Chapter : Travel Papers
Anya stood in line proudly with Pooka in her arms, waiting to buy her ticket to Paris. Over the years she had saved up what she was hoping was enough money for the trip. Finally her turn arrived, "One ticket to Paris please." She asked triumphantly. The brutish man behind the window furrowed his brow and asked "Exit visa" in a rather monotonous voice. Anya shifted Pooka in her arms. "Exit visa?" She was confused, she was sure she only needed a ticket.
The man smirked, clearly delighted he had the opportunity to yell at someone. "No exit visa," he started kindly, "NO TICKET!" He slammed the door to his window, leaving Anya in a haze. She looked down at Pooka worriedly. She didn't have enough to feed him, let a lone herself.
A haggard old woman inched closer to Anya trying to get her attention. "Psst," the old woman wagged her finger and whispered into Anya's ear, "See Dmitri, he can help." Anya looked at the woman suspiciously, yet gladly.
"Where can I find him?" The woman nodded and informed her that this Dmitri was living in the old palace.
She raised her frail old finger to her lips and said "But you didn't hear it from me."
Anya nodded fully understanding the woman's reluctance to give away this information. Anya wandered the streets, wondering if she could find the area where she was found so long ago. Perhaps this was her home at some point, it was where she last was before she lost all her memories. Anya decided to continue her mission to France. She noticed a man walking toward her.
"Excuse me sir?" The man looked up and eyed the dirty pale girl.
"What?" He asked indifferently.
She smiled brightly. "I was wondering if you could lead me to the palace?"
The man abruptly became annoyed, "Oh no there's no reason to be going there you stupid girl." He started to wave her off and turn away to head in the opposite direction.
Anya sighed, but was shaken when a rather tall man bumped into her shoulder. "Hey watch where you're going!" She shouted at the man who paid no attention to her.
She continued on her journey for the palace, and somehow found it half an hour later. Pooka began to struggle in her arms, so she set him down. She peeked through the pieces of wood that covered the broken windows of the palace.
It really was a sight to see. The palace was huge, and ornately decorated. Pooka slipped through the wood, leaving Anya alone in the cold Russian winter. She began pulling off the wood, figuring she wouldn't be able to open the locked front door anyway. She found Pooka waiting eagerly for her, before he raced off again climbing up the red carpeted stairs. They happened upon a hall that had long tables with elegantly designed plates strewn all over. There were many that were clearly thrown, since china lay across the floor. Pooka slid under one of the tables. Anya giggled and lifted the white table cloth. He sat looking at her mixed in with all the cobwebs beneath the table.
She stood and picked up a silver plate, admiring her dirty face in the reflection. She suddenly pictured a girl twirling around in a mans arms, but she brushed it off. She walked to towards the doors that lead to a separate much larger room, but stopped when she noticed a container in the corner of her eyes. It was painted with dancing bears and swimming swans. "This place...It's..." Anya mused "It's like a memory from a dream." She fondly touched the bears and swiped over the swans wings with her fingers. She looked up into the shattered mirror at herself. Still orphan Anya, yet with more freedom.
She glides into the spectacular ballroom. The walls are lined with portraits of the royal family. She holds herself and stares at the family portrait closest to her. She smiles at how happy the family was.
She takes off her worn coat and torn gloves, and pictures women in beautiful dresses dancing with noble men in uniform. The young soldiers always loved dancing with her. She soon joins, them in her pretend ball. As she passes every person, she receives a bow. Soon a man takes her hand lovingly and kisses her forehead lovingly and nostalgically. She falls to the floor, so over taken with her emotions.
"Hey!" A man pointed his finger at Anya from a balcony accompanied by a much larger and older man. Anya jumped up. "What are you doing in here?" The man berates her further. She began to run. The men followed down the stairs and across the long dance floor. The younger continuing to yell at Anya. She stopped when she got back to where she had left Pooka and her coat. Anya rolled her eyes and turned to face the panting men.
"Now how did you get in he...here!" He stumbled on the last word, his eyes bulging unattractively while he examined Anya frantically. She shrugged but he continued to stare, until his friend finally caught up and said "Excuse me child!" But the younger one stopped him, whispering to him until he placed the friends glasses on. The older man panted "Yes!" in realization. Anya looked around for an easy route of escape, but then remembered the old lady at the ticket stand.
"Are you Dmitri?" She asked exasperatedly, while the younger man picked up Pooka carefully and immediately handed him off to the older one. He began to saunter towards Anya, "Perhaps, depends on who's looking for him" he replied with a smirk. Anya walked closer to him and introduced herself. "My name is Anya, I need travel papers." She then hushed her voice "They say you're the man to see, even though I can't tell you who..." She left the sentence at that when she noticed Dmitri with his thumb in his mouth circling her.
Irritably Anya crossed her arms and demanded "Why are you circling me? What were a vulture in another life?" He dismissed her saying "I'm sorry Enya." he ushered for his friend to join them.
"It's Anya!" She emphasized. He continued to say it wrong, "It's just that you look an awful lot like..." He gestured behind Anya but then said nonchalantly, "Never mind. Now you said something about travel papers?" He pulled the sleeve on his friends coat who was too preoccupied with Pooka, to join in a timely fashion.
"Uh. Yes I'd like to go to Paris." Anya inched away from the men toward the painting, understanding how ridiculous the whole situation was. Dmitri grinned, "You wanna go to Paris!" He turned to his friend who was still coddling the puppy. "Nice dog." Dmitri stated indifferently.
"Now let me ask you something, Anya was it? There's a last name that goes with that?" He was very close to Anya, as if he were examining her face for any signs of deception.
Anya started to rub her forehead, it was her give away that she was stressed or worried. "Well actually. This is gonna sound crazy. I don't know of a last name. I was found wandering around when I was eight years old." Dmitri had his hand holding his chin while he listened and then asked "And before that?" But Anya cut him off, "Look I know it's strange, but I have very few memories from my past." She heard him mumble while she fumbled with her necklace. "I do have one clue though and that is Paris."
"Paris?!" Dmitri asked excitedly while the other man giggled with the dog. For such a large man he sure seemed jolly. "So..." Anya grew impatient "Could you help me or not?"
The bigger man lifted his coat to give something to Dmitri. "Well we sure would like to. Um, oddly enough in fact we're going to Paris ourselves." The bigger man hands Dmitri four tickets. "And I've got three tickets here." He flashed the tickets and dismissively threw one away mumbling about its uselessness. "Unfortunately the third one is for her. Anastasia." He grandly pointed to the small painted girl standing next to her Grandmother. "Oh." Anya exclaimed while she was pulled by the two men explaining their plan to reunite the Grand duchess with her grandmother.
"You do kinda resemble her." Dmitri stated.
"The same blue eyes!" The older man said
"The Romanov eyes!" Dmitri agreed.
"Nicholas' smile"
"Alexandria's chin" Dmitri grabs her chin so she's facing him.
"Oh, look she even has the grandmothers hands." The older man takes her hand to study it.
They continued walking while Dmitri excitedly explained "She's the same age, the same physical type."
Anya amusedly cut him off, "Are you trying to tell me that you think that I'm Anastasia?"
Dmitri faced her suddenly, "All I'm trying to tell ya is that I've seen thousands of girls all over the country, and not one of them looks as much like the Grand Duchess as you. I mean look at the portrait" He pointed again at the painting. At this point Anya had had enough. She pointed at Dmitri, "I knew you were crazy," she lightly tapped his chest with her index figure and making a grand gesture finishes, "But now I think you are both mad!" She crossed her arms and began to walk away, but Dmitri centered himself in front of her. "Why? You don't know what happened to you?" Suddenly the larger man, still holding Pooka interjected,"No one knows what happened to her."
Dmitri continues, "You're looking for family, in Paris"
The larger man triumphantly states "And her only family is in Paris!"
Dmitri grabbed onto her shoulders, steering her towards the portrait like a salesman. "You, ever think of the possibilities?"
Anya looked at the grand family forever locked in the painting. "That I could be royalty?" She asked incredulously. The two men nodded in unison. She rolled her eyes again, all she wanted were travel papers. She suddenly lost her temper thinking about how ridiculous their suggestion was. "Well I don't know! It's kinda hard to think of yourself as a duchess while you're sleeping on a damp floor, but sure. Yeah. I guess every lonely girl would hope she's a princess." Anya looked at the small girl in the portrait. She did hold a great resemblance to her. The same auburn hair and cerulean eyes. Yet, the little girl was dead most likely. From what Anya had seen and heard about the new Bolshevik rule, it wasn't likely they let any of the family live.
The larger man moved closer to Anya to softly whisper, "And somewhere, one little girl is." Dmitri walked away from the two looking at his watch stubbornly. The older man, who Anya thought was Dmitri's father, or possibly uncle, sustained his discussion on the duchess. "After all, the name Anastasia means she will rise again!" He accentuated the ending. It was rather strange for Anya. No one usually talked this much about the royals in fear of the new governments severity.
Dmitri huffed and went back to the couple examining the portrait. He grabbed both of their shoulders and dismissively said, "We really wish we could help, but the third ticket is for the grand duchess Anastasia." He began to pull the other man away, leaving Anya staring at the royal family. "Good luck." Dmitri said as the two went down the stairs.
Anya gazed at the little girl. She held Pooka against her, and brushed her finger over the girls pink and cream dress. She then looked up at the Grandmother, wondering if there was a possibility. Anya weighed her options. She could leave the two men and search the streets for other con men who sold travel papers, which would be a risky business. Her only other option was to go to Paris with the two men. What was the worst that could happen, the Grandmother would certainly know if she wasn't Anastasia, and the she could start searching for her family in Paris.
"Dmitri!" Anya screamed while she ran to catch up with the men. "Dmitri wait!"
He turned slowly and with a perplexed face asked, "Did you call me?"
Anya continued to advance towards them telling them, "If I don't know who I am, then who's to say I'm not a princess or a duchess or whatever she is right?" Dmitri nodded implying for her to continue. "Yeah and if I'm not Anastasia then Empress will surely know and then it's all just an honest mistake." She crossed her arms when she got to them.
Dmitri beamed, "Sounds plausible."
The older man wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "and if you are the princess, then you'll finally know who you are and have your family back?"
Dmitri laughed, " You know... he's right. Either way it gets you to Paris!" he put out his had triumphantly to shake with her. She gripped his hand painfully shaking it. "Ow." He breathed.
Anya grabbed Pooka from the floor. "Pooka we're going to Paris!" She looked up and saw Dmitri's disgusted face. He said with absolute authority, "The dog stays." Yet Anya continued to argue with him, until finally he relented just to get her to stop talking.
She thanked the men one more time and asked, "When will we be leaving?"
Dmitri shrugged her off and while walking away said, "After dinner, you can look around the palace if you want." Then he brightened up and turned around, "Might bring back some memories no?" He smiled and continued to retreat.
Anya nodded and shifted her body to see the other man on the floor with Pooka. She cleared her throat "Um, I'm sorry but I never caught your name." He beamed at her, stood, wiped his hands on his large brown coat. He extended his hand, "I'm Vlad. Come with me we can get you and Pooka some nice warm soup huh?" The dog jumped at the mention of food and followed Vlad faithfully. Anya began to think the dog liked him more than her.