Hector Humdinger stood on the bridge of his ship and watched her disembark, and his eyes remained firmly fixed on her until she was little more than a speck on the horizon. As he stroked his whiskery chin, he muttered, “Keep going, Polly. Don’t give up now.”
Chapter 27
DIAMONDS ARE A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND
POLLY WALKED ON for about a mile or so before deciding it was time to have a rest and study her little map. She placed Langdon by her side and then started to rummage through her belongings until finally she produced the guide. As she sat and studied it intently, she thought she heard a rustling noise coming from the bushes nearby. Polly looked up but could see nothing, so with head down she continued to try and work out precisely where she was.
As Polly hated maps, and therefore map reading, she began to feel quite frustrated, for she had no idea where north was, or for that matter where south was supposed to be. When she was a member of the Girl Guides they had done plenty of map reading as they wandered the hills and downs looking for suitable places to pitch their tents, but right then she began to wish she had paid more attention.
Polly turned the map upside down to see if it now made more sense, and then she turned it sideways. Still she did not have a clue as to where she was. Polly folded up the map before informing Langdon that she was feeling very discouraged.
“Maybe we should just call it a day and go home, Langdon,” she said mournfully, “But to tell you the truth, as I have no idea where we are, I am fairly certain I will have great difficulty even finding my way home. This adventure is beginning to turn into a nightmare,” she complained bitterly. “Well, we had better just keep on walking, Langdon, and hope that sooner rather than later we find someone who can help us,” she sighed.
It would be many hours later that Polly found herself looking for somewhere to sit down so that she could take another look at the map.
“Look, Langdon, there’s a bench just over there in the distance. We will take a rest there while I peruse my map again in an attempt to get my bearings.”
As she headed towards the bench, she saw a young lad approaching it from the other side. He had his hands stuffed in his pockets and was whistling. He seemed to be too deep in thought to notice Polly. He suddenly took an almighty leap over the bench as though it were a hurdle and came to land directly in front of Polly, almost knocking her down as he landed on both feet.
“Hi there. My name is Polly, and this little fellow is Langdon,” said Polly brightly, patting Langdon on the nose as she spoke.
“Oh, hi there. I’m sorry I didn’t see you,” replied the boy with sandy colored hair and an impish grin on his freckle-covered face.
Polly noticed that he looked fairly scruffy, what with his very disheveled sandy brown hair standing on end and large, patched-up holes in his trousers, but none of this put her off.
“What’s your name?” she politely asked.
“Well, that’s for you to guess,” replied the young boy most mischievously. “But I’ll help you out by giving you a clue. My name starts with the letter t.”
“Thomas? Trevor? Tony?” she asked, wrinkling up her nose as she attempted to guess correctly. The boy shook his head in a most determined manner.
“Am I getting warmer?” Polly asked.
“Nope, you’re nowhere near,” replied the boy. “Tell you what; I’ll give you another clue. Do you like Shakespeare?” he asked throwing his head back as he continued to laugh heartily.
“Well, not really,” Polly reluctantly admitted. “I do struggle with the strange language, for even though it’s supposed to be English, it might as well be Swahili as far as I’m concerned. So please don’t keep me guessing. Just put me out of my misery and tell me your name.”
“Oh, all right,” said the young boy resignedly. “My name is Toby.”
“So, where in Shakespeare does the name Toby appear?” Polly demanded to know, for she was at a complete loss as to the link.
“To be or not ‘Toby’—that is the question,” he said, giving her an impish wink.
Polly just shrugged her shoulders, now feeling irritated, for she did not entirely understand his little joke.
“To-bee or not To-bee; don’t you get it, Polly?” he said, laughing out loud. “Oh, never mind. Anyway, quite what brings you to this neck of the woods?”
“Well, I’m not entirely sure where I am,” Polly sadly confessed. “I have tried looking at my map several times, and still I’m none the wiser. I’ve been hoping and praying that someone would turn up who could help me,” she said rather wistfully.
“Here, let me have a look,” said Toby, grabbing hold of her map and jumping back onto the bench to take a rest. “Jump up here and sit next to me, Polly,” he said, holding out his hand to help her up. “Oh, and by the way, my full name is Toby Donati, but my friends call me Dodo, for I’m considered to be as nutty as a Dodo. If I’m honest, I’m really one crayon short of a full box! So please feel free to call me Dodo.”
Polly laughed out loud, something she had not done for quite a while.
“How can you be as nutty as a Dodo? I do believe a Dodo is an extinct bird,” Polly remarked.
“Whatever,” Toby casually replied. “All I know is that’s what my friends call me, and you can call me anything you like as long as it’s not rude or insulting, OK?”
Dodo, as he was now to be known, concentrated his energies toward reading her map, intently furrowing his brow as his eyes oscillated forwards and backwards over it.
“Look, Polly. We’re here, and this is where you are meant to get to next,” he said, pointing with his finger at a specific spot on the map.
Polly looked at the map anxiously trying to take in his directions.
“You are heading for Gold Gulley, are you not? But before you get there you will come to some crossroads. Now, it would help a lot if you try and concentrate more, Polly,” he brashly suggested, thrusting the map right under her nose. “Now, show me that you’ve understood all that I’ve said,” he demanded. “Do you now know which road you take from the crossroads? Is it the left hand fork or the right? Or do you need to just continue on? It would be really helpful to me if you could point out precisely which one it is. Surely you must have some idea?”
“Well no, that’s the problem. I don’t really know which way I’m meant to take,” said Polly rather mournfully.
“Well then, don’t worry your pretty little head about it, for we’ll sort that problem out when we come to it,” stated Dodo reassuringly.
“Oh, all right. I’ll try to put it out of my mind, but only if you are prepared to help me out when the time comes that I have to make a choice,” Polly replied.
“Right, that’s settled then,” said Dodo handing Polly back her map, which she folded and put back in her backpack for safety. “I’m off to sail my boat at the nearby stream,” he announced as he jumped down from the bench. “Care to join me?”
Polly accepted his kind invitation, and after being helped down, she turned to face her new friend. “Dodo, I know this probably sounds like a really stupid question, but where is your sailing boat?”
“It’s in my pocket,” Dodo replied with a smile.
“Oh,” said Polly. “So you say that your boat is in your pocket?” she quizzed as she tried to work out which pocket could possibly hold the boat.
“Yep,” replied Dodo.
Polly looked down at his pocket and felt very confused, for she could see no lump or bump that would suggest that he had any such item as a boat concealed in his trouser pocket. However, she felt it best not to pursue the matter, for she was just very glad to have some company.
Minutes later, they arrived at the brook and headed for the little bridge that went across it. Polly put Langdon on top of her bag before placing the bag to one side. She then sat down on the bridge and after taking off her socks and shoes she allowed her feet to dangle just above the water. Dodo on the other hand disappeared for a few minutes and came back to the l
ittle bridge holding a large stick. He then took a piece of folded paper and penknife from his pocket and began to make a boat from it.
“There, Polly, I told you I had a boat, didn’t I?” he said, holding out his fine piece of craftsmanship.
As Dodo lay on his belly directing his boat with his long stick, they continued to talk. Eventually he got bored sailing his boat and found himself contemplating what he could do next to while away the day.
“I say, Polly, shall we play ‘pooh sticks’?”
“What, might I ask, is ‘pooh sticks,’ Dodo?” asked Polly, showing more than a hint of curiosity. “I’ve never heard of that game.”
“Well then, allow me to show you,” he said, jumping up. “But first, we must go into the woods and cut ourselves some sticks.”
Polly agreed to go with Dodo, but not before picking up Langdon, who was still lying on the top of her schoolbag. With the help of his penknife, in no time at all they had gathered quite a large supply of sticks for their game.
“Here, look after this for me, and I will carry the sticks,” said Dodo as he handed Polly the penknife.
Polly placed the penknife in her pocket, and with Langdon safely tucked away under her arm they hurried back to the bridge to play pooh sticks with immense enthusiasm. Eventually she felt that enough was enough, and it was time to concentrate her thoughts toward getting back on her journey to Piadora.
“Dodo, if this doesn’t sound too cheeky, would you like to come with me to Piadora?” she asked.
“Not sure,” he muttered.
“Well, I think you might like it,” Polly enthused.
“I’m sure I would, Polly, but I also like lazing around here on my belly, just sailing my…”
“Oh, please say you’ll come,” Polly interrupted.
“As I was just saying before you so rudely stopped me, I really like lying around and taking it easy, and I’m not sure if…”
“Come on, Dodo. Together we’ll have a great time,” urged Polly.
“Look here, Polly. Stop constantly interrupting me, and let me finish my sentence. I find your ways very irritating,” he said crossly. “So take your interruptions and leave if you want to.”
“I’m sorry, Dodo,” said Polly meekly. “I never meant to offend you, and I promise I won’t do it again.”
“Yeah, well, the way I see it, life itself is a major interruption,” said Dodo ruefully. “What I mean is, I like to do things my way and in my time, and I won’t be ruled by any clock. So if I had it my way, I’d eat when I wanted to and go to school if and when I wanted to. And I’d lie here basking in the sunshine all day, every day. Yes, a life of leisure—that’s the life for me, and I consider anything else to be a very annoying interruption,” he said with a cheeky little grin.
“Well, if that’s so, I’ll leave right now,” retorted Polly quite defensively.
“No, it’s all right, you can stay and interrupt me until I’ve had enough of your interrupting, and then I will tell you to go. I think that’s a pretty fair deal,” said Dodo.
Polly sat back feeling there was no point in arguing with Dodo, for he really did do and say as he pleased. After a while she found herself feeling very restless and bored, and so she decided to show Dodo her collection of strange pebbles.
“How peculiar,” was all he managed to say as he showed a complete lack of enthusiasm or interest in her small assortment of pebbles.
Polly went to put them back in her schoolbag, but as she did, one of the pebbles didn’t make it. Polly tried to catch the pebble as it rolled across the wooden bridge. Dodo, being quick on the ball, managed to catch it before it went over the bridge and into the stream, where it would more than likely be lost forever. He then decided to playfully hold on to it.
“Come on, Dodo, hand it back,” Polly pleaded.
Dodo responded by taking a halfpenny out of his trouser pocket.
“Toss you for it, Polly Brown. Heads, you lose, and I get to keep your pebble. Tails, you win, and I’ll come with you to Piadora.”
Polly was very reluctant to gamble away her pebble, but as she was keen to drag Dodo along with her, she hastily agreed, and the coin was tossed. Polly won.
“Well then, Dodo, it looks like you’re coming with me after all,” said Polly with a smile.
“Looks that way, doesn’t it,” retorted Dodo rather despondently. “But I might still change my mind.”
“You can’t. That wouldn’t be fair. That’s why we tossed the coin, remember?”
As Polly was arguing with him, she suddenly found herself distracted by a loud rustling noise coming from behind where they were still lying on the bridge.
“Shhh, Dodo,” said Polly, putting her index finger up to his lips, “Did you hear that noise?”
Dodo got up from the floor and looked around.
“Yes, Polly, I did. It’s coming from over there,” he said, pointing towards a large clump of blackberry bushes.
Just as she was about to get up, she heard another noise, only this time it was louder and she could distinctly hear words or rather mutterings. She also thought she could hear the patter of paws and strange breathless panting. Polly and Dodo stood perfectly still, not moving a muscle as they stared in the direction of the bushes.
Suddenly they saw the tallest lady they had ever seen emerge from the bushes with two dogs on long leashes padding along at her side. Polly assumed that the lady had not seen them, for she was still loudly murmuring.
“Oh sugar, sugar, sugar,” she moaned, as she stooped over to furiously brush off the leaves that had attached themselves to her long, flowing gown. She then proceeded to pick out, one-by-one, the prickly thorns that had also become embedded into material and were threatening to snag and completely ruin her outfit.
Polly momentarily considered the thought that this lady was definitely not suitably dressed for a casual stroll in the countryside with her dogs, but before she had time to ponder more on this disturbing little thought the lady looked up and caught sight of Polly and Dodo.
“Hi, I’m Polly, and my friend here is Dodo,” she said in her very friendly fashion, moving a few steps forward to greet the lady.
The mysterious lady smiled back, and as she did so her whole face lit up and began to glow. Before long her whole body was also lit up like one bright light. Polly’s mouth dropped open, and her eyes nearly popped out of her head as she continued to observe the illuminated lady. As she moved nearer towards her, Polly found herself totally mesmerized by her grace and beauty. Not only did she have the finest porcelain features with translucent white skin and chiseled bone structure, but she was dressed from head to toe in a gown that was the most delightfully beautiful shade of pink. Her hair was covered by a black hat, which had enormous ostrich plumes that reached toward the sky. She was indeed strikingly beautiful.
Polly could only stand in awe and marvel at her elegance and sophistication as the lady provocatively waltzed towards them. She came to a halt in front of star-struck Polly. She then put out her right hand, which Polly noticed was bedecked with sparkling jewels, for Polly to shake. Polly’s hands trembled as she allowed her small hand to be clasped. The dogs held back, just sitting on their haunches with their tongues hanging out and panting.
“Nice to meet you both,” said the lady with the smoothly enticing manner. “Now let me introduce myself, my dear. My name is Soogara, and I am none other than the Cotton Candy Queen. And these here are my pets Grovelock and Grubstick,” she said, pointing down at them.
Polly still said nothing, preferring to stand and gaze upon her, feeling utterly spellbound by her beauty. Dodo remained distracted with one hand tucked firmly into his trouser pocket, the other playing with a stick. There could be no denying that this woman was extraordinarily beautiful, but he was experiencing strange and very uncomfortable feelings as he stood in her presence.
“A queen? You say that you are a queen?” stammered Polly, not certain as to whether this was all a dream or illusion.
Dodo used this opportunity to remove himself from her presence, for his concerns about this lady were deepening by the minute. He therefore opted to go and sit down on the same rock that Polly had left Langdon.
“Well, actually I’m pretty lost,” Polly cheerfully confessed. “You see, Langdon and I…” she said, pointing behind her to where Dodo was now seated and holding tightly onto Langdon, “well, we were on our way to Piadora, and it’s a long story but we became sidetracked. Now we are trying to get back on the road that will take us there. My friend Dodo, or rather Toby, has done his best to read the map, and still we are unsure as to which road I am meant to be taking,” she explained. “So are you able to help us?” inquired Polly, her face visibly desperate as she made direct eye contact with the stunningly beautiful lady.
“I might be able to help you. That is, if you would allow me the pleasure of perusing your little map,” replied the Cotton Candy Queen in a syrupy sweet voice.
“Of course; here it is,” said Polly gratefully as she quickly handed over the map.
As the Cotton Candy Queen studied the map, her two dogs got up and came to settle by her feet.
“Oh, my dear sweet thing, you are most certainly very lost, for you are a very long way from Piadora. In fact, I am surprised that you have not yet given up and gone home. If it was me in your shoes,” she said, looking down at Polly’s tatty footwear and making a grimace, “I would tear up this little map and forget any of this existed.”
“Oh, but I can’t do that,” Polly miserably sighed. “For my only hope in life is to find Piadora. Besides, Langdon and I have nothing to go home too,” she said rather mournfully.
“Oh well, in that case, it’s a good job I turned up, then, isn’t it?” Soogara smoothly stated.
Polly Brown Page 49