A Witch Like No Other (7 page)

“
But- but just
say she was alive-”

“
She
isn’
t,” said Miriam gently.
“You went to the funeral, didn
’
t you?”

“
Yeah I did,
but they kept the coffin closed,” said Pandora, thinking. “And- oh
gosh! Those guys carrying it said it was real light as
well!”

Miriam cringed as she remembered, hidden by the public who
had come to pay their respects. She
’
d never cried so much in
her entire life that day. She
’
d lost her best friend,
didn
’
t
even get to see her one last time.

“
I mean,
she’
s a witch,” said Pandora.
“You think she
’
d just go?”

“
I
don’
t want to have this
conversation, darling.”

“
What?” said
Pandora, when Miriam leapt up. “What is it?”

“
Would you like
to go for a walk, Pandora?”

“
Ok,” she said
curiously, getting up. “How come?”

“
Because
I’
m your godmother, love. Come
on.”

“
Wont your boss
be angry with you?”

“
I’
ll handle
him.”

“
What on earth
is going on, Miriam?”

“
Nothing,” said
Miriam flatly. “I’
m just
taking Pandora for a walk.”

“
To get some
air,” Pandora added, and Tony smiled at her.

“
You would be
good for my Alice, Pandora.”

“
His daughter,”
Miriam said, amused. “Alice is your age, Pandora.”

“
Wow,” she said
dryly. “Can we go now, Miss Hughes?”

“
Pandora,
I’
ve told you already you can
call me Miriam-”

“
No she cant,”
interrupted Tony, eyes narrowing. “Why can she?”

Miriam glared at him. “Because she
’
s my
goddaughter.”

“
She is,” said
Pandora cheekily. “Can we go now?”

“
Yes we can,”
Miriam said, then she looked at Tony. “Unless you have an objection
to me taking her for a walk in the park?”

“
I… no,” Tony
said awkwardly. “No, not at all. But Miriam, if
you’
re a relative I think
it
’
s
best if we change Pandora
’
s mentor-”

“
No!” said
Miriam, aghast. “You cant do that-”

“
If you change
Miss Hughes I’
m not coming
back,” Pandora told Tony stonily. “My dad pays you big money, I
know he does. If… if I have to change just because
she
’
s
my godmother, that
’
s out of order. I wont come back, and
I
’
ll
bully your daughter until she has to come here too.”

“
Now really
Pandora, you’
re
overreacting-”

“
So you think,”
Pandora replied flatly. “Can we go, Miss Hughes?”

“
Of
course.”

“
That
wasn’
t very nice, threatening
him about Alice.”

“
He’
s stuck up,” Pandora
replied. “He deserved it. Who is she?”

“
She’
s a lovely girl, but
she has some issues of her own.”

“
What issues?”
asked Pandora, and Miriam smiled at her.

“
I cant tell
you that, love.”

“
Are you her
mentor?”

“
No, of course
not.”

“
Then tell me,
Miss Hughes- please?”

“
Swans,” she
said musingly. “Mum loved swans.”

“
Did
she?”

Miriam felt her stomach drop. “There-
there
’
s black swans?”

“
Sure,”
shrugged Pandora. “Only nobody really sees them.”

“
Maybe because
they don’
t exist?” suggested
Miriam, but Pandora shook her head as she said “They do, because
Mum showed me one.”

“
I’
ve never heard of or
seen a black swan, Pandora.”

“
Because you
haven’
t seen something with
your own eyes, does that mean it doesn
’
t exist?” asked Pandora,
staring her full in the face. “Or because something seems
impossible, does that mean it cant happen?”

“
They’
re lovely,
aren
’
t
they?”

“
Dreamer? Of
course you do- we all do, but-”

Miriam broke off, staring at the water. Swimming towards
them was a beautiful, elegant black swan, it
’
s beak ruby
red.

“
Told you,”
breathed Pandora, slowly getting to her feet. “I told
you.”

“
Pandora, come
back-”

Pandora ignored her, walking towards the graceful bird.
Miriam cursed magic under her breath: that bird
wasn
’
t
there ten seconds ago.

“
Pandora!”

Oblivious to her godmother
’
s calls, Pandora
crouched down next to the bird as she whispered “Hi. See what
happens when they don
’
t believe?” The bird nodded. “You just appeared,
didn
’
t
you?”

The bird heaved, as if it was trying to force something up.
Pandora
’
s eyes grew wide as the swan began to sparkle, Miriam
grabbing her arm and pulling her back as she said
“We
’
re
leaving, Pandora-”

“
We
cant!”

“
We have to!
Something weird is going on-”

“
It’
s my Mum,
Miriam!”

“
She’
s dead!” said Miriam
angrily. “Dreamer
’
s dead, Pandora!”

The bird gagged, something gold appearing in
it
’
s
mouth. Miriam stopped struggling with Pandora as they stared at it-
the swan heaved again, whatever it was dangling from
it
’
s
beak- before Miriam could stop her Pandora darted forwards, grabbed
the thing and pulled-

“
Pandora,
no!”

Miriam cried her name as smoke swirled around her- she
couldn
’
t see!

“
PANDORA!!”

“
I’
m here, Miriam,
I
’
m
here!” Pandora grabbed her hand. “Look at this!”

Miriam didn
’
t want to look, the smoke clearing. She stepped back
in shock as she looked at the lake: the birds were gone. Every
single swan and duck- gone. The black swan had disappeared as
well-

Miriam dragged her eyes away from the lake to look at what
Pandora was dangling in her face- she screamed. She
couldn
’
t help it.

“
She’
s alive,” breathed
Pandora. “She has to be!”

Miriam shook her head, staring at the heart shaped locket
with her friend
’
s name on the front in swirly writing:
Dreamer.

“
Have some tea,
‘
Dora, and calm
down.”

“
If she is
alive she’
s got some
explaining to do,” said Marlon darkly, drumming his fingers on the
kitchen table. “I
’
m not joking.”

Miriam said nothing, very shaken up. Ted gently but firmly
told her to stay the night, in the guest room. Miriam accepted the
offer without hesitating: she didn
’
t want to be
alone.

Pandora had rushed home with Miriam hot on her heels,
excitedly telling Ted and Marlon what happened at the park, and
what happened with Dreamer
’
s picture- but she
didn
’
t
mention her golden box.

Ted said nothing, Marlon said a lot, Miriam
couldn
’
t speak. Ted made everyone some tea with biscuits on the
side, deep in thought.

“
Ted?”

Ted looked up, then he smiled. “Hi Miriam.
What
’
s
the matter?”

“
I know you
probably don’
t think she could
be alive, but-”

“
I
didn’
t before,” confessed Ted.
“Now I
’
m not so sure.”

“
Well, this is
going to sound crazy, but today before Pandora came, I…” Miriam
stopped, then she took a deep breath. “I heard
Dreamer’
s voice.”

Whatever Ted was expecting, that wasn
’
t it.

“
You… you heard
Dreamer’
s voice?” Miriam
nodded, looking down at her lap. Ted hesitated, then he said “So
did I.”

“
You did?” she
said hopefully, and he nodded. “So I’
m not crazy.”

“
Far from it.
What did she say?”

“
I was looking
forward to Pandora visiting…”

“
Shh!”
whispered Marlon, glaring at his sister. “They’
ll hear us!”

“
And then she
said ‘
you really love my
little girl, don
’
t you?
’
And I said yes, thinking someone came in, but
only her mother could have called Pandora her little girl, nobody
else in their right mind except you-”

“
You breath
stinks, camel mouth!” hissed Pandora. “Go floss!”

“
Shut up,
hermit!”

“
What did she
say to you?” asked Miriam shyly, and Ted hesitated. Then he said “I
was wondering what to do about Pandora, and she said- these were
her exact words, mind.”

“
I know,
Ted.”

“
Have a cup of
coffee first, Teddy Bear. Then talk to her.”

Pandora
’
s heart pounded as Miriam said “Was she
right?”

“
Oh yes, we had
a talk about college. But before that, Miriam, I… look, I was so
shocked when I heard her voice I fell out of my chair- and not just
that,” said Ted breathlessly. It sounded like
he’
d been dying to get it off
his chest. “The kettle started boiling on it
’
s own
accord.”

Marlon clapped a hand to Pandora
’
s mouth as she gasped,
whispering “Shut up,
‘
Dora! Do you want them to hear us?”

“
She always
used to make me a hot drink,” said Ted sadly. “Coffee in the
mornings before I went to work, and tea when I got back
home.”

“
What about the
locket?” asked Miriam. “Do you recognise it? Dreamer had it on
after I came back from America- when I was eighteen.”

“
It was her
mother’
s first,” Ted answered
heavily. “Before, it said Agnes. When she handed it down to
Dreamer, the name changed… and Dreamer was eighteen when she got
it. I guess if Dreamer was alive she
’
d have given it to
Pandora on her eighteenth birthday- and if she is alive then…
it
’
s
obvious she wanted Pandora to have it. Real obvious. She did say
Pandora would get it when she
’
s old
enough.”