Writing for Fun
April 2015
The Cold Call - Bob Wendelkin
'Come this way, this will be your office while you are here; the last time it was used was when the Manor was part of the Air Ministry during the War. I'll have the Housekeeper clean it for you, she's an old lady and been here for years, in fact she was here with the Air Ministry,' said the Manager.
The manager took Susan into the side office where she could start a review of the history of the Manor in particular its place in the war.
The office was small and dusty. As she looked round the room she saw that there was a cupboard where the door was hanging off, this allowed her to see dusty old RAF files on the shelves.
Left over from the war, she thought, the manager said it was part of the Air Ministry. She continued her inspection and found on the window ledge an old black 'phone; she remembered seeing a 'phone like this years ago when she visited her grandma. This one was covered in thick dust and it was obvious no one had used it for years.
Susan started to clear the desk of old papers and dust; she stacked them carefully as they may be of some importance at a later date. She looked at the papers, they had the large print of the War Office, Air Ministry. Looking at them Susan had seen these sorts of papers before but they had been in the Archives of the Air Ministry; she wondered why these papers had not been returned to them at the end of the war.
She got up and went to the window where she could overlook the grounds. As she stood there looking out of the window an old lady came into the room with dustpan and broom.
'Hello, Miss, I've been told that you are to have this room and it needs a good clean,' said the Housekeeper. 'I'm the Cleaner, Housekeeper and general Dog's Body; they kept me on as I'm part of the House. I'm called Emily Hanson.'
'I'm so pleased to meet you, Mrs Hanson, I'm Susan, I hope I'll not be too much trouble for you,' answered Susan.
'Call me Emily, I'm not a Mrs. I never married; no one seemed to suit me after my first love was killed in the war.'
'Do you know that this was my office during the war? I used to keep the records for the local air field,' said Emily.
'What sort of air field?' asked Susan.
'It was a Bomber base, the Bombers used to fly directly over the house on the way to Germany. It was terrible, we were killing ordinary people like ourselves; Hitler and his thugs were deep in their bomb shelters. It's always the same, most ordinary people don't want war. I mean in the first war at Christmas the boys from both sides got together to play football, not kill each other. It was the leaders who wanted the war and I expect it will always be that way.'
'I've been lucky, I've never known any war,' replied Susan.
'That's probably due to the A Bombs keeping leaders and ordinary folk in the same boat,' suggested Emily
'Anyway I've got to get on and clean this room,' continued Emily.
Emily started to clear the office and young Susan helped her as she could see that Emily was quite a senior citizen. After a little while Emily said that she needed a rest as her ticker was not as good as it had been and that she has to take it easy. The two sat together and talked.
'What exactly did you do in this office?' asked Susan.
'Mostly things about records of raids, their success or failure, our losses. Information about the men coming to the base to replace our losses.'
'Did you have anything to do with the men on the base?' asked Susan.
'I'm afraid I did and that led to a little happiness and a lifetime of regrets,' replied Emily.
'Why was that?'
'I was young and my first love was with an Airman who was a Flyer. I was warned by the girls not to form any emotional attachment to anyone who was Aircrew as they sometimes get killed. But I didn't heed their advice and have had an emptiness in my life since the time he didn't return from a mission.'
'Oh! I'm so sorry,' said Susan putting her hand on Emily's arm.
'In fact he used to 'phone me using that very 'phone over there,' said Emily pointing to the 'phone on the window ledge. 'I received the message on that 'phone that he had been lost. I'm not as young as I used to be, perhaps if you don't mind I'll finish this office a little later.'
'Yes, come back later, I'll do some more clearing; you go and have a little rest. By the way, what was your boyfriend's name?' asked Susan just in case she came across that name as she went through the records.
'Flt. Lieutenant Andrew Johnson,' replied Emily as she left the room.
Susan went to the cupboard and pulled out the dusty files. Most of them were of very little interest giving details of the amount supplies to the base. Then right at the bottom of a pile of folders Susan came across some of the files concerning aircrew. Then almost the very last one was marked Flt Lieutenant Andrew Johnson. Could this be Emily's friend, and why hadn't it been returned to the Air Ministry?
Susan opened the file and began to read his story. It seemed that he had completed one tour of thirty operations and was half way through a second. He had been awarded the DFC. However his luck ran out on a mission to Essen when his plane was shot down.
So this was Emily's love, her first love, the love that she never really got over. Now she was an old lady still working in the place where it all began.
Susan just sat there at her desk looking at the file. The old telephone on the window ledge started to ring. Susan had been told that the 'phone had been disconnected years ago. Here it was ringing. Susan wondered if she should answer it. Could it be someone playing tricks on her? The 'phone continued to ring so in the end Susan left her desk and picked up the 'phone.
'Hello,' answered Susan.
'Please could I speak to Emily Hanson,' said the voice at the end of the line.
'Who shall I say wants her as she is in another office at the moment.'
'Tell her Andrew wants to speak to her,' said the voice.
'I'll go and get her,' replied Susan.
Susan left the office and found Emily.
Emily there is someone called Andrew on the old 'phone in my office he says he wants to speak to you.'
'Andrew you say?' asked Emily as they made the way back into Susan's office.
Emily uncertainly took hold of the old 'phone, all Susan could hear was one side of the conversation.
'Hello! Who is it? Andrew, it can't be you! Is it time then? I'll meet you in the Garden.'
Emily put the 'phone down and said to Susan that she had to go out into the garden. Emily seemed to be buoyed up with a freshness and renewed youth. She left the room and eventually the building by the garden door.
Susan went into the main office and went to the Office manager.
'Emily has just had a call on that old phone. I don't know how, when I looked the wire had been cut,' said Susan.
'She couldn't that 'phone hasn't worked for years,' replied the manager
'Well she did and I was the first to answer the 'phone and it worked for me, now Emily has gone out into the garden to meet Andrew.'
Susan and the Manager went to the window where they could see Emily running across the lawn towards some trees. As she ran she seemed to regain her youth and ran faster and faster as if she had seen someone.
'We must stop her or she'll do herself harm running like that,' said the Manager.
Together he and Susan went quickly into the garden.
They couldn't see Emily so they went in the direction she was running. When they found her she was on a seat. The exertions of the run had been too much for her, because she had slipped away.
'Look at her face, she has a smile and a look of complete peace,' said Susan.
'I've never seen her look so happy I must admit, I wonder where she got that flower she is holding?' asked the manager.
'Do you see what it is? It's an Orchid and look at the card it says Love Andrew. You don't think it could be . . . do you?' observed Susan.
'Who knows. Stranger things have happened in this world.'