FLOOD 

By Tessa Harvey

    Before the group reached the lovely green front door, it opened and a sturdy looking woman stood there, her face beaming. "Ow do?" she said in a strong Cumbrian accent. "I'm the P.L.!" 
    "What's a P.L?" asked Theo, forgetting to be shy. "Why, it's a Picnic Lady," she responded, bending to give the small boy a hug. At first he was quite stiff, then relaxed, sensing no harm.
    "But we ordered food," stated John Dixon, and the teacher Tom Jacobs added "Chicken," "and stuff," echoed Theodor.
    "Happen you did," smiled the P.L., but John asked me to light some firesand tidy, so I added a few extras. Free, as a welcome like."
    Eliza gave the cheery woman a hug. "Thanks so much," she whispered, and with sylvia, stepped inside.
    It was homely and warm and very welcoming. Light reflected from plates, cups and glasses and shone on the pots and pans hanging on the wall. Best of all were the delicious smells of hot food.
    The P.L waved goodbye. They gathered round the sturdy wooden atable. "It's a feast."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FLOOD  By Tessa Harvey     Ian was trying to do exactly as his twin brother - to keep still. The teacher was watching them. He was on playground duty. Eric knew why he was watching them - he was trying to figure out which one was which. "Keep still, Ian!" he hissed. But Ian could not do that.     After a few minutes he was tapping his fingers or his toes in time with an internal metronome. For the very first time in his eleven years, Ian prayed God help me have music . Just then Mr. Jacobs came over. "Ian, would you like to join a music group? Eric is welcome also.     Eric scowled. Even the other kids just called them "the McKenzie brothers." He was very annoyed this dumb teacher had figured them out.     Then he saw the look of longing on his brother's face, and his heart melted. Time to grow up, he thought, a trifle sadly.     "Is there a chess club, sir?" he asked instead. "Ian can do music if he likes." He shrugged nonchalantl...
Read more
THE SENTINEL AWAY WITH WORDS  By Tessa Harvey     Polly Stanton leaned back against the wide oak tree and closed her eyes for a few moments, feeling exhausted. The young lad at the bus stop when she queried where the school was sited had smiled down at her. "Nowt but a lar walk," he had said.     She remembered the lovely Cumbrian accent and how it had cheered her all those years ago returning from London on the overnight bus. Just a wee walk then.      So she had set off walking the narrow lane which had meandered and curved. Imagining herself again a student, the time had seemed to fly by. Then her years had caught up with her. Old age, she thought, remembering how an older woman had once said "never get old, dearie!" Polly had thought that funny. "Move ominously," another person had said, "life is a......" - which it could be, she thought, ruefully.     Sinking down among the slowly falling leaves, she wondered at the impuise to seek ...
Read more
THE SENTINEL (continued)   By Tessa Harvey     "So," Eliza finally said with embarrassment, "I took drugs and drank and I think your father is a man called John Dixon. We were engaged to be married but he went away to do some hard training in the police force and do specialised work and, well....."     Sylvia was livid with rage. "You couldn't wait?" she queried, her voice rising.  "We got carried away," her mum began.     "NOT THAT! Why didn't you wait for him? What's wrong with you mum??!!"     "I didn't know I was pregnant." Her mother Eliza was getting angry too, "and ayour stepdad, Karl was so nice. He had a way with words...." the older woman said, dreamily. But Sylvia was glaring at her harshly. With a sudden pang, Eliza remembered how much she had despised her parents as a teen. 'The sins of the parents,' she thought. Is it always a cycle that will never end.      Sylvia thundered out,...
Read more