Creamy Dreams

The younger daughter Fanny was 11 years old. She was in class 6 and was very mischievous. Whenever dad or mom wanted her, she would hide in the strangest places and it would take quite a while to find her. By 10 o’clock everything was in order and Linsey had already prepared half the dinner. Suddenly the doorbell rang and Fanny jumped up to open the door. The Jackson family had arrived. Dad Joseph Johnson had fetched them from the nearby station in his old Station Wagon. The 2 sisters hugged each other; Mathew Jackson kissed his younger sister in law on the cheek. The 3 kids, Henry, Jimmy and Fiona came forward and shook hands with their cousins. Henry was 17, Jimmy 15 and Fiona was 13. “Henry!you’ve got a beard”, said Fanny laughingly. Hearing the noises, Linsey appeared at the scene and after greeting everyone announced, “Come into the sitting room, I have a hearty breakfast ready for you”.

Jimmy and Fiona chorused together, “Have you made our favourite Chocolate Cake?” “Yes, Yes! C’mon kiddies. Run to the sitting room. Tea is getting cold.” Soon, everyone was replete with Cake, buns, homemade cheese straws, tea and orange juice. Later on, the Jackson children refreshed themselves and watched a nice movie on the video. The afternoon was spent playing indoor games and in the evening the 5 children went next door to a birthday party.

Next morning, the 2 families went on a picnic. Linsey had packed ham sandwiches, bread rolls, chicken kebabs, coke and beer. The children played cards and ran about. The women gossiped and the men smoked pipes while exchanging news and views. The evening saw tired children going to bed early after a warm bath. Linsey supervised them and then brought luke warm milk laced with honey to the childrens’ bedrooms and kissed them all good night. Fanny had shifted to her sister’s room with Fiona and her room fitted the 2 boys. Bedtime stories continued for some time but soon the kids were lost in their own dreams.

Morning dawned with dark clouds and lightning rumbling in an angry sky. Soon it was raining heavily. Luckily Mr. Johnson did not have to go to office, it being a Saturday. Hot bed tea was most welcome and so was Linsey’s smiling, kind countenance. Fiona danced into the kitchen, “hey Linsey! How come you’re smiling on a day like this. I feel really awful”. “Dear child! Why feel awful? Anyways, you won’t feel half as bad when you’ve had a lovely breakfast of eggs, bacon, ham, sausages, fresh red tomatoes, green peas and hand picked mushrooms. Together with that you can have a few of my favourite chocolate chip cookies”. “Why, that’s wonderful! I’ll go tell Henry, Jimmy and the girls. They’ll surely be delighted”. A happy Fiona sailed off to her brothers’ room.

The day was spent listening to Madonna and Michael Jackson and the evening was spent watching TV. The next day everyone went shopping. The 2 sisters bought presents for each other’s families and lunch was accomplished at a sweet little restaurant called ‘Little Bo Peep”. During the afternoon everyone took a nap before there was to be a party in the evening. The neighbors and a few friends were invited for tea and some homely chitchat.

That night Claudia was a bit sad because Mary was leaving early next morning. The two sisters talked late into the night and morning saw Linsey ready with early breakfast of corn flakes and milk, toast with butter and strawberry jam, gulped down with hot tea. She had also packed a hamper for the Jacksons to eat for lunch on the train. The hamper contained a leg of mutton, baked chicken in cheese sauce, home made fresh cherry bread and some salami sandwiches. The Jacksons waved goodbye. The Johnsons came inside. Linsey moved about the house singing softly and merrily. 

Contributing Story Teller:  Amita enjoys writing stories and poems. She has strong editing and translation skills. amita17149@hotmail.com

Want to get a short story written for children? Do you want someone to write inspirational stories for your magazines, website or newsletter? Contact her at amita17149@hotmail.com