THE FOLLOWING DAY SCHOOL WAS CLOSED FOR A SECOND DAY, WHILE THE SEARCH CONTINUES AROUND MARKET RASEN.
SEPH HAS ARRANGED TO MEET UP WITH JOHN , SO JUDGING BY,WELL YESTERDAYS EVENTS ,TODAY , WELL WHO KNOWS. YESTERDAYS PRANK WITH THE ‘TALKING ‘ DONKEY , HAD GONE A BIT FURTHER THAN HE WOULD HAVE IMAGINED . THOSE WHO THOUGHT THEY HAD HEARD IT TALK DECIDED TO TELL THE LOCAL ‘PANTON ECHO’ NEWSPAPER, ALREADY A REPORTER HAS DRAFTED AN ARTICLE , WITH INTERVIEWS , EVEN PC BRISTOW HAS BEEN QUOTED.. IT WILL BE IN THE SHOPS ON FRIDAY, SEPH HAS’NT HEARD ABOUT THIS ONE.
HE SITS DOWN WITH HIS BREAKFAST , CORNFLAKES , A CUP OF TEA, AND A CHAT WITH HIS MUM. “ SO WHAT TIME IS JOHN COMING AROUND ? “ SHE ASKS . “ ABOUT TEN “ HE REPLIES CLEANING THE LAST DREGS OF MILK FROM HIS BREAKFAST BOWL , WITH A LOUD ‘SLURP’ HIS MOTHER TAKES THE BOWL FROM HIM AS SHE DOES SHE TELLS HIM , “ BY THE WAY YOUR DAD SAYS YOU NEED A HAIRCUT , HE’LL DO IT TONIGHT ““ OH--! “ SEPH SIGHS . IF THERE IS ANYTHING HE HATES ITS HIS DADS IDEA OF A HAIRCUT , A PUDDING BASIN AND A PAIR OF SCISSORS. “ WHY CANT I GO TO A BARBER LIKE OTHERS “ HE. BEMOANS . “ NOW SEPH, YOUR DAD DOES WELL BUT WE HAVE TO WATCH OUR MONEY, “ HIS MUM TELLS HIM THEN PROMPTS HIM , “ GO UP AND GET YOURSELF READY , I NEED YOUR PYJAMAS FOR THE WASH.”
HE SNIFFS , THEN LEAVES THE KITCHEN TABLE FOR HIS BEDROOM..
AT MARKET RASEN, THE SEARCH HAS WIDEND , NOW A TEAM OF TWO HUNDRED MEN SEARCH THE AREA AS WELL AS THE WOLDS . IF ANYTHING IT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST RUBBISH CLEAR-UP IN MANY YEARS. THE DOWNS ARE LOOKING QUITE SPRUCED UP. EVEN SOME LOCALS HAVE DISPOSED OF RUBBISH WHERE THE AMERICANS HAVE GATHERD MATERIAL AN OLD BED , CAR TYRES, SOME CORRUGATED IRON SHEETS.
IN HIS BEDROOM SEPH LOOKS AT THE BIG BOX OF WRIGERLYS CHEWING GUM, A SMILE STREATCHES FROM EAR TO EAR. “ THIS IS FUN”
IT WAS TEN FIFTEEN WHEN JOHN KNOCKED AT SEPHS DOOR. THE TWO SPENT SOME TIME TALKING IN THE BEDROOM , MAKING PLANS FOR THE DAY .AS SHE HUNG THE WASHING OUT ON THE LINE. , SEPHS MUM COULD HEAR THE TWO OF THEM LAUGHING OUT ALOUD , SHE SMILED THINKING ‘SEPHS BEEN SO HAPPY LATELY’
INSIDE THE TWO DECIDE IT IS ‘ MAKE THE DONKEY TALK AGAIN ‘ TIME, “ ILL BE IN THE VILLAGE” SEPH CALLS OUT TO HIS MUM , BEFORE THEY LEAVE. SOON THEY ARE HEADING ALONG MARKET STREET TOWARDS ST.MATTHEWS CHURCH. AS THE CROSS THE ROAD FROM THE CAR PARK THEY SEE A PHOTOGRAPHER TAKING PICTURES OF THE DONKEY. “ HEY THATS BRILLIANT “ SEPH DECLARES , “ YOU GO OVER AND BE NOSEY , ILL BE WITH THE DONKEY SOON. “ HE LAUGHS AS HE SPEAKS. QUICKLY HE HIDES TAKES THE BOX OUT OF THE BAG , THE BALL OUT OF THE BOX AND IN TO HIS POCKET. IN AN INSTANT HE HAS VANISHED. HE RUNS ACROSS TO THE GATE OF THE FIELD AND CLIMBS OVER. JOHN IS TALKING WITH THE PHOTOGRAPHER, “ OH SO YOUR WITH THE LOCAL PAPER “ HE SAYS SOUNDING SURPRISED. SUDDENLY THE CHEWING DONKEY SPEAKS UP, “ HOW ABOUT A SHOT OF MY OTHER FACE “ THE PHOTOGRAPHER LOOKS, STARTLED, HIS MOUTH HANGING WIDE OPEN, “ GOOD GOD ! “ HE SHOUTS , “ THE BLOODY MULE DOES SPEAK “ . SEPH CONTINUES THE VOICE OVER , “ HEY THAT’S ENOUGH OF THAT IM A DONKEY NOT A MULE .” THE STRESSED PHOTOGRAPHER CANNOT BELIEVE HIS EARS , AND CLICKS AWAY , BUT SUDDENLY STARTS ASKING THE DONKEY QUESTIONS , “WHEN DID YOU LEARN TO TALK. “ THERE IS A PAUSE AS SEPH THINKS OF A REPLY, “ IT WAS LAST YEAR IN THE CHURCH NATIVITY PLAY. “ JOHN TURNS HIS FACE AWAY, READY TO BURST. THE PHOTOGRAPHER CONTINUES , “ SO WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE . “ AGAIN A PAUSE , THEN SEPH SPEAKS , “ WELL I MIGHT GET A PART IN A MOVIE. “ ENTHUSIASTIC THE PHOTOGRAPHER CLICKS AWAY AS HE REPLIES, “ YOU ARE GOING TO BE A BIG STAR MY LITTLE FRIEND . “ HE THEN PUTS HIS CAMERA AWAY AND SAYS TO THE DONKEY , JUST AS TWO MIDDLE AGE LADIES PASS, “ THE SUN WILL SHINE OUT OF YOUR ASS ,YOUR GOING TO BE FAMOUS, ILL BE BACK “ THE TWO LADIES LOOK AT HIM AND DECLARE “ WHAT A REVOLTING MAN , TALKING TO US LIKE THAT.“ SEPH USES THE DONKEY AGAIN “ DON’T WORRY LADIES HE WAS TALKING ABOUT MY BUM NOT YOURS “ THE TWO LADIES TURN TO THE DONKEY , LOOK AT EACH OTHER , THEN LEAVE IN A HURRY. THE PHOTOGRAPHER HAS RUN TO HIS NEWSPAPER OFFICE ‘TH
