Humorous tramps or hobos
In the quaint town by the estuary, a young speaker found solace in the view from his bedroom window, overlooking gardens, school playing fields, a sea wall, and the vast expanse of the sea. However, the tranquility was often disrupted by strange sightings, such as boats appearing to float in the air and figures moving along the sea wall.
One day, on a chilly Wednesday, the speaker decided to take a day off and drive up to visit Mum. Upon arriving, he found her kitchen filled with unpaid bills and mum's plant cuttings scattered across the table, which lay spattered with marmalade from a hurried breakfast.
Mum, a woman of peculiar beliefs, believed that the "funny billies" - children, she called them - improved with age and were often seen near mist and water. The speaker had heard tales of these "funny billies" before, and one in particular stood out. Mum recalled an encounter with a "funny billy" named Don in Dad's old study, before she had gotten rid of every trace of him.
Don, according to Mum, had orange hair and was fond of sitting stupidly in Dad's swivel chair, poking at Dad's typewriter with a twig. Mum also mentioned that Don liked to be acknowledged, a quirk that added to the mystery surrounding these strange entities.
As the afternoon wore on, the speaker and Mum sat by an inlet, where the islands were saturated with muted browns and green. Mum's pockets were stuffed with wildflowers, and one of her hands was balled up with green leaves, brambles, and dark squishy fruit inside.
Despite Mum's growing forgetfulness, she refused help. One day, during one of the first frosts, Mrs Herbert spotted Mum in a cardigan and slippers, a sight that was both endearing and concerning.
The speaker tried to encourage Mum to seek medical help, but she was adamant. It was only when the doctor's letter arrived, mentioning "some lesions and a little patch of white matter, wear and tear," that Mum finally agreed to see a specialist.
Tragically, Mum was found on the marsh, frozen with a light frosting of snow on her dressing gown. The speaker couldn't help but think of the "funny billies" and wonder if they had come to take Mum away, as she had always believed.
In the days that followed, the speaker found comfort in the memories of shared coffee and thick homemade cookies stuffed with pecans and walnuts, and the simple pleasure of Mum's company. He knew that Mum's spirit lived on, not just in the stories of the "funny billies," but in the beauty of the marsh that they both loved so much.
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