Chapter 3 – Swept Away
Jeremy and Jemima had never seen a kite before, much less so many at once, and they were mesmerized.
"Chitty could fly up there and grab all of them," Jeremy said, causing him and his sister to laugh.
"Gina, Julian?" Jemima asked. "Could we get one?"
"Well, even if I knew where we could get one, I'm sure you have to buy it," Gina said. "And neither of us have any of the currency here."
"If only I'd taken those coins from the lady at Bert's performance," Julian mused. "But I didn't."
"Maybe we can ask someone for money?" Jeremy suggested.
"Like beggars?" Julian scoffed. "I think not."
"Why don't we wait until Uncle Bert gets back?" Gina said. "That way, you can look at all these and think about what kind of kite you'd like. Shoot, I bet your dad could even make one. With rockets on it. Why do we need these kites, you know?"
The lot took to a stroll in order to get a better glimpse of the pageant of colorful banners in the sky. Arm in arm, even Gina and Julian were entranced by the lovely atmosphere. Jeremy and Jemima were here and there, in front, beside, and behind from time to time.
"Well," Julian finally said, "the kiddiewinkies sure are…" he looked behind them, "quiet…" But the Potts children were nowhere to be seen.
"Jeremy? Jemima?" Gina called.
"Oh, dear…" Julian muttered.
"Aw, rats!" Gina grunted, defying the tightness in her stomach. "How could this happen to us? And right before their dad's wedding? We're going to be eating something, and it's not cake."
"Knuckleheads," Julian groaned. "Not to worry. They couldn't've gone far and there's dozens of people here who may have spotted them. There's probably a stationary distraction involved." Julian eyed Gina with confidence and tapped the side of his nose.
Setting about the park in search of two children who had been entrusted to them was not how Julian and Gina would have preferred to spend a half hour of a pretty day in the park. But Julian was certain he could make short order of it.
"They were here…" Julian stopped, looking around and processing his senses. "If only I'd thought to bring obedience treats."
Gina snickered. Then, she said, "You don't think they ran off with the ice cream man, do you?"
Julian squinted at her with a playful smile. "What sort of horrible person tempts children with ice cream? Honestly? Where on earth would you get such a notion?"
Gina couldn't help laughing heartily.
"I still feel in my bones they did not stray very far from this spot," Julian swiveled around from one side to the other. "They are here somewhere…"
Then, they heard their names being called from inside a thick, nearby tree with low limbs. Julian and Gina came running.
"Oh, thank God…" Julian sighed. "That was a close one. I'd hate to be the bearer of that news to Caracticus—especially right before his wedding day. Confound that I forgot to bring any obedience treats with me."
"What on earth are you two doing up there?" Julian asked. "Why did you run off without telling Gina or I where you were going?"
"We're sorry," Jeremy said. "We went looking for a kite of our own and someone left one here. It looked to be tangled, so we climbed up to get it. We thought we could keep it if no one wanted it."
"Well, we'll see."
"Could we at least fly it?" Jeremy begged.
"It's so pretty," Jemima insisted. "We've never had one."
Julian sighed. "I don't see why not. Well, come down here before something happens that I won't want to explain to your father."
Jeremy nimbly made his way down the low-hanging branches and jumped to the ground with his prize in hand. Jemima, on the other hand, was not so sure of her descent.
"Jeremy!" she called.
Julian stepped up to the tree. "If you can come down one more branch, I'll have a clear shot to catch you." He then extended his arms up towards her.
Looking more relieved, Jemima very cautiously lowered herself onto the sturdy limb below. Wobbling to stay upright, she then fell at Julian, face first.
Julian caught her with his own face, as well as his arms, and stumbled back with the force. Her fall broken, Julian then set her on her feet.
"Oh, thank you, Julian," Jemima said and skipped off to join her brother, not to miss a moment of launching the kite.
Julian trailed behind, massaging his nose.
"Are you alright, love?" Gina inquired.
"Yes, I'm fine," he sighed.
Gina cooed and got up on her tip toes to kiss the side of his nose.
Now aware of her intentions, Julian lowered his head so she could continue. "It's feeling much better already. My, my, you just have a healing kiss."
"You're now the Child Catcher in the truest sense."
Julian squinted in humor at her pun. "I believe my job description includes foreign children, not falling children."
Gina smiled dreamily and said with tantalizing breathiness, "Well, I hope I get my chance to fall into you, later."
Julian gazed upon her ravenously. "I'll clear my schedule for it."
Julian and Gina joined Jeremy and Jemima, who were tossing the kite into the air with no success. It just kept falling to the ground.
"How does it work, Julian?" Jemima asked.
"Alright, alright," Julian shuffled over and picked up the kite. "Look, it has a string. You hold on to this." He handed her the spool. He waited for a good breeze, angled the kite to catch it, then flicked it into the breeze like a disc. The kite took to the air like a bird, amazing and delighting the Potts kids.
"Now," Julian continued, taking Jemima's hands, "to make it go higher, you unravel the spool. But don't let go, lest the kite will run away.
"I want a go!" Jeremy nearly pounced on his sister.
"Jeremy, wait your turn," Julian said. "There's plenty of afternoon left."
Caracticus and his passengers returned with a picnic lunch. Immediately, the Potts kids explained their kite adventure to him, in which Jane and Michael shared their enthusiasm and experience. Caracticus had treated his brother, the Banks children, and Mary Poppins to a brief float on the Thames, followed by soaring over London, which dominated the conversation for a good while. Jeremy and Jemima were more than happy to contribute. It was the most talkative Mary and Bert had ever seen Michael and Jane.
As sundown approached, it was time for Bert to treat his guests to his promised entertainment.
"Chimney sweeps?" Julian raised one eyebrow.
"Yep," said Bert. "They're all me pals. Right gentlemanly chaps, they are. Multi-talented, you might say. And, believe you me, the rooftop view this time of day is a glorious sight."
"Sounds enchanting," Truly said. "There's really not a dull moment in this family, is there?"
"What your dad doesn't know won't hurt him," Caracticus put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a playful squeeze.
"Oh, no, you don't understand," Truly said. "My father is quite precocious and there's no reasoning with him once he gets an idea in his head."
"So, you've been unwittingly groomed to be a Potts, then," Julian joked.
"He's not unlike Baron Bomburst, to be quite honest."
"My condolences, my lady."
Mary spotted a column of steam coming up from a manhole in the nearby alley. "I think this will make a suitable entry point." As they all watched, some of them quizzically, Mary blew on the steam and poked it a little with the tip of her umbrella. The steam then took the shape of stairs and, much to the amazement of all, she was able to alight on them as if they were solid mass.
Julian's mouth dropped open. Until he noticed Mary Poppins looking at him, a contented smile on her face. Julian quickly shut his gape and sneered at her, sarcastically twisting his head from side to side.
Jane and Michael blazed the trail right along with Bert and Mary, while the others followed them with cautious wonder, like children in a new store. While Truly did not notice the bottom half of her dress becoming streaked with dark gray soot from passing between smoke stacks, Julian, behind her, did. He looked down at his own gloves, pulled a sleeve back and dragged a finger across his pale skin, leaving a similar dark gray streak.
"Ugh!" Julian groaned, drawing in his arms. "This place is horribly filthy. Truly, your dress."
Everyone stopped. Truly was startled by the sight that Julian directed her to. "Well…" she said, resignedly, "what else can we do?"
"It's just good, clean soot, everyone," Bert sought to ease them with humor. "It'll wash off."
"You prefer to frolic in this…burnt matter?" Julian replied with sarcasm.
"Oh, Julian, I know it's not palace life, but you won't die," Gina playfully and leaned up to kiss him. As he pressed his lips into hers, she took her sooty hand and smeared a great big swatch onto his cheek, in the guise of a passionate stroke.
Caracticus and Bert began to chuckle subtly. That informed the kids, twice as filthy as everyone else, who began to laugh indiscreetly.
Julian glanced at them, then back at Gina. "What did you do?"
"Nothing," she smiled and moved past him.
"She just inducted you, Julian," Bert said.
Julian pulled off one glove and wiped his face where Gina's hand had crossed it. Seeing his gray fingertip, he rolled his eyes.
Bert held out his arm to halt the group at what seemed to be a dead end. But the view over the London cityscape was exquisite.
"Feast your eyes, me mates," he said with a proud grin. "A once in a lifetime, spectacular view of London. Unless you're a chimney sweep. Or Mary Poppins. Or the Banks."
"Sounds like we should visit more often," Caracticus said.
"What a wonderful wedding gift," Truly said, leaning affectionately against Caracticus.
Julian forgot about being dirty. The air was cool, the sunset just barely kissed the horizon with red and orange. The lights of London were coming on below and the stars were beginning to come out above. A realm between Heaven and earth. Julian slipped his dusty arm around Gina's dusty waste. Gina didn't seem to mind that she would be giving herself a sooty makeup job by leaning her cheek against his chest. But Julian, hyperaware of this, took her jaw in hand, turned it away from his chest, dusted the spot on his jacket, then turned her head back in place. And then, they both chuckled at the futility of it all.
Michael looked up at Caracticus and Truly, then at Julian and Gina. Then over at Jemima, who was standing next to him. He eyed her hand for several seconds, deep in contemplation, but then looked off into the fading sunlight with the others.
Finally, Bert escorted the group to a flat outcropping of a shingled rooftop where the whole lot could sit together. Mary and the Banks children were already familiar with this set-up, but for the Pottses, Truly, Julian, and Gina, it was a surprise when Bert took center stage on the roof before them and called out, "Step in time! Step in time!"
Suddenly, sooty Englishmen with long, round brushes emerged from every corner, every rooftop, every chimney in their vicinity, gathering raucously with Bert. In seconds, they were all performing synchronized and very athletic dance moves, much to the amusement of their audience. Gina laughed so hard, her face began to turn red.
Several times, one of the dancing chimney sweeps tried to rope in Mary Poppins, but she politely refused each time. Michael and Jane, however, were not shy about joining in, which encouraged Jeremy and Jemima to do the same, which was all the more diverting for Caracticus and Truly.
"You like stealing the show, Julian?" Bert beckoned to him playfully. "Well, have a go!"
With an ironically humble smile, Julian stood up and removed his hat and jacket. Then, he took center stage and began a tap routine that the chimney sweeps had difficulty following, at least all together. But Bert was a good sport and a good copier. Soon, he and Julian were enjoying a dance off.
Gina could not merely spectate any longer and joined the dancers. Shortly, Caracticus made an offer to Truly, who refused bashfully at first, but relented when Caracticus pointed out that Julian and Gina were dancing together in a more folk reel style than stage hijinks. That left Mary to complacently watch the gala until Bert encouraged her for the last time.
All manner of dancing was breaking out, but Admiral Boom was so used to it by now that he didn't try to dispatch them with rocket fire. He and his first mate, Mr. Binnacle leaned on the railing of their rooftop porch eating dinner and enjoying the show.
Julian bumped into someone's back and turned to exchange a dirty look with Mary Poppins, who was partnered with Bert.
Dancing and merriment continued until Mary Poppins suddenly shouted, "The children! Where are the children?"
Everything came to a halt. The three couples set about combing the place like children at an Easter egg hunt, calling to each child by name. But their children did not appear.
"This is terrible," Mary put a hand to her forehead, looking faint. "Where could they have gone?"
"Who took them?" Truly asked.
"Anyone could have snuck up here in this gala and stolen off with them," Caracticus said.
"Off the roof, Caracticus?" Truly scoffed.
"Well…I…"
"They must be found," Mary insisted. "Bert?"
"I…heh…I'm terribly sorry…" Bert removed his cap, rubbed his hair nervously, then replaced his cap. "I don't know who among this lot would have done such a thing. We're pretty tight lads. Like brothers we are."
"Well, Child Catcher?" Truly flicked a hand at Julian.
Julian looked awkward in the spotlight for a few seconds, then bobbed his head in acceptance and said, "Alright."