Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Volbert spat out a mouthful of tea at Lyla’s comment.  “Junk?” he exclaimed.  “Junk?!  No no no little miss Lyla, this stuff his valuable!”  With a grand gesture, he caressed all the items that filled the room with one sweeping arm movement.  An upturned church bell with a huge crack up one side which showed that it had no ringer, an oven with no door or dials, and a large clock-face with most of the numbers missing (and not to mention both hands) were the highlights of Volbert’s sitting-still tour before Lyla – again – said, “it all looks like junk to me” with a shrug of her slim shoulders.

“Well, I suppose it may look like junk right now, to you, but one day, all of this will be as good as new – no, I lie!  It will be better than new!” he positively bounced in his chair with excitement.

“Yes, we have heard this before, last year . . . and the year before that,” Morris said wearily.

“It encroaches on my rug-pile,” Millie chuntered quietly.

“But the good news is I have lots more places to explore!” Flake said in a breatless rush, and then zoomed off exploring, as though he had just reminded himself.  He appeared a second later inside the bird cage Volbert had acquired.

Volbert looked down at his lap where his huge fingers rested, interlocked.  He looked somewhat abashed.  “But the problem is that . . . well, I’ll start from the beginning.  I am an earth spirit; I am a magical . . . well, I suppose humans would call me a monster, but I am not and it hurts my feelings!  All metals come from the earth; without earth, there would be no metal.  It upsets me to see metal – and therefore, earth - treated so badly, so I am going to repair all of these items and return them to humans who threw them out . . . one day,” Volbert said glumly, sighing to himself as a full stop.

“But with him looking how he does, he has no way of getting these things back to the people they once belonged to,” Morris offered in a rather matter-of-fact voice.

“Well, maybe I could help.  I can show people that you aren’t a monster.  You have been a lovely host,” Lyla replied to Volbert, smiling so that her little dimples showed.

Volbert smiled back in a rather embarrassed manner, and then adjusted his goggles.  “That is nice of you, but I don’t think it is a good idea.  I will do it bit by bit, and return it on my nightly visits.”

“You visit Daisyfield every night?  Why” Lyla queried.

“Ah, yes, well . . . y’see, being an earth spirit, I take a great care in the grass and the trees and the flowers – I have been using magic on the very flowers that give the village its name, no less, which is why they are always so big and so beautiful – but humans are such messy creatures, and I tidy up after them,” said Volbert with a firm nod.

Lyla slowly turned and arched an eyebrow at the pile of rubbish, enjoying the irony of being lectured about mess.  It is just like when mommy tells her she has made a mess with her food, but she has made a worse one (mommy even still wears a bib when she eats her dinner because she is that messy, but let’s keep that between you and me.)

All of a sudden, a cuckoo clock sounded loudly.  Lyla jumped! “Is that clock telling the right time?” she asked hastily.

“That one does, yes.  It’s the only one that does,” Millie replied, much to Lyla’s surprise.

“Oh!  It’s late!  I must be heading home, or else my mommy will worry,” Lyla said, standing up and taking hold of Teddy Radson and Esther.

“Oh yes of course.  But it is dark outside – well, dark to humans anyway.  Please may I walk you back towards the village? I can see perfectly well in the dark” –Lyla studied his goggles with a quirked eyebrow – “and I would worry if you got lost or hurt yourself,” replied Volbert.

Lyla-Mae beamed a smile.  “Yes, I would like that.  Thankyou.”

Volbert led the way, away from the fire – Lyla instantly felt the difference once she was five feet away – and down the dark corridor.  She stumbled in the gloom, but reached out, and felt comforted when she felt Volbert reach out and enclose her hand into his.  Down the corridor they went, until the open hole in the roof was visible.  Volbert let go of Lyla’s hand, and with a wave of his fingers, a twitch of his nose and the makings of some very peculiar noises (I suppose any noise made by a mole is going to be peculiar . . . do moles even make noises?  That’s something Lyla will have to tell me, since she is one clever lady) the ground underneath the hole reared up to form . . . a set of stairs!  Lyla stared open-mouthed at the earthen steps as Volbert ascended, showing that they were perfectly safe, and Lyla quickly followed.  As soon as she was above ground for the first time in a while, the steps sunk back into the earth, and once Volbert closed the door (also with some odd noises, for Volbert was an odd sort of individual) they were on their way, trudging through the snowdrifts and back towards Daisyfield, where mommy was . . . and so was cake!

After a short while, Volbert insisted that he should go no further.  As the two of them said goodbye, Volbert delicately held Lyla’s hand in his, raised it as he lowered himself in a sort-of bow (as much of a bow as a mole can do, at least) and gently kissed Lyla’s hand.  It was all tickly and warm, Lyla giggled!

“Please, feel free to . . . um, ‘drop in’ again soon.  I have enjoyed your company,” Volbert said, awkwardly fiddling with his goggles (again!)

“I will do, I promise,” Lyla replied with a smile. 

“Before you go, please take this magical powder.  Now this is extra special.  Your friends seem to be very shy” – he gestured at Esther and Teddy Radson – “but this should make them a little bit less quiet, but it will only last for a short time”.  Lyla’s eyes both widened and narrowed at the same time; she wasn’t quite sure what he was saying, but it was something to play with later.  She gave Volbert a big big hug, and after much thanking and saying goodbye, the two went their separate ways.