Login   Sign Up 



 

Augustine Henry

by tusker 

Posted: 03 July 2010
Word Count: 384
Summary: For the history challenge


Font Size
 


Printable Version
Print Double spaced



All night, Gerald listened to the wind raging outside. Even the bedroom curtains lifted a little. Darkness creaked around him as Norah snored, her deafness protecting her from the noise of the storm.

He could hear the Plane Tree’s boughs swishing back and forth as it’s leaves swept against the red tiles on the bungalow’s roof. ‘Get rid of it,’ Norah’s constant pleas came to Gerald during those wakeful, troubling hours.

‘No,’ he’d always resisted. ‘My father brought Augustine Henry’s seed back from France.’

He’d always marvelled that the Plane Tree, his father had planted weeks after the Second World War had come to an end, had survived both his parents and many others of their generation but continued to appear healthy and robust.

He recalled Norah’s reaction to the tree not long after they’d moved into the bungalow inherited after his father’s death. ‘That damn tree casts too much shade and those stiff hairs on its leaves makes my asthma worse.’

‘A member of The Resistance gave my father the seed,’ he’d argue back. ‘That tree is a symbol of victory and freedom.’ Then he’d usually add with a smile, ‘and your beloved finches enjoy its benefits.’

During summer months, Norah complained as she wheezed and coughed but, when winter came, the fate of Augustine Henry was forgotten but, on this stormy Autumn night, Gerald lay there thinking about the dark purple canker he’d spotted. It had got worse during a rather damp summer and he knew his beloved tree was dying.

Sadness engulfed him. Past childhood memories of a swing, picnics and playing beneath its shade, invaded Gerald’s mind after he made the decision to call a Tree Surgeon, the following morning.

No sooner than he’d reached that decision, the creaking outside suddenly stopped. Then Gerald heard another more worrying, whooshing sound before the trunk and branches of the Plane Tree came crashing down through the roof and into their bedroom.

Trapped beneath it’s weight, seeing a jagged gaping hole above his head, he closed his eyes against the pain and, opening them again, managed to turn his head towards his sleeping wife.

Norah’s eyes were open. ‘Norah,’ he gasped but those unblinking eyes kept staring at him as if in silent recrimination while torrential rain pounded down onto her lifeless face.










Favourite this work Favourite This Author


Comments by other Members



V`yonne at 17:21 on 03 July 2010  Report this post
Oh that's a bit good, Jennifer! Love that ending!!

Findy at 18:10 on 03 July 2010  Report this post
Scary one Jennifer, liked the little details about the tree. The ending has come out beautifully, can really feel the horror.




Elbowsnitch at 19:45 on 03 July 2010  Report this post
Ha! - so much for victory and freedom. But perhaps it was Norah's time to go anyway... A very atmospheric and dramatic flash!

A few nitpicks that distracted me while I was reading - a couple of times you say "it's" when it should be its (possessive) - also you don't need capital letters for plane tree, or for tree surgeon - also in the 4th para, I suggest you take out the commas.

Thanks for the scary read, Jennifer!

Frances

GaiusCoffey at 20:29 on 03 July 2010  Report this post
Wasn't expecting that! Nice one, but suspect an ulterior motive vis-a-vis domestic maintenance!
Gaius

tusker at 06:57 on 04 July 2010  Report this post
Thanks to you all.

This is a very edited verson on the original which I wrote long before WW days. Found it in an old exercise book.

Jennifer

<Added>

My grammer is getting worse as I get older, Frances. Thanks for the pointers.

Cholero at 06:28 on 06 July 2010  Report this post
Hi Jennifer

Liked this, especially the depth of description re the tree and its history - like a third character in the story.

End a little unexpected- didn't seem quite to fit logic- or karma- wise but hey it was a hell of a finale.

Poor Norah!

All best

Pete

tusker at 06:56 on 06 July 2010  Report this post
Thanks Pete.

T'was the tree canker and Gerald's selfish sentimentality that killed Norah.

How could a man let his wife suffer asthma caused by that tree's leaves?

Jennifer

crowspark at 11:03 on 11 July 2010  Report this post
Wow! Excellent, Jennifer. Great title, wonderful details and startling ending.

Loved it.

Bill

jenzarina at 14:43 on 11 July 2010  Report this post
You could really feel the characters in this story, all 3 of them. Liked the sense of the tree's history. Great ending.
Agree with the comments about the capital letters - Plane Tree, Tree Surgeon etc.


To post comments you need to become a member. If you are already a member, please log in .