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[tasam1075]

As I've found the plastic canvas it's going to be individual birds.

FIGURED IT OUT!

Ok lads. Thunderbirds Are Go: Everyone Is Worth Saving cross stitch. Free for anyone who wants to use it. Or pieces of it. Or whatever.

I have to admit though I like TB5 in the new series TB5 TOS turned out better.

Edit: Now with symbols and colours and floss.

Thunderbirds Are Go floss colours:

Thunderbirds The Original Series

[tasam1075]

What to stitch next?

Thanks #janetm74 for leaving me with the mental image of a 'stitching' Scott - I've been looking for small patterns ever since reading Pinpricks.

I like cross stitch (just a bit)

Do I create the whole thing on aida or do I use plastic canvas for individual birds?

Before Gordon gets to the colours of course 🤔🤔🤔

[tasam1075]

[tasam1075]

@flashfictionfridayofficial

Left Standing

The three brothers standing together, united in concern, as they looked over the hatching ground.

Their concern was not for their youngest brother, hoping to emulate his two older brothers who had impressed dragons at their first attempt, but for their eldest brother who had been a candidate twice but had been left bereft each time rejected by every hatchling.

"How do you think he'll react?" the only non-dragonrider asked

"If Allie impresses he'll be torn, happy for Allie but still wishing it was him instead"

The sadness in the voice, of the blue rider, only tempered by hope for the youngster on the hatching ground.

"If Allie doesn't impress he'll be just as torn, wanting to help Allie deal with the pain of rejection but perversely glad that he's not the only one of us to fail"

The matter ot fact tone of the brown rider's verdict barely masked the concern he felt for both siblings at the edge of hatching ground - one a candidate, the other a reluctant obverver.

Scott really didn't want to be here at today's hatching, but he had no real choice. Alan was finally (just) old enough to stand as a candidate, Scott could never deny his brother the chance to follow his dreams (even if it took his final brother away from him).

He'd been a candidate before and had been left standing twice as his 2 younger brothers both impressed at their first attempt.

John was now the rider of brown Giseth whilst Virgil had impressed blue Somurth. Scott still couldn't get used to their new Dragonrider names (J'on and V'gil), he was proud of both of them even though he still felt that he should have impressed as well.

Out of the five brothers only Gordon had turned away from the possibility of standing as a candidate for a dragon, he had chosen to try to become one of the new dolphineers instead, unable to resist the call of the sea.

Even though he would never admit it, even to himself, Scott was envious of his brothers, they knew what their futures held whilst all he had left was the knowledge that he'd failed to find his own path, the object of his dreams forever out of his reach as no dragon had chosen him (He wasn't going to stand again - he couldn't face the shame of being rejected by all the hatchlings for a third time)

The increase in intensity of the draconic hum brought Scott's attention firmly onto the scene at the hatching ground. The hopeful candidates, including his youngest brother, all nervously watching the 30 rocking eggs. All wondering which would hatch first, who would impress, who would be left standing.

Alan almost jumped as the first egg split with an audible 'crack', all the observers breathed a sigh of relief as the young dragonet streatched his long bronze neck before rushing towards his chosen mate.

A flurry of eggs cracked almost simultaneously, 3 browns, 3 blues and 5 greens all pushing their way past Alan on their way to their mates. The 2 bronzes in that flurry were a little more deliberate in their choices, chosing the boys either side on Alan.

A brief calm before the next flurry of eggs cracked, this time a small bronze discarded every other candidate before homing in on an ecstatic Alan, the watching siblings unable to hold back their cheers at the success of their baby brother, despite their concern about the reaction of eldest.

Scott watched as his youngest brother impressed, his head cheered for his brother's success while his heart broke.

His youngest brother had succeeded where he had failed, Scott now had to return home alone, what was his purpose now? His blind spot had always been his brothers, their needs and concerns always superseding his own dreams.

Scott turned to make his way out of the hatching ground, he couldn't let his melancholy affect the post hatching celebrations, the successful candidates deserved better than the failure that he'd become.

He didn't get far before he felt an overwhelming feeling of hunger, he didn't think that he'd ever felt so hungry before.

How could he suddenly feel so hungry?

Surely he hadn't forgotten to eat again, it wouldn't have been the first time but he was sure that he'd had breakfast - hadn't he?

"Scott"

He didn't turn at the sound of V'gils' voice, too lost in his feelings of failure and hunger to respond.

"Scott!"

He couldn't bring himself to respond to J'on either, he couldn't bear to face their sympathy - he didn't deserve it.

"SCOTT!"

He couldn't ignore Gordon's shout, why couldn't he be left alone with his misery?

He looked up towards his brothers standing on the upper edge

"What?"

The three brothers just smiled to each other before speaking at the same time

"Turn round"

Scott just shook his head, what game were they playing with him this time, was he to be in the receiving end of another (final) family joke.

"I'd better humour them" he thought to himself as he turned round

and came face to face with

"Don't you want me?"

Scott shook his head unwilling to believe the vision before him

"I'm hungry, don't you want me?"

Scott struggled to believe the voice in his head, the voice that belonged to the bronze hatchling that was before his eyes.

Scott dropped to his knees as he reached out towards the dragonet, the dragonet who had chosen him.

"I am yours"

Scott managed to say through tears of joy

"You are mine"

Every dragon and many of the riders heard the young dragon's determined statement

Scott met the eyes of his watching brothers before stating "His name is Lucenth"

[tasam1075]

Search Abandoned

Jeff put the latest FBI report concerning his son's disappearance on his desk after reading the contents in dismay.

After almost six months of fruitless searches the FBI believed that there was no longer any real chance of finding Scott alive and they should be looking for his body instead.

His watch and other belongings, including blood-stained clothing, had been found, scattered across four states but no other trace of Scott had ever been discovered.

Lady Penelope, along with every IR agent, had been unable to find any trace of Scott.

The latest update from her was full of her frustration at the inability of her sources to locate any sign of Scott, she firmly believed that they should have found something by now.

The FBI had already scaled back their efforts, ready to call the search off.

Jeff wasn't ready to give up on his son but he didn't know what else he could do, where else could they look?

How was he supposed to tell everyone that the FBI now believed that Scott was dead, they would hopefully find his body eventually, that it was now a murder investigation rather than a missing person.

Maddie and Virgil were both blaming themselves for Scott being taken even though they couldn't have known what was going happen when Scott and Virgil left the hotel that evening, both ordered to take a break by their respective partners.

Only Imogen and Valerie, the twins whose early arrival had been caused by the stress of events, were giving them both a reason to carry on day after day.

Chloe, who now stayed close to her beloved Aunt-Bec, had the rest of her uncles reading with her, whenever IR requirements allowed them to do so.

Even John had been on the island for the entire time that Scott had been missing.

Five was on automatic, monitored by Brains, so John could fly Thunderbird 1 and act as Field Commander, a role that he excelled at even if it wasn't his preferred position.

Jeff knew that they would have to make other changes, Five had never been intended to be remotely operated for a prolonged period of time but they may have no choice.

He decided that he would tell the rest of the family about the latest news after the evening meal, once the children were safely in bed.

That discussion did not go well. Rebecca, Scott's heavily pregnant fiancee, broke down and had to be comforted by Maddie and Tintin.

Along with Grandma they escorted Rebecca to her room, not before notifying Jeff that someone would stay with her overnight.

Jeff was relieved that Becky wouldn't be alone, the last thing that anyone needed was another, stress induced, early delivery.

Scott's brothers wanted to drop everything and take over the search themselves, not wanting to stop until they'd found Scott, even shutting IR down.

Jeff, although he agreed with his sons' sentiment, knew that they couldn't do that. It was a heartbreaking decision to make but he knew that there was no choice, IR had to continue even if it meant that the active search for Scott had to be stopped.

It wasn't until John pointed out that Five could be running continual searches for any mention of Scott automatically, without any detrimental effects on IR operations, and that Penny would still have all agents looking for any clues that the others relented.

IR would continue operations, the search for Scott scaled down but never abandoned.

Two days later the FBI publicly announced that the search for Scott Carpenter Tracy, eldest son of billionaire Jefferson Tracy, had been downgraded and the investigation was now classed as a murder inquiry, despite the fact that no body had ever been found.

The Tracy family, publicly, declined to comment on the decision.

****************************************************************** "

All the chapters that I've posted here belong to the same fic.

I'm seriously stuck on the next two scheduled chapters - the characters will not talk to me.....

[tasam1075]

it's a bit too long for FFF but the prompt fits

DRUGGED

He regained consciousness slowly, every sense feeling wrong.

The last thing he remembered was coming out of the club with his brother, seeing the gun at his brother's head, before something hit him from behind.

He must have made a sound or something because he felt the pinprick of an injection before slipping back into unconsciousness.

His next waking moments were full of confusion.

He had no idea where he was of how long he'd been there, just a vague feeling of danger.

A mumble of hushed voices could be heard but he couldn't make out any words before being drugged back into unconsciousness again.

The next time he regained consciousness he found that he was unable to move. He tried to struggle but stopped when he heard the voice in the darkness

"It's pointless trying to escape"

Somewhere in his brain he was sure that he recognised the voice but he was still feeling the effects of being repeatedly sedated.

"My family will be looking for me"

"They haven't found you yet, and they won't. At least not until I've finished with you"

Scott's blood ran cold at that.

"What do you intend to do with me?"

"By the time I'm finished with you you'll do anything I tell you to do"

"Never"

Scott replied as he struggled in vain to get free, hearing someone coming closer before yet another injection brought oblivion.

The next time when Scott woke he could move, just far enough to discover that he was chained to a wall.

There was virtually nothing to see in the dim gloom that surrounded him and the silence was almost absolute, not even an echo or anything, if it wasn't for the chink of the chain when it moved he would have thought that it was just one of Gordon's tricks, and a bad one at that.

He didn't have time to react when the door opened and the whole room was flooded with blinding light, his dark adjusted eyes couldn't adapt quickly to the new light level before he felt someone grab his arm.

The sting of an injection was becoming a normal event but the overwhelming sense of euphoric bliss had never happened to him before.

He collapsed into a semi-conscious fugue, completely unaware of the room being plunged back into darkness as the door closed.

"A few more days of this and he'll be begging for it" the man said to his companion as they walked away from the cell. "It's a bit of a waste giving him the good stuff when he's already barely conscious though" he continued.

"The boss has plans for him" his partner commented "don't want to be in his shoes when the free happy juice stops though" they both continued down the corridor laughing, whilst Scott remained a blissful drug induced fugue.

This time he'd been awake for longer, long enough to start feeling ill.

He couldn't think clearly about anything, everything ached and he couldn't stop shivering.

The last time he felt like this he'd ended up in the infirmary with a bad case of flu.

He looked towards the door as it opened, struggling to focus on the person standing there.

"Do you want something for that?"

The question surprised him, for the first time someone seemed to care about his wellbeing.

Unfortunately, for him, his brain wasn't processing anything properly.

Normally he'd refuse to take anything for flu but it couldn't hurt to accept, just this once, could it?

"Yes please"

If the man was surprised by this admission he didn't show it, he just injected something into him.

As the drug took effect Scott soon realised his mistake, as a familiar sense of euphoria began to envelop him all he could think was "no, no, no" but it was too late.

The next step in his descent into addiction had now been voluntarily taken.

The next time it was his captor who offered him the drugs, as much as he wanted to say no, his body and mind were already craving the release that the drugs provided.

Much to his eternal shame he found himself almost pleading as he said yes, the tremors and aches of withdrawal already tormenting him, almost beyond his ability to resist.

His last thoughts as he surrendered to the drugs was how ashamed of him his family would be, would they even want to find him, could he ever go back after the drugs?

Scott came back to full awareness slowly, remembering fragments of previous days, weeks or months - he didn't know anymore.

Struggling to remember how he'd ended up in this situation.

Suddenly he had a vivid memory (or was it a nightmare) of him actually asking for drugs, of wanting the escape from reality that only the drugs could provide, surely that hadn't happened.

The usual men, that he'd seen before, came into the room and pulled him to his feet, if they hadn't held him up he would have collapsed to the ground.

He was dragged out of the room, almost faster than his legs could respond, and taken to a room which contained only a single chair positioned at a table.

He was dropped onto the chair before being chained to the metal ring on the floor.

A data pad showing a recent news headline was placed on the table for him to read. He read the headline in shocked disbelief

"Billionaire's son now presumed dead"

The article detailed the FBI's belief that he was dead, extensive searches over the previous year finding nothing.

Surely his family hadn't given up trying to find him.

Then it hit him, he'd been missing for a whole year.

How could he have lost an entire year without noticing the passage of time.

He then realised he must have been kept unconscious for several days if not weeks, at a time.

They must have kept him sedated whilst moving him, possibly from country to country.

A locked box and a syringe were placed onto the table in front of him, he could easily reach the box but the syringe was out of his reach.

He recognised the box as one of the secure transit cases used by Tracy Industries Research Projects. Easy to open if you knew how, all the family knew how, but virtually impossible otherwise.

He had already opened several in exchange for the promised, drug induced, blissfully euphoric reward.

It took all of his self control not to reach out for the syringe though even though it was beyond his reach.

A man came from behind him and picked up the syringe

"Do you want this yet"

he taunted as Scott tried in vain to hide the need that he felt for the contents of that syringe.

"No"

Scott managed to force out, despite the increasing sense of need that he was fighting to ignore.

"Open the box and you can have it"

the man taunted, knowing just how much Scott was beginning to feel the effects of withdrawal.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity of self denial, Scott reached out for the box he knew exactly how to open it, able to bypass the security measures put in place to prevent unauthorized use.

It took Scott less than five minutes to bypass the security system and open the box, despite the tremors caused by the increasing effects of withdrawal.

Once he'd opened the box it was taken from him and the syringe was placed in his hand.

The observer watched with great interest as Scott quickly injected the contents of the syringe into his veins, slumping in a blissful euphoric daze, totally unaware of being watched, as the drug started to take effect.

"Excellent" the observer stated "how did you manage to create the addiction?"

"That was easy. We kept him unconscious for the first six months giving him regular doses until the physical addiction was fully established."

Scott's original captor paused before continuing

"it only took a couple of days of being conscious for the withdrawal to be severe enough for him to accept something for it. Now he's got the choice, he can follow orders and have something to enjoy or resist and be sedated when he's given the drug. Either way he gets the drug to cement the addiction, whether he wants it or not"

"How compliant is he?"

"He'll do almost anything if the withdrawal gets bad enough"

"Even kill?"

"Maybe but we've chosen not to make that option available to him for obvious reasons."

"He is mine now" the observer stated with a chilling voice.

"Understood"

the response from the man who'd orchestrated the kidnapping held a note of finality as he accepted the fact that his role in everything was now over, besides the financial and technological rewards had been a considerable bonus for him.

Scott came round from the euphoric daze that always accompanied the drugs.

He knew that he had a few hours before he would begin to crave the blissful release again.

He also knew that he'd do almost anything to get that release, especially as the craving got stronger and stronger, much to his shame.

He looked up as the door opened and a new man entered the room.

He felt all sense of hope leave and an overwhelming feeling of despair descend as he recognised the man.

He realised that he was now completely vulnerable and at the mercy of his family's greatest enemy.

The Hood.

[tasam1075]

I've got a little runaway muse (inspiring with the wrong chapters 🤔)

here's a little snippet

Transferred

Scott woke to another day of the same monotony, for the last seven years his days had very little variety.

His 'existence' was now limited to a 6ft by 9ft 'cage' that he only left for an hour each day, although it wasn't unusual for him to be left in his cell from Friday evening right through to Monday morning with no respite.

The bland (usually cold) substance that masqueraded as food was passed through the slot three times a day, he couldn't even remember what good food tasted (or looked) like any more.

Privacy was another non existent concept for him now, his occasional phone calls were always listened to and his mail (both sent and received) read by the guards.

Even when he was taken to the showers everything had to be done in front of the guards, not even a frosted screen to give him the illusion of privacy.

As awful and degrading as it had been at the start, it had now become normal for him.

He never knew whether he should look forward to the, now infrequent, visits from his family or dread the aftermath of said visit.

After every visit he was left with the brutal reality of his existence as he was taken back to his cell whilst his visitor was always free to leave, the knowledge that life had continued for his brothers just cemented the depressive nature of death row for him.

Three marriages and the only sister he'd ever actually met was Tintin, he knew that he'd never be introduced to John and Gordon's wives (at least not socially).

Ironically he'd been, indirectly, responsible for John meeting his wife even though he'd never actually met Abigail.

Three funerals that he hadn't been able to attend, no-one had even told him that Becky and their son were both dead until months after their funerals had taken place.

He didn't even know how many more grandchildren his father was now able to dote on.

He couldn't allow himself to dwell on that, not without thinking about his own son, the son whose name he still wasn't allowed to know, the son whose funeral he hadn't been allowed to attend - how could he grieve properly for his son when he wasn't allowed to know his son's name.

Although the death row cells were not 'officially' classed as solitary confinement, that had been classed as a cruel and unusual punishment, the only non-solid wall was the bars at the front of the cells.

He knew that the cells on either side were occupied but he could only ever see the occupants of the cells opposite, none of whom were given to any form of communication beyond yelled insults and obscene gestures, he usually tried to ignore them as he retreated even further into his own personal hell of the never ending nightmares and perpetual solitude of this isolating existence.

Sometimes the prison chaplain came round on one of his semi-regular pastoral visits to the 'condemned' men, he never described the death row inmates as condemned but they all knew better, a brief despite from the soul destroying reality of his existence.

The chaplain was also the only person in the prison who ever spoke to him as if he was a normal person.

Scott cherished those infrequent conversations, a rare chance to feel 'almost' human, to feel as if someone actually cared about him, at least enough to talk to him even if the conversations were always meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

Something felt different about today though, a feeling of increased tension that he couldn't quite reconcile as he walked around the exercise area.

He almost smiled to himself as he considered the 'exercise area' that was all he was allowed to use.

Twice as long as his cell but less than half the width and all he could do was walk, no other form of exercise was permitted, twenty steps forward and twenty steps back for the entire allotted hour.

The last time he tried to do anything other than walk he'd lost the 'privilege' of his daily hour of exercise for a month.

Not even any rain to break the monotony today, even sunlight had become a foreign concept for him. He'd almost forgotten what sunshine looked like, did the sky have any other colour than shades of grey? He, almost vaguely, remembered the beautiful clear blue skies of home, the home that he hadn't seen for a decade and now would never see again.

His hour of exercise now completed the restraints were back on his wrists and he was ready for the return to his cell.

Instead of going back to his cell, however, he was taken to a different part of the prison where the leg restraints were fitted before being connected to the chain now at his waist.

He was confused the last time he'd been in such restraints was the day that he had been supposed to see his grandmother, the day that she died, the day that his own brother had hit him so hard that he'd spent the next two weeks in hospital recovering from his injuries. Injuries that would have prevented him from attending his grandmother's funeral even if permission had been granted for him to be there.

"What's happening?"

He asked, not really expecting any answer, after all his occasional questions were rarely answered by anyone these days.

"You're being transferred"

Scott just stood in shocked silence as the hood was placed over his head, how could he be transferred with no notice, where was he being taken to?

His last, and only, transfer (to date) he had a few days notice. He'd been able to send his most prized possession (a photograph of Becky from happier times) to Tintin for her to keep it safe, otherwise it would have been destroyed.

Unable to see and with the restraints limiting his movement it was a helpless Scott who was taken from the prison to the awaiting transportation.

After an uncertain amount of time, and three different vehicles, the hood was removed and he could finally see his surroundings, not that there was much for him to see.

He was seated, with the restraints still in place and secured, in a steel-grey 'room' that was only a little larger than a lavatory cubicle. The only light came from somewhere above his head

What little he could see didn't fill him with any kind of hope, his restraints had been secured so completely that he couldn't bring his hands to his face. Even standing was now impossible for him, he was completely trapped until someone returned to release him and that wouldn't happen until he reached his destination, wherever that was.

Without any indication of the passage of time Scott had no idea how long he'd been 'chained' in place, in could have been hours or just a few minutes, at least in his usual cell he had an impression of the passage of time from the regular activities of the guards, there was nothing here, no indication of anything to distract his, usually all too vivid, imagination.

He didn't even know what type of vehicle he was now in.

The sudden jolt and subsequent feeling of motion surprised him. Every sense he had, if he could still trust his senses after all these years, told him that he wasn't in an aircraft and the motion and sounds did not feel like any form of road transportation that he was familiar with, as a result he came to the conclusion he was on a train.

The rhythmic sounds and movements of the train had a soporific effort on him and Scott soon found himself lulled into a somnolent state.

Scott slept as the train moved on through the night, its long journey unremarkable until it reached the river crossing.

[tasam1075]

24

How many have you read?

The BBC estimates that most people will only read 6 books out of the 100 listed below. Reblog this and bold the titles you’ve read.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 2 Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkein 3 Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte 4 Harry Potter series 5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee 6 The Bible 7 Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte 8 Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell 9 His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman 10 Great Expectations – Charles Dickens 11 Little Women – Louisa M Alcott 12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy 13 Catch 22 – Joseph Heller 14 Complete Works of Shakespeare 15 Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier 16 The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien 17 Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks 18 Catcher in the Rye 19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffeneger 20 Middlemarch – George Eliot 21 Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell 22 The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald 23 Bleak House – Charles Dickens 24 War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy 25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams 26 Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh 27 Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky 28 Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck 29 Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll 30 The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame 31 Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy 32 David Copperfield – Charles Dickens 33 Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis 34 Emma – Jane Austen 35 Persuasion – Jane Austen 36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – CS Lewis 37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini 38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres 39 Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden 40 Winnie the Pooh – AA Milne 41 Animal Farm – George Orwell 42 The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown 43 One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez 44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving 45 The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins 46 Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery 47 Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy 48 The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood 49 Lord of the Flies – William Golding 50 Atonement – Ian McEwan

51 Life of Pi – Yann Martel 52 Dune – Frank Herbert 53 Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons 54 Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen 55 A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth 56 The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon 57 A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens 58 Brave New World – Aldous Huxley 59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon 60 Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez 61 Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck 62 Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov 63 The Secret History – Donna Tartt 64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold 65 Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas 66 On The Road – Jack Kerouac 67 Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy 68 Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding 69 Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie 70 Moby Dick – Herman Melville 71 Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens 72 Dracula – Bram Stoker 73 The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett 74 Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson 75 Ulysses – James Joyce 76 The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath 77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome 78 Germinal – Emile Zola 79 Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray 80 Possession – AS Byatt 81 A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens 82 Cloud Atlas – David Mitchel 83 The Color Purple – Alice Walker 84 The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro 85 Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert 86 A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry 87 Charlotte’s Web – EB White 88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom 89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 90 The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton 91 Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad 92 The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery 93 The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks 94 Watership Down – Richard Adams 95 A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole 96 A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute 97 The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas 98 Hamlet – William Shakespeare 99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl 100 Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

[tasam1075]

Letter from Death Row

Jeff just sat there looking at the envelope that was sitting on his desk, the envelope that had been sitting there for over a week.

He still wasn't sure if he could bring himself to read this latest letter from Scott, the previous letters had all, virtually, reduced him to tears at the depths of despair and hopelessness being faced by his son, especially when there was nothing he could do prevent Scott's descent into severe clinical depression.

Scott's letter to Chloe was safely stored in his safe, just waiting for her to decide what she wanted to do.

Virgil still remained unaware of it's existence, if he knew that there was a letter to Chloe from Scott he'd demand that it be destroyed - just like he'd destroyed his own letter (without even opening it)

He didn't know how his other sons had reacted to their letters and he was almost afraid to ask, would they follow Virgil's example and just destroy their letters or did they still care enough to read what Scott had written?

With a deep intake of breath, and no small amount of trepidation he opened the envelope and began to read.

Dad

There's so much that I need to say but I don't even know where to start.

I want to say that everything's going to be fine but we both know that things will never be fine again, for anyone.

I keep thinking about my last good memory, before my life became the never-ending nightmare that's now my existence.

The smile on Becky's face when she gave me the scan image (she did look almost terrified though, we hadn't planned for children until after the wedding).

The realisation that I was going to be a father, to have a baby alongside my beautiful Queen made me the happiest man alive.

My last moment of true happiness, able to look forward to a future with hope and joy.

Now all I have left are shattered images and fragmented memories, vague impressions of voices and darkness, no more good days, no more hope - just loss and despair.

I still see Chloe's look of terror as she tried to protect her sisters, I failed to protect my Angel and that reality still haunts me even now.

I know that I didn't kill Maddie, I remember hearing her call my name as the drugs took hold of me (I'll always be ashamed of my addiction even though I still long for the escape from reality that the drugs have always provided).

The next clear thing I remember is waking up in the hospital, being told that Maddie was dead and that I was under arrest for her murder.

The realisation that no-one believed me, everyone believed that I'd killed two people, was hard to accept.

Even harder was the look on Becky's face as she realised the horrific truth, that drugs had destroyed her life again, that it was all my fault - I had become an addict, she had heard me actually beg for the drugs.

My Queen and I couldn't face her, all I felt was shame, shame at what I'd become (even if all I wanted at the time was the drugs to make the pain go away).

I had betrayed my Queen and there's no way back from that.

You think that after all these years I'd be used to being alone, that I'd just accept that I'll never hear the ocean again, never see a blue sky or even green grass (what does a blue sky look like anyway?), I don't even remember anymore all I ever see is shades of grey.

Maybe I should just stop fighting against the inevitable, Virgil will never ask for clemency for me (part on me still believes that he wants revenge rather than justice), he'll never ask for the death penalty be commuted to life and I just have to accept that.

I understand how he feels but at least he got to say goodbye to Maddie, my Queen and my son are both dead and no-one bothered to tell me until months after their funerals (I don't even know his name, my son and no-one cares enough to tell me his name).

They should have been safe, my only solace was that they were safe.

How could they have been forced to leave their home?

They had nowhere else to go, why did you let them leave?

Without any clemency the only hope of appeal would be Chloe and I can't allow that, I failed to protect my Angel once before but never again.

should have fought more

I have to protect my Angel, nothing else matters - only her safety

Keep Chloe safe, she's all that matters

Once I'm gone she'll be safe

She has to be safe

Don't come anymore, each visit is harder than the last - for both of us

I can't bear to see the pain in your eyes every time you have to leave me here.

I feel that you only persist out of a misplaced sense of duty. I don't think I'm worthy of any more visits anyway.

My brothers have accepted the inevitable and it's time I did the same, I'm never going to leave here alive.

I know that now.

I think that I've always known even if I've been denying it for years, hoping that somehow the truth could finally be heard, that someone would actually believe me. No more appeals,

why continue with a pointless process when it's only going to end in failure.

I can't deal with the false hope anymore,

I'm sorry but I can't carry on like this

Goodbye Dad

I'm sorry for everything,

just forget about me, live your life

Scott

Jeff couldn't stop the tears, as strong as he'd always tried to be for Scott, reading about his son's enduring torment was more than he could bear.

Only the death of his beloved Lucy had left him feeling this helpless, and lost.

He couldn't even turn to Penelope for any advice or solace, the easy friendship that had had briefly let to passion and love had ultimately fallen victim to his continual feelings of betraying his beloved Lucille.

The passion and love had now been replaced strict adherence to duty and responsibility, the relationship now reduced to little more than a matter of essential business formalities, perpetually depriving him of her invaluable wisdom and unique perspective. He couldn't even talk things through with Abigail, she was too busy dealing with Chloe and John, there was no way that he could ask her to help him achieve some sense of peace as well.

[tasam1075]

Profile pic is more of my daughter's artwork

[tasam1075]

Hopefully this is something you'll like

The Long Walk

He'd known for months that today was the day,

The day that the state would finally take his life in the name of 'justice'.

He knew that the next time he left his cell it would be for the final time, the 'long' walk to the execution chamber, he didn't know if he'd be able to take those final steps alone but he knew that he'd have no choice, it was the walk that he had to take.

Alone, he was almost tempted to smile at the concept, his last day and even though there'd always been someone there he'd never felt more alone and isolated

Virgil's refusal to even take the call earlier hurt him more than he cared to admit, did his own brother still want him dead?

He couldn't help feeling responsible for Chloe's tears, even though there was nothing more that he could do to help her, everything that he could do for her he already had.

Her admission that her sisters were still unaware of his existence just made things even harder for him to accept, did his brother still hate him that much?

It felt like a lifetime ago since he'd spoken to her, along with his father and sister-in-law, but it was only a few short hours.

The only 'good' thing was the fact that he now knew his son's name, after all these years he could finally give a name to his unrelenting feelings of grief and loss.

Callum Tracy - his son.

Killed years earlier alongside his beloved Queen when their plane had crashed, those who hadn't been killed outright in the crash had died whilst waiting for help to arrive at the remote mountainous region. He didn't even know if they had survived the initial crash only to die waiting for a rescue that arrived too late for most.

His last meal, the only thing he'd been allowed to choose for almost longer than he could remember, wasn't anything to write home about but at least it had been the more palatable option from the prison kitchen, the nearest thing to recognisable food that he'd had for longer than he could remember.

The ability for prisoners to request their final meal from local restaurants had been stopped by the state several years earlier, now the only concession was the option to choose between the available options from the prison kitchen, at least the food was more edible than the normal 'eat it or else' cold offerings that had been the only option available to him for years.

The hours since he'd been returned to his cell had been a combination of boredom and despair, punctuated by the necessities of the procedures that had to be followed.

The letters that he had to write, even though he doubted that they'd ever be read, he already knew that Virgil had destroyed the last letter that he'd sent and he had little hope that Virgil would ever read this final letter but he had to try.

The final shower and change into different clothing, even the humiliation of the adult diaper he had to wear, not for his benefit but to make things easier for the staff who would be dealing with his body afterwards.

Less than an hour to go and the only person with him now was the prison chaplain, his final chance to have a conversation with anyone, a last chance to pray even though he'd stopped believing in a benevolent God years earlier - when his mother had died.

The chaplain being the only person, apart from the guards, who'll walk beside him on this final journey.

He look up as the door to his cell opened for the last time, he saw the guards waiting to escort him on this final journey.

Seven people would be accompanying him for this final walk, although he felt that the six guards were a bit overkill after all it wasn't as if he could go anywhere else.

Minutes left now. They'd just finishing tightening all the straps securing him to the gurney, he couldn't move even if he tried, even his head had been secured so that he couldn't turn away.

He could feel the needles being inserted, one in each arm, ready for the sentence to be carried out

His final seconds, he'd already been angled to allow the witnesses an unobstructed view of his face although he'd only been able to see his own reflection in the one-way mirror.

"I didn't kill anyone"

The only words he could say as he allowed a single tear to escape - if he could bring himself to believe the chaplain he'd soon be reunited with his beloved Queen.

He was vaguely aware of a feeling of cold spreading from his arms before he succumbed to the powerful sedative being introduced into his body,

Unconscious within seconds he knew nothing more