The beard was greyer now and the teddy-bear, parrot and wax moustache had not been out of their box for some years. When was it? Started 55? Four or maybe five years?

One half completed thought blended with another. It was some time before he went back to his book still making copious notes as he read. He had branched out from local history and religion was now the thing. Why do folks need Gods. What's Faith? When is it an excuse for reason?

He enjoyed never getting anywhere, but for the moment he mused elsewhere.

"Mr Robb?" the voice on the phone had asked.

"Yes."

"I've been given your name. We’re needing an actor for a day or two for a film we doing in the Kingsbridge area, which I believe is not far from you. Are you interested?”

He noted the date in his diary.

Sometimes he declined. But this was different. He straightaway became interested when the man explained the filming would be aboard a boat.

“Actually it's an old paddle steamer."

"What's her name?"

"Bear with me a moment, I think I have a note of it somewhere. Yes. Cotton Castle."

"I think You mean Compton Castle."

"Do I? Do you know her?"

"Yes, indeed."

"Splendid."

"Shall I bring my parrot?"

After a faint laugh the conversation drew to a close. Religious musings were exchanged for nautical ones for a while.

"Don't suppose I'll take my wax moustache either," he thought then went back to his book.

"Faith and trust, what's the difference?"

After consulting a number of books he again came to no conclusion. Trust is a creditable word if the thing or person you're trusting is trustworthy, but it's a foolish action if not, for then you're relying on truth without examination. I trust you. I have faith in you. One dictionary says faith and trust are the same . But if you examine before you trust you’ve no need for trust in the first place.

He was going nowhere, but next Tuesday he would be. He’d be back on board Compton. Nice to have a purpose, much better than this stuff. He looked at his notes and then stuffed them in a drawer.

“ We're not meant to understand, and if God, whoever, whatever, he, she, or it is, exists,whatever I think isn’t going to change anything. And if there's nothing out there? Dom, lad concentrate on what matters, soon it will be acting day. Religion will have to wait."

But it did not wait, and as the days passed by it took on another form in the shape of a paddle-steamer which filled his brain with eager anticipation. Devotion to something can also be defined as religion.

Religion or Myth? Somebody's belief is someone else's falsehood. Yet myths, it is said, are the greatest manifestation of human imagination. And religion isn't?

Compton Castle. A pagan goddess? A focal point for the worship of water and fire!

A myth is beyond folk-tale or legend, because it deals in the search for truth. It is somehow sacred and includes people and experiences outside the everyday experience.

"Too much to drink, my mind wanders too much. It's all a product of our crazy minds. Christianity, three gods in one, the Trinity, is it any more real now than all those Egyptian or Greek gods. They were all real for their time and isn't that what matters. Okay so the sun doesn't float back on a subterranean sea. Yes they were in error but within the limits of their knowledge they came up with a neat answer. Are ours much better? God! Is that the time? Tomorrow is the big day."