Read Online The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Clare B. Dunkle
Tags: Speculative Fiction
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Emily wailed miserably. "I do believe you! I do! You're not really mad, are you?" she quavered. "I mean, I understand if you want to be ..."
"Don't be a complete goose, Em," said Kate disgustedly. "The rest of them are bad enough." She told her sister about the events of the previous night. Emily hugged her knees and listened carefully, not saying a single word.
"Oh, Kate," she breathed when her sister was finished. "Your very first proposal." Kate stared unbelievingly at the round, solemn eyes and flopped onto her back, laughing loudly. When she recovered, she attacked her little sister and tickled her unmercifully.
"How dare you," she choked, "call that travesty a proposal! I simply can't believe it! What an idiotic thing to say!"
"Well," her sister sheepishly amended, brushing grass off her dress, "it was sort of like a proposal, anyway. Do you think he loves you?" she added, wide-eyed again.
"Please," groaned Kate, lying back to look up at the clouds. "He's not even human! He's a grotesque monster! Weren't you paying attention?"
"But he's royalty! And he can do magic," her sister pointed out excitedly. "Think how handy if you can't light your candle in the dark."
"And that's exactly where I would be--in the dark." They both sobered up, thinking about Mrs. Bigelow's tale of the dank caves under the Hill. Kate shivered. "Imagine!" she said. "Poor Adele, shut up in a hole like that. I'd never survive it, Em. I'd die, I just know I would." Emily took her hand and squeezed it affectionately.
"I'm sorry," she said sympathetically. "It does sound terrible. But I'll help. What do we do?"
"I don't know," Kate replied gloomily. "I've been trying to think of a plan. I know good and well that they won't let me near the horses, and if I try to take the dogcart, they really will think I'm crazy. We'll just have to find some way to convince Mr. Roberts and the aunts that the goblin is real."
"I don't know why they don't believe you," commented Emily. "It makes perfect sense to me."
"We live in the nineteenth century now," Kate mimicked her guardian in a lofty tone. Then she giggled.
"If he knows that, why's he still wearing a wig?" demanded Emily. "I wonder if he's completely bald without it."
"Don't you dare ask him," warned her sister, standing up. "We'd better go home now and face the whispering aunts. We'll stay together in your room tonight, and maybe I can find some way to convince them tomorrow."
But even this simple plan proved impossible.
"You want us to do what?" Kate gasped to Prim. That dour woman held a letter out to her.
"I want you and Emily to take this message up to the Hall for me," Prim replied defensively. "You'll stay with Mrs. Bigelow tonight."
"But Aunt Prim," spluttered Kate, "you can't possibly mean it! It's already dark out there!"
"I certainly do mean it," her aunt said forcefully. "Kate, I know you're afraid of--of the dark--but Hugh suggested this, and I think it will help. You need to face your fears."
"What?" gasped Kate. "You actually expect me to walk out this door--and
face
them?"
"Kate, get hold of yourself!" the old woman said firmly. "We simply can't have another day like today."
"Oh, you won't!" cried Kate, snatching the letter from her. "You won't have any more days like today ever again!" The two girls stumbled out into the night.
"This is just splendid!" snapped Kate, clutching Emily's hand tightly. "This is simply perfect!" She stopped short at the gravel path. "Now what on earth are we going to do?"
"Run?" suggested Emily uncertainly.
"Oh, for heaven's sake, Em! They have horses."
They entered the forest. The moon, almost full, climbed a nearly cloudless sky, and Kate gathered courage from its pale rays. Bright moonlight dappled the path before them with silver spots, but under the trees, the shadows were black and ominous. After only a couple of minutes, they heard just what they had been afraid to hear: the creaking of saddles and the ringing of hooves on stone. Voices
"Don't be a complete goose, Em," said Kate disgustedly. "The rest of them are bad enough." She told her sister about the events of the previous night. Emily hugged her knees and listened carefully, not saying a single word.
"Oh, Kate," she breathed when her sister was finished. "Your very first proposal." Kate stared unbelievingly at the round, solemn eyes and flopped onto her back, laughing loudly. When she recovered, she attacked her little sister and tickled her unmercifully.
"How dare you," she choked, "call that travesty a proposal! I simply can't believe it! What an idiotic thing to say!"
"Well," her sister sheepishly amended, brushing grass off her dress, "it was sort of like a proposal, anyway. Do you think he loves you?" she added, wide-eyed again.
"Please," groaned Kate, lying back to look up at the clouds. "He's not even human! He's a grotesque monster! Weren't you paying attention?"
"But he's royalty! And he can do magic," her sister pointed out excitedly. "Think how handy if you can't light your candle in the dark."
"And that's exactly where I would be--in the dark." They both sobered up, thinking about Mrs. Bigelow's tale of the dank caves under the Hill. Kate shivered. "Imagine!" she said. "Poor Adele, shut up in a hole like that. I'd never survive it, Em. I'd die, I just know I would." Emily took her hand and squeezed it affectionately.
"I'm sorry," she said sympathetically. "It does sound terrible. But I'll help. What do we do?"
"I don't know," Kate replied gloomily. "I've been trying to think of a plan. I know good and well that they won't let me near the horses, and if I try to take the dogcart, they really will think I'm crazy. We'll just have to find some way to convince Mr. Roberts and the aunts that the goblin is real."
"I don't know why they don't believe you," commented Emily. "It makes perfect sense to me."
"We live in the nineteenth century now," Kate mimicked her guardian in a lofty tone. Then she giggled.
"If he knows that, why's he still wearing a wig?" demanded Emily. "I wonder if he's completely bald without it."
"Don't you dare ask him," warned her sister, standing up. "We'd better go home now and face the whispering aunts. We'll stay together in your room tonight, and maybe I can find some way to convince them tomorrow."
But even this simple plan proved impossible.
"You want us to do what?" Kate gasped to Prim. That dour woman held a letter out to her.
"I want you and Emily to take this message up to the Hall for me," Prim replied defensively. "You'll stay with Mrs. Bigelow tonight."
"But Aunt Prim," spluttered Kate, "you can't possibly mean it! It's already dark out there!"
"I certainly do mean it," her aunt said forcefully. "Kate, I know you're afraid of--of the dark--but Hugh suggested this, and I think it will help. You need to face your fears."
"What?" gasped Kate. "You actually expect me to walk out this door--and
face
them?"
"Kate, get hold of yourself!" the old woman said firmly. "We simply can't have another day like today."
"Oh, you won't!" cried Kate, snatching the letter from her. "You won't have any more days like today ever again!" The two girls stumbled out into the night.
"This is just splendid!" snapped Kate, clutching Emily's hand tightly. "This is simply perfect!" She stopped short at the gravel path. "Now what on earth are we going to do?"
"Run?" suggested Emily uncertainly.
"Oh, for heaven's sake, Em! They have horses."
They entered the forest. The moon, almost full, climbed a nearly cloudless sky, and Kate gathered courage from its pale rays. Bright moonlight dappled the path before them with silver spots, but under the trees, the shadows were black and ominous. After only a couple of minutes, they heard just what they had been afraid to hear: the creaking of saddles and the ringing of hooves on stone. Voices
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