Paphos People

The Death Sentence
Leigh Smith was a happily married man, He lived with his wife Mandy and their two year old son who was called Jack in a two up two down town house in Mansfield.
Leigh worked long hours in a transport depot, loading large lorries but he always made sure that he was home in time to perform the most important job of the day. That was to put Jack to bed at 7.30. After reading him a story, they went through the same ritual.
Jack clasped his hands together and knelt by the side of his bed,
“God bless Mummy, God bless Daddy, God bless Grandma and God bless Grandpa”
One night Jack went through the God Bless list but finished it off with
“Good bye Grandpa”.
Leigh was slightly bemused by this but dismissed it as a slip of the tongue by a very tired little boy.
The next morning there was an early telephone call from Leigh’s mother tearfully telling him that his Dad had passed away in the night, the result of a heart attack. Shocked and stunned he recalled Jack’s words of the night before.
All the arrangements that Leigh had to undertake on behalf of his Mother soon drove the child’s words to the back of his mind and they faded in their significance.
After the funeral, his heart broken mum was very down and her health began to decline. Leigh did what he could for her but she missed her husband so much she suffered terribly.
Some months later Leigh was tucking Jack up in bed and the lad clasped his hands together in his normal manner.
“God Bless Mummy and God Bless Daddy, Good Bye Grandma”.
Going back downstairs the words were ringing in his ears as he remembered the circumstances of his Father’s demise.
Picking up the telephone he dialled his Mothers number after what seemed an age a female voice answered.
“Mum is that you? Are you all right?”
“Is that you Leigh? This is Mrs Hoskins your Mum’s neighbour” Leigh sat down.
“Is Mum O.K.?”
“No Leigh I’m afraid she isn’t. She collapsed and has been taken to Hospital. I was just looking up your number to tell you to go and see her straight away, they fear the worst”.
Leigh’s Mum passed away that night with Leigh holding her hand.
Life went on and little Jack didn’t have any premonitions about anything else and Leigh put it down to coincidence eventually the whole thing faded from his memory.
About eighteen months later the bedtime routine was being enacted, when Jack uttered the words.
“God Bless Mummy and Good Bye Daddy”
Leigh was shocked and frightened. He was fit and well but was in a daze and afraid to close his eyes, he never slept a wink that night.
What did it mean? There was nothing wrong with him so it must be an accident, how was he going to cheat death? Jack’s predictions had been spot on up to now.
Driving to work next morning he was extra vigilant at every junction, every set of traffic lights and every roundabout. At work the fork lift trucks were potentially life threatening demonic devices and reversing trucks large or small were carefully avoided.
Come lunch time he inspected his sandwiches carefully, even though he had made them himself.
The drive home was equally traumatic and he was relieved when he parked the car outside his house. Checking his mirrors before opening the door he briskly went to the front step. Inserting his key he opened the door he was in the safety of his home. His wife Mandy was standing in the hallway, flinging his arms around her he gave her a kiss tears of relief streamed down his face.
“What a day I’ve had I’m absolutely shattered, I don’t ever want to go through a day like that again.”
“You think YOU’VE had a day” she said “I opened the front door this morning and Bob the milkman had collapsed and died on our doorstep!!”

Great, loved it.

Gary.