Amanda in Holland

by Foster, Darlene;

  “Um, you’re right, we didn’t. Get out your map.”

  Amanda took the map out of her back pocket and unfolded it. “Let’s see. Here is the windmill, and over there is the Beatrix Pavilion with the orchids. Oh, no! We turned the wrong way, and now we’re even further away from the entrance.”

  “Nightmare!” Leah bit her lip. “Dad will kill me if we’re late.”

  “We’ll just have to move it. How fast can you run?”

  They tried to make their way quickly, but kept getting caught up in the hordes of tourists.

  “I swear there are more people here than when we first arrived,” said Amanda.

  “Stop!” shouted a man.

  Amanda looked behind her. There was the man in the blue coat. The same man the Dutch girls had been chasing.

  “Leah, we need to stop.”

  “No we don’t! What we need to do is get to the front gate by two o’clock.”

  “Please, I beg you to stop,” shouted the man.

  Amanda looked over her shoulder. He was getting closer. She bumped into a woman taking pictures and said, “I’m so sorry.”

  “You should watch were you are going, young lady.” The tourist walked away in a huff.

  Amanda lost sight of Leah in the throng. Someone gripped her jacket. Amanda pulled away. The person let go, and Amanda fell into a bed of multi-coloured tulips.

  The man in the blue coat reached out his hand and helped her up. “Quick, before anyone sees you. You can get into serious trouble if you damage the flowers.”

  “I need to get back to my friend. What do you want from me?”

  “Do you still have the dog?”

  “What? Why do you want to know?”

  “I just need to know where he is.”

  Leah appeared. “Amanda, what are you doing?” She looked at the man. “And who are you?”

  “My name is Tom. I just need to know where the dog is.”

  “What’s it to you where the dog is?” Leah grabbed Amanda’s hand and pulled her away. “Let’s go.”

  The girls hurried around the lake and alongside the stream. “I think that guy is still following us.” Leah looked around. “We need to lose him.”

  “Quick, let’s jump in there.” Amanda pointed to the giant wooden shoe.

  Without saying a word, they leaped into the huge garden decoration and crouched down below the rim.

  9

  AMANDA POKED HER HEAD UP SLIGHTLY. SHE COULD SEE TOM in the crowd, looking around and then veering off down a path. “The coast is clear! He’s going the opposite direction. Let’s go.”

  She clambered out of the wooden shoe. Leah followed. They ran as fast as they could to the front gate, where Leah’s father waited. Breathless, they got into the car.

  “What part of ‘be here at two o’clock sharp’ did you not understand?” Mr. Anderson looked at his watch and shook his head.

  “Sorry, Dad. We got turned around and went the wrong way. This place is massive,” explained Leah.

  “It’s my fault,” Amanda added. “I had the map and should have checked. Sorry. But it was an amazing place. Thanks so much for bringing us here. I got some great pictures.”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Mr. Anderson sighed. “I have another meeting to go to, so I’ll drop you off at the bed-and-breakfast.” He looked over his shoulder as he pulled out of the busy parking lot. “Looks like there are a lot of people here, so many more cars now.”

  When they arrived at the quiet B & B, Amanda and Leah looked for Ingrid and Joey. No one seemed to be around. They went to their room and called for Joey.

  No answer.

  “Where could he be?” asked Leah.

  “Maybe Ingrid took him for a walk. Let’s look in the garden.” Amanda darted out of the room. Leah followed close behind.

  They searched all over the garden, but found no sign of a person or a dog.

  Leah pointed. “Why is that bush moving?”

  They moved closer to investigate. The wiggling bush parted as the back end of someone emerged. The girls stepped back just as Ingrid looked behind her. She jumped up with a start.

  “Oh! I didn’t know you were there.” Ingrid’s dirt-covered hands gripped a hand spade. She noticed the girls looking at it and said, “I was just doing some gardening.” She wiped her sweaty forehead, leaving a streak of dirt.

  “Where’s Joey?” asked Amanda.

  “He is not here. I thought you knew. Your friend came and picked him up.”

  “Our friend? What friend?”

  “The boy down the road. He said he is staying at his grandparents’ place.” Ingrid pointed. “How did you like the Keukenhof Gardens?”

  “It was fantastic,” Amanda answered. “We think we may have seen Tom, the gardener who used to work here.”

  Ingrid paled. The spade dropped to the ground.

  “No! You mean he is alive? How do you know it was him?”

  “Well, his name is Tom, and he’s a gardener. He acted suspiciously and was running from somebody.”

  “Don’t mind my friend.” Leah glared at Amanda. “She has a wicked imagination. He could have been anybody. How far is it to the farm our friend is staying at?”

  “You can walk from here. If you cross that field, it is not far. The cows won’t bother you, but be careful of the goose. He can be mean.” Ingrid pointed the way. “Excuse me, I need to wash up.” She picked up the spade and walked toward the house.

  Amanda thought Ingrid’s shoulders shook. “That was weird. Why was she digging behind that bush? Isn’t that where Joey found the shoe?”

  “And why did Jan come and pick up Joey?” asked Leah. “We should walk over there right now and get him.”

  “I’m sure he’s safe with Jan.” Amanda paused and looked across the field. “But I agree, we should go and get him back.”

  Amanda remembered the concerned look on Lisa’s face when she mentioned Joey was with Ingrid. And why did that Tom guy want to know about the dog? Something fishy was going on, and she didn’t like it.

  The girls picked their way across the pasture. Black-and-white cows dotted the field, munching on the grass. Some raised their heads and looked in their direction. Leah’s voice quivered. “Are you sure the cows won’t hurt us?”

  “No way. They’re dairy cows and very gentle. My uncle has some on his farm. They wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Amanda laughed at her city friend.

  Leah pulled out the cell phone and took a couple of pictures. “They look peaceful enough. I’m glad we aren’t too close to them. Is that the farmhouse over there?”

  Amanda recognized the low, sloping roof and dark-brown shutters. “Yes, that’s it!”

  “Oh no!” Leah shouted.

  Amanda looked back just as Leah slipped on a large, gooey cow patty and landed with a plop on her bottom beside it. The phone flew up into the air. She reached to catch it, but only managed to knock it away.

  Leah stared in horror as it fell right in the middle of the cow dung. Amanda choked back a laugh when she saw the look on Leah’s face. She decided a laugh might not go over very well.

  Leah picked up the phone with the tips of her fingers and held it away from her. “Eew, it smells just awful. Now what am I going to do?”

  Amanda took off her backpack and scrounged around in it. “Ta-da!” She pulled out a package of wet wipes. “Mom always makes me keep these in my backpack. Good thing, eh?”

  They used up the entire package to wipe the phone clean.

  “I swear it still smells.” Leah wrinkled her nose.

  “It’ll be OK. Let’s go. We want to get Joey back, don’t we?” Amanda swung her backpack over her shoulder. Leah didn’t look happy. “Cheer up. It’ll be all right.”

  At the end of the pasture, they climbed over a fence, onto a road that led to the farm. The girls started to walk down it. Suddenly, a huge white goose with flapping wings flew up from the ditch. Feet paddling and neck outstretched, it skimmed along the road. The irate bird lan
ded in front of the girls, honking like a hoarse train whistle.

  “Oh, boy. Not the guard goose again.” Amanda crossed her arms. “Let us past, you silly thing.”

  Leah stayed behind Amanda. “I—I don’t like him when he’s angry.”

  Just then, Joey bounded toward them. He barked and ran around the goose. The goose stopped, looked at the puppy and waddled away.

  Amanda laughed. “See, Joey isn’t afraid of an old goose.”

  “I was just about to bring Joey back.” Jan came running. “I see he saved you from Gerald the Goose.”

  “The goose’s name is Gerald? That is too funny.” Leah chuckled. “Are you sure it shouldn’t be Geraldine? Since it is a goose, not a gander?”

  “Well, that was just a mistake, I guess.” Jan shrugged his shoulders. “It is hard to tell, you know.”

  “Why did you take Joey away from Ingrid’s place?” asked Amanda.

  “My great-grandmother is getting old and is not feeling well. I thought the puppy would cheer her up. I didn’t think you would mind.”

  10

  “ACTUALLY, Overgrootmoeder WOULD LIKE TO MEET YOU, Amanda. Why don’t you come back to the farm with me and we can all have a cup of tea. Oma has just baked banket, a delicious Dutch treat. You can’t visit Holland without trying it. Hers is the best in all of the Netherlands.” Jan nodded his head and grinned from ear to ear.

  “Sure. We have nothing else planned. Did she like Joey?” asked Amanda.

  “She sure did. They became best friends.”

  The inside of the cottage was as charming as the outside. Blue-and-white decorated plates hung on the squeaky-clean white walls. Polished dark wood furniture sat on ornate Persian carpets. A cheerful fire blazed in a brick fireplace.

  “Overgrootmoeder, this is Amanda and her friend Leah.” Jan led the girls to a woman wrapped in a shawl, sitting in a rocking chair by the fire.

  The older woman looked up. “Which one is from Canada?”

  “I am.” Amanda stepped forward.

  Although the woman was old, she had beautiful grey-blue eyes and very few wrinkles. Her braided white hair wrapped around her head like a headband. Dimples formed on each cheek when she smiled.

  Jan’s great-grandmother took both of Amanda’s hands in hers. “It is so nice to meet a girl from Canada. The Canadian soldiers were so very kind to us when they liberated our country. I was just a young girl of sixteen then, but I remember it as if it were yesterday. They gave us chocolate bars. It had been a terrible time. We didn’t have enough food for many years. Those chocolate bars were so delicious.” She had a faraway look in her eyes.

  “The tea is ready,” called a woman from the kitchen.

  “Yes, Oma, we will be right there,” answered Jan.

  He took the girls into a room painted a sunny yellow. Flowerpots lined the windowsills. The high oak-beam ceiling made the room feel spacious.

  “Oma, I’d like you to meet my friends, Amanda and Leah.” He nodded at the girls. “This is my grandmother, Helga.”

  “Nice to meet you. Please sit down.” Jan’s grandmother motioned to a large wooden kitchen table. Once everyone was seated, she handed a plate of round pastries to the girls. “Would you like to try these?” Helga looked a lot like her mother and had the same kind blue eyes.

  Amanda took a bite of the pastry, still warm from the oven. “Yum, these are so good. What did you say they were called?”

  “They are called banket, a puff pastry filled with an almond paste. It is my mother’s recipe, which was her mother’s, and so on,” replied Helga.

  “I’d love the recipe so I can make them for my mom and dad. I do a lot of cooking and baking at home.” Amanda popped the rest of the pastry into her mouth.

  “Really? That is wonderful.” Jan’s grandmother poured the tea. “Many young people don’t cook or bake anymore.”

  “My parents work a lot and don’t have time to do much cooking. I enjoy trying new things. I know they would love these.” Amanda reached for another banket and glanced into the living room.

  Joey slept by the fire, curled up on the great-grandmother’s feet.

  “We should get going, in case my dad returns and wonders where we are. I’m in enough trouble,” said Leah after her third helping.

  “I’ll walk back with you and make sure Gerald doesn’t try attacking you again.” Jan shook his head. “What are we going to do with that stupid bird?”

  His grandmother laughed. “She is not so stupid. We have never had anyone break in or steal anything. She does a good job of keeping us safe. Isn’t that right, Mommy?”

  The older woman smiled and nodded her head. “She is a good goose.”

  Amanda turned to Jan’s grandmother. “Thank you so much for the tea and snack—what should I call you?”

  “You can call me Helga. That is my name. Nice to meet you, Amanda and Leah.”

  The young people walked down the road with Joey. The goose stuck her head over the ditch. As soon as Joey began to bark at her, she ducked back down. Everyone laughed.

  “She is not so brave when a little puppy is around,” said Jan.

  “What’s that over there?” asked Amanda.

  “That is a waterwheel that was once used to operate the old mill.”

  “Can we look a bit closer? I’d like to take a picture.” Amanda took her camera from her backpack.

  “Sure, it’s just down this path here.” Jan led the way.

  A weathered waterwheel sat in a small stream, waiting to turn around and around and be useful again.

  Amanda snapped some pictures. Joey started to bark and pull on the leash. Leah had trouble holding on. Jan came to her rescue and took the leash.

  “What is it, little buddy? What do you think is there?”

  Movement in the tall grass caught Amanda’s attention. “There! Over there! It looks like someone is hiding in the grass.” She sprinted over to the patch of tall grass and swished her hands around, but no one was there.

  “I was sure I saw someone. Someone in a blue jacket.”

  “Amanda, you are always seeing … someone!” said Leah.

  Jan surveyed the area. Joey was determined to go forward, so he let the puppy lead him to an old barn. Abandoned wooden wheels leaned against the building. Rust-brown chickens scratching in the grass looking for tasty morsels scattered when Joey made a beeline to the door.

  The dog stopped at the closed barn door and barked. Jan pushed hard on the door. It didn’t budge. Amanda and Leah helped push. It swung open. In the dim light, they could see, crouched in the corner, a man, trembling. Joey stopped barking and ran behind Jan, his ears and tail down. The hair on the back of his neck stood upright. He gave a low growl.

  “What are you doing here?” asked Jan.

  Amanda recognized the man as Tom, the fellow they encountered at the Keukenhof Gardens.

  “Do you know him?” Amanda wrinkled her forehead and stared at Jan.

  “Of course. This is Tom, who used to work at the bedand-breakfast where you are staying. He also did some gardening for my grandparents.”

  He turned to the man. “Where have you been? You went missing and Opa wanted to pay you for the work you did.”

  Amanda interrupted. “We saw him at Keukenhof Gardens. He was being chased by two teenage girls who work there. They thought he stole something. Then, he followed us and asked questions about Joey.” She turned to Jan. “Who is this guy, anyway?”

  11

  JAN SHRUGGED AND SPOKE TO TOM IN DUTCH FOR A FEW MINUTES. He turned to Amanda and Leah. “He seems to be in some kind of trouble. I’m taking him to my grandparents’ place. Will you two be all right getting back to the bed-and-breakfast? Just follow the path we were on and then turn at the corner. You will see it.”

  “We’ll find it. We should be getting back anyway.” Amanda glared at Tom, narrowing her eyes.

  Leah tugged at Amanda’s sleeve. “Let’s go, before Dad gets back.” She reached for Joey’s leash.
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  Jan handed it to her. “Maybe it would be better if you didn’t say anything about finding Tom here. Especially not to Ingrid.”

  Once they were out of hearing distance, Amanda said, “Now that was totally weird. What is Jan trying to hide? And Joey didn’t seem to like that guy Tom, either. Something is up.”

  Leah nodded her head. “Yes, it all seemed a bit dodgy. But I’m sure it’s nothing. At least not anything to do with us. Oh, look, Dad has just turned into the driveway. Good timing.”

  With Joey leading, the girls ran the rest of the way to the bed-and-breakfast.

  “Hiya, Dad!” Leah shouted.

  “Oh, there you are. You girls all right?” Mr. Anderson smiled as he got out of the car and patted Joey’s head.

  “We visited Jan and his grandmother and great-grandmother,” replied Amanda.

  “They gave us tea and some smashing pastries,” said Leah.

  “Good, because it might be late when we have dinner.” Leah’s dad frowned. “We have to get back to Amsterdam as I’ve an unexpected early morning meeting.” He looked tired as he rolled his back and shoulders. “So pack your bags quickly, and I’ll check out. We’ll come back here again later.”

  “I’d love to see more of Amsterdam.” Amanda headed to the room.

  Back in Amsterdam that evening, they left Joey in the hotel room and had dinner at an old house turned into an old-style Dutch restaurant called Haesje Claes. From the outside it seemed to be a small place but inside, the building was quite large. It looked like a museum, with walls covered in artwork, pictures, mirrors, blue Delft tiles, leaded-glass windows, gold leather wallpaper and oak panelling. The welcoming aroma of food cooking left no doubt it was a restaurant.

  Amanda read the menu and decided on Hotchpotch Stamppot, a traditional Dutch dish of mashed potatoes mixed with carrots and onions, a meatball, sausages and bacon. After making her decision, she turned to the back of the menu.

  “This is interesting. The restaurant is actually named after a lady who started the first orphanage in Amsterdam. Somewhere in this building are pictures of the children who lived in the orphanage.” She looked up from the menu. “I always thought it would be so sad to not know your parents.”