The Billionaire's Possession (Voted Best Reads for Cats)

Chapter 35/London Underground

or We not possessed by the devil were are Americans

We had been fortunate, after drifting around for a few minutes we walked towards the Tower of London ( it still looked like a castle to me but I'm not English).

"you know just being around you smart people really seems to be rubbing off" so Harvey "here I am in a foreign country and it's like I can understand everything they say. I can even read stuff."

"This is England," I said.

"I know," said Harvey "It's fantastic that so many of them speak English."

We managed to find that a number 15 bus went all the way to 'Aldwych' or at least that's what the bus stop said. We got onto the bus and then spend the next 10 minutes talking to the conductor.

"We want to go to err Aldy -ch" Marta said wondering about what word that group of letters pronounced.

"Never heard of it and why don't you sit down plenty of seats" said the conductor.

"Al - da- yich" tried Sam. It sounded faintly Arabic when her said it.

The conductor shook his head.

"Aldy church?" I said guessing the ending ch stood for church the way Kings X meant Kings cross.

At this point, more people got on and our attention was taken by this massive cathedral which someone had left in the middle of the road.

"A one dwichy" said Harvey.

"No" said the conductor.

We carried on.

"okay how do you pronounce this word," said Marta pointing at a stop map just above the Window.

The conductor looked "yeah I've always wondered myself" the conductor admitted.

"Ald - witch, it's also called the strand." said another passenger.

"Oh" we said collectively.

"Now far is it ?" I asked.

"not far we have only just passed it" said the conductor.

The bus had come to a stop and the absence of the door meant that we all ran out pretty quickly. It wasn't difficult to find and narrow red tiled building with a large folding Metal Gate.

****

'The London Underground' read a sign above the entrance. Followed by another  in small writing 'still not a terrorist movement. Since 1850'.

Walked into the station there was smart ticket barrier with a ticket to guard standing

It. We looked around there was a machine gate. I tried walking up to the guard and asking  to let us walk passed. The guard shook his head and pointed out the hole where tickets were inserted to open the gate. 

To the side, there seemed to be a ticket machine which to let people select the destination and then get a ticket. It sat there glowing under a thick layer of dust. I guess after the virus people couldn't operate machines like this.

"All we need is a ticket each to go somewhere," I said to the others. 

Sam selected another station randomly.

"let's go to King's Cross," he said.

"Good idea," said Marta. "that way if we can't find labyrinth at least we can catch the train to Hogwarts." 

Sam, pressed the ticket button.

A message lit up 'you cannot reach that station from this one' said the software.

"Let's try Paddington Station", said Sam.

"Home of Paddington Bear," said Marta.

A message lit up 'you cannot reach that station from this one' said the software.

"Is there no station in London without a major children's book associated with?" Ask Harvey.

"Euston station," I said as a suggestion for a new button to try. As far as I could tell the station was on a large loop called the Metropolitan line. 

"Given the availability of Euston station in English literature, I might claim it. Does anybody want to invest in me to write a book partly set in Euston station? Is about a young bear from Peru who discovers he has magical powers,"

A message lit up 'you cannot reach that station from this one' said the software 

"Me, have a go I said" taking over. Trying more stations each one gave the same rejection note.

We tried asking the guard and he told us to use the ticket office but the ticket office was shut. I look back at the ticket machine.

"I think I'm having one of my classic moments of clarity," I told Marta.

"Youz people seem awful smart," said the guard "you're not possessed by the devil are you?"

"Us ? no" said Sam "We are not possessed by the devil. we are Americans. Couldn't you help us?

"And to think I voted to leave the Internet so I wouldn't be asked these questions. My job is customer assistance, I'm not here to help you." said the guard.

"but you can get  through the gate can't you?" said Marta.

"Yes obviously, it happened this morning, someone walked through" said the guard.

"If this station doesn't go anywhere perhaps it goes to its self" I told Marta. Pressing a button for Aldwych station the familiar no-can-do sign did not appear and a ticket emerged.

"It worked!" I said.

It didn't take me long to buy everyone a ticket.

Tickets in hand we put those gates and walked through an open elevator. We got to press the button the door shut together with all the reluctance of a six year old leaving disneyland and then began to shudder and descend.

In the elevator were some out of date posters advertising Cats and Phantom of the Opera along with was a sign 'Please do not obstuct the door'.

"Don't abduct the door?" Said Havey "why would someone want to kidnap a door? Is it  like seven bridges for seven brothers but for doors or something?" 

"Obstruct - it means block" I said. 

 Door is opened and we were in underground space the walls where curved and tiled. It was dusty and dirty and the place clearly hadn't been cleaned since the 1930s.

"Hold it right there," said a voice. Five men with machine guns stood in front us.

"Go up, go up," said Harvey pressing the elevator button.

Just then the elevator doors behind us open to show more people with guns. One of the men from the front put his foot to stop the elevator door from closing.

"Hey" said Harvey " don't you see the sign it says 'Please do not obstruct the door'" 

We were trapped. I put my hands up. 

The men pointed their guns nervously at us. They twitched like Finches moving the target of the gun from one to another. 

"It's okay, I know one of them," said a familiar voice. My heart lit up. 

****

Hi Guys, another wonderful week with B.P now tripping it's way up to number #25 and back - not not that we live for ratings or anything. Sorry there was only one chapter this week it's delicious not quite cliffhanger ending and it gives RK a chance to put up a couple of more chapters on his Childrens Book Lord Beardsmore.  We send a world full of love out to everyone one who had read/voted/commented for B.P.  See you next week for the beginning of a rocket ride -helmets on its going to get crazy.