by S G Read
‘But he can’t read.’ Toby declared.
‘No but he can understand some words now and I have shown him how to download files to a floppy disc for us to look at.’ JC replied.
‘I will go there Sunday night after my second lesson I will know more then and it might help.’ Tim offered.
Pat appeared in the doorway. ‘Food will be in twenty minutes so do not run off again. ‘She warned.
No one did they were all hungry and some did not know how hungry they were until they started eating the food Pat put in front of them. Stuffed with food and with nothing to do, they all sat around watching television. During the evening parents turned up to collect the boys who had things to do on Sunday. CJ had already gone as he was working Saturday as had John and Antony. Now the rest went one by one, unless they were car sharing, until just Stevey and Stuart remained. There was nothing they could do so they played on the computer or tried to help Tim out with downloading from a computer. By the time they went to bed Tim was getting computer literate and starting to recognise what some words meant. It would help when he was downloading the information from the hospital computer.
David and Wendy joined them later in the evening, just to see if they still had a son and they all watched television together, before David drove the three home leaving Stevey with Pat and Tim. Stevey settled down to sleep in what was his own room but spent the some time helping Tim to read, before he finally went to sleep.
Tim returned to his own room and his video player. He had more videos to watch now and he chose one he had not watched before but it was still an all action film.
Celia rose when she was called and went into morning prayers before getting ready to go out. By the time she walked up the lane Tim was sitting on the gate waiting for her.
‘Hello Tim.’ she greeted when she saw him.
‘Hello Celia can I walk with you?’
‘Of course you can Tim but I prefer to walk round the roads.’
‘Fine Celia the road does not worry me as I am already dead.’
‘Well I can be killed, so let us not take chances.’ Celia declared.
They did not see any cars while they walked up the lane then down the bigger road and into the drive. Stevey had not stirred by the time they walked up the stairs and into Tim’s room to continue the lesson.
Stevey woke late and scurried down the stairs to find Stuart waiting for him.
‘Come on Stevey we are going to check out this St. Agnes cottage hospital.’ He urged.
‘He is eating breakfast before he goes anywhere.’ Pat warned and Stuart knew better than to argue.
Stevey had no intention of arguing, as he was hungry. Stuart waited patiently until Stevey had eaten breakfast and cleaned his teeth. Soon after that they were on their bicycles and on their way.
‘What’s the plan Stu?’ Stevey asked as the rode along.
‘We are going to case the joint.’ Stuart answered.
‘Why?’
‘So that when Tim is with us we can show him where to go and what to do.’
‘Will this work?’ Stevey asked.
‘I have no idea Stevey but I do have a back up plan. If Tim cannot get in with the floppy disc I have set up an email address just to receive any information he can send.’
‘Sounds good.’
‘We’ll see tonight.’
They rode on and looked at the hospital they were targeting. For a few minutes they thought of going in and asking about the nun or ex nun but when they saw a nun walk out with none other than Ursula they changed their mind. It was obviously where Waif’s mother had been taken, either after she had the baby or just before Waif was born. That meant they were as much to blame as the Mother Superior.
They stayed out of sight and watched the comings and goings for a while then rode back to Stuart’s for lunch. With no one else there they played on Stuart’s computer for the rest of the afternoon while they waited for Tim to finish his lesson with Celia but Stevey made sure he was sitting on the gate from the paddock when Tim and Celia walked by just so that he could say hello.
‘Hello Stevey.’ Celia said as soon as she saw him.
‘Hello Celia you are looking nice.’ It did not come out as he wanted it to but she still smiled.
‘Thank you Stevey you are looking very smart.’ She replied.
‘Did the lesson go well?’ Stevey asked but he was talking to Celia.
‘I think it did.’ Tim answered.
‘So do I.’ Celia agreed. ‘I expected to see you during the day.’
‘We were out looking at a hospital.’ Stevey answered. ‘I will be in next weekend though.’
‘You aren’t ill are you?’ Celia asked worriedly.
‘No we were just checking out the cottage hospital with the same name as your convent.’
‘Why?’ Celia asked.
‘Just trying to help out Waif.’
‘Good; I will see you next weekend then. Now we must go I cannot be late or I will be unable to come again.’
The two walked on and Stevey watched Celia go until she was out of sight. He even leant across to see her for a little longer and risked falling off the gate. Stuart watched him from the garage and smiled Stevey really liked Celia which meant Jenny might be his if he played his cards right. He watched Stevey walk back and met him by the front gate into the paddock.
‘Did you get a date?’ He asked.
‘Not yet Stu but I will, I hope.’
When it grew dark Stevey and Stuart were waiting with Tim in the cellar. They rode away with Tim riding JCs bicycle which looked odd as the bicycle looked as though no one was riding it, as it went along. Stuart led the way and they soon reached the cottage hospital.
‘You know what to do Tim.’ Stuart urged. ‘Make sure no one is watching and then download all you can from the patient’s list as back as far as you can.’
Tim nodded and held up the floppy disc for inspection. The two boys hid close by, to wait for Tim as he did his chore.
He walked into the building through the closed front door leaving the disc hidden outside until he needed it. He walked past the nurse who sat there, he was looking for a computer. There was one by the nurse but it was just like Stevey’s new computers so he walked on looking in each room as he went until he came to what was the main office but here the computers were just as new. One was running on the screen saver, so he searched the files but the only went back one year. It was not far enough and he did not want to disappoint Stuart. He looked on without success. He returned to the front door to leave but on the desk there was a large book with writing in it. He looked over the nurse’s shoulder, to read the words but some were too long. He did recognise names in it and he realised that it was a diary but a bigger one than Stevey had. It was this year’s diary and he assumed it was a list of people coming into the hospital and returned to the office. In there he had seen other such books all in a line on a shelf so all he had to do was to find one which was the right year and take it. He searched and found the year he wanted lifted it down and took it with him. The nurse at the front desk did not look up as he walked by; had she done so she would have seen a diary floating by. Tim reached the door without anyone screaming but still had to get the book through the door and the only way to do that was to materialise and open the door. He did that and the nurse looked up to see a young boy leaving carrying a large book.
‘Hey you come back here.’ She called and jumped up from the chair. She ran to the door and followed him outside but there was no sign of him or the book. She scratched her head. She knew he could not have got away without her seeing where he went but she could not see anyone. She shrugged her shoulders and went back inside to her desk.
‘Did you get the copy?’ Stuart asked when he saw Tim approaching.
‘No but I brought you a present.’ Tim said when he reached Stuart.
‘Like what, a book?’ Stuart asked when he saw the diary.
‘Yes like a diary. All the computers w
ere as new as yours and only went back a year but they do keep a diary. I found the diary for the correct year and brought it.’
‘You did well Tim.’ Stuart cried. ‘Now let us get out of here.’
They rode back to the house taking it in turns to carry the diary. They dropped the bicycles in the cellar, before Stevey locked the cellar door. They carried the book up to the games room and opened it to see what it was like.
‘These are all names and what they have come in for.’ Stevey declared as he read. ‘See that woman has come in to have a mole removed from her face. It says here that the removal was successful but see 22nd of June of the same year so she must have come back in for some reason.’
They turned to the 22nd of June and read on. The mole had been cancerous and the woman was back in for more treatment. They were able to follow the treatment until Christmas eve when she succumbed to the cancer she had developed.
‘So if we can find a woman who came in to give birth and did so to a girl we can follow it up to see if it was Waif’s mother.’ Stuart exclaimed.
They turned page after page but there were no women who came in to give birth or had given birth, it was all illness, accidents or growths. They were disappointed and sat in the games room feeling depressed, even Tim sat there not moving.
Celia walked into the teacher’s office where she had been summoned but it was empty. She turned to go but Ursula and her friends followed her in.
‘Been consorting with the enemy have we?’ Ursula asked.
‘I don’t know what you mean.’ Celia retorted.
‘The boys at the hall, you were seen going in there!’ Ursula declared.
‘So? I am allowed time to myself Ursula.’
‘I want to know what they were talking to you about.’
‘Get lost Ursula or you will be sorry.’
‘Not that poltergeist thing again. I spoke to Mother Superior about that and if you persist we will have you exorcised. Now tell me what you were talking about.’ Ursula grabbed Celia’s hair and pulled while her two friends held Celia’s arms.
Celia screamed out in pain but no one came to help her.
‘Tell me!’ Ursula ordered.
‘Get lost.’ Celia answered although the lost was it self lost in her next scream caused by the pain as Ursula almost lifted her off the ground by her hair.
‘Tell me.’ Ursula repeated.
‘We were only talking about a hospital.’ Celia sobbed.
‘The cottage hospital?’ Ursula asked and Celia nodded. ‘What else?’
Before she could answer one of Ursula’s friends were hit by a large book. Celia’s arm was freed by the girl and she slapped Ursula as hard as she could then bunched the fist and punched the girl holding her other arm on the nose. With her second arm free she went to run but saw Molly crouch behind Ursula so she pushed Ursula over Molly and she fell heavily. Seeing her chance for revenge for the hurt she had endured Celia jumped on Ursula and started hitting her Molly used the book on the first girl she had hit and then on the girl holding her nose and both fled leaving Ursula at their mercy. Celia had a lot of pent up anger and tried to drag Ursula along by her hair but it came off in her hand. Ursula jumped to her feet.
‘You two are going to pay for that.’ She cried but Molly was still wielding the book and hit her.
Celia punched her in the face and then in the stomach then Molly hit her again with the book and Ursula ran. The two girls cheered as she ran away with Celia still holding her hair, until she realised she was holding it then she dropped it as though it was a rat.
‘Must be a good read.’ Celia declared pointing to the book and Molly held it up to reveal a bible.
‘They don’t call it the good book for nothing.’ Molly replied.
‘Thanks for the help Molly.’
‘That is what friends are for Celia. What was all that about you being exorcised?’
‘I have a friend who helps me and he is actually dead.’ Celia answered.
‘Really?’
‘Yes really.’
‘You know a ghost?’
‘Yes but it is not for broadcasting.’
Molly smiled. ‘I can understand, that they would think you are mad.’
‘And you don’t?’
‘No, do I get to meet him?’
‘I will try to arrange it when I see him next.’
‘You can see him?’
‘Oh yes even when no one else can but he can let you see him if I ask him.’
Molly put the book back where she had got it from, a lectern outside the door and they walked off arm in arm leaving Ursula’s wig lying on the floor.
Tim shook him self out of his depression and walked off to the convent. He walked into the showers first but he did not see Celia in there so he moved on and searched the whole school but a scuffle attracted him and he saw Celia hitting Ursula and then try to drag her along by her hair but the hair was a wig. Before he could join in when Ursula jumped up Molly hit her and then so did Celia and Ursula fled. Tim smiled and listened to what they were talking about before going to see what Ursula was doing. She had hurried to the mother superior’s and walked straight inside her room.
‘The boys know about the cottage hospital.’ She warned.
‘Thank you Ursula I will deal with it, what happened to you wig?’
‘It is drying.’ Ursula lied to avoid telling the Mother Superior the real reason it was missing.
‘Well I would prefer if you stayed in your dormitory when you are not wearing it.’ The Mother Superior replied and picked up the phone.
Ursula walked to the door but did not fully close it, instead she stood there listening.
‘Sheila we need to get rid of all the records concerning you know who and it needs to be done today if you get my drift.’ There was a pause while the mother superior listened. ‘Good I knew I could count on you Sheila.’
When she heard the phone go back in its cradle Ursula walked away to try to retrieve her wig. Tim let her go by and smiled as they were too late; they already had the book. As he walked away it struck him that there must be something in the book to help them or the mother superior would not have ordered them burnt! He would mention it to Stuart when he went back but first he would make sure Ursula did not take revenge on either Celia or Molly as Molly had helped Celia.
He walked to the dormitory to find the girls and they were lying on their beds reading. He did not go inside the dormitory, he just stood there watching them and decided to do so until he knew they were safe. He heard footsteps and looked round to see Ursula, now wearing her wig, marching along the corridor with her two accomplices; she was carrying her hockey stick.
When they walked in Tim waited outside secretly watching the three girls. The number dropped to two as soon as they were inside, as one stayed by the door to either keep watch, or to stop anyone coming in to interfere with Ursula’s plans.
Tim smiled, this should be interesting he thought and followed the two girls up to the bed in full sight.
‘Is that Tim?’ Molly asked.
‘Yes that is Tim.’ Celia answered.
Tim faded out of sight and Molly smiled, she had seen her ghost.
‘You two are for it.’ Ursula declared waving the hockey stick about.
‘Don’t you ever learn Ursula?’ Molly asked.
‘You are really going to suffer Molly Parsons.’
Ursula’s helper was behind her so Tim moved into her and froze her with as much cold he could muster causing her to faint. Ursula was oblivious to her actions and walked up between the two beds.
‘Any last words?’ She asked haughtily.
‘Close the door on your way out and take your friend with you.’ Celia answered and pointed at the unconscious girl.
A shriek by the door of the dormitory made them all look that way in time to see the lookout fall down unconscious.
‘I do not need any help with a stick insect like you Celia.’ Ursula hissed and swung the hockey s
tick.
Celia flattened her self against the bed and it passed over her head but Molly now full of fire moved to the edge of her bed and caught it. Ursula tried to pull it away but Molly pulled back and pulled it out of her hands despite being three inches shorter than Ursula and giving her several pounds. Molly jumped off the bed to whack Ursula who turned to flee but fell over her unconscious accomplice. She fell flat on her face and the tooth she knocked out last time which had just been refitted flew across the floor but Ursula did not stop to retrieve it. She scrabbled about and managed to climb back on to her feet as Molly reached her and gave her a whack with the hockey stick then they were both running down the dormitory; Ursula to escape and Molly hitting her when she was in range. The girl who was laying by the bottom of the bed woke when Ursula tripped on her and she staggered after Ursula. At the door she helped her friend to her feet and they both fled from the dormitory.
‘I saw you stop that hockey stick.’ Celia exclaimed looking straight at Tim.
‘Just giving Molly some confidence Celia.’ Tim answered and sat on Molly’s bed.
‘I have to say it worked, by the way she chased Ursula out of the dorm.’ Celia agreed.
Tim remained there talking with Celia as no one else was there, until Molly returned and she automatically sat next to Tim as though she knew he was there.
‘Can you see Tim?’ Celia asked.
‘No but you were talking to someone when I came in and looking there so I assumed Tim was there and didn’t want to sit on him.’ Molly replied.
Tim looked about then let him self be seen by Molly.
‘Hello Tim.’ she said with a big smile on her face. ‘Thanks for the help with the hockey stick.’
‘Did you see me?’ Tim asked.
‘No I felt you, I felt the power and knew I could stop the hockey stick and having ripped it out of her hand I thought it was worthwhile chasing her out of the dorm.’
Tim laughed.
‘Did you see her go?’ Molly exclaimed.
‘The fastest I have seen the lazy cow run.’ Celia declared.
Stevey looked through the book slowly hoping to have missed something but he did not see any names or symptoms which were helpful. He closed the book and fell into an armchair.