Several blokes what claimed to be mates of Taggy’s were aware of his fate but none of them lifted a finger. Boris from the Gamblers Anonymous couldn’t give a fuck, Twig from the Pub couldn’t give a fuck and Calita this girl he was kind of shagging sometimes couldn’t give a fuck either. Only his step brother John John was concerned enough to try and help the poor bastard.

John John dragged Calita down there to help him get Taggy out of bother but the bolt-cutters they’d borrowed from a bloke that worked on the railways would not cut through the chains and were soon all bended and twisted out of shape. Eagles were swooping down at John John even while he worked and Taggy was laughing so much he cunt take it seriously and he kept farting and making that music from the Damn Busters and trying to persuade Calita to give him a blow job.

At 4am JJ and Calita went home which was understandable, leaving Taggy to his fate and them Eagles to their late supper.

*

John John was a dumb bloke but at least he was loyal. Once his best mate at school had died and John John had sat in the mud with him until the coppers arrived. Another time he had told several lies to stop Taggy getting in trouble with his mum and still another time he had married a girl what he didn’t even love cos he thought it were the right thing to do.

John John worked nites at an old factory where they made many plastic joke novelty items. If anyone asked he would say to them with fools pride that the manufacture of glow in the dark skellingtons, rotating realistic looking plonkers and human skulls with them red flashing eyes was his trade.

After six (6) weeks on the rock Taggy was getting right fed up.

1) His mobile was not charged up so he could not make calls.

2) He was getting ‘bed’ sores on his back and

3) Them eagles were still pecking his liver out every fucking night.

It was, as the poets say, a big pain in the arse situation.

*

John John on the nite shift, the vast hall of the factory deserted but for a few sad blokes like him, many of them curled up and snoring like pigs in grime under desks as they were trying to get some kip. The ‘thundering’ machines stamping out the fruit of their wombs; rubber bones, jelly dicks, inflatable tits, rotatory eyeballs, the chattering teeth of vampires, ‘speaking wounds’, clockwork joke hands what grab a paupers’ penny etc.