FICTION

BOOK WORMS BITE ,  A RARE KIND OF WOMAN INDEED,

OH GODELMING,   TINKLING VOICES. equal the full story of the characters which start with BWB and end in TVoices.

                                    BOOKS WORMS BITE!

it was a very old book covered in dust. It had lain in a corner of the cuboard for years, never opened, never noticed until the day Rosie anf Fred moved house. Packing up all the goods they had accumilated over forty years at number seventy two Lazybee Drive they knew that not all the items could go with them to their retirement bungelow by the sea at Muchlee on Marsh. So bit by bit as cuboards were emptied items were discarded onto a pile to be taken to the charity shop or tip, depending on thier condition. It was Rosie who found the book laying so far back on the shelf taht she almost missed seeing it at all. Curious Rosie tried to read it's titile, faded and dusty, but it was too far gone. She opened the book and saw it was called Travells With Uncle George. Some fort of none-fiction geographic she supposed. Needing to get on Rosie tossed the book onto the not wanted pile.

And so it was that the book, along with other torn bits, warn bits and broken bits, was deposited at the tip from the boot of Fred's car. As Fred drove away the breeze ruffeld the books pages, and revealed an old piece of writing paper neatly folded into four. By now Fred's car was out of sight. The breeze lifted the piece of paper and blew it a long the ground, where it came to rest on the path.

Rosemary arriving to deposit some old clothes in the recycling bin noticed the piece of paper, and being either curious or nosey, she was never sure which, picked it up. opened it out and read it. She saw it was a letter dated 1924, addressed to Dear Rose. She jumped when she saw a name, so like her own. The letter begged the reciptiant never to forget the sender, even though he would be away for some time. Rosemary refolded the paper and put it in her pocket. When she got home she placed the paper into her desk diary, and forgot about it for several days. Only when she looked into the diary for a ;phone number did Rosemary once again see the folded paper. She unfolded it and laid it out on her desk.

The Old Hotel, Zanesbury Head, Sufex. July 20th 1924.

Dear Rose, By the time you read this I will be on a ship travelling to Africa. It is for the best that I go now. Please do not forget me, even though it may be a very long time before you hear from me again.  Keep well. Stanley.

Rosemary wondered for weeks about the letter. Who were Stanley and Rose. Did they ever meet again. Sometimes Rosemary imagined Rose wating in vain for years and never a word from the long gone Stanley. At other times she imagined a letter from Africa arriving with Rose to tell her that Stanley had made his foetune and was on his way home, and that they were married and lived happily ever after.

Eventualy Rosemary took the letter to the local paper The Backstop Bugle ,and they printed it on page seven, along side an advert for a trvel agency, which seemed appropriate to Rosemary.  Mr Cuthbert Sedgewick saw the item in the Bugle and remembered his school friend, and fellow scourge of the village of Damson Dale, Stanley Maxim. Stanley had not been a lad to get out of the way as trouble came rushing toward him. Because of this by 1924, aged only nineteen, he had already been in all sorts of trouble, and at the time the letter was dated had been out of prison for only a few days, having served six months for theft.

Stanley had decided to get out of the country before the authorities could lay their hands on him for anything else. With a few pounds form his mother, Stanley bought documents from a friend, of a friend, of a friend that proved he was Archibald Evans from Wales, and signed on the trading ship Pagan Rose sailing for Africa. In his mind Stanley was sure that this was where wealth awaited him. The only person Stanley had met who he thought was Welsh was a man named McTavish, who everyone called Tavy, who was in fact from Fife. So it was that Stanley boarded ship with a Welsh identity, and a distinctly wobbly scottish accent.

After three days at sea Stanley had still not found his sea lega. As the waves rushed toward the ship, Stanley reflected, as he hung over the side, that this must be why it is called the high seas. By the following morning the sea was even higher, and  the Pagan Rose was tossed around like a cork in a swimming pool. For Stanley life had no meaning, and he would even rather have been back in prison exchanging friendly banter with the warders,

By now his crew mates had realised that young Arch, as they called him, believing his welsh name, was not a lad who had sailed before. They laughed at him and told him that there was worse to come.

Back in Damson Dale, Rose Wood looked at the birds in the sky wondering wether any of them would be flying to Africa. She had heard of something birds did called migration, but she was not sure that she believed in it. Just in case, she hoped that the birds would see Stanley safe and sound when they got there.

Rose worked in the knitwear factory, where new knitting machines had been installed. She sat all day, making bottle green sleeves, that would become part of bottle green cardigans. The factory was in the town, and Roase cycled the four miles from Damson Dale. Now Stanley was so far away and she could not vist him as she had visited him in prison, Rose felt very alone.

She often stopped to talk to Stanley's friend, Cuthbert Sedgewick. Cuthbert had a job on a farm as a herdsman, and Rose would sit in the field wiht Cuthbert whilst they spoke of Stanley, and wondered what he was up to now. Whatever it was, they expected Stanley was having a more exciting time than they were.

At last the Pagan Rose had arrived in Africa, and Stanley walked down the gangplank onto firm ground. Having been paid off, and with no intention of doing anyhting else except stay where he had arrived, Stanley's first task was to find lodgings and a job.

The false documents Stanley carried stated that Archiblad Evans had worked as a bookeeper, and there was letter of reccomendation from his imaginary former employer. Asking a a trading store near the docks Stanley was told that Willy Twigg at the saw mill was in need of a general hand supervisor, and the job came with somewhere to live.

Willy was impressed with Stanley's enthusiasim. By Stanley's account of things, even though he had (as Archibald) been in a well paid job, which he had ontained by rapid promotion, Stanley's dream of bettering himself had proven too much to ignor. Stanley assured Willy that he would stay at the saw mill for at least a year before considering where his options lay. This would give him time to learn about commerce in Africa.

As Christmas approached in Damson Dale Rose, having sneaked a quantity of wool from the factory, knitted Cuthbert a bottle green scarf to keep him warm in the fields.

Weeks turned to months, and Stanley worked long hours at the sawmill. He struggled to add up the figures, but as he was suposed to be an experienced bookeeper could not ask for help. By the end of the eighth month Stanley had thought out his plan to seek wealth. He had heard many tales from people who said that they had found diamonds inland. They spoke as if the uncut stones were laying on the ground waiting to be picked up.

Stanley had written a letter to Rose, which he had given to a seaman sailing on a ship bound for Liverpool. Wether the letter had arrived safetly Stanley could not tell, but there had so far been no reply from Rose.

Sitting at his desk in the dimly lit, stiffilingly  hot, sawmill offfice, Stanley heard voices coming closer. He looked out of the window and saw Willy talking to two women, one of whom was of middle years, the other about Stanley's age.

Stanley dusted his jacket, smoothed down his hair, and stepped out of the office door. He stopped in apparent suprise, appearing to be caught off guard seeing the two females. Willy looking hot and bothered glanced toward Stanley, "My bookeeper, supervisor" Willy spoke to the older woman.  "Stanley, these ladies are Lady Daphne Millet and her companion Miss Amelia Mann." Lady Daphne barely looked at Stanley. Amelia smiled.

Rose sighed as she cycled home. Today it was one year since she had recieved the letter from Stanley telling her he was on his way to Africa. She had waited in vain for another letter.

"Whoa there, Rose", it was Cuthbert, waving from beyond a blackthorn hedge, "Why the long face, m'dear?". Cuthbert's concern was too much for Rose, and she stopped and burst into tears. Cuthbert hastened through the gate to Rose's side, and she threw her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shirt. Cuthbert smiled.

Walking through the rough jungle,with insects by the million around him, his feet blistered, his body sunburnt despite the thick clothing that he woer, Stanley oped all this would be worth while.

His first encounter with Lady Daphne and Amelia had led to a friendship that could not have been forseen. Not with Amelia, as Stanley had hoped, but with Lady Daphne. Daphne's husband was away seeking more timber to fell and add yet more money to his already vast fortune. Left behind Daphne had grown bored with the men of her own social class, and Stanley had proven a diverstion she could not resist. From his point of view Stanley could see advantages to being the love interest of an older woman, with time on her hands and money at her disposal. After a few weeks of late nights, news arrived that Daphne's husband was due back from his trip. Daphne, wanting Stanley to be away for a while, and knowing of his intent to seek diamonds inland, offered to pay for an expeditain that Stanley would lead. The fianance was in the form of a loan that would be paid back with interest.

Having arranged for the expeditian team, Stanley said goodbye to Willy, leaving a letter with WIlly to be sent onto Rose. just in case, this time Stanley wrote a sperate letter to his mother, and left money for the letters to be sent, assuming that at least one letter should arrive safetly. Dapne visted the sawmill the following day, and saw the letters from Stanley on Willy's desk. Somehow the letters found their way into Daphne's bag.

Rose was a picture in white. She and Cuthbert had decided on a spring wedding. As she arrived at the church Cuthbert, standing in the sort of suit he would wear only a few times in his life, reflected that it had been a lucky day when had met an old sailor in the near by town, who had decided to deliver Stanley's letter to Rose by hand, as he had relatives not far off.

If it had not been market day Cithbert would have been in Damson Dale, but instead on a quick break for a drink of beer he had overheard the sailor asking if the village was far from the town. Cuthbert had entered the conversation, and telling the sailor he had known Stanley and Rose since they were all young children, had taken Stanley's letter, promising to deliver it to Rose that evening.

Cuthbert had met Rose that evening, but seeing her happy for once decided that the letter could wait. The letter waited and waited. On the day Rose said "yes" to Cuthbert the letter found it's way onto a bonfire, and within seconds was gone forever.

The organ began to play, and Rose walked up the aisle towards Cuthbert.

Stanley was not having much luck. His group had become lost in the dense jungle, and one evening as Stanley was scouting slightly away from the others he lost contact with them. He called, whistled and shouted but there was no sound of human voices in reply. After what seemed like weeks, but was in fact three days Stanley, who had been living on berries, roots and insects, was relieved to meet up with another expediditon. This party was led by George Pyet, who told Stanley he was in search of the beast known as Nowudont, who many thought to be mythical, but who George had been sponsered by a newspaper to find, photograph, and is possible capture.

George said he had not seen anything of Stanley's group, and Stanley would either have to travel on with George or try to make it back on his own, as George could not spare anyone to go with him. The journey with George could take many months as the Nowudont was rumoured to live in distant mountains. Stanley needed no second thought to know that his only choice was to journey on with George.

Rose pushed the pram through the streets of Damson Dale looking up at the Swallows and thinking of Stanley. The August sun beat down, and Rose wondered if the sun felt as hot as this in Africa. Five month old Moonty Sedgewick slept in the heat. Rose did not regret marrying Cuthbert, but she still would like to know the fate of her first love. Three years ago last month Sranley had left her and gone away, it seemed like a lifetime ago, it also seemed like yesterday.

On the same day as Rose pushed the pram looking at the Swallowa, George and Stanley finaly returned from the depths of the jungle. They had not found the Nowudont, but they had found a quantity of diamonds. These uncut stones looked little use at the moment, but once cut and polished would be made into jewellary that would cost large amounts.

Stanley went to see Willy at the sawmill, only to find there had been no letters from Rose or Stanley's mother. Lady Daphne had gone on a vist to her sister, and so Stanley decided that he should have now, taking his share of the diamonds with him. He sold enough stones to pay passage back to England.

Arriving on an Englich dockside was a shock to Stanley's system. It was so cold even though not yet winter. He decided to lose no time in travelling to Damson Dale.

Although Monty was only seven months old Rose had discovered she was expecting again. It had been a shock, Roase had not seen her life surrounded by shildren, and felt too tired to cope. She trudged along, her shouldrs sagging. She didn't see the amn wrapped in warm clothing watching her from across the road. Stanley had just come from his mother's house. He turned and walked away along the village street, intending to reach the town by dark, and then board a train.

Once settled in London Stanley soon dealt with the sale of the diamonds, and deposited a small fortune in a bank account int the name of Archibald Evans. he found a solicitor, Mr Parto, of Fiddel & Parto, and told this man the truth about his double identity. Mr Parto although slightly concerned, agreed to act for Stanley/Archibald.

Stanley didn't want to go out much in the early days of 1928, and so until the spring warmed the air, hepassed the time writing an account of his journey in the search of the Nowudont. He took the manuscript to a publisher under the title Travels With Uncle George , and was amazed a few weeks later to be told it had been accepted for publication.

May 23rd saw the arrival in Damson Dale of Victor Sedgewick, a healthy baby boy. Rose vowed this second child would be her last. Cuthbert cellebrated with his friends. Stanley's mother penned a letter to her son.

The post on the first day of June brought a suprising letter to Rose from FIddel & Parto. SOmeone Rose had never heard of, Archibald Evans, had instructed the solicitors to forward onto Rose sum of money that had been entrusted to Archibald by Stanley, who it was stated Archibald had known well in Africs. Mr Evans did not feel the need to deal with Rose in person. To complete the illusion the letter was sent to Rose in her maiden name.

Rose and Cuthbert stared in disbelief at the sim of money mentioned in the letter. There was no information regarding how or where Stanley was now. Rose resolved to find out.

Rose lost no time in contacting Mr Parto, and explaining how her situation had changed in the years since Stanley’s departure. Mr Parto ‘consulted with Archibald’ and said it appeared that Stanley had thought Rose might have met someone else by now, and that the money should still be passed to her. Stanley thought fondly of his dear Rose, and it was his one regret that he had had to leave her behind, and go away so suddenly. Rose’s questions as to Stanley’s whereabouts and welfare were brushed aside by Mr Parto, who said that in the present circumstances it would best for Rose to be given no details. Any letter of thanks to Stanley could be sent via Mr Evans. Said Mr Evans was unavailable, as he was travelling (he was in Brighton for a few days), and Mr Parto was sorry but at the moment it was not possible for Rose to meet Mr Evans in person.