Not yet filled, but...sallymnJune 14 2014, 23:11:47 UTC
This prompt wouldn't go away... I've started a rather ridiculous (well, this is moi) fantasy based on it, not sure if I'll finish it but I will try.
Here's what I've got so far...
"Well?"
The implied question, in Miss Annersley's best Headmistressy manner, might have been more effective had Hilda's voice not been much, much higher. And reedier. And slightly adenoidal in the bargain.
One of her deepest darkest secrets had always been her own passage through those turbulent mid-teen years they labelled "the Middles"; fifteen had NOT been a good year for her.
"Well?" She tried again, and didn't actually squeak this time.
The people in front of her - half of them not so much mistresses as Middles, at least in age , and the others not so much Middles at the minute but for the most part actually middle-aged - mostly shuffled their feet and looked anywhere except their Headmistress. Hilda was vaguely pleased to know that she could still intimidate both students and staff despite being small, skinny, spotty and somewhat swamped by what had been - up till ten minutes ago - a rather chic twinset and saggingly empty brassiere. Also, her sensible court shoes slopping around on feet that hadn't yet finished growing had not made for the imposing stride she was trying for as she had urged her fellow staff into action "are you mistresses or Middles, ladies?" and zeroed in on the suspected culprits.
She stole a glance at her Co-Head. It could be worse, of course. Nell Wilson's trim figure and the shining perfection of her then-chestnut locks had obviously happened after her own stint in Lower Fifth (or the equivalent); her slim-fit outfit having split under the strain of a growing, hockey-and-cream-cake mad young body, she was currently well and truly overwrapped in a spare academic robe (the first thing that had come to hand when the stitches had given). And her hair was a total birds' nest of frizz that would have earned a stinging rebuke had any real Middle shown up with it.
And the other mistresses who had been caught in this - whatever it was that Mary-Lou and her form had conjured up this time - were in no better straights. Miss Derwent, it appeared, spent her formative years even skinnier and spottier than Hilda; Miss Wilmot - well, as an Old Chalet School girl they had known her weight concerns at that age; Miss Denny was positively plump (though, this never having changed as she grew older, at least her clothes were the right size, in width at least).
Hilda was only thankful Mr Denny hadn't been with them; she had seen pictures of Tristram at Eton, and knew he had not been no more the type to turn any silly Middle's head then as now, but still....
She suppressed a mental shudder, and turned to Mary-Lou and her form, trying to project any shreds of stern authority she could like this. Luckily, the shreds seemed to be just enough; it didn't hurt that even though most of them now topped her in height, in age and in technical maturity... every single one of them except Verity Lambert knew how utterly ridiculous they looked in their gymslips and plimsolls.
At least the girls only thought they looked ridiculous. Hilda was regretting that Nell had recently lent around those ghastly (and yes, if she admitted it in the darkest corners of her mind, deplorably funny) St Trinian books with their awful depictions of girls so unlike even the worst of her Middles... not that Mary-Lou, Hilary, Ruth, et al looked like schoolgirls, but as forty-to-fifty year old women dressed in far too small gymslips (Mary-Lou must be ready to shoot up in height, a detached portion of her mind murmured, her hem was barely - no, change that not even - decent!) and badly-fitting shoes there was something equally disturbing, even sinister, about them.
Re: Not yet filled, but...elen_nareJune 16 2014, 01:32:10 UTC
Eeee! This is fantastic! Hilda skinny and spotty but still authoritative, wild-haired Nell bursting out of her clothes, Mary-Lou and Co looking indecent in their gym-slips... I absolutely love it :D :D :D Thank you!
Re: Not yet filled, but...sallymnJune 18 2014, 04:22:39 UTC
I'm thinking it will somehow be all Mary-Lou's doing (her Very First Artifact turns out to be, errr... a problem) and they will all try VERY HARD to keep Joey from butting in...
Re: Not yet filled, but...elen_nareJune 21 2014, 03:29:04 UTC
Of course it's Mary-Lou's doing! And I can imagine the staff especially being willing to do anything to keep Joey from finding out about their... current condition ;)
Would it be ok with you if I linked this on the Chalet School Bulletin Board? I'm sure a lot of people there would appreciate it!
Here's what I've got so far...
"Well?"
The implied question, in Miss Annersley's best Headmistressy manner, might have been more effective had Hilda's voice not been much, much higher. And reedier. And slightly adenoidal in the bargain.
One of her deepest darkest secrets had always been her own passage through those turbulent mid-teen years they labelled "the Middles"; fifteen had NOT been a good year for her.
"Well?" She tried again, and didn't actually squeak this time.
The people in front of her - half of them not so much mistresses as Middles, at least in age , and the others not so much Middles at the minute but for the most part actually middle-aged - mostly shuffled their feet and looked anywhere except their Headmistress. Hilda was vaguely pleased to know that she could still intimidate both students and staff despite being small, skinny, spotty and somewhat swamped by what had been - up till ten minutes ago - a rather chic twinset and saggingly empty brassiere. Also, her sensible court shoes slopping around on feet that hadn't yet finished growing had not made for the imposing stride she was trying for as she had urged her fellow staff into action "are you mistresses or Middles, ladies?" and zeroed in on the suspected culprits.
She stole a glance at her Co-Head. It could be worse, of course. Nell Wilson's trim figure and the shining perfection of her then-chestnut locks had obviously happened after her own stint in Lower Fifth (or the equivalent); her slim-fit outfit having split under the strain of a growing, hockey-and-cream-cake mad young body, she was currently well and truly overwrapped in a spare academic robe (the first thing that had come to hand when the stitches had given). And her hair was a total birds' nest of frizz that would have earned a stinging rebuke had any real Middle shown up with it.
And the other mistresses who had been caught in this - whatever it was that Mary-Lou and her form had conjured up this time - were in no better straights. Miss Derwent, it appeared, spent her formative years even skinnier and spottier than Hilda; Miss Wilmot - well, as an Old Chalet School girl they had known her weight concerns at that age; Miss Denny was positively plump (though, this never having changed as she grew older, at least her clothes were the right size, in width at least).
Hilda was only thankful Mr Denny hadn't been with them; she had seen pictures of Tristram at Eton, and knew he had not been no more the type to turn any silly Middle's head then as now, but still....
She suppressed a mental shudder, and turned to Mary-Lou and her form, trying to project any shreds of stern authority she could like this. Luckily, the shreds seemed to be just enough; it didn't hurt that even though most of them now topped her in height, in age and in technical maturity... every single one of them except Verity Lambert knew how utterly ridiculous they looked in their gymslips and plimsolls.
At least the girls only thought they looked ridiculous. Hilda was regretting that Nell had recently lent around those ghastly (and yes, if she admitted it in the darkest corners of her mind, deplorably funny) St Trinian books with their awful depictions of girls so unlike even the worst of her Middles... not that Mary-Lou, Hilary, Ruth, et al looked like schoolgirls, but as forty-to-fifty year old women dressed in far too small gymslips (Mary-Lou must be ready to shoot up in height, a detached portion of her mind murmured, her hem was barely - no, change that not even - decent!) and badly-fitting shoes there was something equally disturbing, even sinister, about them.
And they were larger than the mistresses now.
And there were considerably more of them.
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Would it be ok with you if I linked this on the Chalet School Bulletin Board? I'm sure a lot of people there would appreciate it!
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If you're interested I did a Chalet School one in the last challenge... it's in letter form and is here.
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