The Council Chamber was packed to hear what steps were going to be taken to address the problems blighting the Settlement. The Chairman called the meeting to order. The large room became silent, everybody staring at him in anticipation.

‘Gentlemen, elders of the Settlement of Oakwood on Sea, thank you all for attending.’ He waffled on in his usual self important way while all the time Chief Warden Sam was sitting alone, waiting to be called upon to speak and wondering just where the hell was that girl, Ginny. She said she’d be here?

‘And so without further ado I call upon our esteemed Chief Warden, Mr. Sam Childs.’

This was it and he was alone with no idea what to say.

‘Ahem! Good people of Oakwood, thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak to you. Alas I must confess that I do not have all the facts I had intended to put before you all because I was fully expecting my partner in crime’ - oops, that was wrong, not appreciated - ‘who has the information you need to be present but for some reason she hasn’t made it’ 

A murmur ran round the room, getting louder before the chairman called everyone to order again. When all were quiet he turned to Sam, who was standing looking all forlorn.

‘Well then, Mr Childs, is there anything you can tell us or have we all met for no reason at all?’

‘We can tell you everything you need to know.’

The speaker, a diminutive young female dressed in emerald green head to toe and wearing her distinctive oversized horn rimmed glasses, stood just behind the startled but relieved Warden. No one had seen her come in.

‘I do apologise for being a little late but I had to make some arrangements and got a wee bit delayed.’ 

‘Your apology is accepted my dear and my I say how nice it is to see you here in the Council Chamber. It’s been some time since we last had the pleasure of your wisdom. Please, go ahead with your story.’  Mr. Chairman didn't make any attempt at veiling his patronising manner towards this young female, upon whom he looked with a degree of disdain. 

‘My friends, what I have to tell you may sound a bit far-fetched but I tell you earnestly to pay heed to my words. I make no false claims and do not over state my case when I say the information I have and the measures I suggest, may make the difference between life and death. In other words, my friend, take the precautions I offer and survive or…’

Before she could finish Mr. Chairman stood up and glaring at her said in a menacing manner.

‘Are you threatening us, young lady because if you are then…’

‘Mr Chairman, may I remind you who you are talking to and that she has come offering you a solution to the dilemma, nay, great Danger this Community faces.’ It was Warden Sam Childs’ turn to be indignant and he wasn’t going to be intimidated, or allow Ginny to be, by this pompous oaf of a Council Leader.

Ginny continued unfazed.

‘Gentlemen of the Council, a very great Danger approaches Oakwood and if left unchecked will, not may, destroy you all. What you have experienced up till now has only been the opening tasters of what is to come. I have made certain preparations to help ward off some of this evil, for that is what it is evil, but I need you, the Council, to sanction these arrangements and to help in taking further precautions.

‘Now you are trying to scare us, young lady. What has our official department for safety have to say to all this?’  It was as if the Chairman of the Council hadn’t heard what Ginny had said or if he had, hadn’t understood or worse still, was ignoring it. 

‘Mr. Chairman, members of the Council, Elders of Oakwood, I declare to you all now that if you ignore what Ginny here has to say then you can have the resignation of myself and the entire Warden Department as of now.’

There was uproar at this and the chairman of the meeting had his work cut out to regain some semblance of order.

‘Now, now, Mr Childs, I don’t think we need to be too hasty in our actions, I’m sure we can work something out.’ He didn’t dare risk being the elder whose claim to fame or infamy was to accept the resignation of the entire peace keeping force of the Settlement, at a time of crisis. It took years to get anyone to take the job in the first place. 

‘I am sure that if you and Miss Ginny here put together a plan we can give it our full consideration. After all, we are on the same side, aren’t we?’

Sam Childs would need some convincing on this one, after this meeting. He and Ginny left the Council Chamber not at all confident they had been taken seriously and so decided to put plan B into action. Sam was going to have to have a very long talk with Ginny in order for him to find out what Plans A and B were.