Storm in the Night

Autumn 1894

As Autumn came, it was the start of a busy school year for both Frans and Marigold and they had celebrated birthdays as Frans had turned twelve and Marigold turned ten. One late evening, while playing in the woods, they were deeply immersed in a game of chasing fireflies. As they chased after the glowing insects, Frans tried to place his fireflies in a jar when he suddenly noticed how late it was.

"Marigold, the sun has set. We need to get back home before it gets dark. Or we won't be able to see the way home at night," he said.

"Oh no! I didn't realize how late it was! Papa will be so angry. We need to hurry while we can still see the path," said Marigold. They both ran towards the pathway.

As they reached the cottage, they could see that the windows were alight inside. They tried to carefully go through the backdoor until Marigold's hair stood up when she heard her father's angry voice.

"Marigold Angeline Renaud! What have I told you about coming home so late?" said Erik. He stood in front of them crossly as Christine stood behind him, looking equally cross.

"I'm sorry, Papa. We forgot how late it was. It won't happen again," said Marigold, looking remorseful.

"Marigold, this is the fourth time you've been coming home late. We have told you how dangerous the woods can be at night. We haves rules that you need to follow. We expect you to know better and to set the example for Frans to remember as well," said Christine.

"I have told you many times about this. How do you think I would feel if something happened to you again? You ought to know better by now." chided Erik.

"Papa, why are you always angry at me every time I try to play on my own? It isn't fair. I'm growing up and I want to start doing things on my own." cried Marigold.

"Because you are our daughter and you ought to remember the rules of this household. You also need to help Frans understand the rules as well. We have these rules to keep you both safe," said Erik, sternly.

"All you ever do is try to keep me safe! I can't go play by myself! I can't ride a horse on my own! You even worry if you can't see me in the garden! I just want to explore things and have some adventures! Why can't you just let me do something on my own?! I can't take this anymore! I'm not a caged bird, Papa!" cried Marigold, with tears pouring from her eyes.

"You will mind your tone when speaking to me, young lady! You will not disobey our rules again, and that's the end of this discussion! You will go up to your room this instant!" said Erik, angrily raising his voice.

"No, Papa! Just leave me alone!" she cried, as she ran outside, through the darkness towards the woods. "Marigold, no!" cried Erik, frantically. But she disappeared behind the trees.

"Wait!" called Frans, running after her with Kit following behind him.

Erik and Christine hurried outside as Frans ran after her. "I'll bring her back, Monsieur Erik!" he called out. Then, they both were gone from sight.

Marigold just ran further and further though the woods. She could hear the faint sound of her father's voice, crying out her name in the distance. "Mari! Please, come back!" Ignoring his pleas, she continued to run until she could no longer recognize where she ran to. She ran so far that she could no longer hear her father's voice calling her name anymore. She stopped to catch her breath and sank down to the ground, sobbing.

Breathlessly, Frans came running from behind her. "Marigold, why did you run away from your father? You shouldn't have screamed at him like that. He only wants to keep you safe."

"He's always trying to keep me safe, Frans! I can't go anywhere or play without him worrying. It's been like that ever since three years ago…the night at the windmill."

"What happened the night at the windmill?" Frans asked.

Marigold proceeded to tell Frans about the night she was kidnapped by Buquet and forced to see her father's face under threat of being killed.

"Well, can you blame your father? He almost lost you. He only wants to keep you safe. He loves you."

"I know he loves me. But I just want him to let me go sometimes. Let me discover things for my own."

"Well, you could have just told him that, instead of scream at him the way you did and run away. He's probably worried even more about you now."

Marigold thought about how horribly she behaved and cried in shame. "You're right… I can't believe I said that to him…oh, Papa…now he'll never forgive me." She buried her face in her hands as Kit licked hand sadly.

Frans put his hand on her shoulder. "Yes, he will. I know it," he said. "We need to get back."

Marigold nodded and stood up. They walked on, desperately trying to find the path that led out of the woods. Though they tried to stay on the path, the night was very dark and there was no moon to help them find their way. Eventually, they became so turned around that they couldn't see the trail anymore.

"Oh no! It's so dark now and we can't see the path anymore. We're lost. Papa's going to be so furious with me. What are we going to do?" whimpered Marigold.

"Calm down. We just need to stop and think. Maybe we can use the fireflies' glow to help us see," said Frans. He pulled the jar out of his pocket and held it up to find the trail. "We need to be careful. We don't know what's out here," They both walked on slowly.

Then, as the dark clouds began to grow bigger, thunder began to rumble and the wind blew. Rain began to pour as a great storm came. Lightening was lighting up the sky. The children and Kit were becoming drenched as the rain fell heavier.

"We need to find shelter from this storm!" cried Frans.

"I know of a deserted cottage in the woods! We can head there!" cried Marigold.

She ran past the trees, leading Frans past a creek that cut between them and the cottage. "We need to jump the rocks," she called. As they leapt from one rock to another, Marigold suddenly slipped and fell into the watery bed of rocks.

"My ankle! It hurts!" she cried.

Frans ran over and helped her from the water. He helped her lean on to him as she limped on towards the deserted cottage. It was an old cottage that had been long abandoned. Vines had grown around the walls and the wood was beginning to rot.

The children finally made it inside as the storm continued its rampage. The howling wind made the wood creak eerily.

Frans helped Marigold down to the floor as he looked at her ankle. "I don't think its broken. Just sprained. But you can't walk home on it and we can't go anywhere right now. We'll need to stay here until morning. Then I'll look for your father and have him come find you."

"Papa won't come for me. He must hate me for what I said. He'll never want me as a daughter again," said Marigold, sadly. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't screamed at him and ran away, we wouldn't be lost and none of this would have happened."

"He will come for you. You'll see," said Frans.

They both shivered as their wet clothes clung to their skin. They found some old dusty blankets on the floor and covered themselves up. They both fell asleep on the floor, shivering and afraid. Kit laid down in the space between them in an attempt to keep them both warm.

Hours passed as the storm continued into the night. It was well after midnight when Frans stirred from his sleep that the rain finally stopped.

"The storm is over," he said sleepily. He looked over at Marigold. "Are you all right?"

"I'm so…cold. And my head…feels heavy," she whispered weakly. Her lips were turning blue and her face became pale. Soon, she began coughing. Frans grabbed a second blanket and draped over her as she weakly whispered for her father.

"Papa…Papa…I'm sorry."

"Just hold on, Marigold. When the sun rises, I'll find him. Just hold on a little longer."