Samantha is now 8 years old.

Outside of the walled area of Port Town and further out from Greenfield village there is a coven of witches and wizards. There, the members practice their magic and make regular sacrifices to their master.

The coven has a council of elders tasked with maintaining the safety of the coven. Two prophesies seen in the crystal ball imperil the future of the witches.

Nathan, the leader of the coven, halts a human sacrifice which could have endangered the coven.

 

Here is a sample of ‘A Tale Of Witchcraft: Sacrifice’.

 

 

2. SACRIFICE

PART I

The pig ran to the trough at the corner of the pen and ferociously stuck it’s snout in to get a feed. This would be its first feed of the day. As it chewed and snorted and gulped the meal down it suddenly raised its snout as if it had been distracted. Its need for food had been surpassed by the desire to turn its head round. The trough was still full but something more than satisfying its normally insatiable appetite had grabbed its attention.

The pig was being compelled by a power that it had never felt before. It turned its head and could see a young woman standing at the far end of the pen. She had opened the gate and was looking only in the direction of the pig. She had opened the gate silently and she had not said or shouted anything as she looked at the pig. The pig had sensed that looking at her was the right thing for it to do. The pig abandoned the trough and began to slowly walk to the young woman whose name was Anna. The young woman smiled at the strength of her powers of attraction of animals and the pig had not stood a chance.

The pig walked through the gate opening and Anna closed the gate behind her. She was depriving a local farmer of his property in the pig but she did not care about this as she did not really care about anyone. She had stolen cattle from this small village many times which had caused trouble with the residents who were mainly poor. In the past she had attracted cows, sheep, horses and chickens away from their owners. Her history had shown that she did not care about much and that she was particularly selfish. She was wayward amongst those that she lived with, who saw her as being attention seeking and rebellious

The farmer and owner would never have seen his animal behave like this. At the sight of a human it would run in the opposite direction and as far away as possible. This behaviour was contrary to its nature.

As Anna closed the gate the pig sat on its hind legs as though waiting for her. Anna walked in front and the pig stood up before following its new master a few paces behind. The young woman had demonstrated a contumacious disregard for the rights of the farmer. She whistled a tune as she headed towards what for her was home.

 

Eight years have passed since the birth of Samantha. She has been brought up well by her parents who live within the walled area of Port Town. The residents have been and still are wary of the presence of witches and sinister powers they possess. Almost daily the residents view the witches flying high above their town. They are also aware that the witches have the ability to disguise themselves, to interlope into their town and mingle with them.

The old witch Jessmay cackled as she flew over the canopy of the tree and this time back to her home. Her cape fluttered in the wind as she caught the breeze. She could see the tents of the coven below her and the witches and wizards there, old and young were coming into view as she descended from above. Flying just behind her were the two ravens who had again accompanied her on her morning flight. She directed her broom to the ground and soon she was slowing down as she landed. Coming to a halt she swung one leg off the broom and corrected it in front of her. She walked on allowing the ravens to land in the same spot.

The ravens were competitive and landed as close to each other as they could one narrowly pipping the other to touch down first. The bird walked forward and as he did he transformed slowly and miraculously into a six foot witch. He smiled to the old witch after his transformation was complete.

“I knew I would beat him in, I always do,” said the wizard who was called Luke.

He and Jessmay looked behind him as the other Raven transformed. He was a similar age to Luke and at 6 feet tall he was the same height.

“You may have beaten me in but I flew higher and further than you did today. I saw more than you did as well,” said Jacob.

“Next time I’ll fly slower so that you can keep up,” laughed Luke as he put his hand on his friend’s shoulders.

“Thanks for coming out with me you two. But do you think that you could just stop fighting between yourselves for a moment. You both flew as well as each other. I’ll see you later, maybe we could go for another fly tomorrow,” said Jessmay waving to the two young witches.

The two young wizards waved back as they headed towards their tents pushing each other now and then on the way.

They had landed near the tents and they could see the other witches going about their daily chores. Some others were also flying about on their broom but they had not ventured too far. They enjoyed the exercise and the view from up on high. They would also fly up there to see if anyone was encroaching on their coven and today this did not seem to be the case and they were all safe. Other witches liked to practice their levitation. They would stand on the spot, raise their arms out to the side and think themselves light as they rose off the ground. They would choose which ever height was comfortable for them and move about either quickly or slowly as they saw fit.

Jessmay smiled as she looked about at the coven she loved with her friends both old and young passing their time in their own fashion. She loved the ambience of the coven. Her friends were flying around or levitating or practicing spells. She was now in a place where she felt safe and which contrasted spectacularly with what for her was the place of danger, Port Town.

The coven was the place that she called home. There were slightly over 100 witches and wizards within the coven. There was a system or an order which kept the coven functioning and safe. The council of elders were the wisest of the witches and wizards and made decisions which the coven lived by. This council had ten members and Jessmay was one of them. They concerned themselves mainly with the safety of the witches and wizards and with everyday occurrences which could have an impact on the coven. The adult witches and wizards were then divided into juniors and seniors depending on their age and abilities. The senior witches had a greater range of abilities and were more powerful. The junior witches also had remarkable abilities and these would strengthen with experience as they matured. Finally, there were the children who were taught by all members of the coven.

Unity was important amongst the coven as although it was powerful, it was very small. Witches and wizards had to support one another in whatever endeavour they took part in. They had to make sure they defended one another, looked out for one another and most of all concealed the location of their coven. Survival was the name of the game.  The council of elders would always stress that although they possessed magic and extraordinary powers they would be defeated by the members of the walled town if their coven was ever located. There were simply too many people there who could overrun them and destroy them.

The members of the coven lived within tents and in family units. The older members such as Nathan and Jezabal lived by themselves. They live in one of the larger tents. They have a large cover on a box bed on the floor, they have a cauldron and a crystal ball which is often used by Jezabel. They keep their clothes, robes and hats in a wardrobe. Their brooms are kept at the side of the tent. He keeps the chest with the books of spells and prophecies and the treaties. The home is sparse but practical for their needs.

Mothers and fathers would live with their children. Most tents had cauldrons of varying sizes which could be used to make magical potions. Depending on the ingredient, the potions could be used to cure illnesses or to make people sick. In some cases they could be used to control people and cause them to act in a manner distinct from their true nature.

At the front of the coven was the practice area where witches practiced their magic. That was where they learned magic and improved on it. It was imperative for the strength of the coven that all witches worked on their magic at least daily. Some witches were stronger in abilities that others. Some could perform tasks that others would never be able to do. When practice was taking place amongst the witches, the elder and leader of the coven Nathan would often observe what was happening. He would also teach the wizards and witches of all ages. He is always working on perfecting his magic and witchcraft. His interests are magic and the coven. He would be accompanied with his wife Jezabel, who he has been married to for many years. He listens to his wife who is always by his side. She is his ideal partner. She was pretty as a young women and still is and she has always had a kind heart. He loves his wife dearly and wants and receives closeness and support from her.

The witches knew that their abilities were natural and were within them. It was mainly through training their thoughts that they could perform magic. Whether that was flying a broom, levitating, levitating others, casting fireballs, releasing energy from their eyes or other powers it all came from inside them and had to be practiced regularly.

Beside the practice area was the large sacrificial area. Witches learned early on the importance of making sacrifices to their master the devil. This was circular in shape and at the centre would be the sacrificial fire where the offerings were made. These tended to be small animals. The large sacrificial ceremonies were attended by all the adult witches and wizards. These would be led by Nathan, the head of the council of elders. On occasions smaller ceremonies were held where it was not compulsory for all of the adults in the coven to attend.

The coven, although relatively small in size is situated in a large area of land which the members of other covens could not use. Through necessity the coven has in the past moved in its entirety to avoid its location being discovered. The council have admitted that they have been lucky and there have been occasions where wanderers and searchers have almost haphazardly came upon their coven. Good defence and surveillance means the council can decide if they are safe enough to stay where they are or whether a movement to another setting is necessary.

Most witches had powerful knowledge and the ability to predict the future. They could control the weather for example by causing lightning strikes. They could control the seas, the fields and the crops. Most were experts in divination. They could use potions and spells to spread illness and to cause disease. They could spread the plague and cause death in many ways.

Some witches had ability over the dead. They could cause resurrection, contacting the dead, call spirits to them and return spirits from whence they came. Some witches have the powers to speak to their ancestors……….

 

 

The novella ‘A Tale Of Witchcraft: Sacrifice’ written by Alan Barr is available in eBook format from Amazon. 

Kind Regards.

Alan

alanrove@hotmail.com

 

 

 

It is the sixteenth century, a time when witches are real and people live in fear of them.

A young childless couple are given the opportunity to adopt a baby girl who they name ‘Samantha’.

They live in the walled area of Port Town. There, stories are told about the threat from witches. The King has decreed throughout the land what action will be taken against witches and those who carry out witchcraft.

 

Here is a sample from the novella ‘A Tale Of Witchcraft: Birth’.

 

1. BIRTH

PART I

Lucinda gripped her husband’s hand tightly as she grimaced and pushed and tried desperately to control her breathing. Her waters had broken thirty minutes ago and the stress of being in labour was clearly written on her face. Without being able to help it she screamed out loudly as she pushed once more.

“I know it’s hard love but try to be quiet, you must be quiet. We cannot have any of the others hear this,” said Jeremiah as he released her hand and hurriedly ran to the opening of their small tent. He looked out and frantically gazed both left and right but fortunately no one came running towards their tent. The scream had not alerted anyone.

In the past nine months Lucinda and Jeremiah had lived in fear of discovery of her condition. In the first few months there had not been much sign that Lucinda was with child. In the second trimester it became evident and she had worn heavier clothes to conceal this. Only Jeremiah had been aware of their secret. He wanted it to remain that way. With the panic over he stepped back into the tent towards his distressed wife.

“Not much longer love, you’re doing great. No one was alerted but let’s just keep it like that. Now make sure you keep breathing and keep pushing,” said Jeremiah taking Lucinda’s hand again and trying to reassure her.

“I’ll keep as quiet as I can love,” said Lucinda between deep breaths. ”I’ll try my best, but it just hurts so much.”

As she felt the next jolt of pain she clenched her teeth tight as the tears came out of her eyes and down her cheeks. She knew as well as Jeremiah why the secrecy was imperative. She carried the greatest burden, but it was one that she had gladly accepted. Right now however, mid labour the secrecy part was proving tremendously difficult to uphold. Nine months without discovery seemed miraculous and these past hours were even more so. With legs spread apart she took in as much air as she could through deep breathing and began to push.

“Good Lucinda, well done. Keep pushing and it will be over before you know it,” said Jeremiah as his hand was being forcibly crushed by Lucinda. He kept it there as he urged her to keep on pushing.

Lucinda’s face was bright red and covered in sweat. Her hair had started to mat and the fringe was stuck to her forehead. With great effort she gave another almighty push. She was finding it difficult to breathe now but fought with what she had to stay awake and conscious. She did not want to pass out on her husband and she wanted this delivery over with as quickly as possible. She pushed again and this time the crown of the baby’s head came visible.

“I can see part of the baby’s head now love. Soon the hard part will be over with. You are doing so well, just keep on pushing and our baby will be delivered,” said Jeremiah encouragingly.

Lucinda clenched her teeth and held tightly onto her husband’s hands. She held so tightly that Jeremiah believed that it would be crushed to a pulp, the bones would protrude and that blood would gush onto the floor. However his hand was stronger than his mind thought it was. The pain of the crushing was constant but he did not remove his hand as it was needed by his wife who was in dire circumstances.

“You’re doing fine love. Deep breaths and keep on pushing,” said Jeremiah excitedly, almost forgetting to keep his voice down.

As the baby’s head came out more Jeremiah moved to the front of Lucinda. He remained there as he held onto the baby to stabilise it.

“Big breaths and another big push and that should be it,” said Jeremiah.

Lucinda was in torturous pain as she gulped in air and pushed for all she was worth. With all the effort the baby seemed to slip out with ease. Jeremiah held its blood covered body and raised it up so that his wife could have a look.

“See Lucinda it was worth the effort. You have given birth to a precious beautiful girl. She is perfect,” said Jeremiah raising his voice in excitement and at the last second remembering to lower it.

Lucinda lay back, breathing in deeply from her exertions and trying her best to ignore the pain of the birth. A broad smile broke out form her face as she fully saw her child for the first time.

“Let me see her Jeremiah, let me at least have the chance to hold her,” said Lucinda reaching out with her hand.

“Wait a second love. I’ll just tie off the cord and cut it with a knife to free you from the child,” said Jeremiah as he took strands from a rope and tied the cord in two places. He took a knife from the nearby table and cut the cord between the ties.

Miraculously although the baby had moved, she had not cried which was most fortunate for the couple. Jeremiah smiling with pride handed the baby over to his wife who rested the child on her chest and placed her arms around her.

“Let’s hope the baby remains quiet by herself. If she does not then we may have to cover her mouth to hide her cries,” said Jeremiah.

“This is so unfair. Why can’t we keep her? Why can’t I have the chance to be a proud mother and you a proud father? Everyone else gets to have children, why not us,” said Lucinda.

“You know why love, because it’s dangerous. I hate to think what would happen to us or the child if anyone found out what we have done. We have kept her secret for so long. We will quietly remain in the tent for another three or four days. I’ll tell people that you are not feeling well and that I am giving you good care and that you should be better and up and about within a week. If we keep the baby quiet no one should be any the wiser,” said Jeremiah with a serious demeanour.

Lucinda looked down on her miracle baby, the lovely girl that they would have to abandon soon. She wrapped her arms round her and kissed her on the forehead, believing for a small moment that all could be well and that they could be a normal family. That they would be accepted by everyone and that their child would grow up healthily within the community.

“Look love, she’s opening her eyes and they are so green,” said Lucinda.

The baby looked up at her mother smiling and moving her arms.

“I’d best give her a wash love to get some of the blood off her. After that I’ll wrap her up with a woollen shawl to keep her warm,” said Jeremiah looking lovingly down on his wife and daughter. “It does look normal and it feels normal, but you know that this is the way it must be.”

Jeremiah left the hut and came back a few minutes later with a full bucket of water, a cloth and a shawl. Lucinda handed the baby to him and he gently received her in one arm as he took the cloth immersed it in the water within the bucket, wrung the excess off and dabbed it onto his child. She gave out a small cry which concerned him however the cry died down to a contented gurgle as the baby became accustomed to the cold water from the sodden cloth.

“I spoke to some people who were asking for you. They seemed concerned about you but I informed them that you were getting better and that I was using the cloth and cold water to calm the remaining signs of fever that you had. They seemed content with that explanation,” said Jeremiah as he continued washing his daughter. He dried her off with a towel wrapped her in a shawl and handed her back to Lucinda.

“When must we give her up love?” asked Lucinda resigned to having to ask the dreadful question.

“You’re still weak from the delivery love, so we’ll have to wait a few days. At four days at the most we will have to make our move. We’ll slip away at night time when everyone is asleep and no one can hear us. We shall return about two days after that with the task complete and no one should ever know,” said Jeremiah.

“I’m getting used to her being here already love. I’m forming a bond with her and after four days I think this bond will be all the greater. She’s so soft and gentle and much like other babies I have seen. The task of giving her up will be too great for me,” said Lucinda with a lump in her throat.

“That’s why we’ll be doing it together love. I’ll be with you every step of the way and as her father it will be equally as difficult for me as it is for you. We’ll get through it and we’ll survive. I’m sure that some loving charitable people will take good care of her,” said Jeremiah comforting his wife.

Over the next few days the couple did their best to keep the noise they were making to a minimum. The baby seemed content and not too demanding as she would look up to her mother with emerald eyes and smiling, strengthening the bond between mother and daughter, the bond that Lucinda needed so much to resist. Miraculously her crying was kept to the minimum. Lucinda would hush and cradle her if there was the slightest hint that she would burst out into tears. The baby also fed well and to Lucinda’s delight this was not too painful for her as the babe suckled her breast.

Jeremiah kept regular contact with the others as if to appease their caring but inquisitive natures. He assured them that his wife was on the mend but to avoid any contagion they should not in any circumstances enter into the tent. She was looking forward to being up and about and mingling with them but for now rest and privacy was the best medicine for her.

Then the fateful day came when Lucinda had recovered from her labour. She was able to stand easily and the couple realised that if they were to maintain their secret and not draw attention to themselves that had to act now. The baby was getting stronger every day and it may have only been luck for them that she had refrained from crying. It would only take one little tantrum and one good cry for her to be discovered. Lucinda held her baby closer that day as the thought they would soon be departed crept up on her. She could at least say that she had loved her as long as they were together.

They could hear the others from within their tent as the day went on. Lots of bustle in the morning, less in the afternoon and then the sound of them taking to their own areas so they could rest for the night. The couple waited for the continued silence which would be their signal to leave. Jeremiah stepped out of the tent and had a good look round. Satisfied that everyone would be settling down for the night he stepped back into the tent……………….

 

 

This novella is available as an eBook on Amazon.

Kind Regards.

Alan

alanrove@hotmail.com

 

 

‘It all started with two best friends watching a bodybuilding documentary on the television. One of the friends, Dereck, was spellbound by what he saw and was hooked then and there.

He vowed to himself that he would become like the man on the television. He would have that lifestyle. He would sacrifice everything and do anything to look like that.’

 

Here is a sample from the novella ‘Big Ambitions’.

 

Part I

Norman had known Dereck since they were young kids. Dereck had always been so full of life, larger than life and it was easy to like him as he was so exuberant. It seemed that he loved life and everyone in it. Most days Norman could not wait to see his friend who had quickly became his best friend. People had described them as being peas in a pod as they hung around together, they were the same age, the same height and had the same likes. They supported the same football teams.

Norman would hear Dereck before he saw him. He would be shouting at the other end of the street and giving a massive wave with both arms. He liked to pat people on the back especially those he knew and got on well with and Norman was always a recipient of those pats and some could be harder than others. Still, Norman was glad he had a friend like Dereck and would not have changed him for the world. Loyalty was his greatest gift and he was always there to help and support Norman.

Dereck made friends with other people easily. His infectious smile and his laugh enabled him to get on with many people. He was thoughtful as well which put him on side with most people. If there was a trait that Dereck had which niggled with Norman, it would have been his competitiveness. For some reason everything had to be a competition. Maybe it was just his way of getting on in life. Whatever he did, he wanted to do it as best as he could. He wanted to be the fastest runner, the best football player the best person at playing hide and seek when they were kids or the best at whatever he was doing. This was something that Norman noticed and it may have detracted from his character but his friendliness and likeability always shone through and won out in the end. Everyone couldn’t help liking Dereck.

They loved to wrestle each other as many times as they could. It would start out as a conversation which turned into a difference of opinion which turned out to be an argument which was eventually decided with a bout of wrestling. In this department they were equally matched. They had the same weight, height and leverage. The winner was normally decided by who got the best headlock on first. Keeping tally, the wins were about equal for both of them.

Norman loved to play tricks on Dereck as often as possible. His favourite trick was knocking on his front door and running away. One day he was able to do it three times in row, watching from a safe distance to see his bewildered face. On the fourth time he knocked on the door he ran to the side of the house outside Dereck’s bedroom window. Dereck flew to the front door and yanked open the front door to see no one there. On returning to his bedroom Norman jumped up in the air frightening the life out of him. Once he had calmed down he eventually saw the funny side of it but still vowed to get his revenge.

They both had a great sense of humour and loved to laugh. It didn’t matter what they laughed at as long as they were laughing. They would laugh at themselves, their friends, their parents which got them into trouble a lot of times, awkward situations and anything really. They loved comedy films and always rented out films or watched them on the television. Old films, new films it didn’t matter as long as they were comedy films. They both saw the funny side of life and thought it was a wasted day it they never had a good belly laugh.

Norman may have been more introverted especially in comparison to Dereck. He still got on with people but perhaps lacked Dereck’s animation. Despite everything that happened throughout the years the pair stuck together. They took the same classes at school and achieved the same grades. Whenever they studied, which was not as often as it should have been, they were with each other. Copying may have happened form time to time but this was not noticed by the teachers.

They both left school at 18 years old and whilst their other friends had decided to go to universities to become scientists, engineers or teachers they decided that they would get jobs locally. University or college was always something that they could do later.

They were lean and 6 feet tall. The main difference between them was that Norman had blonde hair and Dereck had brown hair. Throughout school they had girlfriends and this was normally at the same as each other.  It was always striking that the girls would be best friends or at least friends. The foursome would last for a couple of months and then break up for some silly reason. Dereck and Norman could rack it up to experience and then get on with life.

 

They took turns at visiting each other and on one particular evening Dereck was at Norman’s house. They switched on the television and flicking through the channels they came across a documentary covering the life of a bodybuilder. The programme was very well presented and at peak viewing time it was bound to attract a lot of viewers. Dereck couldn’t get over how big this young man was. When he went to the local beach and started posing the young girls swarmed around him trying to get closer which did not impress his girlfriend. By the look of the bodybuilder he didn’t mind the adulation from the fans.

The bodybuilder described what his life was like, the long training sessions, the hard workouts, his diet and all the sacrifices he was making. He earned money by winning competitions and making endorsements for local companies. His biggest endorsements were for weight training belts and protein shakes. He was thinking about writing a training book in which he could describe his routines. He hadn’t start this yet, but it was an idea.

Dereck was hooked by what the guy was saying. He was earning good money, he had a good looking girlfriend, all his fans loved him and he was fit.

“That’s it, that’s what we should do. We should become bodybuilders and we’ll be famous just like him and we’ll have loads of girlfriends. We’ll look massive as well,” said Dereck.

Norman had never seen Dereck so worked up about anything. Normally they sat down in the room and watched a film, making some comments about the cheesy storylines and special effects. This night was different as this night Dereck had become inspired.

“Ok then, so how are we going to do that? It has taken this guy ages to look like that, he said so himself. Anyway we don’t need to be famous and why do you want loads of girlfriends? You only need the one,” remarked Norman.

“It’ll be different for us and we could treat it like a hobby. It’s better than sitting in each other’s room every night watching television. Most of these programmes are boring anyway. They’re always showing the same old stuff, all the old repeats. This will be exciting for us, it will change the way we look and we will be super healthy,” enthused Dereck.

“It’s worth thinking about then. We need to get hold of some weights and some barbells or dumbbells to start us off. There’s also a lot for us to learn if we want to look anything like that bloke on the telly,” said Norman.

 

Norman saw the weight set in the catalogue. His mum had been working the catalogue for years and had made many orders. She was a loyal customer and was given good bargains. There were many weights sets offering different amounts of overall weight and differing numbers of barbells and dumbbells. He opted for the set with a barbell, dumbbells and collars and with a total of 80kg worth of weight. The weights were 4 x 10kg, 4 x 5kg, 8 x 2kg and 4 x 1kg and made of metal. Other weights were available such as those covered in plastic or those full of sand but those were a bit larger. The weights covered in plastic were also slightly more expensive.

The weights were advertised next to a weights bench which was sold separately. Norman could not afford to buy that due to lack of finances. At the side of the bench was a male model with his arms folded wearing shorts, t-shirt socks and trainers. Again the clothing was advertised separately. The same model could be seen throughout the catalogue, wearing a shirt in one section and wearing y-fonts in another with the same smile and with his arms folded all the way through the catalogue. Some people had easy jobs.

The repayment terms were reasonable and Norman placed the order. Three weeks later the weights arrived in a delivery van. Two delivery men brought the free weight, the collars and the barbell and dumbbells to the house. Norman signed for them as these were placed in the hallway. It was an exciting time, he was ready to start his transformation. The weight set also came with a small exercise book demonstrating the main exercises and some tips on their proper form.

Norman went upstairs and pushed his single bed to the wall to make some exercise room where he could use his weights. Dereck came rushing to the house and just in time.

“Well am I glad to see you. You can help me carry the weights upstairs,” said Norman.

With not too great technique they both placed their hands on the weights. For small objects they did seem heavy, especially the 10kg discs. They were both equally excited to try them out.

“So how do we use them then? Is there any particular order in which we can do the exercises?” asked Dereck.

“I’m not too sure. This book has a few exercise routines in it, but it’s fairly small. It shows you how to do the bench press, but from the picture you need a bench and a weights rack. I think we’ll just have to do that one from the floor for the moment,” replied Norman.

Dereck fitted the collars onto the barbell. He was able to place them on using an Allan key. Satisfied that the inner collars were fitted properly and in the right position he placed a 10kg weight on each side before fixing them on with the outer collars.

“There you go,” said Dereck. “20kg of weights with the barbell and collars giving us a total weight of about 22 to 23kg. All ready for our first bench presses even if it is without a bench. Could you pass me the bar please when I’m ready?”

Dereck laid on the floor and Norman stood over him lowering what seemed to him a heavy barbell. Dereck took the strain and lowered the barbell as far as he could. The full descent to the chest was prevented as his elbows came in contact with the floor. With a bench he would have got a full stretch and the barbell would have come down to his chest. For now they had to make do with what they had. Dereck finished the first set of ten repetitions and asked Norman to take the barbell.

He stood and walked in front of the wardrobe mirror looking for any difference in his physique no matter how miniscule.

“You don’t look any different. How did it feel? Was it sore?” asked Norman………………………

 

‘Big Ambitions’ is available as an eBook on Amazon.

alanrove@hotmail.com

Regards

Alan

 

 

…Dan needed to hear Mary’s reassuring words, but those nagging doubts still clung deeply onto him. The banter from his colleagues at work eroded his confidence but Mary was right. She must be right. There was nothing to worry about….

 

Here is a sample of ‘Descent Into Darkness: A Novella’.

 

Part I

Dan was a driver and loved his job. His father had encouraged him to drive at an early age. On his seventeenth birthday his father took him out for his first drive in a manual car, a beaten up old car and even though it had covered a huge mileage the engine was still in good shape. Dan remembered what his dad said to him. That if he learned to drive he could always have a job. Lots of businesses and companies needed drivers. The better he was at driving and the more vehicles he could drive the better were his chances of being employed.

The driving lessons continued as Dan received training both from his father and a professional driver from one of the local driver training schools. The L plates soon came off to be replaced by Ps. Dan was as pleased as punch when he was able to drive a car by himself. He didn’t care how the old car looked. The thought that he could drive whenever he wanted and to where ever he wanted really excited him.

He soon started dating and his first girlfriend was a local called Sally. They knew each other from school and as Dan was one of the only boys Sally knew could drive a car she was happy to be his girl. However, the two did not have that much in common. Once Sally was bored with the experience of being driven about she ended the relationship.

Disappointed, but not really heartbroken, Dan decided to fill his time with learning how to drive other vehicles. After a year he could take the P plates off his car which he did straight away. He started working in a pizza delivery business and used the money from that to pay for truck driver lessons at the weekend. The lessons were expensive, but having that ticket would open up a whole avenue of jobs for him. That could take him further afield and earn him some big money. Having obtained his truck driving licence he moved on to other jobs but decided he liked where he lived. His family had stayed in the one place when he was young and he became comfortable with it.

Years later he had a wife and four kids but was still in the same place. He now had a car licence, truck licence, HR, MR, forklift driving licence and could practically drive anything with wheels on it. He worked for a local wholesale warehouse which delivered goods to surrounding shops and businesses. He was trusted for whatever deliveries he was given and never missed a drop-off. His timekeeping was excellent and he had received two increases in wages due to his ability at doing the job. The other truck drivers did not seem to have the same enthusiasm or industry as Dan. His desire to do well could have been for the provision of his wife and four children. However it also came from his love of driving. A love which had been instilled by his father so many years ago while he was only a boy. Sometimes on a Sunday he would go round to his father’s and take him for a drive. That was when he wasn’t doing anything with his family.

Despite being given two wage increases the work did not pay enough. It was good money for what he did but it was spent quickly over himself his wife and their four children. Over the years they had to economise to make ends meet but his wife was happy enough. As long as they were all together that was the main thing. They learned to do without many things and how to use things sparingly to make them last longer.

He worked Monday to Friday on nine hour shifts with a twenty minute break in the morning and a half hour lunch break. Saturday work was available also and this was on double time. This was shared between the truck drivers. The money came in in really handy for Dan and Mary when anything essential was needed at home. At peak delivery times, say before Christmas and when local businesses needed extra deliveries, bonuses would be handed out to all drivers. These were appreciated by the employees which did not go unnoticed by the warehouse management. It may not have been the highest earning job but to be fair to the management they always paid their workers on time and for the amount they were owed. No worker ever went without their wages which seemed to keep turnover low. When a worker came to the warehouse he seemed to stay there for a long time. Longer than a lot of other local businesses which often saw changes in faces. Dan had worked at the warehouse for many years and if the management continued to treat him well he would work there for many more years.

 

Dan’s wife was Mary, who in her younger years was pretty and popular at school both with the girls and boys. She was rumoured to have many boyfriends but the actual number was less than the one that most people spread and quite often maliciously. She always made friends first before she would get serious with anyone. With that special person the relationship was always something more than physical. However, even after the relationship ended she would for the majority of times remain friendly with the boy that she had been seeing. She preferred creating bonds like that. She had heard of many relationships in the school that had broken down and afterwards the couples that were once close could barely stand being in the same room as each other. It seemed a shame that this would happen and so she resolved that it would never happen to her. She would not wish any ill on old boyfriends and so remained friends. It was not surprising that her current boyfriends would be suspicious of this type of behaviour. They would question if she was actually seeing the old boyfriend, but she never was. There had been many rumours round the school that she was unfaithful, but while she was with a boy she would never cheat by going back to the old boyfriends. If her boyfriend spoke about infidelities she would truthfully but quickly deny any wrongdoing on her behalf. Sadly one or two boyfriends had broken up with her because of this.

Dan had broken up with Sally for about a month. He noticed Mary and had always been attracted to her, however at the time she was seeing another lad. Two months later when that relationship ended he took a chance and asked her out for a meal. He was quickly told of the rules and so took things easy and got to know her before their relationship got serious. Mary would always stop to chat with her old boyfriends which initially made Dan feel uneasy, as if he was being shaded out. He soon realised that Mary was faithful and there was nothing to be suspicious about. The relationship stayed its course and eventually Dan popped the question and Mary readily accepted. She had fallen in love with Dan quickly and realised that he would be a good responsible husband. They might not have all the money in the world but they would be happy.

The wedding was attended by the family of the happy couple and their friends which included Mary’s old boyfriends, but at this point Dan knew Mary a lot better and didn’t mind.

 

Two years later the couple decided that they wanted a family. Joanne came first and was a quick delivery. She was like a little ray of sunshine, with twinkling eyes and a smile that could break your heart. People remarked that she was the spitting image of her mother. From an early age she was inquisitive. Of the four children she learned to speak the quickest. It was evident that she was destined for an academic life as she was a voracious young reader and could absorb knowledge rapidly. Reading books, comics anything was her delight. At school she was a natural and always received high grades. It seemed that every year she was in the top 10% of the class. All teachers raved that she was an ideal pupil, she had a willingness to learn and that she should do very well in the future. Apart from reading she also took an interest in maths and demonstrated a flair for science. Her teachers thought she could do well in science or engineering.

Next came the twins almost seven years later, Ross and Keith. Ross was born two minutes before Keith and never let his twin brother forget that. The competitive streak was there from the beginning in both boys. Dan encouraged this by throwing mini rugby balls, soccer balls and tennis balls into the cot to watch them play. They were intelligent enough but it wouldn’t be their choice to pick up the books. They would rather be outside running about and playing some game. Dan was invigorated by their sporting nature and enrolled them in the local soccer club. There boys and girls from the age of about 5 to 16 would go twice a week to learn soccer. It was well attended with over 50 children going there every week. The class would be split up into age groups and be taught soccer skills. When not at the club the boys would be forever outside playing.

Kelly the youngest was born four years after the twins. She too looked like her mother but picked up the mannerisms of her father. She loved to play with dolls. Story book, picture books and alphabet books were placed in her cot only to be pushed aside so she could dress her dolls up. She was smart and intelligent enough. Kelly learned to speak and read quickly and looked up to Joanne dotingly who would sit her on her knee as they read over a fairy tale picture book. She was loved and protected by the entire family.

 

Many years later on one Friday evening the front doorbell rang. Dan answered to see his old mate Kevin standing at the doorway. The visit was quite unexpected as he hadn’t seen his friend for ages, not even as he had been making his deliveries about town. Normally he passed him at least once a week and gave him a wave and a holler but nothing for a while. Dan thought that maybe he had moved on to another town.

‘Hey Kev, how are you doing pal. I thought you had skipped town for pastures new. Please come in,’ said Dan shaking Kevin’s hand.

‘No I’ve not left. Well at least not to another town. However I do have another job at the mine sites,’ replied Kevin.

‘The what,’ spluttered Dan, ‘I never thought you were a miner. What do you know about all that digging?’ asked Dan.

‘No, you fool. I didn’t say I was a miner. I just work at the mine site camp as a plumber. I do my old job but for the mining company,’ replied Kevin.

‘How long have you been out there?’ asked Dan becoming curious.

‘Just over 6 weeks now. I do 2 weeks shifts at a time. So for two weeks I work at the mines and for the two weeks after that I’m back home,’ said Kevin…………………

 

 

 

‘Descent Into Darkness: A Novella’ is one of the three novellas in ‘Unsettling’ which is available in paperback and in eBook format.

‘Descent Into Darkness: A Novella’ is also available by itself in eBook format.

All books are available in the Amazon bookstore.

alanrove@hotmail.com

Kind Regards

Alan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

… “Then she started sprinting to the edge of the field before the ‘Lovers walk’. I could see on this path that there were two young people running to get out of the storm. The witch pointed her arms forward before yelling ‘Beelzebub, bring down the tree. Beelzebub, bring down the earth.’ As she shouted I saw the hilltop where the tree was tear apart. It was as if giant invisible hands had torn the earth apart. The tree came crashing down upon that young farmer he had no chance. Then the witch screamed out ‘Beelzebub close her mouth’. We know that since then the young farmer’s wife has not been able to speak. Then I knew that I had witnessed the work of the devil through that young witch. I was totally shaken but then I ran back into town to fetch the constable.”

(Part of Mrs Dougal’s testimony).

 

Here is a sample from the novella ‘Witch Trial’.

 

PART I

The bright sun promised warmth which was denied by the cool autumnal breeze. A black bird cawed in remonstration as it looked down from the church spire onto the mourners gathering below. Among them was Stephen a young farmer with his wife Sarah who had both came to pay their last respects to friends whom they had known since childhood. Even though they had spent most of their life in the countryside they depended on the town where they would sell their cereals, farm animals and milk and through that trade they had gotten to know many of the locals. There was indeed an interdependency throughout the town where one’s own fortune could affect the others. The mourners were in their hundreds and mostly dressed in black. Young and old were represented and all had been affected in some way by the recent occurrence in the town.

Three months previously a middle aged tradesman with a cart full of his wares for sale had wandered into part of the town. He had travelled over the years to many places and wanted to try his luck locally. He set up his stall and had many customers. Within two weeks of arrival he was dead and his decline in health had been rapid. The locals were alarmed at the symptoms he had demonstrated prior to his demise. He had bouts of fever and chills, his muscles cramped causing excruciating pain to himself and he demonstrated seizures and for most of that terrible time he had stomach problems and black dots all over his body. He then fell into a deep sleep from which he did not awaken.

Those closest to him began to suffer from the same terrifying symptoms. The area of town that he was in was not particularly hygienic and had poor sanitation with black rats roaming the street and allowing the disease to be disseminated. The disease was recognised locally as being similar to the Black Death which had been prevalent centuries ago. Although the locals did not know it, the disease was caused by a bacterium which was carried inside fleas which would attach themselves to black rats. The fleas had most probably been inside the tradesman’s goods before attaching themselves to the local rat population. Wherever the rats went the disease spread and the rat’s preferred to remain in the area with the poorest hygiene.

The death toll quickly mounted with disease ravaging the poorest of families living in unsanitary conditions. The rodents remained within one area of town, the poorest, which confined the disease. Locals demonstrating the signs and symptoms remained confined to their houses and would carve cross into their front door with the words ‘Lord preserve us’.

The numbers dying eventually evened off. To prevent spread of the disease the locals burnt houses where the entire families had died. Bodies were covered and regularly taken to the local church where a huge trench had been dug to receive the hundreds of dead bodies that this ghastly plague had caused.

Many of those gathered had lost friends and relatives and their only consolation was that the plague had not taken their own lives. Tears and sniffles could be heard throughout as the minister in his robes made his way to the large trench which overtime had been extended to accommodate the increasing number of bodies.

The sermon was short and appropriate as the minister commended their spirits to heaven and talked of how these people had lived. They were decent people who had been overtaken by circumstances which had now thankfully been brought under control. Their lives had not been in vain as they had served the community well through their trademanship and hard work and would be well remembered. The townsfolk would remain together in their honour to make the community stronger.

The minister spoke of their resurrection and of the deceased taking their rightful place in the Lords House which comforted those who had gathered. He spoke of ephemerality of life and of ‘ashes to ashes and dust to dust’ before he ended the service. He solemnly walked away from the grave greeting and shaking hands with some mourners as he made his way to the church. Those mourners who remained stepped forward, stooped down, picked up some earth from the side of the grave and dropped it on the covered bodies below.

Sarah and Stephen each took turns at placing earth over the deceased. Sarah wiped some tears from her cheek as she stepped away from the grave. Behind the mourners were some men who were standing next to shovels. Once all the mourners had left the gravesite and the cemetery it would be their job to finally cover the bodies with the excavated earth to the side of the grave.

At the same time a stone mason was working on a large gravestone which would be placed beside the grave in remembrance of those who had died so cruelly. A collection had been taken to pay for this work and the people had been generous. The stone could be larger than the average piece in the cemetery. The stonemason could take longer to inscribe the stone using more extra care. It would become a focal point for those coming to the cemetery to pay their respects in the later years.

 

The young couple made their way through the mourners shaking hands with those they knew and hugging some in consolation for their loss. At that time the fair weather was in contrast to their inner despondent feelings. The community had taken a large hit, but hopefully as the minister had pleaded, they would remain together and become stronger. Stephen had his arm around Sarah as they walked together on the path between the gravestones to the front gate of the cemetery. Slowly they walked down the hill and towards the path which would take them home.

The path went past the cemetery to the bridge. It then went from over the bridge past a lake and then it had a stream on one side and a steep hill with trees at the top. There were fields on the other side. It stretched from near the church to the countryside. It was a narrow path straight at times and meandering at other points and known as the ‘lovers walk’. Many lovers had spent time on this path, holding hands, walking and getting to know each other better and discussing their plans for the future. Stephen had gotten to know Sarah well as boyfriend and girlfriend, as lovers and later as husband and wife on this walk. They had discussed what life would be like for them, how they would work the farm and later have many children.

That day was different. The path was in the same condition no better or worse, it was the same length no longer or shorter, but the circumstances changed everything. Their thoughts were with those who had died and with their friends and family. Talks of their own future could wait until later.

Sarah’s hands were cold and so she rubbed them together to generate some warmth. She raised them before her face and blew on them to get the circulation going. The wind picked up, blowing strands of her long fair hair across her face. Stephen stretched his hand forward and gently and with his fingers drew the hair behind her ear, revealing her smooth skin and rosy cheeks on her pale lovely face.

“The wind is starting to pick up. I hope it doesn’t get any colder,” worried Sarah.

“Not to worry love, we shall soon be home. A short walk along this path will bring us to our farmstead,” said Stephen reassuringly.

Stephen was tall and strong. A decent heart belied his robust appearance. He was married to Sarah and they lived in a farm which he shared with his father. Working the land had given him strength and endurance. He liked to see the products of working on the farm and he loved playing a big part in the local community. He took no nonsense yet he was a kind man and generous to those that he loved.

Sarah had taken to him years ago when they had fallen in love. They had married at the church which was beside the cemetery where the recent funerals had taken place. Both families were ecstatic for the union and wished the young couple the best of success in their marriage. It had ups and downs and through it all their love for each other grew deeper.

The recent tragedy in the community had hit everyone. Those who had not succumbed to the disease were thankful to be alive and still deeply shocked by the enormous loss. Too many had been taken in such a short time from the small community. It was now time to demonstrate resilience and rebuild now that the tragedy had ended.

Sarah wrapped her long jacket round her tighter as she could feel the wind pick up. She also tightened her scarf around her neck to give herself more warmth. Stephen looked into her blue eyes and smiled letting her know that everything was okay. They had both lost close friends but they still had other friends and their close family. Stephen put his arm around her waist and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Although they had been married for a few years now he demonstrated to her every day that he loved her as much now as he had on their wedding day.

Within the cemetery they had both noticed the smell of the dead. Along the path this had been replaced by the smell of the countryside. The smell of grass and earth was what Stephen loved most. Being a farmer he was used to the outdoor life but he also loved its smell. He had spent many days as a young boy and also as a man toiling in the fields with his father and now by himself. Guiding the horses and holding the plough so that the furrows in the field would be straight. Years of perfecting this art had given him strength and a love for the outdoors.

The golden leaves which had fallen to the ground were now being picked up and blown in front of them. Flying towards their coats before being buffeted and falling on the ground yet again. The blackbirds cawed as the wind picked up yet again. The dry golden leaves crinkled and crackled as the pair walked along the path. Twigs that had fallen from the trees from their lofty positions were broken underfoot. The trunks and branches of the trees were like tortured souls laid bare by the falling golden leaves. The almost naked trees revealed the birds’ nests aloft in the branches. As the wind blew stronger the branches reached forward like grabbing arms to capture or impede the progress of the couple.

Sarah shook her head as she attempted to push away the thoughts of those who had died at so young an age and of the tragedy that had befallen the town.

“I can’t believe this happened to so many people and so close to ourselves. If we had been living in that part of the town it could have been us Stephen,” she said.

“Well, we can only be thankful that we weren’t and that God has saved us and many others. More people could have died but for some reason the tragedy was brought to an end quickly. We must remember them well but not let it fill us with too much sorrow,” remarked Stephen…………

 

“Witch Trial” is one of the three novellas in “Unsettling” which is available in paperback and eBook format.

“Witch Trial” is also available by itself in eBook format.

All books are available in the Amazon bookstore.

alanrove@hotmail.com

Kind Regards

Alan

 

 

 

 

Detective Joe Western is having problems at work. His drinking has increased which has been noticed by his partner Detective Gus Denver and also his family. Joe has been tackling his old demons.

Then a vehicle turns up in the river, on its side, with a man who possibly died of a heart attack. The man has a connection with the popular café ‘Dana’s Coffee’ which is in town. Later, two other dead bodies are also connected with this café and its owner Dana Evans.

With suspicion for the deaths firmly on Dana Evans, Joe believes that she may be innocent. Can Joe and Gus prove who has committed the murders? Can Joe confront his demons and give his testimony in court to ensure the conviction of the perpetrator?

 Here is a sample from the novel ‘Dana’s Coffee’.

 

Chapter 1.

Detective Joseph Michael Western, known as Joe, stepped into his office feeling worse for wear from the night before. He attempted a resemblance of smartness by wearing a shirt and tie. He slumped on the chair and looked forward at his in tray which had a heap of paperwork on it. No doubt when he booted up his computer and looked at his emails there would also be at least 50 more of those. The case work seemed never ending, from the misdemeanours to the major criminal cases. He had no one else to blame but himself, this was his career choice. This was the job that he wanted to do and no one had forced him into it. Circumstances had made him want to change his old job but this job, this career change was not normally what someone in his position would have chosen.

Beside his computer was a framed photo of himself with his family. His arm was wrapped round his wife Daphne and they were both standing up. In front of them sitting on chairs were their children Michael and Carrie. All members of the family had broad warm smiles on their faces as they looked into the camera. The best role he has in life is as a father. He is proud to have the children he has. Every day he would look at the picture to see his family smiling at him. He wished that was the reality. His wife still loved him but she was becoming more and more concerned with his drinking. His children, who could be said used to adore him, displayed a wariness about him. It was as if they were questioning what kind of a mood he would be in next. Joe is proud of his children and the type of people they are growing up to be. He is not fully aware of the effect that the drinking may be having on his relationship with them.

He had always been scholarly, influenced heavily by his mother who was a teacher and by his father who had been a lawyer. His father had a profound influence on him and encouraged him also to become a lawyer.  He was brought up to have etiquette and good manners. At school he was in the debating club and the basketball club and performed well in both. His love for the debating club paid off later in life as he argued his cases in the court. Putting forward a point of view and persuading the jury to his way of thinking appeared effortless for him. He was naturally gifted and intelligent and with paternal encouragement he took up the study of law.  He put in a lot of work and excelled as a student and through his practical training and internship. He believed as he had been taught by his father, that if you put in the work that anything is possible. He passed the bar exam with flying colours. He was a voracious reader of both law and non-law books and to this day he has bookcases full of books. His parents and friends would more often than not see him with a book or a textbook in his hand and knew that he was studying once more. With a friend he started his own firm called Western and Fuller which specialised in criminal defence law. He was a diligent and fearless lawyer and saw to it that many of his clients were acquitted. Then he would turn up to work smartly wearing a shirt and tie which was underneath a fine suit. He was formerly a criminal defence lawyer and a good one at that. He saw himself doing that for the majority of his career until he became topflight and then he could consider becoming a judge. The change was his decision and normally it would have been to criminal prosecutions. After years of having defended people and those whom some would have considered indefendable why not become a criminal prosecutor. Put those guys who had committed crimes behind bars. But in the end that was not for him. The change came so brutally that he wanted to stay out of the court as much as he could. He still wanted to play his part in putting away bad guys, but not by wearing a gown. He chose to join the police force as a detective. His working knowledge of the law helped him out immensely in all the training and the exams and he excelled in all subjects. He was in the top 10% of all of the students and could choose his district.

Now he is most moved when ardent criminals are brought to justice. As he was growing up he loved superheros such as superman and Spiderman and the idea of justice that was behind them. He hates criminals which is one of the reasons he takes his role as detective seriously. Normally he looks every inch the detective, however recently due to his drinking his appearance has altered. He is aware of his role as detective. He uses his knowledge of the practice of law as a strength for carrying out his role. Importance doesn’t matter to him, catching the criminal does. He needs to be given all the facilities possible to achieve his objective and for the most part this happens. He follows the chain of evidence to prove as much as he can that a person is guilty before he makes an arrest.  He is extremely practical when he carries out his job.

His role as a practicing lawyer was years ago and now just like any job he was stuck in the thick of it pushing on every day. He tried as best as he could at the job of being a detective.  He had to admit to himself that recently he was using alcohol more and more as a crutch. Not as bad as he used to. There were times when he went on benders which shocked his wife and family who had been unaccustomed to seeing him doing this as it was so out of character for him. He had sought counselling and was given therapy which helped settled his mind and put him on the wagon. Now he was off the wagon. The drinking was nowhere near as bad as it was but he was still doing it. His wife had noticed and spoken to him about it, but he swore to her that he had it under control. He would drink moderately but cutting back slightly and there would be no need to seek any more counselling.

His head thumped incessantly as he considered the amount of work he would get through this morning. He would need many cups of coffee to cope and push through. A lot of water would also be needed to hydrate him after the alcohol consumption the night before. It would definitely be a morning at least in the office just to catch up. In the afternoon he could go out to clear his head, perhaps gather some more evidence for the misdemeanours he was looking at.

Detective Angus Denver, known as Gus, the partner who shared a room with him arrived slightly later and in a lot better condition. He is clean living eats well and exercises well and does not drink or take drugs. His health is excellent for his age and he is in peak condition. Some other members of the police force have remarked on this and secretly would like to emulate him in this respect.

He took a look at Joe and could see that he had had another night fighting his old demons. He hoped that he was getting the better of them but wished that he could do it without the aid of alcohol. He could smell the strong alcohol on him and the vapours seemed to be rising from him. His partners face was becoming more putrid each day. If the partners needed to drive today at all and at any time he would be the one doing the driving.  He had not been drinking the night before and was bright eyed and bushy tailed as he looked forward to another day of cracking crimes and bringing the criminals to justice.

Gus had been in the police force for over 15 years and had spent many years working with the detective. He was brought up well by his mother and father who were fine upstanding people. His father had been a policeman and had encouraged Gus to join the force. He emulated his father and followed him into the force. He was brought up in a good family where his father was the bread maker and his mother was the homemaker. They lived comfortably as the father brought in a good wage as a police officer and never squandered any of it, ensuring that it all came home to his family. His mother was able to spend and save wisely as was necessary.  His father could be strict at times and his mother tended to be more caring. As an only child although the temptation was there on his mother’s side, he was never spoiled. He was never overprotected, but he never felt sheltered either.  He had a stable upbringing in a family that was full of love for one another. Gus knew that he was loved by both parents and that they each had a different way of showing it. His mother ensured that the house was looked after and that he was always cared for and never missed his schooling. Sometimes he would come home after playing outside dirty however his mother always ensured that he left the house clean.

He too learned the value of hard work and with a good head on his shoulders eventually left school with a reasonable education behind him. He graduated from school and then college before proudly joining the police force. He worked as a police officer before rising through the ranks with a lot of effort to become a detective.  He knows that he is educated and intelligent although admittedly he is not as smart as his partner. From his schooling he became book smart and from working on the streets as a police officer he became street smart. He learned how to predict and read people from their actions and behaviour. He tries to keep a balance between the both of these in his job.

As a team the detective partners blended well together and complemented each other. They had cracked many crimes together such as thefts, robberies, embezzlement, fraud, rapes, kidnapping and murder. The capital crimes and those that drew the stiffest punishments seemed to drive them on more, not that they didn’t put a lot of effort into the smaller crimes. Each crime was solved one a time and with a lot of effort on the detectives side.

The detective trusted the district attorney and his team. He knew that if he and his partner had gathered enough evidence and felt they had a winnable case then the district attorney would deliver in the court house. In the overwhelming majority of instances that had been the reality.

There were always those cases when no matter how much evidence you had, how much work you had done, how much overtime you had put in , that the results never came through. The district attorney and his team would play a blinder in court, yet still the case would unravel, the judge would not allow a certain piece of evidence or inexplicably the judge would rule in the defendants favour. Those were the days when you didn’t trust the justice system and just wanted to hide your head in the sand. Fortunately, those days were outnumbered by those where their defendant was convicted.

Right now there were no capital cases on the go and it was what they would call a slow day in the office. Indeed, a good one to catch up on the paperwork to make sure that all the files were prepared and ready to be passed on to the District Attorney.

They had a policy of keeping the door open and they would always hear the uniformed police walking by and saying hello or passing on what might be coming their way soon. The uniformed police was normally the way by which they would hear about the big crimes, the rapes or the bank robberies or the murders. Nothing like that today which should have been good. However the detective got restless when it became too quiet. Not that he wanted people being murdered all the time, but when those cases did come along, he and his partner had something to get their teeth stuck into. On those cases with the pressure on, it seemed that professionally they were at their best. His partner had the experience of being in uniform for many years and knowing how the streets work. He could bring his detective training and his legal training and experience to the fore.

 

Chapter 2.

Dana was born in the United States to a hardworking family. Her parents were restaurant owners and with their knowledge of business management and experience in the food industry they were quickly able to establish themselves. Dana learned the value of hard work from her parents and absorbed all the knowledge that went into running a restaurant. It was her ambition that one day she would own her own restaurant and run her own staff. Her parents had done so and so she should be able to accomplish the same.

She had a brother and sister who she was close to when she was growing up in America. When she started her family she moved away from her parents and siblings but she has always done her best to keep in touch with them. It goes without saying that she never misses sending them birthday cards and Christmas cards. She attributes her success to her parents.

As a child she was brought up well by her parents. She was taught to be hard working and to be respectful of others and especially her parents. She learned well at school and went on to take a diploma in business management. At school she related well to her teachers who had good words to say about her. This always helped at the end of year report cards which to her parents delight were always glowing with praise for her aptitude to learn and the fact that she was such a pleasure to teach. She got on well with the children of her own age as well as she was willing to help those who were struggling in any of the classes. Conversely if she was not on top of a subject the children would reciprocate by coming to her aid. In her own time she learned everything about making all sorts of coffees such as cappuccinos’, mochas, lattes, espressos, caramel lattes and other coffees which would sell well commercially. She realised that some customers who ate at her parent’s restaurant were particularly impressed by the choice of coffee available and the quality of it when it was served.

She is five feet eight which was the average height for her family and she is of average build with brunette hair and green eyes. She always spoke well and being in business for as long as she has been only served to improve her spoken communication. Her education and knowledge seems to shine when she communicated either verbally or in written form. Many people would say that her speech was advanced and that her range of vocabulary was broader than the average persons. Any one contracting with her felt as if they were doing business with a knowledgeable and confident person who would more than likely honour the terms of the deal being made. She certainly gave the impression that she knew what she was doing.

She met Larry Evans who was an electrician by trade and together they started a family. Over their many years together they have had two children Rita who is eighteen years old and at University studying engineering and Jake who is ten years old.

Outwardly she seems to be proud of her family and the accomplishments each of them have made in their lives. Along with Larry she ensured that the children were brought up well and attended good schools. Rita was an example of this and achieved grades which enabled her to study engineering at University. Rita could have studied in many faculties but her love of being practical meant that the engineering school would be a good fit for her.

 

Dana now has her own business which is very successful. She is competitive in life as she found out she had to be and she does not like it when people get in her way. She managed to show those people who seem to be determined that she should not succeed or those who don’t try as hard as they should. She likes being successful and that may come across to people as greedy and she has been referred to as money grabbing but that is in fact too simplistic and would not adequately describe the type of person she was. The success and the reputation meant more to her than the money which naturally came with both. She cares for her business and her employees. She realises that they have to put in the work but rewards them with bonuses and ensures that they all get their time off to avoid burnout.

With the internet she was able to do a lot of online searches into coffee. She was particularly interested in the roasting of coffee and it was her ambition one day to as well as having her own restaurant, that she would also roast her own coffee beans. She would spend hours on the internet looking at who grew the best coffee beans. Once she had settled on likely suppliers she would get in contact with them and arrange contracts for the supply of beans. She was necessarily looking for good quality beans as it had been her experience that these gave the best flavour. She would pay above the odds prices to obtain the best beans. The price negotiated would always be one which was fair for the supplier of the beans and for herself.

She is proud of being a restaurant owner, coffee roaster, barista and manager. She wants to excel on all those avenues and continuously develops herself in those areas. She will regularly attend conferences on coffee roasting and management to keep up to date in the latest trends. Her restaurant is normally the first or one of the first to experiment with the newest ideas. She knows that her success depends on being ahead of the other café and restaurant owners in the area. She is aware that this may have generated some envy within her industry.

 

Dana had chosen her staff well and as far as she was concerned they were all happy with the positions and the roles they had. Mandy was her main barista and also acted as the undermanager. She knew how the café ran and could easily fit in as the manager when Dana could not be there. Mandy is the most experienced worker. She has been fully trained by Dana. She knows how to make all the coffees, run the staff and run the shop. She has been involved in the running of the shop and of the staff for many years. She has learned all that she knows from Dana. Dana likes to know that her shop is running well and is making a profit and she can rely on Mandy for this.

Claire was a barista and also helped out with the waitressing whenever the café got busy which was mostly every day. Sadie was the waitress and she had also shown an interest in learning how to be a barista. In the slow times Claire and Mandy would take turns in teaching her how to make the various coffees and drinks. She was catching on fairly quickly and would soon be competent enough to make coffees unsupervised. Norris was the chef and he was rushed off his feet most days. His speciality was the chicken cordon bleu but there were no meals which really challenged him. He liked the fact that Dana enjoyed varying the menu and this kept him on his toes.

She had taken on an empty shell of a building and completely transformed it. The main supporting walls had stayed as they were. The separating walls made from wood and plaster board had been removed to give her the premise with a layout that suited her. She ensured that the manager, herself and sometimes Mandy had their own office had the back of the premise where the business could be run. Within this room were hard and soft copies of business documents. She was responsible for files, accounts, personnel files, applications, interviews, hiring and firing, leaving dos, using the safe, banking of money at the end of the day, Christmas functions, birthdays, databases, spreadsheets, making the rosters, holidays, public holidays and collections, to name a few items. There she kept a track on the commercial lease, gas usage, electricity usage, water usage, rates, wages to be paid, goods purchased, raw materials purchased, contracts with suppliers, and the employment contracts for the staff. She determined the opening hours. She determined the shifts such as the day shifts the night shifts, weekend shifts, Sunday shifts. She kept an eye on when staff should be paid at Normal time or Double time.

Next to the manager’s office was the staff room where people could change from their outdoor clothes into their working clothes. This had a fridge and microwave, a small cooker for making meals and a table where staff members could sit down for their break. There was a small toilet next to a shower where staff members could wash if they so desired. Staff members each had a lockable cupboard where they could keep their valuables while they were working their shifts.

Food safety was paramount for Dana and there had been no food poisoning outbreaks associated with the premise. She ensured that there was a flow of food within her café. Deliveries came in at the back door. Food was then stored in the frozen, chilled and dry storage areas. It was then brought to the kitchen where it was prepared and cooked by Norris. After the splendid meal was cooked Norris would pass the meal to the waitresses through the serving hatch. The waitress would then deliver the food in plenty of time to the delighted customers who would invariably be happy with his product. The empty plates would then be picked up by the waitresses and brought back to the kitchen. The leftovers were scraped off the plates and placed in the bin. Once the bag s of the inside bins were full these would be tied and taken to the back area and placed in the skip for collection once weekly.   Dirty plates would immediately be stacked in the washing machine for washing once the machine was full.

The café was modern in its outlook and Dana was pleased with the effect it had on the staff and on the customers. It was on the corner of the street and had doors to the front and the side of it for welcoming the customers in. The floor was made of wood and was highly varnished. One side of the café was mirrored which created reflections making the premise seem more spacious than it was. Cleanliness was important to Dana and she ensured that the floor, the mirrors, the silverware, the equipment and the rest of the premise demonstrated a high standard of cleanliness. Not only was it important for hygiene, but it was greatly appreciated by the customers. At the front near the serving counter was a polished silver handrail which reflected the light from above. Dana made good use of both natural light from outside and artificial light from large bulbs with silver shades which were in rows on the ceiling.

A busy café seemed to bring out the best in the staff and also attract more customers. Dana knew that if she satisfied the customers they would keep on coming to her premise and she was grateful for them. On the large menu at the front which was partly written in chalk and contained the specials for the days was written s special message for the customers. ‘The staff at Dana’s Coffee would like to thank all customers for their patronage. We wish you a happy thanksgiving day when it comes.’

Customers came into the shop for many different reasons. The smells and aromas from the café could be sensed from some distance from the premise. The aroma of cappuccino, hot chocolate, warm lasagne and other delicacies would waft outside to tempt the passers-by. Once inside the premise customers would be shown the menu on the table. The drinks menu offered among other drinks latte, cappuccino, flat white, black coffee, hot chocolate, white hot chocolate, caramel latte and mochas. Drinks could be ordered with regular, soy and almond milk. The menu was large and each meal would be described to make it as tempting as possible. In most instances there would be a photo of the mouth-watering meal beside the description. Dana had learned her trade well over the years from seeing her parents work and from her own experiences. Saying that she was always willing to learn and experiment in order to keep her customers satisfied.

She would also want to deliver on what they had described and shown the patrons. The meals themselves would be as large, as fresh, as scrumptious and as tasty as they had been described. Within her café very few meals had been returned to the chef. Customers were never kept waiting longer that they had to be. Even when the café was packed the meals would be delivered on time. Dana saw a forgotten meal as being unforgiveable and she had shown her staff how to be on their toes and to never forget a customer. The main reason that food would be left on the plate would be because there had been too much of it and Dana did not see this as a complaint.

 

Mandy took a large water jug and filled up the water tank of the coffee machine. She switched on the power to the machine and allowed it to warm up. As this was happening she poured newly roasted coffee beans into the large grinder. She switched on the power to this and listened to the discordant noise of the powerful grinding and watched the fall beans fall through the hole only to come out the other end ground. After these were ground they were collected in the porta filter which was to be inserted into the coffee maker. The ground coffee was levelled using the coffee tamper. Dana had taught her to do this precisely and that it was a pivotal point to making good quality coffee. Mandy ensured that the silver of the tamper could be seen above the top of the porta filter to ensure that there was an adequate amount of coffee. Once satisfied there was enough coffee and that this was level she inserted the porta filter into the coffee machine. She turned the handle ensuring that the porta filter was firmly on the machine and would not become loose whilst the hot water would later be passing through.

She switched on the button allowing the hot water to filter through the coffee. The coffee filtrate poured out slowly with the accompaniment of a lot of noise and was collected in the large disposable cup. Mandy always made sure that she wrote the name of the person who would be receiving the coffee on it, as Dana had taught her. This ensured that the correct customer received the correct order. Whilst the filtrate was being collected Mandy took some fresh cream milk from the fridge and half-filled a medium sized metal jug. She placed this under a steam nozzle of the coffee maker ensuring that the nozzle was well under the surface of the milk before she turned on the steam. As the steam poured through it frothed and heated up the milk. She held the jug at an angle which allowed the milk to be constantly heated and agitated. A thermometer was placed in the jug to ensure that the milk reached an optimum temperature, not too hot and not too cold. Once the milk had doubled in volume from being frothed she switched off the steam and removed the jug from underneath the nozzle. She swirled the milk in the jug and then moved the jug from side to side to create some more froth. She tapped the jug on the surface of the table to compress the froth.

With the milk and the coffee filtrate prepared it was now time to mix them both. Holding the disposable cup at an angle she poured the milk from the metal jug into it. The coffee mixed with the hot frothy milk to give a smooth all round consistency. She poured until the frothing coffee was slightly above the level of the cup. Its elasticity prevented it from spilling down the sides of the disposable cup. She finished off the product by sprinkling chocolate powder evenly on the top of the cappuccino. Pleased with her efforts she placed the cup on the counter for the customer to collect.

At the side of the counter were sugars, wooden sticks for stirring and plastic tops for covering the coffee to prevent spillage. The customer finished off her drink by adding some sugar stirring and placing a plastic lid with a hole at the rim for drinking firmly on top.

Mandy was on top of the hygiene and liked to keep the coffee maker as clean as possible. Taking a clean cloth she wiped the milk which had gathered on the steam nozzle as the milk was being frothed. She then removed the porta filter with a bit of effort from the coffee maker. This contained the used grind which she removed by hitting it hard against the bar of a collector. The used coffee fell out and would be added to frequently later on that day. Finally she wiped the silver perforated tray which had been underneath the disposable cup………………………

 

‘Dana’s Coffee’ a novel written by Alan Barr is available in eBook and paperback formats from Amazon.

Kind Regards

Alan Barr 

alanrove@hotmail.com

The young lawyer Rick Brewster and his wife Erica feel that it is time to move from Brisbane. The town of Kingarton has an appeal to it. Rick feels uncomfortable initially but does his best to make the most of the new surroundings.

With a change of law firm comes a change in clients. Teddy Downes presents Rick with a situation he has never experienced before. Teddy is convinced that there is a cult in the town, a cult that has murdered babies. Teddy’s affidavit is scorned by Rick’s boss Bernard Kennon.

When Teddy is institutionalised in a hospital for the mentally insane Rick feels compelled to act. He must discover for himself whether the cult exists or not.

 

Here is a sample from the novel ‘Affidavit’.

Prologue

The woman woke up with a start, it was before dawn. She jumped out of bed and ran to the baby’s room, disconcertingly she had heard no noise coming from it. Normally there would have been the cries of her young baby wanting an early morning feed but today nothing. She pushed the door open and saw before her that the cot was empty. The room was dark and she rapidly switched the light on only to confirm that the baby was not there. The woman screamed.

The man who had been sleeping next to her woke up and immediately ran to the sounds of the screaming. As he stepped into the room he saw that the woman was shaking, almost uncontrollably, with her head moving from side to side searching all areas of the room.

“Maybe he’s crawled into another room. That’s what’s happened,” said the woman trying to preserve some hope.

She ran past the man whose face had fallen at the sight of the room. Frantically she searched all the rooms of the house in the slim chance that the baby would be crawling around the floor. Again there were no sounds of crying which sunk her spirits low. As the number of unsearched rooms decreased her hope too faded. She searched the last room as the tears streamed down her face and the realisation was setting in.

“They’ve taken him, they have taken our child. How could they do that? Why did we allow them to do that?” asked the woman.

The man finally caught up with the woman and hugged her in an effort to control her shaking. Her tears rubbed off his cheeks as he could feel her trembling

“We’ll report our child missing,” said the man. “It’s the right thing to do. The authorities will take care of it from then on.”

The woman shook her head vigorously and with some defiance. “We’ll get them and make sure that this can never happen again. Other families should never have to go through what we’re going through,” said the woman.

“That won’t work,” said the man. “There’s no point in doing that. It won’t achieve anything and will only endanger ourselves.”

The woman let out a huge wail as she realised she would never see her child again. “Why did we come to this evil place?” she asked the man. “Why did we ever come to Kingarton?”

 

 

Chapter 1

Life in the City

The music from the alarm clock blared at 4.30am waking Rick Brewster up from his deep slumber. He blinked his eyes slowly, rose up and carefully pulled the duvet off him so as not to disturb his wife Erica who was still sleeping. He placed his feet on the soft carpet, yawned and stood up making his way to the shower which beckoned him. He would not even be half awake until he had his shower. He closed the bedroom door so that the noise of the spraying water would not wake up his wife.

Over the past four years he had gotten used to this ritual. The early alarm and the shower before dressing as quietly as he could. Sometimes his wife woke up to wish him a good day and more often than not she didn’t. Erica had a job which commenced at a more sensible time and as she could she would spend longer in bed.

Rick was surprised when he stepped out of the shower as his wife was in her dressing gown waiting in the corridor.

“Hi love, I just woke up to see you before you went to work,” said Erica.

“Okay, No problem. I hope the noise I made didn’t get you out of bed,” said Rick.

“It wasn’t that,” said Erica. “I only wanted to tell you, I hope that you have a nice day at work and that I will see you later.”

“Oh you will?” asked Rick intrigued.

“Well, you know, when you get back from work,” said Erica quickly.

“I’ll try not to get back too late. I might even get back earlier considering what day it is,” said Rick.

He took his wife in his arms and gave her a long kiss on the lips. He loved the feeling of having his wife close to him and kissing her. The thought of it would inspire him through his long working day. He dressed quickly and checked himself in the hallway mirror before leaving.

“I’d best head for the train station now love,” said Rick. “Now have a nice day and I will see you later.”

“See you later love,” replied Erica before she headed for the shower.

 

There were few people on the platform at that time in the morning which Rick was grateful for. He liked to think about his day ahead at the office and the strategies that he would take to get through it. He imagined that day being easier, although it would be tinged with different emotions for him. The work load would be smaller with only one case to worry about.

Soon enough the train came and he stepped into the carriage. Rick Brewster opted to stand up during the train journey holding on with one hand as the train accelerated on the journey and decelerated before stopping at the train stations. The doors finally opened and he stepped out onto the platform at Central Station, Brisbane. His days of making this daily journey from his apartment at the edge of the city were finally coming to an end. He rode up the escalator and tapped himself off using his travel card before making his way to a nearby café.

He liked to order a coffee and sip it on the final leg of his journey as he walked down to Eagle Street. The city centre had come alive as he walked along with his brief case in one hand and his coffee in the other. His suit had stood up to the train travel and was still in good condition as he walked amongst the hundreds of people commuting to their work. He definitely felt as if he was part of the rat race and this was one aspect of his life that he would not miss in the coming months.

Rick was young at 28 years old and six foot tall with blue eyes and brown hair. He cut a dashing figure as he wore his suit to work most days. Young women would often turn their heads when they saw him passing by and on the street but Rick would be oblivious to this. He was happily married to his wife Erica.

Rick was a lawyer and had always been studious throughout his life. His parents set him up well by paying for his tuition at a private school where he excelled in his studies and earned a very high Overall Position or OP in the state of Queensland. He got on well with his teachers and his school mates alike while he was at school. His teachers and parents instilled in him the value of having a good education. As well as studying he also dabbled in drama while at the private school. He went on to study at a well-known university in Queensland where he continued to perform well. After graduating he took his graduate diploma in legal practice and then applied to be admitted as a lawyer. He was duly admitted as legal officer of the supreme court of Queensland. He then obtained his practicing licence and sent off his resume to the top firms in Brisbane. A few of them jumped for him but in the end he decided to practice corporate law at ‘Collins and Associates’. Many of his fellow students had spoken about this firm and how prestigious it was. A few of them wanted to work there and Rick was eventually given the opportunity to do so.

He had always been confident about who he was and what he was doing in life. He had been brought up well by his parents who he loved and respected. Both his parents worked and he was in a middle income family. He was brought up to be well mannered by his parents. Whilst growing up he noticed that his parents liked those who offered service and helped others. He saw that as virtuous. However like his parents he did not like those who were out to harm others. He was an only child with no brothers or sisters which was maybe one more reason why he felt loved by his family. He was never overprotected but he felt warmth and affection from his family and friends at school. He had made his parents and his wife proud. He was happy to be a lawyer and in the main loved the work he was doing and what he had achieved at such a young age. He respected those he worked for and in return he was respected by his bosses and superiors and the other lawyers and workers in the firm. He loved the fact that he could use his knowledge of the law to help people with their legal problems. In corporate law when he helped out one company he was not only helping one person but often many thousands of people who were employed by the company. He was helping those who depended on the success of the company.

As well as admission to practice law, he also got married soon after leaving university. He had a few girlfriends at university but in his second year he met Erica. He was taken in by her smile when he saw her in the bar at the student union. Erica was a biology student and in the same year as him. On talking they found out that they shared many of the same interests. They met more often, before deciding to hang out together and to go steady. In their final year at university they shared a flat together.

The wedding had been planned before they graduated. After graduation they got married in front of their friends and family. For Rick it was one of the happiest days of his life. He was proud to have such a good person as Erica as his wife.

 

He walked into the luxurious reception of the building and was greeted by the receptionists. He ascended a small flight of stairs before pressing the button for the lift which quickly descended and opened for him. Using his key card with privileges he was able to access the floors that belonged to the corporate law firm of ‘Collins and Associates’. The lift was large and mirrored making it look even more spacious. As usual it was spotless as the custodial staff worked well around the building. When he had started at the firm, the firm operated on two floors of the building. The Accountancy firm on the floor above moved on. As the law firm was doing very well they decided to expand and took over the floor above them. Going from a two floor firm to a three floor firm gave everyone a buzz and resulted in the employment of more talented lawyers, clerks, paralegals and Personal Assistants within the firm.

There were many firms in the building of all different professions. All the employees and the employers had key cards with access only to their place of employment. A card they were issued with as they began working within the building. The managers and owners of the building and the security and custodial staff had key cards with privileges to access all levels of the building.

Rick arrived at his floor which was on the third level of the firm. He was on the same level as one of the partners Howard Collins. On leaving the lift he could see straight in front of him on the wall the framed photo of his boss Howard Collins. Next to that were some smaller photos of the more senior staff in the firm. Also on the wall were some prizes for the best corporate law firm, some testimonials and framed letters from happy prestigious clients who had enjoyed the service they received from the firm. Over the years he had gotten to know Howard well and they had always been on collegial terms with each other. He had great respect for Howard and had been flattered to find out that Howard had been impressed with some of his work.

 

Although it was still early there were many people in the firm and some with more passion and hungrier for the job than he was. Those who had newly started on their career as a corporate lawyer and were ravenous for the job. They wanted to learn as much as possible and impress on their superiors and employer how good they were. When the firm had two floors two hundred people overall were working there. With the expansion and the takeover of the third floor 300 people now worked at ‘Collins and Associates’.

The building and the floors seemed to shine. The carpets were plush and well looked after by the janitors and it always seemed as if the walls were getting a fresh coat of paint. The windows were cleaned on a regular basis and this allowed the bright Queensland sun to shine through on every floor. Everything about the firm seemed to shout out quality and be the newest brand available. All of the computers were up to date and contained the newest word suites and programmes. The IT specialist ensured that the firm was kept up to date with the trends and changes and that they would always be in front of the curve rather than behind it. Anything for the firm to get an edge on the other firms in the city.

Each floor had a fully stocked library of thick leather bound law books containing all the cases the lawyers of the firm would need to use when working for their wealthy clients. Rick loved the atmosphere of being in those libraries. The weight of the book, the smell of the leather, sitting down at the varnished table taking the notes he needed. He realised that this was the old fashioned way of doing it. The firm had a subscription to most of the major law series online. This contained the electronic versions of the cases and statutes he required. However, using the actual books reduced the time that he spent looking at the screen and the glare that was coming from it. It also gave him some exercise, getting him out of his office and grappling the old tomes which could be heavy. With the actual library he was able to flit from online research and actual old fashioned research looking through the books.

Over his four years in the firm he had proved himself and he now worked in a larger office than the one he started out in. If he didn’t have a client he would work with the door open in case any of the other lawyers or the legal workers and assistants wanted to step into his office to sort out some problem.

The partners and managers had noticed that Rick was very keen and demonstrated a lot of initiative when he had been taken on by the firm. He cut his teeth doing due diligence on companies for the firm’s clients. Searching the Australian Securities and Investment Commission site for details on companies, how long they had been in existence, what their business was, who the directors were, how much did the company make each year if such information was available, did the company offer shares. He would look at the business documents for the companies and the contract that the client wanted to enter into with companies.

He was aware that clients wanted to know everything they could about businesses before they invested millions of dollars into them. His job was to ensure that they had all the information and that the clients would have the best chance of success with whichever venture they were about to embark on. The partners realised that he had an eye for detail, a hunger for the work and an ability to catch some bit of information that some other lawyer would miss.

He would also be given work on the contracts. He would help to put them together and draft them in a manner that would be pleasing to both parties involved in the contract. He aimed to please them both in order that business dealings would be successful. He and his firm were trying to create win/win situations for the clients and the parties that they were dealing with. He had a knack for negotiation and for getting on the good side of people.

He realised that a lot of the time they were working against the clock to get deals sorted in time. As soon as one deal was finalised it would be time to work on the next deal.

Before he worked at the firm he thought he knew a great deal about company law but after his first year of practice he realised that he only scratched the surface. During the years at the firm he worked with banks, businesses and financiers and got to know the big players in that area in Brisbane. He worked on financing, borrowing and lending. He would look at the positives and the liabilities of companies. Company growth, mergers and acquisitions became part of his working day.

On many days it was tough work but when he got deeply involved in it the time passed quickly. Some days would be a blur of activity, answering phones, taking part in negotiations, drafting contracts and documents

He placed his coffee cup which was still half full on his desk and booted up his computer. He knew the case that he had to work on, the only one which he would concern himself for the rest of his final day at this firm. The client was a young company who wanted to expand by investing and taking over another business. The director of the company had approached the law firm with the idea they had. They wanted to invest and take over a business which looked good on the surface but they were not too sure about. To take over the business the company would need to borrow millions of dollars. The young company was too tempted not to do anything about it and so they had signed the law firm on in a retainer.

The juniors under Rick had done the due diligence on the business that the company wanted to take over. The business ownership, the financials, the employment record, the leases, the property owned by the business, track record, any court involvement or litigation against it all had to be analysed. There were a few problems but nothing that couldn’t be ironed out. It took a while to gather the records but once they were made available the juniors were able to demonstrate that the business was a viable option and would expand and profit as the years went on. The potential was actually quite exciting which was why the young company was eager to take it on. The company had a lot of personal property which it could mortgage and personal property it could use as collateral to secure the loan money needed to invest in the business.

Rick would be spending the majority of the day going over all the documents to ensure they were correct and that nothing had been missed. The young company were putting their hopes and dreams on the line and Rick wanted his team to deliver for them and the firm. He would be putting together a report on the position the company were in and when they would be ready to invest in the business. The security documents had been updated and the company was now in a position to strike.

 

Hours later the report had been finalised as much as he could. He felt rather pleased at what was in front of him on the screen. He had put it through the spell check and the grammar check and he was sure that it was ready to be seen by the Partner. He had already checked through it twice to see if there was anything else that could be added but he felt that it was complete. Rick saved the document before printing a hardcopy off from the printer. After that day he would have nothing more to do with that case.

 

 

 

Chapter 2

Please Stay

Rick walked into the large corner office to see his boss and the partner of the firm Howard Collins sitting on his large leather upholstered swivel chair. Howard looked every inch the leader as he sat at his large mahogany desk which had a split screen computer on top of it. The partner took his eyes off the screen to look up at the young lawyer.

“Ah, Rick how are you?” enquired Howard. “I think the reason that you are in my office is to take back your notice that you are leaving, is that right?”

Rick smiled at the man he had worked for and striven many hours for over the past four years. “I’m sorry Howard, that’s not the reason. I’m just here to give you my update on the case we are working on. I’ve done my bit now it will be up to the rest of the firm to run with it. I can’t see any reason why we should not have a successful outcome for our client”

Howard smiled at his young employee as he took the file and perused it. He scanned its pages feeling for its content and assuring himself that it was another excellent report. He would miss the talent of this young lawyer once Rick was gone and would find it difficult to replace him.

Rick looked down at his boss. At 6’0” he felt that he was tall normally however next to his boss when standing up he felt diminutive. Howard was 6’5” when standing and towered over most people. The partner was in his 50’s and had grey hair which was well groomed and conditioned.

Howard had been practicing law for far longer than Rick and had risen through the ranks until he was the boss of his own firm. It was a position he loved and one that he was good at. As a corporate lawyer he had a wealth of knowledge and it seemed that he always knew how to tackle a problem or a case. He was a visionary and was instrumental in the shaping of the firm and where it was in the present day. He loved the job he was doing and the rewards and respect that came from it. He was aware that he was the leader and that all his staff and employees knew that. He worked at his profession, putting many long hours in and knew his area of the law more than anyone else at the firm. As well as paying the wages he was respected for his knowledge and experience.

He had been lucky in the family that he was born to. His father was a doctor by trade and his mother a nurse. From an early age he knew that he wanted to be a professional and in the end he decided that it would not be in the medical trade. He would become a lawyer instead. He loved his mother and father and they encouraged him to be studious and reap the rewards from study, the main one being knowledge. Howard also had a younger brother who also took up the law and was a lawyer in a senior position within another firm.

Although his parents loved him as a child they would not be around much because of their time demanding jobs at the medical practice and in the hospital. He spent a lot of time with babysitters, however whenever his parents were around they showered him with love. There were rules in the family laid down by the parents, but overall his parents were not strict with their children. From a high earning family he never wanted for anything as a child except maybe to see his parents more.

When he was old enough he was sent off to one of the top boarding schools. This was one of the more expensive boarding schools which excelled at giving their pupils an excellent education. That was probably where his independence and leadership abilities were developed. He led some study groups and from a young age was seen as a leader. Again at boarding school he didn’t like being away from his parents. Despite this he liked his school, his teachers and his schoolmates.

When he graduated from school he was in the top 10% of the class. He went on to study law where he was tipped by his lecturers and professors to do well within the profession. On graduating rather than go straight onto the professional qualification he opted to study for a Masters of Law instead. Again he acquitted himself well and went on to the practicing certificate. Later after admission as a lawyer he was accepted into one of the top firms in Brisbane and kept up studying by taking a Masters of Business Administration which he studied at night time.

When he had risen through the ranks in this firm and with sufficient experience and felt confident enough he started his own firm of ‘Collins and Associates’ which was based in the centre of Brisbane. He was proud with what he had done with the firm and the people that he had working for him.

At the firm he put in as many hours as his workers which his wife was used to. He had married his wife when they met working within the same firm. She was a paralegal at the time and they got used to seeing each other on a daily basis. They realised that there was some chemistry between them and they began dating. Between them they now had two boys who were now grown up and attending university themselves. His wife was the homemaker and looked after their five bedroomed mansion. The mansion had large garages for his many top of the range cars and his prized Ferrari. He loved the trappings of his wealth and wore $2000 suits every day. He ensured that everything around him was high quality.

Howard looked up from his chair to the young lawyer. “It’s a good report as usual Rick. I’ll make sure the rest of the team working on it see what you have done. I’m sure, that like me, they will appreciate the effort you have put into it.”

At that moment there was a knock on the door quickly followed by the receptionist entering.

“Hi Howard, sorry to bother you,” said the receptionist Daniella Blake smiling. “Would it be okay if we prepared the conference room for the client you are expecting later?”

“The client?” asked Howard sounding perplexed for a second before he remembered. “Oh yes, the client that is coming to see me later. Yes, please do prepare the conference room for the client. Give me an update later on how that is going on,”

“I will do Howard,” said Daniella smiling before she left, closing the door of the office behind her.

“It’s nothing to worry about,” said Howard to Rick. “We only have to get the conference room ready for someone.”

Rick nodded his head, but he knew that now it would be none of his business. For four years he was used to being kept in the loop about what was going on in the firm, but now he had to get used to the fact that he was leaving and the firm’s business would continue in his absence. It hadn’t completely struck him what it would be like to be leaving and for the past week he had been going with the flow. As from tomorrow he would have nothing to do with ‘Collins and Associates’. He had been caught up with work and the thought of what the new place would be like that it never dawned on him that he could really miss this place.

Howard stood up from his chair and stretched to his full height filling the room as he did so. He felt pain at some spots in his body. The two main sore spots were his back from having sat down so long and his knee which had been throbbing recently. He had to choose which one he would rub first and he opted for his knee which demanded the most attention.

“Are you okay Howard?” asked Rick empathetically. “It looks as if that knee is giving you some trouble.”

“It’s only my old war wound,” laughed Howard before he winced again and rubbed his knee.”

“I never knew that you served in the military,” said Rick.

“I didn’t, but it sounds better than saying I injured my knee playing too much lawn bowls,” said Howard still giving his knee some attention. Satisfied that his knee was throbbing less he straightened up and rubbed the small of his back. “You know, some days I am just a collection of small pains.”

“You look fine to me,” said Rick.

“I suppose I still have a few good years left in me,” replied Howard. He returned to his desk and closed the file which he had been looking at. As he done this Rick looked out of the large windows of the office. Rick was sure that where he was going and where he would now be working they would not have a view like the one he was presently looking at.

Rick stepped forward to get closer to the window in the large corner office. Rick knew that if he ever worked in an office like that, he had finally made it. From the firm no matter which office you were in at any time, you were able to get a spectacular view of the Central Business District of Brisbane. All of the workers were lucky in that respect. The partner’s corner office had to give the best view though. From there you could see the Brisbane River and the people on their boats and crafts enjoying themselves. You could also see the roads and the motorways and the bridges with constant traffic, the pulse of the city.

Howard moved over next to Rick wincing slightly and bending down rubbing his stiff knee before he stood beside him. He too enjoyed the commanding view that the firm’s windows could give its workers. Howard raised a hand and pointed towards a building.

“Rick, do you see that building over there? The bright shining one which has only been there for less than a year. The one that really stands out more than the others” asked Howard.

Rick followed the direction of his finger. “Yes I see it.”

“Well that was us, this firm, we ensured that building went up. Do you remember the problems that company was having with the troublesome construction company? They couldn’t decide on the actual price to finish the construction and also the date when it would be finished. The company asked us to represent them and we negotiated on a fair price and a reasonable completion date which were accepted. We still represent that firm which trades all over Australia. They have buildings similar to that one in the CBDs of Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. This corporate law firm has helped that company no end and you have been part of it, Rick,” said Howard.

“I remember that we put a lot of hours into the work on that company. A lot of us worked on it and it is a nice feeling knowing that we have helped them expand,” said Rick.

“That company employs thousands of people in Australia. Now look down there,” said Howard pointing in a different direction. “Do you see the tower cranes down there?”

“I see them,” replied Rick looking at the large cranes.

“Well they’re working on another building which is going up. It will be one of the largest buildings in the CBD and it belongs to another company that we do legal work for. I can also tell you that the company is about to go international. That company is in the big leagues, as are we,” said Howard smiling.

“I can’t deny it we do work for a lot of prestigious companies,” replied Rick.

“Altogether the companies we work for generate more than 1 billion dollars each year for Australia. That’s colossal, mind boggling and we, through our legal work help them to do that. We navigate the world of corporate law for them so that they can concentrate on their business. That’s what we do here and that’s what gives me my buzz,” said Howard.

“Some days, well a lot of days I have felt that way too. It’s a good feeling helping out companies, and it’s great when you get a win in court,” said Rick.

“Then I have to ask you then, what gives? If it’s so great working in a corporate law firm, and one of the best corporate law firms in the country, in my humble opinion,” said Howard with a small laugh, “why would you want to leave?”

“Well Erica, my wife as you know, and I are still young and we want to do other things,” said Rick. “I would be lying if I said that I don’t love it here but there are a lot of hours involved. Most mornings when I get to the building around 6am it is still dark and then when I leave at night it’s often around 8pm and it’s dark outside again. When we are preparing for court cases and trials the team can be working until 3am in the morning. I mean I enjoy the work immensely but there is a heavy toll.”

“You cannot deny that you are paid well for it and you deserve it,” said Howard.

“The pay is very good and it has helped me and my wife out a lot. I can’t think of anywhere else where I would be paid so much,” said Rick.

“You are young as well so you should not feel the stress and you should be able to put up with the hours. I remember that I could when I was your age, I used to thrive on the challenge of it.  I’m older now and the partner so I should feel the stress, which I do, admittedly, sometimes,” said Howard. “There is another thing you should know Rick. We all think very highly of you here. That’s all the senior lawyers and all of the other lawyers that I have spoken to. The PA’s and clerks also think that you are a great person to work with. You are an exceptional lawyer with a good track record for getting results. If it was ever on your mind at all you were firmly on the partner track. You have no reason to worry about anything like that.”

“Thank you Howard. I love working with everyone at this firm. They have become like family to me. It’s good to hear that I was heading for a partner position. However Erica and I have put a lot of thought into this. The reason we are leaving is so that we can have more time to ourselves and so that we can have less stress, that’s it Howard. It was a tough decision for us to make and I’m not saying that it will be forever. Maybe in a few years’ time, once I have recharged my batteries, I will want to come back to the big time in corporate law,” said Rick.

“When you decide on that there will always be a place for you at this firm. I should still be around here in a few years’ time. If I am not then the reference that I am giving you should still ensure that you will have a home here,” said Howard patting Rick on the back.

“Thank you Howard. I really appreciate those words and the glowing reference that you are giving me,” said Rick smiling at his boss.

“What’s the name of the small firm you’re moving to again?” asked Howard.

“Oh, yes, it’s er ‘Kennon Law’ a small boutique firm owned by Bernard Kennon,” replied Rick.

“You might not believe this but I’ve actually been to the town you’ll be living in for a few visits,” remarked Howard.

“That’s a surprise. What caused you to visit the place?” asked Rick.

“One of the companies we do business for has a small franchise there. I’ve been there a few times to give them some advice on the running of their company. While I’ve been there I’ve also gotten to know a few people there,” said Howard.

Rick thought about what his boss had said. He had noticed that his boss frequently took long weekends, disappearing on the Thursday night and returning to work on the Tuesday morning. This would explain what Howard had been doing during those periods. Howard would have been visiting Rick’s new hometown and presumably other places where there was a firm connection.

“I have to say I’m looking forward to getting there to see what the main changes will be in our lives,” said Rick.

“There will be huge changes. It’s a small town with fewer than 10,000 residents which mainly keep to themselves. They have a different mentality and way of thinking. You will be a novelty to them and you’ll need to get used to people looking at you in a way that would never happen in the busy city,” said Howard.

Rick and Erica had visited the place a few times but only briefly. He had stopped in at the law firm of ‘Kennon Law’ and spoken to his new boss Bernard Kennon. It was not long enough for them to be acquainted but that would come over time. He left with the impression that working there would take some adjustment but after a few months he would get used to it. Erica had spent her time there looking for a house. She knew the type of house she was after and there were a few on the market. Again that was all she done while she was there and there was no real time to get to know the place. Settling in would come later once Rick had left his corporate job and they had both vacated their apartment.

“That does sound a bit strange, but initially we’ll be busy settling in and getting to know the place, finding out where all the shops are and such so maybe we shouldn’t notice it too much,” said Rick.

“They will look at you okay and you may believe that they are staring but that should pass and I’m sure you’ll fit in with them in no time at all. They are mostly good people and there are some bad ones but you and Erica should be able to discern which are which,” said Howard.

“I’ve spoken to Bernard Kennon a few times and he sounds fine. He was impressed with my resume and he believes I’ll fit in with the small firm and its ethos quite nicely,” said Rick.

“I’ve actually met Bernard a few times and we seemed to get on well. You should be working for a good boss,” said Howard. “What you will notice though is the type of law you will be doing and the fact that it is small town. The firm won’t be dealing with companies that collectively earn more than a billion dollars per year.”………………..

 

‘Affidavit’ a novel written by Alan Barr is available in eBook and paperback formats from Amazon.

Kind Regards

Alan Barr

alanrove@hotmail.com

 

 

These books have been read over 300 times.

Short Stories

Mixed Bag: 10 Short Stories         (eBook and Paperback)

Novellas

Unsettling                                           (eBook and Paperback)

Descent into Darkness: A Novella (available separately) (eBook)

Big Ambitions                    (available separately)     (eBook)

Witch Trial                           (available separately)     (eBook)

A Tale of Witchcraft. Birth                                            (eBook)

A Tale of Witchcraft. Sacrifice                                     (eBook)

Novels

Dana’s Coffee                                   (eBook and Paperback)

Affidavit                                           (eBook and Paperback)

 

All books are available from Amazon.

I would like to extend a big thank you to all of my readers.

alanrove@hotmail.com

Kind Regards

Alan

The young lawyer Rick Brewster and his wife Erica feel that it is time to move from Brisbane. The town of Kingarton has an appeal to it. Rick feels uncomfortable initially but does his best to make the most of the new surroundings.

With a change of law firm comes a change in clients. Teddy Downes presents Rick with a situation he has never experienced before. Teddy is convinced that there is a cult in the town, a cult that has murdered babies. Teddy’s affidavit is scorned by Rick’s boss Bernard Kennon.

When Teddy is institutionalised in a hospital for the mentally insane Rick feels compelled to act. He must discover for himself whether the cult exists or not.

 

‘Affidavit’ a novel written by Alan Barr is available in eBook and paperback formats from Amazon.

Kind Regards

Alan Barr

alanrove@hotmail.com

…..They didn’t but instead stayed rooted to the spot, both shaking their head and waving their arms furiously and looking as if they were mouthing the words no, no, no over and over again. Terry couldn’t understand it and began to think that they must be jealous. He had scored with a good looking girl and they hadn’t met anyone yet. Looks like he was about to have the better night.

 

‘The Model’ is one of the stories in ‘Mixed Bag:10 Short Stories’ by Alan Barr which is available in eBook and paperback formats from Amazon.

alanrove@hotmail.com

Kind Regards

Alan