Mystic Polly floated into existence, she floated down the river on her lily pad, just like Thumbelina, past the frogs, past the green grass on either bank and gently into the arms of her mother. Mystic Polly is peaceful, surrounded by beauty and light well, that is, until night time comes. She is afraid of the dark, she is afraid of being left alone because at night that is when she sees the faces, all around her there are people who aren't really there, they talk to her, she can see them moving in the dark, they bother her and she is scared so please, please, leave the lights on! Thank you Dad!
Little Girl Scared of the Dark
Mystic Polly is all grown up now, that is if we ever truly grow. The body has grown and the mind has stretched out like a tree with branches and twigs going in all directions, who is to say if that is truly growth or just a mass of experiences? She has learned to be a person, to appear to fit in, to be what society wanted her to be and she fools most people into thinking that she is normal, except those that know her well. Mystic Polly's world is her attempt to be free, to stop being the stereotype that everyone wants to see. It's so easy to just sort people into convenient boxes so that we don't have to waste precious time puzzling over who they really are. We then become lost ourselves, we start to believe that we are the person who everyone thinks we are, we identify ourselves with that stereotype. Mystic Polly became aware that her friends think that she is too shy, too quiet and nobody knows what she is thinking. Sometimes, one needs to be quiet and let all the others birds sing, Mystic has her own melody that she will share with you in this blog.
Happy Days in the Sun, just like Milly Molly Mandy
Mystic Polly is a little girl, days of sunshine, having tea parties with her older brother, playing in the Tudor Style Wendy House guarded by her faithful poodle Robbie. Mum hangs the clothes on the line strewn across the back garden, Dad grows roses and cabbages and is proud of his work. Sunny days at Sunnyside in Worlebury close, naughty boy Andrew Perry from across the street playing cowboys and indians with brother Peter. Zena the exotic girl from next door eating her sweet cigarettes from the burnt end first! Baby sister Sally, who arrived one night with a bang! Peter and Polly both heard it, and Auntie Mary said that Sally had to be kept warm so Polly looks for her in the oven, where Mum keeps things warm but she wasn't there.
We loved to smoke our candy cigarettes!
A cold cold winter, Polly hates the cold. There is frost on the insides of the windows and she has chilblains on her blue feet. Mum can't even take the children out so she leaves them nextdoor with the neighbours so she can walk through the ice and snow to the shops. The milkman still comes every day, the egg lady comes on a Monday, the butcher and baker deliver too and groceries arrive in a box on Friday afternoon. Snuggling up with a water bottle at night or hugging the fire in the evening, it is never warm enough. Children take a bath once a week and every night Mum lines the kids up on chairs with a washing up bowl, soap and towel. Faces, hands, arms and legs are washed, sometimes the feet get a wash too! Mystic Polly hates washing, the water is cold, the soap gets in her eyes and she doesn't like sitting around in her vest and pants.
Night time and the light is left on, goodie! Dad reads "The Wind in the Willows" to Polly and Peter, they hear all about naughty Mr. Toad dressed as a washer woman. Polly tries to sleep looking at the images on the wallpaper and hugging Minnie Mouse her best friend! Minnie's plastic nose is so chewable. Sally is in the cot, Peter and Polly in the bunk beds, all three trying to sleep in one small room.
Auntie's come and visit, wearing lots of lipstick and face powder, they always want a kiss, yuk! Talking to Mum in their high pitched voices, drinking tea and eating biscuits. Both Gran's come to visit too, Gran and Granfer and Michael Gran and Grampee, with Uncle Mike too. Polly's eyes are burning, she looks at the tea leaves in the bottom of her cup, she stares at the two bars on the electirc fire. Mum says she is sick, she has measles and is sent to bed. Waking up in the night the wardrobe and the walls have moved in closer and a lady on a white horse is riding through the bedroom! Tonight the wardrobe is on fire, help! Sally is sick too, Mum and Dad have become monsters and they are attacking her, at least that is what she said, Polly just wants to get some sleep!
Ghostly Woman on a White Horse
Mystic Polly likes woodlice, she even found one in the house once and bit it in half, she felt the legs wiggling on her tongue. Since then Polly likes to look for woodlice in the birdbath, she picks them up to stop them from drowning. One day she walks in the garden with her Dad, and says, "I bet there is no water in the bird bath", Dad is upset; "Nice girls don't bet", he says and Mystic Polly listened and she doesn't gamble now.
Some little girls like bugs, Polly didn't like spiders or slugs but she really likes snails, not the big brown snails with the patterned shells but the yellow snails and the small cream colored snails. she get some leaves and collects snails in the back of her blue tricycle. There is a bin with a lid and she puts them all in there, the next day there is a mess, slime and snails all over, Mum is upset and Polly doesn't want to touch the slime so she doesn't do this again.
Dad has a blackbird that he feeds, he calls him Blackie, he goes right up to Dad but he will not pitch on his hand, he really likes cheddar cheese. Dad goes outside and calls to Blackie, "Hello Blackie" but Blackie never replies, he just greedily gobbles up the cheese and moves on.
