Chapter the First

“Father! You’re not going to fill their heads with that nonsense, are you?”

Jonathan noticed the edge in her voice and thought once again that daughters can be very annoying when they become responsible mothers. The steady tattoo of rain on the roof provided the ostinato for the fraying of nerves. This was the fourth day of weeping skies and the grandchildren were restless. Jonathan had hoped to see less rain when he left his native England to live near his daughter in California, but this particular winter was not encouraging.

“I’m just trying to brighten spirits, dear,” her replied to be countered with a sharp harrumph from the other room.

“Please, Banpa,” pleaded five-year-old Stefan.

“Yes, please,” added Gwyn who wanted to hear about her grandfather’s rainy day adventure.

“Well, since you children are the lights of my life and you insist,” the old man replied, pretending to reluctance, “it happened something like this….”

With that, one and all were transported to another rainy day decades earlier.