The Fate of Thomas P Kanne

Brian Jacques

This story was first published in the STORYCUTS series by RHCB Digital 2011

Taken from the collection Seven Strange and Ghostly Tales.

Brian Jacques has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work

This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

Contents

Cover

The Fate of Thomas P Kanne

Backmatter

We hope you enjoyed this story. If you want to read more stories by Brian Jacques, try his other contributions to the Storycuts series such as

RSB Limited 9781448120116

The Sad History of Gilly Bodkin 9781448120147

Allie/Alma / Bridgey 9781448120093

Alternatively, read the original parent collection, Seven Strange and Ghostly Tales 9780099879701.

The Fate of Thomas P Kanne

This is a cautionary tale, young folk,

and must not be treated as a joke.

Let us then draw up a treaty

against all those who like graffiti.

Each pencil mark, each can of spray,

so difficult to wipe away;

each vandal going through ‘a phase’

that some poor cleaner must erase;

I beg you, shun the felt-tipped pen,

for when a wall’s defaced, what then?

Do you seriously think society will say,

‘How wonderful! How marvellous! Joey Rools Okay.’

Why must the scribblers leave their marks for all to see,

thinking perhaps to gain themselves fame eternally?

Put aside that marker! Start a clean new slate –

and keep it clean, or you may share

the following scribbler’s fate!

IT WAS A quiet, grey Tuesday toward the end of the Christmas holidays. Turkeys had been devoured, gifts exchanged, and the festive season had tailed away into mundane January. Parents swept the last of the Christmas tree pine needles out of the carpet, whilst vowing to start dieting. As for the children, they were complaining that the batteries in their new toys had run out. Everybody was disgruntled, disillusioned and disappointed with the whole process of Yuletide. The fun, laughter and fairy lights would not return for nearly a whole long year.

None of this ever bothered Mr Bausin, going about the same daily ritual he performed in his timeless world of Middlechester Museum: unlocking the great doors, checking the central heating gauges, switching the automatic alarm system back and forth to test it, and tidying the rows of brightly coloured pamphlets and folders on the information desk. Christmases came and went, they were none of his business –