Polly Brown

by Tricia Bennett

  Polly smiled back and then turned to look over at her abandoned tiara, making a rather wistful sigh.

  This action reminded her dear teacher that she still had something else rather reassuring to say to her young student. “Polly, remember to continue looking out for those rather unusual pebbles, for there is plenty of space to add many more to your crown, which, I hasten to add, will be carefully looked after for you until you return.”

  “Thank you, but will I ever see you again?” Polly asked through a vale of tears.

  “Now, what sort of question is that? Of course you will, my dear, as I too am leaving Piadora to return to my girls, for it is almost the start of a new term at Snobbit’s Preparatory School, and if nothing else the girls’ cooking lessons will surely be a most disastrous affair if I’m not there to supervise them.” Polly broke into a smile as Mrs. O’Brien talked on. “It is more than certain that I will bump into you, especially when you’re sitting on the bus happily eavesdropping on the girls’ idle chitchat!” she said, giving Polly a mischievous little wink.

  Polly’s smile widened, for she had never realized that Mrs. O’Brien had even noticed her on the bus, let alone the fact that her ears were constantly pricked up as she listened in on the girls’ excited chatter.

  “Now then, where is Sir Eggmond? He is meant to be here by now, for he has been given the task of getting you safely back down the mountain.” Polly looked a little shocked at this new piece of information.

  “Don’t worry, my dear. It will be much, much, easier going down, I promise.” Mrs. O’Brien stated very cheerily. “In fact, I hope you like parasailing!”

  Polly said her good-byes to all the wonderful people she had met during her short stay in Piadora, including young Aazi, her soulmate. And he went to great lengths to reassure her that he would stay in touch. “Polly, I too have to go back to my land for there is much to do,” he said as he stuffed a piece of paper into her hand.

  “What’s this?” Polly asked.

  “It’s my address, so please write. Promise you will.”

  Polly smiled. “Aazi, of course I will write. You are, afterall, my best friend ever.”

  Finally, she asked to be left alone for a few minutes with Thomas while they said a special good-bye. What they said to each other in that precious moment in time was for their ears and hearts only, but Polly gave Thomas a long lingering hug as she shed further tears.

  “I love you, Thomas,” she wept, large tears glistening in her eyes.

  “I’ve told you before that I can’t bear to see you crying, Polly,” he gently and lovingly rebuked.

  Polly smiled and agreed to try hard to stop.

  “Look, sister, go back to the castle knowing I am finally safe and gloriously happy here. That must surely take some of the burden from off your shoulders.”

  Polly nodded.

  “Well then, dear sister, this is not good-bye or even a farewell, for I watch over you every day. I promise that I will be thinking of you constantly.”

  Hodgekiss walked over to where Polly and Thomas stood in a deep embrace. “Come, my young princess, for it is time for you to go.”

  Polly turned toward Hodgekiss, her extended hand still tightly locked in the hand of Thomas as she walked away and their woven fingers finally parted. “Good-bye, Thomas,” she whispered with a smile.

  Polly opened the front door of the castle and was instantly greeted by Cecil Bogswater as well as Gailey Gobbstopper, who was sporting a rather ludicrous smile on her lips.

  “You’re wanted in the office,” she said with a wicked smirk.

  Polly wearily made her way down the corridor toward the office, already wondering if her visit to Piadora had been an entirely imaginary event. It felt as though it must have been as she was now once again feeling all the fear and trepidation that she had come to loathe. She looked down at her hand and saw the ring still on her finger, and she twisted it around to reassure herself that all she had experienced had been for real.

  Polly knocked on the study door.

  “Come in!” boomed the familiar voice of Uncle Boritz.

  Polly twisted the doorknob and tentatively poked her head around the door before summoning up the necessary courage to walk in. She could see all the children seated in a circle on the floor, poking and jabbing each other as they shuffled around on their bottoms in their endeavor to get comfortable. Her heart dropped, for she knew it could only mean one thing. Yes, a family session, and as Polly glanced across the floor she could see young James sitting between two of the other children, staring into space as usual. She breathed a deep sigh of relief that thankfully he was safe and not about to be devoured by Soogara or her hounds. Gailey and Cecil interrupted her thoughts as they pushed past her to find themselves a spare space on the floor. Gailey in particular was very anxious to get a decent space for entertainment purposes.

  “Well, well, Polly. It’s very good of you to finally concede to gracing us with your presence,” Uncle Boritz maliciously snarled. Pitstop joined in the fun, baring his sharpened teeth as he slobbered all over the floor.

  “We’ve already been sitting here for a whole hour while they sent out a search party to find you,” Tommy Pulleyblank loudly moaned, shooting a very hostile look in her direction.

  “And where on earth have you been, young lady?” interjected a very solemn Aunt Mildred. “You know full well that you are on R.O.P.E. and therefore confined to the castle and its walls.”

  Polly remained perfectly silent, knowing that no amount of explanation or protestation would achieve a jolly thing.

  Uncle Boritz moved away from behind his desk before making his way toward her. Polly could see that he was in an extremely confrontational mood.

  “Yes, and before you make up some extraordinarily disgraceful tale, you will first of all need to explain this letter! So come on, speak up! We are all very anxious to hear what plausible explanation you could possibly come up with regarding this offensive letter,” Uncle Boritz angrily shouted.

  “What letter?” Polly innocently asked.

  “This letter, you preposterous little liar!” Uncle Boritz roared as he pushed the envelope into her face.

  Polly remained puzzled and genuinely confused as she struggled to come up with the right answer, particularly since Uncle Boritz had whipped it away from under her nose before she even had a chance to take the teeniest glimpse at the “so-called” offending item.

  “Well, children, allow me to show all of you the letter that Polly is pretending she knows nothing about.”

  The letter was passed from grubby hand to grubby hand as every child was given the privilege of holding it for a second.

  “So, who is this so-called Napoli? Some boyfriend who you have been secretly, and rather sneakily, meeting up with behind our backs? Speak up, girl, for we are all anxious to hear what you have got to say for yourself.”

  “No, no, you’ve got it all wrong, I haven’t been seeing…”

  “Silence!” thundered Uncle Boritz. “We don’t want to hear any more of your lies. This is yet another prima facie case. If you don’t agree, now is the only chance you will get to say so, for on the back of this letter it says, and I quote:

  Dear Polly, mon cherie,

  I have done as you asked and posted your letter in one of the leetel pillar boxes that you Engleesh use to send mail. I ’ope I weel meet you again, for you are a veree special young ladee.

  Love,

  “Before you start your usual tricks of denying everything, you, girl, have quite a lot to answer for. So we’re now having clandestine meetings with French boys, are we? You are indeed becoming more like your mother with each new day that passes,” he growled.

  Polly remained silent with her head hung low and her shoulders stooped. Uncle Boritz gave her no opportunity to explain herself, she was used to that. It had always been that way.

  “I have taken the liberty of reading the letter, which you covertly attempted to send to James. It is quite obvious
from its contents that not only are you planning to escape from the castle, but there are also specific references that clearly suggest your intention to come back and take James. Well, your little plan is outrageous! Let me tell you, young lady, that hell will indeed freeze over before I allow you to do any such wicked thing. I am, therefore, compelled to sentence you to a further three months on R.O.P.E. until you finally come to understand that disobedience, illicit relationships, and downright deceitfulness will, under no circumstances, be tolerated in my castle!”

  Polly stood frozen to the spot and, as usual, felt utterly bewildered and flabbergasted! Uncle Boritz momentarily faltered as he took his thick spectacles off his nose and began feverishly wiping them. Aunt Mildred found her much-required hanky. James’s eyes gently flickered as in his vivid imagination he was now struggling against all odds to land his spacecraft on Venus.

  The jury of young and very bored children started the usual bottom shuffling. Pitstop started growling. Gailey Gobbstopper began smirking. And as Polly continued to look around his cluttered study, her eyes falling on the old typewriter with its stack of unanswered mail rather untidily heaped by its side, she knew with much certainty that everything was indeed back to normal.

  Meanwhile, back in Piadora, Hodgekiss and Raphael stood on the mountaintop, quietly observing the meeting going ahead in Uncle Boritz’s dingy study. Both men stood in utter silence and Hodgekiss stroked his whiskery beard. Eventually, two strangers, a woman accompanied by a man, walked over to join them.

  “Didn’t she look beautiful?” the woman said to Hodgekiss.

  “Yes, positively glowing; a real princess,” he replied with a warm smile.

  “Yes, and when she received her beautiful crown, well, I can only say I had a real lump in my throat,” the woman admitted. “I truly yearned to race up to her and give her a kiss and stroke her hair, but I knew that if I did I would have to tell her who I was,” said the woman as she rather tightly held on to the hand of her companion.

  “I know,” replied Hodgekiss, his voice filled with deep compassion. “It must have been very hard to restrain yourselves from revealing your true identities, but it was a very wise move, for it would have made her decision to return to the castle harder still if she had discovered your existence here in Piadora.”

  “Alas, I know that is true, and dear Thomas had an equally difficult task. He honored us all by not exposing anything about us, for I know that he was bursting to tell her,” said the gentle and gracious woman as her grasp became tighter still on her companion’s hand. “I can hardly wait for the day to come when I finally hold her in my arms and wipe away her tears. We don’t deserve such a special daughter after all we have put her through,” she said, her eyes moist with tears as she spoke. “Hodgekiss, we cannot thank you enough. Both of us truly know that we don’t and never have deserved such unmerited favor. Not only did we make a mess of our own lives, but as a direct result of our folly we handed our children such a sad and terrible legacy.”

  “Yes, I know,” Hodgekiss replied, turning to face the woman to give her one of his gentle, compassionate looks. “But the good news is that all your mistakes are in the past, now forgotten as though they have never been. What we need to concern ourselves with at present is to keep praying for Polly’s continued safety until she returns here to Piadora,” Hodgekiss reminded the two of them.

  Both the strangers nodded their agreement. The woman then reached out a hand and gently touched Hodgekiss.

  “We both want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything, and we will never stop thanking you, for such is the depth of our gratitude toward you.”

  Hodgekiss placed his hand on top of hers and just smiled. The woman acknowledged his smile, and with her companion at her side she turned to walk back toward the gates of Piadora, leaving Hodgekiss and Raphael alone once again.

  Hodgekiss stood in complete silence as he focused his attention back toward the castle and continued to closely follow the drama that was unfolding in Uncle Boritz’s study. As he stood deep in thought, a stray teardrop trickled unchecked down his cheek.

  “It is better to place a millstone around your neck and jump into the sea than harm just one of my little ones,” he murmured, brushing away the tear from his cheek.

  Finally, he turned toward Raphael. “Raphael, tell me, how are the preparations for the new courthouse going?”

  “They are progressing very nicely,” Raphael eagerly replied.

  “That’s very good news. Yes, music to my ears,” Hodgekiss cheerfully commented.

  “Well, I think the Scumberrys will really like it, especially when they get to see how meticulous we have been concerning the décor,” said Raphael with a faint smile. “The judge’s desk is very nice and wide, and we’ve used only the best cedar wood for the docks.”

  “Well, I certainly can’t wait for the day that they get to see it, for they will be really overwhelmed,” Hodgekiss replied.

  “Yes, Hodgekiss, but won’t they be a bit upset when they discover that they will not be allowed any clever-tongued defense lawyer to help them be free of the charges?”

  “Yes, I’m sure they might well find that small fact a trifle disheartening. However, they have always loved courtroom dramas so much that I think overall they should be very pleased with our efforts. It truly gladdens my heart to think that in the fullness of time we will be inviting them to take part in the most stunningly spectacular case of their lives.”

  “Yes, Hodgekiss, but won’t we all be incredibly confused by Mr. Scumberry’s verbosity and fancy language?” commented Raphael.

  “Oh no, I think that this will only add both color and intrigue to the trial,” Hodgekiss replied with a warm but serious smile. “But, come now, Raphael, we must get into our ragamuffin clothes and go in search of Megan and her friends, for by now they will be searching the trash cans, anxiously scavenging around for food to fill their empty stomachs. We don’t want to keep them waiting, do we?”

  Raphael nodded his agreement.

  “Raphael, do we have any Appletude Pie left over from the banquet?”

  “Plenty, as well as lots of April Crumble,” Raphael excitedly replied.

  “Excellent, my friend,” said Hodgekiss as he placed an arm around Raphael’s shoulder. They then turned and walked back toward the gates of Piadora.

  “Do you think we should have told Polly who I really am, especially as she was expecting me to turn up for tea?” Raphael asked Hodgekiss with great sincerity.

  “No, I don’t think so. I think she was so caught up with life in Piadora she simply forgot you were meant to join us. Also if she were to discover your true identity, then she might rather unwittingly lean too heavily on you for support, and I’m inclined to think that this might not be the best thing for her. She needs to discover that she, Polly Brown, has inner strengths and resources which, when fully developed, will make her the truly amazing person she was born to be. So I think, Raphael—or rather, Ralph—that it would be best if we keep this little secret to ourselves.” Raphael chuckled to himself as he nodded his head to show his approval.

  “Oh my goodness! Look at the time!” exclaimed the storyteller, studying his watch. “I will have to leave the rest of the story for another time.” He quickly closed the book, gently placing it to one side. He then took the time to observe his audience and was surprised to find a look of disappointment written all over their faces. “Didn’t you like the story?” the storyteller asked, a little confused by their expressions.

  “Oh, we loved it!” they all shouted out in unison.

  “Well, what then is the problem?” the storyteller asked.

  “We want you to carry on reading the story,” shouted a voice from the back row.

  “Yes, and we all want to know how we can get to Piadora!” piped up another fresh-faced boy rather brazenly.

  The storyteller smiled. “Well, I will share with you a little secret: to get to Piadora, you have to long for it with all
your heart and soul. I am not talking about a momentary, fleeting wish, such as wanting a bike or desiring a new fishing rod. Oh no, I am talking about a deep longing that overwhelms you and never leaves. Then you will not have to go in search of Piadora, for it will come in search of you.”

  The End

  TO CONTACT THE AUTHOR

  IF ANYTHING IN the book has raised personal issues for you, whatever your age, and you would like to talk to someone, please feel free to contact us. Please also contact us to let us know how you enjoyed the book.

  Or should you wish to contribute to our children’s work, both here and abroad, please also contact us through our Web site, www.hopeinyourheart.com, or by mail to:

  Tricia Bennett

  P.o. Box 1167

  Wildwood, Florida 34785