Mark returned to the Chapel of Rest with the new bulb ready to be fitted. "Well" he said "This means we need to buy more bulbs from Homebase!" and he went and fitted the light bulb on to the the fitting. He then turned on the light switch and the Chapel was lit up. "Well let there be light" said Madoka "In the words of God" Mark then sat down and had a chat with the girls.
"Do you know where Mami's parents are?" he asked them. "They've been dead since 2008" replied Homura. "They died in a car crash when Mami was 11, so she has been rather lonely" said Madoka. "Shit" exclaimed Mark "That must be horrible" "It certainly was" said Sayaka and Kyoko in unison. But that was bad enough without being eaten by a fucking monster...
Aside that. "You have had many positive reviews, and a lot of recommendations" said Madoka "Is that right Mark?" "Yes" replied Mark "So many, that people from all over the place seem to have come over in the past!" "All over the place?" asked Sayaka "Like all the way from The Czech Republic, Slovenia, Crete or Pakistan for a funeral?"
"No no no no" laughed Mark "Not as far as that, yeah, I've been getting some people from quite some distance, there was one person who came as far west as Yeovil in Somerset. I've had plenty of people from London, but someone came as far north as Peterborough, and as far east as Great Yarmouth! That is all over the place!" Madoka laughed "You must be popular then!" They all exchanged some giggles before Sayaka asked for some tea.
"Erm...no problem" replied Mark "I should have one myself, so there should be one teacup each for you" and he went off to turn the kettle on. Then he presently came back with the tea. "Thanks" said the girls and they carried on the chat while drinking tea with Mark. Sayaka noticed something. "Hmm" she said "This tea does not taste like what I am used to, where did you get this tea Mark?" "Got it from Tesco" replied Mark "It is supposed to be their Tesco Value Range tea" Sayaka looked at Mark "That does taste rather bland to me, but I'll carry on drinking it" she said. Madoka had a different idea "Mami would of liked this tea" she said quietly.
"So, Mark" said Homura "Where else had you had people from?" Mark replied "Oh, the surrounding villages, like Cottington, Carleton, Inglefield, Hamsham, Great Preston and Little Preston, you name it. I've even did a funeral at Brunsbury" Madoka listen in interest "Brunsbury?" she asked. "Oh yes, it's a few miles south of Tunbridge Wells, used to be in Kent until I was 7 years old, the same time they split Sussex up into East and West Sussex. Brunsbury has a very quaint little church for a town it's size, dedicated to St Peter, has a rather small squat tower with a spire, but it still manages to hold the Mears and Stainback Ring of 8 bells in F# with a tenor weighing 576kg and the clock and it's face! But still, I have been doing funerals in the area for 12 years, and at a lot of churches, like St Mary the Virgin, Cottington..." but then his Jane called. "Honey! Kevin Clarke is on the phone, waiting for you" she called. "Okay! This has to be about the funeral" said Mark and then he said to the girls "I have a phone call regarding the funeral, stay here, I will be back" and then Mark went into the house to speak to Kevin Clarke, the Church Warden of St Paul's Church in Leamsford.
St Paul's church was built in 1859 when the population of Leamsford was growing and there was too much people to fit into St Stephen's. It has a spire, the four clock faces are just below the spire, and above the louvres for the single bell in the belfry. The clock, made by Potts of Leeds in 1880 and a single bell cast by Gillett and Jonstone of Croydon is also situated in the belfry. You can hear the sound of the clock faintly ticking from outside, if it is quiet enough. The church also has a 2 manual organ built in 1884 by Brindley and Foster of Sheffield. The pipes are arranged in a simple rack in a semi circle, unlike at the decorated Organ case at St Stephen's, where there is 3 towers of Pipes that stick out, between 2 racks of pipes, one at the right side, one in the middle and one on the left, the middle tower is bigger than the other, okay, you get the idea. St Stephen's organ is a 3 manual 1902 Harrison and Harrison of Durham organ, built in this decorative case. Okay, aside that.
Unlike St Paul's, St Stephen's does not have a spire and the clock faces are below the louvres, like on a typical English Parish Church. There is also a ring of 10 bells in the key of D, tenor weight 25-2-0 or 1260kg, cast by John Taylor and Co in 1986 to replace an older ring of eight. Listen to the bells of Blackburn Cathedral, Abergavenny St Mary, Burton on Trent St Paul, or Worsley St Mark to get an idea of what the bells of St Stephen sound like. Aside that, for real this time.
Mark returned with some news. "We are going to have the funeral at St Paul's church on the 24th of April" he said "We would have it at St Stephen's church, but there is a wedding on the same day" "A wedding at the same time as a funeral?" said Sayaka. "Yes, it has happened at times" said Mark "St Stephen's church is the oldest church in Leamsford, with some parts dating back from as early as 1100. Though most of it dates from around 1300-1500. But then we'll be hearing Norman Frazer and his bells when we are trying to bury Mami!"
"Why?" asked Madoka "What does Norman have to do with it?"
"Norman is the tower captain of St Stephen's church" said Mark "That means him and the other bell ringers of St Stephen's will be ringing out the bells when we are trying to bury Mami!"
"What's bad about that, and what do they sound like?" asked Homura.
"Well, There is a ring of 10 bells in the Key of D, the tenor bell weighs about 25-2-0 or 1260kg, they were cast by John Taylor and Co in 1986 when the older ring of 8 was not going down well. My son Joshua told me that because he is learning to ring at St Stephen's. I take him over on a Tuesday night as that when they practise" explained Mark. "Though he's only been doing it since his 11th birthday and that was just 10 weeks ago, so he is slowly making progress!"
"Interesting hobby" said Kyoko "Joshua seems to have educated you in bells a bit hasn't he, and did he tell you about the bells at St Peter's in Brunsbury?" "Yes" replied Mark "Almost every Tower in Sussex from Chichester Cathedral to East Grinstead!" "But will Joshua be ringing for the wedding?" asked Madoka inquisitively. "He, no" replied Mark "He's got a long way to go!"
Madoka took another sip of tea. Mark presented some papers to Madoka. "Can you fill these in please" he said "Since you know her the best, every time someone dies, the person who knows the deceased person the best has to fill in their date of birth, cause of death, etc." Madoka looked at the papers. "So you want me to fill these in?" she asked. "Yes" said Mark "Would you please" and he handed Madoka a pen and she began to fill in the papers. "I would need to give this information to the people who make her tombstone, the Reverend Jim, etc." said Mark.
"Who is the Reverend Jim?" asked Sayaka.
"The vicar of St Paul's" replied Mark. He had another sip of his tea. "Was he the guy you were talking to on the phone?" asked Homura. "No" replied Mark "And that is not of your concern either" Madoka kept filling in the sheets while the others sat back.
Meanwhile, Reverend Jim was on the phone to Dave Roberts, the Organist of St Paul's. They were discussing what Hymns should be played at the funeral. "I'll do that one" said Dave over the phone and he wrote it down on a piece of paper. "So have you got them all sorted" asked Reverend Jim. "They're on my list" said Dave "I'll go and practise them, the funeral is not until the 24th, is it?" "It is not until the 24th" said Reverend Jim "So you have 6 days to practise". "Alright" replied Dave "I'll get on to it now" and he hung up. He went to find his hymn music sheets. The phone rang again, this time, it was his good friend, Stephen Lister, the organist of St Stephen's church.
"Hey, Dave mate" said Stephen "How are things going?"
"Alright" said Dave "I am just going to practise for a funeral on the 24th at St Paul's"
"Oh right" replied Stephen "Oh gosh, there is a wedding on at St Stephen's on the same day!" "Really?" replied Dave "Is there?" "Yes" replied Stephen "Peter Wright and Ellen Ellison's Wedding. Peter has asked me to play 'Love divine, all love excelling' to the tune 'Blaewern' that is one of his favourites. I totally see why!"
"Hehehehe!" replied Dave "It's a pretty cool tune alright, remember the time I played 'Alleluia Sing to Jesus' to the tune 'Blaewern' and 'Love divine, all love excelling' to the tune 'Hyfrydol'?" "Yeah, that were funny!" replied Stephen "Anyway, how is it going on the ideas for our own hymn?"
"I've thought of a title" said Dave "'Bless All the Saints', but I've not written much else as of yet, how is it going with the tune Stephen?" "I'm still working on it" said Stephen "It is in the key of A Major, and I've done the first bit, but I'd like to wait until you complete the lyrics before I write the tune down in the notation book" "Okay" replied Dave. Dave sat down at his piano, still on the phone.
"And also on the 24th" said Stephen "Leo wants you and the rest of the 76s to perform at 'The Lord Nelson' at 7:00pm, is your bass still in good order" "Yes, Leo has told me" said Dave "My Fender Jazz Bass is still in good working order, and this is the first time I've played with him in 2 years"
Dave during his high school years at Leamsford Grammar School, he played Bass Guitar in a band with Stephen's little brother, Leo, who is 9 years younger than Stephen, but 3 years younger than their sister, Laura who was 6 years younger than Stephen. The band was called The 76s, because they were all born in 1976! Duh! Leo played the keyboard and on lead vocals, Dave played Bass guitar, and was one of the two backing vocalists. The other two members were, Michael Kelly on guitar and the other backing vocalist and Paul Hill on the drums. But they didn't have the same instruments that they had back in 1991! They had more expensive gear now!
"Well" said Stephen "I have to go now, I got to pick up James from School." He had to pick his autistic 10 year son up from School. "Okay" said Dave "And talking of which, I need to pick up Nieve and Paul as well" He hung up. Before he went to collect his 2 children from School, he plugged his bass guitar into his amplifier. He played the bass line for two of the songs that he was going to play. "Good thing I still remember all these bass lines from the 1990s!" he laughed "But we've played on occasions" Then he want to pick up his children from School.
Stephen had picked up James from School. He went to a special needs school in Leamsford, because of his autism, it would be harder to be in mainstream schools. "Daddy" said James "Mr Wilson has given us a letter about the trip to Chichester" They were going on an RE trip to Chichester cathedral. "Good" said Stephen. "But Daddy" said James "Will you be able to do this?" "What is it James?" replied Stephen. "Mr Wilson wants you to come with us to play the organ when we do some singing. Will it be alright?" "No problem with that" replied Stephen "I'll phone Mr Wilson and tell him that I'm fine with it, what exactly does he want me to play?" "I don't know" replied James "Ask him" "I will" replied Stephen "Remember the recital I did at Chichester Cathedral?" James remembered it, as he let him have a little tinkle on the Chichester Cathedral organ in front of the audience. "Yes!" said James "Oh, the audience!" James however is beginning to have piano lessons to follow his father's footsteps, even though he likes playing football a lot.
Meanwhile, Mark had returned from picking up Joshua from School. "I'm back" said Mark to the girls. "Okay!" said Madoka, who along with the others had been sitting next to Mami's coffin. Joshua on the other hand rushed inside to go on his Xbox. "Is that your son?" asked Homura. "Yes!" replied Mark "And he is straight on is Xbox! Think he is playing Gran Turismo 5 that we got him for his birthday. But he does get changed while his Xbox warms up" "Could he at least say hello to us?" asked Sayaka. "Uh, he is not really interested" replied Mark "He's more bothered about his video games, and he is gonna race his little brother George. See who is gonna win!" "Ah, well" said Kyoko "George could always pull up and say hi" "Uh no..he is more interested in racing his older brother" replied Mark.
Madoka laughed. Then they turned a bit more serious. "Well" said Mark "I hope you are ready for your friend's funeral, but there is one job I want you to do" "What would that be?" said Homura. Mark opened his wallet and gave them a £10 note. "I want you to go to Wendy's Florists and buy some flowers for your friend" explained Mark "But Wendy gives me a discount when I use her flowers for funerals, so if you tell her that I sent you, she'll give you the discount"
"Okay!" replied Madoka and got up. "Lets go guys, where is her shop?"
"It's near the Railway Station Carpark" said Mark "You'll see Wendy's Florists sign when you get there"
"Okay" said the girls and they set off.
They walked across the street and they soon found Wendy's Florists near the railway station carpark. On the way they passed a church with a spire near to the Train Station. "So that must be St Paul's church" said Madoka. Sayaka wanted to stop and watch the Class 171 leave the station on it's way to London Bridge. "Come on Sayaka" said Homura "No time for trainspotting" "Okay" said Sayaka and the walked on as the train left the station.
They entered Wendy's shop while Wendy was cleaning the counter. "Hello" she said as the girls entered her shop. "What could I do for you" Madoka went forward to Wendy. On the Radio, the song 'Seven Days in the Sun' by Feeder was playing, it just started when Madoka went forward to Wendy. Madoka spoke to Wendy.
"Hi, we are looking for flowers for a friend of our that funeral is next week" said Madoka "Mark Jackson sent us" Wendy looked at Madoka "Well" she said "I have got quite a lot of flowers, and I see he's sent you with £10" "Yes" replied Madoka "He said that you would give us a discount because he sent us"
"Hmm" said Wendy "I see...considering he has sent you, I don't see why not, look for what flowers you like, you can make your own custom Bouquets with them. The normally cost £40 but since Mark sent you, I'll charge you £10, and I'll throw in another bouquet free" She was very generous.
"Well, our poor friend had her head eaten by a monster" said Sayaka. "WHAT?!" exclaimed Wendy "That must be a horrid way to die! In that case you are defiantly having a second bouquet for free, I am a very generous person you know, and I don't want this to be my final act of kindness. Have a look around and I'll get the stuff ready" and Wendy did that.
"I've owned this shop since 1979" she said "And in the 56 years of my existence on this planet, I've never heard such an extraordinary way to die. I've heard of people getting attacked by sharks, but monsters" On the radio, the song carried on to the chorus. "I think I heard this one before" said Sayaka "I can't quite recall where, was it that time when I was at that holiday club and them boys were playing Gran Turismo 3?" She carried on looking at the Lilies to put in the bouquet. Homura looked at the Roses, Madoka had her eyes on some Irises and Kyoko was into some Begonias and some Sweet Peas. "Every Rose has it's thorn" muttered Homura, referring to their grief and distress of Mami's passing.
"What do you girls do for an occupation?" asked Wendy. "Well, we hunt Witches" said Madoka. "And we were in a fight with one when Mami was killed" "That goes to show that we are screwed" said Homura "I doubt we should fight any more witches" "Stow it!" snapped Madoka and she called Wendy over to get the flowers they chose for the Bouquet.
"You made your choice?" she said "Alright, I'll sort them out for you, just hang on a minute" The girls watch as she made the two bouquets with the flowers that they picked. She was done in no time. "That would be £10 please" she said as she went to the till. Madoka went forward to the till and gave Wendy the £10 note. "Thank you" said Wendy as Madoka and Sayaka took a Bouquet each. "Thanks a lot" said Madoka as she walked out the door. "You were a good help" "No problem" replied Wendy and she went to wipe her glasses.
They walked back to Mark's place with the flowers. "Hey Mark!" said Madoka "We've got the flowers, Wendy has been very helpful"
"Good!" replied Mark "Did she give you the discount?"
"Yes" replied Madoka "It costed £10, and she threw in an extra bouquet for free!"
"Nice" replied Mark "She is a very kind lady, now I'll get a couple of vases to put the flowers in" and he headed off to get the vases then came back. "I filled them with water as well" he said "Now lets put the flowers in the vases" They did that, and the flower were in the vases next to Mami's coffin in no time. "I am still weary about opening the coffin" said Mark "But I'll see you guys again on the 24th."
"Right!" replied Madoka "We'll see you then" and they left Mark's place. Mark went back inside and locked the Chapel. He would come back to do the flower arrangements for the coffin, but there was some more things to do before the funeral. But it would be Dinner in over 1 hour's time. He went back inside.
Authors Notes:
I am Autistic Myself, and I went to a special needs school, no..not the same one as James! Haha..not.
I'm also a bell ringer myself, but I still have problems with bell control.
Jeez...why do I explain things in such detail...?
The Song 'Seven Days in The Sun' by Feeder, I heard it when I used to play Gran Turismo 3 when I was 7 years old, It was my favourite of the whole GT3 soundtrack. I've been listening to the song while doing this, and figuring out how to play the song on my guitar as well. Buck Rogers is okay but this is better.
Wendy quotes Whitaker from L4D2 when she says "I've owned this shop since 1979, been on this planet 56 years" This part of the story is set in 2012 though.
