Suddenly, the lights came back on - at full strength! Both in the children’s carriage as well as Sarah’s straining mind. She jabbed excitedly at James’ map on the table. “There! The driver managed to stop the train in Parson’s Tunnel; and he hid there until it was safe to come back out.”

 

“Ha, ha, very good. Nearly had you there for a minute. Was it the blanket that gave it away? It’s just as you said. When the coast was clear, the train emerged riddled with bullet holes throughout its entire length. Imagine the carnage if it had been carrying sailors home from Plymouth. The train did eventually make it to Exter but rather well ventilated, somewhat resembling Swiss cheese.”

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As if relieved to hear the happy ending, the loco’s engine squealed back into life. The train emerged from its own tunnel, back into the squally storm; all be it at a slower speed and without any of the bullet holes of its parcel-carrying forerunner. However, the train was now running late – very late!

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As it pulled into Teignmouth, the children scanned the platform for Andrew. But he was nowhere to be seen; and he wasn’t answering his phone either. What had happened? The twins heaved their backpacks on and searched the platform. Something drew Sarah’s attention to a chessboard on a table in the waiting room. The pieces seemed to be particularly oddly placed. The last time they chatted to Andrew, he was full of a chess program that he had been watching on TV. He was particularly enamoured with ‘Random Chess’, where you can not use any of the learnt sets of moves or openings because the pieces start in random positions. Sarah walked over to take a closer look. The pieces were certainly placed in odd positions; and there were scraps of paper under them.

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“Quick James, take a look at this.” Beside the board, underneath the black queen, sat a note. It read: 

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Sorry J & S, I’m not going to make it to knight. This isn’t random, you need to play first to get your bearings.
The game is on and you’re late – so hurry! A.