by Dave Cousins
I remember the look in Mum’s eyes as she backed away from me. ‘It won’t work.’
‘God, Laurence! Listen to yourself. You’re beaten before you start.’
For some reason Nanna’s face shimmers into my head—a projection from beyond the grave. She’s got her stern face on, finger pointing. Are you listening, Laurence Roach? she says. This girl knows what she’s talking about.
I look up at Mina and shrug. ‘OK. It’s worth a try I suppose. You’re right.’
‘Finally, he understands!’
She grins, and for a second Nanna’s holographic face smiles and winks, then pops like a bubble and disappears.
Nanna would have liked Mina. There’s no doubt about that.
It’s early—just past eight. A layer of milky mist hides the surface of the canal, but it’s warm already. There’s nobody around, just me and Jay, our feet crunching along the dusty towpath.
‘Shaggy?’ Jay squints up at me from under the peak of his cap.
‘Yes, Scoob?’
‘Are we really going to rescue Mum?’
‘We’re going to try … yeah.’
Jay frowns. ‘Is that man … the one with the silver hair … is he a baddie?’
‘Yeah … sort of.’
His eyes go big. ‘Is Mum in danger? Is he holding her prisoner?’
‘No, but … well … we just want her to come home with us, don’t we?’
He nods. ‘But how?’
‘Mina’s got a plan—I told you before.’
‘I forgot.’
I sigh. ‘We’re meeting Mina by the bridge …’
‘Velma.’
‘What?’
‘Her name’s Velma, not Mina.’ Jay shakes his head and tuts. ‘Look! There she is!’
He runs on ahead to where Mina is waiting, sitting astride her bike in a pair of cut-off denim shorts and a vest. There’s an old leather dog lead draped around her neck.
‘Where’d you get that?’
‘We used to have a dog.’ Mina loops her finger through the end of the chain. ‘When he died, Dad couldn’t bear to throw the lead away. It was still hanging by the back door.’ She shrugs. ‘You ready?’
I look past her towards the railway bridge in the distance—the tunnel like a mouth, waiting to swallow us up.
Mina puts a hand on my arm.’ Don’t worry, Big Man, it’s gonna work. I can feel it in my water!’
‘You what?’
She laughs. ‘Something my dad says. Now go! I’ll give you ten minutes to get into position, then I’m coming.’
Me and Jay are hiding in the trees where Phil dumped the rubbish, waiting for Mina. She should be here by now. Something’s wrong.
Then I hear footsteps—someone running—and Mina flies past.
‘Help! Somebody! Please!’
‘Mina!’ says Jay, his eyes big and white in the gloom.
I nod, watching as she crosses the lock. I can see the boat from here, but the door is on the other side. Mina is still calling for help—it sounds so far away, almost drowned out by the blood thundering in my ears. Then everything goes quiet, except for the hum of flies and the distant hiss of the lock. And we wait.
And wait.
What if it doesn’t work?
What if Mina can’t get Phil away from the boat?
Then I hear voices.
I peer through the gap in the branches and see them—Mina and the silver-haired man crossing the lock. She’s done it!
I pull Jay behind a thick tree trunk as they pass, less than three metres away.
‘His name’s Syd,’ I hear Mina say. ‘This big dog attacked him and then he ran off! And now I can’t find him.’ She sniffs like she’s been crying. ‘It was just down here—past the bridge.’
Phil grunts and says something, but he’s already too far away for me to make out the words.
I count to twenty before stepping out from the cover of the trees. We’re just in time to see Mina and the silver-haired man disappear into the tunnel.
‘Come on!’
We run to the lock, and this time Jay crosses without a murmur—then we’re down onto the grass, running towards the boat.
The hatch is locked—of course. I thump on the wood, sending a shower of paint flakes into the water.
‘Mum! Open up! It’s Laurence and Jay!’
The boat is silent. No movement inside.
What if she’s gone?
I hammer again.
‘Laurence!’ Jay grabs my arm and points at the little round window in the side of the cabin. I catch a glimpse of a face before the faded yellow cloth drops back over the porthole.
‘She’s gone!’ says Jay.
‘No!’ I go back to the door and start pounding it with my fists. The noise booms through the boat, rocking it in the water.
‘Mum! Open the door! I need to talk to you!’
I’m beginning to think she’s never going to answer—wondering if there’s any way I can break in—when I hear a shout from inside, and the door flies open.
I step back as Mum stumbles off the boat, shielding her eyes against the sunlight.
Jay runs up to her, arms out-stretched, then stops, confused, as she raises her hand and backs away.
‘What are you doing here? What do you want?’ Her voice is ragged—harsh.
‘We’ve come to take you home.’
‘Where’s Phil?’
‘He’s gone.’
‘Gone? What do you mean?’
‘Come on, Mum, there isn’t much time.’
‘Where’s he gone?’
‘Don’t worry about it. You’re coming home with us.’ I look down at her bare feet. ‘Have you got any shoes?’
‘What?’
‘Have you got any shoes? Any stuff in the boat.’
She’s still looking for Phil—her eyes darting up and down the towpath.
‘Mum, please!’
Jay grabs her hand.’ Yeah, come on, Mum—we’re rescuing you!’
She frowns and looks at him. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘Mum! We’ve got to go!’
‘Go where?’
‘Home.’
She stares at me, like I just said—the moon—or something.
‘I can’t.’
‘Why not?’ says Jay—
And everything stops.
No birds. No wind. No flies.
Silence.
Mum staring at Jay. Me staring at Mum.
Then Jay starts to cry. He just stands there—red in the face, mouth open, bawling.
Mum sinks to her knees and Jay flings himself into her neck.
‘You see, I’m no good for you,’ she says, looking up at me. ‘I can’t do it, Laurence. I always end up hurting you.’
‘You’re ill, Mum. It’s not your fault.’ My throat is tight. It’s hard to get the words out. ‘It’s not good for you here. You need to come home. We can help you.’
She shakes her head. ‘It won’t work, Laurence, you’re better off without me.’
‘No we’re not! We need you. They’ll put us in a home!’
But she’s not listening. ‘They’ll find you a nice family. Somebody to look after you. Give you a proper life.’
‘No they won’t! It’ll be like last time.’
‘Oi!’ The shout is distant, but I know who it is.
I turn in time to see Phil running towards us.
‘What’s going on here?’ He stops, taking in the scene, then his head snaps back towards Mina crossing the lock. ‘This was a set-up! There never was a dog, was there! She just wanted to get me out the way.’
He steps forward like he’s going to hit me.
‘Phil!’ Mum gets to her feet. ‘Leave him! It’s OK. They’re going now.’
‘Not without you we’re not.’ My voice is shaking.
Phil’s hand comes up fast and I flinch, but he only grabs the front of my hoodie, squeezing the material into his fist, pulling me towards him.
‘I
told you—you’re not wanted here!’ I can feel his breath on my face; it stinks of fags and stale booze. ‘Walk away now. You, him, and your little friend with the invisible dog—before …’
He stops. His eyes widen and he lets go of me, stumbling back. And that’s when I see Jay—attached to the backside of Phil’s shorts, growling through a mouthful of material.
‘You little …’ Phil swears and swipes at him.
Jay rolls out of the way then scrambles to his feet. He looks worried. Maybe he realizes that this time he really has bitten off more than he can chew.
The silver-haired man makes a lunge for him, but Jay is too quick. He’s off and running, tearing past Mina up the bank towards the lock; I’ve never seen him move so fast. It’s hilarious—watching the silver-haired man stumbling and growling after Jay—but he’ll never catch him now. Jay’s already on the gate, crossing the lock like an expert. He turns to check if Phil is still chasing him, and then—
One moment he’s there.
And then he’s gone. Just like that.
For a heartbeat nobody moves.
Then Mum screams, and I start to run.
Phil and Mina are ahead of me, both racing towards the lock. By the time I get up the bank Phil is already in the water, but there’s no sign of Jay.
‘Where is he?’
Mina holds up something dark and dripping. It takes me a moment to recognize Jay’s cap. ‘This was in the water,’ she says, white faced. ‘He must have gone under.’
‘No!’ Mum pushes past and leaps into the lock before I can stop her.
She disappears in a plume of water, then surfaces, coughing and thrashing. Phil grabs her before she goes under again, and starts dragging her towards the side.
I kick off my trainers.
‘Laurence, what are you doing?’ Mina grabs my arm. ‘You can’t …’
I take a breath, then jump.
The water is colder than I expect. The shock punches the air from my lungs and I come up spluttering, my clothes water-logged and heavy, like hands dragging me down.
At the side of the lock Phil and Mina are trying to get Mum out of the water, but she’s fighting them, screaming for Jay.
I’m on my own.
I gulp in some air and go under. The dark and the sudden silence is terrifying. I wave my hands blindly, groping into the murky depths—but there’s nothing here. I twist around, battling the urge to swim to the surface, and kick down, scrabbling empty water. I can’t find him!
My lungs are screaming. My heart ready to explode.
Then panic consumes me, shutting down my brain. I claw towards the light, but my clothes are too heavy, the current pulling through the gate too strong. I cry out and the water snatches the sound, forcing it back down my throat.
I’m drowning.
I’m going to die …
Then hands on my arm. Pulling me up. Into the light. And the air—
I cling to the silver-haired man, coughing and retching the canal from my throat, until I can speak.
‘Where’s Jay? Have you got him?’
Phil shakes his head and drags me over to the side of the lock where Mum and Mina are waiting.
‘I can’t find Jay!’ I tell them. ‘It’s too dark. There’s too much water!’
There are tears rolling down Mina’s cheeks as she reaches out to pull me up.
‘What are you doing? I’ve got to find Jay!’
‘No!’ Phil grabs my shoulders. ‘He’s gone. There’s nothing we can do. That’s twelve foot of water down there. You want to die as well?’
‘I don’t care! I’m not leaving him!’
I try to fight, but all my strength has drained into the canal. So I let them drag me out—onto the hard concrete at the side of the lock.
‘Laurence!’ Mum is crying. She kneels beside me, her hands reaching for my face, but I push her away.
‘Don’t touch me! It’s all your fault!’ I’m screaming, pointing at her. ‘It’s your fault he’s dead!’
Mum jerks backwards like she’s been shot—
‘No!’ She whispers, shaking her head. ‘No!’
I turn away from her—and my body goes rigid.
There’s a face in the trees on the opposite bank; pale and translucent, shimmering in the shadows—
Jay’s ghost. Watching us.
It must be his ghost, because he’s dead. I saw him fall into the lock.
Or did I?
Did anybody actually see him in the water? We were all too far away. What if he fell in, but managed to get out again—before Phil and Mina arrived.
I stare at the spectral face, scared to blink in case the vision vanishes.
I open my mouth to speak, but the words jam in my throat, so I grab Mina’s hand and point.
When Mina swears, it breaks the spell.
Mum is the first to reach him. She scoops Jay up into her arms, then drops to her knees, sobbing. After a moment she pulls back and holds him at arms’ length. ‘What the hell do you think you were doing?’
Jay blinks, his mouth open in surprise.
‘I thought you were dead!’ Mum shouts—then hugs him again, stroking his hair and kissing his face, over and over.
Jay looks up at me.
‘Didn’t you see me in the water?’ I ask him. ‘I nearly drowned looking for you!’
He nods.
‘Why didn’t you shout?’
Jay looks over my shoulder, towards Phil—and all at once I understand. Jay was running away from Phil—being chased by The Baddie. He fell in the water but managed to get out. He must have seen Phil coming—still chasing him as far as Jay was concerned—so he ran and hid in the trees.
I kneel down and pull him towards me. ‘Idiot!’ I whisper, kissing him on the head.
‘You’re the idiot,’ he mumbles back, and starts to cry.
I can’t believe I’m sitting on the grass next to the canal, drinking tea. I’m wearing a pair of shorts and a T-shirt Phil lent me—Jay’s got one too, only it looks like a dress on him. He’s curled up on Mum’s lap; she hasn’t let go of him since we came down from the lock. Phil’s leaning back against his boat, smoking and not saying much. Mina’s next to me. In her shorts and vest she looks like she’s just out for a picnic. I suppose we all do, except this feels more like the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.
The thing is, I don’t know what happens next—and I’m too scared to ask.
Luckily, we’ve got Jay for that.
‘I’m hungry,’ he says, looking up at Mum. ‘Can we go home now?’
For the longest time she doesn’t say anything, she doesn’t even move. In fact, I’m starting to think she didn’t hear him—and then she nods.
‘Yes,’ she says. ‘Let’s go home.’
Jay claps his hands, and throws his arms around her neck.
And that’s it.
‘Go and sit with Laurence for a minute,’ Mum tells Jay. ‘I need to talk to Phil.’
I watch them walk along the bank, hoping he won’t say something to make Mum change her mind.
Mina gives my hand a squeeze. ‘See—told you it would work.’
‘So that was all part of the plan was it? Nearly getting everyone drowned?’
‘Well, no … not exactly.’ She shudders. ‘You’re quite the hero though—diving in like that. Stupid—but brave. You know you’re not supposed to dive in after someone, you’re supposed to fetch a rope or a stick or something …’
I give her a look.
‘Yeah, I know …’ She shrugs. ‘Still … it worked out in the end.’
I watch Mum walking back towards us. She’s smiling and Phil doesn’t look happy.
This time, more than ever, I hope Mina’s right.
I spot the red Citroën the moment we turn into the Parade.
Mum still seems to be holding it together, but this is just the kind of news that could plunge her back into the dark place.
‘Mum! I think the social worker’s here!’
She stops and stares up at the Heights—a giant tombstone casting its shadow over us.
I’m wondering if we could all get up the fire escape and onto the roof, when the door opens at the top of the steps and he’s there—our Friendly Neighbourhood Social Worker—with Nosy Nelly beside him, pointing down at us with a look of triumph plastered all over her face.
‘Mum! Wake up! He’ll be here in half an hour!’
I go over to the window and pull back the curtains. The sun bangs on the glass like a leering rubbernecker, desperate for a glimpse of the horror inside.
Mum is facing away from me, her body twisted into the duvet, still wearing the clothes she had on yesterday.
She’s been in here since we got back. I thought she’d go ape when she saw the state of the place—especially what I’d done to her bedroom, but she didn’t seem to notice. Just floated around with this weird expression on her face, like she couldn’t remember what she was doing here. An hour later I found her asleep, curled up on the bed, in the middle of all the mess.
We were lucky yesterday. Our Friendly Neighbourhood Social Worker said he’d just had an emergency call and had to go—but he’d be back to see us in the morning.
Which is today. He’s due in half an hour!
‘Mum!’ I give her shoulder a shake. ‘Mum!’
I should really tidy up in here, but there isn’t time. Mina thinks that the social worker bloke will want to have a look around, to check what our living conditions are like. Which is why me and Mina spent all evening trying to make the flat look like somewhere somebody might actually want to live.
The pan of water on the cooker is finally starting to boil. I put some instant coffee and two sugars into a mug for Mum, and some proper coffee, like they use in cafés, into another. Mina said the smell of freshly brewed coffee is homely and inviting; she saw it on one of those makeover programmes on TV. I reckon it will take a lot more than the smell of coffee to make our flat feel homely and inviting, but it’s worth a try.
I put the mug on the floor by the bed.
‘Mum! I made you a coffee.’ I shake her shoulder again. ‘You’ve got to get up. He’ll be here any minute. Please!’
‘Go away. I’m ill.’ The voice is small, buried under the covers.
I was worried this would happen, once the shock of nearly losing Jay had worn off, and the reality of being back here kicked in. But I won’t give up now—not after everything we’ve been through—after everything I’ve done.