A winter in retirement : or, scattered leaves

In this gentle winter tale two teenage sisters, Susan and Mary, find themselves bound for a seaside aunt’s modest home as their father’s health forces the family to seek a milder climate. The girls, accustomed to lively summer days of orchard games and beach shells, dread the long, quiet months ahead, fearing a season without the bustle of society and the comforts of home.

Mary, ever the optimist, recalls the simple joys of their childhood—old stories from Uncle Philip, carefree play among the apple trees, and the soothing rhythm of the waves—to lift Susan’s spirits. As the carriage rolls toward the coastal retreat, the sisters begin to see the winter landscape not as a prison of gloom, but as a canvas for new memories, friendship, and the quiet strength that emerges when family leans on each other.