Page 42 of The Wonder of You
“A clown child?” one croaks. The third woman who had been quiet until this moment lets out a loud cackle. The sound rips through my body, it is haunting. I decide this is the best time to get Maudie into the cabin and out of sight.
“Don’t walk away, young woman, let me see the girl.” The woman holds out her hand as if she is a kind, loving grandmother who wants to see her granddaughter. I am starting to think the bedtime stories of witches luring children away are true. Maudie tenses as I ignore the women and continue to walk her away.
“Don’t speak to her,” Lukas says, his voice is calm, but I know it won’t be long until he breaks into his protective father mode.
“Oh blimey, don’t even look my way, clown man! Disgusting!” All the witches cackle. The sound is enough to give anyone nightmares. Maudie cries as I gently push her away.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t interact with my staff.” I hear Phoenix say, his voice firm, but I know he is struggling internally with these women being cruel towards his friends. I also know he calls usstaffbecause he’s worried the witches may take advantage if they know about personal relationships. Dangerous people can play on that. It’s one of the reasons they wanted to see Maudie, they know she is more than just a member of staff in the circus, she’s someone’s beloved daughter. She means something to someone. She’s Lukas’ heartwalking outside of his chest, that makes them both vulnerable.
“Oh, you think you’re so special?” the witch snickers.
“Move along please, we’re done here now.” Toni’s voice is loud enough to hear even though we’re now safely in the cabin. We both watch as the witches leave and make their way back through the woodland. I notice the way one witch looks back at us. I hope I don’t have to worry about this.
Chapter 31
I hand Lukas a coffee and look up at the bright blue sky.
“What a nice day, we bloody need it after that storm.”
Lukas closes his eyes in relief as he sips his coffee.
“I agree, it’s nice to see that big yellow thing in the sky.”
We both laugh.
“Anyway, where is my little Maudie? She was meant to come over to paint rocks with me.”
“Oh, I thought she had. Perhaps she got caught up with some flowers or chasing butterflies.” He doesn’t seem concerned. The circus is a safe space for us all. The idea of Maudie chasing butterflies brings a smile to my face.
“I’ll go and find her,” I tell him as I begin walking away. I keep my eyes on the sky and try to figure out what shapes the few clouds lingering about look like. It was something I used to do as a child. I’d lay on the grass and look up at the sky, trying to find animal-shaped clouds or perhaps looking for a sign from a greater force that good things were coming. I never did get any signs from the clouds, but I found many shaped like animals. It’s something I still enjoy doing, a bit of the child inside me. I never got to do it for too long back then, Lydia would always boot me and tell me to get on with the laundry or help with the cooking. Now, I have the freedom to unleash the desire to lay on the grass andlook into the sky. I smile to myself as I continue to look for Maudie. And then I hear voices in the trees.
“Why don’t you come with me? I’ll show you some of my magic.”
I recognise the croaky voice. My heart drops. The smile wipes itself off my face.
“Lukas!” I scream as I run forward and down the small hill where I see Maudie speaking to one of the witches from yesterday. She looks timid and nervous as if she wants to get away but doesn’t know how, her little body paralysed to the spot. I almost fall down the hill as I sprint towards them.
“Get away from her!” It comes out of my mouth high-pitched and panicked. A look of relief takes Maudie’s features as she runs into my arms. The witch looks at me in disgust and I wonder what is going through her mind. Can I protect myself and Maudie? Without a doubt, I will prioritise Maudie’s life. Her life is worth so much more than mine. But if I’m hurt, will she be able to run?
The panic doesn’t last long as Phoenix, Henry and Lukas come running towards us.
“I was just talking to the little clown.” The witch stretches out her arms in some awkward surrender, but there is a sly smirk on her face that doesn’t match the statement which she is trying to portray as innocent.
“Do not ever come back here, do not ever speak to her, do you hear me?” Lukas snaps. He is a different man when it comes to protecting his daughter. He goes from looking like a cuddly bear to a wolf ready to attack. I don’t blame him for letting Maudie walk offsomewhere on her own, this has always been a safe area. We’ve never experienced anything like this before.
“How cruel for someone likeyouto reproduce, bringthatinto the world!” she spits. Maudie turns away from the woman and buries her head into my stomach, wrapping her arms around my waist. She sobs desperately and I hold her tight as Phoenix pats her head.
“Leave, do not come near our circus again,” he snarls. The woman laughs at him as he says it. She laughs so hard that her face seems to distort into something even more terrifying than her usual look. Her mouth is wider than what I believed could be possible and her eyes change colour. They look red. I hold Maudie tighter to me so she can’t turn around and see this nightmare. The men tense up and Phoenix puts himself in front of me.
“Stay behind me,” he whispers. I am surprised he’s not sending us back, but he probably wants to keep us in sight in case any of the witch’s friends are lingering around, ready to pounce and attack us when we’re at our most vulnerable. I don’t want to fall into a trap.
“I’ll feed you to the dogs if you carry on.” Henry moves forward towards the witch. “I’ll let them rip you up alive, so you stay away from this circus and these people, do you understand?”
The witch stops laughing and instantly looks at Henry with a deadpan expression. Her ability to change her features and go from one mood to another sends chills through my body. Maudie tries to turn, but I prevent her from doing so. I rub her head and whisperthat everything is okay. I really don’t think anything is okay though.
The witch jumps on Henry, her hands wrapping around his neck.
I gasp.
