The Apocryfan (2)

Many first encountered the Apocryphan in the form of an iconic Red Indian figurehead embedded within or merely stuck upon a brick wall – near a back entrance in a side street, often embossed on an ornate door of an arcade shop, even in a main thoroughfare – an icon that aprocryphised itself time and time again. Unnoticed, although recorded here.

There was an Apocryphan in a road opposite Bonnyville pier, erected upon a bricked-up door-opening that had once been the entrance to a fish shop (a baguette shop in more recent years). This particular ‘Red Indian’ was a statue or sculpture with a smooth hard mineral-looking skin of a wonderful shining deep blue. Its head-dress was of multicoloured feathers … an inscrutable expression on its face, with most of its body sunk into the brickwork, but still visible as a recognisable body. The left arm was invisible behind its back. But in its right hand could be seen a hand of standard playing-cards, splayed in a fan, as if ready to play.

Like most icons, religious or not, this blue Apocryphan became barely noticed over the turning years, if noticeable at all. Bonnyvilleans – during the seemingly endless Winter seasons – trudged past it on their various duties of survival, with not a single side glance. The sense that they knew it was there, however, remained as powerful as ever.

*
Adrian entered a watch shop on the other side of Bonnyville, near the caravan site. He had left his watch to be repaired. There had been a fill-in watchmaker who had accepted his watch for repair, because the real watch shop owner was on holiday. Adrian remembered his watch being put on a back shelf.

Today, the real watch shop owner had returned.

“I’ve come to collect my watch. I left it on Thursday.” Adrian was not a typical Bonnyvillean. He was someone you might see on TV anywhere. He could have been quite a personable host, given the opportunity. Not bad looking. He had even missed wearing his watch with a feeling of empty wrist. He noticed his watch wasn’t where it had been put on the back shelf.

“Hmmm, Thursday… I wasn’t here then.” The shopkeeper was brusque, obviously embarrassed about something.

“I know you weren’t. Your colleague took my watch in.”

”He was holiday relief. He took the watches away to mend.”

”You mean he stole them?”

Shrugs.

“I can let you have another watch.” He opened a cabinet of new watches. “You can have this one for £6.50.” He showed a particularly nice gold watch with a sweeping second hand. Much nicer than Adrian’s own watch.

There was a gasp of astonishment from other customers queuing behind Adrian.

Adrian decided to cut his losses and quickly paid over the £6.50. Based on the comments of the other customers, Adrian had realised that the proffered watch was worth a lot more than £6.50. He left the shop with a shop-door ‘ding!’, while threading his wrist into the new watch, with some pride of possession. Every cloud has a gold lining, he thought.

CONTINUED: HERE.

=======================================