Speak Now

Chapter Six

“Ludwig is gonna be angry at you for buying so much you know.”

Julchen shrugged her shoulders and laughed. Julchen had always been an impulse buyer, for as long as Madeline could remember. Maddie sometimes even considered her friend a hoarder. Poor Ludwig always tried so hard to sell some of Julchen’s stuff but she always managed to get more before he could relax. Maddie giggled at the thought and kept walking through the gorgeous park canopy. The two giddy girls stopped next a beautiful fountain; there were several gorgeous statues throughout the park. Madeline’s personal favorite was a statue of a woman standing upright, up on a granite platform, leaning up against a Shakespearean or rather - more accurately - an Antoinette style wall. And on the edge of the decadent center post, was a bust of what looked like King Louis XIV. The arrangement was so simple, yet regal. However, Madeline also enjoyed the beauty that was the fountain at the start of the large pool. The building that the water streamed out of looked like a picturesque mausoleum. At the top was the French royal crest, and what looked like two handmaids - one on each side of the crest - pouring water from jugs. There were multiple statues at the base: a man in one corner, a woman in the other, a large statue of a robust male in the center, and at his feet a smaller statue of a woman draped across a man’s lap. The water would trickle out over stone steps, flowing into the pool below. The fountain was a famous tourist spot, and even though the weather was cold and the water had somewhat frozen over, there were still quite a number of people stopping to look. After taking a few photos on her iPhone, her digital camera, and talking to a few locals about the park, Maddie and Julchen were on their way.

They hailed a taxi and rode until they were within a short distance from Au Cadet de Gascogne*. Julchen had been bugging Madeline since they left the hotel, saying that they needed to go there. And besides, it happened to be among the many tourist places that Madeline wanted to check out. She had been there once before but had never gone in. Francis ran in, and had them both sit outside. She was actually pretty curious about a number of little shops she personally hadn’t gotten the chance to explore. Au Cadet de Gascogne was one of them.

Maddie was taking pictures on her digital camera for her Travel Journal when she felt her phone start vibrating in her caramel-brown, leather saddlebag. She looked around for Julchen, just catching a glimpse of her friend’s long white hair dash into the cafe. Madeline smiled, her friend was easily distracted, and it seemed as though she didn’t realize Madeline wasn’t at her side before taking off. Oh well, Maddie thought. She knew where the albino was so Maddie wasn’t too concerned. Just then, she felt her purse vibrate, again. Why won’t Alfred just stop worrying already? she mentally whined. Knowing Julchen was in the cafe, she took that as an opportunity to answer her phone.

Julchen was waiting in line when she noticed Maddie wasn’t at her side. She looked around but got nervous when the blonde was nowhere in sight. “Mein gott where did she go?!” her harsh German startled a few other customers waiting - it was almost six o’clock, the dinner rush had already commenced. She quickly ran out of the store and almost smacked into her friend! “Mein Gott! Vhat is vrong vizh jou? Don’t scare me like zhat -” Julchen stopped speaking just as quickly as she had begun. Maddie was holding her phone and trembling. Maddie looked up at her, tears forming in her eyes. “Can we please go back to the hotel now?”

“Ja, of course; anyzhing for jou, Birdie. Vhy? Vhat happened?” Julchen started to worry even more.

Madeline shook her head, making her pigtails fly like ribbons being twirled. “I really don’t want to talk about it here.”

Madeline was on the verge of breaking down, Julchen could tell. The only time Julchen had ever seen so much anger, despair, frustration and sadness balled up inside her precious friend was when Madeline and Alfred’s parents had died. No one - not even Alfred - had seen Madeline like this; only Julchen. Without any further thought, Julchen grabbed Maddie’s bags off the ground along with her own, gripped Maddie’s hand tightly in hers and began walking. She started to run without even realizing, leaving Madeline to try and keep up else she’d end up on her face. They were about four blocks away when Maddie’s little legs gave out on her. Her hand slipped through Julchen’s as she fell onto the pavement. “Julchen!” she screamed, snapping the older girl out of whatever trance she’d been stuck in.