Of Lakes, Mysteries and the Odd Lunatic

Chapter IX: In which Lawrence is threatened by a politician

Chapter IX

In which Lawrence is threatened by a politician

Lawrence was woken up the following morning by a rhythmic chant of many voices that seemed to emanate from his window.

Windows can’t speak, he thought to himself, still in a post-sleep fog. When there was a sharp tap on the window, Lawrence was pulled instantly from his stupor, wide-eyed and racing to the window to investigate. Of course windows can’t speak, you fool.

The man pulled back the fading white curtains of his bedroom window and looked down upon the front drive of the Institute below. An object came towards the window at speed and made the same sharp tapping noise as before. Lawrence identified it as a pebble. He could see a small chip out of the glass where the stone had impacted.

The source of the pebbles was the crowd gathered on the drive, numbering almost forty in number. They were holding picket signs and chanting, with a few young boys at the front hurling the pebbles. Lawrence could identify several of the people below as townsfolk, including the large greengrocer woman.

Upon opening the window, Lawrence could better hear what the crowd was chanting.

“You blight our town!/Our customers frown!/Out with the loonies!” This was repeated over and over again, with signs being raised up and down in time with the beat. After some minutes of this, a man in a black bowler hat and suit waved his hands above his head and the crowd quietened. Lawrence recognised him as the town’s Tourist Minister. He turned towards Lawrence’s window, and walked past the crowd.

“Mr. Baker!”

“Yes?” Lawrence called down. He was getting a little bit chilly in just his nightgown.

“We have come here to protest against this here Mental Sanatorium!”

“Yes, I can see that. I would prefer, however, if you could call it an Institute, or perhaps even Funny Oaks. I find ‘Sanatorium’ to be a bit too bathroom-y.”

“This Sanatorium is a dirty mark upon this clean and wonderful town of Shady Vale.” At the name of the town, a cheer was heard from the crowd. “We believe we are loosing customers for our shops and lodges because of this...establishment. In brief, we want you gone.”

Lawrence shook his head. “I’m afraid that is not possible, Sir. I have many patients here, and this building suits our needs quite well.”

“Mr. Baker, I have here papers that could force you to leave this building. I don’t want to use them against you, so I suggest you leave quietly and without a fight. After all, we have our Annual Craft Fair tomorrow, and I need to be there to make sure it all runs smoothly.”

“Sir, I know that no such papers exist. You can do nothing legally to make me leave here, and I ask you now to all leave. You are standing on private property. And don’t you have a Fair to prepare for?”

The Tourism Minister narrowed his eyes. “What if those papers were about certain concerns about the building? Concerns that need to be addressed within the next two weeks. You know what I’m talking about, Baker.” He followed the crowd back down the hill, not looking back once.

Lawrence closed his window and sat down on his bed. Only a little over two weeks to go until the Health and Safety Inspector visited once more to deem whether the building was worthy for living. And they still needed to raise a quarter of a million before that time.