God Save The Queen Ch. 02

"Come, Doctor." said Charles Westbrook. "The truth is in these woods. We will show you the truth of Sigma radiation, and all of the theories you worked on. Come, join us, and know the truth."

Dr. Mickelson hesitated. The temptation of learning the truth of his work was tremendously strong. But he also felt the hopelessness that emanated from those woods, and he could sense the demon he had glimpsed at Point Hollow. But the truth was in there...

"Doctor, come with me." he heard a voice behind him say. He turned his head to see a lovely young blonde woman, wearing a frilly blue dress of a style common to the 1880s.

"Who are you?" Dr. Mickelson asked.

"I'm Nellie Blye Westbrook" the girl said. "The real Truth is on the other side of the Stream. Come, let's go there."

"NO!" shouted Charles Westbrook. "She is lying to you! She is trying to trick you! The truth is here, with The Slender Man, with us! You will never know the truth of your work if you do not come with us!"

Dr. Mickelson whispered "Nellie Blye... Carole told me your name. She said to go with you."

"Yes." Nellie Blye Westbrook said. "Shall we cross the Stream?"

"Yes." said Dr. Mickelson. He saw that his shirt was still pure white, and now his trousers were equally white.

As Nellie Blye took Dr. Mickelson's arm and led him to the Bridge, she looked back at the evil men, a look of triumph on her face. She didn't know why the Enemies that had cut short her life and damned her to Point Hollow for so long had wanted Dr. Mickelson. But with the help of the daughter of the Iron Crowbar, the man who had freed her soul, she had saved Dr. Mickelson from them.

The Slender Man's expressionless face remained so. Dr. Charles Westbrook looked upon them with unappeasable hatred on his face, helpless to do anything but watch as Nellie Blye led Dr. Mickelson onto the Bridge and over the Stream as the Light descended upon them...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Decades in the future...

Ottawa, Canada. It was a beautiful Canadian Spring day. The sun was shining and the skies were blue, and there was just enough breeze to keep everything cool.

I was wearing my Duty Dress uniform with 'boxes'. Molly was wearing her Police Chief's uniform as she sat next to me during the ceremony. U.S. Representative for the 1st District of our State Ian Troy also was present.

The ceremony began. As 'Oh Canada!' was played by the band, Molly saluted and Ian and I stood at respectful attention. Then we watched as Ross McAlister Troy was sworn in... as Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the highest position of that venerable institution!

I knew it was coming as I watched Ross grow up. He read voraciously about the Canadian and British militaries. Then he began studying the Canadian RCMPs. Neither Carole nor I knew exactly when he decided, but we knew he'd decided what he wanted to be when he grew up.

He and Jim were always close... except for that one bone of contention. Jim went to West Point, and began his military and CIA career. After graduating college, Ross had been accepted into the RCMP, and left for Canada.

Ross was first assigned to Alberta, then Vancouver. He quickly gained a reputation as an excellent Detective, and then a great one, and he worked his way up through the leadership Commissioned Officer ranks.

After Ross had solved a case of great complexity and tremendous national scope, some filthy journalist sneeringly wrote that he was 'the Iron Crowbar of the RCMP'. When I heard that, I sent my son a red crowbar. And while he could not and did not carry it around, there were enough photos taken of him with it in ceremonial settings that it became an unofficial badge of honor. The Power of the Crowbar was extended to the Great White North.

We did not get to see Ross very often. He met and married a female RCMP Corporal named Cathy, who was pretty and smart, a worthy wife. They had three children: a son, whom they named William Charles after Molly's father and Cathy's paternal grandfather; and twin girls, named Maggie and Anne, after Ross's and Cathy's grandmothers. They were now in their teen years, and it was the highlight of our trip to spend some time with them.

After the ceremony, all the Canadians sang 'God Save The King!. Then photos were taken. One that I would keep and display in my office was of Ross and me, clearly lookalike father and son, our hair color still exactly the same, and holding matching red crowbars.

At the reception afterwards, Ross introduced his Member-of-Congress brother to many Canadian Government officials, and his parents to many RCMP personnel and other Police. The Japanese Ambassador to Canada had attended, and was very deferential to me as we had a good conversation.

"Thanks for coming, Ian." Ross said as we got to his home after the day's activities. "I guess the others couldn't come." The disappointment in his voice could not be hidden.

I said "Carole's minding the TCPD store for me. There's some Swamp Frog crap going on, so we both couldn't come. She'll probably have it fixed and the perps in jail by the time I get back. And Tasha was assigned to preside over the huge Federal fraud case against BigBenefitInsurance, and it's going on now, so she couldn't come."

Tasha was a Federal Judge for the Southern District of our State, having succeeded Judge Ruth B. Taney, who had been appointed to the United States Supreme Court.

"And Jim's in Washington." Ian said. "He was just promoted to Brigadier General, and he's busy with some CIA stuff. Things are looking really bad in Eastern Europe."

"Same as ever." Ross said, then said diplomatically: "But yeah, I know he's really busy now." Even so, I think he knew, as Ian and I knew, that Jim could have come, if he had really wanted to. But this was Canada, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Jim had never respected his brother's decision to embrace his (Ross's) Canadian heritage...

Ian flew back to Washington, D.C., and a couple of days later, everyone took me to the airport to fly home. Molly was staying and visiting the grandkids for at least two more weeks.

I hugged everyone at the terminal. Ross was last. "Come give your old dad a hug, Ross." I said, beginning what had become between us a ritual as formalized as any samurai ceremonial.

"Dad, I'm too big and too old for you to hug." Ross said, but with a smile.

"Son," I said, "I don't care if you are the Lord High Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police--- oh, wait." Ross laughed and I said "You will never be too old or too big for your old dad to hug, and I will do so until the day I die." I gave my son a hug. "I love you, son."

"I love you too, Dad." Ross said as he hugged me back...

Addendum - A Final Word

"The whole world is in revolt. Soon there will be only five Kings left--- the Kings of Spades, Clubs, Hearts, Diamonds, and England."

--- King Farouk of Egypt, 1948

In the United Kingdom, 'Republicans' are not like American 'Republicans'. British 'Republicans' want to do away with the Monarchy, and form a Republic. While I understand the basic sentiment, the thought of Great Britain without a Monarch seems strange. Even King Farouk of Egypt had not envisioned a world without an English monarch.

Only Alfred the Great (849-899) had earned the title 'the Great' in the lore of the British Isles, but some are already calling Queen Elizabeth II 'Elizabeth the Great'. Queen Elizabeth II endured a world at war and her own home in existential peril. She reigned over one of the greatest and most powerful nations in the world through turmoil, wars hot and cold, and the gradual dissolution of the British Empire... but was still held in such regard that she was accepted to reign over the Commonwealth. But with her gone, will the Commonwealth survive?

The British People are a unique People. Only they could have a Queen... and an unwritten Constitution. Will the United Kingdom survive intact? Will the Monarchy survive? I don't know... but I do know that England and this world was better off with Queen Elizabeth II than they would've been without her.

And even though I'm an American and proud to be, I felt, and feel, great respect for the Queen. I remember the words of Paddington Bear, which seemed too simple, but in their own way said everything. And so I, too, say with heart and voice...

Thank you, Ma'am. For everything.

Finis.