Out of a wardrobe - Part 5
The CBB -> St Clare's House

#1: Out of a wardrobe - Part 5 Author: CathyLocation: Sydney, Australia PostPosted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 9:53 pm


It's back again and this time I plan to finish it. It's dragged on way too long as it is. This bit has a little bit of the last bit and a new chunk at the end. I'm writing the rest now. Many thanks to Kathy_S for sending me the word doc with the bit I was missing!

Jo smothered a laugh, for Lucy's face was a picture — a mixture of embarassment and exasperation. Then stealing a sideways glance at the princess she frowned. The princess stood calmly to one side, showing no interest in what was happening. Almost as if she wasn't really here, thought Jo.Her thoughts were distracted by much puffing and wheezing, as Lucy kindly helped the little faun to his feet."How do you know who I am?" she asked the faun."Why your name is legend, Your Majesty, you and your brothers and sister. All of Narnia remembers how the Great High King Peter and his brother and sisters vanished out of Narnia while hunting the great white stag. My many times grandfather was a great friend to Your Majesty and he passed down many stories of those times to his own children, who passed them on to their children. My father told me the stories when I was a little faun. I am the last of that house and I have lived in hope that a Son of Adam or a Daughter of Eve would come back to Narnia, that I might see for myself.""Then Mr Tumnus is?""Dead these many long years, Your Majesty," answered the faun solemnly. There was an awkward silence as Lucy turned away abruptly and seemed to become very interested in a corner of the room.

Jo cleared her throat. “Actually, Mr Tumnus, we’re here because we need your help”, she informed him.Behind her, she heard Lucy gulp and then blow her nose quietly. Jo stumbled on. “Aslan sent us.”

This got the faun’s attention. “Aslan!” he exclaimed in astonishment.

“Yes”, came Lucy’s voice. She had herself in hand again, pushing her grief to one side. “Aslan said that a great evil threatened the king’s family. He told us to get the princess to a place of safety.”

Mr Tumnus stared at her and then turned to look at the princess. To Lucy’s surprise, his eyes darkened in sorrow. “Ah”, he murmured sadly. “I feared that this day would come.” Surprised by his remark, Jo and Lucy turned to look at the princess. The princess stood regarding them all, a half-smile on her lips. Her silvery fair hair shone in the dim light of the room. Jo began to feel uneasy. Something was definitely not right here. Lucy, however, was already moving towards the princess.

“It was you, wasn’t it?” she said softly. The child did not reply. “Answer me!” rang out the command. Jo shifted in surprise. This was a side to Lucy she had not seen before. Lucy stood before the princess, her face white and resolute.

The princess quailed before that look and spoke. “All right, it was me”, she answered sulkily. Behind her, Lucy heard Jo gasp in astonishment. “Why?” she asked, in steely tones Jo had never heard her use before.

The princess glared at her. “I don’t have to tell you.”

“Don’t you?” Lucy gave a queer little smile and stared right back at the princess. Not for nothing had she been a queen. Rarely had she needed to exert her authority, but when she had, all her subjects knew it. The princess knew nothing of this, but realised that she must answer.


Last edited by Cathy on Sat Nov 19, 2005 10:08 am; edited 1 time in total

 


#2:  Author: CathyLocation: Sydney, Australia PostPosted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 10:14 pm


Here is the next bit. I hope to get (most of them) back to the Chalet School soon ...


“They wouldn’t let me use it when I wanted to. My father said it was dangerous. So I showed them, all of them.” She glared defiantly at Lucy. Lucy stared at her, stunned.

“Do you know what has happened to them?” she asked, in that same steely voice. The princess looked at her indifferently. “My father will be angry, but the servants will clean it all up”, she replied in that remote, silvery voice.

“How do you know there will be anyone left to clean it all up?” asked Lucy quietly. The princess looked surprised. “Why,I told them not to hurt anyone”, she exclaimed proudly. “It’s my army – I created it. They have to do what I say! I just wanted to frighten everyone.”

Lucy looked at her. “I don’t think things went exactly as you planned”, she said. Her tone was still quiet, but both Jo and Mr Tumnus trembled as they caught the tone of controlled fury in her voice.

The princess paled. “What do you mean?” she asked, the silvery voice beginning to tremble.

“I mean they are all dead! Your family, the Narnians who worked in the castle, everyone!” Lucy’s calm had suddenly deserted her and she began to shout at the princess. “All because you didn’t get your own way about something. How dare you! Aslan brought our race to Narnia to protect, not destroy.” She broke off suddenly as Jo came forward and laid a hand on her shoulder.

“Lucy, I understand how you must feel, but shouting at her doesn’t fix it. We have to work out what we do next”. She kept her hand on Lucy’s shoulder as she spoke and felt it slump as Lucy’s temper died down. Lucy shrugged off Jo’s hand and turned to face Mr Tumnus.

“Did you know too?” Her voice was accusing. The elderly faun met her gaze steadily and before his calm look, Lucy’s eyes fell.

“I feared”, he replied sadly. “I was her tutor before the king sent me away. He blamed me for her attitude. But even then, I saw what might happen, were she not made to see the danger of her gift. And I was right.”

“A great evil”, murmured Lucy, rather bitterly. “Aslan said that, but I thought he meant something else. He meant her, didn’t he?” She pointed at the princess, who had collapsed onto the floor of the cottage, sobbing in fright.

 


#3:  Author: CathyLocation: Sydney, Australia PostPosted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 10:24 pm


And the next bit ...


“I think so, yes”, agreed Jo soberly. Her tone was sympathetic and Lucy was suddenly glad that they were there together. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this, you know”, she said suddenly.

“Narnia, you mean?” asked Jo.

“Yes”, said Lucy simply. “It was so beautiful when we were kings and queens here. I thought it would never come to an end. And the Narnians, you know. We promised Aslan we would protect them and care for them. What she’s done Jo – it’s just horrible.” Her voice broke and she wept soundlessly, the tears running down her cheeks.

Jo thought she understood. She was beginning to feel the same way about her beloved Tiernsee and its people. She could never imagine living anywhere else and if something were to happen to threaten the land she loved so well, it would be horrible. So there was warm sympathy in her voice as she said “I know Lucy, I know. But we have to do what Aslan sent us here to do. If she’s a threat to Narnia then we have to do something about it.”

“But what can we do?” cried Lucy in despair. “It’s all gone and that army is still out there!”

“We have to get her to help us, of course”, said Jo calmly. “But she won’t”, cried Lucy wildly. “She may turn on us next.”

“Somehow I don’t think so”, said Jo thoughtfully. She moved over to where the princess still lay, sobbing uncontrollably on the floor.

 


#4:  Author: CathyLocation: Sydney, Australia PostPosted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 10:38 pm


And again ...

“Get up please.” It was Jo’s Head Girl voice and for the second time that day, the princess recognised a voice of authority. Falteringly, she stood up. She avoided looking at Lucy and raised her eyes to Jo’s face. Jo stared back at her, her gaze kindly, but stern. The princess flushed and looked down at the floor again.

“Now look here, you’re going to have to help us”, said Jo briskly. “It’s too late – I killed them all, she said so”, came the trembling reply.

Jo sighed. This was going to be more difficult than she had thought. “We don’t know that it’s too late”, she answered in a calm voice. “But in any case, that army is still out there and they’ll come after us next. Can you get rid of them?”

“Yes of course”, replied the child instantly. “I just need to think about it.” She closed her eyes for a moment and the two girls watched her and waited.

“Well!” exclaimed Lucy impatiently. “Have you thought about it yet? Can you get rid of the army or not?”

The princess met her eyes again. “I already have”, she replied in a clear voice. Her composure seemed to have returned. “Then it’s safe for us to go out again”, said Jo briskly. She looked at Lucy and Mr Tumnus. “Shall we go?”

“Go. Go where?” asked Lucy. “Back to the castle”, said Jo. “We need to see what’s left. I think she”, pointing at the princess, “needs to see what she’s done for herself. Maybe then she’ll understand what she’s been playing with.”

The princess flushed at these words, but said nothing. Perhaps she saw the truth of them or perhaps Jo’s Head Girl manner was still having an effect.

 


#5:  Author: CathyLocation: Sydney, Australia PostPosted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 10:58 pm


One of the last Narnia bits. I think I'll be sending them back to the Chalet soon ...

It was a sober company that gathered outside the walls of Cair Paravel a short time later. The princess, perhaps wishing to make up for the trouble she had caused, had managed to make the return journey much faster than the original one. Lucy and Jo had decided not to comment on it. Mr Tumnus was silent too – he appeared to be deep in thought. The horses didn’t have much to say either, even Jo’s talkative mount. Their speedy journey from Lantern Waste had shaken his self-confidence and he confined himself to a mere sniff, as Jo dismounted shakily.

There was no need to creep in through a back passage this time. They stepped over the rubble that had once been the front wall of the castle. An appalling sight met their eyes. Bodies lay everywhere and the stench of blood was overpowering. Jo looked at Lucy anxiously. She was very pale, but kept moving forward. A muffled sob from Jo’s right told Jo that the message was sinking home. Jo looked down at the princess and saw only a tiny girl, a silly little girl who had made a terrible mistake.

“Don’t cry”, she said gently. “Perhaps some survived.” The princess shook her head, not accepting the words of comfort. It had seemed such a good plan. A grand display and then everyone would marvel at her gift, instead of treating it as something to be ashamed of.

Lucy seemed to guess at what she was thinking.

“It’s easy to unleash evil”, she said quietly. “You don’t think of it that way, of course. You just want to show them all, make them pay. And then …” She gestured wordlessly at the scene before them. Jo slipped an arm through hers. She didn’t know that Lucy was thinking of another time, another person who had wanted to “make them all pay”. How very nearly that had ended in disaster and could have cost Edmund his very life. Lucy looked down at the cordial she carried and remembered how she had used it to heal his grievous wounds. And she remembered how Edmund had gotten those wounds, fighting to protect the land and the Narnians he barely knew.

“It’s never too late”, continued Lucy softly. She knelt down by the princess and took both tiny hands in hers. “Maybe we can’t undo everything that’s happened today, but everything can be different from now on.” The princess flung her arms around Lucy’s neck and began to weep again. Lucy patted her on the back.

“Never too late”, murmured Jo. She had things to set right as well. She looked at the princess with new eyes. Maybe she hadn’t unleashed an army of monsters on Narnia, but she’d done enough damage to be going on with.

 


#6:  Author: CathyLocation: Sydney, Australia PostPosted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 11:22 pm


Last Narnia bit ...

“It is time” said a new voice, deep and warm. Lucy and Jo turned and saw him. “Oh Aslan!” cried Lucy, moving forward eagerly. The great Lion breathed on her gently. “Well done child”, he said. He moved towards Jo, who stood quite still. She was still a little wary of him. Aslan’s eyes seemed to twinkle as she looked into them. “Be still child”, he said. “I am not going to eat you.” Lucy giggled as Jo went rather red. Aslan breathed on her and she forgot her embarassment.

“Well done”, came his voice. “You have fought your own battle and won. And it is never too late.” Jo looked at Lucy, who smiled encouragingly back. “Oh Aslan”, I’ve hurt so many people”, she cried. “I don’t think I can fix that.”

“You can say you are sorry”, came the deep voice. “You can work to mend the wounds you caused. You will have to live with the things you have lost because of those wounds.” Jo wrinkled her eyebrows at that last remark. She did not understand what Aslan meant. What had she lost? She was given no explanation however. The great Lion had moved on to the princess.

“My child”, he said softly. The older girls watched as the tiny princess moved slowly towards him. She gave a sob as she looked into his eyes. Aslan breathed on her and she stood quite still and then sighed. Lucy saw that her eyes were half-closed. Jo and Lucy moved swiftly to lower her to the ground – to their amazement, she slept.

“She will have no memory of any of this when she awakes”, said Aslan. “I am sending her away from Narnia. She is not safe here and Narnia is not safe from her. She is a child with a gift she cannot control. She will never return to Narnia.”

Lucy caught her breath sharply with the pity of it. To never come back to Narnia? Aslan looked at her with great golden eyes. “Daughter of Eve this child must go back to your own world You must help her find her way. She will be lost and make many mistakes.”

Jo spoke up. “Of course we will keep an eye on her, if you want us to. But won’t people think it’s a bit strange if three of us come out of that hole we fell down?”
Lucy thought that Jo had a point.

“I am not sending you back together. The princess will follow you at a later time. You will recognise her when you see her.” Jo and Lucy were confused by this, but knew better than to question it. They promised Aslan to look after the princess.

Lucy turned to Mr Tumnus. “Dear sir, I am glad I met you. Will you look after these for me?” She gave him Susan’s horn and her flask of cordial. Mr Tumnus bowed gracefully and promised to take good care of them. (Readers may be interested to know that both artifacts found their way into his valuable collection of artwork and human treasures and were much admired by his contemporaries. Mr Tumnus of course, never told a soul what the artifacts really were.)

Jo gave him a brief smile and then she and Lucy stood facing Aslan expectantly. Surely he would send them home now.

 


#7:  Author: CathyLocation: Sydney, Australia PostPosted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 11:38 pm


Back at the Tiernsee ...

Lucy became aware that it was very dark. She realised that she was lying on a kind of ledge in the darkness. She stretched out one hand cautiously and felt nothing. Next to her, she could feel Jo doing the same thing.

“Where are we”, she whispered. “I don’t know – what’s that noise?” Somewhere, perhaps above their heads, the two girls became aware of a great noise. Shouting and screaming and even sobbing. Finally, they became aware of voices, calling out.

“Jo! Lucy! Answer us! Lucy!”

“He sent us back”, gasped Lucy. “I didn’t feel a thing, did you?”

“No”, said Jo, puzzled. “We must still be in the hole. We’d better not move, but shout for all we’re worth.”

Accordingly, they cupped their hands around their mouths and shouted up to the voices. There was silence for a moment and then they both heard “alive thank God. Don’t worry girls, we’re going to get you out.”

“That sounds like Peter” said Lucy in astonishment. The next moment something came slithering past her and hit Jo on the cheek. Jo gave a muffled yelp but grabbed it. “They’ve sent a rope down”, she said. “We’ll have to take it in turns. I’ll knot it around you and when you’re up you can send it back down.” Lucy protested, but Jo was firm. She was a Guide, while Lucy was not and she knew which knots to use. She knotted the rope firmly around Lucy’s waist and gave it a tug. Instantly, the rescuers up the top began to pull Lucy up.

Jo sat silently in the dark and waited. Oddly enough she was not frightened. Her mind was filled with all she had seen. She knew that she had a lot of fences to mend with her friends and her family. She didn’t know where she would start. Perhaps apologies all round would be best. She had come this far in her thinking when the rope again descended silently. Jo grabbed it and knotted it securely around her own waist, again tugging at it to signal that she was ready.

The watchers up the top gasped with relief as she emerged from the hole. It was still quite light and Jo could see the anxious faces of her friends and the mistresses. Miss Wilson stepped forward and flung a rug around Jo’s shoulders.

“Thank goodness you are safe”, she said shakily. “Lucy is just over there.” Jo looked over to where Lucy was leaning against a big rock, wrapped in a rug. Her two brothers were by her side rubbing her hands anxiously. Surprisingly, Jack Maynard was also there, leaning over the rock and gazing down at her. Jo followed his gaze and frowned. She had never seen that look on Jack’s face before. As she continued to watch, she saw Lucy look up at Jack. Her friend blushed as she saw the way the doctor was looking at her. Then Lucy closed her eyes and leaned against Peter’s shoulder. Peter put an arm around his sister. “Just tired, I think”, he said quietly. “Let’s get her back to the school.”

 


#8:  Author: CathyLocation: Sydney, Australia PostPosted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 11:45 pm


Last bit for this morning. Sorry, it's rather short, but I'll come back tonight and do more. My husband is clearing his throat meaningfully, so I think my presence is required Wink ...


Jo sat down quietly. She was beginning to feel tired as well and a terrible realisation had come to her. Jack had fallen in love with Lucy. There had been times when she thought that he felt something for her, Jo, but she must have been mistaken. In her mind she heard Aslan’s words echoing “You will have to live with the things you have lost”. Jo was beginning to understand what he had meant. She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. She opened them to see the three friends who had stayed with her so faithfully for years. “I’m so sorry”, she said simply and her eyes filled with tears.

 


#9:  Author: FatimaLocation: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 4:08 am


WOW! That was wonderful, thank you, Cathy.

 


#10:  Author: Kathy_SLocation: midwestern US PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 5:42 am


*very, very impressed*

I do love the way Jo has grown since last we saw her, and Lucy is so .... Lucy. Not so sure about Jack, though Neutral

Also wondering whether the "silvery voice" is a clue to princess' future identity.

 


#11:  Author: CathyLocation: Sydney, Australia PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 7:14 am


Here's another bit. And yes, the silvery voice is a definite clue. I've done everything but hit you all over the head with it (and that's all I'm saying).


Four months later

Lucy sat curled up on the window seat of the big Saal at Die Rosen and gazed out at the mountains with dreamy eyes. Term had come to an end and the Russells had invited all of the Pevensies to spend the long holidays with them. They had delightedly accepted.

Lucy and Jo were quite friendly now, although Jo divided most of her time between Simone, Frieda and Marie these days. The four girls were closer than they had ever been. Jo no longer took her friends for granted. In the days that followed the rescue from the Mondscheinspitze they had had many serious discussions and Jo had apologised quite humbly to both Marie and Simone for her various treatments of them. Quite wisely, Simone had accepted Jo’s apologies, instead of closing her eyes to those faults, as she once would have done. Their friendship now was real and deep, instead of being the one-sided affair it once had been. Simone no longer jealously nursed a blind devotion for Jo – her eyes were open to the fact that Jo had plenty of faults, like any girl her age.

Marie also had changed, encouraged by the new Jo who had emerged from the deep hole on the Mondscheinspitze. She now spoke her mind freely to Jo, without fear of her friend lashing out at her. Altogether the four girls were a much happier group and the rest of the school, sensing the new state of affairs, breathed a collective sigh of relief and settled back down again.

The remainder of the school year had largely been peaceful, events such as the Middles having a midnight feast on the roof and accidentally locking themselves out and Susan, Joyce and Cornelia doctoring Matron Besley’s shampoo with green dye being considered mere trifles on the whole!

Lucy smothered a chuckle as she remembered the faces of the culprits, as they were hauled before Bill and certain justice. She and Gillian had been having supper with Jo and Simone at the time and the memory of Matron’s bright green hair and wrathful features had been a sight to behold.

 


#12:  Author: LesleyLocation: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 7:47 am


Cathy it's wonderful to see more of this - so glad you were able to return to it. A terrible gift for the princess to have - and yes, I believe I know who she will become (or perhaps already is!)

Thank you. Laughing

 


#13:  Author: CathyLocation: Sydney, Australia PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 7:54 am


I'm frantically tying up loose ends now. Perhaps I could have made it stretch out a bit longer, but then it would have been a bit like War and Peace (and I'm no Tolstoy!). I always hated what some characters ended up with (especially Grizel), so I'm quite happily writing the endings I thought they deserved. I may have some of my facts wrong about availability of scholarships for English universities at this period, but I've quite happily made it up to suit myself. If it was good enough for EBD ...

Matron had submitted her resignation shortly afterwards and no-one had mourned her departure, especially the three sinners, who considered that the extra sewing and prep they had received in punishment were a small price to pay for it.

Lucy was alone this afternoon, the others all having gone for a walk, even Stacie, who had fully recovered and was expected to return to the Chalet for the new school year. She and Susan were very close now and Susan had spent many weekends up at the Sonnalpe in the past few months. Edmund often walked her up, carrying various texts for Stacie, knowing her broad interests in literature.

Both Lucy and Susan suspected that Edmund’s interest in Stacie’s reading material stemmed more from a decided preference for Stacie’s company, but they wisely kept their own counsel on this. Edmund would not welcome their interference nor tolerate any teasing on the matter and they certainly would not worry Stacie with their suspicions, although sometimes Lucy thought that Stacie was not quite oblivious to Edmund. A faint pink often crept into her cheeks when he brought Susan up to Die Rosen and both Lucy and Susan had caught her staring dreamily into space on occasion, a little smile trembling on her lips. Lucy doubted whether anyone else had noticed. To most of them Stacie was only a child. Actually, she was only a little younger than Jo. She had entered the Chalet at a much lower level, but this had been due largely to the extraordinary schooling she had received from her father. Then her accident had held her back for a long time. The long months of lying flat had caused her to grow up more quickly than she might have done. However, Juliet and Grizel had helped her to keep up with her work and the new school year would see her return to the Chalet as a Senior, rather than a Middle.

Peter also had spent much of his free time at the Sonnalpe. He was more determined than ever to become a doctor and both Jem Russell and Jack Maynard were taking an interest in his career. He spent many of his nights studying – he aimed for a scholarship in medicine and then hoped to gain a position in one of the big teaching hospitals. Inspired by his determination, Grizel too was working hard to gain a scholarship. She had given up on her dream of becoming a Games teacher when her father had insisted on music, but after long and serious discussions with Madge and Jem had decided to aim for a scholarship to Bedford.

“It’s just going to come a bit later for me, that’s all”, she told Juliet as they sat planning timetables one night in Juliet’s study. Juliet glowed with pride in her friend’s new-found determination and did what she could to lighten Grizel’s teaching load, so she could have extra time to study.

 


#14:  Author: CathyLocation: Sydney, Australia PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 8:32 am


Here's another bit ...

Lucy sighed and looked down at the book in her lap. She had begged off the walk, saying only that she had letters to write. In truth, she wanted to avoid Jack’s company. For some reason she had begun to feel rather shy when he was around. Previously, they had become very comfortable with one another, often enjoying friendly chats in the company of her brothers or with the Russells. However lately he had seemed different. Once or twice she had caught him gazing at her with a very strange expression and he often seemed strangely reluctant to leave Die Rosen if invited to a meal while the Pevensies were staying there.

Peter and Edmund who had watched all this, first warily and then with some amusement, decided against interfering for the time being.

“After all, Maynard hasn’t even said anything to Lu – he just can’t take his eyes off her”, remarked Edmund, who was beginning to feeling a sneaking sympathy for Jack’s position. Peter raised his head from a textbook and nodded in agreement. All the same he resolved to speak to Jack pretty firmly if Lucy showed any sign of discomfort about Jack’s attentions.

Lucy, who knew nothing of this, sighed again. For some reason Jack Maynard was very much on her mind these days. “Luckily for me I don’t have prep to worry about, or I would really be in trouble”, she murmured to herself.

“Talking to yourself my dear – that’s a very bad sign”, cried a merry voice and Lucy looked up with a start to see Jo laughing at her from the doorway. “I thought you had gone for a walk with the others”, cried Lucy, jumping up hastily.

“Too hot my dear and I was dying to get started on my new story”, replied Jo, flopping down on the nearest sofa and fanning herself vigorously.

“How is it shaping?” inquired Lucy with some interest, for they all knew that Jo had set her heart on becoming an authoress.

“’tisn’t, I’m completely stuck and I wish I’d gone on the walk after all”, was the reply and Lucy lapsed into sympathetic silence.

“Why were you muttering about prep when I came into the room just now anyhow?”, asked Jo curiously.

“Oh nothing, it’s just that my mind has been wandering a bit lately and I was just thinking how lucky it was that I didn’t have to worry about prep any more”, said Lucy hastily, blushing slightly.

Jo said nothing, but regarded her friend thoughtfully. She thought she knew what Lucy’s problem was but she knew better than to tease her about it. Now that both she and Lucy had left school she fully expected that Jack would find every opportunity to spend more time with Lucy. She had had plenty of time to accept Jack’s feelings for Lucy in the last few months and realised that it didn’t make her as unhappy as she had thought. Her mind was much occupied with plans for her new stories. She had gone to Juliet and volunteered to help with teaching duties at the Annexe in the new school year.

“I need material for my stories and I think it would help, seeing school life from the other side of the fence”, she had pleaded and Juliet, pleased by the offer, had closed with it at once. Jo would be providing individual tutoring in History and English. Juliet had also offered to coach Jo in mathematics while she was there, but Jo had hastily declined that offer!

 


#15:  Author: LesleyLocation: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 9:08 am


Cathy that's wonderful - so glad Grizel had another chance. Also love the budding romance between Edmund and Stacie.

*Now off to the archives to refresh memory*

 


#16:  Author: CathyLocation: Sydney, Australia PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 9:17 am


Thanks Lesley. My SLOC has been very understanding today and offered to cook dinner tonight so I could spend some more time typing it up. I feel that I'm quite close to the end now. I'll feel a bit sad when it's all over.

 


#17:  Author: CathyLocation: Sydney, Australia PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 9:39 am


Lucy sighed for a third time and Jo giggled. “I think you should have gone on that walk after all”, she remarked and Lucy blushed again. Jo took pity on her and suggested the two of them walk over to visit Gisela and baby Natalie, who was beginning to walk unsteadily around their tiny chalet.

Lucy was very silent as they walked, so Jo nearly fell over when she suddenly spoke. “Do you ever feel like we’re too young to have left school?”

“Warn me next time”, grumbled Jo, picking up her hat from the ground where it had landed. She looked at Lucy and saw that she quite serious, so she answered quite simply “no I don’t”.

Lucy frowned and looked as if she would like to say more, but just then they reached Das Pferd, the Mensch’s pretty chalet and the conversation was abandoned. But Jo kept it at the back of her mind as she watched Lucy play with little Natalie. Forgetting Gisela’s presence for once, she blurted out “why did you ask me that just now?”

“Oh I don’t know”, said Lucy “it’s just sometimes I still feel like I’m just a child. Being grown up is a bit frightening, I think.”

“We all have to grow up eventually”, Jo reminded her. She understood how Lucy felt. She had first wrestled with that problem in this very chalet. She looked up and met Gisela’s eyes.

“Weren’t you quite young when you married Gottfried?” demanded Lucy of Gisela. Jo thought gosh she really is wrestling with this Jack business.

Gisela smiled gently and said “but Lucy I had left school and that meant I was no longer a child.”

“But it isn’t always that simple!” cried Lucy in frustration.

“For me it was”, replied Gisela simply. She smiled with understanding at Lucy. “I think perhaps you are worrying about it too much. Growing up is just another part of life. I would say for you it is another adventure.”

Lucy started, wondering why Gisela had phrased it in such a fashion. For she was right and Lucy had never shied away from the many adventures that had come her way thus far. She grew thoughtful and silent and Gisela and Jo, sensing that the subject was closed for the time being, talked of other things for the remainder of the visit.

Lucy was still silent as they returned to Die Rosen and Jo did not press her to talk, realising that she was wrestling with her own thoughts.

When they reached the house they found that the others had also returned. Jo and Lucy entered the Saal to scenes of great merriment. Peter had stumbled on the path and fallen into the middle of a thick blackberry bush. The thorns had clung affectionately to him and he had struggled vainly to free himself, to the great detriment of his clothing,which soon became stained with the dark purple juice. Grizel and Susan had swallowed their mirth and rushed to the rescue, thereupon getting trapped by their thick curly manes until they too were struggling to free themselves. The remainder of the party, instead of attempting to help the unfortunate victims had simply sat down upon the path and shouted with mirth, until the arrival of a party of hikers had cut short the hilarity and all three were cut loose from the bush, to their great relief.

“And I simply don’t know what they thought”, said Stacie, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. “Those hikers must have thought we were all lunatics, with the noise we were making!”

“Let alone what we looked like”, broke in Grizel, surveying her ruined skirt ruefully. “Come on Susan, let’s leave these hard-hearted wretches and go and change our clothing.” She exchanged smiles with Peter as she spoke and he stood up also. “I’m for the bathroom first. Edmund be a good chap and see if you can hunt up some clean gear for me.” The two brothers departed, followed by Susan and Grizel. From the sounds of warfare in the distance it sounded as though a battle had broken out over first rights to the bathroom!

Lucy smiled. Peter had been serious for so long and he was working so hard. It was nice to see him becoming young again and having a little fun. She looked up to see Jack Maynard coming towards her.

“Nice thoughts, I hope” he said as he reached her side. “Actually they were”, said Lucy, still smiling.

Jack took a deep breath and said “I was going to walk around to see to one of my patients. He has a dressing that needs changing. He lives on one of the upper shelves. Care to keep me company?”

Lucy was silent and his heart sank. Then she looked right at him and said simply “I’d love to”.

 


#18:  Author: LesleyLocation: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 9:59 am


Hmmm, see Lucy, there are some compensations to growing up! Wink

Have just got back from reading the archives - wasn't Jo a little cow? Glad she's improved.

Thanks Cathy.

 


#19:  Author: CathyLocation: Sydney, Australia PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 10:06 am


Here's the final bit. I may just write some little snippets, closer to Christmas, to tie up a couple of other ends. But it's finally finished.

Some years later, in Plas Howell, Armishire

Lucy Maynard stood at the window of her pretty home and frowned thoughtfully over a letter she had just received. It was from Hilda Annersley, headmistress of the Chalet School. Events in Austria had forced the school’s removal from Jo’s beloved Tiernsee to Guernsey and now to Wales. Jack and Lucy had moved to be near the school, so that they could continue to send their daughter Anne there. Neither of them wanted to board her, so she was enrolled as a day pupil and came home every day. She was currently a shining light of Upper Second A and it was that fact that had prompted the letter Lucy held in her hands. There was a new pupil coming to the Chalet School next term and Hilda was asking for Lucy’s help.

You see my dear Lucy, wrote Hilda this child has simply no-one to take care of her and the family solicitor now cannot take her in, owing to sudden illness in his own family. The child needs somewhere to go until school begins again. We have placed her in the same form as your young Anne. I wouldn’t normally ask it, but do you think you could have her to stay for a few days and send her off to school with Anne on the first day? She’ll board, of course, but I hope by then she’ll be a little more comfortable. She hasn’t had a normal home life for years, poor child. From what I’ve been told, she may have a hard time of it at first.

There were more details in the letter but Lucy had the general gist of it. She put it aside until Jack came home. They could discuss it together then, but somehow she knew what their decision would be. The Chalet School had been good to both of them and she certainly knew what it felt like to be alone and in need of looking after.

Jack, when he returned from the Welsh San was in full agreement with Lucy and she rang the school that evening, telling Hilda that they would be delighted to look after the new little pupil for her.

A few days later Lucy stood in the doorway of her home and watched a big car pull up. A middle-aged man got out, followed by a small girl. Lucy could see little of her, other than the long golden hair escaping from beneath her hat.

They walked slowly up to the door and Lucy saw the child for the first time. Recognition hit her like a blow as she saw a pale pointed face that she had almost forgotten and remembered her promise, given so many years ago. She took the two tiny hands in hers as she looked into the solemn blue eyes and said gently “Verity dear, I’m so glad that you have come.

 


#20:  Author: KatieLocation: A Yorkshire lass in London PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 11:36 am


Ooh, you *have* been busy! Glad to see this back (although nearly gone again) Cathy. Very Happy

 


#21:  Author: LesleyLocation: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 2:46 pm


Lovely - thanks Cathy - so if this is finished, where's the next one! Wink

 


#22:  Author: CathyLocation: Sydney, Australia PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 7:24 pm


Hmm, well we'll have to see about that. I have some vague ideas about a couple of Christmas drabbles for the narnia/chalet universe. Then, we'll see. The plot bilby might bite again ...

 


#23:  Author: JackieJLocation: Kingston upon Hull PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 8:38 pm


Just read the whole of this Cathy. It's wonderful. Think I may have to have a Narnia re-read now.

JackieJ

 


#24:  Author: Susie BLocation: Reigate PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 9:24 pm


I've only just discovered this and it's blissful, I'm going to have to go back and read it from the beginning, absolutely super, well done!

 


#25:  Author: ChairLocation: Rochester, Kent, England PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:22 pm


Thanks, Cathy. I'm glad that everything worked out well in the end. Will we get to see Jo's reaction to Verity as well? Thank you so much, Cathy for writing this drabble - I have really enjoyed reading it.

 


#26:  Author: CathyLocation: Sydney, Australia PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 6:39 pm


Thanks, glad you liked it ... Embarassed

This drabble is finished, so I won't be adding to it. I am toying with the idea of a sequel, but it won't be for a while. In the meantime, I am playing with a couple of Christmas drabbles in the wardrobe chalet universe! I'm having a busy month -- November is actually worse than Christmas in some ways ...

 


#27:  Author: LyanneLocation: Ipswich, England PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 10:04 pm


Thank you for finishing it Cathy, and thank you for giving Grizel a second chance. And everything else!

 


#28:  Author: Kathy_SLocation: midwestern US PostPosted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 5:48 am


Thank you again, Cathy!

*looks forward to any and all wardrobe-chalet offerings* Very Happy

 




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