Bells
BELLS
through morning-blurred vision
I wake
to see my sister
dancing like a demented bird
round the bedroom
“He's been!”
“He's been!”
butterflies overwhelm my stomach
“I thought I heard bells!”
I say
sitting up
rubbing away persistent sleep
“I did too!”
she said
eyes widening in mock agreement
I follow her in the half-light
carefully negotiating pairs of shoes
that frame the staircase
shivering with enthusiasm
the ripping-open process begins
and I notice
the brass maid ornament / cum dinner bell
has disappeared from pride of place on the cornish
where she sat
next to grey plastic tupperware egg cups
filled with Glenis's inky eyeliner water.
Isobel
Thu 29th Dec 2011 19:39
Lovely bit of nostalgia John. It's funny when you look back on events through an adult's eyes.
We used to have a long clothes horse thing that hung from the ceiling. I can remember seeing a toy quilt cover for a second hand pram airing up there for weeks before Father Christmas delivered it...
I wish I could recapture the smells I remember - perhaps it has something to do with central heating but Christmas just doesn't smell the same anymore. I think we all have too much also. We used to get a tin of condensed milk instead of chocolates and would make it last for ever. Happy days eh?