Ellanor and the Curse on the Nine-Tailed Fox

by K T Durham

  The Doppelganger

  The early evening sky was already overcast with fog and haze, and Goldie’s heart was galloping madly as she walked down the street next to Sebastian, the hood of her grey sweater pulled low over her face. They were heading to the Chinese corner store where the taxi was waiting, just as Miss M had instructed. They passed a bookshop that still hadn’t taken down their Christmas decorations, even though Christmas had come and gone, and it was going to be the New Year in a few days.

  “Sebastian! Don’t look behind you,” she hissed, throwing him a dark look.

  He swore under his breath. “Sorry,” he muttered, stuffing his hands into his jean pockets. “I’ve never had to do this before. I just want to make sure we’re not being followed.”

  “We are being followed, you nob,” she said through gritted teeth, and she could sense Sebastian tense up.

  “No way. How do you know? You haven’t looked back even once,” he mumbled.

  But Goldie just knew. She had a keen sense for these sorts of things. This sixth sense must have been honed over the years without her ever being conscious of it, what with her having to tiptoe around everybody who went out of their way to make her feel like a leper. Like Veronika and her family.

  She couldn’t bear it if she had to go back to them in Hemlock. She would rather die.

  Goldie quickened her pace. They had to think of a way to throw that person off-course.

  The Chinese corner store was now only one block away, and she could see the black cab waiting. Whoever was following them was about fifteen feet away. She could hear that person’s footfalls, the ragged breathing; they were walking a bit too fast for him. She guessed it was a man, judging by the sound of the hurried footsteps and the occasional grunt as he tried to keep up. But she didn’t get the sense that the man was Henrik, Veronica’s husband.

  “Sprint with me on the count of three,” she said in a low voice, and Sebastian raised his eyebrows and mumbled, “Right on.”

  “One, two, three—” Both sped off, and Sebastian’s eyes widened as Goldie, whose legs were much shorter by comparison, sprinted right ahead of him.

  “What the …” he sputtered, pumping his legs madly as his arms sliced through the air. He was considered one of the fastest runners at school. How was it possible that this petite, featherweight girl could outrun him? If this weren’t an emergency situation, his pride would have taken a huge blow.

  Goldie reached the cab first, and she yanked the door open and jumped in, followed by an out-of-breath Sebastian. The driver, an old man with a grey beard and wearing a black beret, twisted around in his seat and glared at them. “Hey, wait, somebody already called—”

  “Yes, yes, it was us! Please go to Adelaide Drive in Edgware!” Goldie was almost shouting, and the driver frowned disapprovingly as he stepped on the pedal. The wheels screeched as they sped away.

  Sebastian turned his head and stared. “So that’s him! He’s the one following us!” he cried. A man, short and balding, was running towards them with a stricken expression, but he was already too far away by now.

  “Good riddance!” Sebastian mouthed, flipping him a rude gesture.

  Goldie slapped his hand away. “Don’t be stupid! We shouldn’t aggravate him!” she snapped. Why, oh, why are boys so immature?

  He smirked, then fell quiet. The driver glanced at them in the rear-view mirror and wondered who these renegade teenagers were running from. He hoped it wasn’t from the authorities. Whatever the case, he better mind his own business. After this ride, his shift would be over.

  “Where did you learn to run so fast?” Sebastian asked casually, shifting in his seat. He wouldn’t let his embarrassment show. No, he’d have to take it like a man.

  She shrugged. “I’m just a natural sprinter, I guess,” she said coolly, crossing her legs and suppressing a smile. It just occurred to her that she had beaten the ever-arrogant Sebastian.

  They rode in silence for a while. Then Sebastian turned to her, his face serious. “OK, you gotta tell me what’s going on. I deserve to know everything if I’m gonna run like a fugitive with you,” he said in a low voice. Not that he really minded. Actually, this was all rather intriguing, like he was living out some character in an espionage novel. Besides, he liked being with Goldie even under these tenuous circumstances (though he would never admit it).

  She looked at him in the eye and mouthed, “Not here. Later.” She didn’t trust anyone, not even the old driver whose nervous face was reflected in the rear-view mirror. She could not risk having anybody eavesdrop on their conversation.

  Sebastian nodded and shut up for the rest of the ride.

  It was fully dark by the time they rolled to a stop in front of Number 8, Adelaide Drive in Edgware. After Sebastian had paid the driver (“You young folks keep out of trouble, now”), they stood huddled together as the cold wind billowed past them.

  “Now what?” he asked, his breath turning into white vapour as he stared at the large brick house before them. The front windows were lit. Somebody was home.

  Goldie bit her lip, rubbing her hands together for warmth. She had forgotten to pack her gloves. Though she had grown up in the cold, she had never been fond of it. Oh, how she wished she could go somewhere warm, like the Maldives or the Caribbean.

  She gazed at the house. “Miss M called them, right? They should be expecting us.”

  So they walked up the driveway to the front door, painted green and gold. Sebastian smirked. “You think a leprechaun lives here?” he joked, and Goldie smiled despite her nervousness. She had no idea who these people were, but she trusted Miss M to know what she was doing.

  She pressed the doorbell and cringed when a Christmas tune rang out. “You better watch out, you better not cry! You better not pout, I’m telling you why …”

  Sebastian raised his eyebrows. “The North Pole?” he whispered, and Goldie giggled.

  Seconds later, they heard heavy-booted footsteps. “Comin’!” a man’s deep voice yelled. Then, “Miriam, can you get that? My hands are filthy with shoe polish!” There was some muffled bickering, then the door swung wide open, revealing a round-faced woman with kind, brown eyes and silver hair tied up in a messy bun. Goldie caught a whiff of something delicious baking, and her stomach instantly rumbled.

  “Hullo!” Sebastian and Goldie chimed in unison, pasting on big smiles.

  The old woman smiled warmly at them. “Ahh, you must be Winnie’s young friends. I’m Miriam Cobble. My husband, Horace, will join us in a moment. We got off the phone with Winnie a short while ago,” she said cheerfully, looking at Sebastian and then Goldie.

  Miriam’s face froze as she gazed at Goldie, and her eyes widened.

  Goldie blinked, bewildered. Why was the old woman staring at her like that?

  “Well, well! Welcome to our home, young ones,” a man’s voice boomed, appearing behind Miriam. He was tall and balding, with twinkling blue eyes. Goldie could instantly tell he was a kind man. She hadn’t met many in her life.

  When Horace Cobble’s eyes fixed on her face, he did a double take. “Oh!” he cried, his jaw dropping.

  Sebastian frowned. “Umm, is there something wrong?” He looked quizzically from the old couple to Goldie, who shifted on her feet awkwardly. Why were they staring at her like that?

  Miriam took a step closer to Goldie and peered at her face. “Elly?” she asked tentatively.

  “I’m Goldie,” Goldie said slowly, puzzled. Sebastian raised his eyebrows.

  Miriam shook her head in wonder and glanced at her husband, who looked equally astonished. “I’m sorry, dear. You look remarkably like somebody we know.”

  Horace was wide-eyed. “Uncanny resemblance,” he muttered.

  Goldie stared at them. She looked very much like somebody they know? Sebastian sniggered under his breath. “You have a doppelganger out there somewhere, e
h?” he whispered, elbowing her. But even he was surprised. He had long thought that Goldie’s pixie looks were unique, especially her unusual green eyes and her pointy, leaf-shaped ears. The thought that there was somebody else who looked almost exactly like Goldie was so strange that he became instantly curious to meet her spitting image.

  Before Goldie could inquire further, the couple recovered themselves and ushered them in. “Come in, come in! We don’t want our neighbours thinking we have a habit of letting guests languish in the freezing cold,” Miriam said lightly, closing the door behind them just as a figure they did not see retreated into the shadows of the trees down the dark driveway.

  The Cobbles’ hospitality was so lavish that even the insatiable Sebastian finally declared he was stuffed from sirloin steak, lamb chops, mashed potato, cottage pie, and an impossibly decadent chocolate fudge cake. Goldie, with little appetite, had not eaten much, but everything she tried was indeed delicious. The Cobbles’ plump, black cat, contrarily named Snowy, kept purring after having wrapped herself around Goldie’s feet.

  Horace chuckled. “Snowy must have mistaken you for Elly,” he commented, and Goldie raised her eyebrows. “Elly is the name of the girl who looks like you,” he clarified. “I wish we could have a photo to show you, but we’d never had a photo taken with her.”

  Goldie absentmindedly stroked Snowy on the head. “May I ask, who is this Elly?”

  Miriam served Horace another slice of chocolate cake. “Elly’s a dear friend. She was in London a few days ago, in fact.” She cleared her throat and sat down. “Anyway, Winifred talked to us, and we understand your situation. We are happy to have you stay with us for as long as you need, until Winifred figures out what to do next.”

  Goldie was relieved they weren’t prying. “Thank you. You have no idea how much you’re helping,” she said shyly. Sebastian suppressed a burp, and she rolled her eyes at him.

  Goldie was given the guest bedroom next to the study. “Actually, this used to be our Charlie’s room,” Horace said as Miriam adjusted the maroon curtains. “Charlie’s our son. He came to visit with his family for Christmas. Elly was here around that time, too.” He looked at Goldie again and shook his head in wonder. “You really could be twins!”

  Goldie furrowed her brow. “Elly,” she murmured.

  Sebastian insisted on sleeping near Goldie’s room instead of in the guest bedroom upstairs. “I’m her protector,” he joked to the Cobbles, and Goldie went red and kicked him on the shin, making him howl. The Cobbles grinned and exchanged knowing smiles, which made Goldie go even redder.

  So Sebastian got the sofa bed in the study right next to Goldie’s room. He whistled at the big-screen TV and the two flat-screen computer monitors. “Whoa! Superb!” he exclaimed, admiring the sleek technological accessories.

  After they had brushed their teeth and exchanged goodnights, Goldie dimmed the lights in her room and lay on the warm bed atop the beige electric blanket. She turned on her side and yawned. On the bedside table was a framed photograph of a smiling, handsome little boy with sandy hair and a cleft chin. She guessed that must be Charlie Cobble, the son. She wondered what he looked like as a grown man now.

  She stretched herself out like a cat, so tired that she had not changed into pyjamas yet. Her old duffel bag leaned against the wardrobe. But despite her exhaustion, her mind was restless as the same spiral of thoughts stabbed at her, over and over again …

  Finally, her eyelids felt so heavy she couldn’t keep them open anymore, and she surrendered to sleep. And she dreamed.

  It’s you! I haven’t seen you in a year!

  Yes. I haven’t seen you in a long time, either.

  Who are you?

  That’s the question I want to ask.

  Goldie felt a sudden cold draft on her face. She shuddered.

  You have to get up.

  What?

  Get up! Now!

  Goldie gasped as she wrenched her eyes open. The window to her left was wide open, the chiffon curtains fluttering in the icy draft. Somebody was hovering over her, and she could smell his putrid breath. Every fibre of her being sensed the threat as she gasped.

  “No!” she screamed, startling the shadowed figure. She reached out and clawed blindly, and she felt her fingernails scratch skin and hair. There was a howl of pain, and the person put a hand up to his face and whimpered. There was blood. In the dim light of the room, Goldie recognized the short, balding man with the shiny forehead, his face hollow-cheeked and darkened with stubble; his eyes were a watery brown, and they bored into her.

  To her horror, she saw that he was holding a syringe that was partially concealed by a dirty blue handkerchief. The man gritted his teeth, and his voice was hoarse and desperate. “I need you to come with me. Veronika is waiting, I need—”

  Sebastian burst into the room. “Goldie!” he shouted. The man, who was on the other side of the bed near the window, grunted as he turned and lunged out of the open window.

  Sebastian darted to the window. The man was nowhere in sight, and he swore under his breath. Goldie was on all fours on the bed, her eyes wild. The clock on the wall showed that it was nearly two o’clock in the morning.

  “Are you hurt?” Sebastian demanded, gently putting both hands on either side of her face. He had turned on the bedroom light and was shocked to see the blood on the blanket.

  “It’s not mine,” she whispered, trembling, and she tried to wipe the blood off her fingers. Who was that man? How did he find her? She wasn’t safe here. Would she be safe anywhere?

  She started to cry, and Sebastian pulled her to him. “Shhh, don’t worry. It’s all OK now,” he murmured, glancing towards the window.

  Then Miriam and Horace burst into the room together. Their bedroom was at the far end of the corridor, and they had almost had a joint heart attack when they heard the screams. They’d never had a break-in before. “Oh, my goodness!” Miriam cried, staring at the open window and the blood smears on the blanket. “Goldie, are you OK? What happened?”

  Grim-faced, Horace hurried over to peer out the window as Snowy followed at his heels.

  In a low voice, Sebastian quickly explained what had transpired. “Please call the police,” he said urgently. Miriam, flustered, ran into the study to make the call.

  Horace was brandishing an umbrella and muttering, “I knew we should have installed one of them fancy alarm systems. The world isn’t as safe as it was when I was a young-un.” He went out into the kitchen to check if any windows had been left open.

  Goldie leapt off the bed and pulled on her boots and coat.

  “What are you doing?” Sebastian demanded.

  She pulled the beanie over her head. “Look, I’m not safe here. Veronika knows where I am. And as long as I stay here, Miriam and Horace won’t be safe, either.” She couldn’t stop herself from trembling. Why was Veronika pursuing her like this? Who was that short bald man? She thought of the syringe in his hand and trembled more violently.

  She didn’t have the answers. She only knew one thing: she had to run. There was no way she would ever go back to Hemlock. Never, never.

  Sebastian went to block the doorway. “What – so you’re just going to leave?” he demanded, putting his hand on her arm.

  She shook him off. “I won’t blame you if you want to stay behind,” she said quietly, and then without thinking, she stood on tiptoes and planted a kiss softly on his cheek.

  His face reddened. “What … what …” he sputtered.

  She smiled faintly, and before he could say anything else, she reached out behind him and turned off the light.

  “G, what are you—”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be OK. I’m used to running.” She looked sadly at him in the darkness, thinking that he deserved a better farewell. Then without another word, she turned and darted across the room, jumped out of the window, and landed
quietly next to Horace’s rose bushes.

  “Goldie!” She could hear him shout, and her heart ached. She looked around, and when she was sure that the coast was clear, she kept low to the ground and started running along the sidewalk, keeping close to the shadows of the trees.

  “G, wait!”

  Sebastian had leapt out of the window carrying both their duffel bags. She swivelled around. He caught up to her, panting, and glared at her. “You’re not going anywhere without me.”

  She gawked at him and looked back towards the house. “What about Miriam and Horace?”

  “We’ll call them later and explain the situation.” He held up his mobile phone and smiled. “They’ll understand, especially after what happened tonight. The police are on their way.” Then he walked up and put his arm around her. “I’m your protector, you know,” he said, only half-joking this time.

  Despite herself, she laughed and clocked him lightly on the jaw. She felt like crying again. “I’ve told you a thousand times, I don’t need protecting.”

  “Who says you need it?” he said with that infuriating lopsided grin of his, and it was at that moment that Goldie realized what he meant to her. She smiled and took hold of his hand. They could hear sirens in the distance.

  He was grinning foolishly now. “You know, about that kiss—”

  Her face twitched. “I was saying goodbye. Don’t get any funny ideas,” she said firmly, but he continued to grin at her.

  She frowned. “Let’s go,” she said brusquely, and the two friends ran off into the dark night.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  The Mustard Seed

  Sirens. Why could she hear sirens?

  Elly gasped and wrenched her eyes open, her heart racing as though she had been running. Marlow was right next to her face as she lay on the cold ground, still curled up into a ball. His big dark eyes stared at her worriedly.

  Are you all right, Elly?

  She smiled groggily as she scooped him up in her hand and kissed him on the head. Oh, Marlow, I’m so glad you are here with me.