Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1999 19:12:12 -0000
From: Eleanor Green
To: Louise
Cc:
Subject: Cornwall Gossip Update A'ternoon...

I know, but expect plenty more bucolic spellings as this week groans on. I have spent my lunch locked in convocation with a wizened old piskie who from all accounts lives on scotch and bitter and whose accent was so impenetrably rural that it was only after Ray told that I realised that he was, after all, speaking English. The first english perhaps. Before we laid waste to it with modern dialect and americanisation (shudder).

Ooops, starting to sound like Tom, and actually Danny (that's my piskie's name) was delightful. Utterly. To the point of stereotype, in fact. A salty old fisherman with a glint in his eye and a heart of gold. Although not entirely of gold, perhaps, gold effect - gold like...

Anyway, that isn't the point, the point is what he told me, which is amazing...

Still having great difficulty getting the older local people to talk to us, and I was starting to wonder just what it was that we were doing wrong, when Ray came along and took me to the pub to meet Danny and I found out. Danny is something like Ray will probably end up being, an old rascal who can't quite get up to tricks anymore, but who still enjoys making mischief none the less. Turns out that, as ever, it was the older women in the village who had decreed that no one was to talk to us. Thankfully there's nothing Danny enjoys more than tugging the pigtails of the village matriarchy - so I finally got to find out (several pints in - I shall put this down to expenses) why the trappist rule had been enforced.

You recall how they stopped enacting the Mousetrappe Autumn ceremony about ten years ago? Well, I discovered something - a child died accidentally in the ritual boat burning. Terrible business - she'd been hiding from the other children taking part in the Hunt. But there's more. I found out who the child was: Caroline Richards. Recognise the name? May I perhaps remind you what our producer's name is: Joanna Richards... and she grew up in Cornwall, you know...Yep: you've got it. Lordy me.

This is why we're being ostracised: they can't believe she's involved in Harry's Game, in reviving the ritual... what gets me is that Joanna knew - she must have, and Mary must have, since she's from here, and neither of them has said a thing - surely they must have guessed that someone would have found it out... really weird: I don't really know what to do with this information now I've got it... Do you think I should talk to Joanna about it? I think I should talk to her soon.

Mind you all this investigative journalism - no matter what trouble it gets me into - has got to be better than actually going out filming with the others. The whole thing seems to be a complete mess, as far as I can tell - although I'm sure Joanna can hold it together...

Just had a thought - surely Ray must have known about Joanna's sister, too... so why couldn't he tell me himself, instead of letting Danny do it? Curiouser and curiouser...

Shall have to look into this.

The game is afoot!

E.

PS : Don't forget to feed Piewacket... and give him a big kiss from me.