It was several weeks before Justme was to make another appearance. I was driving home across the ridge of the Downs straight into the most glorious of sunsets. The pinks and mauves of the sky cast a shifting purple shadowy light across the hills and hedges and filled the air with a type of magic no living soul could fail to notice. No living soul that is�except me!
�Isn�t it beautiful� piped a small voice from the passenger seat that I could not fail to recognise.
�Isn�t what beautiful?� I asked scornfully.
�Isn�t IT beautiful,� he replied with emphasis.
�IT can mean anything and everything.� I was being deliberately obtuse.
�It IS anything and everything,� he replied.
I gave the scene a cursory look.
�It is pretty,� I conceded turning my eyes back to the tarmac strip, glad that the road twisted left at this point and I was no longer forced to look into the sunset.
�Do you always look only with your eyes?� he asked.
�How else am I supposed to look?�
I turned my eyes towards him. There he was � angelic face, golden curls, red sweatshirt, blue dungarees � all safely tucked up behind the seat belt. Despite myself I smiled to see him tucked up there as though he belonged.
His blue eyes danced with mischief as he said, �Your eyes give you the pictures but your inside does the seeing.�
�Sometimes,� I said concentrating on the road again. �Sometimes your inside is so full that it is unable to do the seeing.�
He was quiet for a while as we trundled on.
�Is your inside full of other things today?� he asked.
�Yes.�
�Are they more beautiful than IT?�
Pause for thought. There was a short answer to this.
�No.�
�Do you like the other things better than the sunset?�
Was there no end to his questioning? Once more he was beginning to irritate. I took a deep breath.
�No. I don�t like them better than the sunset. In fact I don�t like them at all. It is because they bother me that they have grown to fill up so much of my inside.�
�A bit like grey clouds,� he said thoughtfully. �They grow so big they cover the sun.�
�Yes. Like grey clouds.� I agreed.
We slowed to take a sharp bend and then began the long slow crawl up the next steep incline. Around us the magic continued to flitter, casting shadows here, highlights there.
�How long have you had the cloud?� He was off again.
�Since this morning.�
There was another long silence and I began to feel uncomfortable.
�This morning I hurt someone who I like very much. They were in real need of a helping hand. I could have bent the rules just a little to help. I refused.�
The silence remained.
�When you really believe in a principle you have to stand by that principle whatever happens. Rules are rules. There can be no exceptions.�
Justme sat thoughtfully. He is going to say something in a minute, I thought. I waited expectantly. Sure enough. It wasn�t long in coming.
�You have just crossed a double white line,� he said.
�Didn�t you see that baby rabbit at the side of the road?� I asked. �If I hadn�t pulled across the lines I could well have hit it and possibly killed it. I was quite safe as there is nobody about and there was nothing coming the other way.�
I see..,� he grinned. �Rules are rules�provided that no one is looking and you have a good reason for breaking them.�
I laughed. He sure had got me cornered this time.
�O.K. Point taken,� I said. �Rules are sometimes made to be broken. Now are you going to tell me that I could not see that either.�
He laughed out loud filling the car with a sound like the tinkling of a stream.
�The sunset is beautiful,� he beamed.
�The sunset is the most beautiful ever,� I agreed. �It is painting the clouds, tickling the tree tops and turning my day into a warm rosy cosiness. When I get home I will ring my friend and make my peace.�
I changed gear and pulled up at the junction leading to the main road.
�You know, Justme, I may just be able to save the glory of this evening. Rules may be rules but all the circumstances must be taken into account before they can be rigidly enforced.�
I turned to see if my conclusions met with Justme�s approval. The passenger seat was empty. My little friend had gone
