2 Blethingwood Hall - An Original Story By Stephanie Poppins

When Penny, Adam, and William Darlington are thrown into Blethingwood Hall against their will, they quickly realize there's a lot more to it than meets the eye. For one thing, it's for rich kids, and they're far from that. For another, it's run by the Order who represent everything they stand against.

This is Volume One - A 36-part story.

In this episode, Jason bites off more than he can chew!

Transcript

BLETHINGWOOD HALL Written and performed by Stephanie Poppins Chapter 2 The East Wing Joining her brothers at the bottom of the stone steps,

Penelope Darlington gazed up at the grand entrance to Blethingwood Hall.

They always met there when they were outside,

Because it really was as exceptional as everyone said it was.

It had a vast portico that overshadowed all movement in and out,

And resting on the two composite columns either side was a huge stone pediment stamped with what they assumed to be the school crest.

But that wasn't the best bit.

A tall enameled clock tower rose up behind that to catch the light every time they passed it.

It had enameled squares of pleasant pink and shimmering green.

They knew it must be magic,

And as it happened it was.

For Aunty Margaret.

She used it to spy on everything they said and everything they did.

And she didn't do this alone.

She had thousands of evil black birds to help her.

With eyes of burning coal that flashed red and orange,

They lived in the mullioned arms that embraced the grand terrace at the back and the stone fountain at the front.

They're out in full force,

William yelled,

Strangely excited at the prospect.

Get them,

Adam yelled back.

But Penny did not want to tempt fate.

Once upon a time she would have been pleased to end up in Blethingwood Hall.

Her mother said any parent in their right mind would have begged,

Borrowed or stolen to have such a success story associated with their child.

But it hadn't taken long for Penny to realise people who sent their children to Blethingwood Hall weren't in their right minds.

This grand facade was nothing more than pretty packaging for the soulless box of secrets inside.

The bare corridors were mere pathways to expectation.

The expectation they would be obedient in everything they said,

Thought and did.

Blethingwood Hall was for passing through.

For treading water until they had crossed a sufficient number of hurdles to be able to reach the next one.

And with nowhere to hide their catapults,

Matches or shared finds,

The Darlingtons spent their time rebelling against it.

Ugly looking things,

Spat Adam in a vain attempt to shoo them away.

They're everywhere.

Where's a sparrow when you need one?

Or any other wildlife,

Added William,

Clapping his hands manically.

But little did they know,

Aunty Margaret was watching.

And within the hour they were summoned to an impromptu assembly to make sure they knew how to behave when the West Wing arrived.

Bathed in a dreary September grey,

The oak panelling in the Grand Hall looked as tired as the Darlingtons felt.

It was nice to have a break from the norm,

But this was not a break.

They knew they were in for a grilling about something or another and just wanted to get it over and done with as soon as possible.

Up on the stage the dragon,

Adam was the first one to call her that,

Was looking down on them with a face like thunder.

They were all here now,

The East Wing,

Handpicked from the local school to make Blethingwood Hall seem as exceptional as everyone said it was.

Not that that applied to Penny,

Adam or William.

They were only there because their mother made them.

The West Wing,

Meanwhile,

Were a different story altogether.

They hailed from the Avenue,

The most exclusive road in Blething Village.

Having grown up alongside each other,

They gained automatic entrance to the Hall when they turned twelve.

They'll be here soon,

With all the best equipment and not a clue what to do with it,

Moaned Jason McTavish to Jennifer,

The tall,

Pale girl sitting in front of them.

And Penny believed every word he said.

Jason was a keen follower of village gossip and proving to be an invaluable source of information.

William liked him a lot,

But Jason was far more interested in what went on in the kitchen than anything else,

Having a voracious appetite that exceeded anything they'd ever come across.

Hmm,

Jennifer replied.

She wasn't known for her repartee.

With a generous nature matched only by his generous crop of hair,

Jason McTavish was the safe side of normal.

And the fact he excelled in science made up for his habit of always saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Jennifer Aves,

On the other hand,

Was much harder to read.

An unusual girl who looked a lot older than the rest,

She was obsessed with the origin of every illness and ailment known to man and always had a wide range of cough sweets at the ready.

Penny found her a bit intimidating with her bright eyes and brazen hair,

But she was fascinated all the same,

As Jennifer Aves had an exceptional singing voice.

She plans to be a star someday,

Someone said that first week back,

And Penny could well believe it.

I wonder how everyone sees us,

She thought.

With neutral colouring and few identifiable features other than her lack of height,

Penny looked about as average as a person of 13 could look and much the same could be said for William.

But Adam was older,

Taller and easier to spot with his bright blonde hair and pale skin.

Imperium Ordo Virtus,

The dragon screamed,

And right on cue,

Alfred emerged from behind the long velvet drapes wearing the sort of coat it's impossible to be a caretaker without.

He smiled at them,

A heart of gold beaming through his tired eyes.

Repeat after me,

The dragon yelled again,

Making him jump.

And as the East Wing recited the school motto much less enthusiastically,

Alfred made a quick escape down the stage steps.

Today sees the arrival of the West Wing,

The dragon began,

And with this in mind,

I've decided it would be appropriate to underline the rules so there will be no misunderstanding once term time begins.

Members of the West Wing have of course been born into this belief system,

But you in the East must learn to subscribe to it.

Penny's stomach sank.

Here we go again.

Rule number one.

West Wing corridors are for the West Wing only.

They are forbidden to any members of the East outside lesson time.

East Wing corridors,

However,

Are accessible to all West Wing prefects all of the time.

As members of the East Wing,

You will be relocated to the Upper or Lower East Dormitories tomorrow,

According to your age and experience.

Rule number two.

You are to remain in the East Wing when not in class.

There will be no wandering about the school whatsoever.

The clock tower will chime at the end of each lesson and at the beginning and end of each school day.

It will also announce specific event times which will be clearly audible through the school's tannoy system.

There is therefore no excuse for lateness.

What's she done to the clock?

Whispered William.

I never heard of a clock doing that.

Penny shrugged in disbelief.

Rule number three.

Corridors are to be kept silent when passing through and there is to be no unnecessary communication between the East and the West Wing.

The library is only available to the East at specific times,

So familiarise yourself with these,

As any deviance from this rule will result in severe punishment.

William pointed the toe of his shoe towards Jason,

Who was now fidgeting uncontrollably.

Rule number four.

From tomorrow,

The front lobby is out of bounds.

Your dormitories will only be accessible through the East Wing staircase,

Which is entered via the East Wing courtyard.

I think we get the idea,

Adam hissed.

There was no mistaking this message.

The East Wing were to remain as inconspicuous as possible.

They were not to be seen and not to be heard.

Rule number five.

There will be a designated area for each wing during meal times.

Make sure you familiarise yourself with these.

As Jason writhed up and down,

Adam and William stifled their giggles.

From what they could see,

He was having a bad reaction to the copious amount of food he consumed at breakfast.

And they weren't the only ones who noticed.

What are you doing there,

Boy?

For heaven's sake,

Sit still.

Jason did his best to pull himself together,

But it wasn't looking good.

Rule number six.

The common room is accessible to the West Wing only.

The senior West Prefects will be instructed to let me know if anyone deviates from this rule.

You are here at the kindness of the school board,

And as such,

You must ensure you heed these rules at all times.

Then suddenly,

It was all too much.

A deep rumble emitted from where Jason sat,

And a high-pitched scream filled the air.

You stink!

Lisa screamed,

But no one dared move.

Now it has come to my attention some of you see fit to mock the Feridor who guard this school.

The dragon continued,

As thick,

Slimy sludge dribbled down the legs of Jason's chair.

In case you are unaware,

The Feridor have lived here longer than most of you have been alive,

And will continue to do so long after you have left.

They are not to be approached or made fun of.

William nudged Penny with a sharp elbow,

But she ignored him.

Then the dragon pulled a fine metal whistle from her jacket pocket,

But when she blew into it,

It made no sound whatsoever.

Feridor,

Where have I heard that before?

William whispered,

But Penny was distracted by the huge pair of black wings that had just soared in through the open window.

This was the largest bird of all,

The one that led all the others.

He had blue markings on his beak and red tips on his feathers.

No!

Jason gasped,

But it was too late.

As it swooped,

Its wings spread wide to reveal the face of an evil predator.

Penny covered her mouth to stop the sound escaping,

Then it seized Jason's collar and yanked him to standing with its long,

Sharp beak.

Not a sound could be heard now.

Even the sunlight had withdrawn from that fateful room.

And as the huge bird dragged Jason out onto the terrace,

There was a gasp of desperation,

Before he ran away with thick brown marks smeared all over his long legs.

Oh,

And one last thing,

Said the dragon defiantly.

It is strictly forbidden to go outside after dusk.

This would compromise both your safety and the safety of Blethingwood Hall.

Now don't forget,

This afternoon we will be providing winter uniform in the gym.

Students are expected to maintain their image at all times,

So make sure you're dressed appropriately when lessons commence.

The school hairdressers will also be in attendance.

Impair him or divert us.

And with perfect timing,

The clock tower chimed and everyone stood up.

You two,

Quick,

Whispered William,

Diving onto his bed.

I've got something to tell you.

When the door was safely shut behind them,

He told Penny and Adam all about what he'd seen last time they were in Motherby Tops.

This was the place they discovered before they came back to the hall.

It was high above the village,

And from what Penny guessed,

Somewhere between Blethingwood Hall and the housing estate they came from.

So everything I said then is true,

She whispered.

There is something special about that place.

It wasn't all in my mind.

Not exactly,

Replied Adam quickly.

William saw an odd-looking bird,

That's all.

Granted,

It could talk,

But it wasn't as magic as I thought it was going to be.

And hardly the whole different world you said was up there,

Was it,

Penn?

Penny winced.

Adam had an annoying knack of cutting everything she said down to size.

It was a big brother thing,

She assumed.

The Oosema Goose,

That's his name,

Continued William.

I met the Oosema Goose and he said we should leave the cops before the Faridor got there.

The Faridor!

I knew I'd heard that name before.

We've got to get back.

We can't,

Said Penny.

The Faridor are dangerous and I for one don't fancy getting on the wrong side of the dragon any time soon.

Why didn't you tell us about this before,

Will?

Asked Adam.

I was going to,

William replied,

But then we had to come back here and I wasn't sure it was real till just now.

Well why didn't I see him then,

This Oosema Goose?

Adam persisted.

And why didn't I hear him?

Added Penny.

I didn't even know he was there either till he was right in front of me,

Said William,

And I usually feel everything.

Penny's head sank.

If only we could get out of this hellhole.

Well that's not happening any time soon,

Moaned William.

Mum needs the money so we're going to have to suck it up.

There's obviously a lot more to this place than meets the eye,

Said Adam,

And if we want to find out more we're going to have to get back to the cops.

But we'll never get out of here unnoticed,

Penny moaned.

The dragon watches everything we do.

Well I'm going,

Said Adam defiantly.

The first chance I get.

Then the clock tower chimed and they ran to the window to watch a line of very expensive cars purring down the long gravel drive.

Reviews

Fascinating! Looking forward to this story unspooling, I can sense there will be a lot! Thanks, Steph!🙏🏼❤️