Weather Warner
Jessica Was about eight years old when they moved to the Village, they lived in a cottage on an old derelict farm. Min lived in a tiny cottage just over a hedge that had gotten out of control and shot up into the sky. Min was an old lady with waist length course grey hair that she plaited in a single braid down her back, the end always had some sparkly flower or butterfly adorning it. On her head were a variety of floppy hats in various colours, often these would have flowers or something on them too, but somehow they were not old lady hats.
Min didn’t really seem much like an old lady to Jessica, she was tall and willowy unlike Jessica’s nan who was large and jolly and had short wispy white hair with red cheeks. Min’s clothing was always made of stripped fabric with the seams on the outside, long and flowing tended to be what appeared most. Even in the autumn when the rains started and the mud came, she donned a series of bright floor length coats with things like flowers on the pockets, they all tapered at the waist and made her seem even taller.
Jessica would take biscuits round that her mother had made and Min would give her a cup of tea, at least she said it was tea, it was always sweet and smelt of berries and was often a virulent purple.
Min’s house was full of bead curtains and cushions in silk patchwork. Min’s smile was beautiful, even when she took her false teeth out to entertain Jessica. One day she gave Jessica a bag covered in tiny little seed beads, the beads made up a pattern of the sea with creatures roaming the depths and the waves and sun at the top.
‘Find me some pieces of silvered wood in the forest during you holiday,’ she said grinning. ‘Silver, mind! Not blond or red!’
Jessica had promised and took the bag carefully home with her, that coming half term saw her family exploring the New Forest and staying with her mum’s old friends, they all helped her find the silvered bits of wood for Min.
Min was delighted with the haul and gave Jessica a purse made of shells, ‘find me same small thin pink shells when you go to the beach next,’ Min said Jessica nodded and with her father’s help picked up a bucket full of shells, Jessica had been afraid of the sand worms so had to be cuddled for most of the exploration. But Weston Super Mare was the perfect place for such delicate little shells.
The presents and requests continued, plastic beads from Leigh-on-sea and pine cones from the forest of Dean. Quartz from Ben Nevis and slate from Snowdon.
Jessica was 13 before she thought to as what all the bits where for, ‘My Weather Warner,’ Min said as if it should be obvious.
‘Weather Warner?’ she’d asked.
‘Different bits will spin to tell you what will be coming, a storm, hurricane or tempest.’ Min had grinned and patted Jessica on the head. ‘If all the levels start turning at once you know it’s time to hide in the cellar!’
Jessica had laughed and forgotten promptly.
Around Jessica’s fifteenth birthday Min began to build a strange sculpture in the garden, Jessica’s father shock his head muttering about batty old hippies and her mother had told him off and made him take a tray of cakes over. It grew in fits and starts over the next few years and then Jessica was packing to go off to university. She packed with care the funky cloths Min had given her, they were ones she hadn’t dare wear around the village but she thought they might be good for university.
And then it was Christmas and Easter and Summer. And the cycle repeated and suddenly Jessica was coming home to Min’s funeral. Tears streamed down her face and she found she had been left Min’s house and the strange Weather Warner which was apparently finished and sitting like a rickety sky scraper. Jessica pondered selling the place and paying off her student loan but somehow it called to her and she found herself moving in.
‘You’ll go batty just like Min was.’ her father had muttered.
‘Shush you!’ her mother had glared, ‘they girl was always going to be a reclusive genius and at least she’s next door!’
‘What about grandkids though? That’s what I would like to know.’ he’d muttered in defeat and stormed off.
Jessica watched the Weather Warner and noted that it did seem to predict certain types of weather – Min had a hand written catalogue of what meant what. Jessica kept quiet about this though as people would think her crazy.
Then one day when her brother was visiting with his wife and kids Jessica was in the garden, it was a thick sultry day and the air lay heavy upon them. Without a breeze without warning the whole Weather Warner begain to spin erratically. Jessica watched in horror as all of the different layers, shells, drift wood and plastic beads began to spin. Min’s words echoed through her skull as if the woman were shouting in her head. She rushed to her parents home but when she said they had to hide her father laughed and started saying the house had cracked her.
He brother looked skeptical though her mother bit her lip, ‘Min’s Weather Warner?’ she’d breathed.
‘Yes Mum!’ she’d said in desperation. Her sister in law was looking worriedly at the children.
Jessica grabbed the baby and ran to the cellar. ‘Jessica for heavens sake!’ her father had called. But her mother grabbed the toddler and a hysterical mother followed them into the cellar.
‘This is stupid!’ her father called just as the sky went dark, her brother dropped the phone he’d started dialing and they followed into the cellar after a moments glance at each other.
Posted: Friday, October 15th, 2010 @ 11:36 am
Categories: Flash Fiction.
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