The Samsara Project by David Burgess (ebook reader screen .txt) 📖

Janet was a very lively sprightly woman and many of the associations younger members had a hard time in keeping up with her on the charity fun runs she organised. Janet also had a mean sense of humour that some found hard to understand or appreciate.
“An excellent evening’s entertainment”, she said, “and I do like those new photographs you showed. How did you manage to get hold of those? Or shouldn’t I ask.”
“Of course you can ask,” Replied John, “our photographic staff at the paper worked on them with a new Photoshop programme. Scan in a black and white picture and out comes a colour one; apparently it matches up the grey tones to a specific colour tone.”
“I have to say John that all sounds very fascinating but a little too Hi Tec for me I’m afraid. Now, shall we go and get something to eat. Those sandwiches look divine.

****

Suzie Reeves was a creature of habit. She was thirty nine years old and due to turn forty tomorrow, the fourth of April. It was not a day she was particularly looking forward to. To Suzie being a thirty-something was fine, she was quite happy with that but being forty! Old people are in their forties and the one thing she did not feel was old, in fact Suzie had to admit to herself that she probably felt better now than she ever had.
Suzie Reeves was a health nut. A member of her local gym for the past three and a half years she was one of the few members who actually got her money’s worth from the thirty five pound monthly subscription. Suzie was not a body builder but she did like to keep in shape, her arm and leg muscles were firm but not bulky, her stomach flat with just a hint of a ‘six pack’. Suzie had never had any children so was also free of stretch marks and unusually for a woman of her age, cellulite. Five years ago had made the life choice decision to become vegetarian. At the age of thirty nine Suzie ‘upgraded’ from vegetarian to vegan. Up until five years ago Suzie had enjoyed meat as much as anyone, a prime rib roast for Sunday lunch was her idea of a perfect meal, along with all the trimmings of course. It was a few weeks after her thirty-forth birthday that Ron Reid started work for the City of London Investment Bank that Suzie worked for. It did not take long for the two of them to become a couple. The attraction for Ron was quite obvious. Suzie was five feet seven inches tall, a slim but athletic nine stone three pounds. She also possessed a perfect size ten figure. Her hair was natural ash blond, just past shoulder length complemented by deep blue eyes. To Ron they were the kind of eyes that you could just dive into. Her skin was flawless with a light olive complexion that gave her a slightly Southern European appearance.
Suzie was the darling of the office, even though she did not know anything about it. Every time she walked into her office every male and more than a couple of females had her mentally undressed and in a hot steamy shower. Had she known about the thoughts and wishes of her colleagues she would have been mortified. Her personality was very bright, breezy and bubbly. In many ways Suzie was an ideal man’s girl. She enjoyed most male sports and for her an ideal Saturday would be spent in the stands of Watford FC, a team she had support since childhood, and not wandering the aisles of Asda or Sainsburys.
The romance between Suzie and Ron took everyone at the bank by surprise. The whispers started very early on but had been dismissed as wishful thinking on Ron’s part. They were though true. The office grapevine had recently picked up one snippet of information that had spread like wildfire, to everyone except Suzie. Ron was going to propose, he had decided that it was now to settle down and to make an honest woman of her. Suzie would be walking around the office and conversations would stop abruptly, people would just smile and quickly change the conversation. “Hi Suzie, we were just saying how nice your looking just now. You’ll have to let us in on your secret”.
Suzie was more than a little puzzled by her colleague’s strange behaviour. She certainly could not think of anything she had said or done to upset or offend anyone so decided to find out what the reason behind it was. It would though have to wait until tomorrow. Tonight, Ron had told her, they were going out on a special date. To Suzie every date with Ron was special. She had no idea how special this date would be, or that most of the office would also be there for the big surprise.
Suzie finished work for the day at lunchtime, having arranged the afternoon off to give her plenty of time to get herself ready for her night out. If one thing annoyed Suzie it had to be rushing to get ready, being late or being made to wait came a close second. Checking the time when she got home Suzie decided there was just enough time to go for a jog on the local common. Having missed out the last three days she did not need much of an excuse for a quick thirty minute training run.
Dressed in a light blue Addidas track suit and white Reebok she set off for her run. A light blue headband kept her hair in place and completed the outfit.
Towards the end of the run she felt the presence of, more than noticed another figure running behind her. She was not worried; lots of people used the common for jogging so she ignored it. After a few more minutes the figure was noticeably gaining on her she could hear the panting of the runner behind her. Suzie slowed down, stopped then turned around.
In real time everything then happened very quickly, for Suzie though it seemed like an eternity. The first thing that struck her when she saw the runner for the first time was their clothes; they were not dressed for running. Maybe whoever it is running away from someone or something. They could just be trying to catch up to me for company or safety. Suzie then noticed something in the right hand of the runner.
What’s that? She thought.
The runner’s right arm started to rise up to head height, not straight but bent at the elbow, hand close to and just above the runner’s right ear. The runner was only yards away from her now. She then realised, what the runner was holding. It was a large rock, the kind that was scattered all around the common. Suzie wanted to turn away and run but she was transfixed on the rock, she couldn’t move. Her head was telling her to run, her body just would not respond.
From three yards out the runner’s right hand started to extend out in front and to their right, then, still at head height, the arm was then pulled back about forty five degrees from the shoulder. Two yards away and the runner’s waist turned the top of their body a further forty five degrees. From a ninety degree angle the runner’s body started to turn forward again, the arm started to move forward, slowly at first and then increasing in speed and power as the hand and the rock homed in on the target. With one yard to go the act was almost complete.
The speed of the runner plus the speed and power over their arm and waist movement combined into a devastating blow. The rock hit Suzie just above eye level and right centre of her forehead. On impact her head went numb, she felt giddy then dizzy, her head spinning it flew up and back to the right, her neck muscles straining against this sudden sharp movement. Her head came back to the front and dropped down so Suzie was looking towards the floor. Suzie though could not see the floor, the impact of the rock has caused her vision to disappear and be replaced with a vivid, bright white light. The brightness was so intense that by muscle reflex along her eyes shut tight. Her arms were limp and just hung down by her sides. Her legs became numb; they could no longer hold or support her slender frame. Suzie’s knees buckled and she fell to the floor, she stayed in the kneeling position for a few moments, her head still looking downwards. Blood was now running down the side of her face and dripping onto her blue track suit top as it flowed freely from a large gaping wound in her forehead. She then fell forward, her hands staying by her side and doing nothing to help lessen the impact as she hit the ground. Suzie was now starting to drift in and out of consciousness; there was a small, almost imperceptible moan from her mouth. She felt a hand grab her hair, pulling up her head. Tape was roughly wrapped around her head, covering her eyes. More tape was roughly put over her mouth. Her hands were pulled up onto her back and more tape wrapped around her wrists. Her attacker then sat on her back facing her feet, grabbing Suzie by the ankles she pulled both legs towards her and using the same tape bound them together also. Suzie was now completely helpless and immobilised, unable to call for help, unable to realise what was happening. A boot pushed her over onto her back. She fights for consciousness but it is a losing battle. “Ron”, she thinks, “I’m so sorry my love. I’m so sorry.”
Suzie then felt as if she was floating, her mind became crystal clear. Suzie was a little girl again; she was with her Granddad in the large back garden of his detached house in Boxmoor just outside Hemel Hempstead. She was running around the garden, laughing and shouting, “Come on Granddad, try and catch me.” Suzie ran behind an apple tree just by a large patch of wild flowers. Suzie’s last thought was the sweet smell of the wild flowers. She then drifted into unconsciousness for the last time.

* * * *

John Reynolds started to make his way towards the buffet. The last time he had eaten was breakfast, over nine hours ago, and that had been just a quick cup of Nescafé instant and two rounds of cold toast. The buffet looked like a feast to him, cold cut meats, spicy rice, an assortment of sandwiches on brown or white bread cut into quarters with the crusts removed, gala pie and hot spicy chicken wings. John picked up a paper plate, knife, fork and serviette. Walking slowly along the line he put a good selection of sandwiches on his plate along with cocktail sausages, some chicken wings and an assortment of salads. He then made his way to the end of the table were the tea and coffee was being served. The tea would quench his thirst for now but what his taste buds really wanted was an ice-cold premium German lager. His thoughts went back a few years when he and his wife Pamela had been regular visitors to the Oktoberfest Beer Festival held in Germany. Pamela was the only girl John had ever known who truly appreciated the stunning German countryside and the finer points of premium German lager.
Despite the pain John felt over the loss of his wife he was now able to look back on the times they had together with a