Teapot Tales No. 1: Gina

A series of short pieces of writing forming different perspectives
around a common theme.

Teapot Tales No. 1: Gina

Gina opened the door to the patio and Freddy came bounding in. He was wet, muddy and covered with leaves and bits of twig.

'Oh you silly dog,' she said. 'Where have you been?'

Freddy scampered round her ankles, tail wagging furiously and sending leaf fragments flying all over the stone kitchen floor. He looked up at Gina, eyes sparkling and with perhaps a hint of mischief in his eyes.

'Stay here, Freddy, I’ll be back in a minute.'

Gina walked out into garden. She closed the door behind her and Freddy pressed his damp nose against the glass watching her intently as she hurried out along the path that led past the lawns and on down to the walled garden.

Nearly a hundred years ago her great grandfather had laid out the grounds to the house and created all the current features including the magnificent square walled garden. The path took Gina under the wooden arches of the rose garden and across to the blue wooden door that led to her ‘secret garden’ as she called it. She turned the cast iron handle and pushed the door. It opened inwards with a rusty squeak of the hinges. Andy, the gardener, was instructed to ensure the door always opened with a slight creak so that they could hear anyone entering the garden.

She walked through the small apple orchard towards the glass greenhouse. Yesterday she had made afternoon tea for a couple of friends and they had sat on the deckchairs on the lawn in front of the greenhouse enjoying a pleasant time of catching up with news and gossip. Somehow, whilst clearing up, the teapot had got mislaid and now she wanted to make sure it was safely back in the house. All the deckchairs and a small wooden folding table had been tidied away and she could see them leaning against a wall inside the greenhouse. The door was open and she walked in and looked around. A quick glance told her it wasn’t on the staging by the door so it must be elsewhere. 

'Oh, there you are,' Gina exclaimed in an excited whisper. 

'What are you doing there?' She was surprised to find it by some seed trays on the potting bench. She picked it up and walked back out into the sunshine. A faint sound caught her attention and she glanced over to the blue door to see who was entering the garden.