The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2761 by Angharad Copyright© 2015 Angharad

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This is a work of fiction any mention of real people, places or institutions is purely coincidental and does not imply that they are as suggested in the story.
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The weekend dawned and while Simon, Tom and Danielle would be glued to the rugby on the television, I’d be stuck doing chores, the mammal survey, conveying the girls around or watching them at home.

I was informed on the Friday evening that both Trish and Livvie were playing for the school team, only to discover that Danielle was as well. Could I take them to the school and collect them? I went and spoke to Danni. “I thought you were playing on Sunday?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“So how come you’re playing for the school as well?”

“That’ll be more like a training session than a real game.”

“As soon as they realise you’re an England schools international you’re going to get hammered. How will you play again tomorrow if you’re injured?”

“By the time they realise we’ll be three goals up and I can hang around defending and sending up long or through balls to our forwards.”

“I know you agreed to show some loyalty to the school for them accepting you, but it’s not fair that you could be injured by some cart horse which could then compromise you’re professional career.”

“You worry too much, Mummy. It’s like playing with little kids compared to playing against boys—some of them are right thugs.”

“Some girls can be as bad, so don’t underestimate them.”

“Yeah, I know, but I can give as good as I get you know.”

“Well don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Oh, Mummy, look come and watch tomorrow and I’ll show you what I mean.”

“I was going to do the shopping,”

“You never come and watch these days an’ I’ll bet Trish an’ Livvie would play better if they thought you were there.”

“I’ll take you I’m not committing until I see what I’ve got to do in the morning.” I hated to sound such a wet blanket but I do have loads to do. All I needed then was someone to ask me to do a dormouse survey. It wasn’t quite what happened...

My mobile rang and I could see it was Helen. “Hello Helen.”

“Hi, Cathy, we’ve got a bit of a situation with that woodland.”

“The one they were trying to clear for solar panels?”

“Yes, that one. The landowner has reneged on his word and started to fell more trees.”

“How many more?”

“About a quarter of the wood.”

“Have you informed the council?”

“I don’t need to, I’m issuing a court order as soon as I can get a magistrate to sign it.”

“Inform the council there are dormice there, ask them to revoke the planning permission.”

“Will they do that?”

“It’s got to be worth a try.”

“Can’t do that until Monday, damn. Why does everything happen on weekends?”

“Because very cynical people know you can’t do anything and even if I was say there were a dozen dormice in the wood they’d only fine him twelve thousand, if that, he’ll make more than that selling the timber.”

“Just thought I’d let you know.”

“I’ll get the kids to start a facebook campaign or twitter storm or whatever.”

“Why not?”

“Have you any pictures?”

“Yeah, you want some?”

“Please, I’ll think up some catchy slogan and get Trish to shove it on the internet. Don’t use ones that you use in court.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty.”

Trish and Sammi went to town as soon as we received the photos. We showed a picture of a dormouse and one of the felled trees and used the caption. This was my home, I was made homeless illegally by someone who promised they wouldn’t fell the trees. Now I know I can’t trust humans—unless you can prove me wrong.

We gave the site as well and posted it on facebook, Sammi also did a tweet with photos. I went off to sort the laundry and by the time I’d finished, they’d had twenty thousand hits—it was going viral. Trish was in her element, ‘Save our dormouse wood,’ was the title and she was chatting to people from all over the place.

I went to bed learning that the best part of a hundred thousand had visited the page in four hours. The next morning I was delivering the three soccer stars to the school when my phone peeped to indicate a text.

‘There’s c100 people here chaining themselves to trees. Helen.’

I switched on Radio Solent a local BBC station and they confirmed that protesters had descended on a woodland to stop the felling of trees and to protect the dormice who live there. Goodness, just when you think humans are the worst thing since bubonic plague, they do something good.

“Is that from our facebook page, Mummy?”

“That and your tweets.”

“Wow,” was Danielle’s assessment, “will it stop the trees coming down?”

“I hope so, although masses of damage has been done.”

“Serve him right if they made him put them all back,” was Livvie’s pronouncement.”

“I hope they make him replant but it will take decades to return to the mature wood it was.”

“Will many dormice have died?” asked Trish.

“I don’t know sweetheart.”

“Have you asked Daddy to bankrupt him?”

“We can’t do that, sweetheart, it would be unethical.”

I heard Trish talking to someone on her phone. “He’s gonna see if the man owes them any money. If he does they might see if they can call it in because he didn’t tell them the situation had changed and that he was breaking the law.”

“Oh—perhaps that wouldn’t be illegal? Clever girl.”

She puffed out her chest, “Can I be a lawyer and a scientist, Mummy?”

“I’m sure it’s possible but it would take years to qualify in both.”

“So, you mean I could be like fourteen?”

Danni nearly choked laughing, but the irony was that she could well be at university by that age, though to do a science or law degree would take her three or more years. Not only that but my great aunt had left her some money to use when she went to university. If I remember she said she’d spoken with Girton College Oxford, but they’ve not been in touch and I’d like to see where Trish would like to go when the time arises and that to an extent would be determined by what she wanted to study and her exam results. I’m always anxious that very gifted people get complacent or arrogant and things never quite work out for them. Diligent and determined students tend to do better because they take nothing for granted and put the hours in.

I watched the two soccer games, St Claire’s were all over the opposition in both games. Trish was easily the outstanding player in her match, setting up a goal and scoring one. Livvie did quite well but she seems to lack the total commitment that Trish and Danni have especially in the tackle and which might come from having lived as boys and played against boys.

Danni was in another league in her game and it showed. She scored a hat-trick and set up two more goals in their five nil drubbing of their opponents from Waterlooville. I heard as I waiting for her to change after the game, that the opponents complained that she must be older because she played with such maturity.

However, the games teacher who runs the soccer teams put her right about age but did drop she had played for England schoolgirls. That brought fourth another volley of protests but as our teacher said, she’d done nothing wrong except have more than her share of talent. A nice way to put it.

“Can we go and see the wood, Mummy?” asked Trish and I felt just as curious as she was.