Whispering Echoes - Maya Chandel (best books to read non fiction .txt) 📗

that Evie could not go to Eton with him, she surely would have got herself into some mischief there.

She had made him tell her all the scrapes he had gotten into just as soon as he had returned home for the summer holidays, whilst Agnes had predictably frowned and tutted to herself. It was strange to think that he had imagined they might have altered whilst he was away in his first year at Eton; however, he had reassuringly returned to find them both just the same as ever.

‘She is not exactly what?’ asked Agnes pointedly.

‘I think he is trying to find a round about way of saying that she is boring,’ said Evie in her usual frank manner.

‘Ophelia is not boring! Just because she happens to be a proper lady does not mean that she is not interesting,’ gasped Agnes, her deep blue eyes glistening with tears.

‘Oh come on Agnes don’t start crying again,’ sighed Daniel somewhat impatiently. ‘Surely girls of eight are too old to cry? Why Evie never cries and she is younger than you.’

‘Only by two years,’ sulked Agnes, pouting her lips and looking altogether extremely cross.

‘Fine if you want to be Princess Ophelia in these adventures then you can be; though I don’t exactly see how she will fit into it, being as she was safely returned to Fairyvale,’ replied Daniel a little exasperatedly as he ran his hand through his fine light chestnut brown hair and tried to think of a possible explanation to account for the inconvenience.

‘Maybe she can be the forever damsel in distress and in need of rescue?’ suggested Evie. ‘Or perhaps Captain Bravura has fallen in love with her?’

‘I don’t think so,’ said Daniel with rather exaggerated emphasis. ‘Damsel in distress sounds more like it. Anyhow getting on with it, I think we should have one primary character each; obviously we will take on a whole variety of roles in each of the separate adventures, but there should be a core three. Mine is naturally Captain Bravura and I take it yours is Princess Ophelia?’

Agnes nodded in consent.

‘That leaves you Evie? Your Grindylow Queen was quite good but unfortunately she is dead; and the one rule in this game is that there is no rising from the dead. I suppose you could be Captain Shortleg; he seemed quite a character and somehow I can’t imagine him leaving Bravura be.’

‘Oh definitely not,’ she agreed with a mischievous smile. ‘However, he is not going to be my main character. I think I shall make up someone new.’

‘Who are they then?’

‘Let me think a moment,’ she replied, taking a strand of her thick unruly auburn hair and twirling it about between her fingers; it was her one girlish trait.

‘Do hurry up Evie, you could be Ophelia’s sister if you like?’ suggested Agnes.

‘Have some patience Agnes; all great characters require some thought,’ smiled Daniel resting back against the tree trunk and closing his eyes as he pondered the right words to set the story in motion.

Though he was not about to share this with the girls; he was regarding this little project as a trial to test his writing skills. Ever since he could remember Daniel had always wanted to be an author; he didn’t exactly know why, and he certainly did not know if he would actually be any good at it. He had always had a vivid imagination and ideas for stories had always seemed to just come together in his mind; however, up till now he had never actually put his ideas to paper. Hence this was going to be the measure of his ability; and if he was not satisfied with his efforts then he was going to do away with the notion of becoming a writer for once and for all and simply resign himself to the fate of taking over the running of his father’s mine.

With Daniel and Evie each deep in their own thoughts, Agnes gave a frustrated little sigh and wandered over to the where the hopscotch court had been laid out. She still had her reservations about this new proposed game; though she had certainly enjoyed the afternoon’s first adventure. It was just that she knew she was not as imaginative as either Daniel or Evie, and she hoped it was not just going to become their special pursuit that they shared between them, leaving her out. For although she was immensely glad to have Daniel back with them for the summer holiday; a part of her had rather grown used to, and indeed even enjoyed him being away. His absence had meant that she and Evie had grown closer together; and for the first time in their friendship really, Agnes had appreciated that three was perhaps not the ideal number.

‘Hey Agnes!’ Glancing up she saw Daniel waving her to come over. ‘Evie’s had an idea for her character,’ he called eagerly.

‘I am going to be the Sea Witch!’ beamed Evie, her hands clasped together in her lap with excitement, her green eyes sparkling with intent.

‘Sea Witch?’ echoed Agnes, not at all seeing the appeal.

‘Yes, I have command of the sea itself and so all who dare to cross it are at my mercy.’

‘Including Captain Bravura,’ smiled Daniel, his eyes gleaming as he mulled all the endless possibilities.

‘Quite so,’ she grinned.

‘Well if you really want to be an ugly, evil witch then so be it,’ said Agnes.

‘Ah but no-one has ever seen her face so you don’t know if she is ugly; and as for being evil, well you shall have to judge that for yourself.’

‘Excellent, a character with ambiguity always makes for a memorable story,’ smiled Daniel. ‘Tell me some more about her.’

Setting herself reluctantly down again, Agnes could but find herself getting slowly drawn in as Evie related the Sea Witch’s character and she and Daniel began to plot the stories ahead. Really she supposed she ought to give it a chance; after all it was only a game and no real harm could come of it she was sure.


If Agnes had her reservations to begin with, they were soon forgotten as the magic of their new game began to take hold; indeed it had them all under its spell. They played it every day, come sunshine or rain; each adventure transporting them away into another world which they were coming to know just as well as their own.

The characters flourished to life in a way they could scarcely have imagined; even Princess Ophelia proving herself to have hidden resources. Agnes was generally most contented to play Ophelia, although sometimes it was required of her to take on another role; Daniel and Evie supplying her with a colourful background on which to base her performance. As for themselves, they revelled in creating new characters to play; Captain Bravura and the Sea Witch by now simply legends of their own accord.

When they were not playing, they were usually lost in thoughts and ideas for their next adventure; or else of course working on the scrapbook. Whilst Daniel wrote up the stories charting their adventures, Agnes and Evie had taken to drawing illustrations to brighten up the scrapbook; Agnes taking this responsibility rather more seriously of the two of them and usually scolding Evie for being careless. It was also Agnes’ idea to make costumes and props that they might use whilst they played; and as Evie’s sewing skills were not much up the task, the practical handicraft of these costumes mostly fell to her. She was particularly proud of her pink fairy wings for Ophelia, even though Daniel and Evie could not stop giggling when she first wore them.

Of course when one afternoon, Evie came skipping out with a rather stunning Venetian mask that she proposed to wear as the Sea Witch, Agnes could but be a little jealous. After all the costumes had been her idea to begin with; and since Evie had not actually gone to the trouble of making the mask herself, she was not precisely sure she should be allowed to wear it. Before she could voice this opinion however, Daniel had a more pressing issue.

‘Did you tell your Papa what you wanted the mask for?’ he asked rather urgently.

‘I told him it was for a game; though of course I did not tell him the details,’ she hastened to add. ‘Though I do not see why I cannot tell him; Papa and I do not keep secrets from each other.’

‘Yes well you have to keep this a secret Evie,’ insisted Daniel. ‘It is one of the rules.’

‘I thought you said the only rule was that there was no rising from the dead,’ replied Evie.

‘Well this is the other one. It all has to be kept secret; no arguing the point. Now come on then, let us see you with the mask on,’ he added with a smile; such that Agnes knew there was no point protesting. The following day, however, she did appear with an additional prop for Ophelia; a sparkling silver tiara to place atop her rich golden hair!

Determined as Daniel was to ensure their new game was kept secret, however, it was only a matter of time before someone found them out. They had been playing one afternoon in their favourite haunt, the garden that ran along the cliff edge at Rosevale, where indeed the game had first come to be. Anyhow, following their adventure, Daniel had as usual settled down with the scrapbook to make an entry of their latest escapade; only to find himself enticed away when Evie had come running back out to declare that Daisy had just baked a fresh Victoria Sponge Cake hot from the oven.

Even as he now found himself racing back down the stone steps to the garden, having realised he had left the scrapbook behind, he knew it was too late. Brendan Callaghan was sat under the willow tree; his longs legs stretched out before him, his raven head bent over the scrapbook in his lap!

Daniel spun back round on the spot; he could not face him, it would be too mortifying! He knew Brendan was a decent sort and perhaps he might spare him any embarrassment by not mentioning anything of the scrapbook when they next met; but he if stayed now there simply could be no escaping it. Silently praying to himself that he might sneak back up unnoticed, Daniel began to tiptoe back up the steps. Alas it seemed his prayers were not to be answered!

‘Hey Daniel, I think you left something behind,’ came a thick American voice.

Turning slowly back round, Daniel saw Brendan now approaching him, the book in his hand.

‘Oh yes that; it’s just something that amuses the girls,’ shrugged Daniel.

‘Well at least now I know why Evie was so keen to have that mask; I was starting to worry my daughter might be acquiring some girlish tastes,’ smiled Brendan.

‘Oh I don’t think there is much danger of that Sir,’ laughed Daniel despite himself. He had always liked that about Brendan; he had an uncommon way of making you feel very easy around him.

‘No I don’t suppose there is. I hope you don’t mind my having taken a little through it?’

‘Like I said, it’s just something that amuses the girls.’

‘I can certainly see why; I only had a