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This section covers the way children helped George
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Monday 18/05/2093
Child's Play?
Feeling refreshed after his day off, George felt ready to face
anything that could happen as he left for the Park. He activated
his vidbook as soon as he had found a seat on the strip. It vibrated
immediately. A new face, number eight was sitting close to him.
A few seconds later the vidbook responded to face number four
some distance away. Sitting in a seat opposite was a lady in Moslem
dress. Her face was almost completely covered but George was able
to see her hands. He knew only one person with hands like that.
The one-woman police force herself was guarding him. George couldn't
read the writing in front of him. He couldn't concentrate on the
rules of Swedish grammar at a time like this. He judged that the
watcher was too close to use the camera mode in case it could
be seen. Before he reached his usual stepping off point, he looked
around as if he might have overshot the place and made as if to
stand up. The nearby watcher started to get up too and then realised
that he would be noticed if he repeated George's actions. The
watcher slowly made his way to the edge of the strip and paused.
George had switched to camera view and was watching him to see
what he would do. The watcher's mind was made up for him when
an elderly lady said. "Don't you know young man that it is
illegal to stand there on the edge of the strip? You could cause
an accident." The watcher stepped off the strip reluctantly.
A second or two later the vidbook vibrated again. Number eight
was back on the strip. The Moslem lady winked at George. George
winked back.
As George prepared to step off the strip at his usual place,
he saw a police floater hovering nearby. The pilot's face looked
familiar. There was a party of school children being marshalled
by two teachers as they made their way towards the Park entrance.
One of the children recognised George and shouted. "There's
the Undepoldus man, he has got Undepoldus with him." George
stopped as he was surrounded by the children. He lifted the replica
off his shoulders and held it so that the children could see it
clearly.
He said. "This isn't the real Undepoldus but it looks like
him. Do you want to hold it?"
There were cries of 'Yes', 'Let me see it' and 'Isn't it prickly'
from the children nearest to George.
He looked over the heads of the children and saw number four and
number eight some distance away looking rather disconsolate.
George said to the children. "I have to go to work now. If
you walk with me, everyone will get a chance to hold the toy Undepoldus."
The two teachers welcomed George's suggestion and were just as
keen as the children to look at the replica. George continued
towards the Park entrance surrounded by a miniature crowd of unwitting
bodyguards. One of the teachers said. "Thank you Mr. McFigg
for showing the children your toy Undepoldus. You have made their
day."
George felt like thanking the children. Everything pointed to
an attempt to kidnap him that the children had helped to thwart.
The police floater may have helped a bit but it could not follow
him as he walked to the park entrance without betraying that it
was guarding him.
When he reached the door of Undepoldus House, George found
that it would not open for him. The security system had operated.
It had detected that there was someone nearby who could get in
if it opened to admit him. George squeezed the vidbook three times
as he walked past the door. He was prepared for some sort of attack
but could not be sure how it would come and from which direction.
He saw nobody near but anyone could be hiding around the corner
of the building. When he was still a few metres away from the
corner of Undepoldus House he turned round to walk towards the
door again. As he did so he saw the crowd of children running
towards him. A very tall policewoman had appeared next to the
children's teachers. They were following as the children rushed
towards George. George thought that this was a bit like the Pied
Piper story. As George reached the door again, the children shouted.
"The police lady says that you might be able to show us the
real Undepoldus."
George waited until Kerstin and the teachers had caught up with
the children before he commanded the door to open. It opened more
slowly than usual. George said to the children. "If you are
very very good, you can come in and see Undepoldus if he wants
to see you. I will go and ask him if it is OK." The children
waited impatiently by the open door. Undepoldus was on the desk
in his usual place so George said to him. "Would you like
to meet some schoolchildren Undepoldus?" in a voice that
the children near the door could hear.
Undepoldus did not reply but he crawled onto George's shoulders.
George called. "It is OK. You can come in but please walk
slowly so that you do not frighten Undepoldus."
The children and teachers too looked in awe at the interior of
the room. The diamond coated walls looked wet and shiny. George's
desk was large and rectangular with a tilted processor screen
set into its surface. None of them had noticed that he had exchanged
the replica for its real counterpart. The children made their
way to the viewing area and saw the other replica in the feeding
position. There were cries of interest and amazement. One child
said. "He looks just like the toy Undepoldus. "None
of them had seen the other replica beside the processor. The door
had closed with Kerstin outside.
George said to the teachers. "The one on show is a replica
too. The real one is here."
George put his hand on the desk and Undepoldus crawled down his
arm onto the desk beside the replica that George had put there.
The children turned as one to see the real Undepoldus crawl around
the desk. They crowded around the desk and all of them were able
to get a good look at Undepoldus. Undepoldus made several circuits
of the desk and the effect was somewhat like a model train demonstration
that George had once seen in a toyshop when he was a boy.
Undepoldus stopped in front of one child and reared up so that
he could put his brown patch on her cheek. Even George was amazed
that Boku had managed to disguise herself as a junior school child.
Boku remained still as Undepoldus greeted her. One of the teachers
said. "Who is that child, she is not one of ours?"
Boku took off her wig to show the teachers that she was a Spacer.
She said. "Your children have helped to prevent a nasty incident
this morning. I am one of Mr. McFigg's bodyguards. We think that
an attempt would have been made to kidnap Mr. McFigg as he entered
the park this morning. Because he was quickly surrounded by your
children, the attempted kidnap did not take place. Although I
am small, I am sure that Mr. McFigg is as happy to have me as
a bodyguard as he is happy to have the big policewoman outside.
I would be obliged if you would let me stay with your children
until we are back with the crowds outside."
One of the teachers said. "That explains it. I could not
work out why we had gained a child in our party. We usually lose
one or two and have to go and hunt for them. But for Undepoldus
picking you out, I would never have known that you were not a
child. You are a master of disguise."
The children looked at Boku and the nearer ones looked closely
at her bald head.
The teacher then said. "is that correct Mr. McFigg? Is this
small lady one of your bodyguards?"
George said. "She is an expert. She teaches others how to
be bodyguards, including the police. I know that I am safe if
she is nearby."
Boku said. "I am sure that the danger is over now and the
children have had a chance to see Undepoldus as very few people
have been able to see him. He knows me. That is why he picked
me out. Now I think it is time that we left Mr. McFigg and Undepoldus
so that Undepoldus can go back to his place where people outside
can see him."
George put his hand on the desk and Undepoldus dutifully crawled
up his arm. George then carried him over to the display area.
Undepoldus pushed the replica out of the way and started his rock
supply conveyor.
The teachers and the children (with Boku) made their way towards
the door. It opened as they reached it and George saw that Kerstin
was still standing guard outside. He wondered how Boku had managed
to get among the children to get close to him.
George said to Undepoldus. "Thank you for agreeing to
let the children see you. They helped to protect me today."
Undepoldus made no comment.
PAUSE
The next section covers the work of
three teams.
Viewers familiar with this subject may pass on to the following
section.
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