*Is it okay? Is it clear? Should I come in?'

He told her it was fine. He told her to come in. She had no idea. She hadn't even been there. She thought she knew what it had been like, but really she didn't. The children hadn't told her anything. She hadn't asked. She just thought she knew. He came down the stairs just as she stepped into the hallway. Her hand went up to her face, to cover the smell. Her feet sank into the sodden carpet. Somewhere around the top of her head, a thick black smear marked where the water had risen to. Above it, the wallpaper's stripes looked almost fresh. Below it, they were blurred and streaked with mud.

*It'll be okay though, won't it? We can get this all cleaned up. We'll be all right, won't we?'

She didn't seem to know what she was talking about. She wasn't even looking. Everything was ruined. Everything was completely and totally ruined. The carpets and the floorboards would have to come out. The plaster would have to be knocked off the walls, the wiring redone. It would take months. It would be easier to walk away. Just like she had done. He still didn't know why she'd come back. He didn't know what she wanted from him now, from any of them. He wondered if it was the going away she felt bad about, or just the timing of it. He wondered if she realised how much the children a.s.sociated her going away with what had happened. He watched her rubbing at the wall, and looking at the muck which came away on her fingers. She sniffed at it. b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l. What was she doing. She took a picture down from the wall, wiped the gla.s.s clear to look at it, and threw it out on the front lawn. He went out to the car to get some tools and some gloves. He looked at the picture. When he came back into the house she was standing in the lounge, holding up one end of the rotten sofa, waiting for him to take the other end. She had no idea.

The Last Ditch.

Kexby.

Notes for discussion points to be raised at next house-meeting, re: early preparation measures needing to be actioned asap:endnote i Perimeter:.

Existing drainage ditches already form natural boundary. Enlarge these to create realistically defendable s.p.a.ce.1 Use spoil to create raised bank behind. Plant raised bank with 3 rows hedging: a outer row, thorned (blackthorn, hawthorn etc) a middle row, dense (box, yew etc).

a inner row, fruit-bearing (sloe, rosehip, hazel, raspberry, blackberry, etc) Benefits: wind-shelter for crops within site, visual barrier, physical obstruction. Last point most vital: ditch must be wide enough to prevent vehicles approaching, & hedging must be dense enough to prevent penetration.2 Research poss. extra line of defence within hedging perimeter (spiked poles, tripwires, traps etc) to be erected at short notice in emergency.

Above creates obvious vulnerability at entry/exit point. Suggest moveable barricade to be wheeled into place when req. (b.o.o.by-trapped?) NB vulnerable entry/exit can be advantage; provides expected focus for attack/defence.

Successfully defended s.p.a.ce as detailed above carries risk of entrapping occupants in siege situation. Plan tunnel construction to enable final escape from poss. prolonged siege. Tunnel to originate in cellar of main house and surface prob. in woods. Approx 450 metres, forced ventilation req3.ii Reject options such as eg electrical fencing, floodlighting, automatic gates & barriers, etc; defence options must be resilient to loss of power.

Reject also watchtowers, etc; would attract attention both currently and at time of crisis. Suggest planting fast-growing evergreen at corners of property, to be used as concealed look-out points.

J, T, S, R, B4 to form Perimeter Working Group. J to then take lead on tunnel. T to plan hedge planting & source stock/cuttings. (Tunnel likely to cause most disagreement at group meeting; *too much time/work for unlikely purpose' (!) etc etc. Discuss with J before raising at meeting, gain support. Refer to likely results re: children in event of being unable to escape siege. J identifies v. closely with children so this angle likely to be effective.) Food Production:iii Already well established but dependent on imported supplements. Missing elements inc: cooking oil, sugar, salt, herbs/spices, flour, nuts, staples eg pasta/rice, pulses, other soya-subst.i.tute products. Plans for resolving shortfall, to be put to Food Production Group: a Cooking oil; production would be land-intensive/time-intensive, therefore suggest doing without.

a Sugar; M already researching use of sugar-beet w/ v. mixed results. Likely to be land-intensive. Will recommend extra stores, plus consider alts e.g. honey from beehives? (Controversial, see below.) a Salt; stores. Trading might be feasible once crisis matures, but in early stages reliance on stores only option. Suggest acclimatising to significantly reduced usage now. (Propose w/ appeal to health lobby, esp. N.) a Herbs/spices; some already in production. Balance high demand for land against use of herbs/spices in reducing demand for salt, also maintaining appet.i.te.

a Flour; land-intensive & energy-intensive to produce, also energy-intensive to use (baking bread, cakes etc). Recommend other staples in place (primarily potato, also poss. oats). Concede to including some flour in stores; purchase chapatti flour *in error' as this then has dual-purpose & could be transferred to PWG5 if required.

a Nuts; include in planting plans.

a Staples; pasta & rice unviable. Switch to potato as main staple.

a Pulses; increase production of runner beans/peas, harvest and dry for stores.

a Soya products; M has already researched soya-milk production, with good results (altho taste an issue). Recommend production of soya, as important source of protein. Also not attractive to raiders, could be used at point of greatest visibility as deterrent/decoy.

Other food production well in hand; fruit trees, fruit bushes, vegetable beds, potato beds, salads etc in polytunnels. Transfer *leisure' sections of site to food production, eg lawn, children's play area, wild flowers etc. (Children req. to work at time of crisis anyway.) Concern over visibility of food production; address this with reference to PWG. Note risk of aerial surveillance, altho obv. reduced risk of this at time of crisis.6 Obv. gap in food-production plans = animals. Chickens for eggs & meat, bees for honey, poss. pigs for meat; wd be low-input in terms of time/land/feed requirements and high-output in terms of protein (& pig meat v. storable, ditto honey). BUT v. unlikely to be pa.s.sed by group as currently const.i.tuted; majority opposed to animal use, despite apparent awareness of risk posed by coming crisis. Possible negotiating strategies to include: a advocate bee-keeping *only' for pollination purposes, later to suggest non-harmful harvesting of *small' amount of honey.

a arrange *rescue' of chickens from other locations, near end of laying period. Ensure c.o.c.k *accidentally' included in this group. Advocate using eggs as they appear; also allow number of successful hatchings. Allow natural lifespans/natural deaths; at later stage, arrange accidental deaths + advocate use of meat.

a ditto *rescue' of young pigs.

a Alternative to above: gradual reconst.i.tution of group members.h.i.+p to one with more practical approach to coming crisis. (See Group a.n.a.lysis, below, esp. recommendations re fewer young children/old people.) Food Reserves: Stores already being built up; continue & accelerate this process. Note need to include multi-vitamin supplements, emergency feed rations, and medical supplies (see Exit Strategies, below).

Calculate level of stores req. to cover approx 24 months supply, eg equiv. 2 failed/stolen harvest seasons. Develop secure and/or concealed storage sites within main property. Also consider poss. secondary storage dump (v. well concealed) adj. to exit point of tunnel, to be utilised in event of escape from siege situation. (Need to be minimal, eg 1 x backpack per escapee.) Energy: Wood-fuel for heat & cooking. System already in place, but currently reliant on import. Obv. need to a) build up large store in advance of crisis, this store to be v. well hidden & poss. rigged for defence; b) increase planting of coppice wood, eg willow etc, also pollarding of nut trees etc. Also clear need to reduce wood-fuel requirement by eg additional insulation measures, move towards predominantly raw-food diet, reduction in size of group.

Electrical energy generation already being researched and implemented, with R taking lead. Reiterate need for v. low-tech/low-maint. solutions; all parts/skills for repair must be available on site! Bring this up again at next meeting; PV7 impractical for this reason?

Remember crisis will reduce energy requirements anyway: computers/phones/TV become redundant. (Non-networked electronic entertainment wd be negotiable.) Main req. wd therefore be lighting: may need to adopt blackout policy anyway, to avoid drawing attention to site or property.

(General note: will need to balance appearance of dereliction & unattractiveness with not actually looking abandoned enough to encourage occupation attempts. This will need to be improvised by reference to local properties. But blackout likely starting point.) Water/Waste: Compost toilets already fully functioning. Obv. need to ensure high hygiene standards maintained a any digestive illness wd be disastrous at time of crisis. Recent lapses in hygiene practice have been noted a to raise at next meeting.

Need for additional rainwater collection & storage. Cd be most important (& overlooked) aspect of crisis a energy restrictions will wreck mains water system. Also p.r.o.ne to sabotage by vested interest and/or forced medication by authority (eg emergency population reduction?).8 Relations with other Groups/Community: Strong policy trend within group to building greater links with local community and with other s/s9 groups regionally. Need to argue against this. Risk of spreading resources too thinly, + raising awareness locally of resources here, + risk of exploitation and/or betrayal. (Theft, bad faith, attack, occupation, information-pa.s.sing, etc etc.) Also risk of undue emotional attachment which would impact decision-making at time of crisis.

Group a.n.a.lysis:iv 8 adult members of group (6 male, 2 female), w/ at least one other female + infant attempting to join. One current member not full-time resident, although otherwise fully committed.

3 children (plus potential infant).

a.n.a.lysis: J a late 30s, in relations.h.i.+p w/ R, 2 children. Good health. Expert in tunnel-digging, also general construction etc. Likely early member of PDTFG.10 High understanding of likely impact of crisis. Father of D, 10 month old, son of L who he had brief relations.h.i.+p with last year. L & D now want to join group; with obv. emotional/dynamic impact.

P11 a late 20s, currently single, 1 child not resident at property w/ minimal contact (good). Very good health. Expert in construction, strategy, logistics, unarmed combat. Early member of PDTFG (obv!). High awareness/understanding of crisis.

T a late 50s, divorced, children not known of, minimal contact w/ ex-wife & apparent minimal emotional attachment/concern. Background in forestry/conservation(!), expert in planting & plant maintenance, also expert in insulation/draught-proofing etc. Likely to be unsupportive of PDTFG, or any form of force resistance; but also unlikely to actively oppose it.

S a early 50s, 13 y/o daughter, Z, relations.h.i.+p with Z's father unknown & undiscussed. Not always in good health. Unsupportive of crisis strategies; argues in favour of closer ties with local community. Poses significant risk to maintenance of secrecy. Current links w/ wider community risk issues of emotional attachment at the crisis time.

R a late 30s, in relations.h.i.+p with J, 2 children (T, 5, B, 8). Expert in electrical generation & maintenance. Also likely early member of PDTFG; has mentioned being in Cadet Force while at school, so useful expertise. Good understanding of crisis, altho sceptical (& sarcastic) at times.

B a early 20s, v. enthusiastic & energetic altho w/ limited practical skills. Key member of PDTFG, also of PWG. Prime potential for links with weapon sources; altho discussion of these links raises separate concerns & needs to be handled carefully. Good health but drinks & uses drugs v. heavily. Emotional attachments unknown; has alluded to number of short-term relations.h.i.+ps within activist & party circles, unclear how these arise or are terminated but no evidence of undue emotional impacts.

M12 a early 30s (??), no known relations.h.i.+ps or sig. emotional ties. Expert in unarmed combat, also enthusiastic contribution to construction tasks. Well connected in activist circles, thus often absent from site, but contributes well to workload anyway. Apparent ready access to cash & willingness to contribute. Highly engaged in discussion of crisis & response; some members of group critical/wary of this. Not yet discussed PDTFG, but likely to be keen early member.

N a mid 60s, minimal relations.h.i.+p ties (has alluded to ex-partner & children, but no known contact with them to date; whereabouts unknown). Expert in food production, crop management, storage, etc. Prime source of expertise within group in this field. Often in poor health, w/ tendency to unusual diet & supplement regimes to combat this. Strictly vegan. Also has p.r.o.nounced pacifist tendencies; has referred to surrender as a viable option in the face of armed a.s.sault, has also argued in favour of close links with local community and other resilient groups. Dangerously influential, altho presents as soft-spoken/pa.s.sive etc etc. Will need to be kept completely unaware of PDTFG.

Children a ages 5, 8, 13. Also possible 10-month-old baby joining group. 13 y/o and 8 y/o should be able to contribute useful labour at time of crisis & in preparation for it. 5 y/o obv. less use & req. more resources (also reduces available labour from parents). Admittance of baby wd be v. poor choice by group: extra resource demand + v. reduced labour from that parent; also significant burden in event of siege/tunnel/escape procedure; also at high risk of ill-health and resultant emotional strain. (Also, parentage situation in this case will presumably cause sig. probs w/ relations.h.i.+p dynamics, tensions & conflict etc, at cost to effective co-operation and shared labour.) Re 13 y/o girl, note that presence is useful in terms of long-term breeding reqs. of group.

Group a.n.a.lysis Summary: Good mix of skills and experience. Mostly good health. V. young and v. old members of group remain a concern; continue to slant discussions towards options for leaving site and being replaced by members of more appropriate age; when sourcing replacement members suggest addressing current gender imbalance with view to long-term breeding reqs. of group.

Majority of group are engaged w/ problem of crisis & preparation for it, altho small maj. opposed to armed defence. However, small minority not always serious in their discussion of issue; provocative/sarcastic/unhelpful. Recent remarks to effect that s.e.xual activity/attachment wd reduce attention to detail as re crisis preparation were particularly unhelpful. Predict this minority won't always consider subject worthy of humour.

a.s.sessment of External Threats: Working down from top: a.s.sume, at crisis, central & local authorities will withdraw to defendable s.p.a.ces with existing supplies/stocks, & not form any threat to resilient groups across the periphery of their territory.

Police/military will be primarily focused on maintaining order in larger population centres and/or protecting significant infrastructure. (Certainly on protecting any remaining supply chain, eg any food production & distribution centres which are able to continue functioning.) Threat from police/military therefore likely to be limited: however police/military also unlikely to prevent threats from other parties such as eg: Immediate neighbours. Early stages of crisis likely to see requests for a.s.sistance from local residents, followed by unpleasant coercion/emotional blackmail etc, followed by covert attacks (attempted night-theft) or co-ordinated overt attacks (direct armed a.s.sault, eg by mob w/ handtools or by pseudo-militia w/ weapons). Covert attacks shd be prevented by perimeter defences & by good surveillance. Overt attacks will need to be repelled by direct display of superior force, deadly force if req. (See Defence, below.) Since a large & co-ordinated overt attack will have a numerical advantage it will be important to prevent one arising. Careful surveillance & intelligence (perhaps by false negotiation) could a.s.sist in this; a pre-emptive strike or strikes may become necessary.13 Mobile groups. As the crisis matures, mobile groups may well develop, poss. from major population centres; these will be small groups and majority young/male. Likely to be physically weak due to fatigue of travel + unreliable nutrition; but prob. well armed (esp. if from major pop. centres) & experienced/uninhibited in use of deadly force. These groups will be the prime threat as crisis matures: careful surveillance will be essential, as will avoiding unnecessary awareness of site. Research plan for decoy vulnerable site (eg lit, smoke from chimney, obvious food supply) which can be b.o.o.by-trapped.14 Prepare others in group, esp. members of Primary Defence Task Force Group, for use of deadly/overwhelming force. (Again, utilise reference to poss. impact on children in event of defence failure as motivating tactic.) Rogue loners. Individuals unlikely to survive crisis, as limited amount of co-operation will be req. However some are likely to appear, esp. in early stages, and will have advantage of low profile. Reminder that sustained & effective surveillance, with appropriate follow-up action, will be essential throughout period of crisis.

Defence:15 Refer to notes on perimeter, above. Also camouflage, discretion, etc. These grouped as Pa.s.sive Defence. Surveillance also part of this.

Need for force is likely to arise however.v Training in unarmed combat already in progress among some members of group; bring recommendation that all undertake this training to the next meeting, and that *unarmed' be gradually redefined to inc. use of sticks, staves, s.h.i.+elds, handtools, knives, etc, up to and including deadly force. (May need to be careful about phrasing of this; may need to introduce tools/knives etc at later date. But good training & preparedness is essential asap.) Use of weaponry will be inevitable in crisis situation: many members of group not yet reconciled to this, and alarmed by talk of it. Need to work discreetly with others (B, R, J) to make progress in obtaining items+ammo, & training. Shotgun, rifle, handguns in first instance. But also need low-tech/low-maintenance solutions; prepare construction & use of crossbows and/or traditional bows. Sourcing weapons will be primary difficulty. B16 has referred to connections in major population centre which may be of use a expensive and poss. dangerous, but prob. only option. Of prime concern wd be to avoid alerting sources of weaponry to our existence and/or whereabouts; these wd by definition be groups we'd want to avoid knowing about us in the crisis time.

Ideally, a range of weapons wd be obtained. A silenced sniper-style rifle wd be preferred option; allows for early strike without attracting attention and without risk to operative. Concealed handguns useful for surprise element, eg within a false negotiation situation. Wide blast-radius shotgun useful for close confrontation. Obv. selection will be limited by availability. (It may be a useful precaution to also source 1 or more automatic weapons, to be reserved for defence against a large-scale a.s.sault, eg by a mobile group.) (However, note that in this situation it may be more prudent to opt for a siege+tunnel strategy.) Training in the use of these weapons will be almost as difficult as the obtaining of them, particularly while an element of secrecy within the group is required. (Altho clearly an element of secrecy from the wider community will always be required.) Options include trekking to sites such as beaches, woodland, etc. Abandoned quarry or railway tunnel wd be ideal. Further research req.

Exit Strategies: Above plans notwithstanding, crisis may reach point of severity/duration where managed exit becomes preferred option. Group have so far been unwilling to discuss this when raised, but vital to prepare options on their behalf. (Alts. wd be poss. capture by eg mobile groups, immediate neighbours, active authority figures, etc. Poss. scenarios include but not limited to: forced labour, forced extraction of resource information, rape (female and male), captive human food source, use of violence as local entertainment, etc).

Options inc: Medical (eg morphine, cyanide, v. large quant.i.ty of eg ibuprofen) Mechanical (hanging in roof s.p.a.ce w/ prepared ropes, primed tunnel collapse, primed demolition of property, crus.h.i.+ng w/ rocks/timber/metal objects) Environmental (exposure on high open ground, starvation, self-harm + deliberate wound-infection, weighted entry into watercourse to effect drowning) Weapons (self-administered gunfire (or co-administered in case of weak/unwilling/young), knives and other tools to effect rapid bleeding, confrontation w/ armed groups in such manner as to effect death by gunfire) Any proposed method must be a) quick, b) low-pain/distress where possible, c) non-rescindable, d) enforceable/enactable by others if req.)vi Notes to Self: Keep no further records. Discuss only with members of group relevant to completion of specific tasks. Maintain personal morale. Liaise with M17 on more controversial aspects; he has similar perspective on chances of crisis, likely impacts & req. steps etc, and has been helpful esp. in group meetings; is also able to listen to detail and discuss wide range of topics without recourse to humour/sarcasm, and is in general terms a v. useful ally!

Destroy these notes.

1 Aerial photographs of site are available from departmental archives, crossr-eferenced to SRN 0010-5586. Note that the notion of a *realistically defendable s.p.a.ce' is, at best, a relative one.

2 At time of writing, this ditch and hedging project is at very early stages. It's difficult to see the group achieving the stated depth/width while restricting themselves to the use of handtools, and with the limited labour on site. The proposed hedging would, I have been advised, take approx 10a15 years to reach the desired maturity.

3 Tunnel project likely to pose risk to partic.i.p.ants: the stated *expertise' appears limited to much shorter and shallower excavations. Recommend preventative measures, to include legal steps if necessary. Risk to less-willing members of group would appear to be unreasonable.

4 Names and locations have been redacted throughout this recovered doc.u.ment in order to protect ongoing operation. a MK.

5 Perimeter Working Group. Presumably refers to use of fine flour in Improvised Explosive Device. Subject not known to have training or expertise in preparation or use of explosives. a MK.

6 Presumably refers to fuel shortage restricting flights of any kind. Subject seems not to have considered fuel stockpiling by authority. a MK.

7 Photovoltaic, aka *solar panels'. a MK.

8 Typical misunderstanding of authority plans for Emergency Ma.s.s Medication, common among groups of this type.

9 *self-sufficient'. a MK.

10 Primary Defence Task Force Group. a MK.

11 Author of this doc.u.ment. a MK.

12 Reference to this officer. a MK.

13 Serious cause for concern here. Potentially substantial risk of subject misperceiving environmental factors and moving into *crisis' mode, with the results clearly detailed here. Recommend continued surveillance of subject. a MK.

14 Again, potential use of explosives and/or *traps' is cause for concern. a MK.

15 Note this entire section with High Concern. Recommend that this section of recovered doc.u.ment be highlighted and forwarded to Command. Plans to obtain this level of hardware a although of limited practicality a would if carried through put this group into a High Risk category. Recommend continuing surveillance, with mobile team a.s.signed. a DC (MK's Supervising Officer).

16 Secondary target subject, with pre-a.s.signed Subject Reference Number 0010-5622. Already known. Recommend renewed surveillance with reference to possibility of making contact with known criminal gangs in attempt to source weapons.

17 Again, reference to this officer. a MK.

[Endnotes follow. General remarks on viability of group and practical outlook for their programme of activities. Comments on individual subject. Recommendations for ongoing strategy (includes collated recommendations from footnotes). a MK]

i This doc.u.ment comprises a photographic reproduction of an original doc.u.ment auth.o.r.ed by surveillance subject in question (SRN 0010-5586). Photographic record was covertly obtained during conversation with subject; the original doc.u.ment is believed to have now been destroyed.

ii Summary of defence measures adopted by group: weak. Perimeter easily breachable by tracked vehicle, and likely to remain so in future. Main entry breachable by non-tracked vehicle in conjunction with minimal necessary force.

iii These are all standard policies and procedures for a group of this nature, and pose no risk to wider community. (Withdrawn: non-required personal opinion. a DC, MK's Supervising Officer) iv Subject's a.s.sessment of group is reasonably accurate, although it is this officer's observation that he overestimates the engagement of other group members with what he terms *crisis preparation'. Secondary observation: subject is at times isolated within the group, very preoccupied with the issues and plans doc.u.mented here, and vulnerable to criticism or light humour being made of this fact. As such, subject has been well-exposed to this officer's approach, and appears to have responded to minor praise and encouragement with a trusting and open outlook towards this officer. This appears likely to continue, especially given little prospect of subject attaining romantic or s.e.xual ties within the group.

v See footnotes within main doc.u.ment for response to this section. General observation that while desire to obtain weaponry is genuine and forcefully expressed, this officer retains doubts about viability of plans to do so and limited capacity to utilise any such obtained weaponry. Close surveillance will focus on this issue, however, as instructed by DC.

vi This emphasis on suicide methods being *non-rescindable' and *enforceable by others' is alarming, and raises the prospect, as discussed in Footnote 6, of subject misperceiving a given situation and potentially *enforcing' one of these methods on other members of the group. Surveillance will need to focus on any steps taken to prepare these methods, and subject may need to be referred for covert psychiatric a.s.sessment.

Summary of Recommendations a DC: a Continued surveillance of subject, with additional resource of mobile surveillance unit as required.

a Renewed surveillance of SRN 0010-5622, focusing on contacts with known criminal gangs and/or attempts to source weaponry and ammunition.

a Periodic aerial reconnaissance.

a Preventative measures regarding proposed tunnel construction: covert dissuasion, covert obstruction, preventative arrest and/or psychiatric treatment.

a Retain covert and/or compulsory psychiatric a.s.sessment and treatment as an option in the event of advanced steps being taken to prepare *enforceable suicide' methods.

a Location to be added to Food Resources Requisition Site List within the revised Emergency Planning Doc.u.ments.

a Location/group to be added to the Firearms Confiscation Site List, also within the revised Emergency Planning Doc.u.ments.

a Subject and other members of group to be added to Internment List, also within the revised Emergency Planning Doc.u.ments.

a Local community to be covertly reinformed as recommended in the Information Strategy section of the revised Emergency Planning Doc.u.ments; specifically recommend Procedures 22, 27, and 34. (*Scientists are divided on so-called global warming', *New oil-deposits being discovered every year', and *Green energy: meeting our nation's energy demands in the coming century', respectively.)

Dig A Hole.

Nottingham.

A man lies in a field beside a river, flat on his back in the short wet gra.s.s. His leg is turned awkwardly beneath him, and his face is bent out of shape with pain. Another man looks down at him and says, angrily, that it's not his fault. Around the four edges of the field, a large group of people, mostly men, are shouting. *Dig a hole and f.u.c.king bury him,' they shout, repeatedly. *Dig a hole and f.u.c.king bury him.' There are twenty thousand of them, pointing in his direction and shouting as one. *Dig a hole and f.u.c.king bury him.'

The man smiles to himself, in spite of the pain and the thought that he might have broken his leg. He knows they don't mean it, really.

I Remember There Was A Hill.

Coleby.

There was a hill, and on the hill there was a road. The road was narrow and straight and it went straight up the side of the hill. The road was broken, with ruts, and holes, and streaks of mud where tractors or tracked vehicles must have turned in and out of the fields on either side. The road was lined with poplar trees, and hawthorn hedges, and then as the road flattened out the hedges gave way to stone walls, and brick walls, and the low fences of front gardens, the front gardens of the houses that made up the village that sat like a fortress at the top of the hill. And in that village there was no green nor park nor pub nor church nor school nor shop; only the two dozen houses set back from the road, none of the houses looking out towards the sea but all turned inwards facing the road, the doors all closed and the windows all closed and the curtains all closed and no one tending their roses or mowing their lawns or mending their roofs or painting their window-frames, and no one chasing a ball or walking a dog or pa.s.sing the time of day or taking a bike from a shed or hanging out laundry or was.h.i.+ng a car or getting into a car and driving out on to the road to make their way down the hill. No barking dogs. No hum of distant lawnmower, nor rumble of tractor. No sudden cracking sounds of guns. No music or drums. No marching feet. No posters taped to telegraph poles which told of flower shows or village fetes or meetings of the neighbourhood watch. No parish noticeboard. No markings on the road, no signs noting entry to the village and asking visitors to drive with care. No signs displaying the village name, nor the year the prize for Best Kept Village was won, nor the name of the village's foreign-sounding twin. There was a phone-box, beside the road, and a phone which had just started to ring.

The phone-box was beside a dry-stone wall. There were sheep on the other side of the wall. The sheep were in a narrow field which fell steeply down the hill, and the gra.s.s was still wet with the night, and the ground was pitted with rabbit-holes, and at the end of the field there was a row of poplar trees and a pile of dead wood and around the dead wood there were nettles growing and beyond the trees and the dead wood there was a view of the land running away to the sea. There were no other hills. There was no other high ground. There were trees. There were towers such as church-towers or water-towers or town-hall towers and on all these towers there were windows or ledges or rooftops or viewing platforms of one sort or another. There were no rabbits in the field. The sheep were huddled up against the wall. The sheep were terribly thin. The phone rang. It was clear that these trees would grow tall in the gardens of these houses and beside the road and in the hollows and boundary-lines of the land between the hill and the river and the sea. That they would rot from within and grow heavy-limbed and in some strong wind come cras.h.i.+ng down into these houses and across this road and into the ditches down below, and that new trees would grow up in their place. That the gra.s.s of these lawns would grow prairie-tall and thorned briars reach up and twine around the houses and break through crumbling window-frames and pull the brick walls down. That these sheep would die, like all the others, and the uncut crops rot in the fields and the dead chaff be blown into the ditches and clog the ditches and the floods sit heavy on the land for seasons at a time and the roads crumble and the way be pa.s.sable only by tracked vehicles or airborne vehicles or those wary few who might come through on foot.

The phone-box door was heavy but the hinges didn't creak. The windows of the houses set back from the road were still curtained and dark and the curtains didn't move. The ringing of the phone echoed loudly inside the box and the ringing would not stop. The door was opened. The phone was lifted. First: there was a low humming silence. Then: the wet click of a mouth being opened to speak. Then there was a voice which spoke. Two planes came low across the sky in silence towards the sea, and the sound which followed was like the sound of improvised explosive devices in a culvert very close by.

The sheep scattered blindly across the field towards the dead wood beneath the poplar trees. The heavy door of the phone-box banged shut. The sounds all faded away.