The Feisty Orphan

Chapter 19

My face fell while Peter couldn’t keep the smile out of his face. He didn’t look like he would budge.

‘Tom! You know he won’t!’

Tom laughed for a long time.

‘You’re horrible! Both of you!’ I said, trying to keep the tears out of my eyes, aware that it was a silly reason to start crying in front of them. 

Peter suddenly tackled Tom to the ground. I heard their shouts as they rolled away from me. 

‘You’re cheating, you idiot!’ Tom say to his brother. ‘Surprise attacks are against the rules!’

I stomped my foot angrily and cursed them both silently in my head.

‘I hope both of you end up losing!’

I ran away, feeling the light drizzle of rain mix with my tears.

I found myself miserable and grumpy as I entered the maze. My fingers trailed along the walls of hedges. Childish troubles seemed to dominate my thoughts. I was unhappy.  I wished I could run to my mother. Mrs Grahame was kind enough yet she was strict and told me off for wanting to play boys games. Instead, she thought a girl should be engaged in feminine activities such as sewing. That was how she spent her time, and she encouraged me to learn to sew and crochet. She had always wanted a daughter but to her I suppose I was the next best thing. Of course, I had very little interest in improving my sewing and she seemed to get frustrated in me more often than not.

I rubbed my hands on my face, stopping for a moment to take in my surroundings. It was strange. I hadn’t remembered intending to go to the maze. I was scared of it as I thought I may end up lost. Peter told me stories that a hideous monster with seven heads lurked within the maze waiting to eat up little girls. I tried to make myself belief he was only joking. I presumed that if I had visited the maze on a sunnier, clear day I wouldn’t have felt so frightened. Yet, here I was as scared as a rabbit. What if I could never escape from the maze and I ended up being trapped forever? I laughed. I would ignore Peter’s stories and hope for the best.

I walked further into the maze, trying to find the heart of it. My own heart was thudding as I was confronted with dead ends countless times. I wished I had brought some orange peel or bread with me, so I could have figured out if I was going around in circles. I heard a whistle travel through the air. I frowned. Someone or something else seemed to be not too far away from me. The seven-headed girl-eating monster perhaps? I will not be afraid, I thought. I walked to the noise. As I turned a corner, I felt the wind whip across my face. A sleek black cat  appeared from around hedge. The cat’s large green eyes regarded me curiously.

The whistling continued; this time much nearer than before. The cat slinked off as quick as a shadow back to where it had appeared from. I followed behind.

I gasped in surprise and satisfaction as I realised I was in the centre of the maze. I wasn't alone, however. An older boy lay across the bench reading a book, eating an apple. The cat leapt onto his stomach. The boy muttered something and set the book down, eventually allowing his fingers to stroke the cat behind its ears. A loud, purring sound could be heard. The boy noticed me and smiled. His hazel eyes were warm and friendly. He wore fine clothes. The shirt he had on was as white as snow; the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and his trousers were of soft grey wool. The boy’s jacket lay in a small heap on the ground.

‘Hello,’ I said, walking over toward him. ‘What were you whistling?’

‘Was I whistling? I didn’t realise. It’s a habit of mine,’ he grinned ‘I don’t know. No tune in particular.’

I stood over him. He sat up and made room for me to join him.

‘Have a seat.’

‘I thought I would never find the middle of the maze.’

‘Why not?’ 

‘Because I always keep getting lost,’ I said.

‘I know my way around the maze.’

‘All of the maze?’

‘All of it.’

He must have seen the doubt etched across my face because he laughed.

‘I shall prove it to you,’ he stretched his arms across his head to loosen the stiffness in his body and edged a little closer to me. ‘What’s you’re name? I’m Arthur.’

A/N: Please VOTE! :) Thank you, guys! <3 <3 Clocks go forward tonight... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! So unfair. >.< Damn you, Scottish farmers...