One Among the sleepless, a novel written and performed for podcast by Mike Bennett.

This novel is intended for an adult audience.

Episode 5

Ron Shig 5.

Ron Chiggly stared at the front of his house and wondered whether it was worth the hassle anymore.

In the three years since he and his wife Margaret had bought this place and let it out to tenants,

they'd had nothing but headaches and trauma.

Not the kind of thing they needed an abundance of at their time in life.

But my time in life, this is the last thing I need an abundance of, said Ron.

Jack Wolf looked at him. Now, Ron. I don't understand it. Ron looked at the scorched door in bewilderment. How can a bloody

balls up like this happen in a respectable neighborhood like this one? I don't know, Ron. Blimmingming kids isn't it? Bloody right it is.

Ron and Margaret bought the place just as prices began to rise towards the end of the

1990s. Before the last tenants moved in, he had had an estate agent come for a free evaluation and was delighted to learn that he doubled his money on the place.

You know, I've doubled my money on this place in the last three years, said Ron.

Don't surprise me.

I don't know why the hell I just don't sell it on and I've done with it. His brother-in-law

Martin had been the first in the family to buy and let houses. In the 1980s he'd made a

fortune. Martin had put in more partition wars than there were

real ones in just about every place he'd owned. He'd turned two bedroomed houses

into six bedroomed houses and four bedroom bedroom houses into hospitals.

At least that's what he could have sold them on as.

Could have sold them on as hospitals, Ron announced.

...