The Wammy House Memories

The Jar Of Jam

Chapter 4!

Christmas had come and gone, it had felt strange for Elizabeth to have spent her first Christmas without her Mother around. Rose had made her feel loved and her Aunt had brought her many presents even though they were very old fashioned, but it was the thought that counts. She got changed into her blue woollen dress and white coloured tights beneath it, she was going out for a walk this morning down by the bridge which wasn't that far from the cottage.

Elizabeth grabbed her yellow raincoat from the hallway and put it on while she made her way to the kitchen, she then told Rose she was going for a walk down by the bridge. Rose told her not to be gone for too long in case it got chilly, she also mentioned that the bridge could get slippy after it had rained. Elizabeth told her okay before she fastened the buttons up on her raincoat, she then put her woolly hat on before she left the kitchen through the back door.

The sky was very blue and the birds were singing in the treetops, it was a nice day even if it was cold this morning. Elizabeth put her wellington boots on which had been left at the back door since yesterday, they were still muddy from when she had been walking with Rose. She hurried down the garden's pathway and out of the wooden gate at the bottom of the garden, she couldn't wait to explore the fields behind the cottage once again.

The location of the cottage was beautiful, it could get creepy at night though. But it was peaceful in the daylight hours, the field behind the cottage came to life after midnight with foxes and owls. Elizabeth hurried across the field, she could now see the bridge in the distance near the woods. But she swore she could see someone balancing on the banister of the bridge, the sunlight was bright from where she was located. She thought her eyes maybe playing tricks on her, but she wouldn't know until she got closer.

Elizabeth began to slow down when she got closer to the pathway that led to the bridge, she could now see that the person was in fact a boy. He was quite tall with black messy hair and pale skin, he looked around A's age. He was wearing a black hoody and blue jeans, he soon jumped down from the bridge's banister when he saw Elizabeth approach the entrance of the bridge.

" Hello, where are you from?" Elizabeth asked, she rested her hand on the banister of the bridge. " Do you live around here? I'm from the cottage over there, it belongs to my Aunt."

" I don't live far from here, you'd have to go through the woods to get to my home." He replied with a smirk. " I live in a house with many unintelligent children, it's a cage for the unwanted and twisted children of the world."

" That doesn't sound very pleasant, but the nearest house from my Aunt's cottage is an orphanage." Elizabeth said with a sigh. " I'm unsure though about houses on the other side of the woods, how long did it take you to get here?"

" Not that long, I'm a fast runner when I'm being chased through the woods by my elders. " He replied, his gaze focused on her. " Tell me, does anyone else know that you're at the bridge today all by yourself?"

" Of course, I always tell my Aunt's housekeeper where I'm going." Elizabeth replied.

" Pity..." He chuckled.

Elizabeth watched him take something from his hoody's pocket while he approached her, he then asked Elizabeth if she would like to play a game with him. She told him she'd play with him if he told her his name first, but he showed her a jar of strawberry jam instead. He gave her smile and turned his gaze towards the stream flowing beneath the bridge, he then began to speak with her.

" Do you like strawberry jam?" He asked.

" Yes, it's nice on hot buttered toast." Elizabeth replied.