Dms1 by Philip Easter

Table of Contents Chapter 1.

When the Chips Are Down ..................................................................................... 4

Chapter 2.

Superman Lovers .................................................................................................. 15

Chapter 3.

Luxury Is a State Of Mind ...................................................................................... 24

Chapter 4.

I Think, I Feel, I Am ................................................................................................ 32

Chapter 5.

Living the Dream ................................................................................................... 41

Chapter 6.

The End ................................................................................................................. 50

Chapter 1. When the Chips Are Down

Faith, the vocabulary word meaning 'confident belief in the truth or a person or idea'. So it was on the 18th December 2012 that Faith Louise Green was born into the world, weighing at 8lb 4oz, her proud Mother cradled her new born baby in her arms with the on looking nurses sharing in Sammy's delight at giving birth to such a beautiful baby girl. Tinged with delight but also with sadness that Faith would never see or know her Father, Joe! Sammy also felt guilty about a number of different things, including the fact that she lied and cheated to her late husband, she felt a certain sense of blame for his cruel and untimely death. If only she had tried to make another go at things, then maybe, just maybe Joe would still be alive today! The decision to have an affair with Joe's best friend Peter left her with a physical scar so deep that she knew it would be impossible to heal. Then there was another matter, she was keeping a very dangerous secret from Peter, convincing him that he was the father to her new born baby, Faith. The secret she was keeping from Peter was so damaging that she knew that she had to remain quiet, but the question she kept asking herself 'Do I really love him as much as I loved Joe, am I just with Peter because it's the easy option and do I really want to let my daughter believe that the man who will be bringing her up his her real Dad?' Sammy had so many decisions to make but didn't know where to turn for the answers! While giving her daughter Faith her undivided attention one of the nurses turned to Sammy

"So where's the lucky Father then?" asked the pleasant looking nurse.

Sammy nervously replied "Oh, he's not around anymore"

One of the other nurses who was at the next bedside remarked "Typical, another absent Father, it doesn't surprise me in this day and age!"

Sammy was taken aback by the comment. The pleasant looking nurse looked down at Sammy "Take no notice of her, she's a bit twisted and bitter to be honest"

The nurse and Sammy were chatting to each other when all of a sudden Peter walked through the door with panic and excitement on his face!

"So where is she, where's my baby girl?" He asked, and then without waiting for the question went on to say "I'm so sorry I couldn't get here earlier, I know it's a feeble excuse but I was with my step dad Brian last night and ended up with a massive hangover this morning, you know how it is!"

Peter placed a bunch of flowers by Sammy's bedside cabinet then looked down at the tiny little

baby and remarked "She is absolutely beautiful; I can't believe I'm a Dad. Everything's complete now, you, me and baby Faith!"

The pleasant looking nurse looked at Sammy with some disbelief, 'if the Father was no longer around then who was this man claiming to be the girl's father'. The nurse turned to Sammy with a curious smile "I'll leave you to enjoy the moment with each other!"

Peter and Sammy spent the next couple of hours getting acquainted with the new arrival of Faith; although Sammy had much on her mind she was pleased to have Peter by her side, even though she was uncertain of their future together!

A few days had passed, Sammy left hospital but it was over the next couple of months that home life was distintragating; it was becoming unbearable for Peter was spending more and more time down the local with either his friends or his step dad. When Sammy challenged him about the amount of time he was spending down the pub he would blame it on the fact that he was still coming to terms with the loss of his best friend; he was finding it hard to cope with everything. She was finding it hard to cope with the drink, the mood swings, the lack of attention toward her and the baby that she wondered why she even conjured up the idea that Peter was the father to Faith. "Why did I bother, why did I put myself through all this, just to be taken advantage of" she thought to herself. The more time went on the more intense and volatile their relationship was becoming until one day Sammy cracked.

"Get out, go on get out. I've had enough of you; you're just a waste of space! You treat this house like a hostel, coming and going as you please, while I'm left holding the baby. You spend all your time and money down the pub; well if you want to spend all your time there then you might as well pack your things and move in! Sammy went upstairs and began putting all of Peter's clothes into black bin bags, then in a frenzy started to throw the bags out of the bedroom window! "There you go, enjoy your new life" said a frustrated Sammy.

Peter visibly upset was now getting wound up "But what about us, what about our baby?" He asked.

Sammy quick to reply "There is no us and what's more Faith isn't your baby! She never was and never will be, now get out." She cried

"What do you mean she isn't my baby?" Said Peter with alarm bells ringing in his head "If she's not mine, then who the daddy is?"

Sammy looking ashamed and pitiful exclaimed "Your best friend, my ex husband Joe, he is the father! Now are you bloody satisfied, go, get out of my life and never come back!"

Peter was speechless, lost for words he made his way outside, collected the bin bags that were scattered along the front lawn then left with his tail between his legs! Dazed and confused with the things that had come to light began walking aimlessly with no direction, he felt empty, alone and used. After several hours of walking around he finally made up his mind to go and stay with his Mother! This was the last place Peter wanted to go, the embarrassment of yet another failed relationship, how was he going to tell his Mother that she's no longer a grandmother! Peter knocked on the door of the house he grew up in to be welcomed by his Mother Jennifer.

"What's up son" She asked

Peter windswept and sodden with the rain replied "It's me and Sammy, we're over. I've nowhere to go. Can I come and stay with you for a while until I get myself sorted?"

"Of course you can son, this will always be your home, we can't have you on the streets now can we!"

Peter made his way into the family home where he sat down with his Mother to explain everything that had been going on!

"Well it looks as if you've only got yourself to blame, no one else can make decisions for you but it looks as if on this occasion you've made the wrong ones" His mother remarked, then went on to say "I always thought there was something a bit odd about that girl, to be honest you're probably better off without her! Although Peter I do have to say that you have to sort your life out, you can't keep going on like this. You're on a downward spiral my boy, you've got to stay away from the drink or you'll end up in an early grave and I don't want to go through that pain. I've spoken to Brian and I've told him that it's the drink or me, I'm telling you has my son, I don't want to lose you! You and your two sisters are my world; I love you all equally, please try and turn your life around. Not for me but for yourself, you have your whole life ahead of you; it's such a shame to see you wasting it on alcohol. Life is short Peter, so make the most of it while you still have the chance!"

Now that the lecture was over Peter made his way upstairs to his old bedroom where he began emptying his clothes out of the black bin bags, bit by bit he started to hang his clothes onto coat hangers and placing them into the wardrobe until he came across the suit that once belonged to Joe, Peter picked up the suit, then clutched into it with a feeling of sadness! For once in this suit stood a man who he had loved, betrayed and missed so dearly, all that was left was an empty shell. The suit was the only thing that he had left of his best friend, in some ways this was the most valuable thing in Peter's possession! He then put the suit on and looked into the wardrobe mirror! Has he gazed at himself he felt, good about himself, more than he had for a long while! His dashing good looks mixed in with a fine looking suit, Peter was feeling on top of the World.

Several days had now passed; Peter was finding it hard to adjust to living in the family home after living away from there for so long. The house felt crammed, the constant arguing between his step dad and his Mother, the bickering between his two sisters was becoming all to intolerable for him so he decided to go away for a few days, to venture out, to try and understand himself a bit better! He knew just the place to go, 'London'. Peter had friends there so knowing that his friends would put him up knew that London was the place to be, the bars, the women, the excitement of it all, was just the tonic he needed to give himself a lift! Peter began packing some clothes into a small suitcase, then made his way downstairs into the kitchen where Brian was slouched on the sofa with a can of beer in his hand.

"You alright Son, you going somewhere?" Brian asked

Peter replied "Yes I've decided to go to London for a few days, catch up with some old friends!"

"Good for you boy, I think it'll do you some good. You got enough money to be going away with?" enquired Brian

"I've got a little bit" exclaimed Peter

"Here put that in your old sky rocket, you go and enjoy yourself, you hear me!" said Brian

With that Brian reached into his back pocket and handed Peter a hundred pounds in twenty pound notes! Peter's eyes lit up.

"Are you sure?" asked Peter

Brian replied "Yes of course I'm sure, I had a little win on the horses so don't worry about it, you go and enjoy yourself and don't come back unless you got some exciting stories to tell me. Ok?"

"Gee, thanks Brian, I'll make sure I have a good time don't worry about that. Can you tell my Mum that I'll be gone for a few days? I don't want to tell her myself because she'll only worry and lecture me!" Peter asked

Brian, with his glazed red eyes reassured Peter "Don't worry about her my boy; you can rest assured that I'll sort things out with her!"

Peter said farewell to Brian then walked out of the front door and made his way to the train station in Havenstown. Peter boarded the train; he was becoming increasingly excited about the prospect of seeing his friends and the journey into the unknown of the London limelight. The journey to

London took just over an hour, as Peter stepped off the train he was welcomed by one of his friends called Robert!

"Hi, Rob. Thanks for picking me up, long time no see! Peter exclaimed

Robert replied "Hey no problem, it's really good to see you again! I hear you've been through a rough time just recently, so I'm just glad that I can help in some way! Listen we are going to have a whale of a time just like we did back in the old days!"

Robert took hold of Peter's suitcase and placed in into the boot of his car, then made his way through the busy suburbs of London until he finally made his way to his two bedroomed apartment. On entering the apartment Robert took Peter's luggage and placed it into the spare room.

"You can sort all that out later, first I'll knock something up to eat and we can have a good long catch up! said Robert.

While Robert was cooking Peter began relaxing, thinking to himself that he had made the right decision to get away from Havenstown, leaving behind all the heartbreak and turmoil that had gone before him in the past months! Peter had met Robert during their days together at art college, where they both excelled in their art work. Robert went on to better his future where as Peter never used his talents to his full potential, instead moving from one dead end job to another, turning his hand to bar work and the occasional dj'ing around the clubs. After some time Robert walked out of the kitchen and placed the prepared food on the dining table where they started to chat about old times, also in conversation Peter started to talk about his friend Joe who Robert had never met and the affair that he had with Sammy. Grim faced and still full of remorse Peter told his friend everything that had happened leading up to Joe's death!

"I'm finding it really hard to cope Rob; I just feel that I've let everyone down; not only that, but the child that I thought was mine never was!" Expressed Peter with a look of sadness in his face!

Robert quick to reply "Hey don't worry about a thing, you're here now and things will get better. Stuart is coming round a bit later, he knows that you've come to stay for a few days so we'll all go out later and hit the town like we used to, give you a chance to let your hair down and forget about everything!"

Several hours had passed by, true to Roberts word Stuart turned up at the apartment all ready for a night out with his two friends. Stuart was also from art college; during their days at college the three of them were inseparable! During their time at college they all shared a student house together, although they spent less time studying and more time living the life, all night parties,

drinking and doing what typical students do, having fun!

Stuart walked into the apartment and wrapped his arms around the necks of his two friends and said "Hey, it's really good seeing you two guys again, you're looking good Peter. How the devil are you? Old friend."

Peter turned to Stuart "I've had better days!" he remarked

Ever the party animal Stuart reassured Peter "Hey we're going to change all that, we're going to have a night to remember. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, let's do it. All for one and one for all." shouted Peter from the roof tops

The three men made their way into the local bars and clubs, catching up on old times, reliving their moments together at college, flirting with the ladies and generally having a good time!

After hitting all the bars in the area Stuart made a suggestion "Listen lads, I know a great place not far from here, it's called Pharaoh's casino. Fancy your hand at black jack and the like?"

Peter answered back "Hmm I'm not sure, I've never been to a casino before!"

"What's that saying Stuart, all for one and one for all. Count me in" said Robert

"Well now you've put it like that, why not!" Replied Peter

The three of them made their way to Pharaoh's; they made their way up the stairs, through the lobby into a lavish and grand looking gaming room. All around them were slot machines, the crab table, with the throwing of the dice, the black jack table and the roulette wheel table! Peter had never seen anything like it; he looked around at all the smartly dressed people, all laughing and joking! Stuart went straight to the black jack table, where he became more engrossed with the cards than he did with his friends!

"I think we've lost him for the night now!" said Robert laughing the situation off."I think I'll have a go at the slot machines" he added

Peter was now left alone in a room feeling useless, not having a clue how to play any of the games before him! Slowly he walked over to the crab table, cautiously he watched other people play the game, after a little while he decided to have a go himself. Peter had been playing for an hour without a win, the money he had was dwindling fast. He became more and more frustrated so decided to turn his hand at the roulette wheel the only money he had left was the hundred

pounds that his step dad Brian had given him! Peter began to play but decided he was going to use a specific set of numbers that were lodged in his head. Cautiously he placed a few chips down on No 11 red, and then watched as the wheel was spinning, the white ball was travelling furiously around and around until it eventually landed on number 11. Peter was now getting excited, so placed his winning chips onto the No 3 black, again the wheel span round, to his amazement the white ball landed on the number 3. Again he piled all his winning chips onto another selection, this time No 33 red. Sure enough the white ball landed on number 33. Peter couldn't believe his luck; he carried on playing, every time he picked a number the white ball would land in the slot for him. The more he kept playing the more attention he was receiving! Has he looked over across the roulette wheel table he noticed a very attractive women smiling back at him. Peter smiled back at the women, who in his mind were stunning, with strawberry blonde hair, she wore a beautiful red dress and had the most amazing figure, almost that of an hourglass!

"Come closer" Peter called over to her.

"Ok" she said

The woman in red moved closer to Peter and shared in the fun and excitement as Peter kept winning!

"Wow you're really good at this, what's your secret?" The woman asked

"I don't know, to be honest, it's my first time!" Peter replied

"Yeh, pull the other one, that's what they all say!" laughing back at him

"What's your name?" Peter asked "Mine's Peter!"

"I'm Sarah, pleased to met you" replied Sarah

"Likewise" was Peter's reply

For the rest of the evening the two of them became inseparable, enjoying each other's company and Peter's winning ways!

"You know what, I think I'll cash in my winning chips now, also I need to find my friends" expressed Peter.

"Why go now when you're doing so well?" Sarah asked

Peter explained "Sometimes you just need to know when to stop; I think it's time to stop now!"

"Fair enough" replied Sarah

Peter reached into the pocket of his suit to the sound of his mobile phone; it was a text message from Robert. It read "Sorry Pete, Stuart lost all his money on black jack and he's blind drunk, at to get him a taxi to get home and I've at to go with him. Sorry mate, see you back at mine later, just let yourself in with the spare key."

"That's great" Peter cried out "My friends have gone and left me!"

Sarah looked up at Joe, smiled and said "Well you've still got me!"

"Yes I guess so." Peter said smiling back at her. "Time I cashed in these chips and see how well I've done"

The two of them walked over to the cashier then Peter placed the large amount of chips over the counter, where he waited eagerly for the outcome of his winnings!

"Well, you've had a good night" said the cashier "You've won the grand total of ÂŁ17,568 and 46 pence. Because it's such a large amount we can give you the ÂŁ568 in cash right now and credit the other amount into your bank account, which should take about three days! Happy about that?"

"Happy" said Peter "I'm over the moon!"

Peter collected his part winnings; then began walking out of the lobby with a beautiful woman on his arm! 'What a night' he thought to himself.

Sarah turned to Peter and made a suggestion toward him "Listen, the night is still young, I know of a great little club in the east end I think you'll enjoy. It plays live music and it's open till the wee small hours, fancy doing that?"

"Yeh, why not" said Peter with a wad full of money in his pocket and the prospect of spending more time with Sarah was too much to resist.

The two of them made their way toward the east end in a taxi and arrived at the venue. On stepping out of the taxi Sarah said "Don't worry about paying to get in I know the owner, he's always on the door welcoming people in!"

They both walked up to the entrance to the club, as Peter got nearer he noticed a man standing

outside the entrance, the man who was slim, wearing glasses with a goatee beard called out to Sarah "Hello Sarah, you are looking absolutely stunning tonight. Who's your friend?"

"Hello Aaron" Said Sarah, who then gave Aaron a warm embrace "This is Peter!"

Aaron turned to Peter "Pleased to meet you Peter, any friend of Sarah's is a friend of mine!"

"Likewise" Was Peter's reply

With that Aaron offered his hand to Peter to shake, they shook hands but on doing so Peter thought to himself 'That's weird, what a funny handshake he's got, for on shaking Peter's hand he tapped his thumb twice on the back of his palm!

"Step on inside" said Aaron "Hope you both enjoy yourselves!"

On walking into the dimly lit room Peter was taken a back with the presence of a woman with a beehive hairstyle, tattoo's all down her arm and a cigarette dangling from her mouth! He wasn't sure if it was the low light playing tricks with him but he was sure it was Amy Winehouse. Peter took hold of Sarah's hand, walked past the woman and the remainder of the crowded room toward the bar where yet again he was astonished to find what was before him. Serving behind the bar was Brian Jones the bass player from the Rolling Stones, also serving behind the bar was Robert Johnson the legendary blues singer who died sometime in the 1930's! Peter who started to get a little worried and concerned about this place that Sarah had bought him to! Has he began to order drinks for the two of them he turned round to sound of music coming from the stage, again he couldn't believe his eyes, there on the stage he heard the turbulent tones of Janis Joplin, belting out her song 'Piece of My Heart'.

"What place have you bought me to Sarah, all these famous musicians and artists around us, well they're all dead, it's all weird, what's going on?" asked a nervous looking Peter.

Sarah replied to Peter's question. "Hey don't get so uptight, there's a perfectly good explanation for all this. We are at the 27 club, a place where all the famous artists that died at the age of 27 come to perform, they're all tribute acts!"

"Really?" said Peter in shock "I should count my blessings then, I'm not 27 until November so at least I've got the best part of the year left. They all look so real and so lifelike; they all look and sound amazing. Listen to Janis Joplin over there, she sounds like the real deal.

Now that Peter knew what the club was all about he started to relax and enjoy himself a bit more. Janis Joplin had just finished her set when Jim Morrison of the Doors came onto the stage; he

began to sing "Break on through to the other side"

"Wow this is mental" said Peter getting more and more excited with the sounds and vibes that were going on around him. "Look over there Sarah, there's Kurt Cobain headbanging in the crowd, this place is fantastic! Thanks for bringing me here."

The more the night went on the more chemistry was building up between the two of them.

"What would you say about staying at mine tonight?" Asked Sarah

With a twinkle in his eye Peter eagerly replied "I thought you'd never ask!"

"Ok, we'll leave after the next act if you like" said Sarah

No sooner had she said that than the next act appeared on stage, this time it was Jimi Hendrix. Big, bold and brass he took centre stage with his flamboyant clothing, with his fuzzed out hair, his giant hands placed on his guitar. The room was deadly silent when all of a sudden there was an almighty roar, the sounds of "All Along The Watchtower" was booming around the room, the place was electric! The guy playing on centre stage did a few more songs then he finished the night with a song called "Hey Joe"

It was at this point that Peter began to feel uncomfortable, with a strained voice he spoke to Sarah "We really need to go now, I don't feel so good!"

"What's wrong with you?" she said "I love this song"

"It just reminds me of a friend I once knew, now if you don't mind I really want to get out of here!" Replied Peter with a sense of tension in his voice!

Peter grabbed Sarah by the hand rushed out of the building and entered into a waiting cab! Sarah told the taxi driver where to go then curled into Peter "What's wrong with you, darling, why are you so upset? You've had such a fantastic night and now you look so sad! What's wrong? Please tell me"

Peter snapped back "Now isn't the right time, I will tell you but only when the time is right!"

The journey to Sarah's apartment didn't take too long; on exiting the cab Peter looked up at a stunning looking tower block "Wow" Peter said "This must set you back a few bob!"

Sarah replied rather modestly "Yes, it's just what I call home, that's all."

On reflection Peter thought about the nights events, although quite strange, sometimes bizarre; he really couldn't be in a better place right now. As they walked into the foyer and into the elevator, Sarah pressed the button for the 13th floor. Peter looked at the red digits on the display board and thought to himself '13 may be unlucky but certainly not unlucky for me tonight'

Chapter 2. Superman Lovers Peter looked around in the new surroundings of Sarah's apartment, everything was clean and spotless, not a speck of dust to be seen! The lounge was enormous which lead out to a balcony. On further inspection Peter made his way on to the balcony, he stood against the railings and looked across at the boldness of the big city! He stared at all the bright lights, the tall buildings; he could even see the famous Gherkin in the distance! He listened to the sound of motorists passing by, the sound of police sirens, the sounds of screaming and fighting in the streets, even at three o'clock in the morning this city was well and truly still alive!

I'm just going to go to the bathroom Peter and take my make up off." Said Sarah

"Ok" Said Peter "I'll just stay here a little while longer and take in the scenery."

Peter carried on looking into the open night; he felt calm, collected and a feeling of being one with the World. Then all of a sudden he heard the sound of a swooping noise behind him coming from the night sky. Peter slowly turned around, to his astonishment there perched on the railings of the balcony was an owl. Although not frightened by the owl's presence Peter thought it very strange for an owl to be in close proximity to himself, also he thought it unusual for this fine specimen of a bird to be seen in the city. The owl sat perched on the railings was unhinged with Peter's company. The bird of prey looked majestic with its elegant brown looking feather's, its prominent ear tufts that made it look like royalty and the deepness of the rustic orange eyes was something that Peter was in awe of. The pair of them just stood there, the noise of the city was now a deadly silence as the owl and Peter just stared into each other's eyes Without moving an inch Peter felt he was moving closer and closer into the darkness that was the owl's pupil, it was as if the owl had put Peter into some kind of trance! Still, without moving, Peter was being drawn ever nearer to the owl's captivating eyes! All of a sudden Peter found himself surrounded in darkness, hands outstretched grasping for some kind of light, some kind of comfort, Peter was now well and truly in the dark! Scared, in panic, Peter began to thump his fists against that of the vitreous humer; his efforts were being wasted as he just kept bouncing of the walls! Peter threw his arm back with all his might and threw one almighty punch! Peter still captive in the eye of the owl began to see some light; it was as if the owl had opened its eyes. Peter could now see again but not with his own vision but the vision of the owl. Everything around him seemed so different, it was as if someone had turned the colour off, everything was now in black and white, yet seemed so much clearer! Instead of feeling scared and in the dark he looked at the World around him in a different light, without fear Peter gazed into the open night treasuring every moment. Suddenly Peter became startled, he felt a force like no other; he turned around to the presence of Sarah who was shaking him by his arm!

"Hey, snap out of it Peter" Sarah cried out "You'll end up falling over the edge if you're not careful"

She exclaimed

Peter still startled looked at Sarah and said "Sorry, I was trying to look up at the stars!"

Sarah put her arms around Peter to comfort him and replied "A certain kind of darkness is needed to see the stars!"

"I'm tired Sarah" Said an exhausted Peter "We really need to be getting some sleep"

The two of them made their way to the bedroom to finish off what was a truly extraordinary and unbelievable 24 hours!

Peter woke up the next day with a head full of thunder, as he turned over to find comfort in Sarah he noticed that she wasn't there! Peter placed himself upright in bed and looked out toward the balcony. If things couldn't get any stranger, he found himself looking at a half naked woman with her back to him, she had long flowing black hair!

"Hey, who are you?" He cried out "Where's Sarah?"

The woman with back turned started to laugh out loud "Don't you recognise me?" She said "It's me Sarah!" With that she turned round "What do you think?" She asked

"Hmm, I'm still sleepy and a little confused" replied Peter "What's going on?"

Sarah smiled back at Peter "It's a wig silly, I've got it for a fancy dress party that I'm going to tonight, the theme is Super Heroes and Villains! You can come too if you like?"

"I thought you were someone else there for a moment" Laughed Peter "I'm not one for dressing up to be honest but I would be happy to come along! Who are you going has?" He asked with intrigue.

"I'm going has Wonder Woman, hence the black wig!" Explained Sarah "Why don't you go has Superman, you'd look great in that costume, you'd look well sexy!" She suggested to him.

"Honestly, I'm not one for dressing up; I always end up feeling stupid." Sighed Peter

"I know" Said Sarah "I've got an idea!" With that she reached into the cabinet drawer and took out a large pair of black rimmed glasses! She jumped onto the bed, faced Peter and placed the glasses onto his face! "There" She said "You can go has Clark Kent, we can go and buy a Superman t-shirt later on today, then over the top of that you can wear your white shirt, pin the

shirt back so that people can see the Superman emblem and with the suit you already have you'll look great, I promise you!"

"That's a great Idea, I think I can live with that" replied Peter

"Good, that's settled then." Sarah replied "Shall we get ourselves ready, do some shopping and then get something to eat? I know a great little restaurant not far from here, you'll love it"

The two love birds began collecting themselves together and made their way to the local stores. No less than an hour had passed until Peter and Sarah managed to find the Superman t-shirt that they were both looking for! Although Peter had only known Sarah a short time, he knew that his feelings for her were increasing; he felt closeness, a certain richness that he had never experienced with any other woman before, had he finally met the woman of his dreams? They carried on shopping from store to store, Sarah would make a comment on how lovely a certain dress looked, how a certain pair of shoes looked, every time she looked at an item Peter would just tell her to buy it; money was no object to him after such a big windfall the night before! The two of them had exhausted themselves out with all the shopping so decided to go to the restaurant that Sarah had suggested earlier! Sarah had a face of delight while she was walking down the street with her eight bags of shopping while Peter on the other hand was walking beside her with his single solitude bag and his new t-shirt inside. They approached the restaurant; outside the premises; the green, white and red of the Italian flag with a sign saying 'LUIGI'S'.

"I absolutely love Italian" Said Peter with mouth-watering lips

Sarah replied "Their food is to die for, honestly!"

They entered into Luigi's, found themselves a table and began to look at the menu.

"I Think I'll have Sirloin steak. What would you like Sarah?" Asked Peter

Sarah replied "I fancy the Spaghetti Alla Carbonara, that's always been my favourite"

The waiter came to the table and took their orders. "How would you like your steak sir?" asked the waiter.

Peter replied "I like mine well done thank you!"

"Very well sir" said the waiter and made his way to the kitchen

While they were waiting for the meal to arrive Peter and Sarah began talking about their lives,

learning more about each other, laughing, joking, holding each other's hands, they were becoming besotted with each other! Some twenty minutes later the waiter bought the starters to the table, they both began eating still enjoying each other's company. Shortly afterwards the main course arrived, the delicious looking Carbonara and the beautiful looking sirloin steak. Again they began to eat, Peter sliced through the succulent steak with his knife; he looked up to Sarah with a disgruntled face!

"I'm not happy about this steak!" He said with a disapproving look. "I asked for well done, this is rare, so rare it doesn't look as if it's been cooked at all. Look at all the blood flowing from it, it's disgusting!"

Sarah looked at the steak but on her observation she couldn't see anything wrong with it, in her eyes she saw a perfectly looking well done sirloin steak. In order not to cause a commotion or scene she tried reassuring Peter that everything was fine! "It doesn't look that bad to me Peter; maybe it could be cooked for a little bit longer!"

"Are you joking?" Peter said "This steak looks as if it's come straight from the slaughter house; it's dripping from the sides!" Peter summoned over the waiter "I want to talk with the manager, now."

A few moments later the manager arrived "What seems to be the matter sir?" He asked

Quick to reply Peter hollowed back "I asked for a well done steak, instead I have ended up with this steak, can you see how much blood there is, there's so much blood here, it looks more like the red sea, it's flowing everywhere! I demand a refund."

The manager looking bemused replied "It looks perfectly ok to me sir, are you sure you're not getting confused with the red wine sauce that's layered over the top of it?"

"Are you blind man, this meat is oozing blood, it's everywhere!" said Peter "Go and get the chef, I'm telling you now, this place needs shutting down if this is the best food you can come up with!"

The angry looking manager called out to the waiter to fetch the chef. All of a sudden the kitchen door flung wide open, a giant of a man burst into the room! The chef marched toward the disgruntled Peter with a fierce looking face, the chef with meat cleaver still in hand looked menacing with a black patch over his right eye, wearing his chef whites decorated with a black and white chequered design!

The chef looked down at Peter like a blot on the landscape "What's your problem?" said the chef with venom in his voice!

Peter now slightly intimidated replied "Well the thing is, this steak I would say is slightly under cooked, and I was wondering if it's at all possible if you could cook it for a little bit longer?"

The chef roared back "If I cook it any longer, you'll have nothing other than a lump of charcoal."

Peter was now raging, undeterred by the size of the chef who stood up to him "This steak is vile, I'm going to report you to trading standards: do you hear me? I'll have you closed down quicker than you can say 'Fall of the Roman Empire'. Call yourself a chef; I wouldn't trust you to make a hardboiled egg!"

Red faced, steam billowing out of his ears the Chef grabbed the back of Peter's suit by the scruff of his neck "Right you blooming weirdo, get out of my restaurant." Said the angry chef who then flung Peter out of the front door of the restaurant.

Peter landed awkwardly onto the pavement, Sarah rushed out took Peter's hand and helped him up on to his feet! Clearly shaken but still angry shook his fist to the three members of staff who were gazing out of the restaurant window at him! "I'll have you for this, I will, I'll have you for this. Do you hear me?" Said Peter while dusting himself down!

Peter and Sarah began to walk away from Luigi's. Sarah was becoming concerned over Peter's state of mind, unsure how to deal with the situation she just remained quiet while Peter carried on ranting and raving on how they had been treated. The two of them returned back to Sarah's apartment where they spent the remainder of the afternoon to get ready for the evenings fancy dress party that was to be Super Heroes and Villains!

An hour before the party Peter and Sarah were getting ready for the party that was ahead of them! Sarah looked great in her costume. Sporting a red top with a golden eagle emblem, a white belt, blue with white star spangled culottes and a pair of red and golden knee high boots, she looked stunning! With her flowing long black hair and tiara she certainly looked the part. Peter on the other hand felt slightly under dressed in his black suit and Superman t-shirt but Sarah certainly made him look the part by greasing Peter's hair to one side and placing the glasses on his face, looked perfect has Clark Kent!

"Where is this party going to be Sarah?" asked Peter

Sarah replied "It's going to be in some sort of ballroom, it's going to be huge. I'm getting quite excited now!"

Clark Kent and Wonder Woman as they now wanted to be known to each other made their way

through the streets and houses to the on looking passersby who were more interested in the sexy style of Sarah than anything else! The closer they got the more people they were coming across also wearing different costumes. People in Batman costumes, some dressed as Spiderman others dressed as Iron Man, the list was endless. Dozens of people, all looking truly amazing! The two of them entered the ballroom; there must have been over two hundred people in that room that night. Peter felt like the odd one out, for no other person came dressed as Clark Kent!

"Wow" Said Peter "Some of these people look amazing, I wish I'd made more of an effort now!"

"Don't worry, it makes you unique!" replied Sarah with a warm smile on her face.

Sarah looked over in the distance, she noticed a friend dressed as Cat woman "Hey Dawn, come over here and join us, come and meet my new friend Peter."

Dawn dressed in a tight black PVC suit which complemented her shapely figure, her dark skin blending in with the suit made her look the perfect feline! She made her way to join Peter and Sarah "Hi, Sarah. Long time no see! Where did you find this guy from? He looks gorgeous!"

"Hey keep your hands to yourself, he's mine!" Sarah said placing the palm of her hand in front of the face of the Catwoman.

"Ok, I'm only kidding but he does look rather cute" Said Dawn has she started to stroke the face of Peter "He looks prrrr-fect" added Dawn with a sinister laugh.

"Thank you" Said Peter with a nervous smile "I've got a thing for women who dress in PVC!"

"Have you now?" Laughed Dawn "You're funny, is there anything I could tempt you with, my dear?"

Peter leant over to Dawn then gently whispered into her ear. Dawn responded with a huge smile then with a loud purr she screeched "Meowwwww, I like your style"

Sarah was now feeling left out "Hey Peter, go and get some drinks while I have a chat with my friend, please."

Peter duly did what he was told and made his way to the bar, upon doing so he came across a large mirror. He looked in the mirror and couldn't believe what he was seeing, the reflection he saw was not that of himself, nor was it the reflection of Clark Kent. The reflection was that of Superman, with his dashing good looks and his pearly white teeth Peter could not believe what he was seeing! The reflection did not show Peter wearing his black suit anymore, instead he was

wearing the red and blue of Superman, the red cape floating in the background, with hands on hips and chest bulked out Peter felt invincible, untouchable! Whatever the suit held for Joe seemed to be having the opposite effect on Peter, for Peter was now well and truly leaving a life style that he had never experienced before! Peter right now had everything in life, a beautiful woman, money, friends and now the inner feeling of having complete power!! The more he stared at himself in the mirror the more he felt good about himself. All of a sudden he felt himself being knocked to the floor! Peter looked up to the sight of a man dressed as a sinister looking Joker, with his face all in white with dark shadows on his eyes and a crooked red smile made up of red lipstick!

"You want to look where you're going!" Said the man in an agitated voice.

Peter stood up, almost in character to Clark Kent replied to the Joker "I'm sorry; I'll make sure I do in future!"

Peter then made his way to the bar; he collected a couple of drinks then returned to the two ladies, Sarah and Dawn.

"You took your time." enquired Sarah

"Yes, it was a bit busy at the bar!" Peter explained

The three of them carried on enjoying the night, while Dawn was a little quieter toward Peter with the lecture she had been given while Peter had been at the bar! Peter looked around at all the people in their costumes when he noticed on person in particular!

"Look at that guy over there" he said to the two girls "That's the most pathetic looking Hulk I have ever seen, he can't be any more than nine stone and he's only about 5' 7", he looks so puny."

"I agree" Said Dawn, "he doesn't look very menacing, I reckon I could go over there and if I blew on him he would probably fall over!"

The three of them began laughing at each other when Peter noticed the Joker he had bumped into earlier was looking over at him. The Joker began to walk toward Peter.

"Listen" Said the Joker "I'm sorry about earlier, I feel has if I was partly to blame! Can I offer you a drink to make up for it?"

"Yes, why not." Said Peter a little surprised "That's kind of you!"

Peter told the Joker what drink he wanted then the Joker went to the bar, in character with the Joker he began to grin hideously in the company of some friends who was also at the bar. The Joker then placed his hands in his pocket then poured something into Peter's drink, the group of people who were with him all started to laugh as the Joker made his way back toward Peter!

"There you go mate, sorry for any ill feelings!" Said the Joker

"Cheers, thanks a lot!" Replied Peter

Some time had now passed the party was getting into a steady flow, the music was pumping and everyone was grooving on the dance floor. Peter looked at the two girls "I love this tune, I'm going to have a blast on the dance floor" as he could hear the tune of Superman Lovers by Starlight. He rushed to the centre of the dance floor and began to enjoy the sounds of one his favourite songs! Suddenly Peter began to feel unwell, the room started to spin round. Disorientated by the bright lights, the pulsating sounds coming from the speakers Peter fell to the floor, on one knee he looked up to the overlooking crowd that was circling around him. Above him he could see the figures of different Super heroes and villains, Batmen, Spiderman, Green Goblins, Ghost riders and Penguins! Each one of them looking down at him with concern, although in Peter's mind he felt that everyone was out to harm him! Peter dazed, confused looked again at the frightening faces that were looking down at him, the puny looking Hulk that he had laughed at earlier was now towering over him like a ten foot monster with rip muscling arms and a menacing stare. The Joker who was near the front of the crowd was laughing inanely at Peter! Feeling paranoid, uneasy, Peter picked himself off the floor and pushed his way through the concerning crowd. Panicking he ran to a door, on opening it he noticed it was going upstairs! Sarah noticed Peter entering the door so decided to follow him, she climbed the stairs to find herself on the roof top of the building and the presence of Peter standing near the ledge!

"What's the matter with you Peter, what's up?" She asked

Peter looked at Sarah "I need to get back home!"

"What do you mean; you need to get back home?" Asked Sarah

Peter replied "I need to get back to Kryptonite, I have no place on this planet, it's not my home; I don't belong here!" Peter ripped his shirt even further; then began to run to the ledge!

"STOP" Sarah cried out "You'll end up killing yourself, come away from the ledge"

Peter for a moment came to his senses then turned to walk toward Sarah. Sarah put her arms

around Peter and reassured him by saying "You're ok now, you're with me. You do worry me Peter, you and heights don't get on. Let's go downstairs and get ourselves back home!"

Sarah took hold of Peter's arm and guided him downstairs to an audience of Super heroes and villains all talking about him as he nervously made his way out of the building. The two of them made their way home, when on their return Sarah placed Peter into bed and made sure she securely locked the doors leading to the balcony!

Chapter 3. Luxury Is a State Of Mind The next day Peter awoke to a thumping headache, whatever happened the night before was a distant blur. Peter nestled into to Sarah to find comfort, in doing so he said "Are you awake Sarah?"

"Yes" Was her reply

Peter, struggling to find his words, said "I feel awful. What happened to me last night? I can't remember a thing."

"One minute you were fine the next minute you were trying to save the universe, at one point you were on top of a building trying to fly off into the night sky" Said a concerning Sarah.

"Yes, I remember something now; I was fine until the man dressed as the Joker bought me a drink. I think he must have spiked it" Suggested Peter.

Sarah replied "I'm not sure if that was the case but I am worried about you, I've only known you a short time already but some of your actions since I have known you have been a bit bizarre and wacky to say the least.

"No I'm sure of it, I'm sure that guy spiked my drink, there's no other explanation for it. Anyway what do you mean by bizarre behaviour?" replied Peter.

"Oh it doesn't matter" Replied Sarah trying to keep the peace!

Somewhat disgruntled Peter hit back "No, if you've got something to say then say it" was his reply.

"It's just that on the first night I met you, the night where you were on my balcony. Well you were in some kind of dream like stance, like you were in a trance! Then yesterday at the restaurant you kicked up such a fuss and commotion when actually there was nothing wrong with your steak, then to top it all you were adamant that you were Superman and that you were going to save the universe and return to the planet Kryptonite! Now forgive me if I'm wrong but that isn't normal" Explained Sarah

"Ok, let me explain" said Peter. "The first night on the balcony you could put down to the fact that I was feeling tired. The time at the restaurant, well I don't know what you were looking at but my steak was disgusting. I don't know how you could see it any differently to me? Now we come to last night, I'm sure that flaming Joker put something in my drink, I've never behaved like that in my life, there's no other reason for it!"

Sarah agreed to disagree at least for the time being, the morning was still young; she thought it better to talk with Peter later on in the day when she had woken up properly. The two of them climbed out of bed, then in turn used the bathroom and then prepared themselves some breakfast.

Unable to keep in what she was thinking Sarah asked of Peter "So when are you planning on going back to stay with your friend?"

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" said Peter

Munching on a mouthful of toast she replied "Well you can't stay here forever!"

"But I thought we had something special" said Peter somewhat downbeat.

"We?" expressed Sarah "There is no 'we'! I've got things to do, places to see, people to meet. I'm sorry if you thought there was something more between us but, we've met, had a good time and that's all I'm afraid."

With a sad expression on his face looked at Sarah "Oh, I see. Well I'll leave today then. We can still be friends though, yeah?"

"Yes of course we can" Replied Sarah "You've got my number, just give me a call sometime"

The two of them spent the next couple of hours with each other until Peter decided it was best to leave. Sarah saw Peter to the elevator and kissed him on the cheek "Thanks for a great time Peter, get in touch sometime"

Peter made his way to the ground floor, walked out of the foyer and back into the urban jungle! He reached into his suit pocket for his mobile, on doing so he called his friend Robert. "Hi, Rob, sorry I haven't been in touch but I've been a bit busy the last couple of days. Listen, I've come into a bit of money and was wondering if I could stay with you a little while longer, I'm not ready to go back home just yet. Is that ok with you buddy?"

Robert on the other end of the line laughed back at Peter "No worries mate, you can stay as long as you like"

With that out of the way Peter made his way to the nearest pub, all alone at the bar Peter began to have one drink after another until he could hardly stand. The reason for drinking such large amounts was the fact that he was besotted with Sarah, he thought that she had felt the same way

but as always he had been blown out. "Am I ever going to find the right woman in my life" He thought to himself.

Peter had been staying at Robert's for about two weeks, they hardly saw each other; they were like passing ships in the night. When Robert was at work Peter would be visiting all the pubs, lap dancing clubs, casinos, anywhere there was fun and excitement Peter would be there! Each and every day he would text Sarah but never got a reply, it was this disappointment that made Peter drink more and more heavily. He began to think to himself "Why won't she just answer my calls?" So instead of texting her he decided to call her instead, he dialled the number but instead of getting a dialling tone all he could hear was a continuous tone. That only meant one thing in his mind; her phone had been cut off for some reason. "Maybe that's the reason why she hasn't been in touch" He thought "Maybe she still wants to know me but she's unable to get in touch with me" Peter decided that while he was still in a sober state that he would go and pay Sarah a visit, his feelings for her were still strong, maybe she did have feelings for him but without her being able to get in touch with him then he would never know! He arrived at the tower block then pressed the intercom to her apartment.

"Hello" Said a male voice at the other end of the intercom

Somewhat bemused Peter replied "Hello, is Sarah there please?"

The man on the other end answered "No one lives here by that name, are you sure you've got the right place?"

"Yes I'm sure" Replied Peter "I saw her here about two weeks ago, I am not mistaken"

The man replied "I'm sorry but you must be. I've lived here for the last three years on my own. Sorry I can't be of any more help. Goodbye"

Not taking no for an answer Peter decided to wait until a passerby was entering the building. As soon as someone entered he slipped his way through the door; then made his way to the 13th floor. He exited the elevator then knocked on the door of the apartment. The door opened.

"I'm sorry to trouble you sir but I met a young lady called Sarah a few weeks ago, she lives in this apartment, I stayed here a few weeks ago with her, I'm positive, it's the same place!" Said Peter with an air of confusion.

"Are you crazy" The man replied " I have already told you, I have lived here for three years, I don't know anyone of that name, what's more if you don't believe me then come inside and take a look."

Peter stepped inside the apartment; he could not believe his eyes. The entire decor in the apartment was different, the lounge, the kitchen, the bathroom and the bedroom were all different. Peter was in shock!

"Are you satisfied now?" said the man

Peter answered with a nervous tone "Yes, yes. I'm sorry to have bothered you; I will leave you in peace. Good day to you sir."

Peter entered the elevator went down to the ground floor and ran out of the building, he held onto a nearby wall to get his composure when he noticed something that he had never seen before, the name of the building. He had never taken any notice of the name of the tower block until now! 'BOHEMIAN HEIGHTS' Peter started to run, faster and faster until he came to what he thought would be a good safe haven, another pub! Peter entered the pub, ordered himself a drink then began to think about the scenarios of the past two weeks! He tried to make sense of the things that logically didn't make sense at all. First of all he took himself back to the night at Pharaoh's casino, Pharaoh being the link to Egypt, then the numbers he used for the roulette wheel, numbers that are used in secret societies, then there was Sarah, the lady in red, another form of symbolism, the 27 club where all the people who died at 27 died a mysterious death, the owl on the balcony which is symbolic to death, the steak at the restaurant with all the blood resembled the bloodline of the Rothschild's, the one eyed symbolism of the chef, again the chef with its black and white chequered Masonic design, then to round it all off, the evening that he had spent with a room full of Super heroes! All of these situations which Peter had found himself in over the past weeks lead to only one thing. 'The illuminati' As Peter ordered himself another drink, he collected his thoughts, he couldn't stop thinking about the evening that he had spent with Joe, the night where Joe quite openly talked about his faith in God, in turn he spoke to Joe about his non belief's. The two brothers called Horus and Set, Mythology and the Illuminati. Everything that he had no belief in, everything that he so candidly talked to Joe about was slowly turning into a surreal reality! "What is happening to me?" Peter thought to himself "Why me? Paranoia was quickly setting in to Peter's mind; the whispers in the background, the laughing and joking of people walking beside him at the bar were all too much for him to bear. He quickly left the pub; aimlessly he walked through the suburbs of London. Frightened and alone Peter was becoming scared of the hustle and bustle of the city, the noise was becoming too much to bear, the sounds of sirens, the sounds of the traffic, people staring, laughing, pointing their fingers at him, each time he saw a cctv camera he would hide his face, convinced that the Illuminati was watching over him. His brain was now working overtime. Peter felt he had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Peter was now scared for his Life!

Peter as quick as he could made his way to his friend Robert's, on returning there he made his

way into his friends spare room, shut the curtains and laid on the bed in complete darkness! Peter lay there for hours with all different kind of thoughts going on within his mind. Eventually he could hear the sound of his friend turning the key in the lock. Peter remained quiet, too scared to face his friend!

"Hello are you home?" called out Robert

Peter stayed where he was, scared, alone and frightened he did nothing more than just remain silent. Robert on the other hand carried on with his daily routine, made himself some tea then sat down in front of the TV for the rest of the evening! Everything was calm; Robert was enjoying a nice relaxing evening when all of a sudden he heard a loud scream coming from the spare room.

"No, get away from me" Was the scream from the bedroom

Robert rushed to the room, opened the door, turned the light on and saw the presence of Peter curled up like a ball on the bed. "What's the matter Peter? I didn't know you were here. What's troubling you?" He asked

Peter looked at Robert with blood shot eyes "They're after me Robert, they're coming to get me: I'm a dead man!"

"What, are you in some kind of trouble, have you been mixing with the wrong crowd while you've been here?" asked Robert

"No, it's far worse than that, they're watching over me as we speak. I can't trust no-one Robert. They are everywhere!" said Peter with tension in his voice.

"You're clearly in a bad way Peter, try and get some sleep. We'll talk some more in the morning and see if you are any better by then" said Robert with concern in his voice.

The next day arrived; Robert went to Peter's room. Peter was awake but his appearance was no different from the night before! "You look awful Peter. Did you manage to get any sleep last night? Robert asked.

"No" Said Peter "I have to remain vigilant, I can't let them take me away, and they're coming to get me."

"Who's coming to get you?" Asked Robert

Peter replied "The powers that be!"

Robert looked down at Peter and said "I've known you a long time Peter, I've never seen you like this before, and I'm worried. I think that this isn't the right place for you at the moment, maybe if I drove you back to your Mother's later on today, then you'll be better there with your family"

Peter lying on the bed, turned his back on Robert like a spoilt child and murmured "If you think it's for the best"

During the course of the day Robert began to pack Peter's luggage away, he made sure he did all the checks on the car, then ushered Peter out of the room into the awaiting car!

"Have you got sunglasses?" Asked Peter

"Yes, in the glove compartment" Replied Robert "But why do you want those? There's no sun at the moment"

Peter didn't answer; he just reached into the glove compartment; then duly placed the sunglasses on his face! Robert began to drive to Havenstown; on the entire journey Peter didn't say another word. After fighting through all the traffic Robert eventually pulled up outside the home of Peter's Mother. Peter remained in the passenger seat while Robert made his way up to the door then rang the doorbell.

Peter's Mother answered the door "Hello Robert. What can I do for you?" She asked

"Hello Mrs Prosser, I don't know how to say this but I've got Peter waiting in the car. He's been staying with me for a little while, everything's been fine up till now but when I got home last night I found that his personality has changed dramatically, he's fearful and scared of anything or anyone who approaches him!" Explained Robert

Both she and Robert went to the car on their approach they could see Peter just staring out of the windscreen with sunglasses still firmly on his face! Robert opened the passenger door, then Jennifer called out "Hello Son, are you ok?"

Peter still looking forward just gave a little wave to his Mother in acknowledgement.

"Come on" said Robert "Let's get you inside"

Jennifer and Robert took one arm each of Peter and escorted him into the house, where he then made his way up to his room and locked himself away!

"Thank you for bringing him back" Said Jennifer

Robert quick to reply "I just hope he gets better soon; I've never seen him like this! I just hope that you will know what to do with him now he's back home."

"Bless you Robert" Said Jennifer "Hope you have a safe journey home"

Over the coming weeks Peter remained steadfast in his room, not talking to any members of his family; day after day his Mother would go to his room to give him his breakfast, dinner and tea. It was becoming all too much for her seeing her son become a shimmering wreck until one day she snapped "Son, you've got to snap out of this, you need to get out. If you don't do something about this you're only going to get worse! So if you don't go for a walk today then I'm calling the doctor. Do you hear me?"

Peter's Mother left the room, on listening to his Mother's words decided to go into Havenstown. After all he didn't want any doctor's looking at him, he got himself dressed walked downstairs and out the front door without saying a word to anybody! Slowly, briskly, Peter made his way into the centre of the town; he couldn't help but feel that people were staring at him as he passed them by in the tight nit community that was Havenstown. He walked into a shop; he started to browse amongst the items on the shelves when he looked up to the sight of a security camera placed upon the ceiling. Quickly he covered his face and then ran out of the shop still convinced that higher forces were still watching over him. He carried on walking around sheepishly; even this small town in where he lived was too much for him to cope with. He started to walk toward the market place when something grabbed his attention, there in the middle of the market square was a man holding a bible, the man was not alone he had some friends with him! He was talking to the crowds of people walking by, some stopped and listened, others just hurried by, then there were others that just laughed and jeered at him. Peter decided to walk nearer and listen to what the man at to say. Peter stood there for some time and listened intently to the words of this intriguing man when all of a sudden another man approached him. The man looked familiar to Peter but wasn't sure where he had met him before.

"Hello" said the man "You probably don't recognise me but I saw you at Joe's funeral, my appearance has changed somewhat since I saw you on that day. My name's Monty!"

Peter wasn't really in the mood or state of mind to be dealing with this obscure person in front of him but decided to reply "Yes, I'm well thank you."

Monty who's appearance had changed somewhat over the past months, with slick back hair, clean shaven and a new set of dentures he looked a different person to that of the old Monty, He turned to Peter and said "Glad to hear it"

Monty took time in talking with Peter; the conversation was often strained with the lack of reply on Peter's part. Monty then began to talk about his faith with Peter, Peter became tired of Monty's talk and yelled out at him "Stop, stop this nonsense, I've never heard so much utter rubbish"

Monty looked at Peter with sympathetic eyes "Why are you fighting against God? He loves you!"

Peter glared back at Monty "I'm not fighting; how can I fight against something I don't believe in?"

"Why don't you stay a little bit longer so that I can explain things to you" Replied Monty

"No" said Peter "I thought I was mad but you are totally bonkers! Get out of my sight freak"

After his exchange of words Peter ran off from the bemused looking Monty to make his way home. The walk into Havenstown maybe didn't achieve much but at least Peter had now found his voice again!

The weeks went by, they were testing times for Brian, Jennifer and the two girls. All of them concerned over Peter's welfare and his state of mind. Brian, Jennifer both decided that something needed to be done so decided to go and see the local doctor. The three of them all went to the doctor's clinic, as Brian sat down in the waiting area Jennifer and Peter walked into the doctor's room. The doctor asked a lot of questions to both Peter and Jennifer, after much thought and deliberation the doctor turned to Jennifer. "I'm going to refer Peter for some therapy with a mental health worker, I have all your details and they will be in touch with you shortly" Chapter 3 not finished. Peter gets referred to a mental health unit but I'm unsure how long it takes for someone to enter into a care unit after being referred by the doctor, so will finish this chapter when I have more knowledge. Next chapter see's Peter being referred to Oakdale Mental Health unit!

Chapter 4. I Think, I Feel, I Am Peter arrived for his first day at Oakdale mental health unit, the unit was surrounded by vast amounts of countryside. Oakdale looked like a cross between a large community centre and a prison with its large perimeter fence that circled round the premises. Peter entered through the main security door to the lobby where he was quickly introduced to the manager of the facility.

The manger shook Peter's hand. "Hell, my name's Mr Poole. I'm going to make sure your stay here will be a good one, the rest of the team and I will be taking care of you. We are all here to make sure you get better as soon as possible, so that when we feel that you are ready, you can go back home and carry on living a normal life!"

Peter who was somewhat despondent looked at Mr Poole then politely nodded his head. Peter hugged his Mother goodbye then slowly walked down the empty corridor that was to become his new home, there was an air of silence about the place, the corridor's were filled with echo's of silence, Oakdale seemed the perfect place for Peter to find peace and calm. All of a sudden the silence was now quashed; he could hear the jingle, jangle of keys coming from behind him.

"Slow down" said one of the member's of staff "I will show you where you'll be sleeping, then I will show you round the rest of Oakdale"

The staff member unlocked the first door they arrived at, then made their way down a passage way that lead to the dormitory, the staff member lead Peter into what was going to be his new home for the unforeseeable future. Peter looked around in the square room, with just a single bed, wardrobe and sideboard. He walked over to the window; then looked out to sight of the openness of the countryside.

"Come now" Said the staff member "I will show you round the rest of Oakdale"

The staff member briskly showed the way forward while Peter was slowly trudging behind, the staff member unlocked another door then walked down another empty corridor. This time there was a noise coming from the end of the corridor, on there approach the noise was becoming louder and louder. The two of them reached the end of the corridor where the staff member unlocked the door.

"This is the communal room where everybody gathers" Said the staff member.

Peter with hands on ears couldn't bear the screeching, crying and wailing of some of the other patients. All around him were men and women acting, behaving in a manner that he had never

known the like before! One lady was sat on a chair, she had scratches all down the side of her face, wearing sunglasses, she just kept rocking backwards and forwards in her chair, while at the same time she would be shaking her head from side to side. It was obvious she had some form of Saint Vitas dance! Further in another corner Peter could see a tall figure of a man just standing there talking to himself. This room was full of people with issues far worse than his own, the quiet settings that he thought he had arrived at was nothing more than a house of dysphoria. Looking round the room he couldn't help but notice the amount of people who had cuts on their arms, obviously caused through self harming. All of this was too much for Peter to take in. Since arriving at Oakdale he muttered his first words to the member of staff who had bought him this far. "I want you to take me back to my room now please"

Peter arrived back at his room, lay on his bed then stared at the ceiling for the next couple of hours; the realisation was quickly setting in that this was going to be a rocky and bumpy ride during his stay at Oakdale. Suddenly the bells started to ring to indicate it was time for the evening meal for tea, Peter took his suit off placed it into the wardrobe, he decide to put some casual clothes on then made his way to the dining area, he stood in line along with all the other residents when he heard a voice from behind.

"Hello, what's your name, Hello my names Jeremy. What's your name? You're new here aren't you? My names Jeremy. Nice to meet your acquaintance. Said the man who shuffled closer and closer, to the point where he was breathing down the back of Peter's neck!

Peter began to feel uneasy by his presence took a stride forward to the lady who was serving food, Peter looked behind to the sight of Jeremy's inane smile, he didn't want to appear rude so answered "The names Peter"

"That's great" Said Jeremy "I haven't got many friends here, will you be my friend? I don't make friends very easily, will you be my friend?"

It was clear to Peter that Jeremy had some sort of nervous disposition, he kept repeating himself over and over again, so in politeness Peter turned to Jeremy "Hey, why not"

All excited, with a face full of glee Jeremy replied "Thank you, thank you. I promise I will be a good friend to you, I promise I will. We can sit down together for lunch; we can learn to know each other better!"

Peter collected his food, then sat down beside the long dining table that was shared with other residents, opposite him was an empty space that was quickly filled by Jeremy. The two of them began talking to each other, although it was Jeremy that seemed to be doing all the talking. To break up the monotony Peter decided to ask Jeremy about some of the other residents. "Who's

that lady over there? The one with the sunglasses on and the scratches down her face. What's her problem?" Asked Peter

"Oh that's Liz" Explained Jeremy "She wears those glasses to avoid looking in the mirror, she thinks she's a reptilian. She thinks she's some sort of lizard from another planet. Every time she looks in the mirror she sees the image of a reptile, then she digs her nails into her face to try and find the new skin that's underneath"

"Interesting" said Peter "Who's the tall guy over there, the one that keeps talking to himself?"

"That's Malcolm, he's pretty harmless really. He hears voices, so that's why he talks all the time; he's having a conversation with the voices that talk to him" Said Jeremy

"Do you hear voices Jeremy?" Asked Peter

"No" Was Jeremy's reply

Peter with a smile on his face said "That's probably just as well then!"

"Hey, I could show you the TV lounge after tea, if you want. That's the best time to watch the television, everybody else just seems to relax after their meals" Jeremy suggested.

"Why not" Said Peter "I don't think I've got anything else planned"

After they had both finished their meals they made their way down the corridor to the TV lounge. Jeremy quickly sat down, picked up the remote then began to flick through all the channels.

"Hey" Peter cried out "I thought we came down here to watch some TV! How am I supposed to watch anything if you keep flicking through the channels?"

"Sorry" Replied Jeremy "Would you like the remote?"

Peter took the remote from Jeremy then turned the TV to one particular channel. Peter couldn't help but notice that Jeremy became a lot quieter, more absorbed in the television than anything else around him. For Peter this was a sense of relief. After a little while a programme came on that caught Peter's attention, it was a documentary on the disappearance of the honey bee. The documentary spoke of Albert Einstein who once claimed that if the honey bee disappeared off the face of the globe, man would only have four years to live. The programme went on to explain that a lack of honey bees was causing a crisis in agriculture with scientists confirming that there were not enough bees to pollinate crops! It stated that more than half of the countries in Europe don't

have enough bees to pollinate their crops. The shortfall amounts to 13.4 million bee colonies across Europe, or around 7 billion honey bees. The programme also talked about prophecies from the bible predicting the shortage of bees in the coming days. Peter was getting more and more engrossed in the programme when all of a sudden the channel had been changed over, Jeremy had taken the remote from the arm of the chair, then began flicking through all the channels again. Peter grabbed the control; then changed the channel back over again, by the time he had found the right channel the programme had ended. Peter eventually found another programme of interest, this time it was a documentary on the Beatle's, their early years together, their rise to fame, their demise and the lives they lead after the breakup of the band. One particular bit of footage stood out to Peter, it was all about John Lennon. It was an interview than John Lennon had given about his views on God, religion and the universe, in the interview John Lennon gave this statement "God is a concept by which we measure our pain." Peter couldn't believe what he was hearing, those were the exact words he had used when he had the conversation with Joe; he remembered saying those exact words "God is a concept by which we measure our pain." Whatever was troubling Peter was not going away, he started to feel anguish, scared and alone. He ran down the corridor to his room, with the words of John Lennon ringing in his ears "God is a concept, God is a concept"

The days, nights became increasingly dark and lonely at Oakdale, the days were filled with people that Peter wouldn't associate with on the outside world, the nights were filled with shouts and screams from the other residents echoing round the corridor's, crying out for help or letting go of the things that were haunting them. Every night people were just bouncing off the walls, a feeling that Joe knew all too well from his time at Bohemian Heights when he was imprisoned in the darkness of the owl's eye! Most nights Peter would cry himself to sleep, when asleep he would have the same dreams every night. In the dream he would see the owl that he had connected with all those months ago, the owl, bold and upright just stared at Peter, the owl without moving drew ever closer until the blackness, the darkness of its eyes surrounded the defenceless body of Peter. Peter would wake up every morning, panic stricken, soaking wet with the perspiration of sweat exiting his body. Every day was a living nightmare for him, it seemed that when everything was going right for him, winning the money, meeting Sarah, feeling like a Superman, it was as if someone or something had lead him into a false sense of security, now for some reason he was being punished. He just couldn't understand why!

Mr Poole asked Peter to attend a one to one meeting with him, the two of them sat down together. "How are you today Peter?" Mr Poole asked.

"I've had better days!" Replied Peter

"Well I've asked you to meet me today to analyse your state of mind, to see what ways we can do to help you on your road to recovery."

Placed on the table was a large collection of photographs and drawings. One by one Mr Poole began showing Peter the drawings "What I want you to do Peter is to tell me the first thing that comes into your mind when I show you these pictures."

"Seems easy enough" Said Peter

The session was going well until Mr Poole showed him a picture of a white circle.

"The sun" Was Peter's answer

Mr Poole then produced a picture of a black circle.

"The moon" Was Peter's reply

The next picture was that of a loving couple walking hand in hand on the beach.

Peter's spoke back "Betrayal"

Mr Poole then produced the picture of a bird in a tree.

"Owl" Said Peter in quick response

The last picture was that of a triangle.

"Illuminati, the all seeing eye" Said a frightened looking Peter.

"Ok" Said Mr Poole "That will be all for now, don't forget we have a group therapy meeting today at 2 O'clock"

"Yes I'll be there Mr Poole, it's not like I've got anywhere else to go! Is it? Replied Peter sarcastically.

2 O'clock arrived; everybody involved in the group meeting gathered around in a circle. Mr Poole started to take the meeting, where he began to ask different members of the group questions. There were seven members in the group including, Jeremy, Malcolm and Liz. Unfortunately Mr Poole asked Jeremy a question, Jeremy in his meandering way spoke to Mr Poole in great depth, constantly repeating himself in riddles and nonsense. While Jeremy was having a one way conversation with Mr Poole, Peter was staring aimlessly out of the patio windows that looked out at the peaceful settings of the countryside. All of a sudden the room went quiet, Peter no longer

heard the voice of Jeremy talking to Mr Poole, he turned his attention away from the beautiful landscape outside and instead looked at the rest of the group, there before his very eyes he could see Jeremy talking to Mr Poole but not a sound was coming from his lips, it was like watching a silent movie, everything seemed so surreal. Malcolm looked at Peter with menacing eyes, a voice came out of Malcolm's mouth that was not his own.

"Hey, why don't you do us all a favour and kill yourself, nobody wants you!" Said the voice

Peter looked at Malcolm somewhat confused "Are you talking to me?"

Malcolm with a blank expression on his face, paying no attention to Peter opened his mouth to the sound of "Yes, I'm talking to you. You pathetic excuse of a man, nobody likes you round here, nobody wants you! Just do it, you can end this misery and then you'll be free."

Peter looked around to see if anybody could hear the words that Malcolm was speaking, he turned to Liz who looked back and smiled at him with her yellow, brown stained teeth. "Why are you fighting against God, why? You know there is a Heaven and a Hell, I think you're better off where you are right now, because if you're thinking of leaving this world soon, you won't be going to the right place!" Said Liz who then took her sunglasses off to reveal her eyes that resembled those of snake's eyes like two red dice being thrown and them both landing on the number one!

Peter turned away from the group and looked out of the patio windows again, there perched on a fence in the distance was the same owl that was at Bohemian Heights, he became terrified as the owl eyes were drawing ever nearer to him, and it was almost like he was being swept into a blanket of darkness. He quickly got up off his chair, then fought his way through the group, knocking them over has he ran into the corner of the room, with head in bended knee Peter was cowering, screaming and shouting in the corner "There's no escape, they're watching my every move, they're watching you to, there's nowhere you can run because anywhere you go they'll be watching"

The room became normal, everybody was showing concern, and he could hear Jeremy and the rest of the group talking among themselves. Malcolm and Liz were sat rooted to their chairs, Liz was rocking backwards and forwards while Malcolm was sat there talking to himself Mr Poole offered Peter his hand then helped him up off his feet.

"I think we need to get you back to your room, you need to get some rest, we'll carry on this meeting some other time" Said Mr Poole

Peter went back to his room to relax, the more time he was spending at Oakdale the more stir

crazy he was becoming. It was about 7 O'clock that evening that Peter decided to venture to the communal area, where he decided to sit on his own in front of a chess board that had been layed out on one of the tables. Peter was very fond of chess; he sat there quietly studying the board, studying all the pieces that were placed on all the individual squares. Mr Poole entered the room, and then sat opposite Peter!

"How are you feeling now Peter; you feeling any better?" Asked Mr Poole

"A little strange to be honest Mr Poole, I've started to hear voices and I can't get rid of them" Explained Peter

Mr Poole replied "Listen Peter, I don't let many people call me by my first name but you can call me Graham"

"Ok" Said Peter while still staring down at the chess pieces.

"So tell me Peter, what voices can you hear, what are they saying to you?" Asked Mr Poole

"Well Graham, it's like this you see. I've got one voice inside my head telling me that I need to kill myself, he keeps telling me that I'm worthless, that nobody loves me, that my family and so called friends will be better off without me. Then I have another voice, this time it's the voice of John Lennon, telling me that 'God is a concept by which we measure our pain'. I keep telling them both to shut up but they keep coming back to pester me, they won't leave me alone!" explained Peter.

"Interesting" Said Mr Poole "Would you like a game of chess"

"Yes, ok." Replied Peter

The two of them sat head to head over the chess board, Mr Poole was waiting patiently for Peter to make the first move but Peter just sat there staring at the pieces as he had been for the last 10 minutes or so.

"What are you thinking right now Peter, what's on your mind?" Asked Mr Poole

"Well." Said Peter "Our lives are very much like a game of chess really. You and I are the overseer's of this game we call life. You are the overseer of the good side, with all your pieces dressed in white; I on the other hand am the overseer of the dark side with my pieces dressed in black. The white squares on the board represent the good choices we make in life while the black squares on the board represent the bad choices we make or sometimes the evil that men do! There are no grey areas in the game of chess, just black and white, good or bad. The workers in

life, the people that collect your bins, the people who work in shops, people who do every day jobs, the general public, they are the pawns! Then you have the bishop which is representative of the church or false religions. You have the knights which are the military who protect the likes of the rooks which are the fortified castles, the governments and the politicians, they also protect the King and Queen's who in hand reap the spoils of the many. The ironic thing is that we are both playing with peoples lives, destroying everything in its path, we are the eyes and ears of the world, we are the ones who control the world and everything single piece of the board; the world, well they are all pawns, they are all pawns in this wicked game of life!"

"Wow, what an interesting outlook" Said Mr Poole looking intrigued "So are you ready now to make your first move?"

Peter looked into the eyes of Mr Poole "Yes I am Graham. Are you ready?" Without receiving an answer Peter placed his forearm to the corner of the chessboard then brushed his arm along the board until all the pieces scattered along the floor/

"What on earth are you doing Peter?"

"That Graham is what you call Armageddon!" said Peter with a look of destruction in his eyes!

"So what are you trying to say?" Asked Mr Poole

Peter looked at Mr Poole and said "I am saying that there are no winners in this game of life"

Mr Poole knelt down to pick all the pieces of the floor, then neatly placed each one back on their appropriate squares "Sometimes Peter it's about starting again. That's what I'm here for, it's about picking up the pieces and rebuilding. You see that's my job, I have a job to each and every one of you in here to pick up the pieces and rebuild your lives, so that you can go on and live better ones!"

"Well I think I'm past all that" Expressed Peter

Mr Poole looked at Peter with a cheerful smirk "The thing is Peter, I think you're wrong. Firstly I don't think you're mad, a little delusional maybe, you like to see things in black and white. Sometimes that's not such a bad thing. Secondly, I came into this job because I thought I had the ability to help people, to change people's lives, to turn their lives around because I believe at the end of the day that each and every one of us are worth saving. You are no exception!"

For the first time Peter could see a certain sense of kindness from Mr Poole, he could see a man who was genuine, of great integrity, someone who was willing to put his neck on the line to get

what he believed to be the right results for other people other than his own.

Peter looked up to Mr Poole with a wry smile "Shall I make the first move then?" as he moved the first pawn on the chessboard.

The two of them carried on playing the game of chess which sometimes became intense as the two players became locked in a battle of wits. All in all they played three games of chess together, each time Peter won! Despite the fact that Peter had won every game, he learnt so much about Mr Poole, his way of thinking, his knowledge and his caring nature. For the first time in a long time Peter found someone who he could put his trust into, instead of the feeling that everybody was out to get him.

"You're very good at Chess Peter. Where did you learn to play?" Asked Mr Poole

Peter replied "I played a lot when I was in Ibiza!"

Mr Poole found the perfect opportunity for Peter to think of good places that he had been in his life; to make him think positive thoughts rather than the negative one's he had been having. "So would you like to go back there one day?" He asked

"I'd love to" Replied Peter "The sun, the sand, the deep blue sea, the girls, the nightlife"

"So how are you feeling, right now, right at this moment?" Mr Poole asked

"I'm in a better place right now, just thinking about it makes me feel good" expressed Peter

"Good" said Mr Poole "That's how I want you to feel all the time!"

"Thank you Graham, I've learnt so much from you this evening" Said Peter

"Likewise Peter, I have learnt a great deal from you to!" said Mr Poole with an air of respect.

The two men bid each other goodbye, and Peter made his way to his room. He lay on his bed thinking about Ibiza, hoping that one day he would be able to go back there. He turned over then fell asleep only to wake up in the middle of the night, the same recurring nightmare had come back to haunt him, the darkness that was the frightening owl.

Chapter 5. Living the Dream

Peter's time at Oakdale was now becoming unbearable; the constant dysphoria of the other residents, the voices in his head, the nightmares, all he wanted was everything to go away. Although finding some kind of solace with Mr Poole, Peter was finding everyday life at Oakdale just a little bit too much to handle.

Peter was in the communal area along side Jeremy who was chit chatting away, ten to the dozen. "Listen, do you think that you can shut up for just one second and let me get a word in edge ways?" Asked Peter

Jeremy replied sheepishly "Ok, anything you say Peter, anything you say!"

Peter with a serious look on his face turned to Jeremy and said "I need to get out of here, I've had enough. I can't bear it here any longer. Have you got any ideas how to escape from here?

Jeremy looked at Peter all excited "Yes, I know a way! But if I tell you, can I come with you?"

"Sure" Said Peter

Jeremy began to explain "Well, when I've been working in the kitchen I've noticed that on a Friday morning the refuse collectors come to take all the food waste away. I've often thought about jumping into one of those big bins then ending up in the back of their big lorry!"

With a face of disbelief Peter looked at Jeremy and said "Hmm, just one small snag!"

"What's that Peter?" Jeremy asked

"You'll end up being crushed to death! Tell you what I'll think of my own plan, thank you very much." Said a disgruntled looking Peter

Jeremy looking all embarrassed "Oh, I didn't think of that, I didn't, I didn't think of that! Can I still come with you when you've found a way out, can I?"

Peter looking stern "I'll have to think about it"

Another tedious day had now passed for Peter, he found himself in his room ready for another night of nightmares and voices. He laid his head down on his comfy pillow then fell to sleep. Whilst sleeping he began to dream, it was peaceful in his dream, there were no owls, neither was

there any sense of darkness. It was a clear sunny day; Peter was walking through the fields with his suit on without a care in the world, enjoying the sun melting on his face. Peter carried on walking until he saw in the distance a Lion lying in the grass, soaking up the summer sun. Peter wasn't scared, so carried on walking nearer and nearer until on closer inspection noticed that the Lion was actually dead. There was a gaping wound on the side of the Lion's carcass; coming out of the wound was a swarm of bees! Peter looked around, on the floor he noticed a jar, he picked up the jar undid the lid then captured one of the bees that was flying in the air. The bee was now a prisoner in Peter's jar. Peter walked away from the Lion holding on to the jar with the bee inside. He carried on walking until he came to a log cabin; Peter walked inside then placed the jar on the table! Peter grabbed a chair, sat down then stared profusely at the bee that was ferociously flying around in circles within the jar, this bee was angry. It just wanted to get out; to attack its captor! All Peter could do was sit there and laugh while this poor little insect had nowhere to go. All of a sudden Peter woke up out of his dreamland sat upright in his bed. He could hear a loud noise coming from outside, it sounded like a helicopter, the noise was getting nearer and nearer, he was sure it was a helicopter! Peter climbed out of bed then walked over to the window; the noise was getting more intense. With one foul swoop Peter drew back the curtains to the presence of a giant bee that was tap, tap, tapping away at the window, trying to get in to attack him. Peter turned away from the window in terror only to find that his room was no longer there, all around him was a clear glass prison. Peter ran around in circles trying to find a way out, the more he tried to escape the angrier the bee was becoming. It was obvious that Peter was now the captive and he was now the prisoner in the jar! The bee started to fly upwards, like a spitfire in the Second World War the bee would race downwards in some kind of attack mode to knock the jar sideways, the bee carried on with these motions until the jar began to rock backwards and forwards. Peter now found himself in free fall as the jar fell from the table it was placed on, the jar was soaring to the ground faster and faster while Peter was being thrown round everywhere with nothing to hold on to. With a loud crash the jar had landed on the floor, glass everywhere. Peter stood up unscathed, straightened his suit jacket then looked upwards to the sight of the buzzy bee. The bee was quite some distance away from him; maybe the fact that the jar had travelled to the ground a lot faster than the bee could, so Peter took the opportunity to run, to run as fast as he could. Peter avoided the large shards of glass that were standing upright in front of him, he ran for his life, the faster he ran the fainter the buzzing sounds were becoming! Peter slowed down a little bit to get some rest, he was sure the bee had retreated. Peter had the feeling that he was in some kind of tunnel, like a train tunnel, it was dark. Instead of running he carried on walking, he just wanted to get away from where he was. He carried on walking for what seemed like hours when all of a sudden he saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Peter made it to the end, on his approach he found himself in the middle of a desert, golden sand everywhere, the sun was burning down upon his face! What else could Peter do, go back to where he came from or put his best foot forward? He decided to walk along the desert sands where he came across a cobbled road, Peter walked along the road for there was no other place to go! He walked all day until the night fell, the next day he began his walk again through the scorching hot sun, he was becoming dehydrated,

delusional, until he could walk no more. Peter was now on his hands and knees, crawling his way down the path of the unknown. There in the distance he could see what looked like some kind of lake, on all fours Peter managed to find the strength to get to this beautiful looking lake that he had seen. Peter arrived at the side of the lake; then began to drink the water. After a little while he began to feel a whole lot better, the water in the lake had now settled back down again from where Peter had been drinking the water. Peter placed his head toward the stillness of the water; he didn't see the reflection of himself but instead saw the reflection of a big black cat with emerald green eyes! Peter had now become a wild, carnivorous, beast of a panther. Peter the panther, full of strength, power; he felt in control of this territory he was surrounded by, he felt reborn as he made his way down the long, winding, cobbled road. Now that he was a panther the walk was effortless, for the first time ever he came to a sign in the road, the sign read "Damascus 10km" Peter carried on walking, knowing that there was some kind of civilization ahead of him. He was getting nearer to Damascus when he noticed that a lot of people were fleeing from the city, men, women and children just leaving in their droves! Peter entered into the city, the streets were empty, in the distance he could see the military, soldier's with guns, big green tanks! Peter decided to hide himself in a shop doorway; he stayed in the doorway until the military had passed him by. When they had gone Peter had woken up properly this time, everything had been a dream, it seemed so real, so lucid. Until Peter looked around, he found himself curled up in a ball taking shelter in a shop doorway. It was obvious that he wasn't in Damascus! He stood up, dusted down his suit then tried to find his bearings, he walked into the street. To his amazement he found himself in Havenstown, people rushing around, going about their everyday business. Peter came to the conclusion that he must have dreamt his way out of Oakdale.

Peter was now free but that didn't make things any easier for him, where was he going to go, where was he going to stay? He couldn't return to his Mother's knowing that she would send him back to Oakdale Lost, alone with no direction he just kept walking, kicking his heels as he made his way out of the town toward the bridge that stretched across the river Haven. As he made his way towards the other side he heard a voice, he turned his head to see who was there, no-one! Then the voice spoke to him more clearly "Go on, jump"

Peter cried back "Leave me alone"

The voice within his head hollowed back "What you got to live for, no-one loves you, and nobody wants you! Do yourself a favour, just jump."

"Yes, you're right. What have I got? All I've got is you, so if by jumping I manage to get rid of you then it will all be worth it." Screamed Peter

"You know it makes sense" Said the voice inside his head

Peter climbed over the wall of the bridge that led to a ledge, he stood on the ledge then looked down at the distant waters below him that were flowing, rushing past him to what seemed to be a 100mph; the current was strong. Pete's heart was racing, the blood that was pumping around in his body was exactly the same as the water that was beneath him, flowing, and rushing through his body at 100mph. Peter just stood there frozen, unable to move. He just kept thinking to himself 'It's a hell of a long way down'. By now Peter was drawing himself some unneeded attention, there was a small group of people behind the wall of the bridge talking among themselves; not one of them was sure what to do. He had been stood on the ledge now for the best part of an hour when he heard a familiar voice!

"Hello my friend" said the voice

Peter, holding tightly to the bridge, turned his head to the presence of Monty "No" He screamed. "What do you want? Can't you get the hint and just stay away from me"

Monty replied "I'm here for you Peter if you'll give me the chance"

"I don't want your help; I don't need anybody, just leave me alone. Don't come any closer or I'll jump!" said Peter, looking agitated and frightened.

"I promise I won't come any closer, just as long as you give me the chance to talk with you." said Monty all calm.

"Ok I'll listen" said Peter "But make it quick; I've got things to do!"

"Well I was wondering if you would like to join me for a coffee, somewhere that's a nicer environment than here." asked Monty.

Suddenly Monty didn't seem all that bad to Peter, the words of kindness toward him were comforting. "You know what, I'd love to but I don't really want to be here anymore. I've had enough of this cruel world." Said Peter sounding tired and exhausted

Monty looked into Peter's eyes "It's not that bad really, sometimes it's about picking up the pieces and starting again, please let me save you from what you're going through because each, everyone of us are worth saving and you are no exception!"

Peter could not believe what he was hearing, those were the exact words that Mr Poole had used the time they played chess together, and there was something in those words that meant so much to him. Peter looked back at Monty "But why, why would you want to save me?"

Monty, with tears rolling from his eyes, "Because you are my son!"

"No, no, that's not possible, you can't be!" Cried Peter

Monty replied "I am who I claim to be Peter. My name is Martin, Martin Shepherd. Monty is my nick-name, I am your dad, please take my hand, please let me help you."

Monty reached out his hand to Peter who then placed his hand into his Father's. Monty then helped his son over to the other side of the bridge; they both stood upright then gave each other the biggest embrace imaginable. Now that Peter was back on solid ground Monty asked Peter "How about that coffee then?"

With relief on Peter's face he replied "Sure, why not."

The two men walked back into the town, leaving a rather bemused looking crowd behind them. They didn't say too much to each other until they came to a small coffee shop in the heart of the town. "Shall we go inside this one?" Asked Monty

"Good a place as any!" replied Peter

They both sat down, then ordered themselves some coffee. Peter was still in disbelief that Monty the man who he shunned so many times was his biological father. The two of them had a lot of catching up to do; they spent the next couple of hours and numerous amounts of coffee talking, learning about each other. Peter now understood why his father had left him before he was even born how his father's life had been changed after being involved in a car accident in which he had killed Joe's birth parents. Monty spoke about all his hardships in life while Peter talked about the lonely existence without a real father in his life! They also spoke of their friendship with Joe, which in some strange way had bought the two of them together!

"Listen Peter, Where are you going to stay tonight?" Asked Monty

"I'm not really sure" Replied Peter

"Well why don't you come and stay on the farm that I live on, it's called Dovecote farm. There is more than enough room for you to stay a while! Suggested Monty

"Wow that sounds great but I've just escaped from Oakdale, they'll want to take me back. Effectively I'm on the run!" Explained a nervous looking Peter

"Don't worry about that just now Peter, I've just found you. I'm not going to let you go back there. I

think the best place you could be right now is Dovecote farm. If your condition gets worse while staying at the farm then I'll decide if I should get in touch with Oakdale for you!" said Monty who felt in full control of everything.

"Ok" Said Peter all excited "Let's hit the road"

The two men hailed down a taxi then made their way to Dovecote farm. Peter was sat in the front of the taxi, on the approach to the farm he noticed something sinister perched on a fence post. It was the owl that kept haunting him throughout his terrible ordeal. This time Peter was not scared, neither was he fazed by the beautiful looking creature that had presented itself before him on so many occasions. This occasion felt different to Peter, the closer the taxi was getting toward the owl the more scared it looked, until the owl took off in flight, it was as if the owl had flown off in defeat leaving Peter to carry on with his life once more! Once the owl had flown away Peter became a lot more relaxed about himself. The taxi pulled up outside the entrance to Dovecote farm, the two men stepped out and Peter began to look around.

"Wow, you live here?" Enquired Peter

"Yes" said Monty "As you can see there's a lot of work being done around the place!"

Monty showed Peter around some more, there was scaffolding all around the main farmhouse; the stables had been turned into sleeping accommodation for people who had fallen on hard times. The farmyard was full of bricks and mortar, cement mixers, there were builders everywhere all working hard to create the perfect dwelling place!

"It looks great here" Expressed Peter "It's going to look fantastic when it's finished"

"I certainly hope so Peter" Said Monty "Anyway, let's step inside, there are a few people I'd like you to meet."

They walked into the front door of the farmhouse; Monty led Peter into the kitchen. To Peter's utter surprise he came across a very familiar face, the woman who he was looking at raced over to him then put her arms around him.

"Thank God, you're ok Peter, I did hear on the grapevine that you haven't been feeling very well recently. Of all the places to be Peter, what are you doing here?" asked the woman.

Peter was totally in shock, the woman who had just embraced him was no other than Joe's mother Margaret. Sat around the kitchen table were Joe's father Ray along with Mr Carnie and a few other people that Peter didn't recognise. "You're asking me if I'm ok! Everybody thought you

had been killed in Malawi, yet you still find it in your heart to consider my well being. I feel better than I have in recent days Mrs Green. I made a new friend today, he asked me to come and stay a while." Said Peter who then put his arm round Monty, he didn't mention the fact that Monty was his dad for the simple fact that it was probably be too much for people to take in, so decided to keep quiet until the time was right.

"Oh my Peter, we had such an ordeal over there it was awful, you see what happened was..." said Margaret, whose conversation was cut off in mid flight by Joe's dad Ray.

"Another time Margaret, the boy's just walked through the door. Give him chance to settle into his new environment, I'm sure we'll find time to talk to him about our time over there. Said Ray who got up out of his chair, shook Peter's hand then said "It's good to see you son, I'm so glad you are well"

Sitting around the kitchen table was a group of other people who were looking at building plans; it was obvious that Peter had walked in on a meeting that involved the redevelopment of Dovecote farm.

"Let me introduce you to the rest of the group Peter" Said Monty who in turn began to introduce the group to Peter. "This 'ere is Mr Milverton who has sold the farm to us, he's taken a keen interest on how things are going down here at the farm. Then we have Roger who is in charge of what you might call human resources, then we have Colin, he's in charge of the all the finances towards the trust that Mr Carnie has helped us to build here. Last but not least we have Ann; she is in charge of everybody's medical needs, not to mention the fact that she's an excellent cook!"

Ann who was slaving over the stove looked over to Peter "It's lovely to meet you. You look as if you've been in the wars. Why don't you go upstairs and get yourself a nice hot shower and I'll have a nice meal waiting for you when you come back down."

"Thank you so much" replied Peter who was overwhelmed by the warmth and kindness that he was receiving from all these nice people.

"I'll show you the way" said Roger

Roger and Peter climbed to the top of the stairs. Roger opened a cupboard door, looked around at different selections of clothing, t-shirts, jeans, jumpers, jogging bottoms. "We have a supply of clothes here that has been handed to us from different people, they are all clean so try any of the items you on that you might like and after you have had your shower you can throw that old suit in the washing basket that's in the bathroom." Explained Roger

"I can't get over everybody's kindness, thank you" replied Peter

Roger walked downstairs and left Peter to venture to the bathroom, when he arrived at the bathroom door he noticed a sign, the sign read 'Out of the strong came forth sweetness' "What a cool sign" Peter thought to himself, (unaware that Joe had created the side) as he made his way into the lavish looking bathroom. Peter had the choice between a bath or a shower, everything looked so new in this well designed looking bathroom. Peter opted to have a shower, which seemed to be the quicker option. After he had finished he placed the dirty suit into the washing basket has Roger had suggested then put on the fresh clothes to take its place. Peter now felt clean and refreshed as he made his way downstairs to meet with everybody again.

"There you go dear; you take a place at the table and get some food inside of you." said Ann who presented Peter with a plate of homemade cottage pie.

"Mmm, that's beautiful" Said Peter.

"Thank you Peter, there's more where that came from." Expressed Ann

"I'm afraid Mr Milverton and Mr Carnie at to leave while you were in the bathroom Peter" Explained Monty.

Peter finished off his meal then spent the rest of the evening relaxing and getting to know his new found friends at Dovecote farm. Peter was getting to learn more about the development of Dovecote farm, where the group wanted to take the project to help the needy, the homeless. Most of the stables were being made into living accommodation; the surrounding greenery was made up of different types of livestock, mainly hens and chickens. Also there were a lot of vegetables being grown, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, to mention just a few. Mr Green spoke to explain how they were in the process of selling their cottage in the Lake District to help fund the project that he was going to give half the proceeds to the farm. He also went on to say how many donations had come in from the church to make it an ongoing success. Mrs Green told of their harrowing experiences over in Malawi, Roger with his infectious laugh was making everybody feel comfortable, Ann being the perfect host was making sure that everyone was being taken care of with snacks and drinks, while Colin was just being Colin; without a murmur just sat there quietly taking in everybody else's conversation. Overwhelmed by the company and attention that Peter was receiving he couldn't help but think that it was overshadowing the fact that this had been the first day of his life that he had met his father, all he really wanted to do was spend more time with Monty, to get to know him a whole better.

The evening was almost over; Mr and Mrs Green were seen to the front door by Monty and Peter. "Thank you for such a lovely evening Monty, we really enjoyed it" said Mrs Green "And it was so

good seeing you Peter; looking so safe and well."

"Likewise" Replied Peter

Suddenly Roger came running to the door "I forget to tell you, I have left those things by the side of the car for you, so don't drive off without them, ok."

"Ok Roger, no problem. I'll make sure I put them in the boot of the car before we go" Said Mr Green. "Thank you all again for such a wonderful evening" He added.

Now that Mr and Mrs Green had gone the rest of the group were getting ready to settle down for the night. Monty turned to Peter and could see the look on his face, he knew what he had been thinking because he was thinking the same "I know that tonight's been a bit hectic Peter but we have all the time in the world to get to know each other! If that's what you want?

"More than anything in the world" Replied Peter

"Good" Said Monty who then showed Peter to one of the stables opposite the farmhouse that was to be Peter's first night at Dovecote farm.

Chapter 6. The End

Peter woke up after his first night's stay at Dovecote farm to the sound of a cockerel, like a soldier would play its bugle to get the rest of the troop's attention. The sound of birds singing and whistling in the distance, the rays of sunshine radiating through the windows of his room was a grand reminder that he was now in a perfect, peaceful place. Today was going to be the start of new beginning, a new hope and a new sense of purpose. He dived out of bed jumped into the shower then when he was ready made his way over to the farmhouse. On entering the farmhouse he was welcomed by Ann.

"That was good timing Peter; I'm just getting breakfast ready. How do you like your eggs?" She asked

"Not too soft" Replied Peter

Ann pulled out the chair from the dining table "There" she said "You take yourself this seat, I'll have it ready for you in a few minutes"

Peter sat down then after a few minutes Ann placed a plate full of sausages, bacon, egg, beans, mushrooms, the plate was full. "Wow" said Peter "This looks amazing"

"Thank you" Replied Ann "Nearly everything that is on that plate has been grown or reared on this farm"

Peter tucked into his mountain of a breakfast when Roger and Colin entered the room.

"Mornin' Peter, fine day today!" Said Roger with a sense of exuberance in his voice, then he and Colin sat down to join Peter to enjoy their breakfasts.

Colin who was eating his breakfast lifted his head to Peter "So how was your first night at Dovecote?"

"I had the best night's sleep than I've had for a long time thank you. I've been having a lot of recurring nightmares over recent months but nothing last night, so that's a relief." Said Peter

"Oh poor you" Said Ann "Let's hope that's the last you have of them."

"Where's Monty?" Asked Peter

Roger answered "He'll be out feeding the chickens, he'll be back soon!"

No sooner had Roger mentioned his name that Monty had walked into the room "Morning everyone, another glorious day"

Everyone in the room replied in unison "Morning"

Peter was starting to feel that he was in a far better place that he had been over the past months, he felt a certain sense of security, a place of well being, for the first time in months he felt at peace with himself! It seemed that everyone that was involved in the farm was united and steadfast in their aim to make a better life for the weak and needy. It was as if this small group of people had created their own family, it seemed that they had no-one else in their lives, all they had was each other.

"Right" said Monty "I've got a lot to do today so what is everybody else doing?"

Ann said that she was doing the washing and cooking, Roger said that he was helping the builders on site, Colin, in turn, said that he was doing the accounts.

"So what are your plans Peter, what would you like to do today?" Monty asked

"I'll stay on the farm and help Roger, if that's ok with him." said Peter while looking over to Roger for his approval.

"Yeh Mon, no problem with me." said Roger.

"Good, I'll see you all a bit later then" Said Monty who then said farewell to everyone.

Peter and Roger spent the day working together. Peter enjoyed Roger's sense of humour, he also enjoyed the fact that he had this natural ability to make people smile as he was laughing, joking and having some banter with the rest of the builders on site. You could tell that Roger was a well liked bloke as the builders were in hysterics over Roger's antics. The two of them learnt a lot about each other over the course of the day. Roger talked about the loss of his wife losing her fight with cancer, how sometimes he had lost the will to live. How his wife was his entire life, he explained that when she had gone he was only half the person that he once was. Peter spoke about his ordeals over the past months which led them to talk about Joe.

"I feel so guilty about cheating on my best friend, sometimes I can't help thinking that if I hadn't betrayed him that he might still be here today" Explained Peter.

Roger with sympathetic eyes looked at Peter "Joe was a great man, filled with passion for what he believed in, never once did he disown or curse his God when he was going through all his pain and suffering, it takes a strong man to do that Peter! I gave up believing in God when my wife died, I cursed him for taking away the one person I loved most in the world. We all felt a great loss when Joe died, he left a behind a legacy which we are trying to fulfil in honour of him. All our lives have changed for the better since knowing Joe. Don't beat yourself up over Joe's death, rather you look back and be thankful that you were even a part of his life as he was part of our lives, all be it for only a short while; he made a difference to our lives!"

"I still feel lousy though Roger" Said a sad looking Peter.

"Listen Peter, none of us are perfect! Someone once told me a saying, it goes something like this." said Roger, who then went on to say "When things fall apart, consider the possibility that life knocked it down on purpose. Not to bully you, or to punish you, but to prompt you to build something that better suits your personality and your purpose."

"What a great saying" Said Peter.

"Yes" Replied Roger "You just need to find your purpose!"

The two men carried on working for the rest of the day until all the builders packed there tools away, another day's work had been finished on the farm. Everything on the farm was slowly coming together; Joe's legacy was almost a reality.

Everyone had gathered round in the kitchen while Ann was preparing the evening meal, everyone was enjoying their meals when Peter asked Ann a question.

"Have you seen my suit anywhere? I haven't come across it since I put it in the washing basket"

Ann looked at Peter a little puzzled "I'm afraid I haven't seen it at all, I would have known if I had seen it because something like that would not be washed normally, it would have to be dry cleaned"

Roger carried on where Ann left off by explaining "I'm afraid it's gone Peter!"

"What do you mean gone?" asked Peter.

Roger looking embarrassed replied "Well after you had finished your shower, I took the suit from the basket and placed it with the rest of the recycled clothes that we have no use of anymore"

With panic etched on Peter's face he cried out to Roger "What have you done that was my favourite item of clothing, I used to wear it everywhere!"

Ann began to reassure Peter by saying "Don't worry Peter, I'm sure we'll come across another suit for you to own, we get all sorts of clothing coming in and out of the farm!"

"But you don't understand; that suit had a sentimental meaning to me." said Peter looking all disgruntled.

Ann could see that Roger was looking a little red faced so turned to Peter again "All things perish in the end my dear, don't get too upset."

After the meal Peter decided to go outside for some fresh air, he sat down on the garden bench that was in the garden area of the farm. After a short while of sitting there by himself he was accompanied by the rather unusual figure of Colin who sat opposite him.

Colin remained quiet until Peter began to talk with him "You don't say much do you Colin!"

"Oh I have a voice Peter but no-one listens to me, that's why I stay quiet, I have views and opinions but no-one's interested in what I have to say." explained Colin.

"I will listen to anything you have to say" Replied Peter "Tell me a little about yourself, tell me how you have ended up here at Dovecote farm."

Colin took the opportunity to talk with Peter about his life. "Well the reason why I'm here is because I got disillusioned with my life. I had a great job working for one of the major banks in London. I had a beautiful wife, fast cars, exotic holidays; I had everything anyone could ask for. but then I started to see the world in a different light, I began to see how corrupt the world really is, so I began to speak out and that's when things started to change in my life!"

Peter with a look of intrigue on his face asked Colin "What do you mean, how did your life change?"

Colin went on to explain "You see Peter, the people who have the power to make you also have the power to break you and that's exactly what happened to me. I worked my way from the bottom to the top, I did my work well but the higher I got the more knowledge I was learning about how the system worked. Let me explain in more detail. All the banks are owned by an elite group of people, ever since the banking system began these people have had total control of everything. Now let's fast forward to the future, the banking system dictate to the government because they are the ones who loan the government all their money. The government tell us how we should live

our lives, they let us believe we have freedom that we live in a democratic society but in reality we are no more than slaves to the system. The banks have a hold on all the main corporations in the world, they own all the major media companies, film companies, and they invest in the music industry. The banking system is the most corrupt organisation on the planet, they are full of greed, they pollute the world with their chemicals, there are wars being created to supply the elites own needs! The news that people watch on TV; it's all false. They make us believe that certain things are happening in the world when in fact the opposite is happening, it's all an illusion; a trick of the mind. They do this so that they can serve their own agenda! The general public pay their taxes, buy food, clothes, shoes, electrical goods all being profited to all the banks, the ironic thing is that when the banks say that they are in meltdown it's the general public that bail them out, we as a nation just keep pumping money into the system and the only ones who suffer are the people at the bottom of the pile. What I say to you is brief, I spoke out about the things that were going on, it wasn't long before the elite destroyed my reputation, I lost my dignity, I lost my job, my home and my wife! Despite losing all of these things in my life I am happier now than I've ever been. Living on this farm means I have no politics to deal with, no media manipulation; we grow our own food without the use of pesticides! We live together on this farm has a family, I have a new found freedom and purpose in life to help others find a new direction in their lives."

"Wow, you really do have a voice." Replied Peter somewhat shocked by the revelations that had been put before him "I understand everything you are talking about Colin; please tell me some more"

The two men sat there for hours talking, sharing their views on the world when Monty suddenly appeared "Hey, there you both are, I'm about to turn in for the night Peter, I was wondering if you would like to come into town with me tomorrow? I need some help with a few things and it would give me a chance to catch up with you a bit more, since you've been here you've been very popular with everyone else. I'm feeling a little left out" Expressed Monty sarcastically with a wry smile.

"Yeh sure, I'd like that a lot" Replied Peter "See you in the morning then, goodnight"

Monty turned to the two men "Goodnight both"

The following morning it was routine as normal on Dovecote farm, Ann busy doing the household chores, Colin with the accounts and Roger helping out on the building site. Monty and Peter made their way into Havenstown. The two men enjoyed their time together, looking, browsing through the shops, they even returned to the coffee shop they had been to a few days earlier.

"Crikey" said Peter "I must get in touch with my mother; she'll be worried about me. What if someone recognises me while I'm out in public?"

"Yes, you're right Peter, I didn't think of that. We'll find a way of getting a message to your mother but we can't have you going back to Oakdale. I think you are in a lot better place with us on the farm" expressed Monty "In the meantime, just keep your head down."

Peter replied "Yes, I feel a whole lot better on the farm, all your friends are nice, I feel comfortable, there's no way I want to go back to Oakdale."

They carried on drinking their coffee's when they noticed Mr Milverton arrive in the coffee shop.

"Hello Mr Milverton, care to join us?" Asked Monty

Mr Milverton looked over "Yes why not."

The three men sat round the coffee table, discussing the redevelopment of the farm, the plans that had already been put into place, the ongoing project that lay before Monty and the rest of the team.

"They really are exciting times ahead of you Monty, I'm really pleased that the farm as worked out for everyone concerned." said Mr Milverton, who looked at Monty with a pleasing smile.

"Yes" Said Monty "It won't be long before everything's up and running, it's going to be a great success, I can see it all coming good."

After sometime in each other's company Mr Milverton decided to leave "Well it's been good seeing you both, I'll see you up at the farm sometime. Enjoy the rest of your day together" He said bidding farewell to the two men.

Mr Milverton then walked out of the coffee shop then walked across the square, he looked toward one of the shop windows when something caught his eye. It was a mannequin wearing a black suit! As he walked nearer to the shop window he thought to himself 'That looks a perfect fit." He walked into the shop then enquired to the shop assistant about the suit.

"Would you like to try it on sir? We have a small changing room to the rear of the shop." The shop assistant asked.

"No, no, that'll be fine; I'll just take it as it is." Said Mr Milverton

The shop assistant wrapped the suit in brown paper then placed it into a carrier bag "There you go, have a nice day sir"

"Thank you" Said Mr Milverton as he walked out of the shop with his new purchase. Across the street he could see the shadows of Monty and Peter exiting the coffee shop, he gave them one final wave with his hand to say farewell before making his way home!

Monty looked at Peter "Mr Milverton is such a lovely man, kind, caring, considerate. I've learnt a great deal from him."

"Yes, he looks like the kind of man who could handle almost anything that comes his way; he comes across as someone who is strong, noble and without fear. Yes I agree; he's a really nice man." expressed Peter.

The two men finished what they were doing in the town then made their way back up to the farm, on their approach Peter looked up to a tree on top of a hill. "What a great looking tree"

"Ahh yes, I forgot to mention that to you" said Monty "That's where Joe used to spend a lot of time, to think about things, he called it the wisdom tree! It was always a place he would go in search of answers. I think it would be good for you if you took the time to go up there. You might find some answers of your own."

"You know what; I think I'll do that this evening, straight after tea. I think I need a bit of time on my own!" replied Peter.

A few hours had now passed, everyone had finished their evening meals, then true to his word Peter put his best foot forward, walked through the fields, up the hill toward the wisdom tree. When he had climbed to the top he was in awe of the beauty that surrounded him, with arms out stretched he felt on top of the world. He looked around and noticed something by the side of the tree. It was a sign post with writing that had been painted on to it. The sign read "God, the creator of all things!" The moment Peter had read the sign he realised that Joe was the person that had written it. Peter sat down then leant against the tree, deep in thought about his best friend the guilt started to come back. The words that were written on the sign post didn't really mean anything to Peter until he looked out across the skyline. The sun was beginning to lower itself into the sky. Peter was unaware that he was about to witness the same vision that Joe had seen all those months ago, There in the distance was the orange glowing sun filling the clouds with red and magenta, the deep blue sea with shades of turquoise, the scattered fields made up like a patchwork quilt with the fields each having their own identity, fields filled with the yellow of the rapeseed oil, other fields were filled with the purple of the linseed, the black and gold of the crows in the cornfields. Peter was truly amazed at the vision in front of him; it was as if his eyes had been opened for the very first time in his life. Everything began to make sense. How could

something so beautiful, so magnificent, so breathtaking not have been made by God. Peter looked up to the sky with outstretched arms then cried out "Joe, you have showed me the truth. I was wrong and I believe you, there is a God. Please forgive me, help me to find the way to salvation." Peter sat back down beside the wisdom tree, he began to cry uncontrollably. He felt like a an absolute fool, why had he not believed in Joe's faith before; instead of having to fight the arduous battle that had been bestowed upon him over the past months. He sat there until the sun went down and the moon rose into the darkness of the night, the only light was that of the moon and the sparkling stars that shimmered in the far distance sky, Peter had never seen the sky look so awesome, so vast with shooting stars travelling across the universe. Everything became a lot clearer; he finally felt a certain contentment within in his mind. Peter looked into the empty sky until he heard a voice coming from the brow of the hill.

"Peter, Peter" Monty cried "Are you still up here?"

Peter called back calmly "Yes, I'm here!"

Monty walked closer to Peter "Good, you've been here ages, I was getting worried about you! Did you find anything of interest up here?"

"Yes Dad, I found God" Answered Peter with real conviction in his voice.

Monty was totally surprised by Peter's reply, this was the first time that Peter had addressed him as Dad but equally he was pleased that he had found God. "I'm so proud of you son, I'm so pleased that you have seen the light."

"You don't know how much those words mean to me. All I've ever wanted is someone to say that they are proud of me. I have seen more wonder in the last few hours, than I have seen in my lifetime. I feel so blessed that I've finally found you." said Peter.

Monty took a step nearer to Peter, he put his arm around his son then together they both looked up to the stars.

"Do you know what Dad?" asked Peter

"No. What's that? Son" Was Monty's reply

"A certain kind of darkness is needed to see the stars!" Expressed Peter

"What lovely words. Who shared them with you? Monty asked

Peter replied "A woman, in fact you could say she was the woman of my dreams!"

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The following day Mr Milverton made his way to Dovecote farm for one of his routine visits, just before he arrived at the farm he decided to look at the scenery. He looked up toward the wisdom tree that was a prominent landmark on top of the hill. He looked around at all the fields that over the years had given him good harvest. He looked around but felt an unusual sense in the air, then he realised that there wasn't a single bird to be seen or heard. He looked across to the cornfield where he could see the image of one bird. It was a beautiful white dove that was perched on top of a hat, underneath the hat was the presence of a sad face and underneath the sad face was figure of a scarecrow that Mr Milverton had dressed up with the suit that he had bought from the charity shop the day before!

"Well" Said Mr Milverton to himself "That scarecrow seems to do the job."