Chapter Three - Charle's Narrative

Date - My birthday!!!!!!

My name is Charles - Philippe De Chagny, I'm eight years old today and this is an account of my life. Daddy said that is it healthy for a school boy to jot down all their stories, anecdotes and drawings somewhere safe - so for my birthday he gave me a thick black book filled with plain paper and fitted with a lock!

It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep (I never can - Mummy says it's because I'm such an excitable person), so I've sketched a portrait of myself in my brand new school uniform as a cover page and I decided to follow daddy's advice and write a brief outline of myself - so I can look back on it when I'm older.

Last year I started going to boarding school in Kent, about two hour's train ride from my home in London. Mummy cried and cried the night before I left but I send her long letters every week and that makes her very happy. She doesn't cry much now, though sometimes her letters to me have the odd tear stain - but mummy's very emotional, daddy say's that all ladies are.

I like my boarding school, I share a room with my friends Edward, George, Clement, Roger and Alfie, and sometimes we wake up in the night and have a midnight feast. I've installed a little bell that warns us if matron's coming, and it has prevented many a disaster, (matron's so strict she'd ban us from pudding for a month if she knew we were staying up past light's out)!

I find my lessons very easy and all my teacher's say I'm working at a level far beyond my years! They say that if I keep up the work this year, they'll let me jump fifth form next year and put me straight into sixth - I can't wait for that! My favourite lesson is science, and languages - I'm really good at those. I've already been allowed to drop German because I can speak it so well already, and instead I have sessions with a special tutor from the London Academy of Architecture that mummy persuaded daddy to engage for me.

I like designing buildings, it's very interesting but the other boy's say it's sissy. They tease me sometimes because I'm not so good at games and I don't want to join the house Rugby team - but I don't mind their name's, they don't really mean it. Besides, I still have lots of friends, mummy says that's because I'm such a kind little boy, but I think it's because I've taught them how to play cards, but we never play for anything more than sweets.

My favourite things in the world are art and music. I spend all my study time sketching scenes from book's I've read and when I'm at home I do a lot of painting - for my birthday mummy got me some very special oil paints and brand new brushes; I've going to use them to make a family portrait to give to mummy for her birthday!

I spend the rest of my time playing my instruments. I've always loved music, ever since I can remember I've spent hours by the piano or with my violin. I have an hour of piano lessons every day, I'm already as good as my instructor, certainly better than any of the other boys at school - even the seniors, but I don't like to boast. Some teacher's say that I'm one of the best pianist's they've ever heard and last year they arranged for me to have my own public recital at the school hall!

It was part of the school music festival, but I was given twenty whole minutes to perform! Everybody's parent's came, and they all applauded me, some of the father's even congratulated me afterwards, and the mothers praised me as if I were their son - I was so embarrassed. Mummy and daddy were there too; daddy looked after when I was sick before I went on stage and mummy cried all through my piece - I told you she's emotional!

Everyone say's I'm very talented and that I'll be very famous one day, but I don't pay much attention to them, they don't listen to my music after all, they just like me because I'm small and 'adorable'. I think I get my talent from mummy, she used to be an opera singer, but she never ever talks about it and says I mustn't mention it to anyone; but she never tells me why.

My favourite people in the world are my mummy and daddy, and my cat Ayesha. Daddy says that she used to be mummy's cat, but when I ask where she got it, she only says that someone gave it to her. Mummy and daddy are both very religious, but I think mummy's more devout than daddy. She attends mass every single day and prays lots and lots; she always talks about angels to me and how we must all pray to our guardian angel.

I pray to my guardian angel everyday with a special prayer that mummy taught me, even when I don't say my Our Father or Hail Mary, I always pray to my angel. Sometimes I talk to my angel too, when I'm scared or afraid I talk to him rather than God or Jesus, I know how bad that is, but I've always felt especially close to my angel.

Sometimes, when I'm falling asleep it feels as though there's someone beside me, when I can't see anybody there. That's my angel, I know it is. Ever since I can remember there have been nights when my angel watches over me, sometimes I dream that I hear him, but that's not very often. There are stories, real ones too, that people have seen angels; if I could wish for anything in the world it would be to see mine.

I know how silly I sound, almost as silly as mummy and her fairy tales! I know if I told any of my friends about my angel they'd all laugh, and even daddy would probably smile. Mummy understands though, she understands a lot about angels, she believes that I have a special, unseen protector and she says that he'll always be with me, unless I'm very very bad.

So I always try my best to be good!

Maybe I'll try and draw my angel tomorrow, but now I must go to sleep, it's gone midnight - it's now the witching hour as mummy would say.

Charlie