Mrs Mavis Pickering

 

Hb pencils on cartridge paper - sketchbook

Mrs Mavis "Mave" Pickering was a Lancashire shrimp seller who accidentally wandered into the village after her second husband died. She has a face that has survived the weather, grief, cheap cider, childbirth, gossip and at least one incident involving a goose. She's a woman who knows where the bodies are buried because she helped bury one of them.

The village isn't sure how old Mave is because she changes the subject whenever she's asked directly saying "Old enough to know better and still young enough not to care".

Her eyes are kind but evaluating and she notices everything. Her mouth has mischief in it rather than gentleness, and the lack of teeth makes her even more expressive. There is one tooth however which she keeps for spearing the pickled onions that she keeps wrapped in newspaper in her bag. It's alarmingly efficient!

She claims to have been married three times, once for love, once for necessity, and once because “winter were long and he had decent boots.” One husband drowned. One disappeared with a travelling accordion player. (We think it's the same accordian that's in the Community Hall next to the trainer that's still waiting to be claimed) The third “went peculiar after the chutney incident.” Nobody ever asked about the chutney incident twice. She has eight children scattered across the West Country and enough grandchildren to make a classroom full.

Children adore her because she speaks to them honestly. Dogs follow her through the lanes in the village. Men flirt with her against their better judgement. She calles everyone "my duck" and sings rude mill songs under her breath. She also cheats at cards, smells faintly of peppermint, woodsmoke and damp wool.

Although she looks kind, her tongue is fully armed. She said of Jimmy's new girlfriend (given to cosmetic improvements): "She’s got an arse like a shelf.  How on earth does she sit down? Somewhere for Jimmy to rest his beer, I suppose.” 

She believes that if the Lord had not intended people to be discussed, he would not have made them so peculiar.

She's also a witch but not a dramatic one and merely knows which herb will settle a nightmare, how to stop bleeding with cobwebs and pressure, predicts rain from the ache in her knee, and talks to foxes as if they were friends. She doesn't admit to magic, and says it's just more about paying attention to people. 

Whilst Mother Marjoram is respected, it would be fair to say that Mavis is trusted. She doesn't use ritual but instinct. Both of them are slightly theatrical and together they are formidable. 

We don't know if she's rich or poor but she seems secretively comfortable. She wears patched clothes but uses suprisingly good lavender soap; haggles over pennies whilst slipping coins to struggling mothers; and will spend forty minutes arguing over the prices of onions then buy everyone in Jimmy's pub a drink.

She knows exactly when to leave though before trouble starts. She thinks the world is ridiculous, and it's best to laugh before it laughs at you.