Alice Parker & the Curse of Fate (3 page)

‘
Oh, dear!
Weren’t we lucky?’ chuckled Grandma.

‘
I wouldn’t
call it luck,’ admitted Thomas. ‘I just thought it might
help reduce the queue when we leave the car park.’

Grandma shook her
head in disapproval but Alice could see she was smiling. Brigitte
was not known for her patience, especially in the chaotic city
traffic. Alice was convinced that at the age of eighty, she must be
the oldest example of road rage in Europe.

As they stepped out
in to the snow, a small person who was waving frantically pushed her
way to the front of the waiting crowds.

‘
Erika!’
she called, holding on to her green woolly hat as she rushed to
embrace Grandma. ‘Thomas, Alice, wie geht’s? Herzlich
willkommen wieder!’ She patted them on the back and led
everyone towards her car.

‘
Wie war die
Reise?’ she asked.

‘
Gar nicht
schlect,’ replied Alice without thinking.

Thomas rolled his
eyes. ‘Careful!’ he whispered.

‘
Sorry! I
mean, the journey wasn’t bad at all, Tante Brigitte!’

Brigitte pursed her
lips. ‘Please do not call me aunt. It makes me feel old.
Your German seems very good now, Alice! Better than your
grandmother, I think! But you can speak English here. You know I
like to practise!’

‘
Of course my
German is a little rusty,’ protested Grandma. ‘I’ve
been living in England for over half a century. You were an English
teacher, that’s cheating!’

They set off in
Brigitte’s old Volkswagen Golf. It was funny to think that
just three years ago Alice only knew a few words of German, yet now
she was fluent in the language. Super-intelligence had its perks.
But Thomas had a point; she would have to be careful not to be too
clever in front of Brigitte.

Thomas fidgeted
uneasily in his seat.

‘
Are you
looking around for Isabella as well?’ hissed Alice.

‘
No. I’m
wondering if she can feel the pedals in those ridiculous sheepskin
boots! Never mind Isabella, Brigitte’s driving is making me
nervous!’

‘
I know! But
she must know what she’s doing – she’s survived
this long.’

*

In the five years
since Alice and Thomas last visited, Brigitte’s apartment had
not changed at all. She still had a tropical aquarium in the lounge,
which Alice loved, and several animal hides displayed on the wall.
Alice didn’t like those at all, but she knew Brigitte only kept
them because they had belonged to her late husband, Dirk. Although
it was dated inside, the apartment was in a vibrant location near the
bustling Kurfürstendamm shopping area, situated above a bakery.
Unfortunately Alice always felt hungry from 5.00 a.m. when the aroma
of fresh bread wafted upstairs.

Thomas liked the
fact that it was opposite the entrance to the U-Bahn. He thought
Berlin’s rail network, both under and over ground, was amazing
compared to London. Not that he would admit that in Brigitte’s
company. She always argued that Berlin was the best city in the
world.

‘
Don’t
get any ideas about tearing across the city tonight,’ warned
Grandma with a meaningful look. ‘Let’s just have a rest
and get settled in, shall we?’

‘
Ach, schade,’
said Brigitte. ‘How boring you are these days Erika! Tomorrow
morning we will all go out, OK?’

‘
Fine,’
scowled Grandma, wishing her sister understood why she was on edge.

‘
Definitely!’
beamed Alice, having travelled with the car window open to take in
the smells of the nearest Christmas market. Caramelised nuts,
pancakes and Bratwurst were at the top of her ‘to eat’
list.

‘
I will make
Eintopf for dinner,’ said Brigitte. ‘Stew! Then we have
a good detective film on television this evening.’

Thomas glanced at an
unfinished jigsaw puzzle on the table and sank down with a sigh in
Dirk’s old armchair. ‘Wow. All this excitement is too
much for me.’

Chapter 3

Guiding
Lights

After a peaceful
evening and a good night’s sleep, Grandma seemed calmer and
agreed to leave the apartment and have a stroll around the
neighbourhood. But she still wouldn’t let Alice and Thomas out
of her sight.

‘
Isabella has
a lot to answer for,’ complained Thomas as they browsed the
stalls of a Christmas market near the memorial church. ‘We
can’t even go to the toilet without Grandma asking where we’re
going. I feel like a child again!’

Alice didn’t
answer. She was too busy hopping from one foot to the other, her
eyes wide with fear.

‘
What? Have
you already had an overdose of sugar?’ asked Thomas. ‘I
thought that was impossible for Finwips!’ he added in a
whisper.

Alice pointed down
at the ground, the colour draining from her cheeks. ‘I think
it’s happening again.’

Thomas looked at the
group of pigeons who were falling over each other around Alice’s
feet. Every step she took, they followed.

‘
Don’t
be stupid! These aren’t special pigeons, they’re just
hungry pigeons! It might help if you weren’t stuffing your
face with a pretzel. You’re dropping crumbs everywhere.’

Alice promptly put
her half-eaten snack in to her bag and wiped her face. After a
moment the pigeons dispersed, disappointed that their meal had ended
so abruptly.

‘
See? Stop
worrying. We’re safe here. And you can stop staring at every
female wearing red. Yes, I’ve noticed! Do you really think
Isabella would be seen in the same coat in winter as she wore in
spring?’

Alice couldn’t
help herself. How could she tell Thomas that she was more concerned
about his safety than her own? He must know. He’d seen the
sheer volume of books about her future. Perhaps he was putting on a
brave face for Grandma’s sake. He could be quite thoughtful –
occasionally.

A tap on the
shoulder made her jump.

‘
Bought you
this!’ said Grandma. ‘And one for you, Thomas. Put them
on now. I can’t believe you didn’t bring a hat and it’s
snowing here!’

Alice put hers on
immediately. It wasn’t the most attractive hat, with its
woolly pompom and ear flaps, but at least it was warm. ‘Thanks!’

‘
Er, yeah,
thanks,’ mumbled Thomas. ‘These are hideous!’ he
whispered to Alice. ‘You know why she bought them, though.’

‘
Because it’s
snowing.’

‘
No, because
she thinks we’ll be harder to recognise wearing these! Poor
Grandma is still worried, even though we’re in a different
country now. I suppose she feels entirely responsible for us, having
persuaded us to come with her.’

‘
Blimey! The
cold must have affected your brain already. That sounded quite
sensitive, for you.’

Thomas rolled his
eyes. ‘She’ll relax soon, when she realises it was a
good idea, coming here. Then she’ll loosen the reins with a
bit of luck! I don’t want to be tagging along with the oldies
all the time. We need to do our own thing.’

‘
Well, if you
want to tag along with a ‘youngie’ instead, you’ll
have to open your wallet. I’m not cheap to feed. And I want
to buy a present for Sarah.’

‘
There’s
always a snag where you’re concerned.’

*

As luck would have
it, Grandma began to loosen the reins that afternoon. When the cold
became too much for her, she agreed that Alice and Thomas could do as
they pleased while she went for a coffee with Brigitte.

‘
Now the fun
starts!’ said Thomas, rubbing his hands together. ‘See
that giant nutcracker figure over there?’

‘
Don’t
even think about it!’ warned Alice, looking up at the
ten-foot-tall bearded monstrosity. She wondered how it was meant to
be festive, when those staring eyes and menacing teeth could frighten
any small child. ‘Not today, anyway. Maybe before we go
home.’

‘
You’re
no fun, are you?’

‘
Why don’t
you do something sensible, like choose something nice for Ellie?
Aren’t you missing her?’

Thomas shrugged his
shoulders. ‘I’ve got a phone. Anyway, I’ll find
something for her tonight.’

‘
What’s
happening tonight?’

‘
We’re
going to the famous Christmas market at Gendarmenmarkt. It’s
supposed to be one of the best in Berlin.’

‘
Oh! Grandma
and Brigitte didn’t mention it.’

‘
That’s
because they don’t know. They won’t be coming with us.’

*

Sometimes Alice
found Thomas’s arrogance infuriating. But on this occasion she
was glad he was right. A day shopping in the biting cold wind and
snow had taken its toll on Grandma and she had to admit she needed a
rest.

‘
Me too,’
agreed Brigitte. ‘But you youngsters can go and enjoy
yourselves this evening. Will you be eating out?’

Alice looked at her
grandma’s reluctant expression.

‘
Come on,
Erika, let them have some fun! What are you worried about? They are
big kids now!’ laughed Brigitte.

‘
Oh, all
right,’ said Grandma. ‘But be careful. Where would you
like to go?’

‘
Gendarmentmarkt,’
replied Alice promptly.

‘
Wonderful!
You will love it, I know. You can always find something unusual
there,’ enthused Brigitte.

‘
That’s
what I’m afraid of,’ muttered Grandma.

*

‘
So when do we
get to see Finwip village?’ asked Alice, as they waited in the
U-Bahn station for a train.

‘
Tomorrow,
hopefully. If Grandma can’t think of an excuse for us to go
out without Brigitte, we’ll have to go on our own. It’ll
be all right, Grandad told me how to get in.’

‘
What! He
wouldn’t even tell me where it is!’

‘
He just
wanted it to be a surprise for you. And it will be.’

‘
Why don’t
you tell me now?’

‘
Because I
want to see the look on your face when you see it! Ah, here’s
the train. On the dot!’

A few minutes later,
they arrived at Französische Strasse and made their way to
Gendarmenmarkt. As they approached the market, Alice could see
exactly why it was advertised as ‘Christmas Magic.’
Before her was the most enchanting scene she had witnessed above
ground. Christmas in Finwip village at home was always magical, but
this was spectacular. With child-like excitement she gazed at the
masses of twinkling white fairy lights adorning every stall,
restaurant and tree. Each stall was identical on the outside; a pure
white tent with a pointed roof and a glowing star on top. Towering
above these was an enormous Christmas tree, its branches drooping
under the sheer weight of its own lights. On three sides of the
market, creating a stunning backdrop, were three magnificent,
illuminated buildings; the German Cathedral, French Cathedral and
concert hall.

‘
You like it,
then?’ asked Thomas as Alice tried to take it all in.

‘
I do! I’m
so glad we came here. How did you know about it?’

‘
Grandad
recommended it.’

‘
Typical! He
finds all the best places wherever he goes!’ Alice stopped in
front of a stall selling nothing but snow globes. She had loved them
ever since she was a small child. There was something about those
perfect wintry scenes captured in water and glass that was
irresistible. Some of the globes were musical and rotated to the
tune of Christmas carols. In some the snow fell in dense, white
flakes; in others it was simply a sprinkling of glitter. There were
so many different sizes – the smallest no bigger than a golf
ball. But Alice was transfixed by one particular globe in the centre
of the display.

‘
There’s
no way we could get that home!’ concluded Thomas. ‘Even
if we could afford it – which we can’t – it won’t
fit in your suitcase or hand luggage.’

Alice sighed in
disappointment as he led her away, but she was quickly distracted by
the smell of food. ‘Hey, I wouldn’t mind a pancake
filled with cherries and marzipan! Can you do something to shorten
the queue?’