Play@YSDC

Phyllis Cruckshank's House, Islington - London, England
5:30 AM - Sunday, September 8, 1940

Phyllis Cruckshank returned to her house, which was thankfully undamaged, with Maggie Duncan accompanying her. "I just keep thinking about poor Nell Murrow," she said.

OOC,Since the house is yours, feel free to describe it.

Phyllis Cruckshank brought out some keys from her handbag and opened the door to her home on Gibson Square; a late Georgian house with five floors, it wasn't exactly small. "I don't know, Maggie, now that Jane's gone to work in munitions I'm rattling around in this old place and I can't keep up with the dust." They pass the parlour which has dust sheets over the furniture and into the drawing room. "Oh this is so cold, let's go down to the kitchen, at least it's warm."

They trapse down to the kitchen on the lower floor where the oil fired rayburn is burning merrily away. "I'm thinking about getting Lodgers." says Phyllis as she collects some breakfast bits together and proceeds to make bacon and eggs. "It's only bacon ends I'm afraid but the eggs are fresh; next door has six Rhode Islands, they lay ever so well, even through the winter."

Soon the table is laid with food and Phyllis brings hot toast over from the rayburn. "They were a rum lot last night weren't they? That German soldier was the least strange of all of them. That's the trouble with the shelters, you mix with all sorts. Most of them pleasent enough I dare say, although the girl Anna had a bit of a mouth on her. They were all a bit, occult, to me. Here have some marg, I can't abide the stuff, rather go without."

"Thank you, Phyllis," said Maggie, accepting the margarine and spreading it on the bread. "I've gotten used to it by now. The butter ration's too small to have it more than once in a while. Getting lodgers is a good thought, especially now. People who were bombed out last night will need a place to stay."

"Yes, I think I will ask the Reverand to make a discreet announcement at the end of the sermon today. They would have to be the right sort of people of course." Phyllis pours out more tea. "Once we're done I suppose we'd better head back to the church."

"Good idea," said Maggie. "Do you suppose that poor lass who passed on has family? Might be good to try to find out and comfort them. It's a pity there's no body. I doubt there's enough left of her to bury after that warehouse was flattened. I wonder what she was doing there."

"Up to no good, I'll be bound." Says Phyllis darkly. "We could drop by her house on the way to the church maybe, or the warehouse. I suppose we'd better get on our way." She bustles around briefly, clearing up and putting away. "Are you ready Maggie?"

"Aye, I'm ready," said Maggie. She and Phyllis set out and soon reached the Whitechapel address where Nell Murrow had lived. It was a boarding house, poor but not too shabby. There had been some bomb damage further down the street, but the house was intact. Tape crisscrossed the windows, which were still covered with blackout curtains, though the sun was now risen. Milk and the morning newspaper had been delivered, but they had not been taken inside yet.

"That milk will go sour if left there much longer. We could just knock." Without waiting for an answer, Phyllis walks up the steps and bangs the door with the cast iron knocker. "It's rather shabby. I suppose the tape's a good idea to stop glass flying about but it really does look a mess." She waits, listening intently.

listen,(25%) roll:22

There was no response to Phyllis's knock, and no sound came from within the house.

OOC,[b]Phyllis[/b], you may roll Idea.

Phyllis frowns,

"Odd. Or maybe they've gone to the church already." She tries to peer through a crack in the window.

Idea,(70% roll:33

ooc,Sorry for incremental posts - art show - back to normal next week

The blackout curtains had been put up well, and they did not admit a shred of light. It occurred to Phyllis that whoever lived here other than Nell may have spent the night in a shelter and not have come back yet. If she waited a little, someone might return.

OOC,That's okay, I haven't had time to update this game myself for almost a week.

"I don't think anyone's home yet, Maggie. But I feel I should wait and tell them the bad news. Do you want to continue to the church? I don't suppose I'll be very long." Phyllis says to Mrs Duncan.

"I'll wait with you," said Maggie.

Within a couple of minutes, an old woman with gray hair hobbled up the street towards the house. She nodded to Phyllis and Maggie as she approached and found them waiting outside. "Good morning, ladies," she said. "I'm Mrs. Ridgely. Are you here about the room?"

Mrs Cruckshank sniffs; as if she looked like the sort of person who would takes rooms. But then she thinks for a moment."Err, yes." She says, glaring at Maggie. "It's not for us you understand, but for my niece Jane. She's coming up from Woking. But I'd like to find somewhere respectable before she gets here. I'm Mrs Cruckshank and this is Mrs Duncan."

"A pleasure to meet you, ladies," said Mrs. Ridgely. She fished her keys out of her handbag and unlocked the door. "Come in, and I'll show it to you. I'll put on a spot of tea too, if you like. I run a respectable house here, you can rest assured. No gentlemen callers allowed inside, nosiree. Of course, I can't control what my boarders do when they're not at home. Only one at the moment, girl named Nell, though I expect she got caught out in the raid yesterday same as I did. Betsy's gone off to be a Wren, God bless her. That's why her room's vacant."

"A cup of tea would be lovely wouldn't it, Maggie? Thank you." Says Phyllis, still full from breakfast. She follows Mrs Ridgely in. "It's a big old house, Mrs Ridgely; plenty of character. Have you had boarders long?" She casts a beady eye around the place as she walks.

Spot hidden,(25%) roll:78

Maggie nodded. "Thank you, dear," she said.

"Oh, yes," replied Mrs. Ridgely as she puttered around and got the tea ready. The living room had plenty of bric-a-brac and flowers of various sorts, but there was nothing unusual. "Tenants come and go, and it seems as though nobody stays here long. Betsy moved in two years ago, and Nell last year, a few months before the war started."

Phyllis looks at Maggie. "Um, Mrs Ridgely, would that be Nell Murrows? It's just that I know Nell; helped her out a bit at one point. And we think that Nell might have had an accident last night. It's not confirmed of course but I suppose you ought to know."

"Yes, Nell Murrow," said Mrs. Ridgely, pouring the tea. "Oh, I do hope she's not too badly hurt. Caught out in the raid, was she? She did mention yesterday that she had a date with a gentleman for last evening. An RAF officer, she said."

Phyllis takes a sip of tea, "Oh dear, I suppose we'd better find out who the officer is so we can tell him too. You see, we think Nell died last night; people in the shelter saw it happen. Have you met the RAF officer, Mrs Ridgely?"