Giggleswick: The Amadán Map

Chapter Five: Lefty Scrum

Elliot snapped his suitcase shut and leapt back down the stairs just as eagerly as he’d ascended them. His mother and father had finished raiding the hall closet and were now wrapping Mrs. Bisby’s dinner plates in tissue paper. Their hand-painted floral design had almost completely worn off over the past hundred years, but they had been handed down for over three generations, and Mrs. Bisby couldn’t bear to part with them.   

“Nearly finished!” she exclaimed, placing the last of the plates carefully into their suitcase. “Oh Todd, can you believe it?!” she cooed, her eyes sparkling with happiness. She pulled herself to her feet and wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck, planting a kiss on his cheek. 

Mr. Bisby returned the kiss with a huge smack of his lips and then reached to gather up as many suitcases as he could manage. “So, are we ready to cast our troubles aside and stare adventure in the face?!” he shouted.

“Yes!” Elliot cheered back as his mother helped him load a suitcase under his arm. 

“Now, Todd –– did you call the charity shop?” asked Mrs. Bisby, no doubt running through a mental checklist. 

“First thing this morning, dear,” he answered.

“Good,” said Mrs. Bisby, “no sense all this stuff going to waste,” she added as she gave their remaining possessions one last look. “And you paid the past month’s bills?” 

“Yup,” said Mr. Bisby proudly. 

Elliot knew his father would have made sure that, despite their disappearance, the Bisby family would cheat no one. They’d managed to pay off the house a few years ago, and though they hardly ever had two pennies to rub together, they never allowed themselves enough luxury to fall into debt. 

Mrs. Bisby hoisted the remaining suitcases off the floor, looking quite worried she might forget something. “Oh, and did you get the pretzels and sandwiches I packed for the boat?”

Mr. Bisby chuckled. “Nora, dear –– relax,” he said. “I’ve got them right here,” he patted the suitcase in his right hand. 

“Well then,” Mrs. Bisby sighed, looking rather satisfied. “We best be on our way!” 

 *  *  *

Ten minutes later, the Bisbys were unloading their suitcases from a taxi cab and lugging them toward Camden Harbor. It was a rather chilly morning, and though the sun was out, a herd of ominous looking clouds to the east suggested a dreary forecast. When they reached the water, the Bisbys plopped their suitcases onto the pavement and rubbed their sore arms. The wind was blowing hard off the water, and Mrs. Bisby insisted on buttoning up Elliot’s jacket for him. 

They had not forgotten Mr. Noodle’s promise to meet them at precisely ten o’clock down at the town dock. When there was no sight of Wally at five-past ten, Mrs. Bisby became very anxious and started turning in circles and looking in every direction for the tall blond-haired man who’d surely be sporting a bow-tie. 

“Oh Todd,” she said, wringing her hands together, “you don’t supposed we’ve been scammed?” 

“Scammed how?” Mr. Bisby replied. “We haven’t given him anything. I’m sure he’ll be along any minute,” he assured her, though he was beginning to look a bit worried himself.  

Wally had to come, Elliot thought. He couldn’t bear to give up his new life before it had even started. 

Several more minutes passed by, along with a few shoppers and dog walkers, all of whom had stared rather strangely at the Bisbys, but there was still no sign of Wally. They were beginning to feel a bit foolish standing huddled together amidst a pile of suitcases bracing themselves against the cold, and their hopes continued to fade with each passing second.