Read Online Emily Windsnap and the Siren's Secret by Liz Kessler - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Liz Kessler
Tags: Ages 8 and up
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heart rate still hadn’t slowed down. It felt weird to be holding his hand, but at the same time it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
We walked up the jetty and over toward our boat. Millie turned to my grandparents. My grandparents! It felt so strange to think that. “Ready?” she asked.
They nodded eagerly. “Definitely!” the man replied.
“Right, come on then.” Millie let herself in through the door, calling out to Mom as she did so. “Yoo-hoo! Mary P. — you’ll never guess who I’ve brought to see you!”
As my grandparents followed her inside, Aaron stopped. “I think you should go in on your own. It’s family stuff.” Then in a shy mumble, he added, “I’ll catch you later, though, won’t I?”
“Definitely!” I said.
He let go of my hand and smiled. My palm was still warm from the feel of his hand on mine. “See you later,” I said. And then he turned and left, and I went in for the happy reunion.
Only it wasn’t exactly what you could call happy.
My grandparents were doing the staring blankly thing again.
“What’s up?” I asked.
Millie stood in the middle of the room, gesticulating wildly. Mom stood behind her, arms folded, face like a shut door. “We’ve just been talking, over at your cottage! How can you not remember?” Millie was shouting.
“The cottage that we’re staying in for the weekend vacation that we won?” the woman asked.
“You didn’t win a competition!” Millie sighed. “That was a setup! A pretense. I’ve just explained all that!”
“You mean we shouldn’t be there?” the man asked. “Do we have to leave?”
I stood in front of the couple. “Nan? Granddad?” I said.
I might as well have been a Martian that had just landed on Earth for all the recognition in their eyes.
“Who are you?” the woman said eventually.
I bit back a tear that had started to creep up my throat. “It’s Emily,” I said. “Your granddaughter. I came over here with you.”
The couple looked at each other, totally baffled. What was going on?
“Just leave.” Mom’s voice was stern and cold. “You’ve had your fun, making a fool out of me. Now go.” Her arms were still tightly folded over each other. Her face was closed just as tightly.
Millie ushered the couple to the door. “I don’t understand,” she said. “I don’t get it.” She followed them outside and directed them back to their cottage. Then she came back in and shut the door behind her.
Mom slumped down at the table. “Oh, Millie,” she said. “What on earth did you do?”
“I — I thought it would be a wonderful surprise. A happy reunion. I thought it might jump-start the peacemaking process that’s supposed to be going on.”
“How could they be so cruel?” Mom whimpered. “Not to acknowledge me at all. To pretend they didn’t even know me. I never thought they could stoop so low. My own parents.”
I went over and put an arm around Mom. I wanted to say something to comfort her, but I couldn’t think of anything. What could I possibly say that could make up for what had just happened?
What had just happened?
They’d seemed so happy to see me, so excited to come and meet up with Mom — and then they’d looked through both of us as though they’d never met us in their lives. It just didn’t add up. Had they put it all on? Was it all an act so that they could make a fool of Mom? But why would they have wanted to hurt her so much? Were people really that cruel?
My head was spinning with questions I couldn’t answer.
And then I thought of a person who possibly could.
A person who had been around since the days when my grandparents lived here. And, now that I thought about it, a person who had acted very strangely the other day when we were talking about them. A person who had some answering to do — as usual.
The more I thought about it, the more determined I was to get to the bottom of this. Mom was far too upset to leave her now, but I’d decided
We walked up the jetty and over toward our boat. Millie turned to my grandparents. My grandparents! It felt so strange to think that. “Ready?” she asked.
They nodded eagerly. “Definitely!” the man replied.
“Right, come on then.” Millie let herself in through the door, calling out to Mom as she did so. “Yoo-hoo! Mary P. — you’ll never guess who I’ve brought to see you!”
As my grandparents followed her inside, Aaron stopped. “I think you should go in on your own. It’s family stuff.” Then in a shy mumble, he added, “I’ll catch you later, though, won’t I?”
“Definitely!” I said.
He let go of my hand and smiled. My palm was still warm from the feel of his hand on mine. “See you later,” I said. And then he turned and left, and I went in for the happy reunion.
Only it wasn’t exactly what you could call happy.
My grandparents were doing the staring blankly thing again.
“What’s up?” I asked.
Millie stood in the middle of the room, gesticulating wildly. Mom stood behind her, arms folded, face like a shut door. “We’ve just been talking, over at your cottage! How can you not remember?” Millie was shouting.
“The cottage that we’re staying in for the weekend vacation that we won?” the woman asked.
“You didn’t win a competition!” Millie sighed. “That was a setup! A pretense. I’ve just explained all that!”
“You mean we shouldn’t be there?” the man asked. “Do we have to leave?”
I stood in front of the couple. “Nan? Granddad?” I said.
I might as well have been a Martian that had just landed on Earth for all the recognition in their eyes.
“Who are you?” the woman said eventually.
I bit back a tear that had started to creep up my throat. “It’s Emily,” I said. “Your granddaughter. I came over here with you.”
The couple looked at each other, totally baffled. What was going on?
“Just leave.” Mom’s voice was stern and cold. “You’ve had your fun, making a fool out of me. Now go.” Her arms were still tightly folded over each other. Her face was closed just as tightly.
Millie ushered the couple to the door. “I don’t understand,” she said. “I don’t get it.” She followed them outside and directed them back to their cottage. Then she came back in and shut the door behind her.
Mom slumped down at the table. “Oh, Millie,” she said. “What on earth did you do?”
“I — I thought it would be a wonderful surprise. A happy reunion. I thought it might jump-start the peacemaking process that’s supposed to be going on.”
“How could they be so cruel?” Mom whimpered. “Not to acknowledge me at all. To pretend they didn’t even know me. I never thought they could stoop so low. My own parents.”
I went over and put an arm around Mom. I wanted to say something to comfort her, but I couldn’t think of anything. What could I possibly say that could make up for what had just happened?
What had just happened?
They’d seemed so happy to see me, so excited to come and meet up with Mom — and then they’d looked through both of us as though they’d never met us in their lives. It just didn’t add up. Had they put it all on? Was it all an act so that they could make a fool of Mom? But why would they have wanted to hurt her so much? Were people really that cruel?
My head was spinning with questions I couldn’t answer.
And then I thought of a person who possibly could.
A person who had been around since the days when my grandparents lived here. And, now that I thought about it, a person who had acted very strangely the other day when we were talking about them. A person who had some answering to do — as usual.
The more I thought about it, the more determined I was to get to the bottom of this. Mom was far too upset to leave her now, but I’d decided
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