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Jul. 3rd, 2005 08:58 pmGuppy’s mother strokes his hair gently, looking at her son with concern. Outside a thunderstorm rages.
“Look at your pretty face. What did he do to you?”
Guppy pulls away, looking down at the floor for a few seconds, then looks back at his mother, straight in the eyes.
“Mum, has he ever hit you?”
“Of course he hasn’t darling. He would never hit me. Why do you think such things?”
“He hurt me again when I tried to talk to him in the car park at work. I was worried about you.”
Guppy’s mother hugs him tight.
“I was worried about you too darling. I did ask him to let you back in, but you know what he’s like.”
There is suddenly the sound of a door slamming. His father’s voice can be heard in the hallway.
“Bloody match was cancelled because of the storm! Unbelievable! I mean just because the lights were struck by lightening and all the power went… I mean what are we paying these lazy footballers for…”
He stops when he gets into the living room and sees Guppy.
“What the hell are you doing here again?” he says, approaching Guppy threateningly. He backs away.
Just keep calm. Remember what Faith showed you.
“I came to make sure you hadn’t hurt Mum.”
“I told you I would never do such a thing.” He says, reaching forward to grab Guppy by the neck. Guppy grabs his wrist and steps to the side, plants the palm of his hand between his father’s shoulder blades and forces him gently to the ground. He’s quite impressed that he managed to do it in a practical situation, until his father elbows him in the stomach with considerable force. He hits something and hears breaking glass. He puts his hands on the ground to get up and squeals as he leans on the shards of glass. Luckily it’s safety glass, but it still cuts his hands. His father comes out of the back door.
“Now look what you’ve done you stupid boy! Broken my bloody window!” he yells, picking up a piece of wood and approaching Guppy. Guppy jumps to conclusions that he’s about to be hit with it. He gets up and runs for it, with his father chasing after him. He can hear the yells, but not what his father is saying, which happens to be ‘Come back, you have to pay for my bloody window’.
For his age, his father is surprisingly fit. Suddenly Guppy has to stop, because he’s reached the edge of the dock. It’s a dead end, with no way left or right. His father is still running towards him with the wood. A patch of oil with a pink shimmer appears in front of him. At such speed Jas goes flying, skidding along at high speed straight towards Guppy, who has nowhere to go.
Mitzi has screwed up again.
Jas runs into Guppy, knocking him off the side of the dock into the water. It’s freezing and he has his shoes on, which he can’t swim in. He fights desperately to get back up to the surface, but he can’t. He begins to drown, struggling furiously until…
The door opens to reveal a wall of water, which Guppy falls through, soaked to the skin. The water stays more or less outside, except for the stuff dripping off him. A few seconds later Mitzi follows, also drenched. She heads straight for Guppy, who coughs up a load of water and lies on the floor for a moment trying to get his breath back. She puts the water back into the sea, then nuzzles against him, concerned. He sits up and stares at the wall of water, then pushes the door shut.
He gets up and moves to the nearest bar stool, dripping everywhere. He stares at his bleeding hands, only just noticing them. Mitzi gives a sob and he looks at her.
“Hey, come on sweetheart. You were trying to protect me, it wasn’t your fault.”
He reaches to stroke her, but doesn’t want to get blood on her feathers. So instead he sits, staring at his hands and wondering how on earth he’s going to get out of this one.
Meanwhile, Jas has picked himself up and is staring down into the water in horror. Guppy has gone down and not come up again. Fumbling in his pocket for his mobile, he calls for an ambulance then takes off his jacket and shoes and dives in after his son.
He’s not much of a better swimmer than Guppy fully dressed, but at least he doesn’t have shoes weighing him down. By the time help arrives, he still hasn’t found Guppy, and is in a terrible panic.
“Please, it’s my son. I knocked him in by mistake and he hasn’t come up. I can’t find him.”
Nina scrambles down a ladder attached to the wall and holds out her hand to him. He grabs it and she pulls him to the ladder.
“There’s a current down there towards the bottom. It’s possible he could be caught in that…”
She stops, looking at him. “You’re Guppy’s father.”
“Please, you have to find him.”
“Pull yourself up.”
She helps him onto the ladder and dives under to look for herself. When she has no luck she resurfaces. The other paramedic, Woody, calls down to her.
“Can you see him?”
“No, I think he’s been pulled by the current. He’s not down there. We should look further up and down the coast.”
They both look worriedly up and down, trying to see where he is. As the coastguard turns up they leave the team to search and take Jas into the hospital.
“Look at your pretty face. What did he do to you?”
Guppy pulls away, looking down at the floor for a few seconds, then looks back at his mother, straight in the eyes.
“Mum, has he ever hit you?”
“Of course he hasn’t darling. He would never hit me. Why do you think such things?”
“He hurt me again when I tried to talk to him in the car park at work. I was worried about you.”
Guppy’s mother hugs him tight.
“I was worried about you too darling. I did ask him to let you back in, but you know what he’s like.”
There is suddenly the sound of a door slamming. His father’s voice can be heard in the hallway.
“Bloody match was cancelled because of the storm! Unbelievable! I mean just because the lights were struck by lightening and all the power went… I mean what are we paying these lazy footballers for…”
He stops when he gets into the living room and sees Guppy.
“What the hell are you doing here again?” he says, approaching Guppy threateningly. He backs away.
Just keep calm. Remember what Faith showed you.
“I came to make sure you hadn’t hurt Mum.”
“I told you I would never do such a thing.” He says, reaching forward to grab Guppy by the neck. Guppy grabs his wrist and steps to the side, plants the palm of his hand between his father’s shoulder blades and forces him gently to the ground. He’s quite impressed that he managed to do it in a practical situation, until his father elbows him in the stomach with considerable force. He hits something and hears breaking glass. He puts his hands on the ground to get up and squeals as he leans on the shards of glass. Luckily it’s safety glass, but it still cuts his hands. His father comes out of the back door.
“Now look what you’ve done you stupid boy! Broken my bloody window!” he yells, picking up a piece of wood and approaching Guppy. Guppy jumps to conclusions that he’s about to be hit with it. He gets up and runs for it, with his father chasing after him. He can hear the yells, but not what his father is saying, which happens to be ‘Come back, you have to pay for my bloody window’.
For his age, his father is surprisingly fit. Suddenly Guppy has to stop, because he’s reached the edge of the dock. It’s a dead end, with no way left or right. His father is still running towards him with the wood. A patch of oil with a pink shimmer appears in front of him. At such speed Jas goes flying, skidding along at high speed straight towards Guppy, who has nowhere to go.
Mitzi has screwed up again.
Jas runs into Guppy, knocking him off the side of the dock into the water. It’s freezing and he has his shoes on, which he can’t swim in. He fights desperately to get back up to the surface, but he can’t. He begins to drown, struggling furiously until…
The door opens to reveal a wall of water, which Guppy falls through, soaked to the skin. The water stays more or less outside, except for the stuff dripping off him. A few seconds later Mitzi follows, also drenched. She heads straight for Guppy, who coughs up a load of water and lies on the floor for a moment trying to get his breath back. She puts the water back into the sea, then nuzzles against him, concerned. He sits up and stares at the wall of water, then pushes the door shut.
He gets up and moves to the nearest bar stool, dripping everywhere. He stares at his bleeding hands, only just noticing them. Mitzi gives a sob and he looks at her.
“Hey, come on sweetheart. You were trying to protect me, it wasn’t your fault.”
He reaches to stroke her, but doesn’t want to get blood on her feathers. So instead he sits, staring at his hands and wondering how on earth he’s going to get out of this one.
Meanwhile, Jas has picked himself up and is staring down into the water in horror. Guppy has gone down and not come up again. Fumbling in his pocket for his mobile, he calls for an ambulance then takes off his jacket and shoes and dives in after his son.
He’s not much of a better swimmer than Guppy fully dressed, but at least he doesn’t have shoes weighing him down. By the time help arrives, he still hasn’t found Guppy, and is in a terrible panic.
“Please, it’s my son. I knocked him in by mistake and he hasn’t come up. I can’t find him.”
Nina scrambles down a ladder attached to the wall and holds out her hand to him. He grabs it and she pulls him to the ladder.
“There’s a current down there towards the bottom. It’s possible he could be caught in that…”
She stops, looking at him. “You’re Guppy’s father.”
“Please, you have to find him.”
“Pull yourself up.”
She helps him onto the ladder and dives under to look for herself. When she has no luck she resurfaces. The other paramedic, Woody, calls down to her.
“Can you see him?”
“No, I think he’s been pulled by the current. He’s not down there. We should look further up and down the coast.”
They both look worriedly up and down, trying to see where he is. As the coastguard turns up they leave the team to search and take Jas into the hospital.
