Keppelberg by Stan Mason Page A

would have been an open target. I had to use common sense. At seven fifteen that evening, I made my way to the village hall and entered. It was too early for anyone of the villagers to be there. I stared at a number of large flags, bearing strange emblems, hanging from all four corners of the hall and hid behind one of them out of sight of anyone who came for the meeting. It wasn’t long before the villagers began to arrive. They dribbled in after seven-forty-five to take their seats and, exactly at eight o’clock, the Chairman and his committee stepped on to the stage and sat in their chairs. By this time, every seat in the hall had been filled.
    â€˜Good evening, friends,’ began the Secretary officiously. She stood on the low platform holding a sheaf of notes. ‘This extraordinary meeting has been called to consider the situation regarding a stranger who refuses to leave the village. We have no idea of his intent at the present time or whom he might represent. The man was arrested and placed in a cell from which he escaped and his current whereabouts are unknown. For further discussion I pass you on to our Chairman, Mr. Townsend.’
    Townsend got to his feet as the Secretary sat down. ‘Friends,’ he began. ’We are a separate community and proud of it preserving our heritage since the days of Obadiah Keppelberg. However this stranger is in our midst with his own agenda which is unknown to us and we need to stop him before he does something to upset the balance within this community. I recommend that we post a guard of at least two people at the main entrance of the village in case more strangers arrive and that we hunt down the man in our midst who escaped from our prison.’
    â€˜What do you intend to do with him if he’s caught and refuses to leave?’ Asked a member stopping the Chairman in his flow.
    â€˜Let us capture him first and decided what to do with him later,’ continued the Chairman. ‘What we eventually do is entirely up to you... the members of this village. Let us hope that he sees sense and leaves us of his own accord.’
    â€™If he refuses to leave, can’t we just send him packing with a flea in his ear?’ Demanded a woman near to the front.
    The Chairman paused before replying. ‘The problem is that he mentioned the word ‘pharmacy’ when in jail which puts a completely different complexion on it. I have no idea how he found out about it.’
    â€˜Are you suggesting that we may have to dispose of him in one way or another... execute him?’ Ventured a man in the middle of the hall.
    â€˜Desperate deeds require desperate measures,’ came the reply from the Secretary who was becoming annoyed at the questions posed to the Chairman.
    â€˜Surely he can’t know anything about the pharmacy!’ declared a woman in the centre. ‘No one would dare to have revealed any information to him about that.’
    â€˜Than how did he know about it?’ Accused another woman near to the front.
    I stood behind the flag in one of the corners of the room wondering what they were wittering about. I was horrified to learn that they would be angry enough to execute me to hide their secret.
    â€˜It might be possible to integrate him into the community if he simply wants to stay in the village,’ uttered another woman at the rear of the hall which caused me to feel a slight sense of relief.
    â€˜We can’t do that without a woman!’ Stated another man adamantly.
    â€˜But there is one,’ stated the same woman firmly. ‘Bridget McBain. She’s on her own now.’
    The room seemed to erupt noisily at the news and the Chairman was forced to use his gavel to maintain order.
    â€˜Why wasn’t this brought to my attention?’ he asked irately.
    â€˜Because her husband only died this morning,’ came the reply. ‘He refused to take his tablets over a period of time and