It’s a great plan, what could possibly go wrong?

I really do not enjoy working the night shift. Fortunately, I only have to endure them every three months, and then only for only a week at a time. As anyone who has ever waited for anything knows, the clock ticks slower than ever, as your eyes gradually begin to feel heavier and heavier, and just as you finally submit yourself to the inevitable sleep, your train arrives and it is back to the grindstone.

It was whilst working a nightshift that I chanced upon two of the unluckiest lads I have had the dubious pleasure to meet. I was working my last train of the night, although it was also one of the first trains to leave the in the morning. While carrying out my revenue duties I found two young men looking like they had had a sleepless night much like myself. I asked them for their tickets and, if truth be told, was surprised to find that they both were able to present a valid ticket to me.  However, on closer inspection both had given me a child ticket. On this occasion however, I took pity on them and decided to accept that they were in fact about 5 years younger than I thought and I moved on.

Finally we reached our destination and I was able to head home to a most welcome slumber. Yet as I was leaving the station I saw both boys had been stopped at the station exit barriers by the Revenue Protection Officers and were being asked to prove their ID and their age, but, surprise, surprise they had no proof with them. It was now their luck ran out. A man standing in the queue behind them said

‘Excuse me, but they do have ID’. Surprised by this intervention everybody turned to look and the man proceeded to explain.

‘You see, I am a custody sergeant for the police and these two were arrested last night for burglary and I booked them in! ‘Both men were subsequently prosecuted for their misdemeanours.  A bad night for them had suddenly turned into an even worse day.