Acme Time Travel Incorporated - Volume 2

Walton-on-the-Naze – in John’s house

Mary had brought them in a tray. It was laden with a large pot of tea covered with a teapot cosy with roses on it. There were three china tea cups and saucers, a small jug with milk in and some sugar lumps in a cup.

She put the tray down, then went out and came back with a plate with biscuits on it.

“I’m off out into the garden,” she said. “Lovely meeting you but ...”

“She made the biscuits herself,” John said. Then, when he noticed their seeming confusion, he said, “I think that she assumed that since you said you had come to see me, that she would give me some space to talk to you.”

“She didn’t really need ...,” said Ginny,

“We’ve come to see you ... and to see Vicky,” Gabriel said.

John’s mouth dropped open.

. . . . . . . .

“... and so we asked them if they would give us another STU ... and they did,” Gabriel said, holding out the spare STU.

“You make it seem so very easy,” John said, leaning across to accept the device.

Ginny looked at Gabriel. She knew that John was not a stupid man. She could tell that he suspected that their efforts to bring him back another STU had been trickier than Gabriel had inferred.

“There were a few ‘bumps’ along the way,” Ginny said, hoping that would be enough to placate John’s curiosity.

John nodded, as if would have expected no less. He stood up and walked over to the fireplace.

Ginny could tell that there was something on his mind. Something that he was mulling over. Waiting until he had found the right way to say it.

“Do you know,” John said, “that when Mary started visiting me ... to take me for walks ... it was near the end of the Second World War. Back then, Walton, was considered to be a possible invasion target for German troops.”

Gabriel gave Ginny a quizzical look. He remembered John telling him about this when he had gone to see him, just after his 100th birthday.

“The whole area was fortified,” John continued. “The beaches and the cliff-tops were heavily mined. There was even a secret radar installation built into the Naze Tower. It was very high security. Troops prevented anyone from walking around that area.”

“But you said that you found Vicky when you were walking along the ...,” Gabriel said, playing along with John’s train of thought.

“Yes, that is true,” said John. “And do you know how that was possible? It was because Mary had been given the job of Auxiliary Coastguard. It was a special position ... with great responsibilities.”

Ginny thought that John looked very proud to think that his wife had been given such a role.

“She had the job to monitor for an enemy invasion,” John continued, “which meant that she had access to the cliff-tops, including the high-security areas.”

“And she took you with her,” Ginny said, smiling.

“Yes ... yes, she did,” said John. “Who would stop her taking her imbecile friend for a walk on the cliff-tops, as she watched for enemy craft. But she had another duty ...”

He looked up pointedly at them.

“She had been given a weapon. A revolver. No-one knew. No-one in the town knew about it. And if there was an invasion, she was empowered to shoot anyone who she thought was ... was in favour of the Germans ... anyone who was a collaborator.”

“It sounds like they had a very responsible job, these auxiliary ...,” said Gabriel.

“She had the authority to shoot and kill anyone who she suspected, whether it be ordinary townsfolk or the local mayor, the chief of police, anybody.”

Gabriel looked suitably shocked at the thought.

Ginny wondered where this was going.

“She said that she never had to use that authority,” John said. “She never had to kill anyone.”

Gabriel nodded his understanding.

“But she always said that she had been prepared to do it. That she had inwardly prepared herself. Just in case. She didn’t want to face that situation and then be unable to carry out her responsibility.”

John turned and stared pointedly at Gabriel.

“Can you imagine that ... having to kill someone? Having to purposefully kill someone. Having to watch them die? And then to live with the possibility that you were wrong ... that they were innocent. That they didn’t deserve to die.”

Ginny saw Gabriel’s lips start to tremble. She leaned over and folded her arms around him. He tucked his head into her shoulder. She stroked his neck. “It wasn’t your fault,” she whispered. “It couldn’t be helped.”

She turned to look across at John, who was looking shocked and saddened.

“As we said, John,” Ginny said, “there were a few bumps along the way.”