Victoria Swan

By John Dony

She was born on a cold rainy February morning. Even the midwife gasped with horror when the small disfigured child was lifted into the air for its mother to see.

The mother didn’t even look at her baby, didn’t even look. She just spoke one word “No”.

So the baby was taken to the Angels of Mercy orphanage on Victoria Street. No name, no family. Not a great start by any ones imagination.

The nurse walked briskly with the small crying bundle, not wishing to be in the rain any longer than she had to be. She approached the small Hatch the orphanage had had installed 5 years ago, only because so many babies had been left on the doorstep in all weathers. It cut down on even more misery.

A serving hatch. Serving up misery and loneliness for so many. The nurse rang the bell and she heard a large metal bolt slide away out of sight. A voice asked for her name and hospital, she gave them both willingly. The serving hatch slid open and she placed the child on the cold stone slab.

“Name of child?” came the voice questioning from behind the hatch.

The nurse was confused, the child had no name? She looked around her and spoke the first name she saw “Victoria, her name is Victoria”.

The nurse turned away and walked passed the street sign that had just unwillingly christened a small hunchbacked unwanted baby girl.............Victoria.

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Dony
• Release date: Jul 9, 2011
• ISBN: 9780955832314

John Dony

I was born in Bedford 1967 and studied English Literature in Dunstable where I grew up, I now live in Devon with my wife Jill and 5 daughters.My early writing career consisted mostly of short stories told to my children. My first children's novel ‘Emily and the Spider' has received praise from schools and Libraries across the world, where it has been used as a study aid for Primary school pupils in Story and Character development.My latest book Victoria Swan is part 2 of the Swan Trilogy and is available from my site as an ebook.I have a Passion for telling stories that value love, friendship, good old fashioned story telling, good vs bad and of course happy endings.

Book preview

Victoria Swan

By

John Dony

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © John Dony 2008

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers.

The right of John Dony to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

First published in the United Kingdom in 2008 by Shedbetter Publications

Contact the author: [e-mail]

Contact the publisher: [e-mail]

Cover Illustration by Naomi Powell

Contents

Chapter 1 Being Born

Chapter 2 The Angels of Mercy Orphanage.

Chapter 3 The years pass by…

Chapter 4 You don’t belong here.

Chapter 5 Who says prayers anymore?

Chapter 6 Mr and Mrs Swan.

Chapter 7 Harpy Solace.

Chapter 8 A new journey

Chapter 9 A new home

Chapter 10 A little dancing

Chapter 11 Sol and a brief flying lesson

Chapter 12 A visit to Ptarmigans

Chapter 13 Harp lessons

Chapter 14 Family.

Chapter 15 The court room

Chapter 16 The next day

Chapter 17 The Wings Academy

Chapter18 Miss Parrott.

Chapter 19 Lessons in fierceness

Chapter 20 So many years ago…

Chapter 21 The Golden Wings darken.

Chapter 22 Old friends and old enemies

Chapter 23 The rescue of Mrs Swan

Chapter 24 The Angels of Mercy Orphanage

Chapter 25 Mr Swan and a brief flying lesson.

Chapter 1 Being Born.

She was Born on a cold rainy February morning. Even the midwife gasped with horror when the small disfigured child was lifted into the air for its mother to see, to hold and to love.

The mother didn’t even look at her baby, didn’t even look, and with her eyes tightly shut, just spoke one word No.

So the baby was taken to the Angels of Mercy orphanage on Victoria Street. No name, no family. Not a great start by any ones imagination.

The nurse walked briskly with the small crying bundle, not wishing to be in the rain any longer than she had to be. She approached the small hatch the orphanage had installed 5 years ago, only because so many babies had been left on the doorstep in all weathers. It cut down on even more sadness.

A ‘serving hatch’. Serving up misery and loneliness for so many. The nurse rang the bell and she heard a large metal bolt slide away somewhere out of sight. A voice asked for her name and hospital, she gave them both willingly. The serving hatch was slid open and she placed the child on the cold stone slab.

Name of child? came the voice questioning from behind the hatch.

The nurse looked at the small baby lying there and for the briefest of moments, she saw a sparkle in the child’s eyes. No she had imagined it, just a reflection, surely nothing more. She shook her head to clear her mind of such thoughts.

The nurse was slightly confused, she heard the question repeated but the voice was distant this time…she felt a shiver cross her body…the child had no name? She looked around her and spoke the first name she saw Victoria, her name is Victoria.

The nurse turned away and walked past the street sign that had just unwillingly christened a small hunchbacked, unwanted baby girl…Victoria.

Chapter 2 The Angels of Mercy Orphanage

It’s hard to remember the first few years of your life, and for little Victoria, this was probably for the best. The earliest years Victoria could remember followed a similar routine. Each month prospective parents would plough through the orphanage looking for that special child, and always, passing by Victoria, normally with a kindly smile, but always the same. A sympathetic smile, followed with a rapid exit from her presence.

She had started to stay in her corner by her bed when the parents to be would come around. She didn’t want to offend anyone with her large hunched back, so she would try to stay out of sight.

At Lunchtime it was another, but different routine, Victoria would wait until all the others had been served then collect her small metal plate to see what was left.

The Dinner lady was a mean sadistic creature who took delight in asking the children for Money and Victoria was no exception to her rule. She would smile sweetly at the children until they thought it was safe to smile back then she would scream. Dollar, give me a Dollar, you ugly brat.

So Victoria’s first word was already firmly implanted in her little Mind Dollar

One rainy day Victoria was outside in the small untidy Garden, that was enclosed by a large wall, playing by herself in the shelter of a beautiful weeping willow tree.

She was 3 today, but she didn’t know that time had been passing by so quickly. Nearby where Victoria was playing, under a bush Victoria spied a small bird, just sitting there watching her, she crawled over to take a closer look, thinking the bird would fly away. But it didn’t. As she finally got right up close to it leapt onto her outstretched hand. Victoria smiled at the little bird who then jumped off her and landed on what looked like a small dirty bag. It wasn’t a discarded bag though; it was a little unwanted rag doll in the bushes.

Victoria crawled over and picked up the small Doll, She looked at her for a while, smiled, hugs her and calls her the only word she can speak ‘Dollar’.

Chapter 3 The years pass by.

Victoria’s time at the orphanage was far from happy. The cold, the lack of food, the bullying. On one particular chilly Autumn Afternoon she was playing in the small courtyard garden, with ‘Dollar’. The other Orphanage children would laugh at her, in the mistaken belief that she was trying to say ‘Dolly’, but Victoria ignored them. She was engrossed in her game in which she was an Angel who flew around the world rescuing people, just a game, just a silly dream. She didn’t hear