Chapter 14
Back at the cottage
They entered the cottage to find the fire had burned low and needed some more wood on it.
“It seems so strange that the fire is still in when we have been gone such a long time,” Tommy said.
“Well it’s only just coming up to mid morning now; it takes some getting used to does the forest ‘Time Zone’, explained Esmeralda.
“You can say that again,” laughed Tommy putting some wood on the fire from the side of the hearth. In the meantime Saber had moved to her usual place in the window and was watching everything that was going off; she seemed to be listening to their conversation as if knowing every word they were saying.
Esmeralda sat down in her rocking chair feeling a little tired after all the walking they had done, Tommy on the other hand was feeling fine now that he had been able to discard his leg supports and walk properly, something he wasn’t able to do before meeting up with Esmeralda.
Saber had now jumped down off the window sill and joined Esmeralda on the rocking chair lying comfortably in her lap. It didn’t take long before Esmeralda was in a deep sleep from the effects of the warm fire and the journey they had undertaken.
Tommy thought how she was very much like his gran, who also liked a nap in the afternoon as she got older. ‘I’m only resting my eyes,’ his gran usually says to him but he always smiles to himself knowing different. Tommy put the bag with the strawberry in it on the table and thought he would go for a look round outside while Esmeralda had a sleep.
He tiptoed carefully to the front door closing it behind him as he went outside. He didn’t count on Saber who had slipped through and was now with him again. Having left the comfort of the rocking chair, she was intent upon seeing what he was doing.
“Hello, Saber, I thought you were asleep,” he said stroking her and picking her up.
Tommy made his way slowly to the back of the cottage with saber on his shoulders, the pathway being similar to the front but more covered by a growth of moss and more slippery.
He could see that this path was seldom used, by the extent of vegetation that grew upon it and the nettles blocking the way. Perhaps that’s why Saber had chosen to climb up onto his shoulders he thought; after all she was a clever cat to say the least.
Upon reaching the back garden area he could see that it was far from used, there were brambles, thistles and more nettles everywhere, together with trees and bushes that had been neglected for quite some time.
What he could make out was what looked like an old wooden ‘summer House’, which he could imagine would have been very pleasant to use on a hot summer’s day, offering shade to anyone wishing to sit down.
He could also make out the remains of what looked like a child’s swing, secured to a branch of one of the trees. It had decayed over time to leave one of the ropes broken and the seat hanging down loosely.
Cobwebs were everywhere covering the bushes and trees that filled the back garden area. As the weak sunshine broke through the clouds above now and again, they glistened from every corner of the garden.
“It’s like a little ‘fairyland’ out here,” Tommy thought to himself……. before he could take in any more of the surroundings he heard the voice of Esmeralda calling.
“Are you there, Tommy?”
“Yes, just coming,” he called back, making his way back along the path he had come down a few minutes ago, Saber was still on his shoulders.
“I’ve made a pot of tea in the cottage if you would like some,” Esmeralda said turning to go back in again.
“Oh that sounds nice,” he replied. He followed her inside and Saber jumped down from his shoulders heading for the window again.
“Hope you didn’t mind me looking around the back,” Tommy said a bit sheepish.
“No not at all,” said Esmeralda in a nice way, passing Tommy a mug of tea;
“It’s quite a long time since I went around the back of the cottage, in fact it’s a few years now so I expect it’s a bit of a mess,” she said sitting down with her own cup of Tea. Tommy not wishing to offend Esmeralda nodded his head smiling.
“It used to be a wonderful garden when I was a young girl,” Esmeralda explained leaning back in her chair. Her face took on a pleasant expression as she recalled her early years.
“We had some very nice times in the garden when Damatrisa was here,” she continued, “but after Damatrisa passed away, I started to use it less as the years went by,” she said sadly.
She told Tommy of how they would play games of hide and seek which she recalled she usually won, and they would pick flowers for the cottage window.
In the summer they would have tea in the summer house and enjoy their favorite drink of lemonade that Damatrisa would make using elderberry flowers and other things from the forest..
“I had a swing which could swing high up into the tree branches,” she said smiling more now. “They were very nice times and I still have wonderful memories of them,” she went on. “Dramatrisa had a storeroom out the back, but I never went in there afterwards, I was very young at the time and can’t remember much about it,” she said.
“Well I could see a broken swing amongst the trees,” Tommy said;
“And what looks like the summer house that you have mentioned.”
“Well, well, well,” replied Esmeralda, “after all these years and it’s still there.”
She suggested to Tommy that if he agreed, they might try tidying the garden back up again another day.
“You never know what we will find when we do it,” she laughed.
Tommy agreed and said he would be only too pleased to help clear the garden and make it nice again.
“I sometimes help my gran to do our garden, she manages to grow a few vegetables,” he said, ‘she always says you can’t beat home grown vegetables, does my gran,” he continued.
“Well she’s quite right, they have all the goodness in them when they are picked fresh from the garden,” Esmeralda replied finishing her drink.
“And speaking of your gran, I’m sure she told you not to be late for your tea when you left this morning young man and we don’t want to let her down now do we?”
Tommy agreed, he was also keen to see his gran’s face when he hands over the huge strawberry to her when he gets back home. Tommy picked up the bag containing the strawberry from off of the table saying goodbye to Saber. Saber responded by a swish of her tail and proceeded to walk back and forth along the window sill.
As they reached the front door, Tommy turned to Esmeralda saying how much he had enjoyed the day with Saber and herself and the visit to see ‘The Keeper of the Forest’ and the many things that he had learned that day.
Esmeralda could see that Tommy was a little sad to be leaving for home and she herself felt the same way; she was used to her own company but had enjoyed having Tommy with her all the same. Esmeralda gave Tommy a hug.
“Off you go now before you have us both crying,” she said, wiping away a tear before Tommy noticed.
“I shall be back again,” said Tommy tearfully.
“I’m sure you will,” replied Esmeralda trying to muster up a smile. Tommy gave a last wave as he disappeared into the forest to make his way back home, carefully carrying the bag so as not to damage the strawberry inside.
Back at the cottage
They entered the cottage to find the fire had burned low and needed some more wood on it.
“It seems so strange that the fire is still in when we have been gone such a long time,” Tommy said.
“Well it’s only just coming up to mid morning now; it takes some getting used to does the forest ‘Time Zone’, explained Esmeralda.
“You can say that again,” laughed Tommy putting some wood on the fire from the side of the hearth. In the meantime Saber had moved to her usual place in the window and was watching everything that was going off; she seemed to be listening to their conversation as if knowing every word they were saying.
Esmeralda sat down in her rocking chair feeling a little tired after all the walking they had done, Tommy on the other hand was feeling fine now that he had been able to discard his leg supports and walk properly, something he wasn’t able to do before meeting up with Esmeralda.
Saber had now jumped down off the window sill and joined Esmeralda on the rocking chair lying comfortably in her lap. It didn’t take long before Esmeralda was in a deep sleep from the effects of the warm fire and the journey they had undertaken.
Tommy thought how she was very much like his gran, who also liked a nap in the afternoon as she got older. ‘I’m only resting my eyes,’ his gran usually says to him but he always smiles to himself knowing different. Tommy put the bag with the strawberry in it on the table and thought he would go for a look round outside while Esmeralda had a sleep.
He tiptoed carefully to the front door closing it behind him as he went outside. He didn’t count on Saber who had slipped through and was now with him again. Having left the comfort of the rocking chair, she was intent upon seeing what he was doing.
“Hello, Saber, I thought you were asleep,” he said stroking her and picking her up.
Tommy made his way slowly to the back of the cottage with saber on his shoulders, the pathway being similar to the front but more covered by a growth of moss and more slippery.
He could see that this path was seldom used, by the extent of vegetation that grew upon it and the nettles blocking the way. Perhaps that’s why Saber had chosen to climb up onto his shoulders he thought; after all she was a clever cat to say the least.
Upon reaching the back garden area he could see that it was far from used, there were brambles, thistles and more nettles everywhere, together with trees and bushes that had been neglected for quite some time.
What he could make out was what looked like an old wooden ‘summer House’, which he could imagine would have been very pleasant to use on a hot summer’s day, offering shade to anyone wishing to sit down.
He could also make out the remains of what looked like a child’s swing, secured to a branch of one of the trees. It had decayed over time to leave one of the ropes broken and the seat hanging down loosely.
Cobwebs were everywhere covering the bushes and trees that filled the back garden area. As the weak sunshine broke through the clouds above now and again, they glistened from every corner of the garden.
“It’s like a little ‘fairyland’ out here,” Tommy thought to himself……. before he could take in any more of the surroundings he heard the voice of Esmeralda calling.
“Are you there, Tommy?”
“Yes, just coming,” he called back, making his way back along the path he had come down a few minutes ago, Saber was still on his shoulders.
“I’ve made a pot of tea in the cottage if you would like some,” Esmeralda said turning to go back in again.
“Oh that sounds nice,” he replied. He followed her inside and Saber jumped down from his shoulders heading for the window again.
“Hope you didn’t mind me looking around the back,” Tommy said a bit sheepish.
“No not at all,” said Esmeralda in a nice way, passing Tommy a mug of tea;
“It’s quite a long time since I went around the back of the cottage, in fact it’s a few years now so I expect it’s a bit of a mess,” she said sitting down with her own cup of Tea. Tommy not wishing to offend Esmeralda nodded his head smiling.
“It used to be a wonderful garden when I was a young girl,” Esmeralda explained leaning back in her chair. Her face took on a pleasant expression as she recalled her early years.
“We had some very nice times in the garden when Damatrisa was here,” she continued, “but after Damatrisa passed away, I started to use it less as the years went by,” she said sadly.
She told Tommy of how they would play games of hide and seek which she recalled she usually won, and they would pick flowers for the cottage window.
In the summer they would have tea in the summer house and enjoy their favorite drink of lemonade that Damatrisa would make using elderberry flowers and other things from the forest..
“I had a swing which could swing high up into the tree branches,” she said smiling more now. “They were very nice times and I still have wonderful memories of them,” she went on. “Dramatrisa had a storeroom out the back, but I never went in there afterwards, I was very young at the time and can’t remember much about it,” she said.
“Well I could see a broken swing amongst the trees,” Tommy said;
“And what looks like the summer house that you have mentioned.”
“Well, well, well,” replied Esmeralda, “after all these years and it’s still there.”
She suggested to Tommy that if he agreed, they might try tidying the garden back up again another day.
“You never know what we will find when we do it,” she laughed.
Tommy agreed and said he would be only too pleased to help clear the garden and make it nice again.
“I sometimes help my gran to do our garden, she manages to grow a few vegetables,” he said, ‘she always says you can’t beat home grown vegetables, does my gran,” he continued.
“Well she’s quite right, they have all the goodness in them when they are picked fresh from the garden,” Esmeralda replied finishing her drink.
“And speaking of your gran, I’m sure she told you not to be late for your tea when you left this morning young man and we don’t want to let her down now do we?”
Tommy agreed, he was also keen to see his gran’s face when he hands over the huge strawberry to her when he gets back home. Tommy picked up the bag containing the strawberry from off of the table saying goodbye to Saber. Saber responded by a swish of her tail and proceeded to walk back and forth along the window sill.
As they reached the front door, Tommy turned to Esmeralda saying how much he had enjoyed the day with Saber and herself and the visit to see ‘The Keeper of the Forest’ and the many things that he had learned that day.
Esmeralda could see that Tommy was a little sad to be leaving for home and she herself felt the same way; she was used to her own company but had enjoyed having Tommy with her all the same. Esmeralda gave Tommy a hug.
“Off you go now before you have us both crying,” she said, wiping away a tear before Tommy noticed.
“I shall be back again,” said Tommy tearfully.
“I’m sure you will,” replied Esmeralda trying to muster up a smile. Tommy gave a last wave as he disappeared into the forest to make his way back home, carefully carrying the bag so as not to damage the strawberry inside.