The Fish on Papa Carson's Wall
A/N This story makes references to my previous writing about Sybbie's first bus ride. Might be more interesting if you read that first. Also, I can't believe my last story was published three years ago. Sheesh! This has been waiting in the wings so I suppose it's past time to put it out there.
Oh, so much to talk about when the two weary travelers arrived back at the abbey! Sybbie ran straight to her Nana Carson's sitting room only to find it empty. Her traveling companion, Papa Carson, was right behind her but by the time he had stepped over the threshold into the servants' quarters, Sybbie was already peppering Mrs. Patmore with questions. "Where is she? Where is Nana Carson? Has she left for home already? She said she would be waiting for us because she wanted to know all about our adventure. I have something very, very special to show her!"
"Oh, love, be patient." replied the cook. She's just upstairs seeing to her Ladyship, your Granny Cora. They are discussing the summer garden party coming up next month. She knows you'll be arriving shortly."
Perfect timing. Elsie could hear Sybbie's voice down in the kitchen as she herself was almost to the bottom of the stairs.
"Well, hello, love – you're back already, then. And where's your Papa Carson?"
"Right here, my dear. She's just gotten a bit ahead of me, so excited to share her day with you both."
"Well, what say we have some biscuits and tea?" said Mrs. Patmore. "That way, we can both hear all about your adventures today. You've been gone quite awhile so I'm sure you have so much to tell us about!"
"Yes, but you see, Mrs. Patmore, Papa Carson and I did just share, on the way back, your biscuits that you packed for us and some lemonade so we're not that hungry right now. We saved them until the end of the trip. Papa Carson was right; it wouldn't have done to try to eat and drink and hold everything whilst on the bus. His plan to wait until we were off the bus was much better."
Not hungry now? Silly, sweet girl, Charles thought. This was a man who would never turn down more biscuits no matter how long or short a time in between.
And so all four sat around the kitchen table, chatting about their day. Sybbie spent more time talking than eating so Charles didn't feel the least bit remorseful when eating not only his share of the biscuits, but also the few set aside for Sybbie. The young girl took no notice whatsoever as she was so engrossed in sharing every minute detail of her adventure: the walk, the bus ride, the bookstore, the general store, the treats, the trip home- all of it. She did pause long enough to lean over and whisper to the housekeeper, "There's something I must ask…Mr. Griffith has a fish on the bookstore wall that looks just like the one hanging in Papa Carson's office and they were pointing at it and laughing. Do you know why?"
"I don't know, really. It would be best to just ask Papa Carson about it, I suppose."
As Sybbie was not the quietest whisperer there ever was, Charles overheard her question directed to Elsie and about spit out his sixth biscuit.
"Whenever did you see Mr. Griffith and I talking about that? I thought you were around the corner, in the children's book section?"
"I had just decided on which book I was going to choose and, as I turned the corner to find you, I heard you and Mr. Griffith laughing. I admit I hid behind the last row for a moment to see what all the fuss was about. That's when I saw you both looking up at the fish and laughing. I noticed it looked just like the one you have in your pantry. I've seen it before, you know. It seems like a strange thing to hang on a wall, but I thought it was just something that grownups did."
The cook, the housekeeper and the young girl all looked enquiringly at the one who had just taken the last biscuit off the plate.
"Hmmm…well, Mr. Carson…there seems to be a story waiting to be told in all of this. I think we can all spare a bit of time to hear about it." Mrs. Patmore did so enjoy egging the poor man on.
"Very well," he sighed. "You see, quite a few years back, just before the annual cricket match, Mr. Williams, who plays for the village team, made me a wager. Actually, he also made the same wager to Dr. Clarkson and Mr. Griffith. The wager involved which team would win the match. The winner of the wager would arrange for a day's outing for all four men and we all had to go along with it."
Well, Dr. Clarkson, Mr. Griffith and I all wagered that the Abbey would win while Mr. Williams bet on the village team. I suppose, if the Abbey had won, we three would all have a turn arranging a daytrip but, as it turned out, the village team won that year and so Mr. Williams took great delight in telling Dr. Clarkson, Mr. Griffith and me that his day trip of choice would be a fishing trip. You see, he is an avid fisherman and, as he has no family, he spends all his free hours fishing. He's been at it for over thirty years and is quite good at it."
"And so, the Carson-Clarkson-Griffiths-Williams fishing day, as it became known, happened three Saturdays after the cricket match. I hadn't taken any off-time owed me in quite some time and so His Lordship agreed to allow me the entire day away for this fishing escapade."
"Did you catch anything, Papa Carson? What about Dr. Clarkson? I'm sure you weren't happy that you hadn't won that wager. Because, well…I'm sure fishing isn't your…well, as Papa would say, your strong suit. Where would you have taken the others if you had won?"
"Well, that doesn't matter now, does it? Perhaps a museum. Yes, I think so. A museum."
"Anyway…we went along with Mr. Williams that Saturday, who generously supplied all three of us non-fishermen with the equipment we needed."
"He was quite patient as he showed us how to bait the line and how to stand and cast our lines into the water. He smiled and laughed, even; a bit too much for my good but I think he was not so secretly enjoying the fact that neither Dr. Clarkson, Mr. Griffith nor I had any inkling of how to fish. As it turns out, Mr. Williams caught five good-sized fish that day, the only true catch of the day."
"Dr. Clarkson, Mr. Griffith and I caught nothing except a child's shoe, a pair of long johns and an umbrella."
Mrs. Patmore, Mrs. Hughes and Sybbie all burst out laughing at that and then tried desperately to rein in their giggles as the retired butler scowled his most scowly scowl at the three of them.
"As a memento, Mr. Williams, being the village taxidermist, gave us each a mounted fish to remind us of our debacle of a fishing trip that day. I think he did it to rub it in, to remind us of our complete and utter lack of fishing skills, but good-naturedly, of course."
"Were you sad, Papa Carson? You know, that you only caught an umbrella. Or was it you that hooked the long johns? However would those end up in the water, anyway?" Sybbie was more than quite taken with the whole story.
"No, love. I think we three were first a bit embarrassed at our failure as fishermen but, in fact, that day brings only good memories. No one has to be really good at everything, Sybbie. Mr. Williams is a great fisherman but he can't set a broken arm or run a bookstore or manage all the works here at the big house, now, can he? If we are all good at just a few things, albeit very different, then it works out in the end, doesn't it?"
"I suppose so, Papa Carson. You can't do what Nana Carson does and neither of you can do what Mrs. Patmore does. We would be in trouble if we all were good at the exact same thing and no one could do anything else. My papa can drive cars and fix them, too. Mrs. Patmore can't do that, but then my papa can't cook near as well as she can."
"Wise words, my girl. Wise words." replied the cook.
"So that's the story, then", said Charles. Perhaps we can visit Dr. Clarkson and Mr. Williams so you can see the third and fourth of the fishes. Maybe that could be an adventure for another day."
"I would love that, Papa Carson! I guess I have to find out what I'm good at-besides reading, of course. And singing. And building with George's blocks. And drawing with Marigold when she visits. And loving my papa. And you. And you. And you." Sybbie replied, pointing around the table.
"It sounds like you've already got many talents, my love", said Charles, leaning over to kiss his favorite little girl on the forehead.
"Indeed, you do." echoed Nana Carson, as Mrs. Patmore nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, you do."
