The Siege of Reginald Hill
Page 26
I feel naked, though, as I walk around to the pick-up, parked where it won’t cause dead-space in the door cameras. I haven’t been OutSPARK without my own gun since I was old enough to have one. And living what most city-types would erroneously term ‘OutSPARK’ (I mean, what do they think that humming thing is if not an electric fence?) that’s quite a long time, now.
Still, what Carol is doing is a big deal, and there’s no getting away from that. Leaving her nice safe city cocoon to come and live out here. She must be equally in love with Dad. Unless she hasn’t as much money as she’s clearly made out. I hope that’s not it. The thought of Dad giving himself for life to a gold digger. Ugh.
Our farm’s not worth that much, anyway. Who wants to farm, nowadays? It used to be called ‘the good life’, according to my history TuteApp, and loads of people craved it. But that was before the scientists failed to grasp that just because you can do something doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to actually do it. Dad says mankind got too big for their breeches and the Almighty allowed us to take ourselves down a peg or two.
It’s pretty boring when the older folk start going on about ‘how things used to be’, to be honest. We’re not at the top of the food chain any more, and that’s that. I’ve never known anything different. Even Dad hasn’t.
I get in the front seat—this’ll be Carol’s seat from now on, no doubt—and touch the statue of Saint Desmond on the dash, murmuring the travelling prayer myself to save time. Dad circles the vehicle, gripping each window grille with both hands and shaking violently, checking the wheel shields, suddenly unhurried. Checks in haste are blank checks for raptors, as the saying goes.
Harry’s piled in, and Dad finally gets in too. He reaches for the ignition and stops. His hands goes towards Saint Des...
“I’ve said it, Dad.”
“Good girl.” He gives Saint Des a quick pat anyway, and starts the engine. We barrel off between the barns and out through the empty mammal-stock pastures. Soon the fence looms up ahead. I reach for my ScreamerBand...
“Can I do it?” Harry’s not quite too old to take pleasure in things like that. To be honest, I quite like opening the gates as well. Very dramatic. But...
“Sure. Go ahead.”
Harry presses his button and the inner gate swooshes open. No posturing slowness for modern gates—what use is that if something is chasing you?
Dad drives straight through, then slows to a crawl while Harry shuts the inner gate—swoosh!—and opens the outer one—swoosh! I press the ‘record’ button on our WhatHap Box and say clearly, “William, Darryl, and Harold Franklyn, travelling to Exception City to pick up Carol Franklyn, to return same day. Now officially unSPARKed.”
Although I speak calmly, I feel a shiver of nervous excitement in my gut as I say the word. The knowledge that there’s no longer high voltage steel between you and the nearest pack of hungry raptors will do that to anyone.
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ePub ISBN: 978-1-910806-62-3
ASIN: B077927BDS
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-910806-82-1
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Once again, I must thank my parents for all their support, and my mum for those ruthlessly honest critiques!
I’d like to thank Regina Doman, T. M. Gaouette, Elizabeth Amy Hajek, Theresa Linden, Victoria S., and Theo T. for all their excellent editorial input.
I’d also like to thank Fr de Malleray FSSP and Fr Tom D. for checking for any priestly errors!
And not forgetting the patrons of the book, Saint Margaret Clitherow, Saint Ignatius of Antioch, and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati!
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A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
At one point in THE SIEGE OF REGINALD HILL, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati is referred to as Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati. Since this story is set in the future, I have used artistic license in referring to him in this highly plausible way. However, just to avoid any confusion, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati remains, at the time of publication, a ‘Blessed’.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Corinna Turner has been writing since she was fourteen and likes strong protagonists with plenty of integrity. She has an MA in English from Oxford University, but has foolishly gone on to work with both children and animals! Juggling work with the disabled and being a midwife to sheep, she spends as much time as she can in a little hut at the bottom of the garden, writing.
She is a Catholic Christian with roots in the Methodist and Anglican churches. A keen cinema-goer, she lives in the UK She used to have a Giant Snail called Peter with a 6½” long shell, but now makes do with a cactus and a campervan!
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Boring Legal Bit
Copyright © 2018 Corinna Turner
First published in Great Britain in 2018
by UnSeen Books*
The right of Corinna Turner to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission in writing of the copyright owner or, in the case of reprographic production, only in accordance with the terms of licenses issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, and may not be otherwise circulated in any form other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
Cover design by Corinna Turner
Psalm 49:1-2, 7-15, 17 from The Jerusalem Bible © 1966 by Darton Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday and Company Ltd.
Psalm 73:21-23 and Psalm 130:1-2a from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Psalm 130:6 from the World English Bible (Public Domain)
Songs 8:7 from The Holy Bible—Knox Translation—© Westminster Diocese, published by Baronius Press, www.baroniuspress.com. Used by permission.
Colossians 1:24 from the Open English Bible (Public Domain) Revised.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978-1-910806-78-4 (Paperback)
ISBN 978-1-910806-79-1 (eBook)
ASIN B07K5FN98Z (Kindle)
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, incidents and dialogues in this publication are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual locales, events or people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
* An imprint of Zephyr Publishing, UK—Corinna Turner, T/A