Snatching her hands away from Cara, she waved them in front of her body. Her face was screwed up in agony, her body fairly vibrating with her agitation.
"Can't you see my hands?" Her eyes were wide open, spitting fire. "I'm a witch's spawn!"
Although her heart raced in fear, Cara answered calmly, knowing how important her actions were to the furious child. "Of course I saw your hands, Belin. I thought you just didn't want me to know your secret. But even in America we've heard of the sign of the Frog Princess." Then quickly while the child was still off balance, Cara hurried on. "Sit down, Belin. Richard's got the fire going now and as soon as we get some chocolate I'll tell you about it. I'm sure you've been told the story a hundred times but perhaps Richard hasn't heard it."
Ignoring the spluttering child, Cara busied herself handing around the chocolate and cakes. She complimented Richard on the fire. His face flushed with pride as he sipped the hot chocolate. Belin sat on the edge of her chair, clutching her cup in an agony of suspense. Cara reseated herself and began her story. Both children's eyes were fixed on her face.
"You see, a long, long time ago a king had a beautiful daughter who was in love with a handsome prince. He lived across a huge body of water. One day she wanted to see him and there were no boats to take her across the water. A wicked wizard told her he would change her into a frog so that she could swim across." Cara noticed that although Belin was absorbed in the fairy tale, her body was taut with tension. "Delighted with the clever plan, the princess let him turn her into a frog. In the twinkling of an eye she swam to the other side. But the wizard had tricked her and she did not change back into a princess. She remained a frog. The prince married someone else when he thought he had lost his true love. So every night the frog princess sat on a lily pad and cried. Even today on certain nights you can hear her cry."
"But what's that got to do with my hands?" Belin wailed.
"As you probably know, every hundred years a girl is born with hands like yours. It's a great honor, you know. It means that if she ever falls in love with someone across the water she won't have to turn into a frog. Her hands will help her swim."
For a moment the child sat stock-still and then two huge tears rolled down her cheeks and her whole body shook in a shuddering cry. She dropped her cup and wrapped her arms around her knees, rocking back and forth in an agony of grief. Alarmed at the child's reaction, Cara scooped the trembling girl on to her lap and rocked and petted her, murmuring words of comfort.
Richard who had been watching with brotherly disinterest, spoke. "Ghisele told Belin she was a witch's spawn and would burn in hell no matter what she did."
"Who is Ghisele?" Cara asked, mentally condemning the woman to eternal damnation.
"She was our old nanny. I think she was a witch herself." Richard sounded more hopeful than worried. "She said that's why our mother didn't want to see Belin. It would be like looking at the Devil."
"Nonsense," Cara snapped.
"Then how come our mother never wanted to have us around?"
Belin had stopped her trembling and now lay still in Cara's lap.
"To be perfectly honest, Richard, I don't know. I didn't know your mother so I can't be sure." Cara knew what she said would be very important in her future dealings with the children. She knew she needed to be honest. "There are some people that just aren't very comfortable around children. They don't know what to say to them so they just take the easy way out and try to stay away from them."
"I never know what to say either," Richard confided, accepting her explanation.
"She didn't want to see my hands. When she looked at them she always cried," Belin accused.
Cara cursed the insensitivity of the children's mother.
"Well, Belin, if you were ashamed of your hands perhaps she felt sorry that you were sad and that made her cry." Cara
"Can't you see my hands?" Her eyes were wide open, spitting fire. "I'm a witch's spawn!"
Although her heart raced in fear, Cara answered calmly, knowing how important her actions were to the furious child. "Of course I saw your hands, Belin. I thought you just didn't want me to know your secret. But even in America we've heard of the sign of the Frog Princess." Then quickly while the child was still off balance, Cara hurried on. "Sit down, Belin. Richard's got the fire going now and as soon as we get some chocolate I'll tell you about it. I'm sure you've been told the story a hundred times but perhaps Richard hasn't heard it."
Ignoring the spluttering child, Cara busied herself handing around the chocolate and cakes. She complimented Richard on the fire. His face flushed with pride as he sipped the hot chocolate. Belin sat on the edge of her chair, clutching her cup in an agony of suspense. Cara reseated herself and began her story. Both children's eyes were fixed on her face.
"You see, a long, long time ago a king had a beautiful daughter who was in love with a handsome prince. He lived across a huge body of water. One day she wanted to see him and there were no boats to take her across the water. A wicked wizard told her he would change her into a frog so that she could swim across." Cara noticed that although Belin was absorbed in the fairy tale, her body was taut with tension. "Delighted with the clever plan, the princess let him turn her into a frog. In the twinkling of an eye she swam to the other side. But the wizard had tricked her and she did not change back into a princess. She remained a frog. The prince married someone else when he thought he had lost his true love. So every night the frog princess sat on a lily pad and cried. Even today on certain nights you can hear her cry."
"But what's that got to do with my hands?" Belin wailed.
"As you probably know, every hundred years a girl is born with hands like yours. It's a great honor, you know. It means that if she ever falls in love with someone across the water she won't have to turn into a frog. Her hands will help her swim."
For a moment the child sat stock-still and then two huge tears rolled down her cheeks and her whole body shook in a shuddering cry. She dropped her cup and wrapped her arms around her knees, rocking back and forth in an agony of grief. Alarmed at the child's reaction, Cara scooped the trembling girl on to her lap and rocked and petted her, murmuring words of comfort.
Richard who had been watching with brotherly disinterest, spoke. "Ghisele told Belin she was a witch's spawn and would burn in hell no matter what she did."
"Who is Ghisele?" Cara asked, mentally condemning the woman to eternal damnation.
"She was our old nanny. I think she was a witch herself." Richard sounded more hopeful than worried. "She said that's why our mother didn't want to see Belin. It would be like looking at the Devil."
"Nonsense," Cara snapped.
"Then how come our mother never wanted to have us around?"
Belin had stopped her trembling and now lay still in Cara's lap.
"To be perfectly honest, Richard, I don't know. I didn't know your mother so I can't be sure." Cara knew what she said would be very important in her future dealings with the children. She knew she needed to be honest. "There are some people that just aren't very comfortable around children. They don't know what to say to them so they just take the easy way out and try to stay away from them."
"I never know what to say either," Richard confided, accepting her explanation.
"She didn't want to see my hands. When she looked at them she always cried," Belin accused.
Cara cursed the insensitivity of the children's mother.
"Well, Belin, if you were ashamed of your hands perhaps she felt sorry that you were sad and that made her cry." Cara
Similar Books
