" Listen to me…Guillaume please…" Jo started, taking his hand in hers. " At
the end of the musical The Man vanishes without a trace…no explanation is
given. We're led to believe he escapes. My guess is that he goes somewhere
certainly…but not by simply escaping…" Jo whispered.
" A gyratory…" Guillaume mumbled suddenly realising what she meant.
" It's the only thing I can think of. So there must be one near here. And if he can go through it…so can we! If we don't keep close to him…and keep him alive…we might never get out of here!!"
* * * * * * * *
"I'm Swallow!" she smiled warmly at the freshly awoken Man. "And this Poor Baby, but his real name is Robin. And that's Brat, her name's Blue Jay. I looked it up in the bird book once…" Swallow's voice carried on. Jo smirked as she watched The Man's eyes grow wider and more worried as Swallow continued to babble without drawing breath. Jo yawned and rubbed her aching neck.
" Come on…" Guillaume said gently, taking her arm and leading her away from the others. " You need to rest!" Jo nodded as she flopped down in the hay. Guillaume smiled and winked, " Now…get some sleep!" He turned to go back to the others.
" Please…sit with me…?" Jo looked up at him and watched as he turned and looked back at her. " Just until I fall asleep…" He shrugged and sat down beside her, leaning against a hay bale. Jo shifted in the hay and rested her head on his thigh. She sighed contentedly.
" You know…you and Brat have a lot in common…" mumbled Guillaume as he struggled to shake off a yawn.
" What? That you'll do anything for us?!" she grinned looking up at him.
" No!" he smiled, trying to frown. " Well…sort of…I meant…you're both very manipulative when you want something…!"
" Huh!" scoffed Jo, looking away from him.
" Well…Brat wouldn't let go of my hand earlier unless she got what she wanted…and she still expects you to turn Martin into a frog by the way…" Jo giggled. " And you…" he said, rubbing her cheek. " You wouldn't go to sleep unless I sat here with you…"
" I would have!" Jo frowned, pouting. Guillaume laughed gently as he ran his fingers through her dark hair.
" Well…I'm here now…so sleep already!"
" You win!" yawned Jo; she closed her eyes and took his hand in hers. " G'night Guillaume."
" Night Jo…" he smiled gently as she held his hand tightly.
* * * * *
" You know what…?" Phillipe said to the others as they sat around watching Swallow and The Man.
" No…" shrugged Lucy, " What?"
" How long would you say we've been here?"
" I don't know, a good few hours…why?" Jenny frowned.
" Well I think we must have been walking for an hour or so and we've been in this barn for a good four or five hours…right?"
" Yeah…so?" Mark's brow furrowed.
" Well it just doesn't seem to be getting any later. I mean, Swallow's errands seem to take her forever…and she's in no hurry to get the little ones in bed…"
" It's that whole 'musical' thing…" sighed Rosie. " In musicals years can pass in a few minutes and alternatively a night can last forever…or at least until the part of the plot that requires night time is over!"
" Oh we are clever!" giggled Lucy. Rosie gave them all a large grin.
" I know!" she laughed.
" Well I've figured something out…" Bertrande said quietly, " Well, I think I have…"
" Come on then…" Mark said gently, squeezing her hand. The others looked at her with encouraging looks on their faces.
" It's not much…just I think I know why you couldn't understand Guillaume and Martin earlier…" she glanced at Mark, who smiled broadly.
" Go on…" he mouthed.
" Well…it's quite simple really…we're not in France anymore…are we?" she smiled as the others though it through. " Here…French is a foreign language so it's not understood."
" I get it!" grinned Jenny.
" But why does everything else we say come out in English…or at least in an understandable language…?" frowned Martin.
" That…I haven't worked out…" sighed Bertrande.
" I bet Jo'll know!" smiled Lucy. " Hey Jo…!" she called out, turning around to see where Jo had gone and a small smile covered her face.
" Yeah Jo can figure out!" Rosie grinned. " Jo!" she shouted.
" Shhh!" Lucy put a finger to her lips and motioned for the others to come and look. They crawled over to Lucy, followed her gaze and a small sigh ran around the group. Both Guillaume and Jo were fast asleep. Jo's head resting on his thigh, his hand held tightly in hers resting on her chest. His other hand in her hair.
" They look so…sweet!" Bertrande sighed.
" Come on…let's give them a chance to get some rest, eh?" Rosie backed away followed by everyone else. Everyone except for Phillipe. He paused for a moment looking at Jo and Guillaume. His eyes and heart full of longing and regret. It seemed he'd been wrong about Guillaume. Jenny glanced back over her shoulder and saw him stood there. She frowned and went back to him, squeezing his arm.
" Hey Inspector…" she said gently, " I think Swallow's finally taking the little ones and going to bed…I think it's time you put your skills to use." She smiled as he frowned a little in confusion, she started to lead him back to the others. " I think it's time you interviewed a murderer!"
" A gyratory…" Guillaume mumbled suddenly realising what she meant.
" It's the only thing I can think of. So there must be one near here. And if he can go through it…so can we! If we don't keep close to him…and keep him alive…we might never get out of here!!"
* * * * * * * *
"I'm Swallow!" she smiled warmly at the freshly awoken Man. "And this Poor Baby, but his real name is Robin. And that's Brat, her name's Blue Jay. I looked it up in the bird book once…" Swallow's voice carried on. Jo smirked as she watched The Man's eyes grow wider and more worried as Swallow continued to babble without drawing breath. Jo yawned and rubbed her aching neck.
" Come on…" Guillaume said gently, taking her arm and leading her away from the others. " You need to rest!" Jo nodded as she flopped down in the hay. Guillaume smiled and winked, " Now…get some sleep!" He turned to go back to the others.
" Please…sit with me…?" Jo looked up at him and watched as he turned and looked back at her. " Just until I fall asleep…" He shrugged and sat down beside her, leaning against a hay bale. Jo shifted in the hay and rested her head on his thigh. She sighed contentedly.
" You know…you and Brat have a lot in common…" mumbled Guillaume as he struggled to shake off a yawn.
" What? That you'll do anything for us?!" she grinned looking up at him.
" No!" he smiled, trying to frown. " Well…sort of…I meant…you're both very manipulative when you want something…!"
" Huh!" scoffed Jo, looking away from him.
" Well…Brat wouldn't let go of my hand earlier unless she got what she wanted…and she still expects you to turn Martin into a frog by the way…" Jo giggled. " And you…" he said, rubbing her cheek. " You wouldn't go to sleep unless I sat here with you…"
" I would have!" Jo frowned, pouting. Guillaume laughed gently as he ran his fingers through her dark hair.
" Well…I'm here now…so sleep already!"
" You win!" yawned Jo; she closed her eyes and took his hand in hers. " G'night Guillaume."
" Night Jo…" he smiled gently as she held his hand tightly.
* * * * *
" You know what…?" Phillipe said to the others as they sat around watching Swallow and The Man.
" No…" shrugged Lucy, " What?"
" How long would you say we've been here?"
" I don't know, a good few hours…why?" Jenny frowned.
" Well I think we must have been walking for an hour or so and we've been in this barn for a good four or five hours…right?"
" Yeah…so?" Mark's brow furrowed.
" Well it just doesn't seem to be getting any later. I mean, Swallow's errands seem to take her forever…and she's in no hurry to get the little ones in bed…"
" It's that whole 'musical' thing…" sighed Rosie. " In musicals years can pass in a few minutes and alternatively a night can last forever…or at least until the part of the plot that requires night time is over!"
" Oh we are clever!" giggled Lucy. Rosie gave them all a large grin.
" I know!" she laughed.
" Well I've figured something out…" Bertrande said quietly, " Well, I think I have…"
" Come on then…" Mark said gently, squeezing her hand. The others looked at her with encouraging looks on their faces.
" It's not much…just I think I know why you couldn't understand Guillaume and Martin earlier…" she glanced at Mark, who smiled broadly.
" Go on…" he mouthed.
" Well…it's quite simple really…we're not in France anymore…are we?" she smiled as the others though it through. " Here…French is a foreign language so it's not understood."
" I get it!" grinned Jenny.
" But why does everything else we say come out in English…or at least in an understandable language…?" frowned Martin.
" That…I haven't worked out…" sighed Bertrande.
" I bet Jo'll know!" smiled Lucy. " Hey Jo…!" she called out, turning around to see where Jo had gone and a small smile covered her face.
" Yeah Jo can figure out!" Rosie grinned. " Jo!" she shouted.
" Shhh!" Lucy put a finger to her lips and motioned for the others to come and look. They crawled over to Lucy, followed her gaze and a small sigh ran around the group. Both Guillaume and Jo were fast asleep. Jo's head resting on his thigh, his hand held tightly in hers resting on her chest. His other hand in her hair.
" They look so…sweet!" Bertrande sighed.
" Come on…let's give them a chance to get some rest, eh?" Rosie backed away followed by everyone else. Everyone except for Phillipe. He paused for a moment looking at Jo and Guillaume. His eyes and heart full of longing and regret. It seemed he'd been wrong about Guillaume. Jenny glanced back over her shoulder and saw him stood there. She frowned and went back to him, squeezing his arm.
" Hey Inspector…" she said gently, " I think Swallow's finally taking the little ones and going to bed…I think it's time you put your skills to use." She smiled as he frowned a little in confusion, she started to lead him back to the others. " I think it's time you interviewed a murderer!"