"What IS this stuff?" Sammie asked no one in particular as he poked at the slimy black gunk befouling the edges of the mill stream. It was clinging to the reeds, the tree roots and the sand. It was drying into a nasty rust color and it was attracting ants and flies. Sammie swatted at the buzzing pests as he picked up a large glob and held it in the palm of his hand. He stirred it with his finger.
"Yuck, don't touch it." Del ignored her own suggestion and pinched and smelled at another disgusting blotch. "It smells like soap!"
"Soap?" Aster and Daisy asked in unison. Daisy waded into the water and stamped about. An ugly brown foam appeared and stuck to her legs. "Yeh, it's soapy! Yuck, yuck, yuck. I think it's coming from the mill!" The four of them looked upstream towards Sandyman's Mill.
"Old Ted Sandyman's going to be in so much trouble with Dad if he's fouling the stream." Sammie ominously declared. "And I hope I'm there to see it."
"Me, too! I don't like Mr. Sandyman much." Aster said and scooped up some foam for the breeze to catch. The mass dropped back into the water with a plop! Her three friends feigned heart palpitations and gasps of shock at the, usually sweet and mild, girl's reproach. "Oh, hush up!" she laughed.
Daisy stomped the water again and new brown bubbles appeared to float serenely downstream. "Let's see how much foam we can make!"
"We should tell Dad." Sammie argued, fussily rinsing his hands.
"We will. After we do this!" Daisy grabbed her brother and yanked him headfirst into the mucky water. He spluttered with disgust and attacked. Aster tried to sneak away. "Grab her back, Del!" Delphinium dragged Aster right into the thick of the fun.
"Dunk her!"
"Look out!"
"Ewwww, it's sticking!" Their splashes churned up a brown froth that clung to their skin and their clothes. "Don't throw it!"
Del spit into the water. "Bleah, it tastes awful..."
"Excuse me, please." said a soft voice from the bank. The commotion stilled as the four looked up in surprise and curiosity at the strange girl standing there. She was their age with red hair and wearing a calm 'business face' making her subdued good looks downright melancholy.
"Er...my name is Lily, my family is from Bindbole Wood..."
"Lily, it's me!" Del exclaimed. "Delphinium, remember? Me'n my sister stayed in your house for a few days..."
Lily's 'business face' cracked and a small gleam of pleasure shone through. "I remember you! You helped us clean up Boro Applethorn!"
"You helped wash somebody?" Sammie asked, confused.
"Mister Applethorn was gored to death by a bull about two winters ago. We...ah...grabbed some ice picks and some scrapers and we cleaned him up off the frost. Lily's family are undertakers and don't you dare make that face!" Del glowered at Daisy, Sammie and Aster and their faces smoothed into blank politeness. "Lily, is your Mum and Dad on a job here?"
Lily clasped her hands behind her back and was suddenly all somber business again. "Yes, we were called in this morning. There's been a dreadful accident." Aster swallowed and went pale. "Ted Sandyman, the Miller, was crushed under his millstone yesterday. We've been..." she pointedly looked at Del. "Well, we've been soaping him up all day long. Dad built a special sluice to clear...all of it away."
"Clear it away where?" Del asked. Lily looked at the stream and Del suddenly gasped and held out her rust streaked hands. "Lily! Is this Ted Sandyman?!"
"It WAS Ted Sandyman."
The World's Most Horrible Pause occured.
Aster reacted first. "It's. In. MY. HAAAAAIIIRRRRR!!!!!" she screamed and bolted out of the gory water. She shook and kicked and screamed some more , trying desperately to jump out of her skin. Daisy bellowed and ran for the clean sand on the bank and dove in. She thrashed around and scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed. Aster ran. Daisy jumped up and ran after her and they both disappeared over the hill.
Del looked at Sammie. He looked back and then he very slowly, and rather gracefully, keeled over and splashed face-down into the stream. Del dragged him out of the water to keep him from drowning and plopped him on the beach.
She looked at Lily who was obviously trying very hard not to crack up laughing. "Well, it's good to see you again, Lily." She bent over and threw up.
Lily very kindly reached out and held Del's long hair back. "It's good to see you, too!"
~