Mornington-By-Mere – (67) The Reluctant Hero

 

Mornington-By-Mere is a small country village lying in the Finchbottom Vale nestled between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest and the rolling Pepperstock Hills.

It is a quaint picturesque village, a proper chocolate box picturesque idyll, with a Manor House, 12^th Century Church, a Coaching Inn, Windmills, an Old Forge, a Schoolhouse, a River and a Mere.

But Mornington-By-Mere is not just a quaint chocolate box English Village it is the beating heart of the Finchbottom Vale and there are a number of cottages and small houses on the Purplemere Road and Dulcets Lane which form the part of Mornington Village known as Manorside and 37 year old Divorcee Tony Chester lived at number 6, Dulcet Mill Lane.

 

Tony worked for O’Sullivan and Springthorpe Auctioneers, and managed the newly set up storage facility up at Mornington Field but his job also involved him having to spend time at some of the other premises like the ones in Shallowfield and Purplemere, and it was in the latter where he came into regular contact with Helen Gearing.

And the time he spent in Purplemere was fraught with problems, or problem, namely Helen who had been trying to get in his trousers for two years but he had always resisted her because although he was divorced from his ex-wife Gemma and despite the fact that she was a bitch he still loved her.

Plus although he actually liked her he thought Helen was a really annoying woman even though she did have a great figure and fabulous breasts.

 

But his resistance was finally broken one summer night when he had been over to the Purplemere office to help with the audit.

Everyone had to work quite late and it was after ten by the time he left and he thought he had escaped her clutches as she left ten minutes before him.

But he had hardly driven half a mile before his mobile rang and it was Helen.

“What is it Helen?” he said sharply

“I’m a damsel in distress” she replied

“Why what’s wrong?” he asked indifferently

“I’ve broken down” she replied “On the Express Way”

He suspected that it was a ruse but his conscience wouldn’t allow him to leave her helpless woman at the roadside so he weakened and agreed to go and help her.

 

She was parked in in a layby beside the Finchbottom Express Way, the only layby on the entire stretch that offered any privacy as there was a stand of trees separating it from the road.

“That’s very secluded” he thought to himself as he pulled up behind her and got out

“Thanks for coming” she said “you’re my hero”

“What’s the problem?” he said side stepping her flannel and looking inside the open bonnet

“Will the engine start?”

“I don’t know, but my motors running hot” she replied and when he turned to look at her, she was standing beside the driver’s door wearing a very figure hugging outfit.

He had always thought that she had a great figure and curves in all the right places but as she stood there in the moonlight she looked gorgeous and any lingering resistance to her charms melted away under the moonlight in the secluded layby.

TAINTED LOVE

 

Cruel fate

Cursed our souls

When cupids arrow

Missed its aim

And speared our hearts

Hearts not free to love

Hearts otherwise wedded

In blessed union

 

But cupids strike

Left us fettered

Bound together
With loves chains

Enslaving us

Bonding us with love

Conjugated by fate

Entangled marionettes

Puppets of love

Reluctantly performing

To another’s will

 

Held in love's grip

By fates curse
That bitter sweet gift

Of deceitful ardour

Duplicitous romance

Forbidden passion

That gift of love

With the curse of betrayal

 

Knowing loves intimacy

The joy of closeness

The warmth of tenderness
Passion made manifest

Emboldened the psyche

Elevated the soul

Flames of passion

Burning deeply

Cleansing all

But the guilt

 

Enchanted by Eros

Beguiled by Amor

Spellbound by adoration

But gripped by fear

Fear of being together

Fear of discovery

But the overriding fear

Of separation

Mornington-By-Mere – (66) Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fond

Edward Vineyard was a 23 year old English graduate who worked for the Shallowfield and Childean Chronicle and the last couple of weeks things had been quite uninteresting for him, firstly because nothing of any interest happened in the Finchbottom Vale or even the wider environs of Downshire for that matter during those two weeks and even if there had been something even mildly interesting he had been stuck righting fluff pieces on flower shows and gymkhana’s.

The other reason life was so dull for him was that his 24 year old girlfriend Patsy, who had her own special way of helping him pass the time with her insatiable appetite, had gone away on holiday with her parents. 

So he took himself completely out of Mornington for the two weeks which allowed him to drive all over the Vale chasing non stories in a very dull couple of weeks in the Downshire area, which made the time drag even more.

 

At last the time came to end his self-imposed exile from the Village and he returned to his parents’ house in Mornington and the first thing he did when he got back on the 4^th of June was to go in search of Patsy, he had really missed her and it surprised him just how much and he hoped that she had missed him half as much as he’d missed her. 

But it was busy in the village as it was the weekend of the Mornington Beer Festival which was a two day event and as was the norm it was being held in the grounds of Mornington Manor which was only a short walk from his parents’ house in the Close.

 

He was hoping to touch base with Patsy, who he hadn’t seen since she got back from Spain, and maybe go to the pub for a few drinks but she was working all weekend, because of the Beer Festival so he knew he wouldn’t see her “properly” until Sunday evening when he could expect a proper Patsy hello.

But he went in search of her anyway and after chatting with a few friends he was told 

“She’s working in the main beer tent”

 

He fought his way to the bar in the main marquee and bought a pint of Mornington Ale and settled in the corner, hoping to catch a glimpse of her but he had been sitting at the table for an hour and had almost finished his second pint before he spotted her and then she was able to grab a 20-minute break and they sat in a quiet corner of the gardens where they could share an occasional kiss, but alas she wouldn’t show him her white bits, but as she was getting up to go back to work he did get his hand up her skirt high enough to squeeze her bum before she slapped him.

But it did give him a taster and he was left with a philosophical outlook knowing there was lots more for him to investigate and explore when he saw her next time on Sunday night when her shift at the festival was over.

SNAPSHOT

 

I held her picture

Posed for posterity

A picture of a young girl

In a summer dress

A “hand me down”

Pattern faded

With fraying hem

A pretty young woman

Face of innocence

Framed by brown tousled hair

Naïve and unaffected

Unsure of her beauty

And more beautiful

Because of it

Such a wonderful snapshot

Of a perfect moment

So long ago

I fell in love with her that day

My heart melted

Like the snow in spring

I love her still

And every day in between

Tears welled in my eyes

As I looked at that picture

Of naïve beauty

And they fell unchecked

As I remembered

The woman she became

And the love we shared

Until she was taken from me

Mornington-By-Mere – (65) The Everyday Dream

 

In the quaint chocolate box English Village of Mornington-By-Mere, which was the beating heart of the Finchbottom Vale, David Cooper was sat on the sofa with his girlfriend Sharon Taylor.

Sharon was a soldier in the Downshire Light Infantry and had only recently returned after 3 months away on exercise only to drop the bombshell that she had been posted to Cyprus for a 12 month tour.

The bonus was that she had a month’s leave before she had to report for duty.

So they made the most of the time and spent as much of it as possible together.

“You’re very quiet, what’s wrong?” he asked

“Nothing” she replied

“Come on, there’s something on your mind” he insisted

“I’ve only got four days left of my leave” She explained “before I have to report to barracks in Nettlefield and then a week after that we go to Cyprus”

“I know” he said

“Well there’s something I want to do before then” she said

“You’ll have to wait for my mum to go out first” he said

“No not that” she retorted

“It must be something important then” he said with concern

“I want you to take me to the Regimental Ball in Nettlefield?” she asked and tensed up

“Is that all?” he asked

“Yes, but it’s important” she replied “I’ve never been before, because I never had anyone special enough before to go with, but now I do”

“Of course I will darling” he said

“Good because I’ve already bought the tickets” she replied cheekily

 

David lived in the centre of Mornington in a house in The Close with his family, whereas Sharon lived on the opposite side of the village on the other side of Manor Wood where there were a number of cottages and small houses on the Purplemere Road and Dulcets Road which formed the part of Mornington Village known as Manorside and the Taylor family lived in Dulcets Road in a house called Green Fields.

Which was where he picked her up from on the night of the Regimental Ball and when he saw her his jaw almost hit the floor, she looked so stunning in a burgundy coloured cocktail dress, borrowed from her mother and matching shoes and handbag from her best friend.
He thought Sharon looked like a proper girl, not the daring soldier, afraid of nothing and nobody, she was a girl, gentle and vulnerable, and little bit frightened, and he couldn’t have been more in love with her than he was at that precise moment and when he walked into the Ball with Sharon on his arm he felt so proud.

 

They had a wonderful night, excellent food, a live band and lots of dancing, and neither of them really wanted the night to end, but end it did and at 2 am they were walking through Memorial Park in the moonlight heading towards the Hotel when David broke the silence as they were passing the bandstand.

“There’s something I need to talk to you about” he said and her heart was in her mouth, her worst fears were being realised, he was breaking up with her because she was being posted to Cyprus.

“I don’t know the best way to say this” he began and her stomach turned over.

“I’m going to take two months off work, unpaid mainly, like a sabbatical, so I can come to Cyprus right in the middle of you tour, I’ve already spoken to my boss and he’s happy, so we’ll be together for Christmas and New Year” He said without pausing for breath.

“What do you think?”

“What do I think? I’ll tell you what I thought, I thought you were going to dump me” she said and slapped his arm

“Why would you think that?” he said

“Because I’m going away” she replied

“Which is why I want to come and spend time with you”

“Won’t you get bored while I’m on duty?” she asked

“No, Cyprus is a nice place with plenty to see” he replied “and there will be plenty of pretty girls to occupy me while you’re serving queen and country”

“You do know that I’m trained to kill don’t you?” Sharon said and laughed before adding more seriously

“Are you sure you want to come to Cyprus?”

“Look I’ve only just got you back in my life and I’m not letting you slip through my fingers again” he said

“I’ve decided that you’re a keeper”

“Does that mean what I think it means?” she asked

“It better had, otherwise I’ve bought this for nothing” he said “and took a ring box from his pocket”

“Oh my God” she exclaimed “Really?”

“Well what do you think?” he asked

“I…” she began and then put her head in her hands then she took a deep breath and stood to attention

“I think you need to ask me a question” she said

“Oh it’s like that is it?” he said and knelt down

“Sharon Elisabeth Emma Taylor, will you marry me?”

“Oh I don’t know” she said indifferently

“Fare enough” he replied and put the ring back in his pocket

“I got the ring on sale or return anyway” David added

“Don’t you dare” she said and got him in a half nelson until he gave her the ring “of course I’ll marry you, it’s all I’ve ever wanted”

“What to be married?” he asked

“No, to be married to you”

“Then I am your dream come true?” he said

“Well now you put it like that I appear to have set my sights rather low” Sharon jibed

“Is that right?” he said taking her by surprise and extracting himself from her head lock and turned the tables on her and bent her over the hand rail and spanked her arse hard

“Ow” she barked

“Sorry did I spank the rufty tufty soldier too hard” he said and spanked her again

“Oww” she said “that hurt”

“So what’s your answer?” David asked and slapped her buttock again

“Ok you brute, I’ll marry you”

I HAD FORGOTTEN HER

 

I had forgotten her

I had forgotten

The way she looked

With her bright elfin face

And brown soulful eyes

I had forgotten

The sound of her voice

With its sweet honeyed tones

And her infectious laughter

It had been hard

But I had forgotten her

I had forgotten

The smell of her hair

The taste of her lips

The touch of her skin

I had forgotten her

She was off my radar

My senses were free of her

Free of her intoxication

Free of her narcotic

It had taken months

Going cold turkey

To cleanse myself

To detox

To shake her from my consciousness

And exorcise her from my soul

I changed jobs

Decorated the house

Rid myself of everything that reminded me of her

And I was free

My life was once more on an even keel

The stormy seas had been quelled

All was calm and safe

Such comfort there is in safe

The wounds had healed

Though the scars remained

I had peace of mind

Since I had forgotten her

Well I had forgotten her

Until that fateful day

When I found it

Down the side of the sofa

A small pearl button

Such an innocuous item

Evoked such potent memories

Of a violet lamb’s wool sweater

That accentuated her breasts so well

The button was a casualty of an encounter

Discarded in our passionate haste

And in that instance of recognition

She was all at once back with me

My senses reawakened

Her scent was in my nostrils

I could feel her lips on mine

Her caress on my cheek

I could hear her infectious chuckle

And I saw her sitting beside me

Close enough to touch

And as the wounds reopened

I realised I had not forgotten her

I had just shut down

Disabled my interface with the world

Hid in my castle and pulled up the draw bridge

And created my own world within

I held the button in my fingers

As my castle walls fell

And the world flooded in

That little pearl button

Spoke to me in volumes

And I knew I loved her still

Mornington-By-Mere – (64) Calming Influence

 

Quiet and shy 35 year old Ashleigh Oakes lived and worked up at Mornington Field, which was once a fully operational RAF station, and he lived in Apartment 6 of Dowding House, which had been converted from what was once the bases Sergeants Mess

He was not a native of the small country village of Mornington-By-Mere or indeed the Finchbottom Vale which nestled comfortably between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest and the rolling Pepperstock Hills.

Ashleigh was in fact a foreigner by birth, having been born in Nottingham, but he and his family moved to Downshire when he was still a schoolboy and he lived in Nettlefield for 20 years.

He had always been gifted with his hands and was encouraged by his parents to pursue a profession which would make the best of his skills and after school he took an apprenticeship with a jeweler called Harry Lamb and he worked for him until his death.

Harry had no family so Ashleigh inherited the business from him which he planned to carryon in the same way that Harry had taught him, however on first seeing the quaint picturesque village of Mornington-by-Mere, while on a walking holiday he fell in love with the proper chocolate box picturesque idyll, with its Manor House, 12^th Century Church, Coaching Inn, Windmills, an Old Forge, a Schoolhouse, a River and a Mere, so he decided to move the business and himself.

 

Moving to Mornington proved to be a momentous decision because despite being a quiet shy man, and new to the area, when he moved to Dowding House he instantly fell in love with his new neighbour Yolanda Torres.

She was not new to the Finchbottom Vale but she was a new resident in the village although she was not a stranger as she had worked in Shallowfield for Downshire Denticare and divided her time between there and Mornington. 

She would have liked to work all week in Mornington but there just wasn’t enough dentistry required for that.

Yolanda had always loved the village and had often dreamed of living there but never dared hope that it might actually happen one day.

But when the opportunity of an apartment up at Mornington Field presented itself she snapped it up. 

 

She was also not cursed with Ashleigh’s affliction of shyness but she was immediately attracted to her shy neighbour.

But despite their being a mutual attraction four months quickly passed by and nothing happened between them.

Until that is he got a toothache, which he at first ignored, then he self medicated and finally he made an appointment to see a dentist.

 

He got the earliest appointment he could, which was two days after he first woke up with the toothache and his appointment was at midday.  

Ashleigh didn’t like going to the Dentist’s it terrified him and just the thought of it wound him up to such an extent that his heart pounded in his chest and with every passing minute the adrenilin pumped around his body and his palms sweated and his head throbbed.

He would have gladly killed someone than to see a dentist but it was getting worse with every minute.

 

The Doctors, Dentists, orthodontists and pharmacists were all based elsewhere and provided a skeleton service to the village.

The Doctors presence was maintained by the Dancingdean Health Centre in Shallowfield and one of their number, Locum Doctor Kelly Spearman lived in one of the Military Row houses.

The Dental and Orthodontic staff came from a large specialist practice in Finchbottom, Downshire Denticare and the Shallowfield, Robert Harvey Pharmacy in Oakwood Road filled any prescriptions and delivered them to the surgery every day.

 

The reception area for the Doctors, Dentist & Orthodontic Surgeries sat in an extension between the two buildings.

Because Mornington was such a small village none of the practices were open full time but Baron St George, the head of the Mornington Estate heavily subsidized all three as well as the small Chemist shop, which shared the Doctors premises.

 

Ashleigh had got the earliest appointment he could, which was at midday two days after he woke up with toothache.  

He walked up to the desk and, Katie Parsons, the receptionist directed him to the waiting room.

Ashleigh didn’t like going to the Dentist’s because it always wound him up, so as he sat in the waiting room with his blood coarsing through his veins causing his heart to pound in his chest and with every passing minute the adrenilin pumped around his body so that by the time he was called his heart was ready to explode.

 

As he went into the room the dentist was sat at a computer in the corner with her back to him.

“Take a seat” she said and he turned around and sat in the chair and then the light was turned on and angled into his face.

This served only to make him produce even more adrenelin and then he realised that the Dentist was Yolander.

“You need to relax Ashleigh” she said

“I have a fobia” he snapped

“Well you still need to calm down” She said

“You have to relax”

“I cant” he panted

“You really must” she insisted and put her hand on his and that action slowed his breathing down imediately and when she squeezed it, it stopped altogether for a moment.

“Nice and calm” she said.

Yolanda was looking at him lying in the chair with his eyes fixed on her.

“Very calm now” she said as she stroked his hand

“Nice and calm” she added and then her mouth was over his and Ashleighs andrenelin was pumping again and he was far from calm as he reciprocated and she took that as acquiescence so she sat on his lap

“Are you relaxed now?”

“Yes” he replied

“Good” she said and kissed him again

 

After five minutes of very satisfactory kissing she asked

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes much better”

“Good” she said as she slipped off his lap “Now lets do a propper exam, and tonight I will come round to yours and help cure your fobia of Dentists”