(Part 01)
The Summers and the Overend’s lived in Northchapel and every year they had a family holiday together in the Dancingdean Forest.
Peter and Kate Summers and their sons Mark and Brian, Kate’s sister Christine Overend and husband David and their daughters Julia and Karen, all travelled to the lakeside home of the Davies family, Matthew and Lindsey who were Kate and Christine’s parents and Shelley who was their maiden Aunt.
The Davies family home was East Side House and was situated on the eastern shore of Teardrop Lake.
Teardrop Lake and the surrounding woodland was privately owned and divided into twelve parcels of land, each with one significant dwelling on it and there were also a number of cottages dotted around the woods as well, quite a few of the properties were vacant and an equal number were derelict.
It was both idyllic and peaceful, there was little or no noise pollution and the lake was little used and the kids always loved going there even more so in the summer when they could get out on the lake.
But by the mid seventies the children were grown up and the long lazy summer holidays were much shorter because of the necessity to work.
However in 1976 the first of the next generation was introduced to the ancestral home and its idyllic surroundings, in the shape of six month old Hannah Summers the daughter of newlyweds Mark and Julia.
Access to Teardrop Lake was via Shallowfield which was a sprawling sparsely populated village and its fortunes had always relied largely upon forestry and agriculture for its survival.
In the post war years with rationing and a shortage of work a lot of people moved away, to Abbottsford, Abbeyvale and beyond and it only barely survived and the community around Teardrop Lake fared even worse.
Only a few of the houses around the Lake were thriving, a lot of the houses had been rented out and those that hadn’t were in a poor state of repair, some too such an extent they were little more than ruins the Davies family were one of the lucky ones.
But by the 70s things were beginning to change, thanks mainly to tourism and an increase in leisure time.
More importantly these people had money in their pockets.
This trend was reflected by the fact that the derelict Shallowfield Lodge, which had been inherited by a young couple from Lincolnshire, Rob and Sheryl Brown, had been turned into a Hotel.
Its completion formerly marked the rebirth of Teardrop Lake and by extension Shallowfield.
There was more than a hint of irony about the long hot summer of 1976 because the appearance of the newest member of the clan beside Teardrop Lake heralded the absence of its oldest because in the first week of August, Great Aunt Shelley, suffered a fatal heart attack in her sleep.
Despite the fact that she was 82 her death came as a complete shock to everyone and caused great sadness both inside and outside the family.
(Part 02)
Shelley Davies was an immensely popular figure among the local community through her charitable work and tireless commitment to the church and all that that entailed.
As a result St Mary’s church was bursting at the seams on the day of her funeral, full of people wanting to pay their respects.
Following the funeral the wake was due to be held at the Shallowfield Lodge but because of the great numbers it had to be moved to the much larger venue of the Claremont Hotel.
Brian Summers was a few weeks away from his twenty third birthday, and was tall and athletic with flowing blond locks and well-tanned skin.
It was a glorious day in Shallowfield, though the occasion at the Claremont Hotel was a gloomy one.
Due to the scorching August temperature the main function room was very stuffy, despite the fact that all the terrace doors were open.
He liked his Great Aunty very much but he was shocked at just how loved she was outside of the family.
After about half an hour he slipped discretely out onto the terrace and went for a stroll in the not insubstantial grounds.
This was in part because of the oppressive temperature in the function room but also because his mind had begun to wander into immoral and disrespectful thoughts in regard to women in black and his thoughts became increasingly lurid as he considered each woman in turn and tried to envisage exactly what form of underwear they were wearing and whether or not they were black.
Once outside he slipped his jacket off and strolled around the grounds for about half an hour when he saw a girl of about his age standing alone by a rose arbor, bathed in the afternoon sun and staring out into the distance and he could tell by the movement of her shoulders that she was sobbing.
His first instinct was to hurry in the opposite direction but instead he found himself walking towards her.
He walked up behind her and lightly touched one of her naked arms.
“Are you ok?” he asked
“No” she replied and then to his great surprise she turned to look at him with tear filled eyes, then she collapsed into his arms and broke down completely.
“It’s ok” He whispered, “I’ve got you”
And as she sobbed uncontrollably into his chest he kissed the top of her head.
He held her close and stroked her back as she sobbed and he wondered what had reduced her to her current state, he didn’t think her tears were being shed for his Great Aunty as wonderful as she was.
His thoughts then began to wander again, first he thought
“She’s getting my shirt really wet”
But he decided he didn’t actually care about that.
However his mind continued to wander and he let his mind wander to such an extent that his wanderings turned to wonderings, in particular what she was wearing under her little black dress.
He could offer no excuse for was what he was thinking as she sobbed her heart out and he consoled her with his empty words.
He could have said in his defense that it was because he was holding in his arms a very beautiful young woman, but that didn’t excuse his grossly inappropriate thoughts of her in her mourning clothes.
(Part 03)
Brian Summers could offer no excuse for what he was thinking as the girl sobbed her heart out against his chest and he consoled her with his empty words.
He could have said in his defense that it was because he was holding in his arms a very beautiful young woman, but that didn’t excuse his grossly inappropriate thoughts about what she was wearing beneath her mourning clothes.
All those shameful thoughts, however soon dissipated when the silence of the afternoon was shattered by a shout of
“OI YOU”
Without letting go of the sobbing girl Brian looked towards the sight of the disturbance and saw a short, stocky and red faced bloke of a similar age to himself.
“LET GO OF HER” he yelled and at that moment she looked up
“Let go of my girl” he said
“Go away Vince” the girl retorted “I’m not your girl”
Vince made a beeline for Brian, in order to get in his face, but when he got close he realized his adversary was more than a foot taller than he was so he took a step backwards and continued to berate his girlfriend.
“Come on, come with me” he insisted
“I’m not going anywhere with you” she retorted and sheltered behind Brian
“Well if you don’t come now we’re finished” Vince countered
“Good” she shouted back
The exchange with her ex-boyfriend had finally stemmed the flow of tears and they sat down on a bench and introduced each other.
Her name was Amanda Jerome, a local girl who knew his Great Aunt through their involvement with St Mary’s church.
She was quite tall, a good six inches taller than her ex, and was curvy and had long brunette hair which framed a very pretty face.
Once she had wiped her tears away and he got a good look at her, he recognised her, not from anywhere specific but he remembered seeing her about the village during his summer visits.
After the introductions Amanda explained what had caused her to breakdown so spectacularly.
“I caught Vince snogging one of the waitress’s in a corridor close to the ladies” she said and her lip began to quiver, but she gathered herself and pushed her chin out resolutely and defied the tears to come.
Brian knew only too well that they would come, it was inevitable, but she would keep them at bay until she was alone in her room and then they would come in earnest and her heart would break in private.
When all hint of tears had gone and Amanda was completely composed they began to walk back towards the Hotel.
“So are you going back inside?” he asked as they reached the terrace
“No, I think I’ll go home” she replied “I don’t want to run into Vince again, I can’t face him”
“Let me walk you home then” Brian offered
“Oh no you don’t need to do that, you’ve been kind enough already” Amanda replied
“Nonsense it’s no hardship”
“Ok then, thank you” she said and smiled
They walked largely in thoughtful silence the short distance from the Hotel to the quiet cul-de-sac where she lived with her parents, where Amanda thanked him for his kindness and went inside.
(Part 04)
After the funeral of Shelley Davies it was decided among the family that someone should be staying at the house with her surviving brother, Matthew and his wife, Lindsey, for the first few weeks, just to make sure they were coping alright.
Brian Summers took his turn on the last weekend of august almost three weeks after the funeral.
However when he arrived on Saturday he found them both in rude health and his presence wasn’t really required, but they were pleased to see him as usual and made him very welcome.
He always enjoyed seeing them and it gladdened his heart that they were doing well.
After lunch he decided to go for a walk and left his Grandad watching Grandstand on TV and Granma knitting, what was likely to be a Christmas present.
After leaving East Side House he turned right at the end of the drive and walked along the southern stretch of the perimeter road which circled Teardrop Lake.
He walked past the Shallowfield Lodge Hotel and on into Shallowfield and then headed toward the cul-de-sac where he had last seen his damsel in distress.
He had thought about Amanda Jerome a lot since the day he walked her home, which surprised him at first because she wasn’t really his type, she was a tall, curvy brunette and he was attracted to skinny, petite blondes.
Nonetheless he was attracted to her and had been so from the first moment he saw her crying beside the rose arbour in the grounds of the Claremont Hotel.
And in the three weeks since the funeral he had looked forward to seeing her again however once he was in Shallowfield again he lost his nerve, he had planned to knock on her door and speak to her but when he was actually faced with that prospect he didn’t get any further than the end of her cul-de-sac and he just walked up and down the Childean Road hoping he might see her.
When he came to the realisation that his technique was fruitless he turned around and headed back to Teardrop Lake and it was as he passed the Hotel again that he saw her coming the other way.
She was shuffling along staring at her feet as they approached each other.
“Hello” he said and made her jump
“Oh” she exclaimed and put her hands to her chest “You startled me”
“I’m sorry” Brian said “I didn’t mean to surprise you like that”
“Don’t be silly I was just miles away” she responded “What brings you back to Teardrop so soon?”
He wanted to say it was to see her but instead he replied
“I’m just checking up on my grandparents”
“Are they ok?”
“Oh yes, that’s why I came out for a walk” he said “Perhaps we could walk together”
“Oh I can’t” she replied “My Dad is taking us to The Mallard in Childean, it’s the new Beefeater Restaurant”
He knew the type of place, they were popping up all over the place, starters comprised of Prawn Cocktail or Avocado Pear and the mains were basically Steak, Chips and Peas or Place, Chips and Peas and desert was Black Forest Gateaux.
He wished he was taking her and not her Dad.
“Another time perhaps” he suggested
“If you’re still here tomorrow” she said hesitantly “I’m free after church, we could go then, if you’d like to”
“Yes, very much”
(Part 05)
On Sunday Morning Brian went to St Mary’s with his Grandparents as was the norm and while they socialised at the back of the Church he scanned the congregation for a sight of Amanda, but to no avail.
Maybe he had misunderstood, but he was sure she said she was going to church, but there was no sign of her.
However when they took their seats he saw her as she emerged from the vestry dressed in surplice and cassock with the other members of the choir as they proceeded to the chancel.
Either side of the chancel were the choir stalls, where the two sides of the choir sat facing one another, unfortunately Amanda sat on the north side and was out of his line sight, and at the end of the service he lost her again in the melee so he had to be content with seeing her later in the day.
They had arranged to meet up on the northern perimeter road after Sunday lunch and as he was keen to see her, Brian was the first to arrive and waited by a patch of meadow in front of a row of derelict woodman’s cottages.
It was the highest part of the road at that point and the view of the lake from there was spectacular.
The lake was shaped like a teardrop, hence its name, and surrounded by ancient woodland of the Dancingdean Forrest.
It wasn’t a huge body of water, just over two miles long and almost a mile at its widest point normally, but it had shrunk considerably during the summer drought.
However he thought it was just as beautiful and unspoilt as ever.
He was so engrossed by the scenery that he didn’t notice Amanda emerge from the woodland a few yards away.
It turned out that he was not the first to arrive, Amanda who it appeared was even keener then he was, had beaten him by half an hour and had taken shelter in the coolness of the forest.
“You made it then?” she said, startling him
“Yes” he replied “where did you spring from?”
“In there” she replied cocking a thumb in the direction of the woods.
Brian nodded “Very sensible”
“So any thoughts on where you want to go” he asked
“Oh yes” she replied “We’re off to Lovers Leap”
“Lovers Leap?” he repeated “Excellent, that my favourite spot”
“Me too” she concurred “on a day like today the view is spectacular”
Lovers leap was a rocky outcrop above the cliffs that were an extension of those that formed part of the northern side of Teardrop Lake and formed the natural border between the Teardrop estate and the Dancingdean Forest proper.
Lovers Leap was so called because it was where desperate and broken hearted lovers would leap to their deaths, although there was no evidence that anyone actually had, but it made a good story.
“Lovers Leap it is then” Brian said
(Part 06)
Having rendezvoused on the perimeter road, Brian and Amanda set off for Lover’s Leap.
It wasn’t a long walk from where they met but it wasn’t an easy one either as it was a steep climb.
Amanda marginally reached the top first but they were both extremely out of breath.
By the time they reached Lovers Leap they were both panting hard and as they walked onto the rocky shelf that was “Lovers Leap” and took in the vista it took away what little breath they had remaining.
“Wow” they said in unison as they looked out across the many and varied green hues of the deciduous Dancingdean Forest stretching into the distance and they sat down on the rocky shelf.
“This really is my favourite place” Amanda said “Vince and I used to come here sometimes”
Vince was her boyfriend, or as Brian hoped, her ex-boyfriend, who she had had a fight with on the day of the funeral after she caught him snogging a waitress, and those event led to him finding her crying beside the rose arbour.
“Have you seen him since that day?” he asked as he removed a vacuum flask from his backpack.
“Yes, he wants us to get back together” she replied
“And what do you want?”
“I want him to want me and be content with that” Amanda said
“But you don’t think he will do you?”
“No he will never be content” she replied sadly
“So what will you do?”
“Not get back with him” she replied
“Does that mean you are free to go out with me?” he asked
“Definitely not” she said sharply
“Oh” he exclaimed
“I don’t mean it like that” she said with alarm “I just mean it’s too soon”
“The wounds are two fresh” he added
“Exactly” Amanda said with relief
“Then it’s not an absolute no?” he asked
“No its not” she reassured him
They stayed up on the rocky shelf for about two hours and only left because it was getting too hot and the flask was empty so they decided to head towards Shoe Buckle falls and soak their feet in the cold water.
The walk back down to the road wasn’t much less arduous and easier on the legs and the lungs than the one up was.
They walked along the road until they reached the point where the brook flowed under the road and they followed the water coarse into the woods.
Heading up along the side of the brook, the first thing they got to was the long disused 16th century stone bridge and then they carried on upwards to the accompaniment of gurgling water.
The sound grew louder and louder with every yard they climbed until eventually they reached Shoe Buckle Falls.
It was so named, so legend had it, after a 17th century fugitive Cavalier who was pursued into the forest by Parliamentarian troops but disappeared in the vicinity of the falls without leaving any other trace other than a shoe buckle that they found in the vicinity.
The falls were not grand or spectacular but they were nice all the same.
The water tumbled and spilled over the rocks gathering briefly in deep pools and then tumbling down again to the next pool.
It was dark beneath the ancient trees and refreshingly cool as the misty spray settled on them.
The rocks and trees closest to the falls were covered in bright green lichens and Brian and Amanda sat awhile and soaked their feet in one of the deep pools.
(Part 07)
On the walk down from the falls he invited her back to East Side House for tea and cake as instructed by his Grandparents and she graciously accepted.
They walked down the hill from the cliff top down to the eastern end of the lake and they came upon a scene that put her relationship problems into perspective.
As it was the end of August 1976, and the summer had been the hottest, driest summer ever recorded, there were severe droughts across the whole country and as a result the water level in Teardrop Lake had dropped dramatically.
In fact it fell so low it resulted in the discovery of a body, or at least the remains of a body.
There were a number of policemen, in and out of the water, and Brian and Amanda paused for a while to watch them work, until the remains were brought to shore.
Those discovered remains were later found to be those of a local woman, Christine Turner, who disappeared in 1915.
At East Side House the discovery of a body was the main topic of conversation during afternoon tea and right up to the point Brian walked Amanda home.
A few days later the first of several thunderstorms hit the area and to some degree cleared the air.
The associated rain inevitably led to flash flooding but they were short lived and caused no lasting damage, but the level of water in the lake did begin to rise.
Mercifully the weather had calmed down by the following weekend, even if it proved to be only a brief interlude.
The Sunday after his heart to heart with Amanda, Brian was once again back at the lake although this time it was more about his welfare than his grandparents.
He was hoping to see Amanda again and hoped that after another week had passed it might not still be too soon for her to go out with him.
On Sunday the 5th of September there was an open invitation to the residents of the Lake, and some in Shallowfield, to the Shallowfield Lodge Hotel, for the proprietor’s, Rob and Sheryl Brown’s wedding anniversary party and Brian was hoping Amanda might be present.
But as he stood on the Hotel jetty on a beautiful Indian summer evening he had begun to think he was out of luck.
He went there to be alone because he was not in the mood to socialise when he realised she was a no show so he went to the jetty for the solitude and looked out across the water as the sky began to turn red with the setting sun reflecting on it and he enjoyed the scene which was when his peace was broken by the clip clop of stiletto heels on the paving stones from the Hotel.
He was cursing the intruder beneath his breath for invading his solitude when he turned to look at the source of his annoyance, and he saw it was a girl in a summer dress or more precisely, Amanda Jerome in a summer dress.
“Hello Brian” she said “I’ve been looking for you”
“I was looking for you too” he said
“Good” she said and before he could respond she began kissing him very passionately on the mouth.
When she stopped kissing him, she looked at him and smiled.
“Does this mean you have made a decision?” he asked hopefully
“It does” she replied and then turned away and clip clopped back to the Hotel.
“Well what is it?” he shouted
“You’ll have to come with me to find that out” she shouted back to him and he sprinted after her.
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