The Trouble with Polly Brown (53 page)
“Well, they were all thoughtfully wishing to say their last good-byes to Polly when, without any warning, the heavens decided to send unexpected judgment by opening up. I tell you, my dear one, it took only a matter of seconds for vast torrents of rain to come down. Anyway, Mildred, I've got it all under control, so please don't worry your pretty head about a thing. As we speak, the children are upstairs drying off, and they will be down any moment now, for most of them are still wishing to finish up their breakfast cereal.”
“Yes, but wet clothes means extra washing for Miss Scrimp and myself to do,” she bitterly moaned.
“Yes, but you, my dear, will be with me all day, so it's Miss Scrimp who by all accounts should be complaining.”
True to his word, the children appeared one by one and immediately headed back to the dining area of the kitchen to quickly polish off what remained of the cereal in their breakfast bowls.
“Children, behave yourselves, and let me warn you now, if any of you dare to give Miss Scrimp even the teeniest amount of trouble or strife, you'll be in for the high jump when I return. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Uncle Boritz.”
Meanwhile James, who had been hiding behind some curtains for some time now, finally found the courage to slide cautiously down from the window seat. On discovering that he was alone in the corridor, he slowly made his way toward the kitchen, his legs feeling like lead weights and his vexed heart equally heavy. He felt terribly confused inside, as he anxiously wondered what, if anything, he should do next. He reasoned that he had tried to say good-bye the night before, so Polly might well understand why he had not joined the others when they came out of the house to supposedly say good-bye. He also realized that to try and help her by fending the others off would have proved to be seriously futile, for sadly he was much younger as well as much weaker than most of the other boys. All the same, his conscience was already beginning to prick him.
No sooner had he determined that it was now safe for him to go outside and say a proper last good-bye, but he was confronted by his guardians as they left the kitchen to head out of the front door.
“James, what are you doing in the corridor?” Uncle Boritz demanded to know.
“Nothing, Uncle,” James hesitantly replied.
“Well, go and join the others in the kitchen, and if nothing else, you can help with the washing up,” Mildred barked.
James remained silent, preferring just to nod his head as he opened the kitchen door and pretended to go in.
James waited until he heard the loud, abrasive click of the front door before he turned on his heels to once more head back out into the corridor. He waited a few more minutes and then determined to make one last desperate dash outside to say even a fleeting good-bye to his dear sister. On the way to the front door he quickly glanced out of one of the many windows. He could just about see the head of Polly in the back of the car.
“Oh, no. I think I've left it too late,” he cried in a deeply anguished voice.
“Goodness, girl, sit up straight,” Mildred angrily demanded as she handed Boritz the collapsed but still dripping umbrella for him to throw down on the backseat. “And you can stop all that ridiculous whimpering and sobbing right now, for I simply refuse to sit here and listen to that wearisome racket all the way to the hospital. Do as I order and sit up straight. And tell me, girl, how come when we only leave you alone for a mere ten minutes I come to find you in this terrible state with blood dripping profusely down your face? Here, take this handkerchief and wipe your bleeding forehead, as well as your snotty little nose, before you spoil or stain the interior of our car. Do it now, you sniveling little wretch!” she growled as she dispassionately dropped a spare handkerchief over her shoulder and onto Polly's lap.
“My dear, may I step in here and suggest that Polly has done this to herself? As I watched from a window I could clearly see her banging her head on the back of the driver's seat headrest.”
“Good gracious. What will the girl think to do next?” Mildred said, shaking her head to show her absolute disgust.
“Yes, Mildred, these are just more attention-seeking antics on her part, and so we'd do best to ignore them entirely.”
“That's all well and good, Boritz, but think of the implications if we were to turn up at the hospital with her looking this way. Why, people might mistakenly believe that we had something to do with it, and that would never do. No, Bortiz dear, if she believes this pity party will get her more sympathy at the hospital, well, she can jolly well think again. I, for one, am having none of it,” Mildred angrily snorted. “Yes, child, once we arrive at the hospital I will if necessary escort you into the women's bathroom and hold your head under a running tap while you will rinse your face. Is that clear? Until then hold the handkerchief to your forehead to stem the bleeding,” she once again growled. “Boritz, dearest, please remember to drive with great care, for this weather has indeed turned most foul.”
James watched from the window as Aunt Mildred attempted to make her self comfortable in the front passenger seat and tossed a handkerchief in Polly's direction. He then listened as Uncle Boritz got into the driver's side of the car before slamming the door shut.
He then heard the familiar whirr as Uncle Boritz turned the ignition key. He made a loud gasp.
At the time he had no idea whatsoever that this final noise would haunt him night and day for sometime to come.
“Oh no! I cannot let her leave without telling her once more that despite everything I really do love her,” he anxiously cried as he ran toward the front door and struggled to open it. His heart was once more pounding loudly within his breast as he tried his hardest to unbolt the door and then get to the car before it drove off. But it really was too late. By the time he got to where the car had previously stood under the large oak tree, he could only watch on helplessly as the car with Polly in the backseat swept through the black gates and immediately disappeared from view.
He hardly noticed that he was soaked through to the skin as the mischievous wind howled menacingly in his ears and the sheet rain continued to ferociously harass and bombard him from all sides. “Oh no!” was all the distraught young boy could mournfully cry as he crumpled to the ground, the small but sharp gravel stones piercing deep into the flesh of his knees, causing him to wince and cry out loud with the excruciatingly fierce pain.
Flashes of unbridled lightning continued to wreak havoc as they ripped across the listless, brooding sky before reaching down to angrily strike at any object in their path, and the aggressive thunder defiantly boomed, as if wishing to provoke him yet further with its restless and most terrifying noise. James felt wild. He felt bereft. He felt like an emptied chasm sorely grieved and bewildered. He felt numbed to the core of his being, yet burdened with the deepest anguish he had ever known. Momentarily stripped of all dignity, he suddenly reached over, and using both hands he scooped up a mixture of muddy earth and gravel. In an unthinkable and crazed state of emotion, he crammed the muddy gravel deep into his open mouth. Then, still down on his bloodied knees, with both fists tightly clenched, his contorted, tearstained face reaching upward toward the still-weeping heavens, he roared the deepest, most gut-wrenching noise that a deeply distressed soul could ever think to make. It was a cry so loud and grievously pitiful that the nearby trees were instantly stripped of all birds.
He then hung his head in sorrowful silence as in a state of abject brokenness he solemnly began to grieve both his brother, Thomas, who had gone to an early grave, and now his dearly departed sister, who though very much alive might as well be dead, for in that agonizing moment he firmly believed he would never see her again.
Meanwhile, back in Piadora a most urgent meeting had been called
.
Hodgekiss shook his head in seeming consternation as he experienced Ralph in a most peculiar if not highly emotional state, as he feverishly shared with Hodgekiss and all the other angelic beings all that had befallen young Polly
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“Enough is enough! She needs an intervention! Surely it is time for us do something to help her?” he cried with an air of extreme exasperation. “Also, I believe it would not be in James's best interest to go on this journey at this particular moment in time. He's much too distraught by all that is happening around him, and this would only serve to adversely affect his judgment skills. So again, would it not be wise for us to encourage him to wait a little longer?”
Hodgekiss remained silent as he considered all that was being shared with him
.
“Hodgekiss, if nothing else, I implore you to send a few of us down there with a view to intervene.”
“Yes, on the subject of her younger brother I am in full agreement that James should be encouraged to persevere at the castle a little longer. His frame is so tiny. He needs to be encouraged to get into some kind of sport, yes, a sport that will toughen him up and see to it that he gets a few hairs on his chest.”
“Oh, surely he's much too young to be sporting a hairy chest?” Mrs. O'Brien piped up
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“Mrs. O'Brien, it was merely a figure of speech,” Hodgekiss tried to reassure her
.
“Oh, good. But clearly he is still too young and gullible, if not a teensy bit puny, if you don't mind me saying.”
“Well, he has a little time on his hands before we give him a proper invite, and so by a wealth of means we are going to encourage him to begin using the school gym.”
“Simply splendid.”
“I also understand entirely how awful you must feel, Ralph, for I too feel very troubled by all I see. But I must take the time to ask you, Is it right for us to continually interfere in the very messy affairs of mankind?”
“To answer correctly, I feel that most times it is best to leave mere mortals to sort things out amongst themselves, butâ”