The book can be purchased online from Amazon Books and is $14.95. For some strange reason they have the author listed as Viveka Viveka (double discernment!)

Viveka writes as follows about her journey and her book.

‘Sacred Connection’ is one story inside many…as they all are. It is only one small part in the journey to the truth of who we really are.

Since I was a small child I have always loved the divine feminine, my focus being Mother Mary, and I constantly chanted the rosary.
Any psychic I went to would tell me they were not able to read for me as Mother Mary was standing behind me in her blue robe, handing me a white rose.
For years I held Goddess workshops for women who had been abused to help them take back their power, and the groups were called White Rose
.
So to move closer to my story (this is not in the book, but is the prelude), after a series of disasters, including a mammoth heart attack, I was led to Barraba in mid NSW. Mainly because it was miles from anywhere, I would be anonymous, and a small spiritual community was beginning there. Among my “disasters” was the stock market collapse which left me penniless, but my daughter was left some money in a will and we both flew to Barraba to have a look and feel the energy. As I walked along the road early one morning I asked Divine Mother for a sign to confirm I should move there. As we (my daughter and I) turned the corner, the embankment was covered in hundreds of cut white roses! I accepted the sign and moved interstate.

I had been given a beautiful white porcelain statue of Kwan Yin which always travelled with me. Once (another story), she had shed real tears, and many of my friends had witnessed this. I was renting a house which was quite expensive when living on a pension, now my only form of income, and a tiny old 108year cottage became available as a deceased estate. I rang the agent thinking the rent for this would be much less, and he arranged an appointment with the solicitor, Paula, to discuss it. I went down on my knees in the backyard of the house and prayed to Kwan yin to help me acquire this cottage before I left for the appointment. At the interview, Paula said “You would really like to buy that house wouldn’t you?”. I replied that I had absolutely no money and it would be out of the question. She said,” I will lend you the money, the house is yours”. Now Paula did not even know my surname…no deposit…and then she had tears in her eyes and said “I don’t why but I must do this”.

That is the story of the little house in the book that was used much later to fund my travels for Spirit, and I loved it dearly.
The ritual that is described in the book is very powerful and has been used now for nearly 10 years all over the world. It connects all the sacred sites, not just those we call, for they are very powerful, but the world is covered with these points of energy and divine vibration.
We connect into the cosmic lattice, the crystalline grid, and the unity consciousness grid… (which by the way is recognized and accepted by NASA in USA). We are indeed powerful beyond measure, and our Mother needs our help and love. The sisterhood is alive and truly devoted to the task. We must not only help our mother earth, but also the feminine in the men, (who have also been women in other lives)to remember their soft gentle compassionate aspects, to help us all have the peace we seek.”
I hope that you will find the meaning in the ritual and its esoteric symbolism touches your heart.

Love and light, and many blessings,
Viveka

Many years ago my partner and I had a visitation from Isis and Osiris when they told us of our soul connection, asked us to help them and gave us a task to fulfil. From that moment our lives were forever changed. Despite living quite ‘normal’ everyday lives, the pathways that were opened up have given us increased knowledge that inspires us daily. I had written one novel before this event, but the novels I have written after draw on these increased understandings and awareness.

Isis has been a constant source of inspiration and it was no surprise when the Sisterhood of the Rose came into my consciousness. As far as I am aware, the Sisterhood was formed in the time of Lemuria when the physical body was being anchored in this dimension. Atlantis was a stage for further development where beings split into two physical genders. Its work at this point involvesd ritual where rare energy could be crafted and this work is what has been chronicled in my latest two novels, Daughter of the Sun God, The Fall and Grace.

From The Fall, the Oracle has awareness, but she cannot tell the High King, Odan, about what is happening for him:

Drawn to the Sisterhood with an urgency which is completely incomprehensible to him, Odan is compelled to go to them when they call. He knows that his position makes him a supreme masculine symbol, but he has no notion of how the circle of the Sisterhood is using this energy.

I cannot tell him that the continent of Lemuria, birthplace of the feminine, needs to be anchored in the physical and the intention of the Sisterhood’s ritual is to merge the principles. To do this they need the High King of Atlantis. The clarity and power they tap into comes from a chamber deep within Danuih where the crystals seeded aeons ago open their petals lovingly, with no resistance, to receive. Beyond this chamber lies Lemuria and its unabashed innocence, waiting for a catalyst to catapult it into the future. Necessary to aid the reconciliation of the two continents of logic and intuition, the crystals hold this intelligence and give it willingly as the women draw this upwards into their bodies… it overflows outwards into the ground, spills through the veins and valleys of ourselves… through the cells of the High King as a living portal into our hearts and minds.

Daughter of the Sun God is in two volumes – Vol 1,The Fall and Vol 2, Grace – and they came from a deep yearning to discover Atlantis intimately and to write the story of Altea America. The gestation was an absolute joy, filled with love, exhilaration and many surprises, as once begun, I have written it through the filter that my personal karma determines but the Universe – and its many messengers – has dictated the direction and focus.

In discovering Atlantis, I met Altea, Holy Sister of the Order of the Sun, High King Odan and the Sisterhood of the Rose… and learned of their connections in the higher dimensions throughout Time. I learned how the Sisterhood, with its intrinsic feminine energy, influenced and shaped its masculine counterpart throughout the ages, and how the malevolent forces blamed the Sisterhood for reflecting their own fear. It is what we have lived through for centuries!

The Fall takes you specifically to Atlantis; while Grace brings you to the post-9/11 present where you are invited to recognize how we are still responsible for The Fall and how atonement will bring peace, both personally and globally. These books were written for you and I invite you to join me in the discoveries within their pages…

To find out more, you can go to selenna.com.au.

This is a special time – it is the night before Christmas and the energy is vibrating and expectant.  I have just had the most wonderful meditation – in the meditation for the first time I have been able to see the total nature and extent of the Rose Library.  I have accessed it many times in the past from one aspect or another.  This is the first time that I have been able to see the full extent of the wisdom and knowledge that we can share together. What an amazing font of knowledge and wisdom this is – how extraordinary that at last we have access to so much knowledge that we once thought was lost.

I am having the most interesting reminders of how much the energy is opening up with the calls that I am receiving and the requests for additional information that keep coming through.  Some of you may already know that the Rose Council is what we might call the governing body of the Sisterhood.  These wonderful esoteric beings are always around when we need to have special enlightenment and encouragement.  So on Christmas Eve I urge you to keep in touch with these beings whenever you meditate and see what fascinating information they may have to offer you.

I am posting here in this blog tonight information from a sister who has recently made contact.  It is wonderful to share the stories of how the search is made and the sisters found.  Here is her story – and remember if you would like to share yours please do contact me.

I first came to “know about,” or reawaken, to the Sisterhood a few years ago. I was working as solitary Reiki healing practitioner. For many years, I was aware of the Sisterhood of the Rose, Goddess sisterhoods, and women working in accordance with Mary Magdalene. It came as no surprise to me that I was drawn to the Sisterhood myself because of the work that I was doing, and the visions that I had. But it took a few years for my work to marinate.

Since I was a young woman, I have always been drawn to goddess energy. I would have dreams and visions, mostly of Isis, and later Kwan Yin, that were prolific and lucid. They would assist me with my healing with healing energy and any information that was pertinent to my clients. Sometimes, they would just appear to me in dreams as energy or in a relaxed, friendly way so that I knew I was being supported on my Path.

As my young adult years went by I began to receive what I call “messages from the Rose.’ Roses would appear to me in abundance…in dreams, in waking life, and in visions. It seemed to me that every word, song, and poem was about roses. I began to receive energy transmissions from Mother Mary and messages from the Goddesses. It was then that the reawakening of the Divine Feminine Matrix was revealed to me.

Historically, women were not allowed to access sacred texts and teachings. As they were considered the secrets to enlightenment, and this sent the message that women didn’t have the right to their own divinity. There are more women spiritual teachers in America than anywhere in the world, yet their voices have not been heard, but that is changing. Sacred traditions honor and connect us to one another. I was guided in a dream to change my direction to reflect these changes.

Suddenly everywhere I looked there was information about the Divine Feminine and the Magdalene Grid. The Magdalena energy was re-emerging. The Light Body and new channels and meridians were opening up. These channels and meridians have been closed for many, many years and are once again opening. There has been a great deal of clearing and activating on the left side of the body and in the heart area.

The process involves the return of the Divine  Feminine energy and the activation of the Magdalena Codes within us. We are re-opening the Magdalena grid in our bodies on the Planet. The Divine Feminine energy is flowing once again, and we are gradually activating those codes within us that will allow us to once again embrace Creative Joy and Lightness – the energies of the Cosmic Creative Feminine. This influx of Light will perpetuate a quantum shift in Humanity’s energy, vibration and consciousness, and assist all Life in ascending up the Spiral of Evolution.

Lisa Schoonover is a Reiki and Rose Ray Healer, Divine Channel, and Professional Writer. She has lived and traveled around the globe in order to spread enlightenment, and worked as a teacher, facilitator, and healer in an attempt to assist others on their Paths. She is currently working on her spiritual travel memoir entitled  online “The Indigo Butterfly.” Lisa currently resides in the Bay Area and is open to hearing from othe Sisters on the Path. lisa_schoonover11@yahoo.com

Thank you Lisa for sharing your story with us.  Once again warmest wishes to all for the Christmas season.

From Cris

Over the past months and days I have been receiving many emails from people concerning the Sisterhood – only natural as it is my job to help many of you to remember who you really are – in many cases the individuals concerned have had a reading where the Sisterhood of the Rose has been mentioned.  It is interesting just how often this pattern is being repeated with different people, mainly women, in different parts of the world.  So the group and individual memories are returning – I must interject here too to mention that in my view – this memory – this memory of the Sisterhood we are order seeking in order to remind ourselves of our true origins – is not a passive thing – it is not necessarily going to sit there within our reach once we remember this sacred connection.  Memory is something we work for and a fair bit of that work is physical as well as spiritual.

I am often disturbed by the fact that some people think that the spiritual line of the Sisterhood can be accessed simply by receiving the memory.  The work of the Sisterhood is like nothing else I have ever experienced. The depth  and grace and meaning of the work is something I shall always treasure – I hope that you will too and that the sacredness of the work will bring you to a point of great awareness in your life.  It is not always an easy solution – the sisterhood brings with it an amazing path – consciousness is not always an easy ride– and the new age has absolutely no relevance here.

So now I move to a sister who has asked me to post something on her behalf, which I am delighted to do.

Hello!  I am a writer and healer in the Bay Area who has been on the Rose Path.  I have mostly been a solitary practitioner and would like to connect with other sisters in order to enrich the way as well as share with and support one another.  My email is lisa_schoonover11@yahoo.com.  Please contact me directly in order to share your experiences of the Sisterhood of the Rose.

Once again my best wishes to everyone for the Christmas season.  Cris

LET’S HAVE A PARTY

‘Let’s have a party!’  The bears, particularly Angela, had been asking for a party for days on end and finally their demands were to be met.

After all they had worked very hard on the sacred mapping project and London was complete. It was almost a week later and Pippa’s demons had been successfully eliminated.  It had freed her to be her real self at last and she seemed to be lit with a light from within.  Everyone noticed it.  People on the street looked at her and this was taboo in a big city like London.  Bank tellers talked to her with smiles wreathing their faces.  Prior to her transformation they had always glowered at her and been rude.  It was hard to put a finger on exactly what happened but standing up for herself and taking firm action seemed to have been the trigger.

Pippa and Nigel had reached an accord of sorts.

‘It does make sense,’ Nigel had said the last time he called into the bookshop, almost grudgingly, even though he of all people knew about magic. ‘In the area of the supernatural, anything is possible!’

Pippa knew that all that he wanted was to continue and strengthen their relationship, that much was obvious. Pippa realised that she missed his large presence in her life, but an elf, now that was really being ridiculous.

Time had literally flown. In the secret room of Mr. Paddy’s Bookshop all was well. The STT were singing in harmony as they finished the final pieces of the sacred map of London. All they were doing now was increasing the vibrancy of the colours. Angela was dancing around the secret room; her big black and white paws hardly touching the ground she was so excited.  Mr. Vinny was trying to keep some sort of order but it was getting much harder.  Biggles had already left for the secret destination where his yellow helicopter was hidden.  He had instructions to ferry the bears over in relays there were so many of them.  And now, back at the bookshop the bears were vying for positions in the helicopter.

None of the bears, except for Teddy and Tina of course, had ever been to Ireland.  As for having the opportunity to go to a giant’s special retreat, well that was certainly too much excitement for Angela.  The smaller bears were more reticent about it, but between them the auxiliary team were choosing special outfits.

Merle their official dressmaker had been brought in on a special assignment to help. The smaller bears were going to wear matching outfits, despite Shitzu’s protestations.  She had originally wanted to wear traditional Japanese dress, but she changed her mind when Merle showed her the gorgeous material made of live silver stars that she was going to use.  Cawfield and his band of crows had been flying all around the place delivering special rainbow engraved invitations.

Nigel was preparing to make the drop of the last map to Books and Bears. It was to be his last trip to York.  He had not told Pippa how he was going to get there.  She still wondered how he was able to appear and disappear so very quickly.  He had promised to bring Rufus back with him and probably even Jimmy and Rose.  Jimmy and Rose loved a party especially if there was Guinness to be drunk, so Pippa felt that Nigel would probably hit it off with them very well.

Then it was time for the well-deserved celebration.  The London master map was ensuring that the newspaper reports on the homeless, or their steadily decreasing numbers, were increasing daily, a sure barometer of the changes happening in the city. The Oceanic map of the Atlantic Ocean was now the priority so that the dolphins, seals, whales and other incredible sea creatures had a sanctuary in which they could rest and revive before facing the open sea again.

Pippa’s layered rainbow dress was an instant hit. Underneath the rainbow layer was a gorgeous silver slip of a dress, which appeared as a glittering shape of silver tissue.  A wide hip sash sparkled in the light – emerald and jet. She was floating around on cloud number nine.  Merle had excelled herself.  Merle was planning to circulate through the gathering crowd to see her creations being shown off by many of the guests.  She was dressmaker to the stars as well as being the star Titanium herself. No doubt as soon as she reached the magic precincts of Gerry’s castle her form would change to that of the Queen of the Fairies herself.

Blackie rolled along on his short black legs with a polka dot bow tie as part of his new cream suit. Christopher was there in new aqua coloured trousers with a bright shirt in a matching shade. Merle and Abby joined them now as they made their way towards the entrance hall of the huge castle. The girl bears, Tina, Angela, and Honey, in particular, were all sporting her special creations and Merle revelled in seeing them come alive on their furry bodies. The smaller bears looked extraordinary in their star outfits. Everyone was happy.

Tina walked a little way ahead anxious to see inside the castle.  She was sporting a beautiful creation made of butterflies all linked together.  The butterflies were real and had given freely of their time.  When the party was over they would fly away but for now they were content to work with Tina to show off her unusual beauty to the assembled guests.  Angela bounced up and down on her back paws.  She wore a black velvet number that showed her white glossy fur up in a wonderful way, cut a little daringly in the front, Pippa thought. As for Honey, her dress was of pink roses, all fresh and all dancing around her body.  The roses had also given their services freely and Honey gave off a perfect scent as she bounced along on her honey brown paws.

In the lane outside Gerry’s castle of dreams at the Bridges of Ross were some red post vans and some tractors parked in unruly lines. Pippa, on her way in, guessed that the Tractor Men and at least some representatives from the English postal fraternity were going to be present.  That was a surprise in itself. She wondered how the green Irish Post group felt about that. And then she noticed that there were some green vans too.

‘Oh, co-operation, what a wonderful thing it is,’ she hummed to herself.

They were, in fact, the first group she saw after she and the STT had greeted Gerry.  She had been right.  Once the bears and the members of the Holy Alliance entered the magic precincts of the castle they changed into their true forms.  The bears elongated overnight delivery Spellbinder bodies showed off their garments splendidly.

Pippa was intent on speaking with Mr. Paddy who was in one corner of the magnificent entranceway in deep conversation with Ennis, King of the Elves. When Pippa approached they stopped their earnest exchange and greeted her with pure delight.

Mr. Paddy kissed her on both cheeks. ‘Pippa, you look absolutely beautiful.  It matches with the person you have become.’

David Toddhunter was there in his real form as king of the elves. Ennis nodded his head sagely looking at her with deep and luminous elvin eyes.  He seemed to be waiting for something as he continued to regard her and nod and smile.  Pippa knew what it was.  She handed him a bundle of Louisa’s letters all done up in a beautiful rose patterned paper.  He accepted them almost reverently and simply smiled at her again. Pippa spent only a little more time chatting with them before walking off to explore the beautiful interior of the magic castle. She felt that Ennis wanted to be alone with the letters at least for a time.

It was a gala occasion and every one who had participated in the sacred re-mapping project was there.  Pippa saw Cawfield and the black Crows who had played such an important role fostering the communication network.  Cartland and Candy, his cousins, were there too, resplendent as were all their relatives, sporting black ties with little white bibs, which gave them a certain ‘touch of class.’  Cawfield Company as their publicity represented them, escorted the guests on guided tours around the castle and for a time Pippa joined in, wandering at the back of the tour and  feeling elated. Shitzu and the members of the Asset Team had decided to come to the party on roller blades.  They were still small even in their spellbinder form and they needed help to get around.  Every time she turned about, Pippa saw one roller blade by.  She was horrified at the sight but soon gave up and joined in the fun spontaneously.

A new member of the alliance, the Orchid Lady of Singapore was there, notwithstanding  the long trip, talking with Merle who had completely transformed into Titanium.  Pippa was introduced and stayed to chat and to admire Merle’s metamorphosis. She was formally dressed in a rich shine of blue satin, heavy silk, the genuine article, and definitely no modern synthetics for her.  The sleeves and the high-netted collar seemed from an earlier century and emphasised her slender form perfectly.  Lace cascaded down the front of her outfit that had obviously been woven on fairy looms.

Pippa’s attention focused on the Lady of Orchids. The trip between Singapore and Ireland was a long one, but she looked superb.  Pippa just did not see how she could use the regular airlines.  But then she still only knew some of their magical secrets. The Deva had thoughtfully supplied fresh orchids for the castle from Singapore. They were in every possible position, decorating the high ceilinged rooms with the tang of the exotic richness of the East.  They hung in magnificent strands down the staircase balustrades and they were at least partially contained within a string of Tang Dynasty vases that decorated every floor of the multi-storied castle.

Pippa’s first impression as she took part in the guided tour was that the colours of the orchids matched the magnificent colours of the rainbow dress that she was wearing. There was a strong affinity between the orchids and the dress that she could feel as she walked. The creation was so magical it looked and felt just like a real rainbow. What a celebration!  Pippa had not neglected to wear her eye, the beautiful piece of jewellery that Mr. Paddy had given her both as a protection and a present.  Only tonight it was on public display winking and blinking brightly as it clung gently to her throat.

And then she felt rather than saw him.  Nigel Patrick Moloney had entered the castle. Nigel captured Pippa immediately and led her away.  It was time for them to be able to spend some private time together after all the comings and goings.

They spoke of faraway dreams and the project just completed.  ‘I don’t need a bodyguard anymore, Nigel.’  Pippa sounded slightly tentative and sorry because she was certainly going to miss him.

Pippa could feel Nigel’s body language change almost imperceptibly as if she had dealt him some sort of body blow.  Soon after that they parted company agreeing to meet about half an hour before the light and sound show on the balcony scheduled for 11p.m.

As the party progressed Pippa became introspective and quiet for a time trying to analyse her unusual situation. The pace of the change had been so fast and incredible.  She withdrew from the throng on the first and second floors of the castle and wandered to the upstairs area.  Here it was quieter and she sat in a beautiful chair in the video and sound room and simply relaxed in letting her mind wander along free and untrammelled.

‘Well, what have I learnt from this lot?’  Too much had happened, there had been too many events tumbling over one another in her life.  She had been on some sort of immense roller coaster.  She had been flung from pinnacle to pinnacle, never daring to stop.  There was simply too much at stake for her to even think of pausing. She sat still for a time and then went downstairs again as she particularly wanted to experience the view from Gerry’s incredible balcony, which hung out cantilevered across the wild Atlantic Ocean that pounded below.  This was the very ocean that was being remapped so it was fitting that Gerry lived right above it.

‘The down side,’ she thought as leant out over the startling huge balcony, ‘what was it?’  Certainly not the party and not tonight.  Here she was on a balcony that seemed to hang over the ocean suspended in the middle of the air.  It felt anything but gentle – it tipped and swayed in the wind making her feel as if she was flying.  The sensation was incredible and she felt the strength of her compassion for the world flow through her veins, pushing out anything left there that was intrinsically still self-centred.

The clouds did their usual thing.  They moved in a slow procession across the moon, so that the light changed, dimming and brightening alternatively.

She remembered one of her Aussie friends saying to her on the phone a few days previously. ‘You don’t want to come back to Australia.  You are alright and you don’t really care for anyone here anymore.’  It was not exactly true but she couldn’t tell him this on the phone.  She needed to talk to her friend face to face.  The game was much bigger than anyone could have imagined.  She had sacrificed plenty in the choices she had made.  And there was definitely no way that she could tell them by phone or relay the information by mail.   They would have to experience the huge changes coming into the world as a result of the sacred remapping process for themselves.  This made her a little sad.  She would have loved to include her old group of friends in her new life but this was not to be, at least not yet.

The wind whispered in the branches of the trees that flowed to and fro around the castle, by a trick of the moonlight seeming to move closer and closer to her balcony.

‘It will rain before morning,’ she said to the trees, and  they seemed to answer. ‘ But that is how Ireland remains so green.’

Meanwhile back in the streets of London something was happening that no one at the party knew about.  Outside Pippa’s flat an enormous black cat, looking as if he had been living in the London drains, waited patiently.  His tail was the only sign of life.  Sometimes it pointed up at the starry heavens. He was ready for the time that Pippa returned home.  Big Arthur had decided to wait for as long as he needed to wait for her ultimate return.  He was a patient cat.  He knew his own mind.  And now that the game was up he knew what side he should be on.  It was just a matter of convincing the gullible Pippa, or at least that was what was going through Big Arthur’s mind as he cased the environs leading up to the flat.  His eyes were glazed over as if he was in deep contemplation. It was free of helpers and caretakers because Ben the Barrowman, Milo the caretaker and Aggy, the bruised and beaten Bag Lady were all at the celebration in Ireland.

At this exact moment, Pippa was talking with Ben the Barrowman who was telling her that the caretakers had been part of her line of defence.

‘Good and deep,’ Ben was saying to her. ‘ You could certainly blackmail me good and deep.  If anyone found that I was selling magic fruit and vegetables, what do you think they would do?’

He grinned his cheeky toothy grin at her. ‘I hope you realise, Pippa,  that you could blackmail me for years.  If my so-called customers heard about this -’.

Up until this very moment she had not known the extent of the protection that had been afforded to her by these brave people.  Milo was telling her about all the fun and games they had trying to keep tabs on her.  Pippa was laughing at the antics they had performed in order to keep their presence secret from her.

And then she met Aggy, the Bag Lady who had sat outside the supermarket and performed so beautifully.  She looked so completely different that Pippa hardly recognised her. The bruises, she was told, had been real. They had gone away.  There was a glint in the Bag Lady’s eyes as she too told Pippa her tale.

Aggy stabbed Pippa playfully in the ribs with her finger. ‘Get on with you.  You never knew what was going on did you?’  Aggy cocked her head on one side and looked at Pippa.

Pippa laughed with her, Milo and Ben. ‘Thank you. What an amazing trio you are!’

‘Ben knows everything there is to know round there,’ said Aggy in a stage whisper, ‘everything and everyone.’  With that the golden dog Anubis from Yorkshire rushed into the party, alert and happy to be part of this wonderful scene.  Aggy was frightened of dogs after all her experiences on the London streets, but it was not long before the two of them had become friendly and indeed ambled off together.

Pippa saw Jimmy and Rose standing together looking around the castle with anticipation etched on their faces.  Jimmy was outfitted in his green leprechaun suit.  She admired Jimmy as he strutted his stuff as Liam the Leader of the Leprechauns.

‘Over here, Pippa,’ they hailed her enthusiastically and Pip had her glass of champagne refilled by a faery attendant as she approached them.

Pippa wanted to know who Rose really was. Rose had changed too, but Pippa did not have time to work out exactly how. One thing she did notice was her glorious hair.  Rose had braided her hair, which hung in a thick shiny rope down her shoulders emphasising the curve of fabric across her slim body.  The gently gathered green skirt that she wore belled out becomingly.  In fact she looked gorgeous.

‘Thanks you two for all your help to me in York,’ she said as she approached.  ‘Rose, I have to ask, who are you?’

‘Why, Pippa, you may have to wait a while to find out.’  Rose simply was not going to tell her.

The three of them decided to take a special tour of Gerry’s furniture and artefacts.  Pippa had heard rumours about his extraordinary carpets.  Apparently it was possible to press a small button underneath the carpet and they came alive and even flew.  This applied to some of the furniture as well. She and Liam and Rose had great fun playing with a set of oak chairs that obligingly grew wings and were about to fly out of the room when the happy threesome stopped them. At the same time they exchanged confidences.

But Pippa was called away abruptly when she noticed Big Rufus walking by with Angela Bear both of them sipping champagne.  Angela had stars in her eyes.  Pippa knew that was a bad sign with Angela, whether she was in her spellbinder form or not. It simply meant that Angela was playing up and likely to go too far. Angela broke into gales of high-pitched laughter as she and Big Rufus disappeared out of view with Pippa hot on their trail.

But Pippa never actually intercepted her target. Nigel came to claim her then.

‘Nigel,’ she called to him, delighted at how magnificent he looked in his dinner suit. ‘Liam and Rose are here.’  They turned and retraced Pippa’s steps and found them. ‘We are old friends,’ said Nigel as he shook hands with Liam and kissed Rose on the cheek.  ‘Remember those trips I made for you to York, Pippa,’ he reminded her and she nodded in agreement.  ‘Liam and Rose helped me too.’

Nigel took Pippa away. And for the first time Nigel and Pippa really talked.  Pippa started off determined to reject his advances. His pose was confrontational but his eyes were as miserable as those of a child who had been told it was dreaming.

Pippa relented ‘mm-hmm.’ Nigel kissed her long and hard and murmured as they both came up for air. ‘My emotional reactions are becoming abnormal because of you.’

She said nothing.

‘Hell’s bells, woman, surely you’ve noticed you’re driving me to distraction.’

Pippa found it hard to stop him now that he had begun. ‘What kind of emotions?’ she enquired glibly. ‘ Rage. Lust. Desire.’

‘Oh, I see’ A deep gurgle burst from within her.

Nigel quelled her with one look.  ‘I kept hoping it would pass, but it hasn’t.’

‘You have a very peculiar way of showing it.  Some of the things you’ve said to me.’

‘Oh, shutup, Pippa,’ Nigel kissed her again.  ‘Another overreaction you see,’ he said as he came up for air.

The crowd ebbed and flowed around them and they returned to the party.  They ate and drank as the fairy and elf waitresses and waiters offered unknown titbits and unusual drinks.  Mr. Paddy approached, noticed their intimacy and moved away in the company of the Deva of Singapore.  The emotions that were being evoked inside Pippa’s tender heart were bittersweet.  A magical fantasy rose up in Pippa’s imagination that night, a fantasy she knew she had to discuss with Nigel immediately.

He seemed to move closer to her even though his physical body was standing in exactly the same place as before.  She voiced her thoughts.  Pippa always surprised Nigel, even though he was part elf and could often read her innermost thoughts. He never strayed in that direction unless the knowledge came to him unbidden – a sudden thought, an intimate feeling here and there.  He knew he was supposed to be here.  And he also knew that Pippa was supposed to be with him.  A silver moon shone above them.

‘What are we going to do, Nigel? ‘Elves and humans cannot be together.  It’s just impossible.’

This was a quieter time when all the guests were mingling and talking and listening to the magic up-tempo music, all from Irish groups that flowed endlessly from the large sound boxes in the special sound room on every floor.

There were video screens everywhere for those who wanted to see the musicians as well as hear them.  Bono and U2 seemed to project themselves through the screen and to be there in person singing ‘Peace on Earth’.  Bono’s voice showed the strength of the feeling he had inside him as he sang.  He transported all those who listened up a pathway soaring to a state of bliss, to a level of enhanced experience.

He began to influence the way Nigel and Pippa felt about one another. Nigel and Pippa stood looking at one another a new respect for one another’s enormous contribution readily apparent in their eyes.  They swayed to the magnificent sounds and began to dance with other couples.

‘Your question about Rose,’ Nigel said into her ear, tickling it with his breath. ‘She is a human married to a leprechaun.  So there.’

Pippa knew now why she had been so interested in who Rose really was.  And she certainly looked happy. Together they saw the wonderful music spirits all dressed in filmy blue gauze floating around the band members as they gave their all to this special performance. As the music finished huge clouds of bright colours shot past the band members and the crowd that had gathered to hear them called for an encore.  And so they played another few numbers, including ‘Leave it all behind’, one of Pippa’s favourites. And then Bono spoke to the assembled guests.  He toasted the success of Project London before handing over to the Cors, another other group of marvellous Irish musicians.

The spellbinders, alias the bears, must have known that Pippa was about to allow her emotions to get the better of her and it was the gang of five, Teddy, Tina, Mr. Vinny, Blackie and Big Billy Bear who danced light footedly into her vicinity interrupting Nigel and Pippa’s private reverie.  As the most senior members of the STT this group could not help but be filled with their own sense of self-importance.  They wanted Pippa to accompany them on a personal tour of the castle.

Nigel and Pippa could not ignore them as they danced around waiting to show her some special parts of the castle.  Nigel made her promise she would meet him on the balcony for the light and sound show before he would agree to move along. And so the spellbinders captured their human friend for a short time at least.  Teddy led the way as the small but personable contingent covered each and every floor.

‘Rufus is here too,’ Tina whispered to Pippa. ‘You haven’t been properly introduced.  And with that Pippa felt herself looking once more into beetle brown eyes on the elongated silver face of the extraordinary Rufus who held her hand for a moment longer than necessary before moving off on his own. Angela looked longingly after him but Rufus had his mind on one of the fairy beings who was serving dainty fairy cakes.  Last seen he was chasing her through the doorway into the next room.

Gerry had opened his whole domain up; nothing was hidden from his honoured guests.  The castle was at once opulent and severe.  More magic carpets adorned snow-white marble floors throughout.  The spellbinders, alias the bears, happily informed Nigel and Pippa that this was how Gerry and his special cat, Miss Bandit, moved around together in such a hurry.  This was new and delightful information and Pippa revelled in the thought of Gerry atop one of the beautiful Persian  carpets flying through the sky.  But she had not met Miss Bandit. No one had.  Miss Bandit was watching the proceedings but was too reticent to appear. Massive crystal chandeliers hung from the ceilings of this remarkable structure producing prisms of light energy that energised anyone who passed beneath them.  Pippa  felt her energy dazzling as she took in their magnificent radiance.

All the guests now gathered on the balcony of the giant’s magnificent castle as they had been promised a fantastic sound and light show. And then it was 11p.m.  The show began with fireworks, but fireworks far different to the usual.  Great whirls of light hit the sky burning through the slight haze of cloud cover and illuminating the countryside for miles around. Rainbows of light shimmered their way across to the far horizon.  Moonbeams leapt from the site of the moon and rained down on the earth.  The intensity of the colour and light show was there for all to see. A flotilla of insects floated by humming collectively.  And then it happened.  There was a hush whilst everyone on the balcony held their collective breath. With a burst of brilliance the Blue Star itself projected on its own special pathway through the heavens.  It was shooting smaller eight pointed blue stars in an extended river down towards the earth.

Pippa did not know anything about the Blue Star.  But when she saw it she felt a strong affinity with its wonder and delight. It looked as if it was circling their venue, forming some extraordinarily intricate patterns in the sky above them as it did so; the show put on simply for the party’s participants. The Blue Star performed a series of impossible cartwheels as it moved closer and closer to its dedicated band of watchers.

Huge searchlights operated from the top of Gerry’s castle by the Tractor Men suddenly illuminated the blue and black waters.  The searchlights swept across the bay below illuminating a unique procession.  Mermaids, mermen, dolphins, seals, whales and sea creatures of all kinds progressed past the castle.  The searchlights were interwoven with lights that seemed to have been turned on by some form of incredible remote control underneath the green and black waves of the Atlantic Ocean itself.  The waters rose in a swell interweaving with the patchwork green of the adjacent Irish countryside.  In the immediate environs of the castle an integrated team of elves, dwarves and fairy folk had set up new and different set of streetlights in honour of this special occasion.  The night sky was filled to overflowing with brilliant rainbow colours and shooting stars.

The balmy night sky had a few clouds in it, so Gerry, to the delight of the assembly blew them away slowly and carefully, simply using his huge lungs and his sacred breath.  Everyone laughed and clapped enthusiastically and the celebratory party continued.  Unusual perfume permeated throughout every floor of the castle and every aspect of the party, natural jasmine perfumes intertwined with the fresh scent of the Singapore orchids.

And for the benefit of the party’s many guests suddenly from behind the Blue Star three magnificent creatures emerged flying directly towards the watchers on the balcony.  It was a startling and stately formation consisting of three mythical red and yellow coloured Phoenix signifying success. The sacred mappers and their helpers and friends had succeeded in creating the new from the old.  With a burst of dazzling wings and trails of sparkling fire, the phoenix shot past the assembled guests, flying in a radiant formation. A new legend was created by the appearance of three birds as traditionally only one phoenix existed at a time.  But tonight three beautiful reddish dark purple and gold plumage creatures dazzled the spectators as the triangle of these three mythical birds flew closer and closer to the watching throng of spectators who were avidly watching every movement. As they approached the watchers below they toned a single note which swept through the throng sending a signal of success to the world.  It signalled the end of one phase, but it foretold of wonders to come as a new phase began.

The water below had returned to its normal status, a black twirling mirror, and a vast pool of water reflecting only the lights of the castle towering above it.  The phoenix turned then, flying off to their next port of call in Asia, growing smaller and smaller as all the  guests watched, their collective amazement tangible.

Pippa and Nigel held hands and watched it all to the very last moment.  They were secure and content in their relationship as it stood.  Their unspoken agreement was to let events take their natural course.

Then suddenly the phoenix were gone leaving Gerry and his guests triumphant.  The etheric identity of London had been washed clean. Its vibrations were high and a new life was possible for all those who lived there.  And London’s newness would reflect outwards to the world.  This was a fact that all those present recognised. The world, it could certainly be said, was at this moment in very capable hands.  The new Golden Age had dawned at last.

Back in London Big Arthur solemnly licked his fur and waited in Russell Square for Pippa’s return. As he sat there patiently an incredible downpour occurred.  The hailstones rumbled around Russell Square cutting through anything in their path.  Big Arthur was smart enough to be out of their line of fire.

‘It’s only the spellbinders throwing rocks from heaven,’ thought Big Arthur.  Then he waggled his head pleased with himself for thinking such a profoundly positive thought.  He was content that he had managed to change sides so admirably.

THE END

CHAPTER 13

IT’S NOT OVER TILL IT’S OVER

Time stood still in the little London flat that night.  It had been late as Pippa had made her way back to her flat.  The city, Pippa thought, had been made for the night. She sensed the city waiting as she moved through it.  People were everywhere looking happy, sad, busy or bored.  The city itself, that wonderful city of London never slept.  The tourist areas were lively and the pubs were full with people spilling out onto the footpaths.  The souvenir shops were still open and the fashionable restaurants were doing a lively trade, so it was a slow and steady walk, which had given her plenty of time to think.  Pippa knew her way through the maze of London streets close to her home as if she had been born there.

Pippa lay perfectly still in the darkness, waiting.  She was waiting quietly, without impatience or urgency, waiting for something, she knew not what. She breathed deliberately, deeply to displace the fear with sorrow, an emotion she felt she could cope with more easily.  Finally Pippa slept, finally, out of sheer exhaustion.  But her sleep was a troubled one filled with disturbing dreams. For some unaccountable reason in one of her dreams the clocks stopped at midnight. All of them.  And there were plenty of clocks, large and small, scattered around in the small space, so it was quite a mysterious development.  When Pippa woke up the next morning she felt terrible.  The speed of her pulse and the tension in her stomach proved the existence of the fear.  She had not transformed it even into sorrow.  Pippa realised that Louisa had figured prominently in her dreams. She felt a deep-rooted longing reflecting the need she had for Louisa to know of their success in bringing Lady Alicia Allways’ evil plans undone.

‘Louisa had been right,’ Pippa muttered to herself, ‘There was no such thing as coincidence or accident.’  Louisa used to tell her that every event, however random in appearance formed part of a design too vast and too alien to be comprehended by limited human understanding.  Pippa had not believed her at the time but she did now.

But of course Louisa was not there, so Pippa rang Merle instead and had a long talk with her.  In one sense though she was. Pippa stopped in her tracks when she considered that.  Louisa have may even organised the clocks collective stoppage to get her attention.  Her theory could not be proved of course.  Probably she realised later it reflected simply how much she missed Louisa in a practical sense. But when Pippa found that not only all the clocks had stopped but her watches too that she smelt the ‘proverbial rat’.  It made her careful. It made her cautious. She thought about staying home and not going to the bookshop but the excitement of the previous evening was still with her so she knew she simply cold not stay away.  She also knew that it was her method of leaving home that could betray her should anyone be watching the building. She changed her tactics and her methods to complement her new thinking.

It was time to go.  Pippa drank the rest of her coffee, washing her coffee mug and leaving it positioned to drain. She felt extremely silly.  Why was she sneaking out the back way from her block of flats?  It simply was not her style.  She was not the criminal. She seemed to have become a nervous wreck. But once there was no possible option then that was different.  That was the time when she stood up for herself. The shattering after effects of Lady Alicia had taken their toll. She drew herself together, drew herself up as much as she could and went out.  It was time to stand up and be counted once again.

So out the back entrance she went, passing the caretaker who did not even see her leave.  Milo was one of her guardians too, even though the word had gone out that at last they could stand down from full alert. They were still supposed to be on duty as some members of the gang remained at large. ‘Don’t remind me,’ she thought. She emerged tentatively into the raucous normality of Russell Square.

Pippa’s circuitous route became fun.  She made it so. She walked down through the adjacent park, past the British Museum and on down into the heart of the Covent Garden market.  Here she stopped and bought herself a cappuccino and a sticky bun from one of the many vendors treating herself and enjoying the carnival atmosphere.  Then she saw a rainbow-coloured umbrella that suited her happiness as she twirled it around. She could not resist it.  It rained so much in London that a rainbow umbrella would cheer her up on a gloomy day.  She smiled at the vendor as she made her special purchase and moved on. Pippa forced herself to walk right past the Grenadier Guard Bear who had literally saved her life. He was still on duty outside the toyshop. He seemed to nod his head gently at her in the breeze. It was an amiable walk through more colourful street vendors and brightly decorated shop windows until she arrived at her destination.  The difference between the teeming metropolis and the funny quiet backstreet in which the bookshop was situated was extraordinary.  One minute she was in bustle and the next minute in peace and it seemed today as if the peace was of a nurturing and wonderful depth. When she reached the comforting environs of the bookshop Pippa’s spirits soared.

But as she entered her happiness was short-lived. The first thing she noticed was the quickening sense of absolute recognition on the bears’ faces.  They were all seated in their usual spots and everything appeared to be back to normal. But Teddy looked as if he wanted to jump of his shelf.  Pippa thought the state of emergency was well and truly over. Still, if she took the trouble to listen to her inner self, she had to admit she felt as if there was a premonition of unfinished business.

Pippa felt even more unsettled when she saw the look on Tina’s face.  It was one of mute appeal. They did not have an opportunity to speak as Pippa had been followed into the shop by a couple of keen customers. There were practicalities that had to be completed.  The income from the bookshop’s daily business was well and truly down and so Pippa put aside everything else and dealt with her customers who demanded specialized attention.  They had been existing on unusual hours and irregular customers.  Regular clients could not take the ups and downs of their recent opening hours. Pippa served her customers like semi automation. Ostensibly she was thinking about how to restore the day to day fortunes of the bookshop.  In fact she remained worried about the missing members of Lady Alicia’s gang.

Once the customers had left she put the closed sign on the door and went to talk with Teddy.

‘What are you doing?’ asked Teddy with a worried frown on his face.  The other bears came down from their various spots and mingled with Teddy.  All of them, even Angela, looked concerned.

‘I don’t know,’ Pippa said. ‘I really, really don’t know.  But I feel as if this business is not over yet!’ She was sorry she had said a word because some of the smaller bears were crying.  Kristen Bear, in particular, had tears all over her furry face, which she was trying unsuccessfully to brush off with her little paws.

‘Nigel is coming,’ was all that Teddy could say.  ‘He will explain everything.’

‘Well, I am keeping the shop closed till he arrives,’ Pippa said with more certainty in her voice than she actually felt.

Nigel erupted into her orbit about an hour later.  He was like a breath of fresh air.  He picked Angela up and danced around the shop with her. ‘Do you think Pippa will come to lunch with me?’ he whispered in her ear. Angela became coy and said ‘You had better ask her that question, but I certainly would!’

He invited Pippa to lunch and she accepted.

‘It’s all over,’ he announced proudly to the bookshop in general as it was then customer-free and still closed.  He knew that the bears would be delighted.  They were tired after last night’s celebration but they seemed to regain their bounce as Nigel said this.  Pippa knew Nigel had been on the prowl during the early morning hours to try to deal with the other members of the gang who had threatened to destroy the whole sacred mapping programme.  By the look on his face he had been successful.  The bears, particularly Teddy and Tina, sat up and looked alert as he began to speak to Pippa.  She waved him away and went and spoke quite directly to Teddy and Tina.

‘I am keeping the shop closed until I get back from lunch, Ted,’ she said, ‘Make sure you all go back to your spots in case anyone is still watching the shop. I will be back before you know it.’

‘What about Abby?’ Teddy suggested.  But Tina shook her head.  ‘

I don’t want to bring her into any danger,’ Pippa replied and Teddy nodded and smiled at her. Tina opened her mouth to speak and then shut it again.  Her beady eyes looked wisely at Nigel and Pippa.

‘It looks as if everything is okay, ‘ Pippa added, just so Teddy and Tina did not worry.  And then she and Nigel were on their way.

When they settled down in their favourite pub ‘The Goose’ and Nigel had fetched the Guinness and ordered the meals he told her the story.

‘I went out to a few of the gang’s regular haunts,’ he said. ‘Because I had researched them I thought I knew where to find them.’  Pippa sat back listening attentively and sipping tentatively at the white froth of her Guinness as she did.

‘I lurked in the shadows outside Terry Twoshoes’ flat like a villain,’ he told her.  ‘I was determined to get things straight especially after what you had done with Lady Alicia!’ He took a dainty sip of his Guinness, watching Pippa’s reaction closely over the rim of his glass.

‘But how did you know where to go?’ Pippa asked him with curiosity etched all over her face.

‘It was so simple,’ he said, ‘When I finally thought of it I brought in Cawfield’s cousin, Candy, you remember,’ he added as if she could ever forget, ‘the one who went to the bookshop to deliver Mr. Paddy’s message just before we met.’

He took a quick and excited sip of his Guinness. ‘I set Candy looking everywhere possible to see whether she could find Big Arthur.’  He looked proudly out at her through his gorgeous eyes.  ‘I knew that Big Arthur would be more of an easy target resistance to ampicillin for the crows. And of course just after we arrived at the bookshop last night Candy came and told me that they had found him.’

Pippa was so excited she could hardly eat any of her generous serve of bangers and mash that had suddenly been delivered to their table.  Nigel tucked into his without any hesitation.

‘You look terrible,’ Pippa said bluntly. He looked up at her with an unguarded look of longing in his eyes.

‘Cut to the chase,’ she begged Nigel.  ‘Just tell me and tell me now, Nigel, have they all gone?  Are they all in gaol or somewhere where they cannot affect us any more?’

Nigel looked at her the candor now gleaming in his eyes and she knew she was going to hear the truth.  ‘I got Benton,’ he said.  ‘Benton was visiting Terry Twoshoes in his filthy flat.’  He paused and thought for a moment collecting his thoughts so that he could continue.

Meanwhile the lips that Pippa no longer controlled smiled at Nigel.  ‘Thank you,’ was all that she said. ‘All in a day’s work, but there’s more yet!’  Lines of fatigue and strain were etched into his  face.

‘Terry Twoshoes and Big Arthur had vanished by the time I dealt with Benton.’  He looked at her regretfully. ‘And no-one knows where Sava is, she has completely vanished.’

He waited before he continued.  ‘But you don’t have to worry Pippa, the others are small fry and now that the leaders are gone, then nothing else will happen.  We are free to continue the work and to move forward with the implementation!  Our celebration last night was certainly not too soon!’

Pippa sat back against the fading red of the pub’s pseudo leather furniture.  She gradually found herself really relaxing.  The rest of the lunch passed in a blur whilst Nigel talked and she just listened. It was a nice change, she thought, not having to worry and not having to do anything.

Nigel had handed Benton over to the police.  His record was as long as his arm so they had been delighted to claim him for their own purposes. ‘He’d been in so much trouble before.  Anyhow….’  Nigel paused, drank, and grinned. ‘Anyhow he was the mastermind we wanted.’   Nigel let his head rest against the back of his chair.  He raised an inquiring eyebrow at Pippa and they decided to return to the bookshop by mutual consent.

Back at the bookshop she spoke to him with concern in her voice.  ‘You do look tired.  Nigel, you’ll have to tell Mr. Paddy what has happened won’t you?’

‘Don’t worry, I’ll fix all that.’  And then he was gone. They all knew that a big celebration was planned in Ireland and Nigel and Pippa arranged to meet at the party, if not before.  Nigel would be calling into the bookshop but he still had work to do. It was not quite finished yet.

In the bookshop after hours there was a great deal of activity.  Whilst Nigel and Pippa had been running around the countryside dispatching villains, the bears had been getting on with in-depth work. The individual components of the maps of London were being completed.  Nigel had agreed to ferry them to York, thus saving Pippa yet another job.  She did not know how he got around.  He just seemed to appear and disappear but she had no time to worry about that right then.  She had too much to do to catch up, finish off the project and then prepare for a trip to Ireland.

It had been decided that the party would be held at Gerry’s private residence, an exquisite castle by all accounts, at the Bridges of Ross. She was excited about this because she knew from the crow vine that everyone who had participated in the success of the sacred mapping project would be there.  And that meant everyone. The list was extensive when you really came down to it.  Everyone seemed excited except for Pippa.  The bears were trying to cheer her up.  Angela had a bottle of vintage champagne opened immediately the bookshop closed that same night, but for the first time Pippa felt a little anti-social.  She told the bears she needed a quiet night at home and that was exactly what she did.  The phone rang repeatedly but she simply refused to take the calls.

On her way home that evening Pippa stopped to look at a jewelry shop window after opening hours. It was still boldly displaying some amber, which she absolutely loved.

Suddenly a low menacing voice that she immediately recognized hissed in her ear. ‘Make the most of your moment of glory, Miss Robbins.’ She turned startled.  It was Lady Alicia’s unusual messenger who had originally accosted her at the Hat Party.

Her look was malevolent.  ‘I assure you it won’t last. I’ll make certain of that.’

As Pippa opened her mouth to reply the woman turned away and before Pippa could do or say anything she had disappeared into the boisterous London crowd.  Pippa walked home despondently barely noticing the busker outside the pub not far from her flat sitting with his guitar his cat and his up turned hat soliciting donations. The cat was Big Arthur.  Big Arthur watched Pippa balefully as she headed for home. Pippa turned and went slowly and rather despondently inside.

There were words seemingly ringing in her ears.  ‘It’s not over till it’s over!’  Her head was dizzy with fear and worry.  Her mind seemed to have been affected by trying to absorb the incredible  implications of looking so far ahead into the abyss of time.  She was giddy with the sensations the new pictures of the re-mapped London gave to her.

The flat was stark and cold.  It had an unlived in feeling about it.  Pippa turned on the hot water heater and waited impatiently until she could squeeze herself into the small bathtub.  She added some bath salts and some of her energetic remedies to make a lovely relaxing mix so that she could wash away the memory of another threat. When she finally got out of the bath darkness had descended on London.  She had picked up an ‘Evening Standard’ on her walk home.  There was a headline in the paper that she had not seen before.

LONDON HOMELESS NUMBERS DECLINE

Pippa shouted herself a gin and tonic on the strength of it.  This was a sign that their work had actually had a very quick result.  What they were about to celebrate at Gerry’s party had been confirmed in reality.  The homeless were being looked after.   Pippa felt a deep sense of relief.

It was three days later and for the first time she walked to the bookshop without feeling frightened.  She opened up to some early customers and had sold ten books before noon, quite a passable result.

The day passed normally and Pippa walked home as usual.  She still loved London more than anywhere she had ever been.  Her experience was limited, of course, but her love of this teeming metropolis was real.  Suddenly Pippa noticed that a car up in front of her brought to a halt in one of London’s many traffic jams waiting patiently to move forward was familiar.  It was sitting there quite openly in the middle  of a stream of unending traffic.  Pippa stared at it and then she recognised the back  of the driver’s head and his dark curly hair.

It was none other than the inimitable Terry Two Shoes.  Her feeling of defeatism immediately fell away.  She was consumed by the desire to reach this man and knock his teeth through the back of his head.  She took no notice of the London cab driver who sat moribund in his cab breathing threats or curses.  She knew these things were only there to take her mind off the real job, the real job of getting to the heart of the trouble, and that was Terry.

‘Too bad,’ she thought, as she kept on going.  His day of reckoning had come at last. Pippa took notice of the people getting down in despair from the large double decker red bus in front of Terry’s vehicle apparently deciding it was easier to walk.

Pippa was filled with untapped energy as she vaulted over the railings separating her from the London traffic, took the passenger door handle in both her hands, almost falling to the ground as she wrenched it open.

‘Hi Terry, surprise, surprise.  Remember me.  We have some unfinished business.’

She managed to let this all out through clenched teeth.  His appearance in the flesh had acted as a circuit breaker for her.  She had resumed her old real self again and here she was in action. She knew unequivocally that she would always fight for what she believed in, with passion and dedication.  She knew that the untapped energy rising up in her was irrevocable even if it took her out on a limb.  She refused in that precise moment to be what at school had been termed ‘mealy mouthed’ any longer.  As she flung herself at the car she asked for someone, anyone who happened to be listening to her prayers to send her courage.  At last she had found the courage to be exactly who she really was.  Her voice was strong as she spoke the necessary words to Terry and she was afraid no longer.  Accosting him might straighten out her dreams, particularly if this time their personal battle resulted in her death or injury.  But still she was not afraid.  She just went ahead and did it.

Terry’s face as he looked down on Pippa from the heights of the big black car was an absolute picture of dismay with hints of delight.  But it was when she began to try to climb aboard the car that he got really angry. He shot out a powerful arm with his hand folded in a fist and punched her just near her heart.  She slid down the side of the car having been saved initially by the open door that broke her fall.

Terry’s face broke out into a grin of triumph because he could see that the traffic lights up ahead were about to change.  But luck, or was it more than luck, was on Pippa’s side once again.  Terry was so busy concentrating on Pippa that he failed to see the large London bobby who was at his car door. The door was opened and he was arrested before he knew what had happened.  The bobby had witnessed Terry’s punch but he decided, as a precaution, to take them both into custody.

Of course the first call that Pippa made from her confinement was to David Toddhunter. David appeared without too much delay and Pippa was able to walk away free.  David gave the documentation to the police that they needed and they realized that Pippa was a heroine not a criminal.  She had been trying to make a citizen’s arrest. She had succeeded with the help of the London bobby in bringing the infamous Terry Twoshoes to justice.  Sava, she knew, would not be able to function without Lady Alicia, Benton or Terry Twoshoes.  She was a puppet, an automation and not a woman in her own right.  She would probably  just disappear and all would be well at last!

And so tiredly but no longer dejectedly Pippa went back to her sanctuary at liberty at last from the perils that had lurked and threatened her in the dark nights.  She was free and she knew deep within herself that she was her own person now. Nothing could ever change that again. The events of the day had cast shadows across her face.  She needed time alone to clear out her demons wherever they were hidden within her.

THE MAD HATTERS’ PARTY

At the Victoria and Albert Museum on the appropriate date, Pippa Louisa Robbins and Nigel Patrick Moloney presented themselves at 6.30 p.m. precisely.  The occasion was the Moet and Chandon fashion tribute to hatmaker Tony Lacey. Lacey was an Irish boy from County Sligo who had become a world-famous milliner. They walked in together, a striking couple, not looking furtive but with a sense of total assurance, ready for whatever lay ahead.

‘Aren’t you excited?’ Pippa asked Nigel. ‘I can’t wait to get inside.  Tonight’s the night!’

‘No, I’m not excited. I am worried about what you might do.’  Moloney’s heart was beating a pattern of rat-a-tat-tat.

It was a likely venue for Lady Alicia Allways and so, here they were, unsure of what would happen  to them in such a dangerous place. Pippa and Moloney managed to avoid the press and pass the security guards and make an undistinguished entrance just as they wanted.

On the way into the party they passed kaleidoscopic window displays consisting of models who looked illusory.  Their extraordinary hat creations were displayed in all the colours of the rainbow. On a pre-arranged signal all the models turned, exhibiting their hats from a different angle.  Pippa realised as Moloney hurried her past the intriguing display that they were all very much alive. One extraordinary blonde mannequin wore a beautifully tailored black evening suit with trousers and a gleaming white shirt.  Her head was tilted provocatively and, as Nigel whisked her past, Pippa was sure the model winked at him.  She certainly waved her silver-topped cane and tilted her shiny top hat.  Pippa wanted to see more of this astonishing feature, but Moloney was determined to move her along.

Moloney was quite certain about his role and about what he was doing. Having reached this time in his life he had no intention of surrendering his heart to anyone, particularly anyone as coquettish as Pippa. She was definitely not his type.  There was definitely something intriguing about Pippa.  He wanted to know more about her but for the moment they were here and business it had to be.

Pippa had an open interested air about her, one of total self-assurance as they entered the party room. The Victoria and Albert Museum’s capacious entrance hall and displays had been transformed for the occasion. It was the ‘Hats Night Out’. One couple Pippa noticed particularly. They both presented in totally white ensembles shimmering and shining their way through the party.  They declined Pippa’s friendly overtures at conversation seeing someone they knew who was obviously more important over the top of her head.  They moved on in a flash of white lightening.

The real stars were the hats themselves.  They exhibited a life and verve of their own.  One was an explosion in black feathers, another a cloche pulled down right over the eyes in brilliant lipstick pink.  There was even a Homburg or two to be seen amongst the extraordinary crowd.  Outrageous collections of feathers seemed to be the most popular by far, each one outdoing the other in their colours and length.

The waitresses were dressed as geishas, providing a studied contrast to the hats. They glided amongst the guests offering culinary delights.  Pippa noticed the harmony in the designs that surrounded the brilliant array of guests who had paid to be there, something in the order of 1000 pounds per couple. It reminded her of a film set. The dress code had stated ‘white tie, diamonds and your favourite hat’

She whispered behind her hand to Moloney. ‘Did you know that the advance publicity declared that  75,000 pounds worth of vintage champagne was going to be provided to keep us all smiling.’

Moloney looked at her and lifted his curved eyebrows even further.  He knew she did not require an answer. Their drinking would be illusory.

Extra police officers were available to keep out the public and any unwanted press attention.  Those members of the press who had been invited to attend were mingling with the guests without necessarily showing their true colours. Through the crowd Pippa  glimpsed a host of famous faces, all come to pay homage to the talents of the Sligo boy who had become an integral part of the London social scene.

The stage manager of the Mad Hatters’ Party was a big surly strongman in his late fifties.  Pippa did not like what she saw and neither did Moloney.  The manager’s mean little yellow eyes splayed all around the assembled company until they lit on Pippa when they seemed to take some spark of recognition with them, before moving to roam the crowd before him ceaselessly.

Pippa did her own survey of the crowd wondering to herself why she was making this sacrifice.  And then it came to her in a flash that it was really, on a deep and personal level anyway, for Louisa.  It was so obvious to her once she thought about it all.  It was as if her life flashed and she could see it in a range of vibrations, colours and patterns.  Pippa had always wanted to be acceptable to the establishment.  Since she had been a small girl she had tried to conform, to be a ‘goodie goodie’. At school she had managed to harmonise most of the time with the rules and regulations. It was only when she began to realise there was a great deal more to life than being a total conformist that a new world had opened up for Pippa. – a new world of imagination, creativity, innovation – all those things she had craved for so long.  She thought about this in a flash whilst Moloney was away getting her a drink.  The waiters could not reach their particular sinecure in the crush.

Here she was with the social upper crust not at all interested in their parade, particularly when it covered the tracks of a hardened criminal like Lady Alicia Allways.  Lady Alicia was part of this group and always had been.  Pippa intended to deal with her that very night rather than becoming another of her tame little victims.

Pippa continued to scour the attendees with her eyes wide open noticing the range of extraordinary colours in the multitude of people milling around.

She joined one small group and introduced herself.  They were talking about the changes in English society.

‘That’s a pretty big subject,’ said one dainty woman who was so tiny that she only came up to Pippa’s elbow. The veil on her saucy hat hung over her eyes, but they seemed to twinkle nevertheless.

‘Society as a whole was a lot more rigid then.  There was no room for divergence.’  Her opinion stated she looked up and smiled at Pippa and shook her head, saying with total certainty.  ‘People don’t change, do they my dear.  There are all sorts of people now and there always have been.’

Pippa smiled, shook her head slightly and said with total certainty.  ‘People don’t seem to change.  They don’t even seem to want to change.  Holding the line against change only seems to bring pain. I just cannot understand why they don’t at least try some new things.’

The little woman nodded her head in agreement.  She was impressed by Pippa’s challenge.

Pippa moved on drifting gently amongst the marvellous range of faces and features and outfits. In that maelstrom of activity she saw Nigel easing through the crowd towards her and felt gratitude towards him.

‘Thank you for rescuing me,’ Pippa said to Nigel in a low voice.

‘No trouble, Miss Robbins,’ he teased her unmercifully.  ‘What I actually came to say was, Lady Alicia is here.  Do you want to handle her yourself?’

‘Yes.  Listen, I’ve decided to face her one to one.  You just keep anyone else away from us when it happens.’

Moloney handed her a drink and then left again to scout around. As he walked away Pippa’s target, Lady Alicia came into view.  She was stylishly dressed, a fact almost superfluous to observe because of course she always was.  Lady Alicia was a larger, more imposing figure than Pippa had expected. Her feathered cloche dangled around her face in ways that the males at the reception were obviously finding suggestive, even provocative.  Pippa was fascinated staring into her large eyes even from across the crowded room. They were mad eyes, enlarged, differently shaped and a simply beautiful grey with unusual proportions.

‘The eyes have it,’ Pippa muttered to herself turning away as this was not the right time or place for a confrontation.

Pippa had been told to keep Lady Alicia under surveillance and to notice the people with whom she seemed communicative.  She was going to go over the top tonight, she could feel it. She was going to exceed her instructions. In that instance Moloney was back, his eyes gleaming with the hint of battle.

For the first time Pippa noticed how clear the irises in Moloney’s eyes were.  As she looked at him, probably properly for the first time, his pupils sharpened and glittered.  The irises shone independently of the rest of the eye.  But there was no time for dilly-dallying.  As his button brown eyes gleamed there was a signal of mutual agreement between them.  They knew what had to be done.

‘I keep having these fantasies about rescuing you,’ he said quietly into her ear.  Pippa decided that the only way that she could deal with comments like that was to ignore them, so Nigel walked away unable to get a response.

The hats certainly had a life of their own.  A catwalk show in the middle of the party brought even more outrageous designs to the fore.  The fiddles stopped for a short while to allow the musicians to circulate, as they were all maestros in their own right.  It was a mingling night and the vibes were high.  Talk was of tours, displays, and forums for the beautiful hats to be shown internationally.  Pippa listened as much as was possible with Moloney breathing down her neck from time to time, never knowing what she might hear that could be useful for the cause.

Suddenly Pippa felt a cold shiver move down her spine from top to toe.  A silky voice spoke quietly into her left ear.  ‘Leave here now and follow the staircase to the next level where you will be met and there will be talk.’

Pippa felt there was no option really.  Moloney had not noticed.  His expert eyes were busily raking the far reaches of the crowd to see if there was any form of unwelcome activity.  Consequently he missed what was happening to Pippa. Despite his earlier disapproval, he was dipping into the caviar and champagne as Pippa moved silently away.

She mounted an extraordinary staircase.   It was moving, swaying back and forward and from side to side, as she climbed.

A striking female voice from behind her said ‘Miss Pippa Louisa Robbins’ almost as if her presence was being formally announced to all those at the function.  But that of course was not it.  This was her face to face with absolute evil and she had to make an account of herself and stand up and counter it at all costs.  Pippa turned, feeling unaccountably unnerved.

The woman’s stylish red hat obscured much of her face as she whispered fiercely.  ‘I have a message from Lady Alicia. She wishes to meet you.  In the gallery upstairs in five minutes – and be alone!’  Another one of Lady Alicia’s unknown acolytes was directing Pippa to her fate.

‘Having a criminal record in this company would be a positive,’ she thought to herself as she followed the instructions and climbed the next set of sweeping stairs to the upper level.

‘Welcome, Miss Robbins!’ The chilling timbre of the voice that greeted Pippa as she came to the top almost made her turn and run.  But not quite.  This was no time for cowardice.  The fate of the sacred map project and the city of London itself were reliant on her.  And then she was there, face to face with Lady Alicia Allways after what seemed like months of waiting.  It had really only been a few short weeks that had changed her life forever.

Pippa’s uncharitable first thought when she saw Lady Alicia was that she had obviously undertaken some age reducing work.  Her skin was as smooth as the proverbial baby’s bottom.  Irreverently Pippa noticed it was stretched more tightly than normal under Alicia’s chin. It looked, as the light shone on her in a white streak, as if she was wearing a mask as well as her unbelievable hat.  Her slightly mad eyes glittered menacingly in the half-light. However there was no doubt that the woman gave off an aura of confidence mixed with sensuality.  Her body was well proportioned and her hair and makeup created an aura of slightly mad power.

Pippa felt the comfort of the weapon Mr. Paddy had given her at the Holy Alliance meeting.  It seemed to take on a life of its own as if it felt the danger too.  It moved under her stylish dress; Pippa was on an eye to eye level with Lady Alicia.  She noticed that Alicia’s lips were luminous yet thin, as if she heartily disapproved of Pippa, but then she would anyway.  But then a wonderful thing happened to Pippa. She found as the two combatants representing good and evil faced one another, that she was not frightened anymore.

‘It’s connuppance time, Miss Robbins,’   Lady Alicia hissed venomously through tight pearl white teeth.  And with that she raised her hand in the air.  But before she could strike Pippa with the tiny knife she held in her raised right hand, Pippa opened her feather boa, lifted her eye out and pressed its starting  button.  As she directed  the eye directly at Lady Alicia. a curious  thing happened.  Alicia shrank.  In front of Pippa’s eyes she simply became smaller and smaller.  In the space of less than half a minute she had shrunk to under the size of Pippa’s thumb.  And with scorn in her every step Pippa simply turned and walked away.   Victory had been achieved

Moloney ran up the stairs to meet her as Pippa walked slowly down, quietly now in aftershock.  He took in the scene at a glance and dealt with the remains of Lady Alicia.  And then, rather than fussing over Pippa he simply placed a warm and comforting arm around her and took her back in a large familiar black London cab to the sacredness of Mr. Paddy’s Bookshop.

‘Not a bad night’s work,’ were the only words he uttered.

Once there Moloney swooped on Pippa and took her into his arms lifting her off her feet and whirling her around three times. They told the STT the incredible news, although news had reached them on the bear network long before Pippa and Nigel returned.

‘I knew it would work,’ was all that Big Ted said, but his eyes gleamed in a knowing way.

‘It certainly did.  Thank you so much everyone!’  Pippa felt momentarily immensely strong. She laughed and struggled half-heartedly in Nigel’s arms to regain her feet.

‘I never thought you would pull it off, Pippa.  I really did not.’  Nigel thought he would tease her just once more, but then as she returned his gibe with a cheeky wink he became serious.

‘You are really part of such a scheme here Pippa – divine or mundane I really don’t know which.  All I know is that everything hinges on you.’

‘You mean you don’t mind working with me after all?’ she quizzed him.

‘Yeah, I guess you could say I really like it.’

Pippa felt her heart bouncing inside her chest so she went to each member of the STT in turn hugging them all down the line.  Pippa dazzled Nigel with the undreamed possibility of love, joy and friendship as he watched her with the bears. And then he left.  He still had work to do.  He thought he had gone too far. There was no possibility of anything between them.  She had warned him straight away with her body language that all was not as simple as he hoped. There were other members of the gang still at large and they had to be found.  After all, Pippa had done the main part of the work necessary to rid them of evil.  It was all he could do not to run from  the bookshop because he had an idea of how to find the others.  He left the bear party in full swing and went out into the cold and fog of a typical London night.

Much later that night Pippa walked back to her London flat.  Big Billy strolled beside her.  ‘I love walking in the streets of London, Billy,’ she said to the big brown friendly bear walking beside her.  As she said it she could not help wondering whether anyone could actually see Billy, or was it only her with her heightened sense of imagination.

‘You’re kidding, right?’   Billy was a bear of few words.

‘Not at all.  And I have to tell you walking with you makes it even nicer.’

There was no reply from Billy but Pippa did feel that he stood up straighter as he walked along, so her words had meant something to him.
Ben, the barrow man and Milo the caretaker, her guardian angels, watched her arrive from their shadowy positions.  Aggy, the homeless woman had signalled ahead that Pippa was coming. She did not even notice their existence.  Big Billy, however, was very much aware. In the sanctity of her own little flat Pippa went to sleep curled up in a tiny ball, in order to move the old horrors out of her mind, at least for a time.  She had Big Billy sleep at the foot of the bed.  But he still kept one eye open just in case.

CHANCING FATE

Nigel Patrick Moloney, Pippa’s newly appointed bodyguard, entered Mr. Paddy’s Bookshop anonymously late one Friday afternoon.

‘He’s huge, but gorgeous,’ Pippa thought as she watched the unlikely customer come through the door.  He had to duck his head to get through Mr. Paddy’s slanted entranceway. Nigel continued the pretext of being a prospective customer so that he could have an unencumbered look around.  It was exactly three weeks after the meeting of the Holy Alliance in Yorkshire.  He controlled his natural exuberance in order to enter the bookshop as quietly as his bulk could manage.  He needed to observe rather than to erupt into the situation, as was his usual way. It was the 22^nd August and he entered in a gust of wind whilst the doorbell chimed vigorously to announce his special presence.

In the secret room work paused for a moment as the bears sensed an elf’s arrival.  Mapping had been carried out during the bookshop’s opening hours as an urgent development ever since the meeting in Yorkshire. A new phase had begun.

Moloney was large, muscular and good-looking with sandy brown hair that finished on his face in a longer than fashionable fringe. It seemed to consist of a springy mass of tight curls, which added to his height. His bright brown penetrating eyes took in every aspect of the bookshop, including how well he could defend it under siege.  He had a dusting of sandy freckles on his face that made him look like a little boy. Pippa found herself immediately impressed by the delightful Irish timbre in his voice, underpinning as it did his more English and educated diction, even though all he said was ‘good morning,’ as he walked in.

The large elf browsed around the shop for a while, not realising that once in the bookshop an individual’s experience changed.  The vibes of the bookshop profoundly affected each person in the nicest possible way.  This energy made people feel elated, hopeful and charmingly energetic. Finally when he had seen his fill, he used the pretext of asking for help and spoke with Pippa directly. Somewhat predictably he asked advice on the subject of Irish myths and legends.

Pippa went with him to the shelves, conscious as she did of the physicality of his immediate presence.

‘Wow,’ she hummed a little tune soundlessly  under her breath. ‘What a dish.’

Mr. Paddy had sent word the previous week, firstly that no one was to use the phone as it was most certainly being monitored by Benton and his friends and secondly, to expect Moloney.  Word had come by crow courier in the form of a large black crow; he was a cousin of Cartland’s, Teddy’s friendly crow from Yorkshire. He was often used for communication in such emergencies. Christopher Crow had darted into the bookshop’s window carrying with him a letter in his beak, the contents of which self destructed once read.

Christopher waited briefly to see if there was any reply and when there was not, he had relayed a ‘no response’ message to Mr. Paddy via the crow network.  The network operated on a crow to crow basis with messages passed locally from one group to the next until Mr. Paddy received the message  from a local crow, Connor by name, at his home in Ireland. It was an easy way to operate because crows were everywhere, large and glossy and black, their bright eyes alert and watchful and eager to help in such an assignment.

When she had been briefed about Cartland whilst in Yorkshire, Pippa had been told how to summon an appropriate member of the crow network on a needs basis.

Pippa was worrying about summoning as Moloney appeared.

‘How can I possibly remember all the important things I’ve been briefed on without  writing anything down?’ she wondered.

Her fretting stopped as she saw Moloney appear directly in front of her asking his prepared question about Irish myth.  She noticed as she looked directly at him that he was a powerful man.  His Irish colouring was a gentle shade of amber but it was his eyes that stood out above all else.  They were soundly embedded in his face without appearing to be deeply set, a contradiction in terms, but one of many such contradictions about this man as Pippa was about to discover.

The shop had a fine collection of Irish materials and Pippa left him to browse. Moloney’s eyes followed her every step back to the bookshop’s front counter. Pippa became increasingly aware of eyes.  It was not only Moloney’s eyes that were on her. For some curious reason she felt the eyes of Mr. Paddy, such a bright blue, shrewd but kind watching her from a distance.  Pippa’s marvellous sense of intuition took over her actions. She felt as if her pseudo customer sensed that too. Pippa was fully aware that he was not going to buy anything and that he was no customer.

As he approached the front desk she steeled herself to cope, knowing that she held the beautiful and practical eye that Mr. Paddy had given to her in Yorkshire underneath her electric blue blouse.  It afforded her increasing levels of protection, she could feel it.

‘I’m Moloney, your minder.  You’ve been expecting me. Close the bookshop and let’s leave now!’

Pippa shook her head vigorously. He had begun badly trying to give Pippa orders in her own shop. He then gave the agreed password before adding, ‘come with me for a drink.’

‘We don’t close until 6p.m!’.

‘You can’t have more pressing matters on your mind without this,’ his voice continued its threatening tone. ‘Now,’ he repeated the word with a sense of menace as she still hesitated.  The words came sharply from teeth almost grinding as he worked himself up further.  ‘It is vital.’

It was clear that he was not going to back down.  It was also clear that he had something urgent to tell her.  So Pippa did the unthinkable. She left the shop early, without saying goodbye to the STT.  She was not going to let Moloney know where they were.  How did she really know he was who he purported to be? Big Billy, who was on duty not far from the secret room as per the bear roster, notified Teddy and Tina as soon as Moloney left the bookshop with the reluctant Pippa trailing behind him.

‘That was rather a strange thing you did to me,’ she said.  ‘It was actually very upsetting. I need to understand why you did it?’

Moloney had other things on his mind. He continued to irritate her even after they had sat together in ‘The Goose’ for over half an hour.

‘You are a typical know-all Irishman,’ Pippa thought to herself, ‘How could I be taken in by your looks?’

She felt certain that she did not need that in her life right now, even if he had come highly recommended.  Pippa had managed on her own for a long time. She and the bears were delighted with their progress. She liked to see herself now as mature and well travelled, able to survive in a cruel hard world. In terms of Moloney she could tell right away that even just a drink was fraught with difficulty.  He continued to stir her up effortlessly. His first statement reinforced her anti-Moloney feelings. ‘There’s a lot you would understand already if you let yourself know it,’ he said eventually.

‘I’m not sure what you mean.’

‘Aren’t you though.’ Moloney swung his large body  to and fro on a chair that looked much too small for him.  He looked hard at her as if he was trying to get her off guard.

‘Why are you in London and not in Oz?’ he continued, his Irish lilt making her soften for an instant even after she heard the question.  His brown eyes touched with outspoken mischief looked directly into hers.

‘Mr. Moloney. That’s absolutely none of your business.’  Pippa shot her reply back at him with the clearly definable message – ‘Keep your distance and get on with the job.’

‘Look,’ she went on regardless of feeling she was walking into a minefield. ‘If we are going to have to work together let us agree some ground rules.’

His merry eyes did not give her any option but to continue once she had started.

‘Leave it alone Nigel and let’s get down to the real reason for this meeting.’

She had unwittingly used his first name. But he was unmoved and spent an age getting their next Guinness, chatting up the barmaid at the same time.

‘I’ve been told to stick to you like glue,’ Moloney admitted as he handed Pippa her frothy black brew.

‘Thanks for cheering me up.’

‘Would you rather I patted you on the head and told you not to worry?  What a world you live in!’ Nigel sounded suddenly and unreasonably bitter. ‘So you are stuck with me from now on. Wherever you go I’ll be by your side.’

Pippa could tell Moloney thought it was funny, but she certainly did not. ‘Oh,’ she said coldly. ‘Thanks a lot.’

When Pippa finally left “The Goose” that night and went home she thought that she had pieced together what Moloney was telling her even if it was in a roundabout way.  She was agitated and frankly not far from tears.  She could not remember being this upset since Louisa’s death.  Nigel Patrick Moloney had lived up to his reputation as a hard man and he had told Pippa in no uncertain terms just what level of danger she faced.

Up until that defining moment Pippa had been cruising along in a little world of her own, inhabited by fairies, giants, elves and leprechauns.  The green magic of Yorkshire had entered her heart and mind preventing her from seeing the practicalities of everyday living.

David Toddhunter had sent Moloney, who certainly looked as if he was part elf anyway. Elves were well known as having a foot in both camps.  They understood the human situation and the innate human ability to mould the future. But they were also extremely practical.

Moloney had shaken Pippa to her core.  His last words to her as they parted rang in her ears.

‘I respect bravery and your attitude to the whole thing, but this situation has nothing to do with either.  If I were in your shoes I’d demand protection too.  So let’s get on and do what must be done.’

The thing on her mind as well as his dire warnings were Moloney’s assumptions of her behavior.

‘Why do you think you are safe living alone?’ he had asked her.

And when she had refused to answer him and to talk to him about her personal life he simply said,  ‘How about a night-cap?’ It wasn’t a question but more of a statement.  He seemed to think she was going to agree.  ‘I think that would be most inappropriate!’

Pippa was really on her ‘high horse’ now. Moloney grinned his saucy grin at her, not at all put out.’ Silence now from Moloney and from Pippa and the tiny dislocation between them grew wider as three or four tense seconds crawled past.

‘I don’t like the idea of you being the one to put yourself up as a target for Lady Alicia,’ he said in the end.

‘You don’t know what you are up against, even if I’m with you.  You don’t know the extent of the damage the other side can do ‘

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ she said, nettled. ‘You make it sound like I don’t know what I’m doing.’

‘Of course, I might be wrong,’ he said after a long pause with an unhelpful attempt at diplomacy.  But he wouldn’t leave it at that.  ‘Common sense, my advice, I’d call it.’

He could not seem to resist the added jibe. It was soon after this exchange that she took her leave. As she left the warmth of the pub, a sudden gust of colder evening air made her cough.  She let out a sigh and stepped out into the cold night air. It was only ten minutes walk home in the cold. Of course Moloney followed her, just to be sure.

When she arrived home Pippa could feel her reservations, her slight starchiness, or even just her need for personal space and privacy, which was really unusual for someone with her gregarious nature.  Her mood lifted slightly but there was still an edge of grief inside her.  She could feel it, she could sense and she owned up to it in the long hours of the sleepless night that followed.  No matter what Pippa did she could not seem to get it out of her body. There was also a healthy dose of antipathy for Moloney.

‘By the way, you were pretty good with that man, too,’ she cheered up with the thought that she had handled Moloney much better than he had expected.

Pippa was happy in London and she did not want anyone to burst the bubble of pure delight around her.  After all she felt as if she had a new life and a new purpose in life and no one, particularly not Moloney, Benton or even Lady Alicia Allways for that matter, was going to force her to go backwards, of that much she was certain!

The next morning Pippa deliberately arrived at the bookshop early.  After all, she had not even said goodbye to the team on the previous evening.  She wanted to explain her unusual behavior.  She was so fond of all the STT that she could not bear to be rude to them. As she entered she realised something unusual was happening. She could not see through to the back room of the public part of the bookshop, as the door to the secret room stood uncharacteristically and unwisely wide open. As she rushed forward she could hear Teddy giving instructions to Tina and Big Billy.   Pippa was unsure about the wisdom of hurrying through the door in case it was a trap but she really had no option.

She was taken aback by the sight that met her eyes.  Moloney was patrolling the inside perimeter of the secret room and he was angry.  The bears had allowed him to enter and they were extremely upset. Honey had been crying.  Mr. Vinny had his short little arms around as much of her body as he could.  Even Angela looked downcast.  The party girl had no party to attend this morning. Pippa was furious that Moloney was doing what she felt was her job in her domain.

She quickly absorbed the seriousness of the situation.  Person or persons unknown had tried to break in during the night.  The bears were all in a mess; each one gathered around with fur standing up and eyes glittering angrily.  They did not appreciate the attempted invasion.  A couple of the back windows of the bookshop that looked into Merle’s premises had been shattered.  Pippa did not know about this as yet. Within the secret room, within their inner sanctuary where their beautiful work was carried out to benefit humankind there was a message that had materialised on the rich velvet curtains.  It was a simple message. It was a large evil eye that conveyed the impression of monitoring everything happening there.
Pippa refused to speak to Moloney.  She had simply had enough of him and she made that absolutely clear.  When he did come into range he felt the full force of Pippa’s anger.  Nigel went very white. He was not used to rejection and rejection was exactly what was happening to him.  Pippa’s eyes swept over him as if she hardly recognised him and he felt himself shrinking under the violence of her emotion. Pippa made it quite clear that he should have come earlier and protected them and not left the bookshop and the team alone for the three weeks it had taken him to arrive.

‘You think you are so smart,’ he cracked back at her in a voice that shook.

Pippa looked up at him.  She was astonished.  She had never thought of Moloney as having deep feelings.

A strong scent of roses filled the air and she immediately felt Louisa’s presence.  It seemed to calm Pippa down.  Pippa felt that she was seeing Moloney for the first time when it was only one day. And that was only part of it.  Moloney extended his hand to her and she tentatively took from it a gold leaf invitation.  It was the one they had been expecting, for this was to be Pippa’s face to face confrontation with Lady Alicia Allways.  This was the trap.

Pippa stared at it disconcerted. She felt her mortality but she knew she must carry out this part of her agreement with the Holy Alliance stylishly.  She knew she had to be more than a strong woman fighting for success and freedom – she needed to be a warrior now.  It was time to take a stand. She also knew that she needed Moloney on her team if she were to succeed. So she turned and held out her hand to him in a silent  gesture of conciliation. He stepped up close to her and took her hand.  He looked into her eyes with deep relief as he did so.

And behind them, although Pippa and Nigel did not notice, the bears relaxed, showing collective relief as the fur settled down on their bodies.  And then, as an act of faith, moving as one, the extraordinary members of the Soft Toy Team moved into place and reinstituted their sacred programme of remapping London.

RIDING THE WAVES

Pippa was excited to be able to speak to her old friends in their new form over lunch.  This was no normal meeting.  In other less pressing circumstances she would have been formally introduced at the beginning of the proceedings but time was short.  The longer the group stayed together the longer the opposition had to track them to this particular site.  The energetic vibration of such a highly powered group would create an irresistible target. And removing the group with one swipe would be a remarkable success for their opposition, remarkable indeed!  Pippa also learnt a great deal from the gossip around the table.  She realised that the evil group they were confronting was prepared to fund a brand new map of the world on which certain countries simply did not exist.   Wresting control of the sacred map making process being conducted by the bears was their immediate aim.  The spellbinders would then become slaves to an evil regime.

‘As if we would’ Teddy in his real spellbinder form pooh-poohed the idea.  He and Tina were garbed all in dazzling silver and shone from head to toe. They had grown from his previous size into long elongated bodies.

‘We’d rather die than that wouldn’t we Tina?’ Pippa wondered briefly how Teddy Bears alias. Spellbinders could die but decided not to pursue that line of enquiry.

‘You may not get the option,’ said Mr. Paddy darkly and at this Tina raised her silver eyebrows to the top of her wide forehead.

Mr. Paddy continued his address for a short while after the lunch break.  He finally handed the discussion over to other participants giving them the chance for debate.

Immediately the King of the Elves, Ennis, alias David Toddhunter, asked ‘How are we going to redraw the sacred map of the oceans?  What can we really do about that in terms of actual procedures?’

Mr. Paddy answered with alacrity.  He had done his homework.

‘We dedicate a larger number of sections of the threatened ocean as sacred space.  This sanctuary is where the sea creatures, the dolphins, the seals, the whales, the tuna and the fish can be taken by the mermaids to rest, to be secure and to learn new techniques of evasion for the times when they have to brave the greater expanses of the ocean,’ he replied.  ‘And as we redraw the ocean maps, the humans will find their targets reduced and believe that they have fished the area out.  Then we will monitor them and see what they decide to do next.’

He paused and looked directly at Teddy.

‘Teddy,’ he said, ‘are you and your friends agreeable to changing your focus from the land to the sea and taking on this incredible challenge, once London is successful?’

Ted raised himself importantly from his seat. ‘Yes,’ he assured the august members of the Holy Alliance, ‘the spellbinders are ready.  I plan to change all the workflow once we return to London so that we can accomplish more in less time.’

Pippa felt impressed with the level of commitment emanating from the few words that Ted had spoken and she listened intently to the ambience of his words.  He said a little more but not too much, just enough to spread a feeling of comfort.

The alliance members had come to a full understanding of Mr. Paddy’s plan.  The audible buzz around the table heightened considerably as members turned to one another, nodding their heads and reinforcing their approval of the scheme.

‘Possibly more important at this time is the associated question of actual evidence of wrongdoing by those who are masterminding this enterprise, and many others,’ he added.

‘There is nothing wrong with the Ocean Sunset but something more is happening.  Lady Alicia Allways is behind this whole plan. She aims to clone the Ocean Sunset and to place more and more of these ships  in currently secure parts of the ocean so that they are entirely fished out.  The Ocean Sunset in itself is legal, it is the plan behind it we have to discover and finish off once and for all.’

The alliance members realised the depth and complexity of the scheme then and they became silent as they considered their options.

‘How is this going to happen?’ asked Titanium, Queen of the Fairies, who masqueraded in human form as Merle the Milliner. She had transformed into a beautiful and wonderful looking fairy being.  Pippa remembered the day she came across Merle in her shop showing the same glow that appeared around her intensified one hundred fold now.

‘We are going to use Pippa as the primary target,’ Mr. Paddy replied.  ‘She does not know the full story even yet but we are working on that.’

Mr. Paddy glanced down at Pippa, his face showing his genuine love for her as she sat in her special spot next to him.

‘The fact that she has been hit once in a kidnapping attempt that she managed to foil by her own quick wits means that the opposition is fully aware of her importance. They will be interested in her overall role.  In other words if they catch her again they will stop at nothing to find out the extent of her knowledge on this subject.’   He glanced down at Pippa again indicating his firm support.

Pippa was very frightened, but what could she say – no I won’t do it – get your evidence or hit your target in some other way! Clearly this would have been nonsense in the current circumstances.  And then any opportunity to object had passed and she had missed her cue.  The fact that she was obviously going to be used as target practice for someone as evil as Lady Alicia Allways did not fill her with excitement.  As terrified as she was, the circumstances in which she found herself were so incredible that she felt she had no choice but to continue.  After all, she wanted to even up her relationship with Mr. Terry Twoshoes, the arrogant Black Sava and even Big Arthur who had constantly hissed at her and scratched her when she was confined in that prison car.  Big Arthur had chased her into the toy shop, so she knew she had to say yes so that others were not intimidated in the same way. Treading on her vital soul was just not on!

‘There is more to it of course,’ Mr. Paddy added. ‘Part of the grand plan is to layer the maps and to keep on doing that, until a critical mass of positivity within London subsumes the patterns of lack.  Once this happens then the positive circles of healing light will spread out and even programmes like the Ocean Sunset will quite naturally function in an even-handed way.’

Applause drowned out his voice.  It was what the members of the Holy Alliance had really wanted to know.  The full level of the program intrigued them and enabled them to understand how the individual work that they had been responsible for up until now contributed to the workings of the whole.

Mr. Paddy sat down mopping his brow, but not before his final statement to the group.

‘After all,’ he concluded, almost more than a little out of breath,’ we cannot be too hard on the Ocean Sunset.  It is just the symbol that has helped us to see the nature and depth of the problem’ The applause continued unabated and once again Mr. Paddy reddened.  He was a quiet and unassuming leprechaun not used to being in the spotlight.  He had done a terrific job in representing the case to the assembly.  They would not forget his loyalty and his dedication.  Pippa could sense that as she observed the interesting meeting dynamics closely.

Individual members then left their seated positions and came to Mr. Paddy to shake his hand thereby reiterating their support.  As they did so they smiled down at Pippa as well and so she knew this august group had accepted her.

‘Well,’ thought Mr. Paddy, ‘no need for further lobbying now.’  And he sat back in his seat well pleased and more relaxed at last.  As Gerry moved to take the vote it was unanimous.  The work would go forward in just the way that Mr. Paddy had outlined.  This had been clear much earlier in the proceedings but now it was an actual formality.

Pippa had discovered over lunch that each person on the alliance team held a twelve-month term. The term of these members would be concluded in a few months, so it was time to hear about some of their fascinating achievements.

Around the table they went, each one reporting on their particular area of achievement.

Titanium, Queen of the Fairies, had been implementing her project in co-operation with the greater family of trees south of London.  The Fairy Kingdom was responsible for the reworking of the energy of individual human beings and so it was here, to a massive Forest of Trees, that they were brought to find their personal tree.  As they made this connection their sense of coming home broke down many of the barriers existing in their lives.

Titanium looked around the table.

‘There is a human present who has not had that experience yet.  Let’s change that right here and right now.’  With that she waved her wonderful wand and a tree suddenly grew in the centre of the meeting room, a tree like nothing Pippa had seen before.

She knew it was her tree.  It was so incredibly beautiful and it was calling her so clearly that she rose to her feet and approached it, watched and supported by her friends.  Pippa had no fear.  She simply knew.  In a couple of moments she had wrapped her arms as far around the tree’s base as she could until she became as one with it.  The lights had been off and the tree had been illuminated in its own right.  Once the process was finished the lights came on and she returned to her seat, a different person, the results clear to all the members of the assembly.

Then it was Liam’s turn.  It was quite hard to see that it was really Jimmy, her friend from York as he told a glowing  tale of reorganising the etheric vibration of the earth. This had been done by bringing those who wished to go there to the magical Silver City at the centre of the multiverse to which the leprechaun kingdom held the key.

Before anyone knew it the whole assembly felt itself racing towards the Silver City in various modes of transport.  The road was clear and all the members of the alliance made the journey without exception, even Gerry, who was mounted on a huge camel that was the only form of transport that seemed to be taking its time!  As the group moved along the road they felt as they did an enormous sense of accomplishment as they melded with the heart of the Silver City.

The graphical audiovisuals of the journey left Pippa’s heart beating so loudly she could hardly believe what was happening.  Mr. Paddy must have realised as he caught her eye and winked encouragingly.

Gerry concluded this set of remarkable presentations by showing the alliance how the giant kingdom had provided positive advantages to the overall project. He had no audiovisuals but he simply talked about Louisa and how she had taken the silver canister from Tibet and brought it for safekeeping to Hong Kong.  Between Mr. Paddy and Merle and Louisa, he explained, special secrets about the mapping process they were to use had been saved and brought to London.

The silver canister contained the symbols that would make the maps activate the physical earth and bring their positive work into the daily lives of the people of London.  Without the information the canister held it would have been an impossible task.  Pippa breathed a sigh of silent relief.  At last she understood more about the meaning of the manuscript.

Members of the fairy kingdom came in with tea and cakes, but what tea and cakes they were!  All magical, they cleared away any debris within the bodies of the participants.  Swallowing them meant the ingestion of such a sweet flavour in the form of the fairy’s unique recipe for the elixir of life.  Pippa knew she had never felt this amazing in all her life before. She hoped the feeling would continue long after the alliance meeting had come to an end.

As Pippa circulated around talking to the amazing members of the Holy Alliance, she found herself doing a quick reality check.  This experience was well beyond anything that had come her way up until this time.

Pippa realised that one member of the group had not yet said anything.  David Toddhunter was keeping himself to himself as Ennis, King of the Elves. But after the members returned to the conference table Ennis took the floor.

‘My role as part of this alliance is to seek out the rogue element and  to contain it, delete it, disperse with it or deal with it in whatever way seems appropriate,’ he announced without preamble.  ‘This we are doing.  We have identified the main protagonist in this campaign and with these words he flashed up on the screen a stunning multi-dimensional portrait of the most beautiful, yet the most evil woman Pippa had ever seen.

‘Her name, at least for now, is Lady Alicia Allways and she is extremely well connected in all  the so-called ‘right places’ in London and in New York society,’ he went on.

Lady Alicia’s eyes appeared to be just inches from Pippa’s eyes.  Greeny-blue, bluey-green, flecked with dancing lights yet containing an area of darkness within her eyes.  Angry eyes.  Vengeful eyes.  Eyes that could not be read.  Deep limpid pools, these eyes could not be fathomed or understood.

‘A very private eye,’ thought Pippa to herself as the whole thing began to get on top of her.  For a moment she thought she was dreaming.

Outside there was suddenly a distant rumble of thunder.  The atmosphere within the room had tightened.  The light dimmed as a storm seemed to be heading directly for them, but suddenly it was if it is veered onto another course and the light lifted and all was well.

Lady Alicia seemed relaxed, sauntering through a beautiful country garden, inhaling country air and watching the antics of two  beautifully groomed Jack Russell dogs that followed her every move.  And then the picture faded and the members of the alliance were back sitting in the room in as near to normal a fashion as was possible with such a distinctive group around the table!

‘Those Jack Russells,’ said Ennis, ‘are just one part of an extraordinarily elaborate energetic protective system.  It isn’t anything we cannot penetrate mind,’ he said removing his beautiful horn-rimmed glasses and surveying the group with his keen black eyes. ‘And she cannot take them everywhere,’ he mused half to  himself and half to the attentive audience. ‘To evening functions, for example.  They often would bot be allowed in despite the lady’s level of influence.’

He went on even more authoritatively.  ‘It takes time and energy.  We also need to take a check on how much Lady Alicia knows about us.  For this purpose we are going to team Pippa,’ and he smiled at her in his old fashioned courteous way and bobbed politely in acknowledgement of her role,  ‘with a minder.’

Pippa smiled up at him in acknowledgement.

‘This minder’s  is Nigel Patrick Moroney, part elf and extremely good at his job. Moroney and Pippa will be closely guarded in general, of course.  The details are being arranged.’

Pippa felt the hot pink rising in her cheeks and she leant back in her chair so far back that she almost lost her balance and tipped the chair over.  Luckily no one noticed her nervous gesture, except of course Mr. Paddy, who once again favoured her with a special smile.  She suddenly felt all the elements of constriction around her throat and instinctively reached up to loosen her collar.  An inexplicable suffocation invaded her body.  Her dark black coat did not want to be loosened and stayed stiffly in its place, her hands chopping and changing almost dangling uselessly in space.

Still no one noticed except for Teddy. He had begun to observe her distress just gazed at her with his magnetic silver eyes until she was fine again.  She wondered briefly about Teddy’s restorative powers. The meeting was continuing and she desperately wanted to hear the debate.

‘Any questions so far?’ asked Ennis. It was clear to Pippa that now in front of the whole assembly was no time for her to ask anything.

‘I regret,’ continued Ennis smoothly rocking gently on his large but very flat feet, ‘that some pieces of the jigsaw puzzle with which we are dealing are not yet clear.  It is nearly six weeks since we began surveillance. During that time there has hardly been any indication of wrong doing,’ he reported, ‘but the committee will be aware that these things take patience. I am sure that our painstaking work will be rewarded.’

The committee seemed satisfied.  They trusted Ennis and the elf kingdom to do their bit.  A clock ticked loudly in the background and clicked abruptly just before striking the hour.  It brought a halt to the meeting as everyone realised that time was up.  The business they had together that day was now concluded and a decision on the appropriate way forward had been reached.  The farewells were brief and before ten minutes was up the participants had disappeared into the gathering gloom. They were on their way to their various destinations to work towards changing the destiny of the world for the better. The big question hanging over all of them was – would it really work or was it simply too late to change the destiny of humankind?

THE VANISHING VILLAGE

The yellow VW was on the road before anyone else was up. The travellers were all happier in themselves on this fine day, but the trip itself still seemed endless. At times it was as if they were swimming in deep seas, struggling through the green landscape of Yorkshire to try to find their destination. Suddenly, they turned a corner and all the clouds on their horizon lifted. Their excitement rose and they had left their nervousness behind. They were able to talk to one another, gently and quietly, as they drove along, unlike yesterday when the tension had been too high.

Teddy informed his passengers that Mr. Paddy had returned from retirement to help to solve the immense problems facing the team of sacred mappers.

‘The advent of  Lady Alicia and Benton has put a different complexion on the whole thing,’ he reported.  ‘We could have taken care of Terry and Sava, but these people have connections everywhere.  We need some support from influential quarters ourselves.’

And that was all that he would say on the subject.

‘What about the bookshop?’ Pippa queried him.  ‘Don’t worry it’s moved to another site.  The bears are all safe.  No-one will be able to track it down whilst we are away.’ Teddy puffed out his chest with pride.

Gerry and Mr. Paddy were taking no chances with the forces pitted against them! The so-called ‘vanishing’ village where they were to meet Mr. Paddy was surrounded by two groups of outriders who protected it.  The first group was a bevy of the familiar red British Post mini vans parked in strategic positions surrounding the village centre.  Ted had a special sign, which let the VW through without any questions being asked. Anyone trespassing would have been totally blocked without realising that it was actually a ring of protection they had encountered.

After passing the first group, the travelling trio was well inside the protective perimeter and travelling uphill.  Interesting farmhouses came into view – there were at least eight, one by one with old farm machinery, big barns, heaps of hay and mud, more mud than anything, mud absolutely everywhere.  Pippa felt the strangeness of the atmosphere as they quickly wound up the VW’s window and tried to look ahead down the road.

They passed the farmers who were preparing for a hard day’s work.  One had his wellies on, the other big sturdy boots, but all of them without exception gave the van knowing looks.  They understood what was happening. The road looked as if they had begun again without knowing it. They had certainly passed this way before. Pippa noticed the same pair of black wellington boots containing the same glowering farmer.  They were driving around a special spiral, moving into the centre where they were expected but moving in a way that would trick all their enemies.

‘It’s all just a precaution,’ Ted told them, nodding his head wisely as he took another bend in the road creating an extraordinary spiral pattern.  After all he had had the foresight to have a GPS system fitted to his old van.  The Ted’s surveillance and direction finding equipment were giving him the prestige of being some latter day James Bond.  Pippa could only see signs of some of the devices but she was quite enthralled to find out the continuing extent of his personal defence systems.

A little later Pippa said what she really felt.  ‘Do you think we will know how to handle ourselves in such a grave and serious situation, life threatening in fact?’   The atmosphere in the van thickened when she said it.

‘Yes, Pippa,’ the reply was a little too forceful.  ‘There are greater powers at work here than any of us know. We can’t afford to feel threatened or isolated.  Let’s think positive!’ And Ted’s strategy actually worked. The ‘three musketeers’ began to find their collective and individual sense of humour.

The second group of defenders Pippa nicknamed ‘Tractor Men’. This group of watchers rode the all too familiar tractors that haunted British rural roads. The tractor men had the habit of moving out into the traffic anytime they liked without asking permission or using signals or caring what happened behind them as a result.  One particular tractor caught her attention.  At the back of the tractor was a holdall. Within it rode a golden dog in all its glory, lord of all it surveyed and watchdog to all the guests gathering for the most extraordinary conference.  It was the same dog that Pippa had seen on the roof of the pub the previous evening.  The dog’s name was Anubis, the Anubis of Egyptian legend.  Pippa was only to find out its name later, but she was impressed as she watched as it sniffed the air for danger.

The two protective circles intersected at various times, they eddied and they flowed providing a highly evolved level of complete protection.   If the trio had been able to project themselves above the scene they would have seen the two circles and spirals in an eddy and flow of energy that was unsurpassed. They created a stunning illusion, an interesting energetic swell, which made everyone who saw the village, except those meant to be there, believe that there before them was a ruined, deserted English village whose inhabitants had simply walked away when everything got too much to handle. After all there were plenty of similar examples scattered through the length and breadth of England.

The ancient yellow VW chugged along quietly as it passed safely and discreetly through all the protective barriers until it reached the final hurdle.  Here the group found that despite their ease of approach they did not have any special status.  They were all thoroughly body searched by a group of lively Garden Gnomes, the personal guardians of the meeting attendees. Pippa did not mind too much until one of the gnomes got a bit too pushy and then her hackles began to rise. Teddy was there in an instant in his long, almost fashionable, black coat and Tina quickly appeared on the other side of her.  And so it was, walking between her two best friends that Pippa re-met Mr. Paddy who was waiting on the quaint little stone bridge to greet them personally and to welcome them to the vanishing village of Glenfriars.

‘Morning me darlins,’ he called out to them. His Irish accent had definitely broadened since his return home. The greeting was genuine and it was delightful to remeet their leprechaun friend in this quiet corner of northern England. Mr. Paddy took them into a comfortable stone cottage with huge double glazed windows that looked out to sea.  It was aptly named ‘Seal Cottage.’ Then they all had a quick catch up on the latest news.

‘We are going to short-circuit all the conventional introductions and go right into the meeting.’  Teddy looked a bit surprised so Mr. Paddy explained. ‘The enemy is gathering in strength so we have to get down to business right away.  And Glenfriars can only be kept invisible for a certain number  of hours. So we’ll get going just as soon as we have a quick cup of tea.’ Despite the rush Pippa, Teddy and Tina delighted in the opportunity to have some time, however brief, with Mr. Paddy before the formal gathering began.

A team of fairies brought tea and fairy cakes and Pippa was unusually hungry, due to their early morning start, so she ate with relish.  She did not even blink an eye at the presence of the fairies.  She was getting used to surreal world that was integral to her new life. Mr. Paddy, for his part, was simply delighted to see Pippa again.  He also requested, politely enough, but firmly, a full briefing on the kidnap attempt.  Pippa gave him those details first and she could tell from the way his eyes flashed and sparkled that she had captured his full attention.  She gave a vivid recall of details on the whole escapade right down to her return through Merle’s safe haven.   And although he said nothing specific, simply nodding his head knowingly, Pippa could tell he was impressed.  He seemed to acknowledge, not only her attention to the detail, but the fact that she had managed to make her own escape.  They were easy and comfortable together even though they had only known one another for such a short time.

Before he began his personal briefing Mr. Paddy said, ‘Well, Pippa, here is something special for you.’  And he handed her a parcel and signalled that she was able to open it.  ‘Open it now,’ he said once again his eyes twinkling.  When she removed the sheets of tissue paper Pippa found a necklace, unusual looking and large just as she liked them.  The silver frame of the necklace contained the replica of a brilliant blue eye, which gazed unblinkingly out of its silver surrounds.  ‘It’s a weapon as well as a beautiful decorative piece, ‘ Mr. Paddy informed her quite  delightedly.

‘I love it Mr. Paddy thank you.’ Pippa was so pleased with the unusual gift that she jumped up and put her arms around Mr. Paddy and kissed him lightly on his cheek.

His face turned a special shade of pink in response to Pippa’s affection. When he regained his composure Mr. Paddy returned to continue his briefing.  But first he asked her a question.  ‘Have you read the manuscript yet, Pippa?’ She shook her head.  ‘To be honest, with all the other things going on I had forgotten about it. But I have got it here.’ Mr. Paddy looked relieved and replied. ‘May I have it and leave it with David for you – don’t worry – it tells you all about the spellbinders and all about the Holy Alliance, but this will all be explained today.  Probably it’s better just to use it for reference, but it is important with all of this going on that the wrong people do not get hold of it.’    Pippa gladly surrendered the document.

Mr. Paddy continued his briefing. ‘Should you come upon Lady Alicia, and this is quite likely in the not too distant future, ‘ he warned, ‘you can just activate the eye by pressing the back of it firmly. As you do it will take aim and fire a restraining device that will disarm and diminish her actions. In fact, depending on the level of malevolence in her it may destroy her altogether. And you must remember her eyes are going to try to disarm you at the same time.’

‘I’ll remember,’ Pippa promised, serious once again.

‘But Mr. Paddy,’ she said. ‘I still need to understand more about the work and how Louisa actually became involved in the first place.’

‘I am coming to that Pippa,’ he replied, and she knew she was beginning to be over-excited by all that was happening to her.
She deliberately settled herself down.

‘You will find a few unusual people here today,’ he began.  ‘Just a few individual members of the The Holy Alliance.’

‘And what is that, Mr. Paddy?’  Pippa’s overexcited voice broke in again.

‘I’m coming to that,’ Mr. Paddy said soothingly. ‘In a nutshell it is a company of like-minded universal citizens who have come together to help the world transit one of its most difficult periods. This is the time when the veils between this world and other worlds are being dismembered.  This means that individuals who are not spiritually prepared are feeling the anxiety in the atmosphere.’

He looked discretely at Pippa to see if she was getting the message. ‘The Holy Alliance is helping by supporting and sponsoring the sacred maps. However, the level of evil we are facing has meant new assistance was necessary – Lady Alicia and Benton, well they are incredibly skilled in the dark arts.’

His voice fell to a whisper and Pippa could have sworn that she saw a slight tremor run through his body.  If so, he soon recovered and continued.

‘The members of the alliance are from different races not who have not worked together much before this time.  And,’ he added, ‘still invisible to most people, but certainly not to you, Miss Pippa!’  His happy eyes twinkled at her again.  ‘The bears of course are posing as bears so that they can carry out their work largely unobserved. They are spellbinders, a form of ancient angels who have promised to help earth in its hour of greatest need. They can also appear all over the place without drawing intention to themselves.’

Pippa gave a startled laugh at this time.  She could not believe her ears.

Mr. Paddy continued. ‘In fact one of the biggest surprises you will get today is that everyone who’ll be here will probably be known to you, except for Gerry.’  Pippa couldn’t believe her ears. ‘Gerry is the Alliance Manager and he’s coming here to meet you soon.  There are all kinds of fairy folk, devas, leprechauns, pixies, gnomes and so on who are involved. But just a few select members are here today.’

He paused for breath.  Mr. Paddy knew he was expecting Pippa to understand an intricate subject in just a few moments.  He was overloading her with information that a ‘normal’ person could not possibly accept.  These were unusual concepts. He, himself, had become so used to them that he now accepted them totally.  He carefully reminded himself of the effect they would have on anyone else, particularly a young woman as sensitive in her spirit as Pippa.

But Pippa was fine.  She nodded her understanding. She had already seen the world maps, which were on one of the walls of the secret room of the bookshop, so she knew about the existence of the international groups.

‘Structurally,’ Mr. Paddy continued his little private tutorial, ‘the bears have been the main instigators of the mapping project.  They are Spellbinders, as you know, simply using the bears’ bodies temporarily.  They have come to help us with the sacred maps and the reworking of the etheric web. When Louisa bought the bookshop she knew they were special.  But only time revealed just how talented they are. She had of course been involved in similar work in Hong Kong?’

His voice held a slight query and when Pippa nodded for him to continue he gave an apologetic laugh.  Teddy and Tina’s fur rose around their necks as he spoke as they glowed and basked in the appreciation of the bears’ role in the plan.

Mr. Paddy sat back reflectively for the briefest of moments. ‘Now Pippa,’ he said, all business once again, ‘that’s really all we have the chance to speak about for now as it is almost time for the conference to begin.’

With that a large green giant rumbled through the doorway. He bent himself into as small a figure as possible in order to squeeze through whilst the door itself obligingly stretched to give him increased access.

‘And this is Gerry.  Gerry, this is my friend Pippa.’

And Pippa, before she knew it, had her hand kissed for the first time in her life – and kissed by a gorgeous green giant at that! Pippa could hardly believe it.  The gentle giant of Galway was one of the most beautiful beings Pippa had ever seen in her life. His face beamed with unadulterated happiness, which raised the vibrations of every person whom he encountered, whether they could see him or not.

It was time for the conference.  As Pippa, Teddy and Tina walked into the room Pippa saw a group of people whom she already knew.  Merle, David Toddhunter and Abby as well as Jimmy, her friend from York were all sitting there smiling at her. She had no chance to ask what was going on.  Gerry called the meeting to order and rang an extraordinary bell.  It was large and golden and it had the Great Central Sun imprinted on it.  The glitter of the gold of it flashed through the room as it rang stridently.

As Gerry rang the bell Pippa’s friends changed form, including the bears, who became their true selves, Spellbinders.  They glittered in new silver coats and their faces became almost fully human. Pippa simply thought she would faint but she succeeded in holding herself together.  The situation was so intriguing she simply had to do so.

They moved quickly into Mr. Paddy’s report. Because of the dangerous turn of events he had been requested to advise on new strategic directions.  This was all covered in Gerry’s introduction, which was short, concise and meaningful.

‘Mr. Paddy holds the key to the next phase of the sacred maps, particularly now that the STT had progressed as far as they had in phase one.’  The members of the alliance all nodded their heads in agreement.

‘If you remember the beginning of the sacred mapping project smaller suburban areas of London were used as experiments. The area, once re-mapped, changed from negative history to one of reconciliation and harmony.’ There was a certain shuffling sensation through the conference as Gerry went on, but it was a movement of genuine approval.

Mr. Paddy looked suitably modest. After all it was his baby so to speak.

Gerry continued with the facts.  ‘The bears in the form of the Soft Toy Team have made unseen worlds appear as the barriers between the worlds dissolved under Teddy’s inspired leadership.  As Spellbinders they took on a form that would be totally acceptable to the world and largely non-threatening.  After all, everyone loves bears and who would imagine what the bear community was doing in their new form?’

Jimmy in his new form as Liam, Leader of the Leprechauns chuckled and the other members soon joined in.

Gerry was unperturbed.  ‘Their relationships as founding members of the Holy Alliance had given them a springboard to the universe.  The project in London is a beginning; it is a trial project.  That’s why it is so important that it actually is successful.  If it isn’t the long-term project could fold.’

The strategic conference reviewed the work carried out up to date. Pippa could hardly believe that she was there, particularly when her name was mentioned as Mr. Paddy’s successor in London. Her map deposits in the various sites in London were duly acknowledged and applauded appropriately.

The members of the Holy Alliance and their advisers and friends were seated around a huge table in Seal Cottage with an unforgettable view of the coastline.  The view did not influence the discussion. No one, no one at all, failed to be fascinated and intrigued by the conference topics.  Only Pippa found that she could not keep her eyes completely on the conference and its participants.  She noticed the huge island directly in the centre of the view that was pure emerald green and glimmering in the light.  Pippa realised that the meeting site was a treasure-trove of mythological information and folklore.  As they had passed through a series of small villages she saw the majestic mountains and felt the connection with the ancients.  And now here she was at Seal Cottage. She returned her thoughts to the intense discussion to find Mr. Paddy on his feet.  The lights were going down and a video began.

‘Do you know,’ said Mr. Paddy, ‘ since I’ve been home and had time for more in depth research, that the oceans are being decimated.  But of course you do, but perhaps you do not know the full details.’

There was a general grumble around the huge table as if to say, well yes, we all know that.

Mr. Paddy raised his voice and went on regardless.  He continued his dialogue waving his arms and getting quite red and excited looking.

‘General decimation has been going on for years.  We are aware of that turn of events of course. But this is planned decimation run by those whom we so vigorously oppose. The newish ship Ocean Sunset,’ he said, ‘made in Norway came home to Killybegs back in autumn 2001.  The locals received it with flags and a pipe band. It was a day of general rejoicing.’

He continued his story, his face still a little red.

‘I would not have been one of those who stood on the headlands for a glimpse of the world’s largest fishing vessel even if I had been here!  And why?  Well you may ask because here are some facts and figures. It cost 80 million Euro to build Ocean Sunset and that is recorded fact.  The point that I am trying to make is that it has to catch now more than two million Euro worth of fish on each trip it does to make it worthwhile.  In a nutshell this is why our next area of sacred mapping must be the ocean,’ he added, pausing for his words to be effective.

Mr. Paddy knew, as he stood there, the significance of what he was saying. The video was extraordinary in its intensity.  It seemed not only to make every conference participant one of the hunted, a dolphin, a seal, a fish, or a whale but also to take the participants inside the soul of that particular creature. Each member individually and collectively experienced the thoughts, actions and feelings of the hunted, including of course the sights, sound and smells.

The sensation of being at one with the whales was particularly inspirational.  Forty tons of bulk and power and Pippa found herself feeling as if she had foot flippers and a huge eye that peered back at the humans with an air of over-riding curiosity.  But even with all that bulk there was an incredible sense of grace and control. It was the awareness of exactly how that creature felt that affected Pippa the most.

‘The Ocean Sunset is too voracious to be kept anywhere near Europe.’   Mr. Paddy now began  to infect his monologue with deep levels of passion.  ‘And so it has been based somewhere else.  Does anyone know where that might be?’  he asked the assembly at large.  No one moved but everyone was agog. All the members of the group knew the implications of what was being said and no one wanted to upset the delicate balance of the conversation.  Mr. Paddy’s eyes gleamed and his glasses caught in the light twinkling and catching the radiance that flowed from within him.  A meticulous level of factual research backed up by his outstanding eloquence supported his passion and belief.

However not every single person around the table was convinced.  He looked around and saw that one doubter existed, identifying the individual carefully as he did so that he could talk to him at the lunch break before any vote was actually taken.  He continued his magnificent story.  This was to be the next phase of the work, but no one was under an illusion that it would proceed at all if the London project was not successful. It seemed that a great deal hung on the efforts of the Soft Toy Team and their human helper, Pippa Louisa Robbins.