Just muddling through life

The fun fair

It had been a long exhausting day, Janey looked at the ferris wheel and just wanted to go home. Not a fan of the fun fair, she listened to the children happily laughing. The commitment as a mum to do things and enjoy new experiences.  She would have preferred to be a home with a mug of tea and her book. Instead, she had endured the prickly heat and rode the scary rollercoaster.   Team tagging dad to buy souvenirs, food and drink, the kids had helped them spend a fortune.

The truth behind the enviable photos on social media. Janey knew that if everyone posted how much they had paid for their happy days out, she would be shocked.  The inflated prices for an ice cream or coca cola, the cost adds up.  She also knew that people don’t show the arguments and hard day either.  Their photos showed her as having had a good day with her family.  Not the depressed sad mess she really felt.

Her heartache of the last few years, thoughts that she held inside. Constant feeling of four against one.  Maybe things would have been different if they had had a daughter. She loved her boys but felt a deep nagging loneliness, something or someone was missing.

It started five years ago, things were good once, and then they suddenly weren’t.  A trip to the funfair and an old woman in a tent.  She had told her that she would have another baby boy, disappointment had swept through her and then something bad happened.

The child

Elizabeth looked at the child next to her.  Five years ago, she had met an old woman at the funfair who told her that things were about to change.  She was not sure where the pretty blonde girl had come from. Everyone said that she was hers, but she didn’t feel the love for her that a mother should. She had been back to the fair many times, but the woman had not been there again.

Trying to puzzle out why she felt this way she had started having strange dreams. A lady who rarely smiled and a man who never showed much emotion. A deep sadness had broken them apart.  Who were these people and why was she seeing them in her sleep?

What happened?

Gifted with foresight, Doris could change lives. The power to change life paths and take someone of one path and place them on to another.  The day a lady came to see her at the fair desperately wanting a daughter she had made the terrible decision to give her someone else’s.  Why would a family need four children?  She thought the new baby would soon replace the loss of the girl and she wouldn’t remember her anyway.

Doris didn’t realise the mistake she was making, not then.  Events of the last five years now had taught her different. How many lives had she changed?  How many people had she harmed at the fair? She didn’t know but she needed to put things right. Visiting the great man, Hans who could correct all the messed-up lifelines she knew she was in trouble.  He didn’t take mistakes well.

Hans

Sat watching his ball of life he saw Janey distressed. Her husband didn’t appear to have been affected by Doris’s plans. He then noticed Elizabeth; she was not as happy as she should be. Sending her messages to try and communicate the problem he needed Doris to put things right. Everyone was suffering and lives had been changed that shouldn’t have been.

The job of a lifeline changer is a complex one, important decisions that change lives.  Lives that should not be aware that things are different.

Doris

Sensing Hans, she knew she needed to sort this, after five years she had left it too long. She had given up on telling fortunes at the fun fair but today she needed to see Janey again. Sitting in the tent she knew that Janey would not be able to resist coming in.  She also knew that Elizabeth would visit in the near future.

Janey

Looking at the lights on the ferris wheel she held back her tears.  She must stay strong for her family. It was then that she saw them.   Watching the woman, she felt a strong pull to the small blonde girl. She had never met the child but somehow, she recognised her, maybe from a past life.  As they now walked towards the small tent, Janey had the urge to follow.

Elizabeth

Walking into the tent, Doris smiled at her, relieved that they were here.  As Janey walked in  she could feel her heart jump, this was a first. The two messed up lives in the same place. The little girl looked up at Janey and smiled, did she recognise her?

Elizabeth’s jaw dropped as she saw Janey, the sad woman in her dreams. Doris looked at them both, it was time to do what she needed to do, what she had been hired to do, now with the help of Hans, it was time to correct the lifeline.

A year later

Sitting in the warm kitchen, Janey could hear the shouting, normal family life with four children, three boys and one girl.  This was how her life was meant to be. Feeling contented she drank her tea,

A few miles away Elizabeth was with her new husband Brian, and toddler William. Sat stroking her baby bump they were happily expecting a daughter.

Hans

With the lifelines corrected it was time to retire Doris.  Mistakes were not allowed, people had to be allowed to live their destiny. Intervention happened when people were not living their correct destiny, not just because Doris is trying to help.  Hans had his orders and he followed them. He could see that Janey was now truly happy, and the little girl, Emily, was laughing with her brothers. Should fortune tellers be at fun fairs? Maybe he needed to discuss this with his boss. A god much greater than him!

Written for Write the story prompt on Writers Unite

For more see, Giving more time and care

The dark

Are you scared of the dark?  The unexplained shadows and the threat of what might lurk out there. Noises that make your heart beat faster. The uninvited thoughts and secrets that the darkness might protect.

Watching the rain jump off the tarmac, so close to inevitable disaster. I have sat here many nights before, but tonight felt different.   The rumbling of the storm and the angry speed of the downpour. Has someone upset the Gods? Or is this just bad weather? What is bad weather? Some people would enjoy this storm.

Telling myself to just close the curtains the room is illuminated again as the night explodes, and then I am plunged into the dark.  Leaving the window for the kitchen, I try the light switch, no power which means no light and no calming mug of tea.

Seeking refuge under my warm soft blanket, its late. There is no power and sleep is far away. What is happening out there in the darkness?  Imagining cats and wild animals fighting the night raged on.

The morning after

Waking to the sound of a man’s voice, I’m confused as to how ”Tom Bradby’ ‘could be in my house.  Opening my eyes I then realise that I had left the television on and there are now pictures of devastation on the screen.  While safely lying under my blanket, fearing the explosive rumbles outside in the dark, there had been house fires, floods, fallen trees and road accidents. They were appealing for volunteers to help at the local shelters to support those that need food and a bed.

Picking up my phone I found a string of missed calls. I’m sure it didn’t ring, maybe I was too focused on the storm.  Listening to Tom it sounded like a different world out there.  My phone now started buzzing again as messages now started to come through.  Maybe the mobile networks had gone down with the storm.

A and E

Working in a hospital I have seen many messes. Today was a scene worse than ever before. The messages from the Unit manager to shift myself and get to work had appeared urgent.  Unfortunately, I’d only just received them. Walking into the department I could sense the tension immediately. We were surrounded by bodies and families, some crying, some bleeding. In all the years I’ve worked in Accident and Emergency nothing had prepared me for this.

Last night must have been the calm before the dark storm, I had left relaxed, and the unit was running on time.  Now there were no happy smiles and no time to explain how I hadn’t received the calls and messages.

Walking into the bay I could hear hushed voices. Hesitating to listen, this was like something from a ‘Stephen King’ novel.   A storm of this scale had not been reported in many years, what weather forces had caused it? And how had we not been advised of it? It seemed that even the weather forecasters had not been prepared for it. People had lost loved ones and there was no going back.

Could this have been a supernatural event?  The dark storm had been sudden and violent, the shock left in its wake was evident.  Glancing around the room the casualties were still arriving. Many of them treatable.  Nothing had prepared me for what happened next.

The truth

Would you believe someone who said they are from another lifetime? A parallel crashing with our time line that shouldn’t have happened, a fluke dark accident.   I’ve watched many episodes of Doctor Who and I love my books, never thought I might star in one though.

Pulling back the curtains I looked at my patient’s chart, Claudia. Looking at the attractive woman, I saw the large bloody graze on her arm.  Glancing at the page again there was a question mark against her NHS number. She was holding her arm close to her body and appeared to want to run.  Something was not right here, I could see that she wasn’t comfortable.  Introducing myself I asked her if I could call her to Claudia.  She hunched herself up and nodded.  Asking to look at her arm she pulled herself away from me.  Asking her what was wrong I was confused when she asked me to please just sit down.

Another Earth

She now started talking quietly.

“I’m from Earth Two, I’m not some nutcase, you need to listen to me, but that’s why I’m not on your NHS computers.  Our earth is more advanced than yours and well the NHS, it no longer exists. People ate getting sick and can’t afford to help themselves to get better.  Oh, and I’m also from the year 2040.   Our scientists developed a way for me to go back to 2024, back before the Labour government came into power. Unfortunately, things went wrong and as well as going back I’ve crashed sideways.”

I listened then asked,

“Okay how am I meant to believe you? And how do you know you can trust me?”,

“Because before I left Earth Two we discussed what could go wrong.  Crossing between the worlds was a possibility, the massive devastation was not planned”.

Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a photo and handed it to me.

A quest

“Okay now I’m confused, how have you got my photo? And how did you know I’m here?”

“Earth Two is a parallel universe.  We meet in 2025 and soon after get married.  This is the identical you.  After the collapse of the NHS you give up nursing in 2030. He told me to find you and you will help”.

“Then why did he not come himself?”

“Because I’m the scientist and you are an A and E nurse.  I had to travel back”.

I stood pondering, what can I do? and  then I realised what my other me knew. The amount of books I have read and the one person I know who would love to help solve this problem.  Somehow, we had to stop the destruction of the NHS. If we stopped it on Earth One it should also be stopped on Earth Two.

“If we can fix this, how do you get home?”

“I have a chip inside my arm, they will pull me back when I’m ready”.

A friend

Budding politician, and election hopeful Stephen Grace stood in his office.  As I walked in with Claudia he looked up.

“Nicky what the heck is going on? It sounded urgent on the phone.”

“We have a situation, we need to get into the government manifestos that the NHS stays. Its currently dramatically underfunded, we need to do something now.  I can’t tell you everything, but please believe me that if things stay as they are, it will cease to exist and by the year 2040 there will be many unnecessary deaths.  The UK can’t afford privatisation, this needs sorting now.   Don’t ask how I know this, you have read enough ‘Stephen King’ novels to work it out for yourself”.

Solution

Two weeks later, Claudia suddenly just left without saying goodbye.  The news broadcast then announced that billions was being put into the NHS budget to ensure it would continue for years to come and there would now be a recruitment drive for care staff, GPs and dentists. I wondered about the talk of wage increases.   Not sure how Stephen had done this, but I was grateful.

The destruction in the dark, caused by storm Claudia was now being fixed, Families were healing and homes were being repaired.

A and E

Six months later, I met a lady I recognised.  Uni student, Claudia Street had an accident painting her hallway, and here she was in A and E. How do you talk to your future wife when they have never seen you before?  Trying to act normal we talked about her injury, we had a relaxed conversation.  As she left, she advised me that she is often at the local pub on the corner near the hospital.  I knew this was an invitation to more.

I wondered that day what might happen in our 2040.  The other Claudia must have been called back because Earth Two was fixed.  It sounded like an exciting future, but I didn’t want her crashing between worlds again.  Also, if there is an Earth Two, is there an Earth Three and Four? Maybe one day I will find out, but today I will just focus on the present and nursing,

Written for Writers Unite! write the story photo prompt

For more see, Creamy pudding, love and friendship – also written for Writers Unite! photo prompt