The CBB
http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/

How to choose a school
http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=5661
Author:  NaomiBee [ Sat Feb 07, 2009 12:17 am ]
Post subject:  How to choose a school
This is my first ever story, since we had to write them in English lessons, so please forgive any mistakes / failures in imagination. Basically it is supposed to be a Harry Potter/ Chalet School cross, though whether or not the protagonist will attend either school is debatable. The aim is to compare ethos, teaching scope, accident rate and value-for-money as a public school. I'm putting it on here so I don't put off writing more! If you think it is in the wrong house, please let me know...

Julia Maynard was bored. Primary school had finally ended, and although High school sounded like it would be fun, she knew there wouldn’t be much point making new friends for a single year. Her parents had discussed the issue with her many times, but from all Julia had heard the silly public schools accepted people at 12 just to be awkward and different. Not that she could really call the Chalet school silly, all of her female relatives for what seem generations had attended, but it would make more sense to be able to enter immediately. Instead of playing with her friends over summer, then joining them at school in September where they would spend at least five more years together, her family had just moved to Manchester, and the neighbourhood looked distinctly boring. Trudging down the stairs, Julia went to help her mother unpack.

“Mummy, where are my book boxes? I’d be really helpful if I could do those first! All of the furniture is in my room now, and I’ve done my clothes, but it won’t really be mine until Katy and Anne and William are unpacked too, they get bored with no one to read them.”

Mrs Maynard straightened up from putting the covers back onto the sofa cushions. Dentistry was a much better life than being a housewife, she considered, but you couldn’t really get a woman in to “do” the unpacking for you without you turning into a picky slave-driver. Never mind, only three days until she would be testing the waters at her new practise. “Don’t be silly now July, you only packed them up two days ago, and you really are too old to be telling me such tales about book characters. I have a very important job for you, and you must promise me that you won’t unpack your books until you’ve done it. I have a box full of the bone-china with lime-green patterning on that your grandmother gave us as a Wedding gift. I’d like you to carefully wash and dry it all, to remove any dust, then arrange it neatly in the cabinet in the dining room. Would you be able to do that my clever girl?”

Julia pretended to look affronted, “Don’t be silly Mummy, of course I could do that! But can’t I unpack just one book box first?”

“My darling, if I let you do that, the china would never be unpacked, and I wouldn’t see you for the rest of the day! We’ll finish unpacking everything except your books and Daddy’s trains, then we’ll go for a short stroll to see the neighbourhood, and then you’ll have the rest of the day for book-worming.”

“Ok, but can I arrange the china artistically? Neatly is so boring, and it’s really happy-looking china!”

“My little scaramouche, will “prettily” cover the arrangement acceptably? Off you go, and don’t break too much of it.” Beth Maynard kicked herself for adding the final sentence. Really, a little damage wouldn’t hurt the set at all, for lurid and luminous as it was, the china tea service was so unbreakable that after 14 years of marriage there wasn’t a single missing piece. Ruminating murderously on her mother-in-law’s tastes, she marched upstairs to hang curtains.

Julia, on the other hand, was marvelling at the glowing patterns on the china as she washed it, in between glancing at the page of the book she had pulled out of her knickers. She had discovered many years ago that as long as she kept half a mind on a book whilst doing a chore, the book would stay almost attached to her hand, staying at the correct page without having to use both hands or crumple the pages. She did consider it marginally strange that an entire book could fit into her knickers, but they always seemed to be hiding books there in her favourite school stories, so it must be one of those unexplained phenomena, like wormholes. Katy was started to swing in the woodshed, and, despite reading the story so many times, Julia lost concentration on the cup she was drying which slipped out of her hand as Katy flew through the air. Fortunately the cup, unlike Katy, bounced off down the kitchen like a miniature rugby ball, with Julia in swift pursuit.
Author:  Lesley [ Sat Feb 07, 2009 8:03 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How to choose a school
I like this - love the wormhole explanation about the books and the tea-set! :lol:

Thanks Naomi
Author:  JS [ Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:10 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How to choose a school
This looks really promising - where does she get it from?
Author:  abbeybufo [ Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:25 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How to choose a school
Interesting start Naomibee - please continue :D
Author:  Liz K [ Sat Feb 07, 2009 12:05 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to choose a school
Interesting surname, wonder if they're a branch of the family that Jack doesn't know about yet? :shock: :?
Author:  JS [ Sat Feb 07, 2009 3:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to choose a school
Quote:
Interesting surname, wonder if they're a branch of the family that Jack doesn't know about yet?



I was assuming that she was one of Joey's grand-daughters, on account of the lime green china. In my head I'm already revising either Joey or Jack as a witch or wizard, and having serious thoughts about Margot's devil :devil:
Author:  abbeybufo [ Sat Feb 07, 2009 4:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to choose a school
JS wrote:
Quote:
Interesting surname, wonder if they're a branch of the family that Jack doesn't know about yet?

I was assuming that she was one of Joey's grand-daughters, on account of the lime green china.


Yes that was my understanding too

JS wrote:
In my head I'm already revising either Joey or Jack as a witch or wizard, and having serious thoughts about Margot's devil :devil:


:lol: :lol: - although Hermione's antecedents don't seem to have any known wizard-ly accomplishments - unless you don't notice Dentists' and Doctors' powers, just put it down to good chairside/beside manner and medical competence :wink:
Author:  MaryR [ Sat Feb 07, 2009 5:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to choose a school
Quote:
We’ll finish unpacking everything except your books and Daddy’s trains,

Poor Beth - clearly daughter's books and husband's trains are sore points with her! Take up far too much time and space. :evil:

Fascinating start, Naomibee. I never imagined the characters as being lonely before, if we don't read them. :lol:
Author:  Liane [ Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to choose a school
I like the start of his.
Thanks for posting.
Author:  Clare [ Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to choose a school
MaryR wrote:
I never imagined the characters as being lonely before, if we don't read them. :lol:


Oh I totally get that one! I used to wonder what the characters were getting up to without me when I was parted from my books (not being able to handily store them in my knickers :wink: ). Mind you, I used to think that about the television too.

Looking forward to more updates!
Author:  Abi [ Sat Feb 07, 2009 7:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to choose a school
I love Julia's imagination - I always think 'neat' is boring too! Please write more soon, Naomibee!
Author:  PaulineS [ Sat Feb 07, 2009 8:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to choose a school
What an interesting and unusual start. I wonder is it Stephen or Charles daughter as they were both train enthusiasts?
it could be Beth's family who are magic folk or neither as was the case with Harry's mother.
Looking forward to how it develops.
Author:  Fiona Mc [ Sun Feb 08, 2009 7:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How to choose a school
Thanks, am really enjoying the start of this
Author:  abbeybufo [ Sun Feb 08, 2009 10:53 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How to choose a school
Am also wondering now whether we 'know' Beth or not . . . Beth Chester would IIRC be too old even for Stephen, let alone one of the other Maynard boys.

*Scratches head trying to think of other, younger, Elizabeths*
Author:  Elder in Ontario [ Sun Feb 08, 2009 3:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to choose a school
A very interesting start - I'll be looking forward to more of this. Another one who can't think of a younger 'Beth' than Beth Chester.
Author:  Elle [ Sun Feb 08, 2009 9:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to choose a school
NaomiBee wrote:

She did consider it marginally strange that an entire book could fit into her knickers, but they always seemed to be hiding books there in her favourite school stories, so it must be one of those unexplained phenomena, like wormholes.



Brilliant! I also like the lime green patterned china!
Author:  Emma A [ Mon Feb 09, 2009 1:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to choose a school
Excellent start, NaomiBee: I'm really looking forward to see how this progresses.

Thank-you.
Author:  Tara [ Mon Feb 09, 2009 3:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to choose a school
What an intriguing beginning! I enjoyed so much about this, from the lime green china to the books and trains and the book-holding knickers. Lovely, NaomiBee, do keep going.
Author:  Maeve [ Sun Feb 15, 2009 3:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to choose a school
That was really fun -- more please!
Author:  crystaltips [ Sun Feb 22, 2009 5:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to choose a school
I like this - is it too early to chant for more?
All times are UTC
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
http://www.phpbb.com/