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Listeners' Fantasies |
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Many Happy Returns of the Day
by Vicky S
 This contribution to the Fantasy Archers topic of was inspired by Ruairi's and Peggy's birthdays, which are only one day apart.
The landing light shone through the open door just brightly enough for Ruairi to see the shiny silver frame on his dead Mummy's picture.
Ruairi wondered if there were birthdays in Heaven. Did they have cards with badges, and cakes with candles, and surprises? Did Baby Jesus and the angels all sing Happy Birthday and give claps to the birthday person in assembly. Did they have assembly in Heaven? He hoped they did. After all it was sad to be a dead person and a birthday assembly would make you feel happy. Because a birthday was your own special day from the minute you woke up until you went to bed. That's what Jennifer said. Since he had come to live with Daddy and Jennifer Ruairi knew a lot more about birthdays than he used to.
When he had lived with Mummy there didn't seem to be many birthdays, but now there were lots. Sometimes birthdays were parties at your friend's house with pizza and crisps and chasing games, running around yelling until you all fell over in a hot red-faced giggling heap and the friend's mummy said firmly, "Lets play pass the parcel now, or dead lions."
And sometimes birthdays began with sitting at the kitchen table and drawing a card for someone before colouring it in without going over the lines and copying the writing inside in your best handwriting. He'd had to make a birthday card for Granny Peggy after tea. It was flowers and a blue car.
It seemed funny to Ruairi that Granny Peggy could be having a birthday when he was having one as well. But then, if dead people had birthdays in heaven then he supposed old people could have them too, even if they were as old as Granny Peggy. It was good, he thought suddenly, it meant that every year for ever and ever and ever he would have a birthday. Even when he was very old, even if he died.
As he fell asleep he wondered momentarily if Granny Peggy was good at playing dead lions......
***
Peggy lay still in the darkness, stroking Jack's back and listening to his uneven breathing. She knew it was not safe to move for a few more minutes until he had gone off. Then she would be able to go back to her own bed. She turned her head slightly until she could see the clock illumination. A quarter to three. With any luck she would get a few hours before he woke again. Heaven knew she needed it.
She tried to relax but her head was spinning tonight. Jack. Her health. Lilian. Jennifer. She felt herself tensing as she thought of Jennifer and her constant pushing. First Maria, then that wretched Home, and now the whole business of her birthday. How many times had she asked for no fuss, no family party, no celebration? How many excuses had she tried to give? But Jennifer didn't listen. No, Jennifer refused to listen. Peggy felt close to tears. She had nearly come out with it the other day but had bitten the words back just in time.
"Don't you realise," she had wanted to shout, "That every birthday, every anniversary, every event that you are so determined to make me celebrate, only brings me pain. Don't you know that I think to myself - this could be the last one, the last time that my poor Jack is 'here'.
And the thought of not having my Jack even as he is now, for my birthday, his birthday, Christmas, New Year, and for all those times to come, as he get worse, or if, God forbid, anything happens to him, makes me want to scream. And you want me to be happy and grateful and smile at everyone as it pushes my nose in the unfairness of it all. There's nothing to celebrate if you've got nothing to look forward to."
Jack stirrred and muttered something she didn't catch. Peggy rubbed his back, and slowly his breathing relaxed into the regular pattern she was waiting for. She eased herself from his bed, slipped off her dressing gown and slid between the cool empty sheets of her own bed.
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Archers fantasies
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