Elephants and Castles

by John Patrick

Half a mile away and three and a bit centuries later, Misses Rani Singh was trying to sleep. It was nearly midnight and the bed was vibrating. How she wished Vikram, her husband would do something about that snoring. See the doctor, lose weight, buy a second bed, but do something. As with every night for months, she vowed to push him into action in the morning. In the meantime she pushed the ears plugs in even further, pulled the pillow over her head and tried to get some sleep.

  Was that a noise downstairs? A rattle of the door maybe? She pulled out her ears plugs and listened carefully. There had been several break-ins in the street and she had been feeling a little anxious.

  There it was again. She sat up. 'Alan, are you there?' she called.

  'Oh, go to sleep woman,' grumbled her husband 'there's nobody there.'

  'I heard something, I'm sure, I did. Go have a look, please.' She prodded him in the back.

  'No. I'm not chasing your shadows again. You're imagining things.' he pulled the covers a little more tightly around his neck.

  But Rani wasn't reassured. 'Alan, is that you?' she called again.

  'Yes Mum, just going to the loo.'

  'See!' gloated Vikram, 'Now please be quiet and go to sleep. I've got work tomorrow.'

  'Look Vik, between your snoring and these burglaries...'

  Vikram sat up and leant over his wife. He grabbed her ear plugs from the bedside table and shoved them into his ears. He smiled at her then lay back down.

  This time she was reassured though. She snuggled down under the duvet, closed her eyes and started to drift off. Then the snoring started again, louder than ever without the ear plugs. That was it. She'd have to get up and sleep in the spare bed in Alan's room. Alan hated her sharing his room but that was hard luck. She needed her rest. She clutched her pillow and stepped out onto the landing. She peered down the stairs towards the front door. It was all quiet. How silly she was, hearing intruders all of the time. Why couldn't she just relax and sleep like her husband? They had an alarm, a well secured house; they were safe as could be.

  But through the small fan shaped window at the top of the front door she saw a movement, a light flashed by, close to the frosted glass. Was that her imagination? Her heart began to race again.

  'Vikram, come here. I think there...'

  Before she could finish her sentence there was a searing flash of white light, an ear splitting boom and the front door flew down the hall. Grey smoke flooded the downstairs, pierced by streaks of torchlight.

  Rani screamed and ran back into the bedroom and slammed the door. Heavy boots thumped up the stairs behind her.

  'Vikram, wake up! Wake up!' she screamed.

  Vikram heard nothing behind his ear plugs and snoring until the bedroom door was smashed apart. He sat bolt upright to find torches and guns inches from his face. Rani was hurled against the wall and her hands quickly zip-tied behind her back. Vikram tried to jump from the bed but before his feet touched the floor he was seized, thrown over onto his belly and his hands and feet secured. He was dragged from the bed and shoved against the wall to stand in his y-fronts alongside his wife. He quietly wished he'd chosen the pants with no holes.

  'There's money, in my wallet in...'

  'Shut the fuck up!'

  ' 'E's not 'ere sir.' The words were barked from the landing.

  Vikram turned to look but his face was pushed back against the wall.

  'What d'you mean not here?'

  'His room's there sir, it's empty, 'e's gone.'

  'Shit, shit, shit! Find him! Now!' The bedroom light was turned on. 'Turn them around.'

  Mister and Misses Singh were spun around to face half a dozen gun barrels being pointed by men in green protective chemical suits.

  'You'd better start talkin' to me real fast.'

  Part 2

  Chapter 1