Page 4 of Positively, Penelope

Date: August27

Subject: An underappreciated Mary Poppins rescue

Oh dear! I have so much to tell and most of it is very good. Well,part of it. The dimples part. And the scenery, but as you three know, I do try my best to make rainbows out of rain!

Do you remember how Grandma Edgewood always used to say that I had a remarkable gift of making a first impression? (Now that I think about it, I’m not sure whether she meant that as a positive thing.)

Anyway, I gathered my bags and made it through customs, and apart from one of the security workers mistaking my curling iron for a weapon and another one insisting on checking my shoulders (since they beeped as I went through the security scanner), all was well. I’m not quite certain how shoulders can be dangerous for airport security, but I’ve seen dance moves where the shoulders give off risky vibes. (Grease,MoulinRouge!, to name two.)

It was very crowded as I searched the waiting area for Mr.Gray. Of course, I expected some sort of colorful banner with my name in neon but didn’t see anything to give me a clue to someone waiting for me. Plus, I couldn’t understand half of what the people around me were saying. As you can imagine, I’d already made out my game plan if no one arrived to pick me up. I’d even printed it out in case Wi-Fi was disabled due to some horrible situation involving whatever island problems can disable Wi-Fi. So, with bags in hand, I marched toward the “dros” and buses—which is taxis and buses, BTW. (I downloaded Translate Now to my phone and the app actually has Caedric!)

Before I’d even made it to the taxis, some man who looked a little like Doc What’s-His-Name fromBack to the Futureapproached me. I think my eyes must have gotten really wide, but not because I was afraid of him; it’s just he wore a constant look of surprise and you all know how I sometimes imitate otherpeople’s facial expressions without knowing it. Anyway, he asked if I’d rather take the ferry to the main island instead of a taxi because “it’s much more scenic,” but I quickly told him I planned to stay on Fiacla instead of going to Ansling right away. (There was no way I was going to tell a complete stranger that I’m petrified of boats!) But I feel it was very providential that I stopped to talk to this ferryman because I might not have heard it otherwise.

Someone was crying, and not just anyone! A child. I’m particularly sensitive to crying children, as you all will remember, since I was so good at crying myself. As the youngest in the family, I ended up getting the brunt of the teasing, not that I’m pointing fingers or anything. (Luke.)

Not too far away sat a little girl crying. She was the most adorable creature. Golden curls in two pigtails, a checked jumper, and the most fantastic patent leather shoes known to man... er... woman. Mother would have adored them. I immediately thought of Shirley Temple. At any rate, I tugged my cloche hat more tightly on my head, took a firm hold of my Mary Poppins bag, grabbed my suitcase, and dashed toward the little damsel. (I instinctively knew she needed help. I’ve always been in tune with children.)

When I sat down beside her, I immediately pulled my Peter Pan handkerchief from my bag—you know, the one with Tinker Bell on it—and offered it to her. She stared at it long enough to stop crying and then took it, but not before shooting me a confused look. Maybe she’d never seen such an excellent handkerchief.

Within one minute, I found out she had lost her father in the crowd, dropped her milkshake on the floor, and then run away to hide in utter shame from not only the loss of the milkshake butthe chocolate stain now donning her jumper. I feel certain that she is my spirit animal.

I offered her a peppermint and asked whether I could help her find her dad. Her face immediately brightened into double dimples! Can you believe it? And she told me that her name was Iris. After I did a quick check on my phone for any shop within the airport that sold milkshakes, Iris took my hand and we started walking through the airport toward Skremtik, which evidently means something ice cream-y.

Now here’s the part where the villain shows up. Though he mistakenly thought I was the villain. Ridiculous, really. What villains wear red cloche hats and Nine West pumps? A female villain would definitely be in Valentino or something expensive like that. We’d barely made it to the food court (or whatever they call it in Skymar) when someone grabbed me by the arm and nearly sent me teetering into some fish shop with the logo of a hat-wearing squid. I expected some older man with a grumpy brow and a voice like he’d chewed on glass, but instead I came face-to-face with a man, probably in his late twenties-ish, who looked a lot like that man Izzy likes to stare at in the movieAustenland. You know? The one who plays the Darcy character. He had the grumpy countenance for certain, and there was a bit of a wave to his brownish hair.

Do you remember that character, Izzy? Not the captain or the barn guy. The other one.

Penelope

PS: The fish at the squid place was very tasty.

PPS: GK from the Skymarian Theater Troupe has sent me some good notes but I’m not sure I’d call her a friend just yet.I don’t even know her real name. Only the initialsGK, as the whole online group has a strict rule about sharing real names in the forum—a rule I appreciate. No real names and no real photos. Though if they choose to forsake anonymity, there are opportunities to meet in person too. I gladly chose the initials JA. Not for Jane Austen, as you may think, Izzy, but for the undeniably charming and delightful Julie Andrews.

From: Izzy Edgewood

To: Penelope Edgewood, Luke Edgewood

Date: August27

Subject: Re: An underappreciated Mary Poppins rescue

Penelope,

I love you to pieces but would you PLEASE finish the story? You left us with the idea of a man accosting you as you helped an adorable little girl through the Skymarian airport. Do you realize that you have a tendency to not finish your stories?

Izzy

PS: I’m leaving Josephine off this thread because I really don’t want to alarm her with my obvious concern for your SAFETY!

PPS: The character in the movie’s name is Henry Nobley. His name is Henry in the book too. The book is better, as most books are, but the movie provides some great visual inspiration, a.k.a. JJ Feild and Ricky Whittle.

From: Luke Edgewood

To: Izzy Edgewood, Penelope Edgewood

Date: August27

Subject: Re: An underappreciated Mary Poppins rescue

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