The CBB :: View topic - My Brother's Keeper

And since Jo was there, and she was the one who gave the boys permission to go, she should be the one who feels responsible, not Len.

“Papa will be angry, won’t he?” he whispered. “I made Mama ill.”

Thanks andi - that was really interesting. Poor Len.

It's a shame that Madge didn't live nearer: I can understand that Len might have felt awkward discussing family problems with an "outsider", even one as close as Hilda, but it might have been different with Madge - and she was another one who had a lot of responsibility put on her at an early age.

Alison H wrote:

Actually that makes a lot of sense - can see that as a good reason for Len - thanks Alison.

(Slightly concerned that I am starting to sound like I'm talking about real people :oops:

Note to self - this is just fiction!)

Madge seemed to have absolutely no empathy for her nephew.

Author:	andi [ Sun Mar 02, 2008 5:56 pm ]
Post subject:	My Brother's Keeper
This has been the most dreadful day of my life. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget what happened. Con says sometimes writing things down helps her to understand them, so I’m taking her advice. Maybe when I’ve written it all down I’ll be able to sleep. It started off so well. It was one of those beautiful days when you wake up in the morning and know that you just have to be out in it all. The sky was clear, there was a gentle breeze blowing, and when I went downstairs and out into the garden before breakfast I could see the mountains standing proud and lovely against the sky. I thought to myself then that we must be one of the luckiest, happiest families in the world, living here. At breakfast, it was obvious that everyone else was feeling the same way. Mama said that it was too good a day to waste, and we made plans for a walk. Papa had to work, otherwise he’d have come too. If only he had. Anna knows the signs and she’d guessed we’d be wanting picnic food. She’d packed a feast. Just as well there were so many of us to carry it all. We had to do our chores first, of course, so it was about ten o’clock before we set out. Mama had the big pram, with Geoff and Phil asleep in it. They had to come with us because it was Rosli’s day off and Anna would be going shopping later. I had the other pram, with Cecil in it. Fee and Flixy are big enough now that they don’t want to be in prams, although I guessed there might be a few complaints later on when they were tired. Still, there were enough of us to carry them now and then if they really needed it.

Author:	Mona [ Sun Mar 02, 2008 6:03 pm ]
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Interesting start andi, thanks!

Author:	Alison H [ Sun Mar 02, 2008 6:41 pm ]
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It's frightening how what starts off as a lovely day can go so horribly wrong . Looking forward to seeing Len's take on it.

Author:	clair [ Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:10 pm ]
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Looking forward to more of this - always felt it unfair that Len seemed to take on the responsibility of Mike on her own

Author:	abbeybufo [ Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:29 pm ]
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Thanks Andi Looking forward to more

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

My Brother's Keeper http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=4116

Author:	Lesley [ Sun Mar 02, 2008 8:03 pm ]
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Poor Len. Looking forward to more of this, Andi.

Author:	PaulineS [ Sun Mar 02, 2008 8:15 pm ]
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Thanks Andi an interesting start.

Author:	Elder in Ontario [ Sun Mar 02, 2008 9:45 pm ]
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Thanks, Andi - an interesting start indeed.

Author:	andi [ Mon Mar 03, 2008 8:18 pm ]
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Having the prams with us meant we had to stay on the road, and the boys soon got bored. Mike pleaded for the three of them to be allowed to go along the cliff path. We could see the path from the road, so Mama agreed, as long as they promised to do what Steve said, and they all ran off. That left Mama, Con, Margot, me, and of course the kids. Normally, that would have been a treat! We don’t get to see Mama much during term time, and in the holidays there’s always such hordes of us around, so this should have been a good chance to chat and catch up on the term. The thing was though, last term wasn’t one any of us really wanted to talk about. I don’t know whether Mama knows about what happened at Zermatt. Margot still has the clock Emmy gave her. It’s buried at the back of her cupboard. We thought Papa would take it away, but he didn’t. I don’t really want to think about how angry he was when he heard what Margot had done. It scared me. And I’m - oh, I don’t know - I’m just worried about Margot. I know Mary-Lou said not to but I can’t help it. It’s been ages now and she’s still so quiet and – crushed, sort of. Anyway, we were walking along the road, Mama in front with the Fs beside her, Con and I next, and Margot behind us. The Fs were chattering nineteen to the dozen, which was just as well seeing as the three of us weren’t saying much. Margot was trudging along looking like a wet week and answering in monosyllables when anyone asked her anything, and Con was miles away as usual. I did just wonder though, whether Con might not be putting her dreamy act on to avoid having to talk to Margot. She was still pretty mad about Zermatt. We’d been walking for about twenty minutes – long enough to be out of sight of any of the houses on the Platz – when we heard one of the boys yell. When you have a lot of small brothers, you learn to tell the difference between general yelling and trouble. This yell was real trouble. We all looked up at the path. We could see Steve and Chas, both leaning over the cliff edge, but there was no sign of Mike. My whole body went absolutely cold. For a moment I thought I might be going to faint. Then we heard Steve shouting.

Author:	abbeybufo [ Mon Mar 03, 2008 8:21 pm ]
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A real cliff Even when we know about it it makes our blood run cold - poor Len Thanks, Andi edited to correct typo!!

Author:	Alison H [ Mon Mar 03, 2008 9:22 pm ]
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Poor Len - she's so worried about everyone else even before Mike's accident.

Author:	PaulineS [ Mon Mar 03, 2008 9:28 pm ]
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No wonder Len said it was the worst day of her life. She is still worried about her sisters and now she is going to worried about the boys. ((Len))

Author:	Lesley [ Mon Mar 03, 2008 9:39 pm ]
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Of course, it happened only just after all the fuss about that clock. Poor Len. Thanks andi

Author:	Sugar [ Tue Mar 04, 2008 5:32 am ]
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thanks andi

Author:	Fatima [ Sat Mar 08, 2008 3:43 am ]
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I've just caught up with this; it's great thanks Andi.

Author:	Lisa [ Sat Mar 08, 2008 7:55 am ]
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Wow, what a fantastic re-telling of the story, you've really made it come alive, Andi. And yes, Jack is chilling in this; you've highlighted the aspect of him that I always feel uncomfortable with. I can really feel the children's fear of him ... Thanks, Andi, looking forward to more!

Author:	andi [ Sun Mar 09, 2008 10:55 am ]
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Last part It was much later when he found me. I was sitting under a tree, watching some ants carrying bits of leaf back to their holes. Papa sat down next to me. For a long time neither of us said anything. Then he put an arm around me and I leaned against him. “Your mother’s going to be fine,” he said. “She just needs some rest.” I nodded. I knew what he meant. Mama gets like that. Papa gave a deep sigh. “I’m sorry if I scared you,” he said. I twisted round to look at him. He looked sad and almost unsure of himself. It was horrible to see him like that. I put my hand on his knee. “Then you’re not angry with Mike anymore?” I asked. Straight away, I wished I hadn’t. The red colour came back to his cheeks and he frowned. My hand jerked back automatically, as if I’d touched something hot. He looked at it, then at me. The red faded a little, but the frown was still there. He sighed again. “That’s going to take some time,” he said. We sat for a while, saying nothing. Then he stood up and reached down a hand to me. We walked slowly back to the house. As we got to the front door he paused. “Len,” he said. “Yes, Papa?” He gave me a tired smile. “Try to keep Mike out of my sight for a bit, would you?” I nodded, although my heart ached when I remembered Mike’s anxious white little face. “OK, Papa.” He shook his head. “High time that lad grew up a bit,” he muttered. Something sparked inside me at that. “Well, he’ll be eight soon, Papa,” I said. He looked at me. I looked back. “Eight,” he repeated, almost as if it was a surprise to him. I decided I’d said enough. I gave him a quick kiss and ran up the stairs to my room. It’s past midnight now. I’ve written it all down, everything that happened, and I still don’t know what we could have done to make it different. Maybe the boys shouldn’t have been allowed to go on the path by themselves? But they’ve done it before and it’s always been OK. Was it Steve’s fault for not stopping Mike? But Steve’s only eleven! It’s not fair to blame him. Maybe I shouldn’t have tried to protect Mike from Papa. Maybe he should have had to face the consequences of his actions. But no, I’m sure I did the right thing there. Even Papa seemed to agree with that, in the end. Oh, it’s all so difficult, and there’s no one to ask. I can’t bother Mama while she’s ill and Papa’s still too angry. And I can’t tell Auntie Hilda about this. I think Margot had the best idea when she said that prayer. I’m not going to think about it any more. I’ll try to think about the good things instead. Mike is safe, after all, and Mama will be better soon. That’s a good thing. And Con and Margot and I are together properly again. That’s a very good thing. And maybe, just maybe, the next time Papa starts to get so angry he’ll remember all this and it’ll help him not to. That would be miraculous. I know one thing though. Mary-Lou was wrong. I can’t possibly stop taking care of my family.

Author:	Elbee [ Tue Mar 04, 2008 8:24 am ]
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Poor Len, she seems to feel the responsibility of the whole family on her shoulders. Thanks, Andi.

Author:	Jennie [ Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:34 am ]
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And since Jo was there, and she was the one who gave the boys permission to go, she should be the one who feels responsible, not Len.

Author:	Liz K [ Tue Mar 04, 2008 11:17 am ]
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Jennie wrote: And since Jo was there, and she was the one who gave the boys permission to go, she should be the one who feels responsible, not Len. Exactly, I agree with everyone doing chores around the house to lighten Anna's load but not with the elder children taking responsibility for the younger children (with apologies for any apalling English).

Author:	leahbelle [ Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:12 pm ]
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Poor Len. She shouldn't feel she has to take responsibility for this accident.

Author:	andi [ Tue Mar 04, 2008 7:32 pm ]
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This is turning out to be rather an angst-filled drabble! Sorry about that But since Len is still only fourteen at this stage I figure she is allowed a bit of teenage intense-ness. “Mike! Stand still, you idiot!” Steve sounded terrified. Mama shoved Geoff and Phil’s pram handle into Con’s hands and started to run towards the boys. Of course Fee and Flixy tried to go after her, but Margot, thank goodness, was after them and caught them before they could go too far. Con and I were belting along behind her with the prams bumping and jerking over the stony road, and the babes were all awake and screaming blue murder. Before we could reach Mama, Steve and Chas passed us, haring down the road back towards the Platz to get help. I caught a glimpse of Steve’s face. It was as white as chalk. When we came up to Mama, she was lying flat on the ground at the edge of the cliff, and we could hear her talking to Mike, so at least we knew he was alive. “He must be caught on a ledge,” Con said. She was holding Phil, trying to get her to stop crying. Margot had an arm around each of the Fs to keep them from running to join Mama. I was trying to calm Cecil, who was howling and throwing herself against the straps of the stroller. I wanted to burst into tears. The three of us looked at each other, and I could see my own desperation on the others’ faces. Then Margot did something that really surprised me. She closed her eyes and spoke, very softly. “Lord, help us. Please.” There was a shout behind us then, and three men with ropes came sprinting up the road. Behind them, with tear-tracks down their grimy faces, trailed Steve and Chas. Steve looked at me. He didn’t say anything but I know how he must have felt. We stood in a huddle as the men brought Mike up. The only sound was the babies crying. The men unhooked Mike from the rope and he stood on the ledge next to Mama for a moment, then one of them spoke to him and gestured to us, and he came hurtling across the road, latched onto Steve like a limpet and howled. We could just make out a few muffled ‘sorrys’ between the sobs. Steve gave him a kind of a hug and a shove combined. He was crying a bit too. Well, to be honest, we all were! We were just so thankful that Mike was safe. I saw Margot and Con look at each other with that rolling-the-eyes look that means ‘Brothers!’ Feeling a bit weak at the knees, I turned to see what Mama was doing, and in a second all the warm feelings of relief vanished, and there was just that cold dizzy terror again. Mama was still lying on the ground. She wasn’t moving at all.

Author:	Fiona Mc [ Tue Mar 04, 2008 7:38 pm ]
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Poor Len and the rest. That would have been terrifying. I always wondered why Joey took 11 kids off for a walk like that so soon after having twins and a very difficult pregnancy. Thanks Andi, I'm enjoying this

Author:	abbeybufo [ Tue Mar 04, 2008 8:10 pm ]
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This is so real - we never get this episode treated properly in the books, so it's good to get Len's take on it in detail. Thanks, Andi

Author:	Lesley [ Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:15 pm ]
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Looking at it in context you can see why Joey reacted as she did - she was still recovering from the difficult time she'd had with the second twins. Very real reactions. Thanks andi.

Author:	Elder in Ontario [ Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:19 pm ]
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Thanks Andi - and thank goodness the triplets and Steve all kept their heads there, or that incident could have had far worse consequences.

Author:	Alison H [ Tue Mar 04, 2008 10:37 pm ]
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It's easy to forget that the triplets were still only 14 and Joey still recovering from a difficult pregnancy - thanks andi.

Author:	andi [ Wed Mar 05, 2008 10:34 pm ]
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All the men were crouched around Mama, talking in low voices. I abandoned Cecil’s pram and ran across. One of the men came to meet me as I ran up. “Die Mutter has but fainted,” he said. “There is no need for alarm. We will call an ambulance from the San for her, and a car to take you all home.” He looked at the crowd on the other side of the road and I could see him counting it up in his head – eight children, three babies and two prams. He smiled. “Perhaps two cars,” he said. It was a very silent journey home. The babes, thank heavens, had cried themselves out and were asleep again. Steve was still ashen, staring straight ahead and not speaking. Chas had hold of my hand and was trembling like a leaf, and Mike was sobbing into my shoulder. I’d been holding on to the thought that once we got home there’d be someone else to take charge, but the house was empty. Anna was still out at the shops. I looked at the clock and realised with a shock that we’d only been gone an hour. So much seemed to have happened in that time. The little ones looked up at me expectantly. I knew what I should be doing. Hot drinks, soothing words, blankets, beds – then I realised that there was no way I could do any of it. It was just too much. “Papa will be back soon,” Con said. “When the ambulance gets to the San, they’ll tell him. Or we could phone him.” “Yes,” I agreed with relief. “Of course. That’s a good idea. I’ll phone him.” Mike looked up. I noticed how sharply the freckles were standing out on his white face. “Papa will be angry, won’t he?” he whispered. “I made Mama ill.” For a moment everyone was totally still. Papa doesn’t often get angry, but we all know what it’s like when he does. I found myself looking at Margot. There was an odd expression in her eyes, almost a plea. I had to do something. Mama has a list of all her friends’ phone numbers stuck on the wall by the telephone. I dialled the first one I saw. It was Aunt Hilary’s, and thankfully she was there. I didn’t tell her anything, just that I was sending the little ones over to her and Con and Margot would explain when they got there.

Author:	Lesley [ Wed Mar 05, 2008 10:39 pm ]
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Poor kid - far too much responsibility on one so young - and Mike's comment about jack being angry - that is very scary. Thanks andi

Author:	Alison H [ Wed Mar 05, 2008 11:11 pm ]
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Poor Len - and Mike's reaction was very telling.

Author:	Liz K [ Thu Mar 06, 2008 6:42 pm ]
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andi wrote: “Papa will be angry, won’t he?” he whispered. “I made Mama ill.”

Author:	brie [ Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:01 pm ]
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I'm really enjoying this Andi. It feels very realistic. Len and Mike

Author:	Sarah J [ Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:17 pm ]
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Poor Len - feeling responsible for all her siblings and trying to protect Mike as well. Thanks for this Andi

Author:	leahbelle [ Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:46 pm ]
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Thanks, Andi.

Author:	andi [ Fri Mar 07, 2008 10:40 pm ]
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Okay, maybe a little bit of artistic licence here with Con, but I couldn't resist Thank heavens for my sisters. They had everyone out the door and down the road to Adlersnest in a trice. Once they’d gone, I went and sat in the Saal and stared numbly at the wall. Con and Margot found me there a little while later when they came back. Without saying a word, Margot went and made three cups of hot coffee. Con disappeared for a few minutes. When she came back, Margot and I nearly dropped our coffee cups. She was carrying the big bottle of brandy from Papa’s drinks cupboard! “Medicinal,” she said firmly when we gaped at her, and she poured a bit into each cup. It was only a tiny splash, not even a teaspoonful, but when I took a sip of the coffee afterwards I felt warm inside for the first time in hours. Con took the bottle back to the cupboard and then the three of us just sat there, drinking our coffee. It felt good, being together like that. Mike was right. Papa was very angry. He didn’t come back from the San for another hour - we found out later that it had taken that long to bring Mama round from her faint - and when he did, he was raging. “Where is Mike?” he thundered, almost as soon as he was in the door. The three of us stood up together and faced him. His face was red and his hands were clenched. When Papa is angry it feels like a dam threatening to burst. I don’t know where it all comes from. It frightens me. What would happen if he really did lose control of it? “Where is he?” he repeated. He looked at Con. She shook her head and said nothing. He looked at Margot. I could see the anger rising in him. Then he looked at me. It was like looking at a stranger. A stranger who hated me. A huge choking sob rose in my throat and burst out of me. I couldn’t bear it any more. I pushed past him and ran outside, crying.

Author:	roversgirl [ Fri Mar 07, 2008 10:42 pm ]
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Con is brilliant with the brandy Thanks for the update!

Author:	Alison H [ Fri Mar 07, 2008 11:20 pm ]
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Con did well there, and glad that she and Margot are there with Len - and that Mike is safely out of the way at Hilary and Phil's, at least for the time being.