Agatha!’”
“And?” I was perched on the edge of my stone seat. Of course, I knew the answer.
“Certainly I was much agitated. I would have been content being a normal child, playing with my pet monkey, saying my prayers, sewing, dancing, reading, but…”
“But what?”
“But, life was often dreary. I wasna a normal child. I was forced to beg for farthings with Pug on the street.And, as Father said, his experiment in time travel succeeded before, so I trusted it would again.” Then Agatha grinned widely. “And in addition, I am a girl who dearly loves adventures. So I agreed and we shook hands on it. ‘Tis all true,” Agatha said, “each and every word.”
“Sure,” I replied. She believed it, that was for sure, but I wasn’t discounting the possibility that she was bonkers. I didn’t know what was true and what was false. “Sure,” I said again, not sure of anything.
10
Snow began to fall outside. Me and Agatha sat opposite each other, gazing into the glowing embers. I was drawn into another world by Agatha’s story telling. Plus I had loads more for my essay. My head was full of history.
In 1812, girls learnt about sewing and dancing and if you were rich you had a horse with a saddle, and calendars were called almanacs. Also fire could be a big problem because there were lots of candles, and they probably didn’t have fire engines.
“Keep going, Agatha,” I said, “tell me more about helping your dad.”
She gazed above my head, like she was seeing way past me, and whispered, “Blue, red and yellow steam coils about me. I stand motionless in the middle of Father’s cramped, low-ceilinged study. The coloured steam swirls faster. Sweeps by my unblinking eyes. Merges with my coppery hair, turning it red then yellow then blue.”
Agatha pressed her hand against her chest, then carried on. “At my feet a ring of objects enclose me. From a wooden rafter above the window a glass globe hangs down, catching the low winter sunbeamsand flashing them blue, red and yellow into the room.”
She looked far away. “My right hand, clenched in a fist, trembles.” As she said this I saw she was acting it out. “Perspiration heats my forehead. My hair sticks to my temples. My eyes stare ahead, as though into some longed for future.”
She was so intense, I was getting freaked. “Hey, Agatha?”
She shook her head and snapped out of her memories. “Ach, the truth is Saul,” she stared at me through the flames, “ever since Father spoke of the far future I yearned for it. I thought about it often. I wondered if children would be the same. I questioned if the world would be greatly changed. I so longed to travel. I have only journeyed once to Edinburgh town and it was such a wondrous place… But we have no carriage. Not as much as a lame horse do we have. I would so love to behold the very grand cathedral there of Saint Giles. Ach, I have seen so little of the world.”
“Maybe I could show you around. We could go places. See things.”
Agatha beamed at me. “I should like that greatly. Thank you.”
“But you still haven’t said what Albert was doing. Was he singing or something? If I’m the apprentice now, I have to know.”
Agatha’s pale blue eyes widened again, the way they did when she was remembering her home. “Ah, Saul, if I was a picture of stillness, the one other person in the study, my dear father, couldna keep still. ‘Yes!’ he shouted,punching the air. ‘The time is right, my dear Agatha.’ He laughed and clapped his chubby hands together. ‘I feel it in my bones!’ He fixed his gaze on the hands of the clock that were creeping loudly towards ten. He fell to his knees and nudged the plate of earth closer, then swirled the water in the bowl with a poker. He pushed the yew branch closer so it pressed against my feet. ‘Touch the ancient yew, my dear. Aye, that’s it! That’s it! Let its ageless spirit guide you.’ Then he rose to his feet, wiping his brow with a
“And?” I was perched on the edge of my stone seat. Of course, I knew the answer.
“Certainly I was much agitated. I would have been content being a normal child, playing with my pet monkey, saying my prayers, sewing, dancing, reading, but…”
“But what?”
“But, life was often dreary. I wasna a normal child. I was forced to beg for farthings with Pug on the street.And, as Father said, his experiment in time travel succeeded before, so I trusted it would again.” Then Agatha grinned widely. “And in addition, I am a girl who dearly loves adventures. So I agreed and we shook hands on it. ‘Tis all true,” Agatha said, “each and every word.”
“Sure,” I replied. She believed it, that was for sure, but I wasn’t discounting the possibility that she was bonkers. I didn’t know what was true and what was false. “Sure,” I said again, not sure of anything.
10
Snow began to fall outside. Me and Agatha sat opposite each other, gazing into the glowing embers. I was drawn into another world by Agatha’s story telling. Plus I had loads more for my essay. My head was full of history.
In 1812, girls learnt about sewing and dancing and if you were rich you had a horse with a saddle, and calendars were called almanacs. Also fire could be a big problem because there were lots of candles, and they probably didn’t have fire engines.
“Keep going, Agatha,” I said, “tell me more about helping your dad.”
She gazed above my head, like she was seeing way past me, and whispered, “Blue, red and yellow steam coils about me. I stand motionless in the middle of Father’s cramped, low-ceilinged study. The coloured steam swirls faster. Sweeps by my unblinking eyes. Merges with my coppery hair, turning it red then yellow then blue.”
Agatha pressed her hand against her chest, then carried on. “At my feet a ring of objects enclose me. From a wooden rafter above the window a glass globe hangs down, catching the low winter sunbeamsand flashing them blue, red and yellow into the room.”
She looked far away. “My right hand, clenched in a fist, trembles.” As she said this I saw she was acting it out. “Perspiration heats my forehead. My hair sticks to my temples. My eyes stare ahead, as though into some longed for future.”
She was so intense, I was getting freaked. “Hey, Agatha?”
She shook her head and snapped out of her memories. “Ach, the truth is Saul,” she stared at me through the flames, “ever since Father spoke of the far future I yearned for it. I thought about it often. I wondered if children would be the same. I questioned if the world would be greatly changed. I so longed to travel. I have only journeyed once to Edinburgh town and it was such a wondrous place… But we have no carriage. Not as much as a lame horse do we have. I would so love to behold the very grand cathedral there of Saint Giles. Ach, I have seen so little of the world.”
“Maybe I could show you around. We could go places. See things.”
Agatha beamed at me. “I should like that greatly. Thank you.”
“But you still haven’t said what Albert was doing. Was he singing or something? If I’m the apprentice now, I have to know.”
Agatha’s pale blue eyes widened again, the way they did when she was remembering her home. “Ah, Saul, if I was a picture of stillness, the one other person in the study, my dear father, couldna keep still. ‘Yes!’ he shouted,punching the air. ‘The time is right, my dear Agatha.’ He laughed and clapped his chubby hands together. ‘I feel it in my bones!’ He fixed his gaze on the hands of the clock that were creeping loudly towards ten. He fell to his knees and nudged the plate of earth closer, then swirled the water in the bowl with a poker. He pushed the yew branch closer so it pressed against my feet. ‘Touch the ancient yew, my dear. Aye, that’s it! That’s it! Let its ageless spirit guide you.’ Then he rose to his feet, wiping his brow with a
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