“Faster!” calls Tad over his shoulder, as they younger ones start to fall behind. “Keep going, you must keep going!”
The sound of heavy boots running behind spur the five children on. Two guards chase them down the narrow corridors.
Clad in grey coats and hoods, the children run. Lungs burning and legs aching, they know there’s no other option but to keep going.
“Leave it,” urges Pace, as Primmy balks and looks back for her finger dolly that she dropped. A hand swoops down, snatches the dolly, turns picks up Primmy and continues to run, in one quick, lithe motion.
“Oi, that’s mine you robber!” squeaks Primmy indignantly, bouncing around on Tad’s back.
“Oh shoosh, you moppet” says Tad, as he stifles a laugh, despite the effort of running with a sack of healthy five year old on his back.
The white hallways seem endless, and each corner turns into another one just the same, with nameless doors, bright lights and the ubiquitous smell that is the failed result of the artificial scent designed to cover the stale air.
Peter and Sing bring up the rear, running step by step, as only twins can do.
“Come on Peter, I can still beat you,” taunts his sister, as Peter starts to tire.
“Pft, I can thrash you every day of the week you meat head,” he taunts back cheerily, getting a burst of speed from the challenge.
Finally, the children see safety. At the end of a dead end corridor, a door the same as every other door, but familiar all the same. Tad punches in the code on the black box next to the door, and the door swings open. The children all fall into the hallway and throw off their grey coats, and race into the first bedroom. Quickly they stash their loot under the bunk mattress.
Tad flings Primmy off his back onto the hard bunk, quickly slips casually onto the floor and picks up his homework tablet. Pace sits on the bunk fussing unnecessarily over Primmy, braiding her long hair. The twins stand panting, making out they are deep in conversation.
Two guards burst into the room. One tall with long dark hair flowing below the helmut. The second shorter but more athletic in build, resembling a bulldog standing there with feet apart and a quizzical expression.
“Tad? Pace? What are you hiding?” says the taller guard, in an eerily quiet tone.
Tad looks up with an innocent look and shrugs. Pace makes out Primmy is in great need of her affections and merely shrugs without turning around, and cuddles Primmy closer.
The other guard, looks at the twins who are standing side by side goggling nervously at the scene.
“Peter and Sing, do you have anything to say? I suggest you fess up before you end up in lock down for a month!” she says in a slightly more menacing tone.
“Huh?” offered Peter and Sing in unison.
“Primrose, my darling, what did you find today?” croons the tall guard.
Primmy balks slightly at the use of her full name. She didn’t really need another sign to know how much trouble they were in.
“Nothing Mummy, no, no, nothing, was it Tad? No, we haven’t done anything naughty, have we Tad? “ Primmy slowly slides the dolly under the bedclothes and tries not to look at her mother.
“Primmy, do you have something there my dear?” questions the guard.
“Oh Mummy, we ran and ran and really you shouldn’t worry about us. Tad says we are doing the Right Thing!” she says with emphasis.
The guard called Mummy, or Perry to her friends, slowly surveys the scene. Then gently moves Pace and Primmy off the bed. Looking under the covers she finds the doll. Then on further investigation under the mattress, she pulls out a pile of books.
“Where did you get these?” she says, suddenly losing her cool demeanour.
“I, I, I, what?” offers Primmy, trying her hardest to not be the one to break down and tell her mother what they have been up to.
“And what on earth is this thing?” says Perry, dangling the old worn out tiny finger dolly. “I think it must be rubbish, isn’t it Prim? I’ll go put it in the bin, eh?”
“We found them in a store room,” blurts out Primrose. “What are they? Please don’t throw away the dolly.”
Perry looks at her sister and colleague, Kat, grabs the books and glides out of the room, much more gracefully than a woman wearing hob nail boots has a right to.
“I’ll be talking to you two later!” says Kat, shaking her head ominously at the twins, and follows Perry out of the room.
Primmy starts to cry, fearing the disappointment of her siblings and cousins.
“Don’t worry Primmy,” says Tad, “We know where we can go back for more. I think I saw a little teddy bear behind some boxes.”
“What’s a teddy bear?” asks Primrose with wide eyes.
“One of the wonderful relics from the past that you should know about. One of the things we need to take into the future.”
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