I want to thank all the people that have helped me edit and critique this story and especially Maddy Bell for allowing me to join her universe and giving me permission to write in it.
Based on the story Gaby, Book # 4 - Once Upon A Time In America By Maddy Bell
All Characters portrayed in the story are copywrited to Maddy Bell for her Gaby series found at Maddybell.com
Scene 35
“Alright Ally, I'll tell you, but this must be kept secret, and it is just between you, Maddy, Sandy and me, ok?
“Ok, I promise,” she looked at me with a serious look, as she knew something must have happened for me to say such a thing.
“Well, last night, after leaving the girls locker room …” I told her the story as we were walking out to the waiting bus.
“Oh Em, how horrible. I am so sorry.”
“Don't be Ally, there was nothing you could have done about it. One thing good that came out of all this, at least the guys now think I'm a real girl. The same boys took care of Dan last night. I don't like the fact that Dan got beat up, but at least HE might now believe I'm a real girl.”
“Well it serves him right, trying to start trouble like that.”
“Just keep all of this to yourself please; I don't want this getting around, I don't need to be questioned by Mrs. Jones, if you know what I mean.”
“I will Em, I promise.”
With that, we dashed out into the rain, to some sort of mini bus, which wasn't coloured yellow, and looked similar to the Mercedes we used back in Warsop. We arrived by the bus and boarded it, surprisingly George was going to be our driver again and said, “Good morning ladies.”
We both smiled at him, “Good morning George.” He smiled back at us.
We shook off our hoods and our coats, to get the extra water off them and found a seat for us to sit together. I looked around and saw Maddy sitting with Gaby. Gaby seemed to be a bit down, but he had cute ponytails coming out on either side of her head. I wonder what her problem is. Must be another Britney thing, I bet.
The drive to Luray is only about an hour, we were told. So we settled back and just talked about nothing, something and everything, with all of the other girls. The older kids were again at the back of the bus talking away.
Once we started on our trip, I heard Maddy say, “Nice bunches, Drew.”
I looked over and saw Drew give Maddy a dirty look. I don't know why? They were cute.
“Don't tell me, Brit's idea. What did she tell you this time?” Maddy stated.
I heard Drew reply, “She reckoned it was practical.”
“Well it sort of is, come here, let's take them out.” I saw Maddy removing the bunches, “You really ought to stand up to her, you know?”
“Easier said than done. I bet you wouldn't do any better.” Gaby said.
“That's a no brainer, I'm not staying there.” Mad stated.
“I bet you couldn't last two days at the Walters without Brit getting you doing something stupid.”
“Bet I could.”
“Ok clever clogs, prove it.”
“And just how am I going to do that, Brainbox?”
I saw Gaby looking around and then whispered to Maddy and Maddy was whispering to Gaby and I couldn't catch the rest of the conversation.
I noticed Maddy was wearing a skirt and a lacey top, hold ups and strappy sandals. Why would she wear clothes like that to a cavern tour? She was definitely over dressed, wonder who she was trying to impress? Is she insane for wearing a skirt to a cavern? I turned around and just shook my head. I have only been a girl for a short while, but geeze, even I know better than to wear a skirt and open toed sandals, to a cave.
Looking back at them, I saw them talking softly to each other and saw Maddy looking over at Miss Bell. Then I saw her sigh, nod her head and she said something like, “We can do it during lunch.” I wonder what that is all about. Then she proceeded to put Gaby's hair back into bunches? What are they up to? I shrugged my shoulders and turned to Ally, who was talking with Bernie, and got into a conversation with them.
When we arrived at the car park for Luray Caverns, the rain had died down a bit, but it was still falling. What a dreary day. It's probably a good thing we are going underground, so the weather shouldn't bother us. To stay dry, we all made a mad dash for the entrance of the building, which turned out to be a gift shop too. We all bunched up, as the teachers went to sort out the tickets.
I kind of looked around and saw all the usual punter type trinkets you see everywhere else. I was standing next to one of the tables and I saw slices of stalagmites and stalactites all polished up, made into a necklace. Hmm, I saw the matching earrings too, those looked cute, I wondered how much? Ouch, they were a bit pricey, too much for my budget.
“Okay kids,” Mr. Pilling said, “We've got a few minutes before our tour starts, so use the facilities if you need to. Do not go shopping; there will be ample time for that later! Pay attention inside, there will be a test later to see what you've learned!”
We all groaned at that bit of news.
“Five minutes then,” he finished.
All the girls headed to the ladies loo, to empty our bladders. We ended up waiting in a queue, and as always, Ally, Bernie, Maddy and I were talking a mile a minute, Gaby kept quiet and was looking longingly at the gents loo, like she was deciding to go there. Gaby was unusually quiet, I wondered what was up with her; she didn't even talk to me. Hmmm, that sure is suspicious, especially since we don't see too much of each other. Shaking my head, I just went back to the conversation with the other girls.
When we all were finished, we re-gathered near the entryway, waiting for our tour guide to arrive, I would assume.
“Good morning everyone, my name is Agnes and I'm your guide to the Caverns. I understand y'all from England, I hope you're enjoying your stay in ole Virginny and that you enjoy the Luray Caverns.”
Agnes opened a door behind her and I saw a steep series of steps leading underground. We all walked down the steps and I noticed it was gradually getting cooler, and much quieter than in the store. We all congregated in a little cavern, with a paved sidewalk leading of into another cavern. The path up ahead was not lit yet. I wrapped my coat about me; it was quite chilly down here.
She told us that the cave was discovered in the eighteen hundreds by two explorers and they first thought it was just a small cave. They noticed air coming out of the back of the cave and they broke through it to widen it and found a huge cavern. In those days, they only had kerosene lanterns. I bet this place looked spooky to them at that time.
When we were ready to move on she would press some kind of button, mounted on the railing and the next series of lights would illuminate the path.
Agnes kept up a running commentary, as we moved from one cavern into another. These caverns were marvelous. I have never seen such huge caverns before and there were stalagmites and stalactites all over the place; this was simply beautiful.
If you have never been told before, we were told that Stalagmites stood mightily from the floor growing up, while Stalactites, using the tites, meant that it was holding tite (tight) from the ceiling, so they started at the ceiling and grew down. One room had stalactites that looked like hanging fried bacon and they had lights behind them and they were semi transparent, definitely making them look like the fat on bacon strips.
Another cavern had a crystal clear water pool that was several feet deep. We were told that fish lived in this water, but because of the absence of light, they evolved without eyes and had no pigment to color them, so they were all white. They are called Blind Cave Fish. Some other wildlife that lived in the caves, were called Cave Crickets. They had skinny long legs and looked much like a spider, I guess the Americans call the spider Daddy Long Legs, but they were definitely crickets and they did chirp.
There was also an area that was called Fat-man's Misery. It turned out to be a very narrow passage that curved from side to side, that if you were fat, you would not be able to walk through this channel. It was great fun.
Agnes took us to the following rooms showing us the following items: Titania's Veil,Totem Pole, Giant's Hall, Pluto's Chasm, Saracen's Tent, Frozen Mountain, Empress Mountain and Double Column. And the strangest of all, she took us into a room where there was an organ keyboard sitting in the midst of the stalagmites and stalactites. A four rank, honest to God, Organ Console.
She called it the Stalacpipe Organ. She told us that they actually performed weddings in here. The organ was constructed in 1954; by Mr. Leland W. Sprinkle; of Springfield, Virginia; a mathematician and electronic scientist, at the Pentagon. It took him three years to build, and he went through and tapped on the stalagmites and stalactites until he found ones that would closely reproduce the musical scales. Polishing several of them to get them to a perfect pitch.
He mounted electrical solenoids, with rubber tipped hammers on them, to strike the stalagmites and stalactites, to produce a musical tone. Tying all of the solenoids to an organ keyboard consol, it allowed the solenoids to be individually controlled. The organ could be played manually, or automatically. They made a device, something similar to a child's music box; that played the organ for us. It was amazing; the sound came from all around us. The best way to describe the sound of this organ it sounded like that of a vibraphone; that is like a xylophone, but with wooden keys. The sound was mellow and it sounded fantastic. They played Amazing Grace. That sent chills through my body. They called this the Music of the Ages, and I can see why. Who would of thought to make something like this?
All in all, the Caverns were fantastic, I really enjoyed them, and Agnes did a wonderful job of explaining everything to us. This is truly a beautiful cavern. If you ever get a chance to see it, it is well worth the trip and the price.
We ended up at a series of steps, and ended back in the building were we started, but on the opposite side of the room.
“Well, this is where I leave y'all. I hope you enjoyed your visit to Luray Caverns, I hope you have time to visit the car and Carriage Caravan and the Singing Tower before you leave.” Agnes Said.
“Thank you Agnes, appreciation please.” Mr. P instructed.
We all gave a round of applause for Agnes, and Agnes thanked us.
“Ok people, we're going to break for lunch now. I know it's a bit early, but we've got a lot on today. So back here at twelve sharp, we'll go to the Tower and Motor Museum before we leave.” Miss C instructed.
I saw Gaby and Maddy heading for the loo. Ally and Bernie got my attention and dragged me over to the small cafeteria. They had some garden salads, so I indulged. We sat down and enjoyed each other's company. I looked around for Maddy and Gaby, but they were nowhere to be found. I wonder were they gone? When I finally saw them, they were heading over to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Gees, they better hurry up, we need to get back to the entrance to get ready to go to the Motor Carriage Museum, after looking at my watch. I watched them for a bit, and there seemed to be something about the two, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Oh well.
Bernie and Ally finished with their food and Ally said, “We better start heading back; maybe we can look around a bit, before the others get there?”
We walked over to the appointed meeting place and looked around, as the other kids were doing it too. We finally went over to the motor carriage museum, running to keep dry. It was still raining.
There were some old cars here. One was called the Stanley steamer, a Packard, a Duisenberg, and others; one was a Ford Model T and then a Ford Model A. what's with all these letters? The Model T had a seat in the boot, and we heard it was called a Rumble Seat. I heard someone explain, that it was called that, because it was very noisy and you heard the rumble from the road, if you were going fast. I heard it wasn't that comfortable either. You were above the axle and the car's suspension was stiff. Imagine that.
We finally were on the road again. We were heading towards the Singing Tower. I wonder why it was called that? Did someone sing there? When we arrived, the rain had stopped and it was getting close to the hour.
Miss Bell stated, “The Luray Singing Tower, is officially known as the Belle Brown Northcott Memorial. On the hour it plays a tune.”
“It was built in 1937 and stands almost 120 feet high. There are forty seven bells and it's one of America's finest Carillons.” Mr. P finished.
“What's a Carillon, sir?” Bernie asked.
“Carillon, it's a set of bells Bernie.”
“Like St. Johns?” Maddy said.
“Yes Maddy, the church bells are technically called a carillon when they are automated, otherwise, you need bell ringers, or campanologists.”
We listened to the bells playing and it definitely sounded great. The rain started up again, and we all made a dash for the minibus. Once on the bus, I noticed Maddy. Something was different about her, but again I couldn't place it, same thing with Gaby, she seemed so much more … more … feminine for some reason. It must be my imagination, get a grip Rhod.
The bus decided to take a different way home, and we ended up going through a little town called Thornton's Gap and saw a sign that said ‘Shenandoah National Park' we turned onto Skyline Drive, on the Shenandoah Ridge. I can tell by the breaks in the clouds, that this drive would be beautiful in the summer and also on a sunny day, but today it was a cloudy, ho hum, type of day. This reminded me of the first day we were here and Mr. Jones took us to that restaurant, at the other end of Skyline Drive. I could tell we were high up, there were breaks in the clouds and we could see quite a ways and the view looked spectacular. Such a shame it isn't sunny and clear.
The rain subsided and we could see some clearing. We turned into a car park that was some type of panoramic view site. There was a motorhome here that was absolutely huge, it must have cost a fortune. We were told to get out, stretch our legs, and look around. It was extremely cold and windy here, as warm as I was dressed, I was still cold. The view was spectacular, when we could see it between the fast moving clouds.
Mr. Pilling said, “Let's get a group photo.”
We all gathered round a sign that says ‘Franklin Cliffs Overlook', and Maddy looked like she was freezing in her skirt, she was having a time of it, keeping her skirt down and she was up front. Gaby was standing next to her. I was next to Gaby and Ally next to me. The teachers stood at the back of us. Mr. P got an elderly gentleman to take the picture. I think he was the guy that owned that camper thing. His wife stood off to the side watching us, and smiled. He made us laugh, when it came time to actually take the picture. He took several more pictures using the other student's cameras.
With that done, we all gladly loaded back on to the bus to warm up and get back on the road. I feel for Mad, she looked absolutely uncomfortable, and walked very stiffly. Why did she even want to wear a skirt today? Some girls just are insane, it is just too plain cold to wear one today.
Gaby seems to be happy though; she finally has a smile on her face. Funny, I never noticed before, but Gaby smiles just like Maddy usually does. Ally drew me into a conversation with Bernie, asking about tomorrow night's date and what we all were going to wear. We all decided we would wear a skirt and blouse for our date. I never realized how girls talk to coordinate what they wear, when they go out together.
With that settled, we were looking out at the sites we were passing. Maddy pointed out some large birds; we think were Eagles. Gaby pointed out some deer in the woods, but I missed it. It is certainly lovely up here, I wish it were clearer than it is, the scenery looked like it would have been spectacular.
After a while, we turned off the Skyline Drive onto a road that was labeled Rt. 33. We descended down to the valley. We stopped at a place called Elkton for a brief history lesson from Miss Bell. There was this General during the Civil war called Stoney Jackson, I think she said, made some kind of headquarters here about 140 years ago, to plan some campaign in spring. I saw an old house built in 1827, although it wasn't open, Miss Bell pointed out Jackson's sparsely furnished living quarters on the first floor. It wasn't all that impressive and who was this Jackson guy anyway? Why do we need to know this too?
We all piled back into the bus. Maddy looked like she was freezing, she walked so stiffly I felt sorry for her. I'm sure she will think twice about wearing a skirt on a field trip, next time. I'm surprised Miss Bell let her wear it, actually. You would of thought she would have told her to wear something warmer. Oh, that's right, she was concerned about the three boys this morning and wasn't thinking about the trip. That makes sense.
We got back on the road, heading south to the Grottoes, following the river. Ally and Bernie were talking about that house we seen back there. I asked them if they knew who Jackson was, and they both shrugged their shoulders. Ally said, he was just some general is all I know.
After a bit of driving, George pulled us over by this sign that said, ‘The Coaling – Civil War Battlefields'. Don't these Americans do anything but fight? They have so many battlefields! Geeze!
Miss Bell got up and said. “I said we'd look at a real battlefield when we were in Richmond. These are the Port Republic and across the river, Cross Keys battlefields, just one of dozens of sites where the fighting in the early 1860's was particularly bitter.”
They got us off the bus to walk over to the battlefield that looked like a pasture. Miss Bell kept up a running commentary of the battle. It really didn't interest me much, but I do feel sorry for all of the lives that were lost here so long ago. It is amazing that the fighting actually took place here. There is nothing of value here that I could see anyway. Did they know what they were fighting for?
I saw Maddy gingerly walking along, she really was shaking at this point and she was looking at her feet, which I realized were probably soaked by now. I know my boots were wet, but my feet stayed nice and dry. Some girls just didn't know how to get dressed for excursions. When we were told to load back up, Maddy was the first one on the bus. She sure moved fast, not very elegant or lady like though. Gaby was smiling and she moved with grace that I never noticed she had before. What's with Gab's? You would almost think he turned into a girl for real, all of a sudden. Drew sure looked like the cat that ate the canary while he was looking after Maddy.
Once back on the road, George told us he would drop us all off by our homes. Ally and Bernie got dropped off soon after arriving at the Grottoes, Then Justine and the other two older kids. We arrived at the Walter's and Gaby and Jules got off, I never saw Drew so happy as he was today, what's up with him?
I turned to Maddy and started talking to her, “Why was Drew so happy tonight? She really looked like she had a good time today. Have you any idea why?”
Maddy just shrugged her shoulders, not saying anything. I could see she was still cold and shivering.
I was going to ask her why she was wearing a skirt and sandals, but we arrived at my stop.
I said “Night Mad, see you later.”
“Yeah night,” she said with her chattering voice.
I collected my bag, and headed for the front of the bus, “Night Miss Cowlishaw, and Miss Bell. Night Mr. Pilling. Night George, thank you for driving us today.”
“Thank you, your welcome Miss.” George stated.
“Night Em,” Mr. P, Miss B and Miss C stated.
I heard George say, “She's a sweet girl, I like her, she's very courteous.”
“Yes she is that George, and very brave.” I heard Miss Bell say, with mutterings of agreement from both Miss C and Mr. P.
It was getting quite dark by the time I got to the flat.
“Sandy, are you home?” I shouted as I walked into the flat.
“Yep, how did your day go?” She seemed genuinely interested.
“The caverns were fantastic. I've never seen anything like that before.”
“Yes it is, isn't it? Those are my favorite caverns. Oh, before I forget, Roger called this evening and he asked me to tell you to give him a call as soon as you get in. It is important, he said. He gave me his phone number.”
“Oh, ok. I better give him a ring then.”
Going over to the phone, I dialed his number and waited for it to be answered.
“Hello?” I guess it was Roger's mother that answered.
“Yes, hello. Is Roger in by any chance?”
“Just a moment, Hun.”
“Roger, there is some girl on the line for you. She has a British accent.”
I heard Roger yell, “Is it Em?”
“Hun, would you be Em?”
“Yes Mrs Stoller.”
“Yes it is Em, dear.”
I heard running, and I heard the phone changing hands.
“Em, is this really you?”
“Yes it's really me.” I giggled.
“Em, any chance we could go out tonight? I found out that my parents have something planned for tomorrow night, and my mom said she couldn't make it then. She had forgotten about it and it was scheduled a while ago.”
To be continued.
Joni W 10.04.07 © 2007
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