Chapter 3: Revelations

Billy's story

I was having breakfast when mom answered the phone, it was Kate, I didn't know what to say to her, but I had to say something

"Hello Kate," not very original but then she shocked me with her next words,

"What would you say if I said Fried Fish?" she asked, I couldn't answer at first, it must have been coincidence, she couldn't really be saying that, I wondered if I should answer, then decided that I had to.

"Apple sauce!" I said, now it was her turn to be quiet, I was sure it was a dream, and then Kate said, "I'll phone you back, I've got to check on Brad." Cripes yes! Brad he was still missing, I was going answer her but the phone was dead. So I hung it up and waited by the phone, mom came past and asked what I was doing when the phone rang again, it was Kate.

"Billy, they've released Brad, but he doesn't know what happened to him," and then she dropped her bombshell, "But I've got to go back to the house this afternoon." My mouth was dry, but if she was going then I wouldn't be on my own, so I said,

"I promised Cassandra that I'd go back too," Then the feeling of panic started to form, "Kate, what are we going to do?" I asked her.

She paused for a few minutes before saying, "Meet me at the library at 10, I think we have to check up on this" I was about to moan, go to a library on a Saturday, when I could be doing so much outside, like... or... well there was... Nothing to do anyway!

"Okay Kate, I'll be there." I said. I went back to my breakfast, but I was thinking over the meal, what if Cassandra and Darcy were, well whatever they were, they must have been alive at one stage, so there would be a grave for them, I knew that the local church had a Harding's plot, so they must be there. I bit down on the spoon as I thought that last piece and nearly broke a tooth.

After breakfast I rode to the church, the sun was shining on the headstones as I wandered through, expecting to see people watching me as I dodged through the graves, I found the plot, it was overgrown where the verger hadn't cut the grass I looked at the headstone.

Josiah Michael Harding 1820 - 1897
A hardworking and honest man,
The lord called and I answered.

Elizabeth Harding 1830 - 1884

An obedient wife to her husband
May we be always joined.

And In Memorial their two children

Darcy William Harding 1852 - 1874
Cassandra Lorna Harding 1855 - 1874

Lost at sea, awaiting the call of the lord.
When the sea shall give up its dead.

'Lost at sea?' I thought, but if they were lost why were they still at the house, I got out some paper and wrote down the words on the headstone, I looked at my watch it was only nine o'clock, I got onto my bike again and started to ride into town, so what if I was early, it would be the first time!

When I got to the library it was only a quarter past nine, so I read the inscription again, this meant that Darcy was 22 and Cassandra was 19 when they were lost at sea, but where were they lost? And how was I supposed to find out? But then why did I want to find out in the first place?

"Billy!" It was Kate's voice, I looked around but couldn't see her, but then I noticed that her bike was in the rack, I looked around again, still no sign of her, then this girl stood in front of me, I was about to tell her to move so that I could look for Kate, when I found I was looking at her.

She was wearing a skirt and blouse, I've never seen her dressed like that before, she always wore jeans, she noticed my look and started to get angry.

"Yes, it's me! And yes I'm dressed like a girl! Now stop staring or do you want a photograph, it will last longer!" She said.

"Kate, what happened?" I asked.

"I don't know, when I got up today I just dressed like this, I can't even change into jeans, this is awful" she said, I could tell she was close to tears, but I couldn't touch her like this, she was different.

She looked at me and smiled, it was like she was a different person completely, and this was Kate, but a softer, nicer Kate than I was used to. I noticed that her blouse fitted her more snugly than the jumpers she usually wore.

"Once I find out what he's done to me I'll go to his grave and kick it!" she said, I tried to picture this and smiled, only for the old Kate to emerge, "And what is so funny?" She asked.

I laughed as I said, "Well you'll get soaking wet for a start!" and showed her the inscription I copied.

"Where did you find this?" She asked me so I told her, "I should have thought of that, you know you're very good Billy," she added; now I was starting to feel like a puppy dog being praised by its master.

"Thank you," I said contritely, "So why did you want to meet here?" I asked her,

She nodded towards the library, "I wanted to find out about the house, just to see if there was anything we should know, but now you've found this I don't know what to do." She was starting to sound despondent.

"Well we could look at the paper archives for 1874; and see how Darcy and Cassandra died." I said

She almost giggled, but did smile, "That sounds so weird, we've been talking to two people who died over a hundred years ago, and now we're trying to see how they died? Doesn't that sound daft to you?"

I smiled as well; yes it did sound funny, strange funny - not ha-ha funny. So I straighten my face and said, "Not at all, people do that every day." But I couldn't hold the face and bust out laughing, at which point Kate joined me.

We were still smiling as we went into the library and up to the archives, the woman behind the desk looked at us as if we were aliens from another world come to destroy the place,

"And what do you want in here?" She asked, I was going to tell her to mind her business, but Kate spoke up.

"I'm sorry, but we've got to do some research for a school project, it about the people who lived in the town during the Victorian age, we're supposed to look through the back issues of the paper." She spoke very nicely, not at all the Kate I knew, but it worked, the woman's attitude changed completely.

"Well certainly my dear, I know just where you'll find them, if you'll got to cubical 3 I'll have the fiche's brought to you, what years are you interested in?" She asked.

Kate smiled at her, "Oh, we've been asked to research between the years 1870 to 1880." She said, the woman nodded and said she would be a few minutes, we went to the door she pointed out and entered the room, there was a small box with a projector like screen focused onto a white table, above the box was two wheels on either side.

The woman entered the room and explained how to use the viewer, it was like a film projector except we had to move the pictures ourselves, it was easy to use and we were soon spinning the pages over the table.

It seemed strange to see the days scrolling past there were very few pictures, some of the adverts looked funny as well, things like corsets, and bicycles - they didn't look much like our bikes, but then we got to 1874, in March there was a headline.

'Local Doctor's Son and Daughter missing'
Darcy and Cassandra Harding are reported to be lost at sea
following the sinking of the Elgar on its way to America,
their father Dr. Josiah Harding reported yesterday.

There had been great speculation as to the whereabouts of
the two since they appeared to have vanished from home over
one month ago, however a letter produced by the Doctor
showed that they had decided to tour the world. It is a pity
that such a undertaking resulted in the death of two young persons.

And beneath the article was a picture of the two people, Kate and I looked at it and then at each other - the faces of Darcy and Cassandra were plainly visible in the photographs.

Kate's version

I understood Billy's question. I thought that we'd need to find out more about the two, I believed I knew where we should start, so I said to Billy "Meet me at the library at 10, I think we have to check up on this" It wasn't the place he would want to go to but, after a pause, he said.

"Okay Kate, I'll be there." And we hung up. I went into the kitchen where my mother looked at me strangely but didn't say anything, I ate my breakfast and decided to cycle around a bit before going into town, I went out of the door and got my bike out of the shed, took it out of the garden and onto the road.

I sat down on the seat. Oh god! It was cold, but it's never bothered me before, what was wrong? - And then I looked down at the skirt I was wearing! A skirt! Me! I got off the bike and left it by the gate, I ran into the house.

"Kate?" my mother sounded puzzled, "What's wrong?"

I didn't answer but ran upstairs to my bedroom, I went to where my jeans were hanging, but as my hand reached to it a voice inside my head said,

"It doesn't suit you little fox, a young girl like you should be dressed as befits a lady!" I knew the voice, I heard it in my dream - or whatever it was - last night, it was His voice, Darcy's and my body was listening to it, stopping me from wearing what I wanted.

I tried to reach her tee-shirt, but my hands went to another blouse, I tried again for the jeans, with the same result, how could he have done this to me.

"LEAVE ME ALONE, I WANT TO BE ME, NOT SOMEONE'S IDEA OF A PERFECT LADY! I'M NOT I'M KATE, YOU HEAR ME, KATE!" I shouted into the air.

"Kate dear! Are you alright?" This was from my mother who was at the doorway, I turned to her.

"No mum, I'm not! I'm trying to get dressed in my jeans, but I just can't put them on." I tried to show her but she didn't take any notice.

"Well it's about time you dressed as a young girl should, you've been a tomboy for much too long in my opinion." She didn't seem to understand, somehow he was affecting her, it was too much, I stormed past her and back outside to my bike, which I mounted and rode towards the town.

After a few minutes I got used to the feel of the saddle underneath me, but I was aware that every time I moved my legs my panties were visible, I don't know how the other girls managed cycling with skirts on. Then I noticed that the wind was causing strange feelings from 'down there' along with the constant rubbing, 'maybe it's not so bad like this.' I thought to myself.

I arrived in the town at about nine o'clock and started to look around, I could feel the boys looking at me, as if they were undressing me, I went into a shop to escape their attentions.

I caught myself looking at dresses and thinking how they would look on me, I had to leave the shop quickly - I DO NOT WEAR DRESSES, THEY ARE FOR GIRLS NOT ME! - I tried to keep that thought running through my head. But when I saw that Darcy man again... Well he'd better watch out that was all!

I looked at the clock in the town square, it was still too early to meet up with Billy, but I walked back to the library, where I had left my bike, I noticed that Billy's was also there, I glanced around and saw him sitting on a bench seat, I called to him but he just looked straight through me and then around, this got me angry so I went and stood in front of him.

He tried to look around me and then raised his head to look at me, then his mouth opened, I couldn't help it, I had to say something.

"Yes!" I snapped, "It's me, and yes I'm dressed like a girl." He kept staring so I added, "Do you have to stare or do you want a photograph, it would last longer!"

That seemed to snap him out from his shock, "Kate." He said, "What happened?"

I almost broke down then, but managed to change it to anger, "I don't know! When I got up today I just dressed like this, I couldn't even change to get into my jeans. This is awful!" I grabbed my anger with both hands, "When I find out what he's done to me." I couldn't think of anything to do so I said, "I'll go to his grave and kick it!" All Billy did was to smile, which made me really mad.

He then said, "Well you'll get soaking wet for a start!" and he handed me a piece of paper with words written on it, I read through them, Darcy and Cassandra, Lost at sea!

"Where did you get this?" I asked him

"At the churchyard, I found the Harding plot and there it was as plain as anything." He explained, that was so obvious but I'd missed it. I could have kissed him - no I couldn't - I don't kiss! So I said,

"I should have thought of that, I must say you were very good Billy!" I was trying to please him.

"Thank you." His voice was slightly strange, "But why did we have to meet here?" he added pointing to the library.

Yes why? And then I remembered, "I wanted to find out about the house, I wanted to know if there was anything else we should know. But now that you've found this I'm not sure what to do." I felt like giving up.

Billy surprised me by saying, "Well we could look at the newspaper archives for 1874, and we could see how Darcy and Cassandra died." That did sound stupid, we were going to meet up with two people later today, but before that we were going to learn how they died. I couldn't help it, I had to smile.