Fenster Plum

****F******enster Plum** is an old smuggler, and a regular guest at Greenglass House. He sailed with Doc Holystone.

## Biography

### *Greenglass House*

Mrs. Pine told the story of when Fenster saw the ghosts of Doc Holystone and his son, out the window of Greenglass House, to the guests. Mr. Pine noted that Fenster usually came to Greenglass House in the spring, and Milo knew this was because Fenster smuggled illegal seedlings.

In the story, Fenster was woken in the night and thought he saw something strange, but did not know what had woken him. According to Mrs. Pine, he then ate three helpings of pancakes and seemed fine. To their surprise, it happened again the next morning, and decided that he had seen someone familiar outside his window. He then ate another three helpings of pancakes and things once again seemed fine. The next morning, however, Fenster recounted that he had waved to the person out the window, and realized that he was seeing Doc Holystone (Fenster had actually sailed with Doc Holystone). In the morning, he insisted that he had seen Doc Holystone, even though Doc Holystone was dead, and that he had seen a boy on the fire escape, and spoken to the boy. The boy had told Fenster that the man in the trees is his father, Michael Whitcher, and the house used to belong to them, and they said goodbye because they had not gotten a chance before they died. Fenster testified that the two ghosts then disappeared.

Fenster later arrived to Greenglass House via the Belowground Transit System with Brandon Levi. Mr. Pine instructed Fenster to come up wit ha story in case he was asked what his job was. Fenster decided he would "come up with something", but Brandon would not let him, as Fenster was a terrible liar. Fenster protested this, but in such a way that Milo rolled his eyes at how obviously he was lying. Fenster decided he would be a gardener, as he knew about flowers, and Brandon agreed. Fenster felt that this was a boring fake identity, and Brandon reminded him not to say anything about the Belowground Transit System.

After the power to Greenglass House went out in the storm, Fenster helped Mrs. Pine place lanterns around the inn, and bring blankets to keep everyone warm. Upon his arrival to the inn, he introduced himself to the guests, explaining his job, how he came to be at the inn (which included being out gardening during the storm) and how there was definitely nothing strange about this. Fenster agreed to tell his version of the story Mrs. Pine, and began, but Mrs. Pine stopped him (presumably afraid he would reveal where he knew Doc Holystone from). Fenster offered to make a cake to cheer Georgie up, and since Georgie liked blue, they would give the cake blue icing. He suggested opening a blue pen for the coloring. He later joined Brandon and Mr. Pine in attempting (unsuccessfully) to start the generator.

Milo told Meddy that Fenster was a regular, and was worried that Fenster would give himself away. Meddy felt that she knew Fenster from somewhere, but could not place him. Milo suggested that maybe she had seen him around the Quayside Harbors, and told Meddy that Fenster had sailed with Doc Holystone. Milo expressed disappointment that they could not ask Fenster for a story, since he had many interesting ones to tell. Fenster came back in with Brandon and Mr. Pine, delivering the news that the generator had been sabotaged. The three sat up for a long time discussing the problem.

Mrs. Hereward joined Fenster in baking the cake for Georgie, Fenster wearing a lacy purple apron. Mrs. Hereward was greatly frustrated by Fenster's refusal to measure the ingredients, and that he was doing things such as adding pepper instead of cinnamon. Milo later heard a mixing bowl hit the floor and Fenster swear. Brandon left the house to work on the generator, and among his reasons is the feeling that he will be safer outside if Fenster set the house on fire. Fenster and Mrs. Hereward eventually managed to get the cake into the oven, causing Mrs. Caraway and Lizzie to clap. Fenster, beaming, bowed. Mrs. Hereward eventually followed his example. Mrs. Caraway volunteered to take over washing the dishes, but Fenster refused. Mrs. Hereward washed the dishes while Fenster dried them.

Mr. Pine later went outside to assist Brandon with the generator, and Fenster pulled on his coat. Milo noted that he seemed to have forgotten the lacy purple apron that he had on. Milo later witnessed Fenster successfully turning on the generator, and the three men were greeted with a standing ovation from the house, where lights and heat were on again. Meddy noted that Mrs. Hereward was attempting to finish the cake before Fenster recalled that it lacked icing, but Fenster figured this out and arrived in the kitchen.

After Milo found the paper declaring one of the guests to be a customs agent, Mr. Pine commented on the importance of Fenster staying undercover, as he could be arrested for being a smuggler. Milo later noted that Fenster usually signed the guestbook as 'Plum Duff Collins'. After learning that there was a customs agent in the house, Fenster was a mess, and Brandon warned him that he needed to keep it together. Upon learning that Mr. Vinge was the customs agent, they attempted to get Fenster out of the house via the Belowground. However, the control system was frozen, and this was not an option. Milo noted that they had not told Fenster who was the customs agent, as they thought Fenster would not have been able to keep it together. Sure enough, each day, Fenster grew more paranoid. However, he later seemed to have settled down on Christmas Eve, joining Brandon in playing a card game against Lizzie and Georgie.

When Mr. Vinge told his tale, painting Doc Holystone as a weapons-smuggler and a danger to society, Fenster argued profusely despite Brandon's efforts to stop him. He commented on the number of customs agents in Nagspeake, saying 'runners', which only smugglers called themselves, and said that Doc Holystone's crew would have known when he died. Fenster insisted staunchly that Doc Holystone had never smuggled weapons, and this was just an excuse made by Deacon and Morvengarde to go after the smugglers in order to reinforce their monopoly. Brandon warned Fenster multiple times, kicking him and looking warningly at him, but Fenster ignored this each time, going on to call Mr. Vinge a liar. Fenster even revealed that Doc Holystone's cargo the night before his death had been copper pipes and not weapons, continuing to insist that Doc Holystone never smuggled weapons. Fenster went on to tell Mr. Vinge of all the money Doc Holystone could have made if he had agreed to smuggle weapons, but that each time this was offered, Doc Holystone refused.

Mrs. Pine attempted to get Fenster out onto the screened porch. Fenster tried to refuse, but Brandon and Mr. Pine assisted Mrs. Pine in leading Fenster onto the screened porch, where Fenster squatted down and put his head in his hands. Mr. Vinge then demanded to speak to Mr. Pine, Mrs. Pine, and Fenster. Mr. Pine attempted to stop Fenster and Mr. Vinge from being in the same room together, but Mr. Vinge called to the furiously pacing Fenster, inquiring what Mrs. Pine had gotten wrong about the ghost story. Mr. Vinge inquired if Fenster had not recognized Doc Holystone from the Wanted posters but had actually sailed with him. Mrs. Pine tried to comfort him, but Fenster shook her off and stared at Mr. Vinge. He then grinned, and went on to tell Mr. Vinge that all that had been wrong was that Fenster had not seen Doc Holystone's son, but his daughter, Addie; and this was all Mrs. Pine had gotten wrong about the story.

Mr. Vinge was suspicious that Fenster knew where 'Doc Holystone's final cargo' was. Meddy—now revealed to be Addie Whitcher—told Milo that she had seen Fenster a few times after the Pines had moved in, and that she did recall seeing him on the fire escape. Meddy also affirmed Fenster's assertions that Doc Holystone had never touched weapons. Mr. Vinge was apparently grilling Fenster about Doc Holystone and Greenglass House while Milo and Meddy were in the attic.

After Milo found Doc Holystone's final cargo, a figurine for his daughter, and Mr. Vinge was baffled, Fenster explained that Doc Holystone's crew had loved Doc Holystone, and thus his daughter as well. Fenster said that he had not been one to hide the figurine, but whoever it had been had wanted to honor Doc's memory. At this point, Milo thought Fenster might have been attempting to keep from crying. Mr. Vinge decided he would take the Sirin figure, and Fenster stood up, appalled that Mr. Vinge would take the toy and hide it out of spite. Mr. Vinge called Fenster a fool, saying that many people spent their lives looking for that, and he planned to destroy the figurine instead, so it could not be found. When Mr. Vinge drew his gun on Milo, Fenster was one of those who leapt up to stop him.

Fenster stared at Meddy when she appeared to the guests. He asked uncertainly if she was Addie, and Meddy thanked him for all the nice things he had said about Doc Holystone. After Mr. Vinge left and things in the inn settled down, Brandon gave Fenster a ride into town. Georgie expressed delight at the cake, and Fenster said that it had been his pleasure, even if Mrs. Hereward had not added enough cinnamon. Georgie, taking his arm, told him that Mrs. Hereward had said it was pepper, and he protested that he had only wanted to add a pinch, which should not have been a problem.

### *Ghosts of Greenglass House*

Mrs. Pine mentioned that Fenster had been mad at Gilawfer, because the warehouse had flooded and he had lost all his plants, and Clem was sorry that this had happened to Fenster. Milo noted that Fenster had waved to Doc Holystone, and Meddy mentioned this time as well.

## Personality and traits

Fenster was a bad liar and touchy about the subject. Fenster was stubborn and liked to do things his own way, even if that meant doing it wildly wrong. He liked to keep things interesting. Fenster would risk getting in trouble in order to defend those he loved and the right thing.

## Physical appearance

Fenster is described as short and scruffy.