him just before lights
out tonight and we would like you and any of the staff who want to, to join us and say their
goodbyes to him.‖ Both men thanked him and he left.
It was just before lights out. The bed around Smiley was packed. The Medicine man, the two
Doctors, Nicky and John, Nurse Abba, Sister Jean and her two Aides, all the Nurses and the
staff, there was over thirty people in all. Everyone was wishing him all the best on his game
tonight and told him that they would be thinking of him. He lay back in his bed it was
obvious that his time was near. He fell asleep then all of a sudden sat up in bed his eyes wide
open.
―Coming Bronco!‖ he said with the most beautiful smile they had ever seen. ―Coming!‖ and
fell back into the bed, his ‗Dream Time‘ was over.
―I hope he plays a great game tonight and that Bronco really appreciates him.‖ Said Dr Howe.
The Medicine man laughed.
―He certainly will and don‘t you worry whether Bronco will appreciate him or not, of that we
have no worries!‖ He said. ―Bronco Brown is his father.‖
263
**THE FRIENDLY FOLKS
It was in the year nineteen forty seven when Vestella and Karlos left Lichtenstein. They were
third class passengers on this liner leaving from Rome. The food was just, and you had to pay
for anything other than what they served you. They were sitting at this table with two other
families who both had two children. The children were always hungry so Karlos and Vestella
who didn‘t have any children always gave the children something off their plates.
The ship was one day out from Rome when the pianist fell and hurt his arm and couldn‘t play
the piano. The Pursuer was in a hell of a bind, hundreds of people wanting to be entertained
and no pianist. Karlos was talking to one of the crew who told him that the ship was in great
trouble because they didn‘t have a pianist. Karlos approached the Pursuer and told him that
his Vestella could play the piano beautifully. In desperation he told Karlos to get her and
meet him in the dining room. Vestella played for him. He went berserk, she was brilliant. He
offered to move her and Karlos up to first class but Vestella said that she didn‘t want to do
that as she wanted to stay with her friends and that she would like to have all her meals in her
cabin. The Pursuer agreed and why wouldn‘t he? Owing to the trouble he was in he would
have agreed to anything!
They gave her beautiful dresses and took her to the beauty parlour. She looked absolutely
gorgeous. Whatever was needed they gave to her. She became a sensation. The band loved
her, for not only could she read the music but she had a flair for bringing out the best in what
she was playing. The dancers and the music lovers didn‘t want her to stop.
The dining room was packed whenever she played. All their food was brought to their cabin
and after it was delivered she brought the other two families into her cabin and fed them.
When the stewards found out what she was doing they brought more food, plus fruit, cakes,
and lollies for the children.
When the liner pulled into New York, the owners of the liner were so pleased with the reports
that they had received from the passengers that they offered her a very lucrative contract to
stay on as their pianist but she gently refused saying that she wanted to live in America, not
on a liner.
They gave her a very nice parting gift including the dresses and they thanked her for taking
the injured pianists‘ place. The three families were as close as one and stayed together after
they embarked. They all went to live in Brooklyn, getting three units side by side.
One of the men, Otto Berlinger was a baker. He got a job at the first place he went to as
bakers were very scarce.
His wife Natalie did dress making and soon had people coming to her.
Karlos was an odd job man, he could fix anything and in Brooklyn there was plenty that
needed fixing.
Vestella did a bit of Clairvoyant reading at which she was very good, being from a Gypsy
family. She also played the piano at parties and became very sought after.
Aaron Cohen, the other man went to the Stock Exchange, for his father had been involved in
the share market and had taught Aaron everything that he knew.
His wife Rebecca did lace work and sold it to the shops up town.
The years went past and everything was going well for the three families. Vestella and Karlos
had two children both were girls Vanessa and Patty, then along came a boy. They called him
Ken, as that was a good American name.
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All the families prospered and they bought a four storey apartment house in all their names.
The ladies had control of all the money and the men left all the financial dealings to them.
Everything that was earned was pooled and divided three ways.
Aaron brought home money every week, sometimes more than the others sometimes less but
there was never a week when he didn‘t contribute. He was no fool and he had built his private
little nest egg up to ten thousand dollars which he had earned by doing favours and also for
giving people around him tips which always paid off. He was not cheating his friends he just
wanted to have the money available to make his big kill. He went into the store room this day
to get some pencils.
Geraldine the girl in charge of the store room was sitting on her chair crying her eyes out.
Aaron asked her what was wrong, her tear laden voice told him that Mr Holborn who was
her boss had told her that a shipment of books and papers were being delivered today and she
had to wait back until she had finished putting them away.
The reason that she was crying was that it was her boyfriend‘s birthday today and they had all
arranged to go to this lovely cafe. The party started at seven o‘clock but by the time she
finished putting all the books and papers away it would be nine o‘clock. Aaron asked her to
show him what to do. It was simple all the books and papers had to be placed on the shelves
on top of the other books and papers.
―I‘ll do that for you Geraldine‖ he said. ―And you can go to your party.‖ She couldn‘t thank
him enough and took him to where the books were and showed him how to place them on the
shelves. Aaron had rung his wife and told her he wouldn‘t be home until late.
He had just turned off the light and was heading for the door when he heard these two men
talking in Yiddish. Being Jewish he understood everything they were saying.
―How many shares have we got?‖ asked the voice.
―One million eight hundred thousand.‖ came the reply.
―What did we pay for them?‖
―Ninety cents each,‖
―What was their price today?‖
―One dollar fifty.‖
―That‘s a nice profit‖ said the voice.
―Not as nice as if we get three dollars fifty cents a share is it?‖
―How are you going to do it?‖
―Easy we are going to by our own shares.‖
―I don‘t understand‖ said the other voice.
―If we buy and sell our own shares what are we up for? If we don‘t use a stockbroker we are
not up for anything. So we buy our own shares all day until we get them up to three dollars
fifty cents and then sell all our shares, we can to those buying them!‖
The other man burst out laughing ―and who is going to be our little pigeon?‖ he asked.
―Hussein,‖ came his reply.
―The Arab, why would you use an Arab?‖
―Because this Arab is a punter and will be one of the first to buy the shares after I talk to
him.‖ Both men laughed and the light was turned off and Aaron heard the door close.
He burst out laughing, ‗Hussein the Arab,‘ what an easy mark he was, he did everything by
numbers.
He arrived at work at nine forty five, went to the coffee shop, ordered one cup of black coffee
and two fairy cakes. He always worked on the left of the board. Lunched at twelve fifteen,
rang his wife at ten minutes to one and they spoke for five minutes and he hung up.
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It was ten minutes to one, the next day, Aaron was walking up towards the telephone,
Hussein had the telephone in his hand, evidently waiting for his wife to answer. When he was
close enough to hear what Hussein was saying, he stopped and read the notice on the notice
board, which told the workers that the café would be closed for a few days as they were going
to install new stoves. He was a few feet away from the phone but near enough to hear what
Hussein was saying. His five minutes was nearly up when he heard Hussein say in Arabic.
Get Abdul to buy ten thousand ‗Viscall Holdings‘ shares. They are a Dollar Fifty a share and
he hung up. He smiled as he walked past Aaron and Aaron smiled back.
He walked into to the changing room. His friend Billy Black had nearly reached the door
leading into the Exchange when he called him. He handed him an envelope with ten thousand
dollars in it and he said. ―Please buy me ten thousand dollars‖ worth of ‗Viscall Holdings‘
and when they hit three dollars fifty sell them.‖
―Are they that good?‖ asked Billy.
―I will tell you that tonight.‖ said Aaron as Billy went through the door laughing. It went like
clockwork one dollar fifty, sixty, seventy, two dollars, two dollars twenty, thirty, then three
dollars. People were definitely getting interested. Then Isaac Jordan, a friend of Abel
Thurston put his hand up and the shares went to three dollars fifty. A few minutes later Billy
Black looked up into the gallery and gave him quick thumbs up sign. All his shares had been
sold. They went up and down only a little till the exchange closed. ‗Viscall Holdings‘ shares
were three dollars fifty.
Billy was out of his brain, ―Ten thousand dollars, worth of shares for you and Ten thousand
dollars‘ worth of shares for us.‖ He said. He handed Aaron an envelope.
―You‘re Commission‖ he said.
―Thank you!‖ and he walked away. Aaron looked in the envelope it was full of hundred
dollar bills, he went to the toilet and sat in a cubicle and counted it. They had given him three
thousand dollars.
Aaron strolled casually into his home, greeted his beautiful wife and children and casually
dropped an envelope containing thirteen thousand dollars on the table and went to the toilet.
He heard his wife‘s scream of joy as she was running up the passage. He opened the door and
walked out, for he had only gone there so that she could see what was in the envelope and
count it. She grabbed him and hugged him.
―Thirteen Thousand dollars, that‘s a fortune! How did you get it?‖
―Don‘t I even get offered a cup of tea after my hard day‘s work?‖ He asked.
―Good oh!‖ she said. ―None of your funny stories, tell me what really happened?‖
He told her all that had happened.
―You know we share all the money we get with the others don‘t you?‖
―Of course I do!‖ He said. ―No matter how much money we get we will continue to share it!‖
She hugged him and told him how much she loved him. He hugged her back.
When Rebecca handed her money in with the others they couldn‘t believe it and they all
hugged each other. The big apartment block over from theirs was up for sale. It had thirty
apartments but was in a dreadful condition. The owners wouldn‘t spend one cent on it.
The three ladies went to the Agent and he took them through it. It was in a dreadful condition.
Everything needed doing and it would cost a fortune to bring it up to standard. So they
decided against buying it. Three months later the Agent contacted them and told them that the
owners had lowered the price, they were now only asking half the price that they had asked
before.
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What ‗The Family‘ didn‘t know was the reason they were prepared to sell it so cheap was
that, the owners believed that the City Borough was going to issue an unworthy to be
occupied building order on it! This meant of course, that all the tenants would have to move
out and the property without tenants and with this order on it would not bring in any money.
The three ladies took their husband‘s with them and they went through it again. Karlos their
odd job man was most impressed. The building was beautifully built and would last without
maintenance for years. But the inside of the building needed a lot of work to be done, all the
corridors were dirty and the carpets hadn‘t been cleaned for years.
There were thirty families in the building and all the men and some of the ladies worked at
the woollen mills. They were paying the lowest rents in the area but the owners were
frightened to put the rent up as they knew that as soon as they did the people would leave.
The owners wanted thirty five thousand dollars for the building, ten per cent deposit and the
balance in thirty days. This was out of the families reach as they only had twenty five
thousand dollars in cash.
They all went to work on the Monday, each in their own way trying to work out where they
could get ten thousand dollars. They thought of the bank but that would put the bank in
control and that was not acceptable. Aaron had eleven thousand dollars but he didn‘t want to
give it to the family for all he needed was another stroke of luck and he could give them the
lot. He was sitting in the cafe having his lunch when the Exchange‘s Lawyer walked in. He
collected his food and looked around and saw Aaron. He came to the table said his hellos.
―Can I sit with you Aaron?‖ He asked.
―It‘s my pleasure Mr Gordon.‖ Aaron replied. ―It‘s definitely my pleasure!‖
They sat talking for a while then Aaron told him of his problem and asked him if he could
help him. After Aaron had finished telling him about the Apartment the lawyer said.
―It‘s quite simple Aaron. Go to the Agents and tell them that you are prepared to pay the
thirty five thousand dollars on the following conditions. You will pay a twenty five per cent
deposit, on the signing of the contract and the balance within ninety days and on the
condition that on payment of the deposit, the Purchasers shall be granted unlimited access to
the building to commence cleaning and repairing it. Also add this clause; ‗That the property
is sold free of all debts, registered or unregistered and only registered encumbrances will be
accepted.‖ He paused. ―Then tell them that if your offer is not successful that you are no
longer interested in the property.‖ They spoke for a little longer then the lawyer left.
That night after they had all finished their dinners and cleaned up. The families met at
Aaron‘s house. Aaron told them what Mr Gordon, the Lawyer had told him. They went into a
huddle and with their pencils and paper sat down to see if under Mr Gordon‘s plan they could
buy the Apartment block. An hour and a half later after they had explored all avenues and
with what they had, and with what they should earn in the next ninety days the most they
could be short, including the Lawyers‘ fees, was even if their income stayed exactly the same,
was five hundred dollars. So it was agreed that subject to the owners accepting their
conditions they would buy the apartments.
Aaron decided not to tell them, that no matter what happened all the money required would
be there at the day of settlement.
Vestella went to the Agent‘s office in the morning and told them of their offer and that if the
owners didn‘t accept it then they were no longer interested. That night whilst they were
having their dinner there was a knock at the door. Karlos answered it. It was the Estate Agent.
Karlos invited him to come in. Pleasantries over the Agent told them that the owners had
accepted their offer and he put the contract on the table.
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Vestella told him that she would take the contract to a lawyer in the morning and as soon as
he cleared it she would bring the deposit around to his office. He said his goodnights and he
left.
Vestella went to the lawyer‘s office the next morning. He examined the contract and said it
was alright. He put in the condition that Mr Gordon had told Aaron. ‗That on the payment of
the deposit the Purchasers shall be granted unlimited access to the building to commence
cleaning and repairing it!‘ He also added the clause; ‗That the property is sold free of all
debts registered or unregistered and only registered encumbrances will be accepted.‘ Vestella
took the contract and the cheque she had gotten from the bank to the Agents office. He
looked at what the Lawyer had added and put the same condition and clause in his contract,
and gave Vestella a receipt for the money. He told her he would get his contract signed by the
owners and come around to her place tonight and exchange it with hers. She agreed and left
his office and returned to her home.
The contract had been signed by all of them. They had gone over the amount of money they
would need to finish paying the full price for the apartments. Plus the Lawyers‘ fees and it
was still only five hundred dollars short.
The Agent came to Vestella‘s place at six thirty that night and he brought with him the
contract signed by the owners. Aaron checked it to make sure that everything was the same
on both contracts, which it was and the exchange was made. The families stayed together
until supper time then said their good nights.
Next morning before Aaron left for the Stock Exchange he gave his wife Rebecca One
thousand five hundred dollars. She didn‘t say anything just walked over to him and hugged
and kissed him.
―I am so happy I married you!‖ She said.
―I love you!‖ He replied.
He went out to catch the bus to the Stock Exchange. The family met once a week to discuss
their financial position. It was in beautiful condition thanks to Aaron‘s one thousand five
hundred dollars. In the first week they were over two hundred and fifty dollars ahead of what
they had set as their target. Plus of course all the pressure had been taken away.
‗The family‘ had called a meeting of the tenants in this very large room on the bottom floor.
It had a walk down from the street and it was in the middle of the apartments. It was about a
quarter of the Apartments length and went back to the back wall of the building.
Evidently back in the old days, it was used as a kitchen for there were ten wood stoves along
one wall and dozens of tables and seats packed against the walls but nobody knew anything
about it.
They told the tenants that they were buying the building and were going to repair everything
that needed repairing but they wanted help to clean up every apartment, the corridors,
windows, carpets and etc. If the people were prepared to help them do that, then their rents
would stay the same.
This went down very well with the tenants and they said they would form a committee and
come back to the family in a week. They would also give them a list of what needed
repairing.
Meeting with the committee a week later the tenants gave the family a long list of things
which needed repairing and asked what was expected of them?
Karlos was the speaker. ―We want you to clean all your apartments and wash the walls and
ceilings. We also want the walls in the corridors and ceilings washed as they have all been
white washed they would look brand new after washing. The way to wash the walls and
ceilings is to get a wide water paint brush or rollers, which we will supply and you put them
into the water and do the same as if you are painting, it is called turning the paint over.
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We want the tenants to clean the stairs and rails and keep them clean. We want you to clean
all your windows and keep them clean. We will be placing a large dust bin outside in the
street for all rubbish. He and the family would attend to all repairs. We might have to get you
to help us! We want you to go over the list you have given us and put the repairs in the order
that you want them to be repaired. The meeting ended with all those involved completely
satisfied.
Karlos made up his mind that he would do as many odd jobs a day that he needed to do to
meet his payments to the plan and spend the rest of the day or night as the case may be doing
repairs at the apartments. It worked wonderfully well and many of the jobs he could fix in a
very short time. Like the leaking taps, the cleaning out of the pipes in the kitchen or
elsewhere, a broken light switch not working, windows wouldn‘t shut properly, doors that
were not closing properly and locks not working. He was surprised at the end of the week
how many repairs he had crossed off the list. Two or three of the jobs were not heavy but
wardrobes and dressing tables etc. that had to be moved so that he could repair that which
wasn‘t working or patching up a wall that the plaster had broken away. The walls in the
hallways had been washed over and they looked excellent, as did the stairs and the hand rails.
Karlos had put brighter lights in all the hallways and besides lighting up the hallways it made
it easier for the tenants to see where to put their keys to open their apartment door.
Otto and Natalie were contributing their share and helping with the work in the Apartments if
they were needed, as were Aaron and Rebecca. It was really a family affair.
It was a month since they had bought the Apartment Block and the difference was
unbelievable. It looked like a new pin. Those living in the Apartments had only been its
tenants but now they were looking upon it as their home and they were treating it,
accordingly.
It was at a meeting of the family and Vestella stood up and said. ―We have made a little
mistake in our calculations.‖ Everyone sat quiet.
―When we added up our incomes we forgot to take one item into consideration.‖ Nobody said
anything! She continued. ―We forgot to add in the income that we are receiving as the owners
of the Apartments. The Agent came to me today and after him taking his collection fee he
gave us a cheque for five hundred and seventy five dollars.‖
Everyone gave a huge sigh of relief and there was much laughter.
―And you appreciate that this means that we will not have any trouble meeting our obligation
at settlement and that the Apartments will be fully paid for and we will own it completely.‖
She paused. ―What say we shout ourselves a little drink of spirit to give ourselves a pat on the
back for what we have achieved?‖
―Hear! Hear!‖ they all said.
―Don‘t make it little,‖ said Otto. ―We deserve a big pat on the back.‖
They all filled their glasses and toasted their good fortune.
Karlos was a real Bower bird, which meant he collected things and didn‘t throw anything
away, as it might be useful later. He had made a name for himself not only as a doer of odd
jobs but a friend. He received a telephone call from Peter Knight an Accountant at Mark and
Kerrie. Telling him that his office had replaced all their fluorescents lights with new ones and
they needed someone to take the old ones away and they would pay that someone for doing
it! Karlos thanked him and told him that he would be over in the morning. Next morning he
went to the offices of Mark and Kerrie and saw his friend Peter who took him to this room
where all the old fluorescent lights had been neatly stacked.
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―Here they are.‖ He said. ―All their accessories and we will pay you a dollar a light to take
everything away.‖ Karlos couldn‘t believe his luck. Only last week the family was working
out how they were going to put lights in the big room and at what cost. These would be ideal.
―I will have them all out by this afternoon.‖ said Karlos.
―Thank you for thinking of me.‖
―You are most welcome my friend.‖ He said. ―And I am most pleased that I can help you!‖
Karlos got in touch with his friend Ugo who had a small truck and asked him if he could
help him move the lights this afternoon.
―How would one o‘clock suit you?‖ He asked.
―It would suit me fine.‖ said Karlos. He gave him the address.
Karlos couldn‘t believe his luck. Thirty fluorescent lights, all in working order with dozens of
spare tubes and accessories and being paid to take them away. He gave his friend Ugo ten
dollars. He didn‘t want to take it but Karlos made him. That night when all the family was
home Karlos took them down to the big room as they called it and showed them the lights.
He handed Vestella twenty dollars.
―That is what I was paid to take them away. I was actually paid thirty dollars but I gave ten
dollars to Ugo for bringing them here.‖
There were two electrician tenants, George and Steven. Karlos took them down to the big
room and asked them what they would charge to install the lights.
They both went to the meter box in the hallway. ―You will need a new meter box, new meters
and fuse boxes, plus the running of the wires into the big room. You will need a heavier wire
from the outside lines into the building and we should be able to tell you those costs later on
today. We can also tell you all the other costs, as soon as we measure how much wire we
need. As for the work installing the fluorescent lights, that will not cost you anything. We
will have everything finished by Sunday night!‖
The rest of ‗The Family‘ who had come down into the big room protested that it wasn‘t fair
for them to work for nothing and they would willingly pay them. Both men laughed.
―You turned a hell hole into a palace, a rental property into a home. We have the cheapest
rental in the whole area by many dollars and we are the envy of all those renting around us
and you want us to charge you? Forget it!‖ They said. ‗The Family‘ tried to get them to
change their minds but they wouldn‘t budge. Everything was finished by the Sunday night
including the paint on the ceiling and the walls being turned over.
―We already had the ladders and scaffolding up. So why not?‖ said the two men.
―We did have plenty of help.‖ It looked beautiful.
The ladies called a meeting of ‗The Family‘ it was at Rebecca‘s place. Everyone settled down
and Rebecca started talking. ―As all of you know we are rich beyond our wildest dreams and
getting richer every day, we want to help those around us who are not so lucky. We have
chosen fifteen families and their children who are in great trouble. We want to use the big
room and give them their dinner every night for only a very small charge.‖
Nobody said anything. Then Natalie told them that the children‘s clothes were dreadful and
that clients of hers had promised to bring their children‘s used clothes to her, so that she
could alter them to fit the other children, but in such a way that the clothes wouldn‘t be
recognizable by the other children who had originally owned them.
Vestella‘s turn came. She was very down to earth. ―Remember when we were on the liner and
we were hungry and we weren‘t getting enough food?‖ Then she sat down.
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Nobody said anything for a few minutes then Otto said.
―Every night we throw bread away because the bakery only sells fresh bread and after three
days any cakes left are also thrown away. I know that he will give them to me.‖
Karlos stood up and said, ―I have seen the fruiterers throwing away fruit after two days. If
they wouldn‘t give it to us we could buy it cheaper.‖
Aaron stood up. ―Six out of six is definitely a good result.‖ He said and he sat down.
So it was decided the family was going to give these fifteen families their dinner every night
for two dollars, no matter how big the family and so that they didn‘t feel like they were free
loading and also give them any food left over to take home.
The wood stoves were checked. Some were not working as the chimneys had not been
cleaned for goodness knows how long and were full of dirt and soot.
Karlos cleaned them out getting himself covered in soot on more than one occasion. They had
no trouble getting wood to burn as there were boxes everywhere. Including one factory which
had then piled high on the block next to them and they were more than happy to give them
the lot.
The stoves had been tested and the tables had been put on their trestles and were found to still
be in good condition, as were the chairs. They covered the tables with large soft plastic
tablecloths and the food was going to be placed on hard plastic, white plates. Bread and
butter, salt and pepper, sauces dark and light, milk and sugar was on the tables.
The first family came in just after six o‘clock. They seemed very uncomfortable at first but
they soon lost that feeling when they smelt the food. They took their seat at the table.
Rebecca and Natalie, who knew them both, brought to the table a soup bowl filled with very
hot vegetable soup. This was followed by either steak with vegetables or chips, chicken with
vegetables or chips. If they wanted sweets, ice cream, or apple pie with or without ice cream.
Plus a pot of coffee which was brought to the table .The price for the whole family was two
dollars. The fifteen families turned up and left full of food and with any food that they had
not eaten, plus a little bit of fruit that Karlos had bought from the fruiterers.
When it was over and all the people had left. ‗The family‘ sat down and went over what had
happened. Everybody loved the food but they couldn‘t understand the small price they were
being charged and as the ladies said to them. ―You and your families mean a lot to us and we
want you to let us help you. Please don‘t disappoint us‖ and they went away happy.
Six months later they had twenty families and the change in them was unbelievable. One of
the ladies who had been one of the first to come when they first started, her husband had got
himself a good job, so they didn‘t need to come any more but she came down every night to
do anything she could to help, which filled all their hearts with joy.
The tenants Committee made sure that they were not short of anything which really bonded
them altogether.
At dinner time one night an old man accompanied by a younger looking man built like a tank
walked in and came over to the counter which Vestalla was cleaning.
―I know that you won‘t mind?‖ He said. ―But as we were walking past we smelt the food and
it was such a beautiful smell that we had to come in, we were wondering if we could become
your customers, for when I was a young boy I used to live in this neighbourhood and Pedro
Di Fogliaro had his cafe here, he died and the cafe closed down. That was over sixty years
ago!‖
He looked at the cakes on the plate on the counter. ―Could we please have two of those cakes
and two cups of coffee, both black?‖ He asked.
―Of course you can.‖ said Vestella. ―Please sit at that table.‖ She said, pointing to the table
opposite the counter.
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They both sat down and Vestella brought their coffee and cakes to them.
―Who runs this now?‖ Asked the older man! Vestalla laughed.
―We do!‖ She said. ―There are three families all together and we call ourselves ‗The Family.‘
―Very interesting‖ the old man replied. ―My name is Salvatore and this is my best friend
Bruno and we also belong to ‗A Family.‘ Don‘t we Bruno?‖
―We certainly do!‖ The other man replied.
Vestella stayed talking to them for a few minutes and went back to cleaning the counter and
putting the cutlery away. The two men finished eating and drinking and the older man came
over to the counter.
―How much do I owe you?‖ He asked.
―You don‘t owe us anything!‖ said Vestella. ―It‘s on the house.‖
―Thank you!‖ He said. ―You sound like a nice family.‖ Vestella laughed.
―We try to be.‖ She said.
―Would you mind if Bruno and I became your family?‖ He asked.
―No‖ said Vestella. ―We love our big family and the more the merrier.‖
―Then we can come back anytime at all?‖
―You are more than welcome!‖ She said.
Both men thanked her and said their goodnights.
Salvatore and Bruno came in every night for dinner after that, and they always brought food
with them. Soon they became one of ‗The Family‘ one night when he and Bruno came in,
after giving Natalie who was on the counter a large box of food. Asked her why the people
were sitting at a table on their own so far away from everybody else.
―They are the Italian people.‖ She said. ―The mother and father can only speak dialect and
they get very embarrassed when people talk to them, as they cannot talk back to them and
their son has to interpret.‖
Salvatore put their food on the table and walked over to the table where the Italian people
were sitting and started talking to them. The older man stood up and waving his arms in the
air started talking to him. He was so excited and it showed. He just kept talking and laughing.
Salvatore signalled to Bruno to bring over their meals and they sat down at the table. The
change at the table was unbelievable. This man, whom they had never heard say more than
two words, was saying thousands of words and laughing his head off. His wife sat there
listening and it was obvious to see, that she was a happy as her husband. It was time to close.
Natalie went to the table. Salvatore stood up and said something to the Father in Italian. He
burst out laughing and helped his wife up. Looked at Natalie and said very slowly and
precisely in English. ―Good Night and thank you!‖ He burst out laughing and they all left the
big room together.
The change in the Italian people was unbelievable. Salvatore and Bruno joined them every
night and it was joyous to hear the laughter from their table. One night Salvatore and Bruno
came in early and asked Rebecca who was on at the time if he could use one of the stoves to
cook his friends some Italian food. She took him to one that was nice and hot. He and Bruno
worked hard putting food in and out of pots. Then as usual just after six o‘clock in come the
Italian family. Salvatore spoke to them for a few minutes and then he and Bruno went back to
the stove, put the food on the plates and took it to the table. The older man stood up and
taking the food off the plate put his head back and dropped it gently into his mouth.
Everybody in the big room was laughing, they couldn‘t help themselves. He looked so funny.
Salvatore and Bruno gave them sweets which also were Italian and they absolutely adored
them.
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Next night the Italian man‘s son Giovanni asked Vestella if his mother Maria and father
Pasquale could use one of the stoves, as they wanted to give Salvatore and Bruno a surprise.
Having heard all about what happened the night before she readily agreed.
―I cannot thank you enough for allowing us to come here!‖ He said. ―You saved our lives and
now thanks to Salvatore and Bruno, ‗The Family‘ you have also saved our mother and
father‘s lives, as they were dying in front of us.‖
Pasquale and Maria were sitting at the table when Salvatore and Bruno arrived. They were
just finishing their hellos when Giovanni and his wife Linda arrived with the food. It was
steaming hot. They went back to the stove and brought the other food and their own, to the
table. Then they sat down with the others to enjoy their meal. It was a copycat of the night
before and laughter filled the air. The whole atmosphere in the big room changed
dramatically as the other tables joined in.
It was Salvatore and Bruno‘s night and they arrived about five o‘clock with a huge pot.
They worked hard, fast and long, completely finishing what they had to do just as their
Italian friends arrived. Pasquale stopped at the door and he sniffed Spaghetti Bolognese. He
said in English. ―I love Spaghetti Bolognese.‖
Everybody in the big room burst out laughing. He waved to everybody as he and his family
headed for their table. He sat down and Salvatore and Bruno arrived at the table carrying big
plates of Spaghetti. Salvatore had a bag around his neck and putting his hand in the bag
brought out two very large packets of Italian cheese. Pasquale said something in Italian and
they all joined in.‘Formaggio! Formaggio! (Cheese)
In English he said very slowly ―I love cheese on Spaghetti.‖ And everybody in the room
clapped him. Salvatore went to Natalie.
―There is plenty for everybody.‖ He said. And took two very big bags of cheese out of the
bag he had around his neck. ―It‘s the cheese.‖ He said. ―Don‘t let them eat it without the
cheese.‖ Then it was closing time, everybody waving to the Italian‘s table as they left.
Pasquale stood up and said in English. ―Goodnight everybody and good luck to you!‖
They wished him good luck back and they left.
Salvatore and Pasquale invited the family over to dinner one night after they had all finished
working and had cleaned up. So they went and got their children, Salvatore, Bruno, Pasquale,
his wife Maria, did the cooking and their son Giovanni and his wife Linda waited upon them.
It was hilarious. The food was Italian and it was beautiful. All of them joined in and had a
most wonderful night. Pasquale‘s English had improved and at the table he said, ―Please pass
me the butter.‖ He roared laughing. He was eating spaghetti and Vestalla picked up a plate
and offered it to him. ‗Formaggio?‘ she said.
―Yes please!‖ He said roaring with laughter. It was the children‘s bed time and the family
went to clean up but the others wouldn‘t let them and they said their goodnights.
Salvatore and Pasquale and his wife had dinner with ‗The Family‘ every Saturday night after
that and they all became very close friends.
The ladies were thrilled to pieces about the big room and the people they were feeding.
At the last count they had twenty one families. Otto was working at the bakery and loving it.
The owner when he found out what the families were doing made sure that they were not
short of bread or cakes. Karlos put on another odd job man and they were flat to the boards.
Aaron was plodding away at the Stock exchange always getting enough money to contribute
to the family but waiting for that day of days when he could make that big killing!
Aaron was walking along the corridor towards the Gallery when Geraldine from the Store
room came out of one of the offices.
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―Oh! Mr Cohen.‖ She said. ―I have that book you ask to see. This is its name isn‘t it?‖
She handed Aaron a piece of paper which had written on it in perfect Yiddish.
―Please see me later!‖ Aaron looked up.
―Yes thank you Geraldine how kind of you. I will see you later.‖ They both went on their
way. Aaron was finding it hard to keep his mind on the board and he kept wondering why a
Macedonian girl would hand him a letter written in perfect Yiddish, with the angles of the
letters being so correctly placed as only a student of the language would know. The morning
session was over and Aaron made his way down to the store room. Knocked on the door and
Geraldine‘s voice invited him to come in.
―Thank you for coming Mr Cohen.‖ She said. ―I have something that I want to show you but
first I will tell you what happened. Mr Krakow (who was one of the smartest buyers on the
Stock Exchange) likes to get away from his office when he has matters to deal with, that he
either doesn‘t want people to know about or he doesn‘t want to be interrupted and he comes
down here. This morning when I arrived at work he was sitting at the table which was
covered in papers. He looked at his watch, bundled up all his paper, threw some into the
waste paper basket and left. When I went to empty the basket next to the table into which he
had thrown all his waste papers, I found and envelope and inside the envelope was a letter
written in Yiddish. After reading the letter I photo-stated it and took the original in the
envelope to his office for which he thanked me. I have never forgotten the kindness you
showed me when I couldn‘t have gone to that party years ago, and if it hadn‘t been for you
doing the work that I had to finish. This is my way of thanking you and she handed him a
letter.
Aaron didn‘t look at the letter. ―How does a Macedonian girl, not only read Yiddish but write
it perfectly?‖ He asked. Geraldine laughed.
―My father is Macedonian and my mother is Jewish. My father demanded that my mother
teach me Macedonian but my mother said no, as she couldn‘t pronounce the dialect correctly
and that I should be taught by his mother and father. My father‘s parents couldn‘t thank my
mother enough and from that day onward. I spent two waking hours of every day of my life
being taught Macedonian. My mother‘s mother was a school teacher who lived with us and
she taught me Yiddish. I can read, write and speak it fluently. English I learned from all of
them.‖
Aaron looked at the letter it was ‗Green and Daw Holdings‘ in Zürich Switzerland.
Adolf Kruger was the President. And it read:
Dear Nephew,
On the first of next month a company called ‗Swiss Enterprises‘ will be listing
on your Stock Exchange. The people involved are all billionaires and will only buy anything
that makes money. They have turned their own company ‗International Investments‘ into a
bank. The shares came on to the market four years ago at one American Dollar a share. They
are now selling for twenty five American dollars a share.
I suggest that when they come on the market that you get in early, as they will certainly be
buying them themselves to force the price up.
It then went on with personal matters between them and their families, and was signed.
Your, loving Uncle
Adolf.
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Aaron put the letter down and looked at Geraldine. ―I thank you from now until next year.‖
He said ―I couldn‘t thank you enough. This is fortune making knowledge and I promise you
that I will not forget you.‖
―You don‘t have to remember me Mr Cohen.‖ She said. ―It has been my pleasure but one
thing I would ask of you, is please don‘t tell anyone about my knowledge of Yiddish.‖
―You have my word.‖ He said. As he went to the door and just before he reached it,
Geraldine said ―Mozel tov.‖
Aaron turned to her and laughingly replied. ―Mozel tov to you,‖ and he left the room still
laughing.
Aaron‘s big kill took place at the beginning of the month when ‗Swiss Enterprises‘ were
listed. Aaron put in everything that he had and bought fifteen thousand shares at a dollar a
share. His friends from last time joined in and also bought shares. Andrew Krakow‘s uncle
was spot on, as they rose to four dollars fifty cents on the first day. Three weeks later they
were bringing ten dollars.
Aaron sold ten thousand shares at ten dollars a share and kept the other five thousand shares.
His friends followed his lead and like him made thousands and thousands of which they gave
him five thousand dollars. He took ten thousand dollars to Geraldine but she refused to take
it. ―If you ever get into trouble,‖ said Aaron. ―Please come to me!‖ She smiled her thanks.
Aaron took the ten thousand dollars home and gave it to ‗The Family.‘
Then came trouble and it was big trouble. The Company had sold all their mills and the
Company who had brought them told all their employees as from next week everybody‘s pay
was going to be cut by five dollars. So they all went on strike and it was during the third
week that their Committee came to ‗The Family‘ and told them that most of their people were
in big trouble, they were finding it hard to buy enough food to feed their families.
They were also scraping the barrel to pay their rent and they don‘t know what to do, as they
didn‘t know if or when they will be going back to work and as you appreciate five dollars a
week to our people, is the difference between having an easy life and struggling.
‗The Family‘ asked them to come back tomorrow morning as they would be holding their
meeting tonight. ‗The family‘ met at Otto‘s place. All their money had been added up. It
came to twenty five thousand dollars. Aaron walked over to the table and put an envelope on
it. ―Add fifteen thousand.‖ He said. Nobody said anything. Vestella stood up and in front of
her husband and friends and said. ―At the worst we can last six months without receiving any
rent and using the big room we can feed all the families a big breakfast, a reasonable lunch
for the mothers and children who are at home and a big dinner for everybody.
The Committee came to ‗The Family‘ the next morning and the ‗The Family‘ told them that
those who couldn‘t pay the rent wouldn‘t have to pay any but would catch up when they
returned to work or got another job. ‗The Family‘ would feed them during this time without
any cost to them either now or in the future. Every night from that night onwards the family
fed all their tenants that needed feeding. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner at no cost to them.
Salvatore and Bruno joined in and brought Pasta, Spaghetti, Ravioli, and lots of other food at
no cost to anyone. Pasquale and his wife joined in the cooking as did Salvatore and Bruno,
and everyone left the big room with a full tummy and a piece of fruit if it was available.
It was Saturday night ‗The family‘ had finished serving everyone, and were cleaning up.
Pasquale and Maria were preparing for them their Italian dinner. Salvatore and Bruno were
sitting with Giovanni and Linda waiting to help their parents bring the food over to the table,
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when all these men came through the door. They were all carrying cudgels. They are like
baseball bats. As soon as they walked in Bruno took his phone out of his pocket,
―Emergency!‖ He said. ―There are about twenty men with cudgels.‖ Then he put the phone
back in his pocket. The big man who had led them in stood up on a chair.
―My name is Michael O‘Brien.‖ He said. ―Me and my men,‘ he said pointing to the men
standing with cudgels in their hands. ―Are strike breakers.‖ Which means that we are here
tonight to get you to go back to work or to go to hospital or the morgue which ever suits
you?‖ There was a deadly silence.
―Now who represents you?‖ He asked. Nobody stepped forward. He asked them again. Still
nobody answered. All of a sudden a voice said, ―I represent them.‖
Everybody turned to the voice. It was Salvatore, he stood up. Bruno put his hand on him to
stop him from going to the big Irishman. Salvatore raised his hand and gently shook his
finger at him. Bruno took his hand way stood up and followed him to where the other man
was standing on the chair. Salvatore stood in front of him. Bruno was standing a little behind
him.
―What‘s your trouble?‖ asked Salvatore.
―My trouble.‖ said the big man, ―is that if I and my men don‘t get these people back to work
we don‘t get paid and we are going to get paid. How come an old man like you represents
them?‖ He asked.
―Just the luck of the draw I suppose.‖ Salvatore replied.
This Irishman turned to ‗The Family‘ who were behind the counter and said ―If you keep
giving them food and not make them pay their rent then you and your Apartment Block
including this room will be very savagely dealt with!‖
Salvatore opened his mouth to speak when this beautifully dressed man followed by about
thirty other men all carrying cudgels came into the big room.
He walked over to Salvatore. ―Good evening father?‖ He said. ―Are you alright?‖
―Yes thank you my son.‖ He said.
―Thank you Bruno.‖ He said. Bruno nodded his acceptance. Then turning to the big Irishman
he said. ―What‘s your trouble?‖
―I have no trouble.‖ He replied.
―My men and I are strike breakers and we have a job to do and we are going to do it, even if
there are more of you than us, we are still going to do it!‖
The very beautifully dressed man turned to the man in front of the men with the cudgels.
―How many are there?‖ He asked.
―Twenty including him,‖ the man replied.
―Make it even.‖ He said. Six men left and headed towards the door.
―Sorry gentlemen.‖ He said and they lifted their hands in a salute as they left. The big
Irishman laughed and counting the men said ―There are nineteen of you to twenty of us.‖ He
said.
―That is one in our favour, how nice of you.‖
―Count again?‖ Said the beautifully dressed man?
The Irishman counted the men. ―I still only get nineteen.‖ He said.
―Oh! I see.‖ said the man standing in front of him.
―You didn‘t count me.‖
―You!‖ said the Irishman laughing. ―You‘re with your lovely suit and pretty tie. Surely you
don‘t want to get your blood all over them?‖
The beautifully dressed man looked at him.
―Let us make a deal.‖ He said. ―You and I will do the fighting and if you win, then we go
away and leave you to do your job but when I win, you and your men leave here and don‘t
come back and you can make the rules.‖
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The big Irishman looked at him and laughed. ―You and I‖ He said.
―You evidently don‘t know who I am. I have been the Champion of Cudgels for this part of
Brooklyn for the last ten years and I could kill you.‖
The man ignored what he said and went over to a table and took off his coat and folded it
very neatly. Then took off his tie and folded it on top of his coat, took off his watch and
rolled up his sleeves. He then went over to the men with the cudgels who had followed him
into the big room.
They all held their cudgels out in front of them and he lifted them as he went past. He stopped
and put his hand out for the cudgel.
―Would you mind?‖ He asked.
―I would be honoured.‖ said the man.
He took the man‘s cudgel and walked back and stood in front of the Irishman.
―Your Rules!‖ He said.
―All in!‖ said the Irishman.
―Good call!‖ said the beautifully dressed man. ―It makes it more interesting.‖
The man standing in front of the Irishman turned his head as if he was going to talk to
someone and the Irish man swung his cudgel at his head with all his might. The other man
lowered his body almost to a squat and the cudgel went over his head. Then using the big
round end of the cudgel he lunged at the Irishman and drove it hard into his lower chest and
you could hear the breaking of his ribs as he did so. The big man fell on his knees. The other
man gently pushed him over with the round end of his cudgel and he fell backwards. He then
tapped him gently on the head with the cudgel. The cudgel men who had come with him
started to clap and the Irishman‘s men joined in, for they had never seen anything like it.
He took the cudgel back to the man who had given it to him. ―Thank you!‖ He said.
―It is beautifully balanced.‖ The man beamed with pride. He then walked over to the table
where he had put his clothes and put on his tie which his father straightened for him. Put his
watch back on his wrist, rolled down his sleeves and put on his coat.
He walked over to where the Irishman was lying on the floor in agony and looking down at
him and said. ―You go back to your employers and tell them that Salvatore Umberto wants
them to give all the people working for them a pay rise and pay them all the money that they
would have earned had they been working. If they don‘t my men and I will come round to
where they live and give them, what they told you to give to these people.‖
As soon as he said his name everybody in the room went quiet. For Salvatore Umberto was
the ‗God Father‘ of the biggest Mafia Family in New York.
The Irishman‘s men carried their injured leader away. It was obvious to all that he was in
agony. The victor walked over to the men with the cudgels and thanked them. They all bowed
as they left as they did four very nicely dressed men walked in. Two of them sat at a table
which gave them a clear look at the door. One of the other men sat at a table where his was
looking straight into the door. The other man sat at the table at the back of where Salvatore
and Bruno had been sitting and from which he could see everything in the big room including
looking into the door.
Salvatore Junior then walked over to where his father and Bruno were standing at the top of
table. He put his arms around them and they put theirs about him and they gently lowered
their heads together until they were touching. They stayed like that for about ten seconds and
stepped back.
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His father introduced him to ‗The Family‘ who had come over to the table. They all thanked
him for his help as did all the other people in the big room.
―It is my pleasure.‖ He said. ―How nice it is to meet you! My father and Bruno have talked so
much about you that I feel as if I know you. They are so proud of you, for helping people less
fortunate than yourselves. My father tells me that all the people including him and Bruno call
you, ‗The Family‘ actually he calls you ‗His Family‘ and of course if you are ‘His Family‘
then you are ‗My Family‘ and you will have my protection.‖ The family thanked him and
they went and sat down at the table.
―Please come with me my son.‖ said Salvatore. He took his son and introduced him to
Pasquale‘s family. His spoke to them in Italian and they answered him accordingly.
―You are just in time.‖ said his father. ―Pasquale and Maria are finishing preparing tonight‘s
dinner and we would love you to join us.‖
He offered his son the seat at the head of the table.
―I can‘t take that.‖ said his son. ―This is not ‗My Family‘ This is ‗Your Family.‘ So you must
sit at the head of the table.‖ His father laughed.
―It has been a long time since I have been the head of a family.‖ He said. As he sat down his
son and Bruno roared with laughter.
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**FROM IDEALISM TO REALISM
Chapter 1
Jon Holzt‘s father was a genius he had been a print shop mechanic for over forty years. He‘d
learnt his trade in Holland, he then moved to America, settling eventually in New Jersey
where he worked. He studied every type of printing machine made in America and elsewhere.
If there was any information anywhere on printing machines he studied it. He photographed
the material for later reference, as he was also a camera buff. He was meticulous in
everything he did and taught his son Jon to be the same. There was only one way to do
anything and that was the correct way.
If it couldn‘t be done that way, then it should not be done at all! Besides his work, Jon
Senior‘s passion was buying and repairing cameras. No matter what type of camera or where
it was from, he would buy it. If he didn‘t know how to fix it, he would go anywhere to find
out, even write to the manufacturers or agents for information, asking for books on how to
repair them. He had also earned himself a great reputation as a photographer, which made
him most admired by those who came in contact with him.
He taught Jon everything he knew and his son was as thorough as his father. He loved
working with him because he never complained and would explain everything in such a way
that it was easily learned.
Like his father, he loved cameras and photography and worked for hours, repairing,
dismantling and cleaning them. His father‘s golden rule was; ‗Everything must be cleaned, no
matter what it is, you must clean it first!‘ Jon followed his policy to the letter.
When Jon went for his Masters ticket, he answered the questions so thoroughly they not only
passed him with flying colours, they also asked to use his answers to show future applicants
what was expected of them. Jon Senior was the proudest man in the world. He dearly loved
his son and was rightfully proud of his success.
When it came to doing the practical section of his exam, Jon finished last. The task allotted
was for the machine to be dismantled by the person being examined and then reassembling it
in working class order in a specified time. When the panel asked why he finished last, Jon‘s
answer took the wind out of their sails.
―The reason I took so long is because I did the task properly,‖ he said. ―Firstly I cleaned the
machine and then I disassembled it. I greased and oiled all the relative areas, which no other
applicant did. I respectfully suggest that in the future, they all do the same as I did and that
you time them accordingly.‖
Rather than being offended by his remarks, the panel was ecstatic. Here was someone who
not only took pride in their work but also set even higher standards than their own! They
called back all the other applicants and gave them new instructions requesting that they clean
the machine as they dismantled it and grease and oil it when they were finished. The nearest
applicant was fifteen minutes behind Jon‘s time and no machine was more than seventy-five
per cent as clean as his.
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Jon and his father were the trouble-shooters in the printing industry. If anyone got into
difficulty they called the ‗Two Jon‘s‘- any day, any night and anytime! Nothing was too
much trouble. All anyone had to do was ring them and subject to them being available, they
would come.
The printing industry was a closely-knit community and everyone knew where the Two Jon‘s
were working and on whose machines. Whenever they took their holidays or time off, they
put a note on the board at the headquarters of the Printers Club, which simply stated:
‗The Two Jon‟s are unavailable.‘
Jon asked his father why he didn‘t put when they would be back and his father answered,
―If we are somewhere we like and we want to stay there, we can. If we want to go somewhere
else, we can go, if we haven‘t told anyone when we will be returning.‖
―But what about the people who employ us?‖ asked Jon.
―When they take their holidays they are entitled to do as we do!‖ His father replied.
―Remember, when you work, you work and when you go on holidays, you go on holidays!
We are not the only print shop mechanics in America you know.‖
―I know,‖ replied Jon. ―But we are the best!‖
―You‘ll get no argument from me on that!‖ said his father, as he walked away laughing.
Jon‘s father had rules and these rules were applicable to everybody including himself. If two
people were working on the same machine, each worker checked the other‘s work. No matter
who they were, their work was checked. Jon and his father were working on a machine and
his father had finished his section. Jon was finishing his work when his father asked him,
―Can you see anything else that needs attending to?‖
―Not in this section!‖ replied Jon Junior.
His father walked around the machine to check Jon‘s work, while Jon did the same with his
father‘s. When they were both satisfied, Jon Senior turned to his son and asked,
―What has been missed?‖
―The fan belt on the small drive is worn and should be replaced.‖ Jon replied.
His father nodded and called for the storeman to bring him a small fan belt, which he
replaced, after cleaning the pulleys. They started the machine and put it through its paces. It
worked perfectly.
They gathered their tools and said their goodbyes. On the way to the car, Jon turned to his
father.
―Why did you ask me about something else while I was working on the main drive?‖
―Simple!‖ replied his father. ―You must always be prepared for the unexpected and you were.
I am very proud of you and as far as I am concerned you are a professional and you work and
act like one. I will never be dead while you are alive.‖
Jon looked at his father. ―That is some compliment father.‖ He said.
―That is not a compliment Jon. It‘s the truth!‖ His father replied.
The two men walked in perfect step with each other before climbing into the car and heading
for home.
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Chapter 2
Jon‘s father loved his church. He went every Sunday, rain, hail or shine. Both Jon and his
mother accompanied him not because they had to but because they wanted to be together. His
mother loved her church as much as her husband and Jon enjoyed it all the more because he
was with them and they were a loving family unit.
Sunday afternoon was a different story. Every Sunday afternoon Jon‘s father went to the
‗Camera Auction.‘ This started at 2 o‘clock and finished at 4 o‘ clock. His father was well
known and when the auctioneer offered a camera for sale on behalf of Jon Van Holzt, the
bidding became very spirited. Any person buying it knew that they were getting first class,
guaranteed equipment. After the auction, people used to call around to their house. His father
had a special room on the back of the house, which they used as a workshop. Here, they
repaired and cleaned the cameras and other photographic equipment. Jon and his father would
work for hours, cleaning and repairing. It was a very rewarding experience, as well as being
very enjoyable.
Life could not have been sweeter. Everything was going well for the family and the two Jon‘s
were ‗flat to the boards.‘ It was taking all their time to keep up with the demand for their
services. In fact, they were so busy that many times, they had to go separately to different
jobs. Whoever finished first though always rang the other to see how he was going and they
would always meet, either at another job or at home, so they could discuss what they had
done to the machines they had worked on.
Holiday time arrived at last and the whole family was looking forward to it as it had been a
busy time. Not that anyone ever complained about being busy. As far as they were concerned,
they were all working for the family and the family was the number one priority. As usual,
they were going to the mountains where they had a cabin and a boat. They could fish, swim,
go for boat rides around the very large lake, visit friends, go for walks, take photographs or
just laze around - whatever they liked. The best part of all was that they could stay as long as
they liked. They had put the ‗The Two Jon‘s are unavailable‘ sign on the notice board!
They had just about finished packing when the phone rang. It was Jon‘s father‘s oldest friend
and customer. He was full of apologies but his maintenance man had been rushed to hospital
with appendicitis and the driving pulley on his ‗Mitchell‘ had seized. He was in trouble and
had a deadline to meet on Monday morning and being Saturday night, no one else was
available.
―Don‘t worry.‖ Jon‘s father told his friend. His son Jon would be there in fifteen minutes.
―Call heads or tails!‖ He shouted out to Jon.
―Heads!‖
―Bad luck! You lost!‖ said his father, who had not tossed a coin.
―Harry Jones‘s driving assembly pulley on his ‗Mitchell‘ has packed up. Guess who‘s going
to be the lucky one to fix it?‖
Jon laughed, put on his overalls and went and picked up his toolbox.
―Right- oh slave driver, I‘ll see you in about two hours.‖
He hugged and kissed his mother and gave his father a hug.
―Please take it easy, drive carefully.‖ His mother called as he drove off.
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Harry Jones was uncomfortable.
―I feel awful!‖ He said. ―But I had nowhere else to turn to.‖
―Please don‘t worry, it won‘t take me long.‖ Jon laughed.
It was easy to see what was wrong, the shaft coming out from the pulley assembly was badly
burned and that spelt trouble. Jon set about meticulously taking the complete assembly to
pieces, cleaning as he went. It was a painstaking job but short cuts were not an option. Two
hours later he was finished. He tested the machine from slow, to medium to full printing
speed. Everything worked perfectly. Harry Jones was ecstatic and couldn‘t thank him
enough. Jon left as quickly as he could without being rude and he hurried out to his car and
headed for home.
He went straight to the shower and had just finished when the phone rang.
―To whom am I speaking?‖ asked a male voice.
―Jon Van Holzt is my name.‖ Jon answered, trying not to sound annoyed.
―Are you any relation to John and Shirley Van Holzt?‖ asked the voice.
―I am their son.‖ Jon replied. ―Is there anything wrong?‖
―My name is Trouper Carmichael from the High Mountain Sheriff‘s Department. I am sorry
to have to tell you that your mother and father have been killed in a terrible accident. A petrol
tanker hit their car and exploded, there is nothing left.‖
The caller paused. ―The only reason we know that it is your mother and father, is that George
Williams from the High Mountain general store was waving goodbye to them after selling
them supplies. He watched them until the turn just over half a mile away and witnessed the
accident and the explosion.‖
There was another brief pause then the Trouper continued.
―We will need you to contact the Sheriff‘s Office at High Mountain and ask for Sheriff Elliott
or myself. Please accept our deepest sympathies.‖
Jon slid slowly to the floor. He put his head in his hands and began to cry, he had lost his
beautiful mother and father and he cried and cried and cried!
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Chapter 3
The next few days were unbelievable. Jon went to High Mountain to see the Sheriff, who
took him to the crash site. There was nothing to see but a completely levelled and burnt area
of forest. Badly burned and twisted bodies of both vehicles were at the scene but no human
remains had been recovered. The Sheriff told Jon that there was going to be an investigation
but as they had an eyewitness, it was an open-and-shut case. He asked Jon to get in touch
with his lawyer and tell him to call him. The Sheriff would then give him a copy of the
accident report so that the lawyer could take the appropriate action. Jon thanked him and
headed back home.
He was still in shock, finding it hard to come to grips with what had occurred. He had a dead
mother and father but no bodies to bury. He had no other family, so no one to grieve with and
he was completely on his own without the slightest idea what to do. Jon drove his car into the
garage and went into the kitchen. He opened a can of soup, heated it on the stove, poured it
into a cup and then drank it. It was tasteless. The coffee that followed was not any better.
Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew there were things he had to do but he could
hardly motivate himself to get off the couch. He made his way to bed but spent a terrible
night, waking many times hoping that it was all a bad dream. The sickening reality dawned
on him every time. When he finally woke he felt exhausted, mentally, physically and
spiritually.
Jon looked at the clock it was still only six o‘clock in the morning. He decided to get up and
dress, going through all the motions but feeling dead inside. Around nine he rang his father‘s
lawyer and friend for many years, Jack Green. He was as shocked as Jon had been to hear of
their deaths. Providing, the sheriffs name and telephone number as instructed, Jon advised
Jack that the sheriff was expecting a call. He forced himself to ring the Insurance Company,
advising them of the accident and giving them Jack Green‘s address and telephone number.
They were very pleasant and passed on their condolences at the end of the call.
He sighed and put the telephone down. He picked it up again and rang the help line he had
found in the telephone book for people in distress.
―My name is Harry how can I help you?‖ asked a man‘s voice.
Jon took a deep breath. ―I have a dead mother and father who were destroyed in an explosion
and I have no bodies to bury.‖ He paused for a moment and then continued.
―I don‘t know what to do! I could really do with some help!‖
The man on the other end listened to everything without interrupting then offered some
practical advice; Jon could hear the sympathy in his voice.
―Perhaps the best step now is to contact a Stonemason and tell him what you want on the
headstone. You could spend some time thinking about what your parents would like you to
say about them.‖
This shifted Jon‘s mood immediately.
―Can you recommend anyone?‖ he asked.
―My cousin, Jeffrey is a Stonemason. He won‘t rob you.‖ The man replied.
He gave Jon his cousin Jeffrey‘s address and telephone number and wished him well. Jon
thanked him and hung up much relieved.
He rang Harry‘s cousin Jeffrey, who listened politely until Jon had finished.
―Which cemetery is it?‖ He asked.
―The General.‖ said Jon.
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―No trouble, they are very easy to deal with and they don‘t charge the earth.‖ said the man on
the other end of the phone.
―Come down to the yard and I will show you what is available. The price will depend on the
stone and what you want on it. I will give you a quote and you can see if you can get it any
cheaper, then give them the job.‖
Jon liked his directness, so he made an appointment to see him that afternoon at one o‘clock.
He felt very relieved, as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
The phone rang it was Father O‘Malloy, the priest from their church. He conveyed his
condolences and expressed his horror at the way in which Jon‘s parents had died. He told Jon
that at next Sunday‘s Mass, he would like to deliver a Eulogy for his mother and father. It
would be at seven o‘clock at the Mass that he and his parents had always attended. Jon was
touched that his parents would be remembered in a way that would have meant a lot to them.
He thanked Father O‘Malloy and told him that he would be there.
The morning seemed to evaporate and soon it was time for him to go and meet Cousin
Jeffrey. The Stonemason was a welcome sight. It was plain to see he was a working man,
well-worn overalls with patched knees, a very old shirt and a battered felt hat on his head.
Jon felt a vice-like grip when he shook his hand. There was nothing artificial about him. He
took Jon to the stone section, showed him what was available and told him the cost of the
stones. He then took him into a room where there were dozens of headstones with different
types of lettering on them. Jon picked a headstone with clean, well-defined lines. One he
knew his mother and father would appreciate. He chose the type of lettering with the same
intention.
Once this was settled, Jon handed Cousin Jeffrey a copy of the wording he wanted. The
Stonemason, read it through, nodded and taking a pencil from behind his ear, picked up a
piece of paper from the table near the door. He wrote down a series of numbers.
―Including the cemetery charges, my quote comes to $3,650. If you can do better anywhere
else, be my guest. If you would like me to do the job, I need a deposit of ten per cent and the
balance when the headstone is on the grave.‖
Jon took out his cheque book and filled it out for the entire amount. Cousin Jeffrey looked at
it, then at Jon.
―If I had known that you were going to pay in advance, I could have done it a bit cheaper,‖ he
said earnestly.
―Just do a good job for me that is all I ask.‖ said Jon.
The Stonemason nodded once again.
―You won‘t get any better.‖
They shook hands and Jon left feeling a sense of satisfaction and sadness.
Jon did some shopping on his way home. There was nothing to eat in the house but a few
items of canned food. It was a cold, dark house now not the lovely, warm cosy home it had
been a couple of days ago and he resented being there alone. He spent another restless night,
sleeping and waking all through the night. Things were worse still for his realization that
these were just the very earliest days of his suffering.
Six o‘clock came and Jon went through all the motions again, completing his morning routine
almost by numbers. He went into the workshop and found a watch that his father had been
working on. Without thinking, he sat down and checked it over to see what was wrong and
then began to repair it. His work was interrupted by a knock at the door. When he opened it,
he saw Mr Kelly from the Post Office.
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―Good Morning Mr Van Holzt, I‘m sorry to hear about your mother and father.‖
―Thank you!‘ said Jon automatically.
―Would you mind giving me a hand with the bags in my van?‖ He asked. ―They are too
heavy for me to carry.‖
Jon followed him out to the van. The doors were open and Jon saw two very large canvas
bags.
―These are yours!‖ said Mr Kelly. ―There are more to come!‖
Jon picked up one of the bags and almost toppled under its weight. He carried it into the
house then returned to gather the other. Mr Kelly thanked him warmly and waved as he drove
away.
Jon laid the bags on the kitchen table and when he opened the first bag, it was packed with
cards and letters. When he opened the second bag it was just as full. He leaned back,
shuffling a handful of letters, tears blurring his vision. After a few minutes, he seemed to see
the bags for the first time and carried them out to the workshop. Clearing the long bench
along one side of the room, he began putting the letters in alphabetical order. Thankfully this
was easy, as most of the letters had the name and address of the sender on the back.
Before he knew it, Saturday had arrived and he was facing the Herculean task of opening,
listing and cataloguing a whole lot more letters. Luckily, he had a ‗Bartrum‘ card-printing
machine, which his father had motorized from the pedal version. It could print sixty cards a
minute. All you had to do was load the machine with blank cards and it would do the rest. He
worked solidly from six thirty in the morning until ten at night, glad to have something to
take his mind off his pain.
Sunday was a difficult day, he went to the seven o‘clock Mass to hear Father O‘Malloy
deliver a most beautiful Eulogy for his father and mother. Afterwards he was surrounded by
well-wishers who just would not let him go. He felt like screaming but with the greatest of
quiet, self-control, thanked them all until he managed to escape. Upon arriving home, he
threw himself back into answering letters. He was surprised when he realized just how many
he had to respond to. He sat alone, carefully addressing each envelope with precision.
Then it was Friday and Cousin Jeffrey called to tell him that the headstone was on the grave.
They agreed to meet at one o‘clock, the headstone was beautiful!
It read;
To my father, Jon Van Holzt Born 20.11.1946
And
To my mother, Shirley Van Holzt Born 05.09.1948
Both dying tragically in an accident on 26.05.1989
Taken from me in the prime of their lives,
They taught me the true meaning of unconditional love and
Precious family values for which I will be eternally grateful.
Till we meet again!
Your loving son,
Jon.
‗Rest in Peace!‘
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Jon couldn‘t have asked for anything more and told Cousin Jeffrey.
Again Cousin Jeffrey nodded but this time he beamed with pleasure.
―I did it myself!‖ He confided. ―I wanted it to be special and I liked your sentiments.‖
―Thank you!‖ said Jon placing his hand on the Stonemason‘s shoulder.
They shook hands and after taking one more look at the straight lines of the headstone, Jon
headed for home.
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Chapter 4
It was later the following week before all the cards had been answered. Jack Green, his
lawyer, rang to tell him that the petrol company wanted to settle out of court. Besides having
an eyewitness, the driver of the tanker had not been licensed to drive this type of rig. He had
only been driving that day because the regular driver was ill. He would in all probability be
awarded between five and ten million dollars, most likely the amount would be closer to ten
than five.
The figures meant nothing to Jon. He told Jack that he would leave everything in his hands.
The weeks got longer and longer. Jon still had not removed the card he had placed at the
Printers Office advising, ‗Jon is not available‟ Nobody had rung so there was no urgency. It
was six weeks after the accident, that Jon received a phone call at 11 o‘clock at night. He
picked up the receiver.
―Is that you Jon?‘ The caller asked with an American drawl.
―Yes. I am Jon Junior,‖ he replied.
―You might not remember me?‘ said the man. ‗My name is Barney Hawkens.‖
―Yes, Mr Hawkens. I remember you! You had the Hawkens Print shop in Bernard Street.
Thank you for your card.‖
―You‘re welcome!‖ he replied. ―I was very sorry to hear about what happened to your family
and I‘m sorry to bother you but I‘m in a lot of trouble. No one over here has been able to help
me. I have a ‗Democrat‘ and it won‘t work properly. I have spent thousands of dollars trying
to get it running and but no one can fix it!‖
―Maybe if you can tell me what‘s wrong, I can help you solve your problem from here.‖ said
Jon.
―I don‘t want you to help me solve my problem from there, I want you to come over here and
solve it for me!‖ came the reply.
―Where is here?‘ asked Jon.
―Here my friend is London, Britain.‖
Jon didn‘t know what to say. He was not sure that he had heard correctly.
―Did you say London, Britain?‖
―Yes‖ the man replied. ―Will you come?‖
Jon stood quietly at first. This was a most unusual request.
What the hell! He thought. I‘m slowly going mad here I might as well go mad in London!
―Ok! I‘ll come.‖ he replied.
―Do you have you a passport?‖ asked the man.
―Yes I have!‖ said Jon.
―When can you leave?‖ Barney persisted.
―Tonight I suppose.‖ Jon replied.
―Good! There will be a ticket for you at the British Airways Office at the airport in around
fifteen minutes. Do you want first class?‖
―No thanks, economy will suit me just fine.‖ Jon answered without thinking.
―Please yourself.‖ Barney replied. ―Don‘t worry about contacting me about the flight, the
airline will let me know when you will be arriving in London. We‘ll meet you at the Airport.‖
―Ok, see you then!‖ Jon responded and he hung up.
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Jon couldn‘t believe what he had just done but done was done, so that was that! He packed
his suitcase and took his toolbox out of the car where it had been since the day of the
accident. He checked it thoroughly, thought for a few moments about what ‗unsolvable‘
trouble a ‗Democrat‘ could have, then went to the room where his father kept special spare
parts for difficult machines. The ‗Democrat‘ was definitely one of them. The main trouble
with these machines was in the spindle and sprocket section. He nodded to himself and took
out a packet of sprockets and a set of spindles and put them in his carry bag. He would keep
them on the plane with him.
When Jon rang British Airways a bright voice from Customer Service advised that there was
a plane bound for London leaving in two hours. It would get him into London at about two
o‘clock the next afternoon. His reservation was confirmed. He arrived at the airport with an
hour to spare. The spindles and sprockets gave him a small problem with the boarding staff,
but this was quickly solved when they were placed in a forward locker.
The flight proved uneventful, he suddenly felt very tired and after eating, he fell asleep. The
plane landed and took off several times but Jon did not even stir. The hostess woke him at
one point and told him that breakfast was ready and she handed him a tray.
―Tea or Coffee?‖ she asked in a crisp English accent.
―Coffee, black. Thank you!‖ Jon replied.
She handed him a pot of coffee and moved on. Breakfast was a very generous serve of bacon,
two eggs, hash browns, four pieces of toast and a glass of orange juice. Very hungry by now,
Jon enjoyed it immensely. When he had finished, the hostess asked him if he would like
another. He smiled.
―If you insist!‖ he said cheekily.
―Yes I do!‖ She laughed.
Jon smiled as she walked away still chuckling to herself. He realized that the journey had
offered him the first uninterrupted sleep he had in weeks. He made quick work of his second
breakfast and sat back in his seat, satisfied. He was feeling happy, very full and almost
completely relaxed. He had not felt like this since his parents untimely death and it was a
welcome relief. He started to think back on all that had happened and how it had affected
him. He mulled it over and over in his mind but came to no great conclusions. It still seemed
so unreal.
Lunch was brought around and it was as good as breakfast but Jon laughingly knocked back
seconds. He decided to try and not to think of his beloved mother and father and to
concentrate instead, on the job at hand. Before he could begin though, the stewardess‘s voice
came over the public address system.
―Will all passengers please fasten their seat belts?‖
Jon fastened his seat belt and looked out the window. It was raining, so he could see very
little. He marvelled at the fact that he would soon be landing in a country so far from his
home and the life he lead with his parents. It seemed almost bizarre. The plane landed safely
and taxied towards the airport buildings. After a short wait, everyone started to disembark. A
steward met him at the door of the plane and handed him his toolbox and his sprockets and
spindles. Jon put them carefully into his carry bag, picked up the toolbox and headed for the
customs area.
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He declared his cargo explaining that he was a print machine mechanic and that he had
brought spindles and sprockets to do a job. He also told the customs officer that he didn‘t
think that he would be staying long. After receiving Jon‘s luggage declaration as just one
suitcase, the officer stamped his passport and gave him his clearance. He retrieved his
suitcase from the revolving luggage belt easily and was soon being checked out of the area by
another uniformed man who opened the door for him most officiously. Jon found himself in
a very big building, facing dozens of people, evidently all waiting for other passengers. There
was a sudden flash of concern as he faced the crowd of strangers. However he was only
standing there for about thirty seconds when he heard a very loud, familiar American accent.
―Jon, Jon!‖
He looked towards the voice and started to laugh. The man coming towards him was wearing
a very large Texan cowboy hat, chaps and boots and a shirt so loud, he could hear it coming!
The excited individual would have fitted into any Western Movie without any trouble and
looked completely out of place amongst the conservatively dressed people evidently waiting
for someone. A rather slim and very lovely looking lady was running after him. She was
dressed in a very smart cow girl suit. Jon felt no embarrassment that he should be met by
costumed characters. He had a wonderful sense of humour and he laughed out loud. It didn‘t
faze the man coming towards him one bit and he just grabbed Jon‘s hand and shook it
heartily.
―Jon, how are you?‖ He bellowed loudly and without hesitating turned to the lady puffing
next to him and said, ―This is my wife Glenda.‖
―Hello Jon,‖ Came her breathy reply. ―Thank you for coming!‖
After nodding graciously to Glenda, Jon turned back to the man.
―Well hello Mr Hawkens, where are your guns?‖ He asked.
―Call me Barney!‖ The man responded loudly, before hooting with laughter.
―They‘re back at the party! You can‘t wear guns in London they would put you in jail!‖
Still laughing, Barney turned to his wife.
―Where are my guns he asks, don‘t you love him?‖
―Yes.‖ She laughingly replied. ―I surely do!‖
Barney picked up Jon‘s suitcase with gusto and bounded ahead towards the airport doors, the
others trying to keep up with his lengthy strides.
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Chapter 5
Jon found himself being led towards a magnificent Rolls Royce. In the driver‘s seat sat a
man, who got out on hearing them approach. He was also dressed in a cowboy suit with all
the trimmings. Barney introduced him as his son Cody.
―He asked me where my guns were!‖ Barney hooted again! ―I told him they were back at the
party.‖
He could scarcely contain himself. ―Don‘t you love him?‖ He asked.
―I sure do Dad!‖ Cody replied.
―Good!‖ said Barney enthusiastically.
Then, turning to Jon and said. ―Now let‘s get you to a hotel and then we can make
arrangements for you to go to the shop.‖
―Why don‘t we go to the shop now?‖ asked Jon. ―That would give us a whole afternoon to
work on the machine.‖
―Sure!‖ Barney replied with a mixture of delight and surprise in his voice.
―If that‘s what you want!‖
―Take us to the shop Cody,‖ Barney shouted as he disappeared into the Rolls.
Barney described to Jon the troubles he was experiencing with his beautiful ‗Democrat‘ and
the sleepless nights it had caused him.
―I spent thousands of dollars trying to get it fixed, but to no avail.‖ He complained. ―Then
Glenda suggested I call you and here you are!‖
They pulled up in front of a very large building.
The sign on the front read: ‗Hawkens Printing‘ and underneath in smaller letters, ‗Barney
Hawkens and Son.‘
Two double doors suddenly opened and Cody drove the car up the ramp right into the print
shop. In front of them was a beautiful machine, it was extraordinary. Reeking of class, it was
the pride of the printing industry. This was the ‗Democrat,‘ possibly the finest printing
machine in the world. It was doing just two hundred and fifty revolutions and struggling.
This was a machine that would normally coast night and day at fifteen hundred.
Barney took Jon over to the operator and introduced him.
―Ron Strachan, meet Jon Van Holzt.‖ They shook hands.
―I have heard about ‗The Jon‘s‘ and I‘m very proud to meet you!‖ he said. ―Sorry about your
mother and father.‖
Amidst the hustle and bustle of his arrival the comment shook Jon a little. He thanked Ron
automatically but said nothing further. Instead he turned his attention to the machine and
asked Ron to lift the revolutions. The noise was deafening!
Signalling to Ron to turn it off, Jon turned to Barney.
―It‘s your spindle and sprocket assembly, they‘re all out of sequence.‖
―Can you fix it?‖ asked Barney, his cowboy hat now in his hands.
Jon noticed that Barney‘s brashness has dissipated a little.
―I will need help but I am sure I can.‖ He replied reassuringly.
Barney nodded enthusiastically and turned to Ron. ―Go and get a new set of sprockets and
spindles from the store, will you?‖
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―There‘s none left!‖ Ron replied. The tone of his voice lifting a little as he spoke, ―that was
the last set we put into the machine.‖
―Don‘t worry!‖ said Jon. Waving his hand confidently, ―I brought some with me just in case.
Where can I change?‖
Barney pointed to a door on the side wall. Collecting his toolbox and carry bag from the car,
Jon placed them both in front of the big switchboard. His suitcase in hand, he strode towards
the room Barney had pointed out.
Five minutes later he emerged in his overalls ready for work. He went straight to the fuse
box and removed the fuses. He put them in his toolbox drawer and locked it with his key. He
asked for a table, cleaning fluid, cleaning towels and rags, grease and oil. By the time all
these things had been provided, Barney was standing next to him in overalls, ready for work.
A cleaner had swept the area where they would be working and two wooden ‗lay on‘s‘ were
provided so that they wouldn‘t be lying on the cold cement.
Jon took off the plate and handed it to the cleaner.
―Please clean everything I give you thoroughly,‖ he said.
He then proceeded to dismantle the entire assembly, handing the parts to the cleaner as he
went. Eventually, the only thing left was the housing containing the sprockets and spindles.
Jon also cleaned as he went. There were metal filings everywhere and a smell of burnt metal.
When the spindles and sprockets were exposed, they were in a terrible mess, with filings all
over the casing and inside the housing. Jon leaned over the machine and pointed out an area
to Barney.
―The trouble here is that all the spindles should have been placed in correct order with the
correct sprocket. In this case they are all misaligned.‖
He showed Barney a spindle then pointed to the number on it. It was numbered ‗1.‘ He then
shone the torch on to the sprocket it was numbered ‗2.‘ The next two were also out of
sequence. Jon loosened them and with Barney‘s help, moved them out of the housing.
Half an hour later, the new spindles and sprockets were installed, greased and oiled. Jon
tightened the last nut holding the cowling and they were finished. He and Barney pushed
themselves out from under the machine.
―You are something else!‖ exclaimed Barney. The exuberance and volume now back in his
voice. ―I have never seen anything like it! The way you work, the way you clean and the way
you explain things it makes everything so easy.‖
―I had a good teacher,‖ said Jon and he left it at that!
Jon went to his toolbox, opened the bottom draw and took out the fuses.
He looked at them, ―Could I have new ones?‖ he asked.
They were quickly provided and he took the padlock off the fuse door and plugged in the
fuses.
―I‘d like to do the testing myself if you don‘t mind?‖ He said to the operator. Ron nodded his
head. Jon started the machine slowly and took the machine gently through its paces until it
was doing fifteen hundred revolutions per minute. He then asked that the paper be loaded.
This was done and the real test began, it performed beautifully. The machine was humming
and a cheer went up from the assembled gathering.
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Barney turned to Jon, ―Good job! Jon,‖ he said, ―very good job!‖ His tone was almost
reverent.
Jon nodded, his satisfaction clearly showing on his face. Barney and Jon walked over to
Glenda and Cody.
―Do you think it will maintain fifteen hundred revolutions?‖ Cody asked.
―Why not,‖ Jon replied as he wiped his hands on a cloth. ―That‘s what it was built to do!‖ he
said, turning and watching the machine in action.
An hour later it was obvious to all that the problem had been fixed, for the ‗Democrat‘ was
purring like a kitten and the print result was perfect. Jon went into the change room, had a
shower and put on the clothes he had been wearing. He packed everything neatly into his tool
kit and returned to the machine room carrying his working clothes. Barney was still in his
overalls, not wanting to put his cowboy gear back on after working under the machine.
They returned to the car where Barney produced two dustcoats - one he put on over his
overalls and the other went on the seat of the car to protect it. Barney and Glenda got into the
back and Cody and Jon in the front.
―Which hotel are we going to take Jon to?‖ asked Cody.
―The Hotel, Hawkens!‖ Barney and Glenda chimed in one voice.
―Good!‖ said Cody. ―I was hoping you would say that!‖
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Chapter 6
While they were driving to the ‗Hotel Hawkens‘ Barney explained the reason for their
cowboy outfits when they met Jon at the airport. As they had not heard from British Airways,
they thought that he had not boarded the flight, so they went to their friend‘s place for a ‗Ho
Down.‘ They were looking forward to enjoying an opportunity to join in the music making as
Barney was a fiddler and Glenda played the tambourine and Cody the guitar. They had not
been there long when British Airways rang to tell them that Jon‘s plane would be landing at
Heathrow at two in the afternoon and as it was already one o‘clock, they didn‘t have time to
change.
The car slowed and turned into the driveway, there were trees on either side. As they drove
along the driveway they passed rows of hedges and flower beds, then the house appeared.
It was incredible, a typical southern style American mansion. Jon had never seen anything
like it! It was huge! At four stories high, it was a picture of luxury.
―Welcome to the ‗Hawkens Hotel!‖ declared Cody.
―Amen to that!‖ Barney and Glenda chimed together.
Unable to contain himself, Jon said. ―I never realised that there was so much money in
printing!‖
They all roared with laughter.
―This did not come out of printing, this came out of Jeremiah Jones and his oil wells!‖ said
Barney when he stopped laughing.
―Not Jeremiah Jones, the inventor of the ‗Bartrum‘ Card printer?‖ Jon asked.
―The very one!‖ Glenda replied. ―He was my great grandfather but our money never came
from his printing machine, it came from the land he won in a poker game in Houston, Texas.
He was a great gambler, one day his full hand beat three Aces and that gave him the title to
hundred acres of land. Ten years later, it was found to have millions of barrels of oil under
it!‖
―Glenda being his sole surviving relative inherited the lot!‖ Barney chipping in.
―So we can buy what we want, when we want it!‖
―We have printing in our blood,‖ said Glenda. ―We couldn‘t give it up, so we opened a print
shop here in London and we have never looked back.‖
They were all having a good laugh and Jon couldn‘t help joining in. It was a wonderful
feeling and one he had not experienced since losing his mother and father.
The irony of the situation didn‘t escape him. He had left America to come to Britain, to help
some people he thought were not only in mechanical trouble but also in financial trouble,
only to find they were rich beyond belief. Nobody realised it at that time but during that
laughter, the bond which had begun to form as Jon repaired the ‗Democrat‘ was fully
cemented. They were still laughing as they climbed the stairs to the front of the house.
The door opened and a man dressed in tails stood before them.
―Hi yah Frederick, how are you?‖ Barney‘s voice boomed out.
―Very good, thank you! Mr Hawkens.‖ He said, ―and yourself?‖
―Couldn‘t be better, thanks to Jon! ‗The ‗Democrat‘ is up and running.‖
―I am so pleased for you, Sir. It‘s been such a worry!‖ He replied.
―Thank you Frederick, thank you kindly,‖ replied Barney.
Barney turned to Jon. ―Frederick, this is Mr Jon Van Holzt he will be staying with us while
he is in London and we want you to look after him very well.‖
―My pleasure Sir,‖ Frederick replied, bowing his head slightly. ―I will take him to the Guest
room.‖
―No, no! Frederick put him with the family.‖ said Barney.
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―Certainly Sir!‖
As they walked through the foyer, it reminded Jon of something he had seen in the movies,
chandeliers and all. Frederick rang a bell and four neatly dressed men and women appeared,
evidently waiting to be summoned. He motioned to the men.
―Please get Mr Van Holzt‘s luggage out of the car.‖
They returned carrying Jon‘s toolbox, carry bag and suitcase. Carefully putting the luggage
down, they waited for their next instruction. Frederick looked at Barney.
―Will you be wanting an early dinner, Sir?‖ He asked.
―Yes please, I‘m starving! I could eat a whole side of beef.‖
Turning to Jon. ―Hungry Jon?‖
―Quite peckish!‖ Jon replied.
―Good!‖ said Barney as he nodded at Frederick.
Frederick turned to the two ladies who were standing beside him.
―Tell cook she will be preparing a meal for four and place the menus in all rooms, please!
Then set the table accordingly.‖
Both women turned towards the door in unison and left promptly.
―Jones! Take Mr Van Holtz‘s luggage to the West section and show him where everything is.
Bowles! You may return to your post when you are finished.‖
All was a picture of efficiency.
―Let‘s go and get cleaned up! We will all meet at the table,‖ said Barney.
The two men in charge of Jon‘s bags introduced themselves as Jones and Bowles and
directed Jon towards the staircase. They climbed to the first floor and walked along a
beautifully carpeted hallway. All along the hallways the walls were covered in original
paintings. They stopped in front of one of the doors and Jones opened it, standing back for
Jon to enter.
The two men followed Jon into the room, Bowles put down the suitcase and left. Jones went
to the side wall and pulled a handle towards him. The whole wall slid back to reveal a walkin
wardrobe. Jones expertly unpacked Jon‘s suitcase, hanging up all that needed to be hung
and putting the rest into draws. There was even a shoe rack upon which he placed Jon‘s
shoes. Jon watched in fascination as his things were efficiently packed away. Everything had
its place, including his case and his toolbox. Jones then led him from the walk-in-wardrobe
back into the bedroom.
There was a large double bed against the wall, an enormous ornate dressing table to the right
and on the other side, a writing desk, a lounge suite and a small round table. On this, were
two telephones, one blue, and the other one was red.
Jones showed him through a doorway to the left into an En Suite furnished with brilliant
white tiles and a marbled floor. He then returned to the table.
―The red phone is for any requests, information, access to an outside line or for food, from six
in the morning until seven in the evening.‖ He explained. ―The blue phone is for the same
service from seven in the evening until six in the morning. The chute for soiled clothes is
behind this lift up door, they will be cleaned and returned in the morning!‖
Pointing to the menu on the table he continued in a polished voice.
―Please place your order for tonight‘s meal with the kitchen by using the red phone. If there is
anything further that you need to know, please ask me.‖
Jon told Jones that he felt perfectly well informed and thanked him. Jones nodded and left
the room closing the door quietly behind him. Jon immediately picked up the menu. It was
just like one he would expect to see in a top class hotel. Delighted, he quickly picked up the
red phone. A friendly woman spoke, gave her name as Mary and asked him for his order.
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He requested steak, very well done with vegetables and a side salad, followed by apple pie
and ice cream.
Jon looked around the room then decided to have a shower. His bare feet padded across the
cold marble floor. The water was very hot and he felt his energy returning as he lavished in
the warmth. He had not realised just how tired he was. He donned a casual outfit and as he
was dropping his soiled clothes and towels down the chute, there was a gentle knock at the
door.
He opened it to find Frederick waiting.
―If you are ready Sir, allow me to take you to the dining room!‖
Jon nodded, closed the door behind him and followed Frederick down the stairs.
―I do hope that you have found everything to be satisfactory Mr Van Holzt?‖ Frederick asked
politely.
―I couldn‘t have asked for anything more!‖ Jon replied earnestly.
―Excellent Sir,‖ replied Frederick, ―I am so pleased!‖
They reached the bottom of the stairs and headed for a door to the left of the main entrance.
Frederick opened it and stood back to allow Jon to enter. The room was in complete keeping
with the rest of the house. It was immense and in the centre there was a table, which could
easily have seated up to thirty people.
The top section had been set for four people. Huge vases of flowers decorated the polished
surface. Jon noticed that these had been placed so that those sitting at the table couldn‘t see
any of the other places.
In the centre of the table, a small banquet was laid out with fruit, cakes, biscuits and nuts.
Barney was at the head of the table, Cody on his right and Glenda on his left a place had been
set next to hers, which was obviously where Jon was to sit. They were all casually dressed
and plainly very comfortable in these surroundings.
Jon‘s mischievous streak suddenly took over. Picking up a serviette from a little pile on the
table, folded it over his arm and walked up to Barney.
―Bon Jour Monsieur, what can I get you?‖
They all went into raptures of laughter. Their liking for their guest shone like a beacon. Still
laughing, Barney turned to Frederick.
―You‘d better watch yourself, Frederick. You look like you‘ve got some serious
competition.‖
Frederick smiled and bowing gracefully towards Barney and replied with an equally
mischievous tone in his voice, ―Thank you for warning me Sir, I will keep my eyes open.‖
Jon sat next to Glenda and Barney said a short Grace, then the feasting and merriment
commenced. Conversation flowed easily, each of them enjoying the many things they had in
common. During a slight lull, Barney turned to Jon and said.
―Do you mind if we talk shop?‖
―Not at all,‖ Jon replied. ―Our family always talked shop at our meal table. We were all in the
printing game. My mother was the daughter of Jon Van Der Hume from Chicago.‖
―He was the man your father saved from bankruptcy.‖ Glenda quickly joined in.
Jon looked up in surprise.
―Did you know him?‖
―Not personally but printing people are a very close-knit group and there are not many
secrets. As I understand it, your grandfather Jon Van Der Hume had been ill for many
months and the quality of his printing had deteriorated to such an extent, that he had lost
nearly all his customers. His main rival, a company called ‗Cheaper Printing,‘ was sabotaging
his work through a man named, David Grimes. He was a big man and a bully to boot. He
worked well enough under supervision but on his own he got into all sorts of trouble.
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Your mother was in charge of the business while her father was ill but she was terrified of
Grimes.
Glenda folded her napkin on the table, obviously warming to her story and without taking a
breath, continued the tale.
He had a nickname, you know? ‗Dirty Grimes,‘ it suited him well. Your mother called your
father to fix one of the machines but when he arrived, he refused to work on it as it was filthy.
Dirty Grimes told your father to clear out, which your father readily did. However, as he
reached his car, your mother ran to him crying and begged him to please fix the machine, as it
was the only one still working and keeping them from going broke. Your father returned to
the print shop and took the fuses out of the fuse box and prepared to get to work.
Dirty Grimes went up to your father and told him to get out or he‘d throw him out. He
evidently didn‘t know your father very well. Apparently, your father put down his tools and
invited Dirty Grimes to go outside declaring that whoever walked back in afterwards stayed
and the other had to pack up and leave. The fight lasted fifteen minutes. They took Dirty
Grimes to hospital and your father went back into the print shop and all the men followed
him.‖
Glenda was obviously not going to be interrupted in her rendition, her voice gaining a note of
satisfaction as she continued.
―Your father stood in front of the workmen and declared that he wanted the place to look like
a new pin. Anyone not wishing to keep their job could finish immediately and he would show
the rest of them what to do! Nobody left. All of them got stuck into cleaning the shop. Your
father worked on all the machines, cleaning each part as he went. By the time he had finished,
the place was unrecognizable. He checked the inks, blowers and all the other equipment and
when he was satisfied, he loaded the paper and put the machines through their paces. Each of
them worked perfectly. He stayed with the firm six months. During that time, he not only got
all the old customers to return but he attracted many new and bigger clients.‖
Jon sat in stunned silence while Glenda completed her description of events.
―Cheaper Printing was soon in great trouble. They had relied upon Dirty Grimes to get them
business. Later, your grandfather rallied and took control of the business again!
Eventually, he sold it to Cheaper Printing at what was considered to be an enormous price in
those days. Six months later your mother and father were married!‖
Glenda sat back with a look of satisfaction on her face. Jon couldn‘t believe his ears.
―Neither of my parents ever told me that story,‖ he confided. ―But I have heard the name
Dirty Grimes, one night we went to an off-street printing shop to repair a machine. My father
took one look at the man behind the counter and walked out. As we were leaving, my father
laughed and said, ―It looks like Dirty Grimes is still alive and well!‖
I asked him who Dirty Grimes was. My father continued laughing called him ‗a dirty piece of
work‘ and promised to tell me about him one day but he never did!‖
Jon looked at Glenda and shook his head.
―You‘re full of surprises, aren‘t you?‖
Barney laughed.
―You don‘t know half of it. When it comes to printing and the printing industry, Glenda is a
walking encyclopaedia.‖
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Frederick brought in the coffee along with liqueurs and they all moved to the library where
there was an open fire. The chairs were arranged so that each person could see those to whom
they were talking without turning or straining.
Jon had started to feel as he had before his parent‘s death. He felt alive and completely
relaxed. They talked for about an hour, Barney‘s troubles with his beloved ‗Democrat‘ taking
up most of the conversation.
―It cost me thousands of dollars and no one could help me!‖ he explained. ―Then Glenda
suggested you. She said if anybody could fix it, you could and she wasn‘t wrong.‖
The conversation continued to flow smoothly between them as if they were one big happy
family. Then Barney asked Jon about his future plans. Jon hesitated for a moment.
―I would like to produce, print and sell my own line of greeting cards,‖ he finally shared. It
was as if he had seen this possibility for the first time.
―Well,‖ said Barney. ―You have definitely come to the right place, for here in this very room
we have without a doubt, the world‘s greatest expert on cards! Let us introduce you to our
champion.‖
Cody and Barney suddenly stood up and waved their arms grandly.
―Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you the greatest living authority on greeting cards in
the world today, Mrs Glenda Hawkens!‖
They both bowed to Glenda and clapped their hands.
―Oh hush you two!‖ Glenda gushed. ―You‘re exaggerating as usual!‖
―Not much!‖ They both replied. ―Who has the greatest collection of cards in Britain, if not
the world?‖
Glenda blushed and said almost coyly, ―I do like them,‖ then turning to Jon she added,
―Would you like to see my treasure trove?‖
―What?‖ Barney and Cody exploded together. ―You are going to show the Treasure Trove to
someone outside the family?‖
―You must be something really special!‖ Barney declared as he looked at Jon.
―Nobody but nobody with the exception of Cody and me and of course, the workmen
involved has ever set foot in that ‗inner sanctum‘ this calls for something special.‖
Raising his voice he called, ―Frederick, Frederick, please come here!‖
Frederick appeared immediately as if had been waiting to be called.
―Frederick you know that piece of deep red carpet we keep for special occasions? I want you
to get it and place it in front of the Sir Walter Raleigh picture.‖
―Yes Sir,‖ replied Frederick without reaction and he left the room.
―You will excuse me Jon,‖ said Barney, ―I must go and get my camera so that this
momentous occasion will be recorded for posterity. I will call it, ‗Jon‘s day!‖
Cody followed him out of the room declaring. ―I never thought that I would live to see this
day!‖
Glenda was completely composed and turned to Jon to explain that Jon was the only person
she had ever met outside of my family whom she believed would understand and appreciate
what he was about to see.
―Thank you for thinking of me that way,‖ Jon replied. ―I‘m definitely looking forward to
seeing your collection.‖
Barney‘s voice reverberated through the room from the hallway asking them to come
upstairs. Glenda led Jon out into the hallway.
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Barney and Cody were at the head of the stairs with their movie cameras. As they reached the
top landing, Barney and Cody started to walk backwards filming as they went. Frederick was
standing by the painting of Sir Walter Raleigh. The red carpet ran along the hallway to the
wall where he was standing.
―Now Frederick!‖ called Barney gleefully.
Frederick put his hand under the painting and pushed gently upward. An audible ‗click‘ was
followed by the wall swinging back revealing a very large room with hundreds of cards on
stands and along the walls. It was beautifully lit by soft gentle light which was carefully
placed so that all the cards were displayed without any shadows. Jon gasped. He had never
seen such an assembly of cards in one place. They were absolutely beautiful! For a moment,
no one said anything. Jon looked at Glenda.
―I‘m stunned!‖ he said. ―I have never seen anything like this. Where did you get them all?‖
Barney laughed out loud.
―Glenda has kept every card she has ever received since forever and she has purchased cards
from all over the world and to top it off, she makes her own.‖
He took Jon‘s arm and led him into another room, inside was a ‗Bartrum‘ printer in
immaculate condition. Jon asked if they minded if he just wandered around for a while, as he
wanted to take it all in. Glenda giggled her pleasure.
―Of course, be my guest!‖ She said and moved aside so he could move around the room with
ease. Jon started on one wall then moved to the next, some cards he moved very close to and
others he stepped back to admire. He took his time, studying each card and then suddenly
stopped. In the premier position was the card he had sent to the Hawkens family, thanking
them for their good wishes following his parent‘s deaths.
―How lovely of you!‘ he said, turning to face Glenda.
―Thank you!‖ she replied. ―It was the card which earned its place, it is absolutely superb, I
have never seen so many different coloured tulips, so perfectly blended and not one of them
being out of place.‖
Jon thanked her, ―I printed it on a ‗Bartrum‘ it is without a doubt the greatest printing
machine ever built. My father used to say that it was the forerunner to perfection - perfectly
weighted, perfectly balanced, simplicity itself.‖
―You must have received lots of cards,‖ Glenda replied. ―How did you manage to respond to
them all?‖
―It was easy,‖ said Jon. ―My father motorised the ‗Bartrum‘ he fitted it with blowers,
lightened the ink and balanced the whole machine. I just turned on the machine and it printed
sixty cards a minute.‖
Glenda lifted her head suddenly coming to life.
―Do you think you could motorise my ‗Bartrum‘ she asked enthusiastically.
―Sure all I‘d need is the parts. When do you want it done?‖
Once again, Barney laughed loudly.
―Yesterday!‖ he chortled.
―Fine with me,‖ said Jon. ―All I need is a two horse power motor, a thirty eight and twenty
nine tooth sprocket assembly plus a valentine blower unit and balance rails.‖
―You‘re kidding!‖ Barney exclaimed.
―No.‖ Jon responded calmly. ―You get me those parts and I‘ll have your ‗Bartrum‘ motorised
and working within half an hour.‖
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Barney left the room immediately.
Jon, Glenda and Cody continued to walk around looking at the cards. Glenda gave details
about many of the more unusual ones and described where she had purchased them. Jon
couldn‘t get over how beautiful they were. All were constructed from bond paper with
excellent pictures, scenes and drawings, covering every spectrum of art. Jon stopped in front
of one incredible drawing. It was breath taking!
―Who drew this?‖ he asked.
Once again! Glenda blushed. ―I did,‖ she replied.
―You really are something else, aren‘t you?‖ declared Jon.
―I do my best,‖ she replied laughingly.
There was a noise in the hall and Barney came through the doorway, followed by three men.
One was pushing a machine table loaded with a motor, sets of pulleys and an arrangement of
other machine parts, the other two men walked beside him.
―Jon, this is Tom Harrison and his two sons Morgan and Kyle.‖
The three men shook hands.
―These are our ‗fixers,‘ they can fix anything anytime!‖
―You‘re not wrong about the anytime bit!‖ said Tom boldly. ―Do you know what time it is?‖
―No,‖ said Barney. ―And I don‘t care! Glenda wants this working tonight and even if I have
to pay you quadruple time, she‘ll have it!‖
The three men were not convinced. Tom said ―You pay quadruple time, when did you ever
even pay double time?‖
―I will pay you double time.‖ declared Glenda.
The three men looked at each other and putting their arms around each other went into a
mock huddle. They stayed like that for about ten seconds then Morgan lifted his head and
smiling at Glenda said, ―Ok Glenda but only for you!‖
Jon knew they were kidding. He instinctively felt the warmth and respect they had for one
another.
Jones entered the room carrying Jon‘s toolbox and overalls.
―I hope you do not mind Sir but I thought that you might need these.‖
Jon thanked him, put on the overalls and picked up his toolbox. Tom and his two sons had not
been idle. By the time Jon had walked into the room containing the ‗Bartrum,‘ Tom and his
sons had all the parts laid out on the floor, ready to be connected. Jon set everything up and
within half an hour the ‗Bartrum‘ was completely motorised.
Jon then went over the machine meticulously from the positioning of the motor, to the sprays,
even changing the ink. Everything was checked and twenty minutes later, he stood back.
―Perfect!‖ he said, sounding very much like his father.
Jon asked Glenda to pick a plate, which she did and handed it to Jon. He placed it in position
and locked it into the machine. He disconnected the top cog from the lower section of the
machine and turned on the motor, it operated beautifully. Jon stopped the machine, checked
everything and turned it back on. It began printing. The results were unbelievable without any
vibration whatsoever, the machine was printing sixty cards a minute. Once the machine ran
out of cards, everyone came over to see the result. Nobody could believe that every card was
perfect.
―Could I have some other cards?‖ asked Glenda, unable to disguise the excitement in her
voice. Barney went to get more plates and blank cards. Jon cleaned the machine and all the
pathways, purely out of habit. Barney returned with the plates and a box of cards already cut
to size.
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―There you are my dear,‖ he said. ―Enjoy!‖
Setting the machine to twenty, Glenda changed the plates until she had printed two hundred.
Barney, Jon and the Harrisons were standing together discussing the maintenance and
performance of the motorised ‗Bartrum.‘ All agreed that it was amazing that there was so
little that could go wrong. The assembly was so simple and all that was necessary was for the
machine to be greased and oiled regularly, the blowers and ink pipes to be changed daily.
The cost and time factor was next to nothing. Glenda joined them and looking at Tom, asked
him for his report.
―The two horse-power motor will last for years. It‘s only working at quarter capacity. The
wear and tear on the moving parts is fractional. Subject to the maintenance being attended to
properly, you have the best card printer in the world.‖ And continuing said ―we could easily
get ten thousand pounds a unit and at such a low price, no one could afford not to buy one.‖
Glenda declared to Jon that she wanted to motorise more ‗Bartrums‘ using his father‘s ideas
and to put them on the market. Jon reassured her that she was welcome to do this. He was
pleased his father‘s ideas could help the industry.
―Thank you!‖ said Glenda, gently placing her hand on Jon‘s arm.
She immediately turned to Tom Harrison.
―I want you to get in touch with Willy Martin and ask him to give us a quote for a thousand
motorised ‗Bartrums‖ she declared.
―Do you want me to get other quotes?‖ he asked.
―No need,‖ Glenda replied. ―Have you ever seen a badly made Bartrum?‖
―No,‖ Tom replied shaking his head. ―Never!‖
―Neither have I,‖ said Glenda. ―Willy Martin made them all. Oh! And by the way, the new
name on all the motorised Bartrums will be, the ‗Jones Hawkens Van Holzt.‘
Jon looked at Glenda in amazement. She laughed.
―Welcome to our family Jon. Say hello to your new partners,‖ she continued, pointing to
Barney, Cody and the Harrisons.
Unable to think of anything to say, Jon smiled and said.
―Thank you, I‘m truly honoured!‖
Glenda turned to the others and she continued in a commanding tone.
―Jon is in complete control of the production, assembly and testing. What he says goes. If
he‘s not satisfied, none of us are! Agreed?‖
Everyone nodded.
―Good! Let‘s get this show on the road.‖
Tom Harrison went over to Jon.
―If it‘s okay with you, we‘ll see you at breakfast, to draw up the plans and set everything
out.‖
―Suits me.‖ replied Jon.
Tom and his sons said their good-byes and left.
―See you all for an early breakfast!‖ Glenda called after them.
Jon was exhausted and literally fell into bed, he didn‘t stir until the sound of the phone
ringing, woke him. It was Susan from the kitchen, asking him what he would like for
breakfast. He ordered ham and eggs with hash browns, hung up and headed for the shower.
Once again the warmth of the water revived him. He felt like he could have stayed in the
steamy warmth all day but realising people were waiting for him, he turned off the water and
got dressed.
By the time he walked into the dining room and they all were there - Barney, Glenda, Cody,
Tom, Morgan, and Kyle.
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―Sleep well Jon?‖ asked Barney.
―Like a log, thank you and you! Don‘t remember a thing!‖ he answered. Everyone laughed.
They tucked into a delicious breakfast, the conversation being dominated by the motorised
‗Bartram.‘ No one could get over Jon‘s father‘s application of the motor and accessories. It
was pure genius, so simple and so effective. Jon was delighted by the acknowledgement of
his father‘s work. He wished that his father could have been beside him hearing all the
praises.
Breakfast over, they all picked up their coffees and headed for the auditorium.
It was just like a cinema, curtains and all. On the stage there were four ‗Bartrums‘ all fully
motorised.
―I‘m impressed!‖ said Jon ―you certainly got straight to work.‖
―We aim to please!‖ Tom replied, a wide grin stretching across his face.
―That‘s exactly what you do!‖ Glenda chipped in.
They put the four motorised Bartrums to every test they could think of, even jamming. The
automatic shutdown system stopped the machine immediately. Nothing else seemed to throw
the machine out of order. They were all so engrossed in the process that time flew by
unnoticed. Suddenly, Frederick appeared seemingly out of nowhere and announced that lunch
would be ready in half an hour. No one could believe it! They had been working for over five
hours.
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Lunch was a picnic. They laughed and joked, carrying on like a group of children. They knew
they were involved in something so superior to anything else in the industry that it couldn‘t
fail. After they had finished eating, Barney, Jon, Cody and the Harrisons went into the study
to prepare the plans and specifications for their venture. Glenda retired to her ‗Treasure
Trove‘ to contemplate. The men returned to their work, labouring long and hard, examining
everything they could on the working of the motorised ‗Bartram.‘ They finished just before
dinner and everyone was completely satisfied with what they had achieved.
It was at the dinner table that Glenda informed them that there was going to be a
demonstration. She had decided to invite all the top card printers in the world to see the
motorised ‗Bartram‘ in action. Nobody blinked an eye, not even Jon, for he was finding as
the others had already, that Glenda was nobody‘s fool.
The weeks passed like days until finally, everything was finalised. A thousand completed
‗Bartrums‘ had been assembled at Willy Martin‘s factory. Willy was waiting to be informed
as to when they were coming over to test them. Glenda had invited two other manufacturers
of card printing machines to participate in the demonstration, both willingly accepted.
The turn-up was amazing over five hundred people in attendance, everyone interested in card
printing. On the stage was Harry Edwards operating the ‗Excelsior‘, Edward Charles
operating the ‗Victor,‘ and Jon Van Holzt operating the ‗Jones Hawkens Van Holzt.‘ Three
judges had been picked from the audience and one of the judges Thomas Houston, an expert
in machinery introduced the operators and their machines.
Introductions over, the operators having prepared their machines informed the judges that
they were ready. The signal was given and the operator of the ‗Excelsior‘ started his machine
and began walking around it watching it like a hawk. The operator of the ‗Victor‘ was like a
mother hen, watching everything his machine was doing, constantly checking the cards being
printed. Jon walked over to a small table on the stage, picked up a magazine and making
himself comfortable in a nearby chair, he began to read. It brought the house down! There
was cheering, laughter and clapping. Jon didn‘t move a muscle just kept reading.
The half-hour allocated for the test was up and the judges went to the catching basket to
examine the finished cards. They called for the ushers to hand them to the audience. Red
striped cards produced by the ‗Excelsior,‘ blue striped by the ‗Victor‘ and plain cards by the
‗Jones Hawkens Van Holzt.‘
The audience viewed the cards in amazement! Everyone declared they had never seen
anything like it! Every card from the new machine was perfect. With a cost of only ten
thousand pounds, the motorised ‗Bartrum‘ was almost half the price of each of the other two
machines. Jon and the Harrisons answered every question the audience asked, including the
details of the guarantee with such authority that no one had any doubts as to what they were
getting for their money.
At last it was over and everyone had left. Glenda, Barney, Cody, Jon and the Harrisons sat
down to enjoy a cup of coffee supplied by the ever-vigilant Frederick. They couldn‘t contain
their happiness.
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It had been a most successful venture, even better than they could have hoped and Jon sitting
down and reading a magazine had brought them all undone. Frederick entered the cinema and
walked over to Glenda.
―Mr Evans is here to see you Madame, may I show him in?‖
―Please do!‖ she answered and turning to Jon explained.
―Our sales manager is here, he‘ll l fill us in on how we went!‖
A very smartly dressed man in his fifties came in with Frederick and Glenda introduced him
to Jon.
The man smiled, ―Ah, the magazine reader!‖ He declared, shaking Jon‘s hand vigorously.
Everybody laughed.
―Well, how did we go?‖ asked Glenda.
―Well, if selling one thousand machines is considered good, then selling two thousand
machines must be considered better!‖
There was a stunned silence.
Evans continued. ―We had representatives from Europe, Arabia as well as some very big
heavyweights from the local market here today. They all wanted to get in early and none of
them were backward in placing their orders.‖
Flabbergasted, no one said a word. This amounted to twenty million pounds - big money in
anybody‘s language.
Glenda was the first to gain her composure and turning to Frederick said, ―Would you please
bring four bottles of champagne from the cellar?‖
―Certainly madam, right away,‖ he answered and left the room promptly.
―Yahoo!‖ hooted Barney.
Cody joined in and so did the Harrisons, Jon was not slow to follow. All were elated, even
the very staid Mr Evans was visibly moved and turning to Glenda said.
―This is without a doubt, one of the biggest single sales every made in card printing machines
and I thank you for allowing me to be a part of it!‖
Frederick returned with the champagne and glasses.
―Will there be anything else madam?‖ he enquired.
Glenda looked at the table, there were eight glasses.
―Please get me another glass.‖
―Certainly madam,‖ he said and returned, placing the glass on the table.
Frederick filled everyone‘s glass, the empty one remaining alone on the table. Glenda asked
Frederick to fill it which he did, then Glenda raised her drink.
―Please join me in toasting the success of the ‗Jones Hawkens Van Holzt‘ motorised printing
machine!‖
Glenda motioned towards the lone glass.
―Please join us, Frederick!‖ she said.
―My pleasure Madam,‖ said Frederick.
There were smiles on every face as they all toasted the ‗Jones Hawkens Van Holzt.‘
Arrangements were made for Jon and the Harrisons to go to America to check every machine
before it left the factory, it was a job they could entrust to no one else. Barney, Glenda and
Cody felt uncomfortable about Jon leaving. He had begun to feel like family to them and they
were going to miss him. Jon accepted his position gratefully.
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The big day arrived and Barney called Jon into the study. He handed him a cheque for twenty
thousand dollars.
―What‘s this for?‖ he asked.
That‘s your fee for coming over and fixing the ‗Democrat‘ of course.‖
Jon looked at Barney, shook his head and laughed. Walking over to put his arms around him,
he hugged his friend and handed back the cheque.
―I should be paying you for all the friendship and hospitality you‘ve shown me since I
arrived. You and your lovely family have saved my life!‖
Barney smiled his pleasure ―I told Glenda you wouldn‘t take it!‖ he declared. ―She agreed but
we wanted to offer.‖
The departure at the airport was a real family affair. The Harrisons and their family were
there as were Barney, Glenda, Cody and Frederick, who had personally packed Jon‘s suitcase
for the journey. The farewell was an emotional affair but they parted with promises that it
would not be for long.
Willy Martin was based in Chicago. When the plane landed, Jon, Tom, Morgan and Kyle
gathered their gear and disembarked. On arriving at the Customs section, they handed in their
passports. The officers looked at the passports and called to another man obviously their
superior. Jon felt a fleeting moment of concern when the senior officer went to his computer
then asked Jon and Tom to follow him and to bring their hand luggage with them. He led
them to a room where four men were seated. A very large man came over to greet them.
―I‘m Willy Martin,‖ he said ―and these are my three sons, John, James and Willy Junior.‖
From the moment Jon took his hand, Jon found Willy to be one of the most down to earth
people he could ever wish to meet. He called a spade a spade and his word was his bond.
Jon noted the similarity to his father and found it very comfortable being in the company of
this new acquaintance.
The door opened and the customs officer who had brought them to the room entered.
―The luggage is in your car Willy,‖ he said.
―Thank you Earl.‖
―You‘re most welcome Willy, see you next Thursday.‖
―Earl is an Elk and we Elks stick together!‖ Willy explained as they headed out into the main
airport.
―When I told him some friends of mine were arriving, he insisted on looking after you.‖
They went into the car park where two cars were parked containing their luggage. Jon and
Tom got into Willy‘s car, while Morgan and Kyle went with Willy Junior.
―We‘d like a hotel near the factory if you don‘t mind,‖ said Jon.
Willy laughed. ―Your hotel is at the factory and you won‘t get any closer than that!‖
Their car left the airport and the others followed about ten minutes later, they turned into a
huge factory, it must have covered acres.
―Welcome to our little abode,‖ said Willy. ―This is your home for the next, whatever!‖
They drove into the factory, a large metal door rolled up, allowing them to enter. There were
ten cars parked in parking bays. A strong, robust looking lady opened a door in front of them.
This was Mrs Annabel Martin or as they were to learn later, more commonly called ‗Mrs
Willy.‘ She welcomed them and asked her boys to bring in the luggage.
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They went through the doorway and stopped in surprise! They were in a beautiful room, it
was like a five star hotel.
―You won‘t get a better or a closer hotel to the factory than this!‖ Willy laughed.
Six men dressed as footmen and valets appeared out of nowhere. They stood by Willy‘s side.
―When would you like to see the ‗Bartrums?‖ he asked.
―How about now‖ Was the enthusiastic answer.
―Why not!‖ said Willy obviously delighted.
They got into the two cars and drove to another huge factory, another roller door opened
automatically as they approached. They entered the factory proper and were greeted with
hundreds and hundreds of motorised ‗Bartrums.‘ Each had a motor and all the assembly gear
needed stacked neatly beside them, Jon was impressed. This would make the job a great deal
easier.
―Well done! Very well done!‖ he stated with satisfaction.
―Thank you!‖ said Willy obviously pleased with himself.
―Will a six thirty breakfast suit you?‖ asked Jon.
―Suits me fine,‖ Willy replied. ―Now let‘s get back to the hotel to give you weary travellers a
rest.‖
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They drove back to the hotel and were shown to their rooms. He had barely stepped into the
room when Jon heard a knock on the door. He opened it, one of the men he had seen carrying
his luggage was standing there.
"Good evening! Mr Van Holzt, my name is Brown and I will be looking after you throughout
your stay. I have placed all your clothes in the walk in wardrobe,‖ he said pointing to a
handle on the wall. ―If you need anything, just press the red button by your bed.‖
Jon thanked him and closed the door. As Jon disrobed, a wave of exhaustion flowed through
him, he climbed into the bed and fell to sleep immediately.
He awoke to the ringing of the telephone beside his bed.
―Good morning! Mr Van Holzt,‖ said a crisp female voice. ―It is six o‘clock.‖
Showering quickly, Jon shaved and putting his dressing gown on over his pyjamas and
headed down the stairs. He reached the bottom of the stairs to be greeted by Brown.
―Please follow me Sir! I will show you to the dining room.‖
They walked along a passageway to a door, which was opened by Brown. He stood back to
allow Jon to enter. Jon found himself in an immense room with an enormous table at its
centre. Over twenty people were seated at the table including the Harrisons. Jon was relieved
to find they were all dressed in their nightclothes.
―Morning all!‖ he called as he walked towards the table.
―Morning Jon!‖ came a chorus of replies.
There was an empty seat next to Tom Harrison and Jon made his way to it. He sat down and a
lady who was waiting on the table handed him a menu.
―Good Morning! Mr Van Holzt, I‘m Beryl. Would you like me to wait or do you want to
study the menu?‖
Jon quickly glanced at the menu.
―I‘ll have porridge, bacon and eggs over easy, hash browns and toast please!‖
―How many eggs?‖ she asked.
―Two thank you,‖ Jon replied as he handed her the menu.
The waitress took the menu and headed for a door to Jon‘s left. Willy, who was sitting at the
head of the table, stood up and taps his spoon against a glass. Everyone went silent.
―Attention! Everyone, once my family and I are finished, I want you to stand up and
introduce yourselves.‖
Willy followed by his wife Mrs Willy followed by their three sons introduced themselves.
Next came Harry and the other men went in turn around the table. The last man to stand said,
―My name is Brad and I am the Foreman of these sixteen men.‖ He motioned to the men
concerned.
―We‘ve been allocated to Jon and his team to assist in the preparation and testing of the
‗Bartrum.‖
Jon stood up. Pausing for a moment, he looked at all their faces. He felt a great sense of
pride as he surveyed the group of highly trained people before him. He knew that he stood as
a representative of his father and his expertise. His words to these men were genuine.
―Thank you all for your very warm welcome. I look forward to a very happy association.‖
Tom and his sons followed Jon‘s example. Willy lifted his hand and people came from
everywhere carrying food for everyone seated at the table.
After breakfast was finished, the men left to get ready for work.
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Jon went over to Willy.
―I thought I‘d better tell you, we have at this moment orders for two thousand and five
hundred machines.‖
―Not any more you don‘t!‖ declared Willy. ―Glenda rang me this morning and you now have
orders for over three thousand!‖
Jon felt his heart jump. Three thousand and evidently rising, this was going to be some
challenge!
―Glenda asked me to tell you that they have been inundated with enquires but she‘s telling
everyone they will have to talk to you when you get back from the States.‖
Jon nodded his head as he couldn‘t think about that now, there was a task at hand to be
completed. As they walked towards the door, Willy paused and turned towards Jon.
―Why me?‖ he asked. ―When you might have got your machines much cheaper elsewhere?‖
―Cheaper maybe,‖ Jon replied as he placed one hand on Willy‘s shoulder ―but not half as
good!‖
Willy beamed with pride and replied laughingly.
―Ain‘t that the truth?‖
The two men walked together with confident strides towards the challenge ahead.
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Arriving at the factory, Jon allocated four men to the Harrison family and four to himself. He
explained that the smallest thing he asked for needed to be at his fingertips in an instant.
Motors were to be warmed and checked at different speeds, including reverse. All the safety
systems must be tested meticulously. Coffee and tea was to be consumed while they were
working, lunch was half an hour. All the meals were being provided by the hotel. It was a
professional team and they worked accordingly. They worked consistently until six o‘clock.
At the end of the first day they had tested one hundred and twenty five machines. Jon was
amazed and delighted, he turned to the workmen.
―Thank you!‖ he said genuinely. ―It has been a pleasure working with you!‖
Brad the foreman stood up.
―None of us have worked with a team like this before and I doubt if we ever will.‖
―Here, here!‖ came from all around the room.
It was at the end of the second week while Jon was reading in his room, that Willy rang to tell
him that he had a lady visitor. Puzzled, Jon followed Brown down the stairs to a hallway near
the dining room. Brown went to a door, opened it and quickly departed. Jon caught his
breath. Standing in front of him was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. She
was about six feet tall with jet-black hair, blue eyes and a slightly turned up nose. Her elegant
dress told Jon she was a business woman. Willy and his wife were talking to her. Willy
looked up as Jon entered the room and smiled at Jon‘s stunned expression.
―Jon!‖ he declared with a little too much enthusiasm. ―I want you to meet Miss Marie
Arlene.‖
―Good evening Ms Arlene,‖ said Jon trying to catch his breath. ―I‘m very pleased to meet
you!‖
―Good evening Monsieur Van Holzts,‖ she replied pressing her hand in his.
―You sound very French,‖ said Jon, then realizing the silliness of his question could only
follow with, ―are you?‖
―Yes,‖ she replied gently. ―Do you speak the language?‖
―Oui!‖ Jon replied.
Despite the shaky start Jon soon felt very comfortable talking to this beautiful lady. He felt
that he could do so quite easily for the rest of his life!
Still puzzled by the introduction to such a glamorous young woman, he ventured a question.
―What can I do for you Ms Arlene?‖ he asked.
―My name is Marie,‖ she declared confidently. ―I represent the French Post Card Association,
we purchased ten of your ‗Jones Hawkens Van Holzt‘ printers and I am here to learn how to
use and service them.‖
―Did you bring your overalls?‖ Jon asked flippantly.
―Yes,‖ she replied, ―I also brought my hair cover and work shoes.‖
Taken aback Jon couldn‘t help himself. He started to laugh.
―Do you find that amusing?‖ she asked, a little icily.
―No,‖ replied Jon hurriedly. ―What I find amusing is that I am standing in front of the most
beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life and I am discussing overalls.‖
―Oh!‖ she said, blushing slightly. ―I see.‖
Jon controlled himself and declared.
―I can‘t give you permission to work on the line. I don‘t have control over that side of the
business, you will have to ask for Mr Martin‘s permission.‖
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Marie looked Jon squarely in the eyes.
―I have already obtained Mr Martin‘s permission and he has agreed, subject to your
approval.‖
Jon looked at her for a moment thoughtfully and saw she was completely genuine in her
request.
―I will still have to ask my colleagues,‖ he replied.
―When will you ask them?‖ she pressed.
Reaching over and picking up the phone, Jon replied. ―I will ask them right now!‖
A few moments later, the door opened and in walked Tom and his two sons. Jon introduced
them to Marie and told them what she wanted to do! Tom turned to Jon.
―You‘re the one in charge here, whatever you agree to will be fine with us!‖
It was as easy as that. The Harrisons left.
Marie looked at Jon, their gaze lingered.
―We have breakfast at six thirty‖ Jon said, trying to keep his voice steady. ―You will work
until noon and break for half an hour. Coffee, tea or soft drinks are provided at all times and
we finish at six in the evening. If you find it too hard, feel free to leave at any time! I will
give you the plans and specifications, plus the engineer‘s repair manuals so that you can
study them. Do you have you any questions?‖
―No!‖ Marie answered with quiet confidence. ―None‖
―I‘ll go and get the paperwork then,‖ he said.
When Jon returned, Willy and his wife were talking to Marie and enjoying a quiet laugh.
―It looks like we have another worker,‖ said Willy. ―We will have to find her a room at the
hotel.‖
Jon smiled, ―What a good idea!‖ He said a little too excitedly. Then fearing his enthusiasm
may have been too obvious, added ―The more the merrier.‖
He handed Marie the books and said good night. He‘d almost reached the door when he heard
Marie‘s voice.
―Thank you,‖ she said, ―Thank you very much!‖ Jon turned and smiled.
―You are most welcome!‖ he replied warmly.
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Chapter 12
Jon found it difficult to sleep, he couldn‘t stop thinking about Marie and the more he thought
of her the more he wanted to see her. When the phone call came to tell him it was six o‘clock,
he was already up and dressed. On the way down to breakfast, his step was a little more brisk
than it had been on the previous mornings. He walked into the dining room.
―Morning all!‖ he said.
―Morning Jon,‖ came all the replies.
He sat down in his usual chair to find that Marie was positioned opposite him. He felt his
heart skip a beat. She was clothed in a loose fitting dressing gown, which did nothing for her
but she did plenty for it!
―Good morning! Jon,‖ she said. ―You don‘t mind if I call you Jon?‖
―As long as I can call you Marie,‖ he answered.
―We‘re all going to be working together aren‘t we? I want everyone to call me Marie.‖
Willy and Mrs Martin were beaming it was obvious they were very taken with her. It was a
most unusual breakfast and it took Jon all his inner strength to talk as he had on previous
mornings with others at the table. All he really wanted to do was get to know Marie better.
At last the breakfast was over and everyone went their own way but not without first going
over to Marie and introducing themselves to her personally. Jon threw himself into his work
and was as thorough as always. He could hear in his head those words his father had always
said to him.
‗If you have something other than your work on your mind, stop working! You can‘t do two
things at once and when people are depending on you, you must not let them down.‘
So Jon concentrated one hundred per cent on his work.
It had been decided that Marie would watch the working teams and when she was confident
that she understood what was required, she would have her own team under Brad‘s
supervision. Marie had been assigned to Brad so that she could see what was happening and
ask him questions. They watched Jon, Tom, Kyle and Morgan testing and checking the
machines and cleaning them as the test was completed. After half an hour had elapsed Marie
turned to Brad.
―I‘m ready!‖ she declared.
Brad motioned to four men who had been interchanging with the other teams. They put the
machine into position, six feet from the next one being tested by Tom. She jammed the
machine with cardboard so that it stopped immediately.
She removed the fuses put them in the toolbox supplied earlier to her by Jon and locked the
compartment in which she had placed them. She then loosened the rollers, removed the
cardboard and proceeded with the other tests, cleaning as she went. When she was completely
satisfied, she replaced the fuses, and stood back.
Tom came and inspected her machine, while she and Brad inspected Tom‘s. She was so
proficient that after a couple of machines she was almost keeping up with the men. Brad was
watching her but didn‘t interfere. Tom had checked her first machine; Kyle the second,
Morgan the third and Jon came to check her fourth.
―You are exceptional!‖ he said. ―I have never seen anyone learn as quickly and expertly as
that!‖
―Thank you,‖ she replied. ―I have had exceptional help and very good teachers.‖
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Jon laughed loudly. ―Be careful, we‘ll all end up with big heads.‖
Marie turned to face him.
―I couldn‘t imagine that happening regardless of what anyone said to you.‖
Jon felt a wave of emotion flood over him. Marie smiled and Jon turned away.
Tom looked at Kyle and winked. Marie gathered her composure and began to check Jon‘s
machine. Jon‘s mind was a blur. It took him several minutes before he was able to focus
again!
At last it was over and the counting started, there was a roar from all involved one hundred
and sixty machines had been tested. Everyone felt a great sense of achievement for this was
testing at the top level. Brad held up his hand for silence.
―Gentlemen,‖ he said. ―I give you Marie, the latest and best looking addition to our top line
testers!‖
They all cheered and whistled, she stood in front of them glowing with pride.
Even in her overalls and working clothes she was exquisite.
―I would like to thank all of you for your encouragement and support,‖ she declared in a
clear, strong voice. ―Everyone has gone out of their way to help me, I couldn‘t have asked for
anything more!‖
There was not a man there who was not touched by her sincerity and their applause was
deafening. Willy had walked in just in time to hear her speech.
He applauded her with the rest.
―Does this mean we have another expert ‗Bartrum‘ tester?‖ he shouted.
The affirmatives echoed throughout the factory as the men crowded around to congratulate
her.
Jon couldn‘t take his gaze off her. He realized at that moment that he had fallen very much in
love. It had happened suddenly and unpredictably. She turned her head and looked at him, the
warmth in their gaze leaving neither of them in any doubt as to how they felt about each
other.
Everyone went back to the hotel. Jon went to his room, showered and cleaned up. He dressed
in casual clothes, as he had on previous occasions although he took a little more time and
attention on his appearance than he had before. He nearly burst out laughing when he entered
the dining room, for with the exception of Willy‘s family, the Harrisons and himself, all the
men including Brad, had on their best clothes. As for Marie she may have been dressed
casually but she looked magnificent. The dinner was exceptional, full of fun, laughter and
jibing.
Jon was enjoying the comradeship and Marie held her own comfortably at every turn of the
conversation then suddenly, she brought everyone to a stop.
―Mr Willy may I have a ‗Bartrum‘ to work on? I would like to totally dismantle and
reassemble it on my own!‖
The room went completely silent. Even Willy was caught unprepared.
―Do you really think you can do that?‖ Willy asked trying to maintain composure.
―Yes! Mr Willy, I think I can!‖
While Willy didn‘t know what to say, Mrs Willy did not hesitate.
―Sure you can Marie Willy‘s got thousands of them and I‘m sure he can find you one little
old ‗Bartrum.‘ Can‘t you Willy?‖
Willy laughed out loud.
―Find you one! I won‘t just find you one I will find you a ‗Jones Hawkens Van Holzt‘ and a
pedal ‗Bartrum.‘ You can dismantle and reassemble both of them. What do you think of
that?‖
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―I would be honoured!‖ Marie replied with poise.
―Thank you Mr Willy and Annabel, I will need a manual on the pedal ‗Bartrum‘ and possibly
an assistant to pass me any equipment I might need,‖ she continued.
All the workmen jumped to their feet.
―Me, Me, pick me, please pick me!‖
They were all eager to volunteer. It brought everyone undone and they laughed until they
cried. Marie sat looking at them and then turned to Jon.
―Would you help me Jon?‖
―I thought you‘d never ask!‘ he replied. ―When do we start?‖
Willy made arrangements for the two ‗Bartrums‘ to be on the stage in the cinema room after
work the next day. Marie was to dismantle and reassemble them. Jon was to judge her
performance and pass her anything that she needed. The first machine to be dismantled and
reassembled was the motorized ‗Bartrum‘ and after that the pedal ‗Bartrum.‘
The day passed quickly and all the men and Mr and Mrs Willy and their boys were seated in
the cinema room.
Jon wearing his overalls stood on the platform and told the assembled workers the
requirements needed to be accepted as a certified ‗Bartrum‘ engineer. Marie came onto the
stage, she was wearing loose fitting overalls, working boots and her hair was under a
machinist‘s cap. To Jon she looked absolutely gorgeous!
Marie chose all the cleaning fluids, cleaning towels, tools and whatever grease, oils, and inks
she required. The tool table was set to the side of the machines, the towels, cleaning fluid etc.
on another table. Jon put a clock on the table where the tools were and looked at Marie.
―When you‘re ready,‖ he said.
Marie nodded and Jon started the clock. Marie took out the fuses and put them in the toolbox,
which she locked. She went to the tool table, picked up two spanners and started to
disassemble the motorized ‗Bartrum.‘ What followed had to be seen to be believed. She
dismantled the motorized ‗Bartrum‘ with the greatest of ease and soon had it in pieces.
She then reassembled the machine with the same aplomb, cleaning, greasing and oiling as she
went even checking the ink and ink lines until she was finished. She then picked up a broom
and cleaned the area where she had been working.
Everybody gave her a standing ovation and from the assembled professionals, this was praise
indeed. She smiled and thanked them, then set about taking the pedal ‗Bartrum‘ to pieces and
putting it back together. It was a walk in the park. Applause and cheering broke out it was
obvious to all those present that here was someone very special. Someone who took her work
very seriously and to these people that meant a lot. Jon called for attention, the group fell
silent.
―You don‘t need me to tell you that Marie has passed with flying colours but you might be
interested in the times on the motorized ‗Bartrum.‘ We allow eight minutes from start to
finish, Marie took seven minutes twelve seconds.‖
Cheering broke out. Jon went over to shake her hand but she took hold of it and pulled him
towards her. Holding him tightly, she kissed him on the cheek.
He put both arms around her and kissed her on both cheeks. There were catcalls and whistles
from the whole room. Oblivious to the uproar, Jon looked down into Marie‘s eyes and kissed
her gently on the mouth and she warmly responded.
For a few seconds nothing happened and then all hell broke loose. Every person in the room
was ecstatic; they were from that moment the ‗Golden couple.‘ Moments later, the spell was
broken and they stepped back, both glowing with love for each other.
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Willy was first to approach the stage, Jon looked up and saw him coming. He stood back
from Marie but continued to hold her hand.
―Well done! Marie,‖ he laughed. ―That was a superb show you put on for us.‖
He shook her free hand, she kissed him on both cheeks and Willy smiled his happiness. She
thanked them all but didn‘t let go of Jon‘s hand, nor would Jon let go of hers. It was as if they
were afraid they might lose one another.
Sometime later they all returned to the dining room. Willy stood up on a chair and called for
their attention.
―I don‘t believe I have ever seen anything like the event I witnessed today. Marie is without a
doubt, up with the best print machine mechanics in the world. Annabel and I are proud to be
the ones who introduced her to the ‗Bartrum.‘ She will receive an ‗AAA‘ Certificate of
Competency from our company, which will allow her to work on the ‗Bartrum‘ anywhere in
the world!‖
Once again Marie received a standing ovation. She moved over and stood next to Willy who
had descended down from his chair.
―What can I say but thank you all for your help and your friendship, if it had not been for you
I couldn‘t have become so proficient. I think I have gained far more here today than just a
certificate.‖
She looked at Jon and the applause broke out once again. Jon moved to her side and took her
hand and the applause became even louder.
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Chapter 13
Jon and Marie had moved away from the others and sat at a table on their own.
Marie turned to Jon.
―Do you want to be my lover or my husband?‖ she asked.
For an instant, Jon was taken aback.
―Both!‖ he replied with a smile.
―Good, do you want a big wedding or a small one?‖
―You certainly don‘t beat about the bush do you?‖ he said.
She smiled quizzically and shrugged her shoulders.
―I will go along with whatever you decide.‖ said Jon.
She gave a very deep sigh.
―When?‖
―The sooner the better,‖ replied Jon.
They raised their glasses in a toast and drank.
The party was starting to disband, so they joined those still remaining. When it was all over
and all good nights and goodbyes had been said, Willy, Mrs Willy, Jon and Marie were the
only ones left. The staff was busy cleaning up, there were about fifteen of them.
―Let‘s go to the study,‖ said Willy motioning to a lady whom Jon and Marie had never seen
before.
―Coffee in the study please Jean.‖
She disappeared and by the time they had reached the study, she was there with the coffee.
They sat down and Marie turned to Mrs Willy.
―Jon and I are going to get married!‖ she said.
―Good heavens! How marvellous. When?‖ Mrs Willy wanted to know.
―As soon as possible,‖ Marie answered. ―Isn‘t that right Jon?‖ she said, turning towards him.
―I believe you are right my love!‖ he answered. ―Some things just cannot be delayed.‖
―Do you want a big wedding?‖ Willy enquired.
―I don‘t think so,‖ replied Marie. ―What do you think Jon?‖
―No,‖ he declared. ―I‘d just like to have Willy, Mrs Willy, their boys, Barney, Glenda, Cody,
Tom, Morgan, Kyle and their families.‖
―I will just be asking my Uncle Henri, he is the only family I have left,‖ said Marie.
Jon started to laugh and they all looked at him.
―I can‘t believe we‘re getting married! We know nothing about one another and look at us.‖
―That‘s not true‖ she replied sweetly. ―We are in love and that is everything we need to know
about each other!‖
Marie turned to Willy and Mrs Willy.
―Will you please excuse us?‖ she said.
They both said their goodnights and left.
Marie turned to Jon.
―We have to talk, you can tell me all about you and your family, I will tell you about mine!‖
Jon told her all about his life with his family, his father and mother and how they had died.
She cried with him when he spoke of this and shared his laughter as he told her of his
meeting Barney, Glenda and Cody at the London Airport in their cowboy regalia.
He told her all about these three wonderful people who had welcomed him and how they
brought him back to life! Jon leant over and pressed the service button and the lady who had
served them with coffee entered.
―May we have some more coffee please? I believe we‘re in for a late night!‖
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When Jean returned with the coffee she asked if there was anything else they needed.
Marie and Jon shook their heads.
―No thank you!‖ they replied together.
Marie then told Jon about her life. How her mother and father were killed in a car accident
when she was five years old and how her Fathers three older brothers, who were all
bachelors, had brought her up. They had sent her to the best schools. She had a nanny,
Madeline until she was fifteen, who then stayed on as a friend until she passed over five years
ago.
Marie yawned. ―Let‘s go to bed,‖ she said.
―Are you tired?‖ he asked.
―No, not particularly but I think we should go to bed.‖
―Okay!‖ Jon replied.
When Jon awoke in the morning, Marie was still with him. He pulled her close and she
snuggled in and said, ―Where are we going to live?‖
―I really don‘t mind as long as it‘s with you!‖ Jon replied.
―It‗s got to be between Britain and America,‖ she said.
―I would rather it be Britain,‖ said Jon, ―but if you‘d prefer America, I could be persuaded.‖
―No,‖ said Marie. ―Britain‘s perfect, we can go to France whenever we like, it‘s just over the
channel.‖
―Ok,‖ said Jon. ―Britain it is!‖
―Are you always as easy to get along with as this?‖ Marie asked.
―I don‘t know‖ Jon replied, ―but I have never been asked these questions by someone so
enchanting,‖ he teased.
Barney, Glenda and Cody arrived at the end of the week, followed by Tom, Morgan, Kyle
and their wives. Marie‘s Uncle Henri arrived with a very beautiful woman, at least twenty
years his junior. He had kept himself perfectly fit, looked a treat and his amiable personality
soon made him very popular. The young woman with him, who they soon discovered was
called Yvette, was beautifully groomed and had a fine figure. Her eyes lit up every time she
looked at Henri, as did his leaving no one in any doubt how they felt about each other. When
Marie saw him with Yvette, she ran over to him and hugged and kissed him. She then turned
to Yvette put her arms around her and hugged her, talking to her very excitedly in French. It
was obvious to all those present these ladies really cared for each other. Marie literally pulled
Uncle Henri and Yvette over to Jon, put her arms around him and declared in French,
―This beautiful man is my husband to be!‖
Then turning to the others said, ―forgive me for speaking in French but I always do when I
get excited.‖
Jon shook Henri's hand he had a very firm manly grip. As for Yvette she walked straight up
to him and kissed him firmly on the mouth and said,
―You are a very lucky man getting our Marie, she is exceptional!‖
Jon laughed, ―I am a very lucky man receiving a kiss from you!‖
And all the men in the room agreed whole heartedly.
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The wedding was quickly arranged. Willy had outdone himself a magnificent organ, a red
carpet leading to the where the priest would conduct the ceremony, the top photographer in
Chicago with all his staff in tow. The priest and his entourage were from a most respected
church in Chicago. Everything went like clockwork. Jon‘s best man was Barney. His second,
third, fourth and fifth best men were Willy, Cody, Tom, Morgan and Kyle. Glenda was the
Matron of Honour! Mrs Willy, Yvette and the Harrisons wives were Marie‘s bride‘s maids.
Henri gave Marie away. He brought the house down when he declared.
―I give the bride away and this is the first time in my life that I have ever given a lady away!‖
Marie looked adorable; she had on the most unusual wedding dress, it looked like it was out
of an old time magazine. It belonged to her mother and it was obvious that Marie was proud
to wear it! Jon was spellbound by her. The photographers were having a field day but
nobody noticed because their attention was focused on the happy couple.
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Chapter 14
The ceremony was over and all the speeches had been made. Everyone was on one table and
another table was filled with presents.
There was an exceptional horse shoe flower arrangement with a card which read:
‗To Jon and Marie,
With all our love,
The Teams‘
There was a card signed by all of them, Jon and Marie went to the table and Marie opened the
presents. One was a photo of the testers and the teams, including Marie. A copy of this same
photograph was being sent out with every ‗Bartrum‘ with the compliments of Willy and his
company. There was a beautiful vase, electric jug and a few personal items.
Two envelopes lay amidst the gifts, Marie opened the first envelope. She looked at it, turning
to her Uncle Henri and whispered, ―This is a lot of money even for you!‖
―I wasn‘t going to give you so much,‖ he teased. ―But Yvette made me!‖
Marie opened the other envelope, it was very big. She looked at it and handed it to Jon. It
held a lot of papers and photographs. Jon studied it and turning to Glenda said,
―You‘re giving us an apartment in London?‖
Glenda shrugged. ―You have to live somewhere, she said. ―Marie did say you were going to
live in Britain.‖
Jon re-read the documentation. ―You‘re giving us four apartments!‖
Glenda started to squirm.
―We have had them for years. Barney and I brought them when we came over here but now
we have ‗Hawkens‘ we have no need of them!‖
Jon kept reading. The apartments were fully serviced with a twenty four-hour kitchen; they‘re
own security staff and a chauffeur driven service night and day.
He paused, and then continued ―And they are part of a Trust which pays all expenses.‖
―Oh Jon, please take it!‖ Marie laughed. ―I would love to be driven around in a Chauffer
driven car.‖
―Well that‘s settled,‖ said Barney. ―Now let us get back to the party.‖
Jon shrugged, walked over to Glenda and held her in his arms.
―I owe you my life!‖ he said. ―I thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you
have done for me!‖
Glenda didn‘t say anything just held on tightly, her love for him filling her heart with a joy
like she had never experienced. They all went to the table and stayed there until the early
hours of the morning.
Willy stood up he was ready to go to bed.
―Where are you going to spend your honeymoon?‖ he asked.
Jon looked at Marie, who replied, ―If you and Mrs Willy do not mind I would like to spend it
here with you and the ‗Bartrums‘ and all you lovely people if it can be arranged?‖
Willy laughed his pleasure and turning to the assembled gathering said,
―Welcome to Willy‘s place, see you all in the morning!‖
They stayed a week and they all had a ball. Jon and Marie only worked in the morning, taking
the afternoons and nights off. Willy and Mrs Willy took them everywhere! They seemed to
know everyone. It was so demanding yet so much fun, and then it was over.
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All the Bartrums had been tested and send to Britain, they had sent three thousand five
hundred altogether, Willy had his workers working overtime. Jon met Henri and Glenda
making for Willy‘s office. It was square up time! They knocked on the door of Willy‘s
office. A voice invited them to enter. Mr and Mrs Willy were having a cup of coffee.
―Like a coffee folks?‖ asked Willy.
―No thanks!‖ came the replies. ―We have come to square up!‖
―Square up what?‖ said Willy. ―There is nothing to square up.‖
―What do you mean?‖ they answered almost in unison. ―It must have cost you thousands to
look after everybody, before and after we came, plus the wedding!‖
―I made a good profit on the ‗Bartrums,‘ said Willy. ―So let us call it square.‖
―No way!‖ they all replied in one voice. ―Fair is fair!‖
They had quite a battle for over an hour and Glenda finished by picking up the bill for all her
people plus twenty per cent, which was Willy‘s entitlement. Glenda might have been many
things but she was no push over when it came to bargaining. The cost of the wedding and the
entertainment was a different story. Glenda and Henri told Jon to go and talk to his beautiful
wife who was waiting for him but he resisted strongly. It was an absolute waste of time!
Willy wouldn‘t listen to him so Jon threw up his hands in despair and left. One and half-hours
later, Glenda and Henri walked out of Willy‘s office. It had been a hard fight but the deal had
been finalised.
―It was one third each but no twenty per cent.‖
It was only after Mrs Willy intervened that they reached that agreement.
They had been back in Britain for three weeks. Jon and Marie were staying at the ‗Hotel
Hawkens‘ while the apartments which Glenda had given them were being completely
renovated. Jon and Marie couldn‘t believe the size of the one they were going to live in. It
had everything! It was fully serviced, all the cleaning washing and ironing was done. The
only thing they had to do was to put their dirty clothes down the chute! They were returned
next day, washed, ironed, or dry cleaned, even their shoes were cleaned. The apartment was
cleaned and dusted every day. The cleaners were so professional, they needed only one hour
and everything was ship shape. Marie had four rides in the chauffer driven car and thought it
was wonderful. She went everywhere with Glenda and they became very genuine good
friends.
The day to shift out arrived and they all went over to the apartment to have a house warming.
Henri and Yvette came over, the Harrisons and their wives. They sent Willy and Mrs Willy
an invite but they couldn‘t come. However, they did ring and thank them for the invitation.
Jon kept thanking Glenda, for her beautiful gift but she told him to hush.
Jon and the Harrisons had been flat out. Private individuals, the Education Department;
museums and one other major government department wanted to see the ‗Bartrum‘ in action.
Marie told Jon that she wanted to go to Paris to teach the people how to work the ‗Bartrums.‘
―Not without me!‖ he declared. ―Where you go I go!‖
Jon loved being with Marie, he felt the same comfort he remembered from being with his
parents. Marie had filled an empty space in his life and he couldn‘t contemplate being on his
own again!
―I have no intention of going anywhere without you!‖ she reassured him.
Jon rang Glenda to let her know they were going to Paris.
―You go with my blessing,‖ she said. ―But please keep in touch.‖
He promised that he would, and hung up.
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They packed their bags and headed for Paris.
Henri and Yvette met them at the airport. The reunion was wonderful, anyone watching could
see they really loved and cared for each other. Jon got a kiss on both cheeks from Yvette.
They were staying at Henri‘s apartment, which was equal to anything Jon had ever seen. The
usual twenty four hour service was available for any of their needs, plus a few extras that left
no-one in any doubt about Henri‘s wealth. Marie had told Jon that Henri was the French Post
Card Association, he and she were the only people in it! They had an excellent dinner and
enjoyed themselves no end, they were all full of fun and completely at ease with each other.
As they were saying good night Henri said to Jon,
―How does six thirty sound to you?‖
―It sounds good!‖ Jon replied. He was ready to get into action straight away.
He and Marie went to their room. ―This used to be my room.‖ Marie confided.
―And now it is ours!‖
They embraced, holding each other close before gently parted and preparing for bed.
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Chapter 15
The phone rang Jon leant over and picked it up. A very French voice informed him that it was
six o‘clock. Marie looked at him grabbed him and kissed him before he could hang up the
phone. He kissed her back, she moved closer. He reluctantly pushed her gently away.
―Spoil sport!‖ she teased.
―You‘re a tigress aren‘t you?‖ Jon laughed. Marie started to purr.
―Yes,‖ she said. ―I am.‖
They showered and cleaned up and headed downstairs wearing their dressing gowns. They
entered the breakfast room. It was a lovely room not overly large but very comfortable. It
could accommodate ten people quite easily. Henri and Yvette were already there still in their
dressing gowns as well. Morning greetings were exchanged. Marie kissed her uncle on his
head and Yvette on her cheek. Jon shook hands with Henri and kissed Yvette on her offered
cheek. They had a very enjoyable breakfast, full of fun and plenty of laughter with everyone
conversing in French, which luckily Jon spoke fluently.
Henri turned to Marie and looked at her seriously.
―I hope you are ready to earn your money today!‖
―I am always ready to earn my money,‖ she replied just as seriously. ―I am worth every Franc
that you pay me!‖
Knowing that Marie was a full partner and received the same as Henri, Yvette and Jon burst
out laughing.
―Are you and Yvette coming or not?‖ Marie continued, looking at her uncle.
―You don‘t think that we have spent all these weeks studying and taking those ‗Bartrums‘ to
pieces and putting them back together just for fun! We are ready, able and willing!‖ He
replied with enthusiasm. Jon couldn‘t stop laughing and they all joined in, filled with love
and respect for each other.
Marie continued, ―We have chosen twenty four workers out of the two hundred and twenty
who applied to train as operators for the ‗Bartrum‘ to print all our cards. Henri and Yvette
have studied the manuals and have successfully disassembled and reassembled five
‗Bartrums‘ so they are now completely satisfied they know what they are doing! Today is the
day for the twenty four people chosen to show they can operate the ‗Bartrum‘ as well as take
them to pieces and put it back together again!‖ heading for the door as she was speaking.
They left the dining room and headed for their rooms. Jon changed into his overalls. Marie
put on her overalls, her working shoes and tucked her hair into a hat. She looked much like
she did when working at Willy‘s, except that Jon thought she looked more beautiful. He was
amazed that one woman could look so elegant at times, yet so at home when she put on work
clothes. He contemplated how his life had changed since he had met this wonderful woman.
How proud his father and mother would‘ve been to know that their son had met and married
such an incredibly talented and beautiful woman!
Marie stopped and looked at Jon coyly.
―If you keep looking at me like that,‖ she said, ―we are going to be late for work and that will
not set a good example!‖
Jon sighed. ―Party pooper!‖ He replied with a grin.
Marie tossed her head and walked to the door, her hand reaching for his as she walked past
him. They entered this room it was a small theatre, at the front of the theatre on the stage
were five ‘Bartrums,‘ Jon counted twenty-four people, they were all wearing overalls. Henri
and Yvette went on to the stage.
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Marie pointed to the chairs near the ‗Bartrums‘ and motioned for Jon, Henri and Yvette to be
seated, turning to the audience said in French.
―My name is Marie Arlene I am a Director of the French Post Card Association. I welcome
you all as our employees.‖ Then, motioning to Henri and Yvette, she continued. ―Monsieur
Arlene is the Managing Director, Mademoiselle Mania, is an Associate.‖
Then pointing to Jon, she explained, ―Monsieur Van Holzt is an expert on ‗Bartrums.‘ He
will judge your performance and if you meet the required standards, he will allocate your
certificate to operate the machines. He is also my husband, for which I am immensely
pleased. You have been chosen out of two hundred and twenty applications. We have
included four more than we first agreed to as four people were only taken off the list on count
back and we didn‘t believe that was fair, as the lowest mark by any person here was ninety
eight, for both the verbal and practical examination.‖
Marie paused for a moment then continued in a very professional voice.
―You all have numbers and as your number is called, please come up on the stage and you
will be allocated a machine which you will disassemble. Please go to the table and pick up
the tool or spanner that you are going to use, show it to the audience, then go to your
machine. Please remember that this is not a race, there are no points for speed. Our only
interest is in your ability to disassemble and reassemble the machine. Before we start we will
have a five-minute break so that everyone can be comfortable.‖
Marie, Henri and Yvette advised Jon that he was in complete control and they would sit in the
chairs at the back, so that those working on the machine wouldn‘t feel intimidated. The first
group were to disassemble then reassemble the ‗Bartrum,‘ then return to their seats. Those
allocated following numbers would follow them. This was to go on until everyone had
disassembled and reassembled a machine. The first team went up on the stage and upon Jon‘s
signal, started work. Jon was delighted by the efficiency of those involved. It went like
clockwork and before long all those to be examined had completed their task. Jon couldn‘t
find fault with anything they did and told them so, for which they were most grateful. Once
granted their permit, it was time for them to operate the ‘Bartrum.‘ It had been Marie‘s idea
to make them disassemble and reassemble the ‗Bartrum,‘ so that they would have hands-on
understanding of the machine they were working and feel more in tune with it!
Lunchtime came so everyone took a half-hour break enjoying a generous lunch provided by
the Association. No expense was spared and there was plenty for everyone. Jon, Marie, Henri
and Yvette sat at a separate table away from those being tested. Jon shared with the others
how impressed he was with their workers‘ professionalism.
―You would think that they had been working with the ‗Bartrums‘ for years!‖ He declared
with enthusiasm.
―They are wonderful!‖ Henri smiled. ―You should‘ve seen Yvette and I putting them through
their paces, we didn‘t spare them. We can thank your wonderful manuals for the depth of
their understanding. The manuals left nothing out. All they have to do is follow the
instructions and Viola Tout!”
Yvette laughed. ―The first two times I took mine to pieces and tried to put it back together
again I had four pieces left over! Henri had none so the next time we worked together and
there weren‘t any pieces left! Nor were there any the two other times I worked on them!‖
When the half-hour was up and it was time to get back to work, Jon went up on to the stage
and told them in excellent French that they had five tests to pass to receive their certificates.
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Everyone was to complete the task with safety and record what action they took if the
‗Bartrum‘ had a problem. Jon started up the motors and called the first five people up on to
the stage. He explained that he was going to jam the machines and they were to respond to
the problem. He walked at the back of the machines and put heavy cardboard in the printer,
as soon as it jammed, the automatic shutdown safety system stopped the machine
immediately.
The five people went over switched off the motors and went to the fuse box, removing the
fuses and putting them in their own tool bag. They then cut the cardboard free, cleaned
around the area concerned, took out a turning handle and hand turned the machine to make
sure that it was running free. Finally they replaced the heavy card board with board of the
correct thickness, went to their tool boxes, took out the fuses and returned them to their
rightful position, then turned on the machine. Jon was delighted to see all the other nineteen
candidates take exactly the same action.
Jon made them undertake the ‗blocked ink line‘ test, the ‗loose print plate,‘ the ‗loose fan
belt‘ and finally the ‗dirty print plate‘ test. Every one responded correctly without looking at
what the others were doing. Most importantly, nobody hurried. They did what they were
required to do, taking their time and doing the job with expert efficiency. When the testing
was complete, all the candidates had undertaken all the tasks. Jon looked at his watch, it was
four thirty. He had tested twenty four people in seven and a half hours and couldn‘t fault any
of them. He told them there would be a fifteen-minute break. When the candidates had all left
the room, Jon, Henri, Marie and Yvette sat on the stage together and started to talk.
―I can‘t fault any of them!‖ Jon exclaimed with pleasure. ―They were perfect! They‘re all
entitled to be given their certificates.‖
Henri, Marie, and Yvette looked at each other and laughed with happiness.
―We have ten ‗Bartrum‘ and twenty-four operators,‖ said Henri, ―we couldn‘t ask for
anything more!‖
They called the applicants back into the room. Henri made it very simple.
―Congratulations!‖ he said. ―You have all passed with flying colours and you will all be
issued with a certificate to operate the ‗Bartrum‘ machines.‖
Their cheers echoed throughout the room. Henri advised that they would be allocated their
positions on the following day when they returned to work. All operators would receive their
raises in their next pay cheque. After all the people had left, Marie called the others over and
put her arms around Jon, Henri and Yvette at the same time.
―I have never been so happy and I owe it all to you!‖ She declared.
―We are indebted to you!‖ they replied as they hugged each other close.
The following week went like lightning. They were all involved in picking the cards they
were going to print. Jon introduced Henri to the Triple A Bond backing which was the best in
the business. Seeing they were buying such a large quantity, the cost was only a fraction
more, while the quality greatly superior. At breakfast on Friday morning, Jon suggested that
he would like to invite, Barney, Glenda, and Cody over for the weekend. Rather than put
Henri out they could stay at the hotel opposite. Neither, Henri, Yvette nor Marie would hear
of such a thing. They would stay here with them and they would be very welcome. Jon rang
Barney and asked him if they would like to come over for the weekend. Barney was delighted
and said they would be there at five o‘clock.
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The reunion was as if they had not seen each other for years. They hugged each other and
shook hands, the ladies kissed and everyone was happy and genuinely glad to see each other.
The evening was a wonderful success. The dinner was a mixture of French and American
dishes, including the most beautiful wines, which everyone enjoyed, except Barney. He was a
beer man and as he said, ‗A beer man drinks beer!‘
The conversation turned to greeting cards and Henri asked Glenda if she would like to see his
collection.
Jon intervened, ―You had better be careful Henri. Glenda is one of the most knowledgeable
people in the world on cards.‖
―You are too kind Jon,‖ Glenda laughed ―I am not that good!‖
―Only the best in the world!‖ Barney declared.
―Hush‖ she said, but she was blushing with pleasure.
Henri took them into this room. There were hundreds of cards of all types and description.
―We are picking out twenty cards to start off our collection. I would like you Glenda to
choose the first five!‖
Glenda walked around the room and every now and again she would reach over and pick up a
card. The others just stood at the table watching her. Glenda put her cards face up on the
table; they all crowded around to see what she had chosen. No two cards were alike. Henri
asked her to put them in order of her preference. Her top pick was an Abstract card.
Henri picked it up, ―I thought that this would have been our best seller last year but we were
most disappointed it sold very badly.‖
―Do you have any light blue paper?‖ Glenda asked him still staring at the card.
Henri pulled out a series of draws from under the table and opened one of them.
―You can have any colour blue you like!‖ he said pointing to them.
Glenda took out a pastel blue and asked Henri if he had any scissors. He reached into another
draw and took out a pair of scissors, which he handed to her. Glenda put the card on top of
the blue paper and cut around the edge. She then cut the border from around the abstract and
set the abstract on the blue card. There was a gasp from all those assembled. The difference
was spectacular. The card virtually jumped out. ‗
―It was magnificent!‖
Glenda did the same with five of the other cards and the change was incredible. Glenda then
collected the five cards.
―If it was up to me, I would make these my top cards,‖ she declared with authority. ―You
won‘t get anything to equal them.‖
Henri held up the abstract. ―Is this the best card in my collection?‖ he asked.
―No,‖ Glenda replied firmly. She walked over to a card on the wall, picking it up turned to
the others and stated, ―This is not only the best card in your collection, this is the best card I
have ever seen anywhere!‖
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It was a bouquet of flowers, very delicate, very feminine. Everybody agreed that it was
absolutely beautiful!
―Who is the artist?‖ Glenda enquired.
Henri began laughing,
―You mean the artist who painted this bouquet? Now let me see, I don‘t know if I can
remember. He turned to Marie. ―Do you remember the artist‘s name?‖ he asked in a light,
bright voice.
Marie‘s face was flushed with embarrassment.
―Oh, I remember!‖ Henri said before she could answer.
―It was you! Mon Cher, wasn‘t it?‖
―Yes,‖ Marie replied, her face a mixture of embarrassment and happiness.
Everybody congratulated Marie on her beautiful painting, which added to her embarrassment.
Jon walked over to her, put his arm around her and squeezed her gently.
―Beauty begets beauty,‖ he said gently.
She turned to him, ―You are beautiful man.‖ she said. ―I‘m so glad that I am yours and you
are mine!‖
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Chapter 16
They all returned to the dining room. Henri ordered coffee and liquors for those who wanted
them. Barney had his beer. Jon and Marie went over to Glenda and gave her a folder. She
opened it and was greeted with a photo taken at the wedding with Jon, Marie, Barney, Cody,
and herself. Underneath was the words ‗Our Family.‘ She was visibly affected happiness was
etched on her face. Jon and Marie went over and kissed and hugged her. Barney and Cody
joined them, it was a beautiful few minutes. Glenda turned the card over.
―What‘s this?‖ she asked.
They all looked at her. She showed them the name on the back of the card, which read, ‗Jones
Hawkens Van Holzt Triple A Bond.‘
―That‗s our name for the card,‖ said Marie calmly.
―But don‘t you want to do it on your own?‖ Glenda asked.
―We thought about it!‖ Marie replied straight faced. ―But then Jon told me we might go broke
and need someone to bail us out. So we decided to bring in you, Barney, and Cody in just in
case.‖
―Oh!‖ said Barney. ―If that is your reason then it‘s okay with us!‖ They all roared with
laughter.
Marie turned to Jon. ―Does that mean they will?‖ she asked.
Even Jon couldn‘t contain himself.
―Yes,‖ he replied. ―If we go broke they will pick up the tab.‖
Without skipping a beat, Marie turned to Barney, Glenda and Cody, she curtsied
―Thank you!‖ she said.
They bowed and curtsied back.
―You‘re welcome!‖ they replied.
It was a fun filled few minutes, which everyone enjoyed immensely.
Yvette picked up a folder and handed to it over to Henri. ―For you my Cherie!‖ she declared.
He opened it up it was the wedding photo of Jon and Marie with Henri and Yvette, with the
same inscription, ‗Our Family.‘ Henri hugged and kissed Yvette and Marie.
He turned the card over. He looked at it for a second, then broke out in the most excitable
French, ―Look at this!‖ he called to everyone.
They crowded around and on the back of the card were the words.
‗Another Henri Arlene Masterpiece.‘
―This is the name Yvette and I picked out for your card.‖ explained Marie. ―Do you like it?‖
Henri stroked his moustache, ―Perfect!‖ he said with a grin. ―Perfect!‖
They were having coffee and chatting about different subjects when Yvette said,
―My tea leaf reader told me that this month is going to be a very lucky month for me!‖
―What‘s a tea leaf reader?‖ Barney asked.
Yvette described her reader as a woman who read the tea leaves in her cup after she had
drunk her tea. The conversation went from there to clairvoyants and trance mediums. Barney
told them about a lady in Texas who said that she could speak to the dead. The others
contributed describing similar things they had heard of. None of them had seen it for
themselves but all were fascinated by the subject. Glenda told them how she had read about
‗Houdini‘ the great Escapologist who told his wife that if he could contact her from the other
world he would use a phrase, which he refused to tell anyone. After he died she went to
dozens of clairvoyants all to no avail, until one day she went to a clairvoyant who repeated
the exact words that Houdini said he would say.
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They all asked each other if they were contacted after death what they would say.
Henri went first. ―Masterpiece,‖ he said.
―Texas forever!‖ declared Barney.
―The Stars and Stripes,‖ added Cody after some consideration.
―I love you with all my heart,‖ said Jon. ―In Dutch!‖ he added quickly.
―Our hearts beat as one!‖ said Marie. ―In French.‖
―Jones Hawkens Van Holzt, Triple A Bond!‖ Glenda declared, getting caught up in the
excitement.
―I love Paris and Paris loves me!‖ said Yvette.
Henri asked them all to write down what they said, so that in the future they would know for
sure if they had contacted the other. They all willingly obliged. None of them really took the
conversation seriously. However, Henri put all their written statements in an envelope and
placed it in his safe.
Their weekend lasted until Wednesday. Everybody was completely involved in getting
Henri‘s cards into circulation. They were all printed on Bond paper and were touched up by
Glenda and Marie. The two were without a doubt experts in balancing colour and design. The
difference in the cards was unbelievable.
Henri was acting like a cat on a hot tin roof.
He wanted his cards printed and in the shops but he was wasting his time for neither Glenda
nor Marie took any notice of him. Until they were completely satisfied with the cards they
wouldn‘t allow them to be printed.
At last all the plates were given to Henri and he put his ‗Bartrums‘ to work straight away,
working his operators three shifts. He had several orders to fill plus his own card shops and
outlets. Henri asked Glenda why she didn‘t pick the bouquet of flowers card, which Marie
had painted as part of the range.
―It is so beautiful! I would want to keep it for myself.‖ Glenda replied.
Henri laughed, ―You are indeed a true lover of beauty aren‘t you?‖
―Surely one is entitled to be a little selfish where beauty is concerned.‖
―True,‖ said Henri. ―I couldn‘t agree more!‖
The cards were coming off the production line in pure harmony, not one ounce of trouble.
Henri was ecstatic.
Jon, Marie, Barney, Glenda and Cody left on Wednesday morning. It was a wonderful parting
for the good friends. Their involvement on such an exciting intellectual level added to their
enjoyment of each other‘s company. Arriving back in London they went straight to the ‗Hotel
Hawkens,‘ where they were greeted by Frederick. He was obviously pleased to see them as
they were to see him.
As usual Glenda took charge and turning to Frederick said, ―We are not to be disturbed. We
will be in the Treasure Trove, please tell us when it is twelve fifteen, you can arrange for
Cook to prepare a light meal.‖
They entered the Treasure Trove using the Sir Walter Raleigh portrait entrance. Marie could
hardly contain herself. She gasped in disbelief when she saw the cards. While Henri‘s cards
were beautiful, these were superb.
―I want each of us to choose five cards,‖ Glenda said. ―If everyone is in agreement they will
be the ones to launch the ‗Jones Hawkens Van Holzt triple A Bond cards.‖
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They all went in separate directions. Glenda went to Jon‘s tulip card and put it in a draw, as
she had no doubt that someone would have picked it. They were all so absorbed in the
process that the time seemed to fly by. They had all put their five chosen cards on the table
and moved back to study them. They were all excellent and each revealed the personality of
the person selecting them. Laughter filled the air as they expressed their appreciation of each
other‘s choice. Without referring to the others they managed to cover every type of card the
ordinary person seeks.
They were all surprised when Frederick entered and informed them that it was twelve fifteen.
―Let‘s have lunch,‖ said Glenda.
Barney rang a friend of his who was a plate maker and asked him how long it would take him
to make up plates for twenty-five cards.
―I will have them done in an hour of receiving them,‖ came the reply.
Barney sent the cards over express and he received the plates back just as they were finishing
their lunch.
He walked back into the dining room and held up the plates.
―We‘ve got the plates,‖ he said, ―we can start printing this afternoon.‖
That afternoon the ‗Jones Hawkens Van Holzt Triple A Bond card‘ came into existence.
For the next six weeks Jon, Marie, and Glenda, produced cards assisted by Barney and Cody.
They began immediately making inroads into the top card sellers in Britain. The retailers had
never seen sales skyrocket the way they did once they put the ‗Jones Hawkens Van Holzt,
Triple A Bond‘ cards on their shelves. Henri kept in touch with them. Like the retailers in
Britain, Henri‘s sales were remarkable. His Abstract won the Card of the Year award in
France. His ten ‗Bartrums,‘ were working three shifts, to keep up with demand.
Things couldn‘t have been better Jon, Marie, Henri, Yvette, Barney, Glenda, and Cody, were
one big family, each visiting each other‘s homes whenever they had the time. The Harrisons
were always included and their homes became an open house to the others.
Christmas was just around the corner and the ‗Jones Hawkens Van Holzt, Triple A Bond‘
cards were selling like hot cakes and they had ten ‗Bartrums‘ working flat out. Barney,
Glenda, Cody, Jon and Marie couldn‘t have been any closer. They sought each other‘s
company whenever they could. The ‗Bartrums‘ were well established and selling
accordingly, their card business was booming as was Henri‘s in France. Henri was delighted
by the cash flow from his business. He would ring every day and his conversations with
Glenda were dominated by cards – his cards, her cards or other cards he wanted her to
evaluate. Everything seemed to be working out exceptionally well.
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Chapter 17
It had been a long hard day, Jon and Marie were tired and were heading for home. As they
entered their apartment the phone was ringing. The voice at the other end of the phone asked
for Jon Van Holzt.
―My name is Dr Henry Woods, I am the head surgeon at the Royal Hospital and we have a
Mrs Glenda Hawkens here, she has had an accident and asked us to contact you.‖
―Is she badly hurt?‖ asked Jon.
―Yes,‖ replied the Doctor. ―I suggest you get here as quickly as you can!‖
Jon put down the phone, grabbed Marie‘s hand and headed for the door.
―Glenda is in hospital and she is very badly hurt.‖
Marie didn‘t say a word. They both ran out as fast as they could. Jon broke all records getting
to the hospital, left the car outside and with Marie on his heels, ran into the hospital.
―Mrs Hawkens is in the surgical ward, floor eleven,‖ replied the lady at the counter in answer
to Jon‘s frantic enquiry. The lift seemed to take forever.
A nurse met them and took them into a room. Glenda was lying in the bed, covered with
blood stained bandages. Jon and Marie ran to the bed. Jon went one side and Marie to the
other. Glenda looked at them, she was quite alert. She motioned to Jon to come close to her
and started talking to him. He pulled back for a second, looking very puzzled. She motioned
for him to move close again and whispered into his ear. He nodded.
―You give me your word,‖ she asked as she looked straight into his eyes.
―I give you my word,‖ Jon replied.
Glenda turned towards Marie.
―I love you like you were my own. You and Jon are so dear to me,‖ she beckoned Marie to
lean towards her, kissed and hugged her, gave a huge sigh and fell back into the bed. The
Doctor rushed in, felt for her pulse and looked at Jon and Marie with saddened eyes.
―She‘s gone!‖ he declared, shaking his head.
Jon and Marie were frozen as they stared at the doctor in disbelief. They couldn‘t believe
what they had witnessed. They looked at Glenda. She looked like she was asleep. Jon put his
arms around Marie and they stood there holding each other in such a state of shock. It was the
only thing that they could do! They stood staring at the wall in front of them. They heard the
lift door open and Jon looked towards the door. Tom Harrison entered the room, his sons and
their wives accompanied him. As he moved towards Jon and Marie, he saw Glenda in the
bed. He knew immediately that she was dead.
All the blood drained from his face, his shoulders sagged and he staggered just a little. Jon
grabbed him, Tom looked up at Jon.
―What happened?‖ was all he could ask.
―I don‘t know,‖ Jon replied shrugging his shoulders.
―Does Barney know?‖
―I don‘t know‖ Jon replied through tears. ―I don‘t know anything! I only know that Glenda is
dead.‖
Tom Harrison‘s family moved towards him and put their arms around him, they were all
crying. Jon pulled Marie gently to him and they all cried together. They heard the lift doors
once again. They all looked towards the door, Barney and Cody entered the room.
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They went straight to the bed where Glenda was lying. Barney leant over and kissed her on
the mouth. Cody kissed his mother on the cheek. Barney turned around and faced them.
―It‘s no good us staying here,‖ he said. ―Let‘s go to the cafeteria and I will tell you what
happened.‖
No one said anything. They just huddled together trying to comfort each other as they
descended in the lift. There were plenty of empty tables and Barney headed for one near the
windows, away from the other tables. Jon went and got two very large pots of coffee, two
jugs of milk and a bowl of sugar. He returned to the table carrying everything on a tray. After
they had all settled Barney began to explain.
―Glenda went to see her old friend Jessie, who she has known for many years. Jessie lives in
an old tenement building. Jessie‘s apartment is on the sixth floor and there were only two
ways to get there. Either by the lift, which had seen better days or by climbing six flights of
stairs. Glenda took the lift with two other people, who lived on the eighth floor. Evidently the
cable broke and the lift plunged down into the basement. The two other people, husband and
wife were killed instantly but Glenda survived the fall. The man living on the ground floor
was an ambulance officer, who called immediately for help while trying to make Glenda
comfortable and possibly save her life. When they got her to the hospital, the doctor and
surgeon examined her but there was nothing that they could do, the damage was beyond
repair.‖
Nobody said anything, just sat in stunned silence. Barney looked at their tear- streaked faces.
―Everybody go home. I will ring you tomorrow and tell you what is going to happen.‖
All the others had left and only Barney, Cody, Jon and Marie remained. Barney gave a huge
sigh, turning to the others.
―This is the worst day of my life! I don‘t know how I am going to deal with it,‖ he sighed.
Cody didn‘t say a word he just looked sadly at his father.
―Is there anything we can do?‖ asked Jon. ―Would you like us to come and stay with you?‖
―No thank you!‖ Barney replied stoically ―I want to be alone and try and come to grips with
what has happened.‖
They said goodnight, Barney promising to ring Jon as soon as he had any news. Jon and
Marie sat in their car at the front of the hospital, Jon making no attempt to move off. He
turned to Marie, ―I feel as if someone has put their hand inside my chest and taken out my
heart, only after looking at you and seeing you alive and well, can I feel it coming back
again.‖
Marie lent over to him put her lips on his and kissed him, while holding him as tightly as she
could.
―There but for the Grace of God, go us!‖ she said.
Amazed at her down to earth approach, Jon smiled.
―No wonder I adore you!‖ he said. ―You are as beautiful inside as you are outside.‖
He started the car and they drove home in silence.
The next few days were difficult. Barney couldn‘t get Glenda‘s body from the hospital, until
an official enquiry was completed to determine the cause of the accident. Only when this was
finalised would the Coroner release any of the bodies. This went on for ten days and Barney
was not taking it too well. He had had enough and he went to see a friend of his at the
American Embassy. Glenda‘s body was released that afternoon.
Barney made all the arrangements for the funeral. He rang a few friends in America telling
them of Glenda‘s death and invited them to come over for the funeral, which would be held
as soon as possible.
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He would let them know, the place, time, and date. As neither of them had any living
relatives, he and Cody had no family to grieve with. Willy and his wife arrived in Britain and
they stayed with Jon and Marie. Henri and Yvette were waiting for their call to come over.
No one knew what they were doing and it was affecting all of them. Jon received a call from
Barney, when Glenda‘s body was finally released. The funeral would be in six days time on
the following Monday. He asked Jon if he would come over as he needed some help. Jon let
him know that Willy and Mrs Willy were staying with them and asked if he could bring them
with him.
―Sure,‖ said Barney. ―We would be glad to see them!‖
Barney met them at the door. He thanked Willy and Mrs Willy for coming over. He then led
them all into the study. Frederick was standing in front of two very large Post Office sacks.
―They are letters of condolence from everyone everywhere,‖ explained Barney. ―I need some
help to sort them and answer them.‖
―No worries!‖ said Jon. ―Leave them to us we will get our little family to take care of them,
no problem.‖
Frederick arranged for them to be taken to Jon and Marie‘s apartment where they would be
sorted and answered.
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Chapter 18
The post office bags were at the apartment when Jon, Marie, Willy, Mrs Willy, Henri and
Yvette, who had arrived while they were at the ‗Hawkens Hotel‘ plus the Harrisons and their
wives sat down to work out how they were going to solve the problem.
It was agreed by all that the ‗Bartrums‘ were the answer but what they were going to put on
the cards was not so easy. An hour later they were no closer to solving the problem and then
Morgan said to his wife, ―Show them what you have written.‖
She was most reluctant. ―Please Michelle,‖ he said.
Michele shrugged her shoulders and gingerly handed Jon a piece of paper.
Jon read it and looking at Michelle declared with relief in his voice that she was a genius. She
reddened noticeably. Jon stood up and read from the paper in his hand.
Dear Friends,
Cody and I thank you for your card of sympathy at the accidental death of my
beloved wife and his beloved mother, Glenda Marian Hawkens. It is very much appreciated.
Owing to the hundreds of cards we have received, we cannot answer them personally but rest
assured that we will read every card and bless all those who sent them.
The note was to be signed by Barney and Cody in their own handwriting, in very fine print.
Everybody gave Michelle a standing ovation. She sat with her face brick red. Morgan leaned
over and kissed her.
―You are not just a pretty face are you?‖ he said.
She smiled her pleasure.
―Now,‖ said Jon. ―We have to deal with our next problem, the sorting and recording from
whom each card was received, then we can manage answering them. Are we going to type
them or have them typed or are we going to hand write them or have them hand written?
We know we will be using the ‗Bartrum‘ but the cards still have to be put in envelopes sealed
and posted.‖
Henri stood up and said, ―I know a firm in London that does this type of thing. They will
open the letters, record the names and addresses of the sender, place the cards in the
addressed envelopes and post them but they are not cheap.‖
―Neither are we,‖ said Jon. ―What say we contact them in the morning?‖
It was agreed to leave this to Jon and Henri. They would all meet again the next evening at
seven. They bade each other goodnight.
Then Willy and his wife, Henri and Yvette, Jon and Marie ordered their meals, which upon
receiving they sat down, enjoying each other‘s company, despite their inner grief at the loss
of such a beautiful friend.
They all rose early in the morning and Jon said he wanted to go and see Barney and tell him
what was happening. He would share Michelle‘s excellent idea with him. Henri rang the
company in London and made an appointment for nine o‘clock. Willy and Henri said that
they would let Jon go on his own but Jon declared, ―We are a team and where I go you go!‖
So the men went to see Barney and Cody. Frederick met them at the door, his pleasure at
seeing them clearly etched on his face.
―I told Mr Barney and Mr Cody you were coming and they asked me to bring you to them
when you arrived.‖
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Barney and Cody walked towards them as they entered the hall. They greeted them warmly,
shaking their hands and telling them how pleased they were to see them. They both looked
terrible and it was obvious that these last couple of weeks had taken its toll on them. Jon
wasted no time, sharing with them what Michelle had suggested and telling them that they
were going to see a company in London after they received both their approval.
―It‘s a great idea!‖ said Barney. ―Please thank Michelle and Henri.‖
They were at the door saying their goodbyes when Jon realised that his two friends were in
great trouble and very lonely.
―Why don‘t you come with us?‖ he ventured. ―We have plenty of room and would love your
company.‖
The two men sparked up immediately, ―We will just change our clothes,‖ said Barney.
―We won‘t be long.‖
They both hurried away. Frederick turned to Jon, ―If you don‘t mind me saying, you are a
good friend, Sir. I can‘t tell you what an honour it has been to meet you!‖
Placing a reassuring hand on Fredrick‘s arm, Jon smiled gently.
―Likewise, Frederick.‖ he replied. ―Likewise.‖
The trip back to Jon‘s place was filled with mirth. Both Barney and Cody began to relax.
They had come back to life and were amongst people who really cared for them and they
knew it! Marie, Mrs Willy and Yvette showed them how pleased they were to see them. It
almost felt like old times. Breakfast finished, the men got into the car, Jon driving to the
address given to them by Henri and they arrived at the company quickly. The office was
located in a very elite area of the city. They were ushered into the office of a very smartly
dressed woman who introduced herself as Ms Florence Majewski.
―Please do not think me rude,‖ she said in a very businesslike manner. ―But our office is very
busy and everyone including myself contributes.‖
Jon was very concise as he showed her the size of the card. He explained that they wanted the
cards in bond envelopes. He told her he thought there were about six thousand cards and
asked for a price for having the hand written envelopes, placing the cards in the envelopes,
sealing them and posting. He also advised that they wanted the names and addresses of all
those who sent a card, he requested that this be provided in alphabetical order.
He explained that the letters were in two canvas mailbags, just as they had been received
from the post office. He then asked how long before the task would be completed if they took
on the job.
―Subject to the information you have given me being correct,‖ Ms Majewski replied. ―We
will need two clear working days. The cost would be five shillings per envelope plus postage
and delivery charges to the post office.‖
―The postage will be recorded by the Post office,‖ she assured him. ―A receipt will be issued
by them. The delivery charge would depend on how the post office accepted the dispatch.‖
―It shouldn‘t be more than twenty pounds.‖ she concluded.
Jon asked to see some of their work. She led them to a large, well-lit room. There were about
twenty women sitting at desks working. She motioned for the men to walk behind the desks
so they could watch the work the women were doing. They were all writing, their pen
workmanship was beautiful!
Satisfied, the men returned to the lady‘s office.
―When can we bring in the Post Office bags?‖ Jon asked.
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―Please bring them to us immediately!‖ Ms Majewski replied. ―If we receive them today,
they will be posted no later than Monday morning. We will also need a deposit of twenty five
per cent, the balance to be paid on completion.‖
Jon opened his wallet, took out his credit card and handed it to her.
She completed the necessary paper work. The men got back to the car, pleased that the matter
had been settled. When they returned to the apartment, they told the ladies what they had
done. They were all overjoyed. The Harrisons came for dinner and everyone enjoyed a
wonderful evening. Barney and Cody seemed to become more relaxed as the night
progressed. They were reluctant for the night to finish as their loneliness was really causing
them much distress.
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Chapter 19
It was Monday morning and everyone was preparing for the funeral, which was to take place
at two o‘clock at the St Joseph‘s Catholic Church in South Kensington. They would then
leave for the Crematorium at approximately three fifteen, where there would be a small
service, which would probably finish around four o‘clock. Barney had hired a big hall not far
from the Crematorium so that those attending the funeral could attend a Wake in Glenda‘s
honour. Around ten -thirty Jon received a telephone call from Ms Majewski advising that all
the envelopes were finished and ready to be posted. The total price, including postage and
delivery was two thousand, four hundred and fifty pounds. The letters were at the Post Office
waiting to for the postage to be paid.
Jon arranged to meet Ms Majewski at her office. The others were busy so Jon said goodbye to
Marie and headed to the garage.
He arrived at Ms Majewski‘s office about twenty minutes later. She handed him a very
neatly itemized account.
6,600 envelopes at 5 shillings per envelope
Names and addresses recorded in Alphabetical Order
Postage to be paid to Post Office
Delivery to Post Office
Bagging and stacking
£ 1,650.00
£ 360.00
£ 400.00
£ 20.00
£ 20.00
Total Amount
Deposit paid
Amount owing
£ 2,450.00
£ 500.00
£ 1,950.00
Jon handed her his credit card,
―Take Two thousand two hundred,‖ he said. ―Please share the remainder with your workers.‖
She looked at him in surprise.
―Thank you very much! Mr Van Holzt.‖
Jon headed back to the apartment. Marie opened the door, giving him a beautiful kiss.
―Everything go all right?‖ she asked.
―Splendid.‖ Jon replied quietly.
Marie told Jon that Barney had rung to ask if she and Jon would like to ride in the front car
with him, Cody, and their two American friends.
―I told him no.‖ Marie continued. ―I hope you don‘t mind but that would leave Henri and
Yvette without us and I wouldn‘t like them to be on their own.‖
―You did right.‖ Jon reassured her. ―Henri and Yvette without us is definitely a no, no!‖
Marie smiled. ―You are making fun of me.‖
Jon put his arms around her, ―I am making fun with you, not of you!‖ he replied.
They held each other close, neither wanting to break the embrace but knowing that they
would have to. Marie gave a huge sigh, kissed Jon on the mouth, grabbed his hand and led
him into the lounge. Willy and Henri were sitting at the table.
―How did it go?‖ asked Willy.
―Good!‖ Jon replied. ―No trouble at all.‖
―It was a smart move managing it that way,‖ declared Willy.
―Thank you Henri, without your knowledge we could‘ve been in great trouble.‖
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Henri beamed his pleasure.
They had a light lunch and everyone a little apprehensive of what was to come but realising
they just had to accept it. They finished lunch and were sitting around talking, when they
heard a gentle knock at the door. Marie opened the door and before her stood a man in a grey
uniform quite obviously from the funeral parlour.
―When you are ready,‖ he said quietly and professionally. ―I will wait in the car.‖
Willy and his wife, Henri and Yvette, Jon and Marie headed downstairs. The car was a
spacious stretched limousine, which could sit six people very comfortably. The driver
introduced himself as Taylor and informed them that would meet up with the other car two
streets before the parlour so they could all arrive together. Nobody spoke during the trip.
They were immersed in their own thoughts. They arrived at the corner where they were to
meet the other car. The driver saw them and waved his hand then both cars moved off. As
they approached the parlour they all gasped in surprise. The street was full of people.
The attendants had roped off an area to let the cars drive to the pickup area. The hearse was
waiting. The undertaker went to the front car and he talked to the driver. Then the hearse
moved off followed by the two cars. Taylor picked up his car telephone and spoke into it. He
turned on his car speaker so that everyone could hear the conversation.
―We will be going straight to the church. It will be impossible to do anything here! The
funeral parlour is packed. There are hundreds of people here and more at the Church. They
have had to call the police to manage the crowd.‖
As they approached the church they saw that Taylor was not wrong. There were people
everywhere and the police were having a job holding them back. Looking out the window Jon
recognised many faces from the printing industry. Among them were some of the men whom
he had worked with when he first arrived in Britain. He, like the others was moved by this
amazing recognition of their friend.
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Chapter 20
The hearse went to the back of the church, while Barney, Cody and their two American
friends waited for the others to join them so that they could all walk in together. Barney
introduced them all to Hank Edwards and Melvin Spiteri, who were the other two in their
‗Ho down Club.‘ The church was packed. Barney knew many of the people and greeted them.
Jon didn‘t see anyone he knew so he and Marie just followed on behind Barney‘s party until
they reached the front pews. They were all seated when the priest started the service. It
seemed to go for a very long time. He spoke in Latin and in English. At last it was over and
their party moved out of the church into the street. The pallbearers from the funeral parlour
carried the coffin out to the hearse. They waited until all was ready and headed for the
crematorium. It didn‘t take long and when they arrived the coffin was still in the hearse so
Barney, Cody, the two Americans, Jon and Tom Harrison carried the coffin into the
crematorium as arranged. It would have been hard to pick out who looked the worst, Barney,
Cody or Tom Harrison, who looked absolutely terrible. The two Americans were holding up
very well. Jon had Marie, both had heavy hearts but they were not affected to the same extent
as the others, as they had each other.
The service at the crematorium was entirely different. Barney told of his love for Glenda and
how much he was missing her. He was very emotional and brought tears to the eyes of those
listening. Cody was just a mess, he talked and cried at the same time leaving no one in doubt
as to his true feelings. The two Americans were very down to earth and tried their hardest to
lighten the proceedings. Tom Harrison had his heart on his sleeve and it was broken. He truly
loved and respected Glenda. He told of her help, her friendship, her understanding and
generosity, things he would remember every day of his life. He tried desperately not to cry
but did not succeed.
Jon‘s turn came and he was simple and direct.
―If it had not been for Barney, Cody, and Glenda, I would be sitting on the floor in my home
in New Jersey, America wishing that I were dead. I had lost the two greatest treasures of my
life, my Mother and my Father. Then I received a telephone call asking me to come to Britain
to fix a ‗Democrat,‘ and I thought, ‗Why not?‘ I felt it would be better to be over here and
doing something, rather than sit at home and being miserable. So over I came and I met three
of the most beautiful, most genuine people I have ever met in my life! They gave me back
my life and my will to live. They were responsible for me meeting my wonderful wife, for
which I will be eternally grateful. They introduced me to new friends. I was treated like a son
and a brother. Like my friend Tom, I will think of Glenda with warmth love and affection
every day. As long as I am alive Glenda will never be forgotten. She will be alive in my
mind, my heart and my memory.‖
He sat down, put his head in his hands and cried gently. Marie was trying to comfort him and
was crying with him. The service was over and the coffin had disappeared beyond their view.
Barney and Cody came over to where Jon, Marie, Tom and his wife were standing. They did
not say anything they just put their arms around each other and stood in a little group. The
bond between them grew stronger every minute.
Barney invited all those present to the hall for the wake. It went on for about four hours.
When it was over, John and his party were completely exhausted. They all went up to
Barney, who was obviously worse for wear, not drunk but very close. He looked at them.
―I am drunk,‖ he said. ―I wish I were dead but I am not, with a bit of luck it won‘t be long.‖
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Nobody said anything. The men just shook his hand and the ladies kissed him, then they left.
They couldn‘t answer a statement like that from either a sober or drunken man. Jon had
called the apartment to arrange a car to pick them up and it was waiting for them as they
came out of the hall. They all settled in their seats.
―Oh God!‖ said Jon. ―What a terrible day, I hope I never experience a day like that ever
again.‖
They sat in silence as the car took them back to the apartment. On arrival, they all said
goodnight and headed for their beds. They were exhausted.
Jon stirred the next morning at 6 o‘clock. He had never felt so tired in his life. Marie was still
fast asleep and he decided not to wake her. He shaved, cleaned his teeth, put on his dressing
gown and headed for the dining room. Henri, Yvette, Willy and Mrs Willy, were already
there. He wished them all a good morning and ordered his usual breakfast. It arrived at the
table the same time as Marie came through the door. She looked exactly as she always did.
She went straight to Jon and kissed him, then kissed Willy and Annette, Henri and Yvette.
―Good morning all!‖ she said. ―How lovely to see you, when I awoke this morning I thought
of yesterday and felt sad, then I remembered that you were all here and my sadness turned to
joy.‖
Jon looked at her, ―You are something else!‖ he said. ―Only you could say
something like that and mean it.‖
―I am among loved ones and friends, who could ask for anything more?‖ she responded. She
sat down next to Jon and took a piece of toast from his plate.
―Thank you darling!‖ She laughed.
Everybody laughed and the pain of the day before was forgotten momentarily as the
conversation flowed smoothly, they all gently landed back to earth.
Willy and Mrs Willy were booked to leave at three o‘clock on Pan American. Henri and
Yvette were staying to see them off then catching a plane to Paris. Jon rang Barney and told
him of the arrangements. Barney said he and Cody would meet them at the airport. Jon told
him that he would be over in an hour as he had to use the ‗Bartrums‘ to print more cards as
supplies were getting very low. Barney looked the same as he did yesterday. Cody looked
very forlorn. Jon set up the ‗Bartrums‘ checked them, then started the printing. He made
himself a coffee from the machine, Barney and Cody joined him.
―Made a bit of a fool of myself last night, didn‘t I?‖ said Barney looking at Jon.
―Not with me you didn‘t,‖ Jon replied genuinely. ―Nor with any of your friends.‖
Barney just nodded.
Cody looked at Jon, ―We are going to need you because dad and I are in a hell of a mess.‖
Jon just nodded. ―We are all going to need each other as we are all in a hell of a mess.‖
They sat talking for over three hours. Jon stopped the ten ‗Bartrums‘ and with the help of
Barney and Cody, packed the remaining cards into their boxes. He cleaned the machines
while Barney and Cody stood watching him. It didn‘t take him long then the three of them
headed for his car. As they approached the vehicle he told Barney and Cody to get in. Barney
didn‘t say a word he just opened the front door of the car and got in, Cody got in the back.
―What‘s for lunch?‖ Cody asked.
―Whatever you want!‖ said Jon with a smile.
The welcome they received from their friends when they arrived left them in no doubt as to
how everyone felt about them. It was a wonderful dinner just like it was when Glenda was
with them. They laughed and joked and relived old times.
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They also shared the time spent with Henri and Yvette. Their loving bonds growing stronger
as they laughed and joked. Then it was time for them to part. They had said ‘Goodbye‘ to
Willy and Mrs Willy, ‗Au Revoir‘ to Henri and Yvette. After driving Barney and Cody to the
‘Hotel Hawkens,‘ Jon and Marie returned to their apartment. Jon sat on the couch, patted the
seat next to him for Marie to join him and he put his arm around her.
―Alone at last!‖ he said. ―It‘s felt like forever!‖
Marie cuddled into him.
―I bet you say that to all the girls!‖ she cooed.
―Only if they looked like you!‖ he said. They both doubled up with laughter.
It didn‘t seem long before Christmas was upon them. Card sales had gone through the roof.
They used the card with the bouquet, which Marie had painted.
They named it ‗The Glenda.‘
To spearhead their Christmas specials, it read:
‗To a very special person on this very special occasion!‘
The sales were exceptional and they had the ten ‗Bartrums‘ working around the clock trying
to keep up with demand. At last Christmas Eve arrived. The ‗Bartrums‘ stopped working as
did Jon, Marie, Barney and Cody. They enjoyed a quiet dinner at the ‗Hawkens.‘ Frederick
was never more than one step away. He was his usual impeccable self but Jon felt the sadness
in him.
Willy rang, so had Henri, who excitedly told Marie that ‗The Glenda‘ had out sold every card
in the line.
Barney and Cody were extremely happy to hear this news. ‗The Glenda‘ was a symbol of
happier days to them when they were a threesome. They were just finishing their dinner
when Barney stood to make a declaration.
―I have received a letter from the solicitor and he wants to read the Will and asked if I
wanted this done now or in the New Year. I told him the sooner the better, so he has
suggested the day after tomorrow. You and Marie will have to be there as you are mentioned
in the Will.‖
Jon looked at Barney, ―We don‘t want to be in the Will!‖
―Too late!‖ he replied. ―Glenda put you in, so in you stay!‖
Jon squirmed. Marie gave him a gentle kick under the table.
―Of course we will be there!‖ she said. ―Just tell us when and where?‖
On their way home Jon was most annoyed.
―I don‘t want Glenda‘s money,‖ he said. ―We don‘t need it. We have more than enough!‖
―That is why we are going to take it,‖ replied Marie. ―And thank her for giving it to us. It is a
gift of love and there is no greater gift in the world!‖
Jon didn‘t say anything for a few moments then turning to Marie said, ―Please accept my
apologies, I wasn‘t thinking straight.‖
Marie leaned over and put her hand on his knee, ―You are so honourable,‖ she said.
―But you think in black and white. In this case you must think with your heart and not with
your mind.‖
They met at the solicitor‘s office, Barney, Cody, Marie, Jon, Tom Harrison and the two
Americans Hank and Marvin. There were also four other very well dressed men, who were
evidently employed by the lawyer. He motioned them to sit down.
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―The will is very straight forward,‖ he said. ―All the Trusts stay the same, everything goes to
Mr Barney Hawkens and in the event of his death to their son Cody. There are a few
bequeaths but nothing major.
The estate is worth one billion dollars, this does not include the oil wells, which are owned
and operated by a separate Family Trust. This is now controlled by Mister Barney Hawkens
and his son Cody.‖
The Lawyer stood up and looking at the paper in his hand started to read.
„To my good friend,
Tom Harrison, I leave the sum of two million dollars per year, for life, which he may use as
he wishes. We discussed how money could affect young people. I treasured his love, respect,
and friendship, as I did his loyalty.
Bless you and your family, Tom.
To our ‟Ho Down‟ friends,
Hank and Marvin, two million dollars each will see you two out, so go and enjoy the rest of
your lives!
Thank you for giving me and mine so much enjoyment.
To Jon and Marie,
You gave us back our zest for life. Until you came into our lives we were doing everything by
numbers. Then all of a sudden we were living and loving every minute of it. Waking up in the
morning looking forward to the day, looking forward to seeing you and becoming part of
your wonderful future.
I can‟t thank you enough for the joy you gave me and my family.
I love you and Marie so dearly. The worst part of course is that if you are hearing this I am
no longer alive. I know that you are not interested in my money but this is all that I have that
I can give you to let you know how much I love you, please understand.
To Jon and Marie I bequeath the sum of one million pounds each per year for the rest of
their lives. Should one die the million pounds yearly will be given to the other. When they
have children a Trust fund will be established for them, to which the sum of one million
pounds or one million dollars, which ever has the greater value, shall be paid every year for
their entire life!
To Willy Martin,
I hereby give the sole rights to manufacture the „Bartrum‟ and collect all royalties relative to
its sale.
To my very good friend Frederick, who never let me down and protected me against those
who tried to manipulate me, I leave the sum of one hundred thousand pounds a year for life.
To the staff I give them all one year‟s pay.
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There were a few other bequeaths but they were soon dealt with and then it was over.
―Hope you didn‘t mind Jon?‖ said Barney.
―No, we don‘t mind at all,‖ replied Jon earnestly. ―In fact we are very honoured.‖
As they were leaving, the lawyer handed Jon an envelope.
―Mrs Hawkens asked me to give this to you on her death. She said you would understand.‖
Jon thanked him and put the letter in his pocket to read later.
They were driving home to the apartment, when Marie said to Jon.
―What did Glenda make you promise her when she was dying?‖
Jon didn‘t reply. He kept his eyes on the road and gave a huge sigh.
―She made me promise not to tell anyone, unless I accomplished what she asked me to do!‖
―Did that include me?‖ she asked.
―It included everyone.‖ replied Jon.
―Then you must respect her wishes,‖ said Marie. ―If I was dying and asked someone not to
tell anybody something, I would expect them to honour my request.‖
―I can tell you this,‖ said Jon. ―Glenda wanted me to go to clairvoyants and see if they could
contact her.‖
―Can I come with you?‖
―Yes,‖ Jon replied. ―If you want to come‖
―Yes, I do!‖ Marie replied and it was settled.
Over the next six months they went to thirty clairvoyants all to no avail. Not one of them
satisfied Jon. Some gave him messages. Some told him things about Glenda but no one told
him what he wanted to hear. He always took a tape recorder with him, which he turned on
while the clairvoyant was giving the reading. They played the tapes back but Jon never heard
anything to capture his attention. After listening to the latest tape, Jon turned to Marie and
said, ―I think that we are wasting our time and our money. No one has even given me the
slightest hint of what I am seeking.‖
They decided that they would discontinue going to these people.
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Chapter 21
Marie and Jon tried to have children but all to no avail. They both had tests but the doctors
couldn‘t find anything wrong with either of them. So they had to keep trying. Luckily it did
not affect them, as they were still quite young. The years passed quickly, it had been four
years since Glenda‘s death. Barney and Cody had become completely involved in the card
business and it was flourishing. In fact, they were so busy they had to employ staff to answer
the phones and look after the orders. The ‗Bartrums‘ were well established and sought after.
Sometimes Tom Harrison would ring up asking for help. Naturally when this occurred, Marie
would go with Jon, as she was certified to work on them.
Jon had been called to Sheffield, to see a large chain store operator who was interested in
their cards. Marie was so busy with the printing and packaging it was decided that Jon would
go on his own. He had only just reached the highway when he saw flashing lights ahead. As
he slowed down, a man wearing a road worker‘s uniform approached his car. Jon wound
down the car window.
―Sorry Sir,‖ the man said. ―There has been an accident a truck with four trailers has lost its
load and we have to close the road. It will not be open for quite a few hours. So I suggest you
take the detour.‖
Jon was directed to a side street and told to follow the cars in front of him. He passed a sign
that read: ‗Claredon Shopping Centre – Half a mile.‟ His car started to slow down and
stopped. He tried to start the motor but it wouldn‘t turn over. Jon got out of the car and with
the help of the motorist behind him, pushed the car off the road. The driver offered to take
him to the village but Jon wanted to collect his papers and lock them up in the boot of the
car. He thanked the man, telling him it was less than half a mile, so he would walk. The other
man drove off.
After locking the car Jon picked up his brief case and started to walk towards the shopping
centre. He had only been walking about twenty five minutes when he saw a garage. He
approached it and walked into the workshop. There were two men in overalls, they were
working on a truck. One of them looked up.
―Petrol sir?‖
―No thank you!‖ said Jon. ―I have broken down about a quarter of a mile down the road and I
need help.‖
―I am sorry sir,‖ replied the man to whom he had spoken. ―But we are tied up here and won‘t
be finished for about an hour and a half.‖
―Is there another Garage?‖
―No, we are the only one in town for Thirty miles either way.‖
―Is there anywhere where I can get a cup of coffee?‖ asked Jon.
―You can get a cup of tea over at Jane‘s,‖ the man answered pointing to a shop about twenty
yards from where they were standing. ―I will call you as soon as we are finished here.‖
Jon picked up his brief case and headed for the teashop.
He entered the shop. It was spotlessly clean. There was a counter in front and a kettle was
bubbling gently over a hot plate. As he approached the counter, a lady came through a curtain
hanging in the doorway. She was plump, had a very happy face and was very nicely dressed.
She gave him a very genuine smile.
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―Can I help you Sir?‖
―Yes please!‖ Jon replied. ―I would like a cup of tea and one of those beautiful looking
biscuits.‖
She asked him to sit at any of the tables and she would bring him his tea and biscuit. He
chose a table by the window, which like all the others was covered with a red and white
tablecloth. It was then that he noticed that he was not alone in the teashop. There were two
women in an alcove at the end of the window. They evidently had not seen him. They were
deep in conversation. One lady was holding a cup looking into it and talking to the other. The
one holding the cup put it down. The other woman put her hand into her purse and put a tenshilling
note on the table. She leant over and kissed the other lady on the cheek and left the
shop.
The shopkeeper brought over his steaming hot cup of tea and the biscuit, which had captured
his attention. He thanked her and looked towards the lady in the alcove. She was sipping her
tea and gazing out the window, completely oblivious to anything except whatever was on her
mind. He kept looking at her then on impulse stood up and walked over to her table. She
looked up at him, she was not young but she had a very pleasant face.
―Can I help you?‖ she asked in a soft gentle voice.
Jon hesitated for a moment, ―Please do not think me presumptuous but if I am correct, you
evidently read tea cups and I was wondering if you would read mine?‖
She laughed. ―I don‘t read teacups, I read tea leaves and my fee is ten shillings.‖
Jon took out his wallet put a ten-shilling note on the table.
She left the ten-shilling note where he had put it.
―You will have to get another cup of tea,‖ she said. Pointing to the cup on his table, ―that one
has lost its message.‖
Jon quickly ordered another cup of tea, declined the biscuit and sat down at the table with the
lady.
―My name is Sarah,‖ she said.
―I am Jon Van Holzt.‖ Jon replied. ―Please call me Jon.‖
A few minutes later Jane returned with Jon‘s fresh cup of tea. Jon sipped the hot brew. It was
very nice, not too hot just right. An older woman came over to the table. Sarah moved out to
let her in.
―This is my mother, Melita.‖
―Everyone calls me Milly,‖ she said.
―Hello Milly, my name is Jon.‖
―My mother is clairaudient,‖ Sarah continued. ―It means she hears voices, which tell her
things and she passes the messages on to us. Unlike a clairvoyant she does not see them, only
hears them. She knew you were coming to get a reading. She was told by her voices when
she was in the kitchen and that is why she came to the table.‖
As he finished drinking his tea, Jon asked Sarah how she learned to read tea leaves.
―I don‘t know how I learned, I just did! Just like my mother. She started hearing the voices
when she was little and she still hears them.‖
―Are you ready?‖ asked Sarah.
―Yes,‖ Jon replied. ―May I tape this?‖
―Certainly!‖ she replied cheerfully. ―That‘s the only way you will remember the messages.‖
Jon took out his tape recorder from his briefcase, put in a new tape and returned to the
alcove.
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Sarah reached over and picked up the cup. She placed it with the mouth of the cup on the
saucer, turned it in a clockwise direction three times then picked it up.
―Oh!‖ her surprise was obvious.
―I have never ever seen a cup like this before. The leaves reach almost completely around the
cup and touch each other. It started from the day you were born. A very bright star shone
over you and all through your life you and this star came closer together. As the years
progressed you and the star merged and became as one. This star was your father and he
taught you everything he knew. He was a mechanical genius!‖
Jon gasped. Sarah looked at him.
―Are you alright?‖ she asked, Jon nodded.
―Please continue,‖ he said.
―There was a great explosion and this star disappeared, there was someone very near and
dear to him when he went!‖
―Jon and Shirley, a petrol tanker exploded, wrong place, wrong time and wrong driver.‖
Jon just sat there stunned, for the voice was speaking in Dutch. It was Milly, Sarah‘s mother
who was speaking. He felt all the blood drain out of his face and he thought he was going to
faint. Sarah put the cup down.
―Would you like a glass of water?‖ she asked.
‗I would rather a double whisky thought Jon,‘ but said, ―Yes! Thank you, if you don‘t mind!‖
Sarah rang a small bell. Jane appeared at the doorway.
―Please get some cold water for Jon.‖
Jane went to the refrigerator, took out a jug of iced water, picked up a large glass from the
table and hurried over to their table. Jon nodded his thanks and took a big gulp from the
glass. It was ice cold and brought him back to earth with quite a jolt. He sat there for a few
minutes not saying anything. After recovering his composure, he said in a very croaky voice.
―I have been to dozens of clairvoyants and other mystics but I have never heard or seen
anything like this. It‘s unbelievable!‖
Milly was sitting drinking her cup of tea as if nothing had happened she had not even looked
towards Jon, just straight ahead, sipping her tea.
―Would you rather I stopped?‖ asked Sarah. It was obvious how it had affected Jon.
―Definitely not‖ Jon replied hurriedly. ―Please continue. I now have an idea what to expect.‖
Sarah picked up the cup and looked into it again.
―After their death, you fell into a deep chasm but you were saved by someone sending you a
lifeline.‖
―Big machine, Cowboy suits, pots and pots of money, Oil wells.‖ It was Milly.
Sarah looked up at Jon he took a very deep breath and nodded his head.
―You returned to America, where you met your soul mate and married her.‖
―Little machines printing thousands of them postcards, Mary, Marie? Oh! French Marie.
Beautiful lady! Charles and Suzette, car accident over twenty years ago! Henri, Yvette.‖ It
was Milly again the first part of the conversation was spoken with an American accent and
the last part was in French.
Jon stared at Milly, she had finished speaking and was sitting back completely relaxed.
―Charles and Suzette were Marie‘s mother and father. Sarah continued. ―The world was your
oyster, you had the Midas touch, your business took off like a rocket and you and friends
couldn‘t believe it!‖
―Barney, Glenda, and Cody, Jon and Marie,‖ Milly paused for a moment. ―A Henri and
Yvette are also involved.‖
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Jon reached over and picked up his glass. He filled it with more iced water and gulped it
down, Sarah looked at Jon. He nodded again.
―A dreadful accident happened!‖ She continued.
Milly was staring straight ahead looking at the wall.
―Glenda, Jessie, old lift, three people involved. No chance! She gave Jon a message. Don‘t
give up, you will get the answer you have been seeking and very soon!‖
What to say so he didn‘t say anything. She stopped speaking.
Jon just looked at Milly he didn‘t know what to say, so he didn‘t say anything!
Sarah put down the cup. Jon gave a huge sigh, what he had heard was beyond belief. He
picked up his tape recorder and turned it off.
Jon and Sarah looked at each other.
―I don‘t know what to say!‖ he said. ―I feel like I am in a dream, I have never heard anything
like this and I don‘t believe that I ever will again. Where do I go from here?‖
Sarah laughed, ―You go and see Emily.‖ She replied.
―I am almost too frightened to ask who Emily is?‖ said Jon with a tentative laugh. ―After all
that has happened here, what more can Emily do?‖
―Emily is a Trance Medium. She lives about quarter of a mile from here.‖
―When can I see her?‖ Jon asked trying not to sound too excited.
―I‘ll ring her and see if she is available.‖ Sarah replied.
―While you are doing that,‖ said Jon. ―I will go to the garage and ask them to pick up my
car.‖
Jon hurried to the garage, handed the mechanic his keys and asked him to repair any damage
to his car and that he would return to pick it up later. He returned to the teashop. Sarah was
waiting for him. Emily was available and could see him now. Her fee was one pound and the
séance lasted about ten minutes. Sarah took him out to the street, pointed down to the left and
said, ―If you walk down to the bend in the road you will come to a small street on your right
hand side. It is called ‗Strawberry Farm Road.‘ You will see the cottage from the road, just
go in and knock at the door. Emily is expecting you!‖
Jon‘s heart was pounding as he walked down the road towards the bend. As he reached the
corner he saw a sign on the side of the road it read; ‗Strawberry Farm Road‟. He slowed
down and tried to gather his thoughts. Jon had a very orderly mind and what he had just
witnessed was not going down too well. Like all new and especially unusual experiences it
was taking a little time to be evaluated.
He approached the gate at the front of a beautiful cottage. It was superb. Jon couldn‘t help
thinking that it would make a magnificent card and made a mental note to take some photos.
He thanked his lucky stars he had his camera with him. He hesitated as he put his hand on the
gate trying to clear his mind from all that he had just heard and witnessed. He felt this strange
sensation rising in his stomach. Was it Fear, Apprehension or Anxiety? No, it was not any of
them, it was excitement! He opened the gate and strode confidently toward the cottage.
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Chapter 22
He knocked at the door. It opened immediately and before him stood a little lady. She was
about one hundred and fifty centimetres high, grey hair, very neatly dressed, possibly in her
early sixties.
―I am Jon Van Holzt,‖Jon said. ―Sarah rang for an appointment.‖
―Oh! Sir, Sarah told me that you were a big man but she never told me how big!‖
In comparison with this petite lady, John felt all of his one hundred and eighty centimetres
tall. He understood how his one hundred and fifteen kilogram frame could appear huge to
her. She opened the door wide.
―Please follow me,‖ she said and led him through the lounge room to the back of the cottage.
It was not a very big room but spacious enough for both of them. The light was filtering
through curtains over a very small window. All the walls were bare. There was a small blue
light in the ceiling, which amply lit the room. Two chairs and a half-sized kitchen table
dominated the room. One chair was near the wall furthermost from the door and the other
chair was a lounge chair on the other side of the table. Emily motioned for him to sit in the
lounge chair, as she walked around to the other side of the table. After they both were seated
she asked if he were comfortable and Jon replied in the affirmative.
―May I tape this meeting?‖ he asked.
―Yes, you may.‖ Emily replied.
Jon turned the tape on while Emily made herself comfortable.
―My name is Emily, I am a Trance Medium. Before I go into a trance I put my hands
together under my chin and I pray. When I am in trance, my hands will open and they will
rest palms upward on the table. You can then ask any question that you wish. The answer
will come out of my mouth. If they cannot answer your question they will tell you their
reason. I generally stay in a trance no longer than ten minutes. You will know that I am
coming out of the trance when the little finger on my left hand moves. After this you will
only have a few seconds left.‖
She took a deep breath, ―Have you any questions?‖
―No,‖ said Jon.
―Oh! One more thing, please don‘t cross your arms or your legs during my trance as you will
remove your energy and could break the signal.‖
Emily put her hands in the praying position under the chin and closed her eyes. Jon watched
very closely but nothing unusual was happening. Then suddenly her hands went gently down
to the table palms upward.
―To whom am I speaking?‖ he asked.
―You are speaking to me, Jon. Glenda!‖ Came the voice from Emily‘s mouth.
The answer rattled him for a moment. Then gathering his composure, he asked, ―Are you all
right?‖
―Yes thank you, I feel marvellous!‖
―Barney and Cody send their love.‖
―Please give them mine,‖ came the answer.
―I can‘t tell you how much we all miss you!‖
―I know Jon, I am with Barney and Cody most of the time, because they miss me so much,
thank you for looking after them.‖
Jon went quiet and then said. ―Where are you Glenda and what is it like?‖
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―I‘m on another plane, it is beautiful! No bodily pain, no aches, only I am missing my friends
and family terribly but there isn‘t anything I can do about it!‖ She paused. ―When I first
passed over I felt terrible, I seemed to be in a big black fog. There was no pain but I knew
that something was wrong. I didn‘t know what it was or where I was. Then the fog cleared
and all these beautiful people came to me. I could feel their love flow, it was incredible. They
were ‗The Healers.‘ They took me very gently to the most beautiful flower garden I have
ever seen, it was exquisite. They laid me very gently on top of some blue flowers. I didn‘t
sink down but seemingly floated on top of them. They told me later that there was no
gravitational pull so I just floated on top of them. I felt this power flow through my body and
I couldn‘t believe it! Then I lifted off from the flowers and was standing beside them, I felt
wonderful.
They told me that I was on the first plane and that I could go anywhere I liked on the Earth
plane, including the moon and stars. All I had to do was to think where I wanted to be and I
would be there. The same on this plane but I couldn‘t go on to a higher plane until I left all
my earthly ties behind and was ready to evolve. That is all I know, I can‘t tell you anymore.
By the way, I met Marie‘s mother and father, Charles and Suzette and Marie‘s nurse,
Madeline. They are lovely people.‖ She seemed to hesitate for a moment.
―I have also met your father and mother we are all very friendly.‖
Jon was stunned. He could hardly believe his ears. He didn‘t know what to say. Then he
remembered Glenda‘s letter and said.
―Do you love Marie?‖ He asked in Dutch.
―Well done Jon!‖ She said laughingly and speaking in French said, ―I love her with all my
heart!‖
Jon felt his heart beating faster but then he saw Emily‘s little finger start to move.
―I love you Glenda and thank you for giving me back my life!‖ he said.
―I love you and Marie Jon!‖ said the voice. ―Thank you for giving us back ours!‖
Then everything went quiet. Emily started to stir she was sitting quite still, her eyes closed
and her hands palms up, resting on the table. She sat there for a minute or two and then
slowly opened her eyes. Jon didn‘t say anything. Emily shook her head slightly and looked at
Jon.
―Oh, I am back!‖ she said.
Jon waited until she had fully recovered her composure and then asked her.
―Are you all right?‖
―Yes thank you but I would like a cup of tea! Would you like one?‖
―Yes, thank you, I would love one!‖ he replied.
He leaned over and turned off the tape.
Emily was busy setting out the cups and saucers, after she had put the kettle on the stove,
while Jon sat silently watching her.
―Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?‖ he asked.
―Not at all,‖ she replied. ―Ask me any questions you like.‖
―Where do you go when you go into a trance?‖
―I don‘t know that I go anywhere. I am just surrounded by a lovely warm light and I feel full
of peace and happiness.‖
―Can you hear what the people involved are saying?‖
―No,‖ she replied. ―The last thing that I see is the person who is getting the link and the first
thing I see when I come back is the person sitting in front of me when the link is broken.‖
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They chatted on for another ten minutes on various things. It was obvious that Emily didn‘t
have a clue what happened or how it happened. Her great Aunty Jean had ‗the gift,‘ as did
her Mother they had both lived in the cottage at some time. They told me that for them it was
proof of survival after we left this earth.
Jon agreed wholeheartedly. He took his wallet out of his pocket and opened it. He had a one
pound note and a five-pound note. He took out the one pound note out and put it on the
kitchen table, Emily left it there.
―I will walk you to the gate,‖ she said. ―I might have some mail.‖
About half way down the pathway Jon stopped.
―I have left my brief case under the table I will go back and get it.‖
He walked quickly into the kitchen, picked up the one pound note from the kitchen table and
replaced it with the five pound note from his wallet.
Jon picked up his brief case and hurried down the path to where Emily was waiting.
―I would like to bring three people to see you, if you don‘t mind?‖
―You are most welcome Sir,‖ she replied. ―Just ring Sarah at the tea shop and she will
arrange everything!‖
They reached the gate Jon took his camera out of his brief case and took photos of the cottage
after getting Emily‘s permission to do so. The light was just right. They would look beautiful.
He also took a photo of Emily who made him promise that he wouldn‘t put her on his cards.
He bade Emily goodbye, thanking her from the bottom of his heart for what she had done for
him and for lifting an incredible weight from his mind. She was evidently a little
uncomfortable with his thanks, saying that she was lucky to have the gift.
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Chapter 23
When he reached the teashop Sarah was just saying goodbye to a lady for whom she had
evidently given a reading. She motioned Jon to come over to the table.
―How did it go?‖ she asked.
―She is as unbelievable as you are!‖ Jon replied earnestly. ―I feel like pinching myself to see
if I am awake or if I am dreaming.‖
―I am so pleased,‖ said Sarah. ―You certainly needed help.‖
―I have asked Emily to see my wife and two of my friends. She told me to make all the
arrangements through you.‖
―I will give you the telephone number of the tea shop,‖ Sarah said. ―I am always here or if I
am not Jane will give me your message.‖
Jon asked if he could use the phone, as he wanted to ring Sheffield and London. Sarah took
him to the back of the shop. There was a wall telephone. Jon rang Sheffield and told the
Secretary that his car had broken down and asked if he could see the Directors in the
morning. He was given a ten thirty appointment for the next day. He rang London and told
Marie that his car had broken down and that he had an appointment next morning with the
Directors of the chain stores. He then went on to tell her about Sarah and Emily and what had
transpired and that he had taped everything. He could feel her excitement over the phone.
―Where are you staying in Sheffield?‖ she asked.
―At the Crown Royal,‖ Jon replied.
―Good!‖ she said. ―I will ring them and tell them to change the booking to include your
wife.‖
―That‘s a very good idea,‖ said Jon.
It was arranged that Jon was to pick Marie up at the Sheffield railway station at six o‘clock.
Jane rang the exchange to find out the cost of the calls, which Jon paid her. He said goodbye
to Sarah and asked her to say goodbye to Milly for him. He thanked her for everything and
promised to ring her.
He went to the garage to find his car outside. The mechanic came over.
―It was the fuse in the fuse box, it is very strange. It should be strong enough to carry the
current but it wasn‘t. So I took the liberty of replacing the unit with a stronger one. It should
not give you any trouble now.‖
He handed Jon an itemized account for picking up the car, towing it and repairing the
problem. Jon handed him a credit card and put his brief case in the car. The mechanic
returned with the papers for Jon to sign. Jon thanked him for helping him, got into his car and
drove away. He looked at the dashboard clock it was four o‘clock. He would be in Sheffield
easily by five forty five, so he would drive to the station and pick up Marie and they could go
to the hotel together.
Jon was having trouble controlling his thoughts. He was jumping from one incident to
another once again he remembered what his father had taught him.
‗If you ever have any trouble putting events in order, always start at the beginning.‘
So he put his mind to work and went over the events from meeting Sarah and her ‗tea leaves‘
reading. Milly and her clairaudience, Emily and her trance, His discussion with Sarah. He felt
like he had visited another world and then returned to this one. He thought of his phone
conversation with Marie.
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As soon as he thought of Marie his heart beat a little faster. He looked at the clock on the
dashboard it was five thirty, he slowed down just a little for he was approaching the outskirts
of city section. There was quite a lot of traffic but as he had plenty of time he wasn‘t worried.
He pulled up outside the station at ten minutes to six, he parked his car and sauntered into the
station. He reached the platform just as the train was pulling in.
He headed for the front of the train, for he knew that was where Marie liked to travel. The
train pulled up, the carriage door opened and out stepped Marie. She was carrying an over
night bag in her hand. She saw Jon and waved, he went up to her and kissed her, took the
over night bag from her and they headed for the car.
―I‘m so excited about what you told me over the phone, I am finding it hard to control
myself. I want to hear everything that happened,‖ said Marie.
―I know you are dear but it would be better if we had our tea, settle down and hear it direct
from Sarah, Milly and Emily.‖
―Good, then that is what we will do.‖ she said hugging his arm as they walked towards the
car. ―Oh I love you so much and am so happy to be married to you.‖
―That feeling is definitely mutual.‖ Jon replied ―I have to keep pinching myself to make sure
that this is not just a dream.‖
Marie gave him a little pinch on the bottom.
―Ouch!‖ Jon cried.
―Just testing darling! Are you awake?‖
Jon put his arm around her.
―Yes thank God!‖ he said. ―I am awake.‖
They reached the car, Jon put the luggage on the back seat opened the door for her, closing it
gently, then walked round to the driver‘s side and got into the car as Marie had already
opened the door for him. They drove to the hotel and Jon registered. A bell hop picked up
their luggage and headed for the lift ans he showed them to their room. Jon tipped him well,
for which the Bell Hop thanked him and left.
―Would you rather eat in the dining room or have it sent up?‖ he asked.
―Have it sent up,‖ she said. ―we can be more comfortable and take our time.‖
Jon rang down and ordered their meals. Marie busied herself putting the clothes away in
drawers and a big wardrobe which had two very large sections of hanging space. She used
both sides as she had packed spare clothes for Jon.
They had both settled down when there was a knock on the door. It was the waiter with their
meal. He set everything on the table, opened the wine, asked Jon to taste it. He then asked if
there was anything else he could do for them.
Jon said ―No‖ and the waiter then gave Jon the bill to sign. He included a nice tip, which was
gratefully acknowledged and a very happy waiter left the room. They had a most enjoyable
dinner, the main topic of conversation being Sarah‘s reading. Marie agreed it was
unbelievable. Their dinner finished, Marie put everything on to the trolley and put it outside
the door, then she and Jon changed into their night clothes, wishing to be more comfortable
while listening to Sarah and Emily‘s tapes.
Jon went to his brief case, opened it and took out a letter which he placed on the table next to
the tape recorder.
―There are a few things on the tape which you could be very upset about. Do you want me to
warn you?‖
―No thanks,‖ she replied. ―I want to hear it all first hand.‖
He turned on the tape recorder.
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―This is my reading from Sarah, from my tea leaves.‖
They both sat listening to Sarah‘s voice as she told Jon about his father and his mother, their
accident and subsequent death. Then Milly‘s voice describing what had happened and to
whom. She moved over next to him and held his hand. She smiled when she heard the
description of how Jon had been thrown a lifeline from across the sea and the cowboy suits,
brought a wry smile. Glenda‘s death and Milly‘s summary caused her to hold Jon‘s hand
very tightly. She paled visibly when Milly told of her father and mother‘s death. Jon
motioned towards her to determine if she wanted the tape turned off but she shook her head.
She held Jon‘s hand very tightly when Sarah told Jon that he had met his soul mate and
married her. At last it was over and neither said a word.
Jon went into the kitchenette and made some coffee. When he came back into the lounge
room Marie was sitting with her head in her hands sobbing gently. He put the coffees on the
table, sat down next to her and pulled her gently towards him. She cuddled up close and kept
sobbing. Jon tried to comfort her all to no avail, so he just sat there holding her. They sat
together for about ten minutes and then Marie sat up and shook her head.
―Could we have some hot coffee, very black?‖ she asked.
Jon took his arms from around her and took the now cold cups of coffee back into the
kitchenette, returning later with hot cups of coffee, both very black.
―What would you like to do?‖ he asked.
Her answer caught him unprepared.
―I would like to hear that tape again!‖
―Are you sure?‖
―Yes I am very sure!‖
So Jon rewound the tape put it on the table and switched it on.
Even to Jon it sounded different because the first time with Sarah and Milly he was
unprepared for what was going to be said and the second time he was worried how it would
affect Marie. Now he found that he was analysing all that was being said and by whom.
Marie didn‘t say a word she just sat head bent slightly forward listening. The tape came to an
end. Jon looked at Marie. He then went over to his brief case and took out a letter, which he
handed to Marie. It was addressed to Mr Jon Van Holzt. She opened it and read.
Dear Jon,
If you are reading this letter I am no longer alive and this being the case I want
you to do me a favour. I want you to contact clairvoyants, trance mediums or whoever you
like, who claim to be able to make contact with the Spirit World.
Like Houdini‟s wife, I want us to have a password known only to us, for that way you will
know for sure if they are genuine.
Since I met you I have been learning Dutch. I wanted to surprise you and if I have not spoken
to you in Dutch then it is because I was unable to do so.
I want you to ask me in Dutch if I love Marie and my answer to you will be in French „I love
her with all my heart.‟
If you have any success I want you to tell Barney and Cody and get them to get in touch with
me if they can. If you don‟t have any success, don‟t say anything.
I cannot tell you how much I love you and Marie. You gave me and mine so much happiness
for which I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
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It was signed, Glenda. Marie put down the letter. There were tears in her eyes. Jon went over
and comforted her. They sat together holding each other for quite a long time. Then gathering
her composure Marie asked, ―Is Glenda‘s tape any different to this?‖
―Yes.‖ Jon replied. ―And it mentions your father and mother and my parents.‖
―Good‖ she said. ―We better hear it now.‖
Without saying anything Jon picked up Glenda‘s tape put it in the recorder and turned it on.
They both listened in silence until it was finished. Marie was looking at the recorder.
―Please play it again.‖ she requested.
Jon rewound the tape put the recorder on the table and switched it on. Once again, neither
said a word until it was finished. Marie looked at Jon.
―I feel like an Angel has come through from the other world to tell me not to worry about
death or dying and that when we do die we will meet up with our loved ones once again, who
could ask for anything more.‖
―What a lovely way of putting it‖ thought Jon, ―typical of my beautiful wife.‖
―When can I meet these ladies?‖ asked Marie.
―Whenever you want.‖ said Jon.
―Will you please make it as soon as possible?‖
―I will ring Sarah tomorrow and set up an appointment with both of them.‖
―I must be becoming American!‖ said Marie.
―What makes you say that?‖ asked Jon.
―I keep getting this American saying running through my mind.‖
―What American saying?‖ he asked.
―You know the one, I‘m from Missouri, show me!‖
―Very funny, come on funny girl let‘s get to bed.‖
They both slept very well and awoke refreshed. Jon had finished his shower and shaving
when he heard a knock at the door. It was the lady with their breakfast Jon signed the docket
and asked the lady to have the clerk prepare their account, as they would be leaving this
morning. She had just closed the door when Marie entered the room. She gave Jon a kiss and
declared, ―I‘m starving!‖
―Thanks very much!‖ said Jon ―You kiss me like we are starting our honeymoon and then
start talking of how hungry you are.‖
Marie looked at him, ―We are not leaving straight away, not till after breakfast and I am quite
sure if you still feel that way after breakfast, something can be arranged.‖
―Promises, promises!‖ was Jon‘s reply.
They sat down to enjoy each other‘s company and their breakfast.
Both Jon and Marie went to meet the Directors of the chain store. They found the meeting
hilarious. They wanted the cards at their prices and all rights to allocate who could and could
not sell them in Sheffield. They would also control the prices. The speaker was a Mr James
Henshaw their accountant, a ‗go-getter.‘ Jon waited until he had finished speaking and stood
up.
―Mr Henshaw, gentlemen we cannot thank you enough for inviting us here today. My
associate and my wife, Mrs Van Holzt and I have listened with great interest to your
proposition. I have no doubt that we both agree entirely on what I am about to say.‖
He paused for a moment, and then continued.
―We have captured the top card sellers in London, our sales over the Christmas period were
three times that of our opposition. We came to Sheffield because you are without a doubt one
of the most progressive chain stores in the country.
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I am sure that you didn‘t reach where you are today by letting outsiders dictate your policy
and neither did we. So what we are going to do is to leave with you our prices and our policy,
which you will follow to the letter or you, will not see one of our cards.‖
Jon stopped speaking, looked around the table and then continued.
―We know that you gentlemen are busy, so we won‘t take up any more of your time.‖
He picked up his papers, went behind Maries chair pulled it gently away as she rose, took her
arm and headed for the door. There were cries of protests from the Directors as they left but
they were ignored and Marie and Jon left the room. They took the lift down into the store,
and headed along the corridor towards the exit. Marie took hold of his arm,
―Let‘s get out of here,‖ she said.
Like two young lovers, they walked back to the hotel holding hands.
Jon rang Jane and asked if Sarah could contact him by telephone and gave her the number of
the hotel. She promised to tell Sarah as soon as she arrived. Marie packed her case putting
Jon‘s used clothes in the bag. The phone rang and Jon picked it up. It was Mr Henshaw from
the chain store, he apologized for getting off on the wrong foot and said that they had studied
Jon‘s contracts and agreed with them entirely. Jon asked him to send signed copies to his
office where they would be registered, signed and returned. Once the paperwork was in
order, the chain store could place whatever orders they liked. Mr Henshaw thanked him
again, Jon hung up.
The phone rang again, it was Sarah. He told her he had his wife with him and would like to
arrange a reading with her and Emily, as they were both in Sheffield wondered if it could be
arranged today.
―You will have no problems as far as I am concerned.‖ Sarah replied. ―But I will have to ring
Emily and find out if she is available.‖
She promised to ring Jon back as soon as she made contact with Emily. About five minutes
later the phone rang, it was Sarah.
―Emily is available at two o‘clock, if it suits you and your wife, she could see me at
one o‘clock.‖ Jon thanked her and promised to be there in plenty of time and hung up.
―Have you any tapes for the recorder?‖ asked Marie.
―Yes, I have six.‖ said Jon and went over to his brief case and took two out. He then loaded
one in the recorder and handed it and the other tape to Marie. She put them in her purse. As
it would take about an hour and a quarter to reach Clarendon, Jon ordered a light snack for
eleven o‘clock. They had a plate of sandwiches, some savouries and coffee in the dining
room, after which Jon went to the desk and paid the bill. He loaded the car and they drove
out towards the highway, it was half past eleven.
It was obvious that there was more than just a little excitement for both of them as neither
one was making conversation, they were too busy thinking. It was a leisurely drive and they
reached Clarendon at ten to one. It was obvious to both of them that this was an adventure,
which they were finding hard to accept but couldn‘t get there quick enough to experience it.
They pulled up in front of Jane‘s Teashop and got out of the car. Jon opened the door for
Marie and followed her inside. Jane was at the counter and welcomed him.
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He introduced Marie, Sarah was in the alcove and she walked over to them.
―Hello Sarah,‖ said Jon. ―This is my wife Marie.‖
The ladies smiled at each other.
―Thank you for seeing us on such short notice.‖ said Marie.
―My pleasure,‖ replied Sarah and took them to the alcove.
―Where‘s Milly?‖ asked Jon.
―Milly has not been told that she is needed, so she will not be here.‖
Jane came over. ―Three teas?‖ she asked.
―No only two,‖ replied Marie. ―My husband is going for a walk and will have his tea when
he returns.‖
Jon leant over and gave Marie a kiss and headed for the door.
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Jon walked out of the teashop laughing. He looked in the shop windows as he walked.
Coming to a corner he saw a sign ‗General Store.‘ He walked towards it and looking in the
window, saw three ‗Jones Hawkens Van Holzt‘ cards. He opened the door and walked into
the shop. A lady in her early forties came through the curtained doorway.
―Good morning Sir,‖ she said. ―Can I help you?‖
Jon looked at her for a moment then speaking in Dutch asked, ―How much are those cards in
the window?‖
Her face lit up.
―I haven‘t heard Dutch for three years! Are you Dutch?‖
―Dutch-American,‖ replied Jon.
The woman became excited.
―My name is Gretchen Helmut.‖
―I am Jon Van Holzt.‖
―Of the cards?‖ she said pointing to them.
―Yes,‖ said Jon.
―Oh how lovely.‖
―Would you like a coffee?‖ she asked continuing in fluent Dutch.
―Yes please!‖ Jon replied.
She invited Jon into the back of the counter and they went into the room at the back of the
shop. It was a kitchen and a kettle was boiling on the stove. She put two cups on the table and
added the coffee.
―Milk and sugar?‖ asked the lady
―Yes please.‖ Jon replied.
She gave Jon his coffee and told him her story. Her husband had a heart attack three years
ago and she had been left on her own. She had been trying to run this general store. It was
hard at first but the local people were beautiful. But she missed her family and her friends
who were all in Holland. He heard all about the town and about Sarah whose last name was
Fleming.
Gretchen wanted to go and have her tea leaves read but didn‘t have the courage. Jon told her
that he had his tea leaves read and that Sarah was wonderful.
―I will go to see her.‖ she said. ―Thank you!‖
Emily‘s last name was Power. She was widely respected by the entire town. All their
conversation had been in Dutch and Jon was warming again to the language, which he had
not spoken since his father and mother had been killed. He looked at his watch. He couldn‘t
believe it, he had been gone twenty-five minutes. He excused himself and promised that
when he came back he would visit her again!
He hurried out of the store and headed for the teashop. He opened the door and walked in just
as Sarah was putting Marie‘s cup on the saucer he gave a huge sigh of relief. Marie opened
her purse took out a ten shilling note, leant over and kissed Sarah on the cheek. She looked
over and seeing Jon, literally flew out of the seat and ran to him, putting her arms around him
and kissing him long and hard.
She looked radiant.
―We are going to have three children, two boys and a girl.‖
Jon laughed with pleasure.
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―You will make a beautiful mother,‖ he said.
She took a step back and looking at him said,
―We will make a beautiful family, two soul mates and three lovely children, who could ask
for anything more?‖
She took Jon to the table where Sarah was sitting, picked up her tape recorder and put it in
her purse.
―I have had tea leaf reading from Yvette's reader but without any disrespect you are so far
ahead of her that I cannot believe it.‖
Sarah thanked her.
―I am just lucky to have the extra gift,‖ she said modestly.
Jon looked at his watch it was ten minutes to two.
―We had better get going.‖ he said. ―Our appointment with Emily is at two o‘clock.‖
They said their goodbyes, promising to keep in touch and thanking Sarah for what she had
done for them.
They pulled up in front of ‗Strawberry Farm.‘ Marie gasped.
―Oh! What a beautiful cottage. What a beautiful post card it would make!‖
―I saw it first!‖ said Jon. ―But you will want to take some more photos later and being a
professional, you will have to pay ten pounds for them.‖
―Why only ten pounds can‘t I pay more?‖
―If you pay more, Emily will realise that you are using it as an excuse to give her more
money and she wouldn‘t like you to do that.‖
―Then ten pounds it is!‖ laughed Marie.
They walked up the path to the door and Jon knocked very gently. Emily opened the door.
―Good afternoon Sir how lovely to see you and your beautiful wife.‖
Marie smiled her thanks.
―Jon has told me all about you and played me the tape. I cannot tell you how honoured I am
to meet you!‖
Emily blushed. ―I am just lucky to have the gift,‖ she explained. Then turning to Jon, she
said, ―You shouldn‘t have left five pounds that was too much!‖
―I had to leave the extra four pounds because I took photographs of your cottage and being a
professional, I have to pay for them!‖ he replied.
Before Emily could reply Marie said, ―We want to take some more if you do not mind? We
must pay for them otherwise we could get into trouble.‖
Emily was a little taken aback but seeing they had to pay for them and she didn‘t want to get
them into trouble, they were most welcome.
They went to the kitchen. Jon told Emily that he had explained everything to Marie,
including her little finger on her left hand. Marie asked if she could tape the séance and once
more Emily agreed. Then she and Marie went into the ‗Trance Room‘ closing the door
behind them.
Emily sat in her chair opposite Marie. Emily‘s hands fell gently to the table palms upward.
―To whom am I speaking?‖ asked Marie in English.
―You are speaking to me, your mother!‖ came the answer in French.
―Is my father with you?‖ asked Marie in French.
―Yes!‖ came the reply. ―He is always with me, we are always together.‖
―Are you safe and well?‖
―Yes we are very safe and very well.‖
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There was a slight pause, then the voice in very fast and very passionate French said,
―It is so lovely to be able to talk to you, we have always been with you from when we passed
over, ever since you were a little girl. We love you so much and are so proud of you but have
never been able to tell you until now.‖
Marie felt the tears running down her cheeks.
―Oh mother, I missed you and father so much!‖ she said ―I wanted to die to be with you!‖
―Hush Mon Cheri, all is well. We are all here together now and our happiness is complete.‖
Marie was finding it hard to retain her composure. The tears were virtually running down her
cheeks.
―May I speak with my Father?‖ she asked.
―Hello Princess!‖ said a deep voice. ―I am your father and I love you dearly. You have made
me and your mother so happy and so proud. We have watched you grow from a beautiful
little girl, to a beautiful woman!‖
Then her Mother came through again.
―Oh my beautiful daughter, to hear you and talk to you fills my heart with a happiness I have
not felt for a long time! How much I want to hold you and kiss you and let you feel how
much I love for you.‖
―I feel the same.‖ said Marie crying uncontrollably. ―When you were alive you always held
me and let me know how precious I was to you, I had the most beautiful adorable mother and
father and I lost them both!‖
She was sobbing when another voice came through it was her Uncle Pierre.
―Hello my darling niece how lovely to talk to you, your Uncle Andre is not with us at this
moment but he sends his love.‖
―Please tell Henri how pleased we are with how he has treated you.‖ There was a little laugh,
―and give our love to Yvette and congratulate Henri on his good taste.‖
Marie couldn‘t stop the little smile that appeared on her face.
―Hello my beautiful child, how lovely to talk to you‖ It was Madeleine, Marie‘s heart did a
little jump and her entire body filled with pleasure. ―Oh Madeleine, what a present surprise,
what a wonderful friend you were to me.‖
It was then that Marie noticed that Emily‘s little finger was starting to move.
―Au Revoir, Mama, Papa, Uncles Pierre , Andre and Madeleine. I love you all with all my
heart!‖ she cried.
―Au Revoir my child,‖ came her mother and father‘s voices. ―Give our love and thanks to
Henri.‖
Then everything went quiet. Marie couldn‘t stop the flow of tears. Still crying she turned off
the tape recorder. Emily opened her eyes and upon seeing Marie crying became most upset.
But Marie quickly reassured her, that they were tears of joy.
She opened the door of the Trance Room and went back into the kitchen closely followed by
Emily who was obviously worrying about her, the tape recorder in her hand. She was still
crying. Jon hurried over to comfort her and she put her head on his shoulder and gently
sobbed. He didn‘t say anything.
When Marie stopped crying, she looked up at Jon,
―That was the most beautiful experience I have ever had, I can‘t believe that it‘s true.‖
Then still looking at Jon she suddenly said, ―I am from Missouri and they did show me!‖
Emily had poured the tea and put two cups on one side of the other. Jon and Marie sat
together and Jon put his hand on Marie‘s thigh and gently squeezed it. She gave a huge sigh
then opening her purse took out a pound note and put it on the table.
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Emily seemed a little worried but Marie quickly reassured her that it was the most incredible
experience she had ever had and thanked her for allowing it to happen. Emily was most
pleased. Marie asked if she could take photos of the cottage. Emily agreed but didn‘t want
any payment. However a quick reminder about how they would get into trouble if they did
not pay for them dropped all her resistance. Marie took her photos and put a ten pound note
on the table.
Emily walked them to the car and thanked them for coming. Jon put out his hand and she
shook it. Marie walked over and kissed her on the cheek, Emily looked at her.
―You are as lovely on the inside as you are on the outside.‖ she said, ―how happy and proud I
am to have met you and your husband!‖
―May we say the same about you?‖ Jon replied. ―We have two friends we would like to bring
to see you if you don‘t mind.‖
―Just get in touch with Sarah,‖ she said with a gentle smile.
They got into the car and drove off. Looking in the rear view mirror they saw Emily waving
them goodbye. Jon and Marie waved back knowing they had found a very special friend.
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Chapter 25
They drove back to the teashop. Marie thanked Sarah for everything, telling her that her
talking to her mother and father, uncle, and Madeleine was without a doubt one of the
highlights of her life. She promised to come back when their two friends came to see her and
Emily. They said their goodbyes and drove off. Jon turned the corner and drove down to the
General Store, he stopped the car and they both got out.
―I want you to meet Gretchen she is the lady I met when you were having your reading. She
is Dutch.‖
Jon opened the shop door and they went inside. She looked up and seeing Jon, she smiled her
acknowledgment. She looked at Marie and gave her the same warm greeting. Jon introduced
them. The two ladies evidently liked what they saw, for they moved towards each other like
friends. Jon told Marie about their meeting and about the cards in the window and how they
had both enjoyed the opportunity to speak in Dutch. They spoke for about twenty minutes
until some customers started to arrive. They left but not before promising to visit her when
they returned, which would be in the very near future.
Their drive back to London was an exciting one. A whole new world had opened up for
them. They spoke of the chain store people and Jon‘s ultimatum, of Sarah and her tealeaf
readings, of Emily and her séance, the cottage and of Gretchen. Before they knew it, they
were in London and had arrived at their apartment. It was five o‘clock and they were already
home! Jon carried the luggage into the apartment.
Marie went to the kitchen to get the coffees, while Jon took the tapes and Glenda‘s letter out
of his brief case. They then sat down at the table.
―What are we going to tell Barney and Cody and when are we going to tell them?‖ asked
Marie.
―That‘s easy,‖ Jon replied confidently. ―Firstly I am going to copy all the tapes so that we
can leave them a copy. Then we will invite ourselves over to the ‗Hawkens Hotel‘ for dinner,
and when the moment is right, we will firstly play your tape from Sarah, then your tape from
Emily. I will give them both a copy of Glenda‘s letter to read and ask them if they want to
hear Emily‘s tape. Naturally I will tell them all that has happened and then they can please
themselves.‖
―When are you going to do this?‖
―Now,‖ said Jon and reached for the phone.
‗Hawkens Residence‘ came Frederick‘s voice over the phone. ―Can I help you?‖
―It‘s Jon Van Holzt, Frederick, is Mr Hawkens there?‖
―Oh, Mr Van Holzt, I am so glad you rang Mr Barney and Mr Cody having been working
night and day since you left, the orders for your cards have gone through the roof, all the
stock is gone and there are orders for thousands more.‖
―We will be right over,‖ said Jon. ―Please tell Barney and Cody that we are coming and if
you don‘t mind, please put us in for dinner.‖
―Certainly Sir and thank you,‖ he said and hung up.
They changed their clothes put the tapes and letter back into the brief case and headed for the
garage and drove to the Hawkens residence.
Frederick greeted them like long lost family and took them to the theatre where Barney and
Cody were working.
They were both wearing overalls.
―What a sight for sore eyes you are,‖ said Cody.
Barney took them over to a big desk, which he had placed in the theatre.
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It was covered with letters.
There was one pile ten times larger than the others were.
―Orders for ‗The Glenda‘ said Barney with great pride. ―She is outselling every other card
ten to one. Card World put the price up to get a bit of breathing space and sold out in two
hours.‖
Jon told Barney and Cody to go and have a rest and they would all meet for dinner.
Neither argued and they made a hurried exit.
Jon and Marie checked the ‗Bartrums.‘
They were working beautifully and the quality of the cards was first rate.
He and Marie then sorted out the orders, from pick up, to delivery and put them in boxes,
each checking the others work making sure that it was correct.
They were a wonderful team and soon the pickup orders were finished and in piles ready to
be placed in the cartons.
John assembled the appropriate cartons while Marie started packing them and by the time
Frederick arrived to tell them that dinner would be served in fifteen minutes all the pickup
orders had been completed.
Jon told Marie to go ahead while he checked the bond supply, the ink and the disposal of the
printed card system.
Everything was working perfectly, so he left them working and headed back into the house.
Frederick was waiting for him.
―Mrs Van Holzt is in your room Sir and dinner will be in ten minutes.‖
Jon thanked him and headed for his old room.
Marie was nearly ready. Jon had a shower and changed his clothes, for he had left them there,
when he worked the ‗Bartrums.‘ Marie had brought hers with her.
They walked into the dining room arm in arm. Barney and Cody were both sitting at the table
and they stood up when Jon and Marie came into the room.
Frederick showed them to their seats and put a menu before them.
They all were hungry and ordered accordingly and while they were waiting for their meal
Barney told them what had happened.
The morning after Jon had left for Sheffield, Daisy one of the office girls came down to the
theatre and told him that they were out of cards.
―I told her she must be joking for we have over ten thousand in stock and are printing more
every minute.‖
She took me into the office and there were piles of letters.
The phones never stopped ringing, she estimated that we would need another twenty
thousand cards just to fill the orders we have at the moment and that were not counting the
phone orders.
―Don‘t worry,‖ said Jon ―We have plenty of ‗Bartrums‘ and plenty of plain bond cards.‖
Barney laughed. ―I never thought of it like that,‖ he said.
―We have, haven‘t we?‖
He relaxed completely, just as the girls brought in their meals.
It was a beautiful meal, enjoyed by everyone there was banter, laughter and happiness, for
they were all together like one happy family and they had so much in common.
They had finished their meal and gone to the study to enjoy their coffee and their liqueur‘s.
Barney didn‘t have a beer he said that he had lost the taste for it.
The conversation turned to Sheffield and the chain store.
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Barney and Cody couldn‘t stop laughing as Jon told them about Mr Henshaw and his
demands, followed by his apology and acceptance of the company‘s terms.
There was a slight lull in the conversation and Jon said,
―There is something very important I want to tell you and after that, subject to you being in
agreement, play some tapes to you of what happened to Marie and me, in a little village
called ‗Clarendon.‖
He then told Barney and Cody what had happened and how it had happened, how he had
asked Marie to come to Sheffield, so that he could tell her and show her what he had
experienced.
Neither said a word when he had finished but it was quite obvious that they were both
stunned.
Jon went to his brief case and took out two letters.
They were photo stats of the letter that the lawyer had handed Jon after the reading of the
will.
He gave one to Barney and the other to Cody.
They read the letter and read it again, neither said anything.
―We have a tape of my and Marie‘s tea leaves being read by Sarah and a tape of Glenda and
I, and Marie in the trance room with Emily, speaking with her Mother and Father.
We think it might be best if we play them first, then you and Cody can tell us if you want to
hear the Séance tape with Glenda.‖
Barney squirmed a little and then looking at Jon said, ―Please play the tape with Glenda on
it.‖
―Are you sure?‖ asked Jon.
―Positive.‖ came Barneys reply.
Jon put the recorder on the table and played the tape. He turned it off when it had finished.
Barney got up from his seat went to the liqueur tray and poured himself a stiff whisky.
He turned to the others, ―Anyone like a drink?‖ They all replied in the negative.
Barney poured himself another one and returned to his chair and sat down.
―Would you please play it again?‖ he asked.
And Jon obliged.
Barney gave a huge sigh, ―When can we see this Emily?‖ he asked.
―Within the next couple of days, if you like,‖ Jon replied.
―That would be very good,‖ said Barney.
Cody who hadn‘t said anything all through the playing of the tape or after
said, ―Would you mind leaving that tape with us?‖
―I have made you a copy of all the tapes which I will leave with you and you can keep the
letter from Glenda.‖
Jon left the little group and went to check the ‗Bartrums‘ they were all working perfectly.
He went back inside Barney, Marie and Cody were talking about the tape.
They were so involved that they didn‘t hear Jon enter and looked over in surprise when he sat
down.
It was time to go. They said their good nights, Barney lent over to Jon who was behind the
steering wheel and said, ―you are without a doubt the greatest friend anyone could ask for
and I thank my lucky stars that you are one of mine.‖
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Jon gripped his arm gently and then drove away.
They arrived back at the apartment surprisingly neither of them felt tired.
―What a day!‖ said Jon ―I don‘t think that I have ever had a day like it.‖
―It‘s not over for you yet,‖ said Marie ―Let‘s go to bed.‖
―To bed,‖ said Jon ―I thought you told me that you weren‘t tired.‖
―I‘m not,‖ she said ―but you have a very busy night ahead of you we have children to make.‖
―My cup runneth over,‖ said Jon. ―Let‘s go!‖
They both laughingly headed for the bedroom; their love flow increasing with every step they
took.
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Jon was in the shower having finished shaving, when Marie came into the bathroom.
―Good morning darling! I have ordered our breakfast.‖
Jon opened the shower door.
―Good morning and thank you,‖ he said and gave her a loving kiss.
―You really know how to get a girl going, don‘t you?‖ she said.
Jon laughed. ―All I have to do is think of you and I‘m going,‖ he replied.
―I bet you say that to all the girls?‖
―As you are all the girls as far as I am concerned, the answer is yes.‖
She laughed her pleasure.
―Please get out of the shower I don‘t want to have to eat a cold breakfast.‖
Jon quickly obliged.
They both enjoyed their morning meal and being together, when they had finished Jon said,
―I want to go over and finish the orders, do you want to stay here or come with me?‖
―Where you go, I go.‖ she replied. So that was settled.
They arrived at the ‗Hawkens‘ residence just after seven in the morning.
Frederick took them to Barney and Cody who were in the theatre.
The dockets for the remaining orders were still on the table and after saying their good
mornings they set about filling them. They were well on the way to filling them when Daisy
came in with a handful of papers.
―More orders,‖ she said.
Jon told her that the pickup orders were finished and checked, that she could ring the firms
involved and tell them that they were ready.
Following the same pattern they chose the pickup orders first, followed by the deliveries.
Frederick arrived with their morning tea, ―It is ten o‘clock Mr Van Holzt.‖
―Thank you Frederick,‖ he said and headed for the office to ring Jane.
Sarah answered the phone.
―This is Jon, Sarah you‘re there early aren‘t you?‖
―I thought that you might ring early, so here I am!‖
―Can Emily see two people today?‖ he asked.
―I spoke to her yesterday and she said that two o‘clock would suit her. Just tell those
involved that she takes a ten-minute break between readings.‖
Jon asked her to hold the line and went out and asked Barney if two o‘clock would be
suitable.
―Anytime is suitable,‖ he replied.
So Jon went back into the office and made their appointment for two o‘clock.
―While you are there, would you please make an appointment with Emily for me next week?
Any day will suit me.‖
Sarah promised to do so and hung up.
Barney rang Frederick and asked him to have lunch ready by eleven thirty.
They all went back to work and continued working until eleven fifteen, by which time they
had filled all the orders and had thousands of cards in stock.
Lunch came and went and they prepared themselves for what was to come.
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It was a very leisurely drive, lots of chit chat but no serious talking, they were consumed by
their own thoughts and then they arrived in Clarendon.
Jon pulled up in front of Jane‘s teashop everyone got out and entered the shop.
Jane was at the counter and welcomed them and Sarah was in her usual place, she was
drinking her tea when their group entered the shop, she left the alcove and went over to them.
Jon introduced her to Barney and Cody and they all sat down at a big table in the centre of
the cafe.
―Is Milly coming out today?‖ asked Jon.
Sarah laughed. ―Not today, Jon Van Holzt, not today!‖
―Oh never mind,‖ said Jon laughingly.
Jane came to the table, ―Anyone for tea?‖
They all said yes. Barney looked at Sarah.
―I have heard how good you are, I would love to have my tea leaves read but as I am now,
I don‘t know how I would react as my mind is with Emily and my wife.‖
He paused for a few seconds.
―Would you mind if I take a rain check until I have seen Emily, then I will see how I feel?‖
Sarah reached over and put her hand on his arm.
―You have your cup of tea and a nice cake and enjoy it. We will leave any readings until you
are more comfortable.‖
Barney nodded his appreciation and they ordered their teas.
Barney reached for a cake which Jane had brought and as he did so his coat sleeve slid up his
arm revealing a most beautiful wristwatch.
―Oh Barney,‖ said Marie ―what a beautiful watch, I have never seen one so lovely, where did
you get it?‖
―Glenda gave it to me on our wedding day.‖ replied Barney.
―But it is so dear to me that I only wear it on special occasions, you must admit that this is a
very special occasion.‖
He took it off his wrist and handed it to Marie.
It was exceptional solid gold, illuminated dial, minute and second hands and a north and
south indicator.
Barney started to laugh. ―Glenda said that she got the north and south put on so that I would
not get lost.‖
He hooted with laughter and it was the first time any of them had heard him laugh like that
since Glenda‘s death.
―She was a cheeky one, I loved her little joke. Fancy saying that to a man who had been on
the land since day one and had driven herds of cattle over three counties and hit the town he
was heading for spot on, every time!‖ He had a grin from ear to ear.
Marie had given the watch to Jon who handed it back to Barney, who put it back on his wrist.
He picked up the cake and took a good bite, then took a sip of his tea. It was quite obvious to
all concerned that he was quite excited with what was happening. The conversation lapsed as
they ate and drank, each becoming more involved in where they were and why they were
there.
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Cody caught everyone unprepared when he gave his cup to Sarah. ―Would you please read
my tea leaves?‖ he asked.
Sarah looked at him. ―Are you sure?‖
―I am positive,‖ he replied.
Sarah turned the cup upside down and turned it three times in a clockwise direction and then
she picked it up and looked into the cup.
She had everyone‘s attention but she was completely relaxed and it showed.
―Lucky, lucky, lucky!‖ she said ―you are one of the luckiest people on God‘s earth.
You are deeply loved and respected by all with which you come in contact. There is not a
bad bone in your body. You are a very private person and only contribute when you have
something to contribute.‖
She looked into the cup and laughed. ―The answer is definitely yes, you couldn‘t end up with
anyone better.‖
Barney walked over to the table and looked into the cup but didn‘t say anything.
Sarah continued. ―You will have two boys and a girl.‖
Barney couldn‘t help himself and looking at Cody said. ―Is this Teresa?‖
Cody nodded.
―Good!‖ said Barney ―both Glenda and I liked her immensely.‖
He moved away from the table.
Sarah looked into the cup and turning to Barney said,
―The children‘s grandfather will have a very long life and will see them grow into
adulthood.‖
Barney smiled but didn‘t say anything.
Sarah turned back to Cody.
―You have your mother‘s balance and you father‘s determination, there is not a hurdle you
cannot jump.‖
She then put the cup back on the saucer.
Cody smiled his thanks put his ten shillings on the table and lent over and kissed Sarah on the
cheek.
―You are wonderful!‖ he said ―I‘m so glad that you read for me.‖
Barney walked over to the table.
―Sarah,‖ he said. ―After I see Emily I would be most grateful if you would read my tea
leaves.‖
―It would be my pleasure,‖ replied Sarah.
Jon and Marie were so happy for their friends. The change in them was unbelievable, the
tension had left them and they were both completely at ease.
Barney was chiding Cody about Teresa. ―When is the big day?‖ he asked.
―I don‘t know, I haven‘t asked her,‖ replied Cody.
―Well you had better smarten your footwork or someone might beat you to it!‖
―No they won‘t‖ came Cody‘s very firm reply.
―She is mine and I am hers, we both know it!‖
―Then it‘s settled,‖ said Barney ―when this is all over go and ask her to marry you, okay?‖
Cody burst out laughing.
―Yes dad, I will do as I am told, as soon as we get back to London.‖
―Good,‖ said Barney ―it will be nice having kids around again, they are so much fun and a
joy to watch.‖
Cody laughed. ―You will spoil them silly, like all other grandpas.‖
Barney gave a hoot of laughter. ―Ain‘t that the truth!‖
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Time had passed very quickly and it was now time to go. Jon asked Sarah if she wanted to go
with them but she declined as she had booked some readings.
One was with Gretchen, who had told Sarah that Jon had recommended her.
They went to the car, Jon and Marie sat in the front seat, Barney and Cody in the back. You
could feel the tension starting to mount as they approached the cottage. No one was saying
anything, just sitting quietly absorbed in their own thoughts. Jon drove slowly down the main
street and turned left into Strawberry Farm Road and drove up to Emily‘s gate.
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Chapter 27
The cottage brought them to life, it was so beautiful!
―Wow!‖ said Barney ―what a card this would make, we would sell thousands.‖
―Already taken care of Barney, we have three reels of photos of it,‖ said Jon.
―I should‘ve known,‖ Barney laughingly replied.
They walked up the pathway and Jon knocked on the door. Emily opened it and welcomed
them, the whole one hundred and fifty centimetres of her and with a smile of greeting on her
face, which left no one in any doubts as to how welcomed they were to her home.
She invited them in, greeting Jon and Marie by their first names.
Jon introduced Mr Barney Hawkens and his son Cody. Barney put the record straight very
quickly.
―Please call me Barney and my son Cody.‖
Emily smiled. ―Thank you, please call me Emily.‖
They all sat down at the kitchen table. Jon was the spokesperson and he told Emily how he
had played the tape to Barney and Cody who were the husband and son of Glenda who had
come through to him and how they both wanted to see if they could contact her.
Emily listened to everything Jon said without interrupting.
She then turned to Barney and Cody.
―Have you any questions you would like to ask?‖
Neither of them had any questions.
―Good,‘ she said ―who‘s first?‖
Barney stood up.
―I would like to be first.‖
―Follow me,‖ she said and headed for the trance room.
Barney put his hand in his pocket and took out a notebook, looking over at the others said,
―I have made a list of the questions I want to ask, for I don‘t want to forget anything, Cody
has done the same.‖
―You did bring your list son?‖ he asked addressing Cody.
Cody nodded. ―Yes dad, I have it in my pocket.‖
Barney picked up his recorder and headed towards the door. Emily let him enter then closed
the door behind him.
It was without a doubt the longest ten minutes of all time. Jon kept glancing at his wristwatch
but it did not make the time go any faster. At last they heard the door opening. They could
hear Emily and Barney talking and then he emerged from the trance room.
He was holding his notebook in one hand, the recorder in his other. He looked ten years
younger and as he approached the table he smiled down at them.
―That was some experience. I didn‘t know if I was coming or going. It took the wind right
out of my sails, lucky I had my notebook, I would have been lost.‖
He paused. ―I was talking to her as if she was sitting in the same room with me, we talked
about things that only she and I could possibly have known. I feel like I have visited heaven
and returned to earth.‖
Jon thought of Marie‘s and his thoughts after seeing Emily.
Barney pulled out his chair and sat down.
―If I‘m in a dream I don‘t want to wake up, for it is the most beautiful dream I have ever had
in my entire life!‖
He held up his tape recorder and laughed with joy. Cody looked at his father, he was so
happy for him.
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Jon looked at Marie, her happiness for Barney clearly etched on her face and as for Barney
his face was shining like a beacon. Jon felt a joy flowing through his body for he knew that
he and Marie knew and understood exactly what Barney was talking about.
Barney took a deep breath.
―What I wouldn‘t give for a large cold beer.‖
Jon reached down under the table and brought up a canvas ‗Cold as ice‘ carry bag.
He opened it, brought out a bottle of Barney‘s favourite beer, a glass and a bottle opener,
which he handed to him.
―Courtesy of Frederick,‖ he said, ―he told me you might need it.‖
―God bless Frederick,‖ said Barney as he took the cap off the bottle and poured the beer
gently into the glass, then turning to Jon.
―Is this okay with Emily?‖ he asked.
Jon nodded, ―Sarah cleared it with her before we came.‖
―Good.‖ said Barney ―Now I can enjoy it more.‖
He took a very generous swig and putting down the glass said, ―That was beautiful, I can‘t
remember when I enjoyed a beer so much!‖
He kept looking at his watch. ―I never thought that I would live to see the day, when I would
be able to talk to my wife who was taken from me over four years ago! Never dreamed that I
could tell her how much I loved her, how much I miss her and hear her tell me the same.‖ He
paused. ―I can hear it whenever I play this tape,‖ he said, pointing to the tape on the table.
He took a very big long swig of beer and then put his glass on the table.
―When Glenda and I were first married we used to have this private joke and she reminded
me of it today, in there.‖ he said pointing to the trance room. He hooted laughing just like he
used to do when Glenda was alive.
He looked down at his watch and turning to Cody said, ―Right oh! son it‘s your turn now, go
and say hello to your mother.‖
Cody got out of his chair, picked up his tape recorder and walked to the door of the trance
room, opened it, went inside and closed the door behind him.
THE END!
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**THE FORK IN THE ROAD
When I first wrote „NOT FOR CLOSED MINDS‟ I included the story ‗FROM IDEALISM
TO REALISM‟ but after getting feedback from quite a few people who read it, I decided to
publish it on its own.
When I first started to write it I followed the story given to me by the spirit writer to the
letter. (The spirit writer is in this case being the one whom I believe used me as his or her
automatic writing tool on this plane). The reason I believe this, is that I would wake up some
mornings at four o‘clock, have a cup of tea and sit in front of the computer for up to two or
three hours and when I had finished, I find myself looking at another story or part of another
story as I did in this case.
But after reading what I had written that morning, I felt that it was a no win situation. His
mother and father were killed in the first few chapters and then his wife in the next few. You
must admit that it is very hard to have a happy ending when your mother, father and the love
of your life have all been killed so early in the story, leaving you on your own.
So I changed it!
I don‘t believe that this pleased our friend, ‗the spirit‘ very much and I got into so much
trouble that I decided to give it the flick.
Within one week I was back on the Computer with one finger typing madly away as I had
previously.
I was going like a house on fire using my idea where his wife lived and his friend died, when
I came to a ‗fork in the road.‘ I didn‘t know which road to take, one led me along the track
which I included in the book and the other led me along the track of the original story where
his wife had died and he was trying to contact her through clairvoyants and trance mediums. I
tried desperately to get it out of my mind but twenty pages later I had typed it as he or she as
the case may be, who was using me for this purpose had decided I would and here it is!
As ‗From Idealism to Realism‘ the story that is immediately above this one, I will go straight
into it.
As the reader will appreciate, Jon is still in Britain and it is, Jon‘s wife who was killed in a
car accident, neither Barney, Glenda, Cody or any of the others appear in this ending.
Now we continue and I will take you to the teashop.
Jon picked up his brief case and headed for the teashop. He entered the shop, it was spotlessly
clean. There was a counter in front and a kettle was bubbling gently over a hot plate. As he
approached the counter, a lady came through a curtain hanging in the doorway. She was
plump, had a very happy face and was very nicely dressed. She gave him a very genuine
smile.
―Can I help you Sir?‖ She asked.
―Yes please,‖ Jon replied. ―I would like a cup of tea and one of those beautiful looking
biscuits.‖
She told him that he could sit at any of the tables and she would bring him his tea and biscuit.
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He chose a table by the window, which like all the others was covered with a red and white
tablecloth. It was then that he noticed that he was not alone in the teashop. There were two
women in an alcove at the end of the window, they evidently had not seen him. They were
deep in conversation. One lady was holding a cup looking into it and talking to the other. The
one holding the cup put it down. The other woman put her hand into her purse and put a tenshilling
note on the table. She leant over and kissed the other lady on the cheek and left the
shop.
The shopkeeper brought over his steaming hot cup of tea and the biscuit, which had captured
his attention. He thanked her and looked towards the lady in the alcove. She was sipping her
tea and gazing out the window, completely oblivious to anything except whatever was on her
mind. He kept looking at her for quite a while as he sat there eating his biscuit and drinking
his tea. Then on impulse he stood up and walked over to her table. She looked up at him, she
was in her thirties and she had a very pleasant face.
―Can I help you?‖ she asked in a soft gentle voice.
Jon hesitated for a moment.
―Please do not think me presumptuous but if I‘m correct you evidently read tea cups and I
was wondering if you would read mine?‖ She laughed.
―I don‘t read tea cups, I read tea leaves and my fee is ten shillings.‖
Jon took out his wallet put a ten-shilling note on the table.
She left the ten-shilling note where he had put it.
―You will have to get another cup of tea,‖ she said. Pointing to the cup on his table, ―that one
has lost its messages.‖
Jon quickly ordered another cup of tea and sat down at the table with the lady.
―My name is Sarah,‖ she said.
―I‘m Jon Van Holzt,‖ Jon replied. ―Please call me Jon.‖
A few minutes later Jane returned with Jon‘s fresh cup of tea. Jon sipped the hot brew. It was
very nice, not too hot and just right. An older woman came over to the table she had a cup of
tea in her hand. Sarah moved out to let her in.
―This is my mother Melita.‖
―Everyone calls me Milly,‖ she said.
―Hello Milly, my name is Jon.‖
―My mother is clairaudient,‖ Sarah continued. ―It means she hears voices which tell her
things and she passes the messages onto us. Unlike a clairvoyant she does not see them, only
hears them. She knew you were coming to get a reading as she was told by her voices when
she was in the kitchen and that is why she came to the table.‖
As he had finished drinking his tea, Jon asked Sarah how she learned to read tea leaves.
―I don‘t know how I learned, I just did! Just like my mother she started hearing the voices
when she was a little girl and she still hears them.‖
―Are you ready?‖ asked Sarah.
―Yes,‖ Jon replied. ―May I tape this?‖
―Certainly!‖ she replied cheerfully. ―That‘s the only way you will remember the messages.‖
Jon went to his table took out his tape recorder from his briefcase, put in a new tape and
returned to the alcove and sat down.
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Sarah reached over and picked up the cup. She placed it with the mouth of the cup on the
saucer, turned it in a clockwise direction three times then picked it up.
―Oh!‖ Her surprise was obvious.
―I have never ever seen a cup like this before. The leaves reach almost completely around the
cup and touch each other. It started from the day you were born a very bright star shone over
you and all through your life you and this star came closer together. As the years progressed
you and the star merged and became as one. This star was your father and he taught you
everything he knew. He was a mechanical genius.‖
Jon gasped. Sarah looked at him.
―Are you alright?‖ she asked. Jon nodded.
―Please continue,‖ he said.
―There was a great explosion and this star disappeared, there was someone very near and dear
to him when he went.‖
―Jon and Shirley, a petrol tanker exploded, wrong place, wrong time and wrong driver.‖
Jon just sat there stunned for the voice was speaking in Dutch. It was Milly, Sarah‘s mother
who was speaking. He felt all the blood drain out of his face and thought he was going to
faint. Sarah put the cup down.
―Would you like a glass of water?‖ she asked.
I would rather a double whisky thought Jon but said,
―Yes! Thank you if you don‘t mind.‖
Sarah rang a small bell which was on the table. Jane appeared at the doorway.
―Please get us some cold water for Jon.‖
Jane went to the refrigerator, took out a jug of iced water, picked up a large glass filled it with
water and hurried over to their table and handed it to Jon, who nodded his thanks and took a
big gulp from the glass. It was ice cold and brought him back to earth with a jolt. He sat there
for a few minutes not saying anything. After recovering his composure, he said in a very
croaky voice.
―I have been to dozens of clairvoyants and other mystics but I have never heard or seen
anything like this, it is unbelievable!‖
Milly was sitting drinking her cup of tea as if nothing had happened she had not even looked
towards Jon, just straight ahead sipping her tea.
―Would you rather I stopped?‖ asked Sarah. It was obvious how it had affected Jon.
―Definitely not‖ Jon replied hurriedly. ―Please continue as I now have an idea what to
expect.‖
Sarah picked up the cup and looked into it again.
―After their death you fell into a deep chasm, then you met this beautiful woman, she is your
soul mate and you married her.‖
―Mary? Marie? Oh! French, Marie. Beautiful lady! Charles and Suzette, car accident over
twenty years ago! Henri, Yvette.‖ It was Milly again, she was speaking in French.
Jon stared at Milly, he didn‘t know how but he knew that her voices knew that he spoke and
understood both Dutch and French, as for Milly she had finished speaking and was sitting
back completely relaxed.
He took a very deep breath.
―Charles and Suzette were Marie‘s mother and father.‖ Sarah continued. ―Henri is your
wife‘s uncle,‖ she looked into the cup, ―Yvette is his friend. The world was your oyster, you
have the Midas touch, your business took off like a rocket and you and your wife couldn‘t
believe it!‖
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Jon reached over and picked up his glass, he filled it with more iced water and took a very big
drink, Sarah looked at Jon. He nodded again.
―A dreadful accident happened,‖ she continued. ―Oh! I am so sorry your wife was killed in a
car accident!‖
―A very dangerous night, the rain was teeming down, visibility poor, she never had a chance.
Truck skidded in front of her. She has been trying to get you to contact her for years and they
tell me that she is very close.‖ It was Milly, this time she was speaking in French.
Jon just looked at her as he didn‘t know what to say so he didn‘t say anything.
Sarah put down the cup. Jon gave a huge sigh, what he had heard was beyond belief. He
picked up his tape recorder and turned it off.
Jon and Sarah looked at each other.
―I don‘t know what to say,‖ he said. ―I feel like I am in a dream, I have never heard anything
like this. I don‘t believe that I ever will again! Where do I go from here?‖
Sarah laughed, ―You go and see Emily,‖ she replied.
―I am almost too frightened to ask who Emily is?‖ said Jon with a tentative laugh.
―After all that has happened here, what more can Emily do?‖
―Emily is a Trance Medium and she lives about quarter of a mile from here.‖
―When can I see her?‖ Jon asked trying not to sound too excited but not succeeding.
―I‘ll ring her and see if she is available,‖ Sarah replied.
―While you are doing that,‖ said Jon. ―I will go to the garage and ask them to pick up my
car.‖
Jon hurried to the garage, handed the Mechanic his keys and asked him to repair any damage
to his car and that he would return to pick it up later. He returned to the teashop and Sarah
was waiting for him. Emily was available and could see him now. Her fee was one pound and
the séance lasted about ten minutes. Sarah took him out to the street, pointed down to the left
and said.
―If you walk down to the bend in the road you will come to a small street on your right hand
side, it is called ‗Strawberry Farm Road.‘ You can see the cottage from the road, just knock
on the door and Emily is expecting you.‖
Jon‘s heart was pounding as he walked down the road towards the bend and as he reached the
corner he saw a sign on the side of the road, it read; ‗Strawberry Farm Road.‘ He slowed
down and tried to gather his thoughts. Jon had a very orderly mind and what he had just
witnessed was not going down too well. Like all new and especially unusual experiences it
was taking a little time to be evaluated. He approached the gate at the front of a beautiful
cottage. It was superb! Jon couldn‘t help thinking that it would make a magnificent card and
made a mental note to take some photos, he thanked his lucky stars he had his camera with
him. He hesitated as he put his hand on the gate trying to clear his mind from all that he had
just heard and witnessed. He felt this strange sensation rising in his stomach. Was it fear,
apprehension or anxiety? No, it was not any of them it was excitement! He opened the gate
and strode confidently toward the cottage.
He knocked on the door and it opened immediately and before him stood a little lady. She
was about five foot high, grey hair, very neatly dressed, possibly in her early sixties.
―I‘m Jon Van Holzt,‖ Jon said. ―Sarah rang for an appointment.‖
―Oh! Sir, Sarah told me that you were a big man but she never told me how big!‖
In comparison with this petite lady, Jon could appreciate how his six foot two inches and his
fifteen stone frame would appear huge to her. She opened the door wide.
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―Please follow me,‖ she said and led him through the lounge room to the back of the cottage.
It wasn‘t a very big room but spacious enough for both of them. The light was filtering
through curtains over a very small window, all the walls were bare and there was a small blue
light in the ceiling, which amply lit the room. Two chairs and a half-sized kitchen table was
all the furniture. One chair was near the wall further most from the door and the other chair
was a lounge chair on the other side of the table. Emily motioned for him to sit in the lounge
chair, as she walked around to the other side of the table. After they both were seated she
asked if he were comfortable and Jon replied in the affirmative.
―May I tape this meeting?‖ he asked.
―Yes you may,‖ Emily replied.
Jon turned the tape on while Emily made herself comfortable.
―My name is Emily I am a Trance Medium and before I go into a trance I put my hands
together under my chin and I pray. When I‘m in trance my hands will open and gently fall
onto the table with my palms upward. You can then ask any question that you wish, the
answer will come out of my mouth. If they can‘t answer your question they will tell you their
reason. I generally stay in a trance no longer than ten minutes, you will know that I am
coming out of the trance when the little finger on my left hand moves after this you only have
a few seconds left and my hands will go back to the praying position.‖
She took a deep breath,
―Have you any questions?‖ She asked.
―No,‖ said Jon.
―Oh! One more thing, please do not cross your arms or your legs during my trance as you
will remove your energy and could break the signal.‖
Emily put her hands in the praying position under the chin and closed her eyes. Jon watched
very closely but nothing unusual was happening, then suddenly her hands went gently down
to the table palms upward.
―To whom am I speaking?‖ he asked.
―You are speaking to me, Marie your loving wife‖ came the voice from Emily‘s mouth.
The answer rattled him for a moment and then gathering his composure he asked,
―Are you all right?‖
―Yes thank you I feel marvellous.‖
―I miss you terribly‖ he said.
―I know you do darling and I miss you too!‖
Jon went quiet and then said.
―Where are you Marie and what is it like?‖
―I‘m on another plane, it is beautiful! No bodily pain, no aches, only I am missing you, Henri
and Yvette and our beautiful friends but there isn‘t anything I can do about it.‖ She paused.
―When I first passed over I felt terrible, I seemed to be in a big black fog. There was no pain
but I knew that something was wrong. I didn‘t know what it was, or where I was.
Then the fog cleared and all these beautiful people came to me. I could feel their love flow, it
was incredible. They were ‗The Healers.‘ They took me very gently to the most beautiful
flower garden I have ever seen, it was exquisite. They laid me very gently on top of some
blue flowers. I didn‘t sink down I felt as if I was floating and they told me later that the
reason I didn‘t sink was that there is no gravitational pull on the plane. I felt this power flow
through my body. I couldn‘t believe it! Then I lifted off from the flowers and was standing
beside them, I felt wonderful.
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They told me that I was on the first plane and that I could go anywhere I liked on the Earth
plane, including the moon and stars. All I have to do was think of where I wanted to be and I
would be there. The same on this plane but I couldn‘t go on to a higher plane until I left all
my earthly ties behind and was ready to evolve. That is all I know, I can‘t tell you anymore.
By the way, I met my mother and father and they were so happy to see me, I live with them. I
have also met your father and mother we are all very friendly.‖
Jon was stunned and he could hardly believe his ears. He didn‘t know what to say. Then he
remembered their password and said in Dutch.
―I love you with all my heart!‖
―The answer came back in French ―Our hearts beat as one!‖
Jon felt his heart beating faster but then he saw Emily‘s little finger start to move.
―Oh Marie, this is coming to an end till we meet again! Give all my love to you and our
families.‖
―And my love to you to and all our friends,‖ came her reply.
Jon‘s eyes were filling up so he quickly he reached for his hankerchief to wipe them before
Emily came out of her trance.
Then everything went quiet and Emily started to stir, she was sitting quite still, her eyes
closed and her hands palms up resting on the table and then her hands went back to the
praying position. She sat there for a minute or two and then slowly opened her eyes. Jon
didn‘t say anything. Emily shook her head slightly and looked at Jon.
―Oh, I am back!‖ She said.
Jon waited until she had fully recovered her composure and then asked her.
―Are you all right?‖
―Yes thank you but I would like a cup of tea, would you like one?‖
―Yes thank you, I would love one.‖ He replied.
He leaned over and turned off the tape.
Emily was busy setting out the cups and saucers, after she had put the kettle on the stove,
while Jon sat silently watching her.
―Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?‖ he asked.
―Not at all!‖ she replied. ―Ask me any questions you like.‖
―Where do you go when you go into a trance?‖
―I don‘t know that I go anywhere. I am just surrounded by a lovely warm light and I feel full
of peace and happiness.‖
―Can you hear what the people involved are saying?‖
―No,‖ she replied. ―The last thing that I see is the person who is getting the link and the first
thing I see when I come back is the person sitting in front of me when the link is broken.‖
They chatted on for another ten minutes on various things. It was obvious that Emily didn‘t
have a clue what happened or how it happened.
Her great Aunty Jean had ‗the gift,‘ as did her Mother they had both lived in the cottage at
some time. They told me that for them it was proof of survival after we left this earth.
Jon agreed wholeheartedly. He took his wallet out of his pocket and opened it. He had a one
pound note and a five-pound note. He took out the one pound note out, put it on the kitchen
table, Emily left it there.
―I will walk you to the gate,‖ she said. ―I might have some mail.‖
About half way down the pathway Jon stopped.
―I have left my brief case under the table I will go back and get it!‖
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He walked quickly into the kitchen, picked up the one pound note from the kitchen table and
replaced it with the five-pound note from his wallet, picked up his brief case and hurried
down the path to where Emily was waiting.
They reached the gate. Jon took his camera out of his brief case and took photos of the
cottage after getting Emily‘s permission to do so. The light was just right, they would look
beautiful. He also took a photo of Emily who made him promise that he wouldn‘t put her on
his cards. He bade her goodbye, thanking her from the bottom of his heart for what she had
done for him and for lifting an incredible weight from his mind. She was evidently a little
uncomfortable with his thanks, saying that she was lucky to have the gift.
―I would like to come and see you again if it could be arranged‖ Jon said.
Emily looked at him, he didn‘t know if it was his imagination or not but she seemed to be in
another world.
―Please don‘t leave it too long‖ she said and became herself again.
―I will make it as soon as possible I promise you!‖ he said.
Emily smiled and they said their goodbyes.
When he reached the teashop Sarah was just saying goodbye to a lady for whom she had
evidently given a reading. She motioned Jon to come over to the table.
―How did it go?‖ she asked.
―She is as unbelievable as you are!‖ Jon replied earnestly. ―I feel like pinching myself to see
if I‘m awake or if I‘m dreaming!‖
―I am so pleased,‖ said Sarah. ―You certainly needed help.‖
―I have asked Emily if I could see her again and she told me to make my arrangements with
you.‖ He paused for a moment.
―She told me not to leave it too long!‖
Sarah looked at him but she didn‘t say anything.
Then she said ―I will give you the telephone number of the tea shop, I am nearly always here
or if I‘m not Jane will give me your message.‖
They walked outside together and waved as he drove away.
All the way to Sheffield about one and a half hour drive, his mind went over every detail of
what had happened but when he got to the part where he spoke with Marie, he pulled off the
road, one part of him was full of joy, the other part of sadness, he stayed there for about ten
minutes, took a deep breath and started the car.
He cheered up as he approached Sheffield where tomorrow he had arranged to meet his
Accountant Jacob Hartmann, his secretary Betty and head salesman Albert, what a
formidable team they were, one for all and all for one.
Thanks to them the business had gone through the roof.
They were here to set up a special display for ‗Hemingway‘s‘ the biggest chain store in
Sheffield.
His whole attitude changed and he turned on the radio and sang along with the singers. When
he reached Sheffield, he drove to the hotel where he had booked his room. After having a
very lovely and fulfilling dinner, he went to his room caught up with his paperwork, had a
shower and went to bed. He lay there thinking about all that had happened to him that day,
and he felt this warm glow around his heart and fell asleep.
He woke up when the alarm clock he always carried with him went off. He felt wonderful he
had slept like a top. He had a shower, went downstairs to be met by his team who had just
arrived. It was seven thirty and Jacob said ―Let‘s have a quick bite and get down to work!‖
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‖A quick bite nothing,‘ said Jon. ―I‘m hungry!‖
He approached the head waiter and pointing to a very large alcove on the side he said,
―that alcove over there, the one with the big table can we have that?‖
―That alcove is kept for special occasions and comes with a surcharge sir,‖ he said.
―Good,‖ said Jon. ―Set it up for four people, we will finish our breakfast and use it as an
office, is that acceptable?‖
―As long as you are out by nine thirty,‖ said the head waiter.
―No worries!‖ said Jon and nor would there be as their meeting was for ten o‘clock.
The head waiter called over his people who gave them all a menu and set the table. They had
a beautiful leisurely breakfast. The waiters cleared the table and Jon and his team got down
to work. It couldn‘t have been easier and everything fell into place as they had done their
homework, all they needed to do was tie up any loose ends.
The meeting with Mr Henshaw the Accountant and the directors was a walk in the park.
Jon‘s team answered question after question, until there were no more questions.
When they showed them the cards and told them the wholesale and retail price and how they
were going to set things up and service them, they were really impressed.
An hour later they left the meeting with their biggest order ever. His staff being his friends as
well as his employees were so happy to see Jon acting as he did before his wife had been
killed, he was carrying on just as he did when she was alive, he was actually glowing.
Jon would be staying in Sheffield for at least a week to show and tell the people involved
how to best present the cards, he was going to have a busy time as the chain store had
branches all over the place, in and around Sheffield and beyond. He was up at seven every
morning, had a good breakfast and went to work. He couldn‘t remember ever working so
hard and wanting too. He was full of vim, vigour and vitality. Life for him was once again
beautiful. As for the sales they were unbelievable, so much so that he had to bring down
another fifty thousand cards just to keep the backup supply as required.
The week went quickly and Jon was travelling from store to store teaching those involved
where to put the cards and how to service them. Every night when he went to bed he thought
of Emily and Marie, how lovely it would be to talk with his beloved wife again!
At last it was over, he had been here for two weeks but now those involved were doing things
as they should be done. Jon had to lift the backup supply from fifty thousand to one hundred
thousand to make sure that they would always have plenty cards on hand.
Mr Henshaw rang him personally, thanking him for his work and his expertise. They had
never sold so many cards, the sales were increasing daily. Jon thanked him for ringing and
hung up.
He went to his wallet got out the phone number that Sarah had given him and rang it.
He rang the cafe three times but nobody answered, he tried again and was about to give up
when a voice said, ―Hello.‖
―Can I speak to Sarah,‖ he asked.
―This is Sarah,‖ answered the voice. ―Who am I speaking too?‖
―It‘s Jon Van Holzt, I saw you a couple of weeks ago!‖
He heard a very loud deep sigh and then the voice said, ―I am afraid I have some very bad
news for you Mr Van Holzt. Emily died last night her friend Mabel found her this morning!‖
He could hear her gentle sobbing through the phone and his heart went out in sympathy for
her.
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He felt as though something had drained all of his strength out of his body, he didn‘t know
what to say, then gently coming back to earth said. ―Would you mind if I called in on my way
through, I would like to pay my respects?‖ Jon asked.
―That would be lovely of you.‖ She said.
―I will be there in about an hour and a half.‖ Said Jon and hung up.
He sat there for about ten minutes completely stunned as he was finding it very difficult to
take in what Sarah had told him.
―Oh God!‖ he said.
Packed his case, went down and paid his account, leaving a nice tip to be shared with those
involved.
He took his luggage out to the car and put it in the boot and put his valise on the floor in the
back of the car. He had been sent quite a few letters from his office but he had read most of
them and replied by phone. As he was leaving the desk clerk had handed him five letters
which had arrived that day. Jon took them and thanked him.
He sat in his car in the garage for about ten minutes he was in a hell of a mess, he gave a
huge sigh and picked up a letter and opened it. It was from one of the firms buying his cards
and asked seeing that they were buying so many could they get a discount. There was a note
in it from Beryl. ―Told them no.‖ Jon couldn‘t help but raise a little grin, trust Beryl.
The second letter was from Beryl that a card supplier had downgraded their AAA bond. She
had found out about them and all the inferior cards had been returned. She had sent the
supplier a letter telling him that this matter had been referred to our Solicitors.
The third letter really brought him undone it was an agreement to pay Emily Power the sum
of twenty pounds for the use of the photograph of the ‗Strawberry Farm Cottage‘ on their
cards plus a royalty of three pence for every card sold. There was another bulky envelope
inside. It was from Harry Green his solicitor, there was a note with the agreement.
Enclosed please find cheque for twenty pounds, thought that you would like to sign it
personally. Photo‘s in other envelope, you will sell thousands of them. Jon opened the
bulkier envelope, there were five photos. Four were of the cottage from different angles, they
were absolutely gorgeous. The fifth photo was of Emily, as cute as a button with the most
beautiful smile you could ever wish to see on her face. Jon sat there as if a trance looking
down at her photo his heart aching for Emily and himself.
He was trying very hard to come to grips with making contact with Marie and their
wonderful talk together, then losing possibly the only person in the world who could reestablish
that contact. He was not taking it very kindly and twice had to drop his speed back
to a hundred as he was well above it.
It took him about an hour and a half to drive to Claredon. He pulled up outside the café,
locked his car and went inside. It was full of people, he looked for Sarah‘s alcove and sure
enough there she was, she saw Jon and motioned him over. She moved over as she had kept a
seat for him. She looked terrible, her tear stained face was pale and drawn.
―Thank you for coming‖ she said. ―Emily would be so proud.‖
She talked about Emily for about ten minutes Jon didn‘t interrupt just sat there listening to
her as she poured her heart out. She stopped for a moment and said. ―I have been told that the
funeral will be held on Sunday at two o‘clock at the local cemetery, I know that you will be
too busy to attend but I thought that you might like to know.‖
―Thank you for telling me,‖ said Jon.
―I will see you at the funeral.‖
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He had, had enough and said his goodbyes to Sarah and her mother Milly who seemingly
appeared as out of the clouds but didn‘t say anything, for which Jon was grateful.
He then left and drove around the town and saw this little flower shop. He stopped the car,
got out and went into the shop. A very nicely dressed young lady of about thirty greeted him,
she told him that her name was Anne and asked him how she could help him.
―I want a wreath for Emily,‖ he said.
―How much do you want to pay?‖ she asked.
―I want a nice wreath suitable for the occasion‖ said Jon.
The lady took him into the back of the shop and showed him the type of wreaths she made.
They were all very lovely. His eyes caught one which he knew that Marie would have loved.
―How much is that one?‖ He asked.
―That one would cost you fifteen pounds‖ she replied. Jon took out his wallet and gave her a
ten pound note and a five pound note. She handed him a very nice looking card and a pen for
him to write his message.
Jon wrote;
‗To Emily with warmth love and affection I will never forget you.‘
Jon Van Holzt.
Anne looked at what Jon had written. ―Nobody could ask for anything nicer than that!‖ she
said.
Jon thanked her and went to his car and headed for London.
It was a long drive back to London it took him nearly three and a half hours, he went over in
his mind everything that had happened from start to finish but no matter where his mind went
it always came back to the same question.
Why did he after all those years of searching, find Emily and within two weeks of finding
her, lose her. It just didn‘t make sense and the more he thought about it the less sense it made,
and it made him very angry, as he was to find out when he looked down at his speedometer
and saw the needle was just on the One hundred mark. He eased his foot off the accelerator
and took his mind completely away from what he had been thinking about and concentrated
on his driving.
He tried as hard as he could to be the new found happy self that he had been before Emily‘s
death but walking around with a knife stuck in your heart does not make that an easy task.
His very loyal staff did everything they could to make his life easy but this was not possible
as Jon‘s mind was giving him a very hard time and he was not appreciating it!
With so many orders having to be filled Jon and his staff were working Saturday mornings,
and this had been one of the busiest ever. When it was over Jon called them altogether and
apologised to them for his possible bad behaviour, telling them that it had nothing to do with
them, it was a personal problem of over which he had no control.
There was nothing to forgive as far as they were concerned for he was an honest and sincere
friend, as well as a very generous employer.
Jon was not looking forward to Sunday but as he had told Sarah that he would see her at the
funeral he was definitely going. He rose early Sunday morning, shaved, showered, and had
his breakfast, two pieces of toast, no butter, and a cup of coffee.
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He went to his study put the alarm on for eleven thirty so that he could have something to eat
before he left, sat down and started to work. The alarm went off he tidied his papers and was
walking into the kitchen when the doorbell rang. He walked down the passage and opened the
door. It was Jacob his accountant.
―What are you doing here?‖ he asked.
―I‘m going to a funeral with my friend,‖ he relied.
―But‖ Jon started to say.
―No buts,‖ said Jacob. ―It has all been arranged you and I are going to a funeral.‖
―Why not,‖ said Jon.
He and Jacob sat down to a light lunch luckily there was plenty for both and some left over.
They cleaned up, Jon changed his clothes and they both went out to Jacob‘s car. They didn‘t
talk much on the way to Claredon. Jon was very deep in thought and Jacob respected his
privacy and kept his peace.
They drove to ‗Strawberry Farm‘ where the funeral was leaving from and there were only
about four cars but hundreds of people. It looked like the whole village could have turned up,
and they were not far wrong, those who could come, came and those who couldn‘t were there
in spirit. Jacob was not backward in letting Jon know what he thought of the cottage.
―It‘s magnificent!‖
―One off.‖ said Jon.
Sarah had evidently been looking out for him, for as soon as he pulled up she walked over to
the car. She looked terrible, her face was pale and drawn and had sorrow written all over it.
Jon introduced Jacob, they shook hands.
―Thank you both for coming!‖ she said. ―Emily will be so pleased.‖
―Our pleasure!‖ said Jon.
Sarah gave a little laugh.
―Emily couldn‘t believe it, when she went back into the house and saw that five pound note
on the table. She said that you should not have done it but she was so thankful to you.
―She was worth every penny of it!‖ Jon replied.
They walked together to where the service was being held.
They went into the cottage, a very plain coffin was sitting on a carriage with wheels, people
were walking past and some dropped a flower in the coffin. Jon joined the queue and walked
with them up to the coffin and looked down at Emily. She looked like she was fast asleep,
and had a most beautiful peaceful look on her face.
She was dressed in an old fashioned dress which suited her perfectly. Jon felt this tug at his
heart and turned quickly and walked away into the living room which was full of people. He
glanced towards the ‗Trance room‘ the door was closed. Jacob was talking to Sarah. He went
over to them.
―Oh Jon what a beautiful wreath I have never seen anything like it, it is beautiful‖ said Sarah.
―My wife‘s favourite flowers‖ said Jon. And they walked together towards where the
undertakers were loading the coffin on to the hearse.
They all followed the hearse to the cemetery which was only a few hundred yards from the
cottage. It was a typical old type cemetery going way back in time, it was very nicely kept.
There were possibly two hundred odd grave stones. Jon couldn‘t help himself, what a
beautiful card this would make he thought. He shook his head and tried to put his mind on
something else but fair to say old habits die hard.
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It was a very warm down to earth service, the Priest was an old friend and it showed, he
talked about Emily and her family and he went way back. Mabel the lady, who had found her,
told of how much she loved her and cried all the way from start to finish.
Sarah was wonderful, no tears just loads and loads of genuine love and affection.
Many of the people attending had flowers in their hands and put them on top of the coffin,
and then it was gently lowered into the ground.
They all went back to the cottage; people were eating cakes, biscuits, scones etc. which
nearly all of them had brought so that there was plenty to eat for all. Jane from the tea shop
was in charge of the tea and everyone got looked after, for she knew what she was doing. She
waved when she saw Jon and he waved back.
It was then Jon noticed a wooden bowl on the table in the kitchen, people were walking up
and putting money into it and there was a lot of money in it. It was full to overflowing. Jon
was perplexed and went looking for Jacob, he saw him talking to a couple by the window and
they were very obviously getting on famously. Jon walked over, Jacob looked up and seeing
Jon called him over.
―Meet these new friends of mine‖ Sidney and Fanny Abrahams meet Jon Van Holzt.‖
Sidney shook Jon‘s hand in a nice firm handshake and Fanny kissed him on the cheek.
―Cut that out,‖ said Sidney. ―You behave yourself okay!‖ they all laughed.
―Sidney is a fellow accountant.‖ said Jacob.
―What hope have I now?‖ said Jon ―Not one Accountant to deal with but two.‖
They spoke for a few minutes then he and Jacob said their goodbyes. Jon took Jacob to the
kitchen and nodded to the wooden bowl which now was piled high with money.
―What do you think it is Jacob?‖ he asked.
―Could be anything!‖ he replied ―Let‘s go and find Sarah and ask her.‖
They found Sarah saying goodbye to people as they were leaving.
―Going already?‖ she asked.
―Nearly,‖ said Jon. ―We have a long drive home but before we go, could you tell us why
people are putting money in that wooden bowl?‖
―We want to put a special headstone on Emily‘s grave and we asked the villagers to help us!‖
she said.
Jon thanked her and she thanked them for coming. They returned to the kitchen. Jon opened
his wallet, a solitary five pound note greeted him, he put it on top of the other money Jacob
opened his wallet it had a ten shilling note and a five pound note in it. Jacob pulled out the
five pound note and dropped it on the other money.
―You didn‘t have to do that Jacob.‖ said Jon. Jacob laughed.
―You seem to forget that I am Jewish, I don‘t have to do anything!‖ they both laughed as it
was an old joke between them.
As they walked to the car Jacob told Jon that during his conversation with Sidney Abrahams,
Sidney told him that ‗Strawberry Farm‘ was going to be sold.
―It‘s mine!‖ said Jon. ―I will leave it in your hands.‖
―I will take care of it.‖ said Jacob.
They were about ten minutes out of Claredon and neither of them had said anything when Jon
opened up. He asked Jacob to pull over as he wanted to talk to him.
Jacob obliged.
He told Jacob everything that had happened to him when he was here last. When his car had
broken down and he had gone to Jane‘s teahouse, met Sarah and her mother Milly.
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He took out the tape that he had recorded during Sarah‘s reading put into the player he had
with him and turned it on.
They both sat quietly while the tape was played.
Jon turned it off.
―I have never heard anything like that.‖ said Jacob.
―Wait until you hear this.‖ said Jon.
He played Emily‘s tape.
Jacob didn‘t say anything! He had sat looking straight ahead as he had when the first tape
was being played. Jon leaned over and turned off the tape.
Jacob turned to him and said, ―This is out of my league, I don‘t know how I am going to react
when I get on my own and try to analyse this, it puts everything I have believed in all my life
on the hot plate and I find that very frightening.‖
He paused for a moment.
―Would you give me a copy of the tapes?‖
Jon reached to his brief case took out two tapes turned the recorder on and made a copy of
each of them which he handed to Jacob.
―I don‘t know what to say, this is unbelievable, it is like getting a message from the other side
and I don‘t know how I can help or comfort you.‖ he paused.
No wonder you were so upset when Emily died, I couldn‘t believe the change in you when
you met us in Sheffield, you were like a man reborn but now that I know that you have lost
your link to your beloved, no wonder you are so upset.‖
He fell silent, Jon didn‘t say anything.
―What are you going to do?‖ Jacob asked.
And back came this very desolate reply.
―I don‘t know, I really don‘t know!‖
They drove silently to London, each trying to come to grips with what they had heard on the
tapes. Jon was in a more trouble than Jacob as all his experiences had been first hand.
Sarah was very easy to follow and was obviously clairvoyant as well as being a reader of tea
leaves. Milly was something different, she was terrifying. Talking in Dutch and French both
with perfect accents and relating things in detail which happened to the people involved when
Sarah was talking about them, was very hard to get your mind to accept.
As for Emily she really knew how to capture ones attention.
As for Jacob he was doing it very hard, the more he thought about it the more confused he
became, so he decided to put the whole thing out of his mind to be dealt with at a later date
and concentrate on his driving.
The car pulled up in front of Jon‘s house. Jon turned to him and asked.
―What are you thinking?‖ Jacob turned and faced him.
―After listening to those tapes I haven‘t got the slightest idea what to say to you. I kept going
over them in my mind many times during the drive until I realised that I was wasting my
time. What I have heard has reached right down to where I live, I am trying to come to grips
with it but I am not succeeding.‖
He stopped talking.
Jon held out his hand, Jacob took it and firmly shook it.
Said ‗Goodbye‘ and drove away.
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Jon walked into the house, sat down at the table and put his head into his hands. He stayed
that way for many hours then completely exhausted climbed into bed and fell into a deep
troubled sleep.
It was two months after Emily‘s funeral, Jon had thrown himself into his work night and day,
holidays and weekends didn‘t mean a thing. No time for play and no time for pleasure, time
only for work and the dividends were paying off. He couldn‘t believe his success.
Like all good businesses they kept a record of everything they did and their figures were
almost doubling every month, the top selling card was ‗Strawberry Farm‘ people couldn‘t get
enough of them.
They had added a message inside the card which read;
‗To a very Special person on this very Special Occasion!‘
Jon had only rung Sarah once since the funeral and she told him of the lovely headstone that
they had put on Emily‘s grave and thanked him and Jacob for the fivers, as she had no doubt
who put them in the bowl. Jon laughed.
―Aren‘t that what fivers are for,‖ he quipped.
Sarah laughed they spoke for a few more minutes then hung up.
Jon was in Glasgow and when he returned to his hotel there was a message for him, it was
from Jacob as it was about seven o‘clock at night he rang his home number.
Jacob answered the phone, ―Hello Jon, how are?‖
―Good thank you, what‘s up?‖
―Strawberry Farm went up for sale I thought that you might like to know?‖
―Did I buy it!‖ asked Jon.
―Yes‖ Jacob replied. ―You actually bought it last week but the sale was only completed
today. You are now the proud owner of ‗Strawberry Farm.‖
―Good‖ said Jon.
―What did I pay for it?‖
―Why‖ Jacob kidded, ―Are you worrying about the price?‖
―No,‖ replied Jon. ―I am worrying what my accountant would say if I bought something and
didn‘t know what I paid for it!‖
Jacob laughed, ―That‘s my boy!‘ he said.
―It cost you fifteen thousand pounds.‖
―Good, now I will be able to tell my accountant.‖ They both laughed.
―Incidentally we have let it, we are getting one pound ten shillings a week, we were offered
three pounds by three interested people but I settled for one pound ten.‖
―Whatever suits you, suits me.‖ said Jon.
―Don‘t you want to know why you are only getting one pound ten shillings instead of three
pounds, or to whom it is let?‖
―No,‖ said Jon.
―Should I?‖
Jacob sighed, ―I let it to Sarah.‖
―Our Sarah?‖ asked Jon.
―Yes our Sarah,‖ came the reply.
―Why didn‘t you give it to her for a pound?‖ Jon asked.
―Because she wouldn‘t take it at that rent, that‘s why.‖
―Fair enough don‘t get angry.‖ said Jon. They both burst out laughing.
Jacob asked Jon how he was dealing with his problem and Jon answered.
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―I‘m working it to death.‖ They spoke for a few minutes longer and then hung up.
Both completely happy and satisfied with all that had transpired.
Every month Jon and Jacob held a meeting to deal with any problems and to bring Jon up to
date with how the business was progressing. It was always held in Jacob‘s office as that‘s
where the books were kept. No phone calls were put through while they were going over the
books, nor were they to be interrupted.
Jon sat in front of Jacob‘s desk which was covered in books.
―Why all the books?‖ he asked.
―Because of all the work that you are doing, between you and Albert you have trebled your
sales and where there are sales, there is book work.‖
―Trebled?‖ said Jon.
―Actually it is a bit more‖ came the reply. They sat and talked for a few minutes and Jon got
up to leave and Jacob handed him a small newspaper, he looked at the Heading, it read;
‗Spirit News.‘
―I asked around,‖ said Jacob. ―A friend of mine sent it to me.‖ Jon nodded his thanks.
―Have you thought anymore about the tapes?‖ he asked.
―I have never stopped thinking about them!‖ Came Jacob‘s reply.
They said their goodbyes and Jon drove back to his office, he asked Beryl not to disturb him.
He sat down at his desk and started to read the paper Jacob had given him. It was a four page
paper, he read quite a few of the items and some gave reports of Clairvoyants from different
churches, private readings given by them and the cost involved. On the back page was a list
of churches giving their address and telephone numbers and times of their meetings. He
thought about what he had read and decided that he would study at home tonight, picked up
the house phone and told Beryl to put all calls through to him. As usual when anyone is
working hard and doing what they liked the days flew and it was Sunday.
Unlike other Sundays it was his day off, he had slept in till about eight, which was late for
him but he wanted to relax and take in all that had happened and he wanted to read the ‗Spirit
News‘ from cover to cover. About eleven thirty the phone rang, he picked it up.
―Is that you Jon?‖ Asked a voice he recognised as Sarah‘s.
―Yes Sarah,‖ he replied. ―How are you?‖
―Good thank you.‖ They chatted for about ten minutes Sarah continually thanking him for
allowing her to rent the cottage and suggesting that she should be paying more rent.
―Sorry Sarah but that side of the business is handled by my accountant and I have no say in
it!‖
Sarah laughed. ―Thank you Jon, by the way the reason I rang is that this morning when I was
emptying one of Emily‘s draws I found a note which had written on it;
‗Big Jon, Berwick Street, Emily‘
It was printed in her very neat writing and as it obviously refers to you I want to send it to
you.‖
Jon felt this very warm feeling around his heart.
―Please do! I would love to see it.‖ so that was arranged.
They spoke for a few minutes more before hanging up.
Jon promised to keep in touch. Everything else went out of his mind, a message from Emily
beyond the grave, his mind was racing, he even thought of driving down to Claredon today
but after thinking it over he decided against it.
382
What a day, tried to read the ‗Spirit News‘ but it was a waste of time, Emily had sent him a
message and he knew in his heart that it was for a reason and the only reason it could be was
that there was another Emily and she had the same powers as his Emily.
He made himself a couple of sandwiches, a cup of tea, as he didn‘t fancy coffee at this time,
sat down and tried to think or to be more exact, tried not to think but all to no avail.
The only thing which would calm him when he was in this mood was music, so he put on his
favourite light classical music, sat down and listened to it. It was so soothing that after an
hour listening to it he turned it off picked up the ‗Spirit News‘ and read it from front to back.
He read the addresses of all the churches listed but Berwick Street was not mentioned.
Jon had been trying for weeks to get to Bristol and at last he had succeeded and was glad that
he had for the cards they were selling were very plain and uninspiring and he had taken
orders for thousands of cards. It was Sunday and he was sitting in the hotel lounge in front of
a lovely warm wood fire reading his paper, he felt at peace with the world.
Two ladies walked in, he looked up but they didn‘t look towards him possibly because they
were so engrossed in their conversation.
―She is absolutely wonderful, she described my grandmother to a T and told me her first
name and that she was born in Glasgow.‖ She went on and on, Jon was holding his
newspaper as though he was reading it, which he wasn‘t for he was hanging on to every word
this lady was uttering.
The chatted on for about another ten minutes, most of it to do with the person that the first
lady had seen and other matters of no interest to him. The lady who had been doing most of
the listening looked at her watch?
―Oh! My goodness, I have to run‖ and picked up her purse from the table and stood up. Jon
has just about made up his mind to approach them, when the lady who was about to leave
said, ―Are you going to Armstrong Street tonight?‖
―It‘s not Armstrong Street they have moved back into Berwick Street.‖
Jon was out of his seat in a flash. He walked over to them they looked up as he approached.
―Excuse me ladies but I couldn‘t help overhearing that Berwick Street is on tonight, is that
the spiritual meeting?‖
―No‖ replied the lady who had been doing most of the talking, ―tonight is the clairvoyant
night, they hold it once a month the entry fee is five shillings and most people bring a plate.‖
The other lady chimed in ―They have card readers, Tarot cards, Clairvoyants and other
psychic people.‖
―Don‘t forget the trance mediums,‖ the other lady said. ―They cost a pound but I believe that
they are excellent!‖
Jon was finding it very difficult to control his excitement. There would have to be an Emily,
but Jon didn‘t have the courage to ask just in case he was disappointed.
―What time does it start?‖ he asked.
―It starts at seven o‘clock on the dot, don‘t be late because they close the doors right on
seven.‖
―By the way‖ said the other lady, ―its number nine Berwick Street.‖
Jon thanked them both and they left.
Jon went to the desk clerk and asked him if could order a plate of sandwiches to take away.
―Of course you can sir, when do you want them?‖
―Do you know where Berwick Street is?‖ asked Jon.
―Yes sir, it is about two streets to the left of the hotel on the same side, about three or four
minutes‘ walk.‖
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―Good‖ said Jon. ―Would you please book me in for dinner at six o‘clock and I would like to
be given the sandwiches when I‘m leaving.‖
―No worry sir, everything will be ready for you.‖
Jon thanked him and went to his room to think, remembering Emily‘s note went to his brief
case and took it out and as he did the ‗Spirit News‘ fell onto the floor, he picked it up and
looked at it, he felt like he was being given a message but as he couldn‘t work out what it was
he put it back in his brief case.
He read Emily‘s note, it simply said. ‗Big Jon Berwick Street, Emily.‘
He started to shake, he didn‘t know if it was because what was happening or what he was
expecting to happen.
He looked at his watch it was twenty five to six, he decided to have a shower and change his
clothes.
He walked into the dining room at two minutes to six.
He was shown to his table by the head waiter. He ordered a very light meal which he enjoyed
immensely and decided on a very lovely looking piece of apple pie which was behind a
refrigerated glass door.
―Ice cream sir?‖ asked the waitress.
―Yes thank you!‖ said Jon, and she returned with the apple pie and a very nice serving of ice
cream and asked him when he would like his sandwiches.
―Now, if you don‘t mind.‖
The waitress left and returned with the sandwiches. She gave him his bill he signed it and
included a generous tip which she was not backward in letting him know how much she
appreciated it.
He entered the foyer it was six forty five, went to his room got his overcoat as it was a cool
night and with his sandwiches in his hand headed towards Berwick Street. He passed
Brighton Street and kept walking and there it was Berwick Street. He turned into it, he looked
at the number on the gate and he saw seventeen he was on the right side. People were
entering a house just down from him and many of them had plates of food in their hands.
He came to the front of the house and walked up the steps, there were six of them. A lady met
him at the door, took his plate of sandwiches from him and thanked him for bringing them.
He entered into a lovely old house it had a wonderful feeling about it, full of memories.
He offered the lady sitting at the table five shillings which she took and gave him a ticket.
―This is for the door prize‖ she said.
―Where do I pay to see the Trance Mediums?‖ he asked.
―You pay me, it will cost you a pound.‖ she said.
Jon already had the pound note in his hand and gave it to her. She gave him a chip.
―Give it to Mary down that hall.‖ She said, pointing to a hallway.
He walked down the hallway and saw two ladies sitting at a table.
―Who is Mary?‖ he asked.
The lady on his left said ―I am.‖ Jon gave her his chip.
―Who do you want?‖ she asked. ―There is Jean, Natalie or Emily.‖
Jon‘s heart skipped a beat.
―I will take Emily, thank you.‖ said Jon.
―Good,‖ said Mary ―you can go straight in, she is free now.‖
She pointed to a door further down the hall on the right side.
―Just knock and go in.‖
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He stopped at the door, a paper held on the door with drawing pins read.
‗Emily‘
He knocked on the door.
A voice bade him to ―Come in!‖
Jon took a very deep breath and entered.
It room was bare as Emily‘s there was a blue light in the ceiling and in front of him stood
Emily the second, except for her face everything was exactly the same. Jon felt his heart
beating with love for the little person standing in front of him.
Jon introduced himself.
―Oh, you are so big!‖ she said.
―You‘re only saying that because you are so little!‖ Jon replied.
Her eyes opened wide and she started to laugh, the transformation was unbelievable.
Jon couldn‘t help himself he laughed with her and the two of them stood their laughing.
At last Emily stopped and wiped the tears from her face.
―You are so funny!‖ she said as she started to settle down.
―Have you ever been to a Trance Medium before?‖ She asked.
―Yes, I have.‖ Jon replied.
―Did you get a good entity?‖
―Excellent!‖
―Good then let us get on with it.‖
―My name is Emily, I am a Trance Medium and before I go into a trance I put my hands
together under my chin, and I pray. When I‘m in trance my hands will open and gently fall
onto the table with my palms upward. You can then ask any question that you wish. The
answer will come out of my mouth.
If they can‘t answer your question they will tell you their reason.
Please do not cross your arms or your legs during the séance as you might break the link.
I generally stay in a trance no longer than ten minutes. You will know that I‘m coming out of
the trance when the little finger on my left hand moves, after this you only have a few
seconds left and my hands will go back to the praying position.‖
She took a deep breath and she stopped talking.
―Do you have any questions?‖
―No, everything is clear.‖ said Jon.
Emily placed her hands underneath her chin in the prayer position, exactly the same as Jon‘s
Emily had done then they separated and were gently lowered on to the table palms up.
―To whom am I speaking?‖ Jon asked.
―You know to whom you are speaking Mon Cherie.‖ said the voice.
―Oh, Marie I am so happy, I never thought that I would be talking to you again!‖
He was laughing with happiness.
A laugh filled voice replied ―I‘m happy for both of us. I have met up with Emily and she
asked me to thank you for buying the cottage and letting it to Sarah, also for the fivers.
I loved your wreath, it was beautiful.‖
Jon heaved a huge sigh.
―Please thank Emily for leaving me the note about Berwick Street.‖
Jon was asking question after question when the voice said.
―Hush my darling we don‘t have much more time an there is something very important I have
to tell you.‖
Jon stayed quiet.
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―I have been told that this is the last time that we can meet like this, the next time we meet we
will be together!‖
Then in perfect French she said, ―Our hearts beat as one.‖
Jon answered in Dutch, ―I love you with all my heart!‖
Jon watched as Emily‘s hands left the table and went back into the prayer position.
THE END