Chapter 51: Epilogue

Chapter 51: Epilogue

There was a coming together of some of the grandchildren of the original 'Slippery Jake' committee. Again this was on a Friday afternoon. The seating arrangements had changed very little over the years. The chairs had been reupholstered from time to time. However, they were still the same unmistakable deep leather sofas.

Again, much as before, it was a young barmaid who was cleaning Slippery's chair. It was still resplendent there, behind the roped in brass stands.

The Old Ghost did not disappoint. Just as he did all those years before, he materialized. There he was wearing his actual three-cornered hat, red cape, and sword. There were the added ghostly pantaloons in bright orange and white and a totally over the top lacy cravat. He had that same supercilious smirk. He bent forward and surveyed the scene in front of him. It had really changed very little.

This time there was total shock and bewilderment among the diners. It had been some time since his last appearance, years in fact. Lorenzo was now the landlord. He remembered the stories of his grandparents. He knew what to do. He made a speech to the assembled diners.

"What you see before you is the ghost of the Right Hon Jake Horatio Higginbottom or 'Slippery Jake' as he is often known."

"Please do not be alarmed. He has always been a good and true friend of The Bull Public House."

With this Lorenzo made a slight bow in the general direction of the Old Ghost. As before, Old Slippery reciprocating with one of his deep 'Regency' bows, with an extremely extravagant twirl of his actual three-cornered hat. All these items were still perfectly preserved in the trunk down below in the Cellar Bar Restaurant.

The diners all gave out a unified gasp of astonishment. This was followed by a spontaneous round of applause.

So what had really brought Old Slippery back? It was the reunion of the descendants of the 'Slippery Jake Committee'. Even Emily, the daughter of Sandra and Kevin was there recording these events on the latest specialized video.

The Old Ghost looked carefully at everyone in the reformed committee. He knew who they all were and who their parents and grandparents were.

What was then to transpire was beyond strange but was also deeply profound and moving. This was to prove a fitting end to their tale of the 'Slippery Jake' the Highwayman, Resident Ghost at the Bull Public House S W London. Well for now anyway.

This was also to be very dramatic. The Lounge Bar lights dimmed slightly. Above the fireplace, above Slippery's old chair, a long rectangular screen appeared. This was literary a portal to another dimension. Everybody, the bar staff, committee members, and diners were riveted to the 'screen'.

Billowing white clouds gave way to a forest glade. This was a temperate forest with oaks, elms, willows, and beeches. There was high lush green grass. Plus this seemed to be a beautiful summer's day. There were a whole range of butterflies swooping around, plus birds of every kind, robins, blue finches, blackbirds, swallows, and swifts. This seemed to be truly Arcadia, Heaven. It fact this is exactly what it was.

The mists faded. Old Slippery then made an extravagant gesture, lifting his right index finger directly upwards. Towards presumably Heaven. From the mists, a row of people appeared. There they all were with beaming smiles. Looking down at the 'mortals' in the Lounge Restaurant Bar.

Sid and Beryl were there, looking straight at their grandchildren. The two Majors saluted their grandsons. The Chief Detective Inspector waved at his grandson. The old committee was there too. Professor James Hudson was resplendent in his formal academic gown. All the religious members were present as well.

Everybody was there including the first Wee Jock a West Highland White Terrier. Marigold and Percival the two pub cats were also there.

This shimmering image stayed suspended for quite a while. Emily managed to get a superb recording of all of this. Cell phones had continued developing. They too took spectacular pictures of this epic event.

Everybody was very happy but also in tears. Old Slippery was clearly making a point. Everyone who had a positive heart and good karma was now in heaven. In the case of the Buddhists, Hindus, and other faiths, in their equivalents of enlightenment and reincarnation. Even the atheists were shown to be rewarded.

There was to be a flip side. All those robbers and others that had evil intent towards the old Bull Public House were shown in various cycles of Hell. Pretty much as outlined in Dante's Inferno.

Sellers the 'Snake' was locked to his laptop for eternity, forced to constantly regurgitate all that 'bile' he had produced as a low life reporter. This was very briefly shown. It was proving too horrific for many there.

Let us get back to the sublime events in the Bull Lounge Bar. This was a fitting end to A Strange Ghostly Tale Of Slippery Jake, the Regency Rake. Yes, Old Slippery's latest incident before he vanished, in which he dispatched the attempted treasure trove robbers, showed his evil side was still very much there. However, it could be argued that this was put in service for a greater good. The robbers had simply disappeared.

So maybe Old Slippery has come from the grave? You can't take it with you when you go but The Old Ghost has also shown he has produced a lot of good from the treasure he had accrued.

Hieronymus Bosch's Death and the Miser 1494-1516, Open source.

Overall though, the Old Ghost had achieved atonement. From what my father has recorded and from what I have noticed since much has been achieved. Not bad for a long-dead Highway Man.