Read Online Tales From The Wyrd Museum 2: The Raven's Knot by Robin Jarvis - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Robin Jarvis
Tags: Fiction
Ads: Link
do.
‘There's some things even you can't be told,’ Miss Celandine eventually blurted. ‘I thought you were here to look after us but that hasn't happened at all—quite the opposite. It is, it is! Well, I shan't say anything to you unless Ursula tells me to—and Veronica won't either.’
But her words did not deter Edie. Apparently unconcerned, she lifted the plate of pancakes and sniffed them experimentally.
‘Put them down!’ Miss Celandine squealed. ‘They're not yours, they're not, they're not!’
Impudently Edie arched her eyebrows and proceeded to stuff two of the pancakes into her mouth, much to Miss Celandine's outrage.
‘Wicked!’ she clucked, beating her fists upon her knees. ‘You stop that! At once, at once—ooh, you naughty child. You are, you are!’
Edie ignored her and looked instead at Veronica who was also staring at her in shocked disbelief as yet another pancake disappeared inside the young girl's mouth.
Suddenly the woman in the armchair could bear it no longer. Yowling like a singed cat, she grabbed the plate from Edie and rammed its scrumptious jam-daubed dainties into her own crabbed lips.
Several minutes passed as Miss Veronica chewed and devoured her most favourite food. Then when the last morsel was swallowed, she frowned at Edie and poked her with a bony finger.
‘There were two ravens,’ she said, her eyes glazing over as she struggled to recall the fleeting memories. ‘Two of them, and they belonged to someone... someone very special. What were their names? Why don't I know? I'm sure it's important.’
Leaning back in the chair, the elderly woman sighed heavily and shook her head.
‘You are shameless,’ Miss Celandine berated Edie. ‘Poor Veronica mustn't remember, you mustn't make her.’
The girl eyed her mutinously. Perhaps if she asked about something else she could catch her off guard. ‘Tell me what happened to the land of Askar,’ she piped up unexpectedly.
At the mention of that name Miss Celandine brightened, but she glanced suspiciously at the doorway in case Miss Ursula was lurking there. ‘Come,’ she whispered, ‘over here—we'll sit by the fireplace.’
Together they rose, and Miss Celandine settled herself in one of the chairs by the hearth and raked a poker through the cold, dead ashes as if stoking a heap of flaming cinders.
Edie waited until she had finished before she said, ‘Ursula started tellin’ me yesterday about the ice giants. Did they build the bridge and kill the World Tree?’
Miss Celandine brushed the ash and coal dust from her fingers and gazed mournfully at the charred, scattered cinders.
‘Oh, yes,’ she murmured. ‘The chasm that separated the green lands from the icy wastes was spanned. Oh, but it was so heavenly in those days. Askar was at its most beautiful and Yggdrasill at the height of its power and majesty. It really was glorious—oh, it was, it was.
‘Everyone looked so handsome and attractive then, the gentlemen were tall and dashing. Oh what dances we had, what a delicious time.’
Miss Celandine's voice trailed off as she slipped into a delightful reverie and Edie had to nudge her to continue.
‘What about the giants?’ she urged.
Miss Celandine's goofy grin disappeared. ‘I don't want to talk about them,’ she snapped. ‘Mayn't I only remember the nice bits?’
‘No.’
‘You're as beastly as Ursula,’ the elderly woman bleated. ‘Very well.
‘When those terrible ice lords first stepped upon the shores of the fertile lands, they saw in the distance the wondrous light of the World Tree and knew in their black hearts that they could never hope to attack it. Spanning the chasm had weakened them dreadfully. So, at the edge of the green realm they quarrelled about what to do, until their leader—the tallest and proudest of them, who wore a crown of icicles upon his big head, was so disgusted at their cowardice that he stormed off on his own.
‘Over the pretty hillsides he rampaged, drawing
‘There's some things even you can't be told,’ Miss Celandine eventually blurted. ‘I thought you were here to look after us but that hasn't happened at all—quite the opposite. It is, it is! Well, I shan't say anything to you unless Ursula tells me to—and Veronica won't either.’
But her words did not deter Edie. Apparently unconcerned, she lifted the plate of pancakes and sniffed them experimentally.
‘Put them down!’ Miss Celandine squealed. ‘They're not yours, they're not, they're not!’
Impudently Edie arched her eyebrows and proceeded to stuff two of the pancakes into her mouth, much to Miss Celandine's outrage.
‘Wicked!’ she clucked, beating her fists upon her knees. ‘You stop that! At once, at once—ooh, you naughty child. You are, you are!’
Edie ignored her and looked instead at Veronica who was also staring at her in shocked disbelief as yet another pancake disappeared inside the young girl's mouth.
Suddenly the woman in the armchair could bear it no longer. Yowling like a singed cat, she grabbed the plate from Edie and rammed its scrumptious jam-daubed dainties into her own crabbed lips.
Several minutes passed as Miss Veronica chewed and devoured her most favourite food. Then when the last morsel was swallowed, she frowned at Edie and poked her with a bony finger.
‘There were two ravens,’ she said, her eyes glazing over as she struggled to recall the fleeting memories. ‘Two of them, and they belonged to someone... someone very special. What were their names? Why don't I know? I'm sure it's important.’
Leaning back in the chair, the elderly woman sighed heavily and shook her head.
‘You are shameless,’ Miss Celandine berated Edie. ‘Poor Veronica mustn't remember, you mustn't make her.’
The girl eyed her mutinously. Perhaps if she asked about something else she could catch her off guard. ‘Tell me what happened to the land of Askar,’ she piped up unexpectedly.
At the mention of that name Miss Celandine brightened, but she glanced suspiciously at the doorway in case Miss Ursula was lurking there. ‘Come,’ she whispered, ‘over here—we'll sit by the fireplace.’
Together they rose, and Miss Celandine settled herself in one of the chairs by the hearth and raked a poker through the cold, dead ashes as if stoking a heap of flaming cinders.
Edie waited until she had finished before she said, ‘Ursula started tellin’ me yesterday about the ice giants. Did they build the bridge and kill the World Tree?’
Miss Celandine brushed the ash and coal dust from her fingers and gazed mournfully at the charred, scattered cinders.
‘Oh, yes,’ she murmured. ‘The chasm that separated the green lands from the icy wastes was spanned. Oh, but it was so heavenly in those days. Askar was at its most beautiful and Yggdrasill at the height of its power and majesty. It really was glorious—oh, it was, it was.
‘Everyone looked so handsome and attractive then, the gentlemen were tall and dashing. Oh what dances we had, what a delicious time.’
Miss Celandine's voice trailed off as she slipped into a delightful reverie and Edie had to nudge her to continue.
‘What about the giants?’ she urged.
Miss Celandine's goofy grin disappeared. ‘I don't want to talk about them,’ she snapped. ‘Mayn't I only remember the nice bits?’
‘No.’
‘You're as beastly as Ursula,’ the elderly woman bleated. ‘Very well.
‘When those terrible ice lords first stepped upon the shores of the fertile lands, they saw in the distance the wondrous light of the World Tree and knew in their black hearts that they could never hope to attack it. Spanning the chasm had weakened them dreadfully. So, at the edge of the green realm they quarrelled about what to do, until their leader—the tallest and proudest of them, who wore a crown of icicles upon his big head, was so disgusted at their cowardice that he stormed off on his own.
‘Over the pretty hillsides he rampaged, drawing
Similar Books
