Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Through the mirror.

After we had done the drawings, daily life took over first.
I did show Mom and Dad my home-work booklet for school, with out the last 3 drawings of course, and they were very proud of me.

At supper there was a lot of fun, and while Saturday, I could stay awake a bit longer. Only this time, it was not what I looked out for, while Cindy and me had other plans. But the games we played were fun, Mom had some crisps for us to eat during the games, and the lemonade tasted fab: hmmm, strawberry.

But finally it was bed time, without a bedtime story, while it was late already.
So Dad did tuck me in this time, and put out the light with the words: “sleep well, Lea, and tomorrow you can sleep in a bit!”

When he was gone, I did feel the now familiar figure of Cindy, laying besides me, so we together started waiting, till the house was silent.
We had laid apart, out of sight of course, some of those of things, from which we thought, they could be useful in different circumstances.
Cindy did have the most saying about it, but me too had some practical things to say.

Like: “How do we get clothes, when we are going to another part of Homeland? A place where we do not know, how the weather is going to be?
And how do we take enough, without us traveling to heavy?”

Cindy answered: “I never thought of that, but you are right! Let's look in your wardrobe” And that we did.

We decided on making a combination in wearing things, that could come handy everywhere. We also could take each a child’s back-pack, I had from the time, I went to school while I did not need so much books. Now mine was much larger.
They were sturdy, but not to big, and on our back not a hindrance.

The most important things, we would hide under the clothing, we were going to be dressed in: the linen bag with the copied books of drawings, and the mirrors in make-up boxes I found between my treasures in my special box.
They had belonged to my Grandmother and were empty now, except for the mirror. That was handy: this way they had place for some aspirin, some plasters and a small tube of iodine.

We also did decide to take some high-energy-sweets and a bottle of drink with a lid, you could easy drink from, but just as easy close tight again. And warm winter clothes of course.

Finally everything in the house was quiet. Nobody awake, not even Mom and Dad.
So at last we could start, what we planned so carefully for.
We dressed first in underwear, than a swimming-suit, after that the short pants with a t-shirt.
It became a lot, and made it not easy, but we had to.
We ended with a woolen sweater and water-tight winter pants, some thick socks and sturdy boots. A bonnet, thick gloves, and a scarf made it complete.

The linen bag was under the coat, the back-packs with the drinks, and as last minute extra item, some foods, and a first aid kit on our back.
I had some small things in hidden places too, but there also had to be surprises coming from me.

I did not have the feeling, Cindy told all already, that was important, too.
We stood before the mirror, hand in hand: the booklet with the drawings in the other hand, so we just could see the reflection in the light of the moon.

Cindy asked: “Are you sure, you are ready? And are you sure you do want this adventure by your own free will, and not while I do ask you to come with me?”

“Whatever happens: we are together in it. And when I can see the reflection of my room in the mirror, I can step through?” I asked to be totally sure.

“ Yes, so let’s count to three and do it.” We held our hands fest, with the reflection of were we wanted to go in front.
And so we did: we stepped trough the mirror like it was the top layer of a pool.
It looked like it rippled the same way, and behind us the mirror became calm and flat again, if nobody ever went through.

From this side, we did see my room, but when we had put our precious booklets in their bags, nothing was there to see anymore.
After that the mirrors also were put safely in their bags.

That moment I realized: it IS summer over here. Hot summer, harvest time.
I did see Cindy do, what I planned the moment, I did feel the heat: putting of the too hot clothes. She folded them as small as possible, and did them in the back-pack. It just fitted. So I did the same.
Then we had a very good look around: a few steps out of the forest was a dirt-road, leading to a little farm.

I looked asking to Cindy: “Your home?”
She answered: “Yes, of course, we had to try a for your safety a nice, safe place first.
Now, we are sure, you will be forever my friend. Otherwise you never could have stepped through the mirror to my Homeland!
Let’s go and see my folks, and make plans how we are going to do things.”

My last question, before we started walking was: “Will that not take too much time? Can we be back home before the sun-up tomorrow morning?”

So Cindy said: “In this world time works different, remember. I had told you so. So now, lets really go on our way! Trust me, in your world you are back tomorrow-morning, more than right in time for breakfast!"

And so we went.
Together we walked the dirt road.
I looked around to get the feel of the land.
How strange: less than an hour ago I was in my own home, with outside the snow making the world white and cold.
We now were glad to wear the shorts and t-shirts, and carry the hot clothes in our back-packs.

Only the heavy boots where a bit strange, but what ever, was not this whole adventure strange?
Like the friends, we became lately, we could talk about what happened, but we choose to feel free and say not very much. Just enjoyed the surroundings and the warm sun.
Cindy had a glow on her face, like she was glad to be in her Homeland again.

Only one question I would like to have answered now:
“Will your grandmother be home too? Or will she be with her friend on our world now.
I do like her stories so much, and I like to tell her so myself.
And maybe she can tell me a story, just one for me alone. One that is not written in a book?”

Cindy said: “Lea, you still are a bit impatient. I am not sure. I do expect so, for her friend in your world is not longer there.
Besides that, none of her children, or grandchildren was able to see Grandma, or to hear her. So probably she is home.
But everybody loves and respects her, so often people do ask for her advice. Let’s wait and see!”

Half an hour later a boy with a dog came running our way: Cindy’s brother.
The dog ran faster, and was jumping like mad against Cindy, after having sniffled out who I was, like he had to protect her. But a cares between his ears after letting him sniff my hands solved all.

Jake was almost out of breath, and jelled from afar: “Stop, and hide in the bushes along side the road, you where not seen yet. You do look so different from normal, I really do hope they have not recognized you.”

Cindy looked alert immediately: “WHO?” and started to run toward the bushes, without waiting for an answer. I could not do anything else but doing the same.
Jack ran just behind us. Out of breath.

“The Otherlanders are back! Last time Gran could mislead them, but they heard stories every where around.
You are the only curly-red-hear-girl in this part of the land, so this time they did hide them-selves around the farm, in the barn, and a bit further away, along the roads surrounding our living space. There is even one in the hen-house!

While I had to look for a cow that run of, I could get away, and luckily I saw you two coming. I was not sure it wás you, but I had to come, and look to be sure, so luckily I am in time.”
He wiped his sweated face in relieve.

I looked scared, but stood firm: “Than we use the booklet to go to a safer place. Can we take Jack with us? Or will that endanger your Grandma?”

Cindy confirmed my solution with: “You think fast, like I hoped. Jack cannot come, that would be to suspicious.
But he can tell Grandma, let her try to come to the place we go to now, if possible.

Jake,” she asked him, “do you know this? Is Auntie Lieve’s shop safe or not?”

Jake said: “As far as I do know, all is well over there. But how will you travel there?”

I said, with some firmness, I did not really feel: “It is better to close your eyes, keep the dog by his collar, so he cannot follow. What you do not know, you cannot tell too.”

Cindy nodded, and found that the best solution, so Jake promised to go home, to tell grandma, the moment it would be possible, without the Otherlanders getting suspicious.
After that he held his arm before his eyes, and with the other hand held the dog by his collar.

Therefore the two of us made the second mirror-travel within an hour.
It was a bit harder to do: it needed more imagination to convince ourselves, we could step through that much smaller mirror.

Besides the more difficult convincing, it did not work instantly.
When we kept our hands together, either she or me was not totally in the mirror.
So we did do it separately, used our own book and mirror.
But we ended both in the store-room of the shop of Auntie Lieve, and we did see nobody there.

© Nan van Daalen, all rights reserved.