Comfortably Numb

Chapter Five - What Shall We Do Now?

Ron parked his car outside the Nature Futura shop and was surprised to find Yvonne's car parked there too. It wasn't like Yvonne to call in on a Sunday, unless she'd left something at the shop by mistake. He went to unlock the shop and was surprised to find it already unlocked. He went in.

"Hello! Yvonne!" he called out. There was no answer. "You left the door unlocked!" Yvonne was nowhere to be found. Ron looked in the back of the shop. No-one was in the loo. He looked out in the yard. Still no-one.

Ron stared at the security gates, open-mouthed. "Don't say she's..." He walked forward to the gates and raised an arm. It vanished.

"Oh, my. Well, faint heart never won fair lady..." He strode forward.

When Reg had finished explaining the situation to Michael, Michael had stood there for the best part of a minute, trying to take it all in, then he had shouted, "No, I don't believe you," run into his room and slammed the door.

"So what happens now?" Yvonne now said.

"Well if you think you're just going to breeze in 'ere and take my Gary away from me you've got another think coming," said Phoebe angrily.

"I haven't come all this way just to go home empty-handed," Yvonne retorted.

"Where have you come from, by the way?" asked Phoebe. "Cricklewood?"

"No, I've come from - " Yvonne stopped. Phoebe clearly already saw her as slightly unhinged; she didn't want to confirm her suspicions by telling her she'd come from the next century. "I've come from the east side of London," she went on.

Reg eyed her curiously. There was something about this Baroness Sparrow, something that seemed out of place. Just the way Gary did...

There was a knock at the front door. "I bet Gary's gone out without his keys again," said Phoebe, heading towards the door.

"Tell me about it," said Yvonne.

Phoebe opened the door. Ron stood in the doorway. "Commander Bond!" exclaimed Phoebe in astonishment.

Yvonne roared with laughter again. "Commander what?"

Ron blushed. "Oh, fiddlesticks," he said, entering the room and looking at the floor.

"You know Commander Bond, Yvonne," said Phoebe. "He was Gary's commanding officer. He was with you both at the HQ, the night we had those air raids."

"Ron couldn't command the proverbial you-know-what in a brewery. Come to think of it, he'd probably drink the brewery dry all by himself."

"You're right there," Phoebe agreed.

"And his name isn't Bond, it's Wheatcroft."

"So why did you tell me you were called Bond?"

"Erm, I believe you met one of my relatives in Liverpool once. A real low-life. I was afraid you might take a dislike to me."

"Let me get this straight," said Phoebe. "If you're his wife, and you're not his commanding officer, then what was all that HQ stuff about and why did Gary lie to me?"

Yvonne looked at Ron. "We can't tell her, Yvonne," he said.

"You can't tell me what? What is this big secret? Do you think I'm too stupid or something?"

"No, it's - " Ron struggled to find the words.

Baby Yvonne started to cry. Noel tried to pacify her by making gurgling noises.

There was another knock at the door. A loud, insistent knocking. Phoebe answered it.

"Reverend Peters?" said Phoebe. "What's the matter?"

Reverend Peters was a fairly short, chubby man with a bald head, a walrus moustache and a friendly face. He was trying to catch his breath. "Phoebe," he gasped. "Gary's... disappeared."

"Disappeared? Nah, he went out about half an hour ago. He's just gone out for a walk. He'll be back soon."

"No, you misunderstand me," replied the clergyman with panic in his voice. "He literally disappeared. Into thin air."

"What?"

He stepped into the room and looked at the assembled party. "I was taking a walk in Hyde Park," he said between gasps, "when I saw Gary in the distance. I waved and was about to call out to him, when he vanished. Just like that. I rushed to the spot where he'd been but there was no sign."

Ron and Yvonne exchanged glances, which Reg noticed.

"Can you show us where it happened, Reverend?" asked Ron.

"Why yes, but there's nothing there to see."

"Could you take us there? Please?" said Yvonne.

"Certainly."

Phoebe said to Noel, "Can you mind Yvonne and Michael while we go and see if we can find Gary?"

"Anything for you, dear heart," replied Noel.

Ron interrupted, "Actually, Phoebe, I think we may need Michael with us. Just a hunch."

Phoebe looked at Ron dumbly for a moment, then said, "Alright, Commander, Ron, whatever your name is." She went to Michael's room, went in and said softly. "Michael, love, I know you're upset but we need you. Daddy's life might depend on it."

Michael was lying on his bed, crying. Through sobs he said, "I don't understand."

"Daddy may be in danger and his friends think you can help."

Michael got off the bed, wiped his eyes and took his mother's hand. "All right Mummy."

So a short time later Phoebe, Yvonne, Ron, Reg and Michael, following Reverend Peters, arrived in Hyde Park. Peters pointed to a spot on one of the footpaths. "He was right there," he said.

"There's nothing there," said Phoebe.

"Well, nothing that you can see," remarked Ron. "Michael, can you sense anything? Feel anything?"

The boy looked confused. "No, I - hang on." He put his hands out in front of him, as if feeling his way along a dark tunnel. "It feels like I'm being tickled. Just here." He pushed against an invisible something and his hands disappeared. He giggled.

"Michael!" screamed Phoebe in terror.

"It's alright Mummy, I'm all right," Michael laughed. "See?" He drew back his hands and they were completely intact.

"What in Heaven's name is that?" Phoebe gasped.

"The way to find Gary," replied Ron. "Everyone hold hands!"

"I'm not 'olding your 'and," Reg said indignantly.

"Oh dry up, Reg," said Phoebe. She took Michael's hand in one hand and Reg's in the other. Reg joined hands with Ron, Ron joined hands with Yvonne. Then they all stepped into the invisible whatever-it-was, leaving Reverend Peters standing alone and dumbfounded.