1940s: A scattered Christmas
As Anna is leaving, Thomas is already settling into the new camp in Tomarang. Like Harrison and Harold before him (who are elsewhere in this strange land), the heat and mosquitos are almost as dangerous as the Japanese that keep attacking them in the night. Their camp is one of many, a part of a larger push to retake this part of the Pacific. Days are spent looking for the enemy, endlessly marching, training and keeping a look out for any sign of an attack. But before Anna has even gotten to there, Thomas has risen in the ranks to Sergeant Minor.
Anna is of course not privy to any of that information. As she arrives at her hotel, she knows very little of Tomarang in general. But that has not stopped her before, nor does it stop her now. Her knowledge of various languages helps. When English does not work, French or Spanish usually does, and so she manages to speak to the locals to find out more about the place.
Quite a few of the people in the hotel are journalists such as herself.
And dogs does not need any language besides a friendly pat or a moment of play.
But Anna's greatest pleasure in these first days is running into Harold and seeing that he is not only a live but doing quite well, even in a place like this. "What are the odds?" Anna says happily. "Well it is the only bar in town," Harold replies with a grin.
Harold tips her off about a plane crash that has been kept quiet, and so the next day Anna heads into the field. There are no signs of soldiers or survivors at the crash site, only the broken up plane, but there were clearly survivors here at some point.
Trekking further into the jungle, Anna doesn't find the missing soldiers, but she does find an old pirate cave:
She settles for writing about the plane crash, and the stories the locals shared in the articles she writes while listening to the news on the radio:
Back home, Johnny is holding down the fort, or rather just caring for the horses. Stormcloud is growing fast.
And in Oasis Springs, Josephine is preparing Arthur's birthday party. Though their home is small and cramped, things are starting to come together for Nash for once. Josephine has an updated hairstyle, new clothes and has even started wearing lipstick.
And as she prepares for the guests, she cleans the house using her brand new vacuum cleaner. It's amazing how clean things can get. And she doesn't even have to mop the floors.
The birthday party is smaller than it normally would be, with so many family members gone. Thomas' absence is felt the most, but the party still is a success.
And here is 15-year-old Arthur, not only an animal enthusiast but a genius too. (Is it just me or does he look a bit like a young Penn Badgley?)
As Christmas is closing in and 1944 drawing to an end, Harold recieves a letter from Lana, telling him that she doesn't want his letters any longer, as she has gotten married to someone else. Harold is heartbroken. Harrison tries to console him. "I know you liked her, but seriously, you couldn't marry her anyway. Maybe it's for the best in the long run. Now you are free to see other girls." Harold isn't sure he's ready to hear that kind of frankness at the moment.
Meanwhile in Del Sol Valley, Alice and Cora are hosting Christmas. It's a small group that gathers in their house this year, mostly women, and this year Barbara is the only child. As usual Cora's cooking is appreciated by all, and Christmas Day a success for all. Abigail, especially, is grateful for having her family gathered all around her. Josephine is eyeing Cora's new hairstyle, one she herself didn't have the guts to go for when she got hers done.
Abigail is spoiling everyone with her home knitted sweaters, Alice and Cora instead bought the biggest pile of present anyone has ever seen.
In Tomarang, Anna is having a rather lonely Christmas. Perhaps it was rash to take off like that, and she is in her 50s. Should she have stayed home at the ranch like her mother and Johnny wanted her to? She hasn't even been anywhere near Thomas yet, all she knows is that he's here somewhere.
But she doesn't have to be alone too long, for she is far from the only one spending her Christmas far from her loved one. A night like tonight, the hotel fills up with people who wants company in one form or the other. Soldiers, reporters, locals alike.
The next day, Anna is in a better mood and wants to explore more of the city, but aside from a beautiful temple and an equally beautiful shrine, she finds mostly eerily empty streets. "A lot of people have left," shays a vendor later in the evening. "Too dangerous to stay. I hope people will be able to come back soon, or I'll be out of business." Anna make sure to buy a few more items than she needs.
As she returns to the hotel for some New Years celebrations she has been told going to take place, she thinks about the vendor's wishes and hopes that they'll come true. The war has been going better with several significant victories in the Pacific in general, even here in Tomarang, in spite of the fighting. From Europe reports were coming through of heavy fighting in the Ardennes, but it was unclear at the moment how much so. Still, they were on the mainland. That had to mean something. All Anna can do is hope that this will soon be over and that they can all return home safe and sound.
Anna is of course not privy to any of that information. As she arrives at her hotel, she knows very little of Tomarang in general. But that has not stopped her before, nor does it stop her now. Her knowledge of various languages helps. When English does not work, French or Spanish usually does, and so she manages to speak to the locals to find out more about the place.
Quite a few of the people in the hotel are journalists such as herself.
And dogs does not need any language besides a friendly pat or a moment of play.
But Anna's greatest pleasure in these first days is running into Harold and seeing that he is not only a live but doing quite well, even in a place like this. "What are the odds?" Anna says happily. "Well it is the only bar in town," Harold replies with a grin.
Harold tips her off about a plane crash that has been kept quiet, and so the next day Anna heads into the field. There are no signs of soldiers or survivors at the crash site, only the broken up plane, but there were clearly survivors here at some point.
Trekking further into the jungle, Anna doesn't find the missing soldiers, but she does find an old pirate cave:
She settles for writing about the plane crash, and the stories the locals shared in the articles she writes while listening to the news on the radio:
Back home, Johnny is holding down the fort, or rather just caring for the horses. Stormcloud is growing fast.
And in Oasis Springs, Josephine is preparing Arthur's birthday party. Though their home is small and cramped, things are starting to come together for Nash for once. Josephine has an updated hairstyle, new clothes and has even started wearing lipstick.
And as she prepares for the guests, she cleans the house using her brand new vacuum cleaner. It's amazing how clean things can get. And she doesn't even have to mop the floors.
The birthday party is smaller than it normally would be, with so many family members gone. Thomas' absence is felt the most, but the party still is a success.
And here is 15-year-old Arthur, not only an animal enthusiast but a genius too. (Is it just me or does he look a bit like a young Penn Badgley?)
As Christmas is closing in and 1944 drawing to an end, Harold recieves a letter from Lana, telling him that she doesn't want his letters any longer, as she has gotten married to someone else. Harold is heartbroken. Harrison tries to console him. "I know you liked her, but seriously, you couldn't marry her anyway. Maybe it's for the best in the long run. Now you are free to see other girls." Harold isn't sure he's ready to hear that kind of frankness at the moment.
Meanwhile in Del Sol Valley, Alice and Cora are hosting Christmas. It's a small group that gathers in their house this year, mostly women, and this year Barbara is the only child. As usual Cora's cooking is appreciated by all, and Christmas Day a success for all. Abigail, especially, is grateful for having her family gathered all around her. Josephine is eyeing Cora's new hairstyle, one she herself didn't have the guts to go for when she got hers done.
Abigail is spoiling everyone with her home knitted sweaters, Alice and Cora instead bought the biggest pile of present anyone has ever seen.
In Tomarang, Anna is having a rather lonely Christmas. Perhaps it was rash to take off like that, and she is in her 50s. Should she have stayed home at the ranch like her mother and Johnny wanted her to? She hasn't even been anywhere near Thomas yet, all she knows is that he's here somewhere.
But she doesn't have to be alone too long, for she is far from the only one spending her Christmas far from her loved one. A night like tonight, the hotel fills up with people who wants company in one form or the other. Soldiers, reporters, locals alike.
The next day, Anna is in a better mood and wants to explore more of the city, but aside from a beautiful temple and an equally beautiful shrine, she finds mostly eerily empty streets. "A lot of people have left," shays a vendor later in the evening. "Too dangerous to stay. I hope people will be able to come back soon, or I'll be out of business." Anna make sure to buy a few more items than she needs.
As she returns to the hotel for some New Years celebrations she has been told going to take place, she thinks about the vendor's wishes and hopes that they'll come true. The war has been going better with several significant victories in the Pacific in general, even here in Tomarang, in spite of the fighting. From Europe reports were coming through of heavy fighting in the Ardennes, but it was unclear at the moment how much so. Still, they were on the mainland. That had to mean something. All Anna can do is hope that this will soon be over and that they can all return home safe and sound.
Comments
Post a Comment