Rain Drops

Chapter 25

Then she pointed to a seat near the end of one of the long, narrow benches facing the large throne and said: "Sit down, darling. I will wait outside until you're ready to talk to your father."

I hesitated. I wanted to stay by her side, however, I didn't want to cause any problems either. I knew better than to disobey Grandmother though. Therefore, I slowly moved forward and sat down between the two girls. Once I was settled, Grandma left and closed the door behind her.

I could see the old man's figure moving up the steps to the throne and once he stepped down onto the first step, the throne shifted slightly as well. The man' s footsteps echoed around the empty throne room. When the old man sat down on the throne, he cleared his throat several times and glanced around him. Then, he leaned forward and said in a firm voice:

"Tell me now, what is going on. What has happened, and where is my daughter?"

My mother frowned and stared at the old man before speaking: "Father, please sit back on your seat. I do not need you to take charge yet."

But the man stood up straight and said: "Where is the girl? Where is she?"

The king stood up abruptly, towering over Grandma. She stood as well, her expression calm and composed. She glanced up briefly at the king before returning her attention to the floor and said:

"She went on ahead to visit the town. I told her to go back home, but she insisted upon continuing. I sent my sons to come fetch her, but it seems like she hasn't returned yet. Her horse should be here somewhere by now."

My mother spoke calmly, as if discussing some trivial matters. But the old man frowned deeply and slammed his fist down on the armrest of the throne.

"This girl is causing me trouble, that is all she does. That is all she ever did!" yelled the old man loudly.

The girls gasped and looked at each other in alarm. The king frowned heavily and stared intently at me, and then at my mother, and said: "What are you saying? What sort of trouble has she caused you? Explain yourself at once! I demand an explanation!"

My mother sighed deeply and looked at me pleadingly; and I realized that I couldn't possibly tell the story myself. I'd seen too much horror and sorrowful events for my own good, now, after having just gone through it all twice already. So I decided to do the only possible thing that would make things right again. I looked at Grandpa and began talking:

"I'm sorry, Grandpa. This isn't how things happen when I go out of the house alone. You see, when mommy isn't there, it makes things easier for me to have friends. And they like to play together. I don't think anybody minds at all."

The old man smiled, nodded gently, and replied: "Yes, Mia. I understand. But you shouldn't go out alone anymore. Your mother and father ought to watch over you every minute. There are many dangers in the world."

"No, I mean that they aren't always present. They always go off somewhere else. They're away more than usual. And that' s why the castle doesn't seem right to me," I continued. "And the last time I saw you, you were sleeping on a bed. Mommy says that you never sleep properly unless we take care of you. So I thought maybe we could try to fix up a room or make the castle more comfortable..."

I felt someone shaking my shoulder from the backside.

"Mia, wake up! Wake up!"

It was Josh.

"Hurry up and get dressed. It's lunchtime!"

As soon as I heard his familiar voice, my eyes shot open. I jumped out of bed quickly and ran straight into the bathroom, where Josh was waiting patiently for me. As I entered, I saw that he was wearing a pair of grey trousers and an orange shirt and brown leather shoes. His curly hair was neatly combed and he wore a small red cap, which I recognized as one of the ones that mom wears every day.

"Josh! Good morning!"

Josh grinned, showing his pearly white teeth before turning to grab the clothes from the closet. He quickly stripped himself of his blue jeans and put on the red striped shirt before grabbing the pair of pants I was holding in my hands.

"Here, wear these. You'll look cute in those. Besides, your mom and dad don't mind. Don't forget

your cap and jacket on the way, okay?"

I laughed and nodded, while Josh pulled on his shoes and walked out of the bedroom. I took my time getting ready; but the minutes ticked by slowly. Finally, I slipped on my sneakers, grabbed my cap and coat and ran downstairs to find Josh in the kitchen. When he spotted me coming down the stairs, his face lit up and he shouted:

"There you are!"

Josh rushed up to me and threw an arm around my shoulders, guiding me to the table in the dining room. Mom, Grandma and the three girls were already seated. The old Queen placed her glass of tea in front of her.

Josh and I sat next to each other and started eating. I picked up my fork and began cutting the bread. I tried to act natural and ate normally, trying not to look at anyone in particular. After a few seconds, Mom asked:

"Why haven't you been able to eat any breakfast, Mia? You're usually the first one out of bed this early. Do you know something about it that we don't know?"

Josh and I exchanged glances. Then Josh spoke:

"Maybe she woke up earlier today than yesterday," he suggested.

Mom frowned, and then looked at me for a while before asking me directly:

"Were you asleep early last night?"

I shook my head. Then Grandma, who was sitting across the table, spoke and said:

"We woke her up at four o' clock this morning. She wasn't even hungry; so we let her go back to sleep after putting her food on the plate. In fact, she fell asleep right afterwards."

The old King looked at me and said:

"Didn't you sleep, little one? Why weren't you awake?"

"Uh... I couldn't sleep. It was kind of hot, so I decided to get up and walk around outside," I replied softly without looking at anyone in particular.

Grandma looked at me disapprovingly. Then she spoke:

"You must be careful about not making your mother worry and worrying about you. If you don't sleep, that will make everyone worried about you.