The Colditz Story, starring Jess & Molly

Last night, I patrolled the perimeter closing the gate, garage and car as usual. I had seen Jess go upstairs, and Molly on her bed in the hall. Before going up to bed, I asked Mrs jml if there was still anything to do outside, then I locked the house.

Mrs jml pottered around in the kitchen for a while. She found Molly half way up the stairs and took off her collar, which she brought back downstairs. When she came up again, Jess was at the top of the stairs but without her collar. Fine - I had obviously removed it.

We had no visitors during the night - in itself something sufficiently unusual for us to comment on it this morning. Molly greeted me as I came downstairs, but not Jess. I hunted everywhere, including cupboards and behind the fridge. I told Mrs jml, in disbelief, that Jess was nowhere to be found, and she repeated my search. (Shades of Molly's escape from the cottage at Melfort.)

We even unlocked the house and called out in the garden, but there was no response. Finally, we unlocked the garage - but she was not there - and then the car. Jess stood up in the boot, yawning, and wanted to know where we had been all this time!!!

We talked about it at length. Both of us were convinced that we had counted 8 paws before turning in for the night. But each of us must have counted Molly twice. Not helped, of course, by their temporary similarity now their coats are both short. When I had closed the boot of the car, I obviously not seen Jess lying low in the shadows.

All in all, I think that Jess counts this as a victory. She has often indicated that she wants to sleep outside. Very occasionally, we have allowed it, but only on a warm night. This time, we allowed it without even knowing we had done so!!

It reminds me of the scene from The Colditz Story where an escape is covered by somebody doubling up at roll call. After a guard begins the count at one end, the 'double' runs between the lines of prisoners and stands in an empty place at the other end - so the guards think the count is correct.

Remind me not to tell Jess & Molly the story of Albert, R.N.