The Harrods Of The North

It is late afternoon, in Edinburgh. Arthur is sitting on a bench in the Princes Street Gardens, listening to the trickle of the water in Ross fountain. His bicycle is beside him. Rosie is not far away, hidden by a tree.

He kicks a stone . Rubs his knee. Jingles the gold coins in his pocket.

He gets up and heads towards the big department store across the road, leaving the bicycle.

Rosie follows him.

Here comes another fellow, cutting through the Gardens. He is in a hurry. It is David.

He mutters to himself, Sockets, sockets. He heads towards the big department store across the road.

David enters Jenners. Looks around. It is a magnificent store, the Harrods of the North. They must sell sockets here.

He scans the counters and the racks. Where might one find sockets? Glances at his watch. Decides he'd better ask for information.

Arthur is in Jenners, wondering where to buy a mobile phone. He thinks he might do better in a phone shop.

He is distracted by the colourful racks of clothes.

Arthur sees a pair of orange shorts like those that Sweezus wears. The ones that Sweezus borrowed once from Surfing-With-Whales, and kept, except that his weren't orange. Arthur picks the shorts up from the rack and goes to find a change room.

Rosie can't follow him in there.

She sits down on a chair outside the change room, looking at her reflection in a mirror. She has a creamy yellow smear on her chin. She tries to lick it, but only makes it worse.

She catches sight of David in the mirror.

David! she cries. Aren't you flying home this evening?

Yes, says David. I am in a tearing hurry. Mother has entrusted me with an errand. Where in this enormous Aladdin's cave would you think one might find sockets?

Sockets? says Rosie. This isn't where I'd come. You want a hardware.

Mother specified she wanted sockets from Jenners, says David. Size eight, whatever that might mean. I am not mechanical.

You're sure that she said sockets? says Rosie. Not sockettes?

Sockets, sockettes, says David. What's the difference? French pronunciation?

No, you silly, says Rosie. Your mother wants sockettes. Here I'll show you where to get them. They sell all sorts of them in Jenners. What colour would your mother like?

She leads David off towards the ladies hosiery department.

Seconds later Arthur emerges from the change room, in bright new shorts.

He has left his old shorts hanging on a hook inside the change rooms, with the bandages and red thread poking though the pockets. He has only kept the gold coins and the knife.

The new Arthur smiles at his reflection. Now to get a phone. Then he will ride his bicycle up to London, and repossess the shoe horn. It's a plan.