“That made things worse. I kept thinking maybe you’d got lost in some old dark tunnels!” said Mum.
“Well…” said Cecilia.
“You didn’t,” said Hester, finishing her sentence.
“No, because here you are!” said her dad, giving her a big squeeze.
“And there’s still some of your birthday left—although it is quite late.”
“Can we go home, just get a pizza or something?” said Cecilia.
“PIZZA! Yes! I’m hungry!” Hester chirped.
“Are you OK, darling? I mean, really?” asked her mum, kissing her on the cheeks and looking deep into her eyes the way only a mum can.
“I am absolutely fine. Just a bit tired and hungry.”
“OK. Well, your dad and I will have a chat with the manager and the police. You guys sit on that bench over there while we sort this out and then we will get something to eat, OK?”
“Great,” said Cecilia.
Hester and Cecilia sat side by side on a wooden bench while their parents talked to the authorities. Her Mum and Dad kept looking over and smiling.
“Where did you get that rucksack?” asked Hester.
“Oh, I… was wearing it earlier. Didn’t you notice?”
“No, you weren’t. I remember. And what are you wearing under your coat?” she said, smoothing her hand over the fuzzy texture of the deepsuit. “Awww, it’s all velvety!” Hester smiled.
“Yeah… Charity shop,” Cecilia fibbed.
“But you were wearing jeans earlier,” said Hester.
“Well, you can’t always believe everything you see, can you, kiddo?”
“Kiddo?” she said, scrunching up her nose.
“Right then, kids. Pizza it is!” said her dad, rubbing his hands together. Hester immediately dropped the conversation and jumped to her feet.
“Turns out they took your train for a spring clean or something, that’s why it took so much longer to turn round. The person who was sprucing up the insides swears you weren’t in there though.”
Cecilia and her dad dropped back as Hester skipped ahead holding their mum’s hand.
“Must’ve been quite a scary adventure?” asked her dad.
“Yeah, it was pretty lonely and boring, but all that matters is that I’m back with you guys now,” shrugged Cecilia as she found the whistle in her pocket and held it tight in her hand. She linked her dad’s arm with her free arm.
“Were you in the pitch dark the whole time?” Her dad looked anxiously at Cecilia.
Cecilia turned to him and said with a serene smile dancing about her mouth, “Yes, pretty much, but you know me, Dad. I’m not afraid of a little bit of darkness.”
We created Pushkin Children’s Books to share tales from different languages and cultures with younger readers, and to open the door to the wide, colourful worlds these stories offer.
From picture books and adventure stories to fairy tales and classics, and from fifty-year-old bestsellers to current huge successes abroad, the books on the Pushkin Children’s list reflect the very best stories from around the world, for our most discerning readers of all: children.
THE BEGINNING WOODS
MALCOLM MCNEILL
‘I loved every word and was envious of quite a few… A modern classic. Rich, funny and terrifying’
Eoin Colfer
THE RED ABBEY CHRONICLES
MARIA TURTSCHANINOFF
1 · Maresi
2 · Naondel
‘Embued with myth, wonder, and told with a dazzling, compelling ferocity’
Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink and Stars
THE LETTER FOR THE KING
TONKE DRAGT
‘The Letter for the King will get pulses racing… Pushkin Press deserves every praise for publishing this beautifully translated, well-presented and captivating book’
The Times
THE SECRETS OF THE WILD WOOD
TONKE DRAGT
‘Offers intrigue, action and escapism’
Sunday Times
THE SONG OF SEVEN
TONKE DRAGT
‘A cracking adventure… so nail-biting you’ll need to wear protective gloves’
The Times
THE MURDERER’S APE
JAKOB WEGELIUS
‘A thrilling adventure. Prepare to meet the remarkable Sally Jones; you won’t soon forget her’
Publishers Weekly
Copyright
Pushkin Press
71–75 Shelton Street
London WC2H 9JQ
Copyright © 2019 Nadine Wild-Palmer
First published by Pushkin Press in 2019
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
ISBN 13: 978–1–78269–224–9
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from Pushkin Press
Internal illustrations © Ellen Shi
www.pushkinpress.com
