Status: Currently editing to make a better story. =]
Ghosts Never Sleep: The Diary of Alice Barrows
May 7th 1962
MAY 7TH 1962 - GLORIOUSLY SUNNY
Dear Anne,
Today was just...wonderful! It might sound prissy and damp but I had the time of my life. It was May Day and there were no lessons at all today. We all went into the village and there was a huge street party. Everyone was in their best clothes and everyone had contributed in one way or another. In the morning, there was the traditional May Pole Dance that the little kids performed , followed by the Morris Dancers. I know, dumb drivel but you wouldn't believe who was dancing with them. Professor Tennant! He looked so sweet and swotty in the outlandish regalia of bells and ribbons that they wore. It was a laugh at least and I got to see that he had the most knobbly, skinny, cute legs. Not too bad. We had the usual lunch-feast in the village hall and there was the talent show...
I don't want to remember that.
I wish my memory would agree. It keeps replaying the whole thing. Traditionally, our school always puts on a silly play for the show and this year it was some dull story about a boy who finds a mermaid and saves her life and all that rubbish. I was - thankfully - left to play 'Village Person #2'. I didn't even have a line as such, I just had to remember when to smile, cheer and frown. Even then, I messed up. The leading girl was some awful brat in the senior year and she kept swinging her milky coloured plaits all over the place and once she hit another girl right in the eye with them. It looked so comical that I couldn't stop laughing. It seemed utterly hilarious at the time. Everyone kept giving me little looks, as if to muffle my giggling with their stony expressions. Nothing could stop my laughing, though. Luckily, the audience started to laugh too and we were soon escorted offstage by the vicar so the next act could go up. The other girls surrounded be, I wasn't laughing now. The older girl pushed me against the wall and the others gathered around like an impregnable wall of flesh. Her hot breath scorched my ear.
"What was that in there? You mean little bitch." she glared at me. "Is this funny?" She raised a masculine fist and waved it in front of my face. "Have a good laugh." She raised the fist and I tensed my jaw, waiting for the first blow. I'd had only been in two fights in my life and I had lost both of them miserably.
"Hey, what are you doing McCallion?" said a very familiar voice. I cracked one eye open to see Prof. Tennant standing in a normal looking suit, thank goodness. His arms were crossed and he looked mad as a hatter. "You let go of her and get back to the school building immediately. Don't even think this is the end of it, McCallion." She moved away from me sullenly and gave a poisonous glance at the Professor who seemed to be utterly immune to anything that could be thrown at him. The girls scattered quickly and he walked over to me, tossing an arm over my shoulder as if it was the most ordinary thing ever, ever since dust was invented.
We walked to a quiet part of the village and we sat down on a bench, facing some fields. He shot up suddenly and disappeared for a few moments and came back with two ice cream cones. Both had strawberry sauce on them, which love.
"How did you..."I said as I took the ice cream from his slightly shaking hand. I guessed that he must have been holding the ice cream for too long.
"Well, I passed the ice cream man when we came into the village and I had a thing called money with can be traded for..."
"No, no, I meant the strawberry sauce." I interrupted. He grinned, pleased.
"I don't know about you but I love strawberry ice cream. Just as much as I like strawberries. I once had the strawberries-and-cream package at Wimbledon." His nostrils flared slightly. "Mind you, the cream tasted more shaving than dairy." I smiled widely and took a lick of ice cream.
"You've been to Wimbledon? Brilliant!" I said a little too enthusiastically. A few drips of melted ice cream and strawberry sauce dribbled down my chin. Professor Tennant pulled out his tie and mopped it up. I sat quietly for a moment, embarrassed, "You didn't need to do that. You might have ruined your tie."
"What's a tie, eh? Just a bit of cloth. There are more important things out there. Hope. Freedom. Health. Friendship. Education. Speaking of which, how is your French going?"
"Ah...better. I'm still not too good but better than I was. I am so not looking forward to Finals next week." I said sadly. "Such a strange school. It ends in May and we go back in late August. Most likely so the Headmaster can catch all the Proms." I said, half-smiling. Prof. Tennant gave a small sniff. I suddenly felt rather sad. "Are you leaving us after the summer?" My voice choked up and he smiled appreciatively.
"I'm not going anywhere, Alice. Even if I had the orders from the Queen herself to teach her little darlings at Buckingham."
"Why? That'd get more money, wouldn't it?" He looked sort of solemn and looked out to the fields.
"It's...because...of...well...someone." he said softly, like the sweet zephyrs making the slightest of sounds as they rush through the tall grasses. I could hear my heart going thump, thump, thump.Thump.
"Who?" I asked dryly.Thump.
He looked at me shyly, his ears going pink.Thump.
"Promise not to freak out or be scared?"Thump.
"I promise."Thump.
"I...I..." he started, "Je t'aime."Thump.
I let out a squeak of excitement. I gave a huge, beaming grin and started to giggle. He looked positively scarlet around the ears and I could see the tears starting to form in his eyes.
"No! I'm not freaked out or laughing at you, it's just...well...I feel the same way." His freckles disappeared with the crimson in his face and he squeezed my hand. I could feel every knuckle, crease and nail. I knew that we couldn’t kiss or anything, it was all too new and shiny, like a new piece of gold.
"What are you writing?" Professor Tennant asked. I had to write it all down quickly before I forgot anything.
I just asked him if he wanted to write anything. He does.
Well, this is strange. Hello, Anne. Oh dear, reminds me of that poor Anne Frank, died in a fever at Belsen. God the war was awful. Oh, yes. I just wanted to say hello and...all that. Hmm, she's written quite a bit. I'm going to have a quick glance through.
Aww, that's so sweet. Pity she kept calling me Professor Tennant throughout it. It sounds old, impossibly old. May name is Jonathon Tennant. So, yes, Anne. Toodles.
-Jonathon.
He's so sweet. Oh Christ Alive, he's read it. Oh dear. He must think I must be loopy, writing all that drivel. Oh well, that's life I suppose. Oh...
Jonathon.
John-aah-thon. Jonathon. Jonathon and Alice Tennant.
I like that.
I like that a lot.
I better head off now, Anne. My dinner will get cold.
- Alicex
Dear Anne,
Today was just...wonderful! It might sound prissy and damp but I had the time of my life. It was May Day and there were no lessons at all today. We all went into the village and there was a huge street party. Everyone was in their best clothes and everyone had contributed in one way or another. In the morning, there was the traditional May Pole Dance that the little kids performed , followed by the Morris Dancers. I know, dumb drivel but you wouldn't believe who was dancing with them. Professor Tennant! He looked so sweet and swotty in the outlandish regalia of bells and ribbons that they wore. It was a laugh at least and I got to see that he had the most knobbly, skinny, cute legs. Not too bad. We had the usual lunch-feast in the village hall and there was the talent show...
I don't want to remember that.
I wish my memory would agree. It keeps replaying the whole thing. Traditionally, our school always puts on a silly play for the show and this year it was some dull story about a boy who finds a mermaid and saves her life and all that rubbish. I was - thankfully - left to play 'Village Person #2'. I didn't even have a line as such, I just had to remember when to smile, cheer and frown. Even then, I messed up. The leading girl was some awful brat in the senior year and she kept swinging her milky coloured plaits all over the place and once she hit another girl right in the eye with them. It looked so comical that I couldn't stop laughing. It seemed utterly hilarious at the time. Everyone kept giving me little looks, as if to muffle my giggling with their stony expressions. Nothing could stop my laughing, though. Luckily, the audience started to laugh too and we were soon escorted offstage by the vicar so the next act could go up. The other girls surrounded be, I wasn't laughing now. The older girl pushed me against the wall and the others gathered around like an impregnable wall of flesh. Her hot breath scorched my ear.
"What was that in there? You mean little bitch." she glared at me. "Is this funny?" She raised a masculine fist and waved it in front of my face. "Have a good laugh." She raised the fist and I tensed my jaw, waiting for the first blow. I'd had only been in two fights in my life and I had lost both of them miserably.
"Hey, what are you doing McCallion?" said a very familiar voice. I cracked one eye open to see Prof. Tennant standing in a normal looking suit, thank goodness. His arms were crossed and he looked mad as a hatter. "You let go of her and get back to the school building immediately. Don't even think this is the end of it, McCallion." She moved away from me sullenly and gave a poisonous glance at the Professor who seemed to be utterly immune to anything that could be thrown at him. The girls scattered quickly and he walked over to me, tossing an arm over my shoulder as if it was the most ordinary thing ever, ever since dust was invented.
We walked to a quiet part of the village and we sat down on a bench, facing some fields. He shot up suddenly and disappeared for a few moments and came back with two ice cream cones. Both had strawberry sauce on them, which love.
"How did you..."I said as I took the ice cream from his slightly shaking hand. I guessed that he must have been holding the ice cream for too long.
"Well, I passed the ice cream man when we came into the village and I had a thing called money with can be traded for..."
"No, no, I meant the strawberry sauce." I interrupted. He grinned, pleased.
"I don't know about you but I love strawberry ice cream. Just as much as I like strawberries. I once had the strawberries-and-cream package at Wimbledon." His nostrils flared slightly. "Mind you, the cream tasted more shaving than dairy." I smiled widely and took a lick of ice cream.
"You've been to Wimbledon? Brilliant!" I said a little too enthusiastically. A few drips of melted ice cream and strawberry sauce dribbled down my chin. Professor Tennant pulled out his tie and mopped it up. I sat quietly for a moment, embarrassed, "You didn't need to do that. You might have ruined your tie."
"What's a tie, eh? Just a bit of cloth. There are more important things out there. Hope. Freedom. Health. Friendship. Education. Speaking of which, how is your French going?"
"Ah...better. I'm still not too good but better than I was. I am so not looking forward to Finals next week." I said sadly. "Such a strange school. It ends in May and we go back in late August. Most likely so the Headmaster can catch all the Proms." I said, half-smiling. Prof. Tennant gave a small sniff. I suddenly felt rather sad. "Are you leaving us after the summer?" My voice choked up and he smiled appreciatively.
"I'm not going anywhere, Alice. Even if I had the orders from the Queen herself to teach her little darlings at Buckingham."
"Why? That'd get more money, wouldn't it?" He looked sort of solemn and looked out to the fields.
"It's...because...of...well...someone." he said softly, like the sweet zephyrs making the slightest of sounds as they rush through the tall grasses. I could hear my heart going thump, thump, thump.Thump.
"Who?" I asked dryly.Thump.
He looked at me shyly, his ears going pink.Thump.
"Promise not to freak out or be scared?"Thump.
"I promise."Thump.
"I...I..." he started, "Je t'aime."Thump.
I let out a squeak of excitement. I gave a huge, beaming grin and started to giggle. He looked positively scarlet around the ears and I could see the tears starting to form in his eyes.
"No! I'm not freaked out or laughing at you, it's just...well...I feel the same way." His freckles disappeared with the crimson in his face and he squeezed my hand. I could feel every knuckle, crease and nail. I knew that we couldn’t kiss or anything, it was all too new and shiny, like a new piece of gold.
"What are you writing?" Professor Tennant asked. I had to write it all down quickly before I forgot anything.
I just asked him if he wanted to write anything. He does.
Well, this is strange. Hello, Anne. Oh dear, reminds me of that poor Anne Frank, died in a fever at Belsen. God the war was awful. Oh, yes. I just wanted to say hello and...all that. Hmm, she's written quite a bit. I'm going to have a quick glance through.
Aww, that's so sweet. Pity she kept calling me Professor Tennant throughout it. It sounds old, impossibly old. May name is Jonathon Tennant. So, yes, Anne. Toodles.
-Jonathon.
He's so sweet. Oh Christ Alive, he's read it. Oh dear. He must think I must be loopy, writing all that drivel. Oh well, that's life I suppose. Oh...
Jonathon.
John-aah-thon. Jonathon. Jonathon and Alice Tennant.
I like that.
I like that a lot.
I better head off now, Anne. My dinner will get cold.
- Alicex