Abigail

Abigail (known as Abby) is a upfront, cheerful girl. But when a disaster strikes, will Abby be the same happy and upgoing girl as the people in town know her to be?

By Mahi Kumar on 17 April 2023

“Abby!! Come inside,please. The pie is ready” Mrs Abel called to her daughter.”Coming, Mama”Abigail replied. Abigail dashed through the tiny door,and her mother was not happy at what she saw. Abby’s new yellow gingham dress was wet with morning dew, and her hair was covered in leaves. Her little navy blue sandals were scuffed with dirt.”Oh, Abigail.Why do you always get yourself into these kind of situations?” Mama asked unappreciatedly.”Mama, isn’t the outdoors beautiful though?” Abby asked.”I suppose it is, dear. But I’d appreciate it if you could try to be a bit more neater” replied Mama.”Okay”said Abigail as she slid onto the small dining table, still holding a bit of a grudge. Abby and her mother lived in a small cottage with 2 bedrooms, one bathroom and a small kitchen with a tiny porch.The cottage rested in a small village with a forest nearby.

“Hey,Abby” Andrew the newsboy exclaimed.”Wanna go for a walk?”.After quickly checking with her mother she yelled down ”Coming!” through the window as she finished the last bites of pie. Abby brushed dried dirt off her dress and plucked the leaves out of hair, trying to make herself suitable for a walk. Abby was about to race out the door, but she had a second thought. Instead,she daintily walked through the hallway,holding her dress up as she did so.” ‘Come back before dusk” Mrs Abel said quickly.”Okay!”.”Andrew, thank you for getting me out of the house” Abby gushed .”It was my pleasure” Andrew replied gentlemanly. They set on a cobblestone path. Birdsong echoed around the lush forest. Suddenly, Abby tumbled into a hole. “Abby!” Andrew shouted.”Ughhhhh!” Abby groaned, since she had landed on a large rock. Suddenly, Abby passed out.”Oh no! Abby!”.He had grown so close to Abigail he was like a brother to her. Andrew had his mind set between rescuing Abby himself, or asking Abby’s mother for help. He decided to rescue Abby himself, since Mrs Abel would kill him if she found out.Another reason was that Andrew wanted to prove the other boys wrong.They would always tease him because all the boys fancied Abby.”You don’t have a chance with Abby!” Aaron Grayson would shout out.”You’re too skinny and shy” Aaron’s cousin Mason Hudley would tease. Well, compared to the other boys's muscular and sinewy appearances,their social personalities, Andrew was quite skinny and shy. But he was very comfortable around Abby because of how easy-to-talk-to she was and her kindness.

Andrew ran to the department store in worry, hoping no one would see Abby unconscious in the hole.He pushed the door open, and the entrance bell jingled.”Well, well. Look who it is” chuckled Mr Harvey, the salesclerk. “Oh, aren’t you in a rush today”. “Good evening, Mr Harvey” Andrew greeted the jolly man with a grin.”What can I get for you, young man?” Mr Harvey asked kindly. “I’ll take some rope, please” Andrew asked as politely as he could.”Sure thing”. Mr Harvey lifted the rope off a hook on the wall, and passed it to Andrew. Andrew handed him the one shilling he had in his pocket as he slinged the coil of rope over his shoulder.”Thanks, Mr Harvey” Andrew smiled tightly and then dashed out the door.”Something is definitely wrong with that boy” Mr Harvey muttered.”He’s acting quite peculiar”. Meanwhile, Andrew was trying to tie a secure double-knot at speed. His hands shivered as he tried to tie the knot. After he was done, it somewhat looked like a knot, but it was still pretty insecure. Andrew slowly lowered himself into the hole while holding the rope so tight his hands were practically sweating. Oh boy, did he regret it!

Suddenly, Andrew fumbled. He screamed wildly as he began to plummet to the ground. He landed on top of Abby’s arm. Andrew briskly stood up, hoping he hadn't hurt Abby. “Oh no! Not only Abby is stuck, but I am too!” Andrew exclaimed fearfully. He could feel the tears springing to his eyes. Abruptly, Abby started to rouse. Her eyes fluttered open, but unfortunately, they closed just as quickly as they opened. It was dusk, and Abby’s mother would probably be looking for them by now. He could even hear Mrs Abel calling out Abby’s name. He heard a bell jingle and he knew what that meant. "Mr Harvey!” Andrew shouted, though trying to make sure that Mrs Abel wouldn’t hear him.”Andrew Thomas Janeson, is that you?”. Andrew could see Mr Harvey’s face peeking out from the edge of the hole.”Yes, it is me, and please be quiet", Andrew replied in a hushed tone. "I knew you had gotten yourself into some sort of pickle, and who is that down there with you?”.”It’s Abby"."Full name, please” Mr Harvey demanded. Andrew rolled his eyes. Mr Harvey could be quite annoying at times.”Abigail Janie-Rose Abel”, Andrew said, his arms crossed."Okey dokey". Now I’d better get you two out of that hole". Mr Harvey said. Mr Harvey looped some rope around a sturdy looking tree and tied it in a figure eight knot. He examined the rope until he was satisfied. Climbing down, Mr Harvey clicked a small button on his tie. The bright light illuminated the crack’s murky soil. Mr Harvey went first, cradling Abby. Andrew came second. Once they reached the top, Andrew thanked Mr Harvey again and again. He gasped at the time, grabbed Abby and raced home. Of course Mrs Abel forgave Andrew for coming in late. Andrew told Mrs Abel Abby had fallen asleep while eating ”Oh thank heavens you two are home. I was about to call the constable” Mrs Abel said, relieved. Though she did have a feeling there was more to the story, Mrs Abel didn’t say anything.

The next day, Abby had forgotten all about her little ‘escapade’ due to the bump on her head. Later, Andrew ran to the department store as if his life depended on it and he begged Mr Harvey not to tell a soul of what happened last night."Why my dear little boy?"" Mr Harvey inquired. "It’s none of your business!"" Andrew spat."No need to be so rude!"" Mr Harvey exhaled. Andrew collected himself and took a deep breath."I’m sorry Mr Harvey for my poor behaviour" he apologised. Andrew did a funny little bow and ran out of the shop, his face as red as a strawberry. He rounded the corner and bumped straight into Aaron Grayson! His cousin, Mason Hudley was swearing about something beside him.”Oh, look Mason! It’s the lovesick worm! Mwah, mwah!’ Aaron mimicked, pursing his lips.Andrew felt tears welling up in his eyes.“Stop it! HE IS NOT A LOVESICK WORM!” protested a shrill voice. “Stop it right now!”. Andrew turned and he saw Abby, shouting out the protests."Oh, there’s your little girlfriend" mocked Aaron."She’s not my girlfriend" Andrew mumbled quietly.”What did you say, worm-legs?" Mason butted in. “Actually, worms don’t have legs" Abby retorted.”And anyways, I's much rather have Andrew as my boyfriend than one of you two". Abby smiled smugly. The two boys looked down at their feet, shuffling around uncomfortably under her glare. Andrew's head suddenly shot up, and his cheeks were as red as a beetroot. “You're just jealous that Andrew is friends with me, aren't you?” Abby growled. Andrew looked up and gave Abby a small smile. Aaron and Mason scowled almost twinlike, and ran off, shouting insults behind them.

"Ughh. Typical" Abby groaned. She grabbed Andrew's hand and pulled him along to her cottage, where Mrs Abel had placed a platter of oven warm freshly baked scones on the table, along with a jar of raspberry jam and a bowl of chantilly cream. “Hello, Mum!” Abby called cheerfully. But there was no response. Abby grabbed some plates from the kitchenette and set them on the table, trying not to worry. She placed a scone on each of the plates, and took a butter knife to generously smear some jam and cream on her scone. She passed the knife to Andrew, and he took it from her, though with reluctance as if she were handing him a dirty diaper. ‘What?’ she asked. “Nothing” Andrew mumbled. He was thinking about what had happened earlier. Mason and Aaron probably had a new nickname for him like Whimp-Kid or Kissy-Mouse. He sighed and plastered a cheerful grin on his face. Andrew smeared a thin layer of jam and cream on his scone. Abby had already finished her scone, and she’d found a note on the fridge from her mother.

’Dearest Abby,
I’ve taken a trip to see your father in Edinburgh. He is terribly unwell with Alzheimer's disease. I received a telegraph about him this morning. I have asked Mayor Grayson to take you to his home and take care of you.Your rucksack is packed with clothes and your toothbrush.I will be back in a month.
From,
your dearest loving
Mother.

Abby burst into noisy sobs. Andrew rushed to Abby.”Abby! What happened?!?! Are you ok?”.”Do I look ok?” Abby snapped. Her eyes were red rimmed and puffy. She shoved the note into Andrew’s hand. He quickly read the note and then bent down to comfort Abby. Andrew felt a bit awkward. He wasn’t used to girls crying in front of him. After a bit, he stood up and walked silently out of the room. In the market, Andrew was pondering over what had happened before. There was something a bit fishy about the note. Mrs Abel loved her daughter dearly, and it would have been most likely that Mrs Abel would have taken Abby with her. As Andrew walked through the market, he saw Aaron and Mason snickering and whispering to each other.