Jingle Bells
Anne was so bored she feared another second confined to the inside might actually kill her, and at ten, Anne Lister wasn’t ready to give up her breath and call it a life. There had been heavy snow falling, and the adults hadn’t wanted the children to be outside, at least no further than just outside the windows where they could still see them. Anne had sneaked out a few days ago and been ‘lost’ to them for six hours, earning herself the punishment of being grounded and forced to sit mostly in her room. Uncle James had been kind enough to sneak her some books, and her aunt Anne had snuck her some treats without her mother’s knowledge. But today she was finally free to leave her room again and she was going to head out. She knew some of the local children had planned to have a snowball fight down by Shibden road, and she wasn’t going to miss another one of those. But just as she reached for the door, a hand weighed down her shoulder and she froze in movement,
“And where do you think you’re heading off to, young lady?” Uncle James asked amused, and Anne relaxed considerably, it was only her uncle,
“I was going to go down the road to meet up with the others and…” Anne trailed off, uncertain if her uncle thought young ladies should participate in snowball fights.
“Ah, the snowball fights… yes.” Uncle James smirked, “Have you asked permission?”
“Um, I…”
“Anne, where do you think you’re going?!” Her mother cried annoyed and Anne grimaced and looked down at her feet, just her bloody luck that her mother should see her.
“Anne was going to join me for a walk.” Uncle James lied and Anne glanced up at him, feeling all the admiration for her kind uncle. Her mother sneered at her, but seemed to cave in,
“That’s alright I suppose. But do keep an eye on her, we really haven’t the time nor the money to bury anyone at present.”
Uncle James raised his eyebrows at that and shared a look with his niece before nodding,
“Of course, Rebecca. I’ll keep an eye on her.”
“Here, Anne you’ll wear this, or you won’t go at all.” Her mother raised a cluster of jingle bells and Anne stared at her in disbelief – she couldn’t possibly be serious. Unfortunately, her mother wasn’t joking, and Anne had to accept the cluster of bells and tie it to her wrist. Uncle James fought back laughter and Anne glared at him before they headed outside.
“Can I take these off when we’re out of sight?” Anne growled as they walked down and through the gates leading up to Shibden and her Uncle shook his head,
“Let’s not gamble, Annie – I’d much rather keep the privilege of taking you out by myself. Think of all the fun we might have, and how excessively boring the stays might become if she doesn’t let you out alone.”
“This is humiliating…” Anne muttered raising her hand up, and the bells jingled proudly, and her uncle laughed,
“It’s a bit unusual I grant you, but at least I won’t lose you.”
“How very reassuring.” Anne scoffed, sulking away, kicking the snow angrily but then her uncle laughed, and she turned around on her heel furiously and threw a snowball at him – making the bells jingle louder, having her Uncle cackle more, even as the snowball hit him square in the chest.
“It’s not funny!”
“Oh, my dear child, I think it is!” Uncle James smirked, as he bent down to form a snowball himself and throw after his niece who countered his one snowball to her face with five of her own. Uncle James tried to make his as fast as his niece but were unsuccessful, and at last he was on his knees in the snow laughing whilst begging for mercy,
“Anne, calm down! I give up, I surrender!”
“Shame, I thought we were going until one of us died.”
“If it helps, I think I sat on a bug – so someone did die.” Uncle James winked and Anne smiled wide giggling at him.
“You are such a silly man, uncle.”
“A silly man I might be, but then again I have a pretty fierce niece to boast of. You have no such.” Uncle James told her, and Anne blushed slightly at the praise,
“Mm.”
“I was talking of young Marian of course.” Uncle James added slyly, and Anne growled and threw another messy snowball in his face and he spluttered the snow out of his mouth chuckling,
“Yes, I deserved that. Obviously, I was talking about you.”
“Obviously.” Anne smirked, before offering her uncle her small hand and he took it and let himself be helped up though he didn’t need it.
They walked down Shibden road, and heard children laughing and screaming by the end of it, Anne spotted them before her uncle, and she broke into a run – she wanted to join their fight. When she approached them, the other children looked up, startled, wondering where the horse was coming from but then noticed the bells around her wrist and they began laughing. Anne stopped and gazed at them,
“Can I join?” Anne asked briskly and an older boy she distinctly remembered as Christopher approached her meanly,
“Terribly sorry, but we are already four boys and another one would make it unfair on the girls, they’re only three.”
The other children watched them intently and Anne frowned at the stupid boy,
“But I am a girl.”
Christopher huffed and looked her up and down,
“You don’t come across as one.”
“Oh sorry, is this better?” Anne asked batting her eyes, adding a girly giggle, making a foolish gesture with her skirt, before glaring at the boy.
“Whatever, we don’t let the farmer’s children join anyway.” Christopher said dryly, and the other children laughed at her.
“Especially not girls who look like boys!” Another lad shouted, for some reason this made the other children laugh more and Anne’s cheeks grew warmer, but she stood firmly on the ground, still staring at Christopher. Thinking she might stare him down, and suddenly he cowed, looking quite terrified and Anne smiled pleased, ‘that’s right…’. But then she heard her uncle’s voice,
“Is there a problem, young Christopher?”
“No, sir!” Christopher muttered, clearly not about to pick a fight with her uncle,
“Right, good. You children don’t mind me watching your snowball fight, do you?” Uncle James raised an eyebrow and they shook their heads dutifully. Everyone had been told by their parents to treat the master of Shibden with his due respect. After all theirs was the oldest Hall in Halifax, and their family thus also the oldest gentry still living there.
“No, Mr. Lister.”
“Good man, Zacharias.” Her uncle told the sandy-haired gangly boy, but Christopher weren’t satisfied,
“You wouldn’t mind, Sir, asking this farmer’s boy-girl whatever, to leave us alone, would you?”
Uncle James shared a look with Anne whose cheeks were flaming with anger and humiliation.
“Ah, I see you’ve met my niece, Mr. Rawson. Anne why don’t you introduce yourself?” Uncle James said and Anne squared herself, stretching her hand out to Christopher Rawson.
“I’m Anne, Anne Lister.”
“Pleasure.” He said as he took her hand and she shook his firmly before he could do anything disgusting like kiss her hand.
Uncle James nodded pleased and went away to sit on the stonewall next to the road, and Anne turned her eyes back to the children in-front of her.
“You’re not on my team!” Christopher spat and Anne scoffed,
“Excellent.”
Anne managed to get her team to follow her lead, and they soon had the upper hand over Christopher Rawson’s team. This wasn’t just a childish game; it was a fight and Anne intended to win it – even if it were the last thing she did. Unfortunately, her bells around her wrist didn’t help,
“Oi, here comes Dasher!” Christopher cried meanly and Anne rolled her eyes, sighing, this was the fifth time he had done that, and frankly it was getting old. She retreated and waited before creeping out again. Anne hid behind a wall of snow, and tried aiming for Christopher’s head, and missed, she then tried to creep nearer but alas her jingle bells gave her away.
“Oi, here comes Dash- AHH!” Christopher began cruelly but ended up screaming bloody murder as Anne lost her temper and kicked him somewhere less appropriate, using all her muscle force. The others merely watched with their mouths slightly open as he fell down onto his knees rolling in the snow crying, clutching his… hm… family jewels. Anne looked at his pathetic form and then remembered her uncle was there and when their eyes met, he just shook his head, trying to look stern but Anne could see that he was fighting back laughter.
“Anne! Come here!” Uncle James called for her in a seemingly angry tone and he took her by the shoulder a bit harsh, bringing her with him, reprimanding her loudly for all to hear until they were out of earshot and his angry frown turned into a smirk,
“That was brilliant, Anne. But if your Aunt finds out – I was very disappointed and acted the part of an adult!”
Anne began laughing,
“He won’t be giving me hell anytime soon again!”
“Be careful Anne, the Rawson’s are vicious people. Most of them anyway.” Uncle James warned her, and Anne scoffed. But he was right, what he didn’t know was that they were also extremely petty and resentful, as Anne would come to know in time... to be perfectly candid in about thirty-one years.