Memory Loss.

The man was too smartly dressed for wandering in the woods of Dartford Heath or Fairyland. I watched him going from bush to bush, from tree to tree. Each small clump of flowers that he came to he nearly touched the ground with his nose as he smelt the flowers. I could see by his fine leather shoes that he had been through some muddy land even his trouser legs were splashed with dried mud. Call me nosey but I decided to see what if anything was wrong with him.
What was he doing here in the woods in clothes that were more suitable for an office? It was very intriguing and I walked around him so that I could meet him face to face. Good Morning I called quite loudly. The man looked at me with eyes that were completely blank. “Who are you and what are you doing in my garden?” he asked. Smiling I told him that my name was Shaw, Bernard Shaw and that this was not his garden but Dartford Heath. “What is your name? I kindly asked. “My name, I have no name or at least I cannot remember it.” “How old are you?” I asked Now I was not being nosey this man had a big problem to deal with. Not to know ones name to consider even that the Heath was his garden yes this man needed help badly.
I asked him to follow me and led him into my garden and into my kitchen I quickly made some corned beef sandwiches and a pot of hot sweet tea and watched the man eat. He was very hungry and the tea and the sandwiches seemed to go down well. He did not rush the tea and sandwiches he ate quickly but he had seen a good upbringing. After his meal I decided to see if I could find out more about the man.
I asked him to empty his pockets on to the kitchen table. He was quite willing to do so and soon a handful of small change and from his inside pocket a roll of banknotes. From one of his trouser pockets he took a small fine enamelled badge. He looked long at the small badge and I hoped that it would jog his memory. He then closed his hand tightly around the badge. It was then that I remembered my piece of magic mirror given to me by Her Majesty Queen Feeanna. I asked the man to let me have the badge that was so tightly clasped in his hand. Reluctantly he gave me the badge. A fine enamel badge with a blue cross painted onto its surface. I placed the badge on to the mirror. Pushing the mirror so that it now lay between us we watched picture after picture appear. The first picture was of the making of the badge. Then the badge being given to an elderly man before the pictures changed. A large room many people then four young men. The elderly man gave each of the boys one of the badges. Each boy was shown to a huge steel safe each was asked to place his badge into its appointed place. Then when the four were in place the safe doors opened.
I had been watching my guest very closely and a glint of recognition came into his eyes. Slowly he said, “My name is John Hall I am one of the sons of Leslie James Hall owner of the Hall steel and metal works” “They want to sell the work of my Great Grandfather and of my Father but without my badge they will never open the safe.” To get the papers needed. Then he put his hand to his head it was then I noticed dried blood on the man’s head. Mr. Hall let me look at your head. I cleaned the wound the swelling was now hardly to be seen and the wound had practically healed. I put a small dressing on it just to be on the safe side.
John Hall now over a second pot of tea explained that his three brothers instead of keeping the steel firm going wanted to sell it to make as much money out of it as they can but John the youngest son would not give them his badge to open the safe. Someone must have hit him over the head to get the badge his loss of memory had caused him to wander around Fairyland thinking he was in his own garden.
With the help of myself and a couple of friends the three brothers were taken to a court of law and the firm will not be sold but the hundred people working for the ‘Halls’ would keep their jobs Now John and I have become friends. He has fully regained from his memory loss and the firm is now twice its original size and John has now bought out his brothers and runs the firm of Hall as his Grandfather and Father wanted it to be run. To show his kindness one may see everywhere in and around Dartford seats for elderly people even on the Heath. Bern