Chapter One: The Quest

Emily was the sweetest of seven-year-old girls. Dark blonde with a ponytail, she chattered endlessly to her toys while her father, Sean, and mother, Sue, listened, smiling behind her bedroom door.

"Teddy you cannot sit there; that is Piggy's place...No, do not argue with me young man. Mama knows best." Emily's shrill voice barked in a bossy tone.

Sue put her hand to her mouth to stop laughing, it was exactly the phrase she would use to tell off Emily's older brother James when he was being naughty. Emily had adopted it as her own with her unruly cuddly toy and doll collection.

"Barbie stop looking at yourself in the mirror and say grace...Yes, that is right, we say grace before tea and cucumber sandwiches." Sean peaked around the door to see Emily pouring imaginary tea into invisible cups arranged before each of her toys.

Good, so now we can start..." Emily continued.

Sean chose this moment to knock.

"Sorry to interrupt you Emily with all your guests, but we were wondering if you could join us for dinner."

"Daddy, Daddy, you're home in time for food." Emily ran and stretched her hands out towards her father and he seized her up into his arms and kissed her on the forehead. Emily gave him a strong hug and then started chattering.

"We were having tea and cucumber sandwiches, we were practicing manners because we are off to see the King tomorrow."

"That's right Emily, King Charles III is coming to Berlin, but you know they are predicting rain and we do not have umbrellas for all your teddies."" Sean replied.

Emily nodded as if she had already thought this through.

"That is why only Big Ted will be coming and he can share my umbrella. I will put my pink jacket on him to keep him warm and we have boots for him so his feet do not get wet also."

Sean gave his daughter a big kiss with a laugh, he added, "You are so clever and so organized, just like your mama."

Emily chose to simply hug him in response and Sean beamed his appreciation to Sue who was watching with tears in her eyes.

The following day, Emily waved goodbye to her father over breakfast and he promised to be back from work in time to take her to the Town Hall to see the King.

"Don't be late, Daddy," she said. He blew her a kiss and left to get in his car.

A few hours later, Emily watched as Mama answered the phone. She could hear the emotion in Mama's voice and thought she was going to cry. She went to her so that she could help her.

"What do you mean they took Sean?" said Mama.

A man's voice on the other end of the line was too muffled to hear, but she could hear her mama's sobs and saw her shaking her head as she replied.

"I thought Sean was just an office worker with a travel firm, why would they kidnap him?" Mama replied. Emily wondered what kidnap meant, she would ask Mama later.

The man's voice was again muffled.

"So no one else was taken; nothing was stolen; they just took Sean. The police have been informed..."

The man spoke again and then hung up. Mama was sobbing now with complete abandon and Emily ran to her to hug her. Mama hugged back and Emily felt her hair go wet with all the tears from Mama's face. That was fine, Mama just needed a hug and everything would be alright.

When Mama stopped crying Emily looked up into her face and asked, "Do you think that Daddy will be home in time for us to go see the King?"

Mama's response surprised her; she just ran out of the room and started crying again.

Oh well, thought Emily, I will go and see if Big Ted is ready; like Daddy said, it is raining outside.


Notes ▼

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