Gaby Book 5 - Bits
Chapter *36* Miss You - Obits
by Maddy Bell
Maddy Bell is selling her works in book form at Maddy Bell's Book Shop and has Gaby Character Dolls for sale. Please Visit!
Chapter *36*
Dernau 1 st January 2005 12.02pm :
Jenny put the book she was reading down and went to answer the door.
“Morgen.”
“Frau Bond?” the policewoman enquired.
“Yes, what's happened?” policemen at your door were never bringing good news.
“May we come in?”
“Oh sorry, please.”
The two upholders of the law entered the Bond's kitchen and waited for Jen to join them.
“Your child rides a race bicycle?”
This was not going to be good.
“A red Schauff, why?”
“Would you like to sit first?”
“No just tell me, he's in hospital, is he okay?”
“I'm sorry Frau Bond, he's not in the hospital. A bicycle was found on the Radweg south of Remagen an hour ago.”
“Oh no! Not Drew!”
***---***----****REUTERS BONN****JAN 1 ST 2005****17.35****----*****
Body found in Rhein — thought to be missing teenager — extensive search called off — more.
Kripp 1 st January 2005 10.33am :
It was always good to get out on the bike for a bit and start the year as you mean to go on. Drew turned onto the river front - not even a ferry running he noted seeing the ‘Linz' tied up by the ramp. Geez the river was high this morning, as high as he'd ever seen it in fact. Well he'd ride down to the deer park and cut over the hill back home.
Drew being Drew he slipped up a couple of gears and picked up the pace, hmm better watch out, I'm sure that looked like ice back there. The trail was a mixture of paving slabs with the odd patch of tarmac ‘repair' and the river was barely a metre below him, swirling and gurgling towards the sea.
Yup, that was definitely ice, hmm have to be a bit more careful, don't want to deck myself. The river turned lazily towards Remagen, he could see the remains of the bridge on the opposite bank. At that moment the sun chose to break through the cloud.
It happened so quickly — the glare from the ice caught him straight in the eye — by reflex he grabbed the brakes but he was already on the ice. Rider and bike slewed dangerously, the front wheel finally catching an edge that flipped Drew over the bars. SHIT!
CYCLING WEEKLY Jan 5 th 2005
Andrew Bond
We are sorry to have to announce the death of one of the UK's best hopes for the future in an accident near the family home in Germany. Full story next week.
Dernau 1 st January 2005 12.07pm :
“Where is he?”
“I'm afraid we don't know Frau Bond, we have the river Polizei searching and teams on each bank.”
“Drew!” Jen wailed.
“Is your husband in?” the other cop enquired.
“He, they, they've gone for a walk.” Jen managed between sobs.
“They?”
“My other daughter and my mother, Dave's taking them to Rech.”
“We'll find them,” the female officer stated, “Dieter.” She signalled her colleague who departed to start that search.
“Is there anyone you'd like me to call?”
“Oh Drew please be safe.”
PROCYCLING, FEBRUARY 2005
Drew Bond. The year started on a bad note for UK cycling with the death of Olympic hopeful Drew Bond on January 1 st . Still only fourteen, Drew was following in his mother's illustrious footsteps having secured a place on both the British Cycling development squad and the German Apollinaris youth team. He shot to fame in 2004 by winning the schools circuit race championship in the face of older and more experienced competition. This was followed up with a string of impressive rides at both hill climb and ‘cross resulting in him securing a second national title at hill climb.
2004 saw a move to Germany to join the Apollinaris squad where he again had an impressive season competing at Junior Elite level across Europe with six wins to his credit. He returned to the UK in August when he took an impressive win to secure a second under 16 title at Bristol.
On the morning of Jan 1 st he was out training at the side of the Rhine when its thought he lost control and left the path landing in the swollen river. His body was found later the same day 10kms downstream.
The funeral was held in Dernau near the family home on January 10 th and was attended by many of his friends as well as representatives from teams and organisations across the cycling world.
Church Warsop 2nd January 2005 08.17am:
“Hi Aunt Jen,” Mad bubbled, “Happy New Year!”
“Hello Maddy, is your mother there?”
“Yeah sure, hang on — MUM! It's Auntie Jen — she's just coming, give Drew a kiss for me.”
Jen lost it then and Dave rescued the phone passing his wife to her mother.
“Hello, Jen?”
“Carol, it's Dave.”
“Everything okay? Its bloody cold here.”
“Its Drew, he's gone.” Dave struggled to not break down himself. These calls needed to be made; he owed it to Drew to do it himself although Josie had offered.
“What? Run away?” Carol was confused now; Drew wouldn't do something like that.
“Nnno, he's dead Carol.” Dave couldn't prevent a sniff escaping.
“Oh no! Hang on let me go outside…how's Jen?”
“Not taking it well, Josie's here.”
“Do you want me to come out?”
“You don't need to Carol.”
“How did…”
“It happen? We think he slipped on some ice and got thrown into the river.”
“He drowned? Oh the poor luv.” Carols own eyes were close to betraying her own emotions.
“Can, could you tell his friends for us?”
“Of course I will,” oh god how do I do that? “You're sure you don't want me to fly out?”
“I'll talk to Jen and call you again later. I'd best get off, there're lots of people I have to ring.”
“Give Jen and Jules my love — and you take care too Dave Bond.”
“Bye Carol.”
“Bye Dave.”
“What's up Mum? Why are you stood out there?” Mad enquired.
Carol gathered herself but couldn't stop a tear trickling down her face.
“Something's happened.”
“Aunt Jens cancer has come back?”
Carol Peters closed the door behind her.
“No it's not your Aunt Jen.”
“What is it then?”
“Come here luv,” Carol gathered her daughter into a hug, “it's Drew, he drowned yesterday.”
“No! You're lying!” Mad shouted.
“It's true Mad.” Carol clung closer to her daughter, for whose comfort she couldn't say.
They held the embrace for a minute or so before Mad broke free and ran to her room. Carol started to follow but Johns voice stopped her.
“Let her be luv, I heard you telling her. Are the Bonds okay?”
“John, he's dead!”
John Peters held his wife tightly, he didn't know what to say but holding his wife seemed the right thing to do.
-------------
Dernau 10 th January 2005 11.22am :
Dave was doing his best to retain his composure but it was a struggle. They had discussed taking him back to Warsop but somehow that didn't feel right. No this was their home now, for better or worse and he knew they'd all feel better if Drew was here with them. He looked across the crowd — Drew would've been impressed. He spotted Cara with John from BC, all the Apollinaris team were there too. There was a sobbing mess of teenage girls — ironically it was as Gaby that Drew seemed to flourish. The team had paid for Ally and Bernie to come out, they hadn't managed to contact Rhod in time but there were flowers from his mother.
There wasn't a dry eye in the place; even the Polizei and rescue services were struggling with the emotion. You never want to bury a child — when that child was Drew it made it even harder. Jen had barely stopped crying for over a week and Jules, well she was outwardly together but she was pretty obviously on the edge.
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust…” the Minister concluded the service and Dave took his place alongside John, George and the surprise of the day, Lance Armstrong. They lowered the casket into the still frozen earth and the final act of his son's life started.
Dernau 25 th February 2007 14.33pm :
Jules was a regular visitor to Dernau Friedhof; at least she visited when she came home from Uni. Her footsteps seemed loud on the gravel and her destination was over at the back wall. The plot was as usual tidy and had fresh flowers below the headstone, Mum said that Connie and the girls came every week, Drew woulda liked that. She put her own blooms with the others, carefully arranging the card with the same words as always ‘ Miss You'. She fingered the inscription,
Andrew Bond
Loving son of Jennifer and David
Brother of Juliette
Born 25 Feb.1990
Taken 1 Jan.2005
Always missed, you touched so many
It was ironic really that there was no mention of Gaby on the stone, it was after all as Gaby that most people had known her brother. Not that there weren't reminders of his alter ego at home. At first Mum had made his room into a sort of shrine, nothing was to be moved or disposed of but Aunt Carol had eventually convinced her to be more practical so that there was now a selection of photos, both Drew and Gaby, along with his medals in the family room alongside Mums own collection.
Why did you insist on going out that morning bro? Miss You.
There was a stunned silence in the Bonds living room.
“You didn't really put that last bit in Jules?” Drew enquired.
“Nah, just thought I'd wind you up.”
“Well it was quite a tale Jules.” Mum noted wiping a tear away.
“Mr Jacobs wants me to read it at next weeks school assembly.” Goth girl advised us.
“I'll put the kettle on.” Dad mentioned.
“It won't fit you!” we all chorused.
Geez, Jules story was really kinda moving and it was well spooky that he was the central character. He remembered Herr Viessner saying in English that a lot of good writers used personal experience to make their work more, what did he call it, 'realistisch'. And Jules writing certainly seemed that to him.
“So you are going to do English next year Jules?” Mum asked.
“Mr Jacobs thinks I should, I do sort of enjoy it.” My sister admitted.
Sometimes I wish I went to her English school in Bonn, on the other hand I'd miss doing stuff with the gang.
“Well just warn your Gran before she reads it eh — it'll give her a heart attack otherwise.” Mum suggested.
Comments
Whew!
I'm not too happy with Jules for not warning us it was just a thing done for her class work!
Glad things are straightened out now.
Phrances
And who says
resurrection is old fashioned? Happy now ?
Angharad
Angharad
Scared Me For A Moment....
That was the most frightening thing I had read for the longest time. Also that was a wicked thing to do to us!
Gabby,
Thanks for not killing Drew/Gabby off for real... that would have been horrible!
Anyways keep up the interesting twists to the plot, your wonderful skill with this story will keep us on our toes for quite a while after this, don't ever change!
Hugs,
Jayme
The answers to all of life's questions can be found in the face of a true friend
The answers to all of life's questions can be found in the face of a true friend
From the cardiac ward.
"Well just warn your Gran before she reads it eh – it'll give her a heart attack otherwise.â€
Not just Drew's Gran; the original version gave me quite a nasty turn, too, though I did suspect there might be a shower moment in there somewhere.
Sinisterpenguin
OBITS
This was a big screw-up. How do you make it right with those who got upset or worried by the original?
Dexa
Upset
Well, yes. But it is just a story, however much we care about it. Maddy and all the other people who post their stories here are under no obligation to write stories that turn out just the way we readers want them to, even if every single one of us agreed about the direction we wanted a story to take. If the stories were that predictable they wouldn't be worth reading anyway. A story called Obits is hardly likely to be light-hearted (unless you're an Addams), and Angharad did add her own hint that the story was grim.
As it is, this site hosts some entertaining and sometimes thought-provoking work that is mostly a lot better than 99% of the amateur writing on the web, TG or otherwise. So from me at least, thanks to everybody who posts here. Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to post my own scribblings.
Sinisterpenguin
lighten up
You had a warning from Angharad and its not exactly unprecedented - try part 160 for example.
I know a lot of people are attached to my characters, i think i succeeded in shaking things up a bit so you don't all get too comfortable!
Maddy Bell
Madeline Anafrid Bell
*sigh of relief*
I think I can safely speak for all your readers when I say, Thank you for the reminder for us all to stay on your good side Maddy.
*hug* Welcome back.
Much love.
Toni
Yea! Everyone's OK
I'm very glad that Gabs is OK. I'm much, much happier that Maddy is!! (That was so scary on much more than a fictional level)
Be well; Joy
hear hear
nuff said.
Sinisterpenguin
i am confused
what happened to drew, was there a accedent with his bike or not. i am just confused.
Don't be confused
The whole "obits" thing was an "english class" assignment for Jules...
keep your eye on the ball!
No there was no accident it was just Jules doing what too few people and especially kids do - exercising her brain!
Maddy Bell
Madeline Anafrid Bell
mean
well thats just mean. you led us all to believe there WAS an accident and gaby was gone. thats a mean thing to do to your readers to give no indication it was just a jules project.
Thanks Maddy
Nice one Maddy, weather this was the point of your posting or not, nice twist, i know folk got a bit upset, but it IS the author's perogative when they wish to finish a story...
Your book is awesome, i follow this and Nina (ps:WANT MORE NINA! :P) Your an excelent writer... this does seem right up Jules' street :D
I do think people needed to realise just how much they love this story...
R
yes but still
it is the authors perogative how they want to end a story. they can even play tricks on the reader but a good author has a duty to play fair with her reader. that means to make things like this so we dont all think a character is dead when it was all just a project and the character is actually alive.
Accident?
Was the incomplete posting really an accident, or did Maddy lose a private bet with Angharad? (something to do with the hasty posting at Christmas)
Flog the both of them with a stick of wet celary for being so mean to their loyal readership!
A Sinister Plot
Angharad - There are laws against conspiracy even for the likes of you. All of us poor Gaby fans led along a make-believe path thinking it was the end of our hero(ine). There should be some particularly vicious punishment devised for the likes of you, though we as your jury may commute the sentence in view previous entertainments provided. But beware, you are toying with volatile sentiments of a following nearly demented with grief and then betrayal. Beware.
marie c.
marie c.
I'm not so sure about that...
Maddy didn't say where things got mucked up in "truncating" the original "Obits"... Who's to say. Based on past postings, I don't think Angharad would have intentionally left out part of the chapter... I mean, the error certainly generated a lot of hits and comments. Do you think Angharad would have done that to generate comments for someone else? The queen of comment begging? (Okay, I'll remove my tongue from my cheek now.)
It's more likely that it somehow got chopped via copy/paste somewhere along the way. I've done that myself - specially when a page down happened to end on blank line / page break.
But then, just because we're paranoid doesn't mean that someone's not out to get us... There are conspiracies everywhere!
I think we should all be glad that the story isn't over yet and get on with things.
My 2 cents more.
Phrances
Nice one Maddy!
I must admit that it's nice for an author to think outside the box sometimes.
I like Gaby/Drew and have enjoyed the story ever since it was started. I empathise with the characters and care what happens to them. This does not mean that I want to influence the writer in whatever plot she chooses to follow.
I hope that Gaby/Drew continues until it has a natural and hopefully happy ending. If it doesn't, then so be it as it's Maddy's baby, not mine. I leave it to her to decide how things go and will just enjoy going along for the ride.
Hugs,
Sue
PS, Talking of rides, I love the bike bits and it has given me the shove up the backside to go out on my bike and get some exercise, trouble is, it don't half hurt your bum after a while!
get some decent
cycling shorts or trousers, or change the saddle or both. It does help. have a word with your LBS (local bike shop) they can usually help.
Angharad
Angharad
Wheewwwwww!!!!
Maddy,
You have no idea how i felt as i started to read this ORBITS. I was trying hard not to let the tears fall as i read the story. I also am glad that this was only a story for Jules English class( much relieved). Great shake up.... Now don't EVER DO THAT AGAIN...... I could not survive the loss of one of your best personality of this great story...
Thanks again for your stories.
Take care
Andy R.
Obits
The question still remains.
By chance or design, part of the chapter was left out, thus giving a totaly false impression.
The question is for all who post stories.
Does the author of a story (any author, any story) owe the reader at least an OOPS for a screw-up?
Does the arthor have a responsability to the reader?
Dexa
expectations for the author
not really. its up to the author to write what he or she wants. but at least professionally the answer is yes. if the writer wants to make a name for her or his self and become a published author, then its most certainly yes. theres a expectation for the writer to play fair with the reader.
if the writer misleads the reader and a nasty surprises occur, the reader feels cheated. if that ocures the author gets nasty letters sent to her or him and the book gets tossed into the trash. and after that it inst likely the author will sell to many more books.
At least it wasn't a dream
I would have felt as if I'd been tricked.
Apologies
Angharad -
Please accept apologies for my previous comments in regard to Gaby Obits. I was being entirely facetious and promise to be more circumspect in future messages.
marie c.
marie c.
What the heck
Politicians make up things all the time, warning against this or that unless they get into office. Once there, they say, "Oops! Guess I was wrong." Naturally, we all have a good laugh about it afterwards.
/sarcasm
Aardvark
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
Mahatma Gandhi
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
Mahatma Gandhi
Red Faced
Well now don't I look dumb, even wrote to Maddy got a nice thing back I did. I was not too upset with it but feel like a dummy falling into the trap. But it was good, and it's not even April yet. Good to see that they are good, love ye lass i do.
Hugs and Kisses
Melissa Ann
Hugs and Kisses
Melissa Ann
Non-Obit
I for one think it was totally cool, cruel but cool. Having read Maddy's post on her site the day before the original it didn't appear to be the end of - Drew.
It should, however, provide all of us with a reminder of how fragile life really is and how the written word affects all of us.
All of us read Big Closet for the fantasy it allows us - some good and some bad. Maddy just reminded us that it is in fact a story, but we have reminded her, and all the authors, that their characters are real to us and a part of our lives.
Thanks for the life experience.
As always,
Dru
As always,
Dru
Sorry
Further to my previous post "Accident"
I must try to remember that sarkey comments don't translate well into written text (or outside the UK). It wasn't meant to provoke the reaction it did :-( ... As if Maddy would lie to us about the posting.
Consider my wrist slapped and me being sent to bed without supper!
And yes, I was as stunned as everyone else at the thought of Drew being killed off.
Obits shake up.....
Well having ready the first edition of the Obits and with the other clues given both on Maddy's Site and the various other sources floating around I am glad to find that I was correct in this being just a little bit of a teaser/shakeup for the readers. I have found in my personal and public experience that even though you create works of Art and Literature more for yourself, well most of us are simply human and crave approval and none of us want to be taken for granted when it comes to our Art. I am happy to find Maddy is human after all. :)
One had to wonder there for a bit with all that she has done and continues to offer in her own way. She has turned a simple story into a small following of international fans with many treasures to offer her flock, either in book format or trinkets and dolls or even conventions. Pip Pip Maddy and Godspeed on into the future of Gaby!
Beverly Colleen
www.bevsbalcony.org
**********
I am a leaf on the wind, but someone turned the fan off.
Relieved
that the race goes on. Had me worried, but there's been a cliff hanger or two before, so I was waiting for the other shoe to drop - somewhere, somehow. Good twist. Now, if the unresolved hanger at the end of Once Upon A Time in America could be settled...
Obit
My first reaction to the first obit was hurt. I felt betrayed. I have read Maddybell's wrtings for escape from the grim realities of life. I also believe that a written work is not just the "property" of the writer, but it is also a communication with the reader. The first obit communicated negative things to me as a reader. I am still hesitant to read more - when is the rug going to get pulled again?
I almost decided just to "wite off" Maady Bell and all her works. But, I have enjoyed her writing deeply, so I read others comments and thought. I have to admit, I have not been doing my part of the communicating. Therefor, I signed onto TopShelf, and I am writing this.
I have enjoyed reading about Drew/Gaby. It has also been thought provoking for me. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
But please, do not invite me into a feel good world, where problems are resolved eventually, and then dump me in the icy river of the grim side of reality.
Even as a ? to stir things up that is then taken back.
Kendall
THANK-YOU,THANK-YOU,
THANK-YOU,THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU!
I was so upset about Drew's death I almost quit reading the stories!
But... I just had to keep comeing back to check.
I remmber when one of the girls were shot & killed durring the student exchange,
and it was just a dream. But ya really got me this time Maddy!
I don't think I've ever been so shook by a fictional death.
Love, Beladonna
Obits: jokes or a mistake
It seems that I have forgoten how the cousins across the pond like a good joke, but in all reality it could have been a mistake and the tail of the story was left off on mistake --- NOT!!!
Maddy,
great tease
E for effort
As I understand things, Obit was a school assignment submitted by Jules.
The plot twist is interesting.
There are two sections of the assignment that are obviously written by Maddy Bell: the introductory scene and the description at Worsop.
So either Jules plagiarized Maddy or Maddy failed to write the piece in character.
A year later
Looking back at this from a little more that year later, I still don't like it. For whatever reason she did this, I still feel I was deceived. Maddy has the right to write whatever she wants, but as readers we have the right to dislike what was written. I still don't regularly read her stories anymore; and I have noticed that the posts on the GabyZone forum have dropped to just about nothing since this, so apparently I am not the only one who feels that way.
Yuri!
Yuri!
Damn i cried
I have to comment here.
Sorry my bad words. but this really got me. I thought its for real. damn lol.
U got me in grieve Maddy Bell. Bless you.
And thanks for bringing Gaby to us readers.
Wow
Had me going there for a second... sheeesh
Radio version of War of the Worlds
Talk about a heart attack, reading about Drew dying in the river! Then I got to thinking, if he dies in this chapter, why are there more chapters about Gaby?
That story Jules wrote, and how it was told in this chapter, is as bad as the radio version of War of the Worlds, which was told without any preamble. People who heard the broadcast, actually thought aliens had landed on Earth and were in the process of taking over the world. Thank goodness for the common cold.
When Jules sends that story out to family, she better send a preamble as the first page, or she'll have a lot of unhappy people on her hands. Just like there almost were who read this chapter.
Others have feelings too.
Have to Comment
Okay, as an author I have done some things that got my readers upset. I have even written dream sequences totally throwing a twist into things. A class writing assignment, okay that brings me back to my teenage years. I really feel sorry for my writing teacher in High School. I even started World War III in one paper on the day my teacher was due to get married. Yeah, that didn't go over very well with my teacher. It taught me to be more considerate of my readers.
I knew you would have to kill Andrew off at some point in some fashion. As I was reading through this, I was trying to figure out if that was what you were doing. I did have one advantage of the readers who had to deal with this in "real time". I knew there was a LOT more to Gaby's story. You did a good job with this chapter, and it looks like it got a lot more comments than other chapters.
Keep Smiling, Keep Writing
Teek