A Place Called Perfect (15 page)

“There’s something up,” Boy whispered. as they neared the estate entrance.

“What do you mean?” Violet asked.

He picked up a stone and fired it at one of the windows. The glass smashed, the sound reverberating through the estate.

“Boy! What are you doing? You’ll get us caught.”

Violet spun on the spot. There wasn’t a stir from the houses, not a sound. Nothing happened. The eerie silence sent a shiver through her soul.

“There’s nobody here,” Boy said, “they’ve all gone. Everyone”

“Why?” Violet asked, keeping her voice as even as she could.

“I don’t know, but we need to get back to William.”

The group increased their pace. They passed through the Ghost Estate and out into No Mans Land, which was empty too. The Watchers who patrolled earlier had gone and not a soul walked the town. Curtains moved behind window frames as they slipped along the streets. They were being watched. They sped
through the market square past empty stalls and towards the entrance to No Mans Land. The large, barbed wire pillars stood out just ahead. Two figures paced back and forth by their base.

William Archer and Merrill Marx turned in unison.

“Boy, Violet! We were so worried,” William said, running to greet his friends.

“What’s happened?” Boy asked.

“What is it?” Violet said catching her breath, “The Watchers- they’ve all gone!”

“They know there’s something up,” Merrill replied, “one of the No Mans Landers told them.”

“But why would someone do that?” Violet asked angrily.

“They’re afraid Violet,” William replied, “fear does funny things to folk.”

“But they’re No Mans Landers. They’re meant to be different…”

“Maybe not so different after all,” William sighed.

“We have to do something! We have the imaginations. We’re ready.”

“I know Violet,” William replied, “but we don’t stand a chance now. There aren’t enough of us.”

“But if we stuck to the plan, if we could give the people back their imaginations there would be,” Boy interrupted.

“We can’t get near the people,” Merrill sighed, “The Watchers have barricaded the main roads to Perfect. There’s no way in.”

Merrill walked away defeated. Violet looked at William then back at the jar in her hands. After all they’d done, everything was crashing down around them.

“This can’t be it Boy,” she pleaded.

For the first time since she’d met him, he looked lost. She slumped down by one of the pillars. Everything was gone. Her mother’s imagination floated oblivious through the jar. She’d never see her Mam again. She’d probably start a new family, a perfect one. Violet would be wiped from her memory. Her Dad, she’d probably never see him either. She’d be just like Boy and William. She’d be alone. Suddenly in all the despair an idea hit her.

“Your mother, Iris, she lives on a side road just outside the town,” she said, looking straight at William Archer.

“Leave her out of this Violet,” William replied sharply.

“But I know she will help. I met her and she’s not like the others in Perfect. She’s different. She’s like one of us just living in there.”

“Violet’s right,” Boy said looking up, “she took me in sometimes, when the Watchers were chasing me. She can see us.”

“No,” William said angrily, “I won’t have it. Leave her out of this, I can’t lose her twice.”

As William walked away a little girl of about six stood up from the sea of seated orphans, her jar of yellowish gas held aloft.

“Em…If you’re going to your old house Mr. Archer can I come too?” she said nervously, “My house is on your street and I want to give this back to my Mammy. Boy said if she gets her imagination back she’ll remember who I am.”

Violet looked at the little girl then back at William Archer.

“Please William,” she said, “I think I have a plan.”

CHAPTER 31

The Reunion

After going vigorously through Violet’s plan for anything that could go wrong, they waited until cover of darkness before slipping out through the gates of No Mans Land. They made their way towards the intersection that marked the entrance to Perfect. Boy moved ahead of the party to peer around the corner.

“There’s about five Watchers at the bottom of the road,” he whispered.

“Right,” William said, addressing three orphans about Violet’s age, “Distract them so we can get up this street. Nothing dangerous though please.”

One of the orphans winked and the three scruffy scoundrels slipped round the corner of the street and marched laughing and joking towards the small band of Watchers. Once the Watchers were distracted, Violet, Boy and two more orphans each holding a jar of imagination, slipped round the corner and down the street in the opposite direction. They were followed slowly by Merrill and William carrying the “Reimaginator”. At the top of the street they turned left onto a side alley that ran parallel to Perfect.

Soon they came to the house. Even in the darkness it was easy to tell William was nervous. Leaving down the machine, he turned his back on the group and walked to the door. His hand shook as he raised it to knock on the painted wood. Violet’s stomach swam in butterflies. The click of the latch was magnified in the quiet of the street. A trickle of light fell out onto the cobble locked road. Then William Archer’s face was illuminated by the opened door. His tense stance softened in the swiftness of his mother’s embrace. Violet knew then that no matter what, her mother would never forget her.

Iris Archer held her son for what seemed like an eternity at the front door of her home. The others watched the roads nervously hoping the Watchers would not patrol by.

“Mam,” William said, eventually stepping back from her hold, “we need your help!”

“Oh I knew something was brewing William,” Iris Archer smiled, inviting in her ragged guests.

Surprisingly she greeted all by name. Maybe Iris wasn’t as mad as everyone said.

“I knew you’d do something Violet,” Iris said pouring her a cup of boiling water, “I saw it in your eyes, you have a touch of mischief about you.”

Violet smiled, taking the comment as a compliment.

“I want to thank all of you,” the old woman said grabbing her son’s hand, “for bringing William back to me.”

“I’m so sorry Mam,” William said still shaken, “I should have come to see you but I couldn’t…”

“I know,” Iris said softly.

The room fell into a somber silence.

“I knew you’d come back,” she spoke again after a while, “you have the fight. A spirit can be dulled but it never fully dies.”

“They have Macula,” William said, “I thought she was dead. Then I thought I was dead. I couldn’t bear to try and be happy again so I gave up the fight. I’m so sorry Mam I should have come to you. I just thought it’d be better for you if I stayed away.”

“It’s okay William, you’re back now. That’s all that matters.”

Iris took a sip fr
om her cup and looked out past the faces gathered at her table into a place only she could go. A few moments later she spoke.

“So they took Macula as well, I wondered about that? They robbed my life from me- those terrible two. I saw a little of it in them when they were young, they took after their father but who can predict this of their sons?”

She looked down at her hands clasped tightly round the mug.

“It’s my fault William. Georgie and Edward are all my fault.”

“We can stop them Mam. That’s why we’re here. We can change Perfect, we can take back our town,” William said standing up to pull the blanket from the Reimaginator, “George and Edward have been robbing imaginations Mam. This will give them back.”

Iris stood up and walked slowly around the machine. She asked questions of her son, questions impossible to understand, it was easy to see where the Archers got their brains.

“I used to think she was a bit loony,” Violet whispered across to Boy.

“You get away with a lot when people think you’re mad Violet,” Iris smiled.

Boy laughed as Violet blushed. After Iris had inspected the machine and asked a few more questions of her son, they began to fill her in on their plans.

“We have Billy Bobbin’s and Madeleine Nunn’s imaginations here,” Boy said, passing the jars over to Iris to inspect them, “we think they live on this street.”

“I live two doors up. Well I mean my Mam does…I used too…” one of the orphans said stepping forward.

“I remember you pet,” Iris replied, taking the little girl onto her knee, “Anna Nunn, I think they took you about a year ago?”

The girl nodded and began to cry.

“We think their families will be able to see them now,” Violet interrupted, “we put William’s potion into the tea so nobody in Perfect should be blind anymore. They won’t fully recognise No Mans Landers though until we give them back their imaginations.”

“Then Mam will know me; you promised,” Anna said, looking straight at Boy.

“We want you to bring Madeleine and Billy here,” William said to Iris, “once we get them here we can zap them with the Reimaginator. They’ll recognise their children then, they'll believe us and…”

“Join the revolution,” Iris smiled.

“Exactly,” William replied, “then we’ll get them to get others and slowly we’ll build an army.”

“I’ll try my best,” Iris said, “but I’m considered mad around here. I haven’t spoken to either of them in as long as I can remember and I can’t see how they’ll follow me.”

“Tell them that Edward and George want to meet them,” Boy said suddenly, “I bet they’ll come here for that, everybody loves them.”

“I’m really not sure they’ll believe me Boy.”

“They believe anything you tell them in Perfect.”

“You have a point,” Iris laughed lifting the little girl from her knee and walking towards the door, “No time like the present. Well take your positions. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

There was a sudden scramble from seats. William and Merrill lifted the Reimaginator so it sat center in the room. Boy and Violet took the jars off the table and gently lifting the lids, eased the contents into the glass box in the middle of William’s
machine. The imaginations floated through the space mixing together.

“Won’t they get mixed up?” Violet asked, pulling on William’s shirtsleeve.

“No Violet,” William smiled, pointing at the glass, “Look. No two people think alike.”

The imaginations had now settled one on top of the other, like oil and water.

Suddenly there were voices in the street outside.

“Really they want to speak to us?” a man said, obviously delighted.

“I knew Edward loved my Victoria sponge at the children’s cake sale. I saw it on his face. He won’t mind me calling him Edward will he, now that we’re friends?”

“No of course not Madeleine,” Iris replied.

“How is my hair Billy?” Madeleine asked, as Iris turned the key in the lock.

“Perfect Madeleine,” Billy replied, following behind the pruned woman into the house, “oh you have guests Iris.”

“Oh yes…they are…”

“Daddy…” one of the orphans cried. running towards Billy.

Boy quickly grabbed his shirt pulling him back and held tightly to the struggling seven year old.

“We’re em…Iris’s cousins,” William said, quickly covering the scene.

“Oh how nice,” Madeline replied, eyeing the struggle, “where are you visiting from?”

“Timbuktu,” Violet piped up.

“Oh I’ve heard it’s lovely,” Billy smiled.

“Would anyone like tea?” Iris asked, pushing the kettle button.

“Oh I’d love some Iris,” Madeleine replied, “Ours just isn’t tasting the same lately.

Boy winked at Violet.

“So where are the twins?” Billy asked, breaking an awkward silence.

“Oh they…em they’re upstairs. They’ll be down in a minute,” William responded. “While we wait, would you mind terribly if we took a family portrait? It’s for our holiday snaps, the kids are growing up so quickly.”

“Of course,” Madeline replied, “I know what that’s like. My oldest is almost seven.”

“No I’m not I’m eight,” Anna sniffled in the corner.

“Oh you’re just a little older than mine then,” Madeleine smiled.

“Okay, Billy you sit here and Madeleine you here,” William said, placing the chairs just in front of the Reimaginator.

“But we’re not part of your family?” Billy replied.

“Oh you are, we’re all cousins,” Violet smiled.

“But I’ve never been to Timbuktu,” Madeline said taking a seat in front of the machine.

“Yes you have,” Violet continued, “don’t you remember, we went for a swim with the turtles and you said you thought they were lovely and then we went for a drive on the beach and we saw this giant elephant and he…”

Boy gave Violet a look that stopped her sudden rant.

“Oh maybe I do remember…” Madeleine said, looking curiously at Violet, “the turtles were lovely… I think. I do love turtles.”

“So do I,” Violet smiled, “See, we are cousins.”

“That’s a funny looking camera,” Billy said.

“It’s the latest thing,” Boy replied, “Everyone has them in Timbuktu!”

“Right,” William said, loudly bringing silence to the room, “Everybody say cheese.”

He pulled the cord on the Reimaginator and the machine sprang to life. Each of the lungs on the side, the bits that looked like bagpipes, moved in and out, inflating and deflating at huge speeds. Suddenly the two imaginations were sucked up into separate pipes leaving the glass centre empty. The machine pulled in it’s sides and, with an almighty noise like a huge sneeze, it spat out the imaginations. The greenish one flew for Billy Bobbins and the brownish one for Madeleine Nunn. The pair sat frozen. Their faces registered terror, as the separate strains of gas flew up their nostrils.

Immediately, their eyes shut and their heads fell forward. Billy slipped right down onto the floor while Madeleine slumped to the side resting against the table. Though the pair looked dead, William remained calm, a huge smile rested firmly on his face. Suddenly, each body started to rattle and before anyone knew what was happening they began to snore. It was louder than Violet’s Dad and he had the loudest snore ever.

“What’s happening?” Violet asked William.

“They’re just re-adjusting. The imagination is at its strongest when we’re asleep. That’s why dreams are so real. They need to be asleep so they can reboot. It’s a wondrous thing: the human body.”

As quickly as the snoring had started it stopped and both Billy and Madeleine slowly opened their eyes.

“Where am I?” Madeleine asked sitting upright, “What happened?”

“Mam,” Anna said jumping from her seat and running to her mother’s side.

“Anna?” Anna is that you?” Madeleine cried, wrapping the little girl up in her arms, “I thought, I thought…I don’t know what I thought…”

Billy’s son threw himself onto his father’s groggy body and both cried as they embraced. 

After a while William helped Billy from the floor and everyone came together round the kitchen table. Both Madeleine and Billy had a world of questions. Their anger was obvious and they didn’t take much convincing to agree to the plan.

As the sun was coming up over the town both Billy and Madeleine left the house. They headed for Perfect to round up four specific friends. Boy and Violet left too but they headed for No Mans Land where they were to pick up four more orphans and their jars of imagination.