It’s all right! It’s going to be all right!’ Opening his eyes reluctantly, he saw Alice looking up at him from the road beneath, terror showing clearly on her face. What did she mean? Why was she here? She’d no business coming to the arches. She never came. She said they gave her the creeps.
He closed his eyes - that would shut her out. She wasn’t really there, anyway. It was all in his imagination. But his confused brain couldn’t recapture his previous train of thought. What had he been going to do? It was somehow connected with Alice, that was all he could remember.
The sound of a dog barking made his eyes jerk open again, and there was his spaniel at his feet, looking up at him with her head on one side. What was she doing up here on top of the viaduct? He couldn’t even remember having climbed up himself, but he crossed over and ducked under the wire fence again. Stumbling down the embankment, he saw Alice coming up to meet him. She said nothing as she turned with him down on to the road, but that was when he noticed the envelope in her hand. A long, business envelope. Here was the news he didn’t want.
‘It’s for you, Archie.’
He opened it with trembling fingers and drew out the single sheet of paper, but the typed words blurred before his eyes and he handed it back. ‘Read it out for me, lass. I haven’t got my glasses.’
She had to read it through twice before its full significance dawned on him, and he was silent so long that his wife felt anxious. ‘Archie?’ As he lifted his head she was relieved to see him smiling, his eyes clearer and brighter than they had been a moment before.
‘I’ll be able to die in the house I was born in,’ he said, happily. ‘It’s what I’ve aye hoped for, and not many have the good fortune to do that.’ The worry and conflict of the past long hours were gone from his face, and his shoulders lifted as they turned towards the village. ‘We’ll just get back home now, lass.’
A lump in her throat and tears in her eyes, Alice painfully matched her steps to his, but in a couple of minutes, he stopped and looked back at the arches. ‘They didna help me,’ he said, simply.
‘I ken, Archie, I ken. Just forget about it.’
He put his arm round her ample waist, for the first time in many years. ‘It’s you that never lets me down, lass.’
Alice smiled at him fondly. ‘Ach, you’re just a great, soft lump.’
***
Word count 3647
Written in July 1986 and rejected by People’s Friend.
The Christmas Baby
‘Why’s your tummy so fat, Mummy?’
Three-year-old Iain poked his podgy finger into his mother’s pregnant body and looked up into her face, his eyes demanding an instant, truthful answer.
Fiona Angus sighed. She had known it would come but, coward that she was, she’d put it off as long as she could. Gently, she lifted him on to her knee, her brain searching wildly for the proper words.
Her son snuggled against her, his question already forgotten. ‘A story, Mummy?’
She relaxed against the cushions of the wide armchair, relieved that the awkward moment had passed, then made up her mind that it would be best to get it over after all. She couldn’t face having to go through this panic another time. ‘No story just now, Iain,’ she smiled, shifting her position slightly to be more comfortable. She dreaded his reception of what she meant to tell him, but took the plunge. ‘Mummy’s going to tell you why her tummy’s so fat.’
She got a flash of inspiration when his hand rested on her ‘bump’. ‘Can you feel something moving inside there?’
After frowning in concentration for a few seconds, he smiled broadly. ‘Ooh, yes, it’s a frog jumping about.’
Fiona had to laugh. ‘It’s not a frog, it’s a baby, a little brother or sister for you. I’m sure you’ll like that, won’t you?’
He nodded absentmindedly, still engrossed in feeling the movements under his hand.
‘Mummy and Daddy thought it would be a good
He closed his eyes - that would shut her out. She wasn’t really there, anyway. It was all in his imagination. But his confused brain couldn’t recapture his previous train of thought. What had he been going to do? It was somehow connected with Alice, that was all he could remember.
The sound of a dog barking made his eyes jerk open again, and there was his spaniel at his feet, looking up at him with her head on one side. What was she doing up here on top of the viaduct? He couldn’t even remember having climbed up himself, but he crossed over and ducked under the wire fence again. Stumbling down the embankment, he saw Alice coming up to meet him. She said nothing as she turned with him down on to the road, but that was when he noticed the envelope in her hand. A long, business envelope. Here was the news he didn’t want.
‘It’s for you, Archie.’
He opened it with trembling fingers and drew out the single sheet of paper, but the typed words blurred before his eyes and he handed it back. ‘Read it out for me, lass. I haven’t got my glasses.’
She had to read it through twice before its full significance dawned on him, and he was silent so long that his wife felt anxious. ‘Archie?’ As he lifted his head she was relieved to see him smiling, his eyes clearer and brighter than they had been a moment before.
‘I’ll be able to die in the house I was born in,’ he said, happily. ‘It’s what I’ve aye hoped for, and not many have the good fortune to do that.’ The worry and conflict of the past long hours were gone from his face, and his shoulders lifted as they turned towards the village. ‘We’ll just get back home now, lass.’
A lump in her throat and tears in her eyes, Alice painfully matched her steps to his, but in a couple of minutes, he stopped and looked back at the arches. ‘They didna help me,’ he said, simply.
‘I ken, Archie, I ken. Just forget about it.’
He put his arm round her ample waist, for the first time in many years. ‘It’s you that never lets me down, lass.’
Alice smiled at him fondly. ‘Ach, you’re just a great, soft lump.’
***
Word count 3647
Written in July 1986 and rejected by People’s Friend.
The Christmas Baby
‘Why’s your tummy so fat, Mummy?’
Three-year-old Iain poked his podgy finger into his mother’s pregnant body and looked up into her face, his eyes demanding an instant, truthful answer.
Fiona Angus sighed. She had known it would come but, coward that she was, she’d put it off as long as she could. Gently, she lifted him on to her knee, her brain searching wildly for the proper words.
Her son snuggled against her, his question already forgotten. ‘A story, Mummy?’
She relaxed against the cushions of the wide armchair, relieved that the awkward moment had passed, then made up her mind that it would be best to get it over after all. She couldn’t face having to go through this panic another time. ‘No story just now, Iain,’ she smiled, shifting her position slightly to be more comfortable. She dreaded his reception of what she meant to tell him, but took the plunge. ‘Mummy’s going to tell you why her tummy’s so fat.’
She got a flash of inspiration when his hand rested on her ‘bump’. ‘Can you feel something moving inside there?’
After frowning in concentration for a few seconds, he smiled broadly. ‘Ooh, yes, it’s a frog jumping about.’
Fiona had to laugh. ‘It’s not a frog, it’s a baby, a little brother or sister for you. I’m sure you’ll like that, won’t you?’
He nodded absentmindedly, still engrossed in feeling the movements under his hand.
‘Mummy and Daddy thought it would be a good
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