A Che ning Ad nture
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Reflections of Hope and Courage
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Chapter 2 continued...
The children scanned the cave by the light of a bare lampstand. They were amazed to see what seemed to be a fully-stocked secret command centre, complete with bunks, provisions and most peculiarly - a mound of toilet rolls (which fortunately had broken Sarah’s fall and taken some of the weight of the collapsed shelving).
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“Looks like the Colonel’s been stocking up!” said Sarah reaching for a First Aid kit near a wooden chair and table. She retrieved some antiseptic for James’ hand but his eyes were fixed firmly on the wall opposite the lampstand.
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“Look at those marks! It looks like a message!”
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When Sarah had finished bandaging James’ hand, her mind turned to Andrew. She snapped the box closed and ran out to help.
“Easy Florence! I was only winded,” explained Andrew as he saw Sarah approaching with the First Aid kit. “No need for a Nightingale here. Anyway you won’t believe what we found out about those caves you were in. Listen to this…”
Sarah heard how the caves under the garden had been used for generations. From being a cool shelter to rest, sell and repack herring on the market route between Rye and London, and a smuggler’s den; to use as a shelter during World War 2.
Apparently, one night in the Blitz, a Jewish family from Austria took cover in the caves. They explained to the others there, that they had been working for the World Radio Service. The BBC had helped them escape Austria just in time and they were now staying in a cottage in the village. While the bombs fell and the sirens wailed, the father of the family turned his attention to the broken wireless on the table, hoping to raise spirits with some music or news. Having worked in the business for many years, it was not long before the radio crackled into life. Just then, his face went white...
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'Message, important message!' he declared and without a pen to hand, he started scrawling on the nearest wall with his screwdriver.
Apparently it was really vital and an ARP volunteer jumped onto a motorbike and tore off down Chevening Road even as the bombs fell. Who knows what it said but it must have been important.
Just then a rumbling engine interrupted Andrew’s retelling of the adventure, and ‘Bertie’ came into sight. He was Chevening Church’s beloved double-decker bus which had been used for the Quest Sunday Club. But now, due to social-distancing rules, it had been pressed into service to replace the minibuses.
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The rumble also altered James, who was still sat in the cave transfixed by the marks on the wall. He had used the end papers of the Bible to work on the code and was sure that he was close to deciphering it.
Solve the code, click on the solution page and then type the 21st word into the password box. Good luck!
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(Hint - you may need consider whether every 'word of code' actually counts as a real 'word' in the message.)
Solve the code, click on the solution page and then type the 21st word into the password box. Good luck!