by A. D. Winch
Chapter 38 – School Bags
"I can't believe that I would ever be excited about going back to school," Eric said, in-between mouthfuls of freshly made croissant.
"Nor me," Ursula agreed and sprayed pastry over the large wooden table.
"If I have told you once, I have told you a thousand times, Ursula Benjamin, you do not talk with your mouth full," Mémé scolded and returned to cleaning the old-style oven.
"But really, I can't wait," Ursula replied, after swallowing her breakfast.
"And neither can I! It will give me a chance to tidy up this house and sort out all those boxes that we still haven't unpacked."
"But we agreed," Eric began in French, "that you wouldn't tidy either my room or Ursula's."
"The agreement was, mon cheri, that I would not tidy your rooms if they are already tidy. And your room is most definitely not tidy!"
"I'll tidy it when I get home from school."
Mémé put her hands on her wide hips and stared at him. His blond hair had grown long and wavy over the last few months and reached down to his shoulders. He brushed it out of his eyes and stared back. Mémé held his look.
"And how do you expect to do that when you have gymnastics after school?" she asked.
"I'll stay up late."
Mémé adjusted her curlers but continued to stare. "You probably will, but judging by the last few nights you'll be chatting away with Jerome while playing chess, and not tidying your room. Anyway, where is my husband?"
"He's in the garden, Mémé," said Ursula, pointing outside at the spring morning. "He's checking his vegetables."
Mémé tutted. "Does he honestly expect anything to grow in only a few weeks?"
"I think he's seeing what damage my cat did overnight," Eric said.
A car horn tooted outside, and Mémé looked out of the window at the silver Range Rover.
"Andrea's ready," she told them.
She walked to the table and took their plates as they collected their school bags. Eric placed his 'Azteca' jacket over his shoulders, and Mémé resisted the urge to pass comment.
Before the children left the kitchen, she gave them both a kiss on the cheek.
"I like your hair short, ma cherie," she said, running her fingers through Ursula's new hair style.
"And what about mine?" Eric asked cheekily, knowing the answer before Mémé opened her mouth.
"You need to cut your hair," all three said in chorus.
Mémé shooed the children out of the house and went back to the kitchen. Her husband emerged from behind a row of runner beans holding the Meyer Persian cat and followed the children. He waved to Andrea, and she followed the protocol and waved back. Before getting into the car, Ursula gave her granddad a hug and then joined Eric on the back seat.
Andrea drove off with the children, and Ursula's grandparents watched them go without fear. Granddad Benjamin turned away when the car reached the end of the road. In the kitchen window, he saw his wife smiling at him. He blew her a kiss and she blushed, but she did not avert her eyes. They held each other's gaze and smiled happily.
An aeroplane flew high over their new home, and Granddad Benjamin looked up as it rose into the sky before he returned to his vegetable patch.
“Champagne, Doctor Johansen?” the air hostess asked.
It took a second for Alexander to realise that she was talking to him. He had become so used to travelling under a false identity that his real name sounded almost alien.
"Yes, please" he answered.
The plane continued to rise above Paris. He took the champagne flute and looked out of the window. He smiled contentedly as he tried to locate the house that he felt sure he would one day visit again.
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Please Write a Review
I hope you have enjoyed reading Book 4 in 'The Adventures of Eric and Ursula'.
If you have enjoyed reading 'Out Of Time' please write a review on the site from which you downloaded a copy. Also please tell all your friends, let people know on twitter and post on your facebook page. I would really appreciate this. If you would like information about future releases please visit my website www.winchad.com and sign up for the newsletter.
If you did not enjoy reading 'Out of Time' then I'm sorry that it wasn't for you. Well done on finishing it anyway and why not try my next release. You may prefer it.
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About the Author
I'm the author of 'The Adventures of Eric and Ursula' and originally I'm from the UK. Many years ago I left England and since then I have lived in Transylvania (close to Dracula's castle), war-torn Sri Lanka and above the Hadron Collider in Geneva. Currently I live in Prague, not too far from a tower that looks like a space rocket and is covered in giant babies.
I began writing the first book in the series - 'An Extra-Ordinary Beginning' - while waiting for the birth of my son. Funnily enough it took exactly nine months to write. After he was born this book collected four years of cyber dust on my computer before I rediscovered it. This is Book 4 and the final book in the series. There may be future adventures for Eric and Ursula, but I have some more stories going around in my head first that I have to write.
Over the last sixteen years I have written, and directed, plays for children that have been performed in the UK, Romania, Sri Lanka, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
For an older audience I wrote the films 'Seagulls' and 'your baby disappeared'. 'Seagulls' was shown at the Brighton Film Festival and 'your baby disappeared' premiered in Prague in 2011.
When I am not writing I enjoy spending time with my family, cycling, watching movies, listening to comedy and being creative.
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Discover other books by A.D. Winch
'The Adventures of Eric and Ursula' series are all available on Amazon. Book 1 'An Extra-Ordinary Beginning' is also available on my website, Smashwords and all other good online retailers. This is the end of the beginning for Eric and Ursula, but they may well return in the future.
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Connect with me Online
Website www.winchad.com
Twitter @adwinch
Facebook adwinch
Email [email protected] or [email protected]
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Preview of Future Books
As I write this, I have begun work on a book for adults. It will be a romantic comedy, which will be a radical departure from 'The Adventures of Eric and Ursula!' However, it will be a welcome challenge for me, and I am sure my adult readers will enjoy it.
Keep a look out on my website where announcements will be made.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my family and friends for their continual support.
A big thank you to everyone else who has helped me with the four books.
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Note from the author
This book is a work of fiction but contains aspects which, some would argue, are non-fiction.
You can find more about the 'Facts Behind the Fiction' by visiting www.winchad.com and subscribing for free. You can then access a large number of resources based on the 'The Adventures of Eric and Ursula.'
If you have any questions or want to let me know what you think please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] or my website www.winchad.com.
Thank you for reading,
A.D. Winch
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