#1: Advent Drabbles: December 11th
(part 3 22:07) Author: Advent
Drabblers, Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 12:18
pm — It was
one of the days that Jack Lambert felt at odds with the whole world. It had
started on the wrong foot and gone on that way all morning. Getting into her
bath she had slipped and sent a tidal wave of water over the floor. Naturally
the girl who followed her was hammering on the door long before she’d cleared up
the mess, and that had put both of them behind in their taks. Jack had only just
managed to get to Fruhstuck in time, and then only by running, which was
strictly forbidden. Luckily she’d got away with this, but she was panting as she
took her place behind her chair, and the hair on the back of her head was still
wet from its ducking. She managed to calm down during the meal, but she still
felt at odds when they all went to get ready for the morning walk. It didn’t
help that her lace broke as she was putting her shoes on, and she had to
hurriedly knot it, or be late for the walk. She ran to join her form, cramming
her beret onto her head, and earning a reprimand from a passing Prefect. She was
scowling when she joined her friends, and they looked at her warily, knowing
that Jack in this mood could do or say anything. However, she managed to get
through the rest of the walk without anything untoward happening, and she went
into lessons feeling a little better for the fresh air. It wasn’t to last,
for it seemed to poor Jack that she could do nothing right for any of the staff
that morning. On top of that, she was pulled out of class by Matey to tidy her
drawers. By the time Break came she was once again ready to explode, so when she
had downed her milk she turned to her friends. “I’m going for a run round
the garden,” she said. “I’ll do something stupid if I don’t get things out of my
system, and you know what that means!” Jane Carew laughed. “Oh darling! We
do. You have a good blow and we’ll see you later.” Jack grabbed her blazer
from the Splashery and set off into the gardens. She ran past the rose garden
and down to the form flower beds. She swung round the end of them and ran
alongside the hedge separating the school ground from Freudesheim, down the
hedge separating the school from the road. She crossed the drive and turned
along the edge of the playing fields till she reached the school buildings
again. She intended to circle the whole complex before returning to the
Splashery, and a quick glance at her watch showed her that she just had time.
The science labs were right at the back of the group of buildings, linked
only by the covered passage that was so necessary in the winter. Jack was
running head down as she turned the corner to go along the back of the labs, and
so ran full tilt into the object standing in her path. She banged her head hard
and sat down, the wind knocked out of her. When she finally looked up, she
almost gasped out loud at the thing she’d run into. “What on earth’s that?”
she asked herself. “I haven’t seen anything like that in my life.” She
scrambled to her feet and brushed herself down, and took another look. It was
definitely alive she thought to herself, for what she’d run into was warm. She
tilted her head back to try to identify what sort of animal it was. Whatever it
was, it was huge. Just as her eyes reached its head, it breathed an enormous
breath of fire, singeing the side of the chemmy lab beside her. “Oh my!” she
whispered. “It’s a dragon! But they don’t exist outside fairy
stories.”
Last edited by Advent Drabblers on
Tue Dec 11, 2007 10:09 pm; edited 2 times in total
#2:
Author: Jennie, Location: CambridgeshirePosted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 12:24
pm — Perhaps
it will eat her!
#3:
Author: JackieP, Location: Kingston upon HullPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 12:29
pm — Oooh - a
dragon.... wonder if it's from Pern....?
JackieP
#4:
Author: Rachel, Location: West Coast of ScotlandPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 1:32 pm — LOL Jackie - that was my immediate first thought too!
Have just read all the advent drabbles this morning and feel that now I
have caught up I can comment
Lots of fun
these things!
#5:
Author: PaulineS, Location: West MidlandsPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 1:46 pm — Or is it from Harry Potter???
#6: Author: Advent
Drabblers, Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 4:15 pm — In which Cecil takes a morning
perambulation and makes some new friends. Cecil was taking her
morning walk, or rather her morning run around the Freudesheim garden. She had
done her reading and her writing, and then drunk all her milk up. Anna had
promised her that she could help make some bread if she was good, so she had
been careful not to disturb mama and come outside for a short time.
She
hadn't gone far when she heard a hum.
Hum hummity hum Tum tummity Tum. Honey in my
tum Makes me want to hum. Tum tummity Tum Hum Hummity Hum.
“But it's no good without the honey, and my tummy is telling me it time
for a little something. Does your tummy say the same piglet?” “Well I would
like a nice little haycorn,” said a smaller voice. Cecil went around the
mulberry bush that was growing in the middle of the lawn and hiding the
speakers. “Who are you?” she asked, looking at the two figures before her.
“I am Pooh and this is my good friend Piglet and we were going on a
heffulump hunt but have decided it is time for a little something, a little
something in the honey line maybe. Do you like honey?” Cecil pondered this.
“I don't know, Anna makes honey cakes and they are very nice.” Pooh's eyes
grew large at this thought. “Do you think she needs any help?” he asked.
“Christopher Robin says it is always good to help.” “That's what mama says
as well, and Anna did say I could help her make bread, so she might need help
with cakes as well, shall we go and ask her?” Pooh nodded solemnly, “I think
we should, helping is important, especialy when honey is involved.”
Together Pooh, Piglet and Cecil went back towards Freudesheim. They
hadn't quite reached the kitchen door when there was a sudden orange and black
blur and Cecil felt her feet go from underneath her. She sat down with a
surprised bump and looked around. “Tigger,” cried Pooh and Piglet. “That's
my name,” said another voice, “Let's go for a bounce!” Cecil giggled, “I
don't think Anna will want us bouncing in her kitchen.” “So let's bounce
somewhere else then. I can bounce all over the Hundered Acre Wood and back
again. I am a Champion Bouncer,” said Tigger impressivly. Pooh did not look
impressed. Piglet look fearfully resigned. Cecil paused, wondering which
of her new friends to go with.
#7:
Author: Jennie, Location: CambridgeshirePosted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 4:19 pm — Well, how on earth is Lesley going to tie this
together?
#8: Author: Travellers
Joy, Location:
Middle of NowherePosted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 8:54 pm — Ooh, I do like this one!!
#9: Author: Advent
Drabblers, Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 10:07
pm — Eventually they decided on a compromise, leaving Tigger in the
garden bouncing to see if he could bounce higher than a nearby cloud, Cecil
sneaked into the kitchen with Pooh and Piglet. Anna was not there, although they
could hear her guttural tones in the Saal and Cecil thought that Mamma must have
asked for some Kaffee – she did that when she was having problems with a 'witer’s blok'. Luckily this meant that Cecil
could show Pooh where the honey cakes were kept – they had a long discussion
about whether or not they should take them, but decided that they could leave a
note for Anna. Piglet also found some sweetcorn and a carrot and some lemon
biscuits for Tigger. They got back into the garden just as Tigger bounced his
biggest bounce ever in his entire life…..and disappeared into a cloud!
“That was a big bounce,” Cecil said, straining her neck upwards in an
attempt to see Tigger.
“The biggest bounce ever,” Pooh said, then, “I
wonder what this honey cake tastes like?” There was the sound of munching.
“Carrot’s good,” Piglet said, not seeming concerned about the
disappearance of Tigger.
There was the sound of frantically running feet
and then, suddenly, Jack Lambert appeared. She was hot and dishevelled her hair
untidy, her face red and her blazer scorched. Cecil smiled, “Hello Jack,” she
said, “Tigger bounced high up in the sky and hasn’t come down yet.”
“The
dragon, the dragon, did you see it? It came this wa…” Jack stopped as she
suddenly realised who was in the garden, “Oh, er, Cecil, hello. Is Mrs Maynard
in?”
“Her Mamma is in,” came a muffled voice, “but she’s not to be
‘sturbed,” Pooh looked over from where he had stuffed three honey cakes into his
mouth and was seriously contemplating a fourth.”
“We’re waiting for
Tigger to come back down,” another quieter and rather ‘grunty’ voice said, “he’s
managed to jump into that cloud, he’ll boast about this for weeks, you know?”
Jack looked at Cecil's two companions then back at Cecil, "Er, Cecil?
Who are these...'people'? She asked faintly.
Cecil smiled, "This is Pooh
Bear and this is Piglet," she said, pointing.
"Jack Lambert, pleased to
meet..." Jack stopped, shook her head, "what am I saying? There's got to be an
explanation, this can't be happening."
"Oh but it can," a deep voice
boomed and Jack looked up in shock to see the large dragon descending gracefully
to the ground. It had deep, velvety brown scales over all of its body and sharp,
emerald green eyes. It settled onto the grass and looked around, addressing
Cecil it spoke, "Did you lose someone?" at the same time reaching over its
shoulder to retrieve an orange and black object, "he bounced up into the cloud,
unfortunately he hit me as I was flying past. I don't think he's hurt."
Tigger reached the floor and bounced excitedly around the garden, "Did
you see? Did you see? The biggest bounce in history!"
Cecil smiled at
the dragon, "Thank you so much, that was very kind of you."
Jack shook
her head in disbelief, "This can't be happening, I'm imagining it.
The
dragon tutted, "Now, if you were imagining things then that fire over there
wouldn't exist, would it?" It pointed toward where the Chemistry lab was
smouldering.
"And there wouldn't be a large dent in the grass here,"
Cecil pointed to where the weight of the dragon had caused the lawn to subside,
"and Pooh Bear wouldn't have eaten all Anna's honey cakes."
Jack looked
round at all of this wildly, then opened her mouth to scream or cry for help.
Before she could do either, though, the dragon reached forward and breathed on
her. Jack fell to the ground, unconscious.
When Jack awoke it was to
find herself wrapped in a large towel and lying on her bed. She went to move and
a figure sitting beside the bed started up, "Matron, Matron, she's awake!" It
was Jose Helston.
Seconds later Matron Lloyd appeared, "Now you lie
still, young Jack," she said firmly, "you managed to hit your head rather hard
on the side of the bath, you knocked yourself out."
Jack reached up to
the back of her head where there was a sizable lump, "You mean, it was all a
dream?" she said wonderingly.
"All a dream? What was a dream?" Matron
asked while helping her to sit up slightly and passing across a glass of warm
milk.
"I saw a dragon, it set fire to the Chemmy labs, then Cecil
Maynard had Pooh and Piglet and Tigger with..." her voice trailed off as she saw
Matey's expression. "It was a dream then?"
Matey did not reply straight
away, instead she turned over the top two library books on Jack's bedside table,
The House at Pooh Corner and The Hobbit, she raised an eyebrow, "Hmmm, I
think you may need to re-think your reading matter my girl."
Nothing
more was said and Jack lay back feeling rather silly but grateful for the warm
bed. Matron bade her to sleep for a few hours and then, as she was feeling
better, allowed her to have some visitors. Among the first was Jane Carew,
"Jack darling, what have you done to yourself? You really must be more
careful."
"I'm alright," Jack said, rather embarrassed, "I'm just
pleased to be missing lessons, that's all."
"Oh but you've missed all
the excitement," Jane replied, "there was a fire, it nearly burnt down the
Chemistry Lab, and Mrs Maynard's Anna swears that a thief got in to her kitchen
and stole all her cakes..."
"You don't want to believe all that you
hear, Jack," another voice, an adult one, interrupted, "there's sure to be a
logical explanation."
Jack smiled, "Mrs Maynard, have you come to sit
with me?"
Joey Maynard smiled, "I have, Jack," she sat herself in the
chair next to the bed, "now, what's this I hear about you having strange
dreams?"
"Oh it's nothing, just me being silly and..." she stopped,
suddenly rather confused, surely Mrs Maynard's hair was black? Not a deep
velvety brown. And her eyes, weren't they supposed to be black? Yet here they
were a brilliant emerald green...
#10:
Author: Pat, Location: DoncasterPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 10:12
pm —
#11:
Author: abbeybufo, Location: Romsey, Hampshire - UKPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 10:15
pm — Yay! Way
to go, Lesley!!
#12: Author: Smile
:), Location:
Location? What's a location?Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 10:34
pm —
#13: Author: Travellers
Joy, Location:
Middle of NowherePosted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 10:50
pm — Very
nice!
#23:
Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West YorksPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:17
pm — That was
brilliant - thankyou Ads
#24: Author: Fiona
Mc, Location:
Bendigo, AustraliaPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 4:54 am — Spooky Lesley
#25:
Author: Vikki, Location: Sitting on an iceberg, freezing to death!!!Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:30 pm — I NEVER thought to see Lesley wtiting Winnie the Pooh!!!
#27:
Author: Róisín, Location: IrelandPosted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 9:28 am — Thanks for this one - very entertaining!
#28:
Author: Sal, Location: Walsall / AberystwythPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 12:28
am — Thanks
AD's
#29:
Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern USPosted: Sun Dec 23, 2007 4:28 am — Just a knock on the head, is it? Not perhaps some early egg
nog? Very fine indeed. Though Matey must be wrong about the dragon being of
Smaugish derivation. More like My Father's Dragon, or the Reluctant Dragon,
or.... anyhow, one of the more friendly if bumblesome, lot.
#31:
Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, KentPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 9:05 pm — Thanks, Advent Drabblers. It was great to see Tigger, Piglet and
Pooh Bear in this drabble.
#32:
Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern USPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2008 3:52 pm — Even more fun on a reread.