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Chapter Twenty-Three

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Come on, Damien, we’d better not be late to see the vicar!’ Nancy poked at Damien, trying to get him to hurry up for their meeting with Rodney, Maxine and Hector at the German’s hut.

‘Well, we have an eternity now. So what if we are a few minutes late?’ Damien replied with an annoyed look on his face. ‘It’s obvious that things are changing around here; why else would Rodney be talking about the curator moving on, as well as taking Maxine and Hector over to the control place?’ He huffed out, deflating like a sad balloon after a party.

Nancy laughed at him lovingly. ‘Come on, Damien, it is in our best interest after all. I should be a baby in Hong Kong right about now! It’s an important time, darling.’

Damien nodded. Change always scares me. ‘Yeah, you’re right. As usual. I wish we could still be at home in Newdon though. I miss Marcus. I hope he is getting on alright.’

‘I’m sure that he and Hope are fine. The vicar said they are going to be alright, didn’t he?’ She smiled gently at Damien and pulled him into a hug. ‘It’s all going to be alright on the night...’

They kissed each other, and Damien looked into Nancy’s eyes and said, ‘Come on then, let’s go and see what’s going on.’

They wandered hand in hand over to Hector’s hut, enjoying the sun warming the day and the island’s birds singing their hearts out.

The door was propped open by a chair under the handle.

Hector spotted the Lennons walking across the village and prepared hot drinks ready for their arrival. Nancy stepped in first and Hector said with a smile, ‘Hey, here are the stragglers! About time you turned up, everyone is here already...’

Not only were Maxine and Rodney already there in Hector’s hut, but also the curator and Eloise. Nancy said sheepishly, ‘Hi everyone. Um...I’m glad to see your hair is growing back well, Eloise.’

The red-haired woman smiled back graciously. ‘Thank you. That is old news now.’

Nancy felt a sense of relief. That could have been awkward. I wonder what is going on though.

Damien’s wide grin reminded Nancy that he’d always enjoyed a decent get together. He rubbed his hands together and said, ‘Where’s the barbecue stuff? Today would be perfect for some burgers and booze.’

The curator stood and made a seat free for Nancy. But really, Nancy knew it was only so she could stand taller than the assembled people and command their attention. The curator cleared her throat, and everyone looked to her in expectation.

Finally, she said, ‘Thank you, everyone, for coming.’ She looked at Damien and lifted an eyebrow, waiting for him to make a quip. When he didn’t, she smiled and simply added, ‘Good.’ That prompted a round of laughs from all assembled.

Today is a momentous day. The day of change. Over the last few years, this island has been more or less stable. Eloise has been my faithful trainee, and things have pretty much taken care of themselves. Until you lot showed up.’ The curator made a point of looking at Maxine, Damien and Hector. ‘A prophecy that Rodney made was fulfilled, a prophecy that said I would be tested to my limit. And once that limit had been reached, he would invoke the next stage of my, and your, spiritual journey.’

The curator had the full attention of her audience. ‘I will allow Rodney to fill in the details. But before I do, I need to tell Nancy and Damien that they have some great news. Your son, Marcus, has met a woman.’

Damien and Nancy looked at each other in shock as the curator continued. ‘They are a great match, approved by none other than Rodney himself. And your friend Nicola played a key part in making sure the match was made. Rodney has agreed, with my persuasion, to allow you to use the command hut to open a viewing portal so you can see your son’s girl. She is called Rebecca, and her daughter, Saffron, is in Hope’s class in school. Rebecca’s father, Robert, also went through a forbidden door to a limbo island. Of course, they don’t know where their fathers actually went to, so both Marcus and Rebecca have missing, presumed dead fathers.’

Damien’s colour drained, and he looked at his shoes until Nancy put her arm around him. The curator gave him a moment to process this new information before continuing.

‘I wouldn’t wish to second guess the vicar, but it seems to me like there could be a reason for their match beyond their almost identical circumstances.’ The curator glanced over at Rodney, who simply shrugged but with a sly grin poking out from under his moustache.

‘Anyway. We are gathered here to confirm what is happening next. Maxine and Hector; you are to transport to another limbo island from the control hut this afternoon. Do not worry, as you can come here in person or contact Nancy and Damien at any time to support each other. As you know, Damien and Nancy are now in charge on this island. The future direction is entirely down to you, but you will always have the full support of myself and Rodney. Maxine will continue with her current project island. Rodney, would you like to continue from here?’

The vicar nodded and stood, and the curator took his seat. He took his hands out of his pockets and clasped them together in front of his belly. He said, ‘Very few people get to join the SMG. This is your next step in the journey. Where you will end up, well, I don’t know, but if you stay positive and do what feels to be the right thing, you won’t go far wrong.’ He looked each member of the assembled audience, smiling as he gazed around. ‘As you will appreciate, this means change for many people. Not least the curator. She has been promoted to my rank, of Island Vice-Commander, and I have become Island Commander.

‘All this means to you, is that the curator remains your superior. I advise you to keep in good communication with Eloise because, although she is the same rank as yourselves, she has extensive experience and is going to be running a limbo island by herself.’

An excited buzz ignited around the hut, and chattering quickly rose to a deafening crescendo.

The curator held up a hand. ‘Your first job, Nancy and Damien, is to decide who is going to greet the next arrival on this island of yours.’

Damien looked at Nancy and then Hector and said, ‘Mel. It has to be Mel. He is funny and will be great with a new person.’ He glanced at Hector again, who nodded his agreement. ‘There isn’t really anyone else up to it. They are mostly people just waiting to move on.’ Seeing no one objecting to his suggestion, he added, ‘That’s settled then. And I want to call the island Lennon Island...is that okay, boss?’

The curator sighed and said, ‘I suppose so, if you must. By the way, the next arrival is due in five hours.’

Rodney stood suddenly and bowed, which caught everyone by surprise. ‘My work here is done. Goodbye, and try to work nicely together.’ He strode out of the room and jogged away in the direction of the control hut.

‘He always likes to be a bit of a drama queen,’ mused the curator, who then shook her head and laughed. ‘I am sure there are interesting times ahead of us all. Being promoted has been a surprise to me, but don’t forget that I will always be watching you. I’ll be in touch soon.’ She, too, left the meeting and rushed away as if she were trying to catch Rodney.

Eloise was the next to stand. ‘What a lot of excitement for us all today. Congratulations to you all. Anyway, I need to get across to my island and whip my people into shape for the day. God knows what those pair have got lined up for us all. See you soon.’

When Eloise had gone, the four friends were left looking at each other, somewhat bemused by the whole situation.

Maxine said, ‘That was a bit weird, wasn’t it? One minute, we are all happy; the next minute, three people leave.’

‘Ja, control again. They have promoted us, but I’m not so sure they want us to think of them as colleagues. They still want that barrier between us I think,’ said Hector thoughtfully.

Nancy said with much enthusiasm, ‘Well, I think we should put Mel on standby for the next arrival, and then we should go to the control centre to get up to speed with what’s happening. I’d also like to check on our kids and this Rebecca woman. She had better be good enough for my boy.’

Damien beamed. ‘I’m sure he has good taste, just like his father.’ His joke earned him a poke in the ribs from his wife. ‘Ouch! Anyway, it sounds to me like your friend Nicola has it all in hand,’ he said, looking sideways at Nancy.

His wife sighed and wriggled into the chair. ‘Yes, you are right. I’m sure Rebecca is lovely. It’s just a shame that we’ll never get to know her.’ She gazed out of Hector’s window towards the woods. ‘Come on, guys, it’s no good being maudlin.’

With that statement, all four of them rose and made their way towards Mel’s hut.

Mel was sat outside with a pair of large headphones sandwiched over his head. Even from a distance, the friends could hear that he was listening to 90s rave music. Damien mocked playing a rave piano, and grabbed an unopened can of fizzy pop from a pile on the floor next to Mel’s deckchair.

Mel beamed at his four visitors and dropped his headphones to around his neck. He turned to Damien and shook a finger at him. ‘You shouldn’t be stealing, boss. You should be setting a good example!’

Nancy held up a hand in protest. ‘You want museum man to set a good example? Good luck with that!’

After the gales of laughter died down, Nancy said to Mel, ‘We have nominated you to meet the next new arrival on the island. You are the perfect man for the job, and I’m sure you will relish it.’

Mel took off his sunglasses and sat with his mouth wide open. ‘Well I never...that’s awesome! Eloise and the curator just wanted me to sit quietly until I died properly. Love you guys!’ He immediately dug a hand inside his jeans pocket and took out a spliff.

‘See you later,’ said Damien. ‘By the way, someone will be on the cliffs in five hours from now.’

As the band of SMG friends made their way towards the woods, Mel looked at his unlit spliff lovingly and put it back into his pocket. ‘Best smoke you later...’

***

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DAMIEN, MAXINE, HECTOR and Nancy reached the command hut in no time at all.

Hector sat in front of the biggest screen and pointed at the scene before him. ‘Look...isn’t that your boy, Damien?’

Damien and Nancy peered at the screen and saw that Marcus was stood outside the school gates holding hands with an average height, dark haired woman. As they looked closer, they saw Rebecca for the first time. Damien gave a low whistle. ‘Damn, the boy done good!’

Nancy wasted no time in jabbing him in the ribs. ‘Have some respect, will you? Man! I have to admit, though, she does look like she has potential to be good enough for my boy.’

Maxine joined in the squeeze of people and looked at the screen. ‘Jesus, Damien, he’s a lot hotter than you!’

Damien blushed while the other three laughed at his expense. Nancy adopted a serious face but sighed with happiness. I have always dreamed of a daughter-in-law.

Nancy suddenly had a feeling that she had never had before—a realisation that, as a supernatural being, she could see into people’s souls with real discernment.

Damien shot a look at his wife. ‘You’re having the same feeling, aren’t you? The same realisation about how we can look at people now?’

‘If you mean about seeing into people’s souls, then yes.’ The couple embraced and Nancy whispered, ‘It is true. Rebecca is the one!’

Damien said, ‘Let’s keep watching and we’ll see Hope too.’ They indeed kept watching the screen, and Hope soon appeared running alongside another young girl. Hope looked a good nine months or so older than when Nancy had died. The girl jumped into Rebecca’s outstretched arms, and Hope jumped on her too.

Nancy frowned. ‘Why is Hope so much bigger than when I last saw her? Oh yeah, I forgot about the weird time lag thing.’ The smile returned to her face when she saw how happy the four of them were.

A booming Scottish voice made them all jump, a clear indication that Rodney had arrived. He said, ‘Aye, Nicola did a great job of helping to keep them on track. They really are a match made in heaven, like Nancy and Damien here.’ Rodney had a slightly distracted expression, as though he was about to say something else but changed his mind. He put a hand on Hector’s shoulder and said, ‘Okay, big man, it’s time to go. Don’t worry about your possessions. They will be in the new place already.’ Rodney then looked at Maxine. ‘You too, let’s go.’ He smiled and said to Damien, ‘Remember that the curator is still your boss. She won’t let you forget that!’

The trio then stepped through a portal door in the hut and disappeared to wherever the new island was.

The Lennons looked at each other, the realisation starting to dawn on them that this new phase of their existence was actually happening. Nancy said, ‘I wonder if it is a brand-new limbo island, or if they are taking over from some control freak like we are?’

They looked at the closed door as if waiting for it to reveal the island’s secrets, knowing in their hearts that there were indeed many secrets yet to be discovered.