The CBB :: View topic - The Real School at the Chalet

#1: The Real School at the Chalet Author: Mary, Location: Essex/Suffolk border UK

Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2005 6:51 pm

OK- so this is basically the idea that (in the present) different people all go to the Tyrol to look for the Chalet School for different reasons and discover more than they expected. I have no idea really where it is going or if I'll ever finish it so please have patience with me- my A levels are looming!! Anyway, here it is- your comments would be gratefully received...

*
As the last car drove away down the drive, scrunching the gravel behind it, Jocelyn closed the front door. She leaned against it for a minute as she pulled herself together and, slipping of her high heels, she made her way into the kitchen. Mountains of tea cups with the dregs in the bottom, and crumby plates met her already exhausted gaze. The trilling of the phone snapped her out of her reverie.
“Jocelyn?Darling are you OK?
She sat down at the scrubbed pine table and sighed.
“I’m fine Mum. I am just about to tidy up and get out of this dress. Then I am going to have a long bath and go to bed.”
“Joss, does this mean that no one stayed to help clean up?”
“Well, yes. Elaine stayed ‘till the end, wanting to talk, and she was in no state to stay and tidy up…she did ask first Mum but I said no. You know how awful she has looked over the last few weeks.”
“But darling… you have to do all of the tidying yourself. Just give me twenty minutes and I’ll be right back there.”
Jocelyn smiled at the phone despite herself.
“Mum, really, I’ll be fine. I just want to be on my own. Really.”
“Well OK but if you want to talk or anything I’m only a phone call away. Do you understand Jocelyn?”
She smiled again and stood up, next to the phone’s cradle.
“Yes Mum. I’ll see you soon.”

As she stowed the last of the plates in the dishwasher, she smiled yet again. ‘Why’ she thought ‘am I smiling so much?’ She made another cup of tea and carried it slowly into the large carpetted living-room. She glanced around it, immediately seeing things thatneed straightening or sweeping. Her gaze however came to rest on a small photo, taken with an instant camera. She hadn’t seen it before and frowned as she unfolded her legs from beneath her and leaned across to the side table to pick it up. It was of her, and Mike. They both grinned and were surrounded by flowers, but the difference between it and the picture of their wedding day was acute and almost painful. Mike’s face was gaunt and drawn, and despite the smile, there was some saddness behind his eyes. ‘Come to that’ thought Jocelyn, ‘I don’t exactly look happy through and through’. She remembered again wondering why she was happy today.
“I know” she said out loud. The resonance of her voice in the empty room shocked her.
“I know” she said again, under her breath. She stroked the picture absent mindedly and smiled once again.
“It’s all over.”

*

A few weeks later, Jocelyn came to a decision. The house was huge and she was all alone in it. A nice family would have more need for it than she would. Her mother had looked worried when she mentioned it to her.
“But darling, you don’t want to lose all of yours and Mike’s memories here.”
She had shook her head at this.
“No, I don’t, but this house is too big for just one person. I couldn’t afford it anyway, not on my pay.”
“You are quite right Joss” said her father coming through from the kitchen with three cups of tea.“This house is very large and, yes I know Deb that she had memories here but she can take all of her memories with her. And anyway, I think that you two were happiest at the cottage. Mike was ill for almost the whole time you were here.”
Jocelyn had smiled at him, grateful for his support.
“Look Mum, I am not running away. I just don’t need this house and Dad’s right. My memories aren’t here. They are with me, and in the cottage.”
Debbie had nodded slowly, sipping her tea.
“Well darling. You can of course do what you want but please be careful. Don’t do anythng you will regret.”

That evening Joss was sat up in the attic. The last of the evening sun streamed through the dormer windows, lighting up the dust and the cobwebs. She tucked a loose strand of hair into the head scarf she wore and pulled out another box. She went through the contents, sorting things into boxes of items to throw away, to give away and into new clean boxes to keep. She slowly worked her way around the attic, stopping every now and then to look fondly at a photograph or carress a long forgotten toy. One of the last boxes she came across was marked ‘Joss’ Stuff from the attic’. She frowned at it. Most of her old things were still at her parent’s house. So why was this one here? She peeled back the drying crackly brown parcel tape, holding the musty box closed. This corner of the attic was gloomy, and she picked up the box, carrying it over to a puddle of light. Almost immediately, the bottom burst open and the attic floor was hidden from view by a mountain of books, their covers crumpled and tatty. Joss uttered an exclaimation and then sat down on the floor. She would never get this cleaned before dark. She picked up the first book that came to hand, it’s dust jacket falling off at her touch. She turned it over in her hands until the spine faced her, the light catching the gilt lettering: ‘The School At The Chalet’. She frowned again, a distant memory becoming clearer. The book fell open in her hand to the first page and she began to read.

#2: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2005 7:15 pm

Interesting, Mary - look forward to seeing where you are going with this.

#3: Author: Liane, Location: Manchester

Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2005 8:50 pm

Good start Mary. Looking forward to more.

#4: Author: aitchemelle, Location: West Sussex

Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2005 8:54 pm

intruiging!!! Please post more! Very Happy

#5: Author: Kat, Location: Swansea

Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2005 9:03 pm

Loved your start Mary - looking forward to reading more!

#6: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2005 9:05 pm

looking forward to more of this.....sounds VERY interesting.

#7: Author: Cazx, Location: Swansea/Bristol

Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2005 9:11 pm

This sounds really good, can't wait to hear more!

#8: Author: Ann, Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2005 9:56 pm

Interesting start, Mary - more asap, please!

#9: Author: Katie, Location: A Yorkshire lass in London

Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2005 10:24 am

It's a really good star, Mary. Very interested in seeing where it goes...

#10: Author: Rachel, Location: West Coast of Scotland

Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2005 11:03 am

Wish I had a long forgotten box in the attic filled with HBs in DWs!!!

Great start, can't wait for more!

#11: Author: Alice, Location: London, England

Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2005 11:53 am

What an interesting idea Mary. I'm looking forward to reading more.

#12: Author: Vikki, Location: Sitting on an iceberg, freezing to death!!!

Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2005 3:34 pm

This is intriguing Mary!
May we have more soon please?

#13: Author: JoW, Location: Lincolnshire

Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2005 8:03 pm

A really good idea, Mary. I'm looking forward to reading some more.

#14: Author: Carolyn P, Location: Lancaster, England

Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2005 9:12 pm

May I have one of those boxes please?

Pretty Please?

#15: Author: Lyanne, Location: Ipswich, England

Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2005 11:40 am

When I got my CS books back from my parents' they were all out of order... Sad

. So I'm glad Joss' are in order Smile

#16: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 12:12 am

This looks very interesting Mary

Looking forward to more when you have the chance

Liz

#17: Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!!

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 7:41 am

This looks really interesting Mary, I would love to see more, very soon! Very Happy

#18: Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 7:03 pm

Excellent start

I'm sure writing this is a good revision break for you Very Happy

#19: Author: nikkie, Location: Cumbria

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 7:08 pm

Dawn wrote:

I'm sure writing this is a good revision break for you Very Happy

So very important then Wink

#20: Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle

Posted: Wed May 04, 2005 1:23 pm

Thank you Mary, a very good start. Could we have some more soon please.

#21: Author: Sarah, Location: Ormskirk, Lancashire

Posted: Wed May 04, 2005 3:18 pm

More soon please! Very Happy

#22: Author: Sarah, Location: Ormskirk, Lancashire

Posted: Wed May 04, 2005 3:19 pm

More soon please! Very Happy

#23: Author: Mary, Location: Essex/Suffolk border UK

Posted: Wed May 04, 2005 7:05 pm

OK so two exams down and about nine more to go. Anyway, I've got about two minutes now so I'll give you some more- not sure about this bit- I think that it's too chatty.

*

“Mum? I have come to another decision.”
Debbie Hall nodded absent mindedly as she ironed her husband’s pyjamas.
“That’s good darling.”
“But you have to promise to not say I’m not to do it because my mind is already made up.”
Debbie paid a little more attention to this. Her daughter was not normal so decisive. It made her nervous when Jocelyn was sure of herself.
“I’m going abroad for a while.”
Debbie unplugged the iron and gave her daughter her full attention.
“Abroad?”
“To the Tyrol.”
Jocelyn decided now was a good time to make a pot of tea. She moved across the old kitchen and filled up the kettle from the tap, then put it on the old aga. She turned back around again.
“Well?”
Debbie resolutely looked at her hands.
“There is nothing I can say other than that which I was made to promise that I wouldn’t.”
Jocelyn sat down heavily across from her mother.
“Really? Do you really think it is a bad idea?”
“Jocelyn, darling, why move to the Tyrol? You could just move to Scotland and still have the hills and lakes and the like.”
Joss smiled and picked up the teapot.
“I’m not moving to the Tyrol. I just want to visit it for a while.”
Debbie looked up atlast.
“Not moving?”
“No Mum. I would just like to go and see it and stay there for a bit. Then I will come home fully refreshed and ready to do useful work.”
“Like selling the house.”
Joss turned away from her mother. She hadn’t wanted to start this converstaion. The Tyrol conversation was one thing, but the house conversation was a totally different thing.
“I’m going to sell it before I go.”
Debbie looked sharply at her daughter.
“Jocelyn where will you live when you come home again?”
Joss grimaced with her back to her mother, then turned around with the fresh pot in hand.
“I don’t really know, but I just want to get away from this, and there’s no point in keeping the house for the whole time I’m not here. I’ll sell it on and gain gross amounts of interest on the money whilst it sits in my bank account and then come home and rent a little cottage and maybe buy somewhere. I got long term plans sorted out Mum but all I know is there is no point in keeping a house just to have somewhere to live when I come home from holiday. If it comes to the worst, I’ll stay with Beattie.”
“You do not have to stay in the hell hole your sister has created for herself.”
Joss decided to not go down the well trod conversation of her older sister’s chosen life with adopted children and a few troubled kids. Personally, Joss envied her life but she knew that her mother would never have approved and then Mike got ill so there was no point in worrying about it.
“Well it won’t we for a while so don’t get upset about it. I still have to sell the house and sort out storage. You know, I won’t be leaving for a month or two.”
Debbie accepted the tea from her daughter and stirred it, the spoon clinking against the edges of her mug.
“It shouldn’t take you too long to sell the house; it is in beautiful order and…”
She trailed off and carried on stirring her tea.
Wrapping her hands around her mug of tea, Joss turned to face her mother.
“I’m not going tomorrow and I’m not going forever. I’ll come back Mum, I will. I just want to spread my wings for a bit. You know, we always talked about travelling.”
Debbie sighed heavily and drained her tea, setting it down on the table.
“I think I understand that. But why the Tyrol?”

*

#24: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 6:54 am

Thanks Mary

Looking forward to hearing her explain her reasons to her mum.

Liz

#25: Author: Kat, Location: Swansea

Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 3:56 pm

Thank you Mary - am enjoying this!

#26: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 7:17 pm

Interesting! Thanks Mary.

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