Sentence The Sevenhundredandtwelfth

 

It was only when Pollyanna turned to sit herself on the toilet seat that she noticed the old man huddled in the corner: he was wet, no, drenched, that was the only word, a puddle on the floor around him, and she instinctively went down on her knees to look at him: "are you okay, love," she asked, sensing from the state of him that he had been the victim of something, a fight, a struggle, a mugging or something more insidious: "can I get you something? do you want me to call the ambulance, or . . . . ." she hesitated, "the Police?" and his head raised slightly, his eyes red-rimmed and frightened,

looked at her suspiciously: "whaur um ur?" he asked, and she immediately thought he had maybe wandered away from a Care Home or something and . . . . . but how could he get in here without being noticed? she opened the door and looked along the corridor, no, the Fire Exit was still shut, the moveable bar in place, and she doubted he would have done that himself – and Rose was always very particular about keeping the door shut so no-one could get in that way; most peculiar! she went back and helped the old man to his feet, then sat him on the toilet: "have you got a phone, love, is there anyone I can call for you?" he looked blank and then said, "naw hen, if ah kin jist get oan me feet ah'll be hame in five meenits, whaur um ur oneywey? is this the Hoebrig?" and the poor man seemed to be in the Slough of Despond, like the eponymous hero of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, and when Pollyanna told him he was at Melrose Station, his eyes nearly popped out of his head: "ah canny be, ye're wrang, ah wiz jist gaun ower the brig, ye ken, the Swing Brig tae Gattonside, och Maisie'll be wundrin whaur am ur! ah need tae get hame! whit time is it?" and when she told him it was just after 8pm, he tried to rise, but couldn't make it: "you’re soaked through," she said, "we really need to get you some dry clothes and help," the old man seemed quite helpless and Pollyanna cursed herself for leaving her mobile on the charger when she came out, but she had to deal with the here and now; "bide there a minute, love, I'll get some help," and she hurried through to the lounge where

she managed to catch Rose's eye, and when she beckoned, Rose whispered to the barman and came out to meet her: "wussup?" she demanded, "have ye seen yer Aunt Mariah?" and Pollyanna shook her head, "an old man, he must have been lookin for the loo, and ended up in the Dressing Room," bur Rosie shook her head, "don't be a fizgig, Poll, there's nobody gone through there since I mopped the floor before we opened, and an old guy? in here?" but she followed her friend down the short corridor and looked in, the man was still sitting on the toilet seat, still looking dazed: "here, matey?" said Rose, getting his attention, "I'm gonna ask yer some questions, just ter see if ye've had a bonk on the bonce? in case we need to call a ambluance fer ye?" and he squinted at her: "ur ye frae Australie, hen? ah kin tell be yer accent, ma son Fergus is in Sidney, me and Maisie went ower last year," and he smiled wanly, but she continued: "okay, do ye know the date an year?" he shook his head, "course ah dae, ah wiznae born yestre'en; 26th o April, 2017," at which Rose shot Poll a look, and muttered: "get Phil ter call a whitey, could be concussion and brain damage or a stroke," and turning her attention to the man, asked him if he knew where he was, and he squinted at her: "she said this is the Station, but it cannae be, therr's only Monte Casino therr, an thon's no there kinda music, Maisie an me were therr last week it's aw thon Tally stuff, 'when the moon hits yer eye, like a big piece o pie!' ah wiz therr in the War, Monte Casino, no the restaurant, the real place, in Italy, am urny daft, um no a pierian, yer kin keep aw thae pomes an versifyin, ah mean: sayin 'the moon's like a big piece o pie',

when abdy kens it's made o Cream Cheese," and she automatically corrected him, "it's Green Cheese, yer mean?" and he laughed: "if ye think that, ye'r mebbe the yin that needs a ambulance, wi the men in white coats tae tak ye awa," and she laughed, "oh, ye got me there bud, but yer wrong about the date, matey, it's the 28th of April, but the year is way off, it's 2037!" do you remember Scotland getting it's Independence in 2020? and yes, this used to be Monte Casino, but it closed a few years ago and Luke opened this place last year, we're celebrating it's first birthday?" and he sat up: "thon's a pack o lies! ah've lived aw ma life here, an ah wiz jist gaun hame fae The Ship an ah must've slipped in the brig, it wis snawin' ah mind, but wha brocht me up here, an' why?" and she thought to herself: all those disappearances and things years ago, he seems a weak and muddled old geezer, but though he might be a bit soft on the outside, he's a drupe, he knows what's what, and that was what worried her!