CHAPTER ONE – A DISAPPERARING BOOK AND THE VISIT

'1,2,3-Hold on, hold on! Stop!'

'Aw what is it now Paul, we haven't even started yet.' John said, irritated by now at the fact that this was indeed take 29 of the same song they had been recording for hours.

'I've lost my notebook John!' Said an anxious Paul McCartney. 'Aw where is it?'

'Right, start looking everyone!' George Martin ordered from behind the control desk, as he too was keen to move on to the next song.

'What's happened?' Asked Ringo, lying down his drumsticks.

'Old Paul here's lost his precious notebook!' John sneered.

'Oh no! Not the holy book! It's not the one with the stripes is it?' George played along.

'Oh c'mon you guys, start looking!' Paul interrupted.

After three hours no-one had seen or found Paul's notebook. With all the staff abandoning whatever they were doing it was indeed a disappointing result when they all met up again in the recording room. It's funny how things go missing like that sometimes, almost as if they have been sucked up into a black hole, never to be seen again. But someone would come knocking at the door soon enough and the four Beatles were going to find out a little more than they bargained for…

'Aw leave it Paul, you don't need it. Let's just get this song done.' John said as he tried to reason with Paul, who looked distraught.

'I do need it John, you don't understand! All my ideas are in that book and we'll never make it without it.'

'We will you'll see, and anyways you've got me and I don't write my ideas in no notebook. It just comes from here', John said pointing to his head.

'Well, I still think we should find it', Paul grumbled. 'What am I going to do without it? Y'know I just thought of a song yesterday and it's called-'

'Excuse me boys but there's a mean old man waiting to see you at the door. Oh and keep your distance he's got a few nasty cuts, say he's been a few fights I would'.

'Thank you Geoffrey. Off you go boys' Brian Epstein (their manager) said.

'Mean old man eh? C'mon let's go and see him' John replied.

John, Paul, George and Ringo got up and walked down the hall to the door where there was a man waiting for them, and as Geoffrey had said he had quite a few small cuts around his chin and above his lip.

'Ooh nice face you got there Mister.' John said cheekily.

'Ah and you're the funny one then?' the man said which made John go quiet. For a short while anyway.

'And you must be-?' Paul asked.

'Mr Mustard's the name and I only came to give you this so I'm not hanging about for any of your fancy tea and sugar.'

Paul took the envelope Mr Mustard handed him and stuffed it into his pocket.

'So, err, what did happen to your face then Mister?' Ringo asked, who didn't mean to sound rude but was only curious.

'Well I shaved this morning don't I?' Mr Mustard answered.

'Okay. But you see when normal people shave they use a mirror unless you're going for the 'rough, tough guy' look', John said boldly as this was the first time he'd spoken since Mr Mustard shut him up, and John was not the kind of person to let someone bully him around.

'Don't have a mirror. I shave in the dark see, it gets dark at night if you didn't notice.

'Especially cuz there's no lamps in the park.'

The Beatles looked at each other as if to say 'what's this guy on about?' but then turned back to Mr Mustard as left them with his second notice. 'Oh, my niece Eleanor, she'll be comin' in an hour round to take you there.'

'Take us where?' Ringo asked

'It's all in that letter y'know.'

And with that, Mr Mustard left the four Beatles standing at the door and made his way down the street.

'Shaves in the dark does he?' John muttered to the other three.

'In the park?' George said quizzically. 'And where are we going?'

While the other three Beatles made their way back to the recording studio, not quite sure what to make of it, Paul said he'd catch up with them and took a moment to open the envelope that Mr Mustard had given to him. Inside was a letter in neat lady-like handwriting and as Paul began to read, Mr Mustard's little visit made all the more sense to him, or didn't, depending on how you look at it. The letter read:

Dear Paul, I hope that my uncle has delivered this letter to you as soon as possible and it will be in safe hands if it is you that is reading it. If my timings are correct I will meet you in an hour and I do ask that you come with me and try not to ask many questions until we are safely out of earshot. Do bring George, Ringo and especially John. It is not important for you to learn anything about me, apart from my name and you know that already. I do imagine that this letter looks confusing and that I seem like an untrustworthy woman who appeared from out of the blue but I know that you have lost something. I know what that something is and if you do not come with me more things will start to disappear. The item that you possess and hold dearly is somewhere far from here and so it is our mission to find it. I cannot say anymore in this letter as it may get intercepted but I will leave you with one thing. It is crucial that you come with me and if you don't I cannot help you. Yours faithfully, Eleanor Rigby.

After reading the letter Paul felt intrigued and his mind was reeling with questions. Rather than show the other Beatles the letter, as he figured that they had probably forgotten about it by now, Paul just decided to wait for Eleanor to turn up and see what happened. Just as Eleanor had said in her letter, there came a knock at the dour precisely one hour after Mr Mustard's visit.

'I'll get it!' Paul said, as he jumped up and ran to the door.

'Ooh, he's a bit excited then.' John remarked.

'You don't think it's that lady that bloke told us was gonna come do you?' He asked George and Ringo.

'Nah, I reckon that guy was off his rocker y'know. You heard what he said, shaves in the dark and all that, he's mad.'George said.

Paul opened the door and there was the lady he'd been expecting. Eleanor Rigby. She was young, had brunette hair and a pretty face.

'Hello. I'm Eleanor, and you must be Paul?'

'Well yeah! But how did you know?'

'Well they all say you're the cute one don't they?' Eleanor said as she walked past him through the hall.

Paul laughed, 'Well, it has been said before, but it's always nice to hear it again. Normally I just get screams from girls who try to grab my jacket.'

'Well I won't be doing THAT anytime soon, I'll assure you.'Their eyes lingered for a moment before Eleanor looked away and Paul spoke up.

'Well come in and I'll introduce you to the rest of the lads!' Paul led Eleanor down the hallway and into the recording room where they found John, George, Ringo and Brian. Everyone looked as they entered the room and John immediately jumped up and put on a silly posh voice and introduced himself.

'Well hello ma'am and good morning to you. I am Mr Lennon at your service.' John said, bowing down and holding Eleanor's hand.

'Well it's nice to meet you Mr Lennon but do you mind if I call you John? It's just a lot shorter you see.' Eleanor replied.

'Well, hahaha', John laughed at her subtle sense of humour, 'well I suppose.' John answered and as Eleanor walked over to Ringo to meet him, John's eyes seemed to follow her.