Free Finding Emilie by Laurel Corona

icy tone. “I’ll see that she’s there,” she said, as the baroness swept from the parlor.
    THE WINDOWS OF the Hôtel Bercy rattled as the wind from the first cold storm of fall banged the shutters. Julie had gone out despite the weather, but not before ordering that a small fire be lit in the room, where the girls were spending the afternoon. Delphine had tired of playing the piano and was moving around in her stocking feet, imitating dancers at a ball. She worked her way over to where Lili sat at the desk, intent on her notebook.
    “Read me what you’ve written,” she pleaded. “I promise I’ll be your slave forever if you do.”
    Lili snorted. “You’re already my slave for the next century, at the rate you promise things.” But her concentration was broken, and with a sigh she stood up. “At least let’s sit closer to the fire.”
    Delphine wiggled her hips next to Lili’s in a chair meant for one person, looking at the pages while Lili read.
“When Comète galloped to a stop on Venus, Meadowlark was surprised to find people weeping and laying flowers in front of a long row of rocks.
“‘I can’t imagine any rock that could make me cry,’ Meadowlark said to Comète. ‘Wait here—I’m going to see what’s happening.’ Comète nodded his head and snorted fireworks from his white nose.
“‘Why are you crying over a rock?’ Meadowlark asked the first person she came to.
“‘It’s not really a rock,’ he said. ‘It’s my daughter.’
“‘Was she born that way?’ Meadowlark asked.
“‘Of course not! Who would have a rock for a baby?’”
    Delphine giggled and looked up at Lili with shining eyes. “A rock for a baby!” Lili grinned and went on.
“‘The Evil Queen lined all the children up,’ the man said. ‘If the girls couldn’t curtsey perfectly and the boys didn’t bow just right, they would be turned into stone with her magic wand. My little girl didn’t keep her back upright enough, and now look at her!’
“Just then a few apples fell from a tree behind Meadowlark, and she looked up. A boy sat in the branches. ‘Why aren’t you a rock?’ she asked.
“‘I told her I had a stomachache and couldn’t bow properly until later,’ the boy said. ‘She said she would come back and turn me into stone this afternoon. That’s why I’m hiding.’
“‘Well, hiding doesn’t help if she’s not here,’ Meadowlark said. ‘You’d better come down and practice bowing if you know what’s good for you,’ Meadowlark said.
“‘Why bother?’ the boy answered. ‘Even if I were perfect, she’d turn me into stone anyway. She does it for fun and no one has the power to stop her.’”
    Lili had come to the end of what she had written and closed her notebook with a clap. “What’s going to happen now?” Delphine’s eyes were wide.
    “The Evil Queen is going to come back, and Meadowlark and Tom—that’s the boy’s name—are going to escape on Comète.”
    Delphine wiggled out of her seat. “I wouldn’t let the Evil Queen turn me into stone. I would curtsey so perfectly she couldn’t bear to harm me.” She went to the center of the room and bit her lip as she concentrated on dropping her back exactly as she had been taught at dancing lessons. “Just like that.”
    Lili watched as she did it again. “Well,” she said, “what would it be like to be the only one not turned to stone?”
    Delphine thought for a moment as she continued to curtsey. “I wouldn’t be alone for long. I would be so nice and kind that the Evil Queen would change her ways and set the others free.”
    “I suppose,” Lili said. “But I don’t think Meadowlark curtseys that well, and she’s the one who’s got to save everyone. I’m going to have her come back with Tom and steal the Evil Queen’s wand and turn her into stone and rescue the children. Do you like it?”
    Delphine lost her balance on her fourth curtsey and had to take a quick step to avoid banging against a side table.