by RD Le Coeur
***
The old black butcher's bike was not as heavy as he remembered it from last year. It still had a squeaky wheel and although they had all promised to remember to oil it, no-one ever had. He must be getting older and stronger he decided. His Mother used to remind him every year that when he was a baby she used to push him around in the basket on the
front. In fact Sunny and this bicycle had been inextricably intertwined since his birth. He hated it. It meant hard work for most of his young life as he followed Moonbeam around the sites on a regular run in the holiday periods. It was very warm today, and he was already not looking forward to some of the sites which would require uphill pushing without the benefit of free wheeling down the other side.
The brakes didn't really work either, so he would have to be the break to stop it rolling down the hills. The first site had proved quite successful and Moonbeam had re-acquainted herself with some of the regular campers who remembered her from last year and for all he knew, from twenty years ago. It was a social visit, with much to discuss about what had happened over the winter. Who was new. Who was not coming any more and whispered bits of tittle tattle usually from what Sunny could hear, about who was having affairs or something like that. Moonbeam would pass on the news to the next site and so on. Eventually after Moonbeam had done her rounds, everybody knew everything about everyone else. Business was carried out in much the same vein and he often wondered if the purchases were in some way a bribe to his Mother to get all the latest news and gossip. He was not looking forward to the next site as this was where Jen and her parents were camped.
It had got too warm for Jen's Mum and she had gone back inside the caravan to finish reading the newspaper. The loudness of a neighbour's radio was getting on her Dad's nerves and he was busy deciding if he should tell them or not. Confrontation was not his style. He preferred to check the regulations first and then suggest that everyone abide by them. He had decided on this course of action when Jen appeared in the caravan doorway and asked if the rusty thing was cooked yet?
This had taken his mind off that infernal row and he had gone to fetch the pendant from the treatment bath. He swirled it around a bit and then pulled it dripping from the bath and into the light. Most of the old chain had dissolved away into the solution and it was only the main pendant that was left. It glittered as the sunlight caught it.
"What have we here then, Genevieve?"
She skipped from the doorway to get a better look.
"I think you may have stumbled on something valuable here. I am almost certain that this pendant is real gold and there is a gemstone in the middle. The rusty mess that formed the chain had obscured this from view but I'm almost certain that it's valuable. I'll clean it up and then we can hand it in to the police station."
Jen nearly had a heart attack. What police station? How had police station come into the reckoning? What planet did her Dad come from? Finders Keepers was her motto.
Sunny would go ballistic if he had heard this. She said nothing but had already decided that it was not under any circumstances going to any police station. It was not leaving her sight until Sunny had examined it. If that proved fruitless, then they could sell it to an antique shop and be
quite well off between them for a while.
Her father applied the toothbrush doused in cleaning fluid to the pendant. He carefully brushed it this way and that, until it shone. He replaced the toothbrush into the cleaner and gently laid the pendant onto his special lint free cleaning cloth. He dried it very, very carefully, and when he was happy with his handicraft he passed the pendant to Jen. It was a truly beautiful piece of craftsmanship. The setting was wrought gold, interwoven delicately around the gem stone. She looked carefully and saw that it had an inscription that looked like the words in Sunny's spell book.
"Lovely piece of craftsmanship, Genevieve. I expect someone was heartbroken at losing this. Never mind, the police will be able to tell us if anyone has reported it missing."
Jen had to think hard and quickly. Her Dad's plans had to be thwarted this instant.
"I think it's only fair if Sonia and I take it in. After all, it was us that found it."
"This is a valuable piece, Genevieve. I'll come with you just to make sure it gets there safe and sound. Go and tell your Mother what we have discovered underneath all that rust, she will be delighted."
Jen had to get out of this somehow. Then just to make matters worse, she caught sight of Moonbeam and Sunny entering their part of the site.
She jumped to, and got into the caravan so as no-one would see her.
"Mum, go and see Dad, he has cleaned up that pendant Sonia and I found. He says it could be gold and he wants you to go and have a look."
Mother, intrigued, put her paper down and went outside. She was examining it as Moonbeam arrived.
Gypsies! That was all he needed on his holidays, thought Jen's Dad as Moonbeam approached them with her basket. Sunny looked around for Jen but was relieved when he couldn't see her. This had to be her place as the car in bits really gave it away. His Mum would recognise her and then
it would be ten thousand questions that he really could not be bothered to answer, or Jen come to think of it.
"That looks old." said Moonbeam, "a real antique."
"Know much about antiques do you? I thought your lot's specialities were pegs and lucky heather!"
Moonbeam did not, as usual, rise to the bait and instead replied in her poshest English voice "My aunt ran an antiques stall in the Portobello Road some years ago and I used to help out on a Saturday."
This was the first that Sunny had ever heard of it. He edged closer to see the object in question and was stunned to see that it was the pendant. Not the pendant he had handled two hours ago, but a bright gleaming pendant, that had lost most of its chain.
Jen's Mum relaxed on hearing of this woman's supposed expertise in antiques.
"There's an inscription, but we cannot read Welsh."
"I can a little, not much. Sunshine can you make out this inscription?"
Jen's Mum was holding the pendant tightly and would not hand it over to Moonbeam for closer inspection. Moonbeam was only allowed to hold the far edge.
Sunny had to push in really close to see the inscription. He had to look twice and mask his surprise. They were the same words as he had seen in his spell book. He tried his best to remember what they said and then it dawned on him.
"Transmogrify” he announced to a startled audience. He knew it was that for sure, as he had to look it up in the dictionary. The air crackled as if something had happened. He did not like the sound of that, given all his experience with that particular noise, prior to this event.
"Damn racket!" said Jen's Dad.
"I beg your pardon." said Moonbeam in her posh voice.
"It's a damn racket. Why do people have to have their radio's turned to full volume?"
"I think it's cool," said Jen's Mum.
"Well, I agree with your husband. It pollutes the air, and it shouldn't be allowed. There ought to be a law." said Moonbeam.
Sunny was perplexed. Jen's Mum had said cool, and Moonbeam had agreed with the anorak. Something was seriously amiss here.
"Come along, Master Halliday, we must be away from here. There is just so much cleaning to do at home, I don't think I will be able to finish it before your father gets home."
There was definitely some thing very amiss here. Moonbeam had never ever addressed him as Master Halliday. And cleaning? What was that all about? Moonbeam never cleaned as such, just pushed all things in a heap to sort out later. Later just never arrived until it got so much Geronimo would step in and burn most of it as a way of getting rid of all the junk. Then there was 'your father' he was always either Dad or Geronimo.
No, there was something seriously fishy about this. Moonbeam had set off at a great pace back towards Home Meadow and Sunny had to run to catch her up. He needed to speak to Jen very urgently.
Jen had heard
and caught a sneak preview of all that had taken place from the small side window of the caravan. Her father was looking strangely at her Mother, but he was saying nothing. Her Mother came back into the caravan, idly threw the pendant on the side table and started to change clothes.
Jen came out of her hiding place and asked what was going on?
"These dowdy clothes are no good for sunbathing. I need something more hip. I'm only 38 not 78, have you got anything I can borrow, Genicans?"
Genicans? What was all that about? It was always Genevieve in full.
No shortening permitted, no pet family name, just Genevieve. What clothes could she lend her?
Her Mother was twice the size of her and amply endowed in the bust area. Jen took after her Dads figure. She just stared at her Mother who by now had ignored waiting for any response and had disrobed down to her bra and knickers.
She rummaged in the cupboard and gasped with glee as she found two large silky scarves. She tied one around her top and one around her waist to look a bit like a sarong. It looked trendy but totally out of place on her Mother. Middle aged flesh was just about OK on strangers, but on your own parents it was just disgusting.
"Mum," she pleaded,” You can't go out like that. Dad will go spare."
"Stick in the mud! You leave Reggie baby to me."
This was too much. Her father and Mother had always been very particular on names.
He was always 'Your Father,' occasionally, Dad or even Mr Jones. But Reggie or even worse Reggie baby-never.
"You said we had to clean the van, Mum and get everything spic and span," said Jen.
"Later Genicans, maybe tomorrow if I can be bothered. Who cares? Life's for living and communing with nature, not cleaning." and with that she disappeared out of the caravan door, and sashayed down towards the beach.
Mr Jones looked up from the car and stared at her in disbelief, with an open mouth.
This was not cool decided Jen. Something weird was going on.
Making a quick decision she snatched up the pendant and ran off looking for Sunny.
