THE SENTINEL

FLOOD  By Tessa Harvey     They pulled up and turned off the car engines. Silence engulfed them. They were surrounded by many species of deciduous trees with a few fir and spruces along one side. No-one spoke.     They heard and saw busy little wrens, thrushes singing their glorious songs and a few red-breasted robins flitting through the trees.     Despite herself, Sylvia was entranced when a few of the robins hopped closer to peer at her curiously out of their bright dark eyes, heads cocked to one side.     Rooks cawed lazily on the outskirts of a group of trees.     Theodor, still missing the plateau, was now feeling very happy. Somewhere he heard water trickling and saw a tiny red squirrel leap up an oak tree high to the topmost branches.     Then the house drew them in. Taking a deep breath, John said " I would really like us all to share the house, if that's what you want, of course." He glanced at Eliza. "Do you wan...

FLOOD  By Tessa Harvey     Tom looked a little crestfallen. "Hey, would you like to come with us? Just this time, if you like? Of course I understand if just you and Sylvia"........John tapered off, unsure.     But Tom was grinning. "Yep," he said, "let's go get chicken, chips, salad - is that okay?"     But Theo was looking sad. He had approached with his mother. "Theo is nervous if we eat out. He stays in the car," Sylvia whispered. "Not a problem." John Dixon smiled. "We could just order. Your mum and I want to show you something really nice!"     He exchanged a look with Sylvia who looked happy, if a little embarrassed.     "Ms. Tournier knows we are eating out, "John explained as they started cars. Sylvia decided to follow with Tom. The others went with John.     They ordered food to take away and John drove to a beautiful house set back from the road. "Wow," whispered Theodor, "who lives here...

FLOOD       By Tessa Harvey     Sylvia was back in the school office and bored. Her recently discovered father, John Dixon, was away on some business trip. After their rescue from the flood waters, the school principal, Ms. Esmay Tournier had offered them accommodation at the school, Ashfield, or in her own home.     Of course, Sylvia was grateful. Their own home would take extensive and costly work to be fully restored. But being tied to school was galling. She felt trapped.     As the pupils ran, jumped, walked or were driven away from school, Sylvia went over to some of the school boarders to ask if they wanted to use the school library or perhaps needed help with their homework, or a game they wanted to play.     A young man came over - Tom Jacobs, one of the teachers. "Could i interest you in a meal later on?" he asked quietly. Sylvia was very pleased. Then a deeper voice asked the exact same question!

FLOOD  By Tessa Harvey     "Thuump! Thuump!" "Helicopter, mum," yelled Theo. He slid down the roof, forgetting Eliza and standing on the very edge, he waved his arms enthusiastically! Of course he was seen and a man came down carefully from the helicopter, followed by a woman. They were first responders, medics.     The helicopter veered away to assess other people in need.     "Please help my nan and sister," shouted the boy. The man looked at the woman clinging to the roof. "Looks like your mum would be glad of help also," he commented wryly.     "Can we get you both back inside for now? It's safer while we look for the others." He guided Eliza back to the bedroom window and helped her inside. "Now son, where are the others?" Theo pointed, worried.     The water was still slowly ebbing. The rescuers also went inside and then sloshed back outside. "Stay here," the woman said sharply to Theo. "Look after you...

FLOOD   By Tessa Harvey     Before her work at the school, Sylvia had had to do a first aid course, but she knew there was no way air could be forced into waterlogged lungs.     With her last strength, she wedged Hazel over the arm of the couch and pushed at her back. Water poured from the older woman's mouth. She gasped, then tried to suck in air. Sylvia felt immense relief.     This lady had suffered so much because of her son's evil. She still could not discuss the court appearance with anyone. "It was too traumatic," she had said, shaking her head. "One day........"     The two women managed to pull some of the couch covers over them, pulling off most of their sodden garments.     They huddled together, noting the water level receding, concerned about the others, but too exhausted to move. Despite everything, they dozed with the cat between them, utterly exhausted, grateful to be alive - trusting Theo and Eliza to be safe.

FLOOD  By Tessa Harvey     She wondered how nan was, still alive she hoped and prayed. Sylvia had been feeling angry lately. Her fake dad had ordered blokes to attack her as some kind of revenge.     Then she had crashed her car - her own fault, she knew, but she had found her real father, and that made her feel tremendous.     She struggled on, holding the fence. Her pyjamas were sodden and the wind was rising. She began to shiver, finding it very hard to keep going. Tiredness gripped her, and biting cold.     The door of the granny flat was open, water surging freely.     Panic gripped Sylvia. "Where was nan?" She tried to pray, as if God was real. Where is nan? "God help me find her. Please, please help me find her.     Hazel was not a direct relation, but she loved the elderly lady. Without hesitating, she had accepted Sylvia as a real granddaughter, just loving her so much and genuinely caring about her.    ...

 FLOOD By Tessa Harvey     Theo called out "mum, Sylvie!" He sounded afraid. Sylvia paused to see if her mum could answer. As soon as she stopped moving, she was aware of the intense cold of the water and also of the fact it was slowly rising.     Initially she had thought Theodor had left a tap on as he had sometimes when much younger and less aware of his surroundings.     Now the young woman knew they were in a serious situation. "Mum," she called, "I am going to check on Nan." She paused. "We may have to go on the roof, mum." Her voice cracked. "I will be back soon."      Slowly she waded out of the building, picking up her small torch on the way. The house was built on one level. Sylvia thought of trying to grab bare necessities - food, clothing, credit cards - but nan was the priority.     It was bleak outside. Shee shone the torch round to check on her mother and brother. The light shone feebly, but she could see Eliza g...

FLOOD   By Tessa Harvey     Sylvia woke up suddenly in the night. It would be her birthday today she thought, feeling a little excited even though she was an adult. But everyone had been so warm towards her yesterday when she had helped her young brother .     Seriously, she had expected them to still be annoyed she had damaged both herself and her car driving too fast on narrow icy roads, but meeting her real father had been wonderful.     And Theo had come and asked her if she could share her real dad with him. "Mine is very nasty," he had whispered solemnly. "I know I really annoy you, Sylvie, but I am trying hard to do better."      At one time, not too long ago, she would have been unpleasant and dismissive. Now, aware of her own shortcomings and frailties, she was able to be a little more sensitive, and loving.     But why was she awake? Suddenly she felt really cold and strangely disoriented. "Oh well," she thought, " I ...

FLOOD  By Tessa Harvey     So in her grief Hazel clung to God and His Word. Eventually, thanks to long-held nursing skills she had found work as a matron at a boarding school, and later on God had enabled her to see her grandson!     And finally meet his mother and here daughter. Hazel was blessed. But the dominoes had fallen. Hazel's own family, believing their son's own lies, had turned from her, except as children. They liked comfortable lies. Most people did, sadly.     Now, Hazel stood watching for her grandchildren at a downstairs window.     The school was closed for the holidays but she lived in a granny flat not far from her daughter-in-law Eliza and her children, Sylvia and Theodor. How she loved them all.     Truly God had restored some joy to her life though she grieved for her son. Outside a storm was brewing and lightning flashed. Thunder crashed close behind.

FLOOD  By Tessa Harvey     That evening she watched a nature documentary while her husband, Jeremy dozed in his chair. He had been unable to attend court with her, but she knew he had prayed.     Hazel had prayed also but knew the consequences of the court would reverberate like dominoes falling one by one by one. All fallen.     Their son had cursed and shouted and finally disappeared. She had no idea he had married another woman, even though his first wife had fled from his abuse to her own family. She was alive and almost well again.     Hazel's husband had taken ill with a severe illness and passed away after some months. Alone, Hazel had felt like one of those little beetles scrambling up, flitting, shifting sand dunes in the early morning.     Cresting the dunes, the little insects had uptilted their backs to catch moisture droplets from the dawn fog rolling in from the sea. Life giving water trickled down to the beetles' mout...

FLOOD  By Tessa Harvey        The judge spoke again. "You may be seated." No smile, just matter of fact, indifference - years and years of procedure.     Polly adjusted the microphone herself as she sat down, though the court assistant had moved to help her.     The defense lawyer asked her some basic questions, but her mind would not work and she gave two wrong answers, later corrected.     Trying to discern the dimness, she was aware of one person staring at her, a close relative. Her eyes had always been blue but now it seemed they glowed with glacial fire, more green than blue.     Unable to bear the pain, Hazel had turned away. She felt so old. Eventually after an ordeal of awful questions, the judge turned to her in his box of light. "You are free to go." Somehow she stumbled down the narrow twisting steps. The court lady smiled up at her. "Take your time," she whispered.     Somehow Hazel made it outside, ...

THE SENTINEL  (continued) FLOOD      Hazel walked down into the sloping gloom. Around her she could make out people but it was as an amorphous puddle. Only the judge had light around him.     Hazel was directed to the witness box, an awkward climb upwards, then abruptly sideways. A kind lady with a smiling face moved close. She looked quite far away as the witness box was high.     "Stay standing," the elderly judge ordered sternly - white hair, white wig. There was a choice of using the Bible  or swearing a secular oath. Hesitating, Hazel chose the latter.     Almost she said her name was Polly, but remembered just in time. This was a formal setting. "Hazel," she said. A person she had spoken against had called after a previous court appearance and accused her of lying, using a Bible, saying she was supposed to be very religious. So this time she repeated the secular oath. She must have missed some as the lady below whispered the w...

THE SENTINEL By Tessa Harvey      His father had come back, even angrier and vengeful, so sure the chemist would have long gone and his stupid son was hiding in a cupboard or toilet on the pharmacy premises. Well, he paused, unsure.....he had so many aliases....anyway, that boy would learn to obey.     To his surprise, the shop door opened easily. To his further surprise, both men knew his real name. It was not Karl Schonbaum. Neither was it Tony Smith. "You are under arrest, James Stewart," declared the formidable looking man. "I am a police officer.     Just then a car swerved and parked at an angle. A young man and young woman emerged. "Sylvia!" James gasped. "Time up, dad," she said with an icy calmness.     He heard sirens and moved sideways, easily blocked by the three menand young woman.     "I just want to see my little boy," he tried to bluster. "No dad," his girl said again. "Time up, and I know my real father is now...

THE SENTINEL  By Tessa Harvey     Theodor had dreamt that his sister Sylvia would come. When he woke up, he crept to the door and whispered "Sylvie, Sylvie," just in case. Good things could happen sometimes, couldn't they.      He heard a low rumble of male voices, then suddenly there was a great banging and a clattering and a girl calling loudly "Open the door. NOW! I want my brother. Hurry up!"     Theo was overjoyed. Sylvia had not been nice to him for a long time. But she was here. For him! She loved him after all. His heart swelled.     Thank you God, he whispered in his heart and began trying to push all the boxes he had piled up the night before. But he felt so very tired and funny. The boxes and bags felt much heavier somehow.     He heard his sister at the door and tried to answer but couldn't do that. Slowly he slipped down to the floor. There was a lot more noise, but mercilessly he did not hear it.

THE SENTINEL  By Tessa Harvey     Hot on Tony Smith's trail, Alistair and a team of law enforcement officers were even now heading north to rural Cumbria like old-time cavalry at the eleventh hour, swooping over the hostile hills.....     Theodor needed help desperately. Fear had robbed him of speech and caused the small battered boy to barricade himself in the pharmacy staff room.      He had found a bottle of water, some biscuits and a snack bar. Gulping down the precious liquid, eating the food, then using the toilet had been followed by a collapse from exhaustion - mental and physical. Curled up in a small very soft armchair, he hurtled into a deep slumber and heard nothing.     Theo had barricaded the door with boxes of medical supplies and never heard the anxious voices outside. The pharmacist locked the shop, phoned for more help and stood guard.     The lights were dimmed to confuse the male predator who had claimed pat...

THE SENTINEL   By Tessa Harvey     Sylvia's car was badly damaged, but a knight in shining armour came to her rescue. He was a young teacher , Tom Jacobs, dark-haired and dashing.     In actuality, he was a very good teacher relating well to boys especially.     Having had a plethora of sisters, he was wise to many of girls also. An older female teacher had told him "if two boys fight, that's all it is; if two girls fight, the whole school is involved." He heard these words of wisdom.     One quote also from a male teacher almost due to retire, he said with a smile and a chuckle, "Girls are politely rude, boys are rudely polite!" Much truth there!     However one girl, or young woman interested him very much - Sylvia. He saw her today quietly sobbing after hours in the dark school office. "Let's go find our boy, Theo," he announced firmly. "I have an idea." Sylvia glanced up at this slightly overweight awkward young man and forgot a...