3 Blethingwood Hall - An Original Story By Stephanie Poppins

Blethingwood Hall Written and performed by Stephanie Poppins Chapter Three Mother B.

Copps Penny was the first of the Darlington children to spot Mother B.

Copps.

She'd been rummaging around in the box room,

Desperate for something to make the afternoon go faster,

When there it was,

Calling to her through the window,

Right from the top of Mother B.

Hill.

It looks like a golden crown,

She declared dramatically,

Sitting on the head of the biggest hill in Blething Village.

And she was right.

Its long golden grasses were so bright,

They caught the sunshine and waved it back and forth every time the gentle breeze blew.

Adam came immediately.

He was always fascinated with the prospect of something new.

I swear blind there's a blue cloud floating next to it,

He exclaimed.

And Penny christened it the New World,

There and then.

William took no notice,

Of course.

Swearing blind was something Adam did rather a lot.

But Adam had a gift,

Just like they did.

And when you have a gift,

It needs to be taken seriously.

So when at last they got their mother to agree,

They climbed Mother B.

Hill to see if it really was the New World up there.

Up until then,

They weren't all old enough to go so far on their own,

She said.

But busy days and restless moods can challenge the most resolute of spirits.

So now it was determined William was the right side of irresponsible after all.

It's the furthest we've ever been,

He grinned,

Flashing the new Swiss knife their father sent him upon reaching consecutive digits.

And Jack told me,

Mr.

Craddock told him,

Once you go into Mother B.

Copps,

You can't get out.

Yeah,

Right,

Scoffed Adam and Penn's the Queen of Sheba.

Penny smiled,

Wondering what it would actually be like to be the Queen of Sheba.

She was never happier than when in her own world,

And often imagined things the others couldn't see.

To add to her excitement,

Their father was coming home that night so she could tell him all about it too.

With a wicked sense of humour and a briefcase full of sweets,

Professor Darlington was a welcome break from everyday monotony.

They all agreed on that.

I wonder what Daddy will have with him today,

Penny said.

But Adam wasn't having any of it.

Why do you always call him Daddy?

He snapped.

It sounds so babyish.

Penny frowned.

She didn't want to sound stupid.

But above all else,

It was important for her to please her father.

Within those brief glimpses of brilliance they shared,

A lifetime of anticipation had been borne.

And in order to be certain of future brilliance,

Daddy,

He would have to remain.

Probably some stuff from that shop in Chinatown.

Cutting William,

Catching his step in time with theirs.

Do you remember that soup he brought home once?

It looked like it had tadpoles in it.

It was very high in iron,

Apparently,

Mimicked Adam,

Changing his step just to wind William up.

Iron would break your teeth,

Surely,

Said Penny.

No,

Iron in the blood's stupid,

He corrected.

I don't love me a tadpole or two,

Quipped William.

You can't really beat it.

You can beat an egg,

But you can't beat a tadpole,

Adam smirked.

Well,

Not unless it turns into a frog.

Then he readjusted his footsteps again,

Just because he could.

I hope he's got some of those Chinese sweets,

Said Penny,

Dragging them back to the original point.

But Adam would not be dragged.

Come on,

Hurry up,

He declared.

It's already late.

So they broke into a run.

They passed the church and reached the village crossroads,

Then chose the only lane that wasn't signposted,

The only one that stood any chance of being Mother Bee Hill.

But looking up at the twisted road ahead,

William was unsure.

It's a bit weird up there,

Isn't it?

Why are the streetlights on when the sun's still out?

It's because of those big trees,

Explained Adam,

In the tone he used when everyone forgot he was the oldest.

It's too dark otherwise.

What about the path then?

It's soaking wet,

Added Penny.

But Adam had no answer for this.

So rather than admit it,

He yelled,

Buckle up,

Golden boy,

And ran on ahead,

Tailed by his younger brother,

Who now sported the deadest of dead arms.

Then before they knew it,

The trees were far behind them and they were immersed in sunlight once more.

Penny slowed down to look at the golden fields.

Dotted with bales of freshly cut hay and bordered with sweet golden grasses,

They held the promise of something wonderful,

Something new.

Daddy will be home soon,

Drenched in that dusty train ride,

She told herself,

And his old cool jacket will be full to bursting with undiscovered treasure.

Then we'll all be together again,

Just like we should.

Adam wasn't impressed.

Penny,

Stop daydreaming and hurry up.

You're holding me up as usual.

Okay,

Okay,

She puffed.

But by the time Adam reached the cops,

He'd forgotten all about the promise he'd made not to leave her behind.

His younger brother had won and that was not acceptable.

William,

Meanwhile,

Was making the most of it.

The thick stems of hemlock stood no chance against his new weapon,

Although the nettles and briars were putting up a good fight.

And when he was certain Adam had no chance of catching him up,

He stopped for breath and looked back at what he had achieved.

Those are,

He called out,

As if there were any doubt.

But Adam did not hear him,

So he sat down to catch his breath.

And that was when he saw it,

Something red flitting between each bush.

What the?

Maybe it was a trick of the light or the patterns reflected off the forest floor,

But no sooner had the apparition appeared than it disappeared again.

William picked himself up and saw it again quite by chance.

Only this time it was deep amongst the deadly nightshade petals,

Illuminating everything it touched.

It's a bird or an animal,

He wondered.

Then out of nowhere,

A single red feather floated towards him.

It was the most brilliant pillar box red a feather could possibly be.

He grabbed at the cluster of leaves,

Regardless of the sting he knew the nettles would afford him,

And looked expectantly into his palm.

But to his dismay,

There was nothing there.

Well,

Then all at once Adam and Penny were with him again.

For God's sake,

Why can't you just stay with us?

Adam snapped.

Are you tired?

Penny asked.

Do you need a rest?

But that was the last thing William wanted to hear.

I saw something,

He snapped irritably.

And all at once Penny understood.

When someone accuses you of being tired when you're not,

It's impossible to be patient with them.

Oh,

Here we go again,

Mocked Adam.

I suppose it was a ghost,

Was it?

No,

It wasn't.

Adam always claimed superiority when their parents weren't around.

That was a given.

So William ignored him and snatched up a dock leaf to soothe the welts in his hand,

Making sure to rub both palms an equal number of times.

He was funny like that.

Come on,

Let's go,

Yelled Adam.

This is taking longer than I thought.

So they followed him further into the copse.

Careful,

Penny yelled,

As a particularly vicious branch took a swipe at her.

But Adam had no time for it.

Stop whining,

He snapped back.

You always get like this when you're hungry.

I'm not hungry,

She protested.

It's just too hot.

We should have brought something to drink.

We were told to bring something.

Oh,

Here we go again.

For God's sake,

Penn,

Stop being such a goody two-shoes.

Penny brushed away the sting in her eyes with an impatient palm and looked to William.

But William wouldn't say anything.

He'd felt the sting of Adam's wrath before.

So they carried on until they reached a large clearing in the middle of the copse.

It was pretty,

More than pretty,

And the Darlingtons warmed to it at once.

They look like blueberries,

Cried Penny,

Pointing to the huge blue bushes lining its perimeter.

And there's loads of them,

Said William as he moved in for a closer look.

They probably are blueberries,

Said Adam authoritatively,

But we better not risk it.

I'll start a fire here and cook the apples instead.

Adam was always keen to turn the conversation to food.

Having a higher metabolism than the others,

He was usually more hungry than not.

It's getting late now anyway,

And we're all starving.

I'm not,

Penny protested.

We ate before we came,

And we've got to make it to that blue haze,

Remember?

That's what we agreed.

It's going to get dark if we don't hurry up.

William,

Said Adam,

Do you want the apples now?

Adam looked to his younger brother for compliance,

And as usual,

He got it.

OK,

Said William,

Let's do them here then.

And he dashed off,

Only to return moments later,

Triumph painted across his face.

Take a look at these babies.

He dropped a handful of smooth stones at Adam's feet.

They're the biggest pebbles I've ever seen.

Perfect for a fire,

He declared.

Pebbles belong on the beach.

They can't be pebbles,

Corrected Adam as he knelt down to fashion a circle of soil in the centre.

Penny and William looked on in awe as he placed the stones carefully around its perimeter.

Then he gave the order to forage for twigs,

And they took off excitedly to fetch what he needed.

This was going to be a day to remember.

They were all alone.

They found somewhere new.

And William was about to meet someone no one from the old world had ever seen before.