Writing and receiving letters via virtual post

[Oaktree]

Miss Vanessa and the Dinner

Vanessa looked at her watch. It was a quarter to six. She decided to set off to look for the dining room as she didn’t want to be late for dinner on her first night and make a bad first impression. As she walked down the corridor she looked out of the windows. She could see the woodlands behind the castle. She couldn’t wait to get out there, back into the fresh air. The castle had a bit of a mustiness about it. She supposed that came from age. The carpets were beautiful but a little dusty. They could do with a jolly good vacuum. There were portraits lining the walls of the corridor of men, each with a little nameplate and description underneath. She made a mental note to come back later and inspect each of these more carefully. She made her way down the curved staircase and back through the grand foyer. She walked through the first room which was a beautiful reception room and when she opened the door at the other end found herself in the dining room. The dining table was long and made of dark coloured wood.  At each place setting there was an impressive looking chair. The Professor was already seated at the head of the table and he motioned to her to have a seat near him. The little girl came bouncing in happily and took her seat at the table. “Hello young lady! I am Miss Vanessa and we are going to be great friends.” Vanessa said to the little girl. The little girl nodded but didn’t talk or make any eye contact. “What is your name?” asked Vanessa. At this point the professor interjected. “She doesn’t have a name.” he said. Puzzled, Vanessa looked at him quizzically. The professor went on… “Well you see, ten years ago there was a knock on the castle door. By the time I had gotten there the person had left and there was just a baby wrapped in a blanket left on the doorstep. I kept thinking someone would come back for her so I didn’t think I needed to give her a name so I just never did! Now I don’t see why we should impose a name on her.” “I see.” said Vanessa. With that cook bustled in with big serving platters on a trolley. There was roast chicken, vegetables, potatoes and gravy. The food was delicious and Vanessa enjoyed her first meal with the strange Professor and the little girl with no name.  

[Sophia1]

I had not thought of that parallel @Adge

I have several of Enid Blighton books including some famous five editions..

I love old books..... literature..

Many old castles, manors have secret rooms.. stairs.. gardens..stairs..caves. The list goes on..ripe for creative storytelling..

[Sophia1]

Hello @Adge @Appleblossom @Flax @Exoplanet @Oaktree and all reading..

I spent ages replying to all with one letter with many thanks.......

I wrote at great lengths as you can imagine explaining how much the thread means to me and helps me.. it only help myself..also bring something different into the worlds of others away from the struggles in reality.our merry most of the time group of friends who all know and support each other when not so merry..

 I said far more than that..

I am in bed using drafted mobile..we are not compatible..

After spending over half an hour looking for wayward post I am now resigned to the reality that it is elsewhere in virtuality.. possibly with every other misdirected message..   no would not be that simple..

Am not at my best stil ..obviously..

will not attempt to respond.. contribute..

did just have a thought..

a secret chamber within the ancient castle.. where certain. Dignitaries meet.. An unspecified ring holding the means to access all of the missing virtual messages within a different system of existence.. messages transcribing an unknown language...the opening to..............

[Oaktree]

@Sophia1 

Sorry for your difficulties with technology and the missing messages. I am sorry to hear that you are not doing so well. Take it easy my friend and be kind to yourself. I know that you have a lot on your plate at the moment and that life is somewhat stressful. I too have a lot on my mind. I am haunted by the past and am working very hard on just existing. Love to you 💜💜💜

Meggle

[Sophia1]

---

@Oaktree wrote:

@Sophia1 

Sorry for your difficulties with technology and the missing messages. I am sorry to hear that you are not doing so well. Take it easy my friend and be kind to yourself. I know that you have a lot on your plate at the moment and that life is somewhat stressful. I too have a lot on my mind. I am haunted by the past and am working very hard on just existing. Love to you 💜💜💜

Meggle

---

Dear @Oaktree 

That is very thoughtful and caring of you....

I also know that you have much going on within your mind..

Yes when pain or whatever grabs at us we need to continue to work very hard to just exist..

You write about your struggles and this is you helping yourself..working hard to reach a safer place within yourself..

Love back to you my friend..

Be kind to yourself and remember all of the love and goodness that you have given to others...

💛 Sunshine coming your way dear friend...fill your heart with sun as I send you some of the sun from within my heart..

[Sophia1]

Hello dear @Flax 

I did not thank you properly for the beautiful flowers...

a very special find when I logged on..

You wrote:

Sooty has a litle plan if his friends need cheering up...

Will leave you with an ancient maxim, I think its Persian..."This too shall pass"

I think what I'm trying say is don't fret or stress about this virtual post thread. It will just meander along in its own way: sometimes active and sometimes not.

I think that it would be lovely to read about Sooty's plan as I know that there are many of the merry troupe of friends who are feeling quite despondent with life..their illnesses perhaps exacerbated for some..others with too many challenges...

If you are well enough yourself...as you expressed that you struggle at times also..

I will be brave and hope that I am saying yes on behalf of all....

please help us Sooty..

I cannot even find the flowers emoticon thingies..

sending you hugs and compassion from your not so merry troupe of friends..

our own virtual special family..

💛💚💜

@Appleblossom @Adge @Exoplanet @Oaktree @Flax @Shaz51 @HenryX @Sophia1 

ps there is now a Sophia 2...I just found out..

[HenryX]

@Sophia1 @Exoplanet @Appleblossom @Flax @Shaz51 @Adge

With much appreciation to all members for the use of content that they have offered, which has been woven into this story with as much accuracy and closeness of context as possible. In like fashion, I offer any of the material in my presentations for use by any other member.

As most would, by now, be aware, for me "It doesn't rain, but it pours." So here is a

"Henry's little book" contribution to the story from me.

…....... “ ….......

“

A story in two posts. Word count total: ~3430

"

The Professor had been sitting at the dining room table and contemplating some of the recent events, discussions and activities. He had completed some work on a favourite project and, not wishing to commence work on a new stage of that project, and then be distracted, had decided to go down to the dining room and await the serving of the evening meal.

“

Recently, he had been very intrigued by the concept of “bee dances”. This was an area in which he had very little knowledge. However, he was always open to new ideas. He was somewhat amused by the connecting thoughts of the ballet teacher, tutor and mentor for the “little girl with no name”, and whose arrival was eagerly anticipated by the little girl, giving dancing lessons to a swarm of bees. How had this idea entered his thoughts? It was possible that the little girl, who had been playing in the garden, had mentioned before bedtime, her idea of bees dancing around the garden. She had imagined Vanessa, the ballet teacher, directing her “little bee” and the others. He idly wondered at the thought that she may have made the connection with the music they enjoyed on the new player, which included the fantastic “Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov . Little did they know that the bees really do have a specific type of dance, which helps in directing other bees to where the best pollen flowers and nectar are located. The little girl had already referred to Miss Vanessa, as the “bee-keeping ballerina”.

“

The little girl had a vivid and very active imagination. This could have been a result of her being the only little person in the castle, though she did not seem to mind. She engaged all the older people in her conversations and included them in her imaginary thoughts, where they acted out various parts in the plays and adventures that occupied her everyday contemplations. Vanessa, the new teacher, tutor and companion, would have to be very careful, sensitive to, and respectful of the characters in the little girls thoughts, as they were very real to her. She also included, in her stories, details of the location and importance of the buried treasure, that she said that she had found. At the time of finding the buried treasure, she spoke of finding a magic coin, that had the power, for the right person or people, to change into other beings and creatures. As part of her story, she explained that the magic coin would only work for people who had good feelings and wishes for themselves and others.

“

She was also far more aware of what happenings occurred in the castle than was, almost, any one else, because of her nocturnal wanderings. She had worked out how to avoid detection, once she was supposed to have been asleep. She really couldn't understand how anyone would expect her to go to sleep when there was still light streaming through the window glass. The little girl often climbed the lovely curved staircases, to the top of a turret, and looked out over the dark woodland, imagining herself floating and, light as a feather, moving freely, but gently, through the brisk, fresh, soothing air. It was as though the little girl in the air was watching her, leaning over the edge of the turret, to ensure that she did not slip and fall. The figure in the air, looks back to the turret and sees the little girl in a lovely taffeta dress, that folds and drapes around her. There were other winding staircases and corridors, providing her access to each of the other castle turrets.

“

A passing comment, made by Cook, that may possibly have been a slip of the tongue, meant that the Professor was aware that the strange, green eyed cat, that had recently appeared around the castle, was very partial to fish cakes, they having, somehow, strayed into the cat's direction. The cat had, apparently been named Sooty, evidently, in allusion to its jet black fur colour. It had the most intense green eyes. Sooty is known, by some, to go off on adventures, as cats often do, but always returns, sometimes looking dishevelled, and always very hungry.

“

One time, as the Professor had been turning into another passage-way, he had seen this cat, called Sooty, that stopped in its tracks as soon as it had seen the Professor, who had, in that instant, the rather peculiar feeling that this creature had some inkling of his own thoughts. Such feelings were extremely unfamiliar for the Professor, and as such, he had felt somewhat unsettled and uncomfortable following that 'meeting'. Although he had wanted to put the thought aside, as being absolutely ludicrous, he had been aware that it had not disappeared from his mind, which only gave him additional concern and misgivings about the presence of this enigmatic creature. He had, also, the merest glimpse, in his mind of, what seemed to him, a ridiculous thought; he had imagined the cat wearing a beret and standing before an easel with a paint brush in its paw. Little did he know......

“

Though he was looking forward to dinner, he did not have a desperate feeling of hunger. Knowing that the Professor often preferred to work through the time of the mid-day meal, Cook had prepared a rather delightful platter of freshly picked and cut vegetables and cheese, with a fork, for him. She was so considerate, he thought, as to have dressed the cut vegetables and fruit with a measure of lemon juice and also placed a small jug of olive oil on the side. This allowed the platter to remain appealing through to the mid afternoon, at which time he normally enjoyed a cup of his favourite tea. Today, during a break in his work, he was surprised to find a very old and dusty volume on a desk in the library, the title of which was, “Ancient and New Seafolk and Seafarer's Fables and Legends”. There was a bookmark on a page that spoke of Selkies and a reference to Selkie-folk

After his afternoon tea, and unbeknown to the Professor, Cook would put an appropriately sized 'blanket' over Sooty, in the specially prepared swinging bed, and having already completed the initial preparation of the evening meal, would herself, doze off in the comfortable chair, in one corner of the kitchen.

“

With My Very Best Wishes to All

@HenryX 

To Be Continued.......

[HenryX]

Story continued

Another, strange and seemingly misplaced creature, that was a “resident” of the castle, was a bat called Horrace. It seemed strange, because the bat appeared to be more fond of humans than its own kind. Apparently, not having a liking, for which some bats have the reputation, of a preference for human blood as their food, but rather, drank the nectar of various flowers. From time to time, Cook was also known to have given the bat, in a small bottle with a feeding teat, a special preparation of a sweet liquid, that the bat, named Horrace, seemed to enjoy, despite the mischievous look on its face.

“

The Professor had been alerted earlier in the afternoon, by the door bell, that the tutor, who introduced herself as Miss Vanessa, had rung when arriving at the castle doorway. Though the Professor enjoyed a modest amount of civility and ceremony, he was not a stickler for all the trappings of money and affect. He often, personally went to the door when guests arrived. He had looked out a window upstairs, quite by chance, and had seen a young, pleasant looking woman approaching, up the narrow road that wound its way to the castle. As he came down the stairway, he heard the doorbell ring, as the young woman pulled on the cord outside. He opened the door to see the woman standing there. She introduced herself, saying,

"Hello Sir, I am Miss Vanessa, come to stay for the school term to teach the young lady!"

to which he replied,

"Yes, we have been expecting you.”

and as she entered the doorway of the castle he continued,

“let me show you to your room."

They walked through the entrance way and into the grand foyer. They went up the curved staircase and down long corridors to the servants quarters. They finally came to a closed door. He opened the door and said,

“"This will be your room."

Then he said in a pleasant but precise manner,

"I will expect you to be at dinner at exactly 6pm."

And, with that, he was gone.

Vanessa entered the room. It was pleasant enough. A bed, a chair and a closet, with a small en-suite bathroom attached. There was a small window which overlooked the kitchen garden. She looked forward to dinner when she would meet her new student.

“

While it had, obviously, not been among the Professor's thoughts that evening, that other mischievous creature was down by the pebbled seashore. Sooty was playfully flicking pebbles into the water, when he considered the outcome of pebbles, either intentionally or otherwise, plinking an unaware Selkie on the head as she swam by. While he was amused at the thought, he was also aware that a Selkie, may not be so amused by such activity, and her justifiable response may be more than he could contemplate dealing with. With that thought, and those possibilities in mind, he hastily scrapped the plan and scampered up the beach. From a position of relative safety, he padded through the forest, with which he was very familiar, unlike his unfamiliarity with the realm of Selkies. The darkness and noises of the forest are, for most people and many animals, an eerie, weird place, where shapes were distorted and strange noises became even more strange and fearful. But for Sooty this was an environment where he felt reasonably at ease. It was he who could carefully, quietly, approach an animal, with more of an offensive than a defensive disposition. Normally, he was not in need of food, unless his adventures took him some distance from the castle. Consequently his ambles in the wood were more for his own amusement, as was intended in his contemplation of pebble plinking Selkies heads, from which activity, it is likely, that he very wisely withdrew.

“

It was not usual for Sooty to feel on the defensive when in the forest and woodland. And while contemplating in his mind, the sharpening of his claws, to emulate the effectiveness of samurai swords, his imagination produced images of battles with fierce trolls and giant ogres, something possibly akin, in the end, to the story of “Seven at One Blow”. He was not deterred by the incongruity of the disproportionate images. As he approached a particularly elegant looking tree, with interestingly shaped trunk and limbs, he considered the desired effect that dragging his claws, on the bark of the tree, would have on their sharpness and effectiveness in any confrontation. As he commenced dragging his claws down the bark of the tree, he heard a firm but gentle voice saying,

"Willst du Ärger?" (Do you want trouble?)

Well, unaccustomed as he was to the feeling of fear that entered his soul at that moment, he recoiled more than twice the distance that he had ever known himself to be able to jump – and this time it was backwards.

“

As he recovered his composure, Sooty looked around, but could see nothing that resembled a character that could make a noise, let alone speak. Looking up into the tree, he could just make out features that could, possibly, resemble that of a human face. The tree spoke to him again, and said,

"Touch me again little cat and I'll turn you into a mouse".

Now revengeful Selkies were one thing, but trees that speak, that was definitely something very new to Sooty.

“

Having said to the tree,

"Sprecken Englisch?"

In his best attempt at German, the tree responded, saying,

"Of course little creature".

Now, unaccustomed to the fact that spirits and trees could co-exist, Sooty, being so used to facing inexplicable events and experiences in his adventures, and being a cat that could himself speak, had quite so recovered his composure, that he was able to give a hearty sigh of relief at becoming aware of this new, apparently non-threatening addition to his repertoire of interesting experiences. He said,

"Well hello, tree spirit creature. My name is Sooty and I'm very sorry - I didn't mean to hurt you. I thought you were just a tree".

To which the tree replied, mirthfully, though with a somewhat sombre expression, that just hinted at its apparent amusement,

"You didn't hurt me, you just woke me from a lovely dream."

This experience, while initially unsettling, gave way to a more confident approach by Sooty. From other encounters, that he recalled, there were some experiences that he had had, not entirely unlike this one. So, with just a little deference to his tone and manner, for it would be wise not to underestimate any other potential capacities of a speaking tree, he asked,

"I hope I'm not being rude, but are you by any chance a dryad?".

Sooty was completely dumbfounded at what happened next. The tree seemed to shimmer, and from a slight haze that seemed to envelop the tree, the image of a strikingly delicate and elegant female figure appeared, still gracefully draped with fronds of bark and greenery, with a lovely lacy effect, standing where the tree had been. The creature said in a gentle voice,

"Well, Sooty, does that answer your question?"

"

“

Any apprehension, that remained for Sooty, evaporated in excitement at the awareness that he was actually speaking with the rarely seen forest tree spirit, called a dryad, of which he had only known from references in fable and legend stories. The wisdom of these trees is derived from what would, otherwise, be generations of knowledge for humans. However, in the gossamer like image of humans, in which they appear, they retain the characteristics of youth and elegance.

“

Sooty was now beside himself with delight and a desire to offer deference to the visage before him. While his previous experiences had given him opportunities to practice the arts of courtesy, respect and diplomacy, he engaged all of these in order to continue this special experience with the dryad “person”. He could feel that this spirit form emanated warmth, gentleness and kindness, the experience of which he wanted to retain for as long as possible. He said,

"May I know your name, as I must tell my friends all about you?"

With a pleasant grin, the dryad responded,

"Of course Sooty, as you've already introduced yourself. My name is Cenedra. And do you know what Sooty? I love cats, especially black ones, because they are lucky. So I think we'll be good friends from now on."

“

Sooty was, by now, accustomed to the directness and clarity with which the response was given. He reflected that her reply, incorporated the style he would know, to have attributed to Germanic origins. He was, however, also very accustomed to practicalities, of which his stomach, was at this very time, reminding him. He was a small creature, and small creatures can live on small amounts of food, but they have to be taken fairly frequently. With a certain sense of disappointment, that was only just eclipsed by his desire for food, he said,

"I think that would be wonderful, Cenedra. But I do have a confession to make...it's dinner time, and I'm starving. So if I don't get back to Dolgrens', the dwarf king's hall, I'll miss my dinner, so I had better be off soon."

Dolgrens was the way by which he identified the castle on occasion, as he thought would suit and be appropriate to the situation. There were also associations with special casks of dwarven ale and interesting and exciting war stories.

But Cenedra was aware of Sooty's intended diversions, as we would understand a spirit dryad to be and, with laughter sounding like tiny gentle bells, replied,

I wouldn't want you to miss Dolgren's ale, now would I?"

To Sooty's chagrin, the dryad had seen through his ploy and responded with humour that softened his regret at the attempted subterfuge. With his guiltiness showing in his avoidance of her gaze, he thought to himself,

“Dammit, too smart by half, for these wise dryads, Sooty.”

Cenedra's humour was still engaging and light, when she said, with a playful laugh,

"Be off with you Sooty...I know a lovable, but naughty cat when I see one. Auf Wiedersehen. Remember, Oktoberfest isn't too far away, and I'm sure I can find some bratwurst, sauerkraut and Schnapps if you need any enticing"

Again, summoning his best attempt at her language, he replied, with lightness in his voice,

"Auf Wiedersehen, Fraulein Cenedra,"

“Another friend to chalk up, and with excellent culinary taste.”

he reflected. As he waved his paw in a parting gesture, the gossamer visage melted back into the tree form from which it had appeared. As he also seemed to melt back into the forest, he thought to himself,

“Golly gosh!! A German-speaking dryad, called Cenedra. My friends will never believe it.”

“

The Professor was startled from his reverie by the chimes of the clock at

6:00 pm. He was only thus, aware of the time, the past few minutes having seemed as though having taken quite some time longer than he was aware. At the same time Vanessa entered the room and approached the long dark, polished table, at the head of which, the Professor was seated. He, being pleased by her promptness, motioned her to take the seat to his left. The little girl came bouncing in to the dining room, obviously happy, and took the seat to the right of the Professor, that being her usual place at the table.

“

Feeling at ease in her surroundings, Vanessa addressed the little girl,

“Hello young lady! I am Miss Vanessa and we are going to be great friends.”

the little girl feigned shyness and, though she nodded, did not attempt to meet Vanessa's gaze, or otherwise, offer any response.

“What is your name?”

asked Vanessa. At which point the Professor interjected,

“She doesn’t have a name.”

Puzzled, Vanessa looked at him quizzically. The Professor continued,

“Well, you see, ten years ago there was a knock on the castle door. By the time I had gotten there the person had left, and there was just a baby, wrapped in a blanket, left on the doorstep. I kept thinking someone would come back for her, so I didn’t think that I needed to give her a name, so I just never did! Now I don’t see why we should impose a name on her.”

“I see”

said Vanessa. With that cook bustled in with big serving platters on a trolley. There was roast chicken, vegetables, potatoes and gravy. The food was delicious and Vanessa enjoyed her first meal with the strange Professor and the little girl with no name.

“

Having enjoyed their evening meal, the little girl was permitted some time with Vanessa, with whom she was becoming more comfortable. While she did not, at this stage, tell Miss Vanessa anything about her nocturnal wanderings, she did say, that one of her quests was to find the secret chamber within the ancient castle. She understood that certain people had access to the chamber. It could only be opened by means of some sort of ring. Within the chamber, there were supposed to be messages and writings of great significance. Even a secret code, that could also be used to crack the information of messages that came into the castle, from other places. Vanessa took all this as part of a little girls, possibly, overactive imagination, but was careful not to admonish the little girl or show any sign of disbelief.

“

Before long, it was time for the little girl to go to her room and get ready for bed. Vanessa would follow shortly, to see that all was in order and to see that the little girl was secure and comfortable. Little did she know what happenings, in which she would be involved, would occur during the next few weeks. ...........

…....... “ ….......

“

With My Very Best Wishes to All

@HenryX

[Oaktree]

Hi @HenryX 

I enjoyed your story. Interestingly I listened to Flight of the Bumblebee the other day as a possibility for one of Miss Vanessa's ballets with the little girl. It is a very fast paced piece of music.

Meggle

[Flax]

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