The Secret Catamite Bk 1, The Book of Daniel (15 page)

"The blood of Christ keep you in
eternal life." Mrs Gray was sipping from the cup, so Simon kept his
head bowed and the person passed by to the grown up next to him on
the other side. After a moment, Mrs Gray gently nudged him, and
they stood up to go back to their pew. There was Daniel, smiling at
them. Simon smiled back, pleased.

After a further hymn, one Simon
did know and which he sang out loud feeling happy inside, it was
the end of the service. Solemnly, Daniel and the other flag bearer
approached the altar and the flags were placed in their holders.
The two scouts turned to face the congregation, and marched back
through the church, the scouts falling in behind them as they
passed the end of each scout filled pew. Then the choir and the
vicar left and the people started going out, Simon among them. The
scouts were outside in their silent ordered ranks, the two flag
bearers in front. The Troop Leader shouted commands and the Scouts
all turned left. Then they set off marching now two abreast round
the church yard, led by the flags.

"Left. Left. Left right left,"
called John Riley rhythmically every so often to keep the whole
troop in step. Simon watched, his eyes fixed on Daniel, the breeze
whipping the flags out straight. The Scout flag bearer had a slight
problem with the wind, but Daniel managed to keep the Union Flag
rock steady, although Simon could see his right arm tensed with the
effort. The troop moved away round the other side of the
church.

"Where are they going?" he asked
Mrs Gray.

"They always take the flags
right round the church," she said. Simon didn't question why,
ritual was a part of the whole occasion. He ran round the church
the other way to meet them. There was the troop, marching in
disciplined order towards him along the gravel path, the two flags
at the head. Daniel looked very serious again, immersed in his duty
to carry the Union Flag as best he could. Simon kept pace, along
with some other kids, as the troop marched back to the starting
point.

"Troop ….. Halt!" called the
Troop Leader. All the scouts stopped, almost as one.

"Troop …..Right turn!" All the
scouts turned right so that instead of being in two long columns,
they were now in two rows, facing John Riley and the
Scoutmasters.

"Troop, stand at …ease!" ordered
the Troop Leader. The scouts stood legs astride, hands behind their
backs, except Daniel and the other boy who had to keep hold of
their flags. The scoutmaster spoke to them, saying how well they
had done and that they were a credit to the troop, to scouting and
to the country. After that he nodded to John Riley.

"Troop atten … SHUN!" The scouts
came to attention.

"Troop, Dismiss!" The scouts
turned right, paused and then scattered, each looking for his own
family or friend. The two flag bearers took out the flags, furling
them carefully and removed the leather belt. The scoutmaster took
the flags and put them in the back of his estate car.

"Well done, you two," he said.
"Very good, especially you Daniel, your first time."

"Thanks Skip," said Daniel. He
then turned to his parents and Simon.

"Glad that went OK," he said. "I
was scared stiff of dropping it or going the wrong way."

"Well, it didn't show," said
Simon. He wanted to say more, but was aware of Daniel's
parents.

"Well done Daniel, you really
looked the part, I'm proud of you" said Mr Gray.

"Thanks Dad," said Daniel
warmly.

They walked back home, but the
two boys hung back to talk.

"What did you think, Simon?"
asked Daniel. It occurred to Simon that it really mattered to
Daniel what he thought. He need not worry.

"You were super. The best there.
And I am going to join as soon as I can."

"Thanks, Simon," said Daniel
with as much warmth as he had thanked his Dad a few minutes before.
"And when you join, I'll promise to get Skip to put you in the same
patrol as me."

Fourteen months later, Daniel
kept that promise.

1. 1956/8 One way train
   ride
   

Simon ran round the corner to
Daniel's. He was later than usual, so he had an idea. He had
brought all his pocket money with him and a bar of chocolate.

"I'm sorry, Simon," said Mrs
Gray at the back door, "Daniel's out. Some boys came for him about
half an hour ago."

"Oh," said a crestfallen Simon.
"Do you know where they've gone?"

"I don't, I'm afraid. They may
have gone to the swimming baths, but I'll tell him you called."

"Thank you, Mrs Gray," said
Simon politely. He turned away disconsolately. He had no desire to
follow Daniel to the swimming baths. Daniel was a brilliant swimmer
and won races and that, but Simon knew his own limitations. He
walked slowly out onto the pavement again, wondering what to do
now. He felt cross he had been late, really just through not
getting a move on. And now Daniel had gone off with some other
friends. Well, decided Simon, that would not stop him. He was going
anyway. Simon was interested in trains and the latest thing was
diesel trains. The new two carriage, DMUs, or Diesel Multiple Units
were now running on local lines and Simon had wanted he and Daniel
to try one out. He had even bought a new Ian Allan Railway book.
So, Daniel would have to miss it.

With renewed determination, he
set off down the hill to the main road. He crossed the road
carefully to the bus stop. It was not long before a bus came and
naturally he ran to get an upstairs seat. He often wondered why,
with so many people upstairs, especially in the mornings going to
school, and so few downstairs, the bus didn't topple over.
Automatically he paid the conductor and stuffed the little square
ticket into his pocket. He let the school bus stop pass and the bus
carried on to the city centre. At the Railway station he got
off.

The station was big and busy,
but not strange to Simon. He wandered along the platforms, looking
for a DMU train that would leaving soon. Coulton-in-the-Bottom.
What a funny name for a place. It must be very strange to live in
Coulton-in-the-Bottom. He imagined a conversation:

"And where to you live?"

"Coulton-in-the-Bottom."

"Oh dear, that must be very
uncomfortable."

Simon was curious about
Coulton-in-the-Bottom and there seemed to be a train leaving soon
that would call there. He ran to the ticket office and asked how
much it was to Coulton-in-the-Bottom. Luckily he just had enough.
Clutching the precious little card in his hand, he went back to the
platform and ran towards the waiting DMU.

"Hold on there, son!" Simon
realised that meant him. He turned to where the ticket inspector
was standing by the gate he had just run through. "Have you got a
platform ticket? You need one to be train spotting."

"No," said Simon, pleased, "I've
got a proper ticket." He held out the little piece of stiff card
that was the valued ticket. The inspector took it and punched a
funny shaped hole in it.

"Mind how you go, son," said the
inspector, mollified.

Simon ran to the train, keen to
get a seat up front. There were few people on the train. Perhaps
nobody wanted to go to Coulton-in-the-Bottom thought Simon. But he
got a seat right at the front and sat to the right. The driver
would be sitting to the left in his cab in front, but Simon would
have a clear view through the windows. He waited impatiently.

At last the driver came in and
seemed to Simon to take an age to get ready. But then he started
the engines. Simon could feel the power somewhere beneath his feet.
With a hoot from its siren, the train started to move. Simon was
thrilled. He could see everything the driver could see, the track
ahead, the points and signals as the train navigated its way out of
the station and on to its chosen track. Through the city it went.
Simon wondered why cities always looked so ugly from the railway
lines. They took care to make the roads into the city look nice,
why not the view from the train?

Then out of the city and into
the countryside, the train hurrying along, under bridges, the
occasional level crossing, mostly with nobody waiting, but at one
there was a long queue of cars and lorries. Simon felt exalted as
he whisked past, they all waiting for his train. Simon watched
fascinated as a station came into view and the train slowed. He had
never seen a train coming into a station from the driver's view
before. Suddenly there was the platform alongside and the train
stopped. It was a village station and a few people got on, one or
two got off. Then the stationmaster's whistle and they were off
again, the green fields and woods rushing past. The village stop
was repeated a couple of times before the train started to come
into a larger town. This, Simon knew, was Coulton-in-the-Bottom. He
watched as the train came into the station, waiting as long as he
could before leaving his seat, so as not to get caught on the train
when it continued its journey.

"On your own, son?" asked the
ticket inspector at the barrier.

"Yes," said Simon, showing his
ticket. Then he went out to experience the strangeness of
Coulton-in-the-Bottom.

The thrill of anticipation waned
as Simon walked around the town. It all seemed so ordinary.
Ordinary buildings. Ordinary people doing ordinary things. A bit
disappointed that Coulton-in-the-Bottom was not rather less
ordinary, Simon sat on a seat in the Market Square that seemed to
be the centre of Coulton-in-the-Bottom and ate his chocolate bar.
He had intended to share it with Daniel, but as he wasn't there, he
ate the whole bar himself.

At last, Simon had to admit to
himself that Coulton-in-the-Bottom had lost whatever aura of
mystery it may once have held. Time to go home.

At this, a sudden fear gripped
Simon. He didn't have enough money! In his rush to get to
Coulton-in-the-Bottom and delve into its secrets, he had completely
overlooked the need to have enough fare for both ways. Panic
started to set in and he felt lost and alone. What to do? He sat
for a moment and then an idea came to him. Mummy always said that
the policeman was his friend, that if ever he was in trouble, to
find a policeman. Simon had a great respect for policemen, although
the only one he knew personally was Daniel's Daddy. And that could
be useful now, thought Simon.

He looked around. Not a
policeman in sight. A lady walking a dog came past his seat.

"Excuse me," chimed Simon,
"Please can you tell me where the police station is?"

"You see the church over there?
Well, the police station is just round the corner. Are you all
right, little boy?" said the lady. Simon resented the 'little boy'
part, but remembered to be polite.

"I'm fine, thank you, and thank
you for telling me the way." With renewed confidence, Simon set off
in the direction indicated. Sure enough, there was the police
station, a red brick building with stone steps and the usual blue
lamp outside. He marched in.

Once at the counter inside, with
a large policeman looking down at him, Simon's confidence started
to ebb.

"Excuse me, but I haven't got
enough money to get home." Under questioning from the sergeant, the
story came out. The sergeant started laughing, and two other
policemen came to join in, once they had been told the story.

"Well now, young lad," we'll
have to see what to do with you."

"A night in the cells for being
silly, do you think, Sarge?" said one of the policeman. Simon
gulped, but then realised this was a tease. He plucked up courage
to play his ace.

"I know a policeman at home," he
said. "He's a high up one." Simon struggled to remember the rank.
"He's a Chief something," he ended lamely.

"Chief Constable no doubt," said
the sergeant, not very impressed with Simon's failed name
dropping.

"Chief Super, maybe?" guessed
the other policeman.

"Yes, that's it."

"And who might that be then?"
asked the sergeant. It dawned on Simon he didn't know Daniel's
Daddy's first name.

"Mr Gray," he said.

"Ah, Chief Superintendent Gray,
city division," said the sergeant. Simon was satisfied that the
connection had been made. "Come on then, young lad, I expect you're
hungry." He lifted up part of the counter and took Simon through.
"Better let your mother know where you are. You say you're on the
phone at home?"

Simon nodded and gave the
number. Ponderously, the sergeant dialled the operator and then
asked for the city number that was Simon's. He heard Mummy's voice
and felt really stupid while the sergeant explained what had
happened. He was handed the phone.

"Simon? Are you all right?"

"Yes, Mummy. I'm at the police
station but I've not been locked up or anything, but you always
said if I was in trouble to go to the police so I did – "

"It's all right darling," Mummy
said, "Now that I know you're safe."

"OK, Mummy. Here's the sergeant
again." He gave the receiver back to the sergeant.

"Mrs Scott? … yes of course …
We've a car coming to the city shortly, so it's no trouble … Good
bye."

Simon was given a sandwich and a
drink of orange squash. Soon it was time to go. A policeman he had
not met yet, wearing a cap, not a helmet, gave him a box of papers
to carry.

"Follow me, Simon," he said
cheerily. "We're going for a ride." They went out of the back of
the police station to a yard where a couple of police cars were
parked. Simon put the box of papers on the back seat of one, as
instructed, and the policeman put several more there. Then, Simon
in the front next to the policeman, they set off.

"Can we make the bells ring?"
asked Simon

"Only if we have to chase some
robbers," said the policeman, so Simon started to look for robbers,
until it occurred to him the policeman was joking. They chatted a
bit as the car drove back to the city. Simon thought being in a
police car was great fun. One or two people looked. Simon felt
important.