Contemplating

[Stephen Colly]

The big clock on the wall ticked by. It's hands were going extremely slowly round. Then the ticking stopped.

”Dam it...it stopped again.”[/b]

Henry got up and took it off the wall, frowning and looking at the back; a cigarette in his mouth. Stephen watched as he fiddled with the back, clicking and twisting it, muttering darkly to himself when what he was doing wasn't working.

”Just leave it.” the boy muttered and lit another cigarette, taking a drag and leaning back on the sofa. It was a cold December day, there had been no sun for days and the snow was covering the ground like a white blanket. They were in a hotel room of a London hotel near Victoria. Henry had been able to get a cheap price for the two days and they were pretending to be brothers as they had done for the last week.

Henry gave a slight yelp of happiness as the ticking filled the room once more. Stephen smirked and got up off the sofa, coming towards him and taking the clock in his hands. ”Nice work.”

”Thank you.” Henry smirked and kissed Stephen on the cheek. Stephen handed the clock back and grabbed his shirt, pulling it on over his head and walked into the bathroom, splashing water into his face before combing his hair over and looking at himself in the mirror before going back out and sliding his shoes on.

”You going now?”[/i] Henry had been watching him from a chair by the fire, it glowed lightly in the fireplace.

”Yeah, sorry. I just want to work – clear my head.” he smiled softly and put on his jacket. ”I'll see you in a bit.” he waved slightly and kissed Henry's head before departing into the corridor and down the stairs. He brushed his fingers lightly on the banister as he hurried down to the ground floor. He paused various people who ignored them, the man at the entrance-desk in the hall gave him a nod as he walked out and he felt a tingle of satisfaction as he came out of that very smart, well respected hotel.

The London streets were now his for the next two hours of so. He glanced up and down, seeing cars trundle down and men in uniform; sandbags were everywhere, piled high against each and every street and he, unlike in the hotel room, the war was present again. He shock his head and walked swiftly down the street, heading for the park. It was a risk taking two days in London because of the high risk of death from bombings but Henry had taken the view that either way they may die fighting so what was the difference in dying in a nice, comfy hotel room? Stephen did not get that but he took Henry's word and did what he was told.

He reached the park – it was not really a park any more, more of a very large vegetable patch. Some parts were still accessible to walkers, and a few benches lay dotted around and Stephen headed for one of them. He took out a cigarette and lit it, watching the birds and the people and just sat...watching. How many times he had sat on benches like this.

[Cpl. James "Jimmy" Murdoch]

Jimmy was wandering through the streets with his hands in his pockets, his breath pluming in front of his in the cold night air. He was whistling a tune he'd heard on the wireless back at base, a slow, sad tune, appropriate to his current mood. He was missing his family terribly and the life at base wasn't easy - the men were worked hard and punished hard when they messed up. Jimmy had always led an easy life and was unaccustomed to the hard work. Nonetheless, he was enjoying being in the army and there was the promise of combat soon if he worked well and proved himself a good soldier back at base.

It was a Saturday night and Jimmy has managed to get 48 hour leave, Friday night through Sunday night. He had taken a ride on a truck and then a train up to London and checked into a small inn he knew - he had stayed there once before. Jimmy had left his overnight bag and gone out to go to a bar. He had had a few drinks in a bar in Convent Gardens before going to the pictures with a few old mates he'd met by chance in the pub. The newsreel at the start had talked about the German occupation of France and how the brave boys of the RAF were keeping Britain safe from attack. It had drawn cheers from the soldiers when the newsreel showed a German bomber downed by a Spitfire.

They had gone their separate ways after the film. It was late, but Jimmy had no heart to go back to the inn yet and had begun wandering aimlessly through the streets. He had sat on a wall just staring at the people passing in their buses and on foot, enjoying the last few minutes of light before it was time for the blackout to be enforced. Jimmy had left the wall and walked slowly up the road, seeing an area of greenery ahead. The buildings surrounding him were covered in posters - 'Your Country Need YOU!', 'Dig For Victory' and 'Careless Talk Costs Lives', to name a few. He walked towards it, watching a little boy playing with a top on a doorstep.

Suddenly the boy stood up, picking up his spinning top. Jimmy expected him to go inside, but instead the boy came shyly over to Jimmy. He stood there, shuffling his feet. After a few moments, he looked up at Jimmy. "Excuse me sir," he said quietly. "Can I... can I try on your helmet?"

Jimmy smiled down at the boy. He reached behind him and grabbed his helmet from where it was slung onto his webbing - he was still in uniform. He took it off and handed it to the boy, who grinned. "What's your name?" Jimmy asked. "I'm Jimmy, and I'm only a corporal, so there's no need to call me sir!" He laughed as the boy pretended to shoot an imaginary enemy at the end of the street.

"I'm Harry," the boy said. "And I want to join the army when I grow up!"

"I'm sure you can," Jimmy smiled. The door of a house opened and an older woman leaned out.

"Harry, get in here! It's time for-" She yelled, before breaking off as she saw Jimmy. "Is he bothering you, soldier?" She asked.

"No, ma'am," Jimmy said. "Lad only wanted to try on my helmet." Harry was quiet again and handed back the helmet.

"Thanks Jimmy," Harry said quietly.

"No problem, mate," Jimmy said, before reaching into his pocket and giving Harry two humbugs. "Stay safe now!"

Harry smiled his thanks, along with his mother, and they went inside. Jimmy walked on, his dark mood lifted somewhat. He entered the green area - which was in fact a park ruined by the Dig For Victory campaign, and walked along a path, staring down at the vegetables. It pained him to see this proof that even the civilian population was involved. This was total war. Jimmy continued onwards and saw a shape sitting on a bench. He looked like a soldier and Jimmy walked towards him quietly. He sat on the bench beside the man and neither said anything for a while, staring at nothing in particular. Then Jimmy broke the silence by saying, "You in the army mate?"

[Stephen Colly]

”You in the army mate?”

The person who had sat down a few seconds later was now making conversation. He was dressed in an army uniform and Stephen glanced over at him. The man was thin, his accent Irish sounding and his dress that of a Corporal.

”Yeah, Corporal, like yourself there.” he nodded at the uniform and smiled softly. ”Been in it for two years, sick of it to be honest.” he shrugged and took out a cigarette; his forth that day; and handed the packet to the other man. ”Want one?”

He lit the cigarette and puffed on it, feeling suddenly very calm again. He'd worked up a sweat on the way to the park and the smoke of the cigarette calmed him greatly. His mind was on Henry and he wiped a piece of spit from his mouth; his eyes trailing to the floor. He then looked up back at the man. ”What's your name? I'm Stephen.” he stuck his hand out in front of the man's nose and then let it drop after a second.

He watched as a few people walking past, they glanced at him and he immediately let his eyes drop to the floor. He hated to make contact with people as he got all hot under the collar.

[Cpl. James "Jimmy" Murdoch]

Jimmy politely shook his head at the offer of a fag. "I don't smoke", he smiled, almost apologetically. "I'm Jimmy," he said, shaking Stephen's hand. "How old are you?"
Jimmy reached into another pocket and pulled out a small packet of chewing gum. He extracted a piece and chewed it vigorously, savoring the minty taste. He'd developed a bit of an addiction to gum in the past few months, chewing a piece whenever possible. He offered the packet to Stephen. "Gum?"
Jimmy left the packet on the bench and leaned back onto the wooden back, breathing out and watching his breath plume in front of him. The men sat in mutual silence, each thinking their own private thoughts.
Jimmy was thinking about combat. He wondered what the noise would be like, what the heat would be like. He hoped he'd react like a soldier under fire, staying bravely in the frontline, instead of running like a coward. He had a strong sense of loyalty and hoped he'd never let his mates down in a fight.
Jimmy closed his eyes and was thinking about what he'd have for breakfast in the morning when he heard a wail. In was the distinctive scream of the air raid siren.
"Hell!" Jimmy groaned as he stood up. "Kraut bastards can't leave us alone. Is there a shelter near here?" Jimmy watched as a man, who looked like a toff, panicked and tripped, spraying mud up his finely tailored suit. Jimmy sniggered before turning back to Stephen. "Are you coming?"
Jimmy had experienced raids in Belfast, but they were small compared with the ones in London. He was slightly scared, but not too worried because he knew the shelters had a reputation as being OK. He looked helplessly as Stephen as he waited for an answer.
Jimmy got sick of waiting and grabbed Stephen by the shoulder. "Let's just go." Over the sirens, Jimmy could hear the ominous sound of approaching aero-engines. The bombers were getting closer. Jimmy dragged Stephen by his arm along the path and out of the park.
A poster fluttered in the light breeze, seeming almost deafeningly loud in the ghostly silent streets. The vast majority of the population would be in the shelters. Jimmy halted in the middle of the road as he realized his unfamiliarity with the area only served to remind him that he actually had no idea where the shelters were. He turned to Stephen, whom Jimmy hoped he hadn't irritated by dragging him down the road and scratched his head. "Do you have any idea where the hell we can go?"
The sound of the bombers had changed from a drone to a roar. The planes were probably less than a mile away. Jimmy could hear the sounds of AA batteries opening up on the bombers. Flak was almost always unsuccessful in actually downing bombers, but it gave the civilians a sense of safety hearing their shells bursting in the air. Occasionally, a bomber was actually shot down by flak and civvies would flock from far and wide to see the burned out hulk.
A door opened behind them and the woman who Jimmy had talked to earlier, Harry's mum, poked her head out. "Come in to our shelter, loves," she called. Jimmy turned to Stephen.
"She's all right," he assured him, before walking into the house, indicating to Stephen to follow him.
The house was a typical terraced home, not large, but homely and welcoming. They walked through a small kitchen and out into a back garden, not much bigger.
An aluminum shelter was half buried in the corner. The party crawled through the door, Jimmy last. The inside of the shelter was cramped, with Harry, his mum, Harry's sister and the two soldiers jammed in. There were blankets laid down and a small wireless in the corner, along with a pile of newspapers.
Before Jimmy closed the door, he heard an explosion not far away. The bombs were being dropped. He pulled the door to and the sounds deadened. It was going to be a long night.

[Stephen Colly]

The man offered him some gum and he shook his head. He should be getting back to Henry, the man was probably wondering where he was. The man told him that his name was Jimmy, and he then asked how old Stephen was. The boy ran a hand through his hair – ”20.” he nodded back, ”What about you?”


He could feel the air getting colder and the idea of going back into the warmth of the hotel room filled him with hope. He was about to stand up and leave when the air raid siren sounded and his heart stopped. He had no idea and Jimmy next to him was asking question after question which Stephen could not answer. All he was thinking about was Henry; the man could be bombed! He stood up suddenly, and noticed a posh, upper-class man falling over. Next minute, Jimmy had grabbed his arm and was pulling him out of the park and on to the streets.

The place was silent apart from the siren sounding. Jimmy asked him another impossible question and Stephen shrugged helplessly. He was looking in the direction of the hotel as the sound of the bombers got louder and louder. A door opened behind them and Stephen glanced around, seeing a woman. Jimmy pulled him over to the woman and he stumbled into the house, through it and out into the garden where the shelter was.

No...no he couldn't be here! He should be with Henry in the hotel...he could die alone for all he knew...Stephen shook his head suddenly and turned around to leave but saw Jimmy behind him and next second he was in the shelter and the door was closed. An explosion was heard just as the door closed and he panicked even more. Glancing around the shelter he saw the dark, scared faces of a boy, the woman whose house it was, and a girl who must be a sister.

”I can't be here!” he muttered to Jimmy, ”I've gotta a friend whose in a hotel...and...and...” he trailed off and banged his fist against the wall, making a loud crash and whimpered slightly. But as bombs fell around them, he knew it would be suicidal to leave the safety of the shelter.

[Cpl. James "Jimmy" Murdoch]

Jimmy sat down on a blanket in the corner of the shelter. "Hey, Stephen," he said, attempting to pacify him. "Hopefully this is only going to be a short raid, and you can go and find your friend when the all clear goes." He was worried Stephen would do something stupid like running out of the shelter in a panic and get killed in the bombing raid. He didn't know the man well but he felt concern for a fellow soldier and wanted to help protect him. Listening to the sounds outside, he thought it sounded like the engines were right above them. "Listen, mate, the bombers are overhead now. The bombs fall in a curve in front of them, so as long as there isn't another wave, we're safe." He placed a hand momentarily on Stephen's shoulder, before letting it drop.

Jimmy turned to the family whose shelter they were sharing. "Thanks very much," he said to the mother, "for letting us come in here. It's got us out of using those awful public ones!" Jimmy was very grateful to the obviously not well off woman who had displayed much kindness to them when she had absolutely no obligation to. As a thank-you, Jimmy pulled out another member of his seemingly endless supply of sweets and offered them a bag of army issue boiled sweets. "Now, I don't mean to be rude," Jimmy continued, "but can I ask you your name, ma'am?"

Harry's mother smiled at him. She was rather attractive; too old for Jimmy, but her face was unlined and she had long, soft brown hair. The smile lit up her face and she brushed her hair out of her green eyes; the most startling green eyes Jimmy had ever seen. "'Course you can!" she laughed. "It's not rude in the slightest, and you seem a nice sort. I'm Margie, and this is Harry, who you've met, and this young lady here is Shirl." With this last, she indicated her daughter. Margie had the most beautiful Cockney accent, like someone from a Dickens novel.

Jimmy smiled at Shirl. She was dressed in the uniform of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, or WAAF. She had darker hair than her mother, drawn up in a bun. Obviously she was just home from work. She had her mother's eyes, exactly the same in shape and colour. She smiled back, but stayed silent. Jimmy's eyes travelled to Harry. He was sucking one of the humbugs Jimmy had given him in their encounter earlier. Harry grinned at him.

"Jimmy, can you help me read this comic?" He indicated the new issue of The Beano, with Dennis The Menace on the front.

Jimmy smiled happily. "Of course," he said, scooting over to sit beside Harry. Jimmy liked Harry; the boy seemed very nice and didn't appear overbearing. Jimmy opened the comic and began to read, stopping to let Harry read bits often. The sound of the bombers seemed deadened now, and Jimmy felt sure that the all clear would sound any minute. Jimmy was enjoying reading the comic; he found it genuinely funny in places and he liked the look of delight on Harry's face as Dennis completed various escapades of all sorts.

Jimmy looked at his watch and realised they had been in the shelter for half an hour. The comic was finished and they had been discussing which had been the most nefarious of Dennis' plans. Suddenly, the long steady note of the all clear sounded through the streets. Jimmy opened the door and looked out. There seemed to be little or no damage to the surrounding area; the Germans had managed to do a bad job yet again. He stood up and stretched in the cold night air. All was silent again.

The rest of them had emerged from the shelter. He turned to Margie. "Thanks again for helping us," he smiled.

"No problem my love," she replied. "You two take care of yourselves now." Harry came up and shook Jimmy's hand, and smiled happily at him. Shirl gave him a quick hug and the two men left the house, emerging onto the street. Jimmy turned to Stephen. "I guess this is it for now," he said. "You'll want to look for your friend and I just want to go to sleep." He shook Stephen's hand and turned to leave.


OOC: Will we end this RP here? I don't see where else it can go.