August 7, 1859

August 7, 1859

Dear Lucy,

I have my ways of knowing things.  If you really want to know, I know someone who saw you and Duncan racing home.  I know many people.  An old woman needs help with a lot of things that she can’t do anymore.

No questions about the story this time?  Well, I guess it had completely slipped your mind after that marvelous picnic that Duncan took you on.  So I guess I’ll just continue where I left off.

After Fred and Julia agreed to meet, Julia was completely nervous.  She couldn’t sit still for more than a few minutes, and she could not fall asleep for even a second.  To say the least, she was very crappy when Fred came to her door to pick her up the next day.

He smiled at her.  “You look amazing!” he exclaimed.

She looked down at herself.  She was wearing a simple dress and sturdy walking shoes, hardly classy and not beautiful in the least.  Your grandmother blushed anyway.  She was very girlish back then.

Before she left, Sara took her aside and whispered, “If he tries anything funny, you don’t hesitate to come and tell me.  I’ll make sure he stays away from you.”

Julia laughed.  “Why would he do anything strange to me?”

Sara shrugged.  “You never know.  Well, have fun!”

Julia was sure that she would have no problem having fun.  She took her lantern and let Fred lead her back to the tunnel.  Fred whispered, “We have to be careful.  I saw a few people here the other day, and we don’t want to get caught, do we?”

Julia became even more nervous.  “I thought you said that we couldn’t get caught.”

“We can’t if we’re careful.  Now come on, let’s get going.  We don’t want Sara to be alone all evening, do we?”

Julia nodded and allowed Frederick to take her hand and lead her into the tunnel.  They held hands the entire time.  You may think that it wasn’t that big of a deal, but Julia had no experience with boys, and she was thankful that the lanterns weren’t very bright, because she was sure she was blushing.

Frederick showed her were to step and where not to step.  The tunnel was old, maybe even a few hundred years old, and the ground was uneven and there were some places where the ceiling became low without warning.  Thankfully no one got hurt, and before Julia knew it they were at the end of the tunnel.

When they stepped out of the gloom to the outside world, Julia gasped.  Frederick smiled at her.  “Do you like it?”

“Like it?” Julia asked.  “I love it!  This is amazing!”  They were in a large field full of wildflowers up to their knees.  The sun was just setting, making the rainbow on the ground that much more magnificent.

Julia couldn’t help herself.  She had to run as fast as she could, not even caring that the ground here was even more uneven than in the tunnel.  She brushed her hands along the grasses, feeling the wind blow through her hair.  When she turned back to Frederick, smiling, she could see that he was laughing.

“Are you having fun?” he asked her.

Her smile widened.  “I haven’t had this much fun since my uncle disappeared.”

His eyebrows shot up.  “I didn’t know your uncle disappeared.  When did this happen?”

“A few months ago,” she replied, sitting down and collecting flowers to put in a vase.  She didn’t know it then, but telling him about her uncle was one of the worst mistakes she would make in her entire life.

But that would come later.  For then, she was falling deeply in love with her friend’s uncle, and he seemed to be doing the same.  He sat down next to her, and picked some daisies.  He braided them into a wreath and put them on her head.  “Now my princess has her own crown.”

Julia smiled and leaned in and. . . .

Well, I’m sure you don’t want to hear those details yet.  Children your age usually aren’t very interested in what older people do when they’re in love.  I think I’ll settle with letting you use your imagination.

Sincerely, Safiya