Snippets of Downshire Life – St Nicholas’ Day

 

Downshire is a relatively small English county but like a pocket battleship it packs a lot in, a short but beautiful coastline, a channel port, the Ancient forests of Dancingdean and Pepperstock, the craggy ridges and manmade lakes of the Pepperstock Hills National Park, the rolling hills of the Downshire Downs, the beautiful Finchbottom Vale and farm land as far as the eye can see from the Trotwood’s and the Grace’s in the south to the home of the Downshire Light infantry, Nettlefield, and their affluent neighbour’s, Roespring and Tipton in the north but our story takes place in the southern town off Abbottsford which was the biggest in Downshire, its administrative capital and the seat of the Downshire government.

It was also a place of learning thanks to the Downshire University and was a Cathedral City and was also home to Abbottsford Town football club.

Abbottsford was also the location of the Abbottsford’s Phoenix Shopping Centre and Hanratty’s Department Store therein.

It was at Hanratty’s where lifelong friends, Kristine Perrin and Lily Parsons, worked.

Krissy was the eldest of the pair by two weeks and was a very slim, very pretty girl with dark brown pixie cut hair, while Lily was a small skinny girl with long curly chestnut hair.

Neither of them had particularly happy home lives so they were naturally drawn to each other from an early age.

So, they did everything together and were seldom ever home as they were always off on some adventure or other.

 

They spent all their spare time together and when they were at school and college they also worked together, evenings and weekends at Stephenson’s Supermarket.

Most of their adventurous escapades were during the holidays and they chalked up a lot of happy times and their friendship was their most precious possession and they loved each other, and they complimented each other.

 

Although there were similarities between them, they were both pretty for a start, their likes and dislikes, their sense of humour, but really as individuals they couldn’t be more different.

Kristine had no fear whereas Lily would tremble in the shadows on her own.

Krissy was an extrovert, confident, self-assured and brave, though not cocky in any way.

Lily on the other hand, was shy and she lacked self-confidence but being with Krissy made her feel more confident, daring to do things she would never have done alone, such as leaving Northchapel and moving to Abbottsford.

 

Abbottsford was a place of particular significance to the girls because it was on one of their adventures, to see the Mardis Gras Parade, where they both declared that the unquenchable love they felt for each other was not one of sorority or friendship. 

 

When they had finished college, life at home for Krissy became intolerable so she left, and because of the love they shared, Lily left too.

Luckily Lily had a maternal Grandmother living in Abbottsford who had also fallen out with the family, so they went there, and Grandma Alice was hesitant, from past experience, to get involved but she reluctantly agreed they could stay for a couple of weeks, it was only sleeping bags in the spare room, but they didn’t mind that, they had had plenty of experience of sleeping bags.

Staying with her was conditional upon them getting work, and paying their way, but that didn’t bother them as they had always been hard workers.

Despite the two-week limitation they were still there six months later, because her worst fears were not realised.

Initially the girls got work at Stephenson’s because they had a history with the stores and a couple of phone calls to Northchapel had them vouched for. 

On the other hand, Alice Parsons, worked for Hanratty’s Department Store, and had done for more than twenty years and once she knew how reliable they were she was able to get them jobs at the store, which gave them full time hours, and Hanratty’s paid better than Stephenson’s.

 

Hanratty’s Department store and the Abbottsford’s Phoenix Shopping Centre had been dressed in tinselled Christmas garb and twinkling lights almost from the beginning of October and the girls found it very exciting as it was a constant reminder of the fact that they were heading for their first Christmas as a couple.

 

On the evening of the sixth of December there was a party in the staff canteen, with a first-class buffet and plenty of booze, in fact too much of the latter for lightweight Lily who Krissy had to escort to the ladies.

“Is she ok?” Alice asked

“She will be” Krissy replied “But I think I’d better take her home”

“Ok love” Alice said and returned to the party

 

Krissy took her into the disabled toilet, as it was more spacious, and knelt Lily down in front of the bowl, but she wasn’t sick she just fell asleep and as Krissy sat and watched so did she.

 

Krissy was woken up by the sound of Lily’s phone going off, so Krissy took it out of her pocket and answered it.

“Hello”

“Lily! thank God, where are you?”

“It’s not Lily, its Krissy Grandma” she said, she always called her grandma even though she was no relation

“Why? where’s Lily?”

“She’s asleep” she said and opened the toilet door “We both fell asleep, and now everywhere is dark, and I think were locked in Grandma”

“Well at least your safe” she said, audibly releived

“What should we do?” Krissy asked

“Well just sleep there tonight” she said, “What floor are you on?”

“Six”

“Good, just go through soft furnishings and sleep on one of the beds” she said “just avoid the main thoroughfares and you won’t appear on the CCTV”

“I’m sorry Grandma” Krissy said

“Don’t be silly” she said “you’re safe, that’s the main thing, look after Lily and I’ll bring fresh clothes with me in the morning”

“Thanks Grandma”

 

“Come on sleepy” she said as she tried to get Lily on her feet

“I’m tired” she protested

“So am I honey, so the sooner we get going the sooner we can lay down on a nice soft bed”

“A real bed?” Lily asked sleepily

“Yes”

“Oooh lovely”

 

Even with the incentive of a comfy bed and the fact that she was a skinny little thing it was difficult for Krissy to steer her comfortably to their destination without appearing on the cameras, but she managed it, and dumped Lily on the first bed they came to.

Then she grabbed some pillows off a nearby display and a throw off an adjacent chair and after arranging the pillows and Lily, she covered her with the throw and the slipped under it with her.

 

Krissy had had the presence of mind to set an alarm on her phone, so they could be up and hidden away before the early staff started to arrive, and the contented couple slept soundly all night and the alarm was an unwelcome sound when it went off.

“Wake up Lily” she said and kissed the top of her head as she lay with it on her chest

“Wake up Lily” she said

“What?” she said sleepily

“Wake up” she said “We need to move”

“What! Why what time is it?” Lily retorted

“Late” Krissy retorted

“That was a lovely sleep” Lily said as she lifted her head to look at her

“It was nice wasn’t it” Krissy agreed

“But how did we get here?” Lily asked

“I’ll tell you later but for now we need to get moving”

“No, we need to have our good morning kiss first” Lily pointed out

“You can have your morning kiss when we are safely hidden from the security guard” Krissy said

“Ok” she said and reluctantly slipped out of bed, and Krissy put the pillows back where she got them, even the one Lily had drooled on, and folded the throw and put it back on the chair, and once she was sure they hadn’t left anything behind they made their way stealthily back to the disabled loo.

 

Once they were safely hidden Krissy filled her in on the events of the previous night and explained about Grandma bringing them clean clothes and then just after 8 o’clock Lily got a text message

“Where are you?”

She looked quizzically at Krissy, who raised her eye brows and took the phone from her and typed: 

“Disabled toilet 6^th floor”

“On my way up”

 

“I’m starving” Lily said as they waited

“You’re always hungry” her girlfriend pointed out just as there was a light knocking on the door and Krissy got up and unlocked the door.

“Grandma” they both exclaimed, and she rushed in and hugged them both.

“Oh, girls I’m so glad to see” she said as they hugged “I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to either of you”

 

When the group hug broke up she said

“There are clean clothes, fresh underwear and toiletries in the bag there”

“Thank you” they said

“And there are bacon rolls in here” she said holding up a white paper bag

“Breakfast!” Lily shouted

“I love you grandma” Krissy said and kissed her

“Me too” Lily said having already taken a bite out of her roll

“I love you both as well” she said “Very much”