This is lovely Sugar, and not at all naff!I enjoyed reading it
Thankyou for sharing it with us
| The CBB http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/ | |
| The Christmas Bell http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=8893 |
|
| Author: | Sugar [ Sun Dec 19, 2010 10:10 pm ] |
| Post subject: | The Christmas Bell |
Sorry if it's a bit naff Wanda Von Escheneau smiled down at the Robin who beamed happily. “Everyone is together again mein liebling!” “Yes and Tante Marguerite says it will be so special as we are being together to help other people for Christmas” “Course we are!” grinned the irrepressible Joey, looking less like a responsible Senior and more like the twelve year old she was on the School’s first Christmas. Suddenly their merry chatter was interrupted as nemesis descended in the form of Madame herself. “Joey! Do you NEVER learn!" “Owww!” Joey jumped. “No Madge, I mean yes Madge.” She said confusingly, her eyes filling with tears. “Sorry old thing, I just got a bit excited, Robinette and all the old girls, well most of them anyway. “It’s Ok Joey-baba, don’t get upset!” Madge spoke softly seeing Jo’s distress and wary of it upsetting Robin who was still sensitive to Jo being scolded. “Not upset, just bit my blessed tongue when you appeared and made us jump” Joey replied cheekily, reaching round to squeeze Madge round the waist. “Well get in away from the doorway, do! You’ll end up blocking the next set of arrivals” and Madge carried on her way as excited as her girls at the couple of days planned, after watching Jo turning into the chalet and hurrying after her adopted sister who had just spotted Juliet. “Jo, she doesn’t change, does she?” Wanda turned to her sister and hugged her. “She says she doesn’t want to grow up” Marie replied perplexed. She couldn’t wait to grow up and be allowed to put her hair up out of the way. Everyone else thought it was beautiful but it wasn’t on their head. “She will, one day, growing up has its benefits!” She smiled at Marie and hoped she wasn’t flushed. “WANDA!” Jo had returned to the doorway dragging Juliet and Grizel with her. “Do come on! There is Kaffee and Kuchen in the Speisesaal and I do want to see what you’ve made for us!” “Calm down child” Grizel spoke sharply and Jo scowled as Wanda raised an eyebrow and Juliet looked at Grizel bemused. “Leave off Grizel, everyone’s excited and it was Jo’s idea after all.” “It was because of something the Abbess said in Scripture…not about Scripture but about something her father used to do in his parish. He’s a Bishop you know, but this was before, when he was just a vicar I mean.” Jo chattered away as they meandered into the Speisesaal and accepted piping hot cups of hot chocolate and some of Anna’s legendary lemon biscuits from Carla Von Flugen. “What do you mean, Joey, again you make little sense to me” Bernhilda looked confused, having forgotten how difficult it could be to follow Jo when her thoughts were racing faster than her mouth. “The Abbess’s father was a Bishop but before when he was a regular vicar, like a priest in English,” she added for the Austrian’s girl’s benefit, “he held a toy service, where the people in the parish gave a toy to be given to those children whose families weren’t able to get them anything special” Mary Burnett explained, stopping to perch precariously on the edge of Marie’s basket chair. “But we’re doing something similar but different too” Joey continued, intent on confusing people. “We’re taking the things we made and if they are Ok to give to poor kiddies, like my jigsaws and Mary’s scrapbook get up we will and if not Ma-my sister and Mademoiselle are going to auction the things off…” “So people say things like “I’ll pay a shilling and someone else say’s I’ll give 1 and 6 and we keep going til no one wants to pay more than anyone else. The person who gives the most money gets to keep the thing and take it home to keep" “or give to their granny!” Margia laughed, waving her mug as she imagined someone giving unwanted presents away. “That is a relief, for the things I have bought are not play things, they are much too delicate, though some are for use at Christmas” Wanda spoke carefully. “What are they?...Did you make them?” Grizel asked. “Of course!” Wanda smiled “I have painted on china, like I did in the Hobbies Club we had here at the Chalet School I enjoyed it so much I often make gifts for people and I have painted two bells and a set of Christmas baubles, to hang on a tree. I know you English like that. “Gee, they sound super!” Corney exclaimed “What are they like? Can you tell us or is it a surprise?” “I think it is too difficult to describe them to you. Perhaps you would like to see?” “Mais oui” Simone smiled. “Your china is pretty” “Robin could you run and get the blue box, on top of my case in the hall” Wanda asked and Robin beamed and bounced up to get it “Just don’t actually run!” Miss Wilson laughed, from the doorway, where she had suddenly appeared in search of an extra basket of biscuits, the staff having their Kaffee in Mademoiselle’s study with Madame, who had abandoned her children for the weekend to join in this celebration. “Careful Robin, the box might be heavy, Amy go with her and give her a hand will you?" she added and she made a long arm for a basket of biscuits off the table and turned on her heel, much to the consternation of the girls who had hoped she’d stay for a few moments and more importantly because it was the last remaining basket of biscuits! Whilst Robin retrieved the box the group exchanged news and discussed who had what for the service with Margia and Elsie telling the assembled group that some of them had knitted a blanket and everyone had contributed a square no one noticed she had returned until there was a squawk and a yell, followed momentarily by a softer thump and a cracking noise as first Robin then the box landed on the floor near Margia. “Oh heavens!” “Gott in Himmel” “Mon Dieu!” “Robin, are you OK precious girl?” Jo couched beside her “Yes Zoe!” she said shakily, reverting to her baby name for Joey in her distress. “But I think I have broken la pauvre Wanda’s gifts! Je suis desolee. Je suis tres desolee Wanda” and with that she dissolved into tears. “It’s alright, baby, it was accident” Joey soothed her, hoping with all her heart nothing was broken, knowing just how hard Wanda would have worked. “Let us, open them and see” Frieda said gently, cautiously retrieving the box from the floor and handing it to Wanda, who prised open the lid and looked inside. “It is all right,” Bernie said peering over Wanda’s shoulder into the box. “Nothing is broken.” “Are you certain?” Grizel remained unconvinced and was glaring at Robin “What did you do Robin, trip over your feet?” " Je ne sais pas. My feet they are not big but my hand, it is wet," she turned her palm upwards and felt her palm. "Some idiots spilt their drink in all the excitement" said Evvy "Margia for a ducet " she deduced, « Look where the poor kiddy landed !" "Oh Lord, I am sorry too then, Wanda, I’ll tell Madame it was my fault if anything’s spoilt and take what’s coming." “There is nothing broken, I don’t think.” Wanda gently unwrapped all the baubles and placed them into her lap as Simone cleared away the cups and plates and Corney created a nest for the baubles to nestle in out of her scarf, which she was still wearing, blatantly ignoring the rule on such a thing. Jo knew there was something wrong with that sentence but she couldn’t think what, and now wasn’t the right time to be correcting Wanda’s grammar. “This one is not damaged” Wanda placed a pale blue bauble with white decorations on the scarf “Nor these” a blue and silver one and a green and gold one was added to the collection. “I like that one” Corney pointed to the holly green one with gold swirls “It goes with these” Wanda placed a red and gold one and a silver and gold one on the table. “These aren’t damaged either!” she smiled. “I think that blue and white one with the angel with wings in white is mighty pretty” Evvy chose her favourite. “I think we can claim that one was decidedly British. It’s painted like Wedgewood blue crockery” said Grizel smugly. “Yes, you are correct Grizel, it’s famous worldwide I believe Evvy. I saw a picture of one in a book Papa bought me on the subject of pottery.” “I think my Mama would have thought it pretty as a picture, she liked that sort of blue colour, pale but deeper than the sky.” Evvy said quietly, ignoring the dig from Grizel. She knew Americans weren’t uncultured, her Mama wasn’t, though her Mama wasn’t actually American but that was something often forgotten. “Is that the last one?” little Amy Stevens piped up, from her perch on Margia’s knee. “There’s 5 there.” “One more” Wanda led out a green and white bauble, similar in style to the pale blue one with a white silhouette of the stable visible. “The last one, Amy. Just 6” “That is enough!” Jo grinned, “They are beautiful and whoever gets them will be very lucky." “I chose 6 for a reason too, not just because it took a long time to paint each one.” “Why?” the Robin asked, having finally been calmed by a cuddle from Joey and a biscuit. “There were 6 people who came to visit Baby Jesus in the stable” “The Three Kings and the Shepherds” Robin replied promptly, having known this story since she was a toddler and her Mama had told her the story every Christmas. “Were there three shepherds as well?” Frieda asked “We have 3 in our nativity crib” said Simone, “but our’s is French and different to a English one. Lots of people come to see Jesus in mine. “We have 3 too, I think,” said Jo, crunching her face up as she tried to remember, “the one with the shepherd’s crook, the one with the sheep by his feet, though why the sheep came all that way is anyone’s guess, and one with… erm a lantern, I think." “Yes, I think there is 3 so I made a tree decoration to represent each present and two bells to represent Mary and Joseph.” “But why bells?” Ilonka asked “I had two remaining” laughed Wanda and her face fell as she continued. “I never checked the bells, oh dear" and she quickly delved into the box and unwrapped them. The first was stripped with the red and the blue and the silver of the baubles and looked very smart and the second was white with tiny blue flowers on it “Our Lady’s colours” Wanda explained as the girls exclaimed over them, “Do they “ding” like real bells?” Amy asked, looking at them in amazement “Yes! They have a ..” Wanda mimed the bell clanger hitting the side “inside” “Clapper” Mary supplied “Grandpa was a bell ringer” she added before someone questioned her knowledge. With that Wanda picked them and first clanged the stripey bell and heard a clear sharp ding and then clanged the second bell for no sound to be heard. As she turned it over to check the clapper was inserted correctly she noticed a crack in it. “It’s cracked, it will not make the correct sound, or any note at all,” Wanda said sadly and the girls looked sad but Corney exclaimed. “It’s an ornament, it’s not a toy, you said that yourself” Unfortunately as she spoke the Robin jumped up off Joey’s lap and ran out of the room exclaiming “ Je suis desolee!...Tante Mageurite!” “Oh crumbs, she’s off to find Madge. I better go after her and explain, otherwise she’ll have no inkling what Rob’s sobbing about.” And she stood up. “I’ll come too” Wanda gathered her baubles and the two bells into the battered cardboard box and followed. Moments later Robin was tumbling to the study without knocking and flinging herself at Madame’s feet sobbing inconsolably. Luckily Jo and Wanda arrived before Robin was in too bad a state and could explain the situation succinctly. “Madame, it does not matter that the bell is cracked.” Wanda didn’t want her young friend to be scolded, nor Margia for that matter. “No, it’s meant to be an ornament anyhow and you don’t touch them unless you want to dust” Joey was every practical “and sometimes not even then!” Madge tried not to laugh but sometimes her young sister was very comedic with no realisation but with effort Madge kept a straight face and tried to reassure the Robin. “My darling, stop this, now, or you’ll make yourself ill and have to miss the festivities. Thanks Elise,” she accepted a glass of water from her partner, who had remained when the other staff vanished as the two older girls came in. “Je suis merchant fille. I broke it!” Robin sobbed. “Jesus won’t love me on his birth day!” which was certainly a different take on it from Santa won’t give me presents, thought Joey. “But Robin, ma pavre, Jesus will know it was an accident and just because it is cracked. It doesn’t mean it is not a very beautiful thing.” “But no one will want it. No one will pay their money and no money will go to the children without gifts at Noel….. and I haven’t got anything to give and now I have spoilt Wanda’s gift.” “I think it is beautiful” Mademoiselle countered. “I will buy it from Wanda, after the blessing service…and I’s not too late to give something to the children. Didn’t the junior’s do anything for this Elise” Madge asked in a low tone. “Yes, of course." She raised her voice “Robin, the juniors made things, I know, so why do you say you have nothing to give. “Nothing from me alone” she gulped. “There doesn’t have to be, silly” Jo interrupted “It wasn’t enough, I want a gift just from me!. Mademoiselle, why is that bell still beautiful if it’s cracked?” she touched a silver stripe and let her finger trace the band. “Because cracks let the light in.” “The light of the world?” Robin looked incredulous “Well, no I was thinking of actual light but yes, God’s light in the form of Jesus could come into something or someone who was damaged because it is not perfect so has space to make that person understand." Mademoiselle stumbled somewhat and looked at Madge and Joey for support. “You know that God gave us a gift of Jesus at Christmas, don’t you Rob?” “Yes Tante Mageurite and believing in Jesus means we’ll go to Heaven one day but only if you go to confession and pray when you die, you will go to Heaven and sit at the right hand of the lord” Jo grinned as Robin rushed through the last part of that sentence, having obviously learnt it verbatim in Scripture lessons. “Good girl, Do you really think a loving God would be upset if you hadn’t made something specially to give away when you helped with other people’s. Robin, do you care that some families on the lake or in the towns have no money for presents? Really in your heart? “Of course! It’s very sad and the children will be sad, like I am now Mama is in Paradise.” “See, that’s all you need. Did anyone tell you the story of the little boy who had nothing to take to Jesus when he visited him in the stable so played him a tune on the drum. [i]“Yes, it is a very good story” Simone spoke up from the doorway where she, Frieda and Marie were standing, having come in quietly to see the Robin and tell her she was still loved by everyone, “It’s French, well there is a version in france but it involves a tumbler tumbling in front of the manger!” Simone laughed at the mental picture she had created for herself and the Robin found herself laughing as Joey opened her mouth and sang “’What can I give Him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part; Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.” "See? Honestly Rob, you could do something like draw a picture for a child to put a special place.” “Or you could use your pocket money to buy something. You could join with Joey or Madame. Frieda was thinking of practicalities. “But you don’t have to worry, either about the bell or that you have nothing of your own to offer tomorrow in the service.” She tousled the young girl’s hair. “Now shoo, all of you! I have to get lots done for tomorrow, both for the blessing and the sale afterwards, If only my sister didn’t have such brilliant ideas!" With that she chased the girls backed to their free time and picked up the phone to talk to Vater Johann about including something about caring and helping as much as you can but showing your emotions being more important. And something about Jesus being God’s gift for us, There she thought she ought to stop for fear of teaching grandma to suck eggs. |
|
| Author: | PaulineS [ Sun Dec 19, 2010 10:55 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Bell |
Thank you Sugar for your explanation about the meaning of giving. |
|
| Author: | Lesley [ Sun Dec 19, 2010 11:47 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Bell |
That was lovely Sugar - thank you |
|
| Author: | mohini [ Mon Dec 20, 2010 5:09 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Bell |
That was lovely, Thanks. |
|
| Author: | Alison H [ Mon Dec 20, 2010 6:48 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Bell |
Thanks, Sugar. |
|
| Author: | Chris S [ Mon Dec 20, 2010 3:15 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Bell |
It certainly wasn't 'naff' Sugar, it was a lovely story. Thank you. |
|
| Author: | cal562301 [ Mon Dec 20, 2010 4:05 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Bell |
That was lovely, Sugar. Thank you. |
|
| Author: | ChubbyMonkey [ Mon Dec 20, 2010 4:54 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Bell |
It was a beautiful story and a wonderful explanation. Thankyou. |
|
| Author: | emma t [ Mon Dec 20, 2010 10:01 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Bell |
This is lovely Sugar, and not at all naff!I enjoyed reading it Thankyou for sharing it with us
|
|
| Author: | Pat [ Tue Dec 21, 2010 9:34 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Bell |
I really enjoyed that. Thanks Sugar. |
|
| Author: | shesings [ Tue Dec 21, 2010 9:59 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Bell |
That was really lovely! Thanks, Sugar! |
|
| Author: | Fiona Mc [ Wed Dec 22, 2010 8:55 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Bell |
Thanks Sugar, this was lovely. I really liked what Wanda made |
|
| Author: | mell [ Fri Dec 24, 2010 10:39 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Bell |
Lovely, thank you |
|
| Author: | roversgirl [ Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:09 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Bell |
This is really lovely, thanks
|
|
| Author: | robinette [ Sun Jan 02, 2011 11:40 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Bell |
Such a lovely story Sugar, thank you |
|
| Author: | Kathy_S [ Tue Jan 04, 2011 1:42 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Bell |
Thank you, Sugar.
|
|
| Author: | Miss Di [ Wed Jan 05, 2011 3:02 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Bell |
Super lovely story Sugar, thank you. |
|
| All times are UTC | |
| Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group http://www.phpbb.com/ | |