Disclaimer, the usual
Early the next morning dorothy awoke to find Aislynn at the dining room table eating an apple and reading. And a note from Madeline, apologizing that she didn't stay long enough to say goodbye, but couldn't stick around much longer. she smiled and grabbed an apple before going back to her room and changing. Packing her satchel with her school work she slung it over her shoulder and looked at Toto and pockets her were both sitting at her feet.
"While I'm gone I expect you two to keep the other cats in order." Dorothy said.
"yes ma'am." They both replied.
Dorothy smiled and left her room taking one backwards glance at the scepter as she did. When it was time to go she and Aislynn left and weren't very far down the road when they heard the sound of footsteps.
"Hey, Dorothy, Aislynn, wait up!" Came Betsy's voice.
Dorothy turned and saw Betsy running up to them carrying an obviously over loaded backpack.
"Betsy, did you and your parents settle in well enough?" Dorothy asked
"I do believe we did." Betsy said smiling.
"That's good, have you heard from trot?" Dorothy asked.
"yes, she's moved in comfortably, her mom is walking her to school today." Betsy said.
Dorothy smiled and sighed. She began to wonder how alex was fairing. she assumed that they had gotten an early start.
Elsewhere in Kansas.
"Alex, can you come help me with this?" Mr. Alistair asked.
"Sure." He said putting down the box he was carrying and walking over.
Looking at what his uncle was trying to move, it was a large piano.
"Thanks." He said as they pushed towards the opening of the storage room.
"Why are they moving things anyways?" Alex asked as both Mr. And Mrs. Maitland walked in.
"because, we want to use this storage facility for something else." Mrs. Maitland said.
"Does it ever occur to you two that Donna and Kelly would like it better if you two are around more often?" Mr. Alistair asked
"yes, and that time they had us stay home with them was some of the best times we had, but this is our business." Mrs. Maitland said.
"aunt Fen, you guys really should consider sitting back and relaxing for a while, maybe for a year or two." Alex suggested.
"You know, I agree with my son, you two have hardly ever been around for your kids since Kelly was old enough to walk." Mr. Teak said walking in and picking up a box.
"thanks dad." Alex said.
"Fenny, I hate to say it but they're right, my wife and I are able to watch Donna and Kelly, but we aren't their parents, you two need to start being there for them, or you're going to miss a lot of important moments in their lives." Mr. Alistair said as he and alex got the piano to the door and over to one of the large trailers.
"why do you guys keep so much stuff anyways?" alex asked walking back in.
"well, alex, outside of the building materials, some of this stuff belonged to your grandparents, and some of our old friends." Mrs. Maitland said.
Alex sighed and walked over to the large pile he had been working on, when he noticed something that caught his eye. There were two large leather bound boxes. Shifting things around he pulled them both out. Sneezing from the dust they had collected. He saw a small brass plate on both.
"Hey, Aunt Fen, what are these?" alex asked curiously.
"what do they look like?" She asked.
"two leather bound cases covered in dust." Alex replied.
"Dust them off, see if you can find any clue on what they might be." She replied.
Alex sighed and did that. Taking out a handkerchief from his pocket he began to wipe the cases free of dust. However, when he finished the first one and started on the name plate something caught his eye on it. written into the brass plate was a name, 'Gale'.
"Aunt fen, did you guys keep any of the gale's things?" Alex asked.
"um, I'm not sure, why?" she asked.
"because the name plate on this case says Gale." Alex said
"Didn't frank give us some of his things to keep safe after dorothy was born?" Mr. Maitland asked.
"Oh yea, they were the things that wouldn't fit in the attic, and Em and henry's storm cellar was already filled up." Mrs. Maitland replied.
Alex sighed and opened it. inside there was appeared to be a fiddle.
"It's a fiddle by the looks of it." Alex said.
Immediately everyone walked over and looked at it.
"oh, that brings back memories." Mr. teak said.
"like what?" Alex asked curiously.
"Dorothy's father used to play that thing whenever there was a party going on, that man could play that thing like it was his job." Mr. teak said.
Alex sighed and shut the case. Picking up the other one he noticed it felt heavier, dusting it off he found that the name on the plate wasn't gale, but Gage.
"Did you two know anyone with the last name gage?" alex asked curiously.
"Um, the only one that comes to mind is Dorothy's mother, her maiden name was Gage." Mr. Maitland said.
"then that must be her violin, Alexander, remember that time we got her to do a solo for us?" Mr. Teak asked.
"yea, after Frank persuaded her." Mr. Alistair replied.
They all laughed at this for a few minutes. Alex then sighed.
"We should bring these to the Johnson's, seeing as they're taking care of Dorothy's childhood home." Alex said.
"but, wouldn't it make more sense to bring them to dorothy?" Mr. Maitland asked.
"probably, but she really hasn't been in the mood to talk about her parents lately." Alex said.
"you were telling me that the memories are becoming more painful to her." Mr. teak said.
"yes, and it breaks my heart every time she starts getting upset about it." Alex said.
"Alex, I think you need to convince her to let it all out, if she keeps bottling her emotions the way she does, she's just going to cause harm to herself." Mr. Alistair said.
"I know uncle, we all keep telling her that, but I don't want to put her through that pain." Alex said.
Everyone sighed, they understood where he was going with this, as he handed the cases to his father. He smiled and nodded, before returning to the pile.
Meanwhile at the school.
"yes, miss gale?" their teacher Mr. Pryce asked writing an equation on the board.
"three hundred forty-two?" she asked looking at her work.
"Correct." Mr. Pryce replied.
"Mr. Pryce?" Trot asked curiously.
"yes Ms. Griffiths?" Mr. Pryce asked.
"I was just wondering, when's lunch?" Trot asked curiously,
"in about ten minutes." He replied.
Trot nodded and sighed. They all sat quietly for the ten minutes doing work until the bell rang. When everyone else left, only Donna, Ellie, Aislynn, Betsy, trot and dorothy were left in the room alongside Mr. Pryce.
"so, Betsy, what did you bring for lunch?" Trot asked curiously and she took out a paper bag from her satchel.
"salami." Betsy said taking out a sandwich.
"corned beef." Trot replied starting on her own.
"ham." Dorothy added.
"Bologna." Aislynn said with her mouth full.
"ace don't talk with your mouth full." Dorothy said.
"sorry." She said swallowing.
"turkey." Donna cut in.
"Also corned beef." Ellie said.
"same." Mr. Pryce said.
"so Is this what you all do every day? I mean, eat lunch in here?" Betsy asked.
"I'm not much of a popular kid." Dorothy said looking at the empty seat that alex normally occupied.
Trot and Betsy had acclimated pretty well to the class from the get go. People had tried to make fun of Mayre, for asking to be called trot, but dorothy shot them all glances that caused them to shrink back. However, after lunch the class went on normally. And at the end of the day they left the school as a group. As they got out the doors they found Mrs. Griffiths waiting.
"Mom, can I go to Betsy's this afternoon to do my homework?" Trot asked, her eyes glinting with hope.
"Betsy, can your parents get her back in time for supper?" Mrs. Griffiths asked.
"Of Course ma'am." Betsy said.
"Will they mind?" dorothy asked.
"of course not." Betsy replied.
Dorothy smiled and looked at the sky. The sky was beginning to fill with rainclouds and she could smell the storm on the air.
"We should hurry and get home, luckily it's not far." Dorothy said.
Trot smiled and hugged her mom tightly. Ellie placed a hand on Dorothy's shoulder before walking away. Donna and Kelly also started on their way as well. Dorothy sighed and looked at Aislynn who already had her nose in a book. As the four of them walked back across town dorothy could smell the storm brewing more. Just as they were getting to the farmhouse the sky opened up above them and it began pouring. Dorothy immediately led them all to the porch.
"wow, when it rains it pours." Betsy said.
"Yea, I know, oh, there's Mrs. Teak and Annabella." Dorothy said.
"why are they here?" Aislynn asked.
"Annabella wanted to look at the teak family album, I suggested that they come over and reminisce with my aunt and uncle." Dorothy said
"Ah, I see." Aislynn said.
"Um, dorothy, I hate to be a bother, but do you have an umbrella we can borrow?" Betsy asked.
"I have a better idea, why don't you two come in, even with an umbrella you'll still both get soaked with the direction the wind is blowing, you two can stay here till it lightens up a bit." Dorothy said.
"I'll have to call my parents." Betsy said.
"And they'll most likely call my mom." Trot replied.
"they always do trot." Betsy replied.
As the four of them walked in, Mrs. Teak and Annabella reached the front step, Annabella carrying a large leather satchel and Mrs. Teak carrying a large umbrella.
"Wonderful weather we're having, isn't it?" Mrs. Teak asked
"Yes, great weather if you're a duck." Dorothy said giggling.
As the two of them walked in, Mrs. Teak closed her umbrella and took the satchel from Annabella. Annabella smiled and walked up to dorothy hugging her.
"Okay, so we're good to stay here until the storm lightens up." Betsy said.
"oh, hello Betsy, Mayre." Mrs. Teak said.
"Mrs. Teak." Betsy said curtseying.
"Dorothy, your home!" toto shouted running up to her.
"hello toto, where's pockets?" dorothy asked.
Toto immediately turned and saw Pockets sitting on the arm of the couch, being pet by her aunt.
"Well, you girls can work on your homework, then you may join us for tea, and we can start looking at the album, but first I want to go look for something." Em said getting up and going to her room.
Henry chuckled and went back to watching the triplets. Dorothy smiled and looked at Aislynn, Betsy and Trot. Leading them over to the dining room table they began to work on their schoolwork. It didn't take them long, and Aislynn was able to help trot understand some things better. And as they went to the chairs Em emerged carrying a couple of albums.
"the gale family album, and a scrapbook put together by your mother and I." Em said handing the scrapbook to dorothy.
"Madeline and Emily, friends forever." Dorothy read aloud looking at the cover.
Opening it the first thing she was met with was a large picture of her aunt and her mother.
"That was taken by your father." Em said.
Dorothy smiled and showed it to Aislynn and then to Betsy and Trot.
"you look a lot like your mother." Trot said.
"people keep saying that." Dorothy said.
"Dorothy, the more I look at you every day, the more I see your mother," Em said.
"thank you, auntie Em." Dorothy said walking over to the coffee table and pouring herself a cup of tea.
Mrs. Teak smiled and opened the album.
"Oh, Em, henry, remember when this picture was taken?" Mrs. Teak asked.
Both of them looked at the album and chuckled. Dorothy got up and looked. She immediately saw a picture of her father and mother, alongside her aunt and uncle, and Mr. and Mrs. Teak, all in fancy outfits, her mother was dressed in the gown she had worn to a school dance with alex.
"That was our last school dance, I remember that." Em said in a dreamy tone.
"we all do, actually, I was talking about that with my husband about that on Friday night." Mrs. Teak said.
"how did it could up in conversation?" Dorothy asked curiously.
"I honestly don't remember." Mrs. Teak said.
Dorothy shook her head and sighed. Suddenly however she began to feel drowsy. She didn't know why, and eventually she nodded off.
Well, we've taken a look into some of the past, and throughout the story we may take a look at some more. But when dorothy introduce Trot and Betsy to her friends in Oz? will alex uncover any more belongings of Dorothy's parents? find out in the coming chapters.
