The Narrative: Two Women, Two Lives, One Ending

Praise for The Good Teacher ‘The tale of a good teacher who follows her moral compass and risks damnation. A decade long journey that culminates in a gripping John Grisham-like-climax. A book club favourite. It’s not surprising that movie producers are circling around The Good Teacher.’ – Mark Naglazas, The Sunday Times Magazine ‘Just finished reading PJ Kelly’s book The Good Teacher and I really enjoyed it. It is written in a similar vein to classic Jodie Picoult books where a social issue is questioned and challenged and those who work with vulnerable children in our communities will find it engaging. Great first novel for PJ Kelly.’ – Maggie Dent, author of Girlhood ‘I just finished reading PJ’s book – what a cracking story, I couldn’t put it down. I hope someone out there is optioning it for a movie or TV series – it’s got everything – interesting plot, great characters, tension, drama, pathos, black comedy and even a courtroom drama. At its centre is one of the most important moral and philosophical issues of our times and a dilemma to solve. Wonderful – many, many congratulations.’ – Jenny Davis, author of Dear Heart ‘It will have you questioning what is right and wrong in this thrilling moral dilemma. A great contribution to the literary world from a local author which I enjoyed immensely.’ – Jennifer Merigan, Have A Go News The Narrative P J KELLY Published by PJ Publishing (Australia) 2023 Copyright © PJ Kelly The right of PJ Kelly to be identified as the sole and original author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998 and Copyright Amendment Act 2006. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever, without prior permission in writing from the publisher; nor be otherwise circulated in any form, including any binding or cover, other than that in which it is published here. ISBN: 978-0-6455897-1-9 (eBook) Language: British English eBook design by eText Press Publishing, Joondalup, Australia. Cover design by PJ Kelly. Images: Mbot via istockphoto.com ID:179104293 (front cover), Gitarus via istockphoto.com ID:586374938 (back cover). This book is dedicated to my mother and father, who raised me with kindness, love and devotion. Table of Contents Foreword Part One: 2010 Part Two: Evasion Part Three: 2018 Part Four: Enlightenment Foreword Narrative – A narrative or story is a report of connected events, real or imaginary, presented in a sequence of written or spoken words, or still or moving images. The word stems from the Latin verb name, ‘to tell’, which is derived from the adjective ‘gnarus’, which means ‘knowing’ or ‘skilled’. Narrative Therapy – part of the school of Family Psychotherapy. It exists within the Philosophy of Mind, the Social Sciences and various other clinical fields, including Medicine. A narrative can refer to some very important aspects of human psychology. Personal Narrative – it is thought that a personal narrative process is involved in the construction of memories and is considered by some to be the fundamental nature of self. The breakdown of a coherent or positive narrative has been implicated in the development of psychosis and mental disorder, and its repair is said to play an important role in the journey of recovery. The information below has been adapted from a document titled: ‘Child Protection - The essential guide for teachers and other professionals who work with children’. Four indicators have been highlighted in grey in column four, to make sure you, the reader, are fully informed. Part One 2010 1 NOW 10.10pm, Thursday, 3 June 2010 52 Jarrah Way, Kilgarry A taut and knuckled fist rapped heavily upon the white-slatted grooves of a modest front door. The pounding of skin on wood rippled across the night, ending the quiet solitude of the last few hours. An eye peered in through the brass keyhole, dilated iris flitting from side to side, searching for signs of life. Beyond the door, an eerie mix of shadowy hues, a stone fireplace only just visible, the amber glow of embers smouldering away in the grate, the smell of burnt timber wafting through the lock. The machine gun repetition of the clenched fist returned, demanding attention — impatience and frustration both equal parts of the urgent message being hammered through the door. This wasn’t Morse Code. It was: get the hell up. ‘Ms Hansen, it’s the police!’ The gravelly male voice seeped in through the gaps. ‘Please open up.’ Below the door, a thin wisp of porchlight, the lilted play of light and dark, movement suggestive of the shuffling of feet — the hint of trouble. A narrow shaft of light burst in through a large bay window, its beam drifting across the floor and walls of the front room like a searchlight in a storm. It glided across a blanket, draped upon a couch, a folded mess of crumples and creases. A flicker of movement beneath it brought the beam to a halt, drifting left, homing in on a face, eyes closed, quilted edges pulled tight under a youthful chin. A pair of white cables snaked out from beneath a thick lock of brown hair, the static-like resonance of music seeping from a set of in-ear headphones. The cords meandered down towards the floor, the glint of glass hinting at a phone, its screen face up on thick brown carpet. The voice beyond the door returned. ‘Ms Hansen, we need to evacuate you. Your life might be in danger.’ The young body stirred beneath the blanket, limbs stretching out like a river, eyes blinking open, pupils flickering under the intense observation of light. ‘C’mon, Ms Hansen!’ A fresh burst of persuasion. ‘We can see you’re in there.’ The phone