Chapter 25 - Onwards and upwards

Albin looked proudly at his new car. He had now made lieutenant at work and with the rank came his own squad car.

True it looked slightly out of place in this medieval setting. He wouldn't have bought himself a  car for that reason. The squad car however was a testament to his hard work and success and he would drive it proudly to work every morning.

Albin was not only succeeding at work, but was also branching out at home. Laughing Bear had always been a dab hand at fixing items and Albin was now taking on this role. He was able to stop the washing machine from leaking water all over the floor.

Albin's second boss Anita had now left and he now worked for Malcolm Beech who was Claire's (Kwasi's old girlfriend) younger brother. It was strange having such a young boss but Albin took encouragement that with hard work and dedication he might reach the top sooner than he thought possible. His new partner was called Lydia Pearl and he found her easy to talk to and they were like old friends before he knew it.

Evelyn was learning her first few words, she would spend ages sitting chatting to her grandmother.

Little Feet was proud of her little grandchild and loved her dearly. She was surprised to find Evelyn playing with Sefu's old toy one day.

In fact the toy had disappeared when Sefu died and they had thought that he must have taken it on the school trip that claimed his life. Yet now here it was and Evelyn loved it. It made Little feet  feel uneasy. She had never liked the doll, she had never been able to discover who had given it to Sefu. Still what could she do? Albin would only laugh at her if she told him that she thought there was something creepy about it.

Albin wasn't the only one moving up in the world, Kwasi was now a fully qualified scientist. Maxwell Bech was no longer his boss, he now worked for Amelia Pond (mother to Gary, Melody and Cassandra). Other familiar faces had joined the lab including Sophie Beech who he flirted with at a party and Melody Pond whom Albin was took out on a series of disastrous dates

In fact there had been a big recruitment drive over the neighbourhood and many of their old school friends now had new jobs.

Cassandra Pond, the girlfriend of the late Sefu, was still at school but worked part time at the cemetery. She was also dating again. Kwasi had run into her on a visit to the art gallery.

Gary Pond had joined the Military and was currently cleaning toilets but hoped one day to be a soldier. Life after college had meant big changes. He had started seeing Claire Beech and she had fallen pregnant. It had been a shock to them both but Gary had proposed and they were now married and had their own little house that they were making ready for the baby's arrival. Claire had decided that she was interested in politics and gained an entry level job at the town hall.

Dean Lutz had become a self employed private detective and when he wasn't dressed for work in inconspicuous clothing, he liked to stand out and get noticed.

Life was moving on and Albin's generation were growing up and beginning their adult lives. Yet they had all stayed in the little town where they were born. As the older generation retired they were taking on the responsibilities and running their beloved town.