210. The Little Green Door in the Kitchen Wall

 210. The Little Green Door in the Kitchen Wall

“You ought to go see your uncle, Arley,” Alpin said to me one morning. “Just a little drop-in thing to check on how he is doing and to tell him all’s well back here and how no one wants to peck at his liver for eloping with Mathilde.”

Normally, when Alpin makes a suggestion, it is because he wants something. But I couldn’t guess what might be behind his wanting me to check on Wildgale, so I put up very little resistance.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Uncle Richie and your sister are still on their honeymoon. Uncle Wild and Mathilde might be too.”

“Check in your crystal ball. See what you see.”

I looked into my crystal ball and all I saw was Uncle Wild disposing of garbage in a compost pile. There was no trace of Mathilde.

“It doesn’t look like anything much is going on. I suppose we could drop in and say what we have to say and then leave,” I agreed.

So we transported ourselves to Uncle Wild’s moors and appeared right by the compost pile.

Uncle Wild seemed happy to see us. But it seems he had something he had to just go do before he could tend to us.

“The kitchen door is open. Wait for me in there. It will only be a minute.” Then he added something I didn’t quite catch. It sounded like this: “I have a botolpha now.”

He went wherever he had to go and we entered the kitchen. It was a quaint place, with wallpaper in purple and pink and lavender blue stripes. There was a tray with some peach tarts on a table and I was about to tell Alpin not to touch them till Uncle Wild got back when someone sneezed.

“What was that?” said Alpin.

We looked around and after a while we found a very small, silvery dragon lurking under the table before a tiny green door there was in one of the walls. We hadn’t seen the door, because it wasn’t as high as the table.

“Well, what do you know?” asked Alpin.

“We’re Alpin and Arley,” I said to the dragon. “Who are you?”

The dragon went grrrrr. A very small growl, but he did show some sharp little teeth.

“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m Wildgale’s nephew. I know Mathilde too.”

The dragon sniffed me, which is a way they have of knowing who is related to whom. He must have seen I was indeed a blood relative of Wildgale’s, because he did not growl again.

“Kind of cute, this dragon, eh?” said Alpin. “I might be wanting a lap dragon myself this Christmas.”

Before I could answer, I heard scratching.

“What was that?” I asked.

“It's coming from that tiny door. What is that, Arley? An elf-sized cold store?”

Alpin meant one of those openings in a kitchen wall where people store things that have to be kept cool or cold. Usually, they are a bit like a coop, with a floor but no wall behind, only some wire, so the cold air can get through. They have a door inside the kitchen to block precisely that cold air that gets into them.

“It’s probably rats,” said Alpin. “Open the door, maybe the dragon will scare them away.”

I opened the door and to my surprise I saw there were two little girls behind it, one a little bigger than the other.

“Who are you?” I asked, but all they did was smile.

“Don’t touch them, Arley,” cried Alpin, “or you’ll have daughters!”

There were two little blue wood and wicker beds in the cubicle behind the door, one also smaller than the other, cribs really. And there was light in the room. I saw a dish with the remains of gingerbread cookies in there too. The little dragon walked inside and sniffed at the girls and then came out and sniffed at me. I knew he meant we were related.

“I think they’ve already been taken,” I said. But I was careful not to get too close.

“Mathilde and I found the elder one sitting in front of the door of our house when we returned here from Mum’s house,” said Uncle Wildgale, now standing by the kitchen door. “We’d done nothing but elope and there she was waiting. What could we do? We took her in. And three days later we found the littler one lying in the grass under my tree, playing with dandelions. I’ve never had a child in hundreds of years and now I have two. I was scared to death thinking we might have like twenty in a month, but it’s been a week now without anyone else popping up.”

The older little girl stumbled out of the tiny room giving uncertain little paces that proved she could barely walk .She went up to Uncle Wild and  hugged his shin. He picked her up and asked me, “Would you believe Mathilde wants to call this poor thing Botolpha?”

“What?” I said.

“My father had a gardener named Botolph. Probably still has. His servants are very faithful to him. Why not? Who else would employ them? They are even crazier than he is. Characters, all of them. A very cranky garden dwarf was this Botolph, who wouldn’t let us step on the grass or touch the flowers. Just fly over our garden, that's all we could do, and he wasn’t too happy even about that. I don’t want to call this kid Botolpha. What kind of a name is that for a poor little girl anyway?”

“Then say so,” I said.

“To Mathilde? No, I’m scared of her.”

“I’ll tell her for you then. Doesn’t she know it’s the children who choose their own names? They have to tell you what their name is and that’s when the pact between parents and children is definitely sealed.”

Uncle Wildgale shook his head sadly. “I don’t think they will have a name day.  Everybody is sore at us and I don’t think anyody would come if we gave a name party.”

“I would. And Mum would. I’m sure she would. And we would bring great presents. That´s when most of us  get our talents and abilities, on name days. You don’t want to deprive the kids of that. And nobody is angry with you. I don’t know if you’ve heard that Uncle Richie married Alpin’s sister.”

Uncle Wild no longer looked sad. He looked horrified.

“Help me, my celestial protectors! Everybody must hate us. Tell me she’s not like Alpin!”

“No!” I cried out.

“Hey!” protested Alpin.

“She’s very nice. She takes after her mother.”

 That didn’t sound right either, did it?

“The Demon Bride?” Uncle Wild looked even more frightened.

“No. Yes. I mean, she looks like her mother a bit. She’s pretty. But she’s not…dangerous.”

“Okay. Let’s hear what you guys have to say about my mother,” said Alpin pugnaciously.

“They’re very beautiful women, both. But Branna is a shy homebody.” 

That did sound better, I think.

“My sister used to be a vampire, if that’s what you are scared of,” said Alpin. “But she doesn’t suck blood anymore. That’s over. Been over for years now. Your brother is far more dangerous than she is. He looks like a pushover, but nobody ever manges to control him. Except maybe me. But we’re still looking into that.”

“Take my word for it, Uncle Val, Branna is very nice. Uncle Rich has a very good bargain indeed.”

“Do you think Mum would speak to me if I tried to get in touch with her then?”

“Grandmother Divina? I don’t see why not. Why?”

“I’ve been thinking, I don’t want my girls to lack birth gifts. Mathilde will never agree to having a name party, but maye Mum can give one for them. Mathilde and I wouldn’t be present, but I’m sure everyone will want to see the little girls, if only out of curiosity. And they’ll pity them enough because of their awful parents to give them nice things, don’t you think?”

“You needn’t go to Grandma. My mum can give a name day party for her new nieces. All my brothers and sisters will gladly come to it. You don’t need gifts from gossips, Uncle Wild. You’ve got a sister and lots of nephews and nieces who love you and will be enthusiastic about your kids.”

“Maybe Mathilde won’t like your Mum’s giving that party. Because of your dad, you know.”

“Nonsense! She’s with you now. What about the other little girl?” I asked. “Has she spoken out?”

“No. Mathilde wants to call her Richenda. Can you believe that? I said I didn’t want to hear my kid called Richie. But she says I’m being ridiculous.”

Uncle Wild bent down on one knee next to the door and drew the other little girl out of the room too.    

“I’m sure Mathilde will understand that these kids have to speak for themselves,” I said. “That’s something she should understand better than anyone. But why were they locked up in that cubby hole? This house is big. It’s got lots of rooms. I’m sure one or another would make a great nursery.”

“Mathilde is scared someone might steal them from us. She hides them and locks them up whenever she isn’t in the house. She’s in China, buying a dragon. She wants to have four. One for each of the four directions. They’re to guard the wall. The little one there is for the kids to play with. He’s in need of a name too. They’re to name him themselves.”

“But who would steal these kids? I mean, I don’t know how to tell you that you haven’t got any enemies because of the elopement. Is there something else?”

“If your wife’s not here, I’m going to eat those peach tarts,” said Alpin.

“Help yourself,” said Uncle Wild, but Botolpha – that is, the little girl that was sitting on his right shoulder - flew off it and slapped Alpin’s hand when he reached out for one.

“HEY!” said Alpin.

“It’s okay, honey,” said Uncle Wild, retrieving Botolpha. “This kid is like her grandmother,” he explained. “Thank heavens she seems to like me.”

“The similitude ought to endear her to Ula ,” I said.

“Probably. But Mathilde doesn’t want any of her relatives near us. She’s scared they will boss  us around. She’s scared anyone might. That’s why I never say anything to her.”