Written for Pancreatic Cancer UK to fundraise and help raise awareness of this terrible illness after losing my dad in November 2020

‘Tiny Cafe’

Working at the ‘Tiny Café’, I see the same customers day after day.  Doris will always come in at 10.00am for a creamy coffee, bringing her Labrador Percy with her.  Ben and Charlie arrive at 12.30pm for their dinner and Nicola at 4.00pm for a catch up while I take my afternoon break.

I have worked here just five years and I’m happy.  Watching people eating my baked cakes and enjoying the café atmosphere gives me a feeling of satisfaction that my secretarial job didn’t.   I’ve always enjoyed baking, and now I get paid to play with icing.

Today should have been a good day, an open afternoon for the local residents, raising money for the school nursery.  We had balloons, banners and a clown organised, so how did it go wrong?  As the children arrived things took an unplanned turn.

The Clown

With Paul the clown up a ladder hanging a banner, little Billy somehow gave it a shove. As Paul screamed, elderly Doris was walking underneath.  A yelp came from Percy as he saw the chaos as it evolved.  As the ladder and clown fell, Doris tried to move but wasn’t fast enough.  Running over all my first aid training flashed through my head.  The clown groaned as Doris lay there peacefully.  Thinking the worse I pulled out my phone and dialled the ambulance.

Days later

What should have been a happy community event had put poor Doris in hospital.  Percy was now sat in the corner of the café observing the guests.  Waiting tables I became aware of being watched.  A lady sat in the corner had been cuddling a mug of cappuccino all afternoon.  Walking over to her, I needed an excuse to talk to her.

“Would you like another drink?”

“No, but are you Mandy?”

“Yes, sorry but who are you?”

“Are you due a break soon, we need to talk?”

“Ten minutes and Doreen can take over from me for a while.”

The bombshell

“Have you visited Doris in hospital?”

“I went in this morning before opening up.”

“And has she told you what has happened?”

“She was trying to say something, but a doctor walked in, and then I had to leave. What has happened?

“Well, how well do you know Doris?”

“She has been coming in here for years, that’s why Percy is happily sleeping in the corner.  Sorry, who are you?”

“I’m a friend, but she saw you Mandy as her closest.”

“I see her and Percy everyday and talk to her when I can.”

“And what about the clown, did you know him?”

“He was recommended to me by one of the parents.”

“Interesting, and the child who knocked the ladder.”

“No, I don’t know.”

“Well, the child who knocked the ladder was the son of the clown, that wasn’t an accident.  Doris saw something that they don’t want anyone else to know.”

“What?”

“Doris told me days ago and I told her to talk to the police. She said she would ask for your opinion.  You need to be careful Mandy, they dropped a clown on Doris, not sure what they might do to you.”

The story

“What did Doris see? What happened?

“Doris saw Paul the clown stealing from ‘Chubbs’ the Jeweller’.  Mr Chubbs’ doesn’t know who stole the diamonds, but he knows Doris saw him.   We think he hoped to scare her to keep her quiet, but she is worried he will be coming after you.  She’s not worried about herself.”

“What do we do, do we talk to the police, I think we have to.”

“Are you not worried about Paul?”

“No, he can’t steal and then put Doris in hospital and get away with it.  Doreen can take over here.”

Doris

Another day in the ‘Tiny Café’, Doris is happily sat nursing her coffee.  She looked relaxed and content and you wouldn’t know that a clown fell on her a few weeks back.

Paul the clown was now waiting to be sentenced and was in a police cell.  He was predicted to go down for years for stealing the diamonds and Grievously Bodily Harm to Doris.  The child had been in trouble with school and his mother, who had not known about her husband’s dodgy dealings.

Our charity event had raised money but had not been the success it should have been.  Doris has suggested that we try again, I don’t think I will be hiring a clown this time.

Written for A story a day for Pancreatic Cancer UK

Here is my fundraising page if you would like to donate.   Any size donation is appreciated.