Three to See the King

he’s doing some marvellous work out there, and can turn his hand to any task. Not that you need telling, of course. You’re already well-versed in his achievements.’
    Patrick had now adopted the hushed tones I’d become used to when people spoke about Michael Hawkins. There was an expectant pause as his words sunk in.
    ‘Me?’ I said, at last.
    ‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘After all, it was Michael who built your house, wasn’t it?’
    15
    Patrick spoke the words as though they were a truth set in stone.
    ‘Who told you that?’ I asked.
    ‘Several people,’ he said. ‘Didn’t you know?’
    ‘No, I didn’t.’
    ‘Well, the story is that Michael started constructing it long ago when he was still seeking his way here. Tin was plentiful in those days, so he came onto the plain and set to work raising his house. Not until he’d finished did he realize the mistake he’d made.’
    ‘Which was?’
    ‘He’d built it on sand, and therefore he had to abandon it and start again somewhere else.’
    I lay in the darkness and listened with mounting dismay. After all, this was my house of tin we were talking about! Admittedly, I’d discovered it standing empty and deserted in the middle of the plain, but never had I questioned how it came to exist. As far as I was concerned it was just there for the taking, so I’d moved in and made it my home. If this story was correct, then I was a usurper.
    ‘Well, why has it never fallen down?’ I asked. ‘Answer me that.’
    ‘I can’t,’ replied Patrick. ‘I’m just telling you what the others told me. Maybe your house will last for many years. It should do if Michael built it. Then again, he wouldn’t have forsaken it for no reason, would he? It could collapse next week for all we know.’
    ‘That seems unlikely.’
    ‘Well, it doesn’t matter anyway. You’re here now, so you’ll be quite safe.’
    ‘But aren’t these houses built on sand as well?’
    ‘No, not according to Steve and Philip. Apparently Michael dug down and found clay underneath.’
    ‘I see.’
    ‘Reassuring to know you’re on solid ground, isn’t it?’
    ‘Suppose so.’
    ‘Goodnight, then.’
    ‘Night.’
    Judging from the sounds he made, Patrick Pybus fell asleep more or less the moment his head touched the pillow. It took me a little longer.
    The dominant news next morning was that Michael Hawkins’s long-awaited visit would have to be postponed yet again. From what I could gather, there were so many volunteers helping him with his canyon that he was reluctant to leave them unsupervised. I learnt this as I sat at breakfast with Jane, Alison and Patrick, as well as two other women who’d come in during the night. These I recognized as Alison’s travelling companions. By the time I awoke, Jane had already been out on an early morning errand.
    ‘I saw Steve Treacle,’ she explained. ‘He told me Michael will be staying in the canyon for another day at least.’
    ‘How far away is it?’ I asked.
    ‘About two miles,’ she said.
    ‘Well, doesn’t he go home in the evenings?’
    ‘Oh no. He always stays with his helpers.’
    It turned out that the canyon was now so immense it wasn’t deemed worthwhile for these volunteers to return to their houses each night. Instead they sheltered under tarpaulins and remained on site for three or four days at a time. When eventually they did come back, they were immediately replaced by fresh recruits.
    ‘Our turn next!’ said Jane. ‘I can’t wait to get out there and lend a hand.’
    Alison, I noticed, didn’t look quite so enthusiastic.
    ‘Well, I wish Michael would inform us when he’s changing his arrangements,’ she sighed. ‘He’s let us down like this before.’
    ‘He is very busy, you know,’ Jane pointed out.
    ‘Yes,’ replied Alison. ‘I am aware of that.’
    Despite her initial hostility, I found I actually preferred Alison to the rest of them. She had none of the sweetness and light that exuded from all the others, and which I thought rather tedious. On the contrary, she struck me as coming very much from the Mary Petrie sort of mould, and I had a feeling we would probably get on alright together in the end.
    ‘Steve says he’d like to take you to the canyon today if you’re interested,’ said Jane, turning to me. ‘He’ll be here to collect you this morning.’
    Before he arrived I decided to go outside for a look around in broad daylight. Patrick Pybus accompanied me. Having always been accustomed to