Quote:
Originally Posted by
Nixy! 
Pssh.
"I'm not opening it now. It's obviously cake." Specifically, it was a peanut butter chocolate cake. She knew it was, because 1) the box smelled as such, and 2) it's the cake her mum made her every year. "We can open it on the train, later - yeah? Your frog isn't having any, though." Heh.
"Talking of which, you should be getting on it." Ollie announced, checking his watch. "Come one, we'll help you get your trunks on board."
Tallulah nodded, and perched the cake box on top of her trunk before throwing herself towards her mum for a hug. She may have said something about going to miss her mum this year.
"Promise you'll write to us every week?"
"I promise."
"Fern, it's your job to make sure she actually does. Okay?"
More hugs.
"Come on then! Fern and I still have to find somewhere decent on the train to sit!"
"Peanut butter chocolate cake!?!" Fern exclaimed, making grabby hands at the box. She may have had two scrambled eggs and a slice of toast and an apple and a glass of milk
and stolen some chocolate from Uncle Carl's secret stash for breakfast, but there was a slice (or two) of Tallulah's birthday cake calling her name. She wanted it noooow. But it was her cousin's big day, really, so she just nodded glumly to the older girl's suggestion. And of course she wouldn't be feeding Lewis cake.
"That's ridiculous; I've got his crickets right here." Fern patted the right pocket of her robes; she'd caught them just that morning.
Ollie's reminder of the time sent all the Quimbleys scrambling for last minute hugs, Palmer's included. And now that the time for departure was nearing, Fern found herself reciprocating their embraces instead of trying to escape. Her throat might have even felt a little scratchy.
But nah. That would be silly.
"Aye aye, Uncle Ollie! Even if I have to lock her in the owlery." Fern saluted, trying to keep her face set in a serious expression but failing. Then she grabbed her trunk, and moved next to Tallulah.
"That's right! If we don't go now, we might have to sit with people who smell bad!" That would be the very worst, and Fern began to hurry to the train, shouting,
"Goodbye Mum! Goodbye Dad! Goodbye Patty! Goodbye Grandpa Phil-" "WAIT! FERN AND TALLULAH WAIT!" Carol called, looking frantic and close to tears, "I need a picture, of my favorite girls. Rhonda, where's that camera? And Patty, go on dear, get with Tallulah and your sister." She gently pulled the 3-year-old off of her left leg, from where the little girl had been clinging since they'd parked the car, and prodded her towards the other two. Rhonda readied the camera, and Carol shouted, "Say cheese cauldron!"