***Chapter 4***
***Dora***
When the snow falls and the bitter frost of winter cruelly taunts with ice cold heart, so the lonely are left to weep. Laughter fading, one last shadow, one last goodbye, one last kiss as the sun goes down and darkness covers forever. And as the snowflakes fly ever faster footsteps gone all too soon and nothing left now but silence and tears.
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Steve grinned his teasing grin, amused. "Your nickname was Daz? As in the soap powder?"
We had stopped the horses at the highest point over the river, our special place, where the panoramic views were ablaze with colour. The early morning's quiet rain had washed the land and the sun's warm kisses held the promise of a kindly summer. Carpets of yellow daffodils, my favourite flower, danced prettily in the whispering breeze that carried sweet, heady scents of spring and birds chirped on the boughs where leaves had begun to grow anew. It was hard to believe that only a few short weeks ago we had still been in the grip of freezing weather and at Follyfoot Farm icicles had hung on the walls. Hard to believe there could ever be a time for sadness.
"Jimmy the chauffeur gave me the nickname the day I fell in the snow when I was four or five. Razzle Dazzle Dora whiter than white, you can see her in the daytime and you can see her in the night, he said. Somehow it became Daz for short. My parents hated the nickname." I smiled fondly at the memory. "I loved Jimmy so much. He was more family to me than Mother and Daddy ever were."
And I dabbed my eyes a little for days gone by.
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I came into this world exactly five hours before anyone even knew I planned to. Jimmy Turner told me. He told me while I was helping clean the sleek, black car that he used to drive my parents all round the country to their important meetings. At least Jimmy was cleaning the car, polishing it with the chamois leather cloth till it gleamed; I was busy swirling a sponge round in the lukewarm water, fascinated by the rainbow bubbles that glistened in the soapsuds.
"You gave us all one helluva nice surprise the day you were born, Daz." Jimmy had a habit of introducing fresh topics very suddenly same way I did.
He gently removed my arm from the bucket as he spoke as, wondering exactly how deep the bubbles ran and keen to discover for myself, I'd just plunged it in up to my elbow. Rolling his eyes and pulling a comical face to make me laugh, he whizzed a small towel from the car's bonnet and quickly towelled me dry.
"What am I gonna do with you?"
I giggled in return and, now the towelling was done, deciding to practise hopping on one foot.
"Did I bring choc'late?" I queried as I concentrated on jumping.
"What?" Jimmy looked baffled.
"Nurse Clara says don't say what, say pardon me. Did I bring choc'late for the nice surprise when I got borned?"
"Oh, Daz, sure and you'll be the death of me!"
Jimmy was trying his utmost not to laugh and I stopped hopping to stare at him curiously. I knew he wouldn't die though. I used to think he might and I would get very upset about it till Jimmy explained it was just a saying.
Jimmy had snowy white hair and twinkling blue eyes and was my best friend after the horses. He was the only one could get away with calling me Daz. My parents pretended they hadn't heard when Jimmy said it but not when the other staff did.
Once, when Millie got told off, I heard her repeat sarcastically"The child's name is Do-rrraaahhh" in Mummy's voice when Mummy had left the room.
I never told though. I scrambled out from under the bed where I'd been hiding and Millie dropped the bed sheets in shock.
"Da...Dora, Mummy told you to go to Nurse Clara."
"I only pretended. I ran and came back and crawled under the bed." Proud of myself, I waited for Millie to clap her hands and congratulate me on my ingenuity and when she didn't, skipped over to the dressing-table.
"Can I play with Mummy's necklaces?"
"Poppet, you know you can't." Millie put back down the jewellery box I'd just picked up.
"Pleeeeze? Just for a minute?" I wheedled, smiling.
I knew I had a dazzling smile. It was how I got my nickname. That, and the day Jimmy called me Razzle Dazzle Dora the first time I saw snow.
Except it wasn't the first time. I just didn't remember the first time, when I came into this world exactly five hours before anyone even knew I even planned to. When the snow in all its breathtaking beauty had never been more cruel...