A Pirate at the Chalet School
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#1: A Pirate at the Chalet School Author: francesnLocation: away with the faeries PostPosted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 10:19 pm


Felicity Maynard spotted the new girl instantly. It wasn’t just that she was the only new girl that term – it being the summer and new girls being a rarity – but that she looked rather odd. Her name had sounded rather normal on the letter Mamma had let her read; even she hadn’t been to school before. Not that that was unheard of at the Chalet School but in her mind Felicity had pictured someone rather like Lavender Leigh. After all, Felicity had reasoned, they’d both travelled a lot, and were sent to school because they were run down.

The differences between Mary Kidd and Lavender Leigh were immediately apparent. Lavender had long blonde curls, blue eyes and a very pale complexion, Mary’s hair was dark and tangled, her eyes flashed fire and she was decidedly tanned. Felicity wondered inwardly precisely how she had been allowed to pass through the journey like that. It soon transpired that she hadn’t – Miss Ferrars had done her best with the recaltricant mop but all conventional methods had failed. The tangles had stayed.

“Hello, Mary,” Felicity said confidently. Not for nothing did the staff frequently say that she had inherited her mother’s mantle.

“An’ who be ye?” the new girl demanded.

“Oh are you Irish?” Felicity exclaimed delightedly. “Auntie Biddy will be so pleased.”

“Shiver me timbers!” her new friend exploded. “I be no lily-livered landlubber. I be a pirate!”

Any further conversation was effectively silenced by the appearance of Miss Annersley the Headmistress. Felicity barely heard a word of her brevet aunt’s brief welcome. She was too busy musing over the new girls peculiarities.


Last edited by francesn on Mon Apr 24, 2006 8:49 pm; edited 6 times in total

 


#2:  Author: LizBLocation: Oxon, England PostPosted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 7:47 am


I wonder how she will get on at the school Laughing

Looking forward to more Very Happy

Thanks Fran

 


#3:  Author: SquirrelLocation: St-Andrews or Dunfermline PostPosted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 8:02 am


This certainly will be an *interesting* drabble to read.

*makes mental note not to read in a library*

Thanks Fran

 


#4:  Author: RóisínLocation: Gaillimh, Eire PostPosted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 11:53 am


*rofl* Can't wait to see what happens here!

 


#5:  Author: aitchemelleLocation: West Sussex PostPosted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 5:19 pm


*looks at Davina sternly*
*thinks Ally did a little too much whispering*
Laughing Thank you Fran!! Very Happy

 


#6:  Author: KateLocation: Ireland PostPosted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 5:29 pm


ROFL!

Thanks Fran!

 


#7:  Author: AllyLocation: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 9:48 am


aitchemelle wrote:
*thinks Ally did a little too much whispering*


*innocent*

That would have been Hepzibah! Wink

More please Fran Very Happy

 


#8:  Author: RosyLocation: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 9:52 am


This is very fine. More please!

 


#9:  Author: aitchemelleLocation: West Sussex PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 1:21 pm


Ally wrote:
aitchemelle wrote:
*thinks Ally did a little too much whispering*


*innocent*

That would have been Hepzibah! Wink



an UNLIKELY story!! I had to leave Davina behind when I went to Cornwall - someone has been whispering in her ear!!

 


#10:  Author: MaryLocation: Sussex University PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 3:23 pm


I am in raptures. Imagine! A Pirate! You have no idea of just how excited I am at this present moment. My life very well may be complete.

 


#11:  Author: aitchemelleLocation: West Sussex PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 4:54 pm


Mary wrote:
I am in raptures. Imagine! A Pirate! You have no idea of just how excited I am at this present moment. My life very well may be complete.

You clearly have not discovered the Pirate Game!!! (search Puzzle Pirate on google and download it! It is AMAZING)

Sorry for taking this OT Fran - you really should post some more you know! And it's kinda not so OT cos if we hadn't started playing the game (no not that game) then we would never have discusseded pirates!

 


#12:  Author: ChairLocation: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 4:58 pm


Thanks, Fran. This is really great so far! Was this drabble written at Mia's? I am looking forward to seeing more of Mary.

 


#13:  Author: MaryLocation: Sussex University PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 10:28 am


I was really excited there for a second. Then I remembered the name of the pirate. I think we may be the same person. Anyone, thanks for the heads up on the pirate game. Am going off to spend my last day of being 18 playing pirate games! Woo hoo!

 


#14:  Author: francesnLocation: away with the faeries PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 8:44 pm


This wasn't written at Mia's, Chair. But the idea might possibly have been conceived there. Looking in no particular direction...certainly not Ally or Hannah...

It turned out that there were many of them -starting with the new girls refusal to answer to her given name, requesting instead that everyone refer to her as “Calico”, a scheme seized upon eagerly by her playmates but flatly ignored by the staff.

“Calico Mary Kidd, that be my name,” she pronounced. “Arrrrrrrr and a fine name it is too. Given to me by me ancestor Dirty Jack Rackam. Arrrrrrrrrrr.”

It continued with her mystification over slang and the language for the day.

“But the only language ye be needin’ to know is Pirate!” Calico retorted vehemently whenever anyone tried to tell her otherwise.

“But..but…there are consequences when you don’t,” Felicity tried to point out.

“They put you in the brig?” Calico guessed.

“No…” Felicity said slowly, a tad unsure as to what exactly the brig was.

“They lash you with cat-o’-nine tails?” Calico said, wide-eyed.

“Well, um…no….”

“They don’t…” Calico dropped her voice to a whisper, “keel-haul ye do they?”

“No, no, no, nothing like that,” Felicity protested. “Fines.”

“Fines?” Calico repeated.

“Yes, our pocket money goes on fines if we break the rules about slang or language for the day,” Felicity explained. “You’ll learn. No-one likes being penniless.”

“Well I’m not giving up me pieces-o’-eight for anything!” Calico bristled. “’Tis completely against the code!”

Several members of the form looked interested at this but a bell interrupted.

“Time for Abendessen,” Lucy Peters said.

“Arrrrr GROG!”

 


#15:  Author: AllyLocation: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 9:35 pm


Hepzy loves this drabble!!! (and tonight in celebration she bought a lg top)

Thanks Fran Very Happy

 


#16:  Author: aitchemelleLocation: West Sussex PostPosted: Sat Apr 08, 2006 11:41 am


Davina is nodding in approval at the posting of her wonderous tale!
(and I am very pleased too!)
Ahhh grog!

 


#17:  Author: JennieLocation: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sat Apr 08, 2006 3:19 pm


This looks as if it will be great fun.

 


#18:  Author: francesnLocation: away with the faeries PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 3:25 pm


“Calico!” Felicity shouted the following morning. “CALICO!”

She shook her new friend.

“Calico Mary Kidd!!!!!” she yelled.

Jack Lambert, the dormitory prefect, appeared between the curtains. “Felicity!” she exclaimed. “You should be in bather 1 right now. And what was the shriek? Is the new girl not up yet?”

She looked into the bed. “Where is the new girl?” she enquired.

“Well she’s up here,” Felicity said, indicating a blanket slung between two poles with two brown feet pointing out the end.

“We can soon sort that out,” Jack said, untying one end of the makeshift hammock. Calico landed on the floor with a thump.

Instantly awake she bounced up. “I’ll have yer livers and lights ye scurvy blaggard.”

“Calico!” Felicity burst out, amazed that anyone should talk to a prefect, albeit a dormitory prefect, like that.

“That will do, Mary,” quoth Jack at her most stately. “Felicity have your bath. Mary gather your things, you’re next. I’ll show you where to go.”

Felicity departed, suitably subdued whereas Calico stared at Jack in amazement.

“A bath?” she questioned. “I don’t need a bath.”

“It’s the rules,” Jack said. “Now hop to it.”

“In the rules?” Calico said. “Oh I don’t think so, matey. First pirates don’t bath. Second we don’t take no orders from land-lubbers. Third Calico Mary Kidd isn’t going to listen to anyone except her cap’n.”

With that last defiant statement Calico’s eyes filled with tears and she turned to roll up her hammock. Jack regarded the girl thoughtfully but retired to her own cubicle in order to dress, completely forgetting about Calico’s bath in the process.

 


#19:  Author: RóisínLocation: Gaillimh, Eire PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 3:57 pm


*screams with laughter* Oh Frances this is brilliant! Laughing

 


#20:  Author: TiffanyLocation: madthesispanicargh PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 4:06 pm


A pirate, a pirate! *jumps up and down* *laughs hysterically*

Thankyou Fran, you are fabbity.

 


#21:  Author: aitchemelleLocation: West Sussex PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 5:15 pm


*luffs the pirate!*

 


#22:  Author: ChairLocation: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 5:16 pm


Thanks, Fran. I love the way that Calico always thinks she will have her own way.

 


#23:  Author: LizBLocation: Oxon, England PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 7:46 pm


*giggles*

*although wondering about the tears*

Thanks, Fran

 


#24:  Author: Alison HLocation: Manchester PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 8:11 pm


Laughing Thanks Fran - this is definitely different!

 


#25:  Author: JosieLocation: London PostPosted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 2:02 pm


Laughing Laughing

This is hilarious!

Thanks Fran.

 


#26:  Author: francesnLocation: away with the faeries PostPosted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 8:16 pm


“Mary Kidd, Matron wants you to report to her after Fruhstuck.”

The Junior delivering the message slipped away as Calico turned to Felicity and ask audibly. “Matron?”

“She looks after the housekeeping, and our health and a hundred and one things. Mamma said she’s one of the foundation stones of the school.”

“A bosun?” Calico guessed.

“I suppose,” Felicity said uncertainly. “But you have to go and see her anyway.”

“Why?” Calico retorted.

“Because she’s told you to. Besides, have you looked in a mirror lately?” came the reply.

“Yes.” Calico sounded disgruntled.

“Haven’t you seen yourself?” Felicity practically shrieked.

“There’s nothing wrong wi’ me deadlights,” Calico replied, puzzled.

“You look a mess,” Lucy Peters put in frankly. “Your hair’s untidy, you have holes in your ears and that sash certainly isn’t part of the school uniform.”

“Arrrr they confiscated my cutlass,” Calico muttered. “That weren’t part of the school uniform either, so they said. ‘Tis part of a pirate though, me cutlass.”

 


#27:  Author: EilidhLocation: Macclesfield PostPosted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 8:19 pm


Looking forward to this meeting. Thanks Fran!

 


#28:  Author: ChairLocation: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 8:33 pm


Thanks, Fran. I wonder how Calico and Matron will get on with each other.

 


#29:  Author: Carolyn PLocation: Lancaster, England PostPosted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 8:39 pm


*regains breath*
Well this is different! Bet Matey looses. Laughing

 


#30:  Author: aitchemelleLocation: West Sussex PostPosted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 8:44 pm


ooh a Cutlass! I would like a Cutlass! Thank you Fran! Very Happy

 


#31:  Author: LizBLocation: Oxon, England PostPosted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:48 am


What a shame they confiscated her cutlass! Laughing

Thanks, Fran - looking forward to the encounter with Matey!

 


#32:  Author: TanLocation: London via Newcastle Australia PostPosted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 12:37 pm


ROFL

Although am wondering how a pirate heard of the Chalet school?

 


#33:  Author: James PostPosted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 7:58 pm


I'm slightly scared, but this is pretty great Smile

 


#34:  Author: francesnLocation: away with the faeries PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 10:35 am


Don't be scared James. I would say no-one's going to get hurt...but then I would be lying Twisted Evil

About the resulting run in with Matron the rest of Inter V heard nothing, but Calico was remarkably subdued.

“Reminds me of cap’n,” was all she would say. But the rings in her ears were gone, and the sashes only came out in the evening. By day Calico Mary Kidd was a surprisingly demure Chalet girl, dressed in gentian blue even though her hair was less tidy than the staff might have liked.

She remained a mystery for some weeks, her own classmates grilling her at every opportunity, but she would say none of it. In class her geography was excellent, her languages good if somewhat colloquial, her mathematics rudimentary and her history passable in the activities of sea-faring nations but non-existent in the doings of those with no connection to the seas. Her gymnastics were the marvel of the P.T. mistress and her rowing and swimming well above average for a school-girl of her age. All in all the staff declared themselves baffled.

“It’s not as though she’s completely uneducated,” Kathie Ferrars remarked to her great friend Nancy Wilmot one evening in the staffroom. “And we’ve had our fair share of those,” she continued. “Her education is just patchy in the extreme. And as for her language – well I can’t call it slang but I’m sure it isn’t what Madame would approve of.”

Hilda Annersley had that evening elected to join her staff in their domain for coffee and by chance overhead the conversation.

“Is that Mary Kidd you are discussing so secretively, Kathie?” she laughed.

Kathie, caught off guard by her Head Mistress, flushed pink. “Well yes, as a matter of fact,” she replied. “We just can’t make her out. She’s just, well, odd is the only way I can describe it. I mean, her languages are good, which is in itself unusual. And her geography is well above average, but all she knows of mathematics is simple arithmetic, although I must say we’ve been doing conversions from one currency to another, practical thing to learn, and she simply astounded me. She seems to know the exchange rate for any country in the world.”

Nancy Wilmot took up the tale. “I don’t have much to do with Inter V this term, apart from taking a gifted few for advanced mathematics but I am Mary’s housemistress and she just doesn’t seem to be taking to our way of life either.”

Miss Annersley sighed.

“I am afraid I could well be at fault here. Mary Kidd comes from a somewhat unusual background.” At this point Hilda took a sip of her coffee, only too aware of the eyes of the two members of staff regarding her with interest.

“Well don’t keep us waiting!” Nancy burst out. “If it can explain her behaviour then we’re all ears.”

“And as her house-mistress and form-mistress surely we ought to know,” Kathie cajoled.

“I will say this only once,” Hilda Annersley warned. “And not here. Come to my office at break tomorrow. I’ll provide you with coffee and cakes.”

Kathie and Nancy exchanged resigned glances but accepted the invitation nonetheless.

 


#35:  Author: Alison HLocation: Manchester PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 10:46 am


Laughing Laughing I bet she's brilliant at rope-climbing in the gym!

Thanks Fran Very Happy .

 


#36:  Author: LizBLocation: Oxon, England PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 11:41 am


francesn wrote:
“I will say this only once,” Hilda Annersley warned.


Did anyone else hear that said with a dodgy French accent? Laughing

Thanks, Fran - fantastic!

 


#37:  Author: MiaLocation: London PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 11:51 am


Oh good grief, I'm in fits... how did I miss this? Laughing Laughing

Thanks Fran! Now please write more... Very Happy

 


#38:  Author: JennieLocation: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 12:01 pm


This is wonderful, thanks a million.

 


#39:  Author: FatimaLocation: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 1:24 pm


LizB wrote:
francesn wrote:
“I will say this only once,” Hilda Annersley warned.


Did anyone else hear that said with a dodgy French accent? Laughing



Yes!

Thanks, Frances, this is brilliant!

 


#40:  Author: TanLocation: London via Newcastle Australia PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 4:42 pm


I heard it too - listen carefully, for I shall say this only once

Laughing

 


#41:  Author: LianeLocation: Manchester PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 5:45 pm


Fatima wrote:
LizB wrote:
francesn wrote:
“I will say this only once,” Hilda Annersley warned.


Did anyone else hear that said with a dodgy French accent? Laughing



Yes!

Thanks, Frances, this is brilliant!

Me too!
Thanks Fran.

 


#42:  Author: KathrynWLocation: London PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 6:11 pm


Thanks Fran, this is absolutely brilliant! When I was in Brighton the other week with my friendies, we were in some rubbish club and we saw a man dressed as a pirate and I thought of this drabble! It was very exciting and I kept wanting to tell them about it but I couldn't think how to start without sounding like I'd gone competely insanse...

 


#43:  Author: ElleLocation: Peterborough PostPosted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 10:32 am


Liane wrote:
Fatima wrote:
LizB wrote:
francesn wrote:
“I will say this only once,” Hilda Annersley warned.


Did anyone else hear that said with a dodgy French accent? Laughing



Yes!

Thanks, Frances, this is brilliant!

Me too!
Thanks Fran.


And me! Thanks Fran.

 


#44:  Author: francesnLocation: away with the faeries PostPosted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 11:14 am


points for spotting the pirate quote!

Before the two friends could keep their appointment with the Head something happened which, to quote Joey Maynard, “shoved a hefty spanner in the works”.

Calico, after her customary run in with Jack Lambert over her morning bath – she acquiesced to a sketchy wash about one morning in three – started the day in the bad mood. She had still some prep to do, left over from the previous night, She contrived to upset her coffee at breakfast, having pronounced the milky coffee that was customary fare at the Chalet “bilgewater”. In fact Calico had been responsible for introducing several words into the vocabulary of the Middles, and that was the subject of the lecture she had received the previous day from Miss Derwent who had overheard her cursing long and loud. Thus it was in a mutinous mood that the former pirate started the day.

It so happened that Inter V started the day’s lessons with P.T. in the gymnasium, which should have lifted the blackest mood, but Calico was beyond even that. Miss Richardson, herself a former pupil, was quite adept at spotting sulking girls and usually well up to the task of shaking them our of their sulks. However Calico was different.

Miss Richardson set them to climbing ropes, at which Calico excelled. She could perform all manner of feats, the most memorable of which, Ruey Richardson recalled with a shudder, involved looping a rope round one ankle and hanging upside down. The class had been quite delighted by that, Calico had been less delighted with the essay she’d had to write about safety in the gym. Since then Calico had been remarkably restrained but a chance comment by one troublemaker, Annie Barber by name, had sparked a discussion as to whether Calico could perform some convoluted feat of her own invention, blindfolded. Normally Calico would have been disinclined to acquiesce to her request but that morning she was in a foul mood.

 


#45:  Author: LizBLocation: Oxon, England PostPosted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 11:20 am


Thanks, Fran

Hope Calico performs the trick with no problems - that would be shucks to Annie! Laughing

 


#46:  Author: ElleLocation: Peterborough PostPosted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 11:51 am


francesn wrote:
points for spotting the pirate quote!

disinclined to acquiesce to her request



Do I get the points?

*jumps up and down exitedly*

 


#47:  Author: EilidhLocation: Macclesfield PostPosted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 11:54 am


I spotted it too, but it seems Elle beat me.

Thanks Fran - but what on earth is she going to do?

 


#48:  Author: JennieLocation: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 12:08 pm


Thanks Fran, this is fascinating.

 


#49:  Author: Alison HLocation: Manchester PostPosted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 12:20 pm


Laughing She's certainly livening the place up!

 


#50:  Author: TiffanyLocation: madthesispanicargh PostPosted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 2:27 pm


Hurrah for the pirate! I hope the request is a good one...

 


#51:  Author: JosieLocation: London PostPosted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 3:26 pm


*g* why do I get the feeling this spells trouble?

thanks Fran.

 


#52:  Author: aitchemelleLocation: West Sussex PostPosted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 9:46 pm


I saw it too!! mmmm Johnny Depp!
Thank you Fran! Love it!! Twisted Evil

 


#53:  Author: RosyLocation: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth PostPosted: Sat Apr 22, 2006 8:54 am


Hehe. This is so good.

 


#54:  Author: MaryRLocation: Cheshire PostPosted: Sat Apr 22, 2006 1:44 pm


I've just caught up on this, Frances, and you've enlivened my afternoon. But the mind is boggling at just what else she can get up to! Laughing

Thank you.

 


#55:  Author: ChairLocation: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sun Apr 23, 2006 7:22 pm


Thanks, Fran. I wonder what she is going to do.

 


#56:  Author: francesnLocation: away with the faeries PostPosted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 8:42 pm


Of course, under the close supervision of Miss Richardson there would normally have been no chance of Calico rising to Annie’s challenge, but fate was it seemed, for once, on their side. Sarah Meredith, a quiet colourless girl, fell from a height of about two feet from the floor, landing on her wrist and jarring it. Miss Richardson decided that the wrist was best attended to by Matron so she bore Sarah off in the direction of that lady’s dominion after putting the rest of the class on their honour not to do anything stupid. Unfortunately for her what Calico considered stupid, or even dangerous, was not quite the view held by Miss Richardson and the rest of the staff. In fact her version of honour was somewhat different too. The pirate code and the schoolgirl code, whilst not entirely dissimilar, have some vital differences.

“Go on, Calico,” Annie goaded. “I bet you can’t do it.”

“That I can,” Calico retorted. “I done more than that in me time.”

“Prove it,” Annie said.

So Calico did.

 


#57:  Author: Alison HLocation: Manchester PostPosted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 8:48 pm


Laughing Can't wait to find out what she's done!

 


#58:  Author: ChairLocation: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 9:21 pm


Thanks, Fran. I wonder how the staff will react to this.

 


#59:  Author: LizBLocation: Oxon, England PostPosted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 3:08 pm


But what did she doOoo? Laughing

 




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