Paulette

A child discovers her real identity.

PAULETTE

 

The weather that day wasn’t very promising. A dark blue grey atmosphere hung over the town, and added to this were the fumes from cars and commercial vehicles. There was not a sign of sunshine or of rain, it was just a dull and dreary day. A woman and a little girl were walking on their daily route to school. The road they had to cross was always busy at that time of day - the rush hour. On that day, Paulette was about nine years old and a very introverted little girl. Her parents had often wondered why she said the minimum, but had gradually accepted the fact that she was just a rather silent child.

As they were strolling along the road and were on the point of crossing over to where the school was, a car drew up, the figure of a young man jumped out and grabbed Paulette and shoved her into the back of the car. The shock was so great that Paulette retreated inside herself even more than normal. Her mother rang the police and gave the name of the street and the school. Although in terrible shock herself, she had the presence of mind to do that without shaking too much. The police took down the message and very soon had found the kidnappers’ car on their radar. Throughout the small town where they lived, the only sound to be heard was that of the police cars, with their blue lights glaring.

A police car drew up outside the school to stand guard over the other children. Meanwhile, Paulette and the kidnappers were closely followed by other police cars until they were cornered near the entrance to a sports centre. Paulette shrank back in the seat and still said nothing. The young man who had grabbed her was no longer interested in her, nor were his companions. They only wanted to get away fast, and leave her in the street, so that they were once again free to pursue their other projects. The driver slowed up, and the kidnapper opened the car door nearest to Paulette, and pushed her out of the car. The small girl stood on the pavement looking at the departing car. A police car with her mother inside arrived, and the other police cars roared off in pursuit of the frustrated kidnappers.

Paulette and her mother were taken to hospital, where the girl was examined and spoken to, and the child psychologist said she appeared unharmed. But was she?

 

William, who was a wealthy insurance businessman, was divorced from Martha, Paulette’s mother, who had been making the child’s life a misery ever since she had wanted out of the marriage. Ralph had entered Martha’s life soon after her divorce. The kidnapping had been arranged by Ralph, so as to get money out of William. Martha thought it was her husband who was behind the aborted kidnapping, but then she always thought the worst of her ex-husband, as she held him in bad repute. At the time Paulette was about to be kidnapped, Martha wasn’t exactly employed, she was still in the thinking stage about her future prospects. After a long search, she discovered that there was a good possibility of making big money on the internet. Martha set up her rag-doll business and started from nothing, but in time she was doing extremely well.

 

The police caught the perpetrators of Paulette’s failed kidnapping, and after the men were tried and sent to prison, where they would have stayed for ever if the judge had had his way. Ralph disappeared into the blue, and as far as anyone was concerned, he had simply vanished into thin air.

 

Paulette became more and more introverted, and her only friends were those she met at play groups. She was still a pretty little girl, whose hair was gradually changing from blonde to brown giving her a more serious appearance. 

 

The years had passed and Martha had never shown any desire to get married again. Paulette saw her father at weekends. Martha, once she had conquered the rag-doll market, became totally dedicated to it. Her idea of making rag-dolls had been a good one, and she knew nothing or very little of Paulette’s life or her friends. Martha knew Paulette saw her father, and was all right with the situation. The contact between the mother and daughter was very fragile, to say the least. Martha knew a lot of people online, but being so dedicated to her work, she preferred to keep in touch online rather than in person. Martha had never discovered that Ralph had been behind the kidnapping of Paulette, and at times wondered where he was and what he was doing. Although he had gone out of her life, she still felt a certain curiosity about her ex-boyfriend.

 

Paulette was so silent that everyone said that she was anti-social, whereas in fact she wasn’t. Life had played a dirty trick on her, especially with the aborted kidnapping, which she had never spoken about to her mother or father. Meanwhile mother and daughter lived in one house, and William lived on a farm which he had bought as a way of getting back to nature and real life, as he put it, after spending his life in the family insurance business.

One day, when he could stand it no longer, William had left his office during his lunch hour, and driven out to a spot in the country that was a centre of pilgrimage. The atmosphere of peace and tranquillity overwhelmed him, and he left his car and walked out into the wild countryside to take a look at what it had to offer. There were mountains and high hills, and the air was the cleanest he had breathed in many years. The colours of the trees and plants were so bright they hurt your eyes. It was then that he made up his mind to look for a way to buy a small property and live there. He also had the idea it would be better for Paulette, who seemed to have been caught up inside herself.

Having made the decision to move away, it was a matter of time for William to find the place he was willing to buy for himself and his daughter. Martha wasn’t bothered, as she had no other idea in her head other than her business. William drove out many times to see what was on offer, and whether his idea was feasible or not. Whatever misgivings he might have had were soon dismissed as he saw the land, the people, and the wild life become more real than his life in the family concern. An elderly man he had met in the village informed him of an ancient house that was up for sale. The heirs wanted to rid themselves of it and get the money they were able to squeeze out of someone, and live in a less remote spot. The house was the most ancient that William had ever seen, and he felt it was something special. In past times, it had belonged to the church, and the ancestors of the family who was selling it, had bought it. The oldness of it was what appealed to William, and he made an offer which more than pleased the family, and the deed was done. Inside, the house was found to have a lot of rooms and some of the windows looked out onto a road that wound up from the village below, that was barely visible to those in the house. William knew that he would have to make it habitable for Paulette before she went there to live. The church was next to the house, and William paid a visit to the priest.

“Good morning, I’m William Weaver. I’ve just purchased the house next door which is, or was, a kind of farm house in the past and also once belonged to the church,” William said, extending his hand to the priest.

“Good morning, Mr. Weaver. Please come in and have a tea or coffee, I’m Father Bertram. Yes, I heard that someone was keen on buying the house. I hope you’ll be very happy here. The other family was here for some generations, but unfortunately the family has fallen on hard times, and thinks that it will be easier for them in the city than out here.”

The two men sat in a small room full of books and religious ornaments, none of which were costly. William was overcome with curiosity about the priest and his way of life out there in the solitary place.

“Have you any children?” Father Bertram asked.

“Yes, I have a daughter, whom I hope will like it out here. Her mother and I are divorced, and she needs to have some happiness in her life. So far, she hasn’t had much at all,” William informed the priest. Father Bertram stared hard at the man sitting opposite him. “What plans, if any, do you have for the house?”

“I’d like to have a small farm with animals and vegetables. That’s what the other family had, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, it was, but not recently, as they gave up the farming side of the property when they put it up for sale. Nevertheless, I’m sure you’ll do wonders with it. This place has a school, even if it seems rather isolated, for your daughter. Please don’t let that put you off, the children here will become friends with her. The village school is too far away for the children who live up here in the mountain dwellings to attend on a daily basis.”

“Is there an additional building to your abode where the children’s school is?”

“Yes, there is. Would you like to meet the children?”

“If it doesn’t put you, or them, out at all?” William replied.

The two men walked over to another part of the priest’s house and William saw that a door was open. There were a few children sitting at a large table doing writing and drawing. They looked up as the men entered.

“Children, this is Mr. Weaver, who has bought the house that the Rowan family used to live in. He has a daughter, who will come here when the house has been put in order and decorated,” Father Bertram said.

The children stared at William, and some of them dared to give him a shy smile. William noticed that they were of all different ages. He saw that there was an old school bus standing outside in the school yard.

 

A few weeks later the builders and decorators began work on the farmhouse.

 

Martha received a message from Ralph. ‘Hi, Martha. Long time, no see. How are you and your daughter? Well, I’m back with lots of surprises. As you know, I’ve been away for enough years to begin my life here once again. What do you say about getting together again? I still have fond memories of our time together.’

Unfortunately for Ralph, Martha had eventually discovered that he had been behind the kidnapping of Paulette, and she was most certainly not playing any of the games she used to play with him. There would be no allowing him back into her life. Martha deleted the message and didn’t even think twice about it.

 

Ralph’s accomplices had given the game away to the police and the court, with the hope that their sentences would be shortened. But that had not convinced the judge, and that was why they had gone down for a very long time. Now they were on the point of being given early release for good conduct. Martha knew more than Ralph did for sure, as he had been out of the country and had only recently returned. Martha told her lawyer and got herself and Paulette bodyguards.

 

Paulette was twelve years old, when she saw her mother setting up her online business, she realized that Martha would be keener on the work than on her. Paulette understood that she would have to look after herself and not depend on anyone else. She began working on a plan on how to survive by herself, and not even think of depending on either of her parents.

 

It wasn’t long after her big decision that Paulette’s father asked her to visit him in the farmhouse. In Paulette’s eyes, that meant she would be away from her mother for a while, and she accepted with alacrity. William drove down to the village station to meet her and let her see the whole area before arriving at the farmhouse. Paulette had a small trolley suitcase and a travel bag. She also held a bag full of fluffy toys. William led her into the farmhouse.

“This is your new home. The day you want to leave, you can. It’ll be your decision. This is your bedroom and take a look through the window,” William said, opening it for Paulette to see what lay below.

“This house is on very high ground. Are we the only ones up here?” Paulette asked her father.

“No we aren’t. There’s a school with about fifteen children of different ages next door, who live and sleep in a house next to the church and the priest’s house. The children come from outlying farms, and couldn’t make it to the school and back home again every day. If you like, we can go and see them tomorrow.”

Paulette sat and thought. Her father stared at her, but knowing what she was like left her alone.

 

The following day Paulette asked her father, “How long must I stay here?”

“You don’t have to stay here. You are free to leave when you want. Just let me know, so that I can organize my work all right?”

William had bought some goats, chickens, and ducks, and in the field behind the church there were some dairy cows. Paulette was delighted by the sight of the animals, and began to think the farmhouse wasn’t such a bad idea.

 

Martha had put up no resistance, instead she had welcomed the idea, and told both father and daughter she wished them both the best. Martha had no wish to see Ralph again. She had taken up with one of her suppliers, and was avid of his money and position, which she hoped would enhance her own business.

 

Ralph didn’t take kindly to Martha’s rejection of him, so he got another group of men together to get back at her.

 

Paulette became friends with some of the children who lived in the mountains. Bit by bit, she was coming out of her shell, but it was slow going, and she could still sit for hours surrounded by the others and not speak a word. It was with the animals that Paulette showed an improvement, with them she spoke, and she stroked the goats and walked round the yard with them. The other animals got to know Paulette and some of them would run up to her, and she stroked them gently so they wouldn’t run away. The other children got to know the animals too, and were given a job by William, to look after one particular animal each. Thus, they all had a good dose of fresh air and some responsibility, and that helped them, living so far away from their families as they did. Paulette liked drawing very much, and sent her mother pictures of the different animals, which Martha stuck on the wall in the kitchen.

Father Bertram had lots of pots of paint, and he let the children paint pictures or little plaster figures from plastic moulds if they wished. They all got rather dirty with the paint, but were happy doing so. Ladies from the village went up to the school to teach them how to cook, and do a little bit of sewing, like buttons and hems. Some of the children proved to be defter with their hands than others. Father Bertram had the idea firmly fixed in his head, that one day all those in his care would be old enough to return to their homes, and take up the life of a young adult. Meanwhile he felt it was his duty to make them as independent as he could. Paulette preferred painting to sewing, but struggled to do the little that was expected of her. Although she was still a shy little girl, she was gradually opening up to the animals and to her new friends.

 

William was sitting in the living-room when he heard Paulette’s voice. She was in her bedroom and held a fluffy toy cat in her hands. “You have to agree that living up here is so much nicer than living with Mummy in the town. Do you know I haven’t thought of ‘that bad day’ for ages, and I haven’t cried either? Here I feel safer, don’t you?”

William stayed listening for a few minutes, and then he heard her say to her toy cat, “I think something bad is going to happen here. I don’t know what, but since ‘that bad day’ I sometimes feel afraid. I can’t tell Daddy because he wouldn’t understand.”

William went back to his chair and closed his eyes deep in thought. He couldn’t get to grips with Paulette’s not talking to him about ‘that day’ and how she was still carrying with her a negativity of that experience in her life. For one reason or other his daughter felt something bad was going to happen. Why? William knew that he couldn’t tell Paulette he had overheard her talking to the toy, so he made preparations to protect her, the other children, and Father Bertram. He hired some men who weren’t above using force where necessary, to earn a decent sum of money. He told the priest he was worried that the whole area was rather isolated, and wanted to make sure nobody came to any harm. Father Bertram asked himself what harm could come to them, being so far up the mountain.

 

Ralph was so indignant about Martha’s refusal to have anything to do with him, that he was more determined than ever to get even. His regular haunts were where others of his ilk were to be found seven days a week, and if anyone wanted to know anything, they visited any one of these off-colour places, till they got the information they were looking for.

 

The danger the little group that lived up the mountain faced was not really appreciated, until one day William was informed of Martha’s death. She had been shot in a case of mistaken identity. Ralph was, of course, not around. The police had gone to the farm to have a chat with William, and try to find out whether he knew of anyone who might want his ex-wife dead. William had known vaguely about Ralph, and the police also knew of his cohorts, who were now out of prison. The police told William they would get in touch with them. As promised, the police did their job and soon Ralph was arrested for Martha’s murder, although he protested he was innocent, no one believed him. He was taken into custody shouting, “You’ve got the wrong man. I would never have hurt Martha.”

 

Weeks went by, and life on the little farm and school had a happy monotony about it. As the seasons changed, the countryside was a kaleidoscope of colours or the whiteness of snow. At Christmas time the school was empty, with Paulette the only child remaining with her father on the farm. William had told her very gently of her mother’s death, and the two of them travelled to the town to visit her grave. Paulette was, as usual, very silent, and William was worried about her emotional state. Enough time had passed since Paulette had left the town to go and live with her father on the mountain farm, for her not to feel too upset about the visit to the grave. Martha had distanced herself from Paulette as soon as her rag-doll business had taken off, leaving the quiet and shy child to manage by herself. “It’s not very nice here, is it Daddy?” Paulette commented to William.

“No, Darling, it isn’t, that’s the main reason for us leaving here to go and live on the farm, in the mountains.”

“Do you think Mummy would have liked living up in the mountain?” Paulette asked her father.

William said, “To be honest with you, somehow I don’t think so.”

The visit to see the grave was short and sweet, as it turned rather cold and miserable. For the two, father and daughter, it was a duty - not a pleasure. On leaving the cold cemetery, William asked Paulette, “What shall we do now?”

“Daddy, I’m hungry, and I’d like a cup of hot chocolate and cakes, please.”

William was a bit surprised at those words coming from his reticent daughter, and then replied, “Of course, why didn’t I think of that myself?”

They left the dead behind, and went back to the living.

 

When it was still winter, early one morning before dawn had broken, William woke up to hear a noise of tapping on the front door. He put on his warm dressing gown over his pyjamas, and his slippers, and went to the door. Dale, the head of the strong men he had hired to look after them all, was standing in the doorway. William let him into the warm kitchen.

“Mr Weaver, my men and I have seen movement on the mountain side.”

“Thanks for letting me know. If anyone is out there they’ll be dangerous. You’re armed aren’t you?”

“Yes, Sir, we’re all armed. I’d better get back to my men.”

“Here, take a couple of flasks of coffee to warm you up, and some bread and cheese.” William had made up the coffee and cut the bread and cheese during their conversation.

 

Dale left the farmhouse and rejoined his men, who were distributed around the small area. They wore protective clothing and had binoculars slung round their necks. They were also heavily armed. William had hired the best group imaginable.  

William had a quick shower and shave, dressed in thick warm clothes, and went to wake up Paulette. The child rubbed her eyes in amazement at seeing her father up so early and in her bedroom. “Daddy, I’m so sleepy. What are you doing here? It’s still night time.”

“Yes, I know, but you have to get up, shower, and dress in warm clothes, thick socks and boots. Your breakfast is on the table. I have to ring Father Bertram.”

“I shan’t be long, Daddy. I can get ready very fast.”

William rang Father Bertram from the kitchen. “Father, please make sure the children don’t go outside. It seems we might have some uninvited guests.”

“Very well. I’ll do as you say. The sky’s only just beginning to lighten. I’ll get the children up now.” Father Bertram rang off.

 

Dale and his men had been observing how the enemy was closing in on where the priest, William, and the children were. The aggressors were scattered over enough terrain to be able to do a lot of damage. As soon as the daylight was firmly established, the uninvited would be more visible. There wasn’t a lot of vegetation on the mountainside, mostly rocks and small shrubs. The sound of something exploding, came to the ears of all those up there. William’s home was slightly scathed by a hand-grenade attack. Dale and his men then began taking out their adversaries, one by one. William had informed the police from the first moment he knew what was going to take place. Looking down the mountain, the police vehicles were to be easily seen moving up the road that would take them to the church and the farm. The blue lights and the sirens shook up those who were trying to carry out Ralph’s revenge. His idea of attacking William and Paulette, had made him go off his head. His men stared at him in disgust, “I thought you said that the job would be a piece of cake. What kind of cake is this? Rock cake?” one of his cohorts said.

Ralph was no longer in control of himself, but did his best to bluster his way out of things. “I can’t imagine how anyone found out. You were the only ones who knew.”

“It looks like we’ll be in for a long stretch, if you ask me.”

“We’ll have to fight our way out,” said another man.

Just then they saw that the mountain was crawling with police who were heading in their direction.

Dale and company stopped shooting when they saw the presence of police on the slopes below them.

 

William, Father Bertram, and the children waited patiently for a policeman to come and tell them that it was safe to leave the church. The sound of police cars and vans and ambulances coming to a halt outside the church, was a welcome noise.

 

The police grabbed hold of Ralph and his cohorts and shoved them inside vans and ambulances.

 

Dale and his group were speaking to the police and giving them the details of the morning’s incidents.

 

William and Paulette left the church, with Father Bertram and the children behind them. Paulette buried her face against her father’s side in order not to see Ralph’s face.

 

A policeman went up to William, and asked him, “How did you suspect, or know, something violent was going to happen up here?”

“It’s a mystery,” William replied, with his arm around Paulette’s shoulders.