1880s +
Fernaninda
 |
| Aunt Noreen |
Aunt Noreen writes: I am exhausted. What with letting my husband, Clabe, drag me all the way downtown to watch the watermellon spitting conest, hear the children's kazoo concert and listen to the Fernandina Comminity Band, it's been a long day. They tried to get me to participate in the cake walk but by that time, I was drenched yet glowing, always glowing, dear diary, from the heat and how shall I say this? My posterior was tender due to having sat so long on the wooden bench. I write this entry submerged in the cool of my bathwater. With dread, I am expected to ride to the beach tonight, to the Strathmore Hotel, and watch the fireworks shot over the ocean. While I do not need anymore of this silly celebration, I will attend and I will also remind the family what a good sport I am despite my aching body. What I must endure for the sake of harmony is...is...well, it's nearly unendurable. And I pray that old hag of a do-do bird, Peeper, will be watching the fireworks from the Dunnigan front porch. If she's there, the last of this day will be all the worse because she will bombard me with sarcastic and crass comments. I hope she stubs her big toe and is laid up for a week. That will keep her off of me for a time, too short a time, but as this stage in our daily confrontation, any moment apart from Peeper is a time of pleasure for me. Now where is my favorite peacock feathered fan? That will my blue, my dress is white and my ruby ring will complete my tri-color patriotic outfit. Perhaps I will add a red rose to my white lace picture hat. As I look out the window, I don't see where Miss Ella's buggy is back yet from town. I'm sure she won't mind if I send Clabe over to snip a few of her roses.
Aunt Noreen is a featured player in
Amelia
Island's Trilogy, The Goodbye Lie series set in the 1880s +. She lives next
door to the Dunnigan family and is the archenemy of Grandmother Peeper and
self-appointed judge, jury and denunciator of the Dunnigan siblings, Breelan,
Carolena, Jack Patrick aka Pat and Marie. Queen of the gossips, Aunt Noreen is
disliked by most of the Fernandina town folk. She, however, is unaware of this
and deludes herself into thinking she's as well respected and beloved as her
brother, Michael Dunnigan, architect, shipwright and owner of Aqua Verdi
Passenger Line.
***
1880s +
Fernandina
 |
| Peeper |
Peeper writes: I'm atakin' a little respite here in the parlor until everybody else gets back from the 4th a July fun downtown and at the docks. I come home with Clover a bit early since it's so dang hot out. What a grand day it's been. Acourse, Noreena was along. Why does she have ta drag her sorry self everywhere I go? Whist I love ahearin the band and the kiddies sing and play, she's agrousin' about this and that and there ain't no let up, short a stuffin' a rag in her big mouth. Maybe she won't be agoin' ta the beach tanight fer the fireworks. Ifn' she's there, I been athinkin' a things ta zap her with, like her face is so round, the boys could use it fer a beach ball. And her singin' is so awful, the Navy could hire her to open her trap and pierce the eardrums a the enemy so they couldn't be ahearin' their orders ta fire at us. Now that's a good one. She'll be ahatin' that. Just the way I like it. She's as useless as wings on a rock.
Peeper is a featured player in
Amelia Island's Trilogy, The Goodbye Lie series set in the 1880s +. The adopted grandmother to the Dunnigan family, Peeper is known for her elixir-fixers and loved for her kindly ways by all except Aunt Noreen, or Noreena, as Peeper calls her. Aunt Noreen and Peeper share a mutual dislike of each other, bordering on un-Christian, but not quite, or so they think.
NOTE TO READERS: Players such as Aunt Noreen and Peeper are able only to view Jane Marie's diary entries and their own, so readers and other players in the stories are, in this case, safe from Aunt Noreen's wrath and Peeper's retaliation.
