Lavender Hill (3 page)

The leader casually held it to his nose but then immediately recoiled in shock and began to talk loudly to the villagers. He passed it to the others, who became excited and began to chant.

Jacob translated. “They say it’s the smell they experienced when the spirit came to them yesterday. What does it say on the packet?”

“They’re just hand-wipes, and they are… scented with lavender.”

*****

12:02pm

Sir Jeffrey Hampshire, the head of MI5, the British secret service, stood at the window of his office looking over the River Thames and London. He was tall and smartly dressed, with heavy eyelids and thin lips. Someone knocked on the door to his office. He turned around.

“Yes, enter.”

His secretary entered. “Everyone has arrived, Sir Jeffrey. The meeting is ready to begin.”

Sir Jeffrey collected a portfolio from his desk and made his way to an elevator outside his office. He pressed a specially labelled button on the display in the elevator and waited as it progressed downwards. Eventually, the door opened and Sir Jeffrey strolled through a series of narrow corridors until he reached a meeting room, which he entered. Along one side of the meeting room was a window and beyond that could be seen a large control centre that had dozens of television screens on a wall. Desks faced the screens and people sat at them working industriously.

In the middle of the room was a large table, and sat around the table were smartly dressed men and women. They looked professional and serious, and they waited patiently while Sir Jeffrey sat down, put his glasses on, and arranged some papers from his portfolio.

Sir Jeffrey looked up. “Ladies, gentlemen, thank you for attending this rather hastily convened meeting. It would appear we have a situation developing. Can you inform everyone about the report you gave to me earlier, Andrew.”

A man sitting next to Sir Jeffrey pushed a report into the middle of the table, and then addressed the group.

“We’ve been monitoring social media and the internet, and it seems the level of activity related to this Rapture, as it’s being called, is much higher in Western countries than is being currently reported in the news. In particular, there is significant activity here in the UK.”

“When you say activity, what do you mean exactly?” asked a stern looking woman sitting opposite him.

“People saying they experienced this strange feeling, talking about unusual sensations, etc. Have you heard they think wooden objects are somehow important?”

The woman attempted a smile. “Yes, but it seems ridiculous. How are we meant to interpret something like that?”

“I don’t think we are,” replied Sir Jeffrey. “At this point, and the reason for this meeting, I think it is clear we should focus our efforts on gathering information. We have a significant percentage of the globe’s population behaving as if something important has just happened, so it’s sensible for us to defer to their judgement. Did anyone experience this strange feeling by the way?”

The room remained silent.

“No, me neither. But that doesn’t mean we should be dismissive, especially if people here are also reacting to this event.”

“Are we going to consult the government?” someone asked.

The people around the table smiled and looked at each other.

Sir Jeffrey casually flicked through the report. “I suspect it will take them some time to realise they should do something, and we can then inform them we are monitoring the situation.” He paused briefly. “Andrew, could you inform your staff to pay particular attention to the news channels – 24/7 News appears quite efficient. Some of these operations are quick to identify important leads in a story.”

“OK, Sir Jeffrey. We already have a file on Jeremy Banks if you remember.”

“Yes, I do – interesting character.”

Sir Jeffrey removed his glasses and slowly looked around the table. “Ladies, gentlemen, I think we need to pay some attention to this situation. It has a quality to it that I’ve not seen before. We need to know about any developments that may affect national security before they become actual problems. Is that understood?”

The people around the table acknowledged Sir Jeffrey’s instruction. He then leant back in his seat. “OK, let’s turn our attention to other business.”

*****

12:48pm (UK); 10:48pm (Papua New Guinea)

Jeremy Banks, a few reporters, and a technician sat in the meeting room watching Katie on a TV screen.

“So, they think the trees have come alive…” pondered Jeremy. “But we haven’t seen this reported before, have we? So it’s just another vague explanation for the Rapture to add to the growing list.”

“There’s more,” said Katie.

“OK, tell us what you’ve discovered, Ms Sturridge.”

“They are saying at least two other sensations are important. Something involving shiny objects and the smell of lavender.”

Jeremy laughed loudly. “Is this situation going to become any more bizarre? How are we meant to interpret this?” He looked around the room.

The reporters looked at each other and then towards Katie as if she might have an explanation.

“I don’t think we can at the moment,” said Katie. “Although, I have identified a lead that might be more productive.”

“This would explain why we have an extra TV, and Daniel, here in the meeting room today?” asked Jeremy.

“Yes, Dan has put together a montage of video clips from the day of the Rapture. We think they show people pointing towards something. The villagers here all pointed at the ground at the end of their ceremony.”

“I’ll start the video, Katie,” said Dan.

Jeremy and the reporters watched the video montage. On screen were large crowds of people marching through villages, towns and cities around the world.

Dan said, “I’ve enlarged certain people in the crowds. One will be coming up just now... see, they pointed at the ground.” Dan looked around the room excitedly. “There are two in the next video.”

Everybody watched in fascination as each video showed one, two, sometimes three, people pointing at the ground as they walked with the crowds.

“It’s clear, isn’t it? Once you start looking,” said Katie. “Dan, are the videos from Western countries showing yet?”

“They’re coming on now.”

Everybody watched as a video from France, England and then America, showed people pointing.

Jeremy sat back in his chair and went quiet for a while. Everyone watched him and waited for him to speak. He turned to Mary.

“No one else has reported this, have they?”

“No, this is completely new.”

“This is fascinating, absolutely fascinating.”

He went quiet again before turning to Dan. “How long would it take to set up an extra page on our website to try and identify these... ‘Pointers’, let’s call them?”

“It could be ready by tomorrow.”

“OK, I want it to consist of a map people can use to indicate the direction they think the Rapture originated from. Get the names and addresses of the people as well. And get a bunch of your guys to try and calculate where these people are pointing. There must be a way to work out the direction if we use maps to work out where they were standing when they were pointing.”

“OK, we can do that.”

Jeremy sat back in his chair and looked towards the TV.

“Excellent work, Ms Sturridge.”

“Thank you, I think there’s still a lot more of this story to uncover here and in the wider region.”

“No, you can come back to the UK now. We’ve arranged for Ruth to fly out to your locale and take over this story.”

Katie looked flustered and was about to reply, when a young woman suddenly entered the room.

“You’ll be on air in 20 minutes, Mr Banks,” the woman said.

“OK, let’s close this meeting. Have a safe journey home, Ms Sturridge.” Jeremy then stood up to leave.

“Can I continue reporting about the Rapture when I return?” Katie asked.

Jeremy stopped just before exiting the room and turned back to the screen. He looked at Katie for a few moments.

“Yes, if you find something worth reporting.”

*****

8:43am

“Don’t walk near the cliff edge!” Sarah shouted to Dylan.

“He’s OK, Sarah. Don’t talk so harshly to them,” said Jack.

Jack and Sarah strolled along the cliffs near their home while the kids played ahead of them.

“I’m not being harsh,” replied Sarah.

“You seem irritable recently?”

Sarah went quiet and looked away for a short while before turning back.

“It should be obvious, Jack. This whole lifestyle change isn’t working out.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“All our friends – my friends – are in London, and we’ve moved further away from my family. And... you seem obsessed with this whole living more naturally stuff.”

“But we agreed that’s what we wanted?”

“I agreed to something, yes. But I didn’t agree to this... Eating good food and living more sustainably, I’m OK with. But all of this nonsense about following exactly the day-night cycle and not heating the house when it’s cold is ridiculous.”

“I only wanted to experiment with those things. I never said everyone else had to do the same as me. The kids like it.”

“The kids think everything is fun.”

“So what do you want to do?”

“I don’t know. But we’ve got to be honest with each other and admit this change was our last attempt to repair something between us.”

Jack just looked at Sarah without replying, and eventually Sarah turned around and walked away to be on her own.

Jack watched Sarah walk away. He turned back to look at the kids and then followed them. He walked for some time, watching the kids and thinking about his relationship with Sarah. Eventually, he decided to sit on a bench nearby and wait for Sarah to catch up with him.

As Jack approached the bench, the sight of it abruptly caused him to feel overcome with memories of the Rapture. Instead of sitting down, he stood in front of the bench and stared at a small, bronze memorial plaque placed on the backrest. The light shone on the surface of the plaque, which made Jack have flashbacks to the Rapture. He had an intense feeling he was recalling an important memory, but not one that was his own. This memory seemed to take control of his mind, so that he felt unable to resist as he dropped to his knees in front of the bench. Jack put his hands on the bench and felt the wood while staring at the bronze plaque. A sound, smell and taste filled his mind.

“Jack,” shouted Sarah as she approached him.

Jack turned his head and stared at Sarah. The kids ran over and held onto her. The expression of shock and fear on the children’s faces broke through Jack’s strange state, and he fell backwards onto the ground.

Jack sat on the ground breathing quickly, with an expression of shock. He looked up to see Ella crying, Dylan looking scared, and Sarah covering her face with her hand. People walking along the cliff path had stopped and were watching them from a distance. Jack stood up and said to his family,

“Can we go... I need to go.”

*****

9:47am (UK); 7:47pm (Papua New Guinea)

“OK, on air in 5, 4, 3...”

Jeremy smiled at the camera. “Good morning, and welcome back to 24/7 News. Now, since yesterday we have been working on an important development in relation to the Rapture. Our reporter Ruth Merry is currently in Papua New Guinea, and she’ll be able to fill us in.”

Jeremy turned to a large TV screen.

“Ruth, thanks for joining us. Can you tell us the story you’ve uncovered over there?”

“Hi, Jeremy – good to be with you. The story that’s emerging here is that a group of villagers have started to form a new religion. They believe the trees have come alive and have developed a new ceremony to reflect this.”

“Why do they believe the trees have come alive?”

“Apparently, they think a spirit from within the ground has caused it.”

“This is fascinating, Ruth. But we haven’t seen this anywhere else, have we?”

“No, it’s unique to these villagers. But, and this is very important, as part of their new ceremony they point at the ground, and we believe we have seen this in other parts of the world, even the West. We have a montage of videos that can illustrate this fascinating development.”

The TV screen split into two halves, with Ruth on one side and the video showing people pointing on the other.

Ruth provided the commentary. “As you can see, in the crowds that gathered after the Rapture there were people pointing at something.”

“Yes, it’s very clear once you start looking. What does this mean, Ruth?”

“We’ve been analysing the direction these ‘Pointers’ have been gesturing, and we believe we discovered something very significant. If you include the Pointers seen in the crowds in the West, it would appear the people are pointing towards Europe, possibly even the UK.”

“So the source of the Rapture is somewhere in Western Europe?”

“Possibly, yes – we’re still analysing the data. However, maybe the viewers of 24/7 News can help us with this story.”

Jeremy turned back to face the camera.

“Yes, as Ruth has just suggested, we would like you, the viewers of 24/7 News, to help us with this story. We have set up a new page on our website that includes a map, and we would like you to suggest the direction you believe the Rapture originated from. We will then collect this data and report our findings back to you.”

Jeremy turned back to the screen. “You have some other developments to report to us as well, Ruth?”

“Yes, the villagers here also believe certain sensations are associated with the Rapture. To verify these new experiences are genuine, we would like viewers of 24/7 News to answer some questions on the new webpage.”

Jeremy turned back to the camera. “So just to confirm, a new page on our website is available that you can use to indicate the direction of the Rapture. We would also like you to tell us if you experienced any unusual sensations during this phenomenon.”

Jeremy turned back to Ruth. “So, Ruth, you will be reporting from Asia while the aftermath of the Rapture is ongoing?”

“Yes, as you know, most of the activity is outside the Western world, so we’ve decided to concentrate our efforts here.”

“OK, thanks Ruth – happy hunting.”

*****

5:24pm

memorial plaques
– “No, that’s no good.”

memorial plaques UK
– “No, I don’t want to buy one.”

memorial plaques UK on benches
– “Yes, that’s more like it.”

Jack sat in the living room at his computer trying internet searches to find a list of memorial plaques placed on benches in the UK. Sarah sat on the sofa watching the TV.

“Who are you talking to?” asked Sarah suspiciously.

“Myself, but don’t panic,” replied Jack.

Sarah continued to look concerned, but kept quiet.

Jack scanned the list of possible websites until he found one that detailed benches with memorial plaques. He clicked on it and browsed until he found a list for his area. The list was short, but he immediately noticed only one appeared to be near him and in the direction of the Rapture. He was just about to click on it when his attention was drawn to the news on the TV.

“So, just to update you on the Rapture. We are investigating the possibility some people believe, or feel, the Rapture originated from a particular direction, and we have dedicated a new page on our website to try and identify where this place is.”

Jack immediately browsed to the website for 24/7 News and clicked on the new page. The site requested he give his details, and he began to fill them in but paused when he came to his address. Jack thought for a few moments and then filled in the details of their house in London rather than his new address. The website then placed an arrow over his London house and requested he point it in the direction of the Rapture. Jack pointed the arrow directly towards Devon in the south-west of England where he was currently living. The website then asked him to choose from a multiple-choice of possible sights, sounds and smells that might be related to the Rapture. Jack finished completing the questions and was about to continue searching for memorial plaques when he noticed a comments board placed on the website. He browsed through the comments until he noticed one in particular:

I’m organising a ‘Pointers’ meeting in Bristol tomorrow. If you’re interested contact me using the details in my profile.

“Did you hear them talk about these Pointers?” asked Jack.

“Yes, why?”

“On the website for 24/7 News it says someone’s organising a meeting up in Bristol about it. I might go.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Jack. It’s going to be full of crazies.”

Jack laughed a little, and said under his breath, “I better go then...”

He clicked on the profile of the person who had left the comment and copied their email address, so he could reply. He sent them an email requesting the time and place of the meeting and then returned to the website for memorial plaques.

Jack browsed back to the list of plaques. He clicked on one that was near a village a short drive from his house and read the details:

This plaque commemorates the life of Mr and Mrs Dawson and is placed on a bench at the top of Oldway Hill.

*****

6:30pm

Jeremy strolled confidently through the offices of 24/7 News. He made his way out of the building and into a car that was waiting for him.

“Good evening, Richard,” Jeremy said to the driver of the car.

The driver continued looking ahead and just nodded to acknowledge his greeting, which Jeremy noticed was unusual as he was typically more friendly.

“Straight home tonight, please – Richard.”

The driver just nodded again, and Jeremy raised his eyebrows.

They began to drive through the streets of London. Jeremy relaxed by casually looking out of the window. The streets were full of city strollers moving between bars and restaurants: beautiful girls and handsome guys, office workers, smart students and smartly-dressed business people, old guys with an answer for everything, beggars and tourists.

The driver turned down a road that wasn’t on the normal route, but Jeremy just assumed it was due to a traffic jam he wasn’t aware of. But again, the driver changed direction so they were now driving away from Jeremy’s house.

“Richard, where are you going?”

The driver ignored him.

Jeremy leant forward to grab the drivers shoulder, but just as he reached him the car sped into a narrow road and screeched to a halt. The doors opened and Jeremy was pushed out the way as two men entered. The car then sped off quickly and back onto the main road.

“What the hell’s going on? Who are you?” demanded Jeremy.

“We represent Her Majesty’s Government, Mr Banks. I’m afraid you will have to be patient until we reach our destination,” replied one of the men.

“Her Majesty’s Government... this must be some kind of joke.”

The man just smiled politely at Jeremy.

“Where are you taking me?”

“We’re taking you to Thames House.”

“You expect me to believe you’re from MI5?”

The man just smiled politely again.

“I’m rich, and know the kind of people that could hunt you down. So if you’re criminals the safest thing would be to let me go.”

“We are well aware of your background, Mr Banks,” said the other man. “We’re here now anyway,” he continued, and pointed out of the window.

Jeremy saw Thames House come into view and the car drove towards an entrance that lead under the building. The driver parked the car and the two men either side of Jeremy got out. As Jeremy followed one of the men out of the car, he noticed how tall he was. The tall man was also square-jawed with sunken eyes and appeared to be senior to the other man.

“Follow us,” said the Tall Man to Jeremy. The three of them then entered an elevator. Eventually, they came to the top floor of the building and the two men escorted Jeremy to the office of Sir Jeffrey, who looked up as they entered.

“Ah, Mr Banks, do take a seat. Thank you, gentleman. Just wait outside would you.”

Jeremy sat down. “Nice to meet you again, Sir Jeffrey. Although, rather strange circumstances.”

“Yes, sorry for all the theatrics but needs must sometimes. All a little bit James Bond, but not such a bad thing to keep up appearances, eh?” Sir Jeffrey laughed, and then continued, “So, we should deal with some formalities first before I tell you why you’re here. As I’m sure you know, Her Majesty’s Government can insist on all sorts of powers if national security is compromised. However, the time-frame for such things is painfully long.” Sir Jeffrey then reached over to a dossier and put on some reading glasses. “So, to encourage you to be cooperative we have, without much effort I might add, found out you have a taste for some rather questionable sexual behaviour. You appear not to have paid any tax for at least ten years. And you have some business interests with people that aren’t even allowed in the country. All career ending stuff, don’t you think?”