The Judgement of a Child

Story Description, Book 2: The Judgement of a Child The story is set primarily in Dorset, England, from April to August 1984. Excerpt: " 'Hey now, ' said Stephen, reaching across and squeezing her hand. 'Your dad's going to be all right, I'm sure. He's a toughie, isn't he? Do you remember the last time we had something like this?' Stephen was remembering Harri's abduction and Roy's heroic act of rescue.'Yes, but you got hurt then, ' said Harri. 'And now it's my Dad!' Out of the mouths of babes, thought Stephen.Stephen wondered what he could say. 'Your dad will be fine, Harri. It will take time, but he'll be okay eventually and then we'll all settle down to the quiet village life, just you wait and see.''But you were right about one thing, ' he decided to tell her. 'Your observations were bang on, even though none of us thought it could be true. It's not easy for adults to trust the judgement of a child, especially one as young as yourself. We see ourselves as teachers, and nurturers, and can't always accept a child's opinion on something. But you were right. Your teacher, Mr Cartwright, was killed. and probably by the tramp you saw, who was almost certainly the bad man who kidnapped you. We all thought he was behind bars in prison, but I've found out since that he was released last year and sent to his home in Russia. It would seem that he has returned. I just hope it isn't the same man that did this to your dad!'He left out his thoughts about the cause of Jessica's poisoning and nearly his own. "