Turner - The Last Day

THE LAST DAY

By

A.B. Turner

Contents

COPYRIGHT

PROLOGUE

It ha d been late afternoon when Id driven into the city, even though the roads were jammed as always, I hadnt cared because everywhere I looked was bathed in that special kind of light. I somehow remembered, someone once told me, photographers called this time of day the golden hour. As my car inched along, I looked out of the window at the tree-lined streets and it felt like every single leaf had a glow about it, like the sun was trying to show me, there was still some genuine beauty in the world. As I got nearer to the city centre, the trees were fewer and now the pavements were crowded with countless chairs and tables outside the cafes and bars, either side of the road. Any other time, I might have stopped, but not today. Traffic was heavier now, so I had more than enough time to watch the people rapidly gathering at the once empty tables, I could see their smiles, hear their laughter, watch them squeal with delight as they met friends. I had once known what that was like, that life. The excitement of getting ready to go out, the butterfly in the stomach feeling, as you anticipated who might be there or, even who you might go home with at the end of the evening. It didnt feel as if that had been a long time ago at all, yet here I was alone, and I couldnt really remember how that had happened.

When Id finally made it into the city, the sun was starting to set but I could still feel it s warmth on my arm which rested on the window sill. I had been lucky to find somewhere to park and after the long drive, it felt so good just to be able to switch off the ignition and rest my head back on the seat. I closed my eyes, the feeling of the sun on my face and the gentle breeze, suddenly took my mind back to the farm. All those long, hot, endless Summer days, Cal and I had played out in the fields, too many times, I was sure Id lost him in the long grass and Id start to panic, only to find him watching a line of ants walking along the path, or sprawled out on his back, staring up at the sky. I remembered lying next to him and together we gazed up and waited for a rare cloud to pass,

What does that one look like? I had asked him, glancing across at his little round face, which would be all screwed up with thought.

A turtle, he answered solemnly, I groaned with dismay,

That looks nothing like a turtle, how can you even say that?

I heard him chuckle,

Because it looks like you.

I flipped over but he was already standing up,

Come on turtle, see if you can catch me, he yelled as he set off across the field. I leapt up and chased after him, the long blades of grass almost stinging my bare legs, but I didnt care, even then, I had loved the feeling of just running. On that particular afternoon, I had found him by the high fence, he was standing on the bottom rung and staring at the large bull who lived in that field. Mum had told us a thousand times not to go near it,

Hes got a temper that one, so dont either of you ever go in there with him, do you hear me?

We always nodded, I couldnt speak for Cal, but whenever we reached the fence, I had a real temptation to hop over and see if I could get from one side to the other. I couldnt explain why I felt this way, but as we stood there, on that afternoon, I began trying to work out how far it was to the other side of his field.

He looks mean, said Cal, I could tell Mums warning was high up in his young mind, just from the tone of his little voice, I wonder if anyone gets to go near him.

Uncle Jim does, Cal, you know that, he looks after all the animals here, I replied, I heard him sigh,

Uncle Jim is a big man, I dont think hes scared of anything, certainly not a mean old bull.

For a few minutes, we watched the bull munching on the grass, it didnt seem to have even noticed we were there, but I guessed we were just two small kids, so hardly no reason to get excited. Cal turned to me,

Are you scared?

I shook my head,

No way, I answered firmly, Cal cocked his head to one side and looked at me quizzically,

Really? Not even a little bit?

Not even the tiniest bit..in fact, I might go into his field right now and tell him Im not scared.

Cal grabbed my arm, his large blue eyes now filled with concern,

No! You mustnt, you know what Mum says.

To this day, I dont know what came over me, it was some kind of rush to my head, a flood of a boldness I had always known was there and yet, in that moment, took me over. Before even I knew what was happening, I was on the top rung of the fence and climbing over it, I glanced down at Cal,

Watch me, Cal, I will show you I am braver than anyone, even Mum..even Uncle Jim.

I could see he wanted to speak, he wanted to stop me but it was too late, I was now on the wrong side of that fence and it was just me and the bull. I paused briefly, he had looked big from a distance but now there was nothing between us, he looked enormous but even though I could feel a tiny knot of fear in the pit of my stomach, I couldnt turn back. I gingerly climbed down the last rung and landed softly on the ground, the bull still didnt obviously acknowledge me, his huge head was deep into the long grass. I could feel my heart starting to pound in my chest as I looked across the field to the iron gate on the far side,

Its not that far, I whispered to myself, I looked back at Cal and grinned with a bravado I wasnt really feeling,

Lets see who the turtle is now, I said, he didnt answer, I dont think he knew what to say.

I took a deep breath and then took off across the field, I was running so fast it felt like I was flying, the heady mixture of blind fear and total exhilaration made me feel almost invincible. As the gate got nearer, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the joy of knowing I was going to make it and before that stupid old bull had even moved. I looked back to wave to Cal, it was then I realised the animal had noticed me, it was staring straight at me and starting to walk. I quickly turned back to the gate and ran faster, but it was behind me now, the ground seemed to shake as it thundered behind me, I was sure I could feel it s hot breath on my back,

Hes gonna get you, Cal screamed.

I could feel my legs starting to tire, it was harder to breathe, and my heart was about to leap out of my chest, but I couldnt stop running. I only had a little way to go now, I could almost touch the gate but then, I tripped, Cal screamed again. As I fell, it was like everything was happening in slow motion, the hulking bull was just about to stamp on me, when I suddenly felt a strong arm around my waist, scooping me up and almost flinging me over the gate.