Chapters Twenty-Two – Nick shoots, with Archie to the rescue

Chapter 22

Nick returns from a photo-shoot to find that he has only 3 days to provide a portfolio of photos for the Village Fete. So, early one Sunday morning Nick ventures out, with Murphy in tow, to take a series of local landscapes.

The photography is going well and he meets up with Archie who is out jogging. They walk on for a while until they come across...Herman, using illegal traps on a bird of prey near Moriarty’s massed pheasant pens. By now Blackie has become enamoured with Murphy and they go to greet one another but there is danger and Murphy saves Blackie from a hidden trap. Herman sees this and thinks that Murphy has attacked Blackie and is about to shoot Murphy. Archie barrels Herman to the ground distracting his shot and he is left with Herman's threat resounding in his ears.


3 pages : 1780 words

Chapter Six – Nick trespasses

Nick presses on with his camera at hand to snap landscapes and wildlife. He gets carried away by the availability of wonderful photography and he barely notices as the sky whitens and then snow starts to fall. He feels that he is losing his geographical bearings....and he comes face-to-face with a gamekeeper (Herman and his dog Blackie) with attitude and a gun.

Nick is told in stark terms that he is trespassing and he is directed home along the barrel of a shotgun. Nick trudges home as the snow begins to settle and fall more heavily.

As he reaches home, snowcovered and bedraggled, Nick meets Hughesy the postman who reveals the identity of Herman – gamekeeper to Marcus Moriarty, the local bigwig!

4 pages : 1070 words