hapter Eight
Liza, Mary, the General, the Colonel and Moto made their way
across the village green to the small inn Will had told them of. It was
cozy, but had enough room for them all if Mazy and Liza doubled up. The two
girls did not mind.
“Amazing!” Mary burst out after remaining silent while the five
of them checked into their rooms. Liza smiled as she looked around the tiny
room.
“It’s not bad, but amazing is not the word I would use Mary.”
“No!” Mary laughed. “Not the room, the journey, the adventure,
the trip you and the General have planned.”
“Yes, it could be, but I am afraid without Mr. Cogsworth on
board we will not be going on the journey anytime soon.”
“Oh I am sure he’ll come around, after all I think you could
always use your charms on him.” Mary said, almost as an afterthought as she
took off her jacket and hung it on the coat rack in the corner.
“My charms?” Liza asked. Mary looked up sharply.
“Oh… I am sorry, I didn’t mean anything. It’s just that I
supposed that Will, you know, maybe he fancied you and that would be to your
advantage. That’s all.”
Liza folded her arms and looked hard at Mary, who visibly
shrank.
“Mary, I know we’ve not known each other long, so I will chalk
this up to that fact. While I am perfectly aware of how men view me, I strive,
I make a great effort, to not rely on my appearance or charms or any other
‘womanly” accoutrements to make men do things they might otherwise not wish to
do.”
Mary nodded her head mutely. Liza sighed and smiled as she
came over and put her hands on Mary’s shoulder. “My dear Mary, I am sorry to be
so blunt. But as I am sure you are aware, we must guard against falling into
the trap of what us girls are supposed to be, am I not right? We must strive to
rise about the petty expectations that men has foisted upon us.”
Mary nodded again and her face lit up.
“Oh Liza, I am so happy to hear this. It is very hard to tell sometimes with
people you’ve just met. If I talk too much about books or such I am thought to
be dull and boring-“
“Never!”
“Well, yes. Has no
one ever accused you of going on too much about books or science? No, I guess
not.” Mary looked concerned for a moment. “Tell me Liza, have you never been
called dull? I can’t imagine you have…”
“Oh certainly
Mary, you can count on that. But I just laugh it off really. I find people who
find me dull to be dull themselves. Honestly, spending too much time talking
about fashion is what I find truly dull.”
Mary laughed.
“Well, don’t tell my mother that!”
“I’m sorry Mary,
sorry I did not tell you more about this trip before we came. But you must
understand that we have tried to keep this whole affair as quiet as possible.”
“Oh, it is not my
business, I know. But I am curious, why keep it so quiet?”
“Well, can you
imagine if word got around London that my Grandfather and I were going to sail
off to look for cloud people?”
Mary looked
confused. “Well, what of it, as if anyone should care what you do…”
Liza laughed. “I
forget you are a country mouse sometimes Mary.”
Mary opened her
mouth to protest. “I am only kidding you Mary, but you see, in London people
would talk. I know they already talk, about my Grandfather’s eccentric travels
around the world, about me.”
“You? but why?”
“Well, look at me?
I carry on like this” Liza brushed her hands down her shirt and pants.
“Like what?” Mary
said.
“Like this, like,
well, like a man. I tinker with machines and wear pants half the time.”
“And why not? You
sound like my mother, talking about what people expect from you instead of
people accepting what you are.”
Liza laughed
again. “Oh Mary, if only more people were like you.” Mary laughed, but only for
a moment.
“Still Liza, you
must tell me more about the trip. Will you be going soon?”
“As soon as we
convince Mr. Cogworth to help us. Have generally know the place is somewhere in
the Caribbean, but not where exactly.”
“The Caribbean?!
That would take ages to get to!”
“Not at all, by
Balloon it is quite a reasonable trip.
“Well, alright…”
Mary did not sound convinced. “But then what? These could dwellers seem like
dangerous… things.”
“Perhaps. But
imagine if we are able to make civilized contact with them. Imagine what sort
of technology they might have to share with us.”
“Technology?”
“Yes, those
cities, that float. There must be something they are doing…”
“It is not a
natural phenomena then?”
Liza titled her
head for a moment.” What is natural about a city in the clouds?”
“There are many
strange things in the world Liza. I am be a country mouse, but I’ve read enough
to know that things in nature are often very odd.”
“Really? Well,
that is precisely why I am counting on you to go with us.”
“With you!?
Really? To the Caribbean, to the city?”
“Well, yes, of
course.”
“But what on earth
for? How will I be of any use. Today was the first time I had ever even set off
in a balloon.”
Liza made a
divisive motion with her hand. “No, not for that. Myself, Moto, Will if he
goes, even the General all have enough knowledge to see us through anything
with the balloon. What we lack dearest Mary, if someone who knows things about
nature. I am fully convinced that we will need you to balance out all of our
mechanical knowledge with some natural knowledge.”
“Oh…” Mary said,
looking down.
“Do you not want
to go then?” Liza said, concerned.
“Oh I do want to
go, but I am afraid I have over sold my knowledge by far.”
“Nonsense. Why
just now, you’re insight that the city might be held up by natural causes, that
might be invaluable. Imagine if we spent all of our time running around looking
for gears or springs or wings and the whole time it was something not even man
made…”
Mary seemed to
perk up. “Well, in that case, count me in. I would be honored to go with you.
And frankly I would be glad to get out of all of the parties Mother has me
signed up for around London.”
Liza took Mary’s
hands in hers. “I promise you Mary, you will have a much, much better time than
any party could offer.”
Later that night,
after a plain but filling dinner downstairs, everyone retired to their beds.
Liza had already snuffed her oil lamp, but Mary was still reading beside hers,
when there came a sharp knock on the door. The two looked at each other for a
second.
“Yes?” Liza said.
“It is I, Moto.”
“Yes, come in
Moto.” Liza said as she sat up in her bed. The door to the room swung open and
Moto strode in, breathless.
“There is bad news
I am afraid. Mr. Cogworth has been found missing!”
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