The business empire 8/10

“Now most of you know old Simon over at the Bull in the next village. After dark he stops work and never leaves his corner in the inglenook until closing time. Well I rode over there yesterday, explained the use of the telephone to him and gave him the only other one I have, for the purposes of this demonstration.”

He was holding up a rather bulky handset. Jennifer Jane recognised it as the type she’d seen in the sort of camping shops that sold surplus army things as well as tents. She hadn’t been paying attention before, but suddenly realised that in a world without telephones in every house and no mobile phone network, the only way to talk over distances must be the use of a self powered radio transmitter and receiver.

George spoke into his handset. “Are you there Simon? Over.”

A few seconds later a tinny noise came out of the earpiece. George smiled, “Is there anyone here who would like to speak to Simon and ask him some questions?”

One of the locals came forward and gingerly took hold of the phone. George explained how to use it and the man shouted into the mouthpiece. George hastily explained that although Simon was five miles away there was no need to shout.

The man grinned, “That’s what Simon just said, he says you’re a gormless bumpkin and should have explained things better. That’s our Simon all right!”

He spoke for a few more moments then handed the phone back. By now there was queue forming to sample the new marvel and George stood back to let them get on with it.

Jennifer Jane walked up to him holding the torch, pulling his sleeve to get his attention and getting him to follow her a little way from everyone else so that she couldn’t be overheard.

“You’d better have this torch back now, but heaven help you this time if the witches find out what you’re doing!” she whispered.

George looked puzzled for a moment, then his face cleared. “You’re Jennifer Jane in disguise; what ever are you doing over here? And why are you dressed like that?”

“I didn’t want anyone here to know who I am, in case you’re doing something I shouldn’t know about. I just wanted to see how you were getting on after you left Lurbridge and it seems it was just as well I did. How on earth are you getting hold of this stuff? The witches will be really cross if they find out that you’ve been travelling to our world again!”

“I’ve made friends with one of the sailors who travel between the timber yard and Smallport. You can buy practically anything there he says. I don’t mind telling you he charges me a lot of money as well, but I don’t have any other way of making a living. At least in this part of the world I don’t get laughed at for telling tales about my adventures and now that I get hold of the things I talk about to show people, they all flock to my lectures. The landlord of this Inn is very pleased with me and I make a fairly good living from a small part of his extra takings! I don’t really know what else I can do.”

“Well I’ll go away for a day or two to see if I can think of something, you stay here so that I know where to find you. I promise I won’t say anything to the witches at least until I’ve seen you again.”

George smiled with relief and then went back to deal with a rather impatient queue of people waiting to ask him questions about the talking box.