Chapter Two

Penelope starts on her journey, and what a journey it will be!

“Penelope, we are going away for a few days.”

“Where are we going, mum?” asked Penelope, brightening. She would go anywhere to get away from this nightmare.

“I’ve been in touch with your Aunt Matilda, and we are going to stay with her for a bit.” Penelope had never met her Aunt Matilda, but she thought that things could not be worse than what they were now.

“Aunt Matilda is your father’s sister, and she lives in Betws-y-Coed in Wales.” Penelope didn’t really remember her father because she was only five when he left, and she was ten now. She vaguely remembered a tall, handsome man with long, dark hair with a silver streak in it, but not much more. Sometimes, though, she had dreams in which she flew in the air with him, laughing with glee to feel the wind on her cheeks and in her hair. These dreams were becoming more frequent now, but she hadn’t told her mother, because seemed to upset her when strange things happened around Penelope. The fact that Penelope had been expelled from school didn’t help, so Penelope kept her dreams to herself.

“How soon are we leaving, mum?” “As soon as our bags are packed. I have tickets for the 9’oclock train. We should be at Aunt Matilda’s by late evening.”

“Can I take Hecate with me, mum? Please?” Hecate was Penelope’s beloved cat. Not much to look at, (but don’t tell her that!), she had one bent ear and one ear that looked like it had been chewed by a rat. Her eyes were slightly crossed, and one was green and the other a startling sapphire blue. But Penelope loved her with all her heart. The cat always listened to her woes, and curled up next to her at night, purring softly.

Looking at her daughter’s pleading eyes, her mother didn’t have the heart to say no. Heaven knew her daughter’s life hadn’t been easy this far, and it was about to get even more difficult. When Penelope was born, her mother, although she loved her husband greatly, hoped that Penelope would be “normal”, but  this hope was dashed the first time she went into the nursery and saw Penelope’s toys dancing in the air above her cradle. After her husband left to fight evil, she tried valiantly to ensure that Penelope’s life was as a child’s life should be, although she knew, now, that was no longer possible, so she had made the decision to write Matilda.

“All right, Penelope, you can take her, but hurry up and find her cage and get your things packed, it’s getting late.” Her heart much lighter, Penelope skipped off to do as her mother had asked.

“You know I hate confined spaces,” came a plaintive voice at her feet. Oh, yes, Hecate talked to Penelope all the time. It was another one of those things that Penelope didn’t tell her mother.

“Oh, Hec, I’m sorry! I know you don’t like it, but do you want to have to stay with Mrs. Lomax again?”

“Phfftt!” came the reply. “Absolutely not! She tries to feed me crickets, of all things! Crickets! What cat in her right mind would eat crickets?” Penelope laughed as she hugged Hecate. “Look, you be good, and I’ll see you get some sardines when we get to Aunt Matilda’s.”

“Well,” sniffed Hecate, “well, I suppose in that case, I can put up with the cage for a few hours.”

“Good girl,” said Penelope, as she finished the last of her packing.

“Hurry up, Penelope!” came her mother’s voice from downstairs. “The taxi should be here any minute.”

“Coming, mum. I’m just putting Hec in her cage.

 

***

As the taxi pulled into the parking space at Brooklands Station, the train was just chugging into the station. “Come on, Penelope, we mustn’t miss the train.” Grabbing her suitcase and Hec’s cage, Penelope struggled to keep up with her mother.

“Sorry, miss,” came a deep voice. “The cat’ll have to go in the baggage car.”

“Neowww!” came a howl from the cage.

“Oh, please can’t I take her in the car with us?” pleaded Penelope. “She’ll be good; I promise!” The conductor, having a daughter of his own, had a soft spot for children, and Penelope looked so unhappy that he couldn’t resist. “Well, I shouldn’t do this, and it’s worth me job, but you be sure and keep her quiet.” “Oh, thank you!” beamed Penelope. “I’m sure she won’t make a sound, will you Hec?” In answer, a soft purr came from within the cage.

“Crikey, yer’d think the cat understood, or summat,” said the conductor, scratching his head. Before Penelope could answer, her mother hustled her aboard the train. The last thing they needed at this point was for anyone to notice that Penelope was different from other children.

“Mum,” Penelope said as they settled themselves in the train car, “I promised Hec some sardines when we get to Aunt Matilda’s.” Although Penelope didn’t know it, her mother was perfectly aware of her daughter’s relationship with her cat. After all, Penelope’s father had sent it to her for her seventh birthday. It was his way of looking out for her, even though he couldn’t be there. He had also sent a letter to his wife urging her to take Penelope to his sister’s. After all, he argued, she had inherited his family’s tendencies, so it was important she be properly trained, and who better than his sister Matilda?  Penelope’s mother had resisted his urgings thus far, but after this last series of catastrophes, she had to acknowledge that he was right. As it was now, Penelope was a danger to herself as well as others, and it would do no good for the locals to find out there was a Witch in their neighbourhood. Penelope’s mother knew that what he said was true, but what mother wants to give up her daughter and only child to someone else, even if they are family?

Penelope sat watching the countryside roll by as the train rumbled along, wondering what it would be like to stay with Aunt Matilda. She thought it couldn’t be too bad; after all, she was her father’s sister.

“Mum, how long till we get to Aunt Matilda’s?”

“Well,” her mother said. “We get off at Manchester, and then transfer to the train that goes to Llandudno. From there, we take a bus to Betws-y-Coed. It will probably take us about six or seven hours.”

“Oh, mum, Hec’ll be starving by then!”

“Mrrrowww!” came a plaintive cry from under the seat.

“Hec will be just fine. It’s not like she’s skinny!”

Penelope sighed, slumping down in her seat. Why did all this stuff have to happen to her? No other children she knew had these kinds of problems. A solitary tear rolled down her cheek, for she was not a child prone to overt emotion. Her mother was not blind to Penelope’s plight, and wished there was more she could do to reassure her, and then she remembered the package that had appeared on the kitchen table that morning. It was addressed to Penelope, obviously from her father. She reached into her bag and pulled out the package. “Here, love, maybe this will cheer you up; it’s from Daddy.” Penelope’s face lit up as she took the package. It was about eight inches square, and wrapped in some kind of shiny stuff. It wasn’t paper, and the colours kept shifting as she looked at them. What could it be? Excitedly, she opened the wrapping; carefully, for one never knew with Daddy’s surprises! Underneath the wrapping was a silver filigree box lined with cobalt glass. On the lid was a perfect representation of Hecate. “Oh, mummy, it’s beautiful!” breathed Penelope.

“Well, open it darling, and see what’s inside!”

Carefully she opened the clasp on the box, and raised the lid. What she saw nestled in blue velvet made her gasp with wonder and delight. It was a perfect, spherical crystal ball, flickering with all the colours of the rainbow. Holding her breath, she gently lifted the ball and cloth from the box. The ball just fit perfectly into her cupped hands. Her mother’s eyes widened as she realized what it was. No sooner had the realization struck, than a flash of golden light blossomed at the centre of the crystal.

“Penelope,” she said urgently, “Quickly; cover it up. Immediately!”

At the sound of panic in her mother’s voice, Penelope hastily covered the crystal ball with the velvet, and set it back in the box, and shut the lid.

“Whatever’s the matter, mummy?” whispered Penelope, completely in the dark as to her mother’s strange reaction.

“It’s from your father, as you know. It’s a communication device. I’ve only seen one other like it and it would be disastrous if you were to trigger it now, with so many people on the train. Wait until you are alone in your room at Aunt Matilda’s.”

“But mummy, I don’t understand.”

“There is a piece of paper in the package the box was in,” said her mother. “Read it tonight and you will understand.”

“She’s right, Penelope,” came a purring voice in her head. “Just be patient, and all will be revealed.”

“Patient,” muttered Penelope. “They always tell me to be patient.”

Nonetheless, she placed the box back in the package, and carefully wrapped it up again. She reached up and got her overnight case from the luggage rack and put the package in it, strangely reluctant to let it go. Resolutely, she closed the lid on the case and placed it on her lap. She suddenly felt very sleepy, her eyes drooped, and her head fell against her mother’s shoulder.

Author's Note

I try to leave the reader wondering at the end of a chapter, so they look forward to the next. This is also a first draft, so probably many typos, etc!

Reviews

[fwvalidus]

I have enjoyed both chapter conclusions thus far, you wrap things up nicely. I also really liked the relationship with Hecate that was revealed this chapter, I am interested to see how things proceed here. I'm getting the feeling that the pace is picking up too, maybe thats just me!

[Susan McCaskill]

Heh...you're right of course! There will be no lack of action!