Musings of a Madman

Just east of London, In a very small town, on an ugly grey street that was called Dean Grove, stood a very large townhouse. Ms Maud Tortlene's scratchy voice echoed out of downstairs window and into the street for all to hear.

"What are you just standing around here for? You're supposed to clean the bathroom and the kitchen before lunch, my little pig dropping, and if you skip the corners, there will be no lunch. And you're not having hot mush today...you're having cold mush!" smirked Aunt Maud. She was a horrid, stringy woman who always scowled and didn't at all like children, let alone small ones.

" But Aunt Maud!" said Danny, "Uncle Bunberry will be here soon and I simply can't do all those chores before he gets here".
"Useless boy" said Aunt Maud, "like your father. Bloody Roberts!"
"Please, Aunt Maud", cried Danny, "he's not useless. He's a Captain in the Royal Navy".
"Well , he went and got himself killed at sea, didn't he, and a dead man is most certainly useless to me. A live one is just as bad. I think we should do away with men altogether," said Aunt Maud, "Anyway. That's why I have to work you good and proper to pay off what he owes me. If I hadn't promised my sister as the consumption got her...."

"I, you - you weren't meant to hear that", Maud said, startled all of a sudden.

Danny's Uncle Tablor had arrived sooner than Maud had expected and she would not have had him witness her disciplinary methods by choice. Bunberry Tablor was well known in the town.

"Maud! Is this what you're feeding the boy? If he knew how you treated his only son. He left you good money to feed and clothe and-"

"I , I didn't know you were there," said Maud.

"Yes, it rather seems you did not" retorted Uncle Bunberry. "And I think we can spare the boy the details of how his dear mother and father passed, don't you?"

Bunberry was not really Danny's uncle. He was not actually related to Danny at all; Danny's father and Bunberry served together in the Royal Navy, and had been Best Men at each other's weddings. Danny's father had no brothers, as was with Bunberry - and they both had agreed that should the worst happen to one whilst on an assignment, the other would assume guardianship of the children.

Bunberry suffered from a variety of ailments which often prevented him from performing what was required in the line of duty and he had recently been honourably discharged, leaving him a free man, excepting the occasional desk job He had applied for Danny's guardianship when the need arose, but he was denied by Maud, his sister-in-law. The papers said that Maud would best be able to nurture and provide a mother's love - but most knew that Maud hated children and was interested only in the significant amount of money in the family trust.

Bunberry turned to Danny, and spoke quite softly. "Danny," he said, "Would you like to stay with me and Cousin Patrick at the manor in Kennaway-by-the-sea for a little while? Not just for the weekend - but for the whole summer?"

"Oh, RATHER," cried Danny excitedly. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He would be free of the awful Aunt Maud for the whole summer!

"It's settled then. You will stay the summer at Kennaway-by-the-sea. I shall help you pack your things", said Bunberry. "Although, it seems perhaps that you do not have very much to pack," he continued. He glared at Maud, picked up Danny's suitcase and with a few quick turns of the crank, Danny and Uncle Bunberry left the horrid Dean Grove.

--

"But Uncle, I don't want to play with Danny," Korby had protested, but once Tablor had made up his mind there was never any persuading him otherwise.
"Now now, Patrick" he had said to Korby that morning - using his real name which always meant he was in trouble, "You shall see to it that no harm comes to Danny. I have some business in town that I must attend to and I am holding you personally responsible for his wellbeing."

Korby in fact wished most strongly for a great deal of harm to befall little Danny , but he had given Uncle his word. They had spent all morning fossicking in the rock pools and splashing about in the water. The splish-splooshing of the waves and the rambunctious laughter of happy children filled the air and soon all the day's earlier tribulations were forgotten. Although he looked rather rough around the edges with his too-short trousers and over-sized shirt, Danny was a difficult person to dislike because he was so friendly.

"Korby?" said Danny inquisitively after a particularly quiet moment.
"Yes?" answered Korby.
"Why is it that you are called Korby? Don't you like your name?" asked Danny.
"I am called Korby," said Korby, "because any well-to-do person should have a nick-name." 
"How do I get one? " asked Danny, " and why doesn't Nicholas want his name for himself?"
Korby decided to have some fun with Danny, and answered: "You must go to see Nicholas Norringchenton to ask for one of his Nick-Names, which you will only get if he decides you are worthy. He lives on Sneakbiggle Isle".  Korby motioned to an island a small way out from the beach.

"We must go at once!" said Danny, which was exactly what Korby had intended to happen.

........

Well hello dearly beloved amazing fans!

I am BACK my dears to the online world. That's right, I have been offline for a while due to teaching the childrens. But now, BACKNESS!