Taken hostage

When Julie went to buy her weekly magazine, she found herself in a real-life story!

It was the most ordinary of ordinary days I really can' t overstate that.

I' d dragged myself out of bed at the sound of the alarm, as per usual, grabbed a bowl of cornflakes and jumped in the shower.

The radio news was playing in the background, but I was only half-listening the retail economy was a worry, I think they said, some big football team had lost an important game and a prisoner had escaped from HMP Marshlands.

I keep saying I' m going to follow the news properly, like a real grown-up, but today wasn' t the day I started I was more concerned with curling my eyelashes, to tell the truth.

As I pulled the front door closed behind me, I was cheered by the thought that it was Thursday, meaning I' d pick up my magazine at the newsagent' s. I always looked forward to the beauty news, real-life stories and fiction. It was a high point in my week. Hello, Julie.'

It was Miss Entricon, already outside, though it was barely light, apparently polishing her wheelie bin. When I' m old, and don' t have to get up for work any more, I' m going to lie in bed until at least 10 o' clock every day. Why wouldn' t you?

Good morning, Miss E,' I replied. Sorry I can' t stop and chat I' m going to have to get a move on, if I want to make it to work on time!'

I checked my watch as I pushed open the newsagent' s door I had only 10 minutes to pick up my magazine, pay and hurry off to work. I should just be able to do it.

Perhaps if I' d been looking in front of me, instead of at my wrist, I would have noticed that something strange was happening inside the shop.

But I didn' t spot a thing. Until it was too late.

Stop!' a man' s voice shouted at me, as I pushed through the door.

I jumped in surprise.

Put your hands up!' the voice continued.

I looked ahead of me and saw Lewis and Mary, who ran the shop, sitting on the floor behind a tall man in a long coat.

The man was pointing a gun at them, but speaking to me.

It' s all right,' I said, trying to stay calm. Just tell me what to do and I' ll do it.'

You, Baldy,' the man said, presumably addressing

Lewis, who was certainly follicly challenged. Give this one the keys to lock the front door.'

They' re behind the counter,' Lewis replied, looking rattled.

Then go and get them, but no funny business. Just

remember I' ve got this thing pointed at your Missus.'

Lewis fetched me the keys and I took them with a shaking hand.

Now go and lock the door,' the man ordered. Three of you is already a crowd. I don' t want a whole zoo in here.'

I was nervous of turning my back to him, but what else could I do? I walked to the door and put the key in the lock.

`And switch the sign to Closed,' the man added.

As I lifted the sign, I caught sight of Marvin, another regular, through the glass, with his hearing dog, Molly

Marvin is deaf, which is one of the reasons he reads a daily newspaper cover to cover.

He looked bewildered, as well he might, as I carefully turned the Open sign to Closed at 10 minutes to nine in the morning.

What' s keeping you?' the man with the gun snapped. Come back here and sit down with this pair.'

I did as I was told.

`All right,' the man said. Now I want you to take off all your clothes.'

I was gobsmacked. Being held at gunpoint was scary, but being ordered to strip¼?

Not you, stupid,' the man said, seeing my dismay. I' m talking to Baldy here.'

The man opened his long coat, to reveal a grey jersey tracksuit.

I need to get out of these. We' ll swap.'

Mary gasped. It' s you!

You' re him! The escaped prisoner from HMP Marshlands. We heard about it on the news.'

I felt myself gulp. This was a bad man, for sure.

Come on. Faster. Give me those trousers. And what size are your shoes?'

The man was having some difficulty keeping the gun pointed anywhere in particular as he tugged off his tracksuit and pulled on Lewis' s clothes.

But none of the three of us dared to try and snatch it I suppose we didn' t want to risk making a bad situation worse.

Now I need cash. All of it,' the man said. Open the till.'

No, we won' t,' Mary piped up. Why should we give our money to you? We work hard for it.'

The man pointed the gun at Lewis' s head.

We can do this the easy way, or the hard way,' he said, slowly. It doesn' t much matter to me which, but I am going to have that cash.'

Let him take it, Mary,' I urged her. It' s only money, after all.'

Listen to the girl,' the man advised her. She' s talking sense.'

There isn' t that much in the till,' Lewis warned him. That' s not our fault it' s still early.'

I' ll take what you have,' the man answered. And a cup of coffee. It smells good.'

I understood that much, at least. Lewis and Mary had recently started doing coffee to go, and having a cup is my Friday treat. The whole shop smells pleasantly of the coffee aroma all the time and it' s hard to resist.

Let' s all have a coffee,' I suggested, brightly. If we must go through this ordeal together, then we can at least try to be civilised.'

I didn' t expect our captor to agree, but perhaps after a long night dodging the authorities, he was relieved to have found somewhere

So there we are one outlaw and his three hostages sipping coffees and munching our Kit-Kats

warm, dry and unthreatening to relax for a few moments.

All right, pour four coffees,' he told Mary. And get us four Kit-Kats. Your hubby can clean out the till for me.'

The couple did as he said, and soon the man was stuffing bundles of notes into the inside pocket of his coat.

The coffee was piping hot, and I saw a look pass over Mary' s face she was considering tipping it over him, hoping to scald him and grab his gun, I suspected.

In the end, though, she was too reluctant, which I thought was wise we didn' t know what he might do if he panicked.

So there we were one outlaw and his three hostages sipping our coffees and munching our Kit-Kats, because even crime needs a break sometimes, and who can resist freshlybrewed coffee and chocolate, when the sound of a helicopter came overhead.

The man looked up instinctively, as if he' d be able to see it through the roof.

His eyes darted about he was anxious.

Did someone tell that I was here?' he demanded.

What?' I replied. How could we? You' ve been right here with us the whole time.'

But I had told. I' d mouthed the words to Marvin through the glass door when I' d been turning the Open sign. I' d said:

Help! The escaped prisoner is in here and he has a gun! Get the police.' I knew that Marvin, being deaf, could read my lips.

Of course, blowing the whistle was possibly more dangerous for us than simply letting the man take what he wanted and slip away, but I felt it was my duty to try to help the police catch him. Who knew what else he and that gun might do, if he remained

on the loose?

In doing so, I' d put Mary and Lewis at risk, though, so I was determined to get them out of this safely.

Suddenly, there was a voice on a loud-hailer. The police were outside.

They called the man Thomas and said they knew he was here, the building was surrounded, he couldn' t possibly escape and they wanted him to give himself up.

But first, they asked that he release his captives.

How did they know I was here?' he growled.

Perhaps you were spotted on CCTV,' I suggested. There are a lot of cameras in this town.'

He seemed to accept this and I felt relieved that at least he hadn' t taken against us.

What will you do?' I asked him.

I don' t know. I need to think,' Thomas replied. But it' s hard to concentrate with the racket of that whirlybird in the sky.'

Maybe you could let Mary and Lewis go, anyhow,' I suggested. Look at them, they' re old sorry, my friends, but you are. You could still keep me, if you want to hold on to a bargaining chip.'

Thomas looked at the couple. Mary was ashen.

She can leave,' he murmured. But you other two stay with me.'

I' m not going anywhere without Lewis,' Mary objected, her voice quavering.

Suit yourself,' Thomas said.

You must go,' I told her. It would give Lewis some peace of mind to know that you were safe, at least.'

Please. Do as she says, love,' Lewis agreed.

On your feet,' Thomas commanded her. Now you.' He looked at me. Unlock the door and let her out. But don' t dare try to make a run for it if you care what happens to Baldy.'

I had no intention of running. I did as I was told.

Back in the corner of the shop, huddled on the floor with Lewis, and still at gunpoint, I heard Lewis' s mobile start to ring.

Answer it,' Thomas said. Your wife will have given the police your number. They' ll want to speak to me.'

He was right. Thomas turned Lewis' s mobile to speaker-phone.

The police negotiator was called Matt and he urged Thomas to think again. He reminded him of how little of his original sentence remained and he gave Thomas his personal assurance that, if he released his hostages unharmed, then he, Matt, would do all that he could to see that Thomas was given the minimum additional sentence.

He would say that,' Thomas carped.

I understand that your marriage recently broke down,' Matt continued. And that' s devastating news, of course. Enough to drive a man to do something stupid. But you' re not stupid, Thomas. And I have a bit of good news for you, on the family front. She wanted to tell you herself, but then this happened it' s Hayley, your daughter¼'

I saw Thomas' s eyes grow frightened.

Hayley! What is it? What' s happened?'

I told you it was good news she' s getting married.'

For a moment, Thomas' s expression was unreadable. Then he switched off the speaker-phone function and threw Lewis' s mobile across the room.

I take it you' re not impressed,' I said.

Apple of my eye, Hayley,' Thomas replied, and I thought I could see the bright sparkle of almosttears.

So aren' t you happy for her, that she' s found someone she loves, and who loves her?'

You don' t know what it' s like. He' ll take her away from me. If I go back inside, I can' t keep her close. She' ll forget about me.'

I doubt that very much,' I answered, thinking I was highly unlikely to forget Thomas in a hurry, and I' d only just met him. And think about it what happens when two young people marry? What' s the very next chapter of the story?'

Dunno.'

They start a family, of course! You' ll be a grandad! And that' s when kids come running back to their parents, isn' t it? When they' re worried about colic, or if the baby is gaining enough weight, or because they' re desperate for a night out, or a night' s sleep.'

Was that a slight smile, playing on Thomas' s lips?

If you stop this fiasco now, give yourself up and settle down to serve your remaining time, just think

you' ll be out and about and able to play football with your little grandchild in the park.'

What if it' s a girl?'

Girls can play football, too.'

T hey knew he was here, the building was surrounded,and he couldnÕ t possibly escape

Hello, Julie.'

Good evening, Miss Entricon. You' ve managed to get quite a shine on that wheelie bin.'

Had a nice day?'

It was a bit different, actually.'

Oh, yes, it' s Thursday. The day you get your nice magazine.'

Despite all the fuss, I hadn' t forgotten to pick up my copy. Only this time, I wasn' t merely going to read about other people' s true-life adventures I was going to look for the address and send in my own story of how I was taken hostage by an escaped prisoner and lived to tell the tale.

It had started off as the most ordinary of days, but had quickly become absolutely extraordinary!