grappled for the arms of the chair.
“The wind’s rising.” Great-aunt Maddy’s laughter died away. “A stormy wind. Everything’s going around and around. I’m flying. Flying to the stars with the raven. A tower. A huge clock high up on the tower. There’s someone sitting up there on the clock dangling her legs. Come down at once, you silly girl!” Suddenly there was fear in her voice. She began to scream. “The wind will blow her down. She’s gone much too high. What’s she doing there? A shadow! A big bird circling in the sky! There! It’s swooping down on her. Gwyneth! Gwyneth!”
I couldn’t stand this any longer. I pushed Mum aside, took Great-aunt Maddy’s shoulder, and shook her gently. “I’m here, Aunt Maddy! Please! Look at me!”
Great-aunt Maddy turned her head. She did look at me. Gradually some color came back into her face. “My little angel!” she said. “How silly of you to climb so high!”
“Are you okay?” I looked at Mum. “Are you sure it wasn’t anything wrong with her?”
“It was a vision,” said Mum. “She’s all right.”
“No, I’m not. It was a horrible vision,” said Great-aunt Maddy. “Although the beginning was nice.”
Caroline had stopped crying. She and Nick were staring at Great-aunt Maddy, looking upset.
“That was eerie,” said Nick. “Did you notice how cold it got?”
“You were imagining things,” I said.
“No, I wasn’t!”
“It was eerie,” said Caroline. “I had goose bumps.”
Great-aunt Maddy reached for Mum’s hand. “I met your niece Lucy, Grace. She still looked the same as ever. That sweet smile…”
Mum looked as if she was going to burst into tears.
“And I just didn’t understand the rest of it,” Great-aunt Maddy went on. “A sapphire egg, a raven, Gwyneth on the clock tower, and then that horrible bird. Can you make anything of all that?”
Mum sighed. “Of course not, Aunt Maddy. You’re the one who has these visions.” She sat down on one of the dining chairs beside Great-aunt Maddy.
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I understand them,” said Great-aunt Maddy. “Did you write it all down so that we can tell your mother about it later?”
“No, Auntie, I didn’t.”
Maddy leaned forward. “Then we’d better write it down at once. Right, first there was Lucy, then the tree. Red berries … could it have been a mountain ash? The sapphire egg was lying there.… Oh, my word, I’m so hungry! I hope you didn’t finish the apple cake. I deserve at least two slices today. Or three.”
* * *
“ THAT REALLY was very, very eerie,” I said. Caroline and Nick had gone to sleep, and I was sitting with Mum on the edge of her bed, trying to find a good way to tell her about my problem. Mum, something funny happened to me this afternoon, and I’m scared it could happen again.
Mum was deeply engaged in her evening beauty routine. She’d finished her face already. Obviously good skin care paid off. You really wouldn’t have thought my mum was over forty.
“That’s the first time I’ve seen Great-aunt Maddy have one of her visions,” I said.
“It was the first time she’s ever had one during dinner,” replied Mum, rubbing cream on her hands and massaging it in. She always said that age showed first on your hands and your neck.
“Do—do we take her visions seriously?”
Mum shrugged. “Hm, well. You heard all that confused stuff she was saying. And it can always be interpreted differently. She had a vision three days before your grandfather died. She saw a black panther jumping on his chest.”
“And Grandfather died of a heart attack. So that makes sense.”
“See what I mean? They always hold some truth. Want some hand cream, darling?”
“Do you believe in it? I mean, not the hand cream, Aunt Maddy’s vision?”
“I think Aunt Maddy really sees what she says she does. But that doesn’t mean her visions predict the future, not by a long shot. Or that it has to mean
“The wind’s rising.” Great-aunt Maddy’s laughter died away. “A stormy wind. Everything’s going around and around. I’m flying. Flying to the stars with the raven. A tower. A huge clock high up on the tower. There’s someone sitting up there on the clock dangling her legs. Come down at once, you silly girl!” Suddenly there was fear in her voice. She began to scream. “The wind will blow her down. She’s gone much too high. What’s she doing there? A shadow! A big bird circling in the sky! There! It’s swooping down on her. Gwyneth! Gwyneth!”
I couldn’t stand this any longer. I pushed Mum aside, took Great-aunt Maddy’s shoulder, and shook her gently. “I’m here, Aunt Maddy! Please! Look at me!”
Great-aunt Maddy turned her head. She did look at me. Gradually some color came back into her face. “My little angel!” she said. “How silly of you to climb so high!”
“Are you okay?” I looked at Mum. “Are you sure it wasn’t anything wrong with her?”
“It was a vision,” said Mum. “She’s all right.”
“No, I’m not. It was a horrible vision,” said Great-aunt Maddy. “Although the beginning was nice.”
Caroline had stopped crying. She and Nick were staring at Great-aunt Maddy, looking upset.
“That was eerie,” said Nick. “Did you notice how cold it got?”
“You were imagining things,” I said.
“No, I wasn’t!”
“It was eerie,” said Caroline. “I had goose bumps.”
Great-aunt Maddy reached for Mum’s hand. “I met your niece Lucy, Grace. She still looked the same as ever. That sweet smile…”
Mum looked as if she was going to burst into tears.
“And I just didn’t understand the rest of it,” Great-aunt Maddy went on. “A sapphire egg, a raven, Gwyneth on the clock tower, and then that horrible bird. Can you make anything of all that?”
Mum sighed. “Of course not, Aunt Maddy. You’re the one who has these visions.” She sat down on one of the dining chairs beside Great-aunt Maddy.
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I understand them,” said Great-aunt Maddy. “Did you write it all down so that we can tell your mother about it later?”
“No, Auntie, I didn’t.”
Maddy leaned forward. “Then we’d better write it down at once. Right, first there was Lucy, then the tree. Red berries … could it have been a mountain ash? The sapphire egg was lying there.… Oh, my word, I’m so hungry! I hope you didn’t finish the apple cake. I deserve at least two slices today. Or three.”
* * *
“ THAT REALLY was very, very eerie,” I said. Caroline and Nick had gone to sleep, and I was sitting with Mum on the edge of her bed, trying to find a good way to tell her about my problem. Mum, something funny happened to me this afternoon, and I’m scared it could happen again.
Mum was deeply engaged in her evening beauty routine. She’d finished her face already. Obviously good skin care paid off. You really wouldn’t have thought my mum was over forty.
“That’s the first time I’ve seen Great-aunt Maddy have one of her visions,” I said.
“It was the first time she’s ever had one during dinner,” replied Mum, rubbing cream on her hands and massaging it in. She always said that age showed first on your hands and your neck.
“Do—do we take her visions seriously?”
Mum shrugged. “Hm, well. You heard all that confused stuff she was saying. And it can always be interpreted differently. She had a vision three days before your grandfather died. She saw a black panther jumping on his chest.”
“And Grandfather died of a heart attack. So that makes sense.”
“See what I mean? They always hold some truth. Want some hand cream, darling?”
“Do you believe in it? I mean, not the hand cream, Aunt Maddy’s vision?”
“I think Aunt Maddy really sees what she says she does. But that doesn’t mean her visions predict the future, not by a long shot. Or that it has to mean
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