Anny

"I'm not there yet!"
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## Anny

### Nickname(s)

Mom (by Edwin)
Grandma (by her grandchildren)
Grandma Anny (by Winter)

### Family

Darrell (husband; formerly)
Jodie (daughter)
Barry, Edwin, and Lewis (sons)
Fanny, Steph, and Winter (granddaughters)
Brody (grandson)

"*If [Winterlyn] ever drank alcohol, then God would have forsaken us!*"
—Anny on Winter, *Choosing Paths*

**Anny McCormick** is a minor character in *Winter's Tales*. She is the former wife of Darrell, the mother of Barry, Edwin, Jodie, and Lewis, and the paternal grandmother of Winter, Fanny, Brody, and Steph.

She died of old age when Winter was nine.

## Appearance

Anny walks with a hunched back and cane and has silvery-white hair. Her eyes are pear-green.

## History

### *Winter's Tales*

#### *Choosing Paths*

"*Will you children let me tell my stories, or do you want this cane slapping you on your lazy rears?*"
—Anny agitated by her grandchildren interrupting her "story"

When Steph opens the door to welcome the next guest, Anny flamboyantly makes her presence known, sending Steph back over to her cousins. Winter's father is repulsed by her presence, cautioning her on the usage of her cane, but she retorts that he needs to respect his elders, stabbing his chest with the cane. Winter is irritated, but upon seeing her, Anny invites her to say hello to her, quickly sweeping the young girl into a tight hug. Grunting, Winter greets her, and Anny states that she's grown so much, to which she comments that she is aware. Anny approves, whacking her granddaughter in the back, and fed up with her behavior, Edwin pushes her towards the sofa and encourages her to relax instead of smothering Winter. Anny snaps that she wasn't smothering her, and before her son can interrupt, she yells at him to not use God's name in vain. Brody snorts that she is extremely delusional, and Steph concurs in agreement, saying that if you mention the Lord's name in vain around her, you're a goner. Fanny questions if their grandfather would have prevented Anny's behavior, confusing Winter until Steph explains how he died of cancer when she was little. Winter exchanges a hug with her cousins, only for the sentimental moment to be broken up by Anny, who remarks that her grandchildren are sharing the love.

Brody greets her politely, and she demands why they're sitting on the floor when the couch is comfier. Fanny interrupts her mid-sentence, stating that they're playing an animal game. Agitated, Anny puffs that she speaks when the Lord commands her to, but Winter points out that he isn't present. Deeming her words silly, Anny ushers her grandchildren up onto the sofa, wanting to tell them a story that signifies her connection with God. Winter murmurs that she's hungry, mentioning "God," and her grandmother pokes her with her cane, sending her into Steph's shoulder. Anny says that she acts just like her father using the Lord's name in vain, though Steph pleads with her to calm down and not make a scene, with her siblings standing in solidarity with her. Anny relents, believing that they'll one day value God before launching into her story. She mentions that she fell down a tree in her youth, but it becomes apparent that she has ripped off the story from something else in real life, which Brody is swift to point out. Winter, exasperated, asks Fanny if their grandma has always been like this, but she shrugs and says it beats her.

Anny is unamused by her grandchildren's point of view and demands they let her tell her stories, or else, she'll cane them on their rear ends. Edwin, noticing the harassment, barks at her to stop, spitting that this is a family reunion and that she will not be teaching Winter anything religious until she's openly ready for such things. She tries to protest, but Edwin cuts her off, threatening to share his opposing viewpoints to her in front of Lorelei and the kids. Defeated, Anny surrenders and demands the food, and Jodie tells her that they're cooking it. Winter questions her father on if family reunions are like this, which he confirms - only with his mother present. When Lewis mentions "hell," Winter decides not to question it, having had enough of religious delusion from Anny. During the dinner, Anny is peaceful and eats her mac n' cheese with the help of Steph. After Edwin assaults Lewis for trying to give Winter alcohol, Anny is stunned into silence, but eventually manages to say that God would have forsaken them if Winter drank Lewis' beer. Steph elbows her, making her go silent again.

#### *Transformations*

Winter mentions that the Holocaust occurred before the birth of her grandparents and paternal grandmother.

#### *Dawn Will Bring Us Death*

Lorelei and Winter hear Edwin on a phone call, and he reveals himself to be talking to his brother, Barry, asking about a woman's condition. Winter ponders about who he's referring to, and her father questions if her mind is failing. It dawns on her and her mother as to who he's talking to. Edwin, wrapping up his call, tells Barry that while his relations with his mother are strained, he'll talk to Lorelei and Winter before taking action. Winter remembers her religion-obsessed grandmother, Anny, who made up stories about God and became upset if the Lord's name was taken in vain, noting that her condition seems dire. She shudders, thinking about the concept of death again. Lorelei pushes open the door, and glancing up at her, Edwin mutters that he can't believe this is happening. She inquires about the status of Anny's health, to which she reveals that she stopped eating and drinking and is in the hospital. Winter freezes, knowing her impending death is near, and her father adds that she'll likely die soon, not prepared for her death. She steps up to him, and he looks at her as she recalls hearing about her grandfather's death - now, with her sharper memory, she can acutely remember a death. Edwin urges her not to fret due to her grandmother's age; her time has been approaching for years, and she cut most of the family out. Winter, not entirely shocked and knowing her father can vouch for this behavior, asks if this is so. Nodding, her father places his hands on hers, telling her that even though he doesn't have the best relationship with Anny, she's still his mother and has convinced him to open up to people like Lorelei.

Although she hides it, Anny does love all of her family, including Winter herself. Lorelei agrees with Edwin, planting a kiss on his cheek, and he says that he will be living in Leavenworth with Barry for a couple of days since Anny's hospital is there, and it will be agonizing and grueling - and when he comes back, it'll probably be hard for him to adjust to seeing his wife and daughter again. Both support him, and Winter especially supports Fanny, her cousin, given her self-blame for her parents' divorce. They all silently vow to pray for Anny's death to be peaceful and one where she reunites with Darrell in heaven, though Winter prays to her animal gods, requesting that they ignore her crazy side and give her light. The weeks pass while her father is away, and frequently, she worries for her father, which worsens each day.
She notes that her father is well acquainted with death and dealt with the passing of his father, rendering Winter unable to learn what Darrell was truly like, and now, her father is losing his mother - which will make him and his siblings orphans. Thinking about being alone and losing everything haunts Winter, and she gets a startling epiphany: her father has been through the death process before and will see another decay and a dead body belonging to another one of his parents. He's stressed and will witness Anny's last moments on earth, the same moments he witnessed when his father died, and Winter's heart quickens until her chest hurts. She knows her father is going through one of the ugliest aspects of life, and despite her qualms with him, she wishes for him to come home smiling and not for him to be a hollow, nebeluous corpse.

Two weeks after Edwin's depature, he finally calls, and Lorelei answers. Winter sees her face fall, knowing immediately what has happened before her mother tells her in words: Anny has died. She nods solemnly, certain her grandmother has found peace and has stopped being delusional. Even with her bizarre beahvior, Winter did like her first meeting with Anny, who was the sole link to her deceased grandfather, and she notes that death impacts them all. Upon Edwin's return, he asserts that Anny is with her husband in the stars, chilling beside their pool and watching over him. Later, after Lorelei's death and subsequent funeral, Edwin decides to inform Winter of what his mother put him and his siblings through in his youth. Winter allows her father to begin, and he mentions that he and his siblings faced a strict life growing up, and it was so strict he had wanted to run away, much to her shock. Winter internally questions what happened in the years before her birth, and her father affirms that this is true; the sentiment was also shared with his siblings. Her grandmother was strict and punished her children for disobeying the Torah and Yahweh, frequently coming into conflict with Jodie and punishing her physically and verbally. On the other hand, Edwin and Barry both strived to be good children, and Lewis faced neglect, troubled by his mother's neglect of him. Over time, Anny's grip on the household worsened, and she forced her children to actively worship and study Judaism, or else they'd get yelled at.

Edwin grew tired of this lifestyle and tried to complain, and Winter figures that she didn't listen to them, to which he responds that Anny warned him to stop being disrespectful. In his teenage years, he fell in love with a beautiful girl named Enid, surprising Winter, and he adds that his siblings loved Enid. However, his mother was not supportive due to Enid not being Jewish or close to God, and she threatened to disown Edwin from the family if he chose to date her. For her sake, he kept relations with Enid platonic, and slowly began to realize that Anny was going too far - he hated being Jewish, longing for an escape. Winter realizes that she has more in common with her father than she initially thought, prompting him on what happened next, and he explains that he mostly cut all contact with his mother and moved out when he turned eighteen. He finally gained freedom to consult and worship Yahweh whenever he wanted, as did his siblings. Still longing to be a religious man, he pratices Judaism without punishment and met Lorelei not long after, though not fully abandoning his mother's teachings.

#### *Return of Snowlight*

When Mya hugs Winter, the latter makes a brief reference as to how tight Anny's hugs were.

## Personality and Traits

Anny is best described as overdramatic and was obsessed with religion, often trying to promote it by any means possible even if fabrication had to be involved. While she loved her family deep down, her crass and loudmouth behavior had put noticable tensions between her and her family, and Edwin in particular had a strong distaste of her. Anny was shown to maintain her composure in drastic situations, though at times was not equipped with the necessary response to them. Deep down, however, she did care for her extended family. In her childrens' youths, she was depicted as borderline abusive, forcing them to read into their heritage and cultures and punishing them when they refused to obey her.

## Family

**Former Husband:**

Darrell (Deceased)
**Daughter:**

Jodie (Living)
**Sons:**

Barry (Living)
Edwin (Living)
Lewis (Living)
**Granddaughters:**

Winter (Living)
Fanny (Living)
Steph (Living)
**Grandson:**

Brody (Living)
## Trivia

* Anny is voiced by Susanne Blakeslee.
* Fanny is not named after her.
* She lived in Leavenworth.