Geri Bennett had a phobia, formidophobia to be exact. It all started when, as a child, her brother's friend, Cal, dressed up as Worzel Gummidge and scared the you-know-what out of her. Since then, whenever she sees a scarecrow she feels nauseous, breathless and muddled. That said, she has been happily married to Cal for thirty odd years now, and that too, at times, can make her feel just the same. Living a town life, she was able to manage her phobia simply fine, albeit there have been a few hiccups along the way. Such as when their son, Gary, was chosen to play one of the lead roles in The Wizard of Oz. This wasn't the Tin Man or the Cowardly Lion. He'd cried for weeks when he had had to turn it down, only to play a mere munchkin instead. You see, the parents usually helped out with the costumes. Even then, Geri couldn't go and see the actual play, so Cal had to go with Gary's Auntie Sheila. She wasn't embarrassed or ashamed, for she was well aware that many people have a phobia of all kinds of things. If people questioned her, she would openly say, "It's just part of being human."

Anyway, I digress. I'm talking of Geri Bennett because she's such an absolute treasure. Why? Because she helped to solve a local crime…

 

It all stems from early December last year, when the nativity scene had been erected outside St. Mary The Virgin, the church that plays a big part in Geri's life. She and Cal were married there and it was where their two children were christened. Every year, she single-handedly masterminded the nativity because, due to her phobia, she couldn't go anywhere near the harvest festival. That particular celebration was left to Jackie, her best friend, to organise. Going back to the nativity, the local school children had worked very hard creating some of the figures from papier-mâché whilst Cal and a few others had erected the stable a few years ago. A town pet shop had once kindly offered some straw and hay but due to the association with scarecrows, Geri had kindly turned down the offer, choosing instead to utilise shredded paper. Clothes were donated and she sourced charity shops for various other things. She liked to change it up a bit each year as sometimes things get damaged, either by local idiots, the weather, or from just being placed in storage. Every November, she and Jackie would check off what had gone into the storage shed and see that what came out was still usable. That way they knew exactly what they needed to prioritise.

 

The nativity scene looked absolutely wonderful this year. Geri couldn't wait to see it lit up in the full splendour of a strong moonlight, for she often walked the dogs, Miller and Carter, down by the church on a dry evening. Miller was Cal's. He was named after the dog his beloved grandad had years ago, Percy Bennett was a keen fan of Glenn Miller. Carter was Gary's dog, named so because he just thought it was funny at the time.

It had to be said, on occasions, the twitterlight at this time of the year was glorious. Waving Cal off to work this morning she had marvelled at the colours in the sky above. A true gift from God, for our eyes to behold, thought Geri.

 

Which brings me back to the night in question. Whilst out walking the pooches in the churchyard, Geri was struck by a mysterious figure that darted in the direction of the side gate. It was incredibly dark that night and it was hard to make anything out. The wind was picking up and it had started to rain. Having no torchlight or umbrella, Geri pulled up her hood, thought nothing more of it and made for home, Mum needed her cocoa and helping to bed. Cal was out fixing Sheila's boiler and Gary was out with his girlfriend, late night shopping. Geri just wanted to relax, unwind, delve into a tub of Roses and watch a little telly before retiring herself, she felt shattered.

 

The following day passed by pretty much the same, although something did happen slightly out of the ordinary…

Cal had popped over to Sheila's straight from work, as he had had to collect a part from Plumbase. He was going to be there for a couple of hours or so but on the way home was going to pick up a take-away, as a cheeky treat for them. Geri, having already seen her mother to bed, walked the dogs a little bit later than usual and was slightly perturbed to witness the same dark figure lurking around the churchyard. Only this time something caught her eye. The night was colder, the evening getting on, a light frost crafted a pathway of delicate sparkles. However, it wasn't just the ground that was glistening. Reaching down to examine further, Geri saw the most beautiful brooch that she had ever seen. Its coloured stones shone like illuminated, shimmering stars as it caught a little of the church light. I wonder who dropped this? Hmm, I'm not likely to find out tonight, am I? she thought, thinking that she would maybe pop up a discreet, 'LOST ANYTHING?' poster tomorrow. Then again, she could contact the police to see if anyone had reported it lost. Hmm, I'm not sure yet, it could be just costume jewellery, though she didn't really think so. 

 

Popping it into her pocket, she headed for home. It was placed on top of the bread bin, to remind herself to try and sort it out. The following morning she was up early, preparing packed lunches for everyone. Cal was out with the dogs whilst her hungry son reached for something to eat.

"What's this, Mam?" enquired Gary, as he crammed a spoonful of Sugar Puffs into his mouth.

"Oh, I found it in the churchyard last night. I'm going to ask around to see if anyone has lost it."

"It looks like one I was offered in the pub last weekend. Some random guy was offloading loads of stuff. I said no, obviously. God, if Becky were to find out I'd bought her knock off stuff it would be the end of us, you know what she's like. Oh yes, have we got any spare wrapping paper?"

"It's in the dresser cupboard. And, I should jolly well hope that you didn't buy anything. Shame on anyone that did if it was stolen."

Geri put the kettle back on and sat down to read the paper, that is what was left of it after Carter had finished with it.

 

That evening a similar thing happened. However, this time Geri had remembered to take a small pocket torch with her. There it was again, the scuttling silhouette of a stranger, here one minute but gone the next. Noticing that the headdress on one of the wisemen had slipped down onto his face, Geri stepped cautiously into the stable in order to correct it. On doing so, she spotted something strange in the 'gift of gold', which had been carefully placed, down by the side of one of the kings. She was pretty sure that there had been only three pieces of tat in that old jam pot but on further inspection she could see the addition of an old candle holder and a small goblet. Following a quick check, she saw that the goblet had a sticker on its base, 'Harris Curios'. "That little shop hasn't been open to the public in years. Hmm, most odd," she muttered to herself. Placing the items back where she found them, she made a mental note to check it out tomorrow, thinking that maybe someone just thought that they were being kind by adding more 'treasure' to the pot.

 

After checking the audit sheet, the following day, she had been correct. There had only been three items of 'gold' but now there were five. They looked the real deal to be honest and were quite heavy. Then there was the mysterious stranger who had been lurking about. Thinking about it, Harris Curios was just around the corner from the church. Geri pondered on what to do as she reached for the marmalade. She would pop and see Mr Harris; she once knew him quite well. He and his late wife Beth were once regular church goers, though she didn't see much of him these days as he kept himself to himself.

 

After knocking at the side door of the shop, she was just about to walk away when she heard the turn of a key. "Hello, Mr Harris, it's Geri, Geri Bennett from St. Mary's."

"Oh, Geri, what can I do for you? Do you want to come in out of the cold? The place is a mess but you can come in."

"Yes please, it's freezing."

"I'll pop the kettle on. I've got some mince pies in, if you'd like one? Sit yourself down, it won't be long."

After tea and cake, Geri set about telling Mr Harris all about the mysterious goings-on in the churchyard. She finished by asking him, if it were he that had donated the extra two items of 'gold'. "No dear, it's nothing to do with me." Reaching into her pocket for the brooch, she then asked him if he had seen it before. "Yes, that's one of a pair that still sits in the shop. Where did you get it?" Geri felt uneasy. Mr Harris, can we check the shop, to make sure everything is as it should be?"

"Why? Do you think someone has…No they can't have!" 

"Stay calm, let's get the keys and take a look."

 

It was evident that the shop had been burgled. Mr Harris was rather distressed and the police were called. Apparently, a side window had been unsecured. Geri filled the police in on what she knew and a suspect was shortly arrested.

 

After the event, Mr Harris refused to go into sheltered housing but agreed to sell off the curios so as not to lead anyone into temptation in the future. He and Beth had made a will years ago. Having no children, they wished the contents of the shop to be sold off for church funds. The shop would be an asset should either of them ever need long-term care. Stubborn and proud, he insisted that he was staying put, so members of the local Neighbourhood Watch were going to check on him more regularly. Geri and Gary would also cast an eye when out walking the dogs.

 

It was Christmas Eve, a heavenly choir sang inside St. Mary The Virgin. Outside, in the snow sprinkled nativity scene, an angel looked up to the North Star where it smiled and winked. Blink and you'd miss it.

 

Yuletide Greetings, Mrs WH

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