Amanda in Holland

by Foster, Darlene;

  “Yes, it was delicious. I need to buy more.” Mr. Anderson surveyed the display case.

  “Can we please put a poster in your window?” asked Amanda. “Joey, the puppy we found by the garbage cans across the street, is missing.” She unrolled a poster.

  Lisa went pale and gulped. “That is just awful. Of course you may hang a poster.”

  “Do you work at Keukenhof Gardens too?”

  “We have a cheese shop there, and I work at both places.” She pulled out a board displaying small chunks of cheese. “Now what kind of cheese would you like today? Perhaps you would like to sample this new smoked Gouda. It is proving to be very popular.”

  Leah and her father picked out cheeses while Jan and Amanda hung the poster. Jan glanced at Lisa and nodded. “Thanks.” She gave him a knowing smile.

  “We’d best return to the hotel, girls. It’s getting late. After such a large lunch, perhaps we can snack on cheese, sausages and pretzels instead of going out for dinner.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Amanda wasn’t very hungry. She just wanted to soak in the tub and go to bed. It had been a long day. Besides, her shoulder and knee hurt.

  “I should be on my way too,” said Jan.

  “Thanks for helping us.” Leah gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder.

  As they left the shop, Amanda turned to see if the poster was straight and saw Jan and Lisa chatting. It looked like a serious conversation.

  “Ouch! Your shoulder looks awful,” Leah exclaimed when they got undressed for bed. “That’s one serious bruise.”

  Amanda stretched her neck to examine her shoulder. “Those black-and-blue marks look like a badly drawn map.” She shrugged. “It’ll be OK.”

  “Maybe we should have it looked at.”

  “Let’s see how it feels in the morning.” She hobbled to the bathroom, not wanting Leah to see the state of her knee, which had doubled in size and looked like a purple turnip.

  The next morning, Amanda asked, “Are we going back to the bed-and-breakfast?”

  Mr. Anderson looked up from his cell phone. “Later today. First I have to meet someone from my firm. She’s in charge of the company’s annual donation campaign. I’m on the committee this year. We need to discuss which charity to support. Since meeting Jan and learning more about what he does, I’ve decided to suggest we support animal shelters. They’re worldwide, so it could include all the countries we do business in.”

  Leah’s eyes lit up. “That’s a terrific idea, Dad.”

  Amanda nodded. “That’d be so awesome.”

  “I can get Jan to give me contact information here in Holland.” He closed his phone. “I’m meeting Elise in the country. We should get going.”

  They quickly packed. Amanda winced as she lifted her bag off the bed.

  Leah asked, “Are you still in pain?”

  “It hurts a little, but it’s not bad. I’ll be fine.” Amanda zipped up her roller bag and decided to carry her backpack instead of slinging it over her aching shoulder.

  Mr. Anderson drove out of Amsterdam in the rain. He dodged cyclists, many in bright-yellow ponchos and some holding up umbrellas with one hand. The bridges were clogged with people on bicycles.

  “Apparently there are 1500 bridges in this city. I hate to think how many bikes there are,” Mr. Anderson said.

  Amanda stared out the rain-speckled car window at the wet and dreary countryside. She felt a heaviness in her chest as she thought of poor Joey, lost and wandering in the rain. She rested her head against the side window. Her shoulder and knee ached. This trip wasn’t going as well as she had hoped.

  After a while, they entered a long, tree-lined driveway with a narrow building on one side. A fancy house surrounded by lush gardens stood behind an elaborate wrought-iron gate on the other side.

  “Where are we?” Amanda asked.

  “This place is called Singraven. I think you’ll like the manor house, as it has some interesting history. There is a small gift shop over there, where you can get tickets for the park and house. I’ll be in De Watermolen restaurant.” He pointed out a quaint building by a waterwheel. “You can join us for something to eat later. You’ll like Elise.”

  Mr. Anderson went into the restaurant while the girls walked over to the gift shop.

  “This is a cute place.” Leah picked up an ornament of a little Dutch girl and boy, wearing traditional clothes, kissing. “This looks like you and your boyfriend.”

  “I don’t have a boyfriend. How many times do I have to tell you?”

  “You mentioned a guy called Caleb in your emails.”

  “Oh, him.” Amanda shrugged. “He’s just a friend. We’ve known each other since kindergarten.”

  “Yeah, right.” Leah put the figurine down.

  “Would you like to buy tickets to walk around the gardens and look inside the house?” asked the shopkeeper.

  “Yes, please. For two.” Leah handed her twenty euros.

  The lady gave her the tickets and a brochure with a map. “Enjoy your visit to Singraven House. This age-old place has been a farmhouse, a convent, a hunting lodge, a family home, a holiday house and the home of the mayor and his family. Often left derelict and saved from destruction more than once, it has been renovated many times. It is now looked after by a foundation and is sometimes used for weddings.”

  “Is it haunted?” asked Amanda.

  The shopkeeper laughed. “Not that I’ve heard. If you see a ghost, let me know.”

  As they closed the door to the shop, Amanda did a double take. A poster of Joey was taped to the window. “Now how did this get here?”

  “Who knows? Maybe Dad’s workmate hung it up.” Leah shoved her hands in her pockets and set off toward the park.

  They reached a turnstile gate where a sign showed two ways of getting to the house. One was a longer, twisty trail through gardens and around a lake. The other was a shorter, more direct path.

  Leah pulled her hood up over her head. “I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not take the long route in this rain.”

  “It’s only a drizzle. I’d like to see more of the gardens.”

  “How about we go and look inside the house, and if it’s not raining when we get out, we can return the long way.”

  “All right.” Amanda liked looking through old houses anyway.

  Even in the drizzle, the grounds looked lovely and peaceful, with many trees and plants. The path took them around flowering shrubs and past a patch of cheerful daffodils, to a clearing where the stately manor house stood proud and tall.

  They entered a room filled with elegant furniture and dazzling chandeliers. Amanda wished she could sit on the plush scarlet couch, but noticed signs that warned, “DON’T TOUCH OR SIT ON THE FURNITURE.”

  “This would be a perfect place to hold a wedding.” She glanced around, taking it all in.

  “Like when you marry Caleb.” Leah smirked.

  “Stop it!” Amanda punched her friend’s arm.

  Someone walked past and went through a doorway leading into another room.

  The person looked strangely familiar.

  17

  AMANDA TUGGED AT LEAH’S SLEEVE. “LET’S GO INTO THE NEXT room. I think I saw someone we know.”

  “Who would be here that we know?” Leah shook her head and followed her into the next room.

  There was no one in the room.

  “This must be the library.” Amanda gazed at the rows and rows of leather-bound, gilt-edged books on display. “I dream of living in a house with a library.” She headed toward an elegant rosewood desk. “Look at this old bible.” She ran her hand over a large, leather-covered book on the desk and opened it. “It’s from 1716!”

  Leah glanced around. “I don’t think you should be touching things.”

  The door slammed shut and the lights went out.

  Amanda jumped. “I thought the lady in the shop said this place wasn’t haunted.” Her voice trembled.

  “Of course it isn’t.
Don’t be silly.” Leah tried the door. “Why do these things always happen when I’m with you? The door won’t open. There must be another way out of here.”

  The girls felt their way around the walls and bookshelves. Amanda ran her hands over a rough embroidered tapestry and stopped when she felt a lump. She lifted the heavy fabric and felt a doorknob. Her fingers traced the outline of a small door.

  “Leah, come over here. I think I found something.”

  Leah soon bumped into her under the tapestry, and together they pulled at the handle.

  The small door creaked open. A musty, earthy smell, like a root cellar with vegetables, assaulted them.

  “Hey, what are you doing there?”

  The lights came on.

  The girls froze.

  Someone lifted the tapestry. “You had better come out from under there.”

  Amanda blinked. In front of them was Jan’s grandmother, Helga.

  Her hand flew to her chest. “Amanda, Leah, what are you girls doing here?”

  “S-sorry. W-we wanted to see the back of the tapestry. Then the lights went out.” Amanda gulped. “Do you work here?”

  “I occasionally volunteer here. I love these old buildings and think it’s important they stay preserved, so the young people can see what it was like in the past. So many historical places were lost during the war.” She gently touched the tapestry. “Would you like me to show you the rest of the house?”

  “That would be awesome, thanks.” Amanda gave a weak smile, happy they were not in trouble.

  Helga switched off the lights and locked the door to the library. Then she took them through to the drawing room, lit with a sparkling Venetian crystal chandelier.

  “This is where the ladies would drink their tea. Notice the lovely china tea sets in the cabinets. Wouldn’t you love to have a tea party in this room?”

  The girls nodded and followed her into the massive dining room, and then into the cheerful yellow bedroom. They climbed the stairs to the glittery silver room, the blue room and the gloomy residential room. Helga explained that the men would retire there after dinner for a cigar and a drink. “Can you believe the walls used to be covered in Russian leather wallpaper? It’s still very dark and serious with the bamboo covering, don’t you think?”

  Amanda thought about the difference in the two rooms and found it odd that the women would be in one room and the men in another.

  As if she could read her mind, Helga said, “That is how it was in the 17th and 18th centuries. Of course, it is not like that now here in Holland.” She kept looking around as if she was expecting someone. “Have you found the little dog yet?”

  “How did you know he’s missing?” asked Amanda.

  “Jan called me last night and told me. He scanned a copy of the poster and asked me to hand some around while I was out and about.”

  “So, you hung the poster in the window of the gift shop?”

  “Yes, that was me.”

  “Thanks!” Amanda beamed. “And thanks for showing us around.”

  “I hope you find the puppy. My mother loved him so much.”

  The rain had stopped when the girls left the house, and started down the longer path. “Why do you think there was a secret door in the library, and what do you think was in there?” asked Amanda.

  “That was odd. And why did she lock the door behind her?”

  “You don’t think she was hiding something stolen, like tulip bulbs, do you?”

  “I hardly think so. She seems so nice. But then you never know. They say that the most unlikely people commit crimes.” Leah tossed her hair. “I’m glad it stopped raining.”

  Amanda shuddered to think Jan’s grandmother could be a thief.

  The path took them over a pretty little bridge. “This is a huge park. I hope we don’t get lost.”

  “Don’t worry. I have the map.” Amanda patted her pocket.

  As they came up to a clump of bushes covered with purple flowers, someone on a bicycle dashed out from behind the shrubs and rode straight by.

  “That looked like Tom.” Amanda started running ahead.

  “Amanda, wait up!” shouted Leah.

  “Hey, hey you. Stop! I want to ask you something.”

  The man on the bicycle looked back, but kept going.

  Amanda was sure it was Tom.

  Leah asked, “What do you need to ask him about? He seems a bit shady to me.”

  “I think he might know who took Joey.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  “He asked about him at Keukenhof Gardens, and he keeps showing up.”

  Leah sighed. “Well, there is no way we can catch up with him when we’re walking and he’s on a bike.”

  “Unless we were on bikes too.” Amanda pointed to two bicycles lying by the side of the pathway.

  “Oh no you don’t!” Leah’s eyes widened. “I know what you’re thinking, and we can’t take them.”

  “We won’t be stealing them. We’ll bring them back.” Amanda picked up a bike, climbed onto it and pedalled down the road as fast as she could.

  “Unbelievable.” Leah got on the other bike and followed.

  Amanda was catching up to Tom. She pedalled faster and was soon on his tail. “Tom! Do you know where Joey is?” she shouted.

  He looked sideways. “I don’t know anything about the dog. Leave me alone.”

  Amanda wasn’t watching where she was going and veered off the path. She ran into a large tree stump and ended up on the ground, just inches from the pond.

  Leah pulled up beside her. “You are just an accident waiting to happen!” She got off the bike and helped her up. “Honestly! You could have fallen in the water. I told you not to take these bikes. Let’s get them back to where we found them, before we get accused of theft.”

  “We didn’t steal them. We borrowed them.” Amanda snorted and rubbed her shoulder before getting back on the bike. At least she’d fallen on the other shoulder. They dropped off the bicycles and walked back using the shorter route. Leah marched off in front, not saying anything.

  They entered De Watermolen and joined Mr. Anderson and his co-worker, Elise.

  “You two don’t look very happy. Didn’t you like the house?”

  “It was OK. You know I’m not really into old houses and such,” replied Leah. “It’s chilly out. I’d like a hot chocolate and a snack.”

  “Have you tried the bitterballen?” asked Elise.

  “What’s that?” asked Amanda.

  “They’re a gooey mixture of flour, chopped beef, broth, butter, herbs and spices in a bread-crumb coating. They are typically served with mustard for dipping.”

  Leah’s dad ordered bitterballen for everyone.

  Amanda enjoyed the crunchy bites, but kept thinking about Helga, Tom, the stolen tulip bulbs and Joey. Could there be a connection?

  18

  “EARTH TO AMANDA. ARE YOU LISTENING?” LEAH SHOUTED. “Elise wants to know if you would be interested in visiting a Canadian war-memorial cemetery.”

  “Sorry, I guess my mind wandered.” Turning red with embarrassment, Amanda felt bad for not paying attention and recalled how her mom often scolded her for daydreaming.

  “I thought because you are from Canada, you might like to visit a cemetery dedicated to Canadian soldiers,” said Elise.

  “That would be very interesting.”

  “A good idea, Elise,” said Mr. Anderson. “I know the one you mean. We can stop there before we go back to the bedand-breakfast.”

  “This crazy Canadian likes cemeteries.” Leah tilted her head and winked. She didn’t look angry anymore.

  A short drive took them to a wooded area. The words “Holten Canadian War Cemetery” were carved on a piece of marble set in a redbrick wall.

  “We’ll go into the information centre first,” said Mr. Anderson as he parked the car.

  A Dutch soldier greeted them when they entered the brick building. “Hallo. My name is Sergeant Wim Westerhoud. You may
want to watch the short film first to give you an idea of what happened here at the end of the war, when the Canadian army liberated this area from Nazi occupation.”

  “I’m from Canada.” Amanda thrust her chest out, feeling very proud.

  “Well, I am very glad you have come to visit. So many of your brave countrymen lost their lives so we could be free from the oppressor. You can be very proud of them. The people of the Netherlands are forever grateful. Take your time, look around, watch the film and listen to the stories.”

  A lump formed in Amanda’s throat.

  They entered a large room. A map covering one wall showed the villages of the north and east Netherlands with the dates of their liberation. On the opposite side of the room, an enclosed area with benches arranged in front of a screen beckoned them.

  They sat down and watched the black-and-white film showing the liberation of three towns. Scenes of intense fighting ended with images of joyful people waving flags and cheering as soldiers paraded down the street. The film continued with interviews of soldiers, who relayed some of their experiences.

  Tears ran down Amanda’s cheeks as she listened to their stories of immense bravery and of seeing their comrades die. She thought of her great-uncle Harold and wondered what his story would have been.

  The outside wall of the cinema listed the names of the 1,394 soldiers buried in the cemetery. The majority were Canadian. She ran her eyes down the list but didn’t recognize any of the names.

  Computers with touch screens to look up information on the soldiers, as well as video clips and eyewitness stories of soldiers and inhabitants, were arranged on tables in the middle of the room. Amanda stopped to examine a mannequin in a WWII Canadian military uniform.

  “You have got to look at this!” Leah exclaimed.

  Amanda joined her friend in front of a wall covered in white tiles decorated with red writing and drawings. A sign explained that the wall was created by pupils from the primary schools in the nearby town of Holten. They were tasked to paint tiles with the theme “war and peace.”

  “This is awesome.” Amanda admired painted images of maple leaves, peace signs, yin-and-yang symbols, doves, Canadian flags and heart-shaped smiley faces.