(A/N: I think I'm re-obsessing over "Madeline". I used to J'ADORE her as a child, and now that I've found the cartoons on iTunes, I've been watching nothing but "Madeline" for the past two days. So, as you can expect, a little plot bunny maneuvered its way into my head. No, not a little bunny, a humongous bunny! So I had to write something. Profiter! Enjoy!)
Summary: Ten years have passed since Madeline last saw the Old House, and now she's come back. But some things she can only wish will still be the same.
Disclaimer: Ludwig Bemelmans owns Madeline, I do not. *tear*
Madeline Comes Home
A Madeline Fanfic
by Jill Diamond
~Chapter One~
In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines,
Lived twelve new little girls in two straight lines
They left the house at half past nine
In rain or shine
But no one forgot about Madeline
She took her time as she strolled down the sidewalk, making sure to touch every bar on the great iron fence alongside her, and not stepping on a crack in the pavement. The pathway brought back so many memories, it nearly brought tears to her eyes. She had scraped many a knee on this sidewalk while trying to chase a butterfly.
"Ten years..." she thought to herself. "Ten years is a very long time. I wonder if she will remember me?"
She reached up and fiddled with a strand of her hair. She was so close to the large gate. She thought for half a second about turning around and going back to her flat.
But no. She was Madeline. She wasn't supposed to be scared.
Even so, she still took her time, pausing to pick a dandelion growing through the stone, blow it into the wind, and wish hard. Before she knew it, her hand had run out of bars to grab at, and, taking a small gulp in the back of her throat, took in the sight before her.
The Old House had hardly changed. Maybe a little grayer, and the vines had grown taller, but it was still the Old House that had been her home ten years ago. The hedges were still trimmed the same way, and the white daisies still grew in the little patch of grass in the front yard. She could even see through the windows that the same blue curtains still hung.
Madeline looked down at herself, and wished that she could say the same. For she had grown and filled out over those ten years. By average standards, she was still decently small for her age, but she was much taller than she used to be. Practically the only thing that stayed the same was her hair. It was still the same bright red it was back then, and she still kept it in the same style, or at least something similar. She had even worn a yellow dress that day, along with her yellow hat that she still kept, for she feared that her favorite teacher might not recognize her after all the time that had passed.
She pulled back her sleeve and glanced at her wristwatch. It was already 9:45. They would still be on their walk, but Madeline wasn't ready to wait, and went to knock upon the old door anyway. Surely someone would let her in. If anyone, her old mice friends.
Shortly after, she heard fast footsteps approach the other side. Madeline stopped rocking on her feet. The door was cracked open, and a plump, friendly face poked its way through.
"Yes, may I help-" The old woman stopped short at the sight of the younger redhead before her. Madeline gave her her signature smile, and the cook mimicked her actions as tears came to her eyes. "Madeline? Is it really you?" Before Madeline could answer, Mrs. Murphy pulled her whole self through the door and wrapped her in a warm hug. "Oh, ma chére, it has been too long!"
Madeline graciously returned the hug with a quiet giggle.
"I have missed you, too, Mrs. Murphy."
"Oh, come in! Come in! I've got a nice pot of tea ready in the kitchen!" the old cook cooed as she reached for Madeline's arm, and then dragged her into the kitchen.