Vesna looked around her as the door in the side of the shipping container shimmered out of existence. The container she had emerged from was at the end of a long row of containers stacked three high. Another similar row was alongside it with just enough gap between for service vehicles. She pulled up her hood, lowered her head and stepped around the corner into the open area at the end of the rows. As expected, she was in full view of a security camera. She slouched slowly towards it, head down, occasionally looking up and scanning the area around her as if worried about being spotted and chased. She heard a vehicle and ducked between another set of containers until it had passed. She walked slowly on, noticing that the security camera was tracking her.
By now, the operator had already phoned the police, reporting to his supervisor, “Hey, I reckon we have another stowaway, young, she is grubby and skinny, doesn’t look in great shape, I reckon fourteen to sixteen years old, hard to tell. I have phoned the police.”
She slouched on slowly, then heard another vehicle and hid between two more rows of containers. The car stopped. Two uniformed police officers in hi-vis jackets stepped out, a man and a woman. They walked a little way towards her, then stopped and looked at her. The woman spoke, “Hi there, my name is Amy, I am a police officer, dock security called us, they were worried about you. Are you ok? Are you hurt? Can you tell us your name, please?
Vesna said, her voice accented, “My name is Vesna Kovalenko, I am Ukrainian, I am sixteen years old.” She spoke carefully, a pause between each phrase, a foreigner speaking English. “My parents were killed in an attack on Kyiv, my father said I should come to a friend of his here if anything happened to them,” She reached inside her hoodie and pulled out a folded scrap of paper and held it out to them.
Amy said, “OK, hang on to that for now. This is quite a dangerous place for you to be, with all the trucks and containers. We need to take you somewhere safe and warm. And we can get you something to eat as well. Are you hungry?”
Vesna nodded. Amy turned to the car “Would you get in the car, please? If you are cold, I have a blanket you can wrap yourself in?” She held open the back door of the car.
Vesna climbed in “No, I am not cold, but something to eat would be good.”
At the police station, Vesna was signed in, and then Amy took her to a quiet room, sparsely but completely furnished with a table and chairs. Vesna imagined it being mostly used for meetings and the like. The other officer went off to the supermarket around the corner to get some sandwiches for Vesna. There was a water cooler in the corridor, and Amy fetched drinks for them both. She placed a cup in front of Vesna and then sat down with her. “Vesna, there is a process we have to go through; you are what is classified as a UASC, an Unaccompanied Asylum‑Seeking Child. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I think so. When can I contact Mr Edmund Hale?”
“The next step in the process is not handled by us, the police. It is handed over to the Local Authority’s Children’s Services. One of them is on their way, and as you are Ukrainian, an interpreter is also coming. Your English seems fairly good, but having them here will avoid any misunderstandings. But from this point, they are in charge of the process. I am just here to keep you company until they arrive.”
Vesna looked disappointed “But all I need is for you to phone Mr Hale and he will take care of me.”
Amy nodded, “I understand, we will phone him, but otherwise it is up to the social services to deal with your case. I am sure you have the same kind of processes and rules in Ukraine? They always feel silly when you are on the receiving end, in my experience.
Vesna laughed, “Oh yes, and mostly not as friendly as you are. Ok, I will just have to wait.”
The other officer reappeared, with a carrier bag in his hand. He emptied a small pile of sandwiches on the table. Amy remarked, “All your favourites, John?”
“Well, if there are any going spare, pity if they went to waste” He turned to Vesna and handed back her note with Edmund’s details on it. “I assume Amy has told you about the process you are going to be run through. I photocopied your note, and I will go and phone Mr Hale for you now.”
A couple of minutes later, Edmund’s phone rang “Mr Hale?”
“Speaking.”
“This is Suffolk Police, Constable John French speaking. Do you know a Miss Vesna Kovalenko?”
“Yes, I do. She texted me a few days ago to say her parents had been killed and she was on her way to England. I tried to phone her and text her, but neither got through. Is she all right? Is she safe? I have been worried about her.”
“How well do you know her, Mr Hale?”
“I believe I met her on one of my last visits to Ukraine; she probably doesn’t remember meeting me then, she would have been only two or three years old. I had met her father long before then through business, and we had become good friends. The family then visited me not long before the Russians invaded. Her father was nervous about how things were developing. He asked me if I would be prepared to take her in if the worst happened. She is a lovely girl, and I said I would do everything I possibly could to help and that I would certainly give her a home for however long is necessary. Now, again, you didn’t answer my questions. Is she all right? Where is she?”
“She is safe, seems in good health, and she is at the police station here.”
“I am a barrister, a King’s Counsel, mostly retired. Am I right in thinking the UASC protocol will be applied?”
The officer groaned inside. His last interaction with a barrister had been while on the witness stand; it had not been his happiest afternoon. “Yes, Mr Hale.”
“So, you will go through a series of checks, a welfare check, a trafficking risk assessment, a background interview and a safety plan, I think. Sorry, I am a corporate lawyer, so I don’t know the details off the cuff. But at this time, I will not be permitted to see her, is that correct?”
“Yes, Mr Hale”
“Will she be provided with an interpreter? Her English is fairly good, I remember, but probably not up to following all the details of the process?”
“Yes, Mr Hale”
“When I spoke to her father, he asked if I would act as her legal representative if she arrived in the UK. I said yes. Am I entitled to see her in that capacity?”
“I am not sure. I will check.”
Please do. If I don’t hear from you, I will come to the station in an hour.”
“I, or social services, will phone you back as soon as possible, Mr Hale.”
“Thank you. Is there anything else you want to ask me at present, or does everything go through social services from this point?”
“No, I think that is all I need for now. We will be in touch. Thank you, Mr Hale.”
Edmund ended the call and turned to Eostre and Aurora, “All seems to be going to plan. Obviously, I researched the UASC protocol, and they cannot let me see her until they have background-checked me. I think I will get the call back from them fairly quickly. The last thing they want is a retired KC with nothing better to do hanging around and making a nuisance of himself.”
At the police station, the social worker and interpreter had arrived. PC French took the social worker to one side, “The girl has a family contact here in town. He is a KC, he knows he can’t see her as a friend or family contact, but asked if he was entitled to see her as her legal representative?”
The social worker shook her head, “No, at this point, I am sorry, but that is still a no.”
PC French grimaced and then went straight to the phone to tell Edmund what he already knew.
“Five minutes. Not bad at all.” Edmund said to Eostre and Aurora after the call.
Aurora looked at him, head tilted. “Are you sure you’re supposed to be enjoying this so much?”
Edmund smiled. “Probably not. But I’m helping Vesna and reminding the police that not everyone they deal with is easily intimidated. That’s worth enjoying.”
The social worker and interpreter were shown into the room with Vesna.
The social worker spoke first, “Hi, my name is Anita Rao, and this is our interpreter, Olena Markova. The police say your English is quite good. Am I ok to talk directly to you, or should Olena interpret everything?”
“I think it is ok in English, I can ask if I am not sure.”
The social worker nodded and continued, “First, can I check your name and age, please?
“My name is Vesna Kovalenko, and I am sixteen years old.”
“Where are you from?”
“I am from Kyiv, in Ukraine”
“What happened to your parents?”
Vesna’s eyes welled with tears “There was an air strike, a Russian missile. I was on my way back from a run and saw it hit my home. My mother, she was killed immediately, and my father, they dug him out of the rubble and took him to the hospital. He died in the ambulance.”
“I am sorry that was upsetting for you, but I have to ask.”
Vesna nodded, “I understand”
“How did you get here?”
“I hitchhiked, I hid in trucks. All my papers were at home, destroyed. It was the only thing I could think of to do.”
“Do you know anyone in the UK – the police have given me a copy of the note you gave them about Mr Hale, is there anyone else you know here?”
“Just Mr Hale.”
“How well do you know him?”
Vesna replied, “My father knows him since many years. Mr Hale used to visit him from time to time, but the last time was when I was very little, so I don’t remember him much from then. Just before the war, we came here for a holiday. So I got to know him better then, he is a very kind, very nice man, I like him very much. My father asked if he would take me in if the Russians attacked and I had to leave Ukraine. He said yes, he would be happy to take care of me. TaTa, sorry, Daddy asked me how I felt about coming to live with Edmund if it was necessary, and I said that I like him and felt safe and happy in his company, and that is how I feel now.”
“Thank you, Vesna, now we have a safeguarding process we have to follow, …”
Vesna raised her hand slightly, then turned to the interpreter
“Vybachte, a shcho oznachaye ‘safeguarding’?”
Olena said, “She’s asking what ‘safeguarding’ means.”
“Safeguarding just means making sure you are safe. Safe from harm, safe from people who might hurt you, and safe in the place you stay. It’s our job to protect you while we understand your situation.”
Vesna nodded, “Yes, I understand now.”
“That means we run checks on anyone you might be placed with, to be sure who they are, that they are willing to take care of you, that they have suitable space to provide you with a home and make sure they are aware of the responsibilities they are taking on.”
Vesna said, “Yes, I understand now.”
“Now, for tonight, we have a place arranged with a temporary foster parent—Mrs. Patterson, she’s very experienced. But given what you’ve said and what I know about Mr Hale’s circumstances, I think what I’d like to do is phone him and see if I can meet him this afternoon and go through it all with him. I understand he is a lawyer, so he probably has a good grasp of the process and will be able to provide all the information we need. The police officers have already run a criminal record check on him, and that is all in order. Unless you have any questions for me, I will go and phone him now and see if we can do that. If everything is satisfactory, we may be able to place you with him for tonight, if that is what you would like?”
Vesna smiled, “Yes, please.”
Anita smiled at Vesna, stood up and said, “I will go and call him now.”
In a few moments, she was back. “All arranged, I will see what I can do for you, Vesna. If Mr Hale and I can’t manage to get everything sorted out, I hope you won’t be too disappointed, but we will both do our best, I am sure. Olena, if you would like to hang on here, I can give you a lift back when I am done.”
Olena smiled, “Yes, I can chat with Vesna. I would like to hear about how things are in Kyiv, for one thing, and it will be good to hear my own language. Is that ok, Vesna?”
Vesna nodded enthusiastically, “Yes, that is great, thank you, all of you.”
Edmund had all the papers he was going to need ready to hand. He turned to Eostre and Aurora, “You two had better go for a walk in the garden, visit Charon and see how everything is progressing. Ask how soon the pub will be open.”
Eostre looked slightly disappointed “Edmund, you know how I sometimes ride along with Ella? Could I do the same with you?”
He thought for a moment, “Yes, why not. No heckling, though. Ella has warned me about you. And I have no interest in cattle in the fields.”
“Ok, thank you, coming now.” Eostre shimmered out of existence, and her voice came inside his head.“Here now. I will just listen in. I promise.”
Aurora giggled, “She gets about, doesn’t she? I will go and suffer Charon on my own then. See you later.” With that, she set out into the garden.
“So if I think at you, Eostre, you can hear me, but otherwise not?”
“Yes, more or less. But I can sense your biological reactions, and others near you, too. Ella didn’t like me mentioning when she got sexually aroused.”
“Amazes me that she would feel that way.”
“I have learnt to identify sarcasm now”
The doorbell rang. Edmund headed out to the door and let Anita in. “Come through to the conservatory, it is my favourite room, and I have assembled the documents I thought you might want to see there. Would you like a drink or anything?”
“No, thank you, Mr Hale. I had a drink at the police station. What a lovely house you have.”
“Yes, I am very fortunate. I had a pretty successful career, and in any event, selling up in London and moving here when I retired, well, you get a lot more for your money here.”
Edmund gestured for Anita to sit down, then picked up a pile of papers, placed them on the side table by her chair and sat down opposite her.
Anita leafed through, passport, driving licence, no endorsements, utility bills, bank statements and the letters patent relating to his appointment as a Queen’s council, during the reign of Elizabeth II.
The house had been meticulously checked in anticipation of a visit like this, to ensure no trace of the early morning’s activities remained. Edmund said, “I hope that covers off the paperwork. I have printed off copies if you want to take them for your files. Otherwise, would you like to have a look around the house? Feel free to wander wherever you like, and when you are done, I will be happy to show you the garden and answer any further questions.”
Anita nodded, “Yes, that all looks in order. Absolutely fine, thank you, and yes, a look around the house would be ideal. You are sure you are happy for me to go wherever I like?”
“Yes, please do.”
Anita set off. The house was delightful, with a beautifully fitted kitchen, everything very tidy and very clean, a large lounge, dining room, study, cloakroom and upstairs five bedrooms and two bathrooms. “I ought to ask if I can come too,” she thought to herself “, Vesna is a very lucky girl.”
She headed off downstairs, “Thank you, Mr Hale, your house is lovely. And yes, I would like to see the garden, I think all that is left is for me to be sure you know what you are letting yourself in for.”
He smiled, “Good. The garden, then, I was saying to a friend the other day, I have let it go slightly from what it was when I moved in, a bit more for wildlife, a little less primped.”
“I have removed the fold gate for now, Edmund”
“Good”
Edmund continued, “Yes, as to what I am getting into. My wife and I moved here as I was starting to wind down my workload. I still have not completely retired, though; I still do some odd bits for long-standing clients and friends, and a little pro bono work for good causes. Now Margaret and I had wanted children, but she had three harrowing miscarriages, harrowing for both of us, but for her, devastating. So we stopped trying. She died a few years back, so I have been on my own for a while. Now, Vesna is a delightful girl. But doubtless there will be disagreements, and we will have to both make some concessions, I am quite sure. But I would say there is more than enough of a bond between us to make a good start with. And I am quite clear about the extent of my legal duties and responsibilities. But in a way, for me, this is a second chance at the family I never got to have. One thing I don’t know, which you might be able to tell me, is how she has been affected by the loss of her parents. I know they were a very close family. What is your impression of that?”
Anita thought to herself, if he scripted all this, he did a very good job; he has covered everything I could ask for. But, I think this is from the heart, one of the good guys. She said, “I think Vesna has been deeply affected by the recent events. She nevertheless seems very much under control, polite, and calm. As you say, a very nice young woman.”
“Mr Hale. Would you be able to take her tonight? I think all things considered, that is what is best for her. I am sure you understand that our processes would make that a temporary arrangement until all the steps have been completed. I will go and fetch her now.”
“Thank you, I would be very happy to have her here tonight.”
At that moment, a huge black dog bounced into the garden from the front of the house. Shuck ran up to Edmund for a pat and a stroke, and Ella appeared from the same direction. “Hi Edmund.” She looked inquisitively at Anita.
Edmund continued patting Shuck and said, “Hello, Ella, did the two of you have a nice walk? He gestured towards Anita, “This is Anita from social services. I told you about Vesna arriving in England today. Anita has just finished ‘inspecting’ me.” he smiled at Anita,…, and is going to go and bring her home now. Anita, this is Ella. She lives around the corner and helps me walk Shuck.”
Ella walked over to Anita and shook her hand “Nice to meet you. I am looking forward to meeting Vesna; it will be lovely for Edmund to have a bit more company.” Shuck followed her quietly and looked up hopefully at Anita. He could smell the traces of dog scent on her; she was a dog lover.
Anita leant down and patted him gently. He cuddled up to her and was rewarded with a stroke “He is lovely, but enormous, whatever breed is he?”
Edmund replied, “I really don’t know. He is a ‘found’ dog, rescued. I think he looks a bit like a St Bernard – certainly the right size – but the black coat says otherwise. The vet couldn’t say either.”
Anita looked thoughtfully at Shuck “Mastiff, definitely, the build of a St Bernard, but there is a mastiff called a Cane Corso, which is black, but not as big as a St Bernard, and your Shuck is big, even for one of them.”
Edmund raised his eyebrows. “Cane Corso? I’ve never heard of that.”
“Italian breed. Guard dogs originally. Quite rare here. If he’s a mix – Cane Corso and St Bernard, perhaps – that might explain the size and the colour.”
Shuck sat perfectly still, being examined, looking very much like a noble mastiff mix.
Ella said, “That would make sense! I’ve been trying to work out what he is for months.”
“I am a Cane Corso St Bernard mix”, Eostre announced, “I like that.”
“Don’t get too attached to it. You’re not actually a dog.”
“I am when I choose to be.”
Anita patted Shuck a few more times, then straightened up. “Sorry, Shuck, I have a rather grubby, tired girl to deliver to her new home.” She turned to Edmund, I will be back very shortly. Nice to meet you, Ella.”
She headed off down the path to the front of the house. Edmund and Ella heard her car start and the scrunch of the tyres on the gravel drive as she set off. They stood there grinning at each other for a moment. Then Edmund said, “Ella, would you mind taking the clothes you fetched for Vesna from home upstairs, ready for her arrival… I will get us a coffee.”
Anita collected Vesna and Olena from the police station. On the way back, she was treated to a stream of Ukrainian conversation between her passengers. When they arrived, Edmund came out to greet them. They all got out of the car, Olena said, “Nice to meet you, Mr Hale.” She turned to Vesna, hugged her briefly, “Lovely to meet you. I am sure everything will go well for you. And I knew you were Ukrainian the moment I saw you. Only Ukrainian women are as beautiful as us. ”
Anita laughed, “Charming!” She turned to Vesna, “Do you want me to come in while you settle in, Vesna?”
“No, I am fine here with Mr Hale, thank you for everything.”
Anita turned to Edmund and handed him her card. “I think that is everything for now. I will be in touch very soon about next steps, education and so on. Unless there is anything you want from me at present?”
Edmund said, “There is one thing, if Vesna is agreeable, I think I would like to adopt her legally. It would mean that her status would be permanently settled, a British national, no question over the right to remain in the country. And we would be a family.”
Anita said, “That is quite a big step for both of you. I would suggest you talk it all through between you, but I will put a note in my file about what you have in mind.”
Anita and Olena said goodbye, and the car scrunched off the drive again.
Vesna went over to Edmund and put her arms around him “Hello, Dad. It is good to be home.” His arms went around her and held her close.
“I sense both of you. Now I know what it is to love and be loved. Thank you, Edmund. We are family now. All of us.”
“Thank you, Eostre.”
It was time Ella went home. Vesna asked if she would mind taking her shopping for clothes the next day. Ella said she thought that sounded like fun and happily agreed.
When she got there, her dad was just arriving back from work. “Hi, Dad, how was your day?”
Pete grimaced slightly, “Frustrating really, I am finding the management a little, hmm, inflexible, not very receptive to anything new. It is very common for people to think, ‘We have always done it this way, it has always worked,’ and can’t see it when you suggest small changes to make it work better. How about you? How was your day?”
As they walked into the house together, Ella said, “Interesting, quite exciting actually.”
“Exciting?” Peter sounded surprised.
They went through to the kitchen, the kettle went on, and Ella continued, “Yes. I got some bits of art done, which I am quite pleased with. Then I dropped by at Edmund’s. He told me he had had a call from the police.”
Now Peter was concerned, “The police?”
Ella continued, “Yes, apparently, through his business, he made friends with a Ukrainian family who lived in Kyiv. I must admit, he had told me about his work life, as I said to you, he was a barrister, then went into business, but I didn’t know he had travelled all over the place on business. I think he must have been quite high-powered, really. Anyway, the family came to see him a couple of years ago, and they asked him then if anything bad happened in Ukraine, if he would be prepared to take their daughter in, she is about my age, I think.”
Peter butted in, “But why did the police ring?”
Ella smiled, “Coming to that. They phoned to tell him that they had picked up a young woman, a refugee at the dock, who had given his name as a contact. Dad, it is awful. Her parents were killed and her home destroyed, so she came here.”
Peter looked shocked.”So, what is going to happen to her?”
Ella said, “Well, they had some sort of vetting process or something to do, but the woman from social services dropped her off at his house while I was walking Shuck. She was just leaving when I took him home. I think he is intending to adopt her.”
Peter said thoughtfully, “What she must have been through! How awful. I’m glad Edmund was there for her. Not everyone would step up like that. How is she?”
Ella said, “Well, when I left, she seemed ok. I think she had a shower and a change of clothes while she was with social services, but I said I would go shopping with her tomorrow, so she can get herself sorted out. Her name is Vesna, she is lovely.”
Peter nodded, “Good idea. I hope all goes well for her. Now, dinner?”
They ate, watched some TV together, then Ella headed for bed. She chatted with Eostre as she was getting ready for bed, “That was some day, you were right about the morning’s show though, that was spectacular!”
Eostre said, “I am glad you enjoyed it. I didn’t realise that you hadn’t noticed my avatar was based on, well, actually was you, just with white hair. I liked the idea of the white, and it seemed to me to be a good differentiator, similar, not the same.”
Ella replied, “Yes, it hadn’t really dawned on me, also that you are all, when you are embodied, lumbered with my DNA, for better or worse. I didn’t register that I was looking at a mirror image of me when I was with Vesna; she was so filthy to start and finish with, and I think at the time I was helping her shower, I had pegged her as just Vesna, another person. And Aurora, well, she is just so different!”
Eostre said thoughtfully, “Maybe I should have explained, thoughtless of me, but I thought you knew, which was a bad assumption. I am sorry.”
Ella shook her head, “No, don’t be, I like having sisters, always wanted one, but now I have two, and they are lovely.”
Eostre sounded pleased, “I am glad you see it that way, Vesna, though, I believe she also has plans for her appearance, you will find out in the morning.”
Ella slid under her duvet, yawning, “I am tired out, a fun day, but so, so long. Good night, Eostre.”
“Good night, I am so glad I have you as my friend.”
“Thank you, me too.”