Victoria sits at the window watching the cove entrance from the footpath and back to the moorings.
She spots the tall caped woman pulling a long wooden wagon into the cove and yells into the small cottage, "Miss Dithers and Lytha are coming!"
Gaea sprints to the window, "Did they bring anything back?"
Alicia squints, "Lytha is in the wagon ... I see a box!"
Victoria returns her attention to the mooring, watching for any signs.
Charlene assists Lytha inside, who immediately curls up on the big chair closest to the warmth of the fire.
Charlene goes back and forth between the wooden wagon and the cottage with packages and bags.
Alicia and Gaea help so that the door can be closed quicker.
Charlene puts the wagon underneath the cottage, dodges inside and slams the door shut behind her. She sits in her seat exhausted, "The wind is terrifying cold. I will do my best to accommodate your needs, however I will advise, for your health, to stay indoors."
"Yes Miss Dithers," is a three-person unison response.
Charlene pulls off wool hat and looks around, "Where is Mirum?"
Victoria points, "She is on the other side of the mooring."
"Not inside Harbourmaster's office?" Charlene stands and comes behind Victoria seeing. "How long has she been out there?"
"She was out before, came back, and then returned." Victoria looks at the clock, "She has been out there ... counting the numbers on the clock, forty-five minutes."
Charlene doesn't hesitate to rebutton winter outwear and grabs her emergency backpack, "Stay here girls, Lytha you are in charge and do not open anything until I return."
Charlene manages to fight the wind and finds her footing on the moorings. She attempts to yell, "Mirum!" but the salty air transforms her effort to a whisper.
She moves further along the wall and she finds her friend.
Mirum huddled down with her back against the wall.
Charlene runs over fighting the sea air pushing her against the wall. She decides in an instant to crawl, to be lower to the ground. She crawls as fast as her body will allow. 'Please be fine. Please my friend. Do not die.'
She can as she feels the wind willing to toss her back into the cove or worse, the sea.
1858 London
University of Oxford Botanic Garden
Charles T Vaughan takes her usual Sunday stroll through the gardens with the usual packed lunch.
She sits near the back near the water garden. She found this is the perfect location to overlook the entire space.
Spring brings love and punting.
Spring is a renewal of the garden. Each Sunday something new is forcing itself to feed off the sun. The air smells sweet and from the bench he can see the canal.
Spring is to being love, however courtship has always been strict on women. A single woman was never permitted to go out alone and meet a gentleman. Good society habits demand all courtship to be by an respected elderly person which why, Charles notices, punting is becomes popular in Spring. It always pains her to see an elderly woman mining her charge from the towpath.
Charles does not enjoy the spring. It reminds her that she can never feel something, share a life or with anyone. It would demand that she returns to her female clothing. Dressing like a gentleman allocates privilege, financial security and freedom. Well more freedom than a woman.
Summers are annoying at the gardens. Families come in droves. Charles has found that there are two types of families those who are happy and those who are not.
Families that stroll simply offer themselves up for display to maintain their societal illusion of happiness while those families that sit, eat and laugh are the ones truly happy.
One who has lived over a century notices these things. If pressed for proof of her assessment Charles would be prepared to offer this solution. Come to the gardens any other day and you shall see the wife or husband having a picnic with someone other than their spouse, laughing.
However, Charles has no friends to challenge her. If she ever has a friend, she is prepared for such astute debate of social habits she believes it shall be impressive.
During the autumn Charles T Vaughan watches the death and decay. This is the time she appreciates life because the alternative would not be acceptable, at this time. The browns and black of the once pink and red blooms show that life, all life, even hers ... will die someday.
Death brings Charles comfort. Autumn inspired her that she has lived long enough. Her body kept repairing itself; death would never come. Luckily that was during the fashion of the dandy chin-high collars with elaborate cravats.
Winter the frozen water with white powder covering all that once was and hiding what will be beautiful. It is always a pleasant time because she has the gardens to herself. No women group, no nanny with toddlers, no secret lovers or manic poet being vocal with their words, as if the plants will answer. Yes, winter is his favorite time.
Charles has found that being alone has its positives. He could move throughout the city, if he so wishes. He could eat and drink himself into such a stupor his dreams would be of ostriches and elephants, if he so wishes. He could wander the world, if he wishes. The winter reminds him that he must be hidden, to protect himself and others. What lies beneath his masculine attire is a warm female body with blood any scientist would probe, military to exploit and entrepreneur would profit.
Charles loves winter. She is reminded that she is alone. Alone means she is safe.
"Mirum!" Comes from her mouth but a trickle of sound comes out as her lungs protest.
Mirum hears her and stand.
Mirum, with her limited strength, pulls Charlene to her side in a makeshift sofa of sandbags.
Charlene is warmed instantly.
Before Mirum sits down Charlene can see multiple hot water bottles on top of sand bags. She points and hands Charlene the binoculars.
"Wait and watch." Mirum commands with a strong voice.
Charlene feels the sting of the sea air on her face but remains strong.
The waves pile up with each yank of the wind and slam back down as if the sky itself is pushing the waves back to earth.
Mirum watches as the waves drop down and catches the top of an antenna, "Is it ours?"
"I don't know. I can't tell."
"Has it moved?"
"It has been there for two hours." Mirum points to her seat, "That is why I made this."
Mirum bundles up and pats a hot water bottle for Charlene. "I want to be sure."
Charlene remember the blanket in her emergency kit and lays it across both their legs.
They wait.
It seems like another hour.
Mirum has become invisible with her coat, hat, blanket all wrapped up but only the binocular is extended from her head. "Hey!" She points and hands Charlene the binoculars.
Mirum shoves everything into her foot locker while waiting for Charlene's verification.
Charlene waits for the waves to push back down. She yells, "Go! Report this. I will bring our stuff inside and wait to see if there is movement."
Mirum doesn't hesitate as she fights the fatigue, the sleepiness and runs back to the cottage.
Victoria yells to the cottage, "Mirum is coming!"
Alicia quickly pour a thermos of tea, fills a hot water bottle and stands there prepared.
Gaea waits by the fireplace.
Mirum enters the cottage and immediately undresses.
Gaea runs over and hands her sister the warmed wool robe.
With almost a slur Mirum reports while pointing out to sea, "There is a submarine."
Victoria asks without turning away from the mooring, "Is it ours?"
"No, Germans."
Mirum takes the hot water bottle and thermos, "I must get to the radio."
Mirum notices Lytha and quickly falls to her knees. "How is she?"
Lytha is still.
Mirum quickly pulls up Lytha's dress to see the once emerald green scales now dark, too dark. Mirum removes Lytha's glasses and put them safely on the table. She turns to Gaea and Alicia, "I am going to pick her up. I need you to place my hot water bottle on the seat. One of you grab the wool blanket from my bed. Hurry."
The girls nod yes. Gaea leaves and comes back with a thick wool blanket.
"Good." Mirum lifts Lytha's cold body as Alicia places the hot water bottle on the back of the seat. "Now lay the blanket down."
Mirum lays Lytha down back on the chair and covers her up tight. Quickly Mirum feels her sister's chest under the blanket, a fighting heartbeat. She quickly regains her breath, "She will be alright. But place hot water bottles here, here and here."
Gaea and Alicia get to work immediately.
"Victoria, any sign from Charlene?"
"Not yet."
Mirum goes to her room and pulls off another blanket. She takes that and her thermos of tea down to the basement.
She flips switches and turn knobs in order. She goes through everything she has learned and practiced time and time again. She flips through the manual for the proper code.
"This is NT7800671589 reporting. Over"
Silence.
Mirum checks her radio, everything seems to be working.
"This is NT7800671589 reporting. Over."
A crackle and a few sounds like popcorn in the fire, "This is HQ. Please repeat. Over"
"This is NT7800671589 reporting. Over"
"What is your report. Over."
Mirum almost forgets in her excitement.
"What is my mother profession? Over."
"Which one? What is your favorite food? Over."
"Sake Kasu Challah. Over."
"Good hear you NT7800671589. We were worried that your cottage was taken over. Over."
"We have a sighting of a tin can. About five miles off the coast. Over"
"Is it moving? Over"
"It has not moved for almost three hours. Over."
Mirum hears Charlene opening the cottage door, dropping the foot locker on the floor and slamming the door shut. Mirum listens Charlene's footsteps.
"This is NT7800671589 reporting. I might have an update. Stand by. Over."
Charlene's footsteps are heard going down the stairs.
"Standing by. Over."
With chattering teeth Charlene points to the map on the wall, "They are he-heading north to Edinburgh and staying close to the coast."
"This is NT7800671589 reporting movement. Over."
Charlene flops in the chair next to Mirum.
"Which direction? Over."
"North towards Edinburgh and hugging the coast. Over."
"Roger that. Over."
"NT7800671589 is Signing off. Over."
"Keep your radio on for possible instructions and updates. Over."
"Roger. Over."
Mirum sits back, opens the thermos and fills her chest with warmth. She must fight the feeling of sleep. She turns to Charlene, "I am sorry I scared you. I did take care of myself."
"You didn't need me at all. You had it all under control."
Mirum shifts in her seat and whispers, "My dear friend, you are always needed. Besides I have no desire to leave you to deal with those four monsters upstairs."
Charlene does her best not to show how uncomfortable she feels.
"You are my first friend, besides my family member." Mirum unleashes her honesty.
"I am?" Charlene is taken off guard.
"My friends have been books and relatives." Mirum chuckles, "Now that I think about it, you are my only friend."
"That is hard to believe."
"I am sure you have had many people enter your life. Friends from each century. I must seem like a flea grasping to a dog for companionship."
"No, no, no." Charlene corrects Mirum's assumptions. "I have never had a friend. Ever. I was alone, by choice."
"Oh."
"I am glad you are my friend."
Mirum memory snaps back to Lytha's coldness, "Lytha!" She springs up and runs upstairs. She enters the room with Gaea crying.
Charlene sits by Gaea and attempts to console her, "Why are you crying?"
Gaea just keeps crying.
Victoria, who is no longer on window duty has taken to the nearest chair to the fireplace, "She is upset because she heard on the radio that the Olympics has been cancelled."
Charlene and Mirum share an awkward facial expression; both are trying not to burst out their inner laughter.
Charlene begins to ask Gaea what specifically does she like about the Winter sports and Olympic events.
Gaea quickly finds her voices and relishes the undivided attention.
While Gaea describes every Olympic sport Mirum checks on Lytha. She places her hand on her sister's chest and feels a normal Silurian heartbeat.
At once Mirum feels the fatigue of the morning. She goes to sit down at the small table and notices the boxes and mail. She is about to save Charlene by announcing a letter from home, but decides to wait until their bedtime. She wants them to have peaceful nice sleep as the letters from home are always positive.
As if on command Lytha purrs and stretches herself awake. She blinks and smiles at the care to keep her warm. She notices that Gaea is monopolizing Miss Charlene and a pang of Jealously fills her brain. She is about to get up but her body is still repairing from the cold.
Lytha smiles brightly as assumes that Miss Charlene took care of her. To make she is warm and healthy. She notices that Alicia and Mirum are watching her and whispers softly, "Is there something wrong?"
Mirum gets up, picks up Lytha from the seat and holds her tight. "You had us all worried. We all had to act quickly."
Mirum looks to Charlene, "I am sorry but I believe that it is best that we limit our girls to the outside the remainder of winter."
The four start to protest.
Mirum returns Lytha on the warm seat, "I am sorry. The only person here that can remotely help us our Miss Dithers. She has been generous enough to allow us to be safe in her private cove. I am sorry. I am sure you understand."
"You go outside," Victoria points out the obvious.
"You are correct. I shall never go along until spring." She looks to Charlene, "I am asking more from you than originally expected. But I believe when I have to go to the moorings I will need you to accompany me. The rest of the time I can use the telescope in Harbourmaster's office. The only reason I went out was because I could not see through the window anymore."
"We could temporarily remove a small window pane," Charlene ponders other solutions but this might be the best one until spring. "There is a fireplace and large enough for a play area for the girls. They don't have to be cooped in this space."
"That is a good idea. Will you help me later today?"
Charlene stands and hands Mirum a telegram, "Depends, you have a telegram."
Mirum reads it to herself and looks up at with worry Charlene, "Project? Who is going where?"
"Maybe it has something to do with that box?"
Mirum opens it and for a moment she is distracted or concerned about family. "I need to build this."
The four girls climb the small table to look inside the mystery box, "Please I beg of you all to find self-control and do not touch. I have to build this, it is very important."
"Can we watch?" Gaea is the first to offer a compromise.
Mirum looks around the small room, "I believe we will need to utilize the Harbourmaster's office immediately. I will need proper venting and space."
She looks to her pupils, "I am sorry but this project is too important to make a mistake. I will talk through each step; you can watch what I do but however, you must not touch anything. I am truly sorry."
The four girls nod their heads in understanding.
Mirum looks to Charlene, "Are you ready to head out in the cold."
"No," Charlene says with a grunt. "But I would rather do it now than later."
Over the next few hours Mirum and Charlene take over the Harbourmaster's office.
After completed all done Mirum and Charlene look over their hard work and see there is plenty of comfortable seating and extra space for the girls to spend time playing on the floor.
"We have to monitor our wood pile as we now have to keep two places warm," Mirum says as she looks through the telescope.
"Someone in town can supply us with more wood," Charlene looks out to sea. "We will just have to budget ..."
A knock interrupts their discussion.
Mirum opens the door to see Gaea bundled up, "The radio is talking."
"Gaea, please escort Miss Dithers back to the cottage."
Gaea nods.
Mirum runs as fast as her legs will allow while running in wet sand.
"NT7800671589 come in please. Over."
Mirum gathers herself, "This is "NT7800671589. Where was my High School? Over."
"NNY Trinity. What year was your roommate born? Over."
"1658. NT7800671589 we need to know if there are any new sightings. Over"
"No new sighting. I have been keeping watch. Over."
"Do you have transportation? Over."
"The bus 253 at Bowling Green Station. Over."
"No other mode? Over."
"No other mode of transportation. Over."
Mirum can hear the frustration and conversations in the background.
"HQ is Signing off. Keep your radio on for possible instructions and updates. Over."
"Roger. Over."
Mirum unplugs the Hammarlund SP-100 and takes it upstairs. As she heads to the door she sees the four girls gathering personal belongings, books and blankets.
"What is going on?"
Lytha speaks as a leader, "We are going to be with you tonight. Charlene says there is enough wood and we just need a light supper."
"Don't you want to be in your own beds."
Gaea asks, "Well how long are you going to be on watch tonight?"
"Many hours."
"We want to accompany you and watch you build the project."
"You sure?" She looks at the girl individually to see if there might be a possibly mutiny if it gets boring. "I shall not return until I have completed a working project. Understand?"
All four nod.
"I going to take the radio over to our new scouting location. Miss Dithers?"
Charlene started to plan her time with the cottage to herself.
"Miss Dithers?"
Charlene stops planning, "I am sorry, my mind wondered."
"I hope to something wonderful. In the meantime; I have to set up the radio. I shall be back or can you escort the girls with their things to the Harbourmaster's office?"
"Of course."
"Miss Dithers?"
"Yes Lytha."
"I can stay with you."
"You need to learn something new this evening. It is important."
Lytha nods yes while looking at the untouchable box.
Mirum sets up the radio to against the driest wall. She sets up the table so that she can periodically look into the telescope without having to stop the project.
Soon the girls arrive with their belongings.
"My goodness are you moving here?"
Lytha pulls out seven books and places them on the shelf. Gaea, Victoria and Alicia bring over their own to create a small library.
Charlene carries in a small box and lays it over by the books. She points to the box, "These are board games and toys."
Victoria quickly look through the box, "Miss Dithers did you bring Owzthat?"
Charlene smiles and pulls the small tin from her coat pocket, "Thank you for reminding me. It is so tiny I did not want to lose your game and decide to keep it close." She hands it to Victoria, "I know it is your favorite."
Victoria blushes and responds, "Thank you." She quickly places it on the window pane.
Lytha goes to the game box and hands over the board games to Gaea to place on the next empty shelf. Mirum watches as Crickette, Chess, Draughts, Snakes and Ladders, Tidley Skittles, Pegity, Escalado, Wahoo and Pachisi are placed on the shelf with their game name facing the room.
Charlene asks the room, "Where shall I place this?" She holds the large box carrying their new game from home Crokinole.
The girls look around and see only one desk, the one Mirum is using for her project.
Alicia offers a suggestion while looking at Mirum and Charlene, "Do you think we could bring the folding table?"
"Of course," Mirum gets up, "Charlene please to keep watch and I shall go get a few things."
Charlene sits in the seat and looks through the telescope. She slowly movies it from left to right over the horizon of the choppy sea. Everything is quiet. She looks to the room as the girls are just preparing to take over this room. "You don't like my home?"
"We love your home." Lytha stands up from laying down a blanket. "It is rather small for us to play. If we are to remain inside, we prefer to have our own place for our things."
Gaea whispers a reminder to Lytha.
Lytha shakes her head, "In the summer we spent most of our time outside. When it got too cold we are limited. We need to play and you need to have quiet."
"I am not against noise." Charlene ponders her next words carefully, "I am not accustomed to sharing my time and space."
The outside door opens and closes. Soon the office door is opened with Mirum carrying the card table and wearing her backpack.
She unfolds the table, opens her backpack and lays out a light supper. "I have much to do tonight. Please mind the noise and pay attention."
Mirum takes her seat nearest the telescope, opens the project, plugs in the soldering tool and lays the components on the table. She unfolds the diagram faces the girls, "This is a schematic diagram and it will tell me where things will go..."
Charlene returns to her cottage. She looks around as all signs of the four girls has disappeared. The only noise is the radio playing an opera. She listens intensely for a moment and recognizes it as Mozart's Act I of The Marriage of Figaro.
She to turns it off.
Silence.
Silence and the sea.
She smiles to herself and heads down to the basement to continue her own project.