And yes, I AM trying to work out which evil, devious character Issek is referring to

I was interested in your comments about Megan. Back in the long-ago, I worked as a youth worker at a refuge, and I suspect her character may have been influenced by some of the kids I worked with back then. There are probably some subtle cultural differences between our two countries, however I found that some of the toughest kids were actually young people who had a lot to give – often intelligent, passionate, and loyal, side-swiped by life circumstances and struggling to survive in a rough world, but doing it because of their strength of character and ability to learn.

And, just out of interest, in the spirit of conversation since Issek wondered about whether the next town was country seat/provincial headquarters… I’m not sure I can think of a North American equivalent, as our government and police structure is quite different. My state is a bit bigger than Texas – but with a whole lot less people!! The police force is state-based, with a number of Local Area Commands (LAC); away from the coastal/metropolitan areas, these LACs cover huge areas with multiple small stations reporting to the Local Area Commander, who may be a few hundred kilometres away. Stations vary in size, depending on population, distance from other stations, etc, and many are not open 24/7.

Anyway, thanks again to you both for taking the time to read and consider your response to Dark Country, and for sharing your thoughts about it. And I apologise again for my long silence – life has had a few medical challenges lately, but I’m now back on my feet, with a (mostly) functioning brain and back to reading blogs.
Cheers,
Bron

OK, now Issek has me really curious! Because I’m scratching my head over here…..