Chapter Four: Funny Paper Heroes
“Man is certainly mad. He cannot make a worm, and yet he will be making gods by the dozens.” – Montaigne (1553-1592)
Colin sank down on the bench before his locker with a groan. He’d been on his feet for nearly sixteen hours. No bombing last night, but the jumpy watchers on the coast had roused the entire city with several false alarms. It was almost worse, expecting the devastation; waiting for it, hoping against hope that the bombs will fall somewhere other than your personal part of the city.
“Lieutenant,” sighed one of the Sergeants, dropping a wet coat over the seat and yawning until his jaw creaked. “God, what a day.”
“Almost had ‘im,” said an arriving Constable, shaking the water out of his hair. “Bloody monkey.”
“Monkey?” Farrell asked, curious despite his exhaustion.
“The Wild Man,” informed the Sergeant.
“Or Wild Woman,” said the other. “With that hair, flying out behind like a banner. Damn comely, from what glimpse I caught.”
“You actually SAW this apparition?” Colin asked, interested despite himself.
“Aye. He’s living somewhere in Victoria Park, we figure,” the Sergeant said.
“Saw him with my own eyes. There’s a couple of reports that say he’s a downed German pilot. That’s utter rubbish. No German ever ran that fast.”
“Slick as an eel too! Even with a dozen officers closing in he slips past us like a shadow.”
“Then there’s the alleyway,” continued the Constable. “Heard that he went right up a brick wall like a bleedin’ cat! Twenty feet if it was an inch! Over the roof before the boys could get a whistle to their lips. He’s wearing a cape like some funny papers hero. I’m starting to believe what the lads down the road say.”
“And what’s that?” Colin asked, shivering from exhaustion and the damp.
“That he’s a phantom.”
“He’s no phantom,” grumbled the Sergeant. “But I sure wish I had proof that he’s on our side.”
Aragorn woke with the sunrise, stretching his back and scratching at his beard. He didn’t mind living rough, but sleeping in the barn was getting old quickly. Maybe today he’d move on. Of course, it was hard to know where to go when he still had no idea where he was or how he’d gotten there. He suspected that waiting for Legolas to find him might not be his best course of action.
The men at the ranch had been very good to him so far, giving him food and some small metal tokens in exchange for help training their horses. There seemed to be some urgency in getting the corral full of animals ready for something, but Aragorn had yet to discover what the hurry was.
“Aaron!” called one of the men, shouldering open the heavy wooden door of the stable. They’d taken to calling him that when his real name obviously stumped them. This man was named William, and he seemed to be one of the leaders of this group. He spotted the Ranger and came over, carrying a plate filled with warm food.
Aragorn thanked him profusely, knowing that they didn’t understand a word of his speech. He bowed, touching his breast, and the man laughed a little. They got along pretty well. You could do a lot with gestures and looks. It was like training horses – all in the body language. If only he could find the one body he’d come here to retrieve….
Running down the darkened, devastated street was tough. There was so much debris from the collapsed building -- bricks and mortar, bits of wood and even personal belongings. The apartment building had been badly damaged, but the collapse had surprised everyone as dawn drew near somewhere high above in the smoke-filled sky. Colin leapt over a beam and trained his flashlight on a hollow created by a precariously leaning wall. He heard voices somewhere nearby. Someone was sobbing, barely audible over the shouts of the rescuers on the other side of the rubble.
Ducking under a broken beam, Colin stopped short as he spotted an apparition in the pale light, scrambling up the pile of fallen rubble. With leaps as light as a bird, from one tottering pile of bricks to the next, this could only be the Wild Man who had stymied London’s best for days now.
“Watch out!” Ferrell shouted in warning as a piece of severed flooring gave way beneath the climbing phantom. But he needn’t have worried. The man had already jumped free, balancing on the remains of a bit of piping before ducking inside the wreckage in the same direction of the soft cries. Colin wanted badly to follow, and he made his way through the horrendous rubble in an arc, trying to find a way upwards to what remained of the top floors. “Over here!” he shouted back toward the fire brigade, hoping that someone would have more luck then him finding a way inside.
Bricks rained down and he jumped back to safety as the rubble shifted, and suddenly he spotted the Wild Man, coming down through the dust and debris, a body cradled carefully in his arms.
“Here! Here!” Colin shouted, encouraging, holding his breath as one jump after another carried the Wild Man safely to ground and way from the collapsing building. He caught up to them in time to help lower the victim to ground, and could see that it was an old woman, badly injured. How he she been left behind during the air raid? Who had failed to get her safely out to a shelter during the darkness?
His attention was solely on the woman for a moment, but the presence of another hand on her thin-skinned, bleeding arm made him look up. He was mere inches from the Wild Man’s face, and what he saw made Colin’s heart nearly stop in his chest. Lines of worry creased the brow of the most gorgeous creature he’d ever beheld. Soft blond hair tucked behind a pointed ear, and eyes that sparkled with a supernatural light. No wonder he’d been able to see to navigate his way through the rubble. This creature – this man – could probably see right into your heart with those eyes.
“Good job…I…” Colin stammered, caught as those incredible eyes flicked up to meet his own. “I…I’m glad you could reach her.”
No sign of recognition or comprehension on the smooth, flawless face. And then the Wild Man turned and darted away, moving almost soundlessly over the ruined brickwork, and Colin realised that he could hear other rescuers approaching. He cradled the old woman to his chest protectively, and decided in the few moments he had that he wouldn’t mention the means of her rescue.
No one would believe him anyway.
Colin sank down on the bench before his locker with a groan. He’d been on his feet for nearly sixteen hours. No bombing last night, but the jumpy watchers on the coast had roused the entire city with several false alarms. It was almost worse, expecting the devastation; waiting for it, hoping against hope that the bombs will fall somewhere other than your personal part of the city.
“Lieutenant,” sighed one of the Sergeants, dropping a wet coat over the seat and yawning until his jaw creaked. “God, what a day.”
“Almost had ‘im,” said an arriving Constable, shaking the water out of his hair. “Bloody monkey.”
“Monkey?” Farrell asked, curious despite his exhaustion.
“The Wild Man,” informed the Sergeant.
“Or Wild Woman,” said the other. “With that hair, flying out behind like a banner. Damn comely, from what glimpse I caught.”
“You actually SAW this apparition?” Colin asked, interested despite himself.
“Aye. He’s living somewhere in Victoria Park, we figure,” the Sergeant said.
“Saw him with my own eyes. There’s a couple of reports that say he’s a downed German pilot. That’s utter rubbish. No German ever ran that fast.”
“Slick as an eel too! Even with a dozen officers closing in he slips past us like a shadow.”
“Then there’s the alleyway,” continued the Constable. “Heard that he went right up a brick wall like a bleedin’ cat! Twenty feet if it was an inch! Over the roof before the boys could get a whistle to their lips. He’s wearing a cape like some funny papers hero. I’m starting to believe what the lads down the road say.”
“And what’s that?” Colin asked, shivering from exhaustion and the damp.
“That he’s a phantom.”
“He’s no phantom,” grumbled the Sergeant. “But I sure wish I had proof that he’s on our side.”
Aragorn woke with the sunrise, stretching his back and scratching at his beard. He didn’t mind living rough, but sleeping in the barn was getting old quickly. Maybe today he’d move on. Of course, it was hard to know where to go when he still had no idea where he was or how he’d gotten there. He suspected that waiting for Legolas to find him might not be his best course of action.
The men at the ranch had been very good to him so far, giving him food and some small metal tokens in exchange for help training their horses. There seemed to be some urgency in getting the corral full of animals ready for something, but Aragorn had yet to discover what the hurry was.
“Aaron!” called one of the men, shouldering open the heavy wooden door of the stable. They’d taken to calling him that when his real name obviously stumped them. This man was named William, and he seemed to be one of the leaders of this group. He spotted the Ranger and came over, carrying a plate filled with warm food.
Aragorn thanked him profusely, knowing that they didn’t understand a word of his speech. He bowed, touching his breast, and the man laughed a little. They got along pretty well. You could do a lot with gestures and looks. It was like training horses – all in the body language. If only he could find the one body he’d come here to retrieve….
Running down the darkened, devastated street was tough. There was so much debris from the collapsed building -- bricks and mortar, bits of wood and even personal belongings. The apartment building had been badly damaged, but the collapse had surprised everyone as dawn drew near somewhere high above in the smoke-filled sky. Colin leapt over a beam and trained his flashlight on a hollow created by a precariously leaning wall. He heard voices somewhere nearby. Someone was sobbing, barely audible over the shouts of the rescuers on the other side of the rubble.
Ducking under a broken beam, Colin stopped short as he spotted an apparition in the pale light, scrambling up the pile of fallen rubble. With leaps as light as a bird, from one tottering pile of bricks to the next, this could only be the Wild Man who had stymied London’s best for days now.
“Watch out!” Ferrell shouted in warning as a piece of severed flooring gave way beneath the climbing phantom. But he needn’t have worried. The man had already jumped free, balancing on the remains of a bit of piping before ducking inside the wreckage in the same direction of the soft cries. Colin wanted badly to follow, and he made his way through the horrendous rubble in an arc, trying to find a way upwards to what remained of the top floors. “Over here!” he shouted back toward the fire brigade, hoping that someone would have more luck then him finding a way inside.
Bricks rained down and he jumped back to safety as the rubble shifted, and suddenly he spotted the Wild Man, coming down through the dust and debris, a body cradled carefully in his arms.
“Here! Here!” Colin shouted, encouraging, holding his breath as one jump after another carried the Wild Man safely to ground and way from the collapsing building. He caught up to them in time to help lower the victim to ground, and could see that it was an old woman, badly injured. How he she been left behind during the air raid? Who had failed to get her safely out to a shelter during the darkness?
His attention was solely on the woman for a moment, but the presence of another hand on her thin-skinned, bleeding arm made him look up. He was mere inches from the Wild Man’s face, and what he saw made Colin’s heart nearly stop in his chest. Lines of worry creased the brow of the most gorgeous creature he’d ever beheld. Soft blond hair tucked behind a pointed ear, and eyes that sparkled with a supernatural light. No wonder he’d been able to see to navigate his way through the rubble. This creature – this man – could probably see right into your heart with those eyes.
“Good job…I…” Colin stammered, caught as those incredible eyes flicked up to meet his own. “I…I’m glad you could reach her.”
No sign of recognition or comprehension on the smooth, flawless face. And then the Wild Man turned and darted away, moving almost soundlessly over the ruined brickwork, and Colin realised that he could hear other rescuers approaching. He cradled the old woman to his chest protectively, and decided in the few moments he had that he wouldn’t mention the means of her rescue.
No one would believe him anyway.
Subtitles
- Chapter One: The Leap
- Chapter Two: Landing on your Feet
- Chapter Three: All the wild Things
- Chapter Four: Funny Paper Heroes
- Chapter Five: Caught
- Chapter Six: Blitz
- Chapter Seven: Hitting the Road
- Chapter Eight: Being Wrong
- Chapter Nine: Assumptions
- Chapter Ten: Coffee and Hot Cross Buns
- Chapter Eleven: Fate of the Brave
- Chapter Twelve: The Forest for the Brave
- Chapter Thirteen: Arrow in the Dark
- Chapter Fourteen: Little Brown Birds
- Chapter Fifteen: Popcorn and Prize-winning Pumpkins
- Chapter Sixteen: The Distance Breeched
- Chapter Seventeen: A Song to Light the Dark
- Chapter Eighteen: The Meaning of Fellowship
- Chapter Nineteen: Meanings Behind Words.
- Chapter Twenty: If Elves were meant to fly
- Chapter Twenty-one: Across the Western Sea
- Chapter Twenty-two: Atcheson Topeka and the Santa Fe
- Chapter Twenty-three: Strange Feathers
- Chapter Twenty-four: A Bitter Fruit
- Chapter Twenty-five: Looking for the Exit
- Chapter Twenty-six: Tainted
- Chapter Twenty-seven: The Killing Blow
- Chapter 28: Epilogue