"Matilda, Matilda sweetie; would you care to fetch me some teabags? It would be much appreciated." Miss Honey smiled as she heated up the pot of water over the old stove, preparing to make the two tea. It had become a tradition over time: that they would both have tea together and chat for what seemed like hours at least once a week. It was absolutely perfect to sit outside for a little tea, as it was both perfectly shady and peaceful in this spot around this very time of the day. The little, old table sat on the porch, keeping it sheltered from receiving any weathering during the cold winter storms yet visible enough that you could see it from a distance.
"Of course Miss Honey," Matilda replied cheerfully, always willing to help out. There were never any arguments between the two for they were so happy to have each other that there wasn't any real reason to argue over small, silly things. They were both very kind and peaceful people who needn't worry about anything getting between them. The two of them would speak of any troubles they had over tea and possible ways to resolve them; it had basically become a tradition.
The young girl fetched the teabags for the two of them as Miss Honey poured the boiling hot water into two mugs decorated with a lovely pattern of flowers. Out of habit, Matilda put each teabag into their mugs and sat down across from her old schoolteacher. "Alright then, so Matilda, has there been anything that has interested you lately? You're studying physics at the moment, unless I'm mistaken?"
"Yes Miss Honey, there has been. Have you heard of a particle accelerator? It separates one particle from another. I'm currently putting together a research project about them, they're very fascinating." Matilda smiled and Miss Honey smiled back, for she was so happy to see how far Matilda had already come in school. She was only six yet she was studying content for those in high school already, maybe even college! Sure, there were some things- many things that challenged her mind, though that was what made school interesting for the little girl.
"I haven't heard of one, could you tell me more about them?" Miss Honey replied, always interested in what interesting facts Matilda came upon both in and out of school. She concluded that it was impossible to ever be bored once in a conversation with Matilda, for she was so bright and intelligent that one could never be bored with her.
So the two spoke not only about particle accelerators, but of many other topics too. Though Matilda never dared bring up the Trunchbull. Although there were many mysteries left undiscovered by her, she had no intentions of making Miss Honey uncomfortable just for her own benefit. She could only imagine the holy terrors that occurred throughout Miss Honey's childhood, but never mentioned her thoughts to anyone.
Miss Honey couldn't help but smile, watching the little girl speak passionately about various topics. It brought her so much joy to see Matilda full of passion, of bliss. Only a year ago, she had been forced to limit her passions and turn them into small stories she could only share with Mrs. Phelps. But now, now she had moved so far ahead from those days, without being limited. And that was what made her happiest of all.
But soon enough, nighttime fell and the two were forced to end their wonderful conversation and get ready for bed. Neither wanted to be exhausted in the morning. So with heavy sighs, the two of them brought their dishes to the sink, Miss Honey dismissing Matilda to prepare for bed, promising to give her a goodnight kiss before heading off to bed herself. So she picked up one of the teacups and delicately washed it with a small sponge, being sure to make it so clean that it would shine. But she felt a presence in the room and suddenly knew that Matilda hadn't left yet.
"Miss Honey, do you ever wonder if Miss Trunchbull is still out there?" Matilda asked this quietly, not wanting to appear to know any more about this topic than she did.
Gently, Miss Honey put down the teacup in the sink and stared out the window, trying to come up with a satisfying answer. "Well, I… I, I shouldn't think so. She did seem to be deathly frightened of Magnus and what he could do. I'd say that she is probably long gone and won't ever think of returning," she said in a hushed voice, as if her cruel aunt could hear what she was saying this very moment. The truth was that she feared the day that Matilda asked this question, for she really didn't know where she was or if she had moved on or not. But she desperately hoped that her answer was right, for imagining the horrors of her return was far too much for her to take.
Hearing the awkward silence that Miss Honey's answer left behind, Matilda decided both not to respond, and to not ask any further questions. So the girl quickly headed up the stairs to her room, preparing for bed quickly and then picking up one of her newest favourite books: The Phantom of the Opera. She read page after page, almost dreading the time that Miss Honey would enter her room and tell her that it was best to go to sleep. But of course, that time came rather quickly and soon enough Miss Honey knocked on her door gently before slipping through a small sliver of its opening.
"Matilda, I should think that it's best that you turn the lights out. I'm assuming that you don't want to be tired for school tomorrow." She smiled at the girl and walked up to the side of her bed, Matilda handing her the book after dog-earing the page. Matilda saw that Miss Honey was now wearing her pajamas too, unknowing though if she actually was going to go straight to bed after this; but that wasn't important. Walking up to her large bookshelf slowly, Miss Honey placed the book in its correct position, then returned to the side of her bed, tucking Matilda in under the covers.
Once she knew that Matilda was comfortable, Miss Honey bent down and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "Good night Matilda. Sweet dreams, I love you," she said with a warm smile, then turned off the lights as she exited the room. But as she gently closed the door, she began to feel a strange anxiety inside of her, one which followed her all the way to her room, even after she turned the lights out and tucked herself under the covers: 'What if Matilda's question had a different answer than the one she had given her? What if her Aunt really was going to come back eventually?' These anxieties began to pile up on top of her, until she came to the conclusion that she was just being ridiculous. Miss Trunchbull wouldn't return, would she? But despite the growing anxiety inside, she managed to dismiss them for now in order to fall asleep, for if she didn't, she wouldn't sleep a wink.
As she began to fall into her dreams, she realized how silly it sounded, that Miss Trunchbull would ever return. She had yet to realize how correct her anxieties were.