Winter's Tale BY ANN WOOD PART 1
Winter evening, dusk has fallen outside and it is cold.The fire in the fireplace is burning and spreading its light throughout the room.
The flames play playfully and their warmth envelops the room.
It is dark outside, and the first snow of the year is falling quietly.
I stand by the window, and I am lost in the dance of the falling snowflakes.
A quiet January winter evening, the rhythms of a love song are coming from the radio.
The flames seem to have started to dance to the rhythm of the song.
The snow is falling and I am huddled by the window and watching it fall quietly to the ground.
The clock is counting down the minutes to midnight, tick tock tick tock filling the silence in the room.
I go to the kitchen and make myself aromatic herbal tea, with honey and lemon.
I sit at the kitchen table and pour some of my tea while I cut myself a piece of apple pie.
There's a knock on the door, who's there at this late hour, I go quietly to the door and peek through the peephole to see who's come so late.
I look and see a little girl holding a baby in her arms.
I open the door slightly, look around, see if anyone is with them, but I don't see anyone, and open the door to let the child in.
Good evening, young beauty, where are your parents?
And she looks at me timidly and in a very quiet voice tells me, we are orphans, my mother died a few moths after my brother was born, and my father ran away with another woman with whom he has a baby.
We have no one, the house we lived in, the landlord sold it and we were left homeless. Her funeral, will be next week, as she died unexpected, they need to make autopsy and investigation. Here is the phone number of my mom advocate and this latter with my mom will wish, and the name of funeral agency and their phone number too.
Before she died, my mother told me to come here and look for Mrs. Annie, is that you?
Yes, that's me, but who was your mother and how did she know me?
Mom, she worked for your school, she was a cashier and helped in the school cafeteria, her name was Marie-Anne and she had long blond hair.
She often told me about you, that if anything happened to her to look for you, she also told me that you had a shelter at the school for orphans like us.
I took the baby and put it on the sofa and wrapped it in a blanket.
I asked, what is the girl's name? And she told me in a quiet voice Amelia, and my brother Allan.
I looked at her, and asked her, do you have any luggage, Amelia?
And she showed me the backpack on her back and that was all I could take. A few diapers for my brother, clothes for both of us, powdered milk and two bottles of boiled water for him. The new owner of the house said that if I found a place to shelter, he would keep our few belongings and help me get them tomorrow.
I also offered to warm up some soup and make sandwiches for her, she looked at me shyly and thanked me, sat down next to the baby, and hugged him to warm him with her little body. I also made hot chocolate to warm him up and put wood on the fireplace. I sat down next to her and took the baby, I had made milk for him and fed him. Amelia, she was eating quietly, and her little body was shaking from the cold. I also gave her one of my sweaters and my scarf to wear to keep warm. She thanked me and asked me where the kitchen was so she could take the dishes and wash them? I said yes and that I would wash them when I put them to sleep after I bathed them to keep warm. In the morning, when we get up, we will go to their old house to get their luggage.
After feeding the children, I took the dishes to the kitchen and left them in the sink.
Then, I went upstairs to heat the bathroom and let the bathtub fill.
Then I went downstairs to get the backpack with the few clothes the children had.
And I went back upstairs again to turn off the water.
Amelia was sitting in front of the bathroom with the baby in her arms, waiting for me.
I left the backpack in the room and went to the bathroom, took the baby and told Amelia to undress.
I left the baby in the basket that Amelia had brought it in.
Then I helped her into the bathtub and started to bathe her.
She was very thin for a five-year-old child, her long curls fell loosely down her back.
I soaped her hair and washed her with clean water, then soaped her body, and then gave her the sponge to soap herself. Then I rinsed her off, and helped her get out of the tub. I dried her and applied body balm to her body, and helped her put on her pyjamas. I also dried her hair with the hair dryer and left her in the room to play with my phone.
I went back to the bathroom, filled a basin with water and undressed the baby to bathe him. I gently soaped his hair with baby shampoo that I found in the backpack. I rinsed him and soaped his body and rinsed him again. And he is quiet and just smiles at me. I dried him, applied baby oil to him, and put a clean diaper on him, and put him in the pyjamas that I found in the backpack. I carried him to the room and put him in his basket.
I sat on the bed and took a book of stories and started reading to them, they fell asleep quickly.
I took Allan's basket and took it to my room, I undressed and took a shower, dried myself and put on my pyjamas. I went back to the room, Allan was sleeping and cooing sweetly. I went down to lock the downstairs doors and set the alarm, prepared milk for Allan and quickly went upstairs. I checked the children and all the windows and went to bed. That night I couldn't sleep, I kept listening for the children, so that they wouldn't cry. At two in the morning, Amelia knocked on my door, and in a quiet voice asked if I could come in, I said come in, dear child, she was thirsty and asked to go to the toilet too. Then the two of us went to her room, and I helped her to lie down again and swaddled her. Then I went back to my room to check on the sleeping Allan. Then I took their clothes from the bathroom and let them wash, went to the kitchen and washed the dishes and made coffee, and went back up to my room, having looked into Amelia's room before, she was sleeping as well as little Allan. I couldn't sleep all night, and I read a book.
The kids woke up around eight, I got up and got dressed, then I got them dressed too, and we went downstairs to have breakfast. Around ten I put on my coats and put them in my car. Allan was in his basket and Mary Ann was next to him on the seat. I started the car and we drove off, I had been there a few times to help Mary Ann watch Amelia while she went to a women's consultation when she was pregnant with Allan. They lived a few blocks from my house.
When we caught up, I stopped the car in front of the house, got out and knocked on the door. The door opened, and a woman appeared. She looked around and asked me who I was looking for, I said I was the principal of the school where Mary Ann worked, the woman who lived in the house before she died. I also showed her the letter that Amelia gave me this morning from Mary Ann's lawyer, in which she names me as the guardian of the children. The woman looked at it and gave it back to me, told me to wait, and went into the house. After a while she came back with a few suitcases and bags with the children's things and a sack of toys. We put them in the car and she brought Allan's stroller. We folded it and I put it in the front seat next to me. It's a good thing my car is big, so we packed all the luggage. We went back to my house, I unloaded the car, put the suitcases and bags in the hallway and got back in the car, I had to go shopping, formula milk, diapers and toiletries for Allan and Amelia. As well as food, milk, fruits and vegetables, water, juices and new clothes for the children.
At one in the afternoon we got home, I had bought pizza for lunch for me and Amelia. When we got home I unloaded the car and put everything in the hallway. We had a quick lunch with Amelia, I changed Allan's diaper, and we had to go out again. I put the kids in the car and we headed to the city centre. I had to buy two car seats so the kids could sit. I also bought a large stroller so I could put Amelia in when we weren't out with the car. I also bought a playpen for Allan and a bunk bed for the kids' room. I also ordered new furniture for the kids' room. The room where Amelia slept last night will be her room when she grows up. And the room next to mine is the second largest guest bedroom, it will be the kids' room. And the two smaller rooms; I will use them as guests until the kids grow up. And when they grow up, they will have separate rooms, each with its own bathroom. Around five in the evening we got home from another shopping trip. I unloaded the car, put everything in the hallway, took off the kids' coats, changed Allan's diaper. I started making spaghetti sauce, and called my sister Cathy to come and help me put the luggage back in its place. It was around six and we had dinner first, and then we started unpacking. We put the two strollers away in the closet under the stairs. At eight I put the kids to bed and we continued tidying up the house. By ten the last suitcase was unpacked and put away. Since it was getting late I suggested my sister Cathy stay with us to sleep, besides it was Friday night and we spend the weekends together. She lives in the next neighbourhood, half an hour by car from me. Her room is on the bottom floor, as she is disabled and has difficulty moving around at night if she has to go down to the kitchen during the night. After we finished packing up, we sat down to have a glass of wine.
I suggested to my sister that she move in with us and we rent her apartment. She has difficulty climbing stairs when the elevator is not working, and she lives on the third floor. Her apartment is nicely laid out, with three bedrooms, two living rooms, a kitchen and dining room, and two bathrooms. Also two large terraces, which are glazed and one has been converted into a small office. Around midnight, we said good night and went to bed. Before going upstairs, I locked all the doors and windows on the lower floor and set the alarm, then I checked the windows on the upper floor, checked on Amelia, and went into the room where Allan was sleeping. I could hear that Cathy was not yet in bed, she must be taking a shower in the bathroom downstairs. That night, Amelia had nightmares, and came to me crying. I made room for her until she calmed down and fell asleep. Then I moved her to her room, and went back to bed. And that night I couldn't sleep, I preferred Mary Ann's letter and her will several times. She wants to be buried next to her parents' grave, which she bought and paid for forever. She wants her children to be left under my care, she wrote down the numbers of the bank accounts she opened in their names, each with ten thousand for the children's education, and a third account with twenty thousand so that they would have something to support themselves. Also a key to a bank safe in which she put all the children's documents, a small dowry for their weddings and some gold jewelry, which she divided equally. She had paid for all the expenses of her funeral, as well as for the lunch afterwards. She also wrote me what vaccines the children had, a full medical report for both children, what they were allergic to, and when their next vaccines and doctor's visits were.
Saturday morning, I got up first, went downstairs and made coffee and mixed pancake mix. Shortly after, Kathy came into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee, and sat down next to me on the couch. I was going to make the pancakes when Amelia woke up so they would be warm. The weather was supposed to be a little warmer today, and I was going to take the kids to the park. And then we were going to go to the mall for lunch and shopping. I had to buy some things for the funeral, as well as a black suit or dress for me and one for Amelia. Kathy also bought a very nice black dress. When we got home, I wrote a message on the school website with the day, date, and time of the funeral for Marie Ann. Within minutes, my phone started ringing, colleagues and parents of students who knew Marie Ann started calling and asking if I needed help. I had no idea that so many people knew and loved her. All afternoon, people came to see the children and express their condolences, bringing flowers and gifts for the children. The house was filled with children's voices, people coming and going. At eight o'clock we sent the last guests away. The children were tired and fell asleep early, and we sat at the table in the living room and read the messages people had sent to us and the children. I will work from home next week, and then I will take maternity leave, since Allan is too young to go to nursery. My sister and I will take turns looking after the children and running the school, which is ours, a legacy from our parents. In time it will be up to Amelia and Allan, since I spoke to Mary Ann's lawyer, to file the adoption papers, and my sisters and I decided to adopt them.
I suggested to my sister that she move in with us and we rent her apartment. She has difficulty climbing stairs when the elevator is not working, and she lives on the third floor. Her apartment is nicely laid out, with three bedrooms, two living rooms, a kitchen and dining room, and two bathrooms. Also two large terraces, which are glazed and one has been converted into a small office. Around midnight, we said good night and went to bed. Before going upstairs, I locked all the doors and windows on the lower floor and set the alarm, then I checked the windows on the upper floor, checked on Amelia, and went into the room where Allan was sleeping. I could hear that Cathy was not yet in bed, she must be taking a shower in the bathroom downstairs. That night, Amelia had nightmares, and came to me crying. I made room for her until she calmed down and fell asleep. Then I moved her to her room, and went back to bed. And that night I couldn't sleep, I preferred Mary Ann's letter and her will several times. She wants to be buried next to her parents' grave, which she bought and paid for forever. She wants her children to be left under my care, she wrote down the numbers of the bank accounts she opened in their names, each with ten thousand for the children's education, and a third account with twenty thousand so that they would have something to support themselves. Also a key to a bank safe in which she put all the children's documents, a small dowry for their weddings and some gold jewellery, which she divided equally. She had paid for all the expenses of her funeral, as well as for the lunch afterwards. She also wrote me what vaccines the children had, a full medical report for both children, what they were allergic to, and when their next vaccines and doctor's visits were.
Saturday morning, I got up first, went downstairs and made coffee and mixed pancake mix. Shortly after, Kathy came into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee, and sat down next to me on the couch. I was going to make the pancakes when Amelia woke up so they would be warm. The weather was supposed to be a little warmer today, and I was going to take the kids to the park. And then we were going to go to the mall for lunch and shopping. I had to buy some things for the funeral, as well as a black suit or dress for me and one for Amelia. Kathy also bought a very nice black dress. When we got home, I wrote a message on the school website with the day, date, and time of the funeral for Marie Ann. Within minutes, my phone started ringing, colleagues and parents of students who knew Marie Ann started calling and asking if I needed help. I had no idea that so many people knew and loved her. All afternoon, people came to see the children and express their condolences, bringing flowers and gifts for the children. The house was filled with children's voices, people coming and going. By eight o'clock we had sent the last guests away. The children were tired and had fallen asleep early, and we sat at the table in the living room reading the messages people had sent us and the children. I will be working from home next week, and then I will take maternity leave, since Allan is too young to go to nursery. My sister and I will take turns looking after the children and running the school, which is ours, inherited from our parents. In time it will be left for Amelia and Allan, as I have spoken to Mary Ann's lawyer, to help with the adoption proceedings and to draw up our will. He agreed to help us, and in a week we had our first adoption case for the two children.
The hearing went well and the judge set the new case for the end of next week. After the case, we went to the market and had a drink, to wish the case a good start.
When we got home, the lawyer called to say that he had also written our will, and that he would come to sign it the next day. We wished each other a good evening and hung up, I left my phone to charge.
I went to change Allan's diaper and feed him. My sister started to sort out the groceries and make dinner. Amelia, jumping around her, wanted to help her, she is a very obedient and hardworking child. Allan, fell asleep after eating, and smiled contentedly in his sleep. I put him in his crib and went back to the kitchen to help my sister.
We had dinner at seven, and after dinner Amelia sat down to watch TV, her favourite movie Maya the Bee was on. At nine we went upstairs to bathe her and put her to bed. Then I looked at Allan and swaddled him, because he had unwound, and I went down to wash the dishes. When I washed them, I made a cup of tea for me and my sister, and put on a movie to watch. After the movie was over, we said good night and each went to her room. I looked at the children, and went to bed, I was very tired.
Short story by Ann Wood
Written on 2025-01-26 at 17:44
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