Tensions ~ Part 9
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#1201:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2004 4:15 pm

Awww! Poor Mike!
I'm so glad Joey was kind!

 

#1202:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2004 4:16 pm

*g* at Lesley. Ok, then I'll settle for the 58.

Glad the last bit was OK, I wasn't quite sure about it - not quite sure about this bit either.

Joey, noting the way that her son’s shoulders slumped as his worst worries were extinguished, left him to get into the bath, with a final, unneeded, reminder that his clothes were fit for nothing except the laundry basket.
Putting aside her own slightly fragile state, she went downstairs to the kitchen where she poured some milk into a saucepan ready for heating before she filled three of the large stone bed warmers with water from the hot tap and placed them in Anna’s shopping basket to transport them back up the stairs more easily.
She grimaced slightly when she saw the state of untidiness which prevailed in Mike’s room. Obviously the matrons at his school had been far less rigorous in her training methods than had Matey and her co-horts, though thankfully there was also little likelihood of them dispensing strong addictive drugs to their charges.
Even so, all the Maynard children knew that once they reached a certain age, it was their own responsibility to make their own beds and keep their possessions in reasonably good order, something which Mike had obviously neglected to do that morning.
Deciding that for once she would let the matter drop, but that regular bedroom inspections would be the order of the day in the future, Joey resigned herself to tidying away Mike’s clothes, books and magazines, and to making his bed so that he could lay on a smooth, uncreased surface.
Her own early training, and the years of experience she had garnered in looking after such a lengthy family meant that she had the books on the shelves, the magazines piled neatly onto a stool, and the socks in their proper drawer in next to no time, and she hastily began to strip the bed before her son returned from the bathroom.
Noticing that the sheet looked rather less than pristine, she tossed it one side and retrieved another from the large walk in cupboard on the landing and set about totally remaking the bed in approved Chalet School fashion. It was as she was tucking the sheet underneath the mattress that the tips of her fingers felt a slight obstruction, she paused and reached further underneath the mattress. Her suspicion, aroused when her fingers touched the unmistakable form of a magazine, were fully confirmed when she pulled a very well used copy of Playboy magazine from Mike’s hiding place.

 

#1203:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2004 4:25 pm

Ooooh- errrr!!!!
Wonder what she'll do............ Shocked Shocked Shocked Shocked

 

#1204:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2004 4:49 pm

Oh dear!!!! Poor Mike! Laughing Shocked

 

#1205:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2004 4:58 pm

Thank you Ellie

What a find for Joey!! Perhaps its up to Jack to have a word!!

Poor Mike though, and Im glad Charles is ok Very Happy

 

#1206:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2004 5:01 pm

I must say that having changed teenage sons' beds, I did expect that!

 

#1207:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2004 5:07 pm

And of course, we now know why the sheet is less than pristine...........

 

#1208:  Author: Chickpea,  PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2004 5:11 pm

Eeeeuwwww!

Sorry, obviously you meant that he must have been eating in bed, and all the crumbs.....

 

#1209:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2004 5:13 pm

But of course!!!
What else could I have possibly meant???

 

#1210:  Author: Chickpea,  PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2004 5:18 pm

was there any mention of blindness in the family?

 

#1211:  Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2004 5:20 pm

Just so long as he enjoyed the... food.

 

#1212:  Author: Carolyn P, Location: Lancaster, England PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2004 8:03 pm

Definatly think Joey should put it back where she found it and tell Jack...then leave well alone.

 

#1213:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2004 8:08 pm

Oh, but we want to hear Jo's chat with Mike..........

 

#1214:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2004 8:42 pm

Joey had just finished remaking the bed when a very drowsy Mike came into the bedroom. He stopped short when he saw what his mother had been doing, suddenly very much awake again as he furtively scrutinised her face for any sign that she had discovered his secret.
Joey had considered merely removing the magazine and saying nothing about it, but she could see, now, that she would be ill advised to do so. Mike would spend the rest of the holiday in a state of anxiety awaiting some kind of retribution. |As much as she was loathe to do so, she felt she had no choice but to broach the matter.
“Yes, I found it.” She said severely. “A few moments ago I thought that I could see signs of you becoming more mature, more thoughtful of other people, and less irresponsible, then I find that filth secreted under your mattress. I’m very disappointed in you Mike, to find that you’ve even been looking at such material, but I’m furious with you for bringing it into this house. That’s hardly showing consideration for others is it? What if Felix or Geoff had found it? Or one of the girls? What right do you have to risk exposing them to such depraved material? A boy of your age shouldn’t even be thinking about such things, never mind looking at those sort of magazines. I sometimes think I’ll never understand you, Michael. You’ve had the same upbringing as your brothers, to treat girls, and women, with kindness and respect, not to ogle at pictures of semi naked whores. We’ve never had this trouble with Steven and Charles, what is it about you? Well you won‘t be doing it again, that is going straight in the incinerator in the morning, and if you value your health you will never bring anything like that into this house again.”
“But it’s not mine, a chap at school lent me it, I’m supposed to give it back.”
“Then you’ll just have to explain to him that you can’t, and why you can’t, won’t you? You should have thought about the consequences before you acted.” Joey replied ruthlessly, “And frankly I’m surprised at the lack of diligence shown by your school if they allow such rubbish to circulate among you boys. I’ve a mind to write to your headmaster and tell him exactly what is going, and to tell him that I expect something to be done about it in the future.”
Mike, red to the roots of his hair, opened his mouth to protest, then thought better of it.
“Well, do you have anything to say for yourself.?”
“Only that I’m sorry, and I promise I’ll never do it again,” he almost whispered, “I am sorry, really, you’re right, I didn’t think, but I will in future. I promise I’ll never look at that sort of thing again, but please don’t write to the school, my life won’t be worth living if anyone finds out. You don’t know what it’s like being at a boys school. You have to fit in otherwise….”
Joey’s expression softened slightly as she looked at her son. She knew that whatever might happen once he returned to school, he truly meant every word that he said, for the moment at least, and she recognised the distress he felt at her threat to inform the school authorities. She didn’t, of course, know what it was like to be at a boy’s school, but she had plenty of experience of dealing with unhappy school girls who were finding it hard to settle into the Chalet School and fit in with their peers, and she fancied, girls were apt to be kinder to their fellows than their brothers. On the other hand, she felt she would be failing in her duty, not only to her own son, but to all the other boys at Mike’s school, if she did nothing.
“I shall have to consider that, I’m not saying I won’t write, but I’m not saying I will either. I think it depends on your behaviour during the rest of the holidays. In the mean time, since you’re sorry, we’ll say no more about the matter this time. Now pop into bed, and I’ll bring your milk to you shortly.
“You, you won’t tell father?” Mike phrased the words as a question, but the tone of his words betrayed the fact that it was a plea.
“No, I won’t tell him, not this time. Now you settle down and try to get some sleep, you have had a trying day, with one thing and another.”

 

#1215:  Author: Carolyn P, Location: Lancaster, England PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2004 8:54 pm

I suppose since he walked in she didn't really have much choice, although I still think Jack would have been a better person to handle it, and Mike may have been suprised at his fathers understanding, he knows about boys schools after all, and then think how well he handles Roger.

 

#1216:  Author: pim, Location: the place where public transport doesn't work properly! PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2004 9:34 pm

*gulp* Please Jo, be sesnible for once.

 

#1217:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2004 10:09 pm

Joey slipped back into her own bed for the dying remnants of the night, but she gained little from doing so. It had been a long and difficult day for her to, she had spent much of the morning feeling decidedly sick, something which she had gone to great pains to hide, not wanting to be the cause of any more worry to the family, then Charles’ accident. All the time she had been taking charge, trying to soothe both him and the other boys, she had been screaming inside for someone else to take over, for someone to soothe her, to tell her it was going to be all right.
But it had been many hours before anyone could offer her that reassurance, and in the meantime she had found that her third son had been as needy and vulnerable as his injured brother, and the fact that he had been mostly unable to vocalise his fears had not rendered them any less obvious to his mother.
The upside was that she and Jack, united in concern over their son, had been closer than they had for many a long day, and Steve, too, had shown himself to be the strong responsible young man she had always believed he would grow into, unlike his eldest sister.
Joey put the problem with Len to one side as her thoughts returned again to Mike. She had been shocked and disgusted when she found the magazine under his mattress, and she knew that if she hadn’t seen glimpses of his deeply buried sensitivity earlier that day she would have treated him far more harshly than she had done. She was certain, in her own mind, that Jack would not have allowed himself to be swayed by such considerations, but she herself hadn’t had the heart to add to the boy’s misery. Time alone would tell whether or not she was right to have acted so leniently.
And Charles, she thought of him as she had last seen him, sedated and sleeping, but still with the screwed up lines of pain etched on his face, yet he had been so brave, even when he faced up to the fact that he might lose his eye. She had been proud of the way he handled himself, yet she had found it almost unbearably painful, she had wanted to hug him close to her, to absorb all his pain and fears herself, to take them from him, but had had to force herself to be bright and encouraging as he had begun, all ready, to make the best of the situation, but if he could be strong, then she herself had to be stronger.
She finally slipped into a troubled doze, to be awoken a scant twenty minutes later by the shrill sound of the alarm clock. And she still felt slightly nauseous. Heavy eyed, and in far from the best of moods, she climbed out of her bed and prepared to face the new day.

 

#1218:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2004 10:21 pm

Hmmm, not sure about that - I suppose, for her, that was a measured reaction, on the whole I think Joey acted well there - still, poor Mike!

Excellent Ellie - lots more please! (When it's ready I mean - know you've posted lots today! Laughing )

 

#1219:  Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2004 12:17 am

Thank you, Ellie! This set of posts has been particularly fine. Both Joey & Mike come across as sympathetically drawn, but complex, three-dimensional human beings. And the way Mike's room is described by Joey's responses makes the scene really come alive.

 

#1220:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2004 6:32 am

I don't think Joey has realised that she is going to be 'busy' yet again! Perhaps she's never seen Playboy before? I suppose that could explain her reaction but, knowing what we know about her behaviour with Roger, I do find her rather hypocritical in her dealings with Mike!

Very realistic situation, Ellie! I like that she a Jack were shaken out of their own worries by concern for the children.

 

#1221:  Author: Nicci, Location: UK PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2004 8:26 am

oooh ooooh me want more!

Ellie, that was all fantabularso. Poor poor Mike!!

I think Joey acted amazingly well, given the times and that she probably would consider it a very depraved thing for her son to be reading. Although I do think Patmac has a point - after her doings with Roger... but does she remember that??

And I really wish Jack had been the one to deal with it.

 

#1222:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2004 9:53 am

Um, am I allowed to ask a question of my own please? I'm finding the comments really interesting, but I'm really curious about everyone who's wishing Jack had dealt with Mike - what I want to know is, what do you think he would have said/done?
As far as Joey dealing with it herself goes, it was partly a case of wanting to get it over and done with, and partly a case of wanting to protect Mike from Jack's anger.
(Jack may or may not have been furious with Mike, but Joey certainly believed that he would be)

 

#1223:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2004 11:56 am

I feel that if Jack was ever going to have a larger role in his children's upbringing, then it would be with his sons first, as Joey has a larger role with the daughters (not meaning to stereotype into male and female though). But as Joey has made a good job of dealing with Mike, perhaps Jack is not needed.

 

#1224:  Author: keren as guest,  PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2004 3:58 pm

I just hope this drabble never ends, but just goes on and on, what would the board be like without it!

 

#1225:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2004 5:30 pm

Thank you for lots of lovely drabble Ellie!!
*waiting for the bit where Jo realises she's 'busy' again.......*

 

#1226:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2004 5:37 pm

Vikki wrote:
Thank you for lots of lovely drabble Ellie!!
*waiting for the bit where Jo realises she's 'busy' again.......*


Considering she has been pregnant eight times before - you'd think she'd have realised by now! Wink

 

#1227:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2004 5:42 pm

Yes, but this is Jo!
She can be a bit dense sometimes!!! Rolling Eyes

 

#1228:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2004 6:17 pm

But maybe Jo just ate something thast disagreed with her!


Joey was able to disguise the worst effects of her troubled night by the skillful application of make up, she had come a long way since she had first, unsuccessfully, tried to hide the symptoms of toothache with rouge, and unless anyone cared to look at her too closely she appeared to be the same Joey as always.
Jack would have seen through her disguise of course, if he had bothered to look, but it seemed a long time since he had cared enough to do any such thing. Part of her hoped that he wouldn’t choose this particular morning to start noticing her anew, part of her hoped, that after the time they had shared the day before, he would.
As it was, Jack wasn’t around to notice anything, he had already been called to the san before she or anyone else save Anna, had risen from their beds.
Joey avoided spending too much time with her maid, knowing that Anna would definitely see through her attempts to disguise the signs of her sleepless night, though it was hardly the hired helps place to comment on such matters.
When the family was gathered around the breakfast table it was clear that no-one noticed anything amiss, or if they did, they naturally put it down to her worry about Charles.
She quickly hastened to put their minds at rest about Charles, before they began eating, her news being greeted with a great deal of joy and relief, although the older members of the family still seemed to have a few reservations, understandably enough since they had had a long enough connection with San to know that set backs could and did occur.
Con, tasked with the job of pouring coffee from the enormous jugs, asked if they were to wait for Mike to make an appearance before beginning breakfast.”
“No, leave him be, he didn’t sleep much last night, he was quite upset.”
Len made a noise, starting off as a snort, but somehow turning into something quite different.
“Did you want to say something Len?” Joey enquired in coldly polite tones.
Len did want to say something, something to the effect that mike had no greater reason to be upset than anyone else, but she garnered from the hostile looks directed at her that it would not be a popular opinion.
Steve looked particularly disgusted, and for once he decided to show it “It’s no wonder he was upset after the way you went for him last night.” He muttered in tones which he supposed were too low for his mother to hear.
He had however underestimated his mother’s powers of hearing.
“And what exactly did you say to him last night?” Joey looked at her eldest daughter severely.
“I just thought it was probably his fault that Charles got hurt.” Len mumbled, “And it’s his own fault, after all, he has played the ass all his life.”
“Maybe he has,” Joey was only too aware that she had jumped to the same conclusion, “But even if it had been Mike’s fault, which it wasn’t, it wasn’t your place to point it out to him.” She said curtly, “Especially since your own behaviour over the last couple of years leaves a great deal to be desired.”
Con heard Len’s gasp at the unfairness of the accusation, and decided to jump in and try to interject a bit of calm into the proceedings before the meal degerated into an all out brawl, “Len was upset herself, she didn’t mean what she said last night, did you Len?” She gave her sister’s arm a comforting squeeze.
“I don’t need you to apologise for me.” Len removed her arm from Con’s grasp, “And as for my behaviour, I’ve done nothing wrong, except to choose t live my own life rather than the life you want for me. And I certainly haven’t harmed anyone in the process.”
“Except for poor Reg.”
Con shuddered slightly at the mention of Reg, but she kept her voice calm and steady, “Poor Reg nothing. His problems are of his own making. You always told us that it wasn’t what happened to us that was important, it was what we did about it, and what Reg did was unforgivable.”
And for once, Con got the last word. Joey, who assumed that Con was referring to the assault on herself and young Hilda found that she could not, in all honesty, disagree, despite her mixed feelings of guilt and sympathy towards the young man who had been driven to such desperate measures by her own daughter.

 

#1229:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2004 8:04 pm

Wonderful, Ellie. What did Reg do that made Len reject him? Please tell us.

 

#1230:  Author: pim, Location: the place where public transport doesn't work properly! PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2004 10:13 pm

Oh crumbs. Please tell us what Len did to Reg! *wibbles ever so slightly*

 

#1231:  Author: Nicci, Location: UK PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2004 9:14 pm

Ellie wrote:


As for when it's finished - the sequel will be in Nicci's more than capable hands whilst I retire from writing.



Waaaah. Ellie! I didn't see that post until now! I was planning to keep that a little quiet, so that I wouldn't get bombarded the second you finish Tensions! (have we got a sticky-out tongue smiley yet?). oh, and please don't talk me up - it could end up really awful. Embarassed


As for your question about why people wanted Jack to deal with Mike. I personally felt that Jack would have been more understanding than Joey on this topic. But I think Jo was right (and quite brave) to bring it up herself, even if she was a little harsh. It would have made it into a far bigger thing if she had taken the matter to Jack. I just wish that Jack had been the one to find the mag.

Incidentally, I watched Calander Girls for the first time yesterday. If only Joey could have been as cool as Helel Mirren's character about finding porn under her son's bed!!

 

#1232:  Author: Mandy, Location: Derry, N.Ireland PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2004 11:26 pm

You aren't on the board for a few days and see what happens - you get loads of new drabble. Thanks Ellie.

 

#1233:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2004 11:34 pm

Thank you Ellie!

 

#1234:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Wed May 05, 2004 1:19 am

I've never seen Calender girls, but, I don't think there was much chance of Joey being cool about it, not being the person she is, and this happened about 40 years ago. A lot of the stuff that was in Playboy then seems tame compared what you read in the newspapers these days, and if you're wondering how I know that, well, it's all in the intrests of research.


The remainder of the meal passed by in virtual silence, and it was a relief to them all when they could finally leave the table and disperse to perform their usual tasks. Steve announced that he intended to continue chopping the remainder of the wood, “After all, we’ve done it hundreds of times before without any accidents, and I’ll make sure I look where I’m aiming the axe.”
Len stalked off to her own room where she made her bed with her usual quick efficiency before she spoiled the effect by throwing herself on top of the newly made covers, beginning to heartily wish that she had never returned home for the Christmas holiday.
All her life she had taken for granted her status as the favoured daughter, although she had never considered it in such terms and would have vigorously disagreed with anyone who had made any such comment, and the sudden complete turn around in her mother’s attitude had left her hurt and confused. “I know that it was me that broke things off,” She mused, “But I wouldn’t have been happy, surely she can see that? I didn’t know any different when I agreed to marry him, and I probably still wouldn’t if it hadn’t been for Oxford. Yet it was she who insisted that I took my degree before we married, couldn’t she see that it would make a difference? And surely she should put my happiness before Reg’s, she’s my mother, not his.”
She was interrupted at this stage of her thoughts by a sharp tap on the door, followed almost instantly by the turning of the handle. Len rolled over onto her side, “Oh it’s you, what do you want?”
“I’ll go if you want, I just wanted to see if you were all right.”
“Well, I’m not.” Len scowled, “What is it with mother and Reg Entwhistle anyway?”
“I don’t know,” Con took the question as an invitation to stay and drew up the room’s one chair next to the bed, “She isn’t at all like that about Andrew, thank goodness, though I sometimes wish she would take a bit more interest in him. I think with Reg, though,” she swallowed, finding it difficult to even say the man’s name, “I think it must be because she picked up on him as a kid. You know w hat she’s like, she loves it when people turn out to have long lost relatives who used to go to the school, it makes them ‘belong’ she probably feels that way about, about him, since she’s known him for so long. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if she hadn’t earmarked him as a son-in-law whilst we three were still toddlers, you know that she talked Dad into paying for his education, and his training.”
“I thought that was his idea?”
“No, he told me she just wouldn’t shut up about him, so he said he’d do something just so he could have a rest from it, but he said that she could use her book money to pay for it.”
“She probably think’s she bought him then, except I don’t want a hand picked, gift wrapped husband.” Len said bitterly.
Con stifled a giggle at the vision of Len walking up the alter to meet a gift wrapped husband, “I don’t really think it was like that, Len, and she’d have to be extremely foresighted if she was matchmaking for a three year old, anything might have happened in the meantime, I think it’s just that she likes everything to be tied up neatly. I sort of felt that she was pushing me towards Roger at one time.”
“Really?” Len sat up, “I never knew that, you didn’t tell me.”
“Well, no, the idea was so ridiculous, Roger’s fine as a brother, but I’ve certainly never thought about him as anything more than that, and neither has he, as far as I can tell. Besides which, did you ever meet Fay?”
“Who?”
His fiancee, or ex-fiancee as she is now. Apparently he called it all off while they were here, that’s all I know though, I was in the San when it all happened, and they had both gone by the time I came home. It was strange though, he didn’t even seem to like her, not that she was a very likeable person, she didn’t have an idea in head that wasn’t to do with clothes, or hair styles or make up. To be honest, I don’t really think I like Roger that much, he said she would do as a wife because she would run the house, and look after the children, and, and generally do what she was told, I suppose. That may have been acceptable fifty years ago, but Andrew would never talk about me like that.”
“You’re sure about that, are you?” Len regretted her barbed comment as soon as the words had been spoken, “No, calm down you goop, I didn’t mean it, I’m just feeling out of sorts, I’m sorry.”
“So am I, you’ve been making several remarks like that recently, Len, in fact I’m beginning to remember why we didn’t have that much to do with each other at Oxford.”
“And all this time I’d been thinking it was because you were so preoccupied with your young man,” Len snapped, “Not to mention all the nights you spent with him.”
Con flushed slightly, but she sat up straight and looked her sister in the eye before replying, “Yes, I spent one night with him, Len, but I’ve done noting to be ashamed of, and it’s none of your business anyway, you’re not my keeper.”
“No, I’m not am I? It, it just takes some getting used to. I was always the one who took the lead, and, well let’s face it, butted in on your affairs, and now, well, it seems like you’ve taken my place, and I’m not sure that I like it.” She turned away, ashamed of her jealousy and the petty spiteful comments which she had made to Con as a result of her feelings.
“Oh Len,” Con reached across and rubbed her sisters arm, unsure as to how to proceed. It had never occurred to her that she was taking her older triplets place, but looking back she could indeed see that she had imperceptibly slipped into that role. “I’m not trying to take your place, I couldn’t anyway, I’m not half as capable, it’s just, that I’ve been here and you haven’t, that’s all, and I’ve got used to doing without you, I’ve had to, being in London, though I have to admit that I’ve turned to Mary Lou for advice on more than one occasion. We’re still triplets though, they’ll always be that bond between us, no matter what.” She stopped, feeling that all the words were for once inadequate at explaining her feelings.
“It doesn’t matter anyway, I’ve decided that I’m going straight after Christmas, I’m not staying for the New Year, not because of you, you ass, but mother’s attitude is making it impossible. I can’t do a thing right at the moment. And anyone would think all that business with Mike last night was my fault, when he’s obviously just as much to blame. Anyway, I’m sorry. Can we be friends again?”
“Of course we can. We could never be enemies, Len.” Von was shocked at the depths of estrangement Len felt from the rest of her family, it had never occurred to her that anything could come between the two of them. She was to learn later that something most definitely could, but that was in the future. For the present, Len quickly changed the subject.
“Con?”
“Yes?”
“What’s it like?”
“What’s what like?”
“You know, with a man.”
Con gasped, “You’ll have to ask Margot about that, if you can find her, because I most certainly don’t know. I told you I’d done nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I’m sorry, I thought, well, you must have kissed him, Andrew, I mean. It’s just, when I broke things off with Reg, before I told him I wouldn’t marry him, he kissed me, properly I mean, and it made me feel, well, funny, like I’ve never felt before. Is that what always happens? Or did it mean that |Reg was the one for me?”
Con felt sick at the idea of anyone, let alone Len, being kissed by Reg, but she managed to keep her voice light as she responded, “Good heavens, you make it sound as though I go around kissing everything young man I’m acquainted with. I’ve really no idea Len, but in my opinion, breaking off your engagement was the most sensible thing you ever did. If, he, Reg, can’t handle a small set back without turning to drink how do you think he would cope with the big set backs? You deserve better than him. Now it’s time I was going, Mamma will be wondering where I’ve disappeared to.” She stood up, anxious to escape the current topic of conversation, most of the time she tried to convince herself that the incident in the San had never happened. Most of the time she succeeded.
Before she left though, she had one more thing to say, and if Len thought that she was butting in, then so be it, “You do know, that if you want things to return to normal, you’re going to have to apologise to Mike, don’t you?”
“I didn’t expect you to take his side as well.” Len scowled.
“It’s not a question of taking sides, you were in the wrong, and I think that deep down, you know it, no matter what you might be telling yourself at the moment. I want you to have a ‘happy’ Christmas, Len, I want us all to.”

 

#1235:  Author: Nicci, Location: UK PostPosted: Wed May 05, 2004 7:58 am

I thought that post was great, Ellie. I really like what you are doing with Len and Con, but I'm glad they're voicing their feelings to each other at this stage. Fingers crossed they work things out eh Wink

 

#1236:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Wed May 05, 2004 8:59 am

Thank you for that post, Ellie, also think both Len and Con's characters come across really well. One thing though - why wont Con tell anyone about what Reg did to her?

 

#1237:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Wed May 05, 2004 7:16 pm

Thank you Ellie!!

*waiting patiently......*

 

#1238:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Wed May 05, 2004 8:23 pm

Wow, Con seems far more mature than Len in this, it's wonderful.

 

#1239:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Wed May 05, 2004 8:48 pm

And still hints of more tensions in the posts! I don't know how you keep it up Ellie and keep linking things back and forwards. Anyway, however you do it, keep it coming. We're all on the edge of our seats!

 

#1240:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Wed May 05, 2004 9:00 pm

Yes, I really don't want this to end. Mind you, I can hear Ellie screaming at the thought.

 

#1241:  Author: pim, Location: the place where public transport doesn't work properly! PostPosted: Wed May 05, 2004 9:24 pm

Thank you Ellie! I really really like Con in this. Very Happy

 

#1242:  Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks PostPosted: Thu May 06, 2004 1:43 am

Thank you Ellie - this is (as ever) amazing

I loved the comment about the gift wrapped husband - so true Laughing

It must be hard for Len as she grows away from her family, no wonder she it difficult to live with at Freudesheim

 

#1243:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Thu May 06, 2004 4:00 pm

Perhaps this is Len actually starting to grow up, it must be a shock for her to find that Con is so mature and thoughtful.

 

#1244:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Thu May 06, 2004 6:09 pm

please Ellie, may we have some more?

 

#1245:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Thu May 06, 2004 11:29 pm

As it turned out, Len never really did make the apology, whenever Mike caught sight of her he turned and walked off in a different direction, not because he feared another outburst, it was very unusual for Len to lose her temper, but he still felt nervous about being in close proximity to her. Len had always seemed to know when he had been engaged on some unlawful business or another, and after her outburst the previous night he was beginning to think she was privy to his deepest thoughts.
If Len had made the effort to do so, she could have most certainly managed to corner him eventually, but she was still felt her thoughts had been justified, even if her actions had not been, and she was still not in the frame of mind to make a full and genuine apology.
In the end, she scribbled a brief stark note, “I’m sorry I shouted at you and shook you. Regards, Len.” and slipped it underneath his bedroom door for him to find the next time he went upstairs.
As it happened, this was not until Mike went to bed later that night. Joey’s words upon the discovery of the magazine hadn‘t bothered him too much, he had known to expect if he got caught, but her threat to write to the school was a different matter. That had not been expected, and the thought of her taking such action had compounded his misery. After tossing and turning in bed for a few restless hours, he finally fell asleep just before the rest of the household began to rise.
Joey’s instructions that he should be left undisturbed held good and it was close to eleven o’clock before he finally banished the temptation to linger in his bed for whole of the day, and arrived in the kitchen where he made a poor show of eating a late breakfast.
Conscious of the fact that he was in Anna’s way, and that she was impatient for him to finish, he dumped the uneaten toast while her back was turned, and escaped into the garden where he found Steve still occupied with the logs.
He stood and watched for a few seconds, until such a time as he felt he could safely distract Steve’s attention. “I’ll go and get my coat, then I’ll come and help you,” he called.
“You don’t have to.”
“I want to. I can’t sit around doing nothing all day.”
He suited his actions to his words, and within a short space of time both brothers were busily occupied with the woodpile, but with none of the free flowing conversation which had occurred the day before.

 

#1246:  Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2004 4:29 am

Thanks, Ellie. I've just caught up on the past few days of this. Good job painting the sibling interactions!

 

#1247:  Author: Nicci, Location: UK PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2004 8:41 am

thanks for the latest Ellie.

 

#1248:  Author: pim, Location: the place where public transport doesn't work properly! PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2004 10:11 am

Thanks Ellie Very Happy

 

#1249:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2004 1:36 pm

Great, Ellie, will there be some more very soon?

 

#1250:  Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2004 3:39 pm

Quote:
Great, Ellie, will there be some more very soon?


thinks this says it all Smile

 

#1251:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2004 6:37 pm

Thank you Ellie - how immature of Len!

 

#1252:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2004 7:05 pm

Thank you Ellie!!!
This gets better and better!

 

#1253:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2004 9:52 pm

Nor was there a great deal of talk as the family convened for a hasty lunch. Mike was still almost unhealthily subdued, it had been all Steve could do to get him to persuade him to give even a monosyllabic reply to his various comments earlier, and he had long given up on the attempt.
Con was thinking over Len’s words about her resentment at finding that she herself was now seen as the responsible, reliable triplet. Up to now this aspect of the changing roles within the family had escaped her notice, it having occurred by imperceptible degrees, but now that she had been given the opportunity to see through Len‘s eyes it had become obvious that such a transformation had been wrought.
She glanced at her Len thoughtfully from time to time, wondering if her childhood, even her adult self, could have been different if it had been she who was born first. The preceding months had sown her that she was, her protests to the contrary, just as capable as her slightly elder sister, and she could not but help feel slight twinges of resentment at being overshadowed almost since birth.
Len kept her eyes pretty much fixed on her plate, she was feeling slightly disconcerted at being sat just opposite Mike, and although part of her prompted her to use this as an opportunity to make the apology, she rationalised her unwillingness to do so by telling herself that Mike would not want a public scene, even amongst his own siblings. She was also loathe to do, or say, anything which would focus her mother’s attention on her, and possibly bring forth more hurtful comments about her own behaviour.
Even the youngest members of the party could not fail to be affected by the tangible atmosphere of unease, and such words that did pass between them were desultory in the extreme.
Finally Joey asked if anyone had made any plans for the afternoon. That appeared that no one had, save Felicity, who announced that she intended going for a long walk, and appealed for someone to accompany her.
Len agreed eagerly. Felicity, having escaped the Platz at a rather earlier age to attend the Ballet School was probably least affected by the changing dynamics, and Len trusted that the younger girl woud have enough exciting experiences to relate to take her mind off her own troubles.
“That’s fine, as long as someone will be here to look after the bab, I mean the little people, while your father and I go to visit Charles.” Joey replied.
It was testament to Len’s current mood that she took even this as a dig at herself. “I suppose that’s an attempt to make me feel guilty for going out. Well, I’m jolly well not going to, I’ve done enough babysitting in my time, it’s someone else’s turn now.” Yet, she would have minded far less if Joey had specifically asked her to stay behind.
Joey rose from the table and rang for Anna to clear away the plates, signalling that the meal was at an end. She had resolutely ignored the look of mute appeal in Mike’s eyes when she had spoken of visiting Charles, but now she held him back as everyone else began to drift away, anxious to explain why he would not be allowed to see his brother during what the doctor’s at the hospital had warned would be a very quick visit.
“They don’t want him to be excited, or distressed in any way, at least not for today, that’s why only your father and I are being allowed to see him, but I promise that you shall go as soon as possible, as long as you promise not to upset him. If you walk in there acting like a week of wet Sunday’s you won’t be any good to him or anyone else. You’ve no right to be making everyone else feel miserable, what’s done is done, and none of it was your fault, but even if it had been the best thing you could do would be to start being more cheerful. I don‘t want to have to report to Charles what a misery you‘re being if he asks about you.”
And with that, Mike had to be satisfied, but he did take note of Joey’s words, and in public at least, shades of the old Mike began to re-appear.

 

#1254:  Author: catherine, Location: York PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2004 10:34 am

More than a week's worth of posts caught up on! Thanks Ellie! More when you have time, please.

 

#1255:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2004 11:19 am

Thank you Ellie - Len really is behaving like a 5 year old! Laughing

More when you can, please!

 

#1256:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2004 12:11 pm

Thank you Ellie, lots of lovely long posts.

Im glad Con and Len have had a discussion and I hope they are begiining to sort out their relationship, but I agree that Len really needs to grow up, Im surprised at her, or is there something you haven't told us yet??

 

#1257:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2004 2:44 pm

It's sad to see Len taking things so badly, but it's also good to see Con coming out of the shadows.

Someone ought to do something more positive for Mike - he's lived with his label for too long.

 

#1258:  Author: pim, Location: the place where public transport doesn't work properly! PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2004 2:47 pm

Thanks Ellie. *gives Len a thoroughly good shake*

 

#1259:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2004 4:41 pm

Thank you Ellie!
*joins the queue waiting to shake Len!!!*

 

#1260:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2004 4:45 pm

Running round to the back to queue for a second go at shaking Len.

 

#1261:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2004 4:53 pm

Why am I not suprised that you want a second go Jennie? Rolling Eyes
(wonder how many you'd try for if it was Jo........... Wink )

 

#1262:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2004 5:27 pm

ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL at both Jennie and Vikki's comments!

 

#1263:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2004 8:24 pm

Put it this way, Vikki. Don't try pushing to get your go, just nip off and have a long, luxurious bath, a leisurely dinner, a few drinks, then come back to see if I've finished.

 

#1264:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2004 9:12 pm

Such unladylike behaviour Wink You'll be having a bad influence on the characters.


Len felt her spirits lift as she walked out into the crisp bright day. So far, this winter, there had been little snow on the Platz, but the whiteness extended further down the Jungfrau, and the other mountains than was usual. The sun shone brightly, but coldly from a brilliant blue sky intensifying the icy whiteness of the mountain tops.
Len drew the air deeply into her lungs, “Beautiful, I have missed this.” She exclaimed.
“Yes, when I’m at school I can forget all about this, it’s only now I’ve come home that I realise exactly what it is I am missing.” Felicity replied, “But at least I am been coming home for my holidays.”
“I should think so too, you’re far too young to do anything else. Besides, this is your first proper hols, apart from half term which isn’t long enough to count. I say, have you seen Auntie Hilda yet? I haven‘t seen her at all, though I had intended to go across to the school yesterday, but Charles rather put aid to that. Maybe she would like to come with us.”
Felicity was fond of Miss Annersley, but she was still at an age where she saw that lady as rather more of a head mistress and rather less of a friend, despite the fact that she was no longer under that lady’s authority, so it was with little regret that she informed Len that Auntie Hilda was not on the Platz.
“She’s gone to England, to Bill’s cottage. She came to say goodbye before she went. She said that there were a few things which needed sorting out and now was as good a time as any to get down to it.”
“Oh. Poor Auntie Hilda, if I’d known I could have gone to keep her company, it won’t be a pleasant task for her.”
Felicity gave her sister a sharp glance, but said nothing for the moment. “Oh, she hasn’t gone alone, Madame Rouen has accompanied her.”
“Who?”
“Madame Rouen.” Felicity grinned, “Actually I haven’t the foggiest idea about her either, but she came for Kaffee und Kuchen with Auntie Hilda the day before they left, I must say, you do seem to get out of touch with things when you’re away, but I suppose Auntie Hilda would hardly choose to discuss her private affairs with me, been if I had been here.”
“With a kid your age? It’s hardly likely.”
They walked along in silence for a while, their feet automatically following the well trodden paths, whilst they cared little about where they were heading, just being content to be walking on such a glorious day, and easy with one another’s company.to
“So, how are you getting on at school? Is it everything you hoped it would be?”
“I should say so, it’s brilliant. I absolutely love it. At least I do now, I’ll admit that I felt a bit lost for the first couple of weeks. I don’t think I appreciated exactly what the new girls were going through before, but Mary Lou came to see me a few times, and that helped, and of course I stayed with her at half term. I wouldn’t want to come back to the Chalet School now, even without the dancing. I loved it when I was here but it seems, sort of stifling in comparison. Is that how it seems to you, Len? Is that why you have hardly been back since you went to Oxford?” “I suppose in a way, yes. The world is a much bigger place than I ever imagined before I left school, and there are more choices than I ever imagined either. Maybe it’s better for you to find that out at an earlier age, it certainly won’t come as such a shock when it’s your turn to leave school, and you’re less likely to make uninformed decisions either.”
“You mean Reg?”
“Yes, and that’s another reason why I haven’t been back. In a place this small it’s impossible to avoid meeting people, and we didn’t part on the best of terms.” Normally Len would not have discussed such matters so frankly with the younger girl, but she was beginning to feel that she had more in common with Felicity, perhaps because she too had been away from home, than with the rest of her family. And despite her comments about Felicity’s age, it was obvious that she had grown up a great deal in the one term she had been away. However, that was as much as he was prepared to say and she changed the subject back to Felicity’s own experiences as they continued walking.
As Joey said later, both of them should have known better, they had lived in the Oberland long enough to know that the weather could change in an instant, and they should have been alert to the signs, but so absorbed were they in their conversation that they failed to totally notice the rolling grey clouds which had smothered the sun until the first flakes of snow began to fall.

 

#1265:  Author: Nicci, Location: UK PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2004 9:23 pm

and? you can't just leave it there my love!

Love the developing relationship between Felicity and Len.

 

#1266:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2004 9:57 pm

Fabulous, Ellie, another lost in the snow episode to come.

 

#1267:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2004 11:28 pm

Oh crikey!!! not more disasters!!!

Hopes Len and Felicity will find shelter

 

#1268:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2004 11:37 pm

*Taking some comfort from the comment that Joey will say they should have known better.*

*Wibbles anyway*

 

#1269:  Author: pim, Location: the place where public transport doesn't work properly! PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2004 11:45 pm

*prepares wibbling face*

You can't leave it there!

 

#1270:  Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2004 11:54 pm

wibble wibble wibble
and I thought ther were just going for an ickle walk not a major trauma Wink

(should've known better by now shouldn't I? Twisted Evil )

 

#1271:  Author: Mandy, Location: Derry, N.Ireland PostPosted: Sun May 09, 2004 12:06 am

Trust me to arrive in the middle of a cliff hanger.

 

#1272:  Author: Nina, Location: Peterborough, UK PostPosted: Sun May 09, 2004 9:37 am

Aaaaaaaagh! how much tension can a girl take?
Answer - as much more as Ellie can write! Cool

 

#1273:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Sun May 09, 2004 10:47 am

Aaaaaaaaaargh!!
*wails*
Ellie!!!!!!!

 

#1274:  Author: keren as guest,  PostPosted: Sun May 09, 2004 12:56 pm

I love it how you keep buildingthe tension,
snow storm, and then earlier, you said that len and con were soon to find that something will come between them.
etc.
it seems you still have a good few episodes planned for us

 

#1275:  Author: Sarah_L, Location: Redcar PostPosted: Sun May 09, 2004 3:49 pm

I don't think this is ever going to end, the way Ellie keeps throwing in new cliffs to be resolved.

 

#1276:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Sun May 09, 2004 4:18 pm

Sort of like, "The Neverending Drabble.........."? Wink

 

#1277:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sun May 09, 2004 5:28 pm

Well I for one sincerely hope so!!! Wink

Or it would be fun if Ellie could make it to one year!!! (In August sometime I think)

 

#1278:  Author: Sarah_L, Location: Redcar PostPosted: Sun May 09, 2004 5:45 pm

Only three months till August!

 

#1279:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sun May 09, 2004 10:26 pm

Can't you hear Ellie screaming?

 

#1280:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sun May 09, 2004 10:35 pm

Poor Ellie! Laughing

More soon please - loved the last post, especially the bits about Hilda and the ex-nun, and the relationship between Len and Felicity.

 

#1281:  Author: keren as guest,  PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2004 11:05 am

I am rereading some of the swiss CS (actually reading transcripts, some for the first time,) and they are not the same after the drabbles,
Roger and joey!
and matey gives her patent nostrusm guarunteed to .....
and there are lots of places where jack says to give it to calm girls down.
he was a dr, what did he think was in it?
Even syrups with coedine, or whatever could be addicitve!
and ferry and willy,
ever get drabbles and EBD CS mixed up?

 

#1282:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2004 1:24 pm

All the time! Sometimes I actually get a shock when I read EBD's books. I want to shout 'No, it wasn't like that at all.'

 

#1283:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Wed May 12, 2004 9:20 pm

Rescuing this from page 2!!

Starts a loud chant for more Very Happy

 

#1284:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Thu May 13, 2004 9:09 am

Hopes that Ellie is feeling well, and is not ill or anything.

 

#1285:  Author: keren,  PostPosted: Sun May 16, 2004 9:46 pm

Thinking of you, sad to hear of your loss

Last edited by keren on Mon May 17, 2004 11:30 am; edited 2 times in total

 

#1286:  Author: Carolyn P, Location: Lancaster, England PostPosted: Sun May 16, 2004 10:19 pm

For anyone reading this who hasn't seen the news in off topic, please go and read it as I think it may be best in view of Ellies sad news to forego the usual chanting and thread bumping until she is ready to continue.

I think our love, hugs and prayers can be sent to Ellie on that thread, and this left until she feels ready to come back to it.

 

#1287:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2004 12:57 pm

I agree, let's think of how Ellie must be feeling now.

 

#1288:  Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle PostPosted: Mon May 24, 2004 1:12 am

Not thread bumping. Hav ejust caught up on this as I kept missing it,

Thank you Ellie for such a wonderful story. Love the way all the characters are growing up and changing.

 

#1289:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2004 4:26 pm

Has anyone heard from Ellie? I was wondering how she is getting on. If anyone has heard from her, please let me know.

 

#1290:  Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle PostPosted: Fri May 28, 2004 1:03 am

I pm'd her a couple of days ago - just a thinking of you type of mesage but have heard nothing. I expect she will be busy looking after her mum and seeing to the business. Hope we here from her soon it would be nice to know how she is doing.

 

#1291:  Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle PostPosted: Sat May 29, 2004 1:24 am

Sorry, this is possibly spreeing but if I edit my last message it may not make sense.

I had a PM off Ellie this evening and she is back at work, though still looking after her Mum. I have passed on everyones's good wishes.

She hopes to be back among us soon.

 

#1292:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sat May 29, 2004 1:15 pm

I've also had a PM from Ellie. She thanks all of us for caring. She is still looking after her mum, but may be able to catch up with in a few days time.

 

#1293:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sat May 29, 2004 2:05 pm

Also heard from Ellie - with same message - she's obviously not ready for yibbling yet- give it time.

 

#1294:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sat May 29, 2004 3:25 pm

She's obviously missing her father a great deal, it must be very hard for her and her mother.

 

#1295:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Thu Jun 10, 2004 11:15 am

Thanks to everyone for their consideration and concern, I'm really glad that I discovered this board, it really does help to know that people care, even though I haven't ben here much.
I'm going away for a week on Saturday (It was booked and paid for and Mum insists I go) and I doubt if I'll have time to come back here before I go, but hopefully I will have the chance to write more of this while I'm away - the weather forecast says it is going to start raining on Saturday, and I'll need something to keep me occupied.
See you later, and thanks again.

 

#1296:  Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster PostPosted: Thu Jun 10, 2004 11:25 am

Have a good holiday Ellie.

 

#1297:  Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks PostPosted: Thu Jun 10, 2004 11:56 am

Ellie - I hope you can enjoy this holiday as "time out for yourself" Do not worry about wrting (unless you want/need to)

The weather forecasters aren't always right!

 

#1298:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Thu Jun 10, 2004 1:44 pm

Have a good holiday, Ellie, you deserve it. Relax and enjoy yourself if you can.

 

#1299:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 7:19 pm

There are so many brilliant drabbles on the board now that I'm not sure if you really need this one, but I want to finish it, so....

Thanks again to everyone for their support and patience, especially those of you who have PM'd.

Jack and Joey’s visit to the hospital did not last long.. Jack was rather quicker to notice the build up of the heavy clouds than his first and fourth daughters had been and he decreed before they had travelled more than fifteen miles from the Platz that they would have to return pretty sharpish if they wanted to ensure that they got home that night.
Joey remained silent, she knew that Charles was getting all the care and treatment that he needed, but it wasn’t the same as having his mother there. She remembered the last time the boy had been rushed to hospital, at the end of a family holiday in the Tyrol, she had been forced to return home and leave him in the San on the Sonnalpe after he had been operated on after developing appendicitis. At the time she had taken the enforced separation in her stride, outwardly at least, but the matter of fact way in which she had coped had been a mask for her deeper feelings, only she knew the agonies of guilt she had felt about leaving her son alone in a different country when he had been so ill, nor the fierce desire she had felt to be by his side. She had vowed then that she would never leave any of her children alone again in such a situation. Now it seemed, she was going to be doing just that, and to the same child, but once again, it seemed as though she had no other option.
And yet, she rationalised, Chas was older now, he was long, long past the stage of turning to his mother for comfort, if he had ever gone through such a phase at all. He had always been a self possessed and self contained young soul and being left behind in the Tyrol appeared to have done him no harm at all.
On the other hand the remainder of her family, especially Mike, would not only be anxiously awaiting the latest news of Charles’ condition, they would also be concerned if she and Jack failed to return home at all. She knew from past experience that she could not rely on the telephone in such severe weather, and if the forthcoming storm were really severe, there was no telling when they would be able to return home at all, and despite their shared concern about Charles, she viewed the prospect of spending and extended time alone with Jack with a distinct feeling of trepidation. What was bearable when leavened by the presence of the rest of the family would quickly become too much of a strain without them.
As it happened, it was no great trial to leave Charles. He had been in an introspective mood and his replies to their remarks had been taciturn in the extreme. Indeed, although he hadn’t said as much, he had given the distinct impression that his parents visit was unwanted and unwelcome.
Joey mentally berated her son for his lack of gratitude for their visit, but she was no longer sure enough of Jack to know whether he shared her opinion, and she was loathe to risk another disagreement just when things had become slightly more peaceful, so she held her tongue and responded to Charles’ monosyllabic replies with her habitual brisk sympathy, even whilst she was baffled by his attitude. She knew that the specialist had given him the same information as she and Jack had received, and she expected him to be rather more happy than he appeared to be. All in all, it was something of a relief when a kindly, but harassed nurse appeared to ask them to leave during the patients meal time.

 

#1300:  Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 7:35 pm

Yaaay!!! Tensions is back! Thanks Ellie, I was hoping you'd return to this.

 

#1301:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 7:38 pm

Ellie, most definitely want to read this! Thank you so much for returning to it. Looking forward to more when you are ready.

 

#1302:  Author: keren,  PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 8:23 pm

dear ellie,
thanks for coming back and also for continuing this story.
hope you are coping OK and feeling well

 

#1303:  Author: catherine, Location: York PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 8:30 pm

Really pleased you've come back to this, Ellie!

Looking forward to more when you are able to give it.

 

#1304:  Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 9:41 pm

Welcome back, Ellie!

poor Joey....
*hopes she & Jack get through this*

 

#1305:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 3:15 am

*dashes over to Ellie and gives her a big hug!*
It's so good to have more of this!
How are you doing now honey? We have been worried about you!

 

#1306:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 9:57 am

Ellie, i'm so glad that you are going on with this. That was a lovely post, thank you.

 

#1307:  Author: Carolyn P, Location: Lancaster, England PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 10:17 am

Thank you for coming back to this Ellie, glad to know that you feel better enough to do so. It is good to have you back, even without the longest running drabble on the board, and Tensions must definatly have that distinction. Razz Laughing

 

#1308:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 2:48 pm

Thank you everyone. I'm afraid that posts are still going to be pretty much as and when I manage to squeeze them in, but here's a little bit more for now......


“Snow!” Len claimed rather unnecessarily, “Turn round and run, now!”
Felicity hesitated, even as she turned round and jogged a couple of steps in the opposite direction, “I don’t think we can get back,” she exclaimed.
Len gasped as she turned round and saw what Felicity had seen. The blizzard was coming from the direction of Freudesheim, and it was moving fast - there was little prospect of the two of them arriving home before the full force of the storm hit them.
“Come on! This way. The San is closer anyway, but for heavens sake run!”
This time Felicity did not hesitate, setting off at a pace that left Len breathless as she tried to follow. Oxford may have expanded her intellectual horizons, but it had done nothing for her fitness levels.
Inevitably, Len could not keep running at that speed for long, and even Felicity, accustomed to long practice sessions at ballet school was beginning to falter when Len drew to a halt, gasping and spluttering, yet despite their pace, a quick glance revealed that the storm was closing in more quickly than before.
“Come on Len, we’ll jog slowly for a while til you get your second wind.” Felicity grabbed Len’s arm and tried to pull her along.
“No!” Len shook her off, “I can’t. You go, I’ll follow when I can.”
“As if I would.” Felicity looked at her contemptuously, “What sort of person do you think I am Helena Maynard? We’re in this together, and we’ll get out of it together, now grab hold of my arm and we’ll get moving, even if it is slowly.”
Len staggered slightly as she reluctantly took hold of Felicity’s arm, privately she thought the two of them were more likely to die together, but there had been a look of determination on Felicity’s face which told her that to argue further would be futile and would only waste further precious seconds.
“I - still - think - you should - go on,” she gasped as she moved forward slowly.
“Save your breath for running.” Felicity snapped back, even as she attempted to increase their pace. That attempt was a mistake. Len, taken by surprise, stumbled and fell to the ground, pulling Felicity down on top of her.

 

#1309:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 3:36 pm

Oh gosh more drama, I hope a doctor is out their way and rescues them!!!

Its wonderful to have more Tensions again, thank you Ellie Very Happy

 

#1310:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 3:56 pm

And I hope that it's someone truly drooly.

 

#1311:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 8:24 pm

Thanks Ellie! Kiss

 

#1312:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 8:46 pm

So glad to see you back, Ellie.

Lovely to have Tensions as well but more pleased to see you here again!

 

#1313:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 9:48 pm

Awww thanks. You guys really are great.
I feel that I [i]need[i] to start writing again now, so here's another bit. I'm not sure whether there will be any posts tomorrow though.

“I hope Len and Felicity are on their way back,” Steve flicked on the light switch as he wandered into the Salon.
“What?” Con looked up from her notebook. She had been vaguely aware that it had become more difficult to see clearly as the sky darkened over, but since she knew, almost to the word, what she had written it hadn’t mattered very much. Indeed, she hadn’t been reading so much as using her previous words as a take off point for her imagination.
“Len and Felicity, I hope they are on their way home, it looks as though we’re in for the outsize in storms.”
“Oh, they’re sure to be. We haven’t lived up here all these years without knowing the weather signs,” Con spoke reassuringly, aware of the small fry gathered around the fire, but as she cast an uneasy glance at the sky she was filled with a sudden feeling of foreboding. “It’s just me being stupid,” she thought to herself, “One of the penalties of having a vivid imagination, and goodness knows, with this storyline I’m writing and all the horrible things that have happened this year it’s not surprising.” Out loud she merely said, “Why don’t you pull the curtains to Steve? It’s getting a bit draughty in here and I don’t want to hear Mamma’s views on the subject if she comes home to find that all her little lambs have got colds.”
Steve laughed as he hastened to do her bidding, “That’s if they come home - I wouldn’t blame them if they decided to hole up for the night in a hotel.”
“I’m sure they would have enough sense not to do otherwise if it’s really bad. I don’t think Dad has put the snow chains on the tyres yet.”
“No, but they are stowed in the boot ready for just this sort of situation.” I say, I’m bored, can’t we organise a game of cards or a board game or something?”
With a greater show of reluctance than she felt, Con closed her notebook. She knew that she would be unable to concentrate on her story until Len and Felicity at least, were home safely. She trusted that her parents would be able to look after themselves. For a moment, as she caught Steve looking at her, she wondered if he knew that, then, once again telling herself not to be so stupid, she dismissed the thought as just another sign of her over active imagination. When had Steve ever shown that he had any sensitivity to others feelings?

 

#1314:  Author: Sarah_L, Location: Redcar PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 9:57 pm

More Tensions! Thanks Ellie, I'm so glad you're able to write again. Smile

 

#1315:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 10:27 pm

Thank you Ellie - worry, worry, worry Shocked

 

#1316:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 10:31 pm

I'm so glad to see more of this, and it's still so compelling! Worry, worry, worry...from the foot of a very steep cliff!

Thanks! Very Happy

 

#1317:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Tue Jul 13, 2004 2:01 am

*wibbles*
*hopes they will all make it home safely*
*fears that they won't*
*wibbles some more!*

 

#1318:  Author: Nina, Location: Peterborough, UK PostPosted: Tue Jul 13, 2004 8:50 am

Yay! Ellie's back! Good to see you again, hope you had a good holiday, glad to see Tension mounting ...

 

#1319:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Tue Jul 13, 2004 4:04 pm

I love this, it's our longest-running drabble!

 

#1320:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Tue Jul 13, 2004 7:13 pm

*Wibbles for Len and Felicity*

*Has another little wibble for Joey and Jack - they may have the chains in the boot but .........*

 

#1321:  Author: Frances, Location: Milton Keynes PostPosted: Tue Jul 13, 2004 9:11 pm

I'd been regretting not finding this site ages ago, but now I'm not so sure that it hasn't been better this way! Its meant I've been able to read Tensions fom the beginning in one go (no, not literally of course) and it's been absolutely outstanding. I'm thrilled you're feeling able to continue with it now Ellie.

*goes off to be very good and patient and continue bringing self up to date with Real CS while waiting for more of this*

*tries very firmly to covince self that it would not be a good idea to try and catch up on any other long-running drabbles at the same time as Real as tending to confuse story-lines from different drabbles now - with some interesting results Wink *

 

#1322:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Wed Jul 14, 2004 12:10 am

*g* Yes, that's a common hazard, especially if you're trying to sort them all out for the first time. Don't forget to check out the wacky ones in the archives as well- you'll get even more confused...

Ellie, first, I want to apologise for not saying how sorry I am to hear of your loss. I am glad that you are feeling able to write again and that you've had the support of the board. Take care.


Oooh and this drabble is as fantastic as ever! *huggles*

 

#1323:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Thu Jul 15, 2004 9:36 pm

Frances - I'm glad you've enjoyed this so far - I always worry when people read straight through from the beginning - I think they will spot all the EJBisms!

Lisa, there's no need to apologise, but thank you.

Just a little bit more for now - hopefully there will be a longer bit tomorrow night.


Charles’s consultant was, Jack and Joey were assured, somewhere in the hospital, but no-one seemed to have any clear idea as to where exactly he could be found, oe even if he were available to speak to his patient’s parents. Eventually, after several wasted minutes, the elder Maynards decided it was not strictly necessary to speak to him at that particular moment - they had after all, seen their son, and, with every moment that passed, the promised storm was getting closer and closer.
By tacit consent they hastened back to the car as quickly as possible. Later Joey was to wonder if this silent communication could have meant that a spark could have been rekindled from the cooling ashes of their marriage, at other times she more prosaically put it down to a shared anxiety about the forthcoming weather.
But such speculation was for the future, at that moment all that mattered was to get to the car and set out for home as quickly as possible. It was a scramble, they had ben forced to park some distance away from the hospital entrance, and had to run across the open, windswept car park.
Joey was thankful that she had never been one for wearing high heeled shoes, but hampered as she was by her large hand bag, she soon found herself lagging behind Jack.
He, frustrated, grasped her arm and pulled her along, and even in the urgency of the moment she felt a small tingle at the first physical contact between them for months. The feeling didn’t last for long, once they reached the car Jack practically pushed her into the passenger seat before sprinting round to take his behind the steering wheel. He, Joey noticed resentfully, was hardly out of breath whilst she was doing her best imitation of a broken down windpipe.
Jack had scarcely settled down behind the wheel before he had the engine running, and he wasted no time before gunning out of the car park. As it was, the first flakes of snow were beginning to fall before they reached the outer limits of the town, and long before they were half way back to the Platz Jack was beginning to think that maybe they had left it too late.

 

#1324:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Thu Jul 15, 2004 9:47 pm

Oh crikey not them as well!!!

*hoping they meet Len and Felicity*

Its interesting to get some insight into Jo and Jacks *new* relationship, though Im not sure I like it.

 

#1325:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Thu Jul 15, 2004 10:45 pm

Still living up to the drabble title, Ellie! I half expected to look out of the window and see snow just now!

*Drive carefully, Jack!*

 

#1326:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Thu Jul 15, 2004 11:17 pm

More fretting,

More tensions,

More!

Thanks Ellie!

 

#1327:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Thu Jul 15, 2004 11:44 pm

What did we do with the trampolines an d harnesses...? I think we need them ove rhere....

 

#1328:  Author: Frances, Location: Milton Keynes PostPosted: Fri Jul 16, 2004 8:19 am

Maybe there is still something between Jack and Joey then. Waiting (patiently of course) to see.

Ellie wrote:
Frances - I'm glad you've enjoyed this so far - I always worry when people read straight through from the beginning - I think they will spot all the EJBisms!


If they were there, I missed them! When I've got time (huh) I'd love to read it all again in one, as there were so many twists and turns I ended up totally tied in knots at times. It would be ideal holiday reading - Tensions + week on the beach = bliss, but I'm not sure my printer could cope!

 

#1329:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Fri Jul 16, 2004 10:44 am

There might be something on Jo's part, but Jack doesn't seem to be feeling the same.

 

#1330:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Sat Jul 17, 2004 12:37 am

At Freudesheim all the lights burned brightly. Inside the younger members of the Maynard family were playing a boisterous game of ‘Aeroplane’, led by Con who was valiantly trying to hide her own growing anxiety. It was easier now they were involved in such an energetic game. Sitting around the table playing cards, her unease had grown until she thought she must surely do something, anything, or she would scream. Even now, she could not help but cast fearful glances at the windows, despite the fact she could see nothing through the heavy curtains. She thought she caught Steve doing the same, more than once, but that young man resolutely avoided meeting her searching glance.

Felicity scrambled hastily to her feet, relatively unscathed from the fall. Len had provided a soft landing, and Felicity guessed that her sister would have more than a few bruises to add to her woes. This was not the time to worry about that, she hauled at Len’s arm to try to pull her up. “Get up, Len, we’ll never make it otherwise.”
Her efforts were to no avail, Len, although slim was no lightweight, nor was she inclined to help herself, and it was more than the slight figure of Felicity could do to haul her to her feet. “Len, please, get up,” She pleaded. “Len!”
Felicity’s desperate tones cut through Len’s exhaustion, she bit her lip and tried to struggle to her feet, winded and battered by the fall, and by Felicity’s weight on top of her, it felt to the girl as though it required a superhuman effort to raise herself from the cold, wet pathway where she was beginning to feel quite comfortable, actually, but she persevered, slowly lifting herself inch by inch.
To the waiting Felicity, it seemed an interminable length of time before Len attained a sitting position, and as soon as she did so, the younger girl could no longer restrain herself from trying to haul her sister to her feet again.
As soon as Len tried to move her leg, she knew that and slim she had of reaching the safety of the San had melted as quickly as the thin layer of snow she had come to rest on.
The pain which had been held in abeyance for as long as she had lain still and cold attacked her with a sudden intensity which caused her to howl in agony.

Jack was driving at what he judged to be the very limit of safety in the worsening weather, yet it was too slow. Much too slow. Inside the car, all was silent. Jack was saving his concentration for his driving, and when Joey would have spoken he had cut her off brusquely. He was aware though, from the small movements he caught in his peripheral vision that Joey was as worried as he was himself. Looking at he sky in front of him, he took a risk and squeezed the accelerator just a little more.
Instantly he regretted it. The car was approaching a corner, when he tried to slow the vehicle to a reasonable speed the wheels locked and slid along the already treacherous road surface.

 

#1331:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Sat Jul 17, 2004 1:11 am

*mumbles incoherently* Ellie, please don't tell me you're gonna kill Len and Jack in one fell swoop?!
*starting to think Ellie gives new meaning to the word 'wholesale'*

 

#1332:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sat Jul 17, 2004 9:00 am

Thanks Ellie - this certainly lives up to its title!

 

#1333:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sat Jul 17, 2004 10:22 am

Oh crikey two cliffs, Ellie how could you.

*hanging on with her fingernails - and glad they are quite long*

 

#1334:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Sat Jul 17, 2004 1:34 pm

Ellie!

*Hangs on cliff edge with Ally in blinding snowstorm*

 

#1335:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sat Jul 17, 2004 1:36 pm

Sending ropes, karabiners and pitons down to PatMac and Ally.

 

#1336:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Sat Jul 17, 2004 1:41 pm

thanks Jennie Wink

We may need some medicinal alcohol too. *looks pathetically at Jennie in hope*

 

#1337:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sat Jul 17, 2004 1:57 pm

Thanks Jennie - some rugs and chocolate might be useful as well Wink

*Snuggles closer to Pat for warmth*

 

#1338:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sat Jul 17, 2004 2:04 pm

*Drops a few spare bottles of Baileys down to PatMac and the others -well I've so much I can spare it! Laughing *

 

#1339:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Sat Jul 17, 2004 4:25 pm

Aaargh!!!! Ellie!!!! What are you trying to do to us???

 

#1340:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sat Jul 17, 2004 4:27 pm

Sending down flasks of hot chocolate, well laced with brandy. Wonders why they don't climb up and join the rest of us in our nice warm drabble sitting room.

 

#1341:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sun Jul 18, 2004 3:53 pm

Well the view is rather nice - despite the snow.

......Errrr one of my nails just broke He-ell-lp!!

 

#1342:  Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US PostPosted: Sun Jul 18, 2004 3:58 pm

*hopes Ellie comes to the rescue before the cocoa gives out*

 

#1343:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Sun Jul 18, 2004 9:50 pm

Kathy_S wrote:
*hopes Ellie comes to the rescue before the cocoa gives out*


Never mind the cocoa, Ally just broke a nail bawling

 

#1344:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Sun Jul 18, 2004 10:00 pm

*peering over the top of the cliff and giggling at the people stranded below* Honestly! Don't you lot ever take precautions first?
*snuggles up and awaits Ellie's pleasure in comfort*

 

#1345:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Sun Jul 18, 2004 10:15 pm

Lisa_T wrote:
* Don't you lot ever take precautions first?


Not sure if you mean what I think you mean but if you do, I'm not about to aim for the Guinness Book of Records Wink

 

#1346:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 5:32 pm

*Pppp-pllleeeee-aaa-aaaeeeee help, I think my fingers are turning blue*

I didn't take precautions Embarassed - I forgot my gloves Crying or Very sad

 

#1347:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 7:59 pm

Ellie, please come and rescue PatMac and Ally.

LOL, PatMac, I love your delicate way of putting it!

 

#1348:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 8:21 pm

Jennie wrote:
Ellie, please come and rescue PatMac and Ally.

LOL, PatMac, I love your delicate way of putting it!


1. Please, Ellie. We're suffering here!

2. *grins*

 

#1349:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 9:56 pm

Serves you right for not coming prepared! Wink

The car slid inexorably towards the solid unforgiving cliff face. A strangled shriek from Joey was quickly muffled as she raised her hands to her face in an instinctive gesture of protection. As she waited for the inevitable collision, she thought briefly of her children, then there were no thoughts at all.

“What is it, Len, don’t tell me you’re hurt, please don’t tell me you’re hurt!” Felicity relinquished her grip on Len’s arm and dropped to the floor beside her.
“All right, I won’t tell you.” But I am, it’s my ankle, I can’t make it to the San Fliss, I just can’t. Leave me and save yourself.”
“No. I’m not leaving, and I’m not staying here either. You’re damn well going to have to move, even if I have to carry you. Felicity’s use of an expletive temporarily raised Len from her lethargy, and when the younger girl continued to instruct her, “Now lean on me and use my body to lever yourself up, then when I stand you can stand with me, understand?” Len nodded her assent and did her best to obey.
The first attempt saw them both asprawl on the ground, again, but neither were any worse for the experience than they had been earlier, and they tried again.
This time, they succeeded. Len managed to stand, groggily on foot, though she would certainly have fallen again had it not been for her sisters support, the pain was intense enough to make her feel nauseous and dizzy, and on top of her previous exhaustion, it had just about finished her off.
Felicity felt a wave of guilt, for causing Len to slip, and for forcing her to endure so much more pain. But there is no choice, I’m not going to de here, like this, it’s so stupid. Maybe we won’t make it to the San,” she thought, “But while there’s still a chance we’ve got to take it, better to perish in the attempt than to just give in like spineless jellyfish. Maybe I should have wrapped a cold wet handkerchief round her ankle before she got up, though goodness knows she should be cold enough. I know I am and she’s wetter than me, at least she’s been wet for longer.”, then, sensing that the worst of Len’s s nausea had passed she spoke firmly, “We’ve got to move, Len, lean on me when you have to use that foot, I’ll take as much weight of it as I can, and if you really can’t bear it, then you’ll have to hop, but we can’t stay here any longer.”
Before they had moved more than half a dozen paces, Felicity bearing almost all of Len’s weight along with her own, it was obvious they were not going to make it, and it was only the younger girl’s dogged determination which kept them at it, even as her own strength began to ebb, and Len was once more begging to be allowed to stop.

 

#1350:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 9:58 pm

*very glad for the precautions* Wink
Thank you Ellie....

 

#1351:  Author: catherine, Location: York PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 10:17 pm

Thanks, Ellie. Looking forward to more when you are able.

 

#1352:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 10:19 pm

*Hauls herself up and goes and has a nice hot bath ~ it was too exhausting*

Thank you Ellie Very Happy

 

#1353:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 10:22 pm

I think that just confirms the cliffs we were on. Me next for the bathroom, Ally - don't use all the hot water!

I hope you are not considering releasing the tensions by finishing them all off, Ellie Rolling Eyes

 

#1354:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 10:23 pm

Ellie, have you sneakily killed off Jack and Joey without anyone noticing?

Thanks for the latest post!

 

#1355:  Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 10:40 pm

Somehow, the situation doesn't seem to have improved a whole lot Rolling Eyes .

*needs cavalry to come over hill*
handy doctors?
concerned siblings?
Red Sarafan choristers?
Mountain Rescue?
divine intervention?
plot bunnies with the hopping muscles of kangaroos?

Ellie?

 

#1356:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 10:47 pm

*g* That sounds even worse than RTW's zoo! But if it's effective...

 

#1357:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 1:31 am

Twisted Evil

Con kept he game of Aeroplane going for as long as possible, but eventually, it had to come to an end. It was only then that the family noticed that the fire had dwindled to little more than a few glimmering ashes. Whilst they had been chasing around the salon their energetic movements had been enough to keep them warm, once they had flopped, exhausted and breathless onto the various chairs the chill in the air made the air made itself felt.
Felix, hindered by Geoff, although that young person thought he had been very helpful, added more wood and coal to the fire and stoked it up well. There was a lot of smoke, but the flames were taking a while to spring into life, thus it was that Geoff decided to give the fire a hand by adding copious amounts of paper, aided and abetted by his twin sister, while Felix was replenishing the stocks of fuel. Soon the fire had flared up extremely satisfactorily, and the twins wondered off to follow their own pursuits.
Con had heroically refrained from looking outside the window until that time, but once the game was over she could bear it no more, and she was joined by Cecil, who was beginning to sense Con’s worry.
Mike had his mind firmly set on his own troubles, though he had made the effort to join in with the fun, and Steve took it upon himself to distract the others by telling them tales of his recently ended term in Edinburgh, thus it was that no one noticed the still smouldering paper which fell from the grate onto the rug in front of the fire.

 

#1358:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 1:33 am

Ellie-Esmeralda!!!! That was deliberate!
Are you sure you haven't accidentally gotten mixed up with holocaust or something?!

BTw, I have the strangest sense of deja vu when i look from my posts to yours these days- check out the atavar etc.

 

#1359:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 3:06 am

erm..... Ellie de-ear......I do hope the horrible suspicion I have as to what you are up to isn't correct......... Confused Confused

*starts to wibble*


If I am right, I MAY just be forced to use your full name my dear!!!

 

#1360:  Author: Cathy, Location: Australia PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 4:24 am

Are we ending this drabble with an enormous pile of bodies?

 

#1361:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 5:12 am

Is the entire Maynard clan to be wiped out???

 

#1362:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 2:34 pm

Ellie!!!!! Get back here and write some more

Well I suppose its one neat way of ending the story!

 

#1363:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 4:09 pm

Ellie, is the entire Platz going to join in the Holocaust? Have you been taking lessons from RTW?

 

#1364:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 6:45 pm

Well, it's certainly one way of resolving all those tensions!!!! Laughing Laughing

Psst, Vikki, do remind me of Ellie's full name. It strikes me that little details like that could be veeeeerry handy. Especially at this rate... Wink

 

#1365:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 7:33 pm

Lisa, I could do that, but then I might have to kill you........ (before Ellie killed me.....)

 

#1366:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 9:01 pm

I might not have such qualms if it means the story gets to be continued........................ Twisted Evil

 

#1367:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 9:59 pm

Vikki wrote:
Lisa, I could do that, but then I might have to kill you........ (before Ellie killed me.....)


Good decision Vikki - unless you wish to be known evermore as Victoria!
I wouldn't say I've been taking lessons from RTW, though Changes was an inspiration to start writing myself - I'd already decided that in my version of CS land Con married Dr Hamilton and Margot did not become a nun, but I'd never thought about writing it down before, but I've no intention of competing with Holocaust, how can you do more than wipe out the world anyway Rolling Eyes


Faced with her imminent death, Joey was possessed by an overwhelming feeling of serenity as she waited, her mind empty, for the final impact.
Far from shutting down, Jack’s brain was working at hyper speed as a succession of thoughts passed through with great speed and astounding clarity as he processed the ever changing information which he assimilated from the sliding car, from the scrunch of the rear wing against the stone cliff face, his actions and followed suit, almost as quickly, he fought against the recalcitrant vehicle, against the slithery road surface, against the frantically whirling snow, and he finally brought the car safely to a halt inches away from the edge of the road, inches away from the sheer drop to the rocky outcrop far below.
Convinced his guardian angel had been working overtime, no mere mortal could have prevented that crash, he uttered a devout prayer of thanks, before slumping over the steering wheel, sick and trembly from the adrenaline still surging through his blood stream.
Joey, still waiting for the crash, slowly realised that it was not going to happen. She uncovered her eyes and looked around her, noting the complete silence, the steadily falling snow, the final position of he car, her husband laying across the steering wheel, still, grey, and too all appearances oblivious to his surroundings.
“Jack?” She reached over and attentively touched his hand. He responded to the gentle stroking of her fingers by, briefly, entwining them in his own, before looking up and uttering, in a cracked and croaky voice, “I think it’s time to fit the snow chains.”
That was all. Neither of them ever discussed the near tragedy with one another again, but they had need, nor the ability. The shared intensity of the experience was too big for words.
Despite Jack’s good intentions it was a good few wasted minutes before he was able to act upon them, and even then, he struggled to fit the chains with ice cold and numbed hands which persisted in shaking, but at last, the job was done, and they set off once more, this time Jack resisted the temptation to up the pace of the car, taking scant consolation from the fact that the weather, so far, was no worse.

 

#1368:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 10:02 pm

Thank you Ellie - have experienced a few of those adrenaline rushes myself!

 

#1369:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 10:03 pm

Thanks for not wiping them out Ellie!!!


And if you call me Victoria, you know what will happen......

 

#1370:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 10:18 pm

*g* I hope you're scared, Ellie! Why do you not like Victoria anyway, Vikki?

 

#1371:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 10:23 pm

Just don't! It's not me!!!!

 

#1372:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 10:27 pm

*g* Yes, that's very true. All the more useful then when we want your attention in a hurry, even if we need to be armed!
*ducks*

 

#1373:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 10:34 pm

Don't even THINK about it!!!! Evil or Very Mad Evil or Very Mad

 

#1374:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 10:36 pm

*g* Check Frankie, BTW....

Sorry, Ellie!! any more tonight?

 

#1375:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Wed Jul 21, 2004 12:23 am

Lesley wrote:
Thank you Ellie - have experienced a few of those adrenaline rushes myself!


Me too. And Joey's overwhelming feeling of calmness when I believed that the car was a passenger in was going to have a head on collision.

There is a little bit more, but it is only a little bit - I want to go to Sheringham tomorrow, so I really must go to bed so as to be up bright and early, well, early anyway. My knowledge of the Geography of the Platz is a bit hazy, so this may be completely wrong - if it is, please can someone tell me then I'll change it before I go any further.


As Len and Felicity staggered along, suddenly, almost miraculously, the snow stopped for a brief instant, just long enough for Felicity to notice the glow of an electric light shining out in the crepuscular afternoon. “A light,” she shouted, “We can make Len, we can get that far.”
“Aldernest,” Len gasped, “I’d forgotten! And we’ve been so near, all this time.” With renewed hope, and renewed spirits, the two of them continued their painful journey. The thought of safety had not lessened the pain from Len’s ankle, as she discovered when she tried to put her weight on it. This meant another delay whilst Len recovered from her incautious movement, but Felicity refused to give her sister as long a rest as she wanted - warmth and safety may have been at hand, but time spent standing still could still prove to be fatal.

 

#1376:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Wed Jul 21, 2004 12:27 am

grrr! You're enjoying this!

 

#1377:  Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US PostPosted: Wed Jul 21, 2004 3:36 am

*peeks out cautiously*
*slightly more hopeful*

 

#1378:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Wed Jul 21, 2004 7:03 am

Ah, this is the Aldernest where Biddy is still recovering from the fact her husband is dead? The Biddy who blames Joey Maynard? Maybe it's not such a good refuge after all!

Thanks Ellie!

 

#1379:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Wed Jul 21, 2004 10:45 am

Well at least its shelter! Seems like Ellie is relenting a little, now all she has to do is put the fire out Very Happy

 

#1380:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 11:39 am

Meanwhile back at Freudesheim.............

 

#1381:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 7:13 pm

..The house went up in smoke, killing everyone still in it, and the conflagration spread to the school and from thence to the San (don't ask awkward questions!) killing everyone in the immediate vicinity and solving all Ellie's problems.

Laughing Laughing Laughing

(sorry Ellie. I'd much rather have your version!)

 

#1382:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 10:07 pm

That would be some fire, to spread from the school to the San! You forgot to mention, Joey fainted with horror when she saw her home and family in ashes, and hit her head on the ground with fatal results, Jack sped off in his car looking for help, ran over Len & Felicity who still hadn't found shelter, and this time was unable to control the resulting skid and went hurtling over the edge of the Platz.
Margot was unaware of any of this and lived to the age of 98, still worrying that her family might find her.

The End?????

 

#1383:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 10:18 pm

*Pokes Ellie*

 

#1384:  Author: Carolyn P, Location: Lancaster, England PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 10:18 pm

The last line was wonderful...but what really happened?

 

#1385:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 10:22 pm

*g* I did say not to ask awkward questions and how the fire got from the school to the san was one of 'em. 'Course, maybe it's just an ebdism that they're 3 miles apart anyway! Laughing

 

#1386:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Sat Jul 24, 2004 5:01 pm

(“Meanwhile, back at Fruedesheim…..”) It was Mike who discovered the fire, although not until a sizable chunk of the rug had been severely charred, and small flames had begun to spark into life. How no-one had noticed the smell of burning before this point was something that none of them could satisfactorily explain, although Cecil made the attempt with her murmured comment about assuming that something had gone wrong in the kitchen. As Con said privately later, they should all have known better since their mother was no-where in the vicinity of the range.
Steve stopped talking in the middle of a sentence, startled by Mike’s sudden headlong dash towards the kitchen, “What on earth?….” But Mike’s garbled comment about fire, thrown over his shoulder as he hastened towards a source of water failed to register with either Steve, or his audience. They merely wondered why Mike had to rush about like that to replenish the stock of fuel. All except Geoff and Phillippa who looked at one another uneasily, and came to the silent conclusion that they should have as little to do with the drama as possible.
It was only when Mike returned, a kettle in one hand and water dripping from the overfull saucepan he carried in the other, that the others realised that something was drastically wrong.


As the two women struggled through the blizzard, Felicity began to fear that they could not make it, even to Aldernest. After that brief precious interval which had given them hope, the snow had returned, faster and thicker than before, dancing madly in the scurries of icy wind - Felicity was no longer even sure if they were still heading towards the promised sanctuary, or if they had veered wildly off course. There was nothing to be gained by stopping, nothing could be seen in that light, through those flakes. And she was tiring badly, Len was no lightweight and it seemed to the younger girl that if she were to stop, if she were to even relieve herself of her burden for a moment, she would never be able to take it up again. It was this that kept her moving forward with dogged determination, until she was forcibly caused to come to a standstill.

 

#1387:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sat Jul 24, 2004 5:05 pm

*Hopes Felicity has met a front door and NOT a fire*

I love Con's comments about Joey's cooking ROFL

*Much more hopeful that things will be fine*

 

#1388:  Author: Dot, Location: Ireland PostPosted: Sat Jul 24, 2004 5:06 pm

Stopped by what exactly?

 

#1389:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sat Jul 24, 2004 5:19 pm

Ellie does love her cliff-hangers, doesn't she?

 

#1390:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Sat Jul 24, 2004 5:23 pm

Yep....has she been taking lessons from Lesley?

 

#1391:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sat Jul 24, 2004 6:07 pm

Laura wrote:
Yep....has she been taking lessons from Lesley?


Damn cheek! Shocked

Ellie, this is wonderful - more when you have time please!

 

#1392:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Sat Jul 24, 2004 6:08 pm

Ellie!!!!!!

*Grabs onto nearest means of support to avoid plunging over the cliff!!!*

 

#1393:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sat Jul 24, 2004 6:44 pm

*Watches in alarm as Vikki and Lesley plunge over the cliff*

 

#1394:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sat Jul 24, 2004 8:14 pm

Not me, I have my own wings!!! Twisted Evil

 

#1395:  Author: Frances, Location: Milton Keynes PostPosted: Sat Jul 24, 2004 9:07 pm

Lesley wrote:
Not me, I have my own wings!!! Twisted Evil


Huh! We probably all agree you can walk on water - so why not on air as well.

However, for us mere mortals .... Ellieeeeeeeeee ... rescue us...please!

 

#1396:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Sat Jul 24, 2004 9:08 pm

So you should!
*refuses to even climb back up cliff. Much safer down here- assumingi can dodge flying CBBers..*

 

#1397:  Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster PostPosted: Sat Jul 24, 2004 9:35 pm

Whoever thought that Lesley would anything so mundane as to fall off a cliff!!! Not that I wouldn't love to see it! Even better to cause it! Twisted Evil

 

#1398:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Sat Jul 24, 2004 9:47 pm

I really thought you were going to kill Joey and Jack there!

*Pours Baileys for Vikki (medicinal, you know Wink )*

*Politely asks Lisa what she would like*

*Takes a swig from bottle of Glenfiddich*

*Raises tarpaulin to catch falling CBBers (a lá fire brigade)*

 

#1399:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sat Jul 24, 2004 9:49 pm

Well she was the only thing handy for Vikki to grab. But if they have flown away together then I hope you both have a great holiday Very Happy Wink

 

#1400:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2004 12:39 am

H'mmmm I'd love a Baileys too, Auntie Pat, assuming Vikki hasn't drunk it all!

 

#1401:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2004 1:14 am

Just to stop your arms aching, you can have the bit I wrote before I went out - I was going to finish it off when I got home, but I'm going to bed instead!


The Maynards stampeded en masse after Mike as the belated realisation that they had a potential emergency to deal with dawned upon them.
“Fetch water, you idiots,” Mike shouted with some alarm. The fire, which had smouldered furtively for so long appeared to have decided, that since it had been discovered, secrecy was no longer an issue, the flames were burning brightly and cheerfully along the whole length of the rug, and rapidly approaching the small table which proudly displayed the photographs of family and close friends. He despatched the contents of his own receptacles in the area which threatened danger most imminently, and was rewarded with a satisfying sizzling sound as the flames were doused, but that wasn’t where the flames grew biggest, and it wasn’t nearly enough to quench the whole fire.
Luckily Steve had quickly come to his senses and he hustled everyone back to the kitchen to reinforce the water supplies with whatever vessel they could find.
The fire fought valiantly, for a while, but against this combined onslaught, it was a losing battle, especially when Anna, moved to investigate the reason for the sudden invasion of her kitchen, deposited the contents of her large stock pan onto the flames. With a final limp hiss, the fire gave up the ghost, all that remained of near tragedy was a soggy lump of black, wet wool. And a patch of severely darkened parquet floor.

 

#1402:  Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2004 1:56 am

Rest well, Ellie!
Thanks for the bucket (and stockpot) brigade!

(But meanwhile, out in the snowstorm.... Question )

 

#1403:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2004 12:48 pm

Thanks Ellie, so you didn't burn down the whole of Freudesheim, very restrained of you!

 

#1404:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2004 2:13 pm

Thanks Ellie - almost feel sorry for the fire! Laughing

 

#1405:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2004 4:38 pm

Lesley wrote:
Thanks Ellie - almost feel sorry for the fire! Laughing

*giggles*

Sorry, still haven't managed to quite finish this part, and I'm off out again now, I'm not totally sure it works either, but here it is anyway.


It was the latter that claimed most of the attention - Con felt sick as she looked at the damage, knowing that she was responsible for the house in her parent’s absence. Steve felt shared the feeling somewhat, he was, after all, the ‘man of the house’ while his father was away - certainly Con was older, but she was girl; it was his job to protect everyone from harm. And he had failed, the scorched floor was reminder enough of that, but he knew that it could have been so much worse.
But whatever the eldest two felt, whatever blame they took upon their own shoulders, Felix felt it more. Unlike Steve, he had not progressed to imagining what might have been, the present was bad enough, and it was all his fault, He, and he alone, had taken on the responsibility for stoking up the fire, he, his carelessness, had caused the damage, and he knew that it would not be cheap to repair. He saw his allowance for the next few years rapidly disappearing into the pockets of the local craftsman, but that was far from the worst of it, much harder to bear was the feeling he had let everyone down, that he had made Con and Steve feel sick and miserable, and he had betrayed the trust of his parents.
Almost as dismayed were Geoff and Phil, if it had only been the carpet, they could have coped, after all it wouldn’t be the first time that part of the décor or furniture had been broken or otherwise destroyed, nor would they be the first people to have ruined some precious or sentimentally valued object, but even though they had no real idea of the expense involved, they both understood that damaging the very fabric of the house was quite a different matter. It has to be regretted that their anxiety was mainly focussed upon how long it would be before their own part in the mishap came to light, and just what punishment they might receive.
Apart from small Claire, Mike was the most insouciant about the conflagration, at least now it was over. He had been worried enough at the time, but for once he had a completely clear conscience . He hadn’t put the logs and coal on the fire, on the contrary, he had been chiefly responsible for dealing with the results of Felix’s incompetence. Rather reprehensively, he could a slight feeling of smugness.
The Maynard’s contemplated the disaster in silence, for the most part, Anna was rather more voluble. She had spent many a long hour rubbing polish into the wood, not just content with achieving a glowing patina, she had only been happy when the floor had taken on the characteristics of an ice rink, and great was her satisfaction when one of the frequent visitors to the house was taken unawares by the results of her labours.

 

#1406:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2004 4:41 pm

Yep, works as far as I can see!

But poor Anna! Sad

 

#1407:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2004 4:58 pm

Interesting to have the different views, poor Felix and poor Anna.

 

#1408:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2004 5:36 pm

*grin*
I had to grin at Anna's delight in visitors slipping on the polished floor! Laughing Laughing

 

#1409:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2004 5:37 pm

What an interesting take on the reactions - love Mike polishing his halo for once. Must say I feel sorry for them if they are that worried about the results since they actually put it out and didn't burn the house down!

I would just have bought a bigger rug to hide the mark - but then, I'm not Joey Maynard and I haven't got either an Anna or parquet with or without a patina! Love the way Anna enjoys the visitors 'taken unawares' Twisted Evil

Meanwhile out in the snow ..... ??

 

#1410:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2004 8:49 pm

Meanwhile out in the snow ..... ??

The flakes still fell, heavily, the gusted ever more violently, the ky darkened even more as the twilight approached, and it was cold.

Meanwhile, back at Fruedesheim.....

 

#1411:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2004 8:59 pm

.....Anna was busy removing the bodies of the Maynards, who had dared destroy her beloved floor........

..........Meanwhile Joey and Jack...........

*getting into the spirit of things*

 

#1412:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2004 9:37 pm

Laughing Laughing Laughing Good for Mike - enjoy his smugness.

Love Anna catching visitors unaware!

 

#1413:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2004 10:22 pm

ELLIE! You tease!!!!

 

#1414:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 1:17 am

Tease? Me? Twisted Evil

Meanwhile Jack and Joey continued their journey without futher incident, whist back at Fruedesheim.....

(And now) The floor was ruined! Anna was mortified, and enraged. And she knew exactly where to direct her anger.
It had been Mike, of course, who had been first to charge into the kitchen in search of water, wasn’t it always Mike who was at the bottom of any mischief? But no, this was not mischief this was downright wickedness. She turned and launched a tirade of invective at that young sinner, most of which was wasted since she reverted to her native language and Mike had neither the benefit of hearing German and nothing but German spoken for twenty-four hours at a time, nor that of living, for the most part, in a German speaking area. Yet, not withstanding his lack of comprehension, the gist of her diatribe was clear - as far as Anna was concerned, this was all his fault.
In vain he protested his innocence, and Felix, on the point of admitting his own culpability paused to ponder whether Mike had in fact been moved to attempt to get the fire burning a little more quickly. He remembered that when he had left it there was rather more smoke than flame, and he kept silent.
The twins were only too glad that the spotlight had not yet fallen upon them, and remained silent. Later, Geoff was to feel exceedingly uncomfortable about this, but Phil firmly quashed any thoughts he may have had about confessing, “It’s not as if we’re telling a lie, no-one has asked us if we had anything to do with it.”
In the meantime, Mike, looking wildly around his siblings for support, found that none was forthcoming. They were recalling the fact that it had been he who had first alerted them to the fire, and like Anna, they were mindful of his reputation as a young sinner of the first degree.
“Ok, then.” he shouted, “It’s my fault! Everything that happens in this house is my fault, and you’re all ******! I hate you all, I just wish I’d let the house burn down with you lot in it!” He turned and ran out of the room, avoiding Steve’s atte,pt to restrain him.

 

#1415:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 1:54 am

*cringe* *wince* ouch! ooh! Poor Mike! Now what are they gonna do?

 

#1416:  Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 2:19 am

Aaaargh! Another one out in the snow!

*tries to think of happy endings*
*Maybe Mike could save the day?*

 

#1417:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 4:44 am

Poor Mike! Sad

 

#1418:  Author: Frances, Location: Milton Keynes PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 10:23 am

Ooohhhh...Ellie! PLEASE don't bring Mike to a nasty end. This is so unfair when it wasn't his fault this time.

*sniffle*

 

#1419:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 10:25 am

Poor Mike, indeed, the yonger members of the family did not come out of that at all well!

 

#1420:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 11:03 am

Not very pleasant, are they? And although I liked the picture of Anna gloating when someone does a pratfall on her floors, she shouldn't have laid into Mike in that way.

 

#1421:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 4:02 pm

Even Anna was shocked into silence by Mike’s outburst, she had taken on a great deal of responsibility for the younger Maynard’s upbringing, and she was accustomed to administering scoldings to the young transgressors, but never before had she been spoken to in such a manner. About to launch into another tirade lamenting the lack of respect and manners shown by the young man, she was forestalled by Steve. When he chose, Steve good adopt an air of icy dignity reminiscent of Joey at her most imposing, and he chose to do so now. “Thank you, Anna, but that is enough. I think you should return to the kitchen now, before we have another incident to deal with.”
Anna’s eyes widened in shock, she had spent too many years bossing the small fry around to easy assimilate the rapid change in roles, especially in her present temper, and she was not going to start taking orders from Steve, who had suddenly become as rude as his younger brother.
She had begun to say as much when the house reverberated with the sound of the front door being slammed shut, violently.
“The stupid ass! He’s gone outside in that! As if it’s not bad enough that Len and Fliss are out there.” With a start, Con looked at her watch realising guiltily that she hadn’t given a thought to her sisters since the discovery of the fire. “I’ll have to get him!” She turned and would have fled from the room if Steve hadn’t intercepted her.
“Mike hasn’t gone outside, he’s not that much of an idiot. He just slammed the door to make you think he had, we used to do that when we were kids. No doubt he’s sitting in his room sulking and thinking we’ll all regret treating him so badly when we think he’s dead. As for Len and Felicity, they’re not idiots either, once they saw the weather was turning they would head for shelter, they wouldn’t be stupid enough to try to make their way home if they were some distance away,” Steve asserted with a confidence which he did not feel.
Anna, seeing that she had completely lost the attention of the others, and alarmed at the news of Len and Felicity, which she was hearing for the first time, made her way back to the kitchen where she set to work boiling kettles and stoking up the fire to ensure there was plenty of hot water ready to revive her Len, should she arrive home cold and wet.
Steven saw her go with some relief, he had suspected that his assumed air of authority would not wash with Anna, and was thankful that he had managed to avoid getting into an argument with her. It also meant that he could distract Con from her worries a little longer. “What, exactly, did Anna say to Mike? I have to admit that most of it was lost on me, though I gather that s he blamed Mike for the fire. I must say, whether it was Mike’s fault or not, I thought it was a bit much her going for him like that.”
“Oh, it seems to be open season on Mike at the moment.” Con replied, “First Len, now Anna, though I suppose she thinks she has the right since she had so much charge of us when we were tinies. And I suppose, if it came down to it, Mamma and Pappa would still back her up over us, well, over Mike and the others anyway, grown ups sticking together and all that, and us having respect for our elders. Sometimes none of them seem to realise how much we have grown up.”
“I’m not sure that I would use that adjective to describe Mike yet, although I will admit he isn’t as harebrained as he used to be. But what did Anna say?”
“I suppose you’ve let your languages go completely since you left school,” Con retorted accusingly.
“I’ll be saying the same of you in a minute,” Steve retorted, “I don’t believe you understood any more than I did.”
“What cheek, I’ll have you know Steven John Maynard, that my languages are as good as they ever were.” Con’s indignation was largely assumed, it was true that she had neglected her French, badly, an her German, to a lesser extent, since she had departed for university, and given that Anna had been shooting out words rapidly, with scarcely a pause for breath, she had found herself hard put to keep up with all the dialogue, but she was scarcely going to admit as much, especially whilst Cecil and Erica were still within earshot, and she was certain that both the younger girls had understood every word. “As you said, she was blaming Mike for starting the fire, and raking up all his ancient history whilst pointing out that he had really excelled himself this time, and she was going to make sure father knew so that he could give Mike the good whipping he deserved, and if dad didn’t do it she would.”
“What cheek, she may, as you say, have told us off when we were litle, but she’s no right to talk to him like that. I’m not surprised he took off the way he did.”
“I don’t think it’s as much what Anna said, as what we didn’t say,” Con mused, “Not one of us stuck up for him, yet he said he didn’t do it, and he doesn’t usually tell lies.”
“No, you’re right. He always owns up. At least, he used to. I think we were just as bad as Anna. We should have listened to him.”
“He still does, own up I mean,” Felix piped up as he rose from his knees where he had been examining the ashes in the grate “Even if it’s not all his fault, or even mostly his fault.” He scowled slightly as he recalled one such occasion during the previous term when he himself had been moved to name the true culprit in order to prevent his brother from getting into very serious trouble. He had spent the rest of the term in a ferment of anxiety less Mike should discover that it had been he who had spilt the beans. “But one thing is for sure, someone has been putting paper onto this fire, burnt wood does not leave ashes like this, and nor does wood for that matter.”
“And you didn’t put it on there?”
“Of course not, why should I? I knew that the fire was taking hold, there was no need to put paper on it, it would have been blazing away in a couple of minutes.”
Since Felix was satisfied in his own mind that he had not been the cause of the mishap, he was not too concerned as to who was responsible. For the moment, the relief of knowing that he had not nearly burnt down Freudesheim through his own carelessness was enough, try as he might, he could not prevent a grin of happiness from appearing on his lips.
“Then who did?” Steve turned to Erica and Cecil, “Did either of you two put paper onto the fire?”
Cecil shook her head, Erica was slightly more vocal, “Of course I didn’t, and Caire didn’t either.”
Steven turned to the younger set of twins, but Philippa, seeing where the conversation was heading, had already dragged Geoff out of the room.

 

#1422:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 4:12 pm

Thank you Ellie, a lovely exchange between Con and Stephen, I just hope some retribution falls on the younger twins heads!

 

#1423:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 4:43 pm

Yes, that pair don't show up in a good light, do they?

Terrific again, Ellie. What are we going to do when Tensions is finished?

 

#1424:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 5:44 pm

Eeek!
Poor Mike!!!!

Hope he'll be okay!

 

#1425:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 7:26 pm

Don't think much of the Maynard's youngest twins at the moment. Hope Mike is OK.

Thanks Ellie. Kiss

 

#1426:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 7:29 pm

Jennie wrote:
Terrific again, Ellie. What are we going to do when Tensions is finished?


Finished? How dare you Jennie! We'll still have Tensions when Ellie is in a bathchair! It's tradition.

*Ducks hastily from the rain of objects that Ellie is hurling!*

I'm only saying we love it, Ellie!

 

#1427:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 7:36 pm

*snickering* what a lovely picture. *watches various objects hurtling towards Patmac* But don't injure her too much, Ellie, or I'll find myself brevet-auntless and we can't have that! Laughing

 

#1428:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 8:39 pm

Tradition? Tradition my ****!
*Grabs nearest objects and hurls one bottle of foundation, five CD's, one matchbox (empty) one can of Cola (half full Smile ) two AA batteries, one bottle of nail varnish (bright red), and one copy of 'Bride' at Patmac.*
*Hastily scramble after the copy of 'Bride' and retreives it before anyone else finds it laying about and gets their hands on it*
But you need have no worries about it finishing any time soon - I've just realised exactly how many unresolved plotlines I need to tie up, goodness knows what I'm doing setting fire to Freudesheim when Xmas was only supposed to be a few paragraphs long!


“And I wouldn’t be surprised if those two had something to do with it,” Steve growled, “Wasn’t Geoff hanging around while you built the fire, Felix?”
“Yes he was, but, I don’t know, he isn’t usually given to breaking out like this, is he Con?”
Con shrugged, her thoughts turning once again to her sisters, missing in the blizzard. “I don’t know. Phil can be a bit, well you know, awkward, and I think she tends to lead him by the nose a bit. Still it isn’t really up to us o deal with it, is it? We don’t want a repeat of the scene with Mike. Best leave it to mum and dad. If Len and Fliss are sheltering somewhere, why don’t they ring and tell us they’re safe?”
“It’s more than likely that the phone is out of order,” Steve had in fact, already tested the phone and it to be working perfectly, but he had no intention of passing that snippet of information on to Con.
“Of course they’re all right.” Felix added, “I would knw if there was anything wrong with Fliss, she is my twin.” So far nothing had happened in Felix’s young life to prove that he had any kind of feeling for when Felicity was in trouble, but having observed the phenomenon between the younger twins, he was convinced that if the moment should arise, he would be aware of it.
Con was more sceptical, “I could say the same about Len, since we’re triplets.”
Felix took the statement at face value, “I suppose you could, although I’m not sure if triplets is exactly the same, but since neither of us know that something is wrong it must prove that they’re all right.”

Sadly, Felix’s belief in the power of twinship was very much misplaced.

 

#1429:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 8:42 pm

Ellie, these cliff-hangers of yours will be the death of me!

 

#1430:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 8:43 pm

Oh another cliff - wheeeeee!

 

#1431:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 8:47 pm

*dodges Ellie's hail of missiles!*
More soon please Elliekins!!!

 

#1432:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 11:05 pm

*Goes and takes another warm bath ~ I'm avoiding cliffs*

Glad this story looks like making it past its first birthday!!!

*planning a party in the bath*

 

#1433:  Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle PostPosted: Tue Jul 27, 2004 4:08 pm

Glad to see Tensions back in full flow Ellie. Poor Mike. Hope someone realises soon and deals with second twins.

Hope Len and Fliss are safe and that Jo and Jack get home soon.

 

#1434:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Tue Jul 27, 2004 4:20 pm

Ellie wrote:
Tradition? Tradition my ****!
*Grabs nearest objects and hurls one bottle of foundation, five CD's, one matchbox (empty) one can of Cola (half full Smile ) two AA batteries, one bottle of nail varnish (bright red), and one copy of 'Bride' at Patmac.*


thanks for the CD's and batteries, Ellie. I'll send the rest back some time!

We now have 5 Maynards to worry about Wink

 

#1435:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Tue Jul 27, 2004 4:37 pm

Wishes Ellie would stop throwing things and just sit down to write some more.

 

#1436:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Wed Jul 28, 2004 11:13 am

As you didn't hurl your computer or any writing equipment at Pat, I feel there are no excuses, and its time for some more! Wink

 

#1437:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Fri Jul 30, 2004 8:22 pm

Couldn't write! Patmac wouldn't give ne the CD's back. Very Happy

Felicity gave a gasp of horror as she was confronted with a pile of snow nearly as high as her waist, with no way around it, as far as she could see.
“I can’t get through that Fliss, I can’t. You’ll have to leave me now.” Len’s words came as a series of sobs; When Felicity stole a quick glance at her sister’s face she saw a a powdering of ice glinting on her cheeks, following the trail left by her tears of pain and fatigue. Len was just about finished, Felicity too, was nearly at the end of her resources, yet, still, she would not give in, even though she recognised the futility of their struggle.
“We can’t stop now, Len, we’re almost there, we must be, we’ve got to keep going, Len, don’t you dare,” She staggered as she was forced to unexpectedly bear almost all of Len’s weight as the older girl’s one sound leg wavered, and threatened to collapse completely.
“It’s no good, let me go,” Len tried to prise herself away from Felicity’s grasp, desperate to let herself fall into the soft, soft snow, desiring only to rest, to sleep, to bring an end to the never ending trek.
Even at the very limits of her own endurance, Felicity was having none of that. Drawing on the reserves of strength of which she had been oblivious, she clung tightly to her sister, she held the limp woman when she would have fallen, and she vowed they would, would, find a way through the drift. Her balance recovered, her heart hardened against Len’s pleading sobs, she aimed a kick at the snow.

 

#1438:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Fri Jul 30, 2004 8:30 pm

*wibbles*
ELLIE!!!!!b Please don't leave it there!!!!!

 

#1439:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Fri Jul 30, 2004 8:43 pm

Oh, OK then, here's your CD's! Wheeeee! Catch!

Now write some more or I'll tell everyone what was on them Wink

PS. do you want the empty matchbox as well?

 

#1440:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Fri Jul 30, 2004 8:49 pm

ELLIE!!!! How do you expect us to get any sleep???!

 

#1441:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Fri Jul 30, 2004 9:18 pm

Good for Felicity and her determination!

See, now the CD's have been returned, NO excuses!!

 

#1442:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Fri Jul 30, 2004 9:35 pm

Go Felicity!

Thanks Ellie.

 

#1443:  Author: catherine, Location: York PostPosted: Fri Jul 30, 2004 9:59 pm

Thanks Ellie.

Looking forward to seeing the resolution of the various cliffs we are hanging from ...............

 

#1444:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Fri Jul 30, 2004 10:07 pm

Thanks for the CDs Patmac - but there won't be any more until tomorrow. Hopefully normal service will be resumed next week, when I don't have to get up at an uncivilised hour of the morning.
And frankly, I doubt if anyone is going to sleep tonight, in this heat......

 

#1445:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Sat Jul 31, 2004 12:17 pm

Well that was just mean! Sad

And it's tomorrow already... Very Happy

 

#1446:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 12:16 am

A day late, and sorry if it's a bit depressing....



Mike was getting colder and colder, yet he scarcely noticed, and would hardly have cared if he had. The need to escape his family was more powerful than concern for his bodily comfort. That and the need for solitude as he battled with a jungle of emotions, not wholly identified, but more powerful than anything he had ever known before.
He felt an almost murderous hatred towards Anna, and was little better disposed towards his brothers and sisters, yet, he belonged to them, he wanted their approval. He wanted them to love him. “As if that’s ever going to happen, it just shows what they really think of me. It just proves I was right, what I was thinking before, but, I really don’t want to.” He quivered for a moment, as a wave of self pity washed over him, even alone, he scorned to repeat the girlish behaviour of the previous night.
He concentrated instead, on stoking up the fires of his righteous rage against Anna, against whoever was responsible for the fire, against Steve and Con and Felix and all the others for not offering him a single word, a single glance, of support.
He saw now that there was little chance of his siblings praising his quick thinking to al and sundry, or specifically to his parents, and he was fearful of their reaction when they returned home. He had thought, for a little while, that perhaps he could rely on his mother’s understanding, until she had discovered that magazine. Then he realised it was just an illusion, she had no more of the ‘real’ Mike than any of the others. Whoever the ‘real’ Mike was.
Had he but known it, that time spent grappling with his hatred and loathing; his fear, of the future, for Charles’ future, of his parents; his guilt over Charles’ accident was the first step towards the discovery of the ‘real’ Mike, yet he didn’t know that, and felt more desperately miserable than he had ever believed possible.

Felicity let loose a yowl as her toes encountered an unexpected resistance. Partly pain, her feet were cold enough for every little knock to be magnified many times, but mostly of shock. She had expected to kick up a flurry of snow. Soft snow, the kind you sank into, the kind that you couldn’t possibly walk over. Yet it was hard, frozen already?
Slowly the truth dawned, it was no snowdrift which blocked her path, it was a wall, or fence. And where there was a wall or fence, there had to be a gate.
She bit back a sob of relief, they were by no means safe yet, but she had a renewed purpose to her efforts, a renewed strength. “Don’t give up now Len, we’re there, we’re at Aldernest.”
“Leave me here. Fetch someone,” Len scarcely had the strength to speak, £Fetch Eugen - he got Erica out of the hole.”
Felicity frowned, suddenly infected with a new worry about her sister, Len knew, surely she did, that Eugen had died in a mountain accident. Why was she talking about him as though he were still there? And why bring up the subject of Erica at her most senselessly brattish moment?
“I’m not leaving you, I’ll never find you again in this blizzard, come on, we’ve just got to follow the fence until we get to the gate.” Half carrying and half dragging Len along with her, she set off to circumnavigate the barrier, hoping blindly that she had chosen to go in the right direction.

 

#1447:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 12:24 am

Eeek!!!
*wibbles loudly*

 

#1448:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 7:29 am

Poor Mike Crying or Very sad He's got no chance with that family!

Hope Felicity and Len make it!

 

#1449:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 7:32 am

thank you Ellie. (I think?)

*Clutches Vikki and wibbles with her*

 

#1450:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:07 am

Wibbling like crazy.

 

#1451:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 10:12 am

Eek. But Felicity's great in this - hope they make it ok.. Confused *wibbles*

 

#1452:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 11:32 am

Felicity paused, it seemed hours since she had started following the wall of snow, and still there was no sign of safety. Had she gone the wrong way, or even, she was gripped by a new fear, had she already gone past the gateway, would she even know where the gate was, when everything was buried in the relentlessly white snow? Perhaps she had gone astray earlier, maybe this wasn’t even Aldernest, but a fence to keep the live stock in a herdsman’s field. If it was, it would be the stupidest thing ever. A quick refrain of hysterical laughter burst from her lips.
Beside her, Len giggled softly.
Felicity pulled herself together at once. It was clear that Len could not last much longer, she had little enough breath left for talking, but when she did speak it wasn’t to say anything that made sense. She had seemingly reached the point of physical exhaustion, exceeded it even, but the long painful struggle was taking it’s toll, her mental exhaustion was obvious even to someone as inexperienced as Felicity.
Felicity made up her mind, and trudged forward again, there was no point in going back, Len probably wouldn’t even make it back to their starting point. It was a miracle that she had managed to come as far as they had. Or was it?
“We’ve got to be saved, we’ve got to, there’s no point in us getting this far otherwise,” Felicity prayed under her breath, “Please, let me find the gate. I‘ve got to find the gate.”
Seconds later, she did.

 

#1453:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 11:36 am

YAY!!! Thanks Ellie!!! OMG the people there had better be in...

 

#1454:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 11:58 am

Poor Mike, but I'm glad that the experiences will help him.

Im glad Felicity has a found a gate, however, Im a bit worried about what may be behind it!

 

#1455:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 12:11 pm

Oh no. I hadn't even thought about that it might just be the gate to..say... a field of cows! Sad

 

#1456:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 1:34 pm

Or a demented Biddy out for revenge! Laughing

Thanks Ellie!

 

#1457:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 3:51 pm

Thinks of all the things that might get in the way of a happy ending, and runs away, screaming.

 

#1458:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 8:56 pm

*hopes that safety lies onn the other side of the gate*

 

#1459:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:39 pm

*doubtfully* Ellie doesn't kill many people, does she Shocked

 

#1460:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:43 pm

She's killed Nell Wilson, plus two others in an Earthquake, Eugene Courvoisor and a horrible police inspector at least - may be more! Laughing

 

#1461:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:47 pm

Lesley wrote:
She's killed Nell Wilson, plus two others in an Earthquake, Eugene Courvoisor and a horrible police inspector at least - may be more! Laughing


You are not exactly a solid lump of comfort, Lesley. I was trying to convince myself Rolling Eyes

 

#1462:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:50 pm

Pat, I don't think I'll ever get over Ellie killing off Nell Wilson!!! Wink

 

#1463:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Tue Aug 03, 2004 1:16 am

But Lesley - that was right at the beginning of the story!
And if I hadn't killed her you wouldn't have written your first drabble!


(Actually it is quite a long while since I killed anyone isn't it?)

 

#1464:  Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle PostPosted: Tue Aug 03, 2004 2:44 pm

Ellie you have succeeded in doing something nothing else has for the last few days. Made me appreciate the heat. I am so glad I am not stuck in snow!

Thanks Ellie, hope safety comes soon.

 

#1465:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Tue Aug 03, 2004 5:05 pm

At least Ellie's killing Nell happened before we got involved with her in the story. You, on the other hand, Lesley...... Twisted Evil Twisted Evil


Ellie, you can't kill Felicity and Len, you can't! You said it yourself, they've got this far...
*trying to hang on to faith in drabbler's natures..*

 

#1466:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Tue Aug 03, 2004 5:12 pm

possibly misplaced faith, methinks!

but they found the gate... lets focus on the good things! *smiles hopefully

 

#1467:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Wed Aug 04, 2004 12:16 am

Lisa_T wrote:


Ellie, you can't kill Felicity and Len, you can't! You said it yourself, they've got this far...
*trying to hang on to faith in drabbler's natures..*


But it's in this drabblers nature to enjoy killing off the characters......



Although she hadn’t realised it, she had been walking in a slight semi-circle, two steps more, and she rounded the corner of the house. The sight of the front windows, ablaze with light, was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
A few more steps, she drew on what most surely have been the last reserves of her strength. Len was almost a dead weight upon her now, that young lady incapable of doing more than the bare minimum to help herself along.
A few more steps, then a few more. Felicity saw, not the gate, but the place where the gate could be found. Through the whirling snow and the monotonous gloom she picked out shapes, mounds of snow, in straight lines on either side of what must surely be the garden path.
She had no idea as to how she was going to get the gate open while she was supporting Len, and put her sister down she would not.
It was no problem at all. It was as if, the elements having been beaten into submission by the slight young girl, had decided to give in gracefully and ease the final part of their journey.
The weight of the snow was hanging onto the same side of the gate as Felicity, as she leant upon it, it swung forward easily. Even more remarkably, the snow continued to cling to the wood with a praiseworthy tenacity and where their could have a minor drift to contend with, no more than a few small scurries of snow dropped to the ground.
Even better, the shelter afforded by the bushes, and the smoothness of the paving stones meant that this last part of the journey was, or would have been had Len been fit, the easiest of all.
Felicity was tempted then, to lay down her burden and to race to the front door for help, but her fears for her sister’s health caused her to resist the urge, “I said I wouldn’t leave her, and I won’t!” She gritted her teeth and set her foot on the path. It was to prove to be a wise decision.

 

#1468:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Wed Aug 04, 2004 12:23 am

*confused*
*tired* have they wandered into the school grounds? That sounds rather like the description from 'Triplets'..

 

#1469:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Wed Aug 04, 2004 12:28 am

*Waiting for more!*

 

#1470:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Wed Aug 04, 2004 3:15 am

This probaly isn't what you want to see....




Once fitted, the snow chains made all the difference to the car, and the older Maynards continued their journey without any further incident, a disoriented bird caught out in the storm and flying into the windscreen not really counting. True they suffered a couple of anxious moments before Jack discovered the window wiper was not irrevocably broken, but it was a matter of minutes before it was fixed and they were able to continue.
Although the snow continued to fall heavily, it had got no worse, and the wind was relatively light, but neither of the Maynards had much trust in the treacherous alpine weather, and both longed fervently for the journey to be over.
They travelled, for the most parts in total silence, Jack concentrating on his driving, and Joey afraid of distracting him. She had been told so often to stop talking when she was a passenger, initially by Jem when she was still a schoolgirl and later by Jack, or Hilda or anyone else who had the pleasure of driving her, that it had become second nature to lapse into silence as soon as the weather conditions were less than ideal. It had never occurred to her that she could quite easily drive and talk at the same time - that the exhortations to be quiet were not entirely due to the need to concentrate on the road.
It was as they began to approach the final part of the journey that their fears were realised, the hitherto benign wind suddenly put in a frenzied effort to confound them, to leave them bewildered by the dancing, shaking, whirling snowflakes, rocking the car as though it were of no more consequence than one of Geoff’s model vehicles, stirring the trees from their lethargy and allowing the accumulated weight of snow fall around, and onto, the car, along with bits of twig and small branches.
Jack’s very real fear now, was that one of the larger branches would be unable to stand the strain, that it would be ripped from a tree and block the road. Or even that one of the older, withered trees might fall, its trunk ripped from it’s aged roots. He reduced his speed still further determined not to crash into any obstacle.

 

#1471:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Wed Aug 04, 2004 6:16 am

*Creak!!*

"What's that? Oh more Tension!"

Thanks Ellie! Laughing

 

#1472:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Wed Aug 04, 2004 11:26 am

Lovely descriptions of the weather, please let them all be safe! *wails*

Though I do admire Felicity's determination.

 

#1473:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Wed Aug 04, 2004 12:50 pm

*wibbles*
Ellie....... Please????????????????/

 

#1474:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Wed Aug 04, 2004 1:24 pm

oh poor Joey! That post does make me feel very sorry for her.

I take it the bird became strawberry jam? (poor bird, but at least it's not Len and Felicity)

 

#1475:  Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle PostPosted: Wed Aug 04, 2004 4:23 pm

Poor bird but glad all Maynards are safe.

More soon please.

 

#1476:  Author: keren1,  PostPosted: Wed Aug 04, 2004 8:56 pm

what was "that the exhortations to be quiet were not entirely due to the need to concentrate on the road."
supposed to mean, that she got on their nerves?

 

#1477:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Wed Aug 04, 2004 9:26 pm

Well, wouldn't her incessant chatter do that to you?

 

#1478:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Wed Aug 04, 2004 9:39 pm

Ellie! None of them are actually safe yet!

 

#1479:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Thu Aug 05, 2004 12:09 am

Jennie wrote:
Well, wouldn't her incessant chatter do that to you?



Ah! now I know why Jennie cut the phone line... Laughing

 

#1480:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Thu Aug 05, 2004 4:22 pm

I do have my uses, Lisa. Walks off looking hurt.

 

#1481:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Sat Aug 07, 2004 11:36 am

Please can we have some more Ellie! Very Happy

 

#1482:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sat Aug 07, 2004 12:05 pm

Echoes Laura's request

*watches as the echo bounces around the empty board*

 

#1483:  Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle PostPosted: Sat Aug 07, 2004 10:21 pm

Ellie dear, now you have caught up just about everywhere else (and I know you have cos I've just seen your name all over the board) could we please have some more Tensions?

 

#1484:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Sat Aug 07, 2004 11:03 pm

*g*

Strangely, I've been finding it a bit difficult to write about snow storms today. I really can't think why.


One foot after another. One foot after another. Felicity gritted her teeth and set off up the path. One foot after another, her eyes focused on the lighted windows. One foot after the other. Suddenly she tripped over an unexpected obstacle. Instinctively throwing out her arm to save herself, her hand grazed against rough bricks. She had made it. The obstacle was the door step. The bricks were the small homebuilt porch around the front door. Somewhere, from inside the house, she heard voices.
With a final effort, she hauled herself and Len up the step, then, with relief she let the side of the porch take some of her sister’s weight from her aching shoulder. It was not until she was partially relieved of the older girls weight, that she realised how great a burden Len had been.
She reached for the great heavy door knocker and slammed it against the wood with all her might.
The echoes reverberated around the porch, but for all the response she received, she may as well have been knocking with a sponge.
For the first time tears filled her eyes as she was gripped with an icy fear. Had she led them to an empty house? Was this porch to be the only shelter they were to find this night?
Then she remembered the voices, and frantically redoubled her efforts before her eyes fell upon the sight of a modern push button bell. She pressed her finger on the button, and left it there.
At last, she heard the key turning in the lock.
“Who is it?” She heard a familiar voice from behind the door as it began to creep open, “And what on earth would you be doing knocking on my door on a night like this?”
“Auntie Biddy” Felicity cried out with relief as the door opened further to reveal her brevet Aunt, “It’s us, Felicity and Len. We got caught in the storm and Len’s hurt her foot, and….”
She was cut off in mid flow by the Irish woman, “And what would ye be expecting me to do about it? What sort of shelter did your precious father offer my poor Eugen eh? No you can’t answer that can you, seeing as how it was that your father drove him away from the shelter.”
“But….”
“But nothing, if it’s help you’re wanting go and see Hilary next door.” The door began to shut, not withstanding Felicity’s unsuccessful attempt to stop it with her foot.
It was Len who unwittingly saved the day. As Felicity’s hold n her was momentarily loosened she wavered for a moment, before pitching forward into the hallway in a dead faint.




I seem to remember being rescued by doctors once before - darned careless of them to let me fall into danger again

 

#1485:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Sun Aug 08, 2004 3:31 am

Thanks, Ellie. I hope Biddy becomes a little more rational! Surely she will? Poor Felicity.

 

#1486:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Sun Aug 08, 2004 9:22 am

Well that was mean of Biddy! Hopefully she'll do something about it! (most people, I suppose, would do something if someone fainted in their hallway - but this is the CBB!)

More please Very Happy

 

#1487:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sun Aug 08, 2004 10:01 am

Ooh nasty Biddy, but Im glad solved the situation by fainting, she can hardly chuck outside now (or can she *wibbles*)

 

#1488:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Sun Aug 08, 2004 7:59 pm

Well. as it happens I had a lot of spare time while he was riding his bike around the track, a brand new notebook, and a disinclination to do anything remotely energetic in the sweltering heat, so....

It was the final straw for Felicity, with a strangled cry she pushed through the door after her sister, and feel onto her knees beside her. “Len, Len my dear, don’t die on me now, please, oh, Len. This is your fault Auntie Biddy, I don’t understand what you were saying about daddy, but it’s nothing to do with us, we’ve walked miles to get here and now Len’s going to die. Wake up Len, don’t die, don’t…” she babbled on incoherently.
Biddy, who had fondly imagined they had been close to hand when the storm had broken, was overcome with a sudden sense of shame. Felicity was right, Jack Maynard’s sins were his alone; she had no right to avenge herself upon his daughters, strong though the temptation was.
Felicity found herself being lifted to her feet, “And you leaving the door wide open isn’t going to help anybody is it, go on, get it shut.” Biddy took Felicity’s place beside Len’s head, feeling for the pulse in her neck. It was beating strongly enough, and the girl seemed to be having no trouble breathing. “It’s not being out in the snow that’ll be the death of Len Maynard,” she announced, “Not this time, for sure.”
Satisfied that the slumped girl was in no immediate danger of expiring, she turned to her ankle, loosening Felicity’s makeshift bandage. What she saw there made her frown, the ankle had swollen to almost twice normal size, and despite being dragged through the snow, it was hot to touch.
“It’s the pain that’s done for her,” Biddy sat back and noted Lens face, still pale and drawn, even in her unconscious state, the dark circles below her eyes showing up all to clearly. “That and the exhaustion. Unless I miss my guess young Len has not been getting enough sleep lately.” She looked up at Felicity, still standing, just, and grateful for the solid door behind her back. “You’re all in too aren’t you? Well, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you for one last effort, I can’t carry her alone, and she can’t lay here all day, that’s for sure. Come on, help me lift her onto the sofa, then you can be going and getting out of those wet clothes while I see to Len.”
Then, when Felicity would have stayed by her sister’s side, she found herself being chivvied upstairs on legs that trembled, as Biddy showed her into the bathroom where she turned on the hot tap before leaving to seek out some dry clothes. “No, don’t you be worrying about Len, I’ll see to her. You get in that bath and have a good soak or else you won’t be any good for anything yourself.”
“But…”
“But nothing. Unless you’re wanting to go down with a chill, that is.”
“Hardly.” Felicity thought ahead to the coming term, how far behind she would get if she were forced to remain on the Platz to convalesce. Which was most certainly what would happen if she showed the slightest evidence of having caught a cold. The bath was nearly full now, steaming invitingly, Felicity gave in gracefully and began to peel off her own damp clothing.
She slid into the bath and allowed the hot water to ease the cold and tension out of her muscles, gradually she began to feel the warmth seeping through her skin, penetrating through to the core of coldness within her. It took longer for her to stop shaking, for the reaction to her ordeal to work it’s way out of her system, but finally that too ended, though not before she had untypically given in to the tears which had been prickling behind her eyelashes for long.
Once freed, the flow of tears could not be stopped, continuing to roll unchecked down her face until, tired out and warm, she began to drowse. In her half awake state various thoughts began to run through her head, “What had Aunt Biddy meant when she talked about her father and Eugen, surely her father would never…No. She pushed that idea away. Biddy must be mistaken.
Len’s ankle, that was a safer subject. Once Biddy had removed the bandage Felicity had no longer blamed Len for her lack of effort. In fact, she was frankly amazed that Len had managed to move at all. “No wonder she fainted,” she mused, “Poor Len, but, at least she doesn’t want to dance. If it had been me, urgh, I know it’s selfish, ’specially as it was all my fault, but I’m jolly glad it happened to her and not me. We seem to be unlucky with accidents this holiday, first Charles, now Len. I just hope nothing else happens. I wonder how Charles was when mum and dad went to see him. I hope they got back before this storm blew up, though I don’t see how they could have, still, I suppose if it was too bad they would have put up in a hotel and rang home.” The last thought caused her to sit up with a sudden movement that sent a small wave of water over the edge of the bath. Felicity hastily scrambled out, caring little for the water dripping off her own body and adding to the puddle on the floor.
Her only thought now was to get to the telephone to let Con and the others know they were safe.

 

#1489:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Sun Aug 08, 2004 8:09 pm

Go Felicity! Her thoughts were only natural and anyway, for her to have thought to ring Con is definately thoughtful of her.

I'm glad Biddy is being rational about it, and I hope Len's ok.

Thanks for the lovely long post Elllie Very Happy - but would it be too soon to ask for more?! Very Happy

 

#1490:  Author: catherine, Location: York PostPosted: Sun Aug 08, 2004 8:16 pm

Glad to see you've been writing whilst we've been away, Ellie!! Thank you!

 

#1491:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sun Aug 08, 2004 8:24 pm

Thank you Ellie, good for Biddy, eventually realising she must help, and I love Felicity, and her growing maturity.

 

#1492:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Mon Aug 09, 2004 6:17 am

Lovely long posts - thank you Ellie. Laughing

Glad Biddy was able to see Len and Felicity were not to blame.

 

#1493:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Mon Aug 09, 2004 7:41 am

Thanks Ellie! That was most satisfying. At least they are safe! I must say Felicity is coming across as very mature in this episode. Now what about J & J and Mike?

 

#1494:  Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle PostPosted: Mon Aug 09, 2004 2:32 pm

Thank you Ellie two wonderfully long posts. Happy to see Len and Felicity safe (for the moment), how are Jo and Jack getting on? Have they reached the Platz yet? How is Mike? What are Con and the others doing?

Gosh so many questions - there is only one way to answer them. Go on you know you want to!

 

#1495:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Mon Aug 09, 2004 11:04 pm

I hope this answers one of your questions Sue.....


After what seemed an interminable length of time, Jack Maynard finally reached the Platz. Hr drove slowly by the Sanatorium, or the space where the San stood, it was now rendered invisible by the white veil of snow.
Slowly, the car inched forward, the driver determined not to have an accident this close to home.
“Jack!”
As Joey shrieked, Jack automatically slammed on the brakes, causing the car to slew round in a graceful semi-circle and come to rest facing the direction from which they had just come.
“”For crying out loud Joey, what on earth are you shouting about?” Neither car nor occupants had come to any harm, but they so easily could have done.
“I saw a light, there’s someone out walking, in this,” Joey shuffled around in her seat so as to see out of the rear window.
“You saw a light? It’s probably attached to someone’s gatepost. For heaven’s sake, start showing a bit of sense.” Jack carefully manoeuvred the vehicle back in line with the road ahead, feeling more than a little disgruntled, and making no attempt to hide it.
“No, it was moving,” Joey stared intently out of the windscreen, taking no notice of her husbands admonishment, “There it is again.”
Incredibly, the light was there, glimmering weakly. Very slowly, Jack edged towards it, very sorry for any ill fated traveller who had got caught out by the weather. As they neared the lamp, he wound down the window, regardless of the small blizzard which blew into the car, “Hello there? Can we help?” He shouted.
The light bobbed around, coming closer. Close enough to show the form of a woman, then closer still, so her features were recognisable. “Hilary Graves! “What ever are you doing out here? Have you completely taken leave of your senses?”
“Not at all,” Hilary shouted back “I thought I heard shouting. I had to make sure there was no one in trouble, but I can’t see or hear anything now. It was probably just Biddy shouting at the children again. I was just making my way back to the house when you stopped me.”
Jack made to open the car door, “I’ll escort you, it’s as easy to lose your way in this as in a fog.”
“No, I’m fine, I made sure I kept the wall in sight, and anyway, I tied some string to the door handle.” Hilary raised her hand to show the string clutched firmly in her mittened hand, “I wasn’t a guide for nothing you know. Anyway, I’ve been out here long enough. Good night Jack, Joey.” Without further ado she moved away and faded into the storm, only the lamp occasionally showing bravely.
Jack waited with the window open until even that sign was out of sight, until he was satisfied that Hilary must be safely indoors, before he moved off again.
The Maynards continued their journey to Freudesheim, little suspecting their daughters had been so close by.

 

#1496:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 9:49 am

Thanks Ellie Very Happy So, still much tension between Jo and Jack, I do hope some of it is just the weather.

 

#1497:  Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle PostPosted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 11:40 am

Thank you Ellie, yes that answers a question but there are still so many that need answers.

It does seem odd reading about snowstorms at the moment - it is still really warm here today but the rain outside is lik a tropical storm.

 

#1498:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Mon Aug 16, 2004 11:11 pm

Ellie!! It's been nearly a week, so I'm starting a pretty little chant Very Happy

 

#1499:  Author: catherine, Location: York PostPosted: Tue Aug 17, 2004 11:29 am

*continues Ally's pretty little chant*


Please update this soon, Ellie!

 

#1500:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Tue Aug 17, 2004 3:45 pm

I'd been hoping for some more of this, so goes away feeling bitterly disappointed.

 

#1501:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Wed Aug 18, 2004 1:26 am

Sorry guys - I'm a bit stuck - I think bunnie Brian is hibernating to avoid the rain. As soon as he wakes up again, I'll get writing.

 

#1502:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 4:40 pm

* poke Brian*

Surely he's slept enough now! Wink

*prepares a delicious feast of salad leaves and bunnie nibbles as temptation*

 

#1503:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 6:53 pm

*Brian nibbles happily*
He started to kick last night on the way to work last night - I did hope that it might be peaceful enough to translate his thoughts into words - but no such luck!
I did manage to do a little bit today - there may be more after the dog walk.


Most of the family having dispersed to their own lawful activities, Con no longer bothered to try to hide her growing anxiety, Steve was well aware of how she was feeling. She suspected that his own worries were just as pronounced, but he was doing a rather better job of concealing it. Then again, he hadn’t been through as much in the previous few months.
It was whilst Con was in the act of staring anxiously through the window into the white tinged gloom that she heard the front door slam shut. “Len,” she looked up with a wild hope shining from her eyes, regardless of how unlikely her sisters were to suddenly arrive home in the midst of such a blizzard.
“It’s probably Mike still playing the ass.” Steve cautioned her, but Con heard the note of hope in his voice, even as she dashed through to the hall.
She stopped short, her hopes dashed as she saw her parents divesting themselves of their outer clothing, then she reminded herself that she was equally pleased to see them.
“Mamma, Pappa,” she flew across the room and hugged them both briefly, “I thought you would stay in a hotel for the night. I didn’t imagine you would drive home through that.”
“Whoa, steady on.” Jack had reeled slightly at her sudden onslaught, “If we hadn’t come back today there’s no telling how long it would have been before we could get home, and frankly, the idea of spending Christmas in a hotel isn’t one that appeals to me.”
“It would be a bit grim,” Con agreed shakily, “Oh, I’m so pleased that you’re back.” She was suddenly overwhelmed by just how pleased she was, how relieved she was that people, older and more mature than she, were there to take charge. She turned away to hide the tears of relief which had sprung to her eyes. “Len and Fel-” she started to say, when the other members of the family, hearing voices, descended on the hallway like a deluge.
In the middle of the greetings Con’s words were lost.
“Well hears a nice thing I must say,” Jo’s clear voice silenced the hubhub, “Doesn’t anyone want to hear how Charles is?” She looked around, noting the absentees for the first time. She wasn’t surprised about Len, daughter number one had been decidedly awkward during the holiday, but she had expected Mike to be at the forefront of the mob, begging for news.
“Where’s Mike?” She asked.
“Hiding,” Steve said, hoping that would suffice as an explanation, “But-” His own attempt to tell of Len and Felicity’s excursion was doomed to failure, as small Claire decided to speak out of turn.
“He slammed the door and stormed off when Anna said it was his fault the Salon caught fire,” She piped up, feeling that it was high time that this exciting event was introduced into the conversation..
“What!” Joey’s shriek of horror was ample reward for the little girl, “What on earth have you been doing?” She ignored the positive babel of voices which offered an explanation as she pushed through the throng and headed to the salon, followed by her grim faced husband.

 

#1504:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 7:56 pm

Oooh, dearie dearie dear.

*shovels handfuls (well, shovefuls) of carrots to Brian in hope of further updates soon!*

 

#1505:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 8:33 pm

*Wonder how long before Jack and Joey hear about Len and Felicity, and how long till someone starts worrying about poor Mike!*

Thanks Ellie - have missed this! Kiss

 

#1506:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 9:12 pm

I must say that once Brian does wake up he becomes a very active bunny indeed! I want to keep writing now and I've got to go to work Sad
As for Mike, the answer is not very long at all, Lesley.


Left behind in the hallway, Steve gave Con’s arm a quick squeeze, “Len will be ok you know, and we’ve managed to keep the younger ones happy, one way or another.”
“Hmmmm,” Con muttered incoherently, she had been struck by a new idea, “I’d forgotten about Mike, Steve, you did check to see if he was in his room didn’t you?”
“Well, no,” Steve admitted, “But that’s where he’ll be. I’m sure of it.”
“Then why didn’t he come down when he heard Mum and Dad come home?” Con stared at her brother in exasperation, “We heard the door slam, what if he really did go out?”
“He’s sulking.” Steve asserted, “But I’ll go and find him if you want.”
He climbed the stairs, two at a time, leaving Con to wait. When he had failed to return after what Con considered was rather more minutes than necessary for such a simple errand, she followed him up the stairs.

In the Salon Jack & Joey were trying to make sense of the confused explanation which the younger Maynards and wards were offering for the fire. Most of them had no idea how it had started, it only having come to their notice when Mike had gone charging by with the water, and they were only too happy to profess their innocence with a clear conscience.
The youngest twins, who’s conscience was anything but clear, were also there, and although Geoff remained mainly mute, grateful that he hadn’t had to face any direct questioning, Phillipa managed, without going as far as to utter an outright lie, to leave everyone with the impression that Mike was initially to blame. This impression was reinforced when a still angry Anna was called upon to give her opinion.
Jack’s expression became more and more angry, while Joey digested the story with a dismayed sadness. Her husband was only to ready to think the worst of Mike, he always had been, but Joey, who had previously gone along with this opinion except on the odd occasion, had been prepared to think otherwise after her chat with the boy.
“You had better make sure you keep Mike out of my sight for the foreseeable future,” Jack snapped, “Otherwise I won’t be responsible for my actions.” He stomped out of the Salon, leaving an atmosphere of unease behind him.
Joey heard the sound of his study door slamming behind him, a feeling of misery washed over her as she realised that whatever intimacy had been recreated between them during that awful journey home had been diffused as surely as if it had been blown away by the mournful wind.

“Steve?” Con entered Mike’s room questioningly. Somehow she was not surprised that Mike was not there. “Have you found him?”
“No.” Steve kept his back towards her.
“What is it?”
Steve, a slightly paler Steve than normal, slowly turned and silently handed her a piece of paper.
The words danced in front of Con’s eyes. “I am just going outside and may be some time."
“Captain Oakes,” she gasped.
“Oates.” Steve automatically corrected her, but Con brushed the words aside. “My god, do you really think he’s out there? Perhaps he had some mad idea of finding Len and Fliss!” She gazed at Steve with horror filled eyes.
“No I don’t.” Steve snapped back. “He’s just trying to worry us, that’s his revenge. Just wait till I get my hands on him.”
Con realised belatedly that Steve’s white face was a symptom of his anger, not as she had previously imagined, of worry.
It was some comfort to the imaginative young woman, but had she known it, her comments about searching for Len and Felicity had caused a niggle of worry to emerge in Steve’s mind. Until then, he had been certain that Mike was safely in the house, was it possible that he had set off after his sisters in an effort to prove that he really wasn’t the villain that everyone appeared to believe he was?

 

#1507:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 9:30 pm

Poor Mike - and I hope Philippa and Geoff get their come-uppance - nasty people! fume

 

#1508:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 9:57 pm

How old are they now? *mildly confused, but very happy about more story*

 

#1509:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 10:00 pm

I must say these Maynards do get at cross purposes, don't they! I've more sympathy for Joey than Jack at the moment. and haven't either of them realised Philippa and Geoff are lying little gits?

So glad Brian has woken up and sends Bunnie tonic, guaranteed to keep him awake and creative Wink

Thanks, Ellie.

 

#1510:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 11:10 pm

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!, sorry I feel all grrrreey at the younger Maynards, and Jack for not even bothering to hear another side!!

I hope Mike is ok, and that he teaches a few people a lesson!!

*feeds Brian some more ~ good little bunny! Wink *

 

#1511:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2004 12:04 am

Ellie, it's lovely to have more! Hope you're going to keep it up! Wink

 

#1512:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2004 5:49 pm

Laura wrote:
How old are they now? *mildly confused, but very happy about more story*


Acording to Ally (thanks Ally) Geoff and Phillippa are seven y o at this point, but in the best traditions of EBD at least one character is actually younger than they ought to be.

 

#1513:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2004 5:55 pm

*giggles* did I really work it out, it seems so long ago! Wink

And that reminds me, isn't this story now a year old??

Party time Very Happy birthday cake piano drummer Trumpet jester

 

#1514:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2004 6:36 pm

You really did Ally - it was when we were discussing the CS sheep and Jemma Russell!
And yes, it is a year old - well, a little bit over a year old now. I am just so slow at writing, I don't know how other people manage to write so much drabble.

 

#1515:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2004 7:22 pm

I'm not that sure about slow, Ellie! You've had 17,517 views on the drabble (17,518 with me now) and 1,513 posts (shucks, make that 1,514 now) - Provided no one has checked/posted while I'm writing this. It's a great drabble, which is why we keep coming back Laughing

I'd applaud the stamina and how on earth do you keep all the storylines going?

*gold medal for longevity of drabble to Ellie* Up on the podium, Ellie!

 

#1516:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2004 7:39 pm

Congratulations Ellie!! birthday cake

It was this drabble that got me writing more than just occasional posts on board, so very special to see it pass its first anniversary. Laughing

 

#1517:  Author: Lisa_T, Location: Belfast PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2004 8:44 pm

*whizzes in to leaves piles of congrats* And don't forget, Patmac, that the feedback number would be even higher if it hadn't been for various TEMS!!!!!!

But- why stop now, Ellie...?
*another way of asking for more*

 

#1518:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2004 9:24 pm

*Bows* Thank you, please help yourselves to a slice of chocolate cake.


finding something to fit Felicity. They were not the sort of clothes that Felicity would normally choose to wear, in fact they weren’t even the sort of clothes which Biddy would choose to wear these days, since they had come not from her wardrobe, but from her oddments drawer, destined to become recycled into clothing for the children. However, they were warm, dry and clean, and Felicity felt she could ask for no more.
The rather more robustly built Len had proved to be more of a problem - none of Biddy’s clothes would go anywhere near her. At one point Biddy had briefly touched Eugen’s dressing gown, but only briefly. No Maynard was going to wear any of her husbands clothes, besides which, she pushed back a small stab of guilt, Eugen himself was not a large man.
Thus it was, that when Felicity, dressed and glowing, and somewhat recovered from her ordeal, ran down the stairs she found Len laying on the sofa swathed in blankets, still, grey and to all appearances dead to the world.
Felicity felt a spasm of fear before her common sense reasserted itself, but she was still highly relieved when Len opened her eyes and gave a quick grin.
“Len, dear, are you all right? I’m sorry I bullied you so much to keep walking, but I had to, you do see that don’t you? But your foot, if it’s permanently damaged I’ll never forgive myself.”
“Stop talking such utter rot. If it hadn’t been for you…..” Len had no need to put the rest of her thoughts into words, and she could see very clearly that Felicity had no desire for a public acclamation, so she merely uttered the single word “Thanks.”
That was enough, Felicity knew that the simple statement was as heartfelt as any other words Len had ever spoken. She quickly changed the subject, “Do you know where Auntie Biddy is? I need to ring Con, they’ll be worrying about us.”
“Kitchen,” Len’s eyes had closed again while Felicity was speaking, and it was only with the greatest effort that she managed to drag them open again. “She’s making a cake, it’s a year since we’ve been in this drabble.”
“What? What are you talking about, and what on earth is a drabble?” Felicity looked at her with concern, but Len had once again given into the irresistible urge to sleep, and Felicity could do no more than ascribe her sister’s senseless ramblings to her tiredness.

 

#1519:  Author: catherine, Location: York PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2004 9:31 pm

*giggles*

What are you doing to your poor characters, Ellie? Aren't they confused enough without knowing about drabbles?!!!

 

#1520:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2004 10:07 pm

I'm quite confused...but glad to see more drabble!

 

#1521:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2004 10:52 pm

*Twilight Zone*

Laughing Laughing Laughing Laughing Laughing Laughing

 

#1522:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2004 11:48 pm

*giggles wildly!!*

Ellie, I LOVE that line!!!!

'she's making a cake, it's a year since we've been in this drabble!'

*rereads and howls with laughter again!!!!*

 

#1523:  Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US PostPosted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 12:40 am

ROFL ROFL ROFL
So, drabbles are the delusions of exhausted, hypothermic Maynards, are they?

Glad to see all the survivors of this epic temporarily "safe," at least from the weather!

Oops, except Mike. But he wouldn't do anything stupid, would he? Rolling Eyes

 

#1524:  Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks PostPosted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 12:54 am

Giggling quietly (so as not to wake the family)

Excellent Ellie (as usual)

popper birthday cake popper

 

#1525:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 12:16 pm

*giggles at Ellie*

Well I think its a fine way to celebrate Very Happy

 

#1526:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 1:30 pm

Wonderful, Ellie. Is Len ready for the Real World?

 

#1527:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Sat Aug 28, 2004 4:45 am

I just couldn't resist it Wink

Since I'm alone on the board, this seems an opportune moment to post the next bit, with apologies in advance.


Needless to say, Biddy was not baking a cake, any such domestic pastime was a long way from her thoughts. Looking back later, Felicity was to think that it had been a long time since any baking had been done it that kitchen.
As she walked in, Biddy, with her back to the door was shaking her boy twin by his thin shoulders, whilst muttering something to him in a low tone. Felicity could not hear her words, but the suppressed anger was all too evident.
Feeling as though she was eavesdropping, she made to slip back through the door. As she did so, she saw Biddy raise her arm and slap Jean, hard, across his face.
She let out an involuntary gasp of horror, but she had no need to worry, Biddy was too caught up in her own affairs to notice her visitor.
Felicity felt herself trembling again, far worse than before. She backed out of the room and sat don with a thump on the nearest available surface, feeling sick and frightened.
Her instinct was to do something to help the child, but this was something totally beyond her limited experience and she had no idea how to proceed, nor, she was honest enough to admit to herself, did she want to provoke Biddy into throwing them out of the house. “It would be ok if it was just me, but not Len. I can’t put her through that again.” She had no idea how long she sat there, paralysed by her indecision, before Biddy came into the room.
“And what is you’re doing sitting on my coffee table when I’ve got more than enough chairs?” Biddy looked at her strangely.
“What? Oh, I’m sorry.” Felicity jumped up quickly, wondering if Biddy suspected that she had witnessed the act of violence. “I was just thinking about Con, and the others,” she pulled herself together quickly, “Auntie Biddy, please may I use your telephone? I’ll pay for the call of course. I know that Len bought her purse with her.”
Biddy shrugged, “It’ll be a long wait you’ll be having if you use my phone. I had it disconnected, it’s a luxury I can do without now there’s no doctor in the house for people to be calling.”
Recalling Biddy’s earlier words about Eugen and her father, Felicity felt herself flushing guiltily, despite her certainty that her father could never have acted the way Biddy had described.
“If you want to use te phone you’ll have to make your way round to Hilary Graves part of the house, and goodness knows why you didn’t pitch on her in the first place. Here take my waterproof, you’ll get there easily enough, just stay close to the wall.”
Felicity hesitated, not because of her reluctance to do battle with the elements again, although that prospect was certainly unappealing, but because she was suddenly decidedly nervous about leaving the helpless Len alone with Biddy.
The older woman had allowed herself a brief, malicious smile at Felicity’s discomfort, leaving the young girl in no doubt that she felt extremely bitter about her father, and by extension, the whole family. Yet what was the alternative? If she remained with Len no-one would know where either of them were. Surely Auntie Hilary would help her, maybe Uncle Phil would be there, perhaps he could even manage to drive them back to Fruedesheim.
“Well?”
Felicity realised that Biddy was holding out the waterproof, “Thank you,” she took the mackintosh from the woman, but made no haste to put it on.
“If you don’t make up your mind to go soon, it may well be too late.” Biddy said.
“Don’t you worry about your sister, she’s sleeping as sweetly as a baby, she’ll be all right until you get back.”
Felicity gulped, wondering if Biddy had developed the power of reading minds, then quickly, before she changed her mind, she donned the waterproof, and propelled herself out the front door.
Biddy followed her through to the hallway. As Felicity stood in the outer porch she heard the door click shut behind her. It was one of the most frightening sounds she had ever heard.
For long seconds she fought back the urge to turn round and hammer on the door, begging for re-admittance, then taking a deep breath. She punged back out into the snow.

 

#1528:  Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US PostPosted: Sat Aug 28, 2004 4:50 am

Uh, oh!

 

#1529:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Sat Aug 28, 2004 9:57 am

Ooooh dear. Methinks perhaps Hilary Graves is not in...?

I used to really like Biddy! Oh well, there goes that!

 

#1530:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sat Aug 28, 2004 10:32 am

Also think the Graves' are not in - and very concerned about Biddy's mental health - her treatment of Jean being very nasty.

Thank you Ellie!

 

#1531:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sat Aug 28, 2004 11:22 am

Oh help, poor Felicity she has gone through an awful lot just recently, I really do hope Hilary is in and if not, just break in girl!! I think I prefered Biddy when she was baking us a cake Sad

 

#1532:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Sat Aug 28, 2004 3:25 pm

Quote "The light bobbed around, coming closer. Close enough to show the form of a woman, then closer still, so her features were recognisable. “Hilary Graves! “What ever are you doing out here? Have you completely taken leave of your senses?”
“Not at all,” Hilary shouted back “I thought I heard shouting. I had to make sure there was no one in trouble, but I can’t see or hear anything now. It was probably just Biddy shouting at the children again. I was just making my way back to the house when you stopped me.” Unquote.

What poor memories you have Wink

 

#1533:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Sat Aug 28, 2004 4:00 pm

OMG! I remembered Hilary was in but had not drawn any significance to the 'shouting at the children again' line. So Biddy is unhinged and that's a new story line.

Hurry up Felicity!

btw - loved the line about being in a drabble Wink

 

#1534:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Sat Aug 28, 2004 4:54 pm

eeek! Urk! Wibble!!!!!


Ellie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

#1535:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Sun Aug 29, 2004 8:59 pm

Steve got up from the bed on which he had been sitting, with total disregard for all the rules. He took the piece of paper from Con and pushed it into his pocket, vaguely aware that if his father saw it he would be furious with Mike for deliberately trying to cause so much worry.
It was not something he would have thought of a couple of years previously, until then he had assumed that if Mike was in trouble it was because he deserved to be, as was indeed often the case, but as Steve had grown older he had begun to notice that his father and Mike came into conflict rather more than was strictly necessary, and that Mike tended to get pulled up for things which would pass by without remark had it been Steve himself who done them. So far, it was more of a tenuous feeling than a fully formed idea but in many years in the future it would grow to be something that Steve puzzled over at times when he thought of his family from across the oceans.
At the time though, he was anxious to find Mike before anyone else. He gestured to Con to follow him as he opened each of the bedroom doors in turn, hoping that Mike was hiding somewhere else.
At last he came to the last two doors, his father’s dressing room and his parents bedroom. He had no quibbles about opening the door of the former, it was after all only used in the case of late night call outs. There was no sign of Mike, but the bed appeared to have been slept in recently, and made up in haste, something which gave him hope that Mike had been in the room recently. One thing he was sure of, was that if anyone saw the state of the small bed it would lead to trouble. “We’d better sort this lot out,” he muttered to Con, brushing aside her protests, “It won’t take a minute, and this proves that he’s somewhere in the house.” He began to strip off the plateaux and the sheets, leaving Con little option but to help.
As Steve had said, it took next to no time to remake the bed, and before long he and Con were standing outside their parents bedroom. For the first time Steve hesitated before turning the door handle. The room was strictly forbidden territory and he doubted if Mike had gone in there, no matter what mood he was in. At the same time, he had no wish to be discovered in there himself. He had no idea just how he would explain that eventuality!
He half opened the door and slipped through the gap, the room felt unoccupied, but he checked the cupboard and under the bed to be sure. As he had expected, there was no sign of his brother. He slid out of the room again, closing the door softly behind him, just in time too, as he heard the sound of his father’s measured footsteps on the stairs.
He grasped Con’s arm and pulled her up the next flight of stairs.
Con, who was beginning to wonder just why they were being so furtive would have protested, but she was forestalled by the sound of Jack exclaiming in surprise on the landing below.
Steve froze; Had he missed Mike? Or some sign that Mike had left behind? Or had he perhaps been careless himself? He waited anxiously, but there was only the soft thud of a door shutting, and then silence.

 

#1536:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sun Aug 29, 2004 10:00 pm

Jack's going to be so confused over how his bed came to be made!! (but thanks for making up for me Ellie Wink )

 

#1537:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sun Aug 29, 2004 10:30 pm

Wonder if the tenuous thought of Stephen's is that Jack suspects Mike is not his??? Shocked Nothing would surprise me in this story! Laughing

Thanks Ellie!

 

#1538:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Mon Aug 30, 2004 5:58 pm

*eyes Ellie hopefully and whispers 'more please'?*

 

#1539:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Mon Aug 30, 2004 8:10 pm

*giggles at the thought of Jack wondering who made his bed*

*thinks Lesley could be right*

Joins Vikki in a quiet murmer (doesn't carry like whispers Wink ) for more, please.

 

#1540:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Mon Aug 30, 2004 8:46 pm

AN INTERLUDE - FOR ALLY

obviously not a real part of the story, but I just couldn't resist it.


At last he came to the last two doors, his father’s dressing room and his parents bedroom. He had no quibbles about opening the door of the former, it was after all only used in the case of late night call outs. There was no sign of Mike, but he came t a sudden standstill, his mouth gaping open with surprise as he saw a slim, dark haired young woman sitting on the chair in the corner of the room.
The woman looked up from her book and smiled at him, “Hi, I guess you must be Steve, I’m pleased to meet you.”
“Wha-, but what - Mike?” Steve stuttered, looking around him wildly.
“Hardly, do I look like Mike?”
“No. Of course not.” Steve blushed a deep shade of pink as he looked at the woman, “But,” he shook his head, as if hoping that such an action would cause the vision to vanish. The woman still filled his vision. He decided it was time to try to assert himself. He drew himself up to his full height, and made an attempt at his mother’s icy dignity. “Who are you? And what do you think you’re doing in my father’s room?”
Maybe it was his diffident manner, maybe it was the higher than normal pitch of his voice, but the mysterious visitor did not seem notably squashed. “I’m Ally,” she replied, “And this is my CBB location of course.”
“Your what?” This time Steve’s voice was little more than a squeak.
“I’ll show you.” Ally picked up a small brief case, although it was rather more solid and square than any other briefcase Steve had seen. He cautiously moved a little closer so as to see what the woman was doing, painfully and embarrassingly aware of the small bed filling his vision. Needless to say, it was the first time Steve had been alone in a bedroom with a member of the opposite sex.
Ally opened the brief case, causing Steve to gasp with surprise. This was most certainly like no other brief case he had ever known. There were no papers inside it, no pens, no sandwiches. Indeed there was no room for any of those objects. The bottom of the case was filled up with a built in keyboard, like his mother’s typewriter, but with far smaller, more compact keys, And more of them too - some with strange words or symbols on them. Yet even more remarkably, the top part of the case was a screen, like a television. Or rather not like a television. There were none of the bulky tubes and speakers which normally surrounded such a contraption, and instead of the usual flickering black and white images, the screen was in full colour. If colour was the correct word to use to describe the page of text which appeared in front of his eyes. He noticed though, that the text was divided into more than one part, and that a small picture appeared at the beginning of each segment.
Filled with wonder, tinged slightly with fear, he leaned closer, so as to read the words. Ally suddenly pressed one of the keys and the text disappeared, but not before he had chance to read the opening sentence of the top segment ~ ‘Steve got up from the bed on which he had been sitting, with total disregard for all the rules. He took the piece of’ ~ For one crazy moment he was siezed by the insane idea that he was reading about himself, but that was ridiculous. How could anyone know what he was doing, and write about it within seconds of him doing it? On the other hand, the whol;e situation was so, so incredible……
“This is the page I wanted to show you.” Ally’s voice dragged him back to reality, if this was reality!
He looked down again, this time he saw Viewing profile :: Ally Avatar All about Ally.
Below the word Avatar, and what was that word supposed to mean, there was a picture of two girls heads, with a line below stating that they were ‘Dashing off for your part in the play’, although that didn’t make sense. Was one of the girls in the picture supposed to be Ally? The dark haired one maybe? He read a bit more, learned that Ally had joined (joined what?) in January 2004. He flopped down onto the bed, his senses reeling, had he stepped into the future?
Ally smiled at him encouragingly, and he followed her finger down the screen, learning that she had ‘posted’ 3086 times and that…..
……her location was indeed Jack Maynard’s Dressing Room!!
“Whaaaa…” he made a weak noise, unsure himself if it was meant as a question, a protest, or merely a terrified moan.
Ally snapped the briefcase shut briskly, “Right, you’d better be getting along hadn’t you, if you want to find Mike. If I were you I’d try looking -” she leaned over and whispered in his ear.
“Are you a witch?” Steve floundered, feeling events had spun so out of control that it hardly mattered what he did or said.
“No,” Ally laughed, “That’s Rachel. Now do be getting along, please. Con will be wondering where what you’re doing. Don’t worry about the bed, I’ll make that for you.”
And with that, Steve found himself propelled out through the door. He stood on the landing, looking around him, finding that everything was familiar. Had the last few minutes really happened? Or had he, somehow slipped into a waking dream. He was compelled to open the dressing room door again. The room was empty, and showed no sign of being recently occupied. All the furnishings were neat and in order, the bed had been perfectly made.[/b]

 

#1541:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Mon Aug 30, 2004 8:58 pm

Love it Ellie! Laughing Laughing Laughing Laughing Laughing



But would also like more proper story!

 

#1542:  Author: catherine, Location: York PostPosted: Mon Aug 30, 2004 9:12 pm

Wonderful, Ellie! Very Happy


*echoes Lesley's second comment*

 

#1543:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Mon Aug 30, 2004 9:49 pm

*giggles*

Love it Ellie!!!!!!

 

#1544:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Mon Aug 30, 2004 11:22 pm

ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL

Thank you Ellie!!! Thats cheered me up no end. I'm printing out my dissertation and is very stressful!

 

#1545:  Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks PostPosted: Mon Aug 30, 2004 11:57 pm

Ellie - you are just so briliantly clever at writing


glad the family have all gone to bed so I can giggle in peace Very Happy

 

#1546:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Tue Aug 31, 2004 1:28 am

Amazing! It wasn't till 'the slim dark haired young woman' said her name that I clicked. I thought Jack ..... well, use your imaginations Twisted Evil

Hilarious ROFL ROFL ROFL

 

#1547:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Tue Aug 31, 2004 3:53 pm

That was great, Ellie, but when are you going to rescue Mike and give the terrible twins their comeuppance?

 

#1548:  Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle PostPosted: Fri Sep 03, 2004 11:21 am

Thank you Ellie for lots of lovely story. Poor Len and Felicity hope Hilary can help them. Must say I didn't see anything sinister in that original shouting post just assumed it was normal parental 'voice raising'.

Congratulations on keeping going for a year.

Looking forward to the next part.

 

#1549:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 11:38 pm

Ok, back to the story proper.


“Phew, thought we’d had it that time.” Steve gave Con a shaky grin.
“It’s a pity he didn’t find us,” Con snapped, “What on earth are we doing creeping around like a pair of burglars? If Mike’s lost it’s more than time that someone knew about it. And Len and Fliss too, I haven’t even had the chance to tell Mamma about them yet, thanks to that brat Claire.”
“For goodness sake, Con, don’t start going all Lenish on me now. Mike isn’t lost in the snow, and we’re trying to stop him getting into even more trouble. At least if we find him he can out his side of the story, if we can’t the parents are bound to think he’s guilty, if he’s hiding.”
“They do anyway,” Con sighed. “All right, ten more minutes, but if we don’t find him by then I’m going to Mother.”
“Fair enough, but get a move on then.”
It took less than ten minutes to check the rooms on the next floor, they were considerably smaller, and with fewer potential hiding places, and Mike was in none of them.
“I told you he wasn’t here,” Con cried, “I’m going to Mamma, we’ve wasted more than enough time already.”
“Wait,” Steve grabbed her arm, “We haven’t looked in the attics yet.”
“The attics? He wouldn’t be up there, he would be frozen stiff.”
“Not as much as he would be outside,” Steve said grimly. He had been so certain that Mike was in the house, he was not about to give up on his theory now, even though his certainty had wavered somewhat as they had failed to see any sign of Mike. “I’m not giving up until I’ve searched every inch of this house. You can do what you want, but if Mike gets into the outsize in rows it will be your fault.”
Con hesitated, dithering on the landing while Steve sprinted up the next, and final, flight of stairs. Before she reluctantly followed him, still half convinced they were doing the wrong thing.
Steve had opened the attic door as she reached the top, and stood fumbling for a box of matches. The layer of snow covering the roof had effectively sealed off the natural source of light, scanty at the best of times.
Con shivered as the cold damp air wrapped itself around her. “He won’t be in here,” she whispered, inhibited from using her normal clear tones, though why that should be was a mystery to her.
“He must be.” Steve spoke firmly, perhaps slightly louder than usual, but his tones struck an oddly discordant note as they reverberated through the darkness. He waited until the small eddies of sound had settled before he spoke again, not quite in a whisper, but certainly a low murmur. “He’s got to be here. You can wait outside if you want.”
It was what Con wanted, more than anything, more even than finding her brother safe. She was swamped by irrational fear at the prospect of advancing one more step into that room, knowing that the blackness would swoop upon her, suffocate her, suck the very air out of her lungs.
Steve struck a match, Con focussed her eyes on the dancing point of light as if her life depended on it, yet beyond the light the half seen shadows held terrors of their own. Then she was gripped by a new, even more terrible fear as her sharp ears picked up the sound of an unexpected, unknown whirring noise.

 

#1550:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 11:44 pm

*shivers down spine*

Ooh thats very spooky.

So, then, whats the mysterious noise??

 

#1551:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 11:51 pm

Do they have bats in Switzerland in winter??

Love it Ellie!

 

#1552:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 12:57 pm

Love it...but I'd love more even more! Very Happy

 

#1553:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 3:12 pm

Lesley wrote:
Do they have bats in Switzerland in winter??

Love it Ellie!


Do bats whirr? Dave rescued one last year, we put it in a box with some water and a twig to hang from, and fed it some insects, but when we tried to let it go at dusk it just clung to our fingers, so we got in touch with a bat rescue organisation. They said we had done the right thing, but then they rang to tell us it had died anyway. Sad Poor little thing, it was so cute.
I didn't hear it whirring though.

 

#1554:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 4:27 pm

Well, it's your drabble...I guess it isn't a bat then!

What about a bomb?? ETA - planted by Biddy??!

 

#1555:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 7:35 pm

No, not a bomb! This is the Chalet School = though I dare say that some of the more scientic members could onstrucy a bomb if they wanted!

Even deeper though the snow was, Felicity soon realised that this journey would be much easier than the trek she had just endured, for one thing she had only herself to consider, and freed of Len’s weight she could move much easier. For another, she had the wall of the building to follow, no chance of becoming hopelessly lost or disorientated this time, and most importantly, she knew that the end of the journey would soon be in sight. It was not very far from Biddy’s apartment to Hilary Graves’ door, and once she arrived, Auntie Hilary would soon sort things out.
She hesitated slightly when she discovered that the small whitewashed fence which had formerly separated the two gardens had been replaced by a larger structure, some six foot high, but her training had the ballet school had not been for nothing, she managed to hoist herself onto the cross bar half way up and wriggle over the top, at he cost of gaining several splinters of wood in her hands. She stopped long enough to pull her mittens back over her fingers before she began the second part of her journey. If she had begun to think that she had imagined Biddy’s strange behaviour, that fence had dispelled all her doubts. “She knew that was there, but she didn’t tell me. She knew that I would have to go back out of the gate, well at least I got one over on her there, but why is she doing this? And what’s happening to Len?”
Her sense of unease provided an added burst of energy, she reached Hilary’s front door far sooner than she expected, indeed she almost trudged past it.
Seeing what she had done, she retreated a step and fell into the porch with relief. It was not exhaustion which claimed her now, but Biddy’s strange behaviour had filled her thoughts until she was almost at breaking point.

 

#1556:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 7:41 pm

I wonder what Hilary will make of Biddy's behaviour? I'm sure she'll drag it out of Felicity and she must have her own suspicions.

As for the noise, its a mechanical sheep, of course! ROFL Wink

 

#1557:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 7:52 pm

But I don't think Hilary's in!!! Aggh. More was lovely..but was the cliff really necessary??!

 

#1558:  Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US PostPosted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 8:07 pm

Poor bat! Sad

Most curious about the whirring noises – after Ally in Jack’s dressing room, I wouldn’t be surprised at anything/anyone! But rooting for Mike, who’s been freezing and miserable an awfully long time. (Ellie DID promise he’d survive to find the ‘real Mike,’ didn’t she?)

And why does the arrival at Hilary’s door still seem so nailbitingly cliffy, when we supposedly know that Hilary’s home? *hopes Biddy doesn’t lose it completely, or worse*

 

#1559:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 9:03 pm

Felicity banged wildly on the door with enough ferocity to rouse the dead, but it was not enough to rouse Phil Graves from his slumber. Hilary, feeling a thrill of apprehension as she heard the noise, selfishly wished that he had been awoken, that he had felt moved to come and investigate himself, but there was no sound of movement from the bedroom, leaving her to face the unknown presence on the door step alone. One thing she was sure of, someone hammering on her door on a night like this one could only mean bad news.
She opened the door cautiously, her surprise at seeing Felicity Maynard was quickly overcome by her relief at being disturbed by such a harmless creature, and she pulled the distraught girl inside without further ado.
“It’s all right Felicity, I’ve no idea how you came to be outside in this, but your safe now, it’s all ok,” she hastened to comfort the girl, “Here dry your tears, you’re safe now.”
Felicity shook herself free from Hilary’s well meaning grasp, “It’s not. It’s not all right. Biddy’s gone all funny, and she didn’t tell me about the fence, and Len’s hurt her leg and I don’t know what might be happening to her ‘coz she can’t move. You’ve got to do something, please.” Felicity turned around and tried to open the door again, her mittened fingers fumbling with the lock.
“Oh no you don’t young lady.” Hilary forcibly pulled her back, “If you want me to help you, you’ll have to do better than that. I can’t make head or tail of it so far. Now what do you mean about Len, is she still out there in the snow?”
“No. Let me go, we’re wasting time. I’ve got to get back to her before she murders her.”
That was too much for Hilary. “Don’t be so ridiculous, child. People on the Platz are not in the habit of murdering one another.” She shook Felicity roughly, trying to stem her hysteria. Having ascertained that Len was not in immediate need of rescue from the elements, Hilary was prepared to take all the time she needed to make sense of Felicity’s rambling exclamations.

The other side of the wall which divided Aldersnest in two, Biddy regarded her uninvited guest with a surly expression on her face.
As a matter of fact, she hadn’t thought twice about the new fence which divided the two properties.
She was not eager to invite anyone into her home, at that particular point, least of all did she want to invite any of the Maynards, but she had had little choice in that matter. Since they had turned up on her doorstep in need of shelter, she had had to take them in, but she wanted to be rid of them as soon as possible. Thus it was, that when Felicity had mentioned the phone, she had seized her chance and bundled the younger girl off to Hilary Graves, hoping that she could offload the pair of them onto her erstwhile colleague.
It seemed though, that the weather was determined to thwart even that plan. As she had slammed the door behind Felicity, in an effort to prevent blizzard from blowing into her hall way, she had noticed that the snow was already appreciably deeper. It was beginning to appear as if she was stuck with Len, at least, for the foreseeable future. And even when the snow cleared, what then? Len could scarcely walk back to Freudesheim, and under no circumstances was she going to allow Jack Maynard into her house to collect his daughter.

 

#1560:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 9:17 pm

I'm just waiting for: 'So Biddy decided to kill Len. After all, a corpse was much easier to dispose of..and it would pay Jack back..' etc etc!!

 

#1561:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 9:58 pm

Poor Len!! Shocked

Looks like she might be stuck there for a while!

*very glad Hilary was in*

 

#1562:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 12:04 am

Eeeeek!!! Wibble!


Poor Len!!!

 

#1563:  Author: Guest,  PostPosted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 8:31 pm

Con grasped Steve’s arm in terror, biting her lip firmly, to suppress he urge to scream. It was too dark for Steve to see clearly the look of panic on her face, he certainly felt her fingers digging into his flesh.
“What’s wrong?” he asked a touch impatiently, he knew that Con’s vivid imagination sometimes led down paths which she would rather not walk, but he had hardly expected her to over react to being in the dark in her own home.
“Shhhsh. Listen.” Con’s strained whisper was barely audible, forcing Steve to concentrate on his powers of hearing. It took a few seconds, but he finally tuned in to the noise that had so spooked Con.
He let out a shout, as the match burnt down and singed his fingers, but that wasn’t the whole reason, or even the main reason, for his yell. He dropped the match onto the floor, where it continued to splutter, fuelled by the clumps of dust from long ago, until Steve had the presence of mind to grind it out with his foot.
It was too much for Con, the unexplained noise, Steve’s yell, the loss of the protective match light, and even as she tried to blunder her way back to the door a cobweb brushed against her face, clinging to her nose. She screamed. Loudly, and repeatedly.
“Shut up you idiot,” Steve hissed at her fiercely, grabbing hold of her to prevent her from opening the door, from alerting the whole household. “Stop being such a …ouch.” Her foot connected painfully with his knee, then she was pummelling him with her fists, fighting wildly for her freedom.

 

#1564:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 8:33 pm

Obviously (I hope) the above post was from me. Grrrrr, stupid computers!

 

#1565:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 8:44 pm

Is there any more, Ellie? Obviously you've been studying at the LAG School of Cliff-hangers and passed Summa cum Laude.

 

#1566:  Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle PostPosted: Tue Sep 07, 2004 3:40 pm

Ellie!!!!!!!!!!!! What a place to leave it. Hope they find Mike soon. Also hope Biddy does NOT murder Len!


More soon please!

 

#1567:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Tue Sep 07, 2004 9:00 pm

Meanwhile, Biddy set about murdering Len................No, not really!


Hilary had refused to listen another word from Felicity until she was sat in front of the pot bellied stove with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands, her coat gently steaming in front of the radiator.
“Now, what’s all this about?” Hilary asked.
“It’s Auntie Biddy, she’s acting all strange and -”
“From the beginning please Felicity, how did you come to be at Bid, at your Auntie Biddy’s house in the first place?”
Felicity thought it was a dangerous waste of time to sit chatting as if Len was not in danger. But the schoolgirl within her responded to the tones of the teacher that Hilary had once been, and she obediently set about relating her story, beginning from the moment that she and Len had known they were to far from home to get back before the storm broke.
At this point she suddenly remembered her original purpose in venturing out in the blizzard again, “Auntie Hilary, please may I use your telephone, no-one knows where we are, and they’ll be getting awfully worried. Mum, I mean Momma and Poppa have gone to visit Chares at the eye hospital and I doubt if they’ll attempt to drive home through this, so there will be no-one there to stop Con from imagining the worst.”
It was news to Hilary that Charles was resident at the eye hospital, as Felicity quaintly described it, but she knew that this was not the moment to sate her curiosity. “There’s no need to watch your language with me Felicity,” She grinned suddenly, hoping to make Felicity relax a little, “I never did like those particular forms of address, but by all means try the telephone, though I can’t guarantee that you’ll be able to get through. You’re wrong about your parents though, they drove past here quite some time ago, they’ll be safely home by now.”
“What! Then I would have been better off staying on the road, they would have seen us and we’d all be safely home by now.” Felicity exclaimed with dismay, “I always get it wrong, and I forced Len to walk when her ankle was hurting her and I’ve probably crippled her for life. If only I’d stayed where I was.” She broke off, biting her lip and trying to ward off the tears which threatened again.
“Nonsense, Felicity, you did the right thing, you couldn’t have known they were on their way home, and by the time hey saw you, you might well have both frozen to death. As for Len, I very much doubt that she will be crippled, I’ve seen enough twisted ankles in my time to be confident about that. Now get off and make that call, but don’t expect anyone to be very impressed with your lack of sense. My little Mary Anne would have read the weather better than you two.” She referred to her youngest girl, a toddler of some eighteen months.
Felicity blushed, her incipient tears forgotten, as she slid off her seat and headed for the telephone.

 

#1568:  Author: catherine, Location: York PostPosted: Tue Sep 07, 2004 9:09 pm

Poor Felicity! I hope Hilary can help her!


Thanks, Ellie!

 

#1569:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Tue Sep 07, 2004 11:01 pm

*teeters on the edge of Ellie's cliff*

 

#1570:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Tue Sep 07, 2004 11:04 pm

Good for Hilary she treated her just right and hopefully will stop Felicity worrying even more.

Now, those strange noises??......

 

#1571:  Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle PostPosted: Wed Sep 08, 2004 2:30 pm

Hilary why are you messing about? Len is in need of rescue.

 

#1572:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Wed Sep 08, 2004 9:00 pm

Thanks Ellie!

 

#1573:  Author: PatMac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Wed Sep 08, 2004 9:17 pm

Bumpity, bumpity bump. I just went over every cliff since my last visit! I think your secret is that you make our imaginations work overtime, thinking what COULD happen Shocked

Great as usual, Ellie!

 

#1574:  Author: Guest,  PostPosted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 8:39 pm

“I say, what’s going on? Is someone killed?”
Con shrieked again as she found the full glare of an electric torch shining straight into her eyes.
The distraction gave Steve the opportunity the grasp her wrists firmly, to prevent any more blows falling upon his pummelled body.
“Mike? What the hell do you think you’re doing, and stop shining that bloody torch in my face.” The source of the voice was no mystery to Steve.
“Whatever I’m doing, I’m not kicking up a row that’s going to bring everyone stampeding up here, and I’ll thank you not to either. This is my place. I don’t want everyone else coming up here and spoiling it.”
“You ungrateful b- wretch. I’ll have you know that the only reason we’re up here is to stop you from getting into even more trouble than you’re already in. You might not be aware of the fact, but Mum and Dad are home, and they’ve already heard everyone else’s version of how the mat caught fire.”
“And you two stuck up for me I suppose? Yeah, that’s what I thought, I was there, it’s got to be my fault. And I suppose you want me to go and own up, well I’m not. I didn’t do it and I’m not going to say that I did, and if that means I have to spend all Christmas day in bed or something, or not get any presents it’s too bad. Now clear off and leave me alone.”
“Maybe you didn’t start the fire, but you deliberately left that note for us to find, and worry about. What if Mum had seen it? She would have started going all pale and weak then Dad would have been even more furious. And what about Con?,” Steve relinquished his grip on Con’s wrists, belatedly realising she had been squirming and complaining, “If I hadn’t been here to put her straight she would probably have rushed outside looking for you.”
“No I wouldn’t, if the little ass wants to freeze to death he can as far as I’m concerned.” Finally free, Con sprinted to the door and fell through it, thankfully, into the world of light and order.

 

#1575:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 8:41 pm

Grrrrrrr! I was logged in last time I posted Exclamation

 

#1576:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 8:42 pm

Thanks Ellie - loving the b- wretch comment!

 

#1577:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 8:48 pm

Thanks Ellie, glad Mike is safe, but feel sorry for the Maynards if they have to watch everything they do just in case Joey pulls a 'pale and weak' stunt.

 

#1578:  Author: Lesley, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 10:58 pm

Laughing Laughing The way Jack and Joey's relationship is going it's likely that Jack would just ignore it now!

*Really, really hope that Phil and Geoff are caught out and Mike finally gets exonerated.*

Thanks Ellie.

 

#1579:  Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US PostPosted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 11:28 pm

Glad he's safe, but .... poor Mike!

*also hopes all is well at Biddy's*

 

#1580:  Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle PostPosted: Fri Sep 10, 2004 11:43 am

Glad to see Mike is safe. Hope Phil and Geoff are exposed for what they are horrible little twerps for want of a better phrase.

 

#1581:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Fri Sep 10, 2004 2:22 pm

Thank you, Ellie. Love the comment about Jo.

 

#1582:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Fri Sep 10, 2004 7:37 pm

I just don't have time yo be here, but I just wanted to ask, if anyone decided to archive this while I'm away, could they leave it to me to start the next bit please?
Sorry if I'm being a pest.

 

#1583:  Author: Vikki, Location: Possibly in hell! It's certainly hot enough....... PostPosted: Fri Sep 10, 2004 7:48 pm

Okay Ellie!
(Liss has been prodding the mods about archiving long drabbles, so it will need doing, but we'll leave it up to you to start the new thread, although if you leave it too long you'll probably get bombarded with requests!

 

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