The Story Traveller (15 page)

‘You've been very brave,' Lucy told her new friend, for she knew Vasilisa was unaware that Baba Yaga would never have harmed her.

‘Not really. My mother blessed me on her death bed and gave me a little doll. She helps me in times of trouble. I look after her and she looks after me.'

‘Have you brought her with you?' Lucy asked

‘Of course, but my mother said I should never let anyone else see her – even my closest friends.'

‘I understand,' said Lucy, though she would love to have seen this magical doll. ‘My name's Lucy by the way.'

‘And I'm Vasilisa.' The two girls managed to smile at each other, although both knew the wolves continued to follow them as they made their way carefully along the path. At one point Lucy picked up a stout branch and held it close to the blazing skull, until that too caught light. At once the area around the two girls became much brighter and that extra fire power seemed to scare the wolves off, as they began to drop further and further back, although their mournful yowls continued to give the two girls the shivers.

Now they had more light, Lucy began to notice cloths hanging from quite a few of the trees. She pointed one out to Vasilisa: a beautiful woven piece in bright yellow and blue.

‘Families here make their own material and always reserve the best pieces as offerings to the forest nymphs, the Rusalki.'

‘Why would they waste a perfectly good piece of cloth?' Lucy looked puzzled.

‘It's believed that Rusalki live in the forest and swing from tree to tree. Offerings are made by families that use the forest regularly, because a Rusalki, it's said, can tickle a person to death. Each offering is protection for a local family.'

‘From a really funny death!' Lucy added with a smile. ‘Are there any more odd beliefs about the forest?'

‘Da, parents always tell naughty children spirits will find them, steal them and turn them into bark.'

‘There must have been an awful lot of naughty children then,' Lucy said ‘judging by the number of trees. But then my parents used to say if I swallowed an apple pip, a tree would grow inside me, and my grandmother's favourite saying was ‘Cat's got your tongue'. As a little child I always put out my tongue and felt it every time Grandma said that.'

These fanciful tales lightened their spirits, as Lucy and Vasilisa continued on their way, telling each other more silly stories from their childhood, until they'd left the forest behind them and started to walk towards a wooden house, built in a clearing. Lucy could only just make out the shape of the building, as the sky was still black and no lights shone from the windows.

‘Lucy would you mind waiting here.' Vasilisa pointed to a small hut. ‘My stepmother and stepsisters aren't very kind and could hurt you.'

‘Of course, Vasilisa, no problem.' Lucy entered the hut and wrapped herself up in her cloak to keep warm and invisible.

After about half an hour Vasilisa appeared, with a small candle.

‘Let's try and get some sleep. Stepmother now has her light, so we can get some rest.' The two girls wrapped their arms round each other and were soon fast asleep.

Lucy slept soundly and didn't hear Vasilisa get up to go and see to the fire, but she was soon wide awake when Vasilisa rushed back into the hut, a look of horror on her face.

‘What's the matter Vasilisa?' Lucy asked her shaken friend.

‘Something awful has happened, come and see.' The two girls ran into the cottage. There was no sign of the stepmother or the stepsisters. All that remained of the three of them were three piles of ashes. Vasilisa could only tell who they were by the three pairs of shoes neatly placed in front of the ashes.

‘It's Baba Yaga's light that killed them,' Vasilisa told Lucy. ‘And it's my fault for bringing it back.'

‘No it isn't Vasilisa.' Lucy took hold of Vasilisa's hands and made her look into her eyes. ‘You did as you were asked. Your stepmother told you to go to Baba Yaga's and bring back a light. The truth is your stepmother thought Baba Yaga would kill you, but she only hurts evil people and your stepmother and stepsisters were evil.'

‘I must bury their ashes, though,' Vasilisa told Lucy, as she gently began to collect the charred remains. ‘And I think I'd better bury this skull too, so it can't harm anyone else.'

The two girls walked outside, glad to be in the sunshine, and together dug a hole large enough to place the skull and ashes in. No sooner had they finished, than a rose bush began to push through, and within minutes beautiful red roses bloomed and flourished on the spot.

‘At least it's a beautiful resting place,' Vasilisa said softly.

‘What will you do now?' asked Lucy.

‘I learnt spinning and sewing from my mother. I know a kindly old lady; she lives on the outskirts of town: she'll take me in and in return I can earn some money to help her.'

At that moment Speed came trotting up the path.

‘This is my good friend, Speed. He has come to take me home. Can we give you a lift to the old woman's?'

‘Nyet. I must pack my clothes and bits and pieces, then leave a note for father, so he can find me when he returns.'

Lucy climbed onto Speed's back.

‘Good luck Vasilisa. I hope you live happily ever after.' ‘Goodbye Lucy. Thank you for keeping me company.'

The two girls waved at each other until they were both out of sight and Lucy settled back for her long return journey home.

‘It won't be too long before she finds her handsome lord, will it Speed?' Without waiting for a reply Lucy went on ‘Can I see a little of Russia before we leave?'

‘Oh Lucy – we have such a long journey before us.'

‘Please Speed…please. Just a little visit somewhere!'

‘Well, we do have to pass over St. Petersburg so we might as well travel through it, instead of over it.'

‘Thank you.'

‘Hold tight then. We are about to leave Storyland and will be flying over the Urals. Keep well covered. We need to be invisible.'

Lucy did as she was told and sat quietly and patiently as Speed rose up in the air and went through the Happy Ever After gate, leaving her with a taste of mead, as they flew up and up until they were over the forests and then the Urals.

Lucy was amazed how few towns and villages they passed; Russia seemed to be a vast country with few people. But then St. Petersburg came into view and Lucy found it breathtakingly beautiful. Speed landed gently on a well-made road and told Lucy she could slip the hood off her head. Lucy quickly did as he'd suggested and looked around her with excitement. In the distance she could see a large and magnificent town, the bright sun reflecting on what looked, from a long way off, like roofs made of gold.

Though the trip may not have been a long sightseeing tour, for Lucy it was one of the most amazing she'd been on since her travelling began.

St. Petersburg was just one beautiful building after another. To Lucy's excited eyes many of the wonderful buildings looked like huge iced cakes, the colours were so amazing: the green and white of the Winter Palace, the Church of Our Saviour of Spilled Blood, with its profusion of brightly coloured onion domes and glittering spires; then there was the mass of gilded domes which caught the sun's rays and sent out shards of bright lights. At one point, they crossed over a bright blue bridge that was so long Lucy wondered how they had managed to build it across the river. On every corner of every street there was a masterpiece of exotic architecture and, as they reached near the water's edge, Lucy saw the wonderful weather vane of a golden angel holding a cross high above the Peter and Paul Cathedral, making it the highest building in the town.

‘I'm so lucky to have seen all this!' Lucy told Speed just after he'd stopped to tell her, once again, to wrap up.

Soon they were up and away. The next thing Lucy knew was when her mother woke her to get ready for school.

Lucy was so wrapped up thinking about her trip to Russia, she never gave school a thought, as she got dressed and ate her breakfast. Then, just as they were about to get into the car, her mum said:

‘Good luck, darling!'

For a moment Lucy's mind went blank, until she remembered: today the end of year exams began.

‘Oh, thanks Mum. Can you hold on a moment? I've forgotten something important!'

Lucy's mum gave her an exasperated look, as Lucy got out of the car and waited for her mother to unlock the front door.

‘Let's hope that's all you'll forget today. Hurry up then!'

Lucy ran up stairs and grabbed her carefully wrapped package of four-leaf clovers. She'd already given one to Peter and one to Frances; then she'd put three aside for her mum, dad and sister; which left her with three more.

As her mum drove them to school, Lucy looked back at the lessons she'd learnt from Vasilisa.

‘No harm in trying to follow her example,' she thought.

Another idea that had come to Lucy was to get Peter and Frances together. Peter, with his abrupt but kind manner, would make an ideal friend for the shy and nervous Frances. Also, Lucy knew they actually lived quite close, so it could be the perfect friendship. Before school started, she managed to get the two of them in a discussion about the forthcoming maths exam. Soon they were chatting away, quite relaxed with each other.

At that point, just out of the corner of her eye, Lucy caught sight of Martha and for once she was alone. As she saw Lucy glance over, a look of sheer desperation settled on her face. It was obvious Martha was still worried about what Lucy intended to do. Once again, Lucy couldn't help but feel sorry for her. With a quick word to Peter and Frances she crossed the classroom and approached Martha, who immediately seemed to push herself into the wall, as if she wanted to make herself invisible.

‘Martha!' Lucy put her hand out in a friendly manner. ‘I haven't come to have a go at you.' Martha looked surprised, though still scared. ‘I've been hard on you. I'm sorry,' Lucy said simply. ‘Here's a peace offering. I think we've been at loggerheads long enough.' Lucy handed the four-leaf clover to Martha, carefully placed in a simple card that just said ‘Good Luck'. Martha stared at the four-leaf clover in disbelief.

‘I hope this brings you luck in your exams and in every way,' Lucy went on.

Martha went quite pink and said:

‘A four-leaf clover, for me? But I don't deserve any good luck after what I've done to you.'

‘Perhaps this will change things,' Lucy told her with a smile. ‘Tell Diane I've another, if she'd like it.' And with that she gave Martha a last friendly smile and rejoined Peter and Frances, just as Diane and Anna came into the room.

As she walked away, Lucy saw Martha hastily hide the clover in her desk. She was obviously scared of Anna's reaction to the gift.

The whole morning went smoothly. The first exam held no problems for Lucy and she was sure she'd done a good paper. During the lunch break she was pleased to see Frances and Peter met up to discuss the exam. Her gut reaction had been right; they would be good for each other.

Just before the bell rang, Lucy went to get something out of her locker. As she closed the door Diane entered.

‘Hi!' Lucy said in a friendly fashion. Diane looked behind her, to see if they were alone, then she went up to Lucy.

‘Martha tells me you've a four-leaf clover for me,' she said rather gruffly. Her face was a mixture of bravado and curiosity.

‘Yes, would you like it?'

‘Why should you give me one? We don't even like each other!'

‘It's an olive branch, if you know what I mean,' Lucy smiled at the look of puzzlement on Diane's face. ‘End of school year should mean end of fighting. We might not be in the same class next year and I'd rather end this term with as few enemies and as many friends as possible.'

‘Have you another for Anna?' Diane asked, almost aggressively.

‘I have got another one, yes, but doubt Anna would accept it from me.'

‘Yep! Guess you're right there,' Diane almost smiled, as she held out her hand and took the clover from Lucy. ‘You're not so bad. I'm sorry we've given you a hard time.' Lucy beamed.

‘What you've just said is worth a fist full of four-leaf clovers. May this bring you as much luck as mine has brought me.' ‘Thanks,' Diane's voice was still gruff, but the look she gave Lucy, if not particularly friendly, was not threatening either.

The bell rang and the two girls make their way to the classroom. The rest of the afternoon went quickly. The second exam of the day was History and, once again, Lucy found it a good paper, one she could answer with confidence.

Peter and Frances left the school to walk home together; a sight which delighted Lucy. They waved her a cheerful goodbye as they passed her and continued on their way, still discussing the merits of the various exams. A few moments later Martha, Diane and Anna arrived at the bus stop. Anna looked absolutely furious, so Lucy guessed she had found out about the four-leaf clovers. For once the trio were strangely quiet and Anna went and sat on her own at the back of the bus.

Lucy chattered away to some of her class mates and soon forgot about her. She thought she saw the three of them get off at their usual stop, but didn't really take much notice. Then, after a cheery goodbye, she got off the bus and made her way home. Suddenly her mobile rang. Anna's voice came loud and clear.

‘I've warned you, Lucy Chase. You'll muck up your French exam tomorrow or else!'

‘Having to do your own dirty work now, are you Anna?' Lucy replied softly.

‘You've been warned,' Anna said again coldly. ‘I know where you and your sister live!' The phone line went dead and some instinct made Lucy turn round. Some yards behind her stood Anna, with a look of sheer hatred on her face. But this time she had gone too far. She could threaten Lucy as much as she liked, but not her little sister. Lucy walked rapidly back to Anna, her anger growing more and more, as she got closer. ‘How dare you threaten my sister?' she shouted at Anna.

‘I didn't,' Anna said with a sneer. ‘I just said I know where you both live.'

‘We both know what you implied, Anna, and I will not stand for it.' Lucy had never felt so furious. ‘You lay one finger on my sister and I'll break your head in,' she flung at Anna, who returned her look with one of disdain.

‘You and who else's army?'

At that point a gentle voice broke through their angry words.

‘Hi, Lucy darling. Have you brought a friend home for tea?'

As Lucy heard her mother's voice she realised her anger had gone too far. Her mum came up and put her arms round her and gave her a huge hug.

‘Hallo!' she said as she turned to a suddenly uncomfortable Anna. ‘I'm Lucy's mum and you are?'

‘Anna Ibsen, Mrs. Chase,' was the subdued reply.

‘Lucy was right about you then, Anna,' Jo Chase said with a smile. Anna immediately looked cornered. ‘She said you were beautiful and you are.'

Lucy looked at Anna, as her mother spoke and noticed the surprise and then the look of pleasure that briefly crossed the other girl's face. It was then Lucy remembered how she thought Anna must have a reason for her behaviour and she felt ashamed of her own angry outburst. It was as if she'd learnt nothing during her travels in Storyland.

‘Is it alright for Anna to come to tea, Mum?' Lucy turned to Jo Chase.

‘Of course, dear.' Mrs. Chase then turned to the completely confused Anna and asked:

‘Will that be OK with your parents?' When Anna couldn't answer she went on, ‘We'll ring them when we get home and ask shall we?' And then Jo Chase put an arm round the shoulders of each girl, as she walked them back to the house.

Lucy noticed how uncertain Anna became when she rang home.

‘My mother would like to speak to you, Mrs Chase,' she said, a worried look on her face. Jo Chase took the phone off her and listened for a moment before she said:

‘Of course she'll be no trouble, Mrs. Ibsen. We're delighted to have her. My husband will drop her home after tea.'

Jo Chase got the two girls to help her prepare tea and lay the table and then asked them to go next door and collect Sophie. The two girls walked there in silence, but as soon as Sophie joined them, her non-stop chatter, her immediate and cheerful acceptance of Anna as a friend and ally melted the atmosphere.

Tea time at the Chase house was a noisy fun-filled occasion. Jo Chase always wanted to know how her daughters had got on at school and was particularly keen to know how Lucy's exams went. In between the news, the family shared jokes and silly stories and all three included Anna as much as possible, though both Lucy and her mum noticed this friendly welcome brought unshed tears to Anna's eyes.

After tea, Sophie got the two older girls to play a game with her and soon even Anna was laughing and enjoying herself. They were still sprawled over the lounge floor playing ‘Operations' when Roger Chase came home.

‘You must come again, Anna,' Jo Chase said, as she said goodbye. Sophie rushed up and gave the older girl a big hug. Again, Lucy saw Anna's beautiful eyes fill with tears.

‘I'll come too, Dad,' she said and got in the car.

Though Lucy and her dad chattered away, Anna became very quiet, only answering questions with the briefest of replies.

‘No need for you to get out of the car,' she said, with a nervous look at her front door.

‘I must see you safely home, young lady.' Roger Chase smiled at her.

‘You needn't get out Lucy,' Anna almost pleaded.

‘Nonsense!' and Lucy ran up the path and turned and waited as Anna came slowly behind her.

Mr. Chase rang the door bell and all three waited. After what seemed several minutes a very beautiful woman came to the door. ‘Beautiful but cold,' Lucy thought. ‘My mum would have rushed to the door, hair in her eyes, flour in her hair and a smile that lit up a room.' Mrs Ibsen was immaculate, she was elegant, but there was not a spark of friendliness or warmth in her expression, as she shook Roger Chase's hand.

‘Thank you Mr. Chase,' she said politely, and then she turned to Anna and without any greeting or show of affection said: ‘Your father wants to see you in his study. Immediately.' Her voice grew impatient.

Lucy had seen enough. She'd seen the sudden look of concern cross Anna's face and felt sorry for her erstwhile tormenter.

Anna thanked Mr. Chase and Lucy and turned to go and see her father. Lucy noticed how her whole body stiffened, as if she was nervous. When Anna got to the study door she paused and knocked.

‘Come.'

Lucy could hear that from the front door. The voice was strong, deep and foreign. Instinctively, she ran after Anna and walked in behind her, much to the other girl's concern.

Mr. Ibsen was a big bear of a man. He sat at an enormous mahogany desk overflowing with books, papers and files. He didn't look up as his daughter came in.

‘Have you done your French revision?' he asked. His accent reminded Lucy of Baba Yaga.

‘Yes Father. I did it in the lunch break,' Anna replied, as she tried to push Lucy behind her. But Lucy was having none of it. There was no doubt; Anna was scared of her father. True, he looked fierce, but nothing compared to some of the story book people Lucy had met recently. She pushed past Anna and went right up to his desk.

‘How do you do, Mr. Ibsen. I'm Lucy Chase – I'm in Anna's class.' Surprised, Anna's father looked up and stared intently at Lucy.

‘Pleased to meet you, Lucy Chase. And have
you
done your French revision?' Lucy liked the way he rolled his rs. She looked right into his eyes and smiled.

‘Oh yes! But I'll need to do some more before I go to bed. I'm not a natural with languages, like Anna. She's streets ahead of all of us.'

Mr. Ibsen smiled when he heard that.

‘Really! Zat's nice to know, young lady. And vat are you good at Miss Chase?'

‘I'm OK with Maths. Anna and I are about on a par there and History is one of my better subjects, but I'm useless at sports. I wish I was as good at netball and hockey as your daughter.' By the time Lucy had finished speaking Mr. Ibsen was beaming and Anna was open mouthed in amazement.

‘I'd better go, Mr. Ibsen. Dad's outside waiting to take me home.' At that Mr. Ibsen got up and held out his giant hand to Lucy.

‘Nice to meet you, Lucy. You must come again. Now, let's go find your father.'

As the two men stood in the hall and chatted, Anna pulled Lucy into the porch.

‘I don't know what to say, except thank you, Lucy. I've never known my father be so friendly.'

‘It's obvious he loves you, Anna: he's just a bit brusque, but I can see he loves you a lot. Just don't be scared of him. I expect he finds that difficult to deal with.'

‘I think he's worried I'm going to be cold and distant like my mother,' Anna said sadly. ‘I didn't know how loving mothers could be, until I met yours. Please accept my apologies for my behaviour. I've been unforgivable.'

‘Apology accepted. Now let's change the subject. Would you like this?' Lucy handed Anna her final four-leaf clover.

‘You'd give that to me? Why?'

‘Please accept it. I think you need some good luck in your life.'

‘Thank you, Lucy.' Anna took the gift and stared at it, a smile lighting her face. ‘I've always wanted one of these. Where did you find it?'

‘I didn't. An Irish friend brought me some from Ireland, when he came over for a holiday.'

‘A boyfriend?' Anna said with a little giggle. Lucy giggled even more as she thought of Thomas Murphy.

‘No – an old friend and I
mean
old!' At that moment Mr. Ibsen and Mr. Chase came out. Mr. Chase put his arm round his daughter and told her to say goodbye. To Anna's joy, her father also came and put his arms round her, as they waved cheerio to the departing car.