The Adventures of the Talking Traveling Trunk
by
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Chapter 1 - A Day with Mrs. Nichols
On a bright Saturday morning in the month of May, a young mother named Janine was downstairs making breakfast for her daughter June, who was almost ten.
The smell of delicious scones drifted all the way up to June’s bedroom. Her little turned-up nose wrinkled in delight and she rolled over and out of bed. As quick as could be, she put on her robe and slippers and scrambled downstairs in anticipation of a nice hot cup of tea and warm scones covered in butter and strawberry jam. “Oh, Mommy,” she said, “what a treat! Is it a special day?”
Her mother replied, “Yes, we are going to help Mrs. Nichols clean out her attic and get rid of a lot of things she no longer wants.”
For a brief moment the corners of June’s mouth turned down, but then after a quick thought she grinned and said, “That sounds like a lot of hard work, but we always have fun at her place and maybe it will even be exciting.”
Her mother nodded in agreement. “Yes, you know Mrs. Nichols used to travel all over the world with her husband when they were young, and they visited all sorts of interesting places and picked up many souvenirs.” Janine paused a moment and sighed, then looking at her young daughter continued. “Since Mr. Nichols passed away, she no longer feels the desire to keep them.”
June tilted her little head to the side and with a small frown on her forehead said, “That’s rather sad, Mommy, getting rid of the memories that she and Mr. Nichols had together.”
Janine clicked her tongue and sighed again, “Well, my dear, there comes a time in life when the memories remain deep in your heart and you no longer need things to remind you of them. She feels it is time to get order in her home.”
Janine asked her daughter to fetch a pretty basket from the garage. She put a fresh red and white napkin in it, then popped the scones inside, covering them with yet another napkin. She then told Junie, as she affectionately called her, to go upstairs and get dressed in a pair of old jeans and a T-shirt and to brush her teeth.
While June was getting ready, Janine cleaned up the kitchen, took off her apron, and then went outside to pick a few lovely roses to give her old friend. She knew they would brighten up her day, as flowers always seem to have a way of bringing beauty to any place and making people feel special when they receive them. At least, that is how Janine felt. Just as she put the last rose into the basket along with the scones, June came skipping outside all dressed, face washed and hair pulled back in a ponytail, ready for the morning adventure. Janine collected her bag and hat, gave the basket to her daughter, and out the door they went. The two of them took off down the road hand in hand, singing a bright and cheery song while breathing in the fresh morning air and enjoying the lush green countryside.
It was not long before they reached Mrs. Nichols’ home and were standing in front of the door ringing the doorbell. The sound of her big Great Dane greeted their ears as he came galloping to meet them. Though he was huge and looked very forbidding, in reality he was a softy, especially with children. The door was soon opened by a smiling Mrs. Nichols, who was trying to stay out of the way of her big dog, Rupert, and telling him to quiet down now because these were friends. Before you knew it, Rupert was slobbering all over Janine and June and giving them a welcome that was almost as big as he was. Mrs. Nichols swatted his behind with the dish cloth she was holding and told him that was enough.
Rupert, being the obedient dog that he was, stopped his fussing over Janine and her daughter and with his tail wagging took off to his big pad in the living room next to the fireplace. The two women and young girl laughed and hugged each other and went off into the kitchen, where Mrs. Nichols was boiling a kettle to make tea.
“Ah, what timing! I have brought some fresh scones for us to have with the tea, Mrs. Nichols,” said Janine, while handing her the basket filled with scones and the freshly picked roses.
Mrs. Nichols’ face stretched into a huge, happy smile and she said, “What a kind gesture, my dear, I love roses! They always remind me of our visit to England and the Kew Gardens in London. My garden used to be full of beautiful flowers and was so well looked after when my husband was still here with us. Alas, I just can’t seem to keep it up on my own. Thank you so much for bringing me this lovely bunch. I had forgotten just how happy flowers can make you feel.” With that, the old woman sighed and said, “Oh, enough of my reminiscing. Let us sit down and have a cup of tea with those delicious scones you made for us.”
As they sat having the treat together, Mrs. Nichols talked to her friends about the attic they were going to help her clean out. “I want to donate all the things we decide to get rid of today to an organization that helps the poor. It is such a good feeling to know that someone else will benefit from the things I once loved.” She smiled and then added, “The Good Book says it is better to give than to receive, and the older I get the more I realize how true that saying is. I really do not need to hoard these treasures of mine anymore. It is time for other families to enjoy them.”
June and her mom nodded and wholeheartedly agreed and began to look forward to the mission that awaited them. As they finished, Rupert, who up until now had obediently stayed on his pad next to the fireplace, came begging for a bite to eat and a bit of attention. Mrs. Nichols went to her pantry and came back with a box of dog biscuits and asked young June if she’d like to take Rupert outside and give him one or two. Of course, June was thrilled at the opportunity to do so and led the big dog out into the back yard, where he sat patiently waiting to be given his treat. As soon as Rupert had finished his biscuits, June stroked and hugged the big animal, talking to him as if he understood every word she was saying. She then left him out in the yard to play on his own and came back into the house ready to take on the task of cleaning out Mrs. Nichols’ attic. She was ever so excited about getting to see all the treasures Mrs. Nichols had been talking about.
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About the Book
When ten-year-old June learns she and her mother will be helping her elderly neighbor clean her attic, she thinks it will be a lot of hard work. Soon after she arrives at Mrs. Nichols’ house, June happily discovers there is much more than just “junk” within the walls of the neighbor’s musty attic.
Together with her mother, Janine, who is a local seamstress, June excitedly immerses herself in each memory that Mrs. Nichols unearths from her old dusty attic.
As Mrs. Nichols sorts through the boxes filled with old books and clothing, June uncovers a beautiful antique trunk squirreled away in the far corner of the attic and asks Mrs. Nichols about it. In reply, she tells her that her and Mr. Nichols took it with them when they travelled the world.
Mrs. Nichols invites June to take it home to explore the many wonderful travel souvenirs that they had collected, now neatly tucked away inside the trunk.
It is not long before June, with help from the talking Trunk and souvenirs, embarks on an exciting journey where she learns fun facts about Europe’s various countries, customs, and cultures.
About the Author
Colleen Forsyth-Pearcy was born and raised in Rhodesia, Africa, now known as Zimbabwe. After leaving home at age 16 to study ballet at the Royal Ballet School in London, she moved to the world of cabaret as a leading lady at the Lido and Moulin Rouge in Paris and in other venues in Vegas, the Far East and Brazil. Colleen, who is married, has two daughters, ten grandchildren and currently lives in Los Angeles.