Free Ask Eva by Judi Curtin Page A

I’d hurt her.
    ‘I’m Eleanor,’ she said. ‘And I’m very pleased to meet you. I don’t get many visitors – and a visitor with a dog, why that’s a very special treat indeed.’
    She stroked Lucky, who cuddled up against the old lady’s soft nightie, and closed her eyes.
    It was a sweet moment, but I couldn’tenjoy it. All I could think was that, at any moment, Nurse Witch could march in, and then everything would be ruined.
    ‘Oh,’ I said, looking at an imaginary watch on my wrist. ‘Is that the time? I’m afraid I must go now. I have to take Lucky home to bed.’
    Eleanor didn’t say anything, but as I reached out my hands, she lifted Lucky and held her towards me.
    ‘Thank you,’ I whispered, hardly daring to believe my luck.
    The old lady lay down again.
    ‘Good night,’ I whispered.
    ‘Good night, Madeleine,’ she said. ‘Thank you for coming.’
    She gave a small smile and closed her eyes. I didn’t have time to wonder who Madeleine was, or why she might be running around a nursing home in the middle of the night with a dog under her arm. I tip-toed outof the room, and along the corridor. Nurse Witch still hadn’t stirred, so I cuddled Lucky close to me and ran up the stairs.
    It was turning into a very long night.

Chapter Sixteen
    W hen I got into Gigi’s room with Lucky, I was greeted like I’d just come back from a six-month expedition to the Arctic Circle. All the old people said stuff like ‘well done’ and ‘clever girl’ and a few of them even started to clap.
    ‘Shhh,’ I said, laughing in spite of all the stress. ‘Nurse Witch will hear, and if she discovers us, Ella and I won’t be able to visit next week.’
    That made everyone fall silent. I was glad about that, but kind of sad too. Why were all these grown-ups so timid and obedient?
    And then, as if she could read my mind –again – Gigi stood up.
    ‘Why are we all so afraid of Nurse Witch?’ she asked, waving her fist in the air.
    ‘She’s just an evil old spoilsport,’ said Nancy.
    ‘Hear, hear,’ said Fred, rattling his walking frame on the ground. ‘We shouldn’t let her treat us the way she does. We might be old and doddery but we still deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.’
    ‘We should tell Nurse Witch exactly what we think,’ said one of the new ladies. ‘After all, what can she do to us? She can’t hurt us.’
    She was right of course, but I was suddenly scared.
    Was it right for me to encourage these people to rebel, when I was half-afraid of Nurse Witch myself?
    What if they spoke out and ended up making things even worse than before? They’d have to live with the results, while Ella and Icould skip off to our lovely homes. That totally wouldn’t be fair.
    Then Gigi sat down. ‘Maybe we’re getting a bit carried away,’ she said. ‘It’s late, and we’re all tired. Why don’t we just go to bed? Tomorrow is a new day.’
    I didn’t know what to say. Had I just witnessed the shortest revolution in world history?
    There was a second’s silence and then the old people began to move. They made their way slowly to the door, whispering their goodbyes as they went.
    Gigi climbed in to bed, and while I wrapped Lucky in my fleece, Ella gently tucked the bedclothes around her granny.
    ‘Good night, Gigi,’ she said. ‘Don’t let the bed-bugs bite.’
    ‘Good night, Darling,’ said Gigi. ‘You’ve made everything different. Everything is better when you two are here.’
    Ella kissed her granny, and then she switched off the light and we tip-toed from the room.

    When we got to the bottom of the stairs, we could see Nurse Witch sitting at her station. Her back was straight and she was all alert, like she knew that someone, somewhere was doing something wrong.
    ‘Oh, no,’ said Ella. ‘It’s getting late. If she doesn’t move soon, we’ll never get home before Mum and Dad. If they find out what we’ve been doing, we’re dead – totally dead.’
    ‘Maybe your parents