Re: Knowl Park
Chapter 1 Part 2
At the age of eight, Philip had been on his way home from the village school one day when he had come across a young girl of about three sitting on Mrs Randell’s doorstep, looking lost and forlorn.
“Hello, my name is Philip, what’s yours?
“Phi-ip?” queried the girl.
Philip smiled and said, “Just call me Pip.”
“I’m ’manda,” the child said. “Mummy got ill and I’ve had to come to Nanny’s so I don’t get ill as well.” Mrs Randell appeared and explained that her daughter, Rose Wheeler who lived on the other side of the nearby town had been taken ill with the influenza, so Mr and Mrs Randall decided to look after their granddaughter in the hope she wasn’t infected as well.
Mrs Randall also mentioned that Amanda was very lonely, and in the rush to fetch her, they had neglected to bring any of her toys.
As the church clock struck the hour, Philip apologised, saying that he had to go and thoughtfully headed home. During tea, he told his parents about the little girl, saying he had some old toys he didn’t play with any more that he thought she might like.
Afterwards, Philip walked back to the village and knocked on the cottage door which was opened by Mrs Randell herself. Holding her grandmother’s skirts and peeping round from behind was little Amanda.
“I thought you might like these” he said as he showed the girl a box of wooden toys that his father had carved and painted, and a stuffed rabbit his mother had made. He held the rabbit out to Amanda and said, “This is Mister Bunny. His Mummy is poorly and he needs someone to look after him. Can he come and live with you?”
The girl carefully took the rabbit, solemnly saying to it, “I’m going to look after you now, and you can sleep with me in my bed.”
Philip handed over the small box to Mrs Randell, who thanked him profusely before telling him she needed to get her granddaughter to bed.
Philip would often stop by on his way from school, or sometimes walk down from his home at weekends and join in with his little friend’s games. He taught her how to play hopscotch, and encouraged other children from the village to play with Amanda as well.
Eventually a message came to say that Amanda’s mother had recovered and would be coming to convalesce for a few weeks before she and her daughter returned home.
Then one day Philip called in at Mrs Randell’s on his way from school only to find that Amanda and her mother had already left.
Over the following years Philip would sometimes wonder what had happened to his little friend.
What he hadn’t known was that Mrs Wheeler, who was a widow, had begun a friendship with George Prentice, the village blacksmith. He was a bachelor and had called round with eggs and milk and butter that he explained would build up strength and were good for people recovering from illness.
Over the years this friendship had continued, initially by letter, then with occasional visits until Mr Prentice had eventually proposed.
A few months after Amanda turned eleven, her mother had brought her to stay at her grandparent’s cottage whilst the wedding arrangements were made. A month later Rose Wheeler married George Prentice in the village church, both mother and daughter taking the blacksmith’s name, before his new family moved into Forge Cottage with him.
Now, looking at the trembling girl sitting on the tree-stump, Philip asked, “Do you know how to ride a horse?”
“No,” replied Amanda, “I’ve never been on one.”
“Well in that case,” Philip said, “I had better teach you how because you are in no fit state to walk home.”
Matter-of-factly Philip began, “I’ll show you how to get up on her then sit behind you to make sure you don’t fall off. I’ve known Nellie for years, and she is as gentle as a lamb so you will be absolutely safe on her back.”
“In any case,” he continued, “if you do fall, I’ll jump down first so you have something soft to land on.”
© December 2020