The Village Read Online Free PDF Page B

when necessary but it also removes a great deal of stress from individuals in the lead up.’
    â€˜It’s not in our remit,’ he answered bluntly. ‘I’m afraid I have to turn you down.’
    â€˜I beg you to reconsider,’ I pressed lamely knowing full well what his answer would be. There was a distinct stubbornness to any stranger by everyone in the village. I could only hope that he would change his mind even though I realised it was in vain.
    â€˜You’ve heard my decision,’ he snapped. ‘There’s nothing more to say. ‘Good day, sir!’
    I left the office feeling rather deflated at being dismissed on such feeble grounds. The school denied its pupils the right to enjoy sport of any kind. I found that fact extremely incredible. I waited outside the Headmaster’s door for a while to reflect the essence of the conversation before hearing his voice as he spoke on the telephone.
    â€˜Constable Powers,’ he began with an element of concern. ‘You may be interested to learn that I’ve just had a visit from a stranger asking whether the school would appoint him as a sports master. Do you have any idea who he might be?’ There was a short silence before the Headmaster continued. ‘He’s only just left the school. You might just catch him.‘’
    I froze at the comment with the words echoing around in my brain... ‘you might just catch him... you might just catch him... you might just catch him!’ Then the adrenalin flowed through my body and I surged forward into action. Constable Powers would no catch me... not if I had anything to do with it! I wasn’t prepared to spend another awful night in that filthy cell!

Chapter Three
    Despite his best efforts, Wayne failed to find me. He had visited all the shops in vain, doubling back to the garage in the hope of bumping into me but I was not to be found. While he continued his search, I was at the other end of the village which I discovered was much larger than I had first imagined. I wandered along the perimeter at one end which was shielded from the outside by a high wooden fence before coming to a building with the sign ‘Village Hall’ over the front porch. It walked slowly to the front stone steps leading to the front double doors and tried the iron latch which lifted quite easily. I entered cautiously to find myself inside an enormous room which could hold over eight hundred people at one time. It was deserted at this time of day and there was no one else around. Numerous benches had been set out neatly in rows with many chairs stacked up alongside one of the walls. The light of day shone brightly through four very large windows, one set on each wall of the hall. They had been leaded in parts with strange designs which I was unable to decipher but the strong light was hardly affected by them. A wide stage had been constructed about two feet high at the far end of the hall on which was set a long table and six chairs. Emblems embossed in linen cloth hung from the walls but they were foreign to me as I had never seen them before. High above me were long wooden rafters running the length of the building, interwoven with other cross-beams in a wonderful artistic pattern which had be carefully carved by craftsmen. In my mind’s eye, I could imagine a meeting taking place her with the chairperson and five cronies sitting on the chairs on the stage, lecturing to the audience and answering their questions. This community had to be extremely close to call a meeting when anyone or anything appeared to threaten them. I was no danger to any of them but my sudden presence here forced the elders, if I could call them that because they all looked so very young, to call everyone together to discuss the issue. I sat on one of the benches facing the stage for a while seriously contemplating the situation. I was a stranger descending on the village on my own behalf, imprisoned temporarily,