Only a third of the guns employed, and probably accounting for only twenty percent of the total number of shells unleashed, were the heavier howitzers...whose shells could bury into the ground before exploding and collapse the enemy trenches. For a front the size of that astride the River Somme that was far too few to cause any real damage. It was later estimated that over the eight days of the Somme bombardment every square mile of the German lines received some thirty tons of high explosive. ?” he asked, “no, not at all vicar, sit over there, you’ll have a better view, aunt Beth was just doing a bit of dusting weren’t you sweetheart” I said, again the glare, “it’s so nice to see you vicar, you’ll have to excuse me I must just” she said as she made for the door, “I headed her off, “don’t be silly Bethany, just sit down whilst I get the vicar some tea and cakes, I noticed some very nice scones in the fridge earlier, perhaps the vicar might like one” I said gently pushing her. Her eyes kept closing for long moment before flickering open to read more of whatever was on the screen in front of her. On a whim I 'accidentally' dropped my pen on the floor and when I bent to pick it up I looked under the table. She seemed oblivious not only to my loss of a pen but also to my lengthy attempts to retrieve it. Below table level I could see her naked legs with the skirt pulled up high. I could also see her hand busy between her legs. I grinned to myself as I straightened up. By. "No! You can't kill him." Anne looked at my chest where the knife was still embedded, where the wound should be and where the blood should have been flowing. "What the fuck is happening?" She was clearly waiting for me to clutch my chest and fall to the floor. "How come he... ? How come you didn't... ?"I guessed from the unfinished questions that she was wondering how he'd managed to get the knife off me and why I hadn't used the gun.Of course I didn't fall to the ground because there was no.