closed Facing the Truth PV Dennis Tumberton

The red head Ravenclaw didn’t have much going on at the moment. He just knew that he needed a breath of fresh air. The trip to France was coming up quickly and he had never been out of the country before. He actually never really had shown any interest in going to any events at all. This would be be his first main event and his first time out of the UK. He was in the middle of figuring out what he should and shouldn’t pack when he realized he really needed to take a break. Down to the lake he went, which was his custom when he needed time to think.

When he got there he picked up a stone and sipped it across the lake surface. 1…2…3…oof it sank at three. He could do better! The next time it skipped once and down it went. He could have sworn he was better at this! Maybe it was the angle of attack. He lurched himself near horizontal and this time got back to 3 but no more. It was at this point he caught sight of someone looking quite sad. She had a letter and her hand but didn’t seem entirely interested in reading it. It must have been bad. Dennis continued his skipping of stones but each time getting closer and closer to her.

Finally, he felt he was close enough and greeted her, “Hello there!” Dennis walked over and continued, “I hope I am not interrupting. Is everything ok?”

@Avery Gray

Interacting with: @Dennis Tumberton Mentioning: N/A Date: 02/09/25

Word Count: 223

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Avery glanced up when she heard the voice. A voice she didn't recall ever hearing before. The boy that asked if she was okay was only a little older than her. Most likely in his second year. Avery gave a half smile before saying, "You're not interrupting anything. And, no, everything isn't exactly okay. I just got some pretty bad news from home." Avery put her head back down. Holding in the tears that threatened to fall down her face. She didn't want this boy she had just met to think she was weak. She wanted people to see that she was strong. Even though her world felt like it was crashing down around her. She couldn't stand this pain and suffering, but she knew that it was part of life and that she had to live with it. No matter what terrible thing happened to her, life had to go on. Avery glanced out upon the lake. It's sparkling surface was so beautiful, but Avery didn't see it. It was as if she was under that water. Unable to swim to the surface. Unable to save herself from drowning in the grief she was facing. She wished she could go see him, but it was obvious that she wouldn't be allowed. All she could do was hope that he got better soon.

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For a moment, Dennis thought she wouldn’t respond. The sad girl was lost in her own thoughts and he was about to let her have her space. As he continued skipping rocks across the lake, this time he made it all the way to 5, the girl spoke up and said that he wasn’t interrupting after all. Dennis was happy to hear he wasn’t being too much of a bother.

However, before he could flash his trademark smile and his classic greeting, she continued that she had just received bad news. Well that wouldn’t do. Dennis stopped himself from his normally chipper responses and sat down beside her, at a respectful distance of course. He was quite for a long while, she seemed very sad indeed. He heard sniffles as if she was fighting back tears and instead of looking at her, just gazed out onto the crystal clear lake. No need to make her more embarrassed by drawing attention to her feelings. “I’m really sorry to hear that. If you need someone to listen, I don’t mind. I hope everything will be ok.” Dennis added softly. He then thought better of offering to lend his ears thinking she would consider it strange that a stranger would offer to help. “I’m Dennis by the way. Dennis Tumberton.” He added quietly.

He wasn’t great with negative feelings or bad news. But Dennis was compulsively helpful and always came to the aid of anyone struggling, no matter if he understood completely or not.

@Avery Gray

Interacting with: @Dennis Tumberton Mentioning: N/A Date: 02/09/25

Word Count: 200

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Avery sniffed again before saying, "It's my grandpa. I guess he's at St. Mungo's now. Something happened to him that caused him to be very ill. From what the letter said, he-" Avery stopped abruptly. Not wanting to say that word. It would just bring more hopelessness to her already hopeless world. Avery smiled a little and said, "Nice to meet you, Dennis. I'm Avery. Avery Gray. I'm so sorry you have to see me like this. I'm usually in a lot different state of mind." Avery glanced down back at the letter she had forgotten was still in her hand. She didn't know what to do with it. It was the thing that brought her world crashing down again, but it was also her only way that she could feel near to her grandfather. She hadn't seen him in so long, but she still remembered the times they spent together when she was little. "I saw you skipping stones. Do you come here to skip them often?" Avery asked. Hoping to lighten the mood a little and get her mind off the fact that she may end up never seeing her grandfather again. Well, not necessarily alive, at least.

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Dennis listened to Avery carefully. The news about a grandparent is heartbreaking to hear. If he found out his grandparents were unwell he would definitely want to do everything he could to try to help even though he was only a kid. “I’m sorry to hear about your grandfather,” he said compassionately. “Grandparents are special people. My grandpa always tells me that grandparents are powerful guardians that sometimes need help.” He realized she actually stopped short of saying what was wrong with him or if he was going to get better. She introduced herself as Avery. “Will he be ok, Avery?” From her demeanor, he feared the worst. He couldn’t imagine losing someone so close to him either.

She changed the subject to him skipping stone. “In my free time, sure. I try to come out for fresh air. Today I’m trying to break my record of 5 skips. I haven’t been doing very well.” He paused thoughtfully and then picked up a smooth stone beside him. “Would you like to give it a try?” He asked holding out the stone. If she took it, Dennis would bounce to his feet. Get another stone and chuck it at the lake, this time skipping 3 times.

@Avery Gray

Interacting with: @Dennis Tumberton Mentioning: N/A Date: 02/09/25

Word Count: 207

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Avery sniffed again and froze when Dennis asked if her grandfather was okay. From what the letter said, it was very ambiguous. If he responded to treatment, he would be fine, but if he didn't. . . well, she didn't want to think about that possibility. Not yet, at least. "I'm not sure. It all depends on whether he responds to the treatment, I guess. This letter didn't really specify. Leave it to my dad for leaving things pretty unclear." Avery sighed as she motioned to the letter in her hand. Avery listened to Dennis talk about skipping stones. She had never actually tried skipping stones, but they sounded very interesting and a way to get her mind off stuff she couldn't do anything about. Her eyes light up and a small smile crept on her face when Dennis offered her to try. "Sure! I'd love to try! Though, I've never skipped a stone before, could you show me how to do it?" As Avery waited for him to respond, she stood up. Brushing the sand off her jeans. She made sure the letter was secure in her back pocket before crouching down to the ground to find a smooth stone similar to what Dennis had in his hand.

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There wasn’t much that Dennis felt he could say to Avery as she talked about her grandfather and how her father tended to leave out context. He did offer her a compassionate look and a, “Yeah my dad can leave out important details too…”

He was glad that she seemed to welcome his distraction. However, there was one shock he wasn’t expecting. She…never skipped stones before? The young boy couldn’t even fathom that someone might not see rocks and water and want to throw said rocks into said water. He looked at the stone in his hand, and the lake, and then at Avery. “I’ll show you!” He said happily as he tossed the rock into the air, letting it land squarely in his palm. “It’s easy, just keep your eye on the water, and-“ He said making it a point to nudge his head to the lake and then with a flick of his wrist and a toss of his arm, he let the pebble fly. It skipped….2 times.

Dennis clicked his tongue in disappointment and shrugged at Avery. “Sometimes you get a lot sometimes not so much. Go on! Give it a try!” He said giving her a thumbs up and he was sure she’d have much better luck!

@Avery Gray

Interacting with: @Dennis Tumberton Mentioning: N/A Date: 02/09/25

Word Count: 212

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Avery watched him. Making note of the exact movements he did when he threw the rock. She wanted to make sure to get it right. She didn't want to embarrass herself too badly. Especially with something she had never done before. She let out a small giggle. Hiding her smile with her hand when he looked disappointed that he had only skipped the rock twice across the pond. Anything with skipping rocks was impressive to Avery, though. Of course because she had never even heard of it until that day. Avery held the rock in her hand just as Dennis had. Then she got into position and threw. Managing to make it skip a couple times before plummeting into the glassy water. Avery smiled again. At least she had done something productive and actually fun. She was now more determined than ever to learn this "skipping rocks" thingy that was very interesting. She couldn't wait to see what else she would learn! Avery then began her search for another perfect rock. Shuffling through the rocks and trying to find the perfect one had completely gotten her mind off the terrible news she had received. Maybe she could actually be happy and have fun. Even though her world was crashing down around her.

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