by Kim Thompson
“Yes! I’m fine!”
“All right, but could I at least bring you a blanket, or …?”
“I am not in need of a nursemaid, and I certainly do not require the help of a child!” The last word snapped in the air between them. Willa’s chest felt tight.
“Don’t get mad at me! I’m the one who’s keeping everyone together!”
“And what a marvellous job you’re doing,” he sniped, turning away.
Willa was speechless. She turned and stomped off, her mind seething. Nobody appreciates all the work I’m doing! I get no help from anyone! Why should I even care what happens to them? They can look after themselves from now on!
As Willa continued down the hill, her anger died down a little. The sun emerged from the clouds again, and she thought about Horace directing the wind. Had she just imagined that, or had he really done it? If he had, that was something she’d never seen before. Has Horace always been able to do things like that? It made her feel a little better, knowing he was perhaps more powerful than she’d expected. Maybe he’s right. Maybe he doesn’t need my help after all.
A movement caught her eye, and she stopped to watch a tabby cat padding through the grass. It was followed by a second cat, then a third, then a whole silent parade of cats, and at the rear a portly shape came into view….
“Baz!”
The old woman continued trundling along on all fours, ignoring her. Willa had to step in front and block her way before Baz would stop and look up at her.
“Baz! What are you doing here?”
Baz stood up slowly, smoothing her dress and looking around innocently. “What am I doing?”
“Why are you prowling around up here?”
She pouted a little, patting her matted hair and picking out bits of grass and leaves. “Prowling isn’t against the law, is it?”
“No, but … what if someone sees you? I’ve already got Hacker in a state about Horace. I don’t need any trouble over you acting crazy too!”
Baz just smiled and began to purr, which was suddenly echoed from all sides as the other cats joined in. They had gathered in a circle around Willa and were all smiling at her — smiles identical to Baz’s. Willa shivered a little and turned back to Baz.
“Strange things are starting to happen again. There’s a black stain on the hill like the ones we had at the house before … remember?”
Baz looked at her blankly.
“The big black stain in the wall!” exclaimed Willa. “The one the spiders came out of … and the big snake-worm-thing!”
Baz made a face. “I hate spiders,” she announced and began licking her hand. Willa lost it.
“Just be careful up here, and watch out! If you see Horace as a lion, he might not know who you are, and I think something else, something very, very bad is on its way.”
Willa was a little embarrassed at how vague this sounded. Baz shrugged and sidled off. The other cats followed her, smirking all the way.
“If you can’t act like a human, at least try to stay out of sight!” Willa called. “Please?”
Baz didn’t look back but simply dropped back down on all fours. Willa watched her enormous backside disappear into the bushes.
Okay. Time to get back and check on things at the house, she thought. But the prospect of dealing with Robert and Mab and Tengu and all their weapons exhausted her. And the dwarves — were they really dangerous?
Willa stood there in the sunshine, staring into space, unable to will herself to move. Things were getting out of hand, out of control. She felt like she couldn’t keep everything straight in her head. Why did she have to handle everything and keep everyone in line? How did she end up with so much responsibility, anyway? Her thoughts swirled around like this for a few moments before they settled on one figure: Miss Trang.
She’s the one who’s supposed to be in charge of these crazies, not me. Willa’s eyes stung. She shut them tightly, trying not to cry, and funnelled all her energy into just one thought: Come back, Miss Trang! Come back!
For a brief, weird moment everything went very still. It was like she’d hit a pause button for the whole world. Willa concentrated harder.
Miss Trang! Come back! Come back right now!
As she thought the last word, there was a loud snap, and she felt a strong electrical shock, just like before. She opened her eyes. It was still quiet, but strange, dark clouds were swirling around the top of Hanlan’s Hill. As Willa stared, surrounding wisps of clouds were sucked into the large cloud at the centre, which spun slowly. It reminded her of cotton candy, the way they were spinning and joining together until the dark shape grew darker and more solid, finally settling just out of sight behind the peak of Hanlan’s Hill. It all happened so quietly it felt like a dream … until something very large curled around the edge of the hill. A long, scaly tail. At the same moment a dark shape rose up from behind the hill, the sparkling steel-grey shape of … a dragon.
Her heart was in her throat, but Willa knew this dragon. It was Miss Trang in her other form. She looked around, but there was no one in sight, thankfully. The massive lizard crawled over the top of the hill and down toward her, its eyes glittering.
What if it isn’t Miss Trang? Willa thought briefly, but then the dragon began to shrink as it moved closer. With every step it contracted in upon itself. It was very odd, for as it walked toward her its shrinking size made it look like it was getting farther and farther away. It made Willa quite dizzy, but at last the tail flicked up and over her head, and Miss Trang stood before her in her sensible shoes and plain skirt and cardigan. She crossed her arms and looked expectantly at Willa.
“Well?”
Willa was taken aback. “What?”
“You called me. Here I am. What’s the matter?”
Willa felt relief wash over her, and the story just spilled out of her — the black stains and the Stork Man and Horace living out here as a lion and Hacker and Baz and the phoenix and Tengu’s ninja stars and Mab and the dwarves …
Miss Trang listened without moving a muscle or betraying any emotion. She listened until Willa finally wound down and fell silent.
“What do you want, Willa?”
The question took her by surprise a little bit, but the answer popped out: “I want everything to go back to normal!”
“Yes.”
“But … the black thing on the hill, and the Stork Man —”
Miss Trang interrupted her with a wave of her hand. “I’m here. I’ll look after everything.”
“And Horace?”
Pause. Miss Trang’s eyes dropped to her skirt, and she brushed away a speck of something.
“I’ll take him in hand.” Then she looked Willa in the eye. “Everything will be taken care of. Go home. Your work is done.”
Willa turned, as if in a dream, with those last words echoing in her head all the way home. Your work is done.
Chapter Eight
In which Willa takes on her messed-up family
Willa went straight home. She didn’t even stop by Eldritch Manor on the way. By the time she reached her front door, she felt like she’d woken from a deep sleep. Suddenly everything was clear and simple before her. Miss Trang was back in charge, which meant everyone would shape up and behave, and Willa could concentrate on her own life for a change. She could focus on schoolwork and remembering to make her bed, and maybe she’d even be able to goof off a little and have some fun. Spend her time being a kid instead of someone so boring and responsible. She felt light-headed and happy.
After supper, she finished all her homework, even though it was just Saturday, and went to bed early. I’m going to fix my family now, she thought, and drifted into a deep, contented sleep.
Willa slept in on Sunday morning and then spent the rest of the day reading and making plans. She didn’t even know where to begin with her mom, who was pretty prickly and had some serious issues about Belle. Grandpa, on the other hand, was fairly reasonable, so she decided her first step would be to reco
ncile Grandpa and Belle. Since they were avoiding each other, getting them in the same room would require some trickery. The plotting filled her with glee. It would happen on Tuesday. She told Grandpa she was coming for a visit, and she told Belle they were going for a walk at the seashore. It was so simply done, she was amazed she hadn’t thought of it before.
After school on Tuesday, Willa pushed Belle in her wheelchair out the front door and two blocks to the bus stop. The day was bright and glorious, though definitely Octoberish. Hallowe’en was in just three days, so pumpkins with spooky faces were popping up on front steps, and fake cobwebs streamed from fence posts. Willa was in such a good mood, she didn’t even mind it when the bus was late and they got off a stop too late and had to walk a fair way back to the right path.
Belle wasn’t suspicious until Willa turned the wheelchair away from the water and toward the line of small, wind-beaten bungalows. Her hands suddenly gripped the arms of her chair.
“I’m ready to go home now!” she growled.
Willa kept walking. “We’ve got a stop to make first.”
“You conniving little —” Belle squirmed around in the chair to give Willa an evil look. “This is kidnapping! I want to go home. Take me home right now!”
Willa reached the boardwalk, and they rattled along easily now. “You two were married once upon a time. I think you can stand a short visit.”
To her surprise, Belle let out a howl of anger. Willa barrelled forward.
“If you promise not to put any more curses on him, I’ll take you home after just fifteen minutes. How does that sound?”
A low growl this time. Willa rolled her eyes. Such drama.
The sound had brought Grandpa to his door. He stood there on the porch a moment, his eyes wide and fearful at the sight of Belle. Then he ducked inside and shut the door. Willa bumped the wheelchair up the single step onto the porch and knocked loudly on the door.
“Grandpa! Come on. I know you’re in there.”
The door opened a crack and the old man peeked out. “Oh. Um. Hello … ladies.”
“Open the door, please.”
He opened it very slowly. Belle was hunched low in her chair, growling. Willa pushed her inside. In the small front hall, the two looked at each other in silence.
“You can’t avoid each other forever.”
“We can try,” muttered Belle.
“Play nice, now.” Willa backed out the door. “Just fifteen minutes, and then we’ll be on our way.”
Before either could answer, she stepped outside and pulled the door shut. She stood a moment looking out at the ocean and listening to the soothing sound of the waves. Then she settled into a rocking chair, rather pleased with herself. It was about time she got her family back on the rails. It was very quiet in the house, but she resisted the temptation to peek through the window. Instead she gazed at the water and let her thoughts drift to something that had been niggling in the back of her mind ever since Miss Trang’s sudden arrival on Hanlan’s Hill. Willa had just been wishing she’d come back, and poof, there she was. “You called me,” Miss Trang had said. It was all rather odd. And Horace had turned from lion to human in the nick of time, just before Hacker found him. I was staring at him, trying to tell him to change, and then he did.
Willa sat up. Another memory was coming back. Once, after the manor burned down, she and her mom were talking about that day and Willa asked her why she’d run over so suddenly in her housecoat and slippers. Her mom replied “Because you were in trouble,” and would say no more. But now that fit in with the other pieces. Calls for help sent out through the air, over long distances, using thoughts instead of words. Could she send messages like that? Telepathically? She had never believed in that kind of thing before, but of course a year ago she didn’t believe in fairies, mermaids, or dragons either.
When fifteen minutes was up on her watch, she knocked at the door and went in. Belle was exactly as she had left her, staring at the floor and scowling. Grandpa was in the doorway to the kitchen, right where he’d been when she went out. He beckoned, and Willa followed him into the kitchen.
“How’d it go?” she asked quietly. Grandpa looked at her thoughtfully, taking a moment to choose his words.
“Willa, I know you mean well.”
“Yes? And?” Her heart sank.
“Just … don’t do anything like this again.”
“Why not? What happened?”
Her grandpa stood up straight and looked sterner than he usually did with her. “You can’t force people to be who you want them to be. You just can’t.” Then he turned and retreated into his bedroom, shutting the door.
Willa was astonished. Very un-Grandpa-like behaviour, for sure. She’d just wanted them to talk a little. Was that so terrible?
Back in the front hall, Belle remained still and silent as Willa manoeuvred her out the door and back toward the bus stop. Willa didn’t speak, either. Her Grandpa’s reaction had really unsettled her, and though she was used to Belle sulking, this time felt different. Belle was mad. Really mad.
Oh well, she’ll get over it. This was just the first meeting. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
As she wheeled Belle along, Willa thought about her next move. Belle and Mom definitely need a face-to-face. How can I arrange it so no one gets hurt?
She never did come up with a plan for a Belle–Mom meeting. She decided to wait for the dust to settle and for Belle to calm down. Two days went by, and Belle did not come out of her room. Every time Willa passed her door, she’d pause to listen, but there was no sound at all, no TV even.
I’ll just leave her alone, Willa thought. She’ll come round.
On the third day, Friday, Willa woke before the sun was up. She had shivered herself awake; she was chilled to the bone. She swung her legs out of bed and leaned on the desk, accidentally putting her hand right into the black puddle. The cold seeped through her; she could feel it dribbling across her chest and into her heart.
She pulled her hand back quickly. Ick. That’s just weird. Willa stood and pulled a blanket over her shoulders, pacing around the room to put some normality back into it. Every time her bare foot hit the floor, she heard a sharp echo, or … no, it was a clopping sound. She stopped, and the sound stopped. Silence. Her gaze fell on the window. Out there in the light gloom of early morning, in the street in front of their house, stood a horse. A horse she’d seen before, just before all the craziness began at the old house. The horse was pitch black and walked upright on its hind legs, like a human, and it was facing her window, looking in at her with red eyes. The sight of it made her heart stop.
Not you again. You can’t be here. Everything is all right now. You don’t want me, you want Miss Trang.
The horse shook its head in slow motion, like in a dream, and as Willa stepped back from the window it took a step forward. She stepped back again, bumping into the bed, and it stepped closer. Scarcely breathing, Willa edged around the bed, pulled her door open and dashed into the hall.
She knocked quietly on Belle’s door. No answer.
“Belle!” she whispered. “Belle! This is important!” She put her hand on the doorknob, and gingerly opened the door. “Belle! I’m sorry to come in like this but that horse is outside —”
She stopped. Even in the darkness she knew something was wrong. She flicked the lights on. The room was empty. All of Belle’s things were gone.
Willa met her dad coming down the stairs in his robe, bleary-eyed and yawning.
“Dad! Belle’s gone!”
He didn’t look all that concerned.
“Already? She told me yesterday she’d made other living arrangements. I didn’t know she’d go this quick,” he said, yawning again.
“But she should be here with us!”
Her dad looked weary. “I’m sorry, Willa. I tried to talk her out of it, but she was very determined. It’s up to her to decide where she wants to live. She said Miss Trang was helping her find a new place….”
; His voice trailed off as he disappeared into the kitchen.
Willa dressed quickly, and it was only when she opened the front door that she remembered the horse, but there was no sign of it in the street. She started to doubt she’d seen it at all, or at least that’s the thought which gave her the courage to go out into the dawn light.
As she hurried down the street, she tried to make sense of the situation. The whole thing was crazy. After all these years, she’d found her grandmother, she’d just gotten her back and now, poof, she was gone again. Was she gone? Was she really gone for good?
Her hands were trembling as she burst through the gate at the work site, calling, “Belle! Are you here? Belle!”
Miss Trang stood in the middle of the yard, her hands on her hips as she looked over the house. The beams were much higher now. They rose above Willa’s head and had begun to branch out at ceiling height to form the skeleton of the second-storey floor. Furious sawing and hammering sounded from the basement.
Willa ran to the stable and peered in the window. “Belle? Belle!”
“She’s not here,” answered Miss Trang without turning around. “She requested new accommodations.”
Willa blinked. “She what?”
“She requested new accommodations, so I moved her.”
“Where?”
“She asked me not to tell you.”
Willa stared, her mouth agape. “Why?”
Finally, Miss Trang turned to face her. “You have no idea why?”
“She was mad because I took her to see Grandpa, I guess, but —”
There was a sudden rap at the front gate, and Miss Trang went to answer it.
Willa sat down, her face hot. So I took Belle somewhere she didn’t want to go. That’s not so bad. But she felt a twinge of regret as she thought about it. I wheeled her over there against her will. She can’t even get around on her own, and I forced her to see someone she really didn’t want to see.
Miss Trang was at the gate, and Willa could hear Mr. Hacker’s angry voice complaining about the hammering so early in the morning. Then she heard Horace’s name.