BLETHINGWOOD HALL Written and performed by Stephanie Poppins Chapter One BLETHINGWOOD HALL Penelope Darlington looked through the cracked glass at the soulless skies above,
Desperate for divine intervention.
She was only thirteen years old.
She had no money to speak of,
And no idea how to get home.
She scanned the lawns.
Adam and William were messing around under the old horse chestnut tree again.
God,
She hated her brothers sometimes.
They just didn't get it.
Inspection was one more excuse for Aunty Margaret to punish her,
And Aunty Margaret did not need any more excuses.
Okay,
Begin with the clothes.
Dump them behind the door.
No one looked there.
Then the shoes.
Line them up quickly.
Trainers on the right,
School shoes on the left.
Good.
She launched herself onto William's bed and snatched up his frayed laces.
And that's when she saw it,
The forgotten fresco he'd spoken about the night before.
It depicted birds and all the other wildlife you expected to see in the English countryside.
This might have been a happy place once,
She mused,
Before they whitewashed over everything.
Penelope Darlington liked daydreaming.
It was her thing.
Some people liked moaning.
Some people liked arguing.
But Penelope Darlington liked daydreaming.
Daydreaming was safe,
And she needed to feel safe at Blethingwood Hall.
Her thoughts trailed off to distant lands and magical places.
But no sooner had they begun than they were kidnapped by the shadow of the mahogany wardrobe lurking against the far wall like a displeased teacher.
William,
For God's sake!
He'd only gone and jammed their favourite photo into his beading.
This was the one of their mother on the swing,
The one taken before they were born.
Is he stupid?
Penny rushed over to release Mrs Darlington from the wardrobe's grip.
She loved this picture,
But it brought her little comfort now.
Her mother was her mother,
And she was Penny.
That was all there was to it.
They weren't the same person after all.
Just keep an eye on each other,
She'd said before leaving for the administration block,
And make sure you don't get into any trouble.
That was over a week ago,
And with the imminent arrival of the West Wing,
It was likely to be a lot longer before they saw her again.
It's still the summer holidays,
William moaned,
And I hate it here.
Aunty Margaret's an old bag and she watches us like a hawk.
But even he hadn't managed to get through to her.
As for their father,
He couldn't help.
Anyone who knew Professor Darlington knew he was far too busy saving the world to bother with Blethingwood Hall.
And if Penny was honest with herself,
She was glad he was.
At least that was something to be proud of.
She placed the photograph deep into her pocket,
Annoyed at having allowed herself to slip into such helpless thoughts.
But she would not be beaten,
Not today.
This was their last day of freedom before they were thrown into the dormitories.
She checked the door.
Aunty Margaret was but seconds away.
Standing nearly six feet tall,
With a squared shoulder line and almond eyes,
The principal of Blethingwood Hall was elegant,
Beautiful,
And the ugliest person Penelope had ever met.
In the village they called her that woman easy on the eye,
And it was widely accepted she got what she wanted when she wanted.
The first time Penny saw her,
She was speechless.
But that was the first time.
All that glitters is not necessarily gold,
Her father once said.
And he was right.
More of a tarnished,
Weather-beaten steel,
I'd say.
Penny grinned recklessly,
And as if aware of such treacherous thoughts,
A shrill voice cut through the silence to remind her not to be so stupid in the future.
Right,
Where's the report card?
The principal was on the warpath.
Only this time it was the report card.
Penny froze.
She knew the system off by heart.
Everyone knew the system.
So why had she been stupid enough to let this happen?
I put it back.
I'm sure I did.
She reassured herself.
But then again.
No,
I wouldn't have been that stupid,
Would I?
She should have been used to this feeling by now,
But it took her by surprise every time.
Never mind.
It was a long corridor.
But for the life of her,
She just couldn't think straight.
Had she taken the report card,
Or hadn't she?
No,
I put it back.
Remember the plan.
Stay calm,
Admit nothing.
I saw Darlington with it yesterday.
Each letter shot down the corridor with the precision of a heat-seeking missile.
Now she was for it.
Penelope Darlington,
I've got a phone to pick with you.
The clock stopped ticking.
Penny's heart stopped beating.
This was it.
Remember the plan.
Stay calm,
Admit nothing.
The footsteps were getting louder.
She didn't have long.
Where could it be?
Perhaps William borrowed it.
For the life of her,
Penny just could not move.
It was as though she wanted to get caught.
Just forget it.
Forget it.
There's no proof,
Is there?
Emotional neglect was imminent,
And being the most powerful weapon in Aunty Margaret's arsenal,
The fallout was not going to be pretty.
I'll be unique,
As brilliant as I can possibly be,
Then she can't fail to like me.
Penny told herself that first day,
And every day since,
She tried her best to keep her fear hidden.
But she was now beginning to realise just how impossible a task that was.
She scowled the floor,
Then snatched up her notebook,
Trying desperately to spot any other thing that might condemn her.
Remember the plan.
Stay calm,
Admit nothing.
Penelope Darlington,
I know you're in there.
She was outside,
Her voice soft,
Gentle almost.
There is enough time.
I'm just not looking hard enough.
Why can't I move faster?
She is in there,
Squeaked a voice.
I saw her go in there a minute ago.
Remember the plan.
Stay calm,
Admit nothing.
There was no choice.
She must climb into the wardrobe and hide.
And not a moment too soon,
For all at once the door was flung open,
And Aunty Margaret was surveying the crime scene.
Dear God,
She's becoming a real slob on that girl.
Just look at her bed.
It stinks in here.
The door frame sniggered,
The corridor sniggered,
And the wall sniggered.
The whole school was laughing at Penelope Darlington now.
Where is that girl?
I was having such a good day,
And now this.
Icy sniggers wafted in and settled on Penelope's bed.
These were Lisa and Jane's,
Penelope's biggest adversaries.
She couldn't understand why in just one week the twins hated her so much.
But they did,
And there was nothing she could do about it.
Aunty Margaret,
Where did Darlington get that from?
Sniped Jane.
I thought we weren't allowed to have any personal items.
She was looking at Penny's small glass box.
It had seen better days,
But its value surpassed anything else she owned.
What,
That old thing?
Replied Aunty Margaret.
And with long,
Perfectly manicured fingers,
She grabbed it and handed it over,
Before plucking a fine lawn handkerchief from her sleeve.
Penny froze.
This was the box her father had given her.
But she mustn't be a baby,
She must remain silent.
Nobody must see her tears.
She would be belittled,
Admonished,
Ridiculed.
She must stay strong.
She's right,
My bed is a mess.
I didn't realise it smelt in here.
I must try and be more careful.
Then from out in the corridor,
An eager voice called.
We've got it!
Alfred found it!
It was in your office all the time!
And as Aunty Margaret's soulless smile returned to its pale white facade,
She exclaimed,
Thank goodness for that!
Before wiping her hands over and over again with an antiseptic wipe.
