Chapter Six

Erika packed the last crate and lifted it into the wagon. It was the end of the fair and the sun was just beginning to set over the horizon. Erika paused a moment to admire the scene that lay before her and breathed deeply, treasuring the smell of the sweet night air.

"Erika!"

She turned quickly to see Madame Carp struggling with the tent. She hurried over to assist her boss and soon had the tent collapsed and in order as well. "Are you all right, Madame Carp?" She asked politely.

The plump woman scowled as she picked herself up off the ground. "What are you doing daydreaming? You should have been taking down that tent. Not me!"

"But Madame Carp-" Erika's pleas were ignored as the fat storeowner made her way to the wagon and climbed aboard.

"C'mon. Enough fooling around! Put the tent in back and let's get back to the shop! I'm exhausted!" She put a pudgy hand to her forehead to emphasize the fact that she felt faint.

"Yes, Ma'am." Erika folded the canvas and then reached for the poles. Suddenly, a frog hopped out of some nearby bushes. "Oh, hello." Erika smiled at the amphibian as she straightened, pulling the canvas up with her.

The frog hopped towards her and let out a throaty, "Ribbit!"

"Erika!" Madame Carp called to her.

Erika looked towards the wagon. "I'm coming!" She reached for the wooden poles, but the frog hopped on top of the pile.

"Ribbit!"

"Not now, frog! I need to get going!" She began to pull the poles towards her, but the frog didn't back away.

"Ribbit!"

"Oh come on!" Erika was getting impatient. She didn't want to harm the animal, but she didn't want Madam Carp to harm her either. "Shoo!" She swatted her hand at the frog, and it finally hopped off. Erika sighed in relief.

"Erika!" Madam Carp's intolerant cry came again.

"Coming! Coming!" She called out and swiftly snatched up the poles, turning quickly and heading for the wagon. "Goodbye, Mr. Frog!" She called out over her shoulder.

And the frog replied very softly. "Ribbit. Erika."

…

Dimitri couldn't think of a sadder a situation then the one he and Vladimir were currently in. They were stuck in a foreign land with no money, no food, and no place in which they could stay for the night. It was almost as if they'd been shanghaied, but Dimitri seriously doubted that. Those sorts of things only happened in books.

"Dimitri!" Vladimir called out to his friend for the eighth time that evening. Dimitri had been walking too fast again, but the young man couldn't help it. The brisk pace helped to keep him warm against the cool night air.

"Sorry, Vlad." He apologized quickly. "I'm just… well…frustrated."

"There must be some kind soul around here willing to take in a couple of beggars." Vladimir soon caught up to his friend. He rubbed his arms to warm himself.

"Oh yeah? Like who?"

"Ho!" Suddenly a horse appeared, stopping just inches from the two weary travelers. "Can I help you two gentlemen?"

Dimitri looked up at the man in the saddle. He looked familiar, though Dimitri couldn't place him. "Um… no. No thank you." He wasn't about to accept help from anyone. He could get along just fine on his own.

"We're lost!" Vladimir blurted out. "Maybe you could give us directions to St. Petersburg?"

"St. Petersburg?" The blond-haired man looked confused. "Where is that?"

"It's in Russia." Vladimir answered quickly.

"Russia?"

"Yes. The country? It's located in the continent Asia and it is very large..."

But the young man just shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I do not know of what you are speaking."

Dimitri exchanged a worried look with his traveling companion. This man didn't know Russia? It seemed so odd. Either this man was very uneducated, or they were in a different world altogether.

"Um… how about Paris? Do you know how we can get there?" Vladimir tried a different approach.

The blond man thought for a while. "No. I can't say I know what Paris is either."

"It's a city! You know, the buildings, the artwork, the Eiffel Tower?"

But again, the young man merely shook his head.

"Wait…" Dimitri said suddenly as the man's face reappeared in his mind. He remembered where he had seen the man before now. Yes! He was the very man who had been driving the royal family's coach when they had arrived at the vender's fair. "You… You work for the palace, don't you?" He looked up at the man.

The man seemed startled. "Yes. Yes, I am. How did you know?"

"I saw you at the fair, driving the coach the princess arrived in."

The man nodded in understanding.

"You're a coachman?" Vladimir asked with interest.

"No, I'm actually the princess's royal tutor."

"Ah, a teacher. How fascinating."

But Dimitri didn't find this fascinating. He found it quite alarming. If this man were a teacher, he would be a learned man, and should know many things, including Geography. There was no way this man could be a teacher and not know of Russia and Paris. If he were telling the truth, then Dimitri's greatest fear had been confirmed: they were in a different world altogether.

"So you don't have a place to stay?"

When Dimitri tuned back into the conversation, the topic was on other things.

"No. We seem to have lost our way." Said Vladimir.

"Well, there is a hotel and many of the shopkeepers take boarders. I could show you-"

"We don't have any money." The fat man interrupted.

Dimitri frowned at him. He hated the way Vladimir was so eager to trust strangers. He was sure it would get them both into trouble someday.

The blond man thought for a long time and then looked to the friends. "I'll tell you what," He said at last. "Why don't the two of you stay with me?"

Dimitri looked shocked. Was this guy kidding? He hardly knew the two of them and he was inviting them into his house?

But the teacher rambled on, "I'm afraid it isn't much, just a room really. But it's a large room and cozy enough. Either way it's more comfortable than sleeping out on the street."

"Thank you-" Vladimir began, but Dimitri hastily cut him off.

"But we can't accept your offer. C'mon, Vlad." Dimitri turned from the teacher and began to walk away.

"But Dimitri!" Vladimir motioned for the teacher to wait and scurried off after his companion. "Are you mad? This is what we've been waiting for. This man is offering us food and shelter for the night. He seems nice enough. We've got nothing worth stealing. The worst he could do is murder us and I'm most certain he wouldn't do that! You even said yourself that he works for the castle. I'm sure the King and Queen wouldn't hire a murderer..."

Dimitri stopped walking and turned back towards his friend. As much as he hated to admit it, Vladimir was right. He would be a fool to walk away from this offer. They had nothing to lose, so why not take the chance?

You hardly know this man. He could be a crook. Reason seemed to say, but Dimitri was dreadfully hungry, not to mention tired and maybe, just maybe, a tad bit scared. Shelter, any shelter, would be better than none.

"Okay, fine." He said at last. "We'll stay."

Vladimir grinned. "That's the spirit, lad!"

"But," Dimitri said the word with enough force to break a window, "We're only staying for one night. Tomorrow morning we'll start out on foot and see if we can get back home."

Vladimir nodded and then headed back over to the teacher, to tell him their decision. It wasn't long before the three men, were on their way to the tutor's quaint home in the center or town. All the way Dimitri tried to convince himself that he had made the right decision.