The Catapolts

Chapter Two

The heater was in a bad state and it took Mathew hours to fix. I had to stay with him the whole time because Madam Ticky didn’t trust anyone from outside to mingle around her shop unsupervised. I sat on the ground reading my book while he worked on the heater. The banging sound would make me snap my head every few seconds and distracted me so much that at the end I gave up reading and watched him instead. He was bent over the heater and in utter concentration as he cleaned it and fixed its exterior.

 “Am I that interesting?” he said.

“No, but you are far too noisy for my liking,” I said.

 “Really?” he stood and looked over at me. “Then you can leave me to work in peace. I do not like having hawks looking over at me and burning my back with their glares.”

 “Save it Mathew,” I crossed my hands over my chest. “I’m not leaving and you might as well finish.”

 He scowled and went back to work. This man surprised me; I’ve never met someone like him. He tented to keep to himself, he pushed people away (maybe not Henry) and he was so preserved I rarely knew what he really thought. He usually masked his face with anger and rage but his other thoughts and feelings were utter oblivion to me.

 “Done,” he took out his towel and wiped away the sweat and soot that dripped from his face. “That will be fifteen silver coins.”

 “Fifteen silver coins?!” I was aghast.

“Well yeah,” he said impatiently. “I fixed this heater from scratch, love. I deserve these fifteen coins.”

 I turned on my heels and left to fetch Madam Ticky who was at the reception of the shop.

“How much did he say?” Madam Ticky asked.

 “Fifteen silver coins,” I whispered.

“That is very expensive for sure,” she sighed and pulled out her purse. “But we can’t complain. The economy is bringing us all down.”

She handed me the coins and I went downstairs to the basement to give it to Mathew. He was collecting his tools and cleaning the floor.

“Here you go,” I said. “And t-thank you for your service.”

 He just nodded grimly and left. I picked up my book and followed him outside of the shop. I watched him walk away until he became a speck on the horizon and dissolved away. I headed back to my room to read yet I couldn’t. He wouldn’t leave my head, I kept thinking about him, about why he was like that and what made him become like this. I took out my notebook and scribbled some words on it and drew random things. My head was whispering a thousand thoughts all at the same time, as if I was trapped in a room full of shouting politicians.  I grimaced at them and the headache that they were bestowing upon me.

 A cup of tea always did the trick to calm down my nerves and I ate a muffin while I tried to sort out my thoughts. It was nearing sunset and I wanted to go purchase a new book before it became dark. I was nearly finished with Oliver Twist. My purse and coat were in the lobby of the shop and I picked them up on the way outside. I briskly walked towards the bookstore.

 “Lyra!” the old guy behind the desk smiled. “Hello!”

 I smiled at Mr. Timothy and scanned the bookshelves. I wanted something new, something I haven’t read yet. I went farther into the store. Tall shadowy shelves full of dusty and old volumes engulfed me. One book in particular caught my eyes; it was thick, with a leather maroon cover and a gold title that said History of Wars. I pulled it out of the shelf and walked back to the front of the store.

“Ah, this book,” he sighed. “Written by one of our finest historians, Gerard Blake.  It is indeed a heavy read but I quite enjoyed it. I hope you do too Lyra. That will be five copper coins.”

 I handed him the money and took the brown bag. I didn’t want to go back to the shop yet and I felt like going to the abandoned playground. The sun was sliding behind the horizon emitting fiery colors across a purple sky. The place was slowly growing silent, shops closing their shutters and homes shutting down their windows. The only sound that could be heard was the crunch of chimneys and the hollow wind. I pulled my coat tighter against my shivering body as the cold descended on us. The playground looked lonely, just like when I left it. The swings were rusty playing along the melody of the cold wind as I approached them. It was so quite I could hear my own heart jabbing my chest. My breath came out in puffs of smoke and I felt my nose freeze from the drop in temperature. The place was soon wrapped in the darkness of the night. I put down my things beside the swings and hopped on one. It took me a few tries to get the swing to move properly and before I know it I was swinging so high I felt like I was flying. I felt infinite and free, I felt as if nothing ever happened to me, I was a clean canvas waiting to be painted and it felt wonderful. The wind was swirling into my hair, freezing my face and making my eyes water, my muscles were pulsing in pain and my breath was getting heavier.

 “You shouldn’t be out here at this time of the night,” a voice startled me into a jostling stop.

 I tried to catch my breath and to calm down. I heard the swing beside me creek in effort as it withheld the weight of the person.

 “You know anything can happen to you, such a young lady, out alone in the dark,” he chuckled.

 “You are a jerk,” I snapped at him. “You gave me quite a scare.”

 “Oh now did I?” Mathew grinned.

 “Do you have a split personality or what?” I interposed. “You sound like Dr. Hyde and Mr. Jekyll.”

“Well,” he stalled. “You got me.”

 “Funny,” I rolled my eyes.

 “Really miss,” he looked at me with those fierce blue eyes. “What are you doing out here?”

“I am swinging as you can see,” I replied. “And because I just felt like it.”

 “Funny,” he said.

“What are you doing here, then?” I asked.

“I saw you alone,” he said. “Thought I would join you. A damsel in distress maybe.”

“Humor me Mathew,” I was getting impatient with him.

“You know my name,” he started. “But I don’t know yours…”

“My name is Lyra,” I said getting up and taking my stuff off the ground. “And I had the misfortune of meeting the most annoying and revolting man in the city.”

He was stunned into silence and I wasn’t surprised. I just called him revolting and annoying and I don’t think he was happy about it. On the contrary, I was pretty pleased with myself because he has been annoying and revolting since I met him. And here he was trying to sound funny and welcoming at the dead of the night and I found that doubtful. I stormed off to the shop, leaving him stranded alone in the playground. I was angry with him, for being mean and for pushing me away. I was angry that he was arrogant and stuck up and didn’t care what his words nor his actions would affect the people around him.

 As soon as I got to the shop, I hung my coat and dashed straight into my room after preparing me some tea and cake for the night. I decided to stay up all night going through History of Wars, maybe I would find valuable information about the Catapolts’ raids throughout the years.