April 6
This morning I got up got dressed and ran down to the cellar to find that wretched folk keeper. I had had some more awful dreams of the folk eating me slowly. Eliot wasn't in the cellar and he wasn't in his room. I ran to the kitchen and asked Rachael if she had seen him. She smiled at me slyly, for some weird reason that I didn't want to know, and said he wanted me to meet him at the dock. The dock? I grabbed an apple off the counter and ran most of the way to the dock. I had to slowly make my way on the path that goes down the cliff to the dock and was proud of myself that I didn't fall off onto the sharp rock below.
Eliot was standing on the dock looking at the sea. "Good morning." he said as I came up behind him and took a bite of my apple. He was smiling I could tell. "Good morning." I said. Then Eliot turned around and there on his face was a smile! Wow, his teeth are white! I'm sure my mouth was hanging open because he started laughing! I was thinking what happened to you last night. "I knew you would be looking for me." Eliot said, still grinning. "I wasn't looking for you. I went to the kitchen to get breakfast and Rachael told me you wanted me to meet you here." "You wanted to talk to me or you wouldn't have gotten up so early." Eliot said STILL grinning. That was starting to aggravate me. We were standing far away from each other so I came closer and, stupid Eliot's grin got bigger and I thought about punching him. But it seems as if he read my mind and it vanished, clean off his face!
"You're a witch." he commanded, all laughter gone from his voice. I was shocked! Again! He is so extremely moody! "W-what?!" I blubbered. "You're a witch or you're a folk keeper or you're very brave but I suspect the first guess was correct." Eliot said sharply. "What are you talking about!?" I said as I threw my hands in the air. Mama says if I couldn't use my hands I wouldn't be able to talk. "Your name is all over the cellar walls." Eliot said as if that explained that I was a witch and had put it there. "You are a very weird boy," I began angrily; "I've never been in the cellar in my entire life! And, I think that being in the dark for so long has ruined your eyesight!"
Eliot stood there looking at me sternly, and then he reached into the Folk bag that was hanging over his shoulder, and pulled out a little leather bound book, his Folk Record. "This is what is written all over the walls, 'Poor Rona: take pity on her'. Tell me who etched that in the walls if that wasn't you, Rona?" I shrugged. How could I believe him? I was terrified of the Folk now and hated to even be near the cellar. How could I have done that? "Show me." I said bravely. "Alright." He said, then we took off up to the Manor and the cellar.
We reached the cellar door. I was shaking so bad and I felt as if I might throw up. But I had to go in and see if he was telling the truth. Eliot lead the way into the cellar with a candle, I know one thing about the Folk. They hate the light. I made sure that Eliot kept the door open so I could escape quickly if the Folk decided that they wanted a snack.
Eliot pulled me over to the wall, the stupid boy, and sure enough it was scraped into the wall in tiny letters, over and over,
Poor Rona: take pity on her
I touched the wall and felt the hard stone beneath my fingertips. It must have taken forever to scratch it into the stone. I took the candle from Eliot's hand and shown it over all the walls, over and over,....
Poor Rona: take pity on her
Poor Rona: take pity on her
Poor Rona: take pity on her
A sickening filling started rising up in my stomach. I had to get out of there. I looked at Eliot and said, "I did not do this." Tears started swelling in my eyes. I dropped the candle and ran up to my room and did not come down for lunch or supper.
This morning I got up got dressed and ran down to the cellar to find that wretched folk keeper. I had had some more awful dreams of the folk eating me slowly. Eliot wasn't in the cellar and he wasn't in his room. I ran to the kitchen and asked Rachael if she had seen him. She smiled at me slyly, for some weird reason that I didn't want to know, and said he wanted me to meet him at the dock. The dock? I grabbed an apple off the counter and ran most of the way to the dock. I had to slowly make my way on the path that goes down the cliff to the dock and was proud of myself that I didn't fall off onto the sharp rock below.
Eliot was standing on the dock looking at the sea. "Good morning." he said as I came up behind him and took a bite of my apple. He was smiling I could tell. "Good morning." I said. Then Eliot turned around and there on his face was a smile! Wow, his teeth are white! I'm sure my mouth was hanging open because he started laughing! I was thinking what happened to you last night. "I knew you would be looking for me." Eliot said, still grinning. "I wasn't looking for you. I went to the kitchen to get breakfast and Rachael told me you wanted me to meet you here." "You wanted to talk to me or you wouldn't have gotten up so early." Eliot said STILL grinning. That was starting to aggravate me. We were standing far away from each other so I came closer and, stupid Eliot's grin got bigger and I thought about punching him. But it seems as if he read my mind and it vanished, clean off his face!
"You're a witch." he commanded, all laughter gone from his voice. I was shocked! Again! He is so extremely moody! "W-what?!" I blubbered. "You're a witch or you're a folk keeper or you're very brave but I suspect the first guess was correct." Eliot said sharply. "What are you talking about!?" I said as I threw my hands in the air. Mama says if I couldn't use my hands I wouldn't be able to talk. "Your name is all over the cellar walls." Eliot said as if that explained that I was a witch and had put it there. "You are a very weird boy," I began angrily; "I've never been in the cellar in my entire life! And, I think that being in the dark for so long has ruined your eyesight!"
Eliot stood there looking at me sternly, and then he reached into the Folk bag that was hanging over his shoulder, and pulled out a little leather bound book, his Folk Record. "This is what is written all over the walls, 'Poor Rona: take pity on her'. Tell me who etched that in the walls if that wasn't you, Rona?" I shrugged. How could I believe him? I was terrified of the Folk now and hated to even be near the cellar. How could I have done that? "Show me." I said bravely. "Alright." He said, then we took off up to the Manor and the cellar.
We reached the cellar door. I was shaking so bad and I felt as if I might throw up. But I had to go in and see if he was telling the truth. Eliot lead the way into the cellar with a candle, I know one thing about the Folk. They hate the light. I made sure that Eliot kept the door open so I could escape quickly if the Folk decided that they wanted a snack.
Eliot pulled me over to the wall, the stupid boy, and sure enough it was scraped into the wall in tiny letters, over and over,
Poor Rona: take pity on her
I touched the wall and felt the hard stone beneath my fingertips. It must have taken forever to scratch it into the stone. I took the candle from Eliot's hand and shown it over all the walls, over and over,....
Poor Rona: take pity on her
Poor Rona: take pity on her
Poor Rona: take pity on her
A sickening filling started rising up in my stomach. I had to get out of there. I looked at Eliot and said, "I did not do this." Tears started swelling in my eyes. I dropped the candle and ran up to my room and did not come down for lunch or supper.