COLONEL NOAH

OTHER CHAPTERS

CHAPTER 8

David, Dorothy and the twins were overwhelmed by the Colonel's project. They stood and gazed up at it for several minutes in silent awe while the Colonel waited for their reaction.

'Wow! Fab!' gasped Oliver.

'Fantastic!' said Ellie.

'Well, Dad this is certainly a surprise,' David began. 'When you said large that's exactly what you meant. How have you managed to get so much done in such a short time?'

'I've given all my time to it, planned every detail step by step and it's simply fallen into place. Of course I couldn't have done it without Tom Dailey and his crew. We've worked from dawn until dusk some days. It's been pretty hectic at times but well worth it don't you think?'

The twins had hared off down the garden and were climbing on board.

'How far is it from completion?' asked David, playing for time.

'It's the last finishing off bits inside that are causing the headaches. It's beginning to feel like distant dream that won't quite come off. That's why I'm so pleased you are here this weekend. The finances are starting to worry me slightly. You have no idea how prices have rocketed in the past six months.'

David and Dorothy exchanged quick glances.

'I have sent out invitations to our immediate neighbours to come to a meeting tomorrow evening. I would like to know who would be interested in coming in on the project.'

'Now just a minute, Dad, you're going far too fast for me. I simply cannot take it in. We're so used to seeing rows of vegetables down the garden this has come as a complete surprise. Suppose you show me round the boat and tell me your ideas and worries? It's going to take quite a while. Are you coming Dot?'

'Try and stop me,' laughed Dot,' it's the most exciting thing I've seen for a very long time. Come on Pops you can show me every single detail.'

She took the Colonel's arm and started towards the boat eagerly. The twins looked down on them as they approached and pretended to whistle them aboard.

'This is mega fantastic, Pops,' shouted Oliver. 'Completely out of this world. I wish I'd known what you were up to. I would have wagged off school to come and help. That lucky devil Darren living next door to it. Has he been over? I bet he has. He could hardly miss out on this.'

'Yes,' said his grandfather, 'Darren has helped right from the beginning. He'll make a wonderful craftsman. I hope he'll be able to come with us when it's finished.'

'Come where?' asked Ellie,' where are you going and how are you going to move all this? It's impossible.'

'No, not impossible, just needs a bit of careful thought,' said Oliver, sounding just like his Grandfather, 'when you have thought it out and decided where to go count me in. You won't forget will you Pops? You couldn't possibly go without me! A floating home beats everything else sideways.'

The Colonel was delighted with this enthusiastic response. He had been hoping for this kind of reaction from David, who still looked slightly shell-shocked.

The boat was an absolute beauty and no expense had been spared, just like all his Father's endeavours. But this was too much, how had it happened in so short a time? Surely the Old Man couldn't have slipped a cog without them noticing.

David followed them round the boat and listened as his Father talked non-stop, telling of the planning, failures, triumphs and how, now everything was coming together, funds were running low.

'Nothing I can't handle, of course, simply needs a bit of lateral thinking,' he smiled.

'Yes, its lovely,' said Ellie, ' but what exactly are you going to do when it's all finished?'

'I'm going to live on it just as Oliver said and I hope you will want to come and live on it too.'

David and Dot exchanged another long look and both began to speak at once.

The Colonel simply raised his voice above theirs saying:

'Remember Noah!'

'Oh, Pops, you can't compare what is going on today with what happened to Noah. That's absolutely ludicrous!'

'What happened in California last week, in Pakistan last month, in Essex earlier this year? We've had hurricanes, tidal waves, floods, rivers overflowing as never before and non-stop rain for days. And every time you come home from a tour you tell me that sea levels all over the world are rising.'

'I know, Dad, but they are being monitored. You don't seriously think there is going to be another world flood now do you?'

'Yes I do David, and I don't think it's very far away.'

'Let's go in the house and talk this over rationally. I'll put the kettle on.' said Dot trying to stop it going further in front of the children, who were listening intently.

They all backed down the ladder into the garden. A movement at the fence caught Dot's eye.

'Hello, Monica, are you busy in your garden.'

A head popped up above the fence.

'Hello, Dot, hello, David, hello, Ellie, hello, Oliver. Have you come up for the weekend? We're coming over to see you later and have light refreshments.'

Oliver snorted.

'The Colonel's sent us an invitation, it says including light refreshments.'

They all shouted 'hello, Monica,' and trooped into the kitchen.

As soon as the door closed Oliver burst out, 'You can't even think about asking them to come on board. It's absolutely ridiculous!'

'Oliver, that's extremely rude! Your grandfather is having the neighbours in to put them in the picture.'

'Quite right, David, it seems only courteous to ask the neighbours if they would like to be involved.'

'Involved in what way?' asked Ellie.

'I can't say exactly until we have had the meeting, as I don't know what their reaction will be.'

'Surely Darrren will have told his parents what it's all about,' said Oliver, who was beginning to worry at the thought of all these extra people being involved.

'I doubt that very much, they don't communicate very well in that household.'

'Nor in ours it would seem,' said David, with a sharp look at his father.

'What time is the meeting?' asked Dot, 'We must thrash this out as a family before we include anyone else, show a united front. Have you told Valerie of your plans? Should we give her a ring?'

'No, I haven't told your sister yet, I didn't know how to broach the subject. She has such strong views. I'm sure it will take more than my words to convince her of the seriousness of all this planning, a letter from the Prime Minister might work,' The Colonel smiled at his little joke, he realised now that he should have told his family sooner. 'I wonder if you would be willing to ring her David, she must be put in the picture tonight.'

'Yes, of course David will give her a ring. She may not be as surprised as you think, there has been a great deal of rain in Scotland this year, and her husband knows some very influential people.' Dot tried to sound more confident than she felt.

David was at a complete loss as to how to deal with the whole affair without devastating his father's plans. Nothing in their relationship had prepared him for this.

The twins drifted back into the garden and down to the boat when they'd had enough of the adults' discussion.

Darren saw them from his bedroom window. He opened it and shouted to them and they beckoned him to come down. He came at a gallop feeling really put out that they were able to climb on to his boat without even a by-your-leave.

They all climbed on board and groped shyly for something to say. Darren thought that Ellie had improved tremendously since last summer, she looked wonderful with her cloud of shining auburn hair and long brown legs.

'Well,' he blurted, 'what do you think of her?'

'She's a beauty,' said Oliver generously, 'how long before she's finished?'

'The Colonel said he would know more after the meeting.'

'Do you know why he's building it?' asked Ellie.

'Of course I do, my parents will be at the meeting, they're invited.'

'What do you really think about it Darren? Do you think like Grandfather that there will be another flood, like Noah, and if there is will your parents let you live on board and leave home? '

'Dunno,' said Darren rather sheepishly. He was just beginning to realise what it was all about, now Ellie had spelt it out, it sounded a bit like science fiction. 'The Colonel believes it and he should know what he's talking about. Would he have done all this if he wasn't certain?'

'I just can't imagine it happening at all,' said Oliver, 'but then I can't imagine what it will be like in Winter when it's Summer now.'

'The Colonel explained it to me, look at all the floods we're having and all the warnings about global warming.'

'I know, we have all that environmental stuff at school. But what will happen to the boat if it doesn't happen?'

'That's easy,' said Ellie, who had the most imagination, 'we can live on it in the holidays, just think of it, our own boat going wherever we want for eight whole weeks. We can become pirates and cause havoc on the high seas, dash across the Channel and smuggle brandy and make our fortunes.'

'We'd have to get it to the river first,' said Darren, including himself in her plans.

'Simply a matter of a huge crane and some forward planning,' said practical Oliver. 'Pops won't just leave it here to rot that's a certainty, he'll have made some contingency plans I'm sure.'

Darren wasn't so sure, after all he'd been in from the beginning and there had been no mention of other plans. He didn't quite like the way these two were making plans for his boat.

HOME PAGE

Web site design by Roger Cornwell. Last updated on 28 November 2004.