by Tey, Rachel;
Belle’s heart sank – she had hoped to see her dining table back in Michelmont. But evidently, it was not yet her turn to go home.
She turned to Cheesy Bear and the DuPorcs. “I guess this is goodbye, then.” She didn’t know if she would see them the following Wednesday or ever again. Tea in Pajamas had come to be a central part of her life, but it also felt like that journey had come full circle. Perhaps it was time to let go of Belzerac and everyone in it, and it seemed they understood this too.
“Everything’s going to be all right,” said Cheesy, hugging her tenderly. “You are a wonderful person, don’t you forget it.”
“Know that you are very loved, because that’s all that matters,” added Monsieur DuPorc.
It wasn’t the typical “we’ll miss you” speech she was expecting but maybe this was the best advice to give anyone. She blinked away tears as they broke apart.
As Cheesy Bear and the DuPorcs disappeared through the open door, it shut firmly after them. Once again, vines and creepers descended to conceal it completely. Now only the other door remained.
“If you don’t mind,” Belle said to Tess and Julien, who were standing behind her, misty-eyed, “I’d like to do the honors too for the other door.”
They nodded and stepped aside.
Belle approached the golden portal with trepidation. This would be her last chance. It was gleaming so brightly she could see her own reflection staring back at her – a tired but determined little girl, barefoot and in her pajamas. She knocked on it once.
Nothing happened.
She tried again, more forcefully.
She went on knocking for a third, fourth, fifth, and sixth time.
Still nothing.
“Perhaps you need to say something,” Tess suggested. “You know how Dorothy does the no-place-like-home speech to get back to Kansas?”
“But what do I say?”
Nobody had an answer.
“Please open up. We’d like to go home,” she called out in earnest.
The door remained shut.
“There’s no place like home!”
Clearly, this wasn’t the Land of Oz, and that line had no effect whatsoever. Belle was getting exasperated.
After several more futile attempts, she sank to the ground, crestfallen. She had done everything in her power to get home, but now, it seemed, all had come to naught.
“Although I don’t want it to end this way, I accept responsibility for all of this,” Belle said, looking up at Monsieur L’Arbre and addressing him. “I concede that I took Tea in Pajamas too far and lost sight of home – of reality.
“The irony is … after having gone through one heck of an extraordinary adventure in Belzerac, I’ve come to appreciate just what ‘extraordinary’ means to me. It’s my most ordinary life in Michelmont.
“Now my dear friends are implicated in this mess of my own making, yet they have been nothing but gracious and sympathetic through it all. Tess and Julien deserve to go home and get on with their lives.
“With Belzerac, I thought I’d discovered a place so magical and wonderful. I was obsessed with Wednesday afternoons, and so afraid my time in Belzerac might disappear if I turned my attention away from it, even if only for a moment.
“So Tea in Pajamas took on a life of its own. It never occured to me that I’d have any trouble getting home … home, which I’d taken for granted. Now here we are, lost, on the cusp of finding our way back … yet … not quite.
“Monsieur L’Arbre, please will you show us the way home? We’re all quite ready to get out of our pajamas, put on some shoes, and do something else next Wednesday afternoon. As for me, I want to be around to tell my family just how much I love them.”
“THE DOOR!” cried Tess excitedly. “IT’S OPENING!”
Indeed it was. Belle got to her feet, staring as the portal, which only moments ago had been sealed shut, unbolted with a deafening quake. From it emerged bright rays of light that spread out like giant fingers.
It was the evening sun of Michelmont spilling through her kitchen window. In the middle stood the table where she always took her tea, and on it sat an empty plate and teacup. She saw the dining chair that was not pushed back in and the flaky pastry crumbs that were scattered on the floor beneath. The scene was exactly the way she had left it.
The sun was setting. I could be home for dinner, she thought, her heart so full of joy she thought it might burst.
Hand in hand, the children ran, their every step taking them further from Belzerac and closer to Michelmont.
As they crossed the threshold, Belle heard the familiar lull of Mélodie. The music was so stirring, and she was tempted to glance behind her, but somehow, the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice came to mind.
“No matter what,” Belle said to her friends, “don’t look back.”
END
Author’s Note
There was once a girl who struggled with disordered behaviors. She fought long and hard in a battle she thought she might never emerge victorious from, and searched far and wide for a key that might unlock her from her unfreedoms. Not knowing at first where to look, she spent much time researching for a cure. Eventually, however, she came to realize that the exact tools she sought for this purpose lay deep within her. They were discernment and self-awareness.
That girl was me.
This book is an allegorical representation of my little inward journey toward a place of honesty and truth – one that is ongoing.
For a time, I had thought about writing a long, detailed account of this challenging period, and perhaps one day I will. However, the idea of “coming home to myself” was also essentially about being reacquainted with that child in me, and I have always wanted to write a children’s book, especially one that might connect with readers on a deeper level. That is how Tea in Pajamas came about.
I would like to thank my family and friends who supported this passion project of mine, particularly my loving and talented husband Joseph who provided the illustrations to this book. I’m also grateful to Melvin Neo, Mindy Pang, Anita Teo and She-reen Wong at Marshall Cavendish who were patient and encouraging throughout the entire publication process. And finally, my utmost gratitude is reserved for the One who loves me unconditionally and gifted me with this precious life.
Tea in Pajamas is a story of hope: of a life that is beautiful and inspiring when seen through the eyes of a child – and with a discerning heart.
With that, it is my sincere hope that you enjoy Belle’s little tale of discernment and self-awareness.
Belle’s adventures continue in
Tea in Pajamas: Beyond Belzerac
Six o’clock in evening was an odd time for the house to be empty. It was now a full hour since Belle Marie came home, showered, and chucked her dirty laundry in the washing machine. The soles of her feet were grazed with tiny cuts and callused, and her striped cotton pajamas – filthy, ragged, and battle-weary – had certainly seen better days.
Belle was desperate to see her family, but upon her return to Michelmont, there was no sign of her parents or older brother Éric. It was a little late for a grocery run, but seeing how Mom’s car wasn’t in the driveway, her mother and brother must’ve made a highly unusual decision to get takeout for dinner. And while it wasn’t uncommon for Dad to still be at work at this hour, she found it difficult to tamp down a gnawing anxiety that things weren’t quite right.
The kitchen bore no trace of activity. No meat was left to thaw on the counter, the cutting board was devoid of its usual carrots and onions, and the slow cooker – typically switched on almost all day – was not even plugged into the power socket, its contents dry and empty.
Was this home?
As far as Belle was aware, it certainly looked the part. The house was exactly the way she’d left it, yet that once distinct sense of warmth and ease that came with being home was markedly absent. The place was spick and span, and fixtures and furnishings were in their rightful place, yet an unmistakable
lackadaisical quality clung to the air. Why did home feel so grim and somber?
A gust of wind blew in from an open window, making Belle shiver. She pulled the hood of her gray fleece jacket over her head and tucked her hands into the pockets of her blue jeans. Autumn was in full swing and the days were getting shorter: with nightfall imminent, she noted with irony how in a few hours she’d be back in pajamas, and found herself repulsed by the thought.
No thanks, but I’ll sleep in my jeans if I have to, she resolved. After a longer-than-planned sojourn in Belzerac, Tea in Pajamas was a chapter she’d closed – at least for now.
So where was everybody?
Rachel Tey is an editorial consultant. She lives in Singapore with her husband and two children. Tea in Pajamas is her debut novel, the first in a multi-part series. Look out for its sequel, Tea in Pajamas: Beyond Belzerac, where the adventures of Belle, Tess, and Julien continue.
Visit www.racheltey.com or connect with her on social media for all the latest updates.