Dear Felicity

Sweeter than Jam

          The rickety train rattled to a stop in the steep enclosing hills of Berlisle. The air was fresher there, colder, cleaner. The dusty window cracked open and filled the velveted carriage with the cleansing scent of the lake district. Her WHSmith backpack looked very odd against the old-worldy setting of the train station. Wreaths of flowers climbed round to peeling white columns which held up the thatched roof of the station and the lake sat underneath the bridge the station was on was so still. Such a saturated blue, consistent like the chuffs of the train halting to a stop.  

        Evelyn jerked awake, and for a second, mesmerised by the enchanting sight of the not at all idealised sight, living up to all scrumptious expectations. The spread she left unattended on the carriage table was being lapped up by the scruffed-up sheepdog that sat happily against the window, snout smeared in cream and strawberry shreds. It smiled goofily as it nuzzled its way under her arm and lay expectantly, with curious eyes as the last dregs of steam could be seen out the window of the curved train to be floating into the horizon. Hastily, she scooped the good eggs and jams wrapped in the tea towel beside her and tied a knot in it for the dog to carry in its mouth, and smoothed out the crinkles of her raincoat and checked her hair for loose tendrils in the window reflection. The ticketer's rhythmic studdings of his heavy shoes were approaching and Evelyn scrambled out her seat, chasing after the dog, briefly hurrying back to whisk her crochet scarf off the peg of the carriage door, leaving a small pot of jam as a gift for the staff. Giving felt good, Evelyn always felt, and the lit-up face of the elderly man when he saw the pot gave her a boost of satisfaction in the sense of her effects. Her happiness, as she wanted, was contagious on a good day, but especially today, it consumes like a wildfire everyone around her, as today was the day she reunited with Clare. 

      Bounding off the train, backpack on back, dog by side, and her bright red hair rolling out the tight bun in curling ringlets as she pulled it out to get the fresh country air around her, the familiar figure of Clare focused on the platform. "Clare!" She exclaimed, floating towards her beloved friend, "Oh, how darling you look! Your dress is gorgeous! Your hair! It's shorter, I love it." Clare laughed sweetly, with her thick cream jumper sleeves getting tangled in the backpack straps as the two embraced tightly. They pull apart after a short while, hands on each others shoulders, beaming. "Cody!" Clare giggled, as the dog licked her face clean of the mud of her farm, scooping Cody up into her arms. "Oh, how I've missed you both. I've got a surprise for you! Come, quickly Evie!" The two girls skipped up the stairs of the station bridge as the breaks of the train loosened to start chugging away. 

    The excitement made them giddy, and as they rolled down the hill in the tractor Pete owned, (Clare's dad) they started to do all those silly things two young girls do when they reunite, nevermind it only being a month away, such as plaiting their hair together to become one, teaching Cody to woof at all the sheep they passed, and sticking their heads out the windows, screaming the hurling songs of the modern artists, and so on. Sneaking finger-dabs of jam out of the spare jars Evelyn brought, Pete chuckled at their cheek and took a sharp turn into the sheep farm,  Shrewsburg Manor.