Writing for Fun
June 2019
Twilight - Bob Wendelkin
The two ladies were sorting out some of the belongings of Nesta their mother and grandmother. The tin box had been hidden away at the back of the wardrobe for many years gathering dust.
‘Shall we open it, or take it to her at her care home?’ said the Granddaughter Mandy.
‘I think we should have a quick peep just in case there is anything that might upset her if we show it to her,’ replied the daughter June.
The elder of the ladies, June, tried to remove the lid but it was too firmly stuck by the action of age. The granddaughter took it out of her mother’s hands and gave the lid a quick twist so much so that it fell out of her hand and spilled its contents on to the floor. There on the floor they could see old letters and photos and some very old banknotes, in fact a couple of the old white fivers. Mandy picked everything up and put them back in the box.
June took hold of the photos to see if she could recognise anyone, straight away she saw a photo of herself as a very young girl. It was a photo of her before she had gone to school; in her hand she held her favourite Teddy.
Showing it to her daughter, ‘That’s me, I could only been about three when that was taken.’
‘I recognise that Teddy, I think I had him when I was a baby; you said he had been yours,’ replied the Mandy as she took the photo from her mother’s hand.
June continued to look through the photos when she came across a photo of a young man in a RAF Officers uniform, with the wings of a pilot on his breast.
‘I think this is a photo of Miles, my father and your grandfather,’ said June.
‘He looks very handsome,’ replied Mandy holding the photo in her hand.
‘I don’t remember him as he didn’t make it through the war. Mum told me he was a Bomber Pilot and like so many young men he was lost over Germany,’ replied June.
June turned the photo over and saw he had written a message to his wife. He had written, ‘Dear Nesta, I hope you like this photo, I had it taken as you can see that I have received an extra ring on my uniform. I’m now a Wing-Commander. It does mean that I have less flying as I have to do more administrative work. I’ve only got another two trips to complete my Operational Tour then I can come home to you. I hate my new job as I have to send men out knowing that some won’t come back, then I have to write a letter to their family. Knowing what may happen I have already prepared my letter to our family should the worst happen and I don’t come back. All my love Miles.’
‘I know that he didn’t come back from one of his operations over Germany. I wonder if his letter is here in this box,’ said June as she pulled the rest of the letters out of the box. As she did a bulkier envelope fell out onto the floor, it seemed to contain something heavy.
Mandy picked up the envelope and opened it to reveal a Medal and another Photo. The medal was a cross, the photo showed Miles, who they could see receiving the medal from the King.
‘Your Grand-mother never told us that he had been given a medal by the King. In fact when I come to think of it she didn’t tell us very much about Miles,’ said June as she looked at the Photo.
‘Do you think we should read these letters as they belong to someone else? I feel I’m poking my nose into something which may be very private,’ said Mandy.
‘Let’s go downstairs and have a coffee and we can go through the rest of the letters. I’m certain Miles would be happy for us to read the letters that tell us how much he loved our Nesta,’ replied June as she picked up the box and started to walk towards the door.
Downstairs the two ladies settled to read the letters that had been sent to Nesta. As they read the letters they felt they were gradually beginning to feel they were dealing with a very real person and not just a name on a family tree.
Mandy started to read out loud one of the letters. ‘My darling Nesta I was so pleased that you were able to come to Lincoln last week, it was the first time in several weeks that I was able to get a few hours break from the airfield and have dinner with you. I know that it was just a wartime meal but that didn’t matter it was the happiness I felt in my heart as I sat across the table from you. I thought you were even more beautiful than the first time I saw you. It was the pleasure of seeing you with that small broach I bought you. I know it was small because I didn’t have much money but it was given to you as I had fallen in love with you. The blue stones in the broach matched the blue of your eyes.’
‘The letter goes on but I’ll read that later,’ said Mandy as she folded the letter and put it back in the envelope and put it on the side table.
June who had another letter in her hand looked across to her daughter and said, ‘I’ve just seen another letter from him to my mother.’ She then started to read out the letter.
‘Nesta, my darling, I was so pleased when you told me that you were expecting again. You must be very careful with yourself and our child, I don’t want what happened to you before when I nearly lost you, losing the boy was bad enough but the thought of the loss of you would be just too much to bear.’
‘He seems such a nice person I only wish I had met him,’ said Mandy as she opened another envelope.
Mandy started to read his letter.
‘My Dearest Darling Nesta. I have just a few minutes to spare before I have to get ready to go on a trip. The sun is beginning to set and soon it will be twilight. We expect a full moon so we shall have what we call a ‘Bomber’s Moon’. Soon I shall sit in the cockpit and as I push the throttle levers I shall be thinking of you and our to be born baby. I know I shouldn’t think this way as they are the enemy but as my bombs fall I only hope that I don’t harm any woman who like you is carrying a child for a man, who like me is separated from his family by a war created by the so called leaders who safely hide in their deep shelters.’
‘Well we know that he didn’t return from one of his trips. He didn’t seem to like the idea of dropping bombs on people. When you think of it one moment in time they are your enemies trying to kill you the next they are your neighbours trying to sell you your next car. Stupid world isn’t it?’ said Mandy.
‘You must understand that Hitler’s Germany was evil in the way it murdered millions of people in gas chambers. It often saddens me to think that a German soldier could die to protect such an evil man,’ said June as she looked at a photo of her father.
‘That’s true, Mum, but if they had won and we were still alive we would probably be so conditioned by schools and other propaganda to believe that Hitler was the greatest human to have ever lived,’ replied Mandy.
The two of them continued their search through the pile of letters when they came upon a telegram in a brown envelope marked OHMS addressed to Nesta.
June opened it and read its contents.
‘It is with great regret that I have to inform you that Wing-Commander Mason is at this time reported Missing in Action. Should any further information be found out we will inform you immediately.’
‘Well we know that he didn’t make it and Mum became one of the many war widows,’ said June.
Mandy could see that the last letter had upset her mother that she got up and put her arms around her.
‘I know I never met him but he was still my Father who I’m sure would have loved us,’ said June. ‘At school the other children were always talking about their Fathers, which made his loss even more painful.’
‘Here is another letter,’ said Mandy as she found the letter right at the bottom of the pile. ‘It says on it only open this letter if I don’t come back.’
‘Do you think we should read this?’ asked Mandy.
‘We have come this far we might as well go to the end of the story,’ replied June.
Opening the letter some clover fell out, Mandy could see at once that one of the clover’s had four leafs.
My Darling Nesta when you read this letter I will have departed this world and gone to join our ancestors and I shall have passed into history. I want you to know that I will be holding my hand out to you when your time comes. Should you find another to replace me I will understand and hope that he will make you happy and care for our child. When his time comes I will welcome him as a brother for looking after you.
In my life there have been very few people as very special as you but you were head and shoulders above all others. You gave a real meaning to my life which up until the time you came into it I now realise it was quite meaningless. Those moments when I saw you looking at me cannot fully describe in writing my feelings for you. I have some difficulty in putting into words every thing I feel for you but perhaps this may go part of the way I feel for you.
The Life that I have Is all that I have and The life that I have is Yours The Love that I have and the Life that I have Are yours and yours alone.