This story is a sequel to Lass On The Bankies and Old Sid's Lament. Sid's cousin George had a chance meeting with Florence who was Sid's sweetheart when they were young. Sid lost contact with her during the war years and has searched for her ever since, not knowing if she even survived. George is bewildered. So many years have passed. So much sorrow. Should he keep the meeting a secret? What good would it do to tell?

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Sarah lives in a shadow. She owns a large Victorian house in Gosforth where she spends her time  alone and has few visitors. Like a modern day Miss Havisham, she never moves beyond her heartbreak. She has a distorted view of how she remembers things and how they really were. Like a hall of mirrors. Twisted reality and altered images. She has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder (manic depression) and finds it impossible to cope with normality. She wants her life to be like it could have been. Like it would have been if she'd only done things differently. She knows now what she didn't know then, but that doesn't help. It's too late to change the past. It's over and she missed her chance. She blames herself. She sees no future and continues dreaming those long, lost, shattered dreams. <Watch video>

"I set fire to the house. I couldn't stop myself. I knew it was wrong. I knew it was dangerous, but it was such a strong compulsion that I had to do it. As I stood and watched it burn, I felt all the stress and tension just melt away in the heat of the flames. It was such a release. In all the commotion and panic going on around me, I felt so calm and detached, yet no one suspected I could have done such a terrible thing."

I spoke to Matt on a secure ward in a psychiatric hospital where he receives treatment for his pyromania. Although he is extremely dangerous, he is not considered a criminal like an arsonist or terrorist. He has a disorder where he simply cannot resist the implusive desire to start fires. Pyromania falls into a subset of other obsessive-compulsive behaviour ranging from a simple cry for help and attention seeking to people who are severely psychotic or paranoid. Treatment usually consists of a combination of medication and psychotherapy, but the prognosis for those diagnosed with pyromania is generally poor. There are no figures of recovery rates available and although still comparatively rare, these conditions are a growing social and economic problem. <Watch video>

Train hopping is a long-established tradition in the USA, but did you know it's popular in Britain? Although it's against the law, many people hitch free rides on freight trains today. Both men and women are involved. They come from all walks of life, from vagrants and immigrant workers to thrill-seeking middle class citizens. It can be quite an adventure considering freight lines pass through all of our counties and major cities. Unfortunately, a small number of people are killed every year trespassing on railways and jumping trains. People have been crushed by heavy loads. Some have been trapped in containers and died of thirst  and starvation. Some have even frozen to death in winter months while travelling in sub-zero temperatures. However, there are many seasoned travellers who follow a code of ethics to find their way around the freight network and make their journey as safe as possible. Although the rail authorities dismiss the sentimental idea of train hopping as simply criminal and extremely dangerous, for some it is a really exciting and daring experience. <Watch video>

Having a large coastal area, the North East obviously has a great affinity with the sea. Ever since I was a child, I've had a romantic idea of smuggling and piracy which was mostly created by classic novels and Hollywood movies. I've always thought it was a thing of the past, but I've learned it's still very much alive and pirates continue to roam the high seas. These modern day villains are far removed from their 'treasure burying' predecessors and are extremely well organised and highly sophisticated. Most of their profits now come from kidnap and ransom. They use high tech equipment such as computers, internet, GPS systems, satellite phones and night vision goggles to locate shipping routes and map out plans for hijacking vessels. This level of sophistication is expensive and each voyage is financed by teams of investors who take a large cut of the profits. Many are backed by unscrupulous governments or local communities who encourage piracy and use a percentage of the money on public projects like hospitals and schools. There is even a 'pirate stock exchange' that allows investors to contribute money for weapons and other equipment in return for a share of the ransom. Hundreds of millions of pounds have been paid out in ransoms over recent years. Of course, shipping companies have become more alert to this threat and have increased their security, but with such rich pickings, it seems it will be a long time before we have seen the last of pirates on the world's oceans. <Watch video>

"You were so innocent to go out into the world on your own. I wanted to tell you what a wicked and evil place this is, but couldn't bring myself to spoil your dream. Now I feel I'm to blame for hiding it from you and not preparing you for the truth. But sometimes we must find out for ourselves through our own experiences. Now you know what lies beyond the love you've always known. You went looking for what you already had and although you've been hurt, you've returned a stronger person. There's no reason to look anymore. Stay here where you belong."

This is a modern interpretation of an inscription found on the temple wall of a ruined village in a remote area in the Peruvian mountains. It was discovered and transcribed by the eminent Professor Robert Thompson and his team of archaeologists from Newcastle University. The village is thought to be in one of the suyu regions that made up the Incan empire. The original inscription is written in a dialect of Quechua which was spoken by the Inca people. Legend has it that Sapa Inca, the ruler of the Kingdom of Cusco allowed his daughter the freedom to travel outside the kingdom to discover the ways of the wider world. He knew it was fraught with danger and disappointment but she had become increasingly rebellious and inquisitive to know what lay beyond the mountains. What she found surprised and horrified her. After many years of imprisonment, torture and abuse at the hands of the Spanish invaders, she was finally able to escape and make the long journey home to the love and safety of her family. <Watch video>