Andy's Review of his weekend!

I was allowed to accompany Frog and several of his friends on a cycle around a place called Stratford.  Stratford, so Frog told me, was the home of a famous playwright – although with the phone and broadband connection it is little wonder that most of his work was performed in London!

 

I was fortunate that I could be carried on the bicycle in a way that allowed me to see much of the view – and the friends that had come along as well on the cycle.  The trees were starting to show signs of life and there were Daffodils everywhere.  It was nice that I could see the stunning landscapes as we crested the hills.

 

 

 

I wasn’t so keen on the bridleway track – it was very difficult not to get mud on me (but I managed it) unlike Frog, who seemed to just sink a few times.  I think he’s learning a new language as there were a few words that I just didn’t understand!

 

In the evening I was able to relax whilst Frog, Alan and Bruce (the other two leaders) talked about the cycle and planned the next day.  Luckily I was able to get a phone signal and I could speak to the RavensChest Order and tell them of the adventures that I’d had.

 

On the Sunday, we set off again for another cycle.  To me, it was more of the same, but the younger friends that Frog was with had a few problems with the hills and walked up them a lot.  We also spent a long time whilst the leaders rubbed a leaf onto one of the boys arms [It was a Dock leaf – he had fallen into Stinging Nettles. Frog].  Once back in the minibus, even though I hadn’t cycled, I quickly fell asleep as did most of the passengers in the bus.  It was a great weekend!

 

 

The Box

Andy was sat in the centre of the circle of the Order members.

“So tell us about the box” asked Granger…..

Andy walked into a collectable shop.  He was always interested in the amount of brick-a-brack and stuff that these places had, all sort of old and sort of looking like they should be expensive, and typically were, but somehow not looking like they should be called antiques.  In particular though, his eye was drawn to a burr walnut box – about the size that would hold a set of playing cards.  Each of the corners had a small brass edging and there was a line of brass running round where the lid would hinge close.  The burr of the walnut was beautifully intricate – and it almost looked like something Andy recognised – a face! but the wood felt so warm to the touch and so tactile, that he just had to ask about the box.

The shopkeeper looked at him.  “That’ll be £30 please” he replied – then added “of course, do you really want to buy that one?  There’s a nicer one just over there.” He pointed to a similar sized box, which looked neat enough, but somehow this box looked warmer, more inviting, more – well, just better somehow.  So Andy politely refused and the shopkeeper took his money.

Andy sat at home, with the new box sat on the coffee table.  The hinge lid was open, and Andy was about to put his playing cards into it when he noticed… the cards wouldn’t fit in! But when he lifted them out, it was apparent that the hole was big enough – but as he moved the cards towards the box the hole seemed to close up – not a lot and not really visible – but close up it did and the cards wouldn’t fit!  Andy was frustrated, but thought of other things that he could store in the box – that were much smaller – and so stopped worrying.

That night, Andy sat with the side light on as he read his book.  The light flickered, then went out.  The book landed on the floor.

 

The next morning HP rang Andy’s house.  No reply.  He banged on the door – nothing.  He tapped at the window.  Nothing.  All the curtains were drawn at the front, and everything looked in place.  HP walked round to the back of the house – and looked through the window (Andy never bothered closing the curtains at the back of the house).  On the coffee table HP saw a burr walnut box, with a set of playing cards next to it and on the floor lay a paperback book – that looked like it had been dropped.  Other than that – nothing.  Except… the burr on the box looked like Andy – his face squashed against the box…

Two days later and they broke into the house having not heard from Andy at all.  Everything was as it always was, but with no note or message.  HP saw the box on the table, and said to the order “That box creeps me out.  I know where Andy got it from – and that it didn’t fit the cards he had bought it for. I’ll take it back for him”

HP walked into the shop and up to the shopkeeper.  “My friend bought this box from you for £30.  We’ve not heard anything from him in over a week – I know that he was going to bring this back as it didn’t fit the playing cards he wanted to store in them; I’d thought I’d do him a favour”

The Shopkeeper retrieved £30 from the till and handed it to HP.  As he did so, he said  “My colleague, the one that used to run this shop with me, bought that box at an auction for £40.  He was told that it was the box that a succesful poker player had kept his cards in.  At his final game, he was accused of cheating – so put the box up for the bet to show faith.  The cards were then laid out – he laid out his cards, three aces and two kings - and his competitor laid out the same cards – card for card, suit for suit.  The competitor then loudly proclaimed how he had been cheated – but the poker player knew it wasn’t him, but his competitor that had cheated.  The poker player also realised that because he had been so very successful that everyone thought he had been cheating all along so it was something that he was never going to win.  So he issued a curse on the box that it would never hold cards in again and that anyone who did so would disappear and never play cards again.”

“My colleague took the box home – and being similar to your friend – also saw that it would be great to store cards in.  I’ve never seen my friend again – he disappeared that night.  But you know the really strange part?  I’m sure that in the burr of the walnut I saw his face, pressed against wood”  the storekeeper picked up the box and examined it.  “But it’s not there now – I must have imagined it.  Silly, huh?”

“Yes” said HP, “Silly, huh…”