And then I had a thought. Lisa and her father Nigel live with Chris’s family. In the worst of the snowy weather he gave Chris a lift to my house on his skidoo. I looked at the card again. That wasn’t Chris’s handwriting. Could Nigel be the secret admirer? He was a widower and the children provided his connection to Bobbie’s family.
I turned to Cecile and Bobbie, who had been watching me look through the window.
“Well?” asked Cecile, “Do you think any of the three Seadog brothers could have written the card?”
“No,” I replied. “I can’t see them as poets.” I turned to Bobbie. “Tell me, do you have much to do with Nigel Snow-Warren?”
Cecile shook her head. “I can stop you there, Jack. Nigel won’t have written the card.”
I frowned. “It’s just that I think he has copied out some of Chris’s lyrics.”
Bobbie’s eyes widened. “Christian wrote the poem?”
I nodded. “I recognise the words as some old lyrics he wrote. Why couldn’t Nigel have copied them, Cessie?”
“It’s a bit of a secret yet, as Lisa doesn’t know, but Charity Snow-Warren let slip that Nigel has started seeing someone out of the village. I understand she’s called Tara Lapine-Frost.”
“Right,” I acknowledged. “Who else could have copied the lyrics, then?”
Bobbie burst out laughing, and came to her feet. “I know who did it! It was Lisa!”
A smile crept over Cecile’s face, so it was left to me to ask why Bobbie thought this.
“Two things that Biddie said," Bobbie explained. "I remember Biddie remarking that the chocolates were the same sort that Lisa had been given for Christmas. I expect this is the same box re-wrapped – which shows how long this has been in planning.”
“And the other thing?” asked Cecile.
“A couple of months ago, Biddie said that Lisa wished they were sisters, so I could be her mum. I remember being very touched at the time.”
"So Lisa is your secret admirer.”
“I think she must be.” said Bobbie, “It’s a bit of a relief, really. I’m happy sticking with my Butterglove family. At least for now.”
“What about Lisa?” asked Cecile.
Bobbie considered before answering. “I’ll have a quiet word with both her and Nigel. Separately.”
She laughed. “But I think we’ll eat the chocolates. I left them on your hall table!”
- o 0 O 0 o -
Bobbie was a little concerned that the description of Flash Bobtail as "reckless" may have given some the impression that he was a "bad sort". She stressed that this was certainly not the case; he was a loving and caring husband. He simply didn't think things through fully when it came to taking risks. It made for an exciting marriage, but his sense of danger wasn't as developed as it might have been. His passing is still felt deeply. Bobbie says that Biddie has her father's best attributes but thankfully her mother's sense of proportion!
Love it, Jackson! A wonderful conclusion to an intriguing, well-considered story.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI debated whether or not the story should be published in one part. There was an urge to "get the story out" but I'm glad I was patient - I think a bit of intrigue benefits the tale.
I haven't decided what to do for the next "Grandparents" challenge. I don't have many grandparent figures so a story may be challenging!
Hi Jackson!
ReplyDeleteI was looking forward to the second part of your story and I really enjoyed it. How sweet of Lisa sending the chocolates and the card. I found it very touching Lisa wanted Bobbie to be her mum. That´s such a nice thing to say!
Thanks Cutata.
ReplyDeleteIn my wider creative writing I tend to get bored with the predictable so I guess this followed through into my Sylvanian scribblings.
I actually went through similar thought processes to Jackson in the story - intending to reject the beavers and sea dogs before going on to someone more likely. As Nigel was single, he became a contender. A bundle I bought on email included a Snow-Warren in a bride's dress, which gave Nigel another outlet for his affections. Lisa became a possibility, and that's how the little twist in the story came to be.
With Lisa not having a mum, seeing the close relationship between Bobbie and Biddie made her realise what she was missing.
It's interesting when characters become almost alive to the writer!
Such a great conclusion to the story! That was so sweet on Lisa's part, even though she did cause some worrying and confusion, hehe! But she had the best intentions. :) Hope they all enjoyed the chocolates!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ayrell. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
DeleteWith the grandparents theme in the forum's next creative challenge, if a story emerges, it will need to include some of my other families. There would need to be a bit of a link to my Buttergloves if Jackson is to relate the story.
Forum comments:
ReplyDeleteLivvyBramble » Sat Feb 16, 2019 6:18 am
Ah-ha! A surprising conclusion to your story, and very sweet, great job
And good to get some details on that Butterglove family tree
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Thanks Livvy. A touch of hopeful matchmaking on the part of the secret admirer.
I wonder what will be made of Tara?
My Butterglove family tree is my take on the relationships given the number of these bunnies I've acquired (incidentally your package arrived about 30 minutes ago and I altered the tree as a result. I couldn't bring myself to change the sister to a brother!). It's not official geneology. I suspect the company intention was to have the Prof and Cecile as a couple, but Jackson was the first male to arrive here and Cecile was waiting with her kiddies. I didn't expect I'd ever acquire a Prof, and families were established when he did. Fortunately there was another wife waiting for him!
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So glad the parcel arrived safely and they have settled into Mellowdene. I think you have been very creative with the family tree. You have inspired me to re-dress my spare Cecile figure and so the Proffessor has joined his family in my cabinet, I haven't come up with a first name for him yet, I like your Newton, maybe I'll go for Issac!
cutata » Sat Feb 16, 2019 1:26 pm
ReplyDeleteJackson, what a great conclusion to a well-thought and well- written story. I enjoyed both parts!
As for creating scenes for your stories you´re on the right track. I also create scenes as the one you made. It´s imposible to have homes for all my families so I use an L-shape cardboard structure. I just change the wallpaper and flooring to create different setting and interiors. I usually use scrapbooking paper but there are plenty of papers on the web to print . I use this structure not only for rooms but also for shops, such as the cheese shop and the beauty salon.
As for making your own furniture you did a great job with the fireplace. It looks great!
I made some sofas and beds following Kyraja´s detailed tutorials. She used to be an active member of the forum. You can find some examples of handmade furniture on her lovely blog.
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Thanks Cutata. I'm glad you enjoyed the story.
I need some sort of solid structure on which to attach my wallpapers - I had wondered about angled card - maybe covered with sticky back plastic to assist with adding/removing wallpaper. I also thought LEGO structures could be built to vary the shape of the room. I guess much depends on how ambitious I become
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Ayrell » Sun Feb 17, 2019 1:49 pm
So happy to read the conclusion to the story! That was surprising and very well thought out! Looking forward to more Mellowdene stories!