Midsummer Magic

by Julia Williams

  Harry stumbled back up the path, feeling completely heartbroken. He’d tried and he’d failed. Josie had given him back her engagement ring. She didn’t want him any longer. Meeting Ant on the way, he’d sent him down to comfort Josie and then, not knowing what else to do, wandered back to the theatre, where he found a huge commotion going on.

  ‘Where is she?’ Mike Slowbotham was wailing. ‘Where is she?’ while M’stard and the rest of Tatiana’s gang were holding him back. M’stard turned out to be stronger than he looked.

  ‘Who?’ asked Harry, intrigued. Yet another weird happening on this very strange night.

  ‘Tatiana, of course,’ boomed Mike. ‘I love her, and she loves me. The little minx is only teasing me.’

  ‘She doesn’t love you,’ said Gypsy. ‘It’s called acting.’

  ‘Oh, woe is me,’ declaimed Mike soulfully, ‘my true love loves me not.’

  ‘You, me both,’ said Harry.

  ‘Look, she’s not your true love, and she doesn’t love you,’ said M’stard. ‘I think you need to get home. Someone’s had a teensy bit too much to drink.’

  ‘Or he’s been Freddieised,’ said Harry with a sudden realisation. ‘Didn’t Freddie Puck hypnotise you, yesterday?’ he said to Mike.

  ‘Erm, I don’t think so,’ said Mike, looking confused.

  ‘You stay here,’ said Harry. ‘I’m going to go and get Freddie. He’s done a lot of damage tonight, and he’s got a lot of making up to do.’

  He left them to it. Mike was trying to break free again, so M’stard solved the problem by sitting on him, while the other two pinned him down. That was one way of doing things.

  Harry walked with a renewed sense of purpose. It was time to tell Freddie Puck this damned experiment was at an end. He felt in his pocket and curled his hand round Josie’s engagement ring. ‘It’s not over till the fat lady sings,’ he muttered. Well, she’d better put off singing a little while longer.

  Josie took a sudden step back. She’d been overpowered briefly by the moment.

  ‘Sorry, Ant – I shouldn’t have – this is just too soon,’ she broke away from him, feeling raw and confused. ‘Please don’t expect anything.’

  ‘It was my fault too,’ said Ant. ‘I’m sorry, Josie, I couldn’t help it. You looked so sad and lonely. And I remember how I felt about you all those years ago.’

  ‘That was then, this is now,’ said Josie. ‘And Freddie Puck’s been messing with our heads. I don’t know what’s real anymore.’

  ‘I’ll give you as much time as you need,’ said Ant, lacing his fingers over hers.

  ‘I never knew you had such a sensitive side,’ said Josie with a wry smile.

  ‘I didn’t either till this weekend,’ said Ant. ‘I’m so sorry about all of this.’

  ‘It’s not your fault,’ said Josie.

  ‘It is. You were right, and I was wrong about the hypnotism,’ said Ant. ‘I got totally carried away with seeing Freddie Puck. I thought it would be a bit of a laugh. I had no idea it would end up like this.’

  ‘Does it have to?’ said Josie. ‘Maybe we should just go back and ask to get back to where we all were at the start.’

  ‘I’m not exactly sure I want to,’ said Ant. ‘I think I’ve been a better person tonight than I have in a long time. And then there’s you …’

  Josie didn’t answer him. She no longer knew what she wanted. But she’d give anything for none of this to have happened. The trouble was, could things ever be the same again? Even if they went back to their default positions, she now knew that Harry didn’t want to marry her. And she had a feeling that no amount of hypnotism could make her forget that …

  Ant was feeling hyper-aware of his surroundings as he walked back up the cliff path with Josie. She hadn’t said yes, but she hadn’t said no either. Maybe after all this was over and the dust had settled, they could work something out. Maybe …

  They arrived back at the theatre to hear a debate going on.

  ‘Do you think we should have tied him up? Isn’t that like assault?’

  ‘It was for his own good,’ said another voice. ‘He would have run after Tati, and then where would we be?’

  ‘Where is she do you think?’ a third voice fretted. ‘I do hope she’s okay.’

  ‘It’s okay,’ said Josie, pushing the theatre gate open, where she found Tatiana’s three companions holding down a very defiant Mike. ‘She’s safe.’

  ‘Where is she?’ wailed Mike. ‘She must love me, she must. Why would she have met me here at midnight if not for love?’

  ‘To get a part in your play, you silly little man,’ said M’stard in exasperation. ‘Why on earth would a goddess like Tati be interested in a mere mortal like you?’

  ‘Why indeed?’ whispered Ant, laughing. The one funny thing that had happened all night had been watching Mike Slowbotham getting carried away.

  They heard more voices, and Auberon and Freddie appeared, Harry hard at their heels.

  ‘This nonsense has gone on long enough,’ said Bron, ‘Poor Tati. What have we done?’

  ‘I thought you wanted to punish her,’ said Freddie.

  ‘I did,’ said Bron, ‘but it turns out I didn’t want to humiliate her after all. Where is she, by the way?’

  ‘Down on the beach,’ said Josie. ‘I left her hiding in a cave.’

  ‘Where? Can you show me?’ said Bron.

  ‘With pleasure,’ Josie said, and took him down the cliff path, Ant following behind. The day was dawning, and white light was poking under grey clouds, so they got a clear view of the beach as they scrambled towards it. Ant suddenly realised the beach was much smaller than when they’d left.

  ‘Hang on,’ he said. ‘What’s happening? Is the tide coming in?’

  ‘Oh no!’ said Josie.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ asked Bron.

  ‘I forgot about the tide,’ said Josie in a whisper; she’d gone deathly pale. ‘It’s going to block off the entrance to the cave and Tatiana’s trapped inside.’

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Harry had only just about taken in the sight of Josie and Ant holding hands (it was so swift he thought he’d made it up) before they disappeared with Bron to show him where Tatiana had gone. He was going to ask Ant just what the hell he thought he was doing, but was stopped in his tracks by Josie bursting back up the track, shouting for help.

  ‘What’s going on?’ said Harry, alert for an opportunity to redeem himself in Josie’s eyes.

  ‘It’s Tatiana,’ gasped Josie. ‘She’s stuck in a cave and the tide’s coming in. Has anyone got a signal? We need to ring the coastguard.’

  Several people tried and failed to get their phones working. Eventually Freddie managed to patch a call through, and was shouting rapid instructions to the person on the other end.

  ‘Where are we again, Josie?’

  ‘Tresgothen Cove,’ she said, ‘it’s just beyond Torpoint.’

  Freddie relayed the information. ‘They said they know where to find us,’ he said, putting his phone in his pocket.

  ‘How long?’ said Josie.

  ‘Twenty minutes, they think,’ said Freddie.

  Josie looked anxious, gnawing her lip in a gesture Harry knew and loved.

  ‘We may not have twenty minutes. We have to get Tatiana out of there. We need a rope, now.’

  ‘What did you tie Mike up with?’ said Harry with sudden inspiration.

  ‘The belt from my kimono,’ said M’stard. ‘It’s quite long and tough.’

  He pointed at the obi belt Mike was tied up with, it was the kind Josie associated with sumo wrestlers and looked like it could do the job.

  ‘You mean dressing gown,’ said Freddie.

  ‘It’s better than nothing, and it’s long enough,’ said Harry. ‘Untie Mike and give it to me.’

  ‘What about Mike?’

  Mike was huffing and puffing about the indignity of it all.

  ‘Oh, leave it to me,’ said Freddie, clicking his fingers, a
nd instantly Mike fell into a deep snoring sleep.

  Once the cord to the kimono – which luckily seemed quite strong – was removed, everyone hurried down to the beach where Bron was standing in a pool of water at the entrance of the cave, shouting encouragement to Tatiana. The sea was swirling dangerously round the entrance, and the beach was rapidly being eaten up. Tatiana’s crew stood around helplessly wringing their hands.

  ‘Right,’ said Harry. ‘It’s not far to your yurt is it? One of you, go and get blankets, towels, a flask; anything that we might need. Someone needs to try and get into the cave and rescue Tatiana. If we tie the rope round that person’s waist, and the rest of us form a human chain, we might be able to do it.’

  ‘Me,’ said Bron. ‘I’ll do it. Tati, darling, help is at hand. We’ll have you out of there as soon as we can.’

  Diana heard the shouting from the top of the cliff. She peered over the edge, and in the early morning gloom, could see a gaggle of people gathering on the beach. They seemed to be panicking. What on earth could be going on?

  Curiosity pricked, Diana went back to the cliff path, and found her way down to the beach.

  It was definitely getting lighter now. Diana glanced at her watch. Nearly 5a.m. The grey clouds were outweighing the black, the lightening of the sky heralding the arrival of the sun. It was still warm, but a light spray was coming off the sea as she scrambled down the rocky path to where everyone was standing.

  ‘What’s happening?’ She spotted Josie looking worried.

  ‘It’s all my fault,’ said Josie, wringing her hands. ‘I told Tatiana to hide from Mike in the cave, but I forgot about the tide coming in, and now she’s trapped. We’ve called the coastguard, but we’re not sure when they’re going to get here. Bron’s insisting he’s going in to get her.’

  ‘Right.’ Harry was at the cave’s entrance, tying a knot in a rope around Bron’s waist.

  ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ he said.

  ‘Bring it on,’ said Bron. ‘Are you sure this knot is secure?’

  ‘It should be, I was a boy scout,’ said Harry, testing it to be sure. ‘I’ll double it to make sure.’

  Happy that it was fine, Harry turned to everyone else. ‘I’ll hold the rope, and everyone form a chain behind me. Bron can then swim into the cave, and he should be able to get Tati.’

  ‘Shouldn’t we wait for the coastguard?’ asked Diana. This seemed immensely risky to her, and she liked Bron. She didn’t want anything happening to him.

  ‘No time,’ said Harry.

  ‘And I owe Tati,’ said Bron. ‘Wish me luck.’

  He started to wade towards the cave, the water soon up to his shoulders. ‘Tati, I’m coming to get you,’ he shouted, before he was lost in the swirling waters of the cave.

  ‘Do you think they’re going to be okay?’ said Diana.

  ‘I hope so.’ Josie was looking sick. ‘People have drowned in that cave before now.’

  Harry was beginning to strain on the rope. ‘Come on, I need a hand here,’ he shouted.

  Ant ran forward, and then Freddie, and one by one they formed a human chain. The sea was pounding hard at their heels now, and faintly from the cave Diana could make out a voice calling, ‘Tati, Tati, I’m coming for you.’

  She just hoped it wasn’t too late.

  Ant took his place in the line behind Harry, feeling tense. God, they might both drown and he and Josie would be partly to blame. Josie had mentioned she was there, but they’d been so caught up in the moment, they’d completely forgotten about Tatiana. And now she was trapped.

  ‘This is harder than it looks in the movies,’ muttered Harry. ‘I had no idea Bron would be this heavy.’

  ‘Can you see anything?’

  They peered into the darkness, and could just about make out Bron’s head bouncing in the waves.

  ‘Everything okay?’ Harry called.

  ‘I can see her …’ said Bron.

  ‘Keep going,’ shouted Ant, ‘you can do it!’

  They felt the rope pull away from them and heard Bron shout, ‘I’ve got her.’

  ‘Brilliant,’ said Harry. The rope went slack as Bron climbed up to the ledge where Tatiana was sheltering.

  ‘Phew,’ said Ant, ‘thank God she’s okay, I was beginning to feel guilty there.’

  ‘Anything else you should be feeling guilty about, mate?’ said Harry, with an emphasis on the mate.

  ‘Sorry?’ Ant didn’t think he’d given anything away.

  ‘You and Josie, you looked very cosy up there at the theatre.’

  ‘I’m not sure I know what you mean,’ bluffed Ant.

  ‘Aren’t you?’ said Harry.

  Ant was saved from having to answer by a tug of the rope.

  ‘I’ve got her,’ shouted Bron. ‘I’m coming out.’

  Josie was at the back of the line, not sure what was happening till she heard Ant yell, ‘He’s got her!’

  Tatiana’s entourage burst into a round of spontaneous applause.

  ‘I was so worried,’ said M’stard, to no one in particular.

  ‘We’ve still got to get them out,’ Josie pointed out. ‘The boys need all the help they can get.’

  Harry and Ant had the rope now and were straining to pull it backwards.

  ‘A bit of help here, please,’ shouted Ant, and everyone resumed their positions. But this time, even at the end of the line, Josie could feel how much harder it was; everyone was stumbling and slipping on the pebbles. There were two people to get out of that cave and the waves were getting higher and stronger.

  ‘Come on,’ roared Harry, ‘we can do this!’

  Everyone pulled as hard as they could.

  ‘I feel like that nursery story about the old man and the turnip,’ muttered Josie, panting as she too felt the strain.

  They tugged and pulled and the waves dragged the rope back and forth.

  Then an excited, ‘I can see them!’ came from Harry, and they made one last pull, which caused them all to fall on top of each other higgledy-piggledy.

  Harry was the first to stand up. He looked dazed, still holding onto one end of the rope. He pulled the other end, and it flew through the water into his hands.

  ‘So much for scouts’ knots,’ muttered Ant.

  The rope had come undone – and there was no sign of Tatiana and Bron.

  Chapter Thirty

  ‘Someone do something!’ Harry heard Josie shout, and without thinking, he ripped off his shirt, kicked off his shoes and hurled himself into the water. It was freezing and the waves were crashing violently against the cave wall. But Harry was a strong swimmer and he confidently ploughed his way into the middle of the cave. Seconds later, he was aware that Ant was beside him.

  ‘Can you see them?’ shouted Ant above the waves.

  He was going to reply in the negative, but then he caught sight of Bron, frantically bobbing about, trying to keep Tatiana’s head out of the water.

  ‘There!’ he said, and swam towards them. It was confusing and dark in the cave and waves were coming in from the other side, which was making him disorientated. For every stroke forward, it felt as if he was being pushed two strokes back. But the adrenaline was pumping and kept him going.

  Eventually he reached Bron and shouted, ‘Here, let me help. I’ll take Tatiana, and Ant will help you,’ before realising that they were both stuck on a ridge, clinging to it for dear life.

  ‘Tati’s frightened,’ said Bron, who looked worn out. ‘I can’t persuade her to come.’

  ‘I can’t swim,’ wailed Tatiana.

  ‘It’s okay,’ said Harry, ‘I’m a trained lifeguard. Come, on I can help. We don’t have much time.’

  The waves were buffeting the rocks faster than ever, and water was pouring in from the other end of the cave at an alarming rate, making a broiling mass of wave, rock and seaweed.

  ‘I can’t!’ screamed Tatiana.

  ‘You can, or we’re all going to bloody well drown,’ said Harry with a decisive
ness which took him by surprise. Taking her gently from Bron, and unpicking her fingers from where they were pinned against his shoulders, Harry got hold of her head, and began the slow swim on his back towards the mouth of the cave. It was hard going. The waves slapped in his face, and he was very aware of the ever-present threat of the rocks. But the first gleams of the sunrise were beginning to peek their way through and the cave entrance gradually grew nearer. Behind him, he could hear Ant muttering words of encouragement to Bron. They could and would do this, and Josie would be so proud.

  ‘Oh my God, what has he done?’ Josie pushed her way through the shocked throng, as she saw Harry dive into the thrashing water. It was bad enough Bron going in, but now Harry – and Ant, who followed in rapid succession. It was so stupid. They were all risking their lives. They were going to drown, and it was her fault. At this rate, by the time the coastguard arrived they’d be pulling four bodies out of the cave.

  ‘They’ll be okay,’ said Diana, coming up to her and clutching her arm, ‘they have to be.’

  ‘I don’t even know how well Harry can swim,’ said Josie helplessly, ‘he never shows much interest in the sea when we come down here.’

  The sun was beginning to rise in earnest now, pink fingers spreading across the sky, making the sea appear both benign and friendly, and not the watery grave it threatened to be.

  ‘The sea here can be so treacherous,’ said Josie. ‘Oh, why did I suggest Tatiana hide in the cave? I could kick myself.’

  ‘Look, help’s at hand.’ Diana pointed as a boat rounded the cove and came speeding in their direction.

  Thank God. Josie peered into the gloomy darkness of the cave; it was hard to see, but she thought she could make out figures battling their way through the water.

  ‘Here! Over here!’ She jumped up and down, waving to the coastguard. The boat was just puttering up to the cave entrance when Harry ploughed backwards through it, holding Tatiana. He looked magnificent, strong and brave, and Josie’s heart leapt. He was okay. He was okay.