The voices of two
Derbyshire girls from the past begin to call to Shelley, clamouring for her to
listen to their stories;
'My name is Addie.
Addie Johnson. Can you hear
my voice among so many?
The hillside seethes with
voices. They whirl like wraiths through the mines, under stones and
tumbledowns. They drift under water in the drowned valley.
They wind in and out of
crumbled beast shelters. They are all waiting for their listeners. They have stories
to tell, in wisps and threads, and often their stories have no endings. Hear
them. Catch them if you can.
I am prisoner here. I want
to be released by love. '
'Ere, I'm Joan. Joanie,
me Fayther an me three brothers call me. They call me Fat Joanie. An I'll tell
yer why I'm stook down 'ere, if yer'll only listen to me....'
All three girls feel
unloved. Will Shelley be luckier than they were? When a shocking secret is
revealed, Shelley finds the peace it brings her may help their lamenting voices
to rest.