The Shadow of War by Jack Murray (read this if TXT) 📕

class. They glanced at himand giggled to one another. Danny ignored them and pushed on. As he did so, heran into Bert Gissing. His nemesis from yesterday seemed as surprised as he. Hewas also somewhat laden down with two bags of feed.

Theylooked at one another for a moment then Bert grinned.

‘Luckybeggar.’

Dannygrinned also and said, ‘That I am.’

‘Don’tlet me catch you near the farm again.’

‘Youwon’t,’ replied Danny with a wink and continued on.

Yes,Bert wasn’t a bad sort, all in all. His younger brother, Hugh, was a differentstory. He and Danny were unofficial leaders of their respective groups. Theyled where others wanted to follow. Neither wasacademic but both, much to the frustration of Mrs Grout, were clearlysmart. This frustration manifested itself less in encouragement and flankingstrategies to inculcate a desire to learn than frequent, unexplained andpainful physical rejoinders to their brand of rebellion.

Bobwas up ahead talking to a girl from their class. It looked like Beth Locke. Shewas a redhead but seemed to have been in the wrong queue when volatility washanded out for there was no more tranquil girl in the village. Even the girlsteased her about this apparent misalignment of hair and nature. She took it ingood part. This made her universally popular with boys, girls and parentsalike. Even Mrs Grout had a soft spot for Beth despite her apparent lack ofinterest in classwork.

Itwas similar for girls, supposed Danny. Their destiny was decided in the womb. Thedirection of travel plotted. A life that would revolve around kitchen andcradle. Bob already had one eye to his future. Rather than cramp his style,Danny made his way in the direction of Cavendish Hall but then broke off nearSt Bartholomew’s. As he did so, a familiar figure greeted him from the garden.

‘Hello,young Shaw,’ said Reverend Simmons, ‘Where you off to then?’

‘Forest,’replied Danny with a smile. He liked the Reverend. The stories he told the kidsover the years never failed to entertain. He’d fought in the Boer War and boxedagainst some folk Danny had never heard of but were, apparently, pretty usefulif the Reverend’s cauliflower ears were anything to go by.

‘Yoube good, young man, and let me see you at the church more. I didn’t see youSunday. By the brook as usual, were you?’

‘SorryRev. I’ll be there. Promise.’

Simmonslaughed and called him a cheeky imp. Danny continued on his way with a smile onhis face. He wasn’t heading in any particular direction but thought to head upthe hill and sit overlooking the valley. It would be another half hour beforetea. They clearly didn’t want him under their feet. That was fine with Danny.There was plenty of time for work.

Afew minutes of climbing brought him to his destination. He sat down and lookedacross the valley once more. The early evening had brought the sun out afterthe rain. A long shadow lay across the valley, only the Hall remained in thesunlight.

Allwas silent save for the sound of birds in the trees. And then, from behind, heheard some twigs break. He turned around and found himself looking up at thegrinning figures of Hugh Gissing, Fred Dobbins and Greg Lunn. They looked inthe mood for fun.

Thiswasn’t good news.

 3

‘Wherewas that boy going?’ asked Stan Shaw, entering the kitchen. His tall framefilled the doorway. There was no one in the village as strong as Stan Shaw. Butstrength is not just physical. Stan Shaw knew this. Inside he felt weak. Everyday was a battle just to rise from his bed and face the day. His eyes hauntedthe depths of his sockets, unspoken torment came and went.

Thefamily understood. They understood the silences. They understood the anger.They also felt the brief, rare moments of tenderness from a soul trying toescape the prison of depression.

Hestrode forward into the kitchen. It was the first room a visitor to the housewould see. In reality, it was more to the Shaw family. It was the centre of theiruniverse. An all-day glow and the all night heat came from the Aga cooker,lovingly restored by Stan. The warmth wasn’t just physical: it was an emotionaland spiritual, too.

Stanlooked at his wife. They’d married just before the war when she was nineteenand in the bright bloom of youth. Not yet forty, she looked older, but thebeauty remained. Tom had arrived as Stan had received Kitchener’s call. He wentover in sixteen. He’d survived. Barely. There werescars, though, unseen but vivid, painful and untreatable.

Katelooked up and smiled radiantly at Stan.

‘Danny?I didn’t see him.’

‘Hewas here a few minutes ago. I saw him walking out the gate.’

‘Nothingfor him to do in the shed?’ asked Kate.

‘Tomchased him off. I’d have given something all right. Lazy little beggar.’

Kategrinned at this. Stan could be very hard on Danny, but the truth was the little‘beggar’ was idolised and probably spoiled a little. He’d always been thebright one. The mischievous one. Tom was stolid and true. Big, strong as an oxbut soft as well. Danny fibbed, cajoled andcharmed his way through life with a ready wit and a smile that could meltgranite at thirty paces. Even Tom, a heart as big as his frame and not ajealous bone in his body, let the boy get away withmurder.

The result for Danny wasa mixed blessing. The boy wielded his magnetism like a sword to cut through anyproblems he faced. Stan worried he lacked the work ethic that was core to theShaw family and had been so for many generations.

‘What’sin the pot?’ asked Stan glancing at the cooker.

‘Vegetablebroth,’ replied Kate, ‘and I made some bread also.’

‘Smellsgood,’ said Stan giving his wife a peck on the back of the head. ‘I’m hungry ashell.’

‘Watchyour language, sir, in front of the children,’ admonished Kate.

‘They’renot babies anymore,’ smiled Stan. It was aconversation that was like the well-worn groove in the floor at the entrance ofthe house.

‘That imp better not be late.’

Stan was as guilty as the others in allowing Danny his head, buthe was a natural disciplinarian. On things that truly mattered, Danny knewthere was only so far, he could push things. For some reason, unfathomable toDanny, his family pushed him harder on education than they ever had