frozen within time

chapter seven

'I hope you don't mind sharing,' said Kristen as she showed holly into her room, which was at the front of Blackwood house, overlooking the driveway and the five bar gate that led out onto the lane. 'There are other rooms but they're a bit dusty and old. There's a spare bed that comes out from under mine----it's really nice,' She explained, pulling out the red mattress on a low frame on little wheels. 'I've used it for sleepovers it's comfy.'

Holly gazed all around her. she said nothing. Kristens heart suddenly thudded with realization.
'Oh . . . . Was this your room, before?'

'Yes,' whispered holly.

'I'm sorry. It must be really weird seeing all my stuff in it.' Kristen glanced around at her books and stuffed toys and cloths and teen dolls, a mixed up with magazines and CDs for her mini sound system, her digital camera, the fibre optic lamp in the corner and the yellow bead blinds that hung over the high sash window, matching lemon paint in her walls and the duvet cover on her high line cabin bed. she saw it with different eyes now. 'What was it like in nineteen----I mean----yesterday?'

'It was green,' said holly, soft, her eyes traveling the walls. 'Wavy green leaves on the wallpaper and cream paint on the ceiling.' She glanced up on the white ceiling which had yellow and orange stars randomly painted on it, at the yellow glass bead lampshade over the light, and then across to the window 'with a dressing table there----by the sash----a glass topped one. I had a silver backed brush and comb set on it and a mirror on a stand. And a pot of yardleys face cream. There was an oak tallboy near the door. My bed was were yours is-----but a proper ironframed bed with a lace counterpane on the eiderdown. I had my dolls on a shelf. Miss Elsevier used to sit on my bed. She's my fravourit doll. Of course, I'm a bit old for dolls now, really, and karl laughs at me-----but I did love her.'

'Oh----I love dolls too!' Said Kristen, cheerfully, although it wasn't strictly true. she quite liked dolls, but certainly didn't move them----she'd pretty much grown out of them years ago. She seized one now, though, to show to holly. it was ritzy----a chats doll----one of a collection of funky teenage figures with oversized eyes, glossy pouting lips, and dreadlocked hair. This one wore hotpants and a crop top and a leather look boots. The designers had given her a naval with its own piercing and she came with a choice of belly button rings and studs.

Holly took the doll in her hands, eyes wide. 'She doesn't look like a little girl at all. She's got a . . .
A bosom! Oh! And someone's stuck a pin in her tummy! How horrid!'

'No----that's . . . .' Kristen tailed off. Holly didn't even have pierced ears, she could see. This was going to take a while to explain. She changed the subject.
'I'm sure we've got lots in common!' She chirruped.

'Whats your school like . . . . Er . . . . Was it like? I bet you had a horrible maths teacher. every school has a horrible maths teacher!'

'We went to a boarding school,' said holly. 'So father could concentrate on his work. The his were mostly quite decent although you had to fag for the older ones and that was jolly hard work when I first went.'

'Fag?' Kristen queried.

'You know----do all their chores for them! Because I was in the first year, of course. Its to teach you your place! And how to shine shoes and sew and all that. Just because we're at boarding, it doesn't mean we all have butler's, you know. We dont have anyone at home except Mrs m and she only comes in three time a week. But you're right----mathematics is ghastly! I detest it. Mr Billford is awful whenever I get my times tables wrong and I'm wrong a lot. Karl's good at maths, of course----and sport and that boy stuff----but in a total clot when it comes to that kind of thing. I'm good at English though, and domestic science. I can make hotspot and neck of lamb and all sorts.'