THERE AND BACK AGAIN (Joseph Quinn)

The Reckoning

It was nearly Christmas......

It was cold. Really cold.
Sarah had bundled herself up before leaving for work, she was wearing her favourite pink beanie that Joe adored on her, and matching scarf and gloves. Joe had seen her to work and then travelled back to hers.

Joe had nothing much planned that day apart from a call with his agent later in the morning. His most urgent business was watching the camera on the doorbell. He was intent on catching this bastard.

So far they only had footage of delivery drivers, one Jehovah's Witness and a possibility, just a slim possibility of a sighting of Alec. They figured that he had observed the ring doorbell and was keeping his distance.

About an hour after he had returned it got very dark outside, the wind really started to howl.

Joe peeked out of the lounge window to see a threatening dark grey sky, the trees in the park opposite Sarah's flat blowing furiously, shaking down the last of any curled up leaves that had the audacity to remain from autumn.

The rain became squally, coming down so hard on the window that it looked like freezing rain. Joe fixed himself a coffee and noted that the wind was ripping through the yard too, blowing the trees and plants that backed onto Sarah's yard so hard that whole bits were blowing off.

Joe was suddenly really grateful that he didn't have to go anywhere as he pulled the net curtain back and watched the weathers anger whilst perched on Sarah's piano stool, the lights from their Christmas tree twinkling brightly in the gloom behind him.

His phone rang at the appointed time from his agent and they discussed Joes upcoming appointments and what auditions he might like to be put forward for, his diary was certainly looking busier which was pleasing. He now had a confirmed date for several more big auditions  which both excited and unnerved him in equal measure.

As his conversation was drawing to a close he heard a loud thud hit the kitchen window. He didn't want to open the door during the current tempest so he had a look out of the window at the floor. The projectile revealed itself to be a whole branch from the shrub-like tree that hung into the alleyway beside the house, spilling over from the yard that backed onto Sarahs.

The tree was taking a hammering as it still retained a large number of green leaves which were being vigorously blown about by the squally wind.

Joe watched for a moment in awe, as hail now started to pelt against the window in howling gusts, resigning himself to the fact that he was going to have to tidy up the yard when the rain stopped. Sarah had a few ceramic pots in the yard with plants in various stages of death with it being midwinter, but even those heavy pots had been blown over in the storm.

When the rain had stopped and the wind had thankfully died down enough for Joe to venture outside, he donned a black beanie hat and set about his task.

Firstly he replaced the pots and took a closer look at the shrub that had seemingly been shredded by the wind. It's branches hung sadly over the wall, many partially ripped off, some fully ripped off and laying on the ground, it's leaves all over the ground in tatters.

Joe fetched a small stepladder from Sarah's utility room that he had spotted and climbed up to pull off the broken branches that were nearly severed from the tree.

As soon as he climbed up, he picked up a branch that had landed on the top of the wall.
As he did so, he dislodged something which detached with a click and it fell onto the floor with a metallic noise as it hit the concrete.