Jackanory - Chapter Two

CHAPTER - TWO

As "Clint" climbed down from the stone tower to join Maurice and his
marauding band of soldiers, gypsies and other vagabonds of the Greys
Wick area the smell of fear was hung heavy on the breaths of these men.
Hungry for revenge, hungry to retaliate against Jack and his merry
bunch of limp fisted ramrodders.

As Clint prepared to move over the brow of the hill from Greys Wick
through the cemetery past all the old and leaning headstones his trusty
sidekick "two fingers" grabbed his arm, stared into his eyes (one being
a glass eye due to an incident with an ice pick and a bottle of cinzano
whilst on holiday in North Wales). She pressed her crooked lips against
his and forced her tongue deep inside his mouth - she liked the taste
of Clint's tonsils plus any other salty fluids that came her way. She
was afraid he might not come back alive as he'd had many near death
experiences but miraculously came out alive. Not always unscathed but
inevitably with just a few broken bones. On most occasions she was by
his side stabbing, slicing and shooting most of his victims whilst in
battle against neighbouring war parties, but as she was eight months
pregnant with his sixth child in as many years it was not a good time
for her to be on active service.

Mind you her swollen and heaving breasts were enough to distract any
marauding foe for just enough time to slip in that upper cut thrust of
the two sided blade deep into the abdomen straight up under the rib
cage piercing the heart and lungs of the opponent thereby giving a
swift death. She wasn't a pretty woman with her matted and straggly
hair, bald in some patches and fairly wild. The numerous battle scars
across her face and upper torso looked more like zips on a punk rockers
jacket - but Clint loved her all the same, and she was of good child
bearing stock. Just the right sort of girl to give him heir's to fight
alongside and behind him as he got older. Time would soon pass him by
and he would need trustworthy psychopaths of his own stock to fight
with and not against him, someone he could trust.

The clock bell on the stone tower had chimed six times and the early
morning mist was starting to clear just enough for a good view down
into Wellord. There was no movement, no sound down towards the old work
house so they moved off slowly towards the unknown. Today would be a
Bloody Sunday and heads would roll. As they passed old and ruined
shacks along the main dirt track that led down into Wellord the odd
bird cheeped and squawked as they were disturbed from their nesting
places. An old badger poked its tiny black snout out from its den to
see what thundering feet were tramping over the top of his burrow.
Thank god it wasn't the poacher with his basket and wire coming to trap
them for their furs and skins as usual. Although too many humans smelt
of danger so the old badger backed its hind quarters back into the den
and waited till all had passed before it returned to forage for more
food for its young litter.

As they made their way through the undergrowth past rotting vegetation,
corpses of half eaten animals, beasts of burden that had grown old
before its time and gave in to exhaustion were just tossed to one side
and left to die with all the other refuse. This was not a nice spot to
die in.

As the trees thinned out and finally came to an end there was a
clearing which had to be crossed to gain access into Spleckbur Close.
There was no movement save an old man asleep on sentry duty half hidden
behind an old disused burnt out Ford Transit van that was on the
corner. The first to reach the old man was Clint's second in command
"Chuck" who quickly whipped a noose round the old mans neck and pulled
it so tight his eyes did pop right out onto his outstretched tongue.
Chuck did like the gurgling sound the old man made just before the
crack his neck made as it snapped like a twig.

Chuck was feisty looking lad in his early twenties, keen as mustard to
prove his self and not afraid to torture, maim or kill any living thing
in his path. Hand to hand combat was his favourite as he did love to
see the fear in his opponents eyes as skewered them with his lethal
sword which he called "Member". Named after his woman "Sue Ellen
Member". Some would say that Chuck just loved to skewer any living
thing with his member, and make em squeal, but Chuck was a loveable
rogue and true to Sue Ellen. They met when she was only 14, but by the
time she was 15 things were happening that shouldn't have and a shotgun
wedding with a quick ceremony and a pig roast over an open fire was
held to celebrate their union. Four months later their first child was
born followed 10 minutes later by the second and 5 minutes later by
another. Triplets - now that was a record. Twins were a rare occurrence
but three babies from the same woman at one birthing was a miracle if
not a sign of changing things to come.

Sue Ellen Member was held in great esteem due to this fact and she was
hailed as the new 'queen of birthing'. She to like Clint's trusty
sidekick "two fingers" was of damn fine breeding stock. Not a woman to
let go or be taken from you. She would bear him many fine sons. Her
appearance was not wild and she was not a big woman, but of a slight
build somewhat of a boyish appearance with a cheeky little grin that
charm even the most offensive of people. A softly spoken waif but
devious in nature like her mother "Morag" the great witch of the
southern counties. At present fighting a war in foreign parts of the
Australiasian empire somewhere south of the Chinese provinces. She
fought alongside "Borb the Barbarian" an evil looking man who'd ravaged
counties and left them barren for decades. Whereas Sue Ellen being only
a young girl and not yet a mature woman nearing her twenties had not
the full powers yet to throw bolts of lightning from the skies upon her
enemies, only to cast small spells and hypnotise people into doing her
will.

This had not worked on Chuck when they first met as her powers although
somewhat weak did need a certain amount of brain cells in the recipient
to be able to overcome and control the mind. As Chuck's brain cells
were obviously in short supply she could not master his mind. Although
it wasn't his mind that won her over as his tall dark and rugged
features made her knees buckle and her heart swoon. It wasn't long
before Chuck won her heart and she was under his spell. They were
childhood sweethearts right from the beginning and she was soon
besotted by him. They had been inseparable for over a year, even in
local skirmishes and minor battles she never left his side. He admired
her for this bravery and selfless act of love to be at his side
constantly. It was during her fifteenth year and only just into puberty
that Chuck led her down through the trees, past the old disused army
camp to the water side of the inlet to the inner channel. It was in the
grassy knolls amongst the bluebells and flowers that paraded the
shoreline that they consummated their union of love. They were as one
and it was from this moment in time that they pledged their allegiance
to each other. Never would they be parted - side by side they promised
each other to be for the rest of their lives.

As the lazy, hazy days of summer wore on they were spotted on more than
one occasion frolicking amongst the reed beds by the shoreline
oblivious to the rest of the world and its warring ways. This union was
to be proved one of the strongest as they would fight side by side for
decades to come. Sue Ellen's mother "Morag" was not oblivious to what
was going on but was preparing to be off on the Australasian adventure
with "Borb". At first people thought it was just adolescent puppy fat
but Morag knew she was with child. The rest is just history - Chuck and
Sue Ellen's union in marriage was blessed and they became man and
wife.

The feast that followed was a humdinger of a banquet. The pig roast
that cooked over the open fire was the biggest hog the village had
caught in many a good month. The smell of bacon over an open fire -
nothing could beat it. Then drinking followed shortly after which
continued throughout the night and into the early hours of the next
day. Every said it was the best union they'd been to in ages and they
were delighted for the happy couple. Except Morag of course - but then
again she was never happy unless she was turning someone into a frog.
Although secretly she was as delighted as everyone else because Chuck
was obviously the best match her daughter was likely to find in this
god forsaken area. Also she knew he would love and care for her as no
other would have done and he would give her many fine sons to which
Morag would be proud of.