Primrose and the Mystery of Frangipani Bay

8/21/2019 Primrose and the Mystery of Frangipani Bay

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argaret Rees

PRIMROSE AND THE

MYSTERY OF FRANGIPANI

BAY

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Copyright © Margaret Rees (2015)

The right of Margaret Rees to be identified as author of this work has

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3/20

$cknow'edg*ents

, acknow'edge the untiring efforts by "enis in editing

and re9editing this book!

and for his suggestions a'ong the way&

, acknow'edge the great era on which this book is based&

:s who were born in the *id91%00;s had a si*p'e fa*i'y 'ife

but a strict one& e can on'y be gratefu' that

our parents gae us such wonderfu'

guide'ines on which to 'ie our 'ies&

Respect and responsibi'ity were ha''*arks<

#ri*rose /car'et

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Chapter One

,t was a hot su**er;s day in beautifu' 3rangipani -ay&&& we;d put on

our swi**ing cossies ready to go to the beach& e picked up our

striped towe's and our *u* *ade sure we had +inc crea* on our

noses& , hated putting white crea* on *y nose as ,;d hae to 'ook inthe *irror and see *y big ug'y freck'es and short straight hair&

, was 11 and it was decided by *u* and dad that , needed an easy9

care hairsty'e consisting of a fringe! cut high across *y forehead! and

short sides cut =ust aboe *y ears& , used to hae 'ong hair but as it

got so knotted and it gae *y *u* e>tra work to p'ait before schoo'! ,

agreed that ,;d better get it cut ? the worst thing *y young *ind eer

agreed to& , neer did hae 'ong hair thereafter& /o*e hair9cuts werenot too bad! but the one , hae now is boring& , fee' so ug'y& ice

hair! at 'east! takes peop'e;s eyes off ug'y faces with big brown

freck'es&

,@d heard that crea* off the top of *i'k bott'es he'ps fade freck'es!

so , used to get the *i'k bott'es fro* the *i'k*an who de'iered *i'k

to our house and scrape off the crea* before anyone in *y house

shook the bott'e ready to pour& ,;d carefu''y re*oe the 'ayer of crea* onto a saucer then put *y fingers into the crea* to s*ear a''

oer *y face& , *ust hae 'ooked one hundred ti*es worse as not

on'y did , hae big brown freck'es and boring brown hair! but had

white stripes of crea* on *y face& Auck&

e were on ho'idays for two weeks& hen we went on ho'idays

*y *u* and dad took us away to the beach! far fro* the city where

we 'ied& Aou knew the trip was rea''y c'ose when the big suitcaseson top of the wardrobe in our bedroo* were brought down& They

were huge< Bne was red and one b'ue& -oth had brown 'eather corners

? an orna*enta' tri* to brighten the* up! but *ore probab'y to keep

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the* in one piece with the throwing on and off of trains and buses as

we trae''ed far and wide on our annua' ho'idays&

The cases were put on the 'ounge f'oor their cardboard 'ining bare

and e>posed& Then the 'inen ca*e out of the 'inen cupboard! a'' b'and

and neat! s*e''ing of *othba''s& The sheets were stiff fro* being

starched! and we''9fo'ded& They were 4uite heay to carry in the big

suitcases a'' the way to our destination by train< $'so neat'y fo'ded

and p'aced on top of the 'inen were the towe's! pi''ow s'ips! c'othes!

swi**ing cossies! tea towe's and *ore& hen the 'id was shut down

it bu'ged because it was so fu''& e strapped it down with 'eather

be'ts&

hen the fina' strap was tightened and buck'ed for the 'ast ti*e!

we knew it was a'*ost ti*e to f'ee the city and head off on our aden9

ture& e were so e>cited we cou'dn@t wait to fee' the coo' sand

between our toes and s*e'' the sa'ty air& The night before we were

due to 'eae we cou'dn;t s'eep&&& we had drea*s of the beach! the beck9

oning waes! and the s*e'' of the ho'iday house& ,t was a strange ;used

by eeryone e'se; s*e'' but we didn;t care& ,t was tota''y ours a'one for

two weeks<

The enture of getting to our ho'iday house at 3rangipani -ay was

an adenture in itse'f& e a'' got dressed ery ear'y on the big day&

Mu* and dad ca*e in and woke *y sister and , before day'ight broke&

hen you do anything before day'ight it is *ore e>citing it is een

wicked! 'ike you are doing so*ething secret that you don;t want any9

one e'se to know about& The 'ights went on a'' oer the house& ot

usua''y in the *ornings did we hae the 'ights on ? dad said that was a

big waste of e'ectricity& Mu* and dad were busy gathering things!

getting us to gobb'e down our cerea' een the toast was undercooked

as the f'urry of going on ho'idays was in urgent progress& e were a''

on high a'ert! so *uch to do! so *any things to switch off& The fridge

had been *ade co*p'ete'y bare of a'' its contents that we hadn;t used&

$'' the 'eftoers were gien to the wi''ing ne>t9door neighbours to

consu*e& The e'ectricity was turned off at the *eter bo>! the beds

were aired! the f'oors were swept and the carpet 4uick'y run oer with

the carpet sweeper& ,t was as if we were neer co*ing back and that

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so*e disaster was to befa'' us a'' needed to be in order for the fa*i'y

*e*bers who;d inspect the house after our de*ise<

6entua''y we got out the door with *uch bossing by dad& #oor

*u* ran around in circ'es obeying his eery co**and& , did fee'

sorry for her ? she was on'y hu*an after a''&

"ad! Rosebud! and #ri*rose

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Chapter Two

Bne of the trips to 3rangipani -ay was high'ighted by the fact that ,

had to go up on the train a'' by *yse'f as the end of the schoo' ter*

and *y parents; ho'iday p'ans didn;t *atch up& , had e>a*s to do! so ,had to wait on a few e>tra days before , 'eft& , stayed at *y aunty and

unc'e;s ho*e across the street for two days& Then when *y e>a*s

were oer , was ready for *y big adenture to trae' a'' the way by

train on *y own to 3rangipani -ay&

Bn the *orning of the big trip *y unc'e took *e into Centra' /ta9

tion on the red train that pu''ed up at #oppytown station& , heard that

these trains are ca''ed the ;red ratt'ers; as they *ake such a noise as thecarriages =og a'ong! and of course they are red< Aou;d think the car9

riages were about to fa'' off the shiny stee' tracks as they ratt'ed a'ong

because they *ade such a racket<

$nyhow! now to *ore serious stuff& e arried at Centra' /tation

where there were trains waiting at each of the 'ong p'atfor*s ready to

transport those 'ucky enough to ho'd a ticket! to p'aces far and wide&

The s*e'' in the air was into>icating& The stea* was gushing out of the funne's on the engines& ,t s*e't 'ike the firep'ace we had at ho*e

when the co'd weather crept through into our 'ounge roo*& The s*e''

of the wood and coa' dad used to 'ight our fire was =ust the sa*e&

:nc'e Toby found the train and we had p'enty of ti*e& ,t was p'at9

for* 5 'eaing for 3rangipani -ay at 1&05 p*& hoopee! we *ade it<

e put *e on the train! we found *y seat! nu*ber 1$ (good! a win9

dow seat) and to'd *e to wait at the door ti' the train 'eft& Dust as thetrain started to *ake roaring sounds! *y unc'e 'ooked at the p'atfor*

indicator aboe his head and gae out a horrid ye''& E#ri*rose (that;s

*y na*e by the way) get off< ,t@s the wrong train


8/20

, rushed to seat nu*ber 1$! grabbed *y bags and *ade it down

that corridor in ne>t to no ti*e and =u*ped off the train& e said he;d

read p'atfor* as p'atfor* 5 ? he;d 'eft his g'asses at ho*e< e

rushed oer to p'atfor* 5 =ust in ti*e to get on the train before the

drier stoked up his boi'ers ready to go& Thank heaens for that ? ,

*ay hae ended up anywhere&&& .ondon! ew Aork! or who knows

whereG

$fter , found seat nu*ber 1$ again , sett'ed *y bag near *y feet

and 4uiet'y 'ooked around to see who e'se was going *y way& .ots of

o'd peop'e! so*e 'itt'e kids but no one at a'' about *y age& , decided

to eat the app'e *y $unt #eggie had packed for *e&&& it was so*ething

fa*i'iar! secure! so*ething fro* *y past& 6ating this app'e *ade *e

fee' *ore co*fortab'e about *y surroundings& , 'ooked out the win9

dow and as we passed through a dark tunne'! , saw *y ref'ection in

the g'ass&&& oh boy! *y freck'es een showed in the window g'ass& ,

hate *y freck'es&

6entua''y , got the courage to stand up and go to the toi'et& Bf

course! as , e>pected! eeryone 'ooked at *e as , did a ba'ancing act

wa'king down the ais'e! trying not to fa'' into so*eone;s 'ap& , a* sure

a'' the peop'e got a shock at *y 'arge freck'es as , wa'ked past each

seat& , knew , shou'd hae scooped crea* fro* the *i'k bott'es *ore

often&

, found the 'adies toi'et ok& ,t was acant 9 whew< $part fro*

ho'ding on to the rai's on the wa''s near the toi'et! , *anaged to suc9

cessfu''y co*p'ete the task at hand without s'ipping off the seat as the

train eered around nu*erous corners& $'' done , straightened *y

skirt at the back& My *u* a'ways to'd *e to do that in case it was

caught up in *y undies& ow awfu' wou'd that beG ,;d hae died of

e*barrass*ent if anyone saw *y undies& Bften the e'astic poked

through the band at the top as they often frayed reea'ing white

e'astic&&& too *uch undies *ending for *y poor *u* to keep up with

four of us in the fa*i'y& hew& , *ade it back to *y seat ? this ti*e

getting *uch better at staying upright& , worked out that steadying *y9

se'f on the top of each seat gae *e a steady foot and , didn;t 'ook ha'f

as si''y&

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$fter a whi'e , decided ,;d enture to the buffet car& , re*e*bered

how , 'oed eating pies and *ashed potatoes at the buffet car on other

trips with *u* and dad& There was a 'ong buffet counter with 'adies

sering the food& They had ocean green dresses! buttoned a'' the way

fro* the he* to the neck'ine& They had pretty pink co''ars and a neat

'itt'e hat that they attached to their pin9cur'ed hair& They were so s*art

, thought! being ab'e to stand straight as the train wobb'ed about! dish9

ing out food at the sa*e ti*e&

, fe't ery grown up by the ti*e ,;d se'ected a stoo' by the buffet

counter& , on'y knew one thing on the *enu 9 E#ies with Mashed #ota9

toes and #eas (8ray optiona')F , ordered as if , was a grown up& -e9

ing 11 is not that far off being a grown up anyhow! gie or take a few

years and ,;'' be in a bra< $ 'oe'y 'ady with pin cur'ed hair and a big

sparking ring on her finger brought *y *ea' oer! and it was so de'i9

cious& , was so p'eased that this ti*e , was eating a'one no9one to te''

*e to watch how , ate not to drop the gray on *y skirt or not to 'ick

*y knife& , wasn;t going to do any of those things anyhow in case

other parents were watching *e and wou'd hae frowned at *y dis9

gusting *anners&

.ucki'y! on *y way back to *y seat! , wa'ked past eeryone;s

back so this ti*e they cou'dn;t stare at *e& 8reat& , sha'' spend a 'ot of

ti*e wa'king back fro* the buffet , think&

-y now , fe't the *ost wonderfu' fee'ing of freedo*& -eing a'one

had its =oys& , cou'd choose not to eat the sandwiches *y aunt gae

*e for the trip and no9one cou'd force *e&

hi'st , was sitting 'ooking out the window! , reca''ed another

train trip , did with *y fa*i'y&

,t was ear'y *orning dawn was =ust breaking& , opened *y eyes& ,t

was beautifu' seeing the sun creep oer the hi''s& The dawn! with its

fog 'ifting and eeriness! was so 'oe'y& But of the fog and *ist! trees

started to take for*& The rai'way *en who were busying the*se'es

on the p'atfor* were 'ike puppets hanging fro* puppeteers; strings ?

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'ife and a new day was starting a'' oer again& , watched it and , was

in awe&

Rosebud and #ri*rose

1H


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Chapter Three

$s , sat on the train a'' a'one! , thought of *y 'ife at ho*e& , 'ied in a

tidy brick house in a tidy suburb& My dad a'ways *owed the 'awns

eery /unday *orning& But the back he has rows of egetab'es ? peas! beans! spinach! beetroot! 'ettuce and radish& There were a'ways ta''

to*ato ines bursting with round! fat! red to*atoes& 6en to brush

past one of the to*ato ines wou'd bring to the nose that fresh to*ato

scent& e had no need to go to a greengrocer for our egetab'es as dad

a'ways has enough for us and enough to feed ne>t door;s fa*i'y as

we''&

e hae beautifu' f'ower gardens too& e hae sweet peas that bow fro* the 'ong sta'ks a'ong our side fence& e hae *arigo'ds!

petunias! stocks with their snug f'owers =ust begging to be picked and

put in the g'ass ase *u* a'ways kept on the dining roo* tab'e&

3'owers see*ed to *iracu'ous'y appear a'' the ti*e& $'' these *irac'es

happened during the day when , was at schoo'! and ,;d find ho''y9

hocks! poppies! sweet peas! pansies! petunias and de'phiniu*s ready

to greet *e when , opened our red iron gate each day after the 'ong!

'ong wa'k fro* schoo'& , was so proud to 'ie at B'eander "rie!#oppytown ? we hae the prettiest and neatest house in the street&

To *ake *e een prouder! *y dad is so handso*e& e is a bus9

drier but he dresses 'ike a po'ice*an& , hoped peop'e thought he was

a po'ice*an! not a bus drier& -eing a po'ice*an;s daughter wou'd

*ake *e a ery specia' gir' at #oppytown #ri*ary&

/o*e days when , a* p'aying out the front of *y house! ,;d see*y dad wa'king up the street& ,;d drop whateer , was doing and skip

down the road to hi*& e is so handso*e! as , said! that ,;d proud'y

wa'k beside hi* to the front gate! hoping that the kids in the street saw

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us ? to hae a dad in a crisp b'ack unifor* (it cou'd hae been a po'ice

unifor*) *ade *e fee' so happy and specia'&

Bn two or three occasions dad actua''y brought ho*e one of the

doub'e9decker buses! which he parked outside our house& This caused

*e *i>ed fee'ings of de'ight and so*eti*es e*barrass*ent& ho has

a who'e doub'e decker bus to their fa*i'y for a who'e day or nightG

:nfortunate'y this action by *y dad b'ew *y p'ans for eeryone to

think , had a po'ice*an for a dad& hat po'ice*an wou'd hae the

need for a doub'e9decker busG

e hae a cat that was brought ho*e in dad;s work bag one night&

"ad found her as a kitten in the bus depot hiding behind a huge whee'

on one of the buses& e;d neer had a kitten before so we decided to

adopt her& /he has tiny white paws! a shiny b'ack coat and 'ong white

whiskers& e ca''ed her Tri>ie! , guess! as she was a bag of tricks&

/he;d run around chasing her tai'! she;d spring up in the air as if being

chased by so*e inisib'e *onster& e *ade her part of our fa*i'y 9

the /car'et fa*i'y& /he was we'' trained by *u*& /he knew not to go

beyond the bounds of the kitchen&&& on'y eer cou'd she wa'k on the

'ino ti'es neer on the carpet and she neer disobeyed this ru'e&

$*a+ing for a 'itt'e pussy cat that she shou'd understand house ru'es ,

think she was *ore obedient than *y sister and ,&

e a'so had a dog who* we na*ed /ca*p& e on'y 'ied a few

short weeks as he got a terrib'e disease and died& , reca'' that he had a

funny s*e'' about hi* before he died& , cried the day /ca*p died&

That night , had a drea* that he returned to us& ,n the drea* he was

standing on the kitchen tab'e (so*ething he wou'd neer hae done of

course when he was a'ie)& , went oer to hug hi* and he sti'' s*e't

the sa*e een in *y drea*& That night was the 'ast ti*e , saw

/ca*pI he neer isited us again& , was sad&

, a'so hae a budgie ca''ed E/antaF& , ca''ed hi* /anta as /anta

C'aus was *y faourite person in the who'e wor'd then& -ut *y /anta

was an a'' year round /anta as he gae *e so *any good ti*es&

, used to co*e ho*e fro* schoo' and sit at the back tab'e on our

'ong eranda to do *y ho*ework& "ad had *ade the tab'e out of

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wood scraps and painted it a soft green& e een put a piece of wood

at the back of the tab'e so that *y pens wou'd not ro'' off the back and

fa'' down&

$fter schoo' when ,;d finished *y huge g'ass of *i'k with choco'9

ate f'aoured EuikF and two choco'ate biscuits (*y abso'ute faour9

ite afternoon tea) ,;d 'et /anta out of his cage so he;d hae his e>ercise

for the day& is feathers were a deep o'ie green! with b'ack spots

around his cheeks and had a b'ue9ish beak& e wou'd f'utter about for

a whi'e then 'and on *u*;s 'ong trai'ing p'ant that she grew in a

brown pot p'ant stand& That p'ant near'y oertook the who'e back er9

anda by the way it entwined itse'f around Jenetian b'ind cords! around

the cei'ing 'ight! aboe the door into the kitchen& That p'ant had a

*ind of its own& -ut it was great for /anta as he thought he was in the

wi'd and 'iing the 'ife of a free bird for at 'east an hour or two a day&

/anta ca*e to a terrib'y sad end though& Bne *orning *y

grand*a! who 'ied in a ;granny f'at; in the backyard (a garage *ade

into a 'oe'y 'itt'e ho*e by *y dad) said she;d c'ean up /anta;s cage

for *e! but wou'd you be'iee it ? she accidenta''y 'et hi* out of his

cage and he was gone foreer& My heart broke as , 'oed /anta& , cried

for a week& , didn;t know how to fee' about grand*a doing such a

thing& , 'oed her! but deep inside *e were fee'ings of anger that , had

neer known before& ,t was a 'esson , 'earnt ear'y that those we 'oe

can hurt us and we hae to forgie the* so*ehow! so*eti*e&

, hae 'ots of cousins! a'' boys! and they 'ie across the road fro*

us in B'eander "rie& , re*e*ber watching one of *y cousins as he

showed *e how to do running writing& e was concentrating so hard

that his tongue ca*e out and he *oed it oer his 'ips as he wrote& ,

had neer seen such a thing before< ,t was as though he was writing

with his tongue& ,t was a*a+ing& .ucki'y , did not need to do this

tongue thing when , eentua''y started to do running writing&

$s young kids we do si*p'e things for our fun& e create a wor'd

of fantasy in the dirt and grae' on the sides of the road in front of our

houses in B'eander "rie& There are not that *any cars co*ing and

going in our street for our parents to worry about us being run oer&

Bn'y the centre of the road is bitu*en ? the sides are a'' 'oe'y soft

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dirt =ust ready for creating a wor'd of i*agination& e get sticks and

stones to *ake the roadways and the hi''s! then we progress to houses!

shops! garages and other bui'dings& e are a*ateur town p'anners<

#ri*rose and Rosebud

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Chapter Four

-ack to *y =ourney&&& enough of this day drea*ing& The hours passed

and *y 'ong =ourney was soon to end! a'*ost sad'y! as , was starting

to fee' ery grown up haing done the =ourney a'' a'one&

Mu* and dad and *y sister were there to *eet *e& hat a re'ief&

ow proud they were that , did it a'' on *y own and so was ,& -eing

near'y grown up was ok! , sur*ised& ait ti' ,;* o'd enough to work

as a buffet gir' and wear a pretty unifor* and hae pin9cur'ed hair and

hae so *uch potato to scoop that , cou'd een put *y fingers in the

bow' and 'ick off as *uch as , 'iked&

Bur ho'iday unit was ery p'ain but there sti'' was an air of e>cite9

*ent about it& The taps were different! the beds hae striped cotton

coers (we;d neer hae those at ho*e we on'y eer hae soft paste'

cheni''e 4ui'ts) ? but for a ho'iday cottage striped cotton coers are ok&

There is 'ino on the bedroo* f'oor ? unheard of in rea' ho*es&

6eryone ,;d eer isited had carpet in their bedroo*s& ,t isn;t nice

stepping out of bed in the *orning onto a co'd f'oor and fighting *ysister for the tiny 'i*p *at in the centre of the bedroo*& -ut so*e9

how the sound of roaring waes! the ho'iday house s*e'' and the fact

that *u* and dad were ery nice to us on ho'idays *akes up for the

'ino in our bedroo*&

-ut the wardrobes are awfu'& one of the* shut proper'y and

so*e hae bits of cardboard wedged at the top of the doors to keep

the* fro* f'ying open& There are a'ways sheets of newspaper at the botto*& $t 'east it is better than putting our things on sp'intery wood&

$nd so*e of the newspapers had news fro* the 1%0;s ? boy how o'd

is this p'ace anyhowG

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The first *orning is the best& The e>cite*ent and e>pectation of

our days at 3rangipani -ay are true b'iss& Bur idea of heaen<

/o *any things *ake up this 'itt'e piece of ;heaen on earth;& The

baker shop on the *ain street is fu'' of p'u*p hot crusty 'oaes of

bread& The s*e'' as one approaches -ernard;s -akery is *ore than

enough to die for& -ernard a'ways 'ooks white< is unifor* is white!

his hair is white! his hat is white! his hands are a'ways coered in

white f'our! and the paper he ro''s the bread in is white& The on'y con9

trast in the who'e shop is a bunch of red p'astic f'owers in a g'ass ase

on a she'f on the white painted wa''s& , a* coninced -ernard 'ies

in his shop! neer takes off his hat and unifor* and neer washes the

f'our off his hands&

e has a *other who is ery o'd and she hoers around -ernard

and the bread and scones constant'y& e a'*ost fee' gui'ty for buying

a 'oaf of bread as its -ernard;s work of art& /he 'oes eery 'oaf! eery

su'tana scone! and iced finger bun that -ernard has eer created& /he

adores -ernard and is so proud that he is a baker& -ut what is bread

for! but eating! so we succu*b to our desires and re'iee -ernard of

seera' of the baked goodies in his shop& Au*&

"own the street is a fruit shop& e a'ways stop there after our isit

to -ernard;s -akery& "ad can;t produce egetab'es fro* the garden at

the ho'iday cottage so we hae to buy shop stuff& My parents are a'9

ways shocked to their socks at the price of the to*atoes and 'ettuce at

3rangipani -ay&

6ager'y we await the conc'usion of the shopping e>pedition& $''

we want is to don our cossies and run our 'itt'e hearts out to the beck9

oning seashore&

ith the shopping spree oer at 'ast! we return to where , started

*y story 9 picking up our striped towe's& ,@* with *y sister Rosebud

? na*ed after the first rose *y dad eer gae *y *u*& This cou'd

hae been 4uite ro*antic but 'et@s face it! it@s on'y *y parents and par9

ents cou'd neer be ro*antic9 that;s on'y in the *oies& $nyhow! *y

towe' has pink stripes and her towe' has b'ue ? that;s *ore i*portant

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infor*ation right now& , don;t want to *i> up *y towe' with hers&

/he wears 'ipstick and she *ay wipe off so*e on her towe'! but hope9

fu''y not *ine& ,;* not into that big gir'y stuff yet&

, was apparent'y na*ed #ri*rose because this f'ower had so*e

*eaning to *y parents at the ti*e of *y birth& 3'owers run in an un9

canny way through *y 'ife as you can see& Bur fa*i'y na*e is /car'et&

/o we are Mr and Mrs /car'et! Rosebud /car'et and #ri*rose /car'et&

ow you know a'' about us&

Rosebud and , stand at the door 'ike bu''s at a gate waiting for fi9

na' per*ission to run to the beach&

$t 'ast the ca'' co*es ? ;you gir's go ? we;'' *eet you there;&

ith our hands fu'' of beach things we;e had 'ocked away a''

year in the back shed at ho*e ? a straw ro''9up *at! a sun hat! sun9

screen! b'ow9up head rests! and of course our particu'ar striped towe's!

we rush past a'' the fa*i'iar cottages! frangipani trees in fu'' b'oo*

with their de'icate'y perfu*ed and *agnificent pink and ye''ow9tinged

f'owers! 'a+y heads of white and b'ue daisies hanging oer picket

fences! *owed 'awns 'ike ours at B'eander "rie! and shiny red roofs

ref'ecting the bright 'unchti*e sunshine& /o*e cottages sti'' hae their

ETo .et; signs on ? so *ore peop'e during the ne>t two weeks wi'' =oin

us in this wonderfu' p'ace that we co*e each year for our annua' ho'i9

days&

e at 'ast get to the end of our street the start of our e>citing ho'i9

day wor'd p'ayed out on the 'ong white sands of the beach we =ust

'oe& There are ta'' 'eafy trees a'ong the edge of the track to the beach!

but through the *a+e of undergrowth we find our hidden path& The

sand s4ue'ches between our toes 'ike co'd si'ky fingers it@s so coo'

and refreshing& The 'ong shadows bounce off the sand! with g'ittering

dia*ond f'ickers of 'ight darting through the branches& e hear the

pounding of waes sp'ashing on the shore& e;re near'y there ? then

as if heaen;s gate opens before us! we beho'd the whitest of white

sands! the b'uest of b'ue ocean! and a sky that is fresh'y painted! a''

but hapha+ard'y! with white strips of c'oud& The rays of the sun on our

skin fee' 'ike we hae =ust stepped into a war* bath and we run! fu''

2


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pe't! to the edge of the sea and 'et the soft foa* trick'e between our

toes& The sand is soaking and fir* beneath our feet and the waes

beckon us to fa'' into their ar*s and we do ? we are into>icated again

by our wonderfu' 3rangipani -ay&

"uring the first few days at 3rangipani -ay we *et another gir'

fro* the city who is ho'idaying in a cottage nearby& er na*e is Dac9

4ue'ine& /he is o'der than *e and an on'y chi'd and 4uite sophistic9

ated! being 1H& /he has a two piece cossie& , 'ook at *y f'ora' ;/peedo;

and fee' a bit e*barrassed as she 'ooks so nice with her cured figure

in her trendy two piece cossie! co*pared to *y for*'ess body in *y

one9piece& e three start to chat and she te''s us that she co*es fro*

the sa*e area as we do! and guess what! her father is a bus drier too<

3ancy that< /he;s a'*ost one of us&

/he stares at *e and says the *ost wondrous thing 9 Eyou hae

'oe'y 'ong eye'ashes that cur' up to the top of your eye'ids&F

Eae ,GF , said& E,;e neer noticed&F

, rea''y 'iked Dac4ue'ine after that& /he said so*ething to *ake *e

fee' beautifu' and , 'oed it& e beca*e pa's! need'ess to say& e saw

Dac4ue'ine on and off around town and at the beach and fro* then on!

and because of her! , stopped worrying about *y freck'es and concen9

trated on *y 'oe'y 'ong eye'ashes& , fe't 'ike a chi'd no *ore&

2


19/20

Rosebud and #ri*rose

25


20/20

Chapter Five

Bne day , decided to go to the top of the head'and a'' by *yse'f& The

waes were crashing be'ow! the sea grasses were being buffeted in the

wind! the seagu''s with their ruff'ed feathers and =affa co'oured feetwere *i''ing around and the wind9b'own gnar'ed trees skirted the

paths! and the opa' sky was streaked with wispy c'ouds aboe *e& ,

fe't incredib'y happy and 'ucky to be in such a beautifu' p'ace& , had

brought a book fro* *y schoo' 'ibrary to read on *y ho'idays 9 ;The

"iary of $nne 3rank;& , was enthra''ed by her entries in her diary&

/he and her fa*i'y had to hide in an upper roo* aboe a shop fro*

the 8er*an ar*y who was inading her town and ki''ing a'' the Dews

that 'ied there 9 and she was a Dew& , sat on that head'and often toread! a'' a'one! this wonderfu' book& , read and read! , cried with pity

as the pages unfo'ded a *ost horrifying e>perience for a young gir'

about *y own age&

$s she wrote of her eery e*otion and thought and fee'ing! she

discoered a =oy in that ho''ow e*pty 'ife she was now forced une>9

pected'y to endure& /he te''s of her interest in one of the other kids in

the house! a boy about her age& uite sudden'y she discoered in her9se'f a new e>cite*ent ? she was for the first ti*e in her 'ife! fa''ing in

'oe& #uppy 'oe it *ay hae been but for her it was new! different

and e>citing& , went a'ong on her =ourney of words! discoering her

;first 'oe!@ how shy she fe't in his presence and how they *et at 5p*

each day by the windowsi'' where they cou'd see fro* on high *i'es

and *i'es of fie'ds of co'ourfu' tu'ips& They wou'd stand and ta'k and

share the beauty of what they saw beyond their ;prison wa''s;& , read

with wonder and e>cite*ent of her fee'ings! his hopes! her aspirations&, too was starting to go fro* chi'dhood to adu'thood! and , fe't she and

, =ourneyed together in discoering a wor'd we were yet to know fu''y&

, rea'ised! with her! that we wou'd not be chi'dren foreer! and that

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Primrose and the Mystery of Frangipani Bay

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