“Do you think he was following us?” asked Tom.
Felix said, “I’m not sure! We’ll find out soon enough. I thought someone was following me last night. I’ve had enough for today see you at the stump tomorrow at eleven.”
The three friends stood up and wearily made their way home, each as worried as to what might happen next in the crazy world they had unsuspectingly been thrown into.
3
Much to his amazement when Felix arrived at the common, ten minutes early as usual, Poppy and Tom were sat waiting for him. Tom looked at his watch, shook his head and laughed.
“Where’ve you been?” asked Poppy. “I’ve been up all night wondering about Curly’s dad and that man!”
“Me too!” replied Felix.
“It’s all in your imaginations! I slept like a log.” Tom walked off towards the pond with his loaf of bread to feed the ducks. Felix always laughed at his cool dude of a friend who had always wanted to throw crumbs to the birds wherever they went. At the water’s edge the threesome quietly watched the geese fight the ducks for the tasty morsels.
“There he is again!” whispered Felix.
“Who?” Tom asked.
“The bloke in the suit, he’s in his tracksuit and a baseball cap today, but I’m sure it’s him.”
Poppy whispered nervously, “Pretend we haven’t seen him and head back to the stump.” They slowly walked away from the pond, the man remained under the tree on the opposite bank.
“He’s talking to someone, but there’s nobody near him,” said Poppy.
“It’s your mind working overtime, he’s probably on Bluetooth!” Tom giggled at his friend’s worry.
“There’s another bloke talking to nobody over there,” whispered Felix as he nodded to the middle of the common.
“And another on the road!” said Tom. He was coming round to the others’ point of view.
The men all started walking towards the stump. Poppy and Tom reached into their cases for their sabres but once again Felix said, “No!”
“There they are,” came the cry from across the common. Felix had never been so pleased to see Curly and his gang, even if they were charging at speed towards them. The men backed off and walked towards a waiting car, the tyres screeched as they sped off.
“Run!” screamed Tom.
It was like a chase scene from an old black and white movie, the three friends led the bullies back and forth across the common until they reached the high street. “In here,” cried Felix as he made a sharp turn into the community centre. The sound of the doors bursting open and the panting teenagers sent the whole of the toddlers’ group into fits of screaming and crying. The noise was deafening as mothers reached for dummies and cuddled their children. Just as they were calming down, in came Curly and his crew to set it all off again.
Cornered, Felix knew using their swords wasn’t an option, although it might scare Curly off. Instead Felix shouted, “Hold on!” He reached inside his shirt and pulled out The Book of Words. The others grabbed hold of him as he ran towards the mural on the wall. In an instant they were gone. Curly and his gang looked more confused than ever. The Book had used its powers to make them forget that Felix had disappeared.
“Why are we in a toddlers’ group?” asked Tubbs as he finally caught up and entered the hall.
“I’m not sure,” replied Curly as his phone rang. It was his dad! The others could hear every word and it wasn’t pleasant. Curly had been summoned home.
4
Felix had had enough time to quickly shove a boiled sweet in his mouth and avoid blacking out as they entered the vortex through time. He waited patiently for Tom and Poppy to wake up. The usual array of colours and pictures of past events kept him occupied. Eventually, Tom opened his eyes. “Where are we going this time?” he asked with resignation.
“It’s a surprise,” replied Felix.
“What was on that mural?” Tom enquired.
“I know too!” Poppy yawned. A big smile appeared on her face.
Felix passed them each a sweet and they began to relax as they floated through the swirling maze of time. Seconds later the three friends were sitting in the middle of a pond up to their necks in water.
“Where the hell are we?” Tom brushed pondweed from his usually immaculate hair.
“I’ll just check we’re where I think we are.” Felix stood up and pulled out the tatty old leather bound book and opened it to the first page. There were some of the words he was hoping to see.
Location Pelsall Common, England
Date 15th August, 1974
Languages English
“Exactly where I wanted to be, just didn’t have a clue when!”
Poppy stood up and smiled. She leapt out of the water with great enthusiasm.
“Why are you so happy?” Tom was stood on the banks shooing away some inquisitive Canadian Geese who were disgruntled at being disturbed by their visitors.
“Look around, use your eyes!” she said cheekily.
“It looks familiar. The pond, the road, the high street but where are all the cars and where’s the stump?” It was dawning on Tom that they actually hadn’t gone anywhere.
“1974!” Felix said with a smile. “We’re home in 1974.”
“My house isn’t even there, look the estate is still a factory,” Tom said pointing towards a huge red brick building spewing out thick black smoke. “My parents haven’t even met yet!”
“Where’s our stump?” asked Poppy.
“There!” Felix wandered towards a majestic oak tree. The three of them sat in the shade of the branches which seemed to stretch out for ever.
“What now then Mr Keeper?” asked Tom.
“Best get back home somehow!” Felix opened The Book of Words to the map. There was the familiar clock indicating where they would find the object that was not of this time. They would jump on the object, whatever it was, and be sent home through the time vortex. “We have a few hours to kill, we need to be in the school hall at two thirty.”
“Great, how are we going to get into the school on a Sunday?” Tom was always one to spot the possible problems they might encounter. Felix leant back against the giant tree and watched the world pass by.
“Look, it’s that bloke!” whispered Poppy. “Younger but it’s definitely him.”
“What’s he doing?” asked Tom.
Felix smirked. “I think they’re following him,” he said pointing towards a tall middle aged man with a long droopy moustache.
“The Sheriff!” whispered Tom. “That’s proof enough for me. If he’s following The Keeper in 1974, he was definitely following you back home.”
“We need to warn him.” Before Felix could stand up a stone hit him on the arm.
“What have we got here then?” snarled a familiar voice. “A hippy, a tomboy and a swot!”
Poppy turned and screamed, “Get lost Curly!”
“How did you get here?” asked Felix.
“I walked from my house,” replied the confused attacker.
Tom began to laugh. “It’s not Curly, it’s his dad!” The smile quickly left his face as he remembered all the tales they had heard when Curly was bragging about his dad’s exploits. “Run!” Tom led the others towards the High Street. They would be safe there. They hadn’t got far when a booming voice ordered, “Stop! Why aren’t you children in school? Higgins you and your little gang of hooligans have been warned many times not to leave school during lessons.” It was The Sheriff. Curly’s dad and his cronies came to an abrupt halt as did Felix, Tom and Poppy.
“It’s Sunday you old fool!” Higgins and his mates laughed pointedly at Mr Law. “We can go where we want today and do what we like!”
“Well leave these three youngsters alone!” the Sheriff ordered. “Go and do something useful, like my homework.” Higgins led his gang towards the High street threatening, like his son, to get Felix later.
“Hi Mr Law,” Poppy screamed.
“Do I teach you y
oung lady?” came the cautious reply.
“It’s me Poppy! We met last year in Barmouth, at the field centre.”
The Sheriff looked confused. The penny finally began to drop with Felix. The Sheriff didn’t meet Poppy until the nineteen eighties, this Sheriff was clueless as to who she was.
Felix opened his guitar case to give the previous Keeper a glimpse of his broadsword.
“Ah!” stated The Sheriff with a look that told Felix he remembered him from Paris. “Come with me quickly.” He led the soaking wet children across the common towards the large houses that surrounded the school fields.
The man who had been following them waved to his accomplices and they jumped into a black taxi and sped off. “Déjà vu!” said Felix. The others looked worried that the same things were happening to the Keeper forty years apart. Once inside the house, The Sheriff set about preparing tea and cake.
“Felix and Tom my boys, to what do I owe this pleasure?”
Felix knew The Sheriff had recognised them. The pair had met him in 1944, the year Mr Law had become the Keeper. Felix had only just been handed The Book of Words back then but he was much more knowledgeable about its history and powers now.
“Curly, Higgins’ son, is following in the family business,” quipped Tom.
“Like father, like son ay!” replied The Sheriff.
“We got here through the mural in the community centre when we were trying to escape from them,” explained Poppy.
“Some of the better artists from school have just finished that,” replied their host.
“Drink this and relax a while before we find how to get you back.” They told the Sheriff it was lucky they had found him as they already knew they had to be in the school hall at two thirty.
“Well I’ll sort that with Old Buckley!” The Sheriff took what seemed like an age to dial each number on the wheel of his phone. “Done!” He declared. “Buckley will open the side door at quarter past two for us. That should give us plenty of time to find the object.”
Feeling safe for now they tucked into the large Victoria sponge on offer.
5
“Do you know you’re being followed?” asked Poppy. “By the same man who is following Felix.”
“I’ve had a feeling,” replied The Sheriff. “Can’t seem to catch a glimpse though. Not as young as I used to be.”
“Any idea who they are?” asked Felix. Tom mumbled something through a mouth full of cake. The others didn’t understand a word and ignored him.
“What can they want?” enquired The Sheriff. “They can’t use the Book and they would have attacked me by now if they were the Brethren.”
“That’s what I said!” spluttered Tom, spraying soggy crumbs over the table. “They can’t have caught you or they wouldn’t be after Felix!”
“Good point, young man,” said The Sheriff. “Who in the name of all that is good are they?” The youngsters laughed as Mr Law used another of his famous phrases.
“We’ve got two hours to find out!” Poppy was always up for an adventure. “Let’s go for a walk and see what happens.”
“Why can’t we just sit here and then get home?” asked Felix.
“It will mean we know what to expect when we go back to the community centre,” replied Tom as he shrugged his shoulders at Felix.
“OK! No battles or funny business though,” said the exasperated Keeper.
“Can’t promise that,” replied Poppy as she put her hockey stick case over her shoulder and headed towards the door.
“Wait!” shouted Felix. “They have no idea who we are. We’ll go over to the oak tree and wait for The Sheriff to come out. Then we can see if anyone is following him.”
“Good thinking Batman!” smirked Tom.
The door burst open. There stood Old Buckley, although he wasn’t old any more.
“Not going without me are you Mr Law?” he asked. “I am your only Guardian here.”
“Of course not!” replied The Sheriff. “We have a few more to help us today.” He introduced Felix, Tom and Poppy.
“The men that follow you all meet in the back room of The Railway,” Old Buckley informed them. “I took my wife and baby in there for a meal and in they came one at a time straight through the bar and into the back room without even buying a drink!”
“How many?” Felix asked.
“As if that’s going to make any difference!” exclaimed Poppy.
“These aren’t the Brethren, we don’t know how they fight,” said Tom.
“There’s about twenty of them,” Buckley continued. “They all go in and nobody comes out for over an hour. That’s all I know.”
“Come on!” ordered Poppy impatiently. “Let’s get to the tree.”
The three friends sat under the branches waiting for The Sheriff and Old Buckley. They chatted and kicked dirt about but all the time they were looking around to see if there was anyone acting suspiciously.
“There! By the pond,” whispered Felix. Under the cover of the drooping willow tree stood the man who followed both Keepers.
“There’s another up near the playground,” whispered Tom. “Their car is over there!”
A bald, gnarled man sat waiting in a black car flicking cigarette ash out of the window. He suddenly dropped his cigarette into the gutter and started the engine. There across the common appeared The Sheriff and Old Buckley. The pair walked slowly, chatting away as if they didn’t have a care in the world. The young man crept out from under the willow tree and, like a cheetah hunting its prey, silently closed in and held a cloth over Old Buckley’s mouth. He collapsed in a helpless heap. Before anybody could react the man from the playground had done the same to The Sheriff. The men picked him up and bundled him into the waiting car. The tyres screeched as they sped off up the High Street.
Felix, Tom and Poppy stood open mouthed at the events that had unfurled without them having time to do anything.
“What now?” asked Tom as he held his head in his hands knowing this was likely to take more than the two hours they had to return home. Old Buckley was groaning as he woke up. He rose slowly and staggered over to the oak tree.
“Where would they take him?” Felix asked Old Buckley.
“No idea!” The school caretaker looked as if he was still in shock.
“We can’t chase them in a car! So we have to out think them,” stated Felix.
“The Railway!” exclaimed Tom.
“That was closed in 1964 by Beecham,” replied the dazed man.
“Not the railway line, the pub! You said they met there. Surely if they’ve got The Sheriff they’ll meet tonight.” Poppy and Felix were impressed by Tom’s, before now unknown knowledge of strange bits of history, and his unquestionable logic.
“But we have to be in the school hall at two thirty!” Felix knew they had to rescue The Sheriff, but he was also worried about how they would be able to return home.
“There’s always a way back,” replied Poppy. “Come on let’s get Old Buckley home.” They guided the staggering man towards his caretaker’s cottage at the top of Queen Anne’s School drive. A young, good looking woman answered the door, a small baby lay crying in a basket behind her. Tom laughed at the thought that the baby was his fellow guardian, Buckley.
“What a lovely baby!” Poppy gushed.
“I’m sure he’ll grow up to follow in his father’s footsteps!” Tom said with a huge smile.
“I hope he doesn’t come home drunk like this!” she said angrily. “Do you mind helping me get him into his bed?”
Once Old and Young Buckley were both quietly tucked up in bed Mrs Buckley made the friends a cup of tea. Once again they shoved wedges of sponge cake into their mouths. She thanked them and they returned to the oak tree where they came up with a plan to try and return The Sheriff to safety.
6
Two thirty came and went. They felt hungry, even though they had stuffed themselves full of cake. They went to the chip shop which luckily was in the same place i
n 1974 but the lady accused them of having toy money. ‘Chipless’, they ventured further up the high street, but the same thing happened at the other shops.
“Why won’t they take our money?” Felix screamed at The Book of Words. The Book’s cryptic reply read:
‘Time changes everything’
“Eh!” said Tom.
“All our money has been redesigned since 1974, this hasn’t been printed yet.” Felix had read the first paragraph of evidence provided by the Book and held a crisp new ten pound note out to his friends.
“We can busk again like we did in Pompeii,” suggested Tom with a wry smile.
“I’m not singing again!” exclaimed Felix.
“There’s a reason you play the guitar!” laughed Poppy. “That’s it. Get your guitars out and play.”
The area around Pelsall Common wasn’t ready for a taste of the brand of rock music the boys played and they were quickly asked to pack up and go by the local policeman. Not a penny had been collected, they accepted they would be hungry until they rescued The Sheriff. Felix pulled an old, crushed packet of biscuits from the bottom of his guitar case. The trio sat under the oak tree and carefully picked at the crumbs on offer.
“What time are we going to The Railway?” Tom asked.
“6.30,” replied Felix with authority. “We can wait in the car park until they bring The Sheriff and then we can pounce.”
“Is that it? That’s the whole of your plan! We’ll just pounce!” exclaimed Poppy.
Tom held his hands up and growled. He looked like the lion from The Wizard of Oz. Poppy and Felix fell about laughing.
“Well we won’t know what to do until we get there, will we?” Felix knew they would have to make this up as they went along. “The biggest problem we’ll have is getting into the pub.”
“Problem solved!” Poppy pointed to Old Buckley who was making his way across the common towards them.
Felix Jones and The Dawn Of The Brethren Page 2