The Chimes Of Big Ben
An Avalon Rising short story
The familiar sound of Big Ben rang out the hour. Two strong, booming chimes that could be heard across London.
Only one figure stood upon Westminster Bridge. His figure was mostly hidden by a black coat. He looked up at the remains of St Stephen's tower, remembering how it had looked new. He shook his head slowly.
"If only they had listened to me"
Glancing up and down, he turned and began to walk away from what had once been Westminster Palace. His gaze drifted across the river to the twisted remains of the Eye. His attention was brought back to the road as a flash of blue light from an approaching car caught his gaze. He sighed softly as it stopped in front of him, and two black uniformed men stepped out. Both pulled their long black truncheons and one began to tap his palm with it. The figure stopped, hands behind his back.
"Curfew's in force mate, you should be home, safe and sound in bed with yer missus" The one who spoke had jagged stripes on his shoulder. A sergeant then.
"Yeah, Curfew is mandatory, you know the punishment matey" The impatient junior officer poked the truncheon into the man's shoulder, triggering the taser tip. He smiled as he looked forward to seeing the man fall to the floor. His pleasure vanished as the figure merely cocked his head as blue sparks seemed to play over his body.
"I regret gentlemen, that no curfew has ever, nor will ever apply to me"
The sergeant raised his own taser, but his movement was too slow, for the figure had already twisted away. Both officers were stunned as their target seemed to vanish before their eyes.
The figure sent one hand, palm outward, into the sergeants chest, catapulting him back hard into his own cruiser. The armoured, kevlar reinforced door crumpled, and the bullet resistant glass shattered into a thousand tiny pebbles. Before the other officer could open his mouth, the figure backhanded him and sent him spinning over side of the bridge to the river below. The stranger smiled grimly to himself as he heard the splash. That river had long been polluted, and during these cold months, he wouldn't last long. He moved away, moving in the direction of Waterloo station.
The underground had been closed last year, by order of the new government. Too many insurgents. He paused at the door to the station, sealed by a magnetic locking clamp. He reached towards it, then paused.
"You may come out now Elaine, there is no-one here, other than us"
Another figure stepped out from the shadows. Elaine was small, even for her tender age of 12. Years of malnutrition had rendered her once pretty brown face taught and shrunken.
"I saw what you did, to the rozzers" Elaine looked up at her companion. Even in the shadows, she could see his brilliant green eyes, the pearl-white of his teeth and long flowing hair. She smiled.
"Did you child? Well, remember not to tell anyone, or else they may call thee liar"
She giggled "Why do you sometimes talk funny Mr Dragon?"
"I'm very old Elaine, people used to talk funny when I was little" Mr Dragon grinned, glad of the distraction as he passed a hand over the clamp. With a soft click, the light on the side turned from green to red. He pushed on the door and it opened immediately and he gently pushed Elaine into the blackness. He closed the door behind him, passing his hand over the door and nodded softly as he heard the lock re-engage. He took Elaine's hand and led her through the blackness.
"How come you can always see where you're going Mr Dragon?"
"Dragons can see in the dark Elaine" He chuckled softly, enjoying the thought of questions forming in Elaine's mind.
"Are you a dragon Mr Dragon?"
"No child, I'm just very old, and old people know things sometimes"
"You don't look old Mr Dragon"
Mr Dragon laughed softly and looked ahead. He pursed his lips and whistled loudly. At the whistle, a light appeared, then brightened. Ahead a man waved and Elaine ran ahead to hug her father.
"What do you say Elaine?" Her father smiled down at her.
"Thank you for walking me home Mr Dragon" With that, Elaine ran down the platform onto the tube train that had been stopped here. Curtains hung over the windows.
"Thank you Taliesin, I'm glad you found her" Her father nodded slowly. "Was there any trouble"
"A pair of blackshirts nearly had her, I had to get their attention"
"I'll bet, Did they remind you about the curfew?"
Taliesin, Mr Dragon to the children, nodded and both men walked towards the fire that burned in an old oil drum.
"Two years of this Tal, When can we leave here?"
“Soon I hope Mark, The army is ready, they just need a break in the weather to cross the channel”
“Is it true that they invaded France once?”
“Aye, that’s true enough, a little over a hundred and fifty years ago now. We had to rescue the French, now they help rescue us.”
“ I still don’t understand why. The children keep asking how this happened”
“Gather them around the fire then, Telling stories is something I do well” Taliesin moved to a bench and waited as the handful of children gathered around, their parents with them. Most had heard Taliesin tell stories before,, but it was always something to listen to.
And so, Taliesin, told the story of The Fall, how terrorist bombs, and scientists germs had begun it, how planes, laden with bombs had attacked London in The Night Of Fire, and how Taliesin,had rescued the Queen.
By the time he had finished, the children had fallen asleep, and their parents eyes shone with excitement.
Taliesin stood and walked up the stairs to the station proper, He looked up at the moon, and remembered everything. He remembered the buildings of London as they were under the Romans, under the French, under the English and now under the boots of the fascists. He barely acknowledged Mark as the man joined him.
"Kath was saying, that there was once a Taliesin, a long time ago" Mark paused, then continued as Taliesin nodded "That he was a bard, and had something to do with Merlin. The things you can do, how you don't age, how you don't get hurt or sick. That's kinda like magic isn't it?"
"I suppose it is, isn't it?" And with that Taliesin, once called Myrddin or Merlin, looked back to the moon.
Lyndon Barry - February 2010