Eden Pond

Eden Pond is the main character in the Eden Pond Series.

Biography

Inspiration image for Eden's appearance. It is not intended as an exact likeness.

Eden Pond grew up on Tillamook Bay in the years after World War I. At the start of World War II, she lived in Garibaldi, Oregon with her older brother Merton. In late December 1941, her twin brother Harry moved to nearby Tillamook to serve as an air raid warden, leaving Eden and Merton alone in the old family house. The 17-year age difference between Merton and the twins meant Merton was always more of a father figure than brother to Eden.

After the death of her parents from Spanish Flu in 1918, Eden and Harry were raised by Merton with the help of Tillie Larkin, who was twelve when the twins were born. Tillie and her family lived in Garibaldi near the Ponds. She would often invite Eden and Harry when the Larkin family went on outings, though Harry never joined them. Eden looked up to Tillie, both as family and a friend.

Eden's parents, Arabelle and Rufus, died in 1918 of the Spanish Flu. Though she had no memory of them, she often tried to imagine what they must have been like. Merton rarely spoke of their parents because, she believed, of his long grief for them. Though she was unsure if she'd ever even marry, were she ever to have children Eden intended to name them for her parents.

After Merton, Eden was closest to family friend Tillie Larkin, who helped Merton raise her and Harry. Her best friend since grade school was Beatrice Derby. While she and Harry were close as young children, after his bout with polio when he was seven they drifted apart.

In addition to keeping the books for Merton's repair business, Eden was a part-time secretary for Garibaldi Public School. She also served on her local rationing board. She wrote poetry, though rarely shared it until her friend Beatrice submitted it to a journal without Eden's knowledge—only admitting the deed when several of the poems were accepted.

Description
She had black, shoulder-length hair which she typically curled and wore off her face. She got her hair color and large brown eyes from her mother, and her sharp, narrow nose and small mouth from her father. When asked, she described herself as plain.

She was 5'10", tall, which seemed to be off putting to many who met her. The fact she was three inches taller than Harry was a source of some tension between them, a fact she found inexplicable. She was also broad shouldered and strong owing to the physical work she did for Merton and further encouraged by Tillie Larkin.

Vital Statistics

Date of Birth: 7 February 1917
Date of Death: —

Planned Novels

At present, there are four possible novels in the Eden Pond Series. If there is interest, more may be added, as well as shorter works. It is also possible none may be written. One step at a time, of course.

The first, working title Tillamook Guerillas, will take place in February through May of 1942 as America shifts to a war footing in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack. Murder at the Shipyardwill take place in Portland at the Kaiser Shipyards, where labor clashes with management and an influx of women and minorities in the workplace result in violence and murder. Women's Air Service will center on the U.S. Navy's Tillamook Naval Air Station and the death of a flamboyant member of the Women’s Air Service. Fire Balloon takes place late in the war, when a death blamed on one of Imperial Japan’s infamous fire balloons may be more than it seems.

Character Affiliations

• Merton Pond, brother
• Harry Pond, brother
• Paul Berenger, Tillamook County sheriff
• Clifford Stern, deputy sheriff
• Jonah Shibuya, Eden's and Harry's childhood friend

Significant Locations

• Pond Salvage and Repair

Appearances

The following represent the working titles of four possible books in the series. Assuming they're ever written and published, the titles are subject to change, and other book ideas may be added or take the place of those currently listed.

• Tillamook Guerillas, Eden Pond Book 1
• Murder at the Shipyard, Eden Pond Book 2
• Women's Air Service, Eden Pond Book 3
• Fire Balloon, Eden Pond Book 4