THE SENTINEL 

By Tessa Harvey

    The younger police officer spotted the shoe first and signalled to her companion. He quickly came over, and as they shone torches around the area, they realised they were dealing with a possible murder. The victim was already icy cold and still, but one of them noticed a slight rise and fall in the fallen woman's chest.
    Unwilling and inexperienced, both officers were reluctant to disturb a possible crime scene, but time was of the essence to save this young person's life.
    One called for back-up and medical help, the officer who was more heavy-set took off his coat, lifted the woman, only a girl he thought with pity, and wrapped her tightly in his warm overcoat. They both held her close between them, lifting her away from the frozen ground.
    Later they were accredited with saving her life and their senior officer commended them for their initiative and intelligence in not doggedly following arrest procedures. The female constable felt she had seen the young victim somewhere.

-----------------------------------

    Harry Edwards shambled along. His blue jeans and shirt were clean but faded, his sleeveless vest a much darker blue.
    Age was reaching cruel fingers to shackle him, but Harry resisted, sniffing the cool air and grateful he was still able to hear the birds and their different calls.
    He stopped abruptly. There was a different tang in the air he knew well from long years of war service. Harry's hair was grey and looked unkempt, but his mind was sharp and clear like the running crystal of a bright mountain stream.
    There was some crumpled clothing in a nearby dark cut-through to some shops and businesses. Opposite a young woman walked, watching her small boy balancing along the footpath edge, his trousers coloured red and blue. They were crossing the street and he hurried to intercept them. Misjudging him, the woman swerved and went the other way, calling the boy, one leg clothed in blue, the other in red. Harry called the police.
    There was another watcher on the plateau, a man who had a right to be there - but anger rooted in bitterness, burned.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FLOOD  By Tessa Harvey     Ian was trying to do exactly as his twin brother - to keep still. The teacher was watching them. He was on playground duty. Eric knew why he was watching them - he was trying to figure out which one was which. "Keep still, Ian!" he hissed. But Ian could not do that.     After a few minutes he was tapping his fingers or his toes in time with an internal metronome. For the very first time in his eleven years, Ian prayed God help me have music . Just then Mr. Jacobs came over. "Ian, would you like to join a music group? Eric is welcome also.     Eric scowled. Even the other kids just called them "the McKenzie brothers." He was very annoyed this dumb teacher had figured them out.     Then he saw the look of longing on his brother's face, and his heart melted. Time to grow up, he thought, a trifle sadly.     "Is there a chess club, sir?" he asked instead. "Ian can do music if he likes." He shrugged nonchalantl...
Read more
THE SENTINEL AWAY WITH WORDS  By Tessa Harvey     Polly Stanton leaned back against the wide oak tree and closed her eyes for a few moments, feeling exhausted. The young lad at the bus stop when she queried where the school was sited had smiled down at her. "Nowt but a lar walk," he had said.     She remembered the lovely Cumbrian accent and how it had cheered her all those years ago returning from London on the overnight bus. Just a wee walk then.      So she had set off walking the narrow lane which had meandered and curved. Imagining herself again a student, the time had seemed to fly by. Then her years had caught up with her. Old age, she thought, remembering how an older woman had once said "never get old, dearie!" Polly had thought that funny. "Move ominously," another person had said, "life is a......" - which it could be, she thought, ruefully.     Sinking down among the slowly falling leaves, she wondered at the impuise to seek ...
Read more
THE SENTINEL (continued)   By Tessa Harvey     "So," Eliza finally said with embarrassment, "I took drugs and drank and I think your father is a man called John Dixon. We were engaged to be married but he went away to do some hard training in the police force and do specialised work and, well....."     Sylvia was livid with rage. "You couldn't wait?" she queried, her voice rising.  "We got carried away," her mum began.     "NOT THAT! Why didn't you wait for him? What's wrong with you mum??!!"     "I didn't know I was pregnant." Her mother Eliza was getting angry too, "and ayour stepdad, Karl was so nice. He had a way with words...." the older woman said, dreamily. But Sylvia was glaring at her harshly. With a sudden pang, Eliza remembered how much she had despised her parents as a teen. 'The sins of the parents,' she thought. Is it always a cycle that will never end.      Sylvia thundered out,...
Read more