by Ellis Major
Yusuf nodded. “Very well Mr Charlie. I will shoot you first if she lies.”
“Evie,” Charlie suggested. “Please be a very good girl.”
“Were you in the Guides too?” Virginia asked Eve. “How funny, me too.”
“And me,” broke in Rowena and Millie simultaneously.
“Bleedin’ marvellous,” Barbara muttered as she, the last to be untied, followed them into the depression. “Four bleedin’ Girl Guides.”
“Lucky that,” Charlie told Roddy as Yusuf strolled over to his male prisoners. “We can rub two of them together if we need to start a fire...or is that Boy Scouts?”
“You will go one at a time over there with a guard,” Yusuf told them.
“What a wally,” Geoff muttered to Charlie out of the corner of his mouth as Roddy was marched off. He seemed to have perked up a bit now they’d landed. “Four Girl Guides, and after what Eve did, you’d think he’d have worked out who the dangerous ones are.”
“Sexist to the core, Geoff,” Charlie responded. “Not a bit like us, of course. We know we’re going to be astounded.”
~~~
The remainder of the journey lasted a good portion of the day. The prisoners were bundled into the back of the lorry, then hooded. When the sun was at its zenith, they were allowed out briefly to stretch their legs, take another toilet break, to eat a couple of dates and to share a two litre bottle of mineral water. They glanced around but their surroundings told them nothing. The vehicles seemed to be on a poorly defined track through a wasteland of dust and low lying rock. The sun was beating down from a cloudless sky and the air was thrumming with the heat.
“Looks like we’re on the moon,” Roddy remarked morosely.
Charlie laughed. “Surely we can’t have driven that far?”
Pleasantries over, the party was loaded back into the lorry and the drive continued for several more monotonous, bumpy and unpleasant hours.
~
The sight that greeted the weary travellers when they finally reached the end of the journey was a marginal improvement over the scenery that had been so eye-catching during luncheon. There was some shabby greenery around what looked like a large, dampish mud bath. A few basic buildings constructed out of roughly cemented concrete blocks and corrugated iron were scattered around almost at random. A few poles had been erected in front of some of the buildings as well as close to some palm trees, these latter thriving, after a fashion, in the vicinity of the mud bath. Between the poles a number of elderly tarpaulins had been stretched in order to provide some shade.
Charlie was one of the last off the lorry.
“Well,” he cried after surveying the depressing scene for a few seconds. “So this is it, the internationally renowned Wadi El Paradiso Luxury Resort and Spa! If no-one else has grabbed it, I want the deluxe executive suite!”
A rather lacklustre titter greet this sally – everyone was a bit fed up - although a lacklustre titter was preferable to tears!
“My arse’ll be black an’ bleedin’ blue, bouncing arahnd like a bleedin’ yo all bleedin’ night and day,” Barbara complained as Yusuf came over.
“Doesn’t it take you back to your early career?” Roddy asked, innocently. His effort was greeted by a baleful glare. Charlie’s comment had perked them all up a bit and Roddy had suddenly started asking himself whether he shouldn’t be trying to do the same. If Charlie could make a crack then so could he. Someone was going to need to take charge and Roddy was beginning to think it should be him. Geoff wasn’t showing any inclination and there weren’t any other men to choose from. Charlie might be good for the odd quip but that was going to be about it.
“Welcome,” Yusuf announced with a faint smile playing around his lips.
He gestured towards the largest of the buildings. “Your accommodation is over there. I need to talk to one of you whilst the others wait inside.”
Everyone looked at everyone else. Roddy opened his mouth to volunteer.
“My vote is for Babs,” Charlie suggested immediately. “This sounds a bit like business. You’re good at that Babs.”
There was a general mumble of agreement from the girls and, gesturing for her hands to be untied, Yusuf led Babs away towards one of the other buildings.
Roddy frowned.
The remainder of the party shambled over to the designated block. One by one, their hands were released and they were waved courteously into the building. Once the last of the party was inside, the heavy metal grille that did service as a door was banged closed and locked.
Virginia glanced wistfully through the doorway as Yusuf, followed by Barbara, disappeared from sight. Millie noticed the direction of her gaze.
“No Virginia,” she told her. “Hands off; you’ll only cause trouble.”
“He is quite dishy,” Virginia murmured. “If I smell like a goat, why not behave like one?”
“It will do you good to have a few days off,” Eve told her.
“Oh I don’t know,” Virginia sighed. “A woman has her needs Eve, but I wouldn’t want to upset you all.” She cast one more glance out of the door before turning around.
“You can tell Barbara was never in the Guides,” she remarked to no one in particular “No Guide would wear heels that high to a kidnapping.”
It didn’t take long to explore their quarters. There was one small window at the rear. This was unglazed and covered by a further heavy metal grille. A curtain of sorts had been strung across the room to divide it roughly into two parts. On each side of the divide sat two sets of double bunks. They appeared to be cast iron, with thin, grubby mattresses and a single blanket, neatly folded, on each.
Roddy was the first to examine the bunks more closely.
“Look at this,” he remarked. “’Joseph Smith, Birmingham 1876’ Amazing.”
“Never mind the age of the beds,” Eve cried, eying the single bucket that was positioned near the door. “Do you think we’re all supposed to use that?”
Only at night, it appeared.
Barbara explained things for them on her return.
They would be locked in at night, but would be allowed out during the day. If they wanted toilets, they could dig them. There was a spare tarpaulin and a few posts they could use if they wished. There wasn’t much point in trying to escape. There would be guards at night and during the day. They were many miles from anywhere and would probably die of thirst pretty quickly. It would be best if they waited patiently for events to take their course, in accordance with the will of Allah, as interpreted by Yusuf.
“Interestin’,” Barbara told them. “’e ‘ad a satellite phone. I weren’t allowed to talk fer long. I called William.”
There were nods of approval.
“Willy woz a bit shocked by the munny they’re after and said straight away it woz too much. Yusuf didn’t seem too fussed. ‘e jus’ laughed an’ ‘e said nah ‘e ‘ad Willy’s number ‘e’d call him again abaht the timin’. Willy told me not ter wurry. ‘e said they ‘ad experts on it alreddy.”
“So he knew,” Geoff broke in.
“Yeah.” Barbara explained that Willy had talked very fast. Lance, it seemed, had returned to find the crew trussed up and one of the notes that the kidnappers had overlooked. Charlie had, apparently, somehow got it muddled up in his bedclothes and his personal captor had forgotten to retrieve it – perhaps the safari suit had distracted him.
“I got a little message in abaht checking the crew very carefully,” Babs mentioned. “Willy’s a quick lad so I ‘ope he picked it up.”
“How much do they want?” Geoff wondered.
Barbara mentioned a figure which left all gasping with a mixture of shock and outrage.
“It’s just a horse trade,” Eve announced. “Right now, there are higher priorities than that. We need to get those latrines under way ASAP.” Roddy closed his mouth. She’d beaten him to it.
Once Yusuf’s attention was drawn to their request, a shovel was provided, together with the other equi
pment. Eve plied the shovel like a navvy whilst the other ladies of the party assembled the posts and tarpaulin. Babs and the rest of them watched in admiration.
“Very impressive,” Babs remarked. “I s’pose they’ve sorted aht the sleepin’ set up an’ all?”
“I rather think they have,” Roddy confirmed, quickly. “They seemed to think you wouldn’t mind roughing it with us boys.”
“Yeah, that’s fine,” she told him. “I’ve slept wiv enuff blokes in my time. Oo am I bunkin’ wiv then?”
“With Charlie if that’s ok?” Charlie told her, politely. “Would you prefer top or bottom?”
Babs cackled. “Charlie, luv, I fought you might ‘ave ‘eard. I always prefer ter go on top.”
Once the latrines were completed, the prisoners were presented with some battered enamel plates, some spoons, a tray of rice and a pot of greasy stew, together with a couple more bottles of mineral water and a bowl of dates. Their hunger was such that they set to and cleared their plates before any one said a word – even Charlie.
“Well,” he declared, smacking his lips. “The brochure did say the Wadi El Paradiso boasted a series of incredible restaurants, the height of fine dining, but nothing had quite prepared me for the experience. I think I’ll stick to this one for the entire stay. Why bother trying the others? How could they possibly measure up?”
“I had to stop chewing and just swallow,” Millie announced. “I thought I’d use up more energy than I was getting from this muck if I carried on any longer. What do you think it was, camel?”
“It wouldn’t surprise me if it was a previous victim,” Roddy suggested gloomily, to a chorus of disgusted groans.
“It’s odd.” Barbara had lowered her voice. “I fink they may not ‘ave done this before.”
“Why’s that, Babs,” Charlie wondered. “They ask you for a few tips on violence and extortion?”
“Nuffink I can put me finger on,” Babs mused, slapping Charlie gently around the back of the head and then apologising for having forgotten about his belting earlier. “Sorry darlin’, I bleedin’ fergot. Ner, ’e jus seemed a bit ‘esitant on the phone to start wiv. An’ I doan reckon pros let people sit arahnd outside. I reckon we’d be banged up all the time wiv sumwun lisnin’ ahtside, prob’ly in separate cells, so we couldn’t talk. They’d wanner keep us on edge, scared all the bleedin’ time. No one can ‘ear us nah, can they? An’ ‘ere we are, plottin’ away.”
“Let’s keep it to ourselves,” Eve said. “I did wonder about the lorry and the trucks. They may keep the keys safe but that lot look old enough that you could hot-wire them pretty easily.”
“Something they teach you in the Guides, Evie?” Charlie enquired.
“Summink you learn in the East End, whatever they do in the bleedin’ Guides,” Babs announced with a grim smile.
“So, say we grab the motors and rocket off without getting shot to pieces,” Charlie began. “Where then? Which way do we head?”
“East,” came seven other voices, at which they all laughed.
“East?”
“The sea is to the East,” Roddy told him, authoritatively. “We get there and do a left. Next stop Egypt.”
Charlie nodded. “Never much good at geography, but sea, turn left, got that fixed. Any thoughts on what country we’re in, just out of interest, for my memoirs?”
Virginia was the first to speak. “I would guess Sudan, although at a pinch it might be Eritrea. Rather than next stop Egypt, I’d probably say next stop a big port and a military post.”
“The main thing is to behave ourselves,” Roddy concluded. “We keep in with them, lull them into a false sense of security and all that, whilst we lay our plans.”
Roddy, Charlie had concluded, seemed to have decided he should act as Chairman. That was fine with Charlie, and Geoff was keeping quiet. Charlie wasn’t concerned about being in charge. He had his priorities and bossing everyone around wasn’t one of them.
Further debate on escape was stymied by the approach of Yusuf and two of his henchmen.
“The sun is setting,” he pointed out. “You must be locked up before dark.”
“Thanks for the food,” Charlie said to him. “It took me back to my schooldays.”
Yusuf’s lips twitched. “An interesting school, Mister Charlie, I am sure. I hope you are not pretending poverty to me in the hope of bargaining down your price.”
“Not in my nature,” Charlie smiled. “I can’t bargain for the life of me. We were wondering about water,” he continued. “For washing and the rest of it. The girls worry about washing. They get upset if they don’t do some every day.”
“Alas,” Yusuf told him. “Water is in very short supply, and expensive. We have no well here and this mineral water was purchased especially for your delicate Western stomachs. We cannot waste it for washing.”
“You could get a bit more in and put it on the bill?” Charlie suggested.
Yusuf shook his head. “I want to draw no more attention to your presence than I have to.”
“Ok, Mr. Yusuf, understood.”
Yusuf gave a slight shrug of his shoulders, as if rather embarrassed. “Too many questions and I may have to pay bribes,” he muttered.
“What if we dug down and formed a rough well ourselves?” Evie suggested. “We should hit water where that mud is soon enough.”
Yusuf pondered this for a few moments. “As you wish,” he concluded. “Now, to your quarters please.”
Once inside, Charlie gave vent to another thought that had been exercising his mind, especially as he had noticed one or two of their captors staring in fascination at Barbara’s and Rowena’s blonde hair. If Roddy was keen to be in charge he should have thought of it but he didn’t seem to have done. Charlie spoke up.
“Now listen,” he began, once he’d gathered them in a huddle. “Yusuf and his merry men seem quite civil, but it might be a good idea if the girls stay close to each other, never wander off anywhere on your own or out of sight. Less likely they’ll fancy their chances if the opportunity doesn’t arise. Don’t want any of you getting knocked about, now do we.”
“Charlie, you are worried about the assets,” Rowena told him with a gentle little smile.
“Makes bleedin’ sense, though,” Babs muttered.
“He’s just worried I might jump Yusuf if there’s no one to stop me,” Virginia teased.
Charlie smiled. “He probably thinks you’re an evil Western degenerate and would spurn you for fear of catching some disease. Wouldn’t want your pride getting dented, old girl, if he was worried about pollution.”
Virginia straightened up, frowned and pulled her jacket more tightly around her.
“Do you think so,” she hissed haughtily. “You could be right, Charlie. I think I’ve rather gone off him. Besides, being sweaty and smelly rather puts one off, don’t you think girls?”
Roddy opened his mouth. “Thought nothing much ever put you off Ginny.” He was mildly irritated that he hadn’t come up with Charlie’s idea and a crude crack seemed as good a way as any of having the last word.
“Up yours.” Virginia sighed and exchanged a languidly meaningful glance with Millie. Millie’s faint shrug spoke volumes, but Roddy didn’t notice.
Chapter 3 – Conversation (Year 2 – January)
The following day dawned bright and sunny, like, they suspected, pretty much every other day would. Breakfast consisted of more dates, flat pitta-like bread and some hot sweet tea.
The well diggers got to work early, namely everyone but Charlie. As Eve started to dig with a vengeance, Roddy and Geoff stood nearby waiting to take a turn and clearing the spoil away. The other four girls were sent off together in search of loose rocks and stones.
Charlie had volunteered to negotiate with Yusuf over the availability of more poles and another tarpaulin. Roddy was inclined to argue over this role, as it implied an element of leadership, until Eve pointed out that Charlie was good at talking and all the time Roddy spent in the
gym must have made him fitter than Charlie and so more useful when it came to digging. It was music to Roddy’s ears.
The chief pirate appeared to be in a congenial mood. He obviously found Charlie’s light blue suit and funny hat an amusing sight.
“Good morning Mister Charlie,” he called as Charlie approached him, and raised his Panama. “I hope that you slept well even if it was in less luxury than that to which you are accustomed.”
“I slept very well thank you,” Charlie confirmed.
Yusuf nodded, although he seemed slightly surprised.
“Mind you, I tend to sleep quite well,” Charlie continued. “Apparently,” he sniggered and pointed. “Eve, the big one over there, she snores a bit. Kept some of the others awake I gather. Still, she’s a willing worker.”
“I think it is funny how you think of yourself as so advanced in the West,” Yusuf remarked. “And yet you have the women doing all the work, just like us. The big one digs, the other four go off to carry rocks.”
“Oh very good, ha, ha, ha,” Charlie laughed. “I can see how it looks. I think the two boys will take a turn when Eve gets tired, though.”
“That will be tomorrow, perhaps?” Yusuf asked, and more chuckling ensued.
When he deemed it opportune, Charlie broached the subject of more poles - to be greeted by a shake of the head. “Sadly Mister Charlie,” Yusuf explained. “There are no poles left. We are from a poor village. We have had to rent everything from a thief of a moneylender for our ... how do you say it…”
“Venture?” suggested Charlie.
Yusuf nodded.
“So you haven’t done this before then?” Charlie asked.
Yusuf’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Don’t worry Yusuf,” Charlie smiled. “There’s a first time for everything. First time I’ve been kidnapped, for example.”
“We are very poor people, not bad people,” Yusuf told him with a faint shrug and a grin. “I am the headman of the village and I have to do something for those who are my responsibility. We have no proper water, we struggle for food. They are simple people, they think it is how it should be, the will of Allah. But I know that if Allah wills you can be rich, like you in the West, turn a tap, water comes out, press a switch and a light comes on. I have travelled a little. I have seen some of these things. I have seen the pirates grow rich from taking ships. I helped, acted as a guard, learned English from the prisoners, and learned a little of how these things are done. I can do so much for my people with a little money.”
