December 10, 1940; Tuesday
“Mail call! Mail call!” yelled Miss Polly as she entered the house after returning from her trip into town. “Mail call for her Majesty, Queen Swanwhite!”
Up on the second floor, I rose from the chair where I was sitting and reading The Scarlet Pimpernel. Quickly, I descended the steps to meet my caretaker and receive my mail. In her hands were two letters and a small package.
Eagerly, I held my arms out to receive the parcels. “Thank you very much, Miss Polly. Though you needn’t call me ‘Majesty’ or ‘Queen.’ I am neither here.”
“That may be so, but you deserve to be called ‘Queen’ by a humble servant of yours.”
I rolled my eyes good-naturedly at her, and we both went upstairs to read our mail. Polly received a lengthy letter – from whom, I did not know. I surmised it was from Digory Kirke, the man she went to Narnia with when she was a girl… of course, he was a boy then. My letters were from Mother and Eamon, and the package had Mother’s address on it. Giddy with excitement, I tore open Mother’s letter.
My Annabelle,
How are you? I am doing fine, but I miss you terribly. I have yet to get used to making breakfast, or any meal, for that matter. But I am glad you aren’t here. The bombings every night make living in Finchley very hard. You remember how bad Finchley looked before you left? It’s even worse now. By some miracle, our house has yet to be touched by a falling bomb. Some of the glass from the windows has been blown out, but that’s about it.
Eamon came home on leave a few days ago, for he made it through twenty-five bombing missions. I’m sure he’ll tell you more about it in his letter.
As you probably noticed already, a package arrived with this letter. It contains your Christmas present, but you may open it at any time, if you wish.
I hope your Christmas is a wonderful one, even though we all will not be together. I love you, darling. God bless, and may He protect you at every turn.
Warm hugs and kisses,
Mother
I snorted at the line “even though we all will not be together,” for Mother did not know that I had spent sixty such Christmases in Narnia. I did appreciate it, though, for she truly loved me. Her accounts of Finchley were very disturbing to my imagination. Eamon had gone home on leave! I wished I was there to be with him! I swiftly picked up the letter with Eamon’s name on the return address and tore it open.
Belle,
I don’t doubt that Mother already told you I’ve been home on leave. I’m sorry you’re not here so I could see you. I wish I could’ve gotten out of London to see you before you left, but I couldn’t exactly get away without permission from my CO. I am glad that you’re out of harm’s way, though. I wouldn’t want to come home and have no adorable little sister to pester me! That would be awful!
Anyway, I should probably tell you about what I’ve been up to. As you know, I went into training to be a bomber pilot. I’ve flown twenty-five missions, which is a miracle in and of its-self. There are a lot of guys that’ve been shot down during our runs – I’ve lost so many friends I made that I’m almost afraid to make any new ones. For surviving that many missions, headquarters gave our crew an extra-long leave. I would try to come out and visit you, only Mother won’t let me out of her sight.
I gotta ask, why were you writing so formally in your last letter? It sounded like I was reading a royal correspondence.
I have sent along a present for you in Mother’s parcel. Hope you like it.
I better be going – Mother wants to get the letters out. God bless and be safe.
Your loving brother,
Eamon
“Good letters?” Polly asked.
I gave a half smile. “Yes. However, Eamon asked about my formal writing.”
My caretaker raised her eyebrows. “Are you going to tell him?”
“Yes, but not in a letter. There’s not enough paper to describe my time in Narnia, and it might take him a while to understand what happened.”
“Good idea. Do you know what’s in the package?”
I nodded vigorously and smiled widely. “Two Christmas presents. Mother and Eamon say I can open them now if I want, and I just might so I can tell them ‘Thank you’ in my next letters,” I said as I moved to open the parcel.
“Well,” Polly said as she moved to get up. “You open your presents, and I’ll go attend to the animals.”
“Alright. I’ll join you as soon as I’m done.”
Miss Plummer smiled and nodded in reply. As she made her way down the stairs, I got on the floor and ripped open the box that contained my Christmas presents. There were two small, wrapped, oblong shapes on top with a small note that read “I know these are from your room, but I thought you’d like to have them with you. Merry Christmas ~Mother.”
Upon tearing the paper off, I found that they were my Jesus and Mary statues that sat on my desk. They were a comfort to see and to hold again. At the bottom of the box was something very soft. I eagerly picked it up and unfolded it. It was a mink stole. I gasped, for Eamon must’ve saved his money for a while to buy this for me. Tears welled in my eyes at how much my brother loved me. I gathered my gifts and letters and took them to my room before I headed downstairs to get dressed and help Polly.
Sam trudged through the ankle-deep snow to greet me as I exited the door. I gave the border collie a quick pet with my gloved hand before entering the barn to tend to calves and horses while Polly took care of the cows and chickens. I reached for the rake and began to clean out Helen’s stall.
“So what did you get from your family?” Polly asked from across the barn.
“Mother sent me my little Jesus and Mary statues from home, and I received a mink stole from Eamon,” I answered.
“A mink stole!” she exclaimed. “How did he manage to buy that?”
I shrugged and then said, “I haven’t the slightest idea. Eamon has always, somehow, gotten me extraordinary gifts.”
“You’re very blessed, Swanwhite,” Miss Polly said. I could hear the smile in her voice.
I grinned. “That I am. I will write Mother and Eamon when I finish.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
-x-x-x-x-x-
Dear Mother,
I’m fine. I miss you, too. I have been busy keeping up my learning while I’m out of school. I am grateful to have Miss Plummer as my caretaker.
That’s sad about home. I am glad you haven’t been hurt yet. I have no doubt that you have been in heaven with Eamon home. Have you heard from Father?
Thank you so much for sending my statues! They bring me great comfort. I’m sorry that I cannot give you anything except this letter. I love you very much, Mother. And I hope to see you soon.
God Bless and Merry Christmas,
Annabelle
P.S. – Would you please tell Eamon, if he’s still at home when you receive this, that I sent a letter to his base address? I love you!
I folded the letter and put it aside on the desk I was working at. Picking up another sheet of paper, I began my letter to my brother.
Dear Eamon,
I dearly wish to see you. It seems as if you’ve been gone for many years, and yet it has only been seven months. Tis a shame that Mother wouldn’t let you come out to visit. I hope that you (and Mother) come to visit me on your next leave!
I suppose that congratulations are in order, since you made so many missions. I hope that God protects you on your upcoming ones. Don’t be afraid to make friends, Eamon; you’ll end up lonely. Trust me, I know.
My writing? It’s a habit I picked up from an adventure that Jesus sent me on. I would love to tell you about it, but there isn’t enough paper to write it on, and I doubt you have enough time to read it. The next time I speak to you, I shall tell you.
I opened my present, and I love it! How on earth did you get your hands on a mink stole? Oh it doesn’t matter, I love it anyway. Thank you very much, Brother. I shall be wearing it often.
Oh Eamon, how I miss you! My heart aches to see you and be in your arms again. There are times when I am outright depressed because you or any other family member is not near. Sometimes I wish you had never joined the war effort, but I suppose you would’ve joined at one point or another. Please keep safe so that I still have a brother when I come home.
God bless, my brother. And Merry Christmas.
Belle
I folded the letter up like I had for Mother’s while I tried to hold my tears at bay. As I said in my letter, my heart did ache to see him, and to see Amesh, Mezinda, Bremton, Mum and Dad, and Mother and Father. I felt downright lonely. Miss Polly was great company, especially since she was a Narnian, but I needed my family.
I turned to look at my statues of Jesus and Mary. Jesus had His heart exposed, and Mary had her hands near her sides with palms facing outward. As I stared at them, I could almost see a golden glow come from Jesus, and a starry glow from Mary. I felt two tears roll down my cheeks. They were here with me, and they were going to make sure I had a good Christmas.
-x-x-x-x-x-
February 10, 1941; Wednesday
Today was mail day, as was every tenth day of the month for me and Miss Polly. I had gone a few times with Polly, so this month she allowed me to go to town to get any letters we might have. Polly offered to hook Helen up to a buggy for me, but I politely declined because I wanted to ride Fledge, Frank and Helen’s offspring, to town. I saddled the young Connemara and put on a shoulder bag before I mounted him and headed off to town. The hour-long ride was a cold one, but it was refreshing. It felt good to go for the ride after months of hardly getting any riding done.
We had been galloping and trotting the whole way, and I slowed Fledge to a walk as we approached town. I traveled down the left side of the snow-packed road, as tight to the curb as I could because of cars that wound down the street. I guided Fledge over to the post office and tied him up to a pole. When I entered the building, I relished its warmth before walking towards the elderly postmaster to acquire any letters addressed to Polly and myself.
“How are you today, sir?” I asked the postmaster.
“Very well, thank you,” he answered with a smile. “How about you, miss?”
“I’m well, thank you. Are there any letters addressed to Miss Polly Plummer’s house?” I asked politely.
“Let me check,” said the postmaster. He turned around and began rummaging through stacks of mail for anything marked for the brick house outside of town. The elderly man turned back around with several letters in his hands. “Here you go, young lady.”
“Thank you very much, good sir.”
The postmaster chuckled lightly as I exited the door. My guess was that no one said “good sir” in our world at all. I glanced through the envelopes before putting them in my bag, and I stopped short when I saw one from the mayor of Finchley and one that had a return address of British Military Headquarters in London. Quickly, I shoved the letters into my bag, mounted Fledge, and made best speed for Polly’s house.
-x-x-x-x-x-
“Miss Polly! Miss Polly!” I yelled as I entered the house after giving Fledge a quick rub-down and oats.
Polly came running from the kitchen. “What is it, Swanwhite?”
Her eyes widened with worry as she took in my frightened state. “I don’t know! There are two letters here from the mayor of Finchley and Military Headquarters!” I said, distressed.
Miss Plummer attempted to calm her features. “Alright now, let’s take them over to the dining table and read them.”
We both sat down at the large oak table at the back of the house, and Sam lay down beneath the table. Polly set the two letters down and asked, “Now, which one do you want to open first?”
I stared wide at the letters and didn’t move. “The one from Finchley,” I finally said at length.
Miss Plummer carefully opened the letter and read it silently to herself. While she read, her demeanor shifted from apparent calm to sadness, and then tears welled in her eyes.
“What is it, Polly? What is it?” I said shakily and with urgency.
My fellow Narnian moved her gaze to meet mine. “It’s your mother, Annabelle,” she said, using my English name.
My heart, which was already pumping fast, increased its pace times two. “What… what happened?”
Polly looked at me sadly. “She’s dead.”
I froze where I sat. “Dead? … Mother is… dead?”
“What?” I asked after a few minutes of shock.
Polly pushed the letter towards me.
Miss Annabelle Reeder,
I regret to inform you that your mother, Delma Reeder, has been killed during a bombing raid. Mrs. Reeder was visiting Mrs. Elizabeth Watts at the time of the raid. They were both killed while running for the bomb shelter.
The Reeder house is still intact, and until your father and brother return from the war, the house belongs to you.
I am very sorry for your loss.
Sincerely,
Mayor Thomas Carey
Tears welled and poured out of my eyes. I looked back up at Polly. “… How?” I choked out.
Miss Polly was suddenly up and out of her chair and holding me. I wept very hard. I had only recently gotten close to my mother again, and now she was taken from me, and I didn’t know why. I kept asking Jesus why, and that He would grant me the strength to overcome my loss.
After a few minutes of crying and recovering my composure, Polly returned to her chair. She gave me a sad half-smile. “Shall we read that other letter now? Perhaps it brings good news.”
I returned her smile with a watery one of my own. “I guess.”
To the family of Eamon Matthew Reeder:
During his last bombing mission, Pilot/Officer Reeder was injured. His aircraft caught a bit of flack, and some glass flew into his eye. Pilot/Officer Reeder is now in the London hospital recovering from the accident. You will be getting a call from him as soon as he regains his strength.
Sincerely,
General Stine
“Oh, Eamon,” I said, my voice full of despair. I felt the tears start to well again.
“Come now,” said Polly. “He’s only hurt, he’s not dead. I’m sure he will be fine.”
I nodded my head. “I’m glad for that.”
We were silent for a while. When the clock struck three in the afternoon, Miss Polly rose from her chair.
“I’ll go tend to the animals.”
“I’ll help you,” I offered as I rose from my seat, as well.
“No,” she said with power to back up her response. “You go and rest. This was all quite a shock for you. I want you to go upstairs and lie down. I will come get you for dinner.”
A small smile played on my lips. “Thank you, Polly.”
She returned the smile and gave a nod. Miss Plummer whistled for Sam and headed for the door. I, on the other hand, went upstairs to ponder on what had just been made known to me.
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