When all those gathered around the banqueting tables had eaten their fill, Polly turned to Thomas and rather poignantly asked, “Thomas, tell me now, who clears up this lot afterwards?” for she was feeling very concerned that anyone should have to clear up the staggering amount of mess left on the tables.
“Nobody, silly,” replied Thomas with a smile.
“Nobody? How can that be?”
“Yes, Polly, you heard me right; nobody toils and sweats in Piadora. Well, not unless it’s a really fun task that we all want to share. Otherwise everything is just magically whisked away.”
Polly understandably found herself feeling very relieved to hear this, for she could not have left the banqueting hall without offering her help to clear up, even if it meant donning an apron and exchanging her silky white gloves for yellow rubber gloves to give her assistance with the cleaning chores.
Eventually, Hodgekiss rose to his feet and the room instantly fell silent.
“Polly, please come forward and receive your reward,” he graciously commanded. “And please bring your little purse with you.”
“Go on, Polly,” whispered Thomas in her ear as he gave her arm an encouraging nudge.
Polly turned and smiled at Thomas before picking up her silky purse, and in no time at all she found herself standing in front of Hodgekiss, surrounded by angelic beings.
“Polly, open the bag,” he ordered.
“Go on, Polly, open the bag,” chorused the angelic hosts in unison as they excitedly gathered all around her. Polly fumbled with the purse strings as her long white gloves made it impossible for her to take a firm hold of the finely-weaved gold string.
“Here, Polly, allow me to help you,” said Gabriel, taking the bag from her hand. “Now, open your palm upwards,” he instructed as he emptied the contents of the purse into her open hand. Out tumbled all the pebbles she had collected on her journey.
“I do believe you are missing one,” said Hodgekiss.
“Yes, sadly it was taken by a man called Tobias Mortimus when I stayed at his guesthouse,” said Polly rather subdued. She wondered whether it was wise to say any more concerning that rather unfortunate episode.
“Oh, so you were his guest, were you?” Hodgekiss asked with a mischievous wink.
“Well, not exactly,” replied Polly, still a little unsure as to how to explain what happened to the missing pebble. “To tell you the truth I took a friend to his house because we needed help, but sadly we weren’t really welcome.”
“Some guesthouse,” commented Gabriel with a smile as he gave Hodgekiss a wink.
“Well, here it is,” said Hodgekiss as he produced the missing pebble and placed it in her hand alongside all the others. “A man cannot keep what wasn’t his in the first place,” he mused. “Yes, Polly, our dear Mr. Mortimus hasn’t been himself since the eve of your visit.” All the angelic hosts surrounding his throne, holding on to his every utterance, smiled as they nodded their heads in agreement.
Polly was hardly listening, for she was much too busy gazing at the pebbles. One after another they transformed themselves into precious jewels of many colors. “They are truly beautiful,” gasped Polly.
“Yes, beautiful gems for a beautiful princess,” Gabriel chipped in as he removed them from her hand. He then turned away in a most secretive manner.
“Kneel down, Polly,” Hodgekiss loudly commanded.
Polly did as she was told, getting down on both knees and bowing her head low. She was completely unaware that Gabriel had handed something to Hodgekiss. Seconds later, as Polly held up her head, gazing directly into Hodgekiss’s eyes, she could see he was holding a jewel-encrusted crown in his hands.
“Is that for me?” she cried.
Hodgekiss said nothing as he moved toward her, his eyes blazing like white hot fire and filled with deep love and compassion toward her. He then gently placed the jewel-encrusted tiara on her head.
“Polly you are now officially a princess,” he said out loud so all present could hear. “And here in Piadora, you are now to be known as Princess Polly. May you bear this honor with all the dignity and integrity you have shown as you journeyed here to Piadora,” he said as he took her hand and helped her back onto her feet.
Tears of inexpressible joy tumbled down Polly’s cheeks as her face lit up with pure radiance. She wiped a tear from her cheek before raising both arms to prevent her new crown from toppling off her head.
“Thank you so much,” was all she was capable of saying. Her eyes sparkled and her countenance continued to glow.
“Now then, my princess, let us sit down together. For I believe we have one final treat in store for you.”
Polly took her place beside him. She hadn’t the faintest idea what to expect. Hodgekiss clapped both hands. “Master Bailey, let the grand finale begin.”
Polly was completely taken by surprise as the sound of a full orchestra playing the sweetest music she had ever heard wafted across the enormously large banqueting hall. Looking across the hall, her eyes caught hold of the largest white grand piano she had ever seen. She believed it was her dear, sweet teacher’s son Peter masterfully playing it. As she continued to stare in his direction she was eventually forced to close her eyes, as the sounds were so heavenly that they were playing gentle games with her heart, every single note melting it to a pulp. Polly felt exhilarated.
She found herself laughing out loud when he finally got around to playing “Climb Every Mountain.” Hodgekiss also closed his eyes as he savored every note that wafted throughout the room.
“Not only is this is the most beautiful music I have ever heard in my life, but if it doesn’t stop soon, I am certain to crack up completely,” said Polly, her eyes well-and-truly glazing over as she openly confessed to such feelings.
“Feel free,” replied Hodgekiss, giving her the tenderest of looks. “I too often feel deeply moved when I hear inspirational music and songs. With that in mind, I have one more surprise for you,” he said, moving over to give her hand a little squeeze.
Before Polly could say anything further, Hodgekiss stood up and commanded all present to abandon their seats and gather around his throne.
“Master Bailey, the time has finally come for you to give us your rendition of the secret song that we have all been rehearsing for weeks. Maestro, begin!” he ordered.
Peter Bailey only managed to play a few bars before Polly almost collapsed into a heap laughing. “Goodness me! He’s playing my little song, ‘Give, Give Me Love.’ Oh how incredible!” she cried through tears of euphoria, her heart feeling as though it would burst if perchance anything else wonderful were to happen to her.
How many times they sung her little song is, sadly, not recorded. However, suffice it to say that Polly had never felt so blissfully liberated as she did at that moment in time, surrounded by numerous angelic beings and all those who had attended the banquet. There was so much hugging and loving that she wished it would never come to an end. But there was still one more thing to come.
Hodgekiss ordered Polly to look across at the other end of the banqueting hall, and as she looked she saw two enormous curtains part. Polly could hardly believe her eyes, and she instantly began to crease up with laughter. Behind the curtains was a mountain of mattresses stacked so high they appeared to reach the ceiling.
“How many mattresses did she have to climb in The Princess and the Pea?” Hodgekiss playfully asked.
“One hundred,” Polly replied.
“Well, we decided to do better than that, so we’ve stacked up well over a thousand, so it will be a bit of a climb,” said Hodgekiss.
Polly hesitated. “Do I have to climb them all?” she asked.
“Only if you still do not believe you are a real princess,” replied Hodgekiss, searching deep into her soul for an honest answer. “If you believe in your heart that you are a real princess, then there really is no need for further proof.”
“I believe,” replied Polly, her eyes sparkling as she broke int
o a gentle smile.
“Good,” replied Hodgekiss, “but if you change your mind… Giles, come here, please” he said, beckoning his faithful butler to come forward.
Giles removed the domed top from the large silver dish he was holding, and announced, “Your pea, madam.”
The lone green pea rolled across the dish as Giles moved closer so that Polly could take a better look. Polly burst out laughing before once again declining the offer.
“Oh Giles, not only have I seen enough peas to last a lifetime, but I no longer need a pea to convince myself that I am a princess who’s worth loving. So thank you, but no thank you.”
Chapter 39
POLLY IS SOMEWHAT ENLIGHTENED
WITH THE BANQUET finally over, Hodgekiss invited Polly to walk with him awhile, for he had much in his heart he wished to share with her. Without further adieu, Polly followed Hodgekiss out of the banqueting hall, down a long corridor, and out of the building into some beautiful gardens.
“Come on, let us walk on, for I still have a few surprises for you, Polly,” said Hodgekiss as he took hold of her hand and led her through the gardens.
As they gently strolled along hand-in-hand, Hodgekiss shared many deep things with Polly. Their conversation was private and was therefore not recorded. It is fair to say that some of their conversation seemed to bring a smile to her face and other things caused her to look sad as they walked on and talked for many hours.
Eventually, her thoughts turned to her dear and absent friend, Aazi. She found herself once again feeling very sad that he was not here with her.
“Hodgekiss, I had a wonderful friend who had suffered so much at the hands of others. Yes, his life had been far worse than mine. We were coming here together when he had a terrible fall on the mountainside.” Polly’s voice began to crack as she thought back to the tragic day on the mountainside and the young boy who in no time at all had become her beloved soulmate.
“Oh dear, Polly, when will you learn there is little point in comparing suffering? For pain has no real barometer by which it can be gauged.” Polly searched his face, giving one of her confused looks. “Look, Polly, answer me this: there are two men standing outside a hospital, one has a leg that has suffered such terrible frostbite that it urgently needs to be removed, and the other has a severe toothache that requires the tooth to be pulled from his jaw. Which one is suffering most?”
“The man who needs his leg amputated, of course,” Polly hastily replied.
“Well, Polly, tell that to the man with the agonizing toothache, who may well be in danger of severe blood poisoning if the cause of his pain turns out to be from a burst abscess,” said Hodgekiss. “The truth is, both men are in severe agony and require the help of an experienced specialist to rid them of their pain. Everybody’s pain is unique to himself, and suffering is suffering.”
“You’re right, Hodgekiss. But I still miss Aazi, and he did suffer so badly.”
Hodgekiss used this opportunity to give her hand a tight squeeze. “I know you do, Polly. I know you do.”
After walking on a while, Polly turned to Hodgekiss and asked him, “Where are you taking me now?”
“Just carry on walking, Polly, for we are almost there,” Hodgekiss replied as he then ushered her through a small open gate and then began to descend some steep steps.
Polly quietly followed on behind, gathering up her long dress so she wouldn’t trip over it. In a matter of minutes, she found herself walking along a beach with the softest, silkiest white sand that stretched for miles.
“Hodgekiss, this tropical beach is like paradise,” she gasped. Hodgekiss smiled.
“Hodgekiss, I really love the beach. Can I take my shoes off?” she asked. “I love the feel of the sand between my toes.”
Hodgekiss nodded. Polly wasted no time. She removed her shoes, and then gathered up her long dress in her hands.
“Race you to the shoreline, Hodgekiss!” she shouted gleefully before running as fast as her legs would allow in the direction of the sea. “Hurry up, Hodgekiss, the water is fabulous and delightfully warm,” she shouted breathlessly in his direction.
Hodgekiss continued to walk toward Polly, but she could see his mind was on other things.
“Polly, if you swim out a little you will soon discover that this sea is very special.”
Polly looked puzzled. “I can’t swim in this long dress, for once it is wet it will surely drag me under.”
“Have a go and see for yourself,” Hodgekiss replied.
Polly initially hesitated and then thought, why not?
Hodgekiss watched as Polly waded further out into the sea before disappearing between the waves.
When she finally emerged, she was shrieking rather loudly, “Hodgekiss, I can breathe underwater! It’s amazing! It’s wonderful. And what’s more I don’t need an oxygen tank to take me to the bottom. Oh, Hodgekiss, I saw beautiful sea horses and fish so big and so colorful. They really took my breath away. Come and join me, Hodgekiss,” Polly shouted before disappearing under the water for a second time.
Hodgekiss remained at the water’s edge, deep in thought, until Polly finally emerged from the water. As she walked back toward him, she was further amazed when she discovered that her beautiful long dress was perfectly dry. Wow, followed by unbelievable, were the only words she could manage to stutter as she headed back toward the shoreline.
Reluctant to leave the beach, Polly chose to linger just a few meters from where Hodgekiss stood. She continued to paddle in the soapy froth left by waves as they broke up and then raced ashore to wash over her feet. Suddenly her ears pricked up.
“Listen, Hodgekiss, even the very waves are singing,” she cried. “Yes, I’m not imagining it. I can definitely hear the most magnificent harmonies as every small wave joins together to form a larger wave that crescendos before crashing down to race ashore. It’s all too incredible to believe!” she cried as she then began to dance and splash around in the water as though she did not have a care in the world.
Suddenly she stopped her dancing. “Hodgekiss, can you hear what I can hear?” she gasped as she wrung her hands impromptu and strained her ears to listen harder. “I can hear the waves playing a song that I recognize. Yes, it’s one that I actually know by heart,” she excitedly cried. Hodgekiss looked at her and smiled as Polly continued to shout. “I can’t believe it! The waves are singing Aazi’s song, ‘The Impossible Dream.’ Hodgekiss, tell me that you can hear it, too!”
Before another word could pass from her lips, she heard a voice in the distance shouting out her name. And as she turned to face in the direction that the noise was coming from, her eyes instantly fell on a young black boy, running as fast as he could toward her.
Polly’s eyes widened and her heart began to race.
“Aazi, is it really you?” she cried, as she leaped out of the water and rushed, arms outstretched, to greet him.
The pair of them collapsed onto the soft sand, still embracing each other as they hugged and laughed continuously, their young hearts filled to overflowing with joy at this wonderful and most unexpected reunion.
“Oh, Aazi, it’s so good to see you!” she breathlessly cried as she clung to him, reluctant to let go of him lest he should once again disappear from her life.
“You too,” replied Aazi with a huge beam as he too struggled and gasped for breath.
As they continued to embrace each other, Hodgekiss saw this as the perfect opportunity to discreetly disappear and allow them to continue this very special and intimate reunion.
“Oh, Aazi, never in my whole life have I seen such a fast runner,” she laughed, still holding on to the poor boy for dear life.
Aazi joined in the laughter. “Put it this way, Polly. Back at home in my village, if I didn’t catch the chicken, then I didn’t get any supper. So that’s how I learned to run like the wind!” he said with a cheerful chuckle.
He then gently removed her hands from around his tiny waist and rolled over to sit righ
t beside her on the soft, silky sand, a small distance from the water’s edge. “Polly, you really are as beautiful as I imagined you to be,” he said, giving her arm a little squeeze.
“Oh, come on, Aazi. Don’t start…”
Polly was about to continue on her usual course of personalized character assassination when suddenly she realized something almost too amazing for words.
“Aazi, you can see, can’t you?” she squealed, waving one hand in front of his eyes.
“Yes, Polly, it’s true. I really can see. I now have perfect vision, which is really fantastic. For it means I can pursue my dream of one day being a long-distance runner.”
“Oh, this really is all too much for me,” Polly cried with tears of joy and laughter streaming down her face as she hugged him some more.
The pair carried on laughing and talking as they caught up with each other. Aazi told Polly every detail of his stay in Hope in Your Heart Hospital, including how he had woken up in the hospital only to discover that he was no longer blind. Dr. Love-heart and all his team had been very excited and told him that his fall had turned out to be a real blessing in disguise, fully restoring his sight.
Polly was so pleased that she found it hard to stop her flow of tears. As they enjoyed sweet communion together, many more tears on both sides were shed. Polly spoke of many of the amazing things she had seen since her arrival in Piadora. She chose to keep some of the details from Aazi, not because she was holding back, but because she wanted him to experience the pure elation that came with each surprise. Finally, she encouraged Aazi to join her for a swim in the crystal clear ocean.
As they swam deep down towards the ocean bed, they marveled at the stunningly beautiful flora and fauna that remained the ocean’s secret, as no man had gone to such depths and lived to tell the tale. They also climbed on the back of Hugo, a humpback whale, and still found time to frolic in the waves with two young dolphins named Danny and Donna that swam toward them, nudging them both with their spoon-shaped noses as they insisted on joining in the fun.
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