The CBB :: View topic - CBB Advent Calendar: December 6th

#1: CBB Advent Calendar: December 6th Author: CBB Triumvirate,

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 12:16 am

The prefects were ensconced in their study, undergoing the annual agony of attempting to find a new theme for the sale. Year after year had such groups of damsels done exactly the same, but once again the admonition was put to them all “Let’s make it original if we can!”

The girls all sat thinking hard for the prerequisite five minutes by the games prefects watch until the head girl announced “time’s up!”

Groan went round the small room as one after another the young ladies announced themselves bereft and barren of all ideas but the most obvious and unoriginal.

As the girls looked round the table at each other, desperately hoping for inspiration to strike, the Head Girl went over the list of all sales held in previous years. When this failed to produce an idea, she then went through the lists of all those Head Girls who had faced this same problem and come through triumphant. In frantic despair, she began repeating, mantra like, the kinds of sales held before, repeating it over and over again.

Finally, it appeared to have paid off. The youngest of the prefects, a sub-prefect at that, leapt to her feet with the welcome words of “Eureka! I’ve really got it this time!”

Unfortunately for the Head Girl what the most junior of junior prefects had was not an idea, but the answer to her maths prep. It took a lot more pondering and threatening before an idea was formed. The Head Girl had been seen to carry her favourite carving knife into prefects meetings in the week leading up to the decision, and it was rumoured that she sat at the top of the table stroking it.

The theme had been kept secret within the school this year. The prefects had sworn the staff and the rest of the school to secrecy. They had made their preparations carefully and ensured that as many parents and old girls were invited as possible. This theme was one that had to be seen by as many old girls as possible.

At the Aldersnest Grizel and Hilary had gathered together with Biddy to take their youngest children to the sale in time for the opening ceremony. They discussed what it may be as they walked along the Platz.
“I wonder if they ran out of ideas at last?” said Grizel. There was a howl of protest at this.
“Grizel Cochrane, they would never wind us up like this if they had nothing up their sleeves, they wouldn’t dare,” replied Hilary.
“I’ll thank you to remember that I haven’t been Grizel Cochrane for many years,” said that lady, on her dignity. “I can’t think what else it could be though. Normally they tell us the theme well in advance, if only so they can scrounge as many things as possible off us all.”
“Ah, well I can tell you that Marjorie spent last Saturday in our attic, and asked me ‘on my honour’ no less not to go and see what she had taken. Joey said that Cecil had been to Freudesheim on a similar errand. They still do their scrounging; they just do it for themselves these days.”

A similar conversation had taken place at Freudesheim. Jack and Joey had spent many evenings trying to work out the theme, all fruitless and Cecil had only laughed when presented with a list of ideas by a hopeful Joey.
“I’ll pass these on for next year, in fact for the next ten years,” was all she said after perusing the list.

The prefects hugged themselves with glee, all apart from the head Girl who once more stroked her carving knife, tense till she knew that no one had given the game away.

She herself provided a clue of course, with her long hair, augmented by a good deal of black wool and wound into an old-fashioned and unbecoming style, and the shockingly brightly coloured twin-set lifted from its owner’s home by her daughter. The knife looked a trifle out of place of course, but that couldn’t be helped. Grizel, Hilary and Biddy took one look and collapsed with laughter, hanging onto each other for support as they staggered towards the main lawn. Jo entered the school grounds through the gate in the hedge and was spared this vision of loveliness. Her first clue was the lucky dip stall, run as usual by the Juniors. They were dressed in Guide uniform of the style worn by Jo herself. The stall was shaped like a boat, with a fishing line hanging over the side. Jo frowned. This looked suspiciously familiar to her. The dummy draped over the back of the boat confirmed her suspicions.
“You monkeys,” she said with a grin. “That’s supposed to be the time we fished the dummy out of the lake at guide camp isn’t it?”
The Juniors just grinned at her and said nothing, knowing that it was more than their life was worth to say anything at all.

Jo continued on, bumping into Hilary and co in the middle of the lawn.
“Do you know what they are doing,” asked Jo.
“Not really,” said Biddy, “But we have seen one wonderful costume!”
All four continued together until they reached the handicrafts stall. All four collapsed again, for they recognised this scene instantly. The table was arranged to look like a large kitchen stove, with the items for sale artistically displayed around the edge. The centre item was clearly part of the scenery and not for sale, for it consisted of an extremely large pan almost full of clock. The girls had obviously not been able to find anything to give the clock an authentic look, or else had deliberately altered the facts, for this caused the greatest hilarity of all. Finally Grizel managed to pull herself together sufficiently to speak.
“The clock face,” she spluttered. “It should be w-w-white, but-but...it's scarlet!'
The Fourth, who had been given this stall as there own, looked at her pityingly.
“Of course it is,” said Mary, the Form Prefect. “We wanted to make our mark.” Though it must be said that she was hard put to keep a straight face.

They strolled on and found the competitions stall depicting a scene nearer to the present time. To enter the competitions visitors were expected to seat themselves at a series of tables hidden from the view of passers by, by large screens. The outside of these screens looked most innocuous, being painted to resemble rocks and scrubland. It was only when Jo was sitting waiting for her entry forms that she registered the scene painted on the inside. They were in a lions den, and there were a number of the animals pacing around looking very fierce. The back screen showed a man, dressed in biblical costume, wrestling with a large lion, which he was clearly biting hard. Jo was not the only competitor to make a complete mess of her entries that day!

When it was all over, Jo approached the Head, mock wrath in her face.
“You knew what they were planning all along, didn’t you Hilda?” she demanded. “You might have warned us!”
“But my dear Jo, we were sworn to secrecy. I could never break a promise, you know that.”
Jo said nothing, very eloquently.

#2: Author: Ann, Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 12:21 am

Grizel Cochrane

Shockingly brightly coloured twin-set

"Let's make it original if we can!"

#3: Author: Carolyn P, Location: Lancaster, England

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 12:24 am

I love Hilda keeping the secret like that! Laughing

#4: Author: Gem, Location: Saltash, Cornwall (holidays), Aberystwyth (termtime from September)

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 12:24 am

Biddy Courvoisier (if it's spelt right!)
the dummy
“Let’s make it original if we can!”

#5: Author: Kate, Location: Ireland

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 12:33 am

Grizel Cochrane
The sale
"it's scarlet!"

#6: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 12:48 am

Grizel Cochrane
The clock
"Eureka! I've really got it this time"

#7: Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 4:55 am

Joey Maynard
carving knive
"nothing, very eloquently."

#8: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 8:24 am

Cecil
"Time's up"
Jo said nothing, very eloquently.

Liz

#9: Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 10:51 am

Excellent!

Grizel Cochrane
The clock
"Let’s make it original if we can"

#10: Author: Amanda M, Location: Wakefield

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 10:53 am

Grizel Cochrane
The sale
"Let’s make it original if we can!”

Star Wars

#11: Author: Ciorstaidh, Location: London

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 11:46 am

Grizel Cochrane
Twinset
"ensconced in their study"

#12: Author: Guest,

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 1:50 pm

Grizel Cochrane

Carving knife

'hanging onto each other for support '

Ellen (as a guest at work)

#13: Author: Alex, Location: Manchester

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 1:55 pm

Grizel
Carving knife
Let’s make it original if we can!

#14: Author: Nell, Location: London, England

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 1:55 pm

Biddy
clock
“Let’s make it original if we can!”

#15: Author: Helen P, Location: Cheshire

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 2:26 pm

Grizel Cochrane
Carving knife
“Eureka! I’ve really got it this time!”

#16: Author: Chelsea, Location: Your Imagination

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 3:06 pm

Grizel

Carving Knife

It's scarlet

#17: Author: Mihiri, Location: surrey england

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 3:44 pm

Grizel Cochrane
carving knife
Lets make it original if we can

#18: Author: Vikki, Location: Sitting on an iceberg, freezing to death!!!

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 4:56 pm

LOL!
Not sure I can even begin to guess, but extrememly funny!

Thank you triumvirate!!!

#19: Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 7:47 pm

Best story so far!

Grizel Cochrane

The carving knife

'Eureka I've really got it this time!'

#20: Author: nikkie,

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 7:55 pm

Grizel Cochrane
the sale
It's scarlet

#21: Author: Josie, Location: London

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 8:00 pm

Grizel
The clock
“Eureka! I’ve really got it this time!”

#22: Author: CBB Triumvirate,

Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2004 8:33 am

The answer to this drabble is:

Grizel Cochrane

The sale

But-but it's s-scarlet

#23: Author: Kate, Location: Ireland

Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:22 am

Yay! I got one! Smile

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