Songs of Love & Death

“Nay, he’s gone—look at his head, poor chap, caved in something horrid. The boy’s well enough, I think, just bumps and scratches. Here, lad, come up… no, no, let go now. It’s all right, just let go. Let me pick you up, yes, that’s good, it’s all right now, hush, hush, there’s a good boy…”

“What a look on that bloke’s face—I never saw anything like—”

“Here, take the little chap. I’ll see if the bloke’s got any identification.”

“Come on, big man, yeah, that’s it, that’s it, come with me. Hush now, it’s all right. It’s all right… Is that your daddy, then?”

“No tags, no service book. Funny, that. He’s RAF, though, isn’t he? AWOL, d’ye think?”

He could hear Dolly laughing at that, felt her hand stroke his hair. He smiled and turned his head to see her smiling back, the radiant joy spreading round her like rings in shining water…

“Rafe! The rest of it’s going! Run! Run!”

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Before y’all get tangled up in your underwear about it being All Hallow’s Eve when Jeremiah leaves, and “nearly Samhain (aka All Hallow’s Eve)” when he returns—bear in mind that Great Britain changed from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar in 1752, this resulting in a “loss” of twelve days. And for those of you who’d like to know more about the two men who rescue him, more of their story can be found in An Echo in the Bone.