Thursday 22 June 2006, Dalystown, Ireland
"Everything was very quiet and relaxed, we spent a lot of the time playing around the house, we didn't go intotown all those days, which was a time when I could relax without realising that little by little the city wasgetting busier, all because of the Croix promotion, we were just enjoying ourselves in the house, runningaround in the woods, playing video games, doing whatever we felt like doing, it really was fun that neverended, giving me that feeling that I was a child again."
Another marvellous day, I don't know what to do now, we've spent so much time here at home, I think I'll go for a walk in the city today, see how the city is preparing everything, mums go there a lot during this time, once in a while, which I'll get a broom for, I'll go to Croix who had come out of the bathroom to talk to her.
"Love, what do you say we go for a walk in the city, it's been a few days since my mums left" I say to her and she nods.
"Well, it's been a while, but I don't know if it's a good idea, maybe they'll recognise you and this place will fill up with people" said my girlfriend.
"That's the least of it, we can see it from afar, I really want to see the preparations for the gymkhana, since I used to help a lot before, but now I'm left out" I say as I get ready to mount the broom.
"Well then, let's go, I'll get a broom and we'll go out" How marvellous.
I follow my girlfriend, she picks up her broom, and we make our way out of the house, since Meg and Phoebe are playing video games and there's not much to do, I fly along, already able to see a bit of the city from afar, which is very close to home.
We're going very slowly and passing through the forest too, a bit on the sly, so at least they won't know we've passed this way, which I'm getting a bit closer to, already at a house, which I've taken cover to see from afar.
"Wow, they're really making this gymkhana count" said Meridies.
"I've never seen so much work put into something, this is really going to be a festival, look at all the cars that are passing through here" I'm really surprised.
We signalled to each other and walked calmly from one house to the next, seeing that many of them were full of cars, the hotels seemed to be full of people, all of this must have a reason, surely it wasn't just that post that Croix made publicising the gymkhana here, or was it really that, look at this thing, it looks like there's going to be a real festival here.
We got a little closer to the town centre and I could see that my mothers were helping with the preparations, setting up stages and everything else, no small feat, they're really pulling out all the stops.
"I wonder if they're not overdoing it a bit, it must be quite costly" I whisper to Croix.
"It certainly is, they're really entrusting you to be the main star of this too, I don't doubt it, I think my publicity is doing quite well, Aunt April is also doing something, she's also one of the ones who has access to publicise on our page" It makes sense, now I have an idea why so many people are coming here.
I could see that on one of those posters they're making a stage with my posters and everything, I could see in the background that even Alan was in on it, he's really going to help with the presentation, that's no small feat, and to think that I didn't want to go back with the worry I had before, which frustrates me, I've seen enough.
I turn my back and pick up my broom, flying off back home, this is too frustrating, when I thought I was just going to have to do a quick relaxed presentation, but this concert thing in my head again? By the nine witches, I can't take it anymore, every time I have to go back to this situation.
I land back at the house, I even go outside where I sit on a part of it that makes a gap in relation to the ground, I'm practically mute the whole way, just staring at the horizon, until my girlfriend arrives with a more concerned expression.
"What is it, my love?" She asks.
"Everything is marvellous, but I came here just so I wouldn't have to remember these obligations, after all having to present myself as Shiny Chariot wore me out a lot after Alan signed a contract with me, I get overwhelmed, just remembering it doesn't give me the magical feeling that I'm doing something because I enjoy it..." I say a little sheepishly
"Hey, don't think of it as your obligation, let it go, don't think it's going to make an impact, by the time you get up on stage you'll know that the performance will be determined by you, don't forget that your mums are in charge, not Alan's arsehole" You know, she's right, not for nothing, but it's true, I smile.
"I just didn't want to think about it too much, this presentation thing... When it became a job instead of something I did to express myself and show art, it ended up losing the soul inside me, I don't feel like I'm loose anymore, but like I'm programmed on automatic to deliver ready-made lines and do ready-made choreography, it's not the same..." She strokes my head.
"Hey, I understand you love, look, this is Alan's fault for pulling you to do so many of these and staying on stage too long, but look, let's put this aside and have some fun" said my girlfriend.
"How are we going to have fun? My mums are going out, yours is on the computer, Phoebe and Megan are playing video games, only if we join them" I say a bit despondently until she grabs my hand and pulls me out of that place.
"Come with me, we don't need them to have fun, have you seen any of the crazy things I've put together around here?" Well, I've only seen a few, but this could be interesting.
I think this might amuse me a little, I'll follow her through some places in the forest, I was terrified of it as a child, but it was the best place to play hide and seek, no doubt about it, we went up a small hill that's near the lake, you can see the water from far away, I'm just wondering what's going to happen here, what I could see was a wooden path, a little overgrown, with some greenery.
"This one was the ramp of death, I used to go all the way down with a pram and go to the lake, I had done it the first time I came here, I set it up with my mum and your mums, we played and played here, going down from the top and jumping with everything towards the water, we had to get the pram back as it flew off with us, but it's fallen into oblivion a bit" That's really quite interesting.
"To think that I could end up in this place too" I say in surprise, even walking into it.
"I later improved it by adding rails and this time the trolley was stuck and the impact was what carried us, it was only enough for one person at a time, but it was still fun, it took us far out into the lake, one day I can rewire it and we can go on adventures, it was perfect for trying to do pirouettes to fall into the water" I'm amazed just imagining it.
As we continue the tour, we see that there are some broken branches, she points them out, showing that these were the various attempts to swing in the past, even before we were born, they must have been hurt a lot, I see that there are some ropes that have been abandoned along the way too, many very thrown.
Our walk comes to a place that looks like a little house full of tree branches, what I could see was a trunk with several inscriptions on it "Joanne + Mark 1971", "Laura + Bernadette 1987", "April + Scarlet 1989", she even takes a knife out of her pocket and there will be another mark on it, I'm sure.
"Well it's our turn, mark the beginning of our courtship, I'll write my name and you write yours" she hands me the knife.
I start to write my name in my own way, which is quite different to do, but it's fun, I'm feeling really happy about it, it's a way of keeping our relationship in history, which I then finish and it's my girlfriend's turn, she puts the + and writes her name, I'm looking at it with a huge smile, one day time will make these written things less fresh, with the green and the humidity covering them a little, finishing with a touch by putting the year we started dating.
After she's finished, we both touch our lips, in a very romantic kiss full of feelings, I'm even feeling much more whole, more full of myself, my feelings are becoming more intense, and I put my hands on Croix's waist.
"Oh Chariot... I love you so much" she said as she stood over her.
"This place..." I say a little breathlessly.
"It's the magic of our love, give me a big hug, love..." I say to her as she hugs me back.
I keep kissing her, Croix keeps kissing me, with a feeling that magic is surrounding us, I keep feeling her grabbing my waist, which I don't think is the best place to be like this, so much so that I even get off my girlfriend and keep scratching the back of my neck.
"I don't think this is the best place to get laid" I say to Meridies.
"I agree, are you in the mood, Chariot?" I nod and then take her hand.
[...]
We went down to the living room, and what was that like, I didn't realise it was so intense, what we saw and the girls are still playing, I think I've had enough of this adventure, I sit down on the sofa and so does my girlfriend, and I see some laughter coming from my grandmother and also from the girls, I think they must have some idea of what happened, what the hell.
"It looks like someone really went walking in that part of the forest, doesn't it?" says my grandmother and I blush a little.
"Eh, we just went for a walk, Croix wanted to show us some of the places she'd been to and set things up, but we ended up there" I say, scratching the back of my head.
"Ah the place where Laura was made, I remember it well, I had come here with Mark in March 71, during the spring holidays, we walked to this place and wrote our names, we started kissing and well the rest is to be imagined, I ended up getting pregnant because of this occasion, it was right there in the middle of the woods" I even get a disgusted expression, this is very strange, even more so at the beginning of spring it's freezing like that.
"You don't have to describe it any more than that" I say, turning my face away.
"Ah, you really don't know how to appreciate the connection with nature, I just enjoyed it there with Mark and we had a marvellous time, we had started dating that year, with Laura's pregnancy, we ended up getting married in the meantime, it was very quick, but I don't regret it, it's been 35 wonderful years with the best husband I could have" said my grandmother.
"I hope that one day I'll have the same amount of time as you had with my grandfather, even more than that, one day I'll marry Croix, it'll be marvellous" I say all delighted.
"You certainly will, just don't be like Laura who took five years to marry Bernadette, all because she's boring with numbers and wanted to wait until she was 20 to get married, even though she'd been dating Bern for five years, but you're both very young, so I recommend waiting as long as you think is best" I'll wait as long as it takes, I can't wait to marry her.
"Pfff, you older girls only have fun like this, it's no fun at all, I don't know what you see in this place, when you can get together anywhere even better than this, there are no parties or anything" Phoebe said.
"Oh naive girl, what I did in my life when I was your age isn't even written down, if you think it was all peaceful you're wrong, it wasn't the romanticised and puritanical thing in your head, I was a teenager in the 60s, even before Mark I was a party girl, right here in Dalystown, I'd escape from the family and go straight to parties, I'd get drunk, sometimes I got involved with a lot of wrong things, I even used drugs, You guys nowadays are so light compared to us in the 60s, you stand around at a party just drinking a glass of booze and try something with the others, before there was more to it, you had to get to the person, dance, offer a drink, then sneak out, it was in the car and it was right there, but then scoldings and scoldings came, I don't know how I didn't get pregnant before that" I even see Phoebe's curious face.
"So tell us more about it Mrs McLaren and it's not like that, we know how to have fun, what did you do? Listening to the Beatles and having those hideous, tacky looks? Fool me, a proper lady like you? In times like those" I even laugh a bit just to see what's coming next.
"I started drinking and smoking when I was 13, by the time I was 19 I was stopping all that because it wasn't my life, it was really getting in the way of my career as a journalist, apart from the fact that I'd come home all messed up, I was afraid I'd get home one day and never come back, especially as I still wanted to start a family. If I had to tell you about someone who was right, that person was my daughter, she never used anything, not even when she got worse did she sink into anything, but I can tell you, I just guarantee you won't like hearing it very much" said my grandmother.
We get really curious as Granny tells us more about her past, I couldn't imagine that she had experienced things in a different way, we get really curious, for an old lady I couldn't even imagine that she ever smoked, or drank, it's bizarre how such a pure and upright woman had such a different past.
Even Phoebe stopped playing to listen to it, very curious, while her mum just watched from afar, laughing a
little, while I went out to smoke, Croix and I went together to listen to some of these stories, cuddling up, I think this relieved some of the tension I was feeling earlier this afternoon.
[...]
It was a very interesting conversation, we heard noises at the door and finally my mums arrived, so I got up from the sofa and ran over to both of them, hugging them, as I missed both of them a little, they'd been out most of the afternoon, and then they went over to my younger sisters to cuddle them too, and my mum Laura immediately took the youngest in her arms and pampered her a lot.
"You took your time today, apparently the gymkhana is on fire" said Aunt Rose.
"You have no idea, we're really spending money this time, it's going to be a whole festival, not just the Chariot attraction, I've even called in some DJs to play at the event and a commentator, this is going to go down in history, we're even looking at getting some aeroplanes, there's really going to be Cavendish money in this gymkhana, we have to do it for real, everyone is going to love it for sure" said my mum Laura.
"I don't worry too much about losing any money, really if it's for a greater cause, it'll be worth every cent, just like the plan to help Chariot's career, we really have to make use of this money, there's no point in keeping it stored away if it's not going to be used for anything other than the Cavendish's wealth status, As soon as we manage to break the curse, you can be sure that castle will be demolished and I'll make a peaceful home for the family, there's no point in forcing Diana into a lifestyle that's purely for appearances, I've made that clear to her from an early age" Wow, I never thought Mum Bernadette would think of that.
"But isn't the castle part of the story?" Aunt Rose asks.
"That was built with the blood of witches, after I discovered the true history of that castle there is no history there, there is a massacre, I want to bring new airs to a new history of the Cavendish family for the future, without this aristocracy, that's why I'm offering to invest so much in more expensive projects, I want Daryl to understand that this way of life will no longer have a place, in reality for her the lifestyle will be watching the sun rise square, we're already putting together a perfect dossier of evidence to have her arrested" I'm going to be too anxious for that day.
"The fingerprints match a lot of things, because of the curse she can be incriminated, unfortunately I couldn't find more than that, anyway, just keep investigating, I'll see with my informants if she has any more connection to the crime, taking the money out of the Cavendish's hands might help since then she no longer has the power of bribery which I slightly think has been stopping my informants from telling any truth" said Mrs Morris.
"Well, let's put that to one side and have some fun, today's work has already been done" said my mum as she sat down on the sofa.
We started playing a bit, putting in a Ronaldo Kart Ree, with the steering wheels it's a lot of fun, you can go round and round corners, with four players it's really good, I wonder if this is really going to work, Mum Bernadette could end up getting the worst of it by spending the money like this, but I understand the idea of creating a new, simpler start for the Cavendish family.
I even feel a bit bad, because all this money is being used for my Shiny Chariot career and I don't know if I'm the most excited about it, it's become a really boring job lately.
[...]
It's late at night, I go outside, Croix is in the bathroom, I go to sleep too, I just stare at the horizon, thinking about these last few days, will I give up being Shiny Chariot? I love the idea of performing on stage, it's my dream, but it's also been a very tedious job and I don't do it for fun anymore, it's really become a job.
I hear the sound of a tin can opening next to me, it's my mum Laura standing next to me looking at the stars, she's going to talk to me I think.
"I know you turned up in town" I'm shocked.
"How? I was discreet" She must have a spy.
"I can feel the presence of magic from anyone and I know exactly what yours is like, I felt yours getting closer, you have to remember that I'm always on the alert, but then, from the way you acted today I felt more things, I think it's more like a mother's intuition, are you enjoying being Shiny Chariot?" She knows everything! How does this woman know everything? I'm even more shocked.
"Mum... Mum... What?" I'm quite paralysed with shock.
"I think I have my answer to that, don't you? You're not really enjoying it because it's a bit of a grind for you, but you like it, you're just not enjoying the idea of it being too much, I understand you girl, but look, being able to spend an hour jumping from one side of the stage to the other with a smile on your face isn't for everyone, you might not think so, but I've seen deep down the smiles you bring to children, you're much more important than you think, what you do for people is to change lives, to give hope" I loved her advice and I know a little about it, which was followed by my mum Bernadette coming up to me showing me a film she'd taken with her digital camera.
"See that? It's your sister Diana, she doesn't stop talking about you all the time, without even knowing you're sisters, she gets very anxious, she asks to buy anything that involves the Shiny chariot, look at all the ideas she keeps thinking about and I just listen and with a huge smile on my face, sometimes I almost want to cry and throw everything up in the air and tell her the truth" said my mum and she went on to show the video.
"And what do you want from Shiny Chariot?"
"I want Shiny Chariot plush! I want Shiny Chariot cards! I want all the Shiny Chariot dolls! All the characters, I want more t-shirts! I want everything! Mum, talk to Shiny Chariot, will you let us go to one of her shows? It'll be my dream! Will you let me go to Shiny Chariot? I want Shiny Chariot to be my friend!
"Ohhh how cute, one day you and I will go to the Shiny Chariot, she'll be your friend"
"Yayyy, I want Shiny Chariot to show my cousins that her magic of belief is stronger than their magic of hate!"
"Did they mess with you again?"
"They and Auntie Daryl, they keep picking on me, making fun of Chariot, she's not like that, she's not a disgrace to the witches, Shiny Chariot is helping the children, she's helping the witches! She's a marvellous person!"
And the video is over, wow, she's a cutie, she's got the determination of Mum Laura and the sweetness of Mum Bernadette, one day I hope I'll actually see her and be able to say we're sisters, it'll be the happiest moment of my life, without a doubt, I've even cheered up a bit, you know, it's given me hope to carry on. Now this festival is going to happen with me showing the world who Shiny Chariot is, this gymkhana is going to really get to know who I am, that's for sure, I even smile a little, I'm going to do this for my sister.
"Thank you for that, Mum Bernadette" I say more cheerfully.
"I just wanted to show you a bit more, it's just that seeing you slumped like that makes me think, you're not one to get discouraged so easily, it must be really hard to present a lot" she said and I nodded in agreement.
"Look, all the hard work and the goals will be a bit tedious at first, but when you get to the end, you'll realise the reward, I think Croix has already told you, but you have something in your hands that none of us have managed to achieve, your influence on the new generation of witches will still have an impact down the line, but there's something else that I think Croix might be a bit upset to hear, even if you don't manage to complete the Claiomh Solais, be a mentor to the next witch, guide her to the seven words, just as I will guide you when one is chosen, don't think it's the end of the world if you don't manage to complete it, the new generation will also be well motivated to do so" She even patted me on the back.
I'm even making my way back to my room and it's making me wonder, will I really make it? Or Croix? Well Mum's right, if we don't succeed we can't get frustrated and put aside the whole idea of changing things, we have to keep trying, that's a fact, that's the only way the world of magic can change and with it change the world.
I get to the bedroom, and there I see my girlfriend lying on the bed, she looks so cute in this T-shirt, so I sit down next to her and we quickly seal our lips, lying on top of each other.
"I love you very much Chariot, I want to stay forever in your arms here in bed - said my marvellous Meridies.
"I love you too Croix, I love this way of yours, this affection, now I'm no longer discouraged about presenting myself, I'll do my best when the day comes for the gymkhana" I say to her and she smiles at me.
"I know you will, you always do your best and you're always the best, my girlfriend is the brightest of them all" said Croix.
"I get a bit silly when you say that, but nobody's cuter than my little girl, the little girl who has these lovely little legs, these cute little folds when she lifts her legs, they're so cute, who's the cutest girlfriend of all?" She keeps hiding her silly face.
"Stop it Chariot, this way we're going to get out of here mum, you know I can't stand it when you get like this with me" I stand a little closer to her face and blush.
"So why don't we enjoy the moment?" She's even panting just from saying those cute things.
"I want to be a mum, but not so soon, I can't even do it, you know I'm infertile, but one day when I'm ready I'll want to, let's have as many daughters as we can with the fertility stone" I can't wait for that.
"But we're going to wait a little longer, I want to have my daughters at the same time as my sisters, even though we're older than them, I want that, one day maybe we'll get a lot of friends and cousins together, our daughters with Diana's, Hellene's, Holly's daughters, playing together here, they'll know about the adventures we've had all these days here in Dalystown, this unforgettable time we're here, how I have a wonderful girlfriend who will one day be my beautiful wife" I even keep running my hand over her face.
"I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun, I don't want to be a mum any time soon either, enjoy our youth, travel around, I can only imagine what we can do, not to mention that we have to think about a revolution further down the line, having a child wouldn't help things much" She's right, we'll still have a lot to do.
"Well, without thinking too much about the future, how about we think about the present, Croix Meridies?" I say as I move my thigh very close to the middle of her legs, feeling something already moving.
"You never get tired, do you, Chariot?" I'll never get tired of it.
"And you seem to love all this too, you talk about me, but you're not far behind, girl, now I'm not going to take it easy, you're going to sleep through your tiredness tonight, you'll only sleep when I say you can sleep, when I get tired" I say pointing at me and she starts to look scared.
"By the nine witches, do you want to kill me, Chariot Du Nord? I still want to get out of this alive and in one piece" How cute she's without energies for more but I still want more and more from her.
I cover her mouth with my fingers and get back on top of my girlfriend, starting to kiss her, just to see if she'll get the message, I'm already feeling a bit of her hands on my waist and wow, I love these sensations so much, every moment with Croix is marvellous, she's the best girlfriend in the world, I'd give anything if I could stay forever living moments like this with her.
"I had become quite discouraged, but soon it came to the festival in Dalystown, which was supposed to be agymkhana and ended up becoming one of the great moments that sparked my career, you must have read inthe book or in any of my biographies on any website, about how I acted like an ordinary person in a randomgymkhana, that I took any team, but the team I went to was my family's team, That really boosted theimpression that I was just like anyone else, and the presentation was another blow, as the tiny town graduallybecame more and more crowded, and many people were also staying in neighbouring towns, which led to ahuge dispute between them to host the people who came to see the event, and it's a good thing that theCavendish money works magic, because if it wasn't for that maybe the festival wouldn't have had thestructure it ended up having."
See you, festival witches...