Katie Goes Back To School

A strange encounter with an old friend at school.

What larks, thought Katie, what larks she thought as she made her way back home from Sandbanks. Once again Katie had had to rush to the rescue after Aunty Alice had gotten herself into yet another ‘Spot of bother’ as her old aunt liked to call it.

Aunty Alice had taken it upon herself to go out for a sail in weather conditions that where what you might call less than ideal.

In fairness, when Aunty Alice had set sail in her small dingy 'Wonderland', sea conditions didn’t look too bad at all. But the weather forecast had said that things may liven up more than a little later on in the afternoon. Not that Aunty Alice ever listened or let that sort of thing bother her anyway.

And, as was her want, Aunty Alice wasn’t averse to taking some food preparations and handy utensils like a small seafarers cooking stove with her anyway.

“Just in case my dear Katie, just in case. You never know what might happen out there, you know.” Aunty Alice would sing out in a voice which betrayed her age.

Aunty Alice was eighty two years old, if she was a day and acted thirty years younger. She was as nutty as a fruit cake, but she had a spring in her step which belied her antiquity. Sprightly is the only way to describe her rapid movements from one point to another, be it to cross the busy High Street in the centre of town or nip under the swinging sails of her trusty old dingy 'Wonderland' during a force ten gale.

Katie did know only too well what her aunty Alice meant. This wouldn’t be her aunty’s first skirmish with the elements, not by a long, long chalk. However, this time Aunty Alice hadn’t counted on what would turn out to be the biggest storm in twenty years.

And, as was usual, it was down to Katie to run out to her old Volkswagen Beetle, Herbie, and get herself down to the coast as fast as the old car could get her there. And, as usual, Katie got there just in time to hear all about how Aunty Alice had just about managed to escape certain death with little more than her own seafaring wits.

As luck would have it, by the time Katie arrived at the coast there were already lifeboats aplenty out to the rescue and Aunty Alice was already tucked up at home with a hot cup of her favourite Earl Grey Tea and some chocolate Hob Nobs (One Nibble and you're Nobbled). Aunty Alice was bedraggled and wet through, but apart from that she was in fine fettle.

What Aunty Alice had put down to nothing more than a small rogue squall turned into a full blown force twelve storm that made the Fastnet disaster of some years ago seem like a picnic.

Aunty Alice regaled Katie with how one moment she was skipping across the waves and in less than a few seconds she was battling the elements trying to save her own life. As luck would have it Aunty Alice hadn't gone too far out to sea and by dint of her awesome seamanship was able to get her plucky little 'Wonderland' back to dry land with little more than a thorough wetting. By this time it was getting late and Katie wanted to set off back home.

As she checked she had everything she brought Katie made a startling discovery. She had left home without her house keys. The thought of staying the night with Aunty Alice did not daunt Katie in the least. However, Katie had wanted to get on with writing a new story she had been thinking about the last two days and was keen to make a start. “Katie darling,” said Aunty Alice

“This wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for me and my stubbornness, please let me help you darling. Why don't you go back and stay at the Old School House bed and breakfast for the night. I'll pay, it's the least I can do to thank you coming down here on such an awful day sweetheart.”

Katie accepted Aunty Alice's offer and after a calming Early Grey tea and a small plateful of her Aunty's favourite chocolate Hob Nobs, she set off home. The journey back up north had been uneventful despite the inclement weather and soon enough the Old School House bed and breakfast came into view.

The Old School House had been around for more than a hundred years, long enough, thought Katie, to have acquired more than one or two ghosts. For sure there were a great many tales those old redbrick walls could tell. If only one could take a few steps back in time, if only......

Katie loaded a sheet of paper into the old Remington typewriter the owners of the Old School House had lent her and set about typing the opening para-graph of the story.

“What larks, I thought, what larks I thought as I made my way back home from Sandbanks. Once again I had had to rush to the rescue after Aunty Alice had gotten herself into yet another 'Spot of bother' as she liked to call it.”

Thus Katie made a start on her new story. She continued typing long into the night until she was so, so tired she simply had to stop. Katie had gotten to the part where she had earlier entered the Old School House and had set the typewriter down and loaded the first sheet of paper. Now it was time to stop.

Barely able to keep her eyes open, Katie slowly made her way up to her room. And this was were the story was going to become very interesting indeed.

Katie was so tired from the days events that no sooner did her head hit the soft down pillow than her dry tired eyelids dropped and she was fast asleep.

When Katie woke the next morning she quickly grabbed hold of a pencil and her notebook and scribbled what had happened in the early hours, long after she had gone to the Land of Nod. Katie did wonder if it was all a dream, and yet it seemed so real and fresh it simply must have happened. Besides, there on the bedside table was one of Mrs Bunburry's delicious hot buttered, fruit scones, still warm!

Katie quickly got dressed in her customary green top and black jeans and combed back her long hair, tying it back with a red hairband. Then she rushed barefoot down the creaky old school stairs to the living room and sat down at the old school desk to begin typing. Clackety clack, clackety clack.....

‘It seemed I had no sooner fallen fast asleep when I woke up needing to visit the en-suite bathroom to do what comes natural.

As I padded back to bed I suddenly felt a pang of hunger. And as I passed by the room door, where hung my hastily prepared back pack, I remembered that Aunty Alice had packed some of her favourite chocolate Hob Nobs.

I reached into the bag and pulled out the little tin foil wrapped bundle of biscuits and climbed back into bed.

Just as I was about to pull back the top of the tin foil wrapping a small group of three people approached the bed in a mist enshrouded huddle.

The leader of this little group started to wag her crooked old finger to admonish me.

“ What are you doing? You should know better. Chocolate is not allowed in school. Give it to me now! ”

My hand froze mid-air and I felt the tin foil bundle drop from my hand. I was absolutely terror stricken.

Then from behind this crotchety old school mistress a familiar figure came forward. It was none other than my friendly neighbour and faithful friend Mrs Bunburry in her big white apron.

“Here,” whispered Mrs Bunburry, “Have this instead, it’s full of fresh fruits and nuts. It’s your favourite, and I baked it specially for you Katie.”

I was in shock and slowly slipped terrified under the white linen bed slip. I just closed my eyes and hoped that these ghosts would just disappear. In less than a few seconds, I fell fast asleep.

Then I woke up this morning as fresh as a daisy. I turned to see the time on the little travel clock on the bedside table. And there, right next to the clock, was a small dish with a fruit scone on it. I reached out to touch the scone and was amazed to feel that it was still warm. I quickly scanned the bed and found no sign of Aunty Alice’s tin foil bundle of chocolate Hob Nob biscuits.

I grabbed up my pencil and notebook and scribbled a few notes.Then I jumped out of bed and hastily got dressed and then tiptoed barefooted down the creaky old stairs to the living room. I brought the warm scone with me to remind me that I wasn’t losing my mind or that I hadn’t dreamt this all up.

I had began typing this and got to the bottom of the page just as Jane the owner of the Old School House came in to ask what I would like for breakfast. Her eyes alighted on the hot buttered scone.

“Oh, that smells nice” said Jane “ where did you get that from?”

I couldn’t even begin to think how I could explain what had happened. Instead I just asked Jane….

“Do you have any ghosts here in this old school?”

“Oh yes dear” said Jane. “ haven’t personally seen any, but my little girl Rachel told me one day how she had seen a little girl dressed all in white skipping down the old corridor singing to herself.

Errrr, would you like a hot coffee to go with that scone?”

“No thank you.“ I replied “but I would love a cup of Earl Grey tea, if that’s at all possible.”

“Of course, I’ll go and get it for you now, just a few moments dear.” And with that she was gone.

I am now looking down at the typewriter, and I am wondering if I have reached the end of the story as well as the page.......’

Katie sat back in her chair and pensively gazed off into the fire that was blazing in the old Adams fireplace. In no more than a matter of seconds Jane appeared and set down the silver tray with a silver pot of tea and a china cup and saucer on it.

Suddenly Katie noticed for the first time a ceramic white dove perched above a juniper plant on top of the Adams fireplace. It was an exact copy of the self same white dove Katie had at home in her workroom.

“ Where did you get that white dove? ” Katie said to Jane as she nodded in the direction of the fireplace.

“ Do you know, I've never seen that before,” said Jane, genuinely surprised to see the ornament.

Off in the distance, in the old school house corridor, Katie could hear a little girl's footsteps and her angelic voice singing 'Amazing Grace' in time to the beat of her own feet.