The Power of Five Oblivion

crime…” Miss Keyland reached out and picked up the photograph. I was surprised that she could even consider turning Jamie in, but at the same time she was a teacher and so I supposed she had a greater respect for the law.
    “I’ve done nothing wrong,” Jamie said, quietly. It had been a while since he had spoken.
    “How can you know that?” Dolan sneered. “I thought you’d lost your memory.”
    “I wouldn’t do anything to hurt anyone. I didn’t come here to hurt you.”
    “Then why are you in the photograph?” Miss Keyland asked. “Why do the police want you?”
    “I don’t know. And they’re not telling you either. All they’re doing is offering you money…”
    “There’s also the question of why the photograph appears to be ten years out of date,” Mrs Flint added.
    “I agree with the Traveller,” I said. “I don’t think you should send him away. What’s wrong with letting him stay?”
    That was most definitely a mistake. Sir Ian turned on me with a withering look. “You are not here to vote, Holly,” he intoned. “You are here because you are accused of breaking village law and helping to conceal a stranger. And we’ve heard enough from you too, Traveller, thank you very much. You will now leave this place and allow the Council to do its work and decide on the matter.”
    I thought the Traveller was going to answer back but he knew better than me and simply bowed his head, turned and left. I noticed he walked with a slight limp. Maybe the cold and the damp of the river had entered his bones. We waited until he had gone, his footsteps echoing on the stone floor. A door at the back of the church creaked open, then boomed shut. Once more we were alone.
    “There is nothing more to be said,” Sir Ian exclaimed. “We were about to have a vote. We have now heard certain representations. Let us make a decision.”
    “I think the Traveller was right,” Mr Flint said. “Why put ourselves in danger? The boy can stay here, even if we have to keep him under lock and key. Let’s leave the police out of this.”
    Not surprisingly, Mrs Flint agreed. The vicar nodded too. “He’s a child. Maybe, if we look after him, his memory will return. Until then…” His voice trailed away.
    Equally unsurprisingly, Dolan and Reade hadn’t altered their position one jot. “Turn him in,” Reade said.
    “Get the reward,” Dolan added.
    “I don’t know,” Miss Keyland said. She was looking very old and tired. Her face was full of concern.
    Before she went on, Sir Ian weighed in. “All in all, I think we need more time. I agree with Mr and Mrs Flint – and with Reverend Johnstone. There may be more danger handing this boy back than there is in keeping him.”
    “Then why not just kill him?” Dolan said. “We have laws here. That’s what we do to intruders…”
    “Shame on you!” Rita had got to her feet and I had never seen her so angry. She had quite forgotten where she was. “He’s a fifteen-year-old boy, young enough to be your son, and you talk about killing him as if he were no more than an animal. Well, maybe the village doesn’t deserve to survive if that’s what we’ve come to!” She drew a breath. “He can come and stay with me, if the Council will allow it. I’ll vouch for him and I’ll make sure he doesn’t set foot outside the house … at least until he’s been before the Assembly. As for you, Michael Dolan, I remember you when you were his age.” She nodded at Jamie. “You were cruel and spiteful then and it’s a shame you haven’t grown up to be any kinder. Now it’s late and I want to get to bed. So what do you say?”
    There was a bit more argument. Sir Ian was obviously annoyed that his precious Council had been interrupted a second time, but in the end it was agreed. Miss Keyland didn’t even have to pass her vote.
    And that was how Jamie Tyler came to live with us.

FOUR
    There were three bedrooms in our house and now there were five of us living there, but Rita had already worked that out. She moved Jamie into the bathroom – it had been years since the bath or the toilet had worked – with cushions from the spare sofa spread out in the bath. It wasn’t very pleasant but at least it was private and, as she said (so often that it was one of her favourite sayings), beggars can’t be choosers and we were all beggars now.
    It was a Wednesday when Jamie first appeared … I think. Officially, we didn’t really have days of the week any more