Billie? Was she awake at this time of the morning too? Standing there in his pyjamas, Aladdin could hardly remember a thing.
‘It’s a shame you still don’t know where the silver is,’ Simona went on.
‘Yes,’ Aladdin mumbled. ‘It is.’
He went over to the window and pulled up the blind. It was still dark outside. Then he heard footsteps on the stairs: Mum, of course.
She tapped on his door. ‘Aladdin?’ she said quietly. ‘Are you awake?’
‘I’m on the phone,’ he called out. ‘I’ll be up in a minute!’
He sat down at his desk. ‘I haven’t really got time to talk now,’ he said to Simona. ‘Did you want something in particular?’
‘I just wanted to tell you that I spoke to Dad,’ she replied. ‘He’s going to give your parents a call tomorrow. He’s eaten at the Turk in the Tower several times, and he loves your food. So maybe things will turn out all right!’
Aladdin was so relieved that he almost let out a yell, but instead he just grinned. ‘That’s brilliant! I’ll tell Mum.’
Now he didn’t need the silver any more – this was much better!
‘OK. And call me if you find out any more about the silver,’ Simona said.
Aladdin promised. Then he dropped the phone and rushed upstairs to the kitchen, where his mum was busy laying the table for breakfast.
‘That was Simona,’ he said. ‘Her dad’s going to call you tomorrow.’ Breathlessly he passed on what Simona had said.
When he had finished, his mother smiled and stroked his cheek. ‘What wonderful friends you have,’ she said.
But she didn’t sound anywhere near as pleased as he had hoped. There was a photograph album lying on the kitchen table; Aladdin knew exactly which one it was. An album full of pictures of him as a little boy, when they had just arrived in Åhus.
‘I was looking at it yesterday,’ his mother said.
Aladdin had seen the photographs hundreds of times. His mother thought it was important to know your roots, as she put it. That meant knowing where you came from and how you became the person you were.
But that particular morning Aladdin had absolutely no desire to look at old photographs.
‘Don’t you think it’s great that Simona’s father is interested in our food?’ he persisted. ‘His company might place a really big order.’
His mother didn’t say anything; she just stared at the album. Then she sat down opposite Aladdin.
‘Of course,’ she said. ‘But … I spoke to your dad on the phone yesterday. We talked for ages. And I have to admit that I’m starting to like the idea of moving back to Turkey.’
Aladdin stared at her.
‘I know it would be difficult for all three of us in some ways,’ she went on. ‘We haven’t lived there for over ten years. But a little part of me has always longed to go back. And now it’s such a popular holiday destination among the Swedes – people talk about Turkey all the time. We could have such a wonderful life down there on the coast. Just think – no more snow!’ She laughed and pointed at the window. ‘Just think,’ she said again. ‘No more horrible snow and cold! Doesn’t that sound fantastic?’
At last Aladdin regained the ability to speak. ‘No!’ he shouted. ‘No!’
Suddenly he was so angry that he shot out of his chair. All the anger and anxiety that had been building up suddenly exploded.
‘No! There’s no way I’m moving to Turkey! If you go, then you’ll have to go without me! I’m staying right here in Åhus!’
Before his mother had a chance to speak, he rushed out and down to his room. He could hear the phone ringing upstairs; good – that meant she wouldn’t come after him. He quickly pulled on his clothes and dashed into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Then he put on his jacket and shoes and raced off through the snow like a madman. All the way to Billie’s house.
Panting and pouring with sweat, he hammered on the door. It was opened by Josef, Billie’s mum’s friend.
‘Where’s the fire?’ he said. ‘I thought you were going to break down the door!’
‘Is Billie home?’ Aladdin gasped.
Billie appeared next to Josef; her eyes widened when she saw the state Aladdin was in. ‘Whatever’s happened?’ she said.
‘Mum says we’re moving,’ Aladdin said. ‘Can I come and live with you instead?’
Billie’s mum invited Aladdin to stay for breakfast. They didn’t have much time, she explained, because Billie had to catch the bus to Kristianstad.
‘He can come and live with us, can’t he?’ Billie said.
Her mother glanced at Aladdin. ‘Of course, but what do you think his parents are going to say?’
‘I don’t care,’ Billie said crossly.
Billie’s mum leaned across the kitchen table to Aladdin. ‘Exactly what did your mum say?’ she asked.
Aladdin put down his sandwich. He remembered practically word for word what his mother had said about the snow and the sunshine and how wonderful everything was going to be.
Billie’s mum shook her head slowly. ‘I think you’re overreacting. It doesn’t sound to me as if any decision has been made; I just think she’s considering the idea. That’s OK, isn’t it?’
‘No,’ Aladdin said. ‘They need to talk to me as well.’
‘You’re right, and that’s exactly what they’ve done. This morning, for example.’
Josef sat down at the table with a cup of coffee in his hand. ‘It must be difficult for your parents,’ he said. ‘I’m sure they only want what’s best for you, but if they can’t make the restaurant pay, what can they do? They have to try something else.’
‘But why do they have to go all the way to Turkey?’ Billie said crossly. ‘Why can’t they try something else here in Åhus?’
Her mother smiled. ‘It’s not quite that simple, sweetheart.’
‘Yes it is.’
‘No, Billie, I can assure you it isn’t.’
Silence fell around the table.
‘Billie told me about your quest to find the missing silver,’ Josef said after a while.
Aladdin nodded.
‘It’s such a shame we didn’t get anywhere,’ Billie said.
‘But you found a lead, didn’t you?’ her mother said.
Billie groaned. ‘Yes, but it was no use. Something to do with Orion. Pointless.’
Once again Aladdin had the strange feeling that he had heard the name Orion in a different context. He took another bite of his sandwich. Finding the silver didn’t seem so important any more.
‘When I was little, I had a parrot called Orion,’ Josef said with a laugh.
Billie rolled her eyes. ‘You can’t call a bird Orion!’ she said.
There.
As soon as the words were out of Billie’s mouth, Aladdin remembered where he had seen Orion.
‘I know who Orion is!’ he shouted. ‘And I know where the silver is!’
Chapter Thirty
From Billie’s house you could take a short cut to the village through the grove of tall pine trees on the other side of the road. Billie and Aladdin ran as fast as they could; neither of them said anything. The only sounds were the soughing of the wind in the treetops and the noise of the traffic beyond the grove.
‘So where are we going?’ Billie said when they slowed down to a walk because they couldn’t run any more.
‘To the church – I told you.’
‘Yes, but why?’
Aladdin had no intention of telling her why – not until he was sure he had guessed correctly.
Billie’s mum hadn’t been very pleased when they ran off. Or to put it more accurately, she had been very cross.
‘How urgent can it be?’ she had said. ‘You’ve both got to get to school!’
But right now neither Billie nor Aladdin could have cared less about school; this was more important.
‘We need to have another look at those photographs,’ Aladdin said. ‘Ella said she would leave them with the pri
est.’
‘What if he’s not there?’
‘He’s bound to be,’ Aladdin said, hoping he was right.
And he was, although he wasn’t alone in the church. There were lots of other people there too. Elderly people. The priest seemed to be giving some kind of guided tour, talking about the pulpit and the organ in a loud voice.
Billie and Aladdin stopped dead in the doorway, completely taken aback. When they walked in, several people turned round. The priest smiled when he caught sight of them.
‘More visitors who are up and about bright and early,’ he said. ‘Welcome – please take a seat. We won’t be long.’
Neither Billie nor Aladdin were in the habit of going to church; nor were their parents. As Aladdin sat on the hard wooden pew waiting for the priest to finish his tour, he wondered why the church couldn’t make things a bit more comfortable for visitors. For example, why not install rows of seats like the ones in cinemas? And why not sell popcorn and sweets to eat while the priest was talking?
Billie was sulking because Aladdin wouldn’t tell her why they were there. He didn’t care; he wasn’t going to say a word until they’d seen the photographs. Then she would understand.
They waited quietly and patiently. In spite of the fact that it was boring and uncomfortable, Aladdin decided that he liked being in church. It was calming, somehow. Bearing in mind how angry he had been earlier on, it felt good to relax for a while.
I’m not moving, he thought to himself. I’m just not. Not even for Grandma and Grandpa’s sake.
At last the guided tour was over.
‘You’re turning into the most regular churchgoers in Åhus,’ the priest said as he came over. ‘How can I help you this time?’
Aladdin explained why they were there.
‘So Ella said she was going to leave the photographs here?’ the priest said, looking thoughtful. ‘In that case we’d better go to my office and see if we can find them.’
The office was the smallest Aladdin had ever seen; there was barely room for all three of them.
‘Let’s see – where would she have put the pictures?’ the priest said.
‘There!’ Billie immediately spotted the box Ella had brought to the café; it was on one of the bookshelves.
‘You mean this?’ the priest said, handing them the box.
Aladdin’s hands were trembling as he lifted the lid.
‘So show me,’ Billie said impatiently.
Aladdin sorted carefully through the pictures, and at last he found what he was looking for: the close-up of Orvar’s dog, the one the priest had taken because his children were so fond of it.
‘Look,’ he whispered, passing it to Billie.
She looked, but she still didn’t get it.
He pointed. ‘There. Look at the name tag on his collar.’
Aladdin heard Billie gasp.
Orion. That was what it said.
Without revealing where he had got the information, Aladdin told the priest where the silver was.
‘But how do you know all this?’
‘I promised not to tell,’ Aladdin said.
‘So Orvar was definitely the thief?’ the priest said.
Aladdin shook his head. He had promised Mats that he would keep quiet about as much as possible, and he intended to keep that promise. ‘I didn’t say Orvar was the thief. I just said the silver is with the dog.’
He handed the photograph to the priest. If they could just find out where Orvar had buried his beloved dog, then they would also find the silver.
‘How are we going to do that?’ Billie asked.
‘I can help you with that,’ the priest said eagerly. ‘If you wouldn’t mind stepping out while I get changed, I’ll show you Orion’s grave.’
Aladdin and Billie went back into the church; apparently the priest didn’t want to run around in his long robes searching for dead dogs. That was understandable, of course, but they were so impatient they could hardly sit still while they were waiting.
‘Just imagine if we find the silver!’ Billie said.
‘Wouldn’t that be amazing?’ Aladdin agreed.
Billie looked at her watch. ‘I’m going to be so late.’
‘Me too, but at least I can say I was doing something connected to school.’ Åsa would be seriously impressed if he finished off his project by revealing that the silver had been found.
‘Simona’s missing all this,’ Billie said.
Aladdin grinned. ‘She’ll be furious.’
The priest appeared; he was almost unrecognizable. He was wearing a thick winter coat and a big fur hat, and he was carrying a spade.
‘How are we going to be able to dig when it’s so cold?’ Aladdin wondered. ‘Won’t the ground be frozen?’
‘You’ll see,’ the priest said.
He led the way out of the church and through the graveyard, with Aladdin following on behind, then Billie.
They were all so preoccupied that they didn’t notice the boy in the short trousers peeping round the corner of the building. He watched them as they left the churchyard and carried on to the rectory.
‘This is where my family and I live,’ the priest explained. ‘And this is where all my predecessors and their families have lived. When Orvar’s dog died, the priest’s children were terribly upset, so Orvar agreed to let them bury the dog in their garden. Here, to be precise.’
The priest stopped beneath a tree, where someone had stuck a little iron cross in the ground.
‘No one ever considered moving the grave; it has been undisturbed all these years.’
The ground was completely covered in snow. Aladdin looked dubiously at the spade. How on earth were they going to be able to dig when everything was frozen solid?
He got his answer when the priest cleared away the snow to reveal a pile of stones.
‘If I’m right, Orion is buried under stones, not soil,’ he said.
He banged the pile of stones with his spade and loosened several of them. He stopped for a moment and looked at Billie and Aladdin, his expression serious.
‘We’ll move the stones and see what’s underneath. If we don’t find anything, then we’ll try again in the spring, when the ground has softened. OK?’
They nodded nervously.
The priest chipped away at the pile, while Billie and Aladdin moved the stones to one side. At last there were just a few left. Carefully they lifted them off, then all three leaned forward and stared down at the ground.
There was nothing to see.
Aladdin felt a wave of disappointment. Had he expected the silver to be lying there waiting for him? No doubt one of Mats’s relatives had read the will, realized who Orion was, and retrieved the silver.
The priest poked at the ground with his spade in various places; it was rock hard. Hopeless.
Except in one particular spot, where he managed to loosen a small clod of earth. Aladdin stiffened with excitement. Because there, sticking up out of the ground, was a scrap of material.
The priest straightened up. ‘Look,’ he said. ‘An old sack.’
‘Pull it out!’ Aladdin said.
‘I’ll try. I’m just a bit worried in case …’
‘In case what?’ Billie said.
‘In case the dog is in the sack.’
‘We can just have a peep,’ Aladdin said. ‘And a feel. We don’t need to drag the whole thing out.’
The priest agreed. Using the spade, he managed to expose a little more of the sack, then he crouched down and touched it. Slowly he turned and looked at Billie and Aladdin. ‘I can hardly believe it,’ he said, ‘but I think we’ve found the missing silver.’
He ripped a hole in the fabric with his fingers. Aladdin and Billie crouched down on either side of him; then Aladdin fell on his knees in the snow, trying to see inside the sack.
‘Wait,’ the priest said.
He took a box of matches out of his pocket; there was a crackling sound as he struck one. He held the flame as close to th
e fabric as he could without setting it on fire.
‘Now look,’ he said to Aladdin.
Aladdin gazed into the sack.
He couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the glint of old, tarnished metal.
Chapter Thirty-One
They were in the priest’s house, looking at the silver. He had spread newspaper all over the table, and placed the sack and the silver on top. You could hardly tell it was silver. All those years in the ground meant that it was damaged and dark in colour; Aladdin wondered what could be done with such old objects.
‘I’ll have to talk to the church council,’ the priest explained. ‘I know it was a long time ago, but the church did actually pay for most of these items. I don’t know what will happen next, but of course you’ll get a reward.’
A reward sounded good, but it was unlikely to be enough to persuade Aladdin’s parents to stay in Åhus. Not if they’d already made up their minds. Aladdin’s elation and excitement gradually seeped away. When he got home, everything would be exactly the same as it had been this morning – miserable and awful.
The priest’s wife brought them juice and biscuits, and they told her the story of how they had found the missing silver.
‘And you’re still not prepared to tell me who the thief was?’ the priest said, glancing at the silver.
Aladdin shook his head.
‘OK. By the way, don’t forget to tell Ella what’s happened.’
At last it was time to go home. The priest promised to call as soon as he knew what was to become of the silver.
Billie and Aladdin left the rectory garden in silence.
‘Do you want me to come home with you?’ Billie asked.
‘No. Thanks for the offer, but it’s OK.’
‘Sure?’
‘Absolutely.’
He must hurry home; his mum would be wondering where he was. Just like Åsa, his teacher.
‘You know you can come and live with us if your parents decide to move,’ Billie said seriously.
Aladdin nodded. The question was, would he want to do that? Or would he feel better living with Mum and Dad, wherever they were? He thought about the children in Mats’s cellar. They hadn’t seemed very happy to be there.
‘I’ll call you tonight,’ he said.
The Silver Boy Page 11
