THE SENTINEL

THE SENTINEL  By Tessa Harvey     Sylvia went on: "I told Theo he did not belong with mum and me. He did not fit with us." It was Sylvia's turn to cry.     "I was so wrong, so immature. That nurse brought in a Christian radio. The radio host was talking about how so many people have a sense of entitlement - that my parents, my family, society is to blame. And i do not need to be responsible.     "Well, I don't want Jesus Christ, but I may one day. Sorry I have been so immature. Can you find a path together?"     John Dixon noted, after further heart-sharing that, as adults they had made mistakes, that the criminal Karl had done nothing much to win Eliza's heart - just presumed on a fragile relationship.     Suddenly he said with absolute sincerity and hope "Sylvia has changed her last name to fit in with this new country. Would you be willing, Eliza to let me court you properly? Maybe one day, possibly accept my name - and myself of...

THE SENTINEL  By Tessa Harvey     The nurse came to the waiting room door and beckoned Eliza.     Pausing at the threshold, the weeping woman motioned to John Dixon and they entered Sylvia's room together. Sylvia was propped up in the hospital bed, her head was bandaged but there were no tubes, no drips, just a dressing on one hand.     The young woman was pleased to see John, not so much her mother, even though the tears were streaming down Eliza's face.     Could there ever be forgiveness or reconciliation? What of healing?     The three talked and talked, voices controlled. Finally Sylvia said "I have to forgive you both, otherwise it will never end. I crashed the car, going too fast because I was angry with you both. Can we be together to find my brother?!"

THE SENTINEL  By Tessa Harvey     "My son is mentally challenged," he began, "very autistic. His mother has totally failed to look after him properly. He is now in my care."      He began looking round the store, glancing around the aisles. As it was late, most of the usual locals had gone home for tea, and TV, or computer screen or were looking after families.     Only an older man in the shop was standing close to a corner where customers had access to Thunderball Lottery.     Steven was an older man himself, observant and wise in the ways of human nature. He also believed in the power of prayer. Something told him to act dumb. So he did, feigning ignorance. The angry father left hurriedly. There were several shops in the block, some still open.     The older man approached from Lottery Corner. Despite his age and build, he moved lightly and looked at Steve Wiggins sharply.     "That man has escaped from prison." He...

THE SENTINEL  By Tessa Harvey     The pharmacist saw the boy running as though the hounds of hell were behind him. He made straight for the door at the back of the shop, opened it, shot through and closed it as quietly as possible. As he turned the knob, slipping a little in his haste, the boy looked imploringly at him, then disappeared!       Seconds later a man came bursting through the door. He was heavy set and the expression on his face was one of such violence and fury.     Steve Wiggins, the pharmacist would have instantly believed in satan. Seeing a figure of authority, the change in the stormy presence was immediate.     He adjusted his coat and his features, even endeavouring to breathe evenly. Then the stranger spoke pleasantly and smoothly.      It was obvious he was a frequent visitor to Ireland's noted Blarney Stone, though he may have struggled lately with the physical gymnastics required to actually touch t...

THE SENTINEL  By Tessa Harvey     Tony Smith, alias Karl had lied all his life. It had become an artform.       He believed Eliza and her kids were responsible for the police suspecting him. Trying to dodge them and order revenge on Sylvia (who was not his daughter) and her mother Eliza had been ill-conceived. His lost money, lost contacts and his unsuccessful fraud attempts were all on his head, though he did not accept this.     The way back to success must be the one truth in his life - his son, Theodor.     He had discovered the boy was very good at maths by hacking into school websites....     A way, he hoped, to earn some money. Tug some gullible heartstrings for his boy's medical needs to earn him some money. That's what kids were for, right?     Theo appeared to be asleep, so Tony took a risk and left him for a few minutes to get some drink and food and go to the toilet.     But Theodor was not ...

THE SENTINEL  By Tessa Harvey     Head down, Eliza wandered into the waiting room at the hospital. Glancing round, she noticed a man in the far corner, and not wanting to engage in conversation, sat down near the door on her immediate left.     To her surprise, the man spoke to her. "Hello Eliza." The voice was unfamiliar. Turning, she saw a face she recognized, even eighteen years later.     "Why are you here?" Eliza whispered, flushing. "To keep a promise," the man answered calmly.     "My daughter is in this ward," the woman said firmly, trying to take control of the situation.     "Our daughter," emphasised John Dixon, then continued angrily, "you did not wait for me. I tried to understand that, but you had our child and told me nothing. You cheated me of her whole childhood."     His face twisted in anguish, his voice broke. "You robbed your own daughter of a decent father. It's unbelievably cruel. Why Eliza, why...

THE SENTINEL  By Tessa Harvey     Tears streamed down Eliza's face as she answered the door, but she felt too broken to care. To her surprise it was the matron, Hazel Edwards standing on her grey doorstep in the gathering dark. Eliza had been avoiding her for almost three months and moved to reflexively close the door.     But this calm, sure older lady was also crying. Wordlessly, Eliza motioned her to come in, and they hugged, for they had both lost a son. What good was anger and blame.     Hugging Eliza, the slightly older woman said "we really need to pray. There is no other way!" -------------------------     The man had pushed Theodor roughly into an old, racketty vehicle. It smelled of sweat and old stale food and spilled drinks. The boy thought of his plateau and the little black and grey bats clustered close. But now, self-retreating was no longer working. A silly thought came into his head. How do bats go to the toilet upside down? ...

THE SENTINEL  By Tessa Harvey     The whole school had watched as one of the younger women had admonished the boys. Seconds later, as they stood bewildered, the other young woman had borne down on them from another direction, reprimanding them for something else.     Eventually the boys appreciated the joke and behaved a little better. -----------------------     Eliza was staring at the cream-white walls of her three-bedroom unit. Her daughter Sylvia had reluctantly agreed to stay, largely because she could not yet afford a place of her own.     Now she was again in hospital. And her son was missing. Eliza wondered why. Was some god persecuting her? She had tried to be a good wife to Karl, searching for him, alone along the cold mountain trails. Finally forlorn and bereft, returning to care for her two children. Now she had been told he was not only alone but a cruel criminal who had many different aliases.     The police had track...

THE SENTINEL  By Tessa Harvey     Polly Stanton felt really annoyed. Here she was relegated to a tedious office job, left almost unnoticed, virtually unthanked. There were too many drama queens - the older girls, especially the snobby one, and now this Eliza person. She had a silly accent and her name wasn't even correctly spelled.     Perhaps I am just grumpy and tired , she mused. She had come to visit Esmay, her former pupil who was now a principal!     Imagine! Suddenly Polly was aware of a sneaking flash of jealousy. She had herself become the Department Head of English...eventually.    - And that was it. Had she wanted more? To achieve more? Actually, to be honest, no. Her gift was teaching, not administration. She felt ashamed.     The twin boys came to the office. "Well," Polly snapped, "now what?"     Eric began, "well some twins teased us ...."and frightened us," Ian finished, lamely. Polly suddenly laughed. Bl...

THE SENTINEL  By Tessa Harvey     The boy shook with fear. No, not Sylvia! He forgot he was meant to see  Matron. Instead he ran down the stairs through the boarders' building and outside. He looked up. The sky was darkening.     Theodor thought of his plateau and home. It would be spring there, not autumn.  But Sylvia was hurt before. Why again? He remembered the man who had tried to push him near the cliff drop.     Blanche, Miss Dunstan was calling for him. I should go back, he thought. My friend Alice would want me to go back and be sensible. He paused, irresolute then turned to go back.     There was a rustle near the trees. Puzzled, the boy turned to look. A man stood there grinning. His head was shaved. He looked powerful and threatening. It was the man from the plateau!! Not the quiet good man he called "the watcher" who had tried to help him. It was the evil one.     Theo turned to run but was grabbed and held. Bl...

THE SENTINEL By Tessa Harvey      He could not see past the wasted years. How he had drifted from country to country restless, sent here, there, everywhere because he was single and available.     John could still vividly recall the brief letter. She, Eliza, could not even phone or allow him to visit her and try to understand - until he finished his training. That was the promise. Not long, really.      He had been faithful, certain then of her love. But the man with the silver tongue, the looks, the charm had won. The bitterness was the man was fake.     The ambulance was at the local hospital already, Whitehaven, the nearby seaside town and harbour.     Knowing he would have to wait, John Dixon rang the school where the letters in the glovebox had shown Sylvia's workplace - or was she still a student? She was listed as Sylvia Tyson.     A woman answered. "Ashfield School Office!" He explained where he was, and why -...

THE SENTINEL  By Tessa Harvey     This Sylvia person could not be that blighter Karl's child. From his data, he knew that man mostly known as Tony Smith was not the father. The eyes were just like his own. One was blue, the other hazel with green and olive.     Although battered, the face, feminine and pretty, still closely resembled his own. Suddenly he said, as he heard police and ambulance approaching "I will come with you." He heard her mumble "Prom...Prom." "Yes, I promise."     Then he had to move away.     Quickly he drove his car to where he knew there was a layby about a quarter of a mile away. Then he ran like a young man back along the winding road. They were closing the ambulance doors. He grabbed his card and credentials.     The paramedics hesitated. "Please, I am her father." He was hustled inside, stumbling. Still trying to get enough air into his lungs, the large woman paramedic glared at him.     It was o...

THE SENTINEL  By Tessa Harvey       John Dixon did not know what to do. Of course he had had some medical training and had to use it in his calling as a police officer and later in his training in special operations. But it had been duty. Patching up an injured bloke as best he could. Of course women were soldiers, but in his work, much was done alone or with few others, usually men.     He had formed few attachments, but this fragile girl, and to him, she was little more than a child.     John tried to stem the bleeding, make her more comfortable. She was muttering something about no hospital, no!     To soothe her, he began talking quietly about how much he liked his work, but did not like being back in Cumbria. She seemed to listen. Then her eyes flickered open, though he could tell she could not focus properly. But those eyes, those features!

THE SENTINEL   By Tessa Harvey     Polly Stanton was doing office duty as Sylvia seemed to be running late. The principal, Esmay Tournier was annoyed. Sylvia had been a reliable worker for almost six months now, but was not answering her mobile.     A trio of boys trooped into the office and regarded her with interest. Two had auburn hair and were identical, but Polly had taught twins before and looked carefully, finding a small difference. She smiled.     "Hello boys. Do you need anything?"     "Are you my grandma?" the taller boy asked. Polly looked at him sharply, but he was serious.     She asked him his name. "Theodor," he answered. "And who are your friends?" Polly queried, guessing correctly the twins would try to trick her, but the quiet boy would not.

THE SENTINEL By Tessa Harvey            Despite the young woman's seat belt, her injuries seemed severe. The airbag had failed to properly deploy and the driver had been slammed hard against the side window. The glass was shattered, whether from the force of the crash itself or, god forbid, the impact of the girl's head.     She was bleeding, but not too heavily. Quickly he dialled for help on his mobile phone, praying he had enough charge on the battery.     As he talked, trying to give precise location and some assessment of injury, he was rummaging in the glove compartment for some ID. He gasped when he saw the young woman's name. Her mother was Eliza Schonbaum. The girl was Sylvia. Karl had only been married to Eliza for eleven years. So who was this young woman's father? The accident victim groaned and tried to focus.

THE SENTINEL By Tessa Harvey     Sylvia flew down the road, not driving to the conditions - not remembering many Lakeland roads are narrow, not even remembering this was a different climate from her former island home. It was autumn, but up north in the U.K. frosts can come early...and not melt off in an hour or so.     The young woman noted the drystone walls, blurring away as she drove her little sports car and even in some corner of her mind, noted the bright clump of late foxgloves shining in the rising sun, which suddenly shone far too bright through the clustering fir trees and almost bare oak branches.     The road curved suddenly and sharply. Unprepared, Sylvia skidded on black ice and smashed headlong into a small birch tree. There was pain and then a deep pool of darkness....     A few minutes later, an older person drove around a curve on the opposite side of the narrow road. He was a very unhappy man, but the issues that troubled him s...

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,...