Post by Hobbit-eyes on Apr 19, 2006 6:18:25 GMT -5
I'll be changing that Star Trek-esque title as soon as I think of a better one.... This is the entire first chapter, which I wrote while in Oxford over Easter. The pen I wrote it with is now in Becca's permission, because it was used by the Mighty Boosh guys...
“Once upon a time, there were eight children – five boys and three girls. They lived in a village in the Fallamor mountains near the coast, and were happy. But one day their village was attacked by rebels, and they were forced to flee into the mountains to escape. Tired, they took refuge in a cave and fell asleep, hoping for better things the following day.
What they didn’t know was that they had stumbled into the legendary resting place of the Octir – the mythical spirits of the world. Myths spoke of the Octir as second only in power to the creators of the world, and that they had been bound there at the beginning of time, and were supposed to stay there until the end. But as the children slept, the Octir escaped and entered their minds.
When they awoke, they didn’t notice anything different at first, but gradually became aware that different elements of their surroundings were affected by their emotions. Each could control a different one: there was Earth, Fire, Air and Water; Light and Darkness; and Life and Death.
However, with these miraculous abilities came a curse. From the day they started using their powers, the person could not stray far from their particular element without feeling the effects, and the more they used their power, the more dependent they became on it. Needless to say, this was more difficult for some than others.
But at first they remained united. They saw their country was failing, and knew they could use their powers to help it. So they set out to-”
“I’m terribly sorry to interrupt, your highness.”
Ben’s mother looked away from him in surprise at the door. An apologetic looking maidservant was hovering there awkwardly. Ben, lying in bed, felt a twinge of annoyance. Why did this always happen? He didn’t get to see his mother enough as it was, and whenever he did, she invariably got some message or other.
“What is it?” asked Ben’s mother patiently.
“There is a visitor, your highness. A Miss Ada Medon. She said she was an old friend of yours…” The maid trailed off as Ben’s mother’s face changed from one of mild surprise to deep shock.
Ben, lying in bed, had no idea who this ‘Miss Ada Medon’ was, but it disturbed him to see his mother so affected. She always seemed to calm and composed around those boring but imposing old men she was always meeting with Dad. But then this visitor had arrived very late, he supposed. No manners.
He tugged at her sleeve. “Mummy?” She didn’t answer straightaway, seemingly lost in thought, so he tugged again harder, saying, “Mummy? What is it?”
His mother blinked and turned back to Ben, but he could see she was still thinking hard about something. “Oh – nothing – nothing darling,” she murmured, smoothing back his hair and kissing his forehead, “But I have to go and see this person, is that all right? I’ll tell you the rest of the story tomorrow night.”
“All right,” said Ben, but he was surprised. Even though his mother did seem to always get these messages when she was with him, she normally made them wait for a little while, especially when in the middle of something as important as a bedtime story. The annoyance grew. Who was this ‘Miss Ada Medon’, and what made her so important?
She was hurriedly tucking in the covers around him, saying, “Sleep well, darling – I expect I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Goodnight mummy,” said Ben, pretending to yawn.
“Goodnight sweetheart.” She was already halfway across the room, and before she’d finished had vanished through the door. The maid bobbed as she passed, and then followed, closing the door behind her.
Ben lay still in bed, silently counting to thirty. One. Two. He could hear his mother’s and the maid’s footsteps receding down the hallway outside his room.
Twelve. Thirteen. He watched the flickering candle flame on his bedside table, sending dancing shadows around his large ornate room, which, for all its size, still had little in it save for his bed and wardrobe.
Nineteen. Twenty. The light from the candle combined with the glow from the moon outside, bathing the entire room in a strange kind of ambience.
Twenty-eight. Twenty-nine. Thirty. Ben threw off his covers and sprang out of bed, silently padding over to the closed door and easing it open.
The long corridor outside was completely deserted, but sound travelled well in the palace. He could still hear their footsteps echoing down the Grand Staircase, and scurried silently after them, his heart beating fast with the excitement of being awake when he wasn’t supposed to be.
He reached the staircase and waited hidden behind a suit of armour, listening to the footsteps in the stone-floored hallway below. They sounded as though they were going to the right. Moments later, he heard a door close.
He crept down the staircase clinging to the wide banister, walking lightly even though they were carpeted and his feet made no noise. He hesitated on the third step from the bottom, peering out through the ornate balustrades. There was a light in one of the small meeting rooms off the main hall, flickering underneath the door. He could hear his mother’s voice, and another woman’s, though she sounded strange to Ben. Scared. Panicky.
He very almost went back to bed then, but made himself carry on down the last few steps, still clinging to the banister as he set his bare feet onto the cold stone floor. He went across to the room on tiptoe – partly to be quiet, but also because the stone slabs were icy against his feet – and stopped outside, and peered through the keyhole. Anyone who has peered through a keyhole will know that this rarely gives a good view, and indeed he could only a see a little of the room beyond, but Ben, who had peered through many keyholes in his short life, believed tradition to be important.
He could just see his mother – she was standing alone watching the other speaker with a look of grave concern on her face. The other speaker – this ‘Miss Ada Medon’, he assumed – was out of sight. She sounded agitated, and by the sound of her voice and what he could see of his mother watching her, she was pacing.
“-I just don’t know what I’m going to DO, Carys, I just came into the room and she was talking to something – something I couldn’t see! – and then – then the lights went strange, they got brighter and then darker and then even brighter, and – and she was laughing, and saw me and said ‘Mummy, look what I can do!’ She’s GOT it, Carys, she’s got it from Jack-”
“Ada-” said his mother, reaching towards the speaker, “It’s going to be all-”
“-and I can’t LOSE her, not after Jack, I just CAN’T-”
“Ada!” said his mother firmly, “You are not going to lose Claire. How could you?”
“You don’t hear them!” said the woman, with a laugh verging on hysterical which Ben didn’t like, “I do – the shadows – at night, they gather round and whisper to me… I’m probably crazy, I know that’s what you’re thinking, maybe he messed up my brain more than I thought…”
“Ada…” repeated his mother patiently, and Ben could see alarm growing on her face, but the woman Ada carried on,
“Maybe this is what he wanted, I betrayed his secret before so no-one will believe me again-”
“ADA!” shouted Carys, striding out of view towards the hysterical sounding voice, and by the way the woman’s voice stopped suddenly, grabbed onto her, “I do not think you’re crazy. I believe you.”
Ben certainly thought she was crazy. Perhaps Mummy was just being nice.
It worked, at least. The woman called Ada had stopped raving, and, after a moment, said so quietly that Ben could barely hear it, “You do?”
“Of course I do,” said his mother patiently, “I’m glad you came to me. Now, come and sit down…”
“Oh no no no, I can’t stay long,” said the woman Ada, some of the original frenzy coming back into her voice, “I have to go soon-”
“Why?” said his mother in surprise.
The woman Ada hesitated, and then whispered so that Ben had to strain to hear, “The shadows follow me – I only just managed to lose them before I got here-”
And back to the crazy talk. Ben couldn’t understand why his sensible mother was listening to this mad person.
“They can’t get you here,” his mother assured, but she sounded worried as she said it. Perhaps that was why Ada laughed.
“Ha! They get everywhere. Fill a room with candles and still they assemble, hiding behind things, waiting for me to fall asleep – I walk in bright sunshine but there they are, following me, hidden beneath my feet – well, they can’t have Claire! Do you understand? They won’t take her! I won’t let them!”
“Of course not,” said his mother, and she sounded extremely worried now. The woman called Ada sounded as though she was in tears.
“But I don’t know how I can stop them – they always find me – I just have to keep moving, I have to go soon – I thought perhaps if we split up, perhaps they can only follow one of us-”
“What?” said his mother suddenly, “Split up?”
“You have to take Claire,” said the woman Ada fervently, “You have to take her, hide her, protect her-”
“Oh – oh no, no, Ada, I couldn’t-”
“The shadows don’t know where we are,” whispered the woman Ada, “If I leave now, they’ll only find me – Claire’ll be safe.” It sounded as though his mother tried to interrupt, but the woman continued louder, “You were always so much stronger than me, Carys – I know you can look after her, protect her, but I can’t. I just can’t. I never could.”
“Ada,” repeated his mother in her reasoning voice, “If I could, I would, you know that – but being married to someone like Danny, it complicates things. I can’t just adopt-”
“Then get her a job here,” insisted the woman, “She’s young, but she’s bright, sharp, she learns quickly. A maid, errand girl – I know you’ll keep an eye on her-”
“Are you sure you’d rather she be a servant here?” said his mother uncertainly.
“Yes,” said the woman Ada without hesitation, “I’m scared he’ll-”
The door suddenly opened a crack, and Ben leapt backwards in alarm – he hadn’t been aware of anyone else in the room. A little face appeared in the crack, peeking out in surprise at Ben. It was a girl, about his age, with bright eyes.
“Who are you?” she whispered curiously.
Ben immediately straightened himself up and adopted what he called his dad’s ‘Fancy Pose’. “His Royal Highness Prince Benjamin, son of the Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Daniel and his wife Her Royal Highness Princess Carys, second in line to the throne.”
“That’s a long name,” said the girl disapprovingly, “It sounds silly.”
“What’s your name then?” snapped Ben, immediately dropping the act.
“Claire.” She thrust out a slightly grubby hand. “Claire Medon.”
Ben looked at hand uncertainly. She waited expectantly. Finally he slowly took it and quickly kissed it.
“Eww!” squealed the girl, snatching it back and wiping it on her dress, “What did you do that for?”
“Men do it,” said Ben, utterly confused, “They kiss ladies’ hands. I’ve seen them.”
“Well, I’m not a lady,” said Claire firmly, thrusting her hands into her pockets where he couldn’t get to them.
Ben considered her. “No. Definitely not.”
“Why were you listening?”
“You arrived in the middle of my story,” said Ben in an accusing voice, “That’s my mummy.”
“Really? That’s MY mummy,” said Claire, gesturing behind her.
“Is she crazy?” asked Ben.
Claire shrugged. “I don’t know. I think she thinks I am,” she added.
Ben frowned. Claire was strange, no doubt, but she didn’t seem crazy. “Why?”
“Because I can do magic,” said Claire eagerly.
Ben snorted. “No you can’t.”
“I can too.”
“Liar.”
“I can!”
“Liar liar liar.”
“I’ll show you!”
“Go on then!” challenged Ben.
Claire stuck her tongue out at him, and then screwed up her face and shut her eyes in concentration. Ben waited. Nothing seemed to happen. Suddenly, he noticed the light in the room behind was acting strangely, suddenly getting brighter and brighter-
“Claire?” called the woman Ada, sounding scared, “Are you doing that?”
“Yes!” called back Claire, opening her eyes and grinning smugly at Ben.
“I’ve told you not to, come away from the door-” Suddenly the woman Ada came into view behind Claire. Ben took a step back. She was younger than he’d expected, about the same age as his mother if not a bit younger, but she looked a mess – she looked tired and haggard, her face pale and drawn with her hair messy around it, but her eyes were full of frenzied energy, darting around nervously and never staying still.
“Who are you?” she demanded, making Ben jump, “What are you doing?”
His mother suddenly appeared behind her. “Ben, what are you doing out of bed?” she said in surprise, “I’m sorry, Ada, this is my son Ben, I was just saying goodnight when you arrived-”
“Oh, no, that’s fine,” said the woman, and she suddenly visibly drooped, as though all the frenzied energy keeping her going had exhausted itself. “I just – he startled me – I thought – oh, never mind.” She sighed, and Ben felt sorry for her. She sounded exhausted. “I’d better be going…”
“Are you sure about this?” asked his mother anxiously, “Are you sure you don’t want to stay as well?”
“Quite sure,” said Ada, sounding more resigned than determined, “I’ll send letters, I’ll visit when I can – I know you’ll look after her…”
It seemed that while he had been talking to Claire, something had been decided. He looked at Claire – she was looking up at her mother, looking confused and a bit scared. “Mummy, where are we going now?”
Claire’s mother looked at his mother, who moved to the side out of the way, and turned back to Claire and said, “Come in here, my darling, I need to explain something…”
“Don’t listen, Ben,” whispered his mother as the woman Ada took Claire’s hand and the two of them went into the room, half closing the door behind them, “It’s not polite to eavesdrop.”
“What’s happening?” asked Ben immediately, “Who’s that woman? Is she crazy?”
“No!” said his mother, “She’s – she’s not very well. She’s an old friend of mine, she’s my cousin Jack’s wife. The little girl Claire is their daughter.”
“I’ve never met your cousin Jack, have I?” His daddy had lots of relatives who he’d met, most of them boring, but his mummy didn’t seem to have any.
“No. He died a few years ago. And Ada – the woman – she’s been having some trouble coping by herself. So Claire’s going to be staying with us for a while.”
“Does she have to be a servant?”
“Not quite a servant, Ben. She is family.”
“No, I meant – she can share my room. I wouldn’t mind much. She can have some of my toys too.”
Carys smiled. “That won’t be necessary…”
She trailed off as the woman Ada and Claire emerged again. Claire still looked confused, and her mother looked sad but determined.
“I don’t know how to thank you, Carys,” she said, “I’d send you money for her upbringing, but…”
“We don’t exactly need it,” smiled Carys, her voice echoing slightly in the large marble hall.
The woman Ada half-managed to return it, and knelt down so that she was facing Claire. “I hope I’ll see you soon, sweetheart,” she said, voice shaking slightly, “Be good for Carys, do as you’re told…”
“Will you be back tomorrow?” asked Claire.
Ada folded Claire into her arms so that she couldn’t see the tears forming in her eyes. “I don’t think so, darling.”
“The day after that?”
“I don’t know.”
“The day after that?” said Claire, sounding more and more desperate.
“I told you, you’re staying with Carys for a while,” said the woman Ada, hurriedly wiping her eyes behind her daughter’s head, “So be good-”
“When will you be back?” cried Claire.
Ada kissed the top of her daughter’s head. “Soon,” she whispered, and straightened up. “I love you, darling.”
“I love you too, Mummy,” said Claire, looking up at her once again in confusion. Ben reached out and grabbed his own mother’s hand.
Ada said goodbye to his mother, bent quickly and kissed her daughter once more, and turned and walked quickly across the hall without looking back. They watched until she vanished into the darkness outside and the large door had closed behind her.
Claire stood alone and sniffed. Ben’s mother sighed, and at the instant she sounded just as tired and sad as Ada. “Come on, dear,” she said, holding out a hand to Claire, “Let’s find you a nice room…”
Claire didn’t take the hand, but obediently followed her and Ben towards the staircase. “When will my mummy come back?” she asked after a moment.
“Soon,” said his mother.
“Why couldn’t I go too?”
“You just couldn’t, dear. She had to go alone. She wanted you to come, though.”
“But where’s she gone?”
“Just away. She just had to go away for a while.”
Claire nodded, all confusion leaving her face and replaced with a grave understanding. “Like Daddy.”
“No,” said his mother quickly, “Not like Daddy. Just away.”
“Daddy just had to go away for a while too. Has she gone to see him?”
“No! No, she’s gone somewhere else. She’ll be back soon,” she added hurriedly. Claire nodded and looked down at her feet, not saying another word. Ben remembered his mother saying that Claire’s dad was dead, and also remained silent.
His mother found a maid to find Claire a room, and after making sure she was settled, walked back with Ben to his room to tuck him in again. “How long will Claire be staying?” he asked as he snuggled under the blankets.
“Not for too long,” said his mother.
“Can you tell me the rest of the story now?”
“No, not now, darling. Mummy’s very tired.”
“Tomorrow then? I want to know what happens.”
His mother smiled, and she did look tired. “Yes. Perhaps tomorrow.”
“Once upon a time, there were eight children – five boys and three girls. They lived in a village in the Fallamor mountains near the coast, and were happy. But one day their village was attacked by rebels, and they were forced to flee into the mountains to escape. Tired, they took refuge in a cave and fell asleep, hoping for better things the following day.
What they didn’t know was that they had stumbled into the legendary resting place of the Octir – the mythical spirits of the world. Myths spoke of the Octir as second only in power to the creators of the world, and that they had been bound there at the beginning of time, and were supposed to stay there until the end. But as the children slept, the Octir escaped and entered their minds.
When they awoke, they didn’t notice anything different at first, but gradually became aware that different elements of their surroundings were affected by their emotions. Each could control a different one: there was Earth, Fire, Air and Water; Light and Darkness; and Life and Death.
However, with these miraculous abilities came a curse. From the day they started using their powers, the person could not stray far from their particular element without feeling the effects, and the more they used their power, the more dependent they became on it. Needless to say, this was more difficult for some than others.
But at first they remained united. They saw their country was failing, and knew they could use their powers to help it. So they set out to-”
“I’m terribly sorry to interrupt, your highness.”
Ben’s mother looked away from him in surprise at the door. An apologetic looking maidservant was hovering there awkwardly. Ben, lying in bed, felt a twinge of annoyance. Why did this always happen? He didn’t get to see his mother enough as it was, and whenever he did, she invariably got some message or other.
“What is it?” asked Ben’s mother patiently.
“There is a visitor, your highness. A Miss Ada Medon. She said she was an old friend of yours…” The maid trailed off as Ben’s mother’s face changed from one of mild surprise to deep shock.
Ben, lying in bed, had no idea who this ‘Miss Ada Medon’ was, but it disturbed him to see his mother so affected. She always seemed to calm and composed around those boring but imposing old men she was always meeting with Dad. But then this visitor had arrived very late, he supposed. No manners.
He tugged at her sleeve. “Mummy?” She didn’t answer straightaway, seemingly lost in thought, so he tugged again harder, saying, “Mummy? What is it?”
His mother blinked and turned back to Ben, but he could see she was still thinking hard about something. “Oh – nothing – nothing darling,” she murmured, smoothing back his hair and kissing his forehead, “But I have to go and see this person, is that all right? I’ll tell you the rest of the story tomorrow night.”
“All right,” said Ben, but he was surprised. Even though his mother did seem to always get these messages when she was with him, she normally made them wait for a little while, especially when in the middle of something as important as a bedtime story. The annoyance grew. Who was this ‘Miss Ada Medon’, and what made her so important?
She was hurriedly tucking in the covers around him, saying, “Sleep well, darling – I expect I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Goodnight mummy,” said Ben, pretending to yawn.
“Goodnight sweetheart.” She was already halfway across the room, and before she’d finished had vanished through the door. The maid bobbed as she passed, and then followed, closing the door behind her.
Ben lay still in bed, silently counting to thirty. One. Two. He could hear his mother’s and the maid’s footsteps receding down the hallway outside his room.
Twelve. Thirteen. He watched the flickering candle flame on his bedside table, sending dancing shadows around his large ornate room, which, for all its size, still had little in it save for his bed and wardrobe.
Nineteen. Twenty. The light from the candle combined with the glow from the moon outside, bathing the entire room in a strange kind of ambience.
Twenty-eight. Twenty-nine. Thirty. Ben threw off his covers and sprang out of bed, silently padding over to the closed door and easing it open.
The long corridor outside was completely deserted, but sound travelled well in the palace. He could still hear their footsteps echoing down the Grand Staircase, and scurried silently after them, his heart beating fast with the excitement of being awake when he wasn’t supposed to be.
He reached the staircase and waited hidden behind a suit of armour, listening to the footsteps in the stone-floored hallway below. They sounded as though they were going to the right. Moments later, he heard a door close.
He crept down the staircase clinging to the wide banister, walking lightly even though they were carpeted and his feet made no noise. He hesitated on the third step from the bottom, peering out through the ornate balustrades. There was a light in one of the small meeting rooms off the main hall, flickering underneath the door. He could hear his mother’s voice, and another woman’s, though she sounded strange to Ben. Scared. Panicky.
He very almost went back to bed then, but made himself carry on down the last few steps, still clinging to the banister as he set his bare feet onto the cold stone floor. He went across to the room on tiptoe – partly to be quiet, but also because the stone slabs were icy against his feet – and stopped outside, and peered through the keyhole. Anyone who has peered through a keyhole will know that this rarely gives a good view, and indeed he could only a see a little of the room beyond, but Ben, who had peered through many keyholes in his short life, believed tradition to be important.
He could just see his mother – she was standing alone watching the other speaker with a look of grave concern on her face. The other speaker – this ‘Miss Ada Medon’, he assumed – was out of sight. She sounded agitated, and by the sound of her voice and what he could see of his mother watching her, she was pacing.
“-I just don’t know what I’m going to DO, Carys, I just came into the room and she was talking to something – something I couldn’t see! – and then – then the lights went strange, they got brighter and then darker and then even brighter, and – and she was laughing, and saw me and said ‘Mummy, look what I can do!’ She’s GOT it, Carys, she’s got it from Jack-”
“Ada-” said his mother, reaching towards the speaker, “It’s going to be all-”
“-and I can’t LOSE her, not after Jack, I just CAN’T-”
“Ada!” said his mother firmly, “You are not going to lose Claire. How could you?”
“You don’t hear them!” said the woman, with a laugh verging on hysterical which Ben didn’t like, “I do – the shadows – at night, they gather round and whisper to me… I’m probably crazy, I know that’s what you’re thinking, maybe he messed up my brain more than I thought…”
“Ada…” repeated his mother patiently, and Ben could see alarm growing on her face, but the woman Ada carried on,
“Maybe this is what he wanted, I betrayed his secret before so no-one will believe me again-”
“ADA!” shouted Carys, striding out of view towards the hysterical sounding voice, and by the way the woman’s voice stopped suddenly, grabbed onto her, “I do not think you’re crazy. I believe you.”
Ben certainly thought she was crazy. Perhaps Mummy was just being nice.
It worked, at least. The woman called Ada had stopped raving, and, after a moment, said so quietly that Ben could barely hear it, “You do?”
“Of course I do,” said his mother patiently, “I’m glad you came to me. Now, come and sit down…”
“Oh no no no, I can’t stay long,” said the woman Ada, some of the original frenzy coming back into her voice, “I have to go soon-”
“Why?” said his mother in surprise.
The woman Ada hesitated, and then whispered so that Ben had to strain to hear, “The shadows follow me – I only just managed to lose them before I got here-”
And back to the crazy talk. Ben couldn’t understand why his sensible mother was listening to this mad person.
“They can’t get you here,” his mother assured, but she sounded worried as she said it. Perhaps that was why Ada laughed.
“Ha! They get everywhere. Fill a room with candles and still they assemble, hiding behind things, waiting for me to fall asleep – I walk in bright sunshine but there they are, following me, hidden beneath my feet – well, they can’t have Claire! Do you understand? They won’t take her! I won’t let them!”
“Of course not,” said his mother, and she sounded extremely worried now. The woman called Ada sounded as though she was in tears.
“But I don’t know how I can stop them – they always find me – I just have to keep moving, I have to go soon – I thought perhaps if we split up, perhaps they can only follow one of us-”
“What?” said his mother suddenly, “Split up?”
“You have to take Claire,” said the woman Ada fervently, “You have to take her, hide her, protect her-”
“Oh – oh no, no, Ada, I couldn’t-”
“The shadows don’t know where we are,” whispered the woman Ada, “If I leave now, they’ll only find me – Claire’ll be safe.” It sounded as though his mother tried to interrupt, but the woman continued louder, “You were always so much stronger than me, Carys – I know you can look after her, protect her, but I can’t. I just can’t. I never could.”
“Ada,” repeated his mother in her reasoning voice, “If I could, I would, you know that – but being married to someone like Danny, it complicates things. I can’t just adopt-”
“Then get her a job here,” insisted the woman, “She’s young, but she’s bright, sharp, she learns quickly. A maid, errand girl – I know you’ll keep an eye on her-”
“Are you sure you’d rather she be a servant here?” said his mother uncertainly.
“Yes,” said the woman Ada without hesitation, “I’m scared he’ll-”
The door suddenly opened a crack, and Ben leapt backwards in alarm – he hadn’t been aware of anyone else in the room. A little face appeared in the crack, peeking out in surprise at Ben. It was a girl, about his age, with bright eyes.
“Who are you?” she whispered curiously.
Ben immediately straightened himself up and adopted what he called his dad’s ‘Fancy Pose’. “His Royal Highness Prince Benjamin, son of the Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Daniel and his wife Her Royal Highness Princess Carys, second in line to the throne.”
“That’s a long name,” said the girl disapprovingly, “It sounds silly.”
“What’s your name then?” snapped Ben, immediately dropping the act.
“Claire.” She thrust out a slightly grubby hand. “Claire Medon.”
Ben looked at hand uncertainly. She waited expectantly. Finally he slowly took it and quickly kissed it.
“Eww!” squealed the girl, snatching it back and wiping it on her dress, “What did you do that for?”
“Men do it,” said Ben, utterly confused, “They kiss ladies’ hands. I’ve seen them.”
“Well, I’m not a lady,” said Claire firmly, thrusting her hands into her pockets where he couldn’t get to them.
Ben considered her. “No. Definitely not.”
“Why were you listening?”
“You arrived in the middle of my story,” said Ben in an accusing voice, “That’s my mummy.”
“Really? That’s MY mummy,” said Claire, gesturing behind her.
“Is she crazy?” asked Ben.
Claire shrugged. “I don’t know. I think she thinks I am,” she added.
Ben frowned. Claire was strange, no doubt, but she didn’t seem crazy. “Why?”
“Because I can do magic,” said Claire eagerly.
Ben snorted. “No you can’t.”
“I can too.”
“Liar.”
“I can!”
“Liar liar liar.”
“I’ll show you!”
“Go on then!” challenged Ben.
Claire stuck her tongue out at him, and then screwed up her face and shut her eyes in concentration. Ben waited. Nothing seemed to happen. Suddenly, he noticed the light in the room behind was acting strangely, suddenly getting brighter and brighter-
“Claire?” called the woman Ada, sounding scared, “Are you doing that?”
“Yes!” called back Claire, opening her eyes and grinning smugly at Ben.
“I’ve told you not to, come away from the door-” Suddenly the woman Ada came into view behind Claire. Ben took a step back. She was younger than he’d expected, about the same age as his mother if not a bit younger, but she looked a mess – she looked tired and haggard, her face pale and drawn with her hair messy around it, but her eyes were full of frenzied energy, darting around nervously and never staying still.
“Who are you?” she demanded, making Ben jump, “What are you doing?”
His mother suddenly appeared behind her. “Ben, what are you doing out of bed?” she said in surprise, “I’m sorry, Ada, this is my son Ben, I was just saying goodnight when you arrived-”
“Oh, no, that’s fine,” said the woman, and she suddenly visibly drooped, as though all the frenzied energy keeping her going had exhausted itself. “I just – he startled me – I thought – oh, never mind.” She sighed, and Ben felt sorry for her. She sounded exhausted. “I’d better be going…”
“Are you sure about this?” asked his mother anxiously, “Are you sure you don’t want to stay as well?”
“Quite sure,” said Ada, sounding more resigned than determined, “I’ll send letters, I’ll visit when I can – I know you’ll look after her…”
It seemed that while he had been talking to Claire, something had been decided. He looked at Claire – she was looking up at her mother, looking confused and a bit scared. “Mummy, where are we going now?”
Claire’s mother looked at his mother, who moved to the side out of the way, and turned back to Claire and said, “Come in here, my darling, I need to explain something…”
“Don’t listen, Ben,” whispered his mother as the woman Ada took Claire’s hand and the two of them went into the room, half closing the door behind them, “It’s not polite to eavesdrop.”
“What’s happening?” asked Ben immediately, “Who’s that woman? Is she crazy?”
“No!” said his mother, “She’s – she’s not very well. She’s an old friend of mine, she’s my cousin Jack’s wife. The little girl Claire is their daughter.”
“I’ve never met your cousin Jack, have I?” His daddy had lots of relatives who he’d met, most of them boring, but his mummy didn’t seem to have any.
“No. He died a few years ago. And Ada – the woman – she’s been having some trouble coping by herself. So Claire’s going to be staying with us for a while.”
“Does she have to be a servant?”
“Not quite a servant, Ben. She is family.”
“No, I meant – she can share my room. I wouldn’t mind much. She can have some of my toys too.”
Carys smiled. “That won’t be necessary…”
She trailed off as the woman Ada and Claire emerged again. Claire still looked confused, and her mother looked sad but determined.
“I don’t know how to thank you, Carys,” she said, “I’d send you money for her upbringing, but…”
“We don’t exactly need it,” smiled Carys, her voice echoing slightly in the large marble hall.
The woman Ada half-managed to return it, and knelt down so that she was facing Claire. “I hope I’ll see you soon, sweetheart,” she said, voice shaking slightly, “Be good for Carys, do as you’re told…”
“Will you be back tomorrow?” asked Claire.
Ada folded Claire into her arms so that she couldn’t see the tears forming in her eyes. “I don’t think so, darling.”
“The day after that?”
“I don’t know.”
“The day after that?” said Claire, sounding more and more desperate.
“I told you, you’re staying with Carys for a while,” said the woman Ada, hurriedly wiping her eyes behind her daughter’s head, “So be good-”
“When will you be back?” cried Claire.
Ada kissed the top of her daughter’s head. “Soon,” she whispered, and straightened up. “I love you, darling.”
“I love you too, Mummy,” said Claire, looking up at her once again in confusion. Ben reached out and grabbed his own mother’s hand.
Ada said goodbye to his mother, bent quickly and kissed her daughter once more, and turned and walked quickly across the hall without looking back. They watched until she vanished into the darkness outside and the large door had closed behind her.
Claire stood alone and sniffed. Ben’s mother sighed, and at the instant she sounded just as tired and sad as Ada. “Come on, dear,” she said, holding out a hand to Claire, “Let’s find you a nice room…”
Claire didn’t take the hand, but obediently followed her and Ben towards the staircase. “When will my mummy come back?” she asked after a moment.
“Soon,” said his mother.
“Why couldn’t I go too?”
“You just couldn’t, dear. She had to go alone. She wanted you to come, though.”
“But where’s she gone?”
“Just away. She just had to go away for a while.”
Claire nodded, all confusion leaving her face and replaced with a grave understanding. “Like Daddy.”
“No,” said his mother quickly, “Not like Daddy. Just away.”
“Daddy just had to go away for a while too. Has she gone to see him?”
“No! No, she’s gone somewhere else. She’ll be back soon,” she added hurriedly. Claire nodded and looked down at her feet, not saying another word. Ben remembered his mother saying that Claire’s dad was dead, and also remained silent.
His mother found a maid to find Claire a room, and after making sure she was settled, walked back with Ben to his room to tuck him in again. “How long will Claire be staying?” he asked as he snuggled under the blankets.
“Not for too long,” said his mother.
“Can you tell me the rest of the story now?”
“No, not now, darling. Mummy’s very tired.”
“Tomorrow then? I want to know what happens.”
His mother smiled, and she did look tired. “Yes. Perhaps tomorrow.”
