Читать книгу The Lost Gargoyle Series 3-Book Bundle - Philippa Dowding - Страница 16

Gargoth's Request

The rest of the week went by quietly with no further adventures.

Gargoth lived peacefully enough in their backyard, eating bags of apples and dropping the cores here and there among the statues. Once or twice Katherine caught him lobbing apple cores, using the mended dwarf for target practice, but her mother scolded him, and he sheepishly promised he wouldn’t do it again.

In fact, he promised to be still and quiet during the days, and only move around at night, so the neighbours wouldn’t become suspicious of him. Indeed, he was as good as gold, and as still as a statue most of the time.

He seemed content just to be himself, known finally to the family as a living, breathing thing. He was no longer so rude and surly, although if you caught him napping, he was apt to snap at you if you disturbed him.

After the near disaster at The Golden Nautilus, Katherine’s parents decided it would be best to leave Gargoth in the backyard, where he couldn’t cause any more trouble. This meant that any research they were going to do to track down his origins would be done from the comfort and safety of their computer, on the Internet. After a few short days, it began to seem almost normal to have a gargoyle living among the dwarves in their yard.

Even Milly asked to be let out at the back door, although she still refused to go anywhere near the gargoyle.

Katherine only talked to him once during that first week. She went back to his pedestal one chilly night after dinner, wearing her warmest coat, and took up a place on the swing. The leaves were falling from the tree now, and the evening was chilly enough for snow. Halloween was in one week.

“Gargoth,” she started, “have you ever tried to fly?”

He looked at her mournfully. “Perhaps. A long time ago.”

“But…did you learn?”

He sighed deeply. “No, Katherine. It can take a lifetime to learn to fly, and only another gargoyle can teach me. Otherwise I am doomed to fail.”

Katherine thought about this for a moment. “Why does it have to be another gargoyle?” she asked.

Another sigh from Gargoth. “Because you must be taught by another who...” he hesitated, “who cares for you.” He sunk his head into his leathery claws. “And I have no one.”

He cast his eyes up to the sky. “It will snow soon, Katherine. I will be covered with a chilly winter blanket tonight.”

For the first time it occurred to Katherine that he might be uncomfortable living outside, especially now that the cold weather was coming.

“Gargoth, do you feel the cold? When it snows, I mean, will you be chilly?” she asked.

“Chilly? No, Katherine. I feel neither heat nor cold, only hunger and thirst, and your kind mother has seen that I do not suffer there.” He waved toward a bag nearby, bursting with apples and a full jug of water.

They were quiet for a while, listening to the sounds of the city. Gargoth stirred on his pedestal, then he spoke again. “There is one thing I would like, though.” He looked almost shyly at her, his heavy eyelids drooping slightly.

“Yes?”

“I would like to visit more gargoyles, in more stores in this city.” He glanced at her sideways with a tiny curl of his lip.

She hesitated. “But you know my mom and dad want you to stay here, in the backyard. You’re not supposed to go anywhere.”

He didn’t seem to hear her. “You know how to use the underground locomotion machine? Don’t you?” Katherine thought for a moment and realized he must mean the subway.

“Yes, I do,” she answered.

“Then, you can take me,” he said slyly.

“Oh sure, Gargoth! You want me to smuggle you onto the subway and travel around the city with you looking at gargoyles. I really don’t think so! Not after the way you acted at The Golden Nautilus! I don’t want to get arrested!”

“I promise to behave,” he said quietly, “and a gargoyle never breaks a promise.”

“No way,” she said simply.

There was a long pause, then Gargoth spoke again. “I would not ask you to do this for me, Katherine, but I believe there may be one among the gargoyles in a certain store in this city who can teach me to fly. We may be able to find her.”

With the word “her”, Katherine jumped off the swing and walked toward Gargoth. “What do you mean, ‘her’?” she asked him. He turned his face away and would not answer.

She tried again. “What do you mean, Gargoth? Is there another gargoyle like you in Toronto? Do you know her? Where do you think she is? Tell me!” she insisted, impatient now.

Gargoth spoke quietly. “You do not need to shout, Katherine. I am unsure how much to tell you. I did not tell your mother, because I know she will not take me to find her. But I am telling you because you are a child, and you still think and believe like a child. You may be able to help me. But we will have to do it together, alone.”

Katherine was just about to answer when her father opened the back door and called her in for bed.

“Coming, Dad,” she yelled. She turned back to Gargoth, who reached out and took her hand. It was the first time he had touched her. His claw was leathery and cool. “Please think about it, Katherine,” he said in his gargoyle voice, then dropped her hand and looked away.

“Okay, I’ll think about it,” she said then walked slowly back to the house.

What else could she say?