It’s almost Christmas!

DanielleV says:

Hi Ms Puddle,

It turns out that I managed to find the time to submit a short story. Please bear in mind that I’m not a fan-fiction writer so by all means, please go ahead and make any corrections or editing regarding my entry. I’ll be glad to receive your feedback and suggestions.

Thank you so much for your invitation and stay safe!

Lakewood says:

Hello Ms Puddle,

Please see this attached short story of mine entitled: ‘Mr Brown’s Unexpected Visit’. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to participate in this enjoyable competition. As for the word length, it’s well within what you have requested (circa 1400 words).

Story begins:

Mr Brown had been planning his journey back home to Illinois for quite some time but he did not want to make his return public. Besides, his relationship with Madame Elroy and the other elders of the Ardaly clan was anything but favourable. The only people he wanted to see again were his brother-in-law and nephew. He also had some sporadic correspondence with Candy and he anticipated to see her again as well.

Upon arrival at the Chicago estate, Mr Brown was greeted by a young and fresh-faced secretary who informed him that Mr William A Ardlay had taken the day off for personal reasons but did not provide further explanations. Mr Brown was surprised to not find George anywhere and he asked the young lady for his whereabouts in which she replied that George was based at the city-centre where his office was within close proximity to the high street banks. Mr Brown was pleased to learn about Albert’s adeptness as a business entrepreneur. Albert’s start-up bushiness were flourishing to such an extent that he had the ease to hire more employees and offer opportunities to aspiring young women and men inclined towards business innovation. Mr Brown noticed that the entire estate had a different air and ambience to it which was a far cry from the cob-web and anachronistic atmosphere that the previous management had established. Albert’s reputation as a shrewd businessman had been spreading like wildfire within the professional circles of powerful magnates and entrepreneurs. Even though he was one of the youngest in his field, he was also one of the most brilliant and innovative minds. Nonetheless, Mr Brown could not help but compare Albert with his father who was also one of most hard-working and productive business entrepreneurs in Chicago.

To his disappointment, Mr Brown would probably not be able to see his brother-in-law since he was on leave but then it crossed his mind that Albert could be spending his much needed leisure time at his cottage near the lake situated in the same vast estate albeit further away from the main building which also functioned as William A Ardlay’s business headquarters. Mr Brown had known his brother-in-law ever since he was a toddler. Albert had a vested interested in self-reliance and everything pertaining to that quality whether it be woodwork, construction and repairing. These traits had solidified in his adolescence when Albert demonstrated a particular inclination in the biomedical field. No doubt that Albert was a multi-talented young lad who never ceased to amaze even the stone-faced elders of the Ardlay clan-all of whom had invested in Albert’s intelligent young mind and industriousness. None of them were disappointed in the slightest as Albert would exceed their expectations. However, Albert’s fierce fidelity to hard work and studiousness had taken a toll on the quality of his personal life as he had no friends his age. He was never known to have a girl-friend either even though Mr Brown had a slight suspicion that he was involved with a fellow university student at Oxford. There were some mild rumours circulating that Albert had been dating a beautiful young lady who was studying medicine at Oxford. Albert was supposed to be studying law but he had decided to embark on a joint degree and pursue his studies in medicine too, hence, excelling in both fields. Perhaps that young lady had played an instrumental role in influencing Albert to make such a decision. On the other hand, Albert had always been interested in the biomedical field and all those rumours could have been mere hearsay.

Determined to see his beloved brother-in-law again and discover for himself whether he is devoting any time to his personal life, Mr Brown advanced towards the cottage and lake anticipating to see Albert there. Given the vast property of the Chicago estate, Mr Brown had to walk for about half an hour but it was a brisk walk as the weather was gorgeous. The sun shone brightly and the Northern wind was fresh but not chilling to the bone as usually the case with the infamous windy weather in Illinois. Even if he failed to find Albert, he would have succeeded in getting in a bit of exercise by taking a walk in the lush green environment of the Chicago estate.

As Mr Brown finally approached the lake and also saw the picturesque cottage nestled on a small hill, he noticed two figures in the distance. He immediately recognised Albert’s tall and lean silhouette next to a petite young woman with long curly hair. She was wearing a floral dress which delineated her slim frame. Both Albert and this young lady looked as if they were part of a painting as both of them had golden-blonde hair glistening in the sun. The whole scene was akin to a dream and Mr Brown was pleased to see Albert in such a state of bliss. He did not want to infringe upon the their privacy so he decided to leave the scene as quietly and discreetly as possible. Yet, he was curious enough to verify who this young woman was and whether he had seen her before. At some point the young woman extended her arm and held Albert’s hand. He turned towards her and placed his other arm around her waist and they both kissed passionately. It was rather reckless of them to do this because anyone within the vicinity could have easily seen them. Their passion had exceeded any form of inhibition and they simply continued to share their prolonged kiss caressed by the warm rays of the afternoon sun. The young lady wrapped both her arms around Albert’s neck while he encircled his long fingers around this lady’s tiny waist. Mr Brown fondly remembered those beautiful moments during his clandestine encounters with Rosemary. This young woman kissing Albert actually looked like Rosemary albeit considerably smaller in stature and frame.

To his astonishment, Mr Brown suddenly realised who this young woman was as both Albert and this lady turned around and continued walking hand in hand but did not notice Mr Brown in the distance. He was glad that they were so engrossed in each other that his presence remained unnoticed. In order to maintain this discretion, Mr Brown silently walked back to the office buildings of the Chicago estate but this time with a smile on his face. He had noticed that the relationship between Candy and Albert was unique as the two of them shared such a special and intimate bond but he had not expected that they had furthered their love to such a passionate level because they always seemed to be so disciplined in the presence of others, especially those connected to the Ardlay clan.

Walking back to the Chicago estate, Mr Brown couldn’t help but release a chuckle at the thought of the formidable Madame Elroy discovering the love between Candy and Albert. Had she witnessed what he had, she would have had a cardiac arrest on the spot. Mr Brown was more than certain that the romance between Candy and Albert would bring a breath of fresh air within the stale and sterile environment of the Ardlay clan-an anachronistic establishment Albert was determined to tear asunder via his radical albeit professional expertise as well as his otherwise controversial personal preferences in choosing the love of his life.

Story ends.

Sarah says:

Hi Ms Puddle,

Please find my short story posted in this comment section. Apologies beforehand for any spelling errors or typos and thank you for taking the time to read it and provide feedback.

The word count is exactly at 1300. The title of this short story is “Reflections”:

Having finally sealed the letter intended to be sent to Dr Martin, Candy let out a subtle sigh of relief as she reclined on the sofa.. For days Candy had been wondering whether she should take the initiative and write to Dr Martin on behalf of Albert. She was neither his caseworker nor his secretary to assume such a significant role and she was pleasantly surprised when Albert was absolutely fine with her decision to write to Dr Martin and inform him of his intentions. Candy knew all too well that Albert had sufficient time to write to the doctor himself or arrange to have this letter redacted by George or one of his secretaries lest he should be busy at work. The fact that Albert singled Candy out spoke volumes of his trust in her and she was more than honoured to act on his behalf. However, Albert’s respect for Candy was not met in a positive way by all the members of the Ardlay clan. From the most prominent figures to the members of staff, Candy was aware that there were still quite a few of them who were convinced that she was a liar and a thief. Eliza and Neil, unfortunately, had that uncanny ability to be particularly convincing not only to their relatives but also to the personnel that Candy was an opportunistic wench who simply managed to toy with Albert via the use of her mincing mannerisms and blandishments in order to get her way. Their insults weren’t limited to back-stabbing gossip but they were also slammed in front of her whilst Albert was away on his multiple business trips to the UK, Canada and South America. The Lagans were such cunning-foolish cowards that they always waited for Albert’s absence in order to mar Candy’s reputation even more. Yet, Candy was reluctant to inform Albert of these malicious acts against her as she did not want to upset him during his challenging business liaisons outwith the US. Albert already had too much on his plate and his working hours were overwhelmingly hectic. On the other hand, Candy’s dignity could no longer tolerate Eliza and Neil’s aggressive epithets hurled against her so she decided to take matters into her own hands and confront her irrespective of the consequences. Besides, she already had her permanent homestead at the complex overlooking the chapel at Pony’s Home and soon she would further her professional experience as a certified nurse under the supervision of Dr Martin, provided that he accepted her and Albert’s offer of employment at the new clinic at Pony’s Home.

That day of self-vindication came sooner than expected for Candy during her stay in Chicago several weeks ago. She had to head to the city for administrative purposes regarding her surname as it was given when she was sent to Pony’s Home. In theory, she was an Ardlay but in legal practice and reality, she was “Candice White”. Ironically so, she was pleased for never having been an Ardlay because that further confirmed her integrity that she had never pursued to be a member of that wealthy and often abhorrently pretentious family. Albert and Archie were also intensely adverse to the Ardlay family gatherings and they would do their utmost to avoid attending their lavish parties which were devoid of meaning and substance. Candy was even more pleased whenever she saw her name “Candice White” imprinted on all her legal and academic documents; she had managed to become a fully certified nurse and fend for herself without an iota of assistance from the Ardlays. George had offered many a time to provide financial assistance but Candy would always politely decline his offer. Candy had grown to appreciate George just as much as Albert did. She felt a connection with George because they were both from unprivileged backgrounds but managed to succeed in life via hard work and perseverance. During her stay in Chicago, George had invited Candy to reside at the Ardlay mansion. Albert was in the UK at the time and he would spend a significant amount of time in the city of London for business purposes. Nonetheless, he had contacted George to make sure that Candy would receive all the care and accommodation he would have provided himself had he been in Chicago. Even though George was more than kind and considerate to Candy, Eliza and Neil would resume their nefarious practices against her until the entire situation came to standstill and Candy erupted. During a wine reception at the Ardlay mansion, Eliza insulted Candy in front of her clique by outspokenly mocking Albert of his gullibility regarding Candy’s alleged manipulative character. Eliza implied that Candy used her feigned innocence and seemingly caring attitude in order to extract money from Albert by the false pretences of using it to build a clinic for the orphan children and the members of staff at Pony’s Home. This final accusation was the straw that broke the camel’s back and Candy revealed a streak in her character which even she had never fathomed it actually existed. In a calm albeit stern demeanour, Candy openly confronted Eliza and Neil dismantling their ludicrous claims one after the other. This was easy to achieve because Candy’s frugal lifestyle and devotion to her work at Pony’s Home refuted Eliza’s emetic accusations against her. If Candy wanted to exploit Albert, she wouldn’t have returned to Pony’s Home and she wouldn’t have refused all the financial assistance he was willing to provide for her and the orphanage. As for Albert, he was never offended by Candy’s refusal for financial assistance. On the contrary, that made him even more proud of her and her decision to pursue her career in nursing made him respect her even more than he already did. Albert was supportive of Candy’s need to be independent since he shares that exact same need for himself.

Albert had been informed of that incident between Candy and Eliza at the wine reception but he never mentioned it to Candy. Instead, she discussed it with him when they had spent an entire day together at Pony’s Home during one of Albert’s surprise visits after his long business trips. Albert admired Candy’s growing confidence and, in turn, she also felt stronger and far more emancipated as she was no longer that vulnerable little girl being protected by Anthony, Terry or Albert. Much as Candy appreciated their compassion and protectiveness, she wanted to be in a position where no man would shield her as she could fight for herself. Most of all, Candy appreciated the ways in which Albert never imposed himself on her nor abused her in any way; instead, Albert encouraged Candy to be self-reliant and stand on her own two feet when faced with difficult situations. Such was Albert’s confidence in Candy’s personal strength and acumen that he entrusted her with many of his duties overlooking the expansion of Pony’s Home. Candy was in charge of the financial management as well as the hiring of new teachers at the orphanage. Last but not least, Candy had taken the initiative of contacting Dr Martin herself and Albert was delighted with her innovative ideas. Candy and Albert were getting closer and closer via their shared interests and concern for Pony’s Home. Albert perceived Candy as an equal which was unprecedented for Candy as no man had ever treated her as such. She knew that Albert would be the first one to protect her when in need but he was also the first one to give her the space and time to define her individuality and attain her independence as a responsible and mature adult. By signing and sealing that letter to Dr Martin, Candy felt not only as the ultimate confidante to Albert but his most worthy equal partner in business and in their personal life together.