<<"What's that in the water?" I asked Chump.>>
Hello there, eager reader! I hope you have come to stay, taking long breaths of the smell of a story. But this time, the story's written by me, and only me. I'm sorry if you like stories in chapters so you know where you are if you want to continue reading later, but that's my style. Read on.
It was Autumn. I actually remember how it all happened. I was eating breakfast with my mother at the table and dad was in the living-room reading a newspaper, when a bell rang. "Coming." Sounded my dear mother's voice before she got up and, folding her clean napkin hurried to the door. I heard her speak with the postman and wishing him a good morning before mom closed the door and came back to where I sat. "The postman has brought you a letter, I haven't checked from who it is but kept it for you." She half-smiled before stepping into the bedroom, humming something. I turned the blue envelope over, curious to know the person who had sent ME a letter, for I do rarely receive letters. But strangely enough it had no address whatsoever. Just my name scribbled roughly in black. I turned it over once more and opened it eagerly, peeping inside. Poking two fingers inside the envelope, I took the paper out and sniffed it, as was my habit. It smelled of dry roses. It was neatly folded, so I unfolded it quickly to read as follows:
"Dear Molly,
Hello there, your Aunt here. Sorry to say that I haven't contacted you since you were two years old, so that's a long time, eight years. Ah, you were just a baby then... Let me focus on the main matter now. I have sad news for you. Your uncle, Joshua, has died of fever and so I am very much grieved. I know I have been quite a fool, for keeping myself alone for these past years, just me and good old Joshua. No kids, no dogs, no people...Just us. So I've had an idea I have been thinking on and this is the final decision. I would like it very much if you came here, to Waterhills. I'm sure you'd enjoy spending some holidays with me!
Greetings, your aunt."
I sneezed and read it again. And again. When I had finished reading the fourth time, I finally stood up in a hurry, throwing the chair over, and ran to Mother's bedroom. "Mom, mom, look here!" I shouted through the closed door. My mother stopped singing and called out in her sweet voice. "Wait a second, dear, I'm dressing!" I sat down against the wall, thinking over the meaning of the letter. While I was so deep swimming in my thoughts, Mother opened the door and walked out, sitting down beside me without me noticing her. "What did you wish, my little bunny-rabbit?" She asked me softly, taking the letter in a gentle way from my hands. It slipped without protest, as she ran her eyes over it. "Your aunt, huh?" She frowned, as if thinking, and I didn't disturb her, waiting patiently. "Oh, Aunt Eliza! Poor old Uncle Joshua!" She cried out, a tear in her eyes running down her left cheek. "And how kind of her to let you spend your holidays with her! In Waterhills!" After that day, all the house was in a rush, mother running to and fro trying to pack something into a giant traveling bag on wheels, nearly bursting it with clothes. And so, a week later, I was leaning onto the cold window of a county train, feeling the freezing rain against the glass. A waiter passed everyone, now and then, to see if we were alright, and every time he asked me, I nodded quietly. I didn't understand somethings in this sudden journey, but I didn't mind getting to know a strange aunt and her lonely old house. Two hours later, when the train stopped with a soft jerk and let out a big cloud of smoke, with a shrill whistle accompanying it. I stepped out, the waited carrying my luggage after me, and looked around. As I turned back to look at the waiter, my bag was on the ground beside me and the train was parting to the next town. I walked to a wooden bench and sat down, waiting for everything and nothing to happen at the same time. When twelve minutes had passed, I caught sight of a short and sort of plump-looking lady running towards me, crying out some "hellos" and "how are yous" tangled with laughter. I stood up in respect, and she approached me and hugged me and tightened her grasp on me, and petted my head as though I was a doggy. I blushed some and she finally loosened her grasp on me as she led me to an old and rusty "Mercedes" car. It had some feeling as though it had been blue once, but now it was all but its original color. It was white, with blotches of grey and black here and there. I climbed into the back, as it creaked with my weight and I thought that the car would just explode when my aunt sat down. Well, it didn't and we got going all right. Quite shyly, I peeped into her face and looked into her eyes and asked her. "What's your name?" Without forgetting to be polite, of course. She laughed and murmured to herself. "Damn, how could I forget such a darling?" before responding. "I'm your Aunt Eliza, but call me Aunt El please. It's more simple." I half-smiled and hugged her and she hugged me back, before having to return her look to the road, as she was driving. Driving is quite a difficult job, you know. When we got there, I jumped out of the car quickly, in pity of it as it had carried so much weight for such an old little car...Looking around, I saw the house. It quite looked like a big haunted palace, it really did.
I hesitated for quite a while, but in a minute I was on the doorstep waiting for Aunt El to catch up. She did, smiling, and handed me a big rusty key. It was nearly twice the size of my hand, and therefore twice as heavy. I sort of staggered under its weight, as it had surprised me. Turning it in the keyhole, with a loud crack and a hard push the door finally gave way and we entered. "Sorry, I'm not too keen on cleaning when I'm alone." I heard Aunt's voice behind me as a large cobweb swished past my head. And I had already noticed it, the spiderwebs in every corner, and when I passed a finger against an old table, clouds of gray dust arose before my eyes. I stood for a moment against a crumbly wall so Auntie could pass to show the way. She led me past four rooms, two bathrooms and a bedroom before we reached a wide hall. "Come in, dear." Called Aunt Eliza and I stepped in. The same smell as the letter had smelled, of dry roses, filled my nostrils and stayed there as I stood in the hall, looking around. It was quite a curious sight, with statuettes of foxes everywhere; on the shelves of two old bookshelves. The tables, filled with webs and dust as usual, were full of fox statuettes, as the bookshelves. "What are they?" I asked Eliza. She ran her fingers lovingly along the foxes' noses, wiping dust. "They...They are your grandfather's dear foxes. He loved them as though they were alive, they took years and years to collect. Twenty-seven years, in fact." She sighed, petting my hair. I looked into her eyes, seeing shining tears appearing. Wiping them with my fingers, I hugged her. I was liking her more and more, although I had just met her. "Go on, explore the house, I know you kids like exploring." She smiled and afterwards whispered into my ear. "Tomorrow we are going to start cleaning this ol' chap up." As she pointed to the house around us. I laughed and ran up a flight of stairs I had seen earlier. When I found myself alone in an empty room with more stairs, I rushed to the window. I wasn't quite very high, I couldn't say I was afraid to fall down THAT. I lingered a little longer next to the glass closed by the curtains, when I had an idea. The room was quite dark. And I was next to a curtained window, with lots of sun outside. Smiling, I ran the curtains open and a bright light erupted into the room. Excited and happy, the light danced around every corner, lighting up every remain of darkness and shadow. I shook myself off the sunny window to run up the next stairs. Now I was inside a larger room, with an open window. It was a bit windy, but sunny so I closed the window and locked it so the wind wouldn't open it again. I sat down on the tip of a large sofa, torn with markings of claws which I understood to be cat claw markings. My eyes wondered around the room, turning every corner and into every shelf. Again, there were many fox statuettes, with sharp, golden noses pointing into the empty air. At that moment, I noticed a big closet with half-closed doors so I got up and peeped in curiously. I shrieked as a small spider descended onto my nose, from an invisible thin spiderweb. I calmed down and swiped him gently off onto the floor, on which he ran away to under the closet, afraid. I laughed and looked inside. There were books. Tens, hundreds, thousands! No, thousands it wasn't, but at the first look it looked so. I ran my warm fingers along the cold covers, feeling the years' dust along it, as so much of the other things in that house at Waterhills...
Wrapping two fingers around one of the thin books, I pulled it out carefully and lied down aback onto the sofa, curling up in a warm ball and opening it. "Josh's Diary Book" it read in gold letters. I turned the second page over and it began. It spoke of a young boy coming to Waterhills with his parents...And then it described the terrible car crash they suffered. It spoke of how the Father's head got ripped off and how Mother was thrown aback into the seat and her loss of blood was so great she died. I closed the book quickly with a soft "thump" sound and breathed heavily. It was really a horrible thing to write in such a good old thing as a dear little book. I got up and pushed it back into the closet, closing the closet doors and looking out of the window. As it continued to be sunny and warm, I rushed down the first and the second flight of stairs to meet Aunt. "Can I go outside?" I asked rather shyly. "Of course you can, little duckie!" I just thought this Aunt Eliza completely awesome as I galloped outdoors, pushing open the door with a hard kick. I saw the most pretty sight as I ran, with rushing hair at the wind, down the valley next to Aunt's house. Oak trees and pine trees past my very eyes as I ran. Suddenly, I had to stop, nearly falling into a lake. I wiped my eyes and the sweat off my forehead and looked across the lake. That's when I noticed how wide it was. But...on the other side of the lake, a tiny light shined faintly, not the sun but a lantern's light.
I felt a hand's touch on my shoulder and a voice right behind me.
"You're lucky." I turned around, my eyes at normal-person level, knowing I would meet some old man, but I had to lower my head to see the dwarf who was in front of me.
"Ouch." I said, wiping my eyes, and blinking.
"Are you some..."
"Aye, aye, me a dwarf." He interrupted and I raised my eyebrows.
"What's your name, grandpa?" He stared at me, with disgust, when I said this.
"Me, a grandpa? Ya gettin' an illusi'n into yar head, ya are." He coughed and looked back into my eyes. "Me's a very yang gentl'man, if ya ma' ask. Nah, me name's Chump." I wiped my nose with the back of my right hand and lowered my eyes.
"I am so sorry, Chump." I blushed and he laughed.
"Nah, don't let's be sh'a wid each'ther." He laughed and turned, facing the lake now.
"J'st take a m'ment of yar time and see th's pretty sight." I understood he referred to the lake, and turned. I saw the light again and some unusual waves in the water, I just couldn't resist it anymore and turned to the dwarf.
"What's that in the water?" I asked Chump. He took my hand and smiled. A weird feeling traveled along my spine as a light breeze swept at my hair.
"What is it?" I asked again, unsure. As I prepared to ask again, he grabbed my hand more tightly and bent his knees.
"Noh, don't yah worry, child!" Chump shouted, as he jumped into the rushing waters, dragging me along. Although scared, I closed my mouth tightly, full with air, and closed my eyes. Feeling the touch of the dwarf's hand on my shoulder again, I opened my eyes, blinking in the water. We were a little beneath the surface, and I opened my mouth, quite forgetting that fact, and...
"Child, haw're yah doin'?" I heard Chump's funny voice beside me. I opened my eyes once more, and realized I was breathing...underwater. I gasped and raised my eyebrows at my little friend.
"Dis' normal, what'd you want? Some place where o'ly fishes c'd breathe? Nah, that'd be awful." He remarked, pulling my hand.
I followed him as he wanted, looking around me, amazed and in wonder. It was a place, like no other I'd ever been to. It felt as if it was a strange place, a place on another planet, a...I wiped my forehead. ...A magical place. Around me was a wondrous sight. A school of clown-fish swam under my feet, and a school of sardines above my head. There were rosy corals everywhere, with a glimmer of sunlight in every corner. That was when Chump jerked me to the water's surface. I trembled at the sudden change of warmth, and I blinked several times before my sight cleared completely. He swam to the shore, pulling me with him, and jumped back onto it, dragging me behind as usual. I looked at him, not understanding, but he was already looking in another direction. I followed his gaze. That was when I saw thefairies.
I gasped. It was a marvelous sight, fluttering wings a little higher than the surface, the tips of their tiny feet just touching the water. Onto their hair were woven dozens of little flowers, daisies, roses...Grabbing Chump's hand, I rubbed my eyes, not believing. He just chuckled.
"Them our neighbors, them are. The fairies."
"The f-a-i-r-i-e-s." I repeated in a murmur, spelling out every letter of the word. "The fairies."
A sudden light shone into my eyes and I raised my hands over it, blinking. It flew past me. I hesitated but then lowered my hands, seeing that it had been a curious fairy coming closer. Each of them was holding a small lantern, although I saw no sense in it as their wings emitted light. Their ears were pointed and each fairy wore a long dress, nearly covering their feet. Chump had wandered off into the mist of fairies, chatting with each one by its name.
"Hey Chump!" Called a young boy.
The dwarf held out his hand to him.
"Nice ta meet ya, Horus!"
Horus nodded and looked at me, with his thin, black eyebrows highly raised.
"Who's this girl?" He asked, returning his look to Chump.
The dwarf's ears twitched and he murmured.
"Dat gal's ma friend." His eyes twinkled. Horus lowered his head, thoughtful, and then smiled at me. "Come 'ere, let our Queen see you." He took my hand with his tiny one and I felt strange. The little fairy's hand was the size of one of my fingertips. But I followed all the same. Soon, Horus stopped the fluttering of his blue wings, landing onto a mushroom next to a tidy gentleman fairy.
"Greetings, Horus." His head was covered in tiny golden coins and small yellow flowers, and he fore a neat suit.
Horus smiled, waving his legs over the edge of the mushroom.
"Good evening, Mordred." A sweet breeze blew threw our hair, fiddling with it. Mordred's eyes turned slowly onto Chump, ignoring me.
"Greetings, Chump." His voice was deep and calm, on the opposite of Horus, who seemed very nice, friendly and playful. Now his gaze met mine.
"You are not welcomed here, as much as I know." I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Chump hushed me with a gesture of his right hand, speaking himself, rather harshly.
"Well ya know nothin'. She's tha' young lady 'Angelina mentioned some days ago, so yer speakin' nonsense, Mordred."
Mordred retreated a little, then gritted his teeth together and flew up in a rage, and away, with fluttering grey wings. Horus sighed.
"Don't mind my bro, he's a little...well, you get it, don't you?" I nodded and followed Horus quietly as he led the way to a coral palace. It was huge, and what I thought, made of corals and emeralds. We entered when a sweet, kind voice echoed around the palace.
"Come in, Blue Horus and Dwarf of My Company, Chump. And not to forget young Molly." A gush of breeze blew open the doors and I saw a lovely fairy on a throne, with a golden crown on her head and a scepter in her right hand.
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Note: I haven't finished yet!! Look out for more!!
