TOD Chapter 02 part 1
Mrs Raffles Residence
Ten years later...
This is Edensor, a beautiful village located in Derbyshire, England.
The seventh house on the western side of the apple orchard is almost indistinguishable from the surrounding houses, its foundation of mountain stone appearing steadfast in supporting the main structure despite standing for many years.
The house fence is a faded red, having gone years without a fresh coat of paint.
Some of the wood appears brittle and weathered. A swarm of termites is busy constructing their earthen nests.
A large dark blue dragonfly is seen poised atop a wooden fence, its expression calm, eyes darting, its quest for the finest dragonfly princess seemingly yet to yield joyous results.
Nectar-sipping winged insects flit about, selecting and settling on the chosen blossoms.
Perhaps for Them the most beautiful flowers will offer the sweetest nectar as well.
Bees and beetles hums in harmony, eager not to be outdone in their quest for nectar, displaying their finest charm to the daffodil flowers, which, ironically, appear fearful, as seen in their pale yellow hue.
Stiff green elephant grass fills nearly the entire modest yard.
Mother hens seem enthusiastic, scratching the grass to demonstrate their abilities while also teaching their chicks to forage in the outdoors.
The chicks appear obedient and equally enthusiastic as their mother.
The yellow-feathered chicks never cease to scratch the earth with their tiny feet, continuously pecking away.
In certain patches of grass, there are black objects ceaselessly swarmed by flies—dog droppings.
From inside the house, the sound of rather boisterous children can be heard. Complaints, grumbles, and laughter fill the air within.
A young girl can be heard shouting, "Mrs. Rafles, Zac has hidden my sock and he refuses to give it back. I'm supposed to leave early for a group project with Suzy," says Lola Penty, the girl, His hands placed on hips, While addressing the thin-haired boy.
"Zac, give me back that sock."
However, a boy named Zac is more interested in tossing the white sock into the air.
A grown woman passes by them.
"Zac, give it back. That belongs to Lola. You wouldn't like it if your toy cars were tossed around like that, would you?" she interjected, holding a plate full of fried eggs in her hand.
"Instead of bothering Lola, it would be better if you helped me carry the milk for our breakfast, okay?"
"Alright! Catch this," Zac ran to the kitchen and threw the sock towards Lola's face.
"You foolish child."
Zac retorted, "You, the tattletale with a ponytail."
Lola snorted while putting on her tiny sock. Then she sat at one of the dining chairs, joining the other kids.
Kim, Lola, Joanne, Lily, and Toby were nearly done with their breakfast. Lily Gordon, with her red hair, finished her glass of milk in front of her.
Toby took his last bite of peanut butter sandwich and then took a sip of his milk. The milk left a mark on the edge of his lips.
Joanne wiped her oily lips after choosing fried eggs for breakfast. Then she decided to take a sip of water.
Meanwhile, Kim double-checked her bag.
Amidst the children's activities, a high-pitched voice was heard from Deborah White's room.
She hadn't shown up in the dining room for breakfast.
"Oh no! Mrs. Raffles, Parker messed up my bed. I just tidied it up. Stupid useless old dog!"
Deborah sobbed, and then the other children approached her room.
They saw something that shouldn't be there, on the bed. A Dog poop.
Lola Penty burst in to assess the situation, staring for a moment at something squishy on Deborah's bed, then burst out.
"Oh, Parker is such a darn dog. Come here, Debbie. Don't cry," Lola embraced the still-sobbing Deborah.
"Mrs. Raffles will clean it up good as new, trust me. It's not as bad as before. Remember last night when we were all getting ready for bed? I found something even bigger. I was shocked, but thankfully Mrs. Raffles sorted it all out. She's our angel."
Mrs. Raffles, who was washing dishes, hurriedly made her way to the source of the commotion and found the children gathered around Deborah's room.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying, Sweetie?" Her soft, caring voice cut through the atmosphere. She peered, sweeping her gaze across the room, her gaze stopping at something on the bed. Now she knew what had made her little girl cry.
"Oh my goodness," Mrs. Raffles sighed, as if she couldn't believe it.
The events of last night were still vivid in her memory.
When everyone hurried to their beds, she found Parker, her old village dog, relieving himself in Lola's room.
And now, in Deborah's room.
Mrs. Raffles comforted the somewhat startled Deborah. Deborah buried herself in Mrs. Raffles' embrace.
"It's alright, Debbie, no need to cry. This can still be fixed. Go to school with Lola. Did you oversleep? Why didn't you have breakfast?" Mrs. Raffles tried to regain control.
"I had tidied it up nicely, Mrs. Raffles. I changed the sheets and neatly folded the blanket, but Parker messed it all up," Deborah mumbled in Mrs. Raffles' embrace, her voice fluctuating.
"Now get ready. Grab your school bag, have breakfast, and go to school. Okay? I'll take care of this. Lola, take Debbie for breakfast and then head out. The day is getting late, or do you want to miss Mr. Horan free school pickup? Hurry up!"
Ms. Raffles left Deborah's room with the intention of getting the cleaning supplies for Deborah's bed. One by one, the children followed outside, after Lola and Deborah.
In her residence, Mrs. Raffles was constantly confronted with various challenges faced by her foster children, being their sole caregiver and parent. Laura Raffles, or Ms. Raffles, was a kind-hearted woman, tall in stature, with curly brown hair.
She had a typically European long nose. She wore prescription glasses, with the stems a dark blue, folded and taped with a small piece of black tape at the tip of the left stem.
Her face was somewhat slender. She was an extremely friendly and caring individual.
She was around fifty years old, with wrinkles starting to fill her face. A normal occurrence for a woman her age.
Mrs. Raffles was highly skilled in cooking and loving towards the children.
When her neighbors, especially Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Percy, asked why she went through the trouble of taking in and caring for orphaned children, Mrs. Raffles always answered that she really loved children.
To her, children were cute, even if sometimes mischievous. Nurturing them to grow into a better generation was a challenge she embraced.
However, the true reason why she was willing to care for orphaned children in her home, she never shared with anyone.
It was neatly kept in a secret box in the depths of her heart.
Longing. A deep longing for her husband and son, Harry and Jamie Raffles.
Two people she loved most in this world, but who had left for another world before her.
A world beyond the skies.
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