Arrival at the Island (8) – Afternoon – Island tour (1)

Jim was deeply engrossed in what he was doing and did not notice that Anastasia had come into the room until she was standing in front of his desk and casting a shadow.

AL: “Would you like to take a break from what you are doing?” She asked with a smile”.

Jim gave himself a shake, like a dog after a swim, and after he had gathered his thoughts answered:

JG: “Yes, I can break now. I’m not actually doing very much” He put emphasis on the word ‘doing’ “I’m familiarising myself with what you have here.” He continued: “Your systems have been very professionally organised and maintained”.

AL: “I’m glad things meet with your approval. We can talk about it over lunch, but first I’ll take you on a brief tour of the island. I didn’t want to do that last night. I will show you where you are going to be staying too.”

Jim picked up his jacket as they went out and Anastasia reminded him that he would need the code for the door to get back in when they returned. In the stable yard, they climbed into the Landrover and Anastasia left along the drive, past dense rhododendron bushes.

They turned northward along the road. As they drove along at a leisurely pace, Anastasia pointed out landmarks as they passed the village, the hotel-cum-pub, the road down to the ferry slip and the island shop “It’s the only one!” she said with a grin.

Further north they passed several small farms and then the island narrowed and the sea was clearly visible on both sides. At the same time the road narrowed to a single track, “with passing places” said a road sign, punctuated by cattle grids clattered as they drove over them. The road rose steeply and the hills became noticeably more rugged.

Quite suddenly, the road came to an end. The road itself seemed to terminate suddenly at  a rocky outcrop above the sea, and just before that was a with a fork to a rough turning area. Anastasia parked and indicated to Jim that he should get out.

“This is the called the North End.” She said. “It’s obvious why!”

 (Part of the “Tyson” project: 9th February 2017 – 367 words)

Arrival at the Island (7) – Office

Jim spent the morning exploring his new workplace. In the physical world that didn’t take long. The room was simply, almost austerely furnished. It contained three desks and Jim chose the one which faced the door and the courtyard. There were three doors in the end wall. The one closest to the garden (which Jim thought of as “the front”) led into a small kitchen which was supplied with a deep Belfast sink, a kettle, a coffee maker, a microwave oven and what Jim had called a Baby Belling cooker in his student days. Most of the cupboards in the kitchen were empty, but there was crockery and cutlery for four and one of the cupboards contained tea, coffee, sugar and a few basic ingredients. The door towards the rear of the room led to a shower-room and lavatory. The middle door led into a walk-in cupboard which had shelves from floor to ceiling but was otherwise empty. Jim made himself a jug of coffee and settled to explore the computing systems.

There were network and power cables dangling from the suspended ceiling above each desk. Jim plugged in the laptop he had been supplied with and opened the folder which lay on the desk. Anastasia had suggested that he start with that. Someone with a sense of humour had written “Start here” and a hand-drawn Windows icon on the front of the folder.

As Jim proceeded he found that the further he looked, the more there was to find. There were obviously several systems involved and there was documentation for a number of SQL and other databases. Almost to his surprise, everything seemed to be well maintained and documented. As he worked systematically through his work, he wondered if he was being observed. He remembered the test in London when the Doctor had been watching what he was doing from another screen. He was aware that might be happening and he might not even be aware of it. He looked at the laptop ahead of him. It was fitted with an integral web-cam, but after all that was not at all unusual these days. He glanced over his shoulders and then at the corners of the room. He did not notice any cameras, but that did not mean that they were not there! Chiding himself for being paranoid he took a sip of coffee.

 (Part of the “Tyson” project: 7th February 2017 – 395 words)

Arrival at the Island (6) – Moving In

(Another change of tack)

Jim was finishing his breakfast when Anastasia walked into the dining room. She was wearing jeans and a sweater which showed off her figure. She took a seat opposite him at the dining table and waited until he had finished eating. He had seen nobody since he got up and had been surprised to find a cooked breakfast had been prepared for him and had been left keeping warm.

“Good morning Mr Gray. I Trust you slept well.”

“Very well thank-you very much. What with the travelling, good food and the country air, I slept very well indeed. It’s very quiet here.”

“Excellent! When you have finished I will take you to where you will be working. It’s not in the house itself, but only a short walk away. This afternoon I will show you the cottage we have selected for you. I hope it will be adequate. Being on an island means that we really have to consider accommodation and of course that tends to limit the options we have as well.”

“I’m sure it will be excellent. Everything else is much better than I expected. I’m ready now, if you want to lead the way. Will I need a coat?”

“Oh good! No, I don’t think a coat will be necessary.”

The office where Jim was to work was in an outbuilding which was reached by a short gravel path. The office was in a range of low buildings which formed one side of a walled garden. The garden looked tended to, but the flower beds were occupied only by a few bare stems and were covered with some kind of dark mulch material.

Anastasia unlocked the door by entering a passcode on a keypad. At the same time she handed Jim the pin-code hand-printed on an index card.

“I know that none of the residents would interfere with our property and the island does not get many visitors but we like to keep the place secure. Please try to remember to lock the door whenever you leave the office, even for a short while.”

 (Part of the “Tyson” project: 6th February 2017 – 347 words)

Arrival at the Island (5) – Evening Meal - Night

(Another change of tack)

Anastasia showed Jim to his room in the big house. The house had been built in the Scottish baronial house built towards the end of the nineteenth century. Jim had never stayed in a room like it. The room was spacious with a large four-poster bed and the window overlooked the garden at the front of the house.

Jim ate alone in the dining room. The food was simple: cold poached salmon and a salad, but plentiful and beautifully prepared. A card on the table told him to leave his tray on the table when he was finished, so he did, even though it seemed slightly impolite to do so.

After finishing eating he put on his boots and went for a walk in the garden. It was a strange experience. He was living in a country house, a minor mansion, on an island. He felt like pinching himself because of the unreality of it all.

The paths in the gardens in front of the house were raked gravel and crunched beneath his feet. He knew that the sunset was behind him and it lit up the mainland opposite making the purple of the heather darker. Around the house rhododendrons provided shelter. The earlier wind seemed to have abated and I had become calm. The sky overhead was clear. It was going to be a chilly night.

Eventually Jim decided that he wanted to sleep. He was tired from the travelling and although the strange surroundings excited him, he wanted to be at his best. On his way to his room he looked into the dining room and found that someone had cleared away the tray with the remains of his dinner. He realised with a start that he had not seen a single person since Anastasia had left him.

On the locker beside the bed was a card written with a flowing, cursive script which informed him that his breakfast would be ready at 8 o’clock next morning and wishing him a good night. He washed in the wash-basin in the room and then dressed for bed. When he turned out the lights the quietness was almost tangible. It felt like he was asleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow. He was aware that he dreamed of voices in the night, and he thought that he woke once in the darkness but there was no sound at all.

 (Part of the “Tyson” project: 5th February 2017 – 402 words)

Arrival at the Island (4) – Ferry Slip – Meeting Anastasia

Jim walked down the loading ramp, keeping to the right-hand side to keep clear of the traffic. There was a fresh breeze blowing across the bay from his left. He pulled his wheeled suitcase behind him and carried a rucksack containing two laptops on his back. At the top of the concrete slipway a few cars were formed a queue. On the other side was a small car park which was almost empty except for a long-wheelbase Landrover. Standing in front of it was Anastasia. She waved towards him.

The sun was setting behind the island as Jim walked across towards the Landrover. Quite suddenly the wind felt a little colder.

“Welcome to Eilean Banrigh! Did you have a reasonable journey?” she asked. “Please put your luggage in the back and then get in the front with me.”

Jim muttered something about it being a long journey, closed the back door, walked to the front and climbed up and seated himself on the passenger side. The interior was clean but Spartan. Anastasia joined him.

“Yes, it is a long way from Birmingham” she said, responding to his earlier comment. “You are probably tired.” You will sleep in the big house tonight. Tomorrow we will show you round the island, explain your duties and arrange for you to move into your cottage.”

“I didn’t expect to see you here” said Jim. “If it’s a long way from Birmingham, then it is even further from London”

Anastasia hesitated and seemed to glance upwards as if searching for a suitable response and then said “Yes, it’s a long journey, but we have become used to it. Naturally we try to limit the number of times we move to and fro.” With that, she started the engine and the rattle of the diesel inhibited further conversation.

On their journey, Anastasia pointed out a few landmarks but all Jim felt he could do was acknowledge what he was being told.

 (Part of the “Tyson” project: 3rd February 2017 – 325 words)

Arrival at the Island (3) – Ferry

(Another change of tack)

The ferry was not quite as Jim had been expecting. If he was honest with himself, he wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but this wasn’t it. It didn’t have a distinct front or back, or stem and stern. Instead, both ends of were ramps which could be lowered. Along one side there was a cabin in which passengers could shelter. There were only a few cars and vans an most of their drivers stayed in their vehicles. Jim noticed that they all seemed to know the crew.

The loading ramp was raised and the ferry set off with a lurch. The sound of the diesel engine was noticeable in the cabin. Jim was approached by a young woman wearing waterproofs and asked what ticket he wanted. Jim showed her a printed document he had been sent, she nodded, gave him a ticket and said that it would be charged to the company’s account. She asked if Jim knew where he was going on the far side, because it was “a canny walk and the weather’s not good”. Jim said that he had been told that he was being met at the ferry slip. She said that in that case it would almost certainly be a green Landrover. Jim thanked her and continued looking out of the window.

There was a swell on the sea and the beginnings of white-horses on the wave tops. From time to time the ferry would give a lurch in response to the waves. The sky was grey and clouded over and droplets of rain or spray ran down the outside of the window. Jim could see the island getting closer. The seemed to be entering a small bay but Jim could not look directly ahead.

Suddenly there was a change in the diesel note and a new sound which Jim associated with the loading ramp being lowered. They had arrived!

 (Part of the “Tyson” project: 2nd February 2017 – 385 words)

Arrival at the Island (2) – Retrospective (2)

The contents of the envelope were a surprise, several surprises really. The main thing was an offer of a job for Medinger and Litvenyenko. He had needed to review the amount they offering him several times before he convinced himself that he had understood it correctly. They were offering him almost twice what he had been expecting, and they said that “for practical reasons” they would provide him with accommodation and food while he was on the island. They had also included railway and bus tickets and travelling instructions. This was extraordinary. They seemed extraordinarily keen to have him, and he still felt that he didn’t understand exactly what it was they wanted him to do, except that “he had demonstrated his suitability”.

One reservation he had about the whole thing was the remoteness of the work location. He had looked up Eilean Banrigh first in an atlas, he hadn’t found it, and then on Google which had found it, but confirmed that it was remote. If it was necessary for him to work there, then he could understand why they felt that they needed to provide accommodation.

The other reservation was that he needed to depart the day after tomorrow. Not much time to set things in order for several weeks away from home. Still, the pay being offered was extremely good and he had nothing to tie himself to where he was living, not even a pet cat!

So, after a long railway journey to Glasgow, and a long coach trip he had arrived at a tiny village post-office cum shop. His instructions had said that he was to ask at the shop about a transfer to the ferry, and to say that the shop was to charge it to the Medinger account. He had been surprised when the shopkeeper had asked him to wait and had then delegated his wife, a taciturn little woman, to drive him over a mile through the sand dunes and coarse grasses to “the ferry terminal”. The ferry terminal turned out to be a car park and a shelter in the middle of nowhere. His driver had told him that he had half-an-hour to wait for the ferry and had suggested that he use the tearoom, which had been built with the intention of “fleecing the tourists”.

 (Part of the “Tyson” project: 1st February 2017 – 385 words)