by K T Durham
There was a rustling behind them. Horace and Miriam both turned, still open-mouthed, to see Elly holding several bulky garbage bags. Her face was streaked with paint and dirt, and her curly hair stood up in several places. But she had never looked happier.
“Oh, Elly,” Horace breathed, thunderstruck. “How in the world… ?”
Elly laughed merrily as she set down the garbage bags. “Did you think I’ve been wasting my time away, doing nothing but sitting around the past week? I’ve been observing how you make shoes, and you never noticed! I think I’ve mastered the basics, and this pair is my first without mistakes. I’ve been practising late at night on those old fabric scraps that I found stored away in the shed.”
Elly was talking a mile a minute, and the Cobbles were still too much in shock to fully digest what she was saying.
Elly fluttered about the room as she talked. “Don’t you think Miriam ought to try her hand at selling her delicious pastries? Horace, your workshop is connected to the kitchen through that door, so it’s awfully convenient for Miriam to go back and forth. Customers attracted to Miriam’s pastries might want to take a look at your shoes. And customers looking at your shoes might feel peckish for scrumptious cake or pie! Either way, there’s a good chance you’ll get some business. And the mural of Santorini does rather brighten up the whole place, don’t you think? People would be drawn to a shop that looks bright and cheery and makes them think happy thoughts!”
There was a silence as she finally paused to take a breath.
Then Miriam burst out laughing and kissed Elly on both cheeks.
Horace bent down and embraced Elly. “I can’t quite believe my eyes. Thank you for breathing life into this place again,” he whispered.
So Horace opened shop the following morning sporting a proud grin on his face, and renewed hope in his heart. Miriam nervously set to work in the kitchen, kneading dough for the first blueberry pie she would be selling. Elly darted from kitchen to workshop, helping out at a feverish pace.
Before the first customer set foot in his revamped shop, Horace’s voice boomed throughout the house. “Elly! Come out here!”
Elly jumped and almost dropped the packet of flour she was holding. She raced to the workshop. “What is it?” she cried breathlessly.
Horace was beaming as he gazed out the window. He turned and smiled at her. “Look!”
Elly peered out and gasped. Flakes were falling like rain outside, and the ground was covered in a blanket of white. “So this is snow?” she whispered, delighted. She had never seen anything like it back home. It looked so beautiful.
Day after day for the next two weeks, Elly kneaded dough and applied frosting; washed piles of cutlery, plates, and tea cups; and stitched and sewed leather. Miriam and Horace kept on reminding her to slow down and rest, worried that she might burn out. But she just waved them away as she happily dashed about, tirelessly weaving in and out of rooms. She was glad to be kept busy. All the hard work kept her mind off Organoth blue amber when she wasn’t desperately looking for it.
She continued having those strange dreams of the girl, which both puzzled and somewhat frightened her, though she kept it to herself. At times, she had the inexplicable sense that the dreams were so lucid that she had trouble distinguishing her own feelings from those of the girl’s. But by the time she awoke, the face of the girl had become a hazy memory.
Lo and behold, business grew. Very soon, Horace found himself apologetically turning away disappointed customers who had to leave his shop empty-handed. For the first time, his shoes were getting sold faster than they were being made! He couldn’t imagine how he would manage without Elly’s help. The little elfling was proving to be a very skilled apprentice, indeed. By the time the shop closed each day, the Cobbles would collapse on the living room sofa, exhausted to the bone but happy and satisfied as they had not been in a very long time.
Word quickly spread over town. Even the newspapers raved about the phenomenon. Cobble & Son, the vintage shoe shop that pedestrians mistook for an old hardware shop, has been gloriously resurrected! The Cobbles have worked miracles with their remodelling—the magnificent moving ceiling alone must have cost a small fortune to install! Horace Cobble has totally redefined the vintage shoe shop—he has even started up a joint venture with his wife Miriam, an accomplished patissier, whose scrumptious home-made blueberry cheesecakes, and pecan and apple pies have kept insatiable customers going back for more!
Indeed, Miriam had to put out some tables and chairs in the front yard as well as the garden for a growing customer base that kept returning for her pastries, day after day.
Unbeknownst to Elly, even after receiving her daily allowance, Horace snuck many extra pounds into her piggy bank when she was fast asleep at night. By the end of the fortnight, the pink ceramic pig was stuffed to the max, notes poking out through the slot.
One night, huddled over as she sat on her bed, Elly counted the notes and coins carefully, and squealed in delight: she had saved up a grand total of six hundred and eighty-two pounds! That was much more than she had hoped for! Now she should have enough money to buy some Organoth blue amber! If she could just find a place that sells it.
Horace had been quietly doing his own research on Organoth blue amber. When he went to the local library for the first time since Charlie was a little boy, he was surprised to see how much it had changed, how modern it looked with its bright lights and rows of shiny flat-screen computer monitors. The librarian assistant was a Gothic-looking young lady wearing black lipstick and black nail polish who looked like she had just graduated from high school. But she gave Horace a friendly smile when he approached her tentatively. The badge on her long black lacy dress read: Falcon. Horace had to squint to make sure he had read it correctly.
“Organoth blue amber?” Falcon repeated quizzically. “Hmm, let me search that up for you on the computer. Hang on, please.” Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she faced the large flat-screen. After several moments, she frowned and turned back to Horace.
“There’s plenty of information on blue amber. It’s some sort of rare gemstone found in the mountain ranges of an island called the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean. We have some books on that. But I couldn’t find anything on Organoth blue amber.”
Horace cleared his throat. “Do—do you know if there might be any volcanoes in the Dominican Republic? I heard that pure-grade blue amber could be found at one of those volcanic mountains, but long ago.”
Falcon smiled as her fingers flew over the keys some more. “Hmm, according to what I’m reading, there are currently no active volcanoes in the Dominican Republic, where the capital city is Santo Domingo. But apparently the island rose out of the sea due to volcanic action thousands of years ago. The tallest mountain there, called Pico Duarte, was at one time an active volcano.”
Horace’s ears pricked up. In that case, Mount Pico Duarte could once have been Mount Organoth.
Falcon continued reading. “How interesting! Some geologists believe that the blue amber found in the Dominican Republic is so special because of the ancient volcanic activity that might have affected the formation of the rocks and trees in that area, which then might have given the blue amber its special properties. Apparently, under direct sunlight it glows an ocean-blue, and when put against sunlight it turns a golden yellow?” She smiled. “Wow, it sounds beautiful! I wish I had something like that!”
Horace thanked Falcon for her help. Before he turned away, he pointed to the computer and smiled sheepishly. “Excuse me, lass, but can you tell me where I could get something like this?”
So half an hour later he walked into an electronics store, and emerged from it holding a slim black bag. Thanks to Elly, he could now pay for things he could not have afforded before.
“You bought a computer?” Miriam asked incredulously as she watched him set it up on the dining table. Elly had gone off for a w
alk in the neighbourhood.
Horace puffed out his chest importantly. “To be precise, it’s a laptop—a portable computer,” he said proudly. “I even called our telephone company and got us connected to the thing they call the Internet.” He raised his eyebrows at his wife. “Who says old dogs can’t learn new tricks?”
The next morning, with Falcon’s help, Horace attended a class at the library on how to use the Internet. By the end of the week he had learned to type slowly with two fingers, chopstick-style. He started looking up information on the Internet by himself. “Hmm, Falcon was right, there’s a ton of information on ordinary blue amber, but nothing on Organoth blue amber,” he muttered as his eyes roamed the screen.
Miriam frowned and stopped kneading the dough. “Falcon? Who on earth would name their child Falcon?” she exclaimed. Then she approached and squinted at the screen.
She pointed. “Look, that’s an online shop selling blue amber. It ships directly from the Dominican Republic! I guess it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try?”
So one week later, several parcels arrived for Horace. He and his wife ripped them open, and half a dozen blue amber pieces tumbled out onto the dining table. “Elly!” he bellowed.
Elly’s jaw dropped when Horace explained what he had been trying to do. “You’ve been trying to look for Organoth blue amber?” she cried, immensely touched. She had been away from Alendria for over three weeks by now. She had scoured London for shops that sold gemstones, and she had found plenty of yellow amber; but had had no success locating ordinary blue amber, let alone Organoth blue amber. She threw her arms around him. “Oh, thank you!”
Horace looked embarrassed, but was secretly pleased. He cleared his throat. “Well, don’t just stand there! See if they’re the real thing or not,” he grumbled. He had spent a small fortune on purchasing the blue amber from that online shop.
Elly placed the gemstones on the dark wooden table next to an open window to get the best light. Luckily, for once the sky wasn’t overcast that day; the sun was shining brightly. The dozen or so pieces before her appeared blue, tinged with yellow. Some were highly polished, whilst some looked very rough. One by one, she held them up against the sunlight, and smiled when they turned almost fully yellow. She closed the curtains, blocking out the sun. The kitchen was plunged into shadow. Then one by one, she gently breathed on the blue amber pieces.
None glowed a golden yellow.
“Well?” Miriam asked anxiously. Horace stared at her with anticipation.
Elly smiled bravely. “They’re blue amber, but not Organoth blue amber. I can make you a beautiful necklace out of these blue amber pieces though!” She planted a kiss on Horace’s cheek. “Thank you so much for trying, Horace. I’ll go make a start on the necklace! Call me when it’s time for supper!”
Gathering up the blue amber, she dashed back into her room before they could see her tears.
Horace sighed and shook his head. “There must be another way!” he said resolutely.
Miriam nodded. She knew Elly must be terribly upset.
The next morning, after Elly had counted twenty-seven days away from home, she was helping Miriam put the finishing touches on a blueberry cheesecake when she glanced at the calendar on the wall and yelped, startling Snowy from her nap.
She had been so busy helping out at the shop, and so preoccupied with hunting down Organoth blue amber, that she had almost forgotten… Tomorrow’s date had been circled in bright red: January the twenty-eighth. She was due to meet Lily tomorrow!
CHAPTER TWELVE
The School Fair
At ten o’clock sharp, Elly stood in front of Aunty Mabel’s Bakery, munching on a pomegranate that Miriam had packed for her along with a lunch-box filled with healthy snacks. “Don’t eat too much of the food they sell at those school fairs, my dear. That junk would rot even your resilient elven teeth!” she had warned.
Lily threw open the door and squealed. “Elly! I’m so glad you came!” she cried. “I’ve been so nervous about my audition! I wondered whether you would turn up, it’s been weeks since we first met and I didn’t even have any way of contacting you!” She threw her arms around Elly.
Elly laughed and hugged her back. “Oh Lily, you have no idea how much I’ve wanted to see you again!”
Soybean bounded towards Elly and pounced on her, almost knocking her down onto the pavement. He barked happily. Elly! Elly! You’ve come back!
Elly giggled and looked him in the eye. Have you kept your promise, Soybean?
Yes, Elly! I have been good to Hobbes!
Lily shook her head, stunned. “It’s amazing how Soybean’s so taken with you. He only met you once!”
Elly went into the bakery to greet Mabel, who was serving several customers at the counter. She beamed at Elly. “Good morning, dear! It’s so lovely to see you again!” She waved and mouthed, Sorry, busy—let’s talk later!
Lily took Elly by the hand and closed the door behind them. Their breath rose like steam in the chill air. “Oh, just giving you a heads-up—my mum might ask to talk with your guardian on the phone. You know, to make sure he does exist, that you’re not being neglected and stuff.” She rolled her eyes, as though it was an absurd notion.
If she only knew the truth, Elly thought glumly. She smiled. “That’s understandable. But really, she doesn’t have to worry about me.”
Greymore, did you hear that? Mabel wants to talk to you!
Do not fret, Ellanor. I will take care of it. I dealt smoothly with Mr O’Brien, did I not?
Lily shrugged. “She’s a mum. All mothers worry, even about other children, I guess.” Then she grinned. “By the way, she really wants you to come to our reunion dinner on Monday night! Oh, please say you’ll come!”
Elly was puzzled. “Reunion dinner?”
“Yeah, for Chinese New Year. It’s a really big deal for us.” She raised her eyebrows. “Are you telling me you’ve never heard of Chinese New Year back in the Aland Islands?”
Elly shook her head apologetically.
Lily laughed. “Never mind. I guess I’m clueless about the cultural things that take place where you’re from.”
Elly smiled in agreement.
Lily continued, “Chinese New Year is something that we celebrate every year. It’s the biggest traditional festive season for the Chinese. It’s like Christmas or Thanksgiving to the Westerners. The Chinese celebrate the new year based on the lunar calendar, so every year the New Year’s Day falls on a different day, but it’s usually sometime in January or February. The night before Chinese New Year, families gather for the reunion dinner to sort of… usher in the new year together. It’s a huge deal. The coming new year is the Year of the Monkey.”
Elly blinked. “Monkey?” Back home in Alendria, there were creatures called oolahs that were similar to monkeys, and they were annoying and mischievous. But what did Lily mean about the Year of the Monkey?
Lily giggled. “I know it sounds a little strange, but there’s just so much history behind all this stuff that the Chinese believe in. It’s tradition, you know? The Chinese, especially the older ones, take their traditions very seriously.” She smiled and shrugged. “The Chinese believe that every year is symbolized by a different animal on the zodiac. Anyway, right now we’re still in the Year of the Goat. Next year is the Monkey.”
Elly was fascinated. “So what are the other animals on the zodiac? Must they come in a particular order?”
“Yep! Legend tells that the heavenly Jade Emperor wanted to hold a swimming contest for the animals on his birthday, and that the first twelve animals to finish the contest would have their names used to record the years.” Lily screwed up her face in concentration and started counting on her fingers. “The first one was… the rat… then it was the ox, followed by the tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and the pig. Twelve animals. That makes the
Chinese zodiac.”
Elly smiled. It was always interesting to learn about the things different people believe in.
Greymore, I would love to attend this reunion dinner!
Yes, Ellanor. Lily is a good friend. If you are still here by Monday, by all means go and join them.
Elly snapped her fingers. “The reunion dinner sounds fun! Count me in!”
Lily beamed. “Excellent! I’ll tell my mum!”
The two girls huddled close together against the biting cold as they walked to St Catherine’s Grammar School. The sky was still a dreary grey, but at least it wasn’t raining.
Elly told Lily about all the sights she had seen in London, the nice family she’d met at Westminster Abbey, and the shoemaker and his wife. Lily’s eyes grew wide at the mention of the Cobbles.
“Hasn’t that been the talk of the town lately? My dad read an article in the paper about how the shop underwent some sort of major revamping, and now it’s really popular. A vintage shoe shop cum pastry house! My mum has been dying to go, but she’s been so busy.” She looked at Elly with envy. “I can’t believe you’re friends with them! And you get to stay at their house and everything… Your life never ceases to be interesting!”
If you only knew half of it, Elly thought grimly. Then she changed the subject and asked about Hobbes. Lily frowned. “He’s doing fine, I guess, but he’s a little mopey. Soybean hovers around him a lot, so Hobbes gets a little antsy.” Elly giggled.
Lily was impressed that Elly could explore the city with Greymore, her guardian. “My parents are way overprotective. My dad insists on walking me to school every morning, even though it’s just around the corner. It’s so embarrassing!” she complained.
