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Darrell waved until her arm was sore, then continued watching the school she had loved for six years fade into the distance for the final time.
The bus rounded the corner of the lane and she felt a hand grab her shoulder. The hand pushed her into the seat she had been kneeling on and revealed itself to be Sally, Darrell’s closest friend.
“Careful,” she laughed “Just because school’s finished doesn’t mean it’s time to get your head knocked off just yet.”
Darrell craned her neck to look out the back window seeing the tree she had nearly fell victim of. She’d been so caught up in the strange mix of emotions she had been feeling, she forgot she had been hanging out the window of the coach! Lucky good old Sally had been there to save her. Despite how upset Darrell was to be leaving school, she would quite like to arrive at St Andrews fully intact in September if she could help it.
Now settled on the coach with Sally, Darrell took the time to properly take in what would probably be the last time they all took a journey like this together, before the chaos of Port Malory station, when all the other forms arrived after their own final assemblies to board the train to King’s Cross.
Bill and Gwen had stayed a school. Bill only lived an hour away from school on horseback, so would likely be riding home with one of her many brothers. Gwen’s farther had come to watch the Sixth’s final assembly, so she would likely be driving them back to London, given his condition.
That just left her, Sally, Alicia, Mary-Lou, Irene and Jean as well as the Sixth Formers from the other towers on the bus. North Tower had been the first to board and had bagsied the back seats, with everyone except Darrell and Sally squished onto the back row. The pair had opted for the row in front so they could turn around to talk with the others. Darrell smiled, remembering the days when all of North Tower (with the exception of Gwen, who always called the act “Barbaric”) could fit on the back seat most comfortably. They had grown a lot since then.
“Gosh, I still can’t really believe we’re not coming back next term,” Mary-lou whispered, breaking the mourning silence on the back row.
“Mary-lou, you’re the only one of us who is coming back next term” Alicia pointed out. Mary-lou was going to be the new First form and Art mistress, alongside her teacher training.
“Yes but teaching young girls isn’t quite the same as being one. I know I will have Bill for company, but It really won’t feel the same without all of you there too.”
“Aww, Mary-lou” Irene exclaimed and pulled her into a big hug, elbowing Jean in the process, “It won’t feel the same without you either.”
The other girls agreed wholeheartedly. They really would miss waking up each day, knowing each other were only across the room or through the wall.
“I’ll try and come to every open day if I can, while Felicity’s still here at least. St Andrews is far but it would be worth it to see you.” Said Darrell.
“I’ll come too. The hospital I’ll be training at is in St Andrews too, so I can travel down with Darrell. Oh, and Daffy will be starting school in a few years’ time, can you believe? So I will have to come down then. I look forward to you trying to get her to sit and do lessons, Mary-lou, she’s constantly up and about. Like a spitfire!” added Sally.
Mary-lou seemed a little worried about what Sally had said when Jean jumped in, “Don’t worry Mary-lou, you’ll have lots of confidence at teaching by then. Look how much you gained in six years and then think about how much more you’ll gain in another six, or however many it will be.” Now speaking to Sally, “Like a Spitfire you say? I bet she’ll be great on the pitch with a bit of training, perhaps on midfield.”
The conversation continued into lacrosse and what sports they might like to play in the future. Slowly, it swayed back to the past and all the wonderful memories they’d made, both on and off the pitch. After about 20 minutes, the coach slowed to a stop outside Porthmalory Station.
The girls made their way off the bus with their night cases while the porters began to take their trunks into the station. Darrell checked her wristwatch,
“We still have at least an hour before the rest of the school arrives, what shall we do?”
“I say we go for a short walk around the village,” suggested Alicia “Only 30 minutes or so, then we will have plenty of time to get sweets from the shop and get good seats before the others even get here!”
“We do need to stretch our legs before the long journey,” said Sally, thoughtfully “I say that’s a jolly good idea Alicia.”
“I have my moments, Darrell?”
“I’m in. Jean, Irene, Mary-lou, are you coming?”
“Absolutely”
It was settled. The village was always beautiful in the summer months, with pretty flowerpots lining the streets and people out in their colourful summer clothes. The sun blazed down, and Darrell was very glad to be wearing her hat.
“I say, its like the village is on its top form especially to say goodbye.”
“It’s always pretty in the summer, but I’ve never seem it look this beautiful before.” Added Sally
“Oh, I just want to get my watercolours out and paint it!” Mary-lou marvelled.
“All the bird are in tune, listen to their song, its perfect!” Exclaimed Irene. At that all the girls stopped and listened to the birds. They were singing a lovely tune, hopeful and bright, rather like their own futures Irene mussed.
“Alright everyone, enough standing around, its time to get some treats.” Said Alicia, breaking the trance the others had been in. She raced off towards the shop in a rather childish manner.
“If she wasn’t so tall, you might mistake her for a first former, the way she behaves sometimes.” Jean laughed as the others followed, in a more restrained manner.
With their goods secured, the sixth slowly made their way back to the station. With sweet rationing having still not ended, despite how long ago the war felt nowadays, the girls had pooled their weekly sweet allowances together and got lemon Sherberts, humbugs, pear drops, flying saucers, a few toffies and a bottle of ginger beer for the journey home. It was practically a feast! They had also each got an ice to sit and eat in on the platform while they waited to board the train. The juice ran down their fingers and all Darrell could do to stop it from running onto her dress was to run to the little station café and ask for some paper napkins.
“I haven’t had this much fun in months!” Irene said as she let out one of her explosive laughs, causing her Ice to be flung out of her hand and land on the ground.
“IRENE!” the girls half-groaned, half laughed. Typical Irene. It didn’t matter how old and mature they got, Irene would always be a scatter-brain and the others wouldn’t have it any other way.
Mary-lou grabbed some of the napkins Darrell had brought over earlier and wiped up the mess while Sally ran to fetch some more.
With the mess cleaned up, they all went to wash their hands in the little station toilet and then returned to the platform just in time to see Miss Potts leading the first formers onto the middle carriage of the train.
“Quick, if the first formers are here, it won’t be long until everyone else is too, We need to get some good seats!” Alicia cried. They walked as far down the platform as they could, to the final carriage that has a bit of paper in the window stating ‘reserved for Malory Towers’ near the front of the train and then boarded.
“Far away from those pesky first formers and their teacher supervision!” Alicia justified “I don’t know about you all, but I want a nice, quiet, unsupervised journey home.”
“Yes, it really wouldn’t do to have our tuck confiscated on the journey home!” added Darrell.
The carriage they were in was one with compartments connected by a tiny corridor. They squeezed down it and picked a compartment. The girls from the other towers had had a similar idea to them, when they boarded a few minutes later, choosing their own compartments.
Half an hour later, the entire school was on the train and the final whistle was blown by the station master. Everyone cheered as the train chugged out the station and many renditions of the school song could be heard up and down the train.
When the train had got into its rhythm the girls got out the tuck from earlier and began to share it out between them.
“Mind if we join you?” Felicity Rivers stuck her head in to the compartment, followed closely by June.
“What are you too doing here?” Alicia grumbled “Don’t you have your own sweets?”
“We do,” teased June “But their nowhere near as good as yours. I say! You’ve even got some ginger beer, lucky things. Wherever did you get it all, the village? I wish we had time to grab some things before boarding the train. Mr Parker said there wasn’t any time, but we were sat on the train at least 20 minutes before it set off, weren’t we Felicity?”
Felicity nodded “We would have had time to get a few bits from the station shop, even if we couldn’t get to the village. All we have is a few of Jo’s humbugs between all six of us. They’ll hardly last us an hour, let alone the whole trip”
“Well your not having any of ours, if that’s what you’re here for, especially our ginger beer!” replied Alicia
“We wouldn’t dream of taking any dear cousin,” Retorted June “We are actually here for a different reason.”
“Oh? Explain” Inquired Darrell
“Well,” started Felicity “As its your last ever journey home-”
“You make it sound as if I’m on my death bed!” Darrell interupted
“Don’t be ridiculous Darrell, I only meant to say that I thought it would be a nice idea to watch your last cliff corner together!”
“That sounds like a marvellous idea Felicity.”
“Well, you’d better hurry up and sit down Felicity and June, cliff corner is coming up!” Sally exclaimed.
And so it was. As the train curved round a bend the four tall towers came into sight. Darrell gazed at the old building for the final time, perfectly framed by trees sat on the wonderful Cornish cliffs. Tears welled in her eyes, which she quickly wiped away. What wonderful memories they had made over the past six years and what wonderful memories they would make in the years to come.
Felicity gave Darrell a squeeze and Sally rested her head on Darrell’s left shoulder, rubbing her thumb on her hand. And then, the view was gone.
Four tall towers, the train blasts steam
Over the cliff corner view of the school of our dreams
Four tall towers, teach us how to strive
To be women the world can lean on
Women who will thrive