Wednesday's Words on a Friday

The original Words for Wednesday was begun by Delores and eventually taken over by a moveable feast of participants when Delores had computer troubles.

The aim of the words is to encourage us to write, a story, a poem, whatever comes to mind.
If you are posting an entry on your own blog, please let us know so we can come along and read it.

This month the words are supplied by Lee and can be found here.

This week's words are:

1. gamut
2. lone
3. timorous
4. challenge
5. obsolete
6. common

and/or:

1. blatant
2. scenic
3. retreat
4. caress
5. compromise
6. embarrassing 

This is not quite what I wrote, (two pages of brilliance), and lost, but it's what I can remember. I'll never make that mistake again. From now on I print everything before I save or schedule). 

Here is my story:

Tom left the beach area and walked to the hotel he was staying at. On his way through the lobby he collected several brochures detailing interesting sites to see in the town and took them to his room to read while he had coffee and a snack. A few were probably obsolete he thought as he noted dates that were twenty years ago. He set those aside and sat in the overstuffed chair by the window to read through the rest, then used a pad of paper and a pen from the bedside drawer to make a list of places he wanted to see. 

Number one of course was the town library, if it was open. It was off season here right now and maybe the Librarian was also taking a holiday while the town was near empty. Number two was a blanket list of Hotels and pubs, he could ask around and maybe find out how old the places were and how long they'd been in business, was there anyone around who had been there from the beginning? His cover story would be research for his college thesis on Journalism. It was a common enough reason and if anyone questioned that he could expand by saying he was working towards writing a book.

Maybe someone would remember or had heard about a holidaying couple with a four year old son who had gone missing.

One brochure advertised a "Scenic Retreat" for hire; Tom decided that was a blatant lie since he had driven past the retreat on his way in. "Maybe the Scenic part refers to the view," he thought, as it was situated high on a cliff overlooking the ocean, "but I still don't think anyone would want to rent such a rundown shack." The lone store in town was a combination market-general store-Post Office-public phone, and after making plans to go there first thing in the morning,Tom climbed into the big, soft bed and fell asleep. 

Next morning, after a hearty breakfast of bacon and scrambled eggs, Tom walked to the Post Office section of the general store to ask for a local phone book, which he took to a table under the spreading peppercorn tree. He didn't have a name to go with the address on the back of the photo, but the listings only filled a half dozen pages and Tom was happy to read through them all to match and address to a name or place. 

He was surprised a few minutes later when Bill Money, the Postmaster gave him directions to the Scenic Retreat. "Speak to Mr and Mrs Saunders," he said. "They've been caretakers there since Stephanie's parents bought the place. They're old as Adam now, but still spry and love to chat. Sad thing what happened to Miss Stephanie though." Tom opened his mouth to ask about that, when a customer rang the service bell at the market counter and Bill rushed off with apologies. He ran the whole establishment alone during off season. Tom called a thank you to him and went back outside.

Mobile phone reception was iffy in this part of the country, so Tom used the payphone to call home. Vanessa answered, sounding a little timorous as she asked, "Where are you Tom? Are you okay? We've been worried, is there anything we can do?"  "I'm alright Mum," Tom said. "I needed to get away for a bit and your fighting was just an excuse. I've been having dreams like I had as a small child and I found a photo behind the broken Mona Lisa with a picture that matches the scene in my dreams. This address was written on the back so I came here. I need to try and find out more."

"Can we help at all?" asked Vanessa. "We could drive down, there's something we need to talk about, that's what Dad and I have been fighting over, deciding when would be the right time mostly."

Tom said, "I'd like to face the first part of this challenge on my own Mum, how about a compromise? Give me a couple of days, then you and Dad drive on down the south coast to Shark Cove. That's the address on the back of this photo. It's a jetty stretching out into the ocean and I remember playing there on my fourth birthday. There's one two storey Hotel, that's where I'm staying and I'll book you a room, okay?"
"That will be wonderful," said Vanessa. "I'll tell Dad as soon as he comes home. He's in town picking up some papers we want you to see." 

"Papers from my past?" asked Tom. "I thought they'd all been lost." "That's what we heard too," said Vanessa, "but these papers are more to do with your future. We need to all sit down and talk this over. Even though you are over legal age now at twenty, Dad and I have decided we would like to formally adopt you."

The full gamut of emotions raced through Tom at hearing these words.

Adoption! A family and home that he would properly belong to!

It was a little embarrassing to find himself crying, but through happy tears he managed to say "yes! yes!" to Vanessa before saying goodbye and hanging up. 
He felt as warm inside as he had the first time he'd felt a kind caress from Vanessa and Robert, when he arrived at the small farm all those years ago, aged twelve.