knew she had just seen the maharaja and Zackya
as children.
She’d recognized them.
Now, a hot geyser of panic rose inside her. If she didn’t master this time travel, she would be stuck in time and Petula would be at the mercy of the giant. Molly was reminded of another time she’d panicked. She’d cut her thumb on a salad-dressing bottle and blood had spurted all over her lettuce and cucumber. Rocky had told her to breathe out very slowly to ease thepain and stop the panic. Molly wished he were here now, and tears filled her eyes. Then she took a deep breath in and exhaled very, very slowly, humming as her nostrils expelled air and calmness came to her.
Above Molly’s head the sky flashed day, night, day, night. For an instant, rain was all about. For another nanosecond, sun blazed down. The elements were all about her—wind, fire, water—but in her time capsule Molly was shielded from them.
Molly tried to remember how long it had taken her to go back in time from Petula in 1870 to the time of the shrieking woman. If she simply went forward by the same amount of time, she would return to the courtyard with Petula. She stopped. Unfortunately she had now arrived in a time when
lots
of people were in the courtyard. It was wet. Three people saw her and pointed in alarm. But Molly paid no attention. She saw a small hive hanging from the arch of the window and she knew she was close. She gripped the red crystal again and this time looked up at the sky to make a judgment. Blacks and blues flared above her head. Molly tried to think how long a year took to pass. Was it a second? How long would those wild bees take to build their hive? She stopped. The hive was the right size. But the surroundings didn’t feel right. This time, Molly shut her eyes. The only thing left was for her torely on her instinct. She went deep into her feelings and tried to picture when the room felt peacock-y. She went forward for an instant and once more opened her eyes. An alarmed bird let out a cry. It was a peacock, but was it the
right
peacock? Molly looked at the pool and saw that the water was covered with pink rose petals. On a chair were silk clothes. Giant clothes. Molly didn’t know how she’d done it, but she’d landed in the correct time. The maharaja’s bath time.
Petula lay with her head on her front paws and tried not to shake. She was very scared because she could sense that the giant man striding up and down the courtyard didn’t like animals
at all.
He smelled faintly of roses, but he also smelled of garlic and bad temper. Bad temper was a horrid scent. It smelled of burned hair and hot tar. The stench oozed from every pore of the giant’s body. Petula put her paws over her nose and tried to ignore it.
She thought about how Molly had just vanished into thin air.
In Briersville the turbaned man had vanished in the same way after leaving her with those children who’d put her in the pram. Every time she and Molly and their kidnaper had traveled through the colored, windy tunnels, Petula supposed that
they
had disappeared, too.Was Molly in a wind tunnel now?
A piece of dried meat dropped onto the floor beside her, and a moccasin prodded it toward Petula’s mouth.
“Eat,” Zackya hissed.
Petula stared at the ground. She couldn’t eat a thing. She was far too worried about Molly and about what the giant might do next. Her back leg still hurt where he’d so roughly held her upside down. Petula watched as he studied the bees’ nest hanging by the window. She wished the bees would swarm and sting him.
Now all Molly had to do was catch the peacock. What was the phrase the giant had used? “Net a peacock.” Molly put the crystals in her pocket. The bird was roosting on the branch of a tree, twitching nervously, its green feathered tail hanging down behind it. Molly approached it, making a friendly chucking noise that she knew budgies liked. When she was a few feet away from it, she jumped and tried to grasp its body.
as children.
She’d recognized them.
Now, a hot geyser of panic rose inside her. If she didn’t master this time travel, she would be stuck in time and Petula would be at the mercy of the giant. Molly was reminded of another time she’d panicked. She’d cut her thumb on a salad-dressing bottle and blood had spurted all over her lettuce and cucumber. Rocky had told her to breathe out very slowly to ease thepain and stop the panic. Molly wished he were here now, and tears filled her eyes. Then she took a deep breath in and exhaled very, very slowly, humming as her nostrils expelled air and calmness came to her.
Above Molly’s head the sky flashed day, night, day, night. For an instant, rain was all about. For another nanosecond, sun blazed down. The elements were all about her—wind, fire, water—but in her time capsule Molly was shielded from them.
Molly tried to remember how long it had taken her to go back in time from Petula in 1870 to the time of the shrieking woman. If she simply went forward by the same amount of time, she would return to the courtyard with Petula. She stopped. Unfortunately she had now arrived in a time when
lots
of people were in the courtyard. It was wet. Three people saw her and pointed in alarm. But Molly paid no attention. She saw a small hive hanging from the arch of the window and she knew she was close. She gripped the red crystal again and this time looked up at the sky to make a judgment. Blacks and blues flared above her head. Molly tried to think how long a year took to pass. Was it a second? How long would those wild bees take to build their hive? She stopped. The hive was the right size. But the surroundings didn’t feel right. This time, Molly shut her eyes. The only thing left was for her torely on her instinct. She went deep into her feelings and tried to picture when the room felt peacock-y. She went forward for an instant and once more opened her eyes. An alarmed bird let out a cry. It was a peacock, but was it the
right
peacock? Molly looked at the pool and saw that the water was covered with pink rose petals. On a chair were silk clothes. Giant clothes. Molly didn’t know how she’d done it, but she’d landed in the correct time. The maharaja’s bath time.
Petula lay with her head on her front paws and tried not to shake. She was very scared because she could sense that the giant man striding up and down the courtyard didn’t like animals
at all.
He smelled faintly of roses, but he also smelled of garlic and bad temper. Bad temper was a horrid scent. It smelled of burned hair and hot tar. The stench oozed from every pore of the giant’s body. Petula put her paws over her nose and tried to ignore it.
She thought about how Molly had just vanished into thin air.
In Briersville the turbaned man had vanished in the same way after leaving her with those children who’d put her in the pram. Every time she and Molly and their kidnaper had traveled through the colored, windy tunnels, Petula supposed that
they
had disappeared, too.Was Molly in a wind tunnel now?
A piece of dried meat dropped onto the floor beside her, and a moccasin prodded it toward Petula’s mouth.
“Eat,” Zackya hissed.
Petula stared at the ground. She couldn’t eat a thing. She was far too worried about Molly and about what the giant might do next. Her back leg still hurt where he’d so roughly held her upside down. Petula watched as he studied the bees’ nest hanging by the window. She wished the bees would swarm and sting him.
Now all Molly had to do was catch the peacock. What was the phrase the giant had used? “Net a peacock.” Molly put the crystals in her pocket. The bird was roosting on the branch of a tree, twitching nervously, its green feathered tail hanging down behind it. Molly approached it, making a friendly chucking noise that she knew budgies liked. When she was a few feet away from it, she jumped and tried to grasp its body.
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