‘Right everyone,’ Bruce said, ‘Let’s get in out of this snow and I’ll empty the car later.’
Putting Babu down, Emily picked up her rucksack and her cello and dashed ahead of the others. ‘Nana, we’re here,’ she called out. When she reached the front door, she tried to push it open but the door was locked.
Her parents arrived at the door and Mary said, ‘Knock three times Emily.’ Emily gave a puzzled look to her mum and reached up to the door knocker.
The large wooden door opened slowly and Lucille, to Emily’s surprise, was standing dressed in a bright red hooded cape. Putting her finger to her lips Lucille requested silence. As they stepped inside, Lucille kissed each one of them on both cheeks under the mistletoe. The hallway was lined on both sides with candles leading to the music room at the far end. Lizzie and Emily looked at each other with confused expressions on their faces and followed Lucille in a graceful procession towards the music room.
On the music room door hung the old photograph of Emily’s Great Uncle Leni. Gathered together, the girls stood back gazing at the photograph for a moment wondering what all these dramatics were about. Lucille graciously gestured the family inside.
Nana Rose was at the piano next to an elderly man who was sitting beside her with his cello. The piano began to play the introduction and the family were transfixed. Emily knew the piece very well and when the cellist started to play, Emily’s jaw dropped in the realisation that her Great Uncle Leni was sitting before her with his leather satchel at his feet.
Chapter 15
Emily awoke early Christmas morning. She opened the curtains, revealing a winter wonderland outside. The snow had stopped falling and a white blanket covered the landscape and trees. She headed downstairs in her pyjamas to the kitchen where Nana Rose had made a huge pot of porridge and her Great Uncle Leni got a bowl and a spoon for her.
‘Did you sleep well, Emily?’ Leni asked.
‘Like a log,’ Emily replied.
‘Like a yule log,’ her Nana Rose giggled.
The three sat down together and Leni took the hands of both Rose and Emily. ‘Rose and I would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for persevering in your wish to play the cello. Your desire to play and your inquisitive nature brought about bringing the cellos down from the attic which gave my dear Rose the courage to play my music, even though it brought back such difficult memories. In so doing, she rekindled what is so important in our lives, that we should not fear our memories but embrace our dreams. If I had not heard my music being played, I too would never have discovered who I am and the triggering of all my memories returning back to me.’
Leni had a very special surprise for Emily on Christmas Day. She sat down on her cello chair and showed Leni one of her pieces. He smiled before he handed her a rather large wrapped present. Not sure whether to open the present or wait for her parents to come downstairs, he gestured for her to go ahead and open it.
Inside was a lovely leather satchel with the initials, ‘E.P.’ inscribed on the front.
Emily opened the brand new satchel and inside was a notebook filled with music.
In the opening dedication she read out loud: ‘To Emily, A remarkable cellist who will be forever making memories for others.’
Chapter 16
Some years later, The Bridgewater Hall was packed full of people for the premiere of the cello concerto performance. ‘Bravo!’ Bravo! The entire concert hall rose to their feet to rapturous applause at the end. The solo cellist took her bow and the audience roared in appreciation. As the applause continued, the cellist looked down towards the front row gesturing to a frail elderly gentleman to stand up from his seat and turn to face the audience. As the composer slowly stood up, helped by the arm of his sister Rose at his side, he looked up at Emily, blew her a little kiss and turned towards the audience to take his bow.
Secret code for Leni’s letter:
‘I am so thankful that you have reminded me of my past and brought all my memories flooding back to me. I am not sure if you have figured this out yet but Lizzie, your pen friend, has a Nana who is actually my sister! Emily plays my old cello I first learned on and the little piece you whistled and know so well is my own composition. I composed it more than forty years ago! My memories are all flowing back and I could not wait one moment longer to travel back to my sister in Cumbria so I took a train. Please contact Emily and Lizzie and send on our regards! You will most probably have read this by the time I will have arrived there. I do hope to see you soon. Please water my plants and the lemon verbena in the sitting room! Give my love to your parents. My real name is Papa Leni.’
Copyright
Published by Clink Street Publishing 2019
Copyright © 2019
First edition.
The author asserts the moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior consent of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that with which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
ISBNs:
978–1–913136–99–4 paperback
978–1–913340–00–1 ebook
The Cellist's Notebook Page 6