Heart Of The Matter
I Recall, His Collectables
"Memorial Fountain, Dunblane".
This is a true account of the most chilling encounter of my life
I was silent,
As I looked evil in the face,
Insignificant,
Was this man,
His behaviour strange,
Eye contact brief,
Fleeting and furtive,
Chilling,
I remained silent,
I recall his décor,
I recall the chintz,
The drapes, closed tight,
The sofa, the lamps,
All prettied with roses,
Strange décor, I recall
For a middle aged bachelor's pad,
I recall his collectables,
Proudly displayed,
In mahogany cabinets,
Photographs …
All young boys,
Wearing gym kits,
And guarded smiles,
Too many young boys,
Too many to count,
Yes, I recall his collectables,
I recall my unease,
My need to escape,
As I sat on his chintz sofa,
My friend sat next to me,
As he left the room,
Closed us in,
Left us there …..
And still, I am silent,
I look at my friend,
She too, is alarmed,
She too, is silent,
Looks exchanged,
In non verbal communication,
It is time for us to leave,
The door opens slowly,
And slowly, it closes,
He has a camera to sell,
One of many he possesses,
All pristine in boxes,
Proof of purchase, attached,
All legal, all above board,
They agree a price,
The deal is done,
Pleasantries exchanged,
And, at last, we leave …
I recall stepping into warm sunshine,
I recall the chill on my spine,
Both of us still silent,
And anything, but fine,
We had come face to face, with evil,
But didn't know it,
At the time,
Time passed and some months later,
A community was rocked,
A massacre so murderous,
The whole wide world was shocked,
This man, so insignificant,
Went down in history,
On the thirteenth of March, 1996,
He drove to Dunblane,
And massacred 16 children,
And their teacher …
Yes, I recall his collectables,
And the evil in his eyes.
Linda Harnett, ©2007
My friend who shared this experience with me, was a policewoman and called to have him checked out. She was suspicious about the amount of camera equipment he had, all as new. Her call was logged and following the massacre we were contacted by Police to give a statement about him, I remember the horror I felt when I saw his picture in the papers and on the news….. I shall never forget that, nor him.
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I Recall, His Collectables
I Recall, His Collectables