BR067 Jazlin Late

Moonlight

I woke up when Jilly climbed into bed. My light was still on and my gripping detective paperback was beside me on the bed. Jilly put it away on the bedside table and turned off the lamp. Moonlight, from a full moon, streamed in the window. Don and Ella's villa is up the side of a hill and the other houses, all surrounded by trees, sit a little lower down on the hillside. We could see the whole moon looking very full indeed.

"Are you better now?" Jilly asked me.

"How was the meeting?" I asked back.

"Everyone seemed very focussed," Jilly said, putting her arm over my head. "They agreed that all our development projects should remain independent for the moment and be allowed to grow quietly. Hat wants to start up some new studies because he thinks the secret operations can use the cover and that we can afford it financially. Eddie was there and he said the new Jackster is selling really well."

"I guess that all sounds good," I said, not wanting to think about it too hard at the moment.

"That trollop Mimi Lapin dropped by," Jilly said, "Ella had let Amanda and me make scones for tea and Mimi came waltzing in the back door and right into the kitchen like she owned the place."

"She worked here for six months, Jilly, and Ella always lets her ex-au pairs have the run of the place when they leave. Ella says they continue to be her charges because they are always foreigners. She likes to practice her South Continent languages on them."

Jilly wasn't through yet. "'How's zhack?' was the first thing she said when she came through the door. Amanda was great. She said: 'What's it to you.'"

"She can't help being a flirt," I said, "It doesn't mean anything."

"She's a Rabbity bitch. You probably pity her because she's a poor lost soul on her own in a foreign country needing lots of male protection. A poor lost soul wearing skimpy peasant blouses showing off her massive cleavage."

"So," I said quickly, "Did the board talk specifically about any of our development projects?"

Crossing the moonlight we saw Jazlin Fly. She must have come in under the door. We saw her before we heard her buzz.

"I'm back," said Jazlin, "Arthur Pussycat brought me up from Chelseal. We saw a movie about thieving Walruses and he told me lots of stories."

"Did you get anything to eat," asked Jilly.

"I filled up on popcorn," said Jazlin.

"That's mostly just fake butter and salt," I said.

"I'm going down to bed now. I've got my cagepack in the living room. I just thought I'd say Hi."

"Sleep tight, sweetie," said Jilly.

"Sweet dreams," I told her.

"Bye now, Jack and Jilly!" said Jazlin, as she buzzed off. "Don't fight."

BR059 Polar Beggar

BR057 Space Travel

BR055 Jack and Moon

Board Meeting

The Jackster board were meeting downstairs but I lay down in my old room on the top floor of the Don and Ella's villa and looked at the ceiling. it looked very restful. I had told everyone I had a headache but really was going through something else. I was feeling kind of overloaded and oversensitive and I wanted to lie still for a while to get my bearings. Mostly, I felt strange. And I did have a little headache.

Jilly brought me a cup of cambric tea and sat with me for a while but I sent her back downstairs. We are not voting members of the board but we get to sit in. I needed her down there. Suddenly I was guilty that I wasn't at the meeting. What would they think of me flaking out like this? We have a lot of business on just now.

I didn't mean to but I fell asleep. When I woke it was dark and I could still hear everyone talking downstairs. I could tell that Don was laughing at his own jokes. I still felt oddly separated from the world so I got up and sat looking out the window, looking up at the rising moon. I got into a train of thought to do with hunger around the world and and that led to the price of fuel and the nature of speed, for travelers, and then about the moon being tidal. Maybe the moon could pull our vehicles, somehow. At certain times of month they could carry sensitized liquid which would add pull when they were going in the right direction. Well, it was an idea!

I felt in my pocket for a pen and then looked around. No pen anywhere.

In the moonlight I could see the lurid cover of a paperback novel on the bedside table. "The Philanthropist Murders," it was called, featuring the detective Mufeena Grizzly. I turned the light on and got back in bed and carefully read the back jacket. This one sounded good.

For the first time all day I felt completely relaxed.

BR053 Mufeena Grizzly

BR063 Singing Act

Hat's Hat

When we got off the train Hat was back to his old self. He was talking and laughing and looking around and his bunnies were hippety hopping around us and the doves flying all over. The other travellers kept their distance. Only little Eenie Bunnie was pulling some luggage behind him, which kept him earthbound.

Underground at Hampsterhead station you have to take the lift. It is too far down for escalators. And I'm afraid the bunnies always get a little sick on the way up. They were talking about this problem quite loudly as we waited and we ended up taking the lift all by ourselves. They started making moaning noises as soon as we shot up the shaft and the white little Bunnies went somewhat green. Professor Hat never stopped talking, even when two of the doves rolled over on the floor and lay down.

"The point is," he was saying, "If we launch a new idea on the world, in an incomplete state - like this one about connecting cars on the highways with invisible Spider thread - everyone will latch onto it. Your competitors will get so involved with trying to copy it that they won't notice all the other things you are up to. You can hide all your secrets behind it"

When the lift came to a stop, with a lurch, the Professor took off his hat.

"Hop in guys," he said and the Doves and Bunnies scrambled in. Then, just as the door opened, the Professor stuck the big top hat on his head and strode out into the station. We flashed our travelcards at the machine and the turnstiles opened but as Hat went through an alarm went off. A Bulldog in uniform stood in front of us.

"You again!" he said as he recognised Hat.

"Sorry again, Officer," said Hat.

"You'd better take it off," the Transit Policeman said, and he held out his hand. The Professor took off the top hat and let the policeman examine it.

Meanwhile I walked to the entrance and looked out on Hampsterhead High Street. As I got accustomed to all the rush hour traffic streaming by I had the strangest experience. I could suddenly hear each car and bus individually, the tires, the engines, the breaks. Each car stood out from the whole as a completely separate event. This must have gone on for about a minute before it faded on me. Then my hearing retreated to the normal whoosh of traffic. I wondered if this was a sign of something going wrong with me.

Hat came out with his hat on.

"Stupid cop," he said, "He just doesn't get it." "I just hope," I replied, "that nobody threw up in your hat."

BR054 Moon Cards