Many people are celebrating Christmas, despite COVID-19, just differently with new ideas. This year, the usual activities or concerts have been cancelled, but I’m thankful for what I have. Most importantly, many people keep the Christmas spirit by helping those in need, near and far. Let’s hope that things will be back to “normal” in due time, that we will not be afraid of large gatherings or passing by strangers on the streets.
By the time I publish this, due to time zone differences, it’s probably past your Christmas day, but let me wish you a peaceful and hopeful year ahead 🌠, in spite of all the challenges and restrictions.
It’s my great honour and pleasure to have received 15 well-written entries to the contest I announced in my previous post, It’s almost Christmas! ❤️ (You can find all the minifics in the comments section of the post.) Many of you wrote about Dr. Martin and/or Happy Martin Clinic, but at one point I started to wonder if we are reading the same novel. 😛 Seriously, it might be translation issues. In Candy Candy Final Story (CCFS), Albert’s original proposal was to build a new clinic for Dr. Martin to express his gratitude, and it was Dr. Martin’s counter-proposal, so to speak, to build it in the village where Pony’s Home was, not Chicago. In that case the doctor would happily accept the young entrepreneur’s kind proposal.
Hence, it was not a job offer. Speaking of which, interestingly, Candy used the term 申し出 in her first letter to Dr. Martin but a slightly different term in her second letter, 申し入れ. In English, they are both translated to proposal or offer, etc. Regrettably, the subtle nuances were lost. If I’m not mistaken, the former term is often used when one is making an offer or proposal to someone higher in position, such as a government official or one’s boss. The second term can be used to anyone. Note that in Candy’s first letter, she was trying to convince the doctor, speaking on Albert’s behalf, to accept Albert’s offer ( 申し出 ). Perhaps Albert was the one who insisted to use that term to convey his sincere gratitude? In the second letter however, Candy used this term when she mentioned Albert’s response: “Albert-san was also deeply touched (moved) by Dr. Martin’s proposal ( 申し入れ ).”
All in all, I have enjoyed reading every entry tremendously, some of which made me smile or sigh in agreement. Anyone who have read these stories would likely be just as impressed and might understand how difficult it was for me to finalize my shortlist. To be honest, I even thought about counting the words, 😉 but I decided not to. Yet, I appreciate those who have kept your stories within the word limits.
I said the stories should be based on the letters to (1) Captain Brown or (2) Dr. Martin, so I was looking for (1) Candy and Albert are already in a stable relationship, apparently (2) Dr Martin’s kindness to Candy and Albert in the past or what made Candy convince the doctor on Albert’s behalf. However, after reading all the submissions, I relaxed my selection criteria somewhat, unless the stories have gone off topic. Rest assured they are great on their own, and you ladies should consider opening accounts to continue developing your writing talents! 👍🏻
Without further ado, this is the shortlist for this contest: Lakewood (very focused and sweet) and Halcyon Days (heartwarming details of their past Christmas). I thought about declaring a tie, but I chose Lakewood’s story because in CCFS Candy did not know Albert was her prince when she moved back to Pony’s Home.
Lakewood’s story reminded me of one of my old drawings, which I will re-post at the end. Congratulations, Lakewood!! 🎉🥂🎆 Thank you! I did not make any change to your modified version, except formatting.
Mr Brown’s Unexpected Visit
by Lakewood
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 businesses 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 interest 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. 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 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.
