CBB Advent Calendar December 10th 2004
The CBB -> Cookies & Drabbles

#1: CBB Advent Calendar December 10th 2004 Author: CBB Triumvirate PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 8:30 am


Matey counted the laundry for the third time. There was something wrong. Again. The first week she had presumed that the girl had thrown the extra handkerchief in at the last minute. The following week they had been two handkerchiefs short. Last week there had been an extra one again. This week Matey had counted the laundry herself. Her angel’s wing cap was perilously close to coming askew as she got the same result yet again. There were no more or less than five extra handkerchiefs returned from the laundry. She had counted everything before it went a few days ago and knew that those five handkerchiefs had not been sent then. She checked all the laundry marks; every item the laundry had sent belonged to either a girl or a member of staff. The additional handkerchiefs definitely belonged to the school, but what was happening?

The mystery of the clean handkerchiefs was not solved that day. The following week Matey insisted that each girl count her laundry and fill in a slip before the maids collected it. The maids double checked each slip and Matey herself performed a third check. That week there was trouble. One tearful junior insisted that she only had six handkerchiefs; a fact that was born out by reference to the inventory her mother had carefully taped inside her trunk. There were eight with her mark on however, even though the other two had been found with the Head Girl’s laundry. Then Matey knew that she herself had only put two handkerchiefs into the basket that week, but she found three with her own mark on.

The day the laundry was returned Matey wore a distracted air. She could be seen going round the school counting to herself and muttering, ‘One handkerchief, two handkerchiefs, three and four.’ The middles learned quickly to keep out of her way. Sewing sheets sides to middle was positively welcome compared to counting the same piles of plain white handkerchiefs over and over and over and over and over and over again. The maids counted the returned laundry. Then they counted it again. Then they drew lots over who would take the result to Matey, agreeing in the end to leave the slips of paper on her desk while she was out.

It was unfortunate that Miss Annersley chose that particular day to start a cold. Finding that her laundry had not been returned and that she had used the last handkerchief she could find that morning she went in search of Matey. Miss Annersley knocked on the door and opened it with the words, “Oh Matey, sorry to trouble you but my laundry has not been returned yet and I need a clean handkerchief.” It was as well for the future of the Chalet School that it’s headmistress had quick reflexes and ducked.


Matey had grabbed the nearest thing to hand a thrown it in the direction of the voice before she had registered whose voice it was. The clip-board whistled past the top of Miss Annersley’s head and clattered against the wall. Miss Annersley opened the door wide and came into the room looking anxious.
“Matey! What on earth is the matter?” she asked.
“Oh Hilda, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know it was you. I’m at my wits end over these wretched handkerchiefs. That’s why you haven’t had your laundry back yet. The numbers haven’t added up for the past few weeks.”
Miss Annersley looked at Matey in concern. If that redoubtable lady was cracking up the school would be in real trouble, and it certainly looked as if that was the case. Her normally immaculate appearance had become decidedly rumpled. The crisply starched headdress has slipped round her head, and was hanging limply round her ears. Her apron was actually crumpled, though it gleamed as white as ever. What was worse was the harried expression on her face, the slightly staring eyes darkly shadowed and the grey skin.
“Come and sit down and tell me all about it,” said Miss Annersley in a soothing voice. “On second thoughts, please may I have a handkerchief first?”
Matey managed to locate the correct pile of laundry and extricate the handkerchiefs from the pile. Then she sat herself down on the nearest chair and buried her head in her hands, her whole body shaking uncontrollably.
“Hilda, I think I am going mad,” she said finally. “For the past few weeks the numbers of handkerchiefs being returned from the laundry do not match the number sent. Sometimes we get too few back, but mainly it seems too many. And they are all correctly marked. Some girls seem to be overflowing with the things.”
“Let me see the inventories,” said Miss Annersley soothingly. “There has to be a logical explanation. Have you counted this week’s yet?”
“No, I haven’t dared,” said poor Matey. She was starting to cry, mainly from reaction, and this further alarmed Miss Annersley, who had never seen Matey at a loss for anything, not even when they had had to evacuate the school from Austria do quickly.
She went through the inventory in her usual efficient way, checking handkerchiefs against names. Sure enough, there were many more than there should be. Most girls had one extra, and poor Bride Bettany had six more than she should have. Finally Miss Annersley placed the inventory carefully back on the table and turned to Matey.
“Well I can assure you that you aren’t going mad Matey,” she said. “I have gone through the entire list and there are many more handkerchiefs than we should have. Additionally we seem to have increased the numbers of stockings, though all the extras are properly named too. The simply do not agree with the numbers on the inventory.” Even the usually calm Head was sounding perplexed and she looked at the heaps of clothing littering the normally immaculate laundry room. She had separated out the extra handkerchiefs and stockings into small heaps and one of the stockings had slipped so that it hung despondently over the edge of the table.
“One thing is for sure,” she said finally. “Someone is responsible for this, and I mean to get to the bottom of it. Come on Matey, get yourself to your room, have a hot bath and a sleep. You’ll feel better then, and I am sure that we will soon find the culprits. I have a shrewd idea that this might very well be the Middles latest.”
Miss Annersley lifted the wilting Matey and helped her along the corridor to her room, blessing the fact that the school at large was well and truly tied up in lessons, and there would be no one to see the state that Matey was in.

For once in her life Miss Annersley was wrong. This was not the middles’ latest. Not by a long way, they were as mystified as she was. They had no idea where all the extra handkerchiefs and stockings were coming from and the Maynard Triplets were at a loss as to why they all had three extra pillowslips. They all knew that it was nearly always extra laundry, although for some reason Blossom Willoboughy was claiming that her cuffs had been taken during the laundry kerfuffle. No one believed her as Miss Blossom was apt to be careless with her belongings, but her dormy managed to rustle up some extra for her as no one would send her to report to Matey in the current climate.
“I’ll do my best and saint can’t do more,” said her friend Sybil Russell with a sigh when Blossom requested a collar one night. “I do wish someone else had lost things as well, it looks very odd that you aren’t gaining clothes but loosing them, and the last thing we need now is someone deciding to investigate here.”
Sybil got her wish. Blossom was presented that Friday with 9 pairs of collars and cuffs by a confused laundry maid, while elsewhere Vi Lucy was bemoaning the loss of a left glove.
“I always wear a pair so how can one go missing?” she asked her bosom friend.
“Beats me!” replied Mary-Lou insouciantly. “It will turn up, things always do at the moment.”

It was just as well for Matey’s peace of mind and sanity that Jo Maynard finally went to Canada. The mystery was never solved as when the Maynards returned they moved straight out to Switzerland and Freudesheim was big enough for the machine. After leaving Plas Gwyn and moving to Cartref Jack and Joey had not been able to find room for it, and so one holiday, being in desperate need of the machine’s services hid it in the deepest cellar in the school. Each week and any other possible time Joey would visit the school and switch it on. However as she did not want to rouse suspicion she could not remain in the cellar for long periods of time and so had to let the machine run it’s course unsupervised. That meant that things went wrong.

Oh, I haven’t told you what the machine is yet have I? I presume that you will have worked it out by now though. It was a replicating machine. It was the only way the Maynards could afford to feed and clothe all their children. In fact it was the reason they had all those children. Unfortunately it only needed a little scrap to work from, and as it was situated in the school it kept picking up dust and fragments from other people, and so lots of extra linen was produced which Jo just dropped into the laundry. It was not as easy to explain away the extra rooms that appeared on the building, but as no one ever asked about them she said nothing.

 


#2:  Author: Pat as guest PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 8:48 am


*Laughing*

That's great! Hankies seems obvious, but what the others are beats me.

 


#3:  Author: DawnLocation: Leeds, West Yorks PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 10:00 am


Brilliant

Haven't a clue so will go with

Matey
angel’s wing cap
You’ll feel better then

 


#4:  Author: MihiriLocation: surrey england PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 10:30 am


Fantastic!

Matey
handkerchief
sewing sheets to middle

 


#5:  Author: NinaLocation: Peterborough, UK PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 10:40 am


Blossom Willoughby
Collars and cuffs
"I'll do my best and saints couldn't do more"

 


#6:  Author: patmacLocation: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 11:29 am


LOL! It could explain how Freudesheim grew the wings for modifying into flats for all and sundry!

 


#7:  Author: SusanLocation: Carlisle PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 3:58 pm


Another wonderful offering.

Blossom Willoughby
handkerchief
'And the saints couldn't do more.'

 


#8:  Author: KateLocation: Ireland PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 5:44 pm


Sybil Russell
hankerchiefs
“I’ll do my best and saints can’t do more”

I *think* I might know who this Triumvirate member is........

 


#9:  Author: VikkiLocation: Sitting on an iceberg, freezing to death!!! PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 6:00 pm


LOLOLOLOLOL

Matey

Handkerchiefs

Someone is responsible for this, and I mean to get to the bottom of it.

 


#10:  Author: AnnLocation: Newcastle upon Tyne, England PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 6:24 pm


Blossom Willoughby

Angel's wing cap

"I'll do my best and saints couldn't do more"

 


#11:  Author: Amanda MLocation: Wakefield PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 9:20 pm


Sybil Russell
Clipboard
“I’ll do my best and saint can’t do more”

Star Wars

 


#12:  Author: Helen PLocation: Cheshire PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 10:51 pm


Matey
Handkerchiefs
There has to be a logical explanation

 


#13:  Author: PadoLocation: Connecticut, USA PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 11:15 pm


Matey
Handkerchiefs
"I'll do my best...etc"

 


#14:  Author: LizBLocation: Oxon, England PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 11:54 pm


Bride Bettany
Angel's wing cap
"the middles' latest"

Liz

 


#15:  Author: AlexLocation: Manchester PostPosted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 12:08 am


All my ideas have been guessed, so I may as well give my theory that all washing machines are connected together through a void. Some people lose socks into the void, other people gain socks from the void. This term I have lost 5 socks so someone else is obviously doing very well. I do not have so many socks that I can afford to lose a sock every fortnight!

 


#16:  Author: Kathy_SLocation: midwestern US PostPosted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 5:45 am


Sybil Russell
laundry
"I mean to get to the bottom of it."

I could so use one of those replicators! Very Happy

 


#17:  Author: CBB Triumvirate PostPosted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 3:08 pm


Love the theory Alex!

Answer is:
Bride Bettany
A clean handkerchief
I’ll do my best…and saints can’t do more

 


#18:  Author: NinaLocation: Peterborough, UK PostPosted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 6:03 pm


Alex wrote:
All my ideas have been guessed, so I may as well give my theory that all washing machines are connected together through a void.

Rather like L-space, d'you mean? Rolling Eyes It certainly makes sense - although my current Evil or Very Mad washing machine has a new trick. It doesn't eat socks, it just hides them up the sleeves of my jumpers, so I spend ages looking for the lost sock, give up, and then about three months later put on the jumper and voila, the sock appears!

 


#19:  Author: Carolyn PLocation: Lancaster, England PostPosted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 8:51 pm


Nina wrote:
It doesn't eat socks, it just hides them up the sleeves of my jumpers, so I spend ages looking for the lost sock, give up, and then about three months later put on the jumper and voila, the sock appears!


But presumably not until you've thrown away the one it was the pair to?

 


#20:  Author: LizBLocation: Oxon, England PostPosted: Sun Dec 12, 2004 4:11 pm


That does it to me - usually about a week later!

Liz

 


#21:  Author: NinaLocation: Peterborough, UK PostPosted: Sun Dec 12, 2004 4:30 pm


)
Carolyn P wrote:
Nina wrote:
It doesn't eat socks, it just hides them up the sleeves of my jumpers, so I spend ages looking for the lost sock, give up, and then about three months later put on the jumper and voila, the sock appears!


But presumably not until you've thrown away the one it was the pair to?


Well, Embarassed pre-Flylady I almost never threw away odd socks, just in case! Just in case of what? Ummmm ... dunno really, just in case Shocked I have, however, overcome this and can now throw away socks with abandon - so yes, this will probably now happen Confused

(Unless (is there a hopeful smiley) someone thinks of a really good use for odd socks Smile

 


#22:  Author: DawnLocation: Leeds, West Yorks PostPosted: Mon Dec 13, 2004 1:01 am


Nina wrote:
)
Carolyn P wrote:
Nina wrote:
It doesn't eat socks, it just hides them up the sleeves of my jumpers, so I spend ages looking for the lost sock, give up, and then about three months later put on the jumper and voila, the sock appears!


But presumably not until you've thrown away the one it was the pair to?


Well, Embarassed pre-Flylady I almost never threw away odd socks, just in case! Just in case of what? Ummmm ... dunno really, just in case Shocked I have, however, overcome this and can now throw away socks with abandon - so yes, this will probably now happen Confused

(Unless (is there a hopeful smiley) someone thinks of a really good use for odd socks Smile



Don't have a use for odd socks, but 1 way round it is to get lots of pairs that are either all the same or can be mixed/matched.
Chris has plain black socks and plain white socks (and wears 1 of each)
Matty has black sports socks for school and white ones for home
Jess buys packs of similar ones (eg all stripy) and then mixes and matches so that they are similar

So it's only if Andy & I lose socks that we have to throw them away Very Happy


eta always check inside your duvet, it's a classic hiding place for insecure and worried socks

 


#23:  Author: EllieLocation: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Mon Dec 13, 2004 1:44 am


I bought about ten pairs of matching white socks, the plan worked ok until I absent mindedly washed some of them with a red sweatshirt. I now have to match up the various shades of pink.

 




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