Page 139 of The Silent Appeal

Undated page from a decorative journal belonging to Isabel Beck:

TODAY

At least I’m writing about “today” for once, but OMG I don’t know where to start, or whether I should write about everything together (after all, that’s how it happened) or separate each bit, so I can consider it on its own. I suppose that’s what bullet points are for, so here goes.

Before it all kicked off

After Father Josh scared everyone with his ghost story, some of the little ones were taken home and we all got ready for bed. The church hall toilets are too cold and there are only three sinks, so I cleaned my teeth in the kitchen, then slipped through the green room to backstage and around the flats until I was in my little space behind the trellis. My sleeping bag was laid out on one of Emma’s yoga mats all nice and new. I stayed low behind the fake plants because if Fran saw how close I was to her, she might have moved her mat and duvet.

We all counted along with Kevin as he gave us ten seconds before lights out, and then I tried to settle down and get to sleep. Some chance! In the darkness (which wasn’t very dark because street light was coming through gaps in the curtains) all I could think about were the sausages, mash, gravy, marshmallows, iced coffee, and liquid chocolate all sloshing in my tummy, while the ghost of Lockwood Lane hovered outside the window. All I could feel was the cold zip of the sleeping bag through my pajamas. In hindsight, I’m glad I had so much iced coffee, because it turned out to be a very long night.

Amelia and the falling light

Just after one o’clock there was a thump and a scream, then howls of agony. Seconds later everyone was screaming. I saw someone dash to the window and that’s when I heard shouts of “Ghost! It flew past outside!” But when the lights came on, I could see straight away that it was nothing supernatural. A stage light had fallen onto Amelia’s leg, and a sharp bit had gone straight through her sleeping bag and embedded itself in her calf, just below the knee.

When you’re medically trained you instantly put aside how you feel and jump into action. I admit my heart even gave a little leap. Finally, everyone will see how good I am at something! Although I’m an ophthalmologist now, once a nurse, always a nurse.

Trauma victims can go into shock, so I made sure Amelia was wrapped up warm and told her not to move while I examined the wound, which was not easy thanks to the sleeping bag. Puncture injuries can be tricky, and while it’s natural to want to pull the projectile out, unless it’s a clean puncture, you should be very careful because that can worsen the bleeding. That and a lack of visibility of the wound itself meant I decided to leave everything in situ until the paramedics arrived. The light was heavy and I wanted help removing it carefully, and with proper medical professionals present.

I made all my checks, elevated the leg (as best I could) at the ankle, and used the sleeping bag to stem the bleeding, which looked serious enough. There are several arteries that may have been ruptured: popliteal or femoral, for example, so we needed an ambulance asap. Celia called 999 and Fran texted Lucas, so I chatted to Amelia to keep her mind off the injury. She already had that drained, blank look people get when shock sets in. I looked around for Georgia, thinking she’d want to be at her cousin-in-law’s side, but she was hunched across the stage, scrolling on her phone, occasionally glowering at us, as if it was a major inconvenience.

Luckily, the paramedics came quickly and, between them, carefully removed the light while I held Amelia’s hand. They uncovered the wound and I could see straight away that the jagged edge had smashed into her fibula. She’d need an X-ray to assess the damage and some skillful stitching to repair the wound. The bleeding had subsided, which ruled out serious arterial damage, phew!

The paramedics—Tommy and Alan—thanked me and asked if Amelia had any friends who would go with her to the hospital. Georgia shook her head and Fran was nowhere to be seen. They needed to get off quickly, so I said I’d go with her—stuffed my sleeping bag in my backpack with all my things, and jumped into the ambulance.

I’m writing this at St. Ann’s now and although I could mention my lovely chat with Tommy in the back of the van about the hospital and how it’s changed since I worked here, I have far more interesting things to tell you, journal.

The mysterious disappearance of Nicky-Rose

Rewind to when we switched the lights out. I was so full of food and coffee I couldn’t sleep and lying down was so uncomfortable, at first I sat up to see if that would help my dinner go down. I peered through the trellis at all the sleeping bags on the stage and kept myself busy by guessing which sleeping lump was who. I couldn’t see where Nicky-Rose had put her sleeping bag and wondered if she was in the green room with the committee people (space on the stage ran out). I know the Hallidays were all in there and Kevin too. That’s when I spotted Nicky-Rose and Kevin sneaking out of the hall into the foyer. They might have had family matters to discuss, but they must have been very urgent to leave the sleep out. Then after about three minutes, Kevin crept back in on his own and tiptoed back to the green room.

When the stage light fell and the lights came on again, I was too busy to see whether Nicky-Rose was back, but as I followed the stretcher out to the ambulance, I looked for her car outside and it was gone. Maybe she doesn’t sleep if she’s not in her own bed, and went home. I’ll ask next time we meet for coffee.

Fran’s secret

Rewind to after we’d switched the lights out and after I’d seen Nicky-Rose leave. I decided to wander backstage to try and help digest the sausages and chocolate. I thanked my younger self for selecting the little spot behind the trellis because it meant I didn’t have to step over anyone. It was on my third lap of the wings that I heard footsteps, and my heart leapt because I remembered the vicar’s story and wondered if it was the ghost of Lockwood Lane. I froze on the spot, before my heart sank. It was much more likely to be a grouchy Fairway Player kept awake by my pacing and about to tell me off!

It was neither. I peered out from behind the flat and saw Fran, fully dressed and tiptoeing far more furtively than even Kevin and Nicky-Rose!

She crept behind all the snoring sleeping bags, offstage toward the green room. Who could she be meeting there?

I put my phone flashlight on low, followed her down the little stairs, and peered into the green room. A sea of sleeping bags. Fran was nowhere to be seen. How could she have disappeared? Then I heard a tiny noise from the scouts’ kit cupboard. It’s in the green room and is never locked, but that’s because nothing inside is worth stealing, according to Joel (who sometimes shoves props in there during play week), just ancient boxes, flags, bats, balls, and pegs for rounders stacked on shelves either side. I opened the cupboard door and couldn’t believe what my phone flashlight revealed. At the back of the cupboard is another door! It has no handle and no fire-escape bar, just a keyhole, and I could only see that because it was propped ajar with a brick and light was coming in from outside.

It was like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, except instead of Narnia, it was an old concrete path that led to Lockwood Lane.

I suddenly realized that this is how Fran disappears during break time at rehearsals. I wondered if she’d started vaping, so very quietly closed the cupboard door behind me and went through to Narnia! Fran wasn’t outside, so I followed in the only direction she could’ve gone—toward the lane.

A fence panel was moved aside, so I crept up to it and peered through.

Fran was there, but she wasn’t alone. She was snogging someone in the middle of the lane! In the middle of the night! In the middle of the Fairway Players’ charity sleep out! But more than that—she was snogging Father Josh!

I was so shocked that I’m sure if they weren’t “otherwise engaged” they’d have heard me gasp. I dashed off as quietly as I could, back through the scouts’ cupboard, the green room, and backstage. Only, because I’d just been outside under the glow of a streetlight, my eyes hadn’t readjusted and I stumbled up the back stairs. Duh! I had to grab one of the rigging ropes to stop myself hitting the floor!

That was the very moment the light fell down and everyone screamed! I dashed across the stage and pretended I’d just got up. The thing is, when I sat there holding Amelia’s hand, waiting for the ambulance, she wasn’t the only one in shock.

Other things I noticed

A lot of people went home after the activities and didn’t do any actual sleeping out. As no one will read this journal I can name and shame: Joyce, Marianne, Carol, Denise, Emma, and Nicky-Rose (although I’m sure she has a good reason and I’ll find out what it is in due course).