THE FULL MOONS PART 2. BUCKINGHAM PALACE. DAY FOUR
"I think Cora has finally picked up steam"
Said Ruby grinning at Mulan. They were standing outside the Palace.
A tired Cora was in the mood to criticise. As usual her sleep had been interrupted.
The hotel were trying, they replaced the mattress, but to no avail. Eugenia suggested they get some straw. Cora seriously is considering this!
"Call this a palace? Good lord! Why my garden shed was bigger than this!"
Granny was not surprised. When Cora was under slept she was either scratchy or picky.
She just let her get on with it.
Granny watched the Queens guard, still and unsmiling, in their bright red tunics and 16 inch tall bearskin hats. Curious, she decided to take a stroll over and maybe even feel the hat. She had heard that bearskin was to be replaced. She would see for herself.
Ruby watched Mulan's face as she often did, goody, she's getting into nerd mode.
It was always a turn on.
"The Palace was rebuilt on site in 1761 by the Duke of Buckingham, it was a home then. Not the working headquarters of the Monarchy, just a royal house".
Cora scoffed louder than she intended. This attracted a group of tourists nearby, who crowded a bit closer under the pretence of viewing the palace.
"First of all young lady, look, there's no drawbridge, no deep moat. These gates are hardly enough to protect the palace in a siege"
"But Cora this is London 2017" Ruby rolled her eyes.
The tourists nodded in agreement then started their own discussion group.
Granny meanwhile molested the guard to get at his hat. Being refused to allow to touch it only made her more stubborn to do so.
"Secondly" Cora raised her voice, there was no stopping her now. The tourists paused.
"Secondly, notice the absence of turrets and apses and not a sniff of battlements-"
Mulan interrupted her "It's the palace not the Tower of London-"
The tourists all looked up at the palace roof and frowned
"-Thirdly" Cora interrupted Mulan.
Two burly policeman arrived on the scene and struggled to pull Granny off the flustered guard.
"Thirdly, does it even possess a Baily?"
Ruby looked at Mulan. The tourists looked at Mulan. Mulan explained.
"Does it have courtyard?"
"Fourthly. Is it at all concentric?"
Ruby looked at Mulan. The tourists looked at Mulan.
"Two sets of outer walls closely set together"
"Fifthly...am I at 5?"
Ruby, Mulan and the tourists nodded.
"Fifthly does it have or ever had a Dungeon?"
The tourists shrugged.
Granny meanwhile hit a policeman with her bag, he went down, the other wrestled the furry hat from her, as she pounced he tasered her.
Mulan was straining at the leash to have her say. Ruby gently put her hand on Cora's arm, and nodded at Mulan. The tourists watched in anticipation. Ruby wondered where the hell Granny had gone? Too many people to see, maybe she should text her.
The first taser had no effect. Granny didn't even notice. She kept coming at them.
The fourth taser slowed her down enough for handcuffs.
"The Queen also has a powerful fortress, the Tower of London, on the bank of the Thames built in 1078. A long bloody history. It was a prison with dungeons, over a 112 executions, it has Baileys, courtyards, and a history of a Royal Menagerie, including lions, leopards, polar bear and an elephant. Now it has Ravens. The legend is, if they all fly away or die the crown will fall".
Ruby and the tourists made an 'ooohhh' noise in awe.
Cora liked very much the idea of ravens.
Granny was led not so quietly away to a waiting police car. Due to the noise of the crowd the girls couldn't hear her complain.
"And it has ghosts, Cora".
The tourists hurried off in search for a bus.
Cora wondered where Eugenia disappeared to? To look for a bathroom?
"Ok. Then I beg of you to answer me one question then girls."
The girls nodded.
"Why the fuck aren't we standing in front of the Tower of London instead?".
Ruby's mobile rung.
"Its Westminster police station..."
—-
I can hear mother creeping about. She does this most nights. Once, I got up and spied on her through the door gap. She went through my briefcase, checked my overcoat pockets, and looked at the accounts in my desk Ha! The look on her face. I could tell by the growing scowl she was unhappy about that. She suggested once I should seek employment in a superstore. A disheartening thought. Mother is accustomed to finer things in life. I am not my father and we live in different times. If the shrew wants more, than she should get off her scrawny backside. She has never worked a day in her life. Why, come to think of it I have never seen her do any cleaning, not even rinse a cup. She sits in front of her mirror pastes on makeup, thick black lines around her eyes, and draws in her eyebrows as age has greyed her own. Lastly, the major coup, the blood red lipstick. She looks like a clown. Why, why, why, because mother never goes out, and when I ask her why she replies 'well, you never know who might visit'.
No one visits.
Mother says I have alienated any relatives we had left.