The Silence Of The Knowing : Chapter II

I must apologise for taking so long to publish Chapter ll in this story . Here is the link to the first chapter as many of you will have forgotten the story I am sure.

The Silence Of The Knowing.

Anyway I hope you enjoy.

The Clouds try to overcome the rainbow!!

The next few days went on in much the same mode, Debra and Louise settled in at the local school really well, but even though Maggie tried to hide it from them she was finding it much harder to settle. The warmth and beauty of the country side did not extend to some of the villagers. About four days after the incident of meeting the horrible man in Llinos’s shop she had to go to the Post Office to buy some stamps and as soon as she entered you could almost swear that the busy chatter of the few people in there had been switched off by some cutting device.

Maggie presumed that the lady behind the counter was the owner she was the first to break the silence and said in a very broad Welsh accent;

“You are Maggie O’Donnell ten” “Sorry to hear of Mr O’Donnell’s death,” but her sympathy was not genuine, her voice was cold and her hard gaze could only have said

‘Why did you still move here then?!!!” ‘There is no place for you here, you are an outsider; we don’t want you here!’

She tried to put these negative thoughts to the back of her mind and mentally shrugged herself.

Maggie quickly paid for the stamps that she needed and said goodbye with a smile on her face; she was not going to let them know that they'd upset her. The other three customers never spoke but she could feel the steely glint of their eyes boring into my back as she walked out!!! She was just about to close the door behind her when she heard one of them mutter “Bloody …….”

She didn’t catch the last word, but knew it wasn’t anything nice. She was visibly shaken and rushed on towards home!! She turned down the tree laden lane that led to Sibrwd-Y-Gwynt with a big sigh!!

Llinos had told her that she would find out who the horrible people were before very long!! She'd been so right. Oh dear how she disliked confrontation and nastiness!! Life was too short and what did people get out of it? She looked up and saw a tiny bit of a rainbow disappearing behind a cloud. She sighed because that was just how she felt!!

Still it would be very boring if we were all the same in this world!!

Oh well that was the only way to look at it she supposed and she wasn't going to let them get her down though;

“Oh no I am made of stronger stuff than that!” she said to herself!!

So engrossed she was in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed a woman pedalling furiously in her direction on her bike. She swerved at the last minute to avoid Maggie and ended up in the hedge looking much undignified.

“Oh I’m so sorry sweetie!!” she rushed over to her and brushed leaves and all sorts off her jumper and slacks

. “I’m alright honestly!” Maggie replied “You’re the one who could have been badly hurt! “She took a look at the lady who had almost run her over.

She was a buxom lady and she gave Maggie a big comforting hug. After the events in the post office and the events of the past few months it all became too much and she burst into tears.

"Oh dear me I am so sorry." The lady said with a look of genuine sympathy on her face and for some reason she reminded Maggie of her Mum.

She carried on; “I know that you are from "Sibrwd y-Gwynt and I have just been down there hoping to welcome you to our community""

"I can assure you this was not the welcome that I envisaged!" she added.

"Oh how rude I haven't even introduced myself yet." "I am Mabel Mathias and my husband George is the vicar here." she added before going on;

"We have been away and only last night when we returned that we found out that William who stepped in as the curate until we returned hadn't been over to see you at all!" "What must you think of us?"

"Come on along you come with me to the vicarage and I will make you a cup of tea and I've got some nice cherry cake as well," “How's that?"

Maggie took a quick look at her watch; it was 2.30 pm so there was a whole hour before she had to pick the girls up from school.

"I'd love to!!” she replied gratefully and followed Mabel to the vicarage.

Oh yes the day was definitely getting better and brighter.

She looked up into the sky and her heart lifted as she saw that the rainbow was breaking loose from the grip of the clouds and was shining triumphantly!!

Looking up again she said a silent "I miss you so much Scott but I won't give up, I promise you that I will give our girls the life you wanted them to have!!” “I love you!!”She said and blew him a kiss before following Mabel into the Vicarage.

Shona was going to take her Beagle Bruno for a long walk, so she decided to pack a few sandwiches and a bottle of juice.

She put them into a rucksack and called Bruno to heel. There was no-one else at home and they weren't due back till about midnight. Shona was only nine years old, but she was used to having to fend for herself and was more than happy to spend her whole day with her best friend Bruno.

"What a beautiful day!" she told the excited dog, who was also more than happy to be spending all his day with his young mistress, it was obvious to all who knew them, and that they both adored each other!

Shona closed the gate after them and skipped along the road that led up to the very top field, from which one could see the whole of Abernant, the Welsh sea-side town where she lived.

The sky was blue, the sunshine awesome and the happy sounds of bees, butterflies and birds was also evident.

They soon reached a rickety old gate that led into a field; they ran up to the very top of this field and Shona sat down hugging Bruno to her!!!

"Just look at that” she said and Bruno looked back with a look that seemed to say "It is beautiful!!”

You could see for miles, which consisted of beautiful fields full of Mother Nature’s magic!! Shona never ever got tired of coming up here, she loved it!! Further down there were a few trees that seemed to form a canopy and if it was raining Shona and Bruno could very often be seen sat under them as they sheltered from the wet.

They were known by many as 'the babes in the woods.'

However today there was no need for shelter and they both made their way through another gate which led to a small farm called 'Cefn Ty'n Coed'

Shona knew Mr. and Mrs. Fowler the people who lived there and she was a regular and very welcome visitor.

Their grown up daughter Peggy also lived there with them.

Mr. Fowler was the first to see them. "Well look who's here," he said to his wife, who in turn gave both girl and dog a big motherly hug.

"What brings you two up here so early?" she asked and added "No-one at home again?”

"No they've taken Terri to an Eisteddfod up in Chester” Shona answered.

"That's a bit far isn't it?" “What time will they be home? “Was Mrs. Fowler's next concerned remark.

"I know they won't be back until very late tonight or tomorrow morning!" Shona smiled happily and followed the husband and wife into their farmhouse.

Mr. and Mrs. Fowler exchanged disgusted looks but didn't say a word.

Peggy was sat at the table weighing out bags of fruit and vegetables.

"Hello squirt and you my beautiful boy!" Maggie welcomed the pair, giving Shona a hug and tickling Bruno's tummy till the dog went daft!!

“I'm taking these bags of fruit and veg over to Wesley’s; do you want to come with me?”

Shona nodded an excited 'yes' and Bruno jumped around more excited than his young mistress even!!

They both loved going to Wesley Market with Peggy because that meant they could have a ride in the horse and cart!!

Half an hour later they were both sat in the cart on top of some sacks of potatoes!!

Horace the horse walked on with a spring in his step, he also loved going to the market!!

Peggy was very gentle with him and never pulled the reigns roughly.

They waved their goodbyes to Mr. and Mrs. Fowler who were stood by the gate waving back!!

“Oh dear surely we should be able to help her!” Mrs. Fowler says to her husband.

In reply her husband shook his head.

“I don’t think so dear, you know how high up they are in the community and we don’t know anything for sure !” he shook his head knowing only too well that Shona was being abused and he did not like to think of how bad that abuse could be. However Hubert Hughes was a pillar of the community and they were also devout Wesleyans.

“I’m not sure how you can say that no-one would believe us!” his wife tried to coax her husband once more. “You know how many say that he’s strange, apparently he went inside in London for messing round with girls, and when he was released he and his mother moved back around this area. “ “It’s not natural how he acts round his mother either; he was 43 and still living at home with Mammy when he met Gladys!” “Gladys is half his age and we all know she’s a bit simple!!” “So how can you say no-one would believe us?”

“Listen I know a little more about folk round here, especially the ‘pillars of the community’ in this area and anything shady in the family is pushed under the carpet.”

”We’ll be the ones to suffer and poor Shona’s life will probably be even worse”

“They would rather allow it to go on than have anything like that exposed!” “Believe you me, so if we haven’t got any concrete proof we cannot do anything to help the poor girl and it’s obvious she’s not going to open up!” “Sorry love!!”

Mrs. Fowler sighed deeply and had to agree with her husband.

Peggy and Shona along with Bruno were travelling through the beautiful Welsh countryside. Peggy was very fond of the pair and always made a great fuss of them both.

"Where have your folks gone today?" she asked Shona casually.

"They've taken Louise to an Eisteddfod in Chester." Shona replied. (An Eisteddfod is a Welsh talent competition, for children and adults. The categories consisted of singers, reciters, piano players and many others besides.)

Peggy had great difficulty in concealing the fact of how cross she was.

“I used to recite!” Shona chattered on and I won a first prize and had a lovely silver cup!” her face clouded up a little as she carried on, “but I had a row off ‘HIM’( her father.)

For making a spectacle of myself on stage and he said I looked stupid when I went up to be presented with my cup!” “He said that my hairband was nearly falling off my head and that him and Louise was laughing at me!!” “Then he he he………”.and here Shona stopped off in mid-sentence, and Peggy felt like crying.

She tried to prompt the little girl further back into the conversation but the moment had gone and Shona just said quickly “Oh he just said that I wouldn’t have any food that night, that’s all!”

She knew there was no point pushing the little girl further, because she knew she wouldn’t say anymore.

The family was also so called 'Pillars of the community and chapel goers!!!’ Huh!! Hypocrites!!!! Peggy said to herself!! ‘Dirty disgusting people!!!!’ ‘Oh what she would like to do to them was no-one’s business!!’

Shona was such a sweet and loving little girl and the bond between girl and dog touched Peggy immensely.

She mentally shook herself and forced herself to say in a happy voice "Shall we have a sing-along?”

"OH yes please!" was the instant reply from Shona while Bruno's tail thumped against the sacks of potatoes!!

Right 1 2 3 here we go then..............

“We are going to the market today

We are going come what may!!

We are going to sing our song

Loud and happily all day long!!”

“Tra la la la la!!! Tra la la la la!!!

We sing because we are happy

In the cart pulled by Horsey!!!”

“Horsey is our special friend

We never want today to end!!”

“Tra la la la la!! Tra la la la la!!”

Shona's beautiful singing voice seemed to fill every nook and cranny of the Welsh countryside with a special magic!!

Bruno looked up at his mistress expectantly and when she said;

"Ok your turn Bruno!!" the dog lifted his head up towards the heavens and sang in his own yodeling tones!!

In the next instant Peggy and Shona were laughing so loud and couldn't stop even when their sides were aching!!

Bruno always got very excited at this point and his yodeling took on an indescribable tone!!

So happy and noisy were they all that they didn't notice a figure watching them through the hedge!!!

Lottie Thomson or 'Loony Lottie' as she was known by many was also believed to be a witch!!

She was shunned by the community and was thought to be living in a caravan in the cliffs nestling below the fields!!!

Join me again for Chapter lll when Shona makes an unexpected friend.