Goodbye, Father
Standing in the doorway, Polly was stricken with terror at the sight of the henchmen. Determined not to let these bad men harass the children anymore, Polly felt the adrenaline soar through her veins. She let out a deep roaring scream and thrust all of her weight into the brute. By sheer will of her determination and of the surprise unexpected assault, the man was forced backwards. He struck the railings and toppled over, striking the surface of the water like a wall, sinking to its depths.
Polly nervously turned to the other men who towered over her with their clubs in hand. They smiled wickedly as they leaned in closer to their prey. She fell backwards and tried to crawl but found herself pushed against the rails.
"Pretty little thing causing all this trouble," one said.
The other extended a hand to grab her. "She'll pay for what she did to poor Burt."
Polly raised her arm to protect herself but lowered it slightly as a glimpse of a figure behind the two men appeared. It eased her terror a little.
Her father smiled back at her and immediately grabbed the unfortunate man. Lifting him up with ease against his protests, he raised him up high and flung him sideways into the river.
The third man, terrified and confused, turned to run down the gangway. Geoff followed swiftly and struck him down between the large crates on the dock. There was no one left to prevent them from rescuing the children now.
Seeing it was now safe, Polly opened the door and signalled for the boys to come out onto the deck. They gasped in horror as they stepped out onto the deck and saw a transparent figure hover towards Polly.
She turned to face the spirit again, "Have we done it? That foul man, Mallory spoke of having more than sixteen."
"There are no more," Geoff replied coarsely. "You have done it, Poll."
"Then your business here has finished, Father. Now is the time to say goodbye. Please, be free, before Henry comes back with his stick."
"The doctor is in grave peril. Find him before it is too late. I will wait." Mr Alexander moved aside to allow Polly through.
"Thank you, Father," she said softly and marched down the bridge, quickening her pace as she reached the bottom and placed her grateful feet back on the firm ground of the dock. "I will not let you down."
Henry had watched some of the commotion on the ship, in the short seconds he was able to avoid the onslaught of Bill. He was battered, bruised and worn out, having narrowly missed out on a snapped neck under Bill's grip. Down to luck, maybe, but Bill released his grip when he thought he saw a ghost hovering around them. It gave Henry enough time to snatch up a brick and strike the great mass across the temple, dazing him enough to escape.
Hiding behind a large rum barrel, Henry gave himself enough time to check himself over. He was disappointed that the lenses of his goggles were broken. Luckily I made spares, he thought. His rod was still in one piece, slightly bent, but nothing a good hammer could not fix. He felt down his sides and was horrified to find his belt with his bottles was not attached to him. He must have lost it in their earlier scuffle. He poked his head up from the barrel to see if it was in sight in any place.
"Found you, Worm," came Bill's voice. He immediately grabbed Henry and lifted him up into the air. A smile crept across his face as he spun slightly and threw Henry into a pile of crates, smashing them with the impact.
Henry coughed up a small amount of blood as he pushed planks of wood off himself and struggled to his feet, clutching his arm. "I don't think I have enough opium to recover from this in the morning."
"I will solve that problem for you," Bill laughed.
"It's quite alright, sir. Maybe you check on your own frien-" Henry started before Bill had grabbed him by his collar in both hands and raised him up again. "Or not," Henry muttered.
"Say goodbye, mister."
"Doctor, please."
"Doctor," Bill nodded. "Goodbye." He was about to launch Henry across the dock again but suddenly stopped when he felt a smack across the back of his neck. He loosed his grip on Henry and reached around to feel what had hit him. He found a shard of glass stuck into his skin, he pulled it and examined it. It was covered in a mixture of his blood and a lubricant of some kind.
"Clear oil," Henry pointed out after seeing the puzzled look on Bill's face.
Bill dropped Henry and turned to face whoever had the cowardly nerve to attack him from behind.
Henry spotted Polly first. She stood forty feet or so away, holding his belt in one hand and a glass bottle in the other. He examined the shape of the bottle Polly held and his eyes widened, he knew what was going to come next so he crawled away from Bill without the big guy noticing.
"You stupid whore!" Bill yelled furiously. He made a start towards her.
"This is for Geoff Alexander! My father!" Polly screamed back before throwing the bottle with all her strength at Bill's chest. It exploded on impact, tossing her backwards into a row of barrels.
Polly was laid on her back, unwilling to move. She felt dazed and lost all sense of where she was. Her body was numb and it seemed she could only move her eyes.
"That was quite an impact," remarked Henry, crawling up to her. "Maybe should have stepped backwards when he got closer to you."
"Wha-what ha-happened?" Polly mumbled. She could feel the pain starting across her body.
"You saved my life, Polly. Took quite a hit, but you look all in one piece. I could kiss you." Henry said enthusiastically.
Polly turned her head slightly, "Please don't, Doctor." Her words sounding clearer.
"Just Henry, please," he placed her hand in his. "And I won't. I will just need to check you over and make sure nothing is broken."
"I think my sanity was lost over there somewhere by the liquid dynamite," Polly feebly held up a finger while grinning a little. "Did Bill?"
"No," replied Henry before she could say anymore. He glanced around the area to see bits of the gigantic man surrounding them. He hoped Polly would not see them just yet.
After examining her joints and ribs, Henry was pleased to confirm nothing was broken. He offered an outstretched arm to assist in helping her up. She breathed heavily and held there hand to her chest.
You'll be quite alright soon. Give it a few minutes," Henry stated.
"I don't have a few minutes," Polly gasped. "My father..." She turned to face the ship, all the children were still lined up on the deck looking out at them.
Polly collected herself and made for the ship. She stepped on something slimy and almost slipped. She recoiled backwards then looked about herself.
Before she could say anything, Henry stepped beside her and spoke softly. "Will it help if I say it's fish?"
Polly stiffened as she took in the surrounding red patches and lumps of flesh. A severed hand holding a shard of glass caught her attention. "It's Bill, isn't it?" She tried to sound casual.
"Yes it is, are you quite alright?" Henry asked, he watched the appalled expression on her face.
"Did he have to die like that?" Polly asked.
"It was your work."
That was too much for Polly, she keeled over and brought up a small amount of phlegm and vomit.
"Just your body recovering from the shock of the impact," Henry stated.
"Do shut up, Henry!" Polly snapped. "I'm fine now. Check on the little ones." She stood up again and began walking, with a limp, towards the ship. Not even acknowledging almost slipping again.
"At the least have a couple of mints," Henry said as he caught up to her and handed over a small bag of hard sweets.
"Thank you," she replied and took them gracefully.
They reached the ship and walked up the bridge to the children.
"Children, this is Dr Henry. He will get you all home," Polly said, resting a hand on the first child she reached
Henry smiled, "Come with me, little ones. I think we all need our bellies filled."
"What about Miss Polly?" The child asked.
"I will be with you soon, young man. I have unfinished business to settle beforehand," she replied with a comforting smile.
They applauded them both and followed Henry back down the gangway. He led them through the docks, avoiding the area where Bill now lay.
Polly watched them leave, she was aware that her father had reappeared behind her but felt it necessary to see they were finally safe. Finally, she turned to face him.
"You did it, Poll," he said softly in his rough voice.
"We did it, Father," she replied. "I don't know how this came to be, but you being here has really helped the lives of these children."
"It was you and that doctor."
"Henry?" Polly asked.
Geoff stared into the distance behind Polly where Henry and the children were last seen. "I do not like him, but he is a good man. Take care of him. I fear he needs someone like you to watch his back. Too many good people find the grave sooner than they should."
"I don't plan on making a habit of chasing spirits," Polly replied, "But I agree, his carelessness could get him killed one of these days."
Geoff's spirit started to glow brightly, "My work is complete. I love you, Poll."
Polly held out her arms and they embraced each other in a hug, "I love you too, Father." She let go of him. "If you find mother, please tell her I think of her everyday."
"I'm sure she already knows, I hope to see her again," Geoff's spirit grew even brighter then evaporated.
"Goodbye, Father," Polly whispered softly to the night sky. She stood there for a moment longer before leaving down the ramp herself.
The job really was complete. The children were safe and her father crossed over to the forever beyond. Polly could go back to her comfortable plain job at the postal office. She would not have to see any more ghosts or fight anymore corrupt men again, nor see the cracked Dr Henry Neville and be a part of his insane ventures. That last one required some thought, but she knew in her mind she had to do what was best for herself...
***
The Morning After
Having spent all night in a metropolitan police station giving statements and ensuring the safety of the children, Polly and Henry were finally allowed to leave. A good bed and a big breakfast weighed heavily on their thoughts. The police constable assured them that warrants for the arrests of Mr Picking and Mallory were being made and that the case will be dealt with and closed. They left happy, pleased with what they had achieved.
"What now then, Miss Polly?" Henry asked. He signalled for a hackney to stop and let them on.
"Thank you, Doctor," Polly said as she climbed into the carriage first. Having spent all night in a police station knowing what she had done for the children she now knew what it was she was born to do. "Now we get some rest and move on to your next case."
"I really insist on Henry," he climbed in next to her. "I thought you would be glad to see the end of this field of work."
"I can't unsee all that has transpired since yesterday. How can I live a normal life now?" Asked Polly.
Henry sighed, "Truth is, you can't. I certainly could use the back up, and someone who can handle the books. Very well, Miss Polly Alexander, will you accept an offer of employment, wage negotiable, in my service?" He grinned broadly.
Polly grinned in return, "Dr Henry Neville, I accept. Only because you need someone with a level head, and one who would take a bomb, to keep you out of trouble."
"You start today, welcome aboard. Tomorrow, I will show the office, and then we're off to see a dog about a dead man."
"You're a strange one, Henry. I hope I don't come to regret this," Polly laughed.
End of part one
***