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The Surprise - complete
http://the-cbb.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=6405

Author:  ChubbyMonkey [ Mon Aug 10, 2009 6:38 pm ]
Post subject:  The Surprise - complete

I'm sorry, I know that I need to stop plaguing you with short and pointless drabbles, but a little random plot bunny got through the window at work today and I couldn't resist!

- X -

Len paused outside the door of the big bookstore, her eyes alight. Age had been kind to her, and the hand which pushed back the grey wisps of hair that flew around her was still strong. Her voice tended to waver slightly, but this was almost imperceptible except to those who had known her before the tendency started, and her eyes were still bright and quick, glancing all around and missing nothing. The only immediately obvious sign of frailty was the walking stick that she leaned heavily on, and the guiding hand on her elbow.

This hand came from her daughter, another Mary, who had taken her out for the day. Arriving at the bookstore had been a surprise, but a very welcome one, and her grandchildren danced excitedly around her as they waited for her to make her way through the door they were holding open. They were growing up quickly now – too quickly for Len, who could still remember their mother at the same age, as proud of them as she was.

It wasn’t often that she was taken for a daytrip. All her life she had lived happily with Reg, until the day he had been taken from her nearly five years ago now. After that, she’d lived with Mary for a little while, but her husband was unhappy with it, and the third arrival had needed her bedroom. Reluctantly, for her son George had refused to have her move into his bachelor pad with him, she had been given residence in a local care home, in a nice area in London, from which she was occasionally taken out.

“Quickly nana!” said Leah, the middle of her three grandchildren and her only granddaughter so far. “We need to go to the children’s section. We have a surprise for you!”

Even as she cynically wondered whether the surprise would involve money disappearing from her purse at an alarming rate, Len followed them with a tiny smile. Clearly whatever they were about to show her they had planned in advance, and it was only Mary’s words which checked them from running away altogether.

They made a funny group, advancing through the bookstore in the way they did. Mary was a beacon of calm amidst the storm Thomas and Toby managed to create between them, and Len still had the power to quell them all with a single glance – something she had learnt from Hilda Annersley during her teaching days. Together they formed a procession to the children’s section, the three children dancing forwards and then racing back to circle Len again, voices unacceptably loud, although a hush descended over them all as they lead Len to the appropriate bookcase.

“Look, nana,” breathed Toby, with all of the solemnity appropriate to introducing her to the Queen. She followed his trembling finger to a line of gaily jacketed books, colourful spines printed with neat letters. For a moment the memories shimmered across her vision and she could feel tears coming easily as she read the first titles, then suddenly she jumped forwards and snatched one up, just holding it.

“I didn’t think,” she whispered, and was ashamed to feel a tear actually roll down her cheek. “I never thought I’d see these again. All those years, and we thought they’d gone out of print now. We imagined them being lost to future generations, but here they are again.”

She dropped the copy of Gay from China at the Chalet School she had been holding so reminiscently and with a cry picked up Prefects of the Chalet School. She could still remember moving to England and finding out about the books which documented her childhood in such detail, the thrills she had had in reliving everything. But they had become rarer and rarer, and it had been years since she’d last seen a copy of any of them. To think that they were being published again, to bring the joy and happiness she had always known at school to younger children, was something she thought she’d never live to see.

“That was the term I got engaged to Granddad,” she explained, brushing at the now frequent tears with one, shaky hand. “Oh, and look, here’s the book about Melanie Lucas. I’d forgotten her after all these years.”

Speechlessness overcame her again, much to the children’s disappointment, and she reverted to picking up one book after another, the memories crowding in on her. Soon enough she was sharing her reminisces with the others; Mary smiled happily and began to mentally compose her shopping list, having grown up with the tales, but the three younger children listened, enthralled, as Len told them about the people adorning the colourful front covers, and the stories contained within.

“That was the time great auntie Con told everyone that Daniel bit the lions,” she laughed, for the family tale had never been forgotten. “And – oh, look! This was the term that great-grandma jumped into the lake and took great-great auntie Madge with her. And –“

She stopped and bit her lip. She had picked up the book in which they had all believed her father dead, lost at sea. He had been out of her life for so long now, but she still remembered reading those words, and how much her mother had suffered, even with the triplets there. Her lip trembled, and it was only with a great effort that she took control of herself. After that she stuck to happier tales, pranks that had been played and new girls who had come to the school.

It all culminated in her choosing a copy of every book they had about her school days and before, and forcing Mary to promise she would find her all of the other ones so far released. There was a reckless daring in declaring that it didn’t matter what it cost, she would buy all of the books so that she could always have around her the people in the pages. Never had she dreamt that she would one day get to read again of all her exploits, all the worries and dramas she had been involved in; it was one of the best presents she could ever have been given.

Author:  JB [ Mon Aug 10, 2009 6:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The Surprise - complete

How lovely and how sad.

Poor Con. Her "howler" (which isn't all that funny) re Daniel and the Lions' Den will never be forgotten.

Author:  Abi [ Mon Aug 10, 2009 11:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The Surprise - complete

How sweet - lovely to see Len looking back and remembering all those things.

I love reading your short stories Ariel - they're always interesting and thought-provoking.

Author:  hac61 [ Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:59 am ]
Post subject:  Re: The Surprise - complete

Wouldn't say it was pointless at all. I rather like the idea. I also like the idea of having enough money to get all the books that have been printed! :)


hac

Author:  JS [ Tue Aug 11, 2009 2:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The Surprise - complete

How lovely.

Author:  Chris S [ Tue Aug 11, 2009 3:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The Surprise - complete

A lovely story. I'm glad that Len was happy to have everyone reading all about her young life. I'm sure most of us have incidents in our younger days that we would prefer to keep to ourselves.

Author:  mohini [ Thu Aug 20, 2009 7:09 am ]
Post subject:  Re: The Surprise - complete

What a nice story!
Loved it.
More please

Author:  Elbee [ Fri Aug 28, 2009 1:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The Surprise - complete

Just seen this - how lovely for Len.

Thanks, ChubbyMonkey.

Author:  Fiona Mc [ Thu Sep 03, 2009 12:38 am ]
Post subject:  Re: The Surprise - complete

Thanks for the fun drabble

Author:  Cath V-P [ Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:10 am ]
Post subject:  Re: The Surprise - complete

That was nice - what a lovely surprise for Len.

Author:  Tara [ Sat Sep 05, 2009 12:04 am ]
Post subject:  Re: The Surprise - complete

What a lovely idea! Thank you.

Author:  Smile :) [ Fri Sep 11, 2009 2:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The Surprise - complete

What a lovely idea, thanks chubbymonkey.

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