Chapter Ten

Thomas and Aurelie

Suzette awoke one morning, just before sunrise. She lay in bed for a moment, trying to remember what had wakened her and then jumped to her feet and ran to Erik's bedroom.

He lay in his bed, trembling, with tears streaming down his dreadful cheeks. His eyes were open, but saw nothing in the real world. Suzette knew that he had had another nightmare and that he hadn't really wakened from it yet. She wanted to shake him and make him wake up, but she knew that even if she were able to rouse him from this state of shock, he would be delirious and very frightened. So she gathered the blanket around him tighter and sat beside him, speaking gently and hoping that she might bring him back to her or at least lull him back to sleep.

"It's nearly sunrise," she informed him, "I was thinking that perhaps I might go to the orphanage today. It's a nice day and I have nothing to do since Madame has gone to visit a friend in Paris. However, if you mean to remain in this fit I had better stay with you." She leaned over to look at him. He had ceased his trembling, though his eyes were still staring at some invisible menace. Suzette wondered if he could hear her voice.

"Last time I went to play at the orphanage, there was a new little girl there. Her name was Nicolette and she had come from another small town, where she lived with her parents and nine brothers and sisters. Can you imagine having nine brothers and sisters? She told me that her whole family had caught a fever and that she and her youngest brother were the only survivors. Her brother went to work at an uncle's farm but they sent her to the orphanage. They said that she was too little to do any work. I wish that they 'd let her go to the farm as well. She could have done some work. She could have fed the animals and helped in the field, if they'd given her a chance. They didn't have to send their own niece away."

Suzette leaned over Erik's back again to see if he was listening. She was relieved when his eyes met hers and he turned toward her slightly. The nightmare was over and he had returned to the cozy little bedroom, which was filling slowly with fresh rays of daylight.

"She told me, when I last went over there to play, that she was supposed to have a birthday today, but she was afraid that no one would even remember it."

Erik pulled himself upright and looked around the room slowly, as if trying to remember how he'd gotten there, and then looked to Suzette. She smiled and said good-morning. He glanced about him once more in a disoriented fashion and then began to laugh, first softly to himself and then louder and gladder. Suzette was taken-aback.

"Erik?" she asked, alarmed at such strange behavior. Erik embraced her and assured her that he had not gone quite mad, "Don't worry, my dear Suzette, everything is just fine. It was only a bad dream and we are together now. See how brilliantly the sun in shining? How silly of my mind to be frightened of long-gone monsters and vanquished demons when there are so many other pleasant things to think about! Now, you run and get ready to go to the orphanage and I will fetch the little doll that I have been making and you can wrap it in paper and give it as a gift to little Nicolette. And I shall give you a piece of money so that you can stop in the village and buy her a sweet."

"Are you sure that you don't need me?" she asked anxiously.

"I will always need you, Suzette. But today is too fine a day for you to be shut up in this dark house with an old ghost. Run along, and play with the other children."

Suzette went and dressed and when she came down, Erik handed her a very fine little doll that he had made. Suzette found a small key hidden beneath her long hair and turned it. The doll's arms and legs moved as if she were dancing as a little music box inside her played a lively tune.

"Oh, she's wonderful! No one could ask for a nicer birthday gift that this." Erik found a nice box and a shining ribbon and Suzette wrapped the little gift up nicely.

"Perfect!" he exclaimed and he placed a coin in her palm, "Now go and get a sweet for the little girl in the village. There's enough there to get one for yourself as well."

"Thank you, Erik," she said brightly.

"Your very welcome, dear girl. Now hurry along. Mind what you say in the village and whom you say it to and please don't go about without your shoes on." Suzette laughed and said, "Now you are bossing me around? I suppose that you want to be my Papa?" Erik started, and then turned away.

"I'm sorry, Erik. I promise that I'll be careful." He put his thin hand on her shoulder and led her to the door.

"Hurry, now. Be back soon, for I'll be missing you." With that he pushed her into the daylight and disappeared into the house. She closed the door tightly behind her and started off toward the village trying to ignore the aching in her cramped toes. She made her way down the road and crossed through a field of tall grasses. It was autumn and the breeze was cool and sweet. The grasses were alive with insects and rabbits, which peered suspiciously at her from behind their clusters and whispered about her amongst themselves. Suddenly the grasses disappeared and she was hiking down a dirt footpath that had been made by years of a farmer and his wagon full of produce, making it's way toward the village. Here, the cool, soft earth proved to be too inviting and she removed her hateful shoes and stockings and continued bare foot.

The morning was gorgeous and Suzette was enjoying her outing immensely, when suddenly she could hear the sound of other travelers approaching on horseback. She hurried to one side of the path to avoid being trampled. Suddenly a lovely white horse came bounding down the path, bearing two handsome youths; a boy and a girl.

They rode bareback, the girl seated in front of the boy so that he could hold onto her and the reins at the same time. This was necessary, for the girl seemed to want to fall off the horse with every stride and the boy was having a most difficult time keeping her from falling into the dirt. The girl seemed to be quite confidant in the boys ability to keep her upright for she was shrieking with excitement and every time she slipped in either direction, it brought on a fit of wild laughter. Suzette thought that it looked like great fun. She half expected them to race straight past her without even noticing she was there, but instead they stopped suddenly in front of her, the horse snorting and gasping and the girl falling back against the boy and screaming hilariously.

Suzette looked up at them curiously. She had not seen them before; they had never come to play at Madame Colette's. They wore fancy clothes and had an air about them that indicated a Parisian origin. Suzette wondered if they weren't there on some sort of excursion. The girl was pretty and ladylike. Her hair was black as ebony and styled into perfect ringlets while her face was perfect and fair. Suzette guessed that she had never ridden horseback before and considered it to be a great adventure. The boy had a pleasant face and a warm and kind laugh. Suzette was suddenly embarrassed and turned her face toward her bare feet.

"Hello, there! What happened to your shoes?" the boy asked. Suzette glanced up quickly then lifted the shoes and stockings up so that he could see them. The girl giggled.

"What's your name?" the boy asked.

"Suzette," she answered, eyes still on the ground.

"Why did you take off your shoes, Suzette?" he asked and the girl giggled again.

"They hurt my feet," she replied shamefully.

"How funny!" the girl exclaimed. She seemed to find everything funny. The boy looked at her and her shoes piteously.

"Do you want to ride on the horse and give them a break?" he asked compassionately, "He's nice. He won't bite you or anything." Suzette looked up surprised. Did these handsome, rich children really want her on their horse with them? The girl cried out, "Thomas, we can't all three ride on this horse!" Thomas slid from the horse's back and before Suzette could say a word he had helped her up behind the girl.

"Don't worry, Aurelie. You two ride and I will lead you. Were almost to the village anyway." Thomas smiled at Suzette radiantly and she looked down shyly.

Aurelie asked her where she was going and she told her that she was going to buy a sweet for a friend's birthday. This statement was the catalyst for a long narrative given by Aurelie about the most remarkable birthday party that she'd ever had. Suzette nodded as she told her about the hundreds of presents she'd received and what each of the guests had worn, but her attention was on Thomas who was, as far as she could remember, the most fascinating boy she'd ever seen.

In no time, they had reached the village and Thomas helped her down from the horse. Suzette returned the stockings and shoes to her feet while Thomas helped Aurelie and tied the horse.

"Thank you," said Suzette, still unable to meet his gaze.

"It was nothing! Good-bye, Suzette." And he took Aurelie by the arm and led her down the road.

"Have fun at the party!" Aurelie cried over her shoulder and then burst into another fit of laughter. Suzette watched them as they made their way down the road. She considered that she ought to go on such outings more often, but she resolved that the next time she would not be seen walking barefoot.