The Time Spell

by Judi Curtin

  ‘I need to send a telegram,’ I said.

  ‘Do you indeed?’ he replied. He reached into a desk behind him and handed me a page. ‘Fill in what you want to say, then give me back the form and the money and I’ll send it at once.’

  ‘Er … how much is it?’

  ‘Twelve and six for the first ten words.’

  Was that a lot or a little? – I had no idea. It didn’t matter much, as I didn’t have any money anyway.

  ‘What if it’s an emergency?’

  Like the way you can call 999 for free on your mobile.

  ‘It’s still twelve and six.’

  I smiled my best smile. ‘I seem to have mislaid my purse. Can you send the telegram now and I’ll come back and pay you later?’

  He smiled kindly. ‘I’m very sorry, miss. I’d like to help you out, but I can’t. That’s more than my job’s worth. Pay me first then I send the telegram, that’s the way it works.’

  I’d been afraid of that.

  I put my head down and wandered back along the decks. Soon I came across Ernestine, still playing with her pretty dolls. She looked up when she saw me coming.

  ‘Where’s your kitty?’ she asked.

  Suddenly I had a wonderful idea.

  ‘Have you got any money?’ I asked.

  She smiled. ‘I’ve got lots and lots. Daddy gave me some, and Mummy gave me some and Auntie Florence gave me some and –’

  ‘OK. OK, I get the message. Will you give me some?’

  ‘What do you want money for?’

  ‘It’s a secret.’

  ‘If I give you money, what will you give me?’

  I hesitated. What could I give her?

  ‘Will you give me your kitty?’

  I sighed. ‘I can’t give you my kitty, but if you give me money, I’ll bring you my kitty and you can hold him and stroke him.’

  Ernestine reached for her basket. ‘How much do you need?’

  I scrunched up my eyes, trying to remember what the man had said. ‘Eighteen,’ I said in the end.

  ‘Eighteen doesn’t make any sense.’

  I thought again. ‘I’m sure it’s eighteen. The man said twelve and six.’

  Ernestine laughed so loud that I thought people would come running.

  ‘Shhh,’ I said. ‘What’s so funny?’

  ‘Twelve and six is twelve shillings and sixpence,’ she said. ‘And I’ve got much more than that.’

  ‘So give me twelve and six, and we’re done here.’

  Ernestine took ages counting out the money, but at last it was safe in my fist.

  ‘I’ll wait here for you and the kitty. Don’t forget. You promised.’

  ‘Sure,’ I said. ‘I’ll bring the kitty here – if I get time.’

  Then I skipped off before she could say anything more.

  Filling in the telegram form took me ages. How do you convey what might be your last message ever to someone you love, in just ten words?

  All the things I wanted to say – like LOL or ILY were totally useless, as there was zero chance of Aggie’s granny understanding them.

  In the end, I was fairly pleased with what I had done.

  Sorry, Granny. Did not mean bad words. Love you. Aggie.

  I handed the form and the money to the man.

  ‘Address it to “Aggie’s granny”,’ I said. ‘She lives at …’

  ‘Aggie’s granny?’ the man repeated. ‘That’s a funny name.’

  ‘I know,’ I said, feeling a bit stupid.

  Then he wrote ‘Aggie’s granny’ on a slip of paper, and followed it with the address I read aloud from the label I’d torn off Aggie’s suitcase.

  A few minutes later the man handed me back the page. SENT APRIL 13TH 1912 was stamped over my words.

  ‘Thank you, so, so much,’ I said.

  The man looked embarrassed. ‘All in a day’s work,’ he said as he turned back to his desk.

  Aggie cried when I handed her the receipt and told her what I’d done. ‘You’ve made me the happiest woman on the ship,’ she said. ‘My granny’s never got a telegram before. She’ll be the talk of the parish.’

  Then she tried to kiss my hands, but that was way too weird, so I made my excuses, and Mary and I left.

  As soon as we were safely in the corridor, Mary turned to me.

  ‘I don’t know how you managed that, but you are very brave.’

  I shook my head. ‘Brave is easy. I could never be as kind as you.’

  Now she shook her head. ‘You are kind. And you’re brave and honest and …’

  Now I felt really bad. Had she any idea how many lies I had told her?

  My parents are asleep in a cabin just along the corridor?

  When I pretend to visit my parents, I’m really visiting a weird time-travelling cat, who’s been hiding in a lifeboat for the last few days?

  I made up the best bits of Harry Potter?

  Mary took my hands in hers. ‘I can tell these things,’ she said. ‘And I can tell that you’ve got an honest soul.’

  Now I felt really, really bad.

  But then I remembered that there was one honest thing I could do.

  *

  A few minutes later, I was edging along the quietest deck I’d been able to find.

  ‘Ready?’ I asked.

  ‘Ready,’ said Ernestine, holding out her hands.

  I unwrapped the big bath towel and Ernestine gasped.

  ‘Kitty!’

  Saturn patiently endured Ernestine’s tight hugs and sloppy kisses. We were only rescued when the shrill voice of Ernestine’s mother came to us on the wind.

  ‘Ernestine. Where have you got to?’

  Ernestine gave Saturn one last kiss and handed him back to me.

  ‘I have to go,’ she said sadly. ‘It’s time for my bath.’

  I wished it was time for my bath.

  I smiled at her. ‘Know what, Ernestine? You’re not so bad, really.’

  She smiled happily back at me and skipped off towards her mother.

  I ate my evening meal with Mary and her family. I felt sad as I played with Baba, and made up answers to Mary’s mother’s concerned questions about my parents.

  I wondered why no one else seemed to be bothered by the smell. In the warm air, the whiff of greasy hair and sweaty bodies was pretty bad. (Still, since I hadn’t washed properly in days, I probably didn’t smell that sweet either.)

  After we’d finished eating, Mary and I went for a walk.

  ‘Only four more days till I see my daddy,’ she said.

  I’d been listening to this talk for two days now, but still it made me feel sick and sad.

  Suddenly I had a wonderful idea.

  ‘There’s something I’ve got to do,’ I said. ‘I’ll meet you back in the cabin in a bit, OK?’

  Mary was used to my sudden disappearances so she didn’t argue.

  As I ran, I felt both happy and stupid. Why hadn’t I thought of it before?

  The kind radio operator was surprised to see me again.

  ‘Another telegram?’ he joked. ‘Is it for Aggie’s grandfather this time?’

  I shook my head. ‘Be serious,’ I said. ‘I have something very important to tell you.’

  He put on a serious face, but I was fairly sure that he was just humouring me.

  I took a minute to plan my words. My last two approaches hadn’t worked so I knew I had to try something different. I remembered my dad telling me once that when the Titanic sank, there was another ship nearby that could have saved everyone. Only trouble was, the other ship’s radio officer was asleep, and when he woke up and learned about the tragedy, it was already much too late.

  ‘Are you on duty tomorrow night?’ I asked.

  Now the man looked really surprised. ‘I am, actually. Are you asking me for a date? I think I’m
a bit old for you, don’t you?’

  ‘No,’ I said fiercely. ‘I’m not asking you for a date. It’s just that …’ I hesitated, trying to find the right words.

  ‘Go on,’ he said gently.

  ‘Tomorrow night,’ I said in the end. ‘There are going to be icebergs in the sea, aren’t there?’

  He nodded. ‘There usually are at this time of year, but that’s not a problem to a ship like this.’

  ‘But if we hit an iceberg, we could all be saved if there was a ship nearby, couldn’t we?’

  ‘This is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. There are always other ships nearby.’

  ‘But are the radio people on those ships on duty all night?’

  ‘No,’ he conceded.

  ‘So when, I mean, if you need help they will all be asleep.’

  ‘But …’

  ‘So tomorrow night, the dangerous night, you have to persuade all the other radio people on all the other ships to stay awake. You have to think of a way. You could call it a radio party. You could take turns telling jokes, or you could have a quiz or something.’

  I felt sure I was sounding pathetic, and something in the man’s eyes made me feel that he thought the same. I couldn’t give up, though.

  ‘Just make sure that they are all listening,’ I said. ‘So if we hit an iceberg, you could let the other ships know at once and they could come and rescue us.’

  He smiled. ‘Sounds like you read too many adventure stories,’ he said. ‘But you’re forgetting one thing. The Titanic is unsinkable. Even if we did hit an iceberg, it wouldn’t matter. Now, it’s been nice talking to you, but I have work to do. I have telegrams to send.’

  I wished I had enough money to send a telegram to myself. I could send it care of my great-granny. It could be passed down through the family like an heirloom, until it got to me. This is what I’d write:

  DEAR LAUREN. WHEN YOU ARE TWELVE, IF YOU MEET A STRANGE OLD LADY IN A PARK AND SHE TRIES TO GIVE YOU HER CAT – DON’T TAKE IT.

  ‘Please,’ I said to the man. ‘Please listen to me.’

  He turned to go.

  I was all out of ideas and I knew this was my last chance.

  In desperation, I got down on my knees and begged. ‘You have to listen to me,’ I said. ‘Hundreds of lives are at stake.’

  Now the man looked really embarrassed. ‘Get up,’ he said. ‘You’re –’

  He stopped talking and I followed his gaze along the corridor. The captain was walking towards us with three big, strong-looking sailors beside him.

  ‘You again,’ said the captain, beginning to walk faster. ‘You’re becoming a bit of a menace.’

  I scrambled to my feet. No one was ever going to believe me. Now I knew that for sure.

  I spoke to the radio officer. ‘I remember you from the movie.’

  ‘Movie?’

  ‘Yes. And you’ll be glad to know they got a really cool guy to play your part.’

  ‘Play my part?’

  ‘Well, whatever. Tomorrow night, do what you can, but don’t forget to save yourself. You’re a nice man and none of this is your fault.’

  He started to say something, but I had no time to hang around to hear it – the captain and his heavy-men were almost beside us.

  So I picked up the skirts of Mikey’s mother’s dress and ran for my life.

  That night I climbed into the top bunk in Mary’s cabin again. Her mother and Baba were already asleep.

  ‘Tell me another story,’ said Mary.

  I told her all about Tracy Beaker and she clapped her hands softly when I was finished.

  ‘You make up the best stories ever,’ she said. Then she turned over to go to sleep.

  I lay in the darkness, listening to the loud throbbing of the ship’s engines and all at once, I knew I couldn’t stay there. This wasn’t my story. I had to escape and go to Saturn. I had to find a way to make him take me home again. And I wasn’t leaving him until he did so. And if that failed, at least I’d be in a lifeboat when the trouble started.

  But there was one thing I had to do first.

  Mary and I stood together in the corridor outside her cabin. She rubbed her eyes.

  ‘I was asleep, Lauren,’ she said. ‘Why did you wake me up? And why did we have to come out here?’

  ‘This is important,’ I said. ‘And I didn’t want your mother to hear. But please say goodbye to her and Baba for me.’

  ‘Goodbye?’ she repeated, sounding puzzled. ‘Sure won’t you be seeing them in the morning?’

  I avoided her question.

  Was it selfish of me to hope that I’d never see them again?

  ‘I have to go somewhere,’ I said. ‘And if I don’t come back …’

  Suddenly I hugged Mary. She seemed embarrassed, but she didn’t pull away.

  I could feel her shoulder-bones through the thin fabric of her nightdress. She felt frail and thin.

  How could I abandon her? How could I find a way to help her?

  At last I let her go and stared into her eyes.

  ‘You and me – we’re friends, right?’ I said.

  She nodded uncertainly. ‘Yes, and we’re still going to be friends when we get to New York. Remember you promised?’

  I hadn’t promised, actually, but I ignored this. I was trying to find a way to show Mary how serious I was.

  I put my hands to my face in an effort to concentrate. As I did so, one of my charms snagged in my hair. Mary helped me to untangle it, and I suddenly had an idea. I loosened the narrow silver link and took the charm off the bracelet. It was a tiny heart, with FRIENDS engraved on one side. I twirled it around and saw the single word on the other side – FOREVER.

  ‘Tilly gave me this,’ I said.

  ‘Then it must be very special to you,’ said Mary.

  ‘It is,’ I said, remembering how happy I’d been the day Tilly had given it to me. She’d been almost shy as she handed it over.

  ‘I know it’s not your birthday or anything,’ she’d said. ‘But I saw this and thought of you … so … here … this is for you.’

  And when I’d opened the tiny box, I’d had to wipe away a totally embarrassing tear and pretend that I had dust in my eye, and I’d hugged Tilly, and she’d hugged me back, and everything had been perfect.

  I totally loved this charm, but that wasn’t important now. This could be a matter of life and death.

  I held the charm towards Mary.

  ‘I’d like you to have it,’ I said.

  Mary looked puzzled. ‘I couldn’t take it from you. It wouldn’t be right.’

  I held it towards her. ‘I want you to have it.’

  Still she resisted. ‘What would Tilly say if she knew you gave it away?’

  I wondered that too.

  ‘I think she’d understand,’ I said.

  If I ever see her again to explain.

  Mary shook her head. ‘It’s beautiful, but I can’t take it from you.’

  ‘You can and you must,’ I said so fiercely that she took a step backwards.

  ‘Tilly gave me this charm,’ I said. ‘And now I’m giving it to you. It’s like a chain of friendship through the ages.’

  ‘Ages? How long have you had this?’ asked Mary.

  ‘Oh, a while,’ I said vaguely. ‘But that doesn’t matter now. What matters is that you must keep this charm with you at all times. It’s to remind you.’

  ‘To remind me of you? I don’t need a charm for that. Even when I get to New York, I won’t ever forget you.’

  This was getting too sad and too complicated, but I couldn’t stop now. ‘I won’t ever forget you, either, Mary, but that’s not the point. If something bad happens to this ship, you must look at the charm and it will be like a trigger, to make you remember.’

  ‘Make me remember you? I already said –’

  I shook m
y head. ‘No, it’s not to make you remember me; well, not just for that. I’m giving you the charm so that when … if something goes wrong on this ship, you’ll remember what I’m going to tell you next.’

  She shook her head. ‘This is the Titanic. Nothing’s going to go wrong. Nothing bad is going to happen.’

  ‘Please, Mary,’ I whispered, trying not to cry.

  This was all too hard. Why had I ended up on the Titanic?

  Why couldn’t I have ended up on a pleasure cruiser on the river Shannon, or on the ferry in Waterford, where my family went on holidays one time?

  But wishing wasn’t going to help me, and it wasn’t going to do Mary a whole lot of good, either.

  ‘Take the charm,’ I said as firmly as I could manage. ‘And listen to me.’

  ‘If that’s what you want,’ said Mary, sounding a bit scared. Her hand shook a little as she reached out and took the charm from me. She slowly closed her fingers over it.

  ‘Thank you,’ she whispered.

  ‘You’re welcome,’ I said. ‘And now you have to listen very carefully. Don’t argue any more. Just listen.’

  She nodded gravely.

  I tried not to care that Mary probably thought her new best friend had just gone crazy, as I spoke as clearly and as carefully as I could.

  ‘Tomorrow night this ship is going to hit an iceberg, and a few hours after that, it’s going to sink.’

  ‘But –’

  I shook my head to silence her. ‘When … if that happens, look at this charm, and think of me. Then remember what I am telling you now. And then you must act very quickly. You must find your mother and Baba and take them to that storeroom I showed you. Do you remember where it is?’

  She nodded.

  ‘And you must go through the door that leads to the First-Class area.’

  ‘But we’re not allowed up there. What if someone sees us? I’d be too afraid.’

  I shook my head again. ‘Don’t worry about that – you will have worse things to be afraid of if you don’t go up there, I promise you. Just listen, Mary, and do what I say. Don’t wait for anyone to help you because they probably won’t. And you must act the minute you feel a bump or hear a siren, or any other signal that something might be going wrong. Then the three of you – you and your mother and Baba – must go to one of the First-Class decks and make sure that you get into a lifeboat. They will let you in because of Baba, and then you’ll be safe. Everyone who gets into a lifeboat will be safe.’