The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (233) Christingle Girls

 

December

 

It was at the church of St Pierre where the Christingle service was being held which would be well attended as usual as there would be children and families there from all across the island. 

 

The Christingle Service had become ingrained in Anglican worship though it had its origins in Eastern Europe, and the Christingle Service is a Service of candle lights, where very many years ago people gathered in the street, sang carols and collected gifts to help the less fortunate in the community.

It is a beautiful candle lit service of hymns, carols, recitations and bible readings, but Christingle goes beyond a candlelight service, and it tells a story.

A story is told with the symbolic use of an orange representing the world.
A red ribbon is tied around the orange to symbolize the blood of Jesus shed for his people and toothpicks decorated with dried fruits and sweets are placed at the four corners of the orange representing all the people of the world.
A lighted candle in the center of the orange represents the gift of the light of Christ to the world.

The Christingle lights are made by the children in Sunday school, and then they carry them proudly in procession into the church where they are lit for the service.

 

Because the symbol of the service began life in the Sunday School classes the leaders also attend to watch their charges and from St Joan of Arc’s were Sam Dennison, Robert Horne, Catherine Emmans, and Shannon Duel.

 

Catherine Emmans thought of herself as a plump girl but in reality, she was just a couple of dress sizes bigger than her best friend.

In every other respect she thought she was ok, with her luscious Auburn hair and an abundance of freckle and she was a tall girl, but that hadn’t been enough for her to get her anywhere with Sam Dennison, and she was convinced he didn’t even know she existed, but she had been in love with Sam since she was 12 years old and she was now 18.

 

Sam Dennison and Robert Horne were cousins and had black hair and wild gypsy eyes and were also 18-year-old and good-looking boys, and were very popular with the girls, but the sort of girls who kept throwing themselves at them were not the type of girl they were looking for.

 

Shannon Duel was 17 years old, and she was pretty, tall and slender girl with long dark hair and she was on the outside at least ultra-confident and ultra-popular with the boys who she kept dancing on strings, but they were not the right boys.

She was always immaculately turned out, painted, perfumed and powdered and ready to impress Mr. Right.

But apparently, he was never looking her way, whoever he might be.

But for all her big talk and bravado she was fast approaching 18 and hadn’t even been kissed.

Because she was pretty and because she knew she was pretty, Shannon always talked big when it came to the opposite sex, and her friends bought into it.

But it was all bravado, if one of the men she flirted with actually came on to her, she would have run a mile.

Outside she was sexy and confident but inside she was a shy and dowdy little mouse.

 

Shannon was convinced she was never going to be kissed and especially not before she reached her 18th birthday.

She could quite easily get a kiss in time if she acted like a tart, but she wasn’t a tart and she wanted her first kiss to be romantic, not desperate.

Meanwhile Catherine was still dreaming of a romantic affair with her prince charming Sam Dennison but was resigned to the fact it would never happen.

 

The two friends finally confided in each other during December.

“You fancy one of them?” Shannon probed “Which one?”

“Sam” she reluctantly replied.

“How long have you fancied him?” Shannon quizzed.

“Since I was 12” she replied.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.

“Because nothing will ever come of it” Catherine said definitively.

 

But Shannon was very persuasive, and they made a plan, so on the afternoon of the Christingle service the girls did each other’s makeup, so they could each snag themselves a dark-haired Gypsy eyed boyfriend.

“Wow” Shannon said, “I look really hot.”

“Not bad, eh?” Catherine said admiring herself in the mirror.

“I look about 20” Shannon said, “Don’t you think?”

“21 maybe” Catherine added.

“Shall we go to the pub with them then” she suggested.

Catherine thought about it for a moment and said.

“I don’t know” she said, “I look rubbish.”

“You can borrow something of mine” Shannon said, and Catherine reluctantly agreed so half an hour later they were laughing and joking and on their way to St Pierre’s.

At the same time Shannon and Catherine were doing their makeup Sam and his Cousin Robert were just leaving home themselves for the same destination.

 

The Christingle service was lovely, and the huge congregation thoroughly enjoyed it but for the girls it caused a problem for them as they lost track of the boys, but unbeknown to them they had also decided to go to the pub, fortunately they also chose the Sword and Shield.

 

Shannon hadn’t been to a pub before and although she looked old enough to be in there after the makeover, she had no ID, so she went and found a table and Catherine bought the drinks.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (232) Like a Breath of Spring

 

December

 

It all began for Evangeline House and Roman Street in the southern town off Abbottsford, which was Downshire’s administrative capital and the seat of the Downshire government.

It was also a place that benefitted from the renowned Winston Churchill Hospital, it could also boast that it was a Cathedral City, was home to Abbottsford Town football club and was a seat of learning thanks to Downshire University’s.

 

Sweet Evangeline House walked into the party with a delicate air, and she entered Roman’s life like a breath of spring, enlivening him and her sweet refreshing presence altered everything in his world forever.

Heads turned to watch the maiden, a vision of pulchritude, as she moved like liquid lust, but she had eyes for him and him alone.

She was lithe limbed, gracile, and coquettish in the extreme and had but one desire which was to win his heart and soul because Evangeline was hopelessly in love with him.

But until that day she had been invisible to him, all through the first year they were at University she was just another college girl on campus, but for her he was her universe and every night he was in her head and in her dreams.

She was not invisible to other boys on campus, but she wasn’t interested in any of them, she had set her cap, and she would brook no substitute.

 

However, on that day she was not invisible, on that day he could see her, and he instantly ached for her, but he wasn’t going to get her, not that day.

She didn’t want to be just another conquest for a college boy, she wanted him, but she would deny herself the pleasure of him until he wanted her more.

Dressed as she was in a figure-hugging dress which left nothing to the imagination, she would win his love along with his lust.

She had his attention now and with him hooked she would lead him like a bull by the nose until she was certain she had his heart, his soul, and his love as certain sure as she could have had the rest of him right there and then.

Only when he professed his love to her and she was sure of his sincerity would she surrender her virginity to him.

That surrender came on the night of their wedding on the 8th of December, in the Wedding Suite of the Beaumont Manor Hotel and their union was perfectly blessed.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (231) St Andrew’s Day

 

November

 

St Pierre in the northwest corner of Beaumont Island, is the largest town on the island, in fact it’s the only town on the island and the most densely populated area in the Pepperstock Bay Islands.

St Pierre was where Arthur Lewis had lived for all 63 years of his life, in fact he’d lived his entire life in the same house, and it had never once occurred to him that he should live anywhere else.

 

He was born in the late fifties and had few recollections of that austere decade, almost all his earliest memories were from the brasher, brighter and less restrained sixties.

But the earliest memories he did have were about Christmas and in the Lewis household Christmas began on St Andrew’s Day, November 30th.

As a result of his awareness of the time coming on the cusp of the decades, his earliest memories of Christmas were of a bright and sparkly time when paper chains and the watery coloured paper stars, bells and balls were being replaced by dazzling foil and tinsel.

Which included the Silver Tinsel Christmas Tree, when he looked back it was a quite unspectacular specimen of a tree compared to what’s on offer in the 21st century, but he loved it.

It stood less than 5 feet tall with its fold down tinsel covered wire branches, tipped with red beads to symbolize berries.

However, by the time his Dad had worked his not inconsiderable Christmas magic and covered it with every size, shape and shade of bauble, glass birds with feathered tails, lantern lights, strands of brightly coloured tinsel, foil covered chocolate treats and tiny crackers lain on the branches, it was transformed and was absolutely stunning.

It was the only tree he’d ever known until his teenage years came to an end, when in the mid-seventies he suggested that they have a real tree just for a change.

He would never have suggested it if he had realized for a second that it would signal the death knell of the Silver Tinsel Tree.

Because the following year it was replaced by a green plastic tree much more akin to the trees of today.

 

After his Dad died a few years later the task of decorating the tree fell to him and he instantly realized, sadly, that he hadn’t inherited his father’s tree dressing skill and was never able to equal him.

He came very close one year, in 1983 it was, but he concluded in the end that he merely flattered to deceive.

 

The task of tree dresser fell to his wife Becky which she performed admirably for 40 years, and she made a far better fist of it than Arthur ever could.

However, whether she possessed the necessary skill to transform a Silver Tinsel Tree into something stunning he would never know, as she passed away in October.

“What I would give to watch you dress the tree again my darling” he said as he stared at the naked branches “and then hold you in my arms beside it”

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (230) Fever Dreams

 

November

 

Saxvirdan, is a small hamlet north of the town of St Pierre, made up of former labourer’s cottages close to the remains of the old Roman fort site, Saxa Viridia Castellum, which was of great interest to archaeologists and tourists alike.

It was a quiet back water to someone like Gemma Ralph who was born and bred in London, her brother called it the back end of beyond, but those who lived there liked it well enough, even Gemma loved it despite the fact she’d had an argument with her husband and was sleeping in the spare room.

 

As she slept, her head was full of disturbing dreams of loss and loneliness interspersed with stark warnings from her dead grandmother “Never go to sleep on an argument” until she woke up in a panic, sweating profusely and panting hard.

She got up and paced the room for five minutes before tiptoeing across the landing and slipped beneath the duvet and cuddled up closely to Scott and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

 

But as the dawn broke, her peace was disturbed, but this time, as she slept, her head was full of erotic images and her sleep became restless and fitful, and her skin tingled, and she kept licking her lips as the vivid images played in her head.

Her head rolled from side to side and then she suddenly awoke from that erotic dreamland, with a leer on her face.

So as the dawn chorus chattered in the trees Gemma and Chris made up, and following her disturbed night they both slept late.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (229) Just you and me

 

November

 

James Plant worked for Shaw Brothers and had been away on an outward-bound course, one of those team-building kind of affairs, and the first thing he did on returning home to St Pierre was to sit on his sofa and wade through the emails that had accumulated.

Most of them were of no importance so they went straight into trash, the rest comprised of a number from Daniella Williams, from the office, gently reminding him that he hadn’t submitted his expenses lately.

He had always found her to be an attractive woman but a bit too forceful and a bit bossy.

Luckily before leaving for the Pepperstock National Park, “for team bonding”, he managed to get ahead of the curve and got most of his receipts entered so it only took some little time for him to get them up to date and fire them off to her, which he hoped, would keep her quiet for a week or two at least.

 

Once he had finished all his correspondence, his thoughts returned to Theresa, as they had for most of his time away.

During his enforced isolation, with no access to technology or communication devices, he had a lot of time to think, and most of those thoughts were about Theresa, and on his return to civilization he was eager to speak with her, but he wasn’t getting any response on her mobile.

Theresa was the manager of the Beaumont Manor Hotel so he decided to phone her there the next morning and asked to speak with her and was informed by Kerry, an unhelpful receptionist, that she was not available, so he was about to leave a message for her to call him but instead he asked

“Is her brother Kenny available?”

It turned out that he was, as his was the next voice he heard 

“Kenny speaking”

“Hi Ken, its James” he said

“Hi James, how are things?” he asked

“Not bad” he replied “Listen I’m trying to get hold of Terri”

“She unexpectedly had to fly to the States on Saturday morning” he responded “And she’s staying over there for Thanksgiving”

“Damn” he cursed

“Anything I can help with?” he asked

“Not really” he said, “It’s a question only she can answer”

“Well, I’m sure she will if she can,” he said “I’ll get her to call you”

And he had to leave it at that.

 

It was much later that day when he received a call.

“James” Terri said brightly “Sorry it’s taken so long to get back to you, but the time difference really messes with my head”

“That’s ok” he lied, but it was so good to hear her voice

“I was just hoping we could get together”

“I would like that”

“Ok great” he said “when?”

“Well, I get back in late on Friday which means on Saturday I’m going to be an absolute cabbage so how about Sunday” she suggested

“So how about lunch, but just you and me”

“Definitely” he replied “phone me with the where and when”

 

He was disappointed initially with not being able to say all the things that he wanted to say to her, all the things that he had been dying to say since the team bonding exercise when it dawned on him that he was in love with her, and that came right out of left field.

But that upset was more than offset by her proviso in reference to lunch when she added “But just you and me”

So, he was elated, but the only downside was that he had to wait a for a week before he could see her, but at least they could skype, so he had something to be thankful for.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (228) Guy Fawkes

 

 

November

 

On Saturday night there was a Guy Fawkes Bash, at the Beaumont Manor, which was a fancy dress party, but in addition it was also a masquerade.

But not everyone who wanted to go could afford to attend so they had to watch the display from a distance.

So staring up at the starry November sky in the hotel carpark

were teenagers Barry Wood and Sally Swift who were on their first date on Guy Fawkes Night, and they stopped to watch the pyrotechnic display as it began to grow in intensity after they’d been to the pictures.  

 

After enjoying the fireworks display the headed the headed home, it was dark in the lane as they exited the carpark and just ahead of them, they could see there was a dog walker smoking a cigarette as some kind of Terrier snuffled around in the grass.

The man took one last drag on it and the flicked it into the darkness and it span through the air like a Catherine wheel.

Which Barry thought was quite appropriate as they had just spent half an hour watching the fireworks display, and there was still the smell of gun powder in the damp night air.  

But despite the cold and damp, neither Barry nor Sally were in any particular hurry to reach their respective homes.

It was their very first date, in fact not only was it their first date together it was the first date of any kind for Barry and the first for more than a month for her.

Barry was sixteen and Sally six months older and quite naturally they wanted their date to last forever and they both walked as slowly as it was possible to go without actually standing still.

However they eventually arrived at her front gate and an awkward silence ensued as Barry shuffled his feet and tried to think what to do next and Sally waited patiently for Barry’s next move, but when she realized he didn’t have one she took decisive action and reached up and kissed him and then the fireworks truly began, when their first magical kiss, a kiss that neither of them wanted to end, sent their heart soaring into the heavens.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (227) All Souls’ Day

 

 

November

 

The hamlet of Saxvirdan a mile or so from St Pierre and as it was a hamlet, everyone knew each other’s business, but that didn’t mean that there weren’t still secrets.

 

Mark Holdway was walking along the bridle path in the autumn sunshine, lost in thought and totally oblivious to the glorious scenery surrounding him in the glorious woodland.

He wasn’t even aware how long he’d been walking such was the burden he was carrying.   

“Hello Mr Holdway” a voice said bringing him back to the present and he looked round to see Charlotte Euringer trotting past and giving him a radiant smile.

“Hello Charlotte” he said as she trotted off down the path on her horse, her pert little bottom bouncing on the saddle, rhythmically rising and falling in synchrony with the beast below her and he instantly felt guilty.

It was the guilt of a grieving husband, daring to look upon the loveliness of another woman, and in those moments, he felt really alive.

He had nursed his dying wife from the moment they found out she was terminally ill right up till the end, which thankfully had been mercifully quick.

Charlotte Euringer had been her palliative care nurse, and he really liked her, but there had been no infidelity, he loved her far too much to betray her in that way, it would never even have occurred to him to cheat on a dying woman.

In fact not only that but he kept Charlotte at arm’s length and was cold and aloof and never let his true disposition show through, but the guilt he had felt since, took none of that into account.

 

But that day was different, he had no cause to feel guilty, because on that morning, six months after his beloved wife Ellen passed, he received a letter from his solicitors, Cutts, Miller and Toogood, which he supposed to be some final loose ends to be tied, which in a way it was.

Because when he opened it, he discovered another letter, this time from his wife Ellen, which the solicitor’s letter informed him, was being delivered to him in accordance with his late wife’s wishes.

He sat down and his hands were shaking as he opened the envelope which at once exuded the essence of her favourite fragrance, which he took several minutes to enjoy, with her scent in his nostrils it was like she was there with him, which he surmised was probably the point.

 

He was in tears when he read the letter, one particular part he read several times and each time he cried afresh.

 

“If you are reading this then it means that six months have passed since I left you, and that means that, if you haven’t done so as yet, it’s time for you to get on with your life, you’ve grieved long enough.

I know that you and Charlotte “connected” while you were both nursing me, although you did your best to hide that fact from each other, though not from me, and I also know that you’re far too honourable to have done anything about it, either then or now, which is why I’ve also written to Charlotte.

So live your life to the full, our chapter is over now, and it made very good reading, but it’s time to write the next one with Charlotte”.

 

She had given him permission to pursue another woman, but he wasn’t anywhere near as sure as she was that Charlotte had even the merest interest in him and then he rounded a bend in the bridal path where he saw Charlotte stood beside her horse, which was tied to a stile.

“What kept you?” she called

“Were you expecting me then?” he asked

“I was told you were coming” she replied and held up Ellen’s letter as she walked towards him

“No need to hold back now” she said as she faced him  

“No” he agreed and then he kissed her, guilt free