Audiobook🎙️Children’s story🪄STAIR TO MIRACLES🪄SUB
STAIR TO MIRACLES By Lora Hodgin 2 book in the Bad Mary series Copyright 2021 Lora Hodgin Smashwords Edition Mary thought that everything that was happening to her was unreal, she had various thoughts going through her head, but the main one was that it was particularly cold today, and she
Was dressed lightly for the last days of November, so she felt very chilly. She was practically forced to come here, and now she was thinking about how long it could last and when it would finally end.
Dad, Mum and Mary look like a normal family who have gone for a walk by the sea to enjoy the last sunny days before winter. It would have been like that if the girl was not wearing a thin, cold coat and didn’t have to keep running and jumping around to keep warm.
The wind from the sea was very icy and so strong that it could have mercilessly blown her away from here, far away and forever. But Mary held on, she even had to look after the son of the new father’s boss, who was
Only five years old, which seems like the reason she was brought along. Just a moment ago, there was an unpleasant incident in which the son fell and stumbled. The parents blamed Mary for pushing the boy, and the son confirmed the accusation.
The worst thing for Mary was that her father said very hurtful things about her after that, and they still echoed in her head: ” You are a monster, not my daughter”, – were his words. Everybody stopped talking after that because there was no reason for him to say that, because
Mary has been very good, and nobody has figured out the real reason for Max’s fall. The girl’s “mother” decided to break the tension, she took her husband’s hand and turned to the boy’s parents saying something cheerful: ” Oh!
Look at the boat that’s sailing over there, come and see it while it’s passing by!” Everyone has seen the boat before, but they followed her obediently. Max’s parents took him along, but he immediately escaped from them and ran up to Mary, making a nasty face.
No longer was Mary able to play with the boy, as she decided that she was not safe for him. Mary was not very disappointed – jumping up and down, she ran to the edge of the cliff, where could be seen a broad view of the sea, but then she heard something:
Why have you left Max alone? He’s a small kid, he might fall,” – her father said, again roughly. Max approached her and grabbed her hand to avoid causing any conflicts. Mary had no choice but to obey him.
On that day, Mary did not expect anyone to take care of her or ask whether she was cold or hungry, but it was too much to bear to be blamed for everything. It made her very upset, it seemed that even her dad didn’t love her anymore, and she didn’t
Realise that this was not the end of it and that it would get worse because she had been hurt so deeply. For a while, Mary totally absorbed herself in the world of dreams, which was her only escape from boredom and loneliness.
She imagined that it was summer- she was on a picnic with her dad and how warm and happy she was. Suddenly everything was gone, a sharp pain in her eyes, so much so that Mary screamed because she got sand in her eyes as if Max had thrown it on purpose.
It hurt so badly that she cried, trying to wipe her eyes with her fists, but suddenly she felt someone tugging her shoulder. “What are you doing, you silly girl? Why are you playing with sand, don’t you have any brains?”
– her father said, and it was he who was now being so rude to her. “Mummy, I’m being hurt “, – Max whimpered next to her. “Don’t cry, my dear, let me wipe your eyes with my handkerchief. There you go,” – the boy’s mother said, caring for him, “Do you feel better now?
No more crying?” “Not any more, you wiped it all off, Mum, but there was a lot of sand in both hands,” -the boy spoke uncertainly, but dared to continue, ” but why has she thrown it, Mummy?
” She did it because she is trying to get into trouble!”, – and he took Mary by the elbow and pulled her away, even though she was still sobbing and couldn’t open her eyes properly. ” Mary, I hope it was the last of your tricks for today.
If there’s another one, you’ll have to stay on the beach. You’ll be locked out of the house!” – her father warned her harshly, shouting the last words loudly so that the others could hear him. He added, this time quietly, in Mary’s ear: “Have you forgotten whose son he is?
His father is looking at me sideways now! I’m going to lose my job!” – he was silent for a while, and then spoke with emphasis, – “Mary, don’t you dare to be bad again! I won’t accept your behaviour like it was in the summer.
Pushing Maria away, her father went to Max, whose tears had already dried, and told him, trying to sound cheerful: ” Max, just leave her alone, she can play by herself. Let’s go to that coffee shop that you two wanted to go to. I’ll buy you whatever you want, I promise.”
Max was very satisfied, his parents also seemed to be, especially the boy’s father, and Mary heard: ” Good! It will be for the best. You can deal with her at home. Let’s go eat, and she’ll be hungry.” Mary was standing there with her head down, tears running down her cheeks, not knowing
What to do, the voices were getting farther away, and she still couldn’t open her eyes well enough to see where to go. The cold wind was blowing through her, but she couldn’t escape it, and there was no one
To help her because everyone had left her, and she was being punished at home, even though she was not guilty. “They don’t need me, they probably want me to disappear at all,” Mary thought, her heart beating wildly.”
Poor girl, she was happy not so long ago, but then her father got married and everything changed. has changed. She didn’t have a mother before, but now she has one, but the rest of her family has disappeared. Mary’s new mum doesn’t like her, she hasn’t made any new friends, her grandparents aren’t
Around, and now her dad has become distant. Mary was afraid to go back, but since she was an obedient girl, as soon as she could see properly and figured out where she was, she rushed home. Unfortunately, she chose the wrong direction, so it took her twice as long to get home,
But that was understandable, as the area was still new to her. When Mary finally got home, she heard a noise in the living room, and assuming that the whole company had decided to come over, she tiptoed to her room.
There was no point in taking any risk, in case something went wrong again, and she could be found guilty, as a result, she would be kicked out of the house, and her father had warned her about it.
The next day Mary waited for her dad to come and scold her, but he did not come, so she went downstairs alone to eat, as she had only managed to have a little lunch yesterday. To her surprise, there was a bicycle in the corridor at the entrance, Mary already had
One, but this one was much nicer and better, and her old one was parked in her grandfather’s barn. Mary found something to eat and gladly started breakfast, although it was already time for lunch, it seems that no one in this house cared about the girl’s missed breakfast. “Look who we have here!
That’s our guilty one! She doesn’t have any shame”- Hana, who stood in the doorway, began in a loud voice, and that was Mary’s stepmother’s name. Hana hasn’t even said “good morning”, it was in her nature, and in general, it is not usual
In this family to be in a good mood in the mornings. “You’ve caused us so much trouble! But you got a great new bike, what a sneaky one!” -Hana was outraged, noticing that Mary was not responding, and clarified, – “Dad bought you a bike, it’s in the hallway.”
“He went above and beyond yesterday to please his boss, and you ruined it! I told him to leave you at home, but he didn’t want to listen,” – Hana was still fuming. Mary was silent, she preferred not to argue with Hana, there was nothing to say, her stepmother,
As always, needed to express herself, but she sighed heavily, she didn’t really want to go on this walk, and why did her father insist on it? After listening to Hana’s indignation for a while, Mary slowly stepped back, and finally,
When she was at the front door, she was about to open it, but suddenly heard something: “Take your bike with you and do what you want with it!” Mary obediently went to the bike and rolled it out into the street, surprised by this
Unexpected gift from her father, maybe everything was not as bad as she thought. It was very cold and muddy outside, the temperature was near zero and there were constant wind blows, even Mary knew that it was not the season for cycling, so what about her stepmother,
Does she want Mary to catch a cold and die? “What should I do with it?”- Mary sighed as she continued to roll her new bike, she knew how to ride it, but her house was located on a very busy street, and there were too many cars to ride it easily.
Finally, she managed to ride it without being disturbed, and after pedalling a little more, Mary quickly found herself near the city park, the same place she has gone to before, but today the journey took much less time.
At this park, a few days ago, Mary met an interesting boy of her age, with whom she soon became friends. Meanwhile, Mary was walking slowly along the park path, hoping to see him again, but she didn’t have much luck.
After a long search, she accepted her failure, stopped by an elegant park bench with an elderly woman sitting on it, and coughed loudly. “That’s awful! What kind of parent would send a child out with a bike in that cold?” – the woman exclaimed, looking at Mary with concern.
She didn’t say anything, but shrugged her shoulders, which meant “I don’t know”, and she was as well thinking that it was a mistake to be sent out with the bike because the wind seemed to blow even harder when she was riding it. “Only no one forced you!
You took the bike on your own!” – suddenly, the woman changed abruptly and even got up from the bench, “Go home! Quickly! “. Mary mumbled: “I’m sorry”, and hastily left, although it was not clear why she was apologising for it. It seems that she caused the old lady to worry so much.
Dear Mary, how kind you are, why no one loves you, and you have nowhere to go. Mary is not allowed to return home very early – she always goes out for a walk at a certain time and has to return at the same time, according to the schedule.
Hana does not like her company and doesn’t even hide it, except from Mary. Dad, according to his wife’s tales – thinks that they have become very close friends, but he cannot find out the truth – he hardly ever communicates with his daughter.
The father has changed because he needs to work a lot, and maintaining the new house requires even more money. He changed his job and now works so hard that he barely communicates with his grandparents, “Dad can’t spend time visiting his parents when he needs to earn money,” Mary tried to justify him.
As winter approached, Mary kept having these bike rides, as she had no choice, her dad had given her a gift, and she couldn’t rudely refuse it. On one of these trips Mary was lucky, she finally spotted a boy who looked very much
Like her new friend, so she slowed down and decided to wait for him to come up to her. Hey! I’m right here!” – Mary called out to the boy as he came up to her and almost passed her.
The boy’s name was Louie, he was about nine years old, he has also recently moved and he goes around alone, so they became friends so quickly. But today Louis was not alone, he was walking with a girl whom Mary has never seen before,
Although her red tail sticking out from her hat reminded Mary of her best friend, and she wish it was her. “Hi! Wow, you have a new bicycle! How lucky you are.” – Louis said, coming closer. He didn’t seem to mind at all if they continue hanging out together.
“My father bought it for me as a gift recently,” – Mary explained, looking at the strange girl. The girl did not show any interest in Mary or her bike, but watched them silently for a while and then arrogantly stated: “Louie? Are you going to play with me, or stay with her?”
– she asked, addressing him, and it turned out that her voice was very nasty. The sassy girl has changed Louie’s mind, and he stepped off the bike and said to her: “I’ve got to go. I don’t have a bike, so I will go with you.
” Mary wanted to be with someone, so she hurriedly got off her bike and began to roll it alongside, trying to catch up with Louie and the girl. “Wait! I’m going with you! I can roll the bike,” – she said pitifully. “I think you should ride your bike – we’ll play by ourselves.”
Mary was feeling upset as she found herself alone once again. She wondered how Barbara was doing without her. Did she have new friends or was she bored? Mary remembered the good times they had together and missed them. She returned home a little later than usual, only fifteen minutes late, but she was already
Very worried that she would be punished. That’s exactly what happened, Hana expressed her frustration at Mary in a very emotional way, but it didn’t last long, as the situation suddenly changed when her father came from work. Also, Mary hasn’t talked to him since their fight that day.
” Hanna, why are you yelling at her?” – Dad worriedly asked as he entered the kitchen. At once Hana shut up – she did not want to annoy her husband with ” small things”, so she signalled to Mary to go to her room.
She was about to do so, but her father stopped her, and the poor girl immediately felt nervous. “Are you avoiding me, Mary? Let’s talk, we rarely see each other,” – he said, quite peacefully, perhaps regretting his temper.
“Let her go to her room, she’s in a bad mood today, she quarrelled with her friend,”- Hanna interrupted, not letting her answer, immediately thinking about how well her stepmother lies. “Alright, if it makes you feel better, go to your room,”- the father agreed with uncertainty, “wait just tell me!
Do you like my present?”. Mary nodded her head – of course, she got what her dad was talking about and even smiled, but before she could say “thank you”, Hana actively gave her a wave to go, taking advantage of the fact that the man couldn’t see her.
As soon as he turned around, Hana quickly interrupted what she was doing and ran over to Mary, embracing her tightly. – “Go up to your room, my dear, and then tell me everything in detail,”- she told her husband, adding, “that these are only women’s secrets”.
Hana even slightly pushed Mary to exit, but her father had time to tell her what he had planned: “My dear, I am so sorry for being rude to you recently. I had to cheer up Uncle Robert’s son. Will you forgive me? ” Mary was left feeling confused and unsure of what to say.
She expected another argument but was surprised when he suddenly apologized. Although she felt some relief, her chest still felt tight and she wasn’t completely at ease. She stood there for a while and then went to her room.
Hana took over the conversation, she was to say something that had been on the tip of her tongue for a long time. ” Why do you need to apologize? The bike is more than enough. You spoke negatively to her before, so what’s the big deal?
We had already agreed that I would clarify everything to her, yet you’re bringing it up again. Mary is to blame for messing with the golden baby”- she babbled on and on. He scratched the back of his head, realizing he had gone too far, but under Hana’s influence,
He found an excuse for himself and went to his room, exhaling loudly However, Hana hasn’t said everything – she was worried about why he came back so early, because he wouldn’t be paid for such a rest, and it was important for her that her husband works, she doesn’t want to do it herself.
The next day Mary was excited to go for a bike ride, she was beginning to enjoy these fast journeys and there was a lot to see where she lives now. Mary drove quickly along her usual route today, taking advantage of the perfect weather.
Despite winter approaching, the sun was shining and it wasn’t too cold. Driving through a remote area of the park, Mary’s attention was drawn to the loud barking of dogs. As it turned out, near an old chestnut tree, several angry dogs surrounded a small ginger
Cat, that was very frightened and curled up in a ball of fear. The situation was too risky for both the cat and Mary, making any intervention on her part potentially harmful. The once bright sun was now obscured by dark clouds.
Luckily, Mary had a plan, so she hurriedly got off her bike, pushed it a little, and let it roll down the slope right at the barking dogs. In fear, the dogs scattered in different directions, one of them was even slightly injured by a
Bicycle that hit the dog before it fell to the ground. Mary noticed the cat using the mess to run up the branches of a nearby tree and climb as high as she could. ” It’s not safe to be here, Ginger – how can you live in a place with so many dogs?”
– Mary thought, looking at the kitten sitting on a very thin acacia branch, which was bending heavily from her weight. She really wanted to take the cat with her so that no one could hurt her again, but she could not even imagine what Hana would say.
Mary went back to her bicycle and found that it was alright. She tried to lift it by the handlebars but failed on the first attempt. It fell down with a loud crash. Suddenly, Mary heard the cat she has been rescuing start to meow anxiously as if she was trying to tell her something.
The sun was no longer shining, it was covered by clouds, it was getting dark quickly, and Mary felt fear creeping through her. While she was picking up her bike, she hadn’t noticed a tall, thin man standing next to her, and he said something, and Mary suddenly shivered. ” Who’s there?!
“- as soon as she heard the answer ” It’s me”-, she turned around in fright. She saw a man, “you shouldn’t trust strangers, regardless of how friendly they look” was one of her rules, and this one looked too nice.
Young and handsome, dressed in a white velvet suit like a Viennese opera singer, with a bright gleam from a dazzling smile, he looked like a dental commercial, not a person you’d expect to find in this area at this time of year.
Mary stared at him in confusion, thinking it was high time to go home, but the unusual appearance of this man fascinated her. Mary brought her bike out but it swayed and almost fell over again. In a flash, the man was there and easily held it up, and Mary was shocked and freaked out.
” Are you afraid of me?” – he asked gently. Meanwhile, Mary took a few steps back, but she was going to run away because she couldn’t just run away and leave her bike with a stranger. ” Don’t go! I am someone who is close to you and knows you very well.
You don’t recognise me now, but we’ve met before and spent a lot of time chatting,” – the man spoke again. He was smiling so broadly that Mary even thought he was insane. “Give me my bicycle back, please. I have to go home; my parents are worried.
“I bet you think that I am gone off my nut. I just wanted to impress you little ” – the man exclaimed in her direction. However, Maria was already speeding away with her bike in the opposite direction from the stranger.
Initially, she wasn’t frightened as she was increasing her pace and the stranger was unable to keep up. However, her fear escalated within minutes when the same man, dressed in a tailcoat and wearing bicycle tracks instead of pants, suddenly appeared from an unexpected direction.
The oddest part was that he was riding the exact same bike as Mary. She pedalled even harder, but her chaser, managed to keep up with her, even though he was riding a bike that was too small for his height, managed to keep up with her.
“Will you please stop?”- he said to Mary as he drove alongside her, – ” I have something important to tell you!” Mary did not slow down, there was a climb, he would definitely not be able to keep up with her speed and would fall behind, she thought, not being desperate, and suddenly
She heard: ” I am you father!”- with these words, his bike suddenly jolted, and he fell to the ground with it. Instead of screaming in pain, the girl distinctly heard: ” Stay out of this! You can’t stop me. I’m going to tell her anyway!”
Mary kept going, although she later wished she hadn’t because she didn’t know how badly the man could have been hurt, and maybe he needed help. Mary was unable to calm her worries even after returning home. The man had chased her successfully but collapsed strangely as if he had run into an invisible wall.
Mary was concerned that the man might emerge from her closet, just as he had appeared out of nowhere on the same bike as her. Her body shuddered with fear at the thought. No matter how scared Mary was, she had to go back to the park, to the place where she
Had seen the cat, maybe it was starving or in trouble again, so she needed to take care of it. She sneaked quietly into the kitchen very early the next morning and immediately spotted what she was looking for in the fridge, a small piece of sausage, which she grabbed with her.
She quickly put on her hat and started to ride her bike away from the house. “I hope she sleeps as usual,”- Mary muttered, referring to Hana. It is the first time she has ever been away on her own like this. While riding, the track became dangerous because of invisible ice.
Mary had to push her bike when it would drift to the side. But she didn’t give up and kept going. Mary approached the tree where she had seen the cat, but this time there was no cat in sight. She called out but received no response.
The girl continued deeper into the park where there were more trees, remaining cautious and aware of her surroundings due to that stranger she had met before. Fortunately, the hungry cat appeared and quickly devoured the sausage. However, it was not enough to satisfy her appetite and she demanded more food.
Mary was upset but not discouraged, she could make another trip to get food, and she reassured her hungry friend: “Don’t worry, Kitty, I’ll be back soon. I don’t know if you are a boy or a girl. Then suddenly she saw the cat open its mouth quite clearly, saying “I am Matilda”, or so
She thought. Mary shook her head and petted the cat again, this time saying -“Matilda”, and it purred loudly, wondering if that was really her name. Mary told the cat to wait for her, and then she rolled her bike towards the house, as it was impossible to ride it.
The park was nearly empty, except for a girl in a tracksuit who was running strangely, throwing her legs up in the air, probably because of the ice. However, Mary did not pay much attention to her and instead focused on what food items were left in her fridge and
Where else she could go to grab something for the kitten. All her thoughts were about helping the poor kitten, so she forgot about her chaser. So he appeared out of nowhere in the flesh wearing a snow-white cloak and a cap from a well-known brand.
“What’s up?” – he greeted Mary with a broad smile. A beautiful white puppy was standing next to him, and Mary very much wanted to pet it. “You can pet it if you want. He won’t bite you.”- the puppy’s owner said, and added, stepping aside, – “Would you like to have lunch with me?
I know a good place not far away. A large table filled with snacks appeared behind him, yet Mary was mainly interested in the cat food and canned fish. “Whoa!” – she couldn’t resist exclaiming she was so impressed and leaned over to the dog.
“Take him in your arms,” – the man offered and immediately added, -” My name is Fitz, and what is your name?” “I’m Mary ” – She replied, and then decided to ask, – “Do you live in the park?” Fitz laughed out loud but didn’t say anything.
He gave the small dog to Mary, who couldn’t pet it. Suddenly, a large black cat jumped out from above, frightened by the dog. However, the puppy recovered quickly and chased after the cat. Mary had a moment of confusion and wondered why she was there.
She began to run but quickly realized she had left her bike behind. She returned to retrieve it and found Fitz waiting for her. ” I’m glad you’re not afraid anymore. Do you remember that I told you that we’ve already met?” – Fitz began with a pleased look, but then his face suddenly changed.
“Get out of my way! I’m still going to do what I have planned!” – Fitz exclaimed, looking at Mary, but he was actually looking a little higher. ” I will not allow it anyway,”- Mary heard a child’s voice behind her and turned around.
It was a boy, about her age, with blond hair and eyes as black as coal, and if Mary hadn’t forgotten him, she would have recognised him immediately because they had met before. ” She can hear you, can’t she?” – said Fitz and a little twist appeared on his face after
The insult, and he did not look as handsome as before. “Mary hears and sees, but isn’t that your merit? Why are you surprised, if you put so much effort into it,” – the boy replied with a smile. ” Alright, I get it!
I’m leaving “- Fitz grumbled impatiently, and raising his index finger, threatened the boy, – “Don’t you think that I’m weak, I’ll have the strength to restrain you!”. He walked over to the table and demonstratively overturned it with all its contents, and immediately disappeared into the park.
Fitz was gone, but the boy remained, and he immediately explained everything to her, and it should be noted that he always told the truth, because he couldn’t or wouldn’t do otherwise. ” My name is Mitya, I’m ten years old, and you shouldn’t be afraid of me, because I’m
On your side from now on,” – he started quickly with a smile, -” I’m here to protect you.” “Just to clarify, you’re saying that Fitz is attempting to harm me. Is that correct?”- clarified Mary with concern. “He needs your good energy, and he is hunting for it,”- Mitya spoke unwillingly, it was
Clear that he was not comfortable with this, – “he usually collects it from others – he uses his own ones only when he is completely exhausted.” Mary looked at Mitya with a confused look, not quite sure what he was talking about,
– “What kind of power is this?” – but asked him another question: ” To his personal ones? Am I also one of his own?” “That’s quite right. He burned out abruptly, lost his strength, and now he must haunt those who can see and
Hear him, and there aren’t many of them, only you and me. Is that clear to you?” – Mitya tried to explain, but Mary couldn’t say yes, because it was not easy to grasp all this. “Let’s go home, you shouldn’t stay here,”- the boy said with a smile at the end.
Mary was taken aback by how he knew her name and how fast they got home. She didn’t even have a chance to speak, and she didn’t even have to drag her bike along. It was only after they arrived that she remembered she left the kitten in the park.
Getting out of home unnoticed with food would be a challenge since Hana was likely awake. Being aware of all this, Mitya reassured her, but it was just him who was thinking that way, while Mary, on the contrary, was shocked to hear it:
” Don’t worry, your stepmother won’t notice you as she’s having a bath, so we’ll go in quickly, and I’ll take care of your Matilda ” – he said. How do you know that I was thinking about it? Can you read people’s thoughts?
What am I thinking about now? – asked Mary, with great surprise. Of course, I can! I wouldn’t have guessed it otherwise,” he explained, smiling. Mary found it difficult to explain to Hanna why Mitya was at her house – she had to stop him at the door and ask him not to enter.
This situation seems kind of weird. “Alright, you go into the house and I’ll come back later,”- Mary glared at him again, and he had to explain, – “There’s no other way, I’ll have to stay with you for a while, it’s not safe for you to be alone.”
After dragging her bike upstairs, Mary met Hana only at breakfast, so Mitya was right that she hadn’t noticed her absence. Then in the living room, when Khana was spreading jam on another toast and Mary was floating
In the clouds with a cup of tea, Mitya came in, and the girl even choked on her tea out of surprise. “What’s the matter?”- Hana asked, alarmed “Why are you fidgeting?” Her breath was out of her mouth from shock, and she didn’t know how to explain the guest’s arrival.
Mitya calmly walked around the room and sat down on an empty chair. ” What’s going on? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” – asked Hanna irritably, that’s why Mary murmured only: No, I’m fine. Hana grew increasingly frustrated when she found nobody around.
However, she quickly sensed that something was amiss with Mary. Hana stepped into the corridor, and then returned, displaying signs of annoyance. ” I’ve had enough of you! Go to your room and finish later. You’re spoiling my appetite!” – she snapped, “Come on, get to your room now!”
Mitya was the first to get up from his chair, and Mary had already guessed that Hana couldn’t see him, so it didn’t surprise her that she didn’t even glance at him, but she was very worried, so was this boy a ghost?
Khana was all alone in the dining room, but she couldn’t relax, as soon as she raised another toast to her mouth, it almost intentionally slipped out of her hand and fell to her knees. “What a pity, it is my favourite robe “- she said dragging it out like a little girl, – “the
Nasty child, it’s all her fault. Mary walked into her room and was startled again her unfinished cup of tea and a couple of toasts, richly spread with jam, were on the windowsill. “How did they get here? She realised that Mitya was not just a boy – he definitely had magical powers and he
Was using them openly, without hiding from Mary. “Are you scared?”- asked Mitya, noticing her reaction to the moved breakfast. Mary shook her head in agreement, although she was not doing well, as it was not in her character to panic or even show her fear.
” Your stepmother is evil and she doesn’t love you at all,”- Mitya clearly wasn’t going to calm down, “she should be punished.” “Please don’t hurt her,”- Mary begged, – “she’s not that bad.”- she immediately imagined her stepmother running around the room in terror from Mitya, screaming and crying.
“Maybe she’ll change for the better?” – Mitya decided to make a joke with a smile, but when Mary gently nodded her head, he added without a smile, – “but I have to interfere I can’t leave it like this.” Mary increased her pleading efforts, as she imagined how frightened her father would be.
Eventually, Mitya gave in to her requests. Mary turned her head away for a moment, but when she turned back, Mitya was no longer in the room, and it even seemed to her that everything that had happened to her before had been in her dreams.
Nevertheless, she checked if he was hiding in the corridor, he was indeed there and not alone. “Meow ” – greeted Matilda, and Mary quickly pushed them into her room, afraid of Hana more than ghosts. “What is that”- asked Mary worriedly.
“It’s your gift,”- Mitya calmly explained to her, – “you were worried that you couldn’t take care of her. Now I’m giving you that chance!” Although excited at first, Mary hesitated to hold the kitten since she knew that Hana had previously said no to having pets in the apartment. ” Mary!
Your parents won’t be able to kick her out, and she won’t bother them, even if she meows loudly,” – Mitya told her, but she didn’t really follow. “Matilda is bewitched from now on – only you can see her in this house,” – he clarified,
And Mary batted her eyelashes, seemingly beginning to comprehend, – “but that doesn’t mean the cat isn’t real the kitty pot and the full bowls of food, it’s your duty. Thus, Mary’s new life began, she had a lot to take care of, but she loved it all.
Now she had an invisible friend, with whom it became more fun to live, to play, fool around and even talk, and the cat was also happy with her new comfortable life, they were really enjoying themselves. Hana accidentally stepped on Matilda’s paw without noticing but quickly jumped back in
Surprise as she felt something fluffy, so she avoided being hurt by sharp claws. Even Hana’s dad wasn’t fully aware of Matilda’s presence, only occasionally glancing up when she walked by. Mary was playing with her kitten in her room when she heard a knock on her door.
After waiting for a minute, she went to check but found no one there. Then she looked out the window and noticed the wind blowing the last of the leaves from the trees across the yard and it was getting dark. From her room, Mary could see a courtyard rather than a bustling street.
Since it was cold outside, the courtyard was mostly empty, but she noticed a slender figure standing alone next to a flower pot. She winced as she thought the person was looking directly at her, but because of the distance and the approaching darkness, she wasn’t sure.
She even thought that the man looked like Fitz, and as soon as she thought that, the man took off his hat and bowed to her, and Mary hurriedly lowered the blinds because she was so frightened. Her fear made her decide to look for Hana since she didn’t want to be alone.
Hana was resting in the living room, and this time Mary was happy to see her there so she approached the sofa where she was lying, looking through a magazine and decided to ask: ” May I stay with you? I’m a bit scared.” “Don’t be such a baby, it’s just a wind.
What a silly child! ” – Hana babbled, and Mary interpreted her words as approval. Mary sat down next to her on the couch and put the cat on her lap, but suddenly Hana pushed her with her foot right below her back.
“Go away, I need more space, I want to extend my legs,” – she grumbled. Mary had to stand up, but she was not going to leave the room because if Mitya and Fitz could be invisible, they could both enter the house anytime they wanted.
She had no choice but to obey Hana, only this time : ” Aren’t you going to tell your dad that we’re waiting for him late at night?” ” I tell your dad that we get on very well.
But we don’t!”- Hana said, getting up from the sofa, “You’re a copy of your mum, not like your dad at all,” – she added sarcastically and walked away. Mary was left alone, Hana’s last words reminded Mary of what Fitz had said to her before,
But how can he be her father, he is not even a human being. Mary tried to pull herself together and go back to her room, her fears were groundless, none of those who had scared her in the evening came to the house, it happened in the morning.
Waking up very early, Mary heard a knock on her door again, perhaps it was the one that had woken her up, and she got out of bed and perked up her ears, just like yesterday, the knocking was very quiet. ” It’s me! “- Mitya said behind the door and immediately opened it.
Despite her fear, Mary had to acknowledge the miraculous events in her life, including Mitya and his actions. She humbly accepted the information and was ready to follow his instructions. “Get dressed and go downstairs, tell your stepmother that Max is waiting for you in
The park with his mum and another lady,”- Mitya began, but when he saw Mary in a stupor, he explained, “The son of your dad’s boss, remember him?” “Yeah,” – Mary was confused, – “are you sure he’s waiting for me? I don’t even have a mobile phone, how could we have arranged a meeting?”
” Have you forgotten about my abilities? Just do what I say, please,” – Mitya said with a strange smile and patiently explained everything. As it turned out, her dad drank with his boss last night, and they agreed to take the children for a walk together.
Mary didn’t quite get everything, but she decided to let Mitya handle it; after yesterday, she really needed protection, and Fitz’s chasing scared her. Mary got ready quickly and headed downstairs where she met Hana. When she asked her where she was going, she answered what she and Mitya had agreed on.
“It’s strange, as yesterday he was tanked up- how and when did he tell you that?” – wondered Hana, and didn’t question Mary, Max and his mum were more important right now. Mary regretted not wearing anything on her head when she stepped outside due to the cold.
However, Mitya came to her aid by providing her with the exact hat that she has or that looked like hers, saying some comforting words: ” Get used to it -I will occasionally take care of you in an unusual way.”
Mary just sighed, accepting the fact that her wishes, expressed or not, would be easily fulfilled. On their way to meet Max, Mary was worried about the future, because she hadn’t forgotten their last meeting and what kind of boy he could be.
When they came to a quiet rock in the park, Mitya suggested that Mary sit on a bench, but she felt very nervous. “Today, winter has started, but it won’t bother you, because you won’t get cold, it’s all in the past,”- Mitya reassured her, sitting down, knowing that she was worried.
Mary touched the bench, it was not cold at all, although it looked frozen and sat down, and she was really comfortable. “Are you warm? That’s good. But the main ability I’m going to share with you today is not this one,” – Mitya was smiling
As he said this, and Mary thought the boy was cute, and then she heard, – “Am I cute? What about my eyes? Don’t they scare you at all?” The look in his black, shiny eyes could frighten anyone, but not her. She believed that everyone is unique and physical appearance doesn’t define a person.
Mitya, who could read her thoughts, let out a sigh. “Are you sure that I am real?- asked he directly – I am not a normal person! But I put a lot of effort into being one.” ” Maybe you’re a ghost.”
– wondered Mary, she has been thinking about this idea for a long and now she has an opportunity to figure it out. However, Mitya started laughing, raised his head and looked up at the sky, as if he saw something more than just dark clouds, and with a heavy sigh, answered:
Nope, I give you the last try. Mary didn’t know what to say for a while, wondering if he was from heaven, but if Mitya didn’t want to explain, she wouldn’t ask again. “Let’s begin – he talked again, – “You don’t have to wear clothes in winter, your body temperature will be fine.
That’s the first thing! The next one… ” Can I swim in the sea? – Mary interrupted because she loves to swim, and the summer ended quickly. Mitya nodded quickly and continued again: “Listen, I’ll tell you one trick, that works for sure.
If you don’t want to hear shouting or scolding, say the word “chuhundruk” twice, and the sound will be turned off for a while.” Mary considered how to handle Fitz if he continued to follow her. She decided she could simply ignore him and keep walking.
“This is protection from your family only, I’m afraid,”- Mitya explained, embarrassed, -“losing value for your father…” “What?!” – Mary exclaimed, she did not want to lose her dad. “For Fitz, I mean, I misspoke a bit,” – he said, coughing up a confused excuse.
He was able to calm Mary down and finally brought her to the most important thing to do: “Repeat after me one phrase and everything will be ready,”- he said, taking Mary’s hand and squeezing it a little.
” You should say this – ‘I’m Mary, I don’t want to hear what Fitz says to me, and I won’t give in to his proposals from now on,”- he said with a pause and immediately turned to Mary, -“do you get it?”.
She reassured him, and indeed repeated this phrase without mistakes, and then she didn’t even feel anything special, everything remained as it was. Mitya took Mary’s hand and led her away from the bench. As they walked, they held onto each other, but those who passed them only noticed Mary
And couldn’t hear what Mitya was saying. “I promise he won’t harm you, he’ll just spin around for a bit, then leave you alone. He will have to become kinder, and then he will have the strength returned. In response, Mary said something completely different from what he wanted to hear:
“Is it possible for me to cast a spell that would make Fitz invisible to me? The same as you’ve made with not hearing him. Can you, do it?” Mitya looked at her intently, as if he was peering into her soul, trying to understand
Her, and said with one eye squinting: “That is why we are walking together, holding hands, so that you get used to it and are no longer afraid of us. But why is it not working for you?” Mary shrugged as she felt her fear slipping away from her mind.
Seeing Mary’s fear have finally gone away, Mitya grinned with satisfaction. “They’re coming,”- he said in a hurry, and added – “remember, you can always call me.” “There she is!” – Mary heard a loud shout, and she turned to look.
She saw Max running towards her, and as he ran up to her, he looked back again, searching for his mum. A taller lady was accompanying her as they followed closely behind. He eventually had to bend down to catch his breath.
“This is a parenting problem, I’m going to teach this boy a lesson,” – Mitya said, and that was the last she heard from him, Max grabbed her hand and roughly dragged her along to meet his mother. Mary resisted as much as she could until Max’s mother came up to them, her cheeks reddened
From the cold, and Mary even thought that with her bright red hair, she looked like a clown, only she didn’t have a smile. ” Kids! Go to the playground and have some fun for a while, I need to discuss something with this lady!”
– she said, and immediately led her friend further down the alley. She didn’t even wait for a response, but her son managed to say ” okay” before she could hear him. Mary was left to play with Max, but she didn’t want to play with him at all, he was too energetic,
Running around Mary, pulling and pushing her, very annoying. When they approached the playground, Max rushed to the stepladder first, and very quickly climbed to the very top, it was quite high, without skills and in such a crazy state as he was, it was dangerous, Mary had to stop him. ” It’s too high!
Come down, quickly!” – she exclaimed. Instead, he stood on one leg and let go of one arm, stuck his tongue out at Mary and turned around fearlessly. “Are you going down or do you want me to help you?”- Mary exclaimed again, as she wanted
To prevent the boy from getting hurt and causing potential problems for her father. ” Try to get me if you can!” – replied Max and burst out laughing. Mary couldn’t believe her eyes, as an unknown force had taken him off the stairs and was
Slowly bringing him down to her feet while he screamed uncontrollably. The boy’s mother rushed over when she heard Max’s scream descending from above. However, by the time she arrived, Max was already on the ground. Mary realized who was responsible and searched for the culprit, but they were nowhere to be found.
” What has happened? Has he fallen? Tell me! – worriedly shouted the boy’s mother, and then addressing Max, – “Are you hurt, my little boy?” Max was speechless. He looked at Mary and then at his mum because what had just happened was truly a miracle.
One thing was clear to him: Mary had given him a warning and followed through on it. He believed that Mary used some kind of power, so he was lifted by the collar. ” I came downstairs,”- he explained to his mother briefly, looking at Mary in fright.
-“Don’t lie to me, I saw how you fell- did it hurt?”- his mother continued to question Max, but then remembering Mary, she switched to her, – “Why was he screaming so loudly- have you done something to him?” “No!” – Max shouted, – “I fell down by myself.”
Apparently, the frightened boy felt that Mary could show him another trick, so it was better not to mess up with her. Max’s behaviour changed drastically after the accident. He stopped running and avoided interacting with Mary, seemingly clinging to his mother instead.
His mother grew weary of this behaviour and was unable to discuss adult topics with her friend, so they had to cut their walk short. Just before they parted, Max’s mother informed Mary that they would have dinner together at her house tonight. She took his hand and led him out of the park.
Mary was cool with it, as she was feeling bored at home. However, Max appeared to be apprehensive around her. In the evening, they all gathered around the big table in the living room, Max’s mum and Hana in beautiful dresses, their husbands looking serious Max and Mary were there as well.
Everything was calm until the doorbell rang, and Mary immediately jumped up, as she would be the one to answer it anyway. ” You scared me! – Hana, who was sitting next to her, shuddered, “Why did you jump up like that? I almost choked.” ” Mary!
Mind your manners.”- her father immediately exclaimed with reproach. “I’ll go get it,” Mary explained, and hurriedly walked to the front door.” Mary’s dad and Hana exchanged surprised glances, but they continued eating without drawing attention to the fact that only Mary had heard the doorbell.
Despite this, Mary opened the door without asking who was there and was met by an unexpected visitor, Fitz. He was dressed in a clown costume with a hat adorned with bells, which Mary found strange and over-the-top. Although she wasn’t scared, she felt a bit tense and had no intention of inviting him in.
However, he quickly slipped past her without even asking permission. ” Hold on! I’m not allowed to let strangers into the house,” – Mary protested when it was too late. “Oh, don’t worry, they won’t notice me anyway,” – Fitz explained, adjusting the bead hanging
From his nose, -“I only came to see you, I’m not interested in the others. I won’t hurt them, I promise!” Mary anxiously returned to the living room, she couldn’t kick Fitz out, she just had to accept him. When she walked in, everyone was engaged in eating and talking, only Max glanced at her,
And that was because he was too bored to just sit and eat. Mary took her seat, she wasn’t going to invite Fitz to the table, but he immediately came over, staring at her intently.- “Oh! I notice that you are not afraid of me anymore,” he said, coming over and standing between
Hana and her father.” Mary was unable to speak, but she looked at him with disapproval. Fitz responded with a chuckle. “We don’t have to speak out loud, as we can easily communicate using our thoughts. Shall we try?” Mary turned away, but Fitz wasn’t going to give up, and after looking around the table,
He suddenly blurted out: ” Is this your teapot?” Mary was surprised when Fitz asked about the kettle while looking at her father. As Hana attempted to reach for something, Fitz handed her a salt shaker, but she was too absorbed in the conversation so she took it. ” Thank you, dear!
I was just thinking, and you were already in a hurry,”- she said, smiling quite a bit, and Dad was looking at her confused, not understanding what she was talking about- he definitely had nothing to do with it. Mary was surprised to find that she didn’t feel scared in the presence of Fitz.
Instead, she found him funny when he asked about the kettle and referred to himself as her umbrella. He even mentioned the importance of carrots to her, with a serious expression that made her smile (which she had to hold back). “What is going on? You don’t understand me, do you?
What’s so funny about celery and cabbage?” – he began to get irritated. But Mary thought, “I don’t like celery,” and Fitz read her thoughts and got really nervous But Mary thought, “I don’t like celery,” and Fitz read her thoughts and got nervous: ” Celery?! What celery?!”
– exclaimed he and even grabbed a glass of wine and drank it in one gulp, but immediately dropped it on the floor. Max was the only one who seemed to be scared when the glass suddenly flew through the air
And hovered over Hana’s head before tipping over as if someone was drinking from it. Mary was also surprised, but for a different reason – it became apparent that Fitz was capable of drinking wine, which was something a ghost wouldn’t be able to do.
None of them had time to understand what had just happened. ” I can’t drink it, Mary! But I really want to! It’s up to you whether or not I’ll have that ability, do you understand?” – Fitz pleaded with her as Hana picked up the pieces.
And only Mary wondered, – “How can it depend on me to drink it or not?” Fitz continued their “serious conversation”. “Your monkey is a very close friend to me, and you are like a radish to me. We could live together, I could be a real teddy bear for you, and your monkey would
Always be there for you,” – Fitz said affectionately and tenderly. Mary’s eyes continued to widen in surprise while she remained silent, lost in thought. Fitz also appeared perplexed as he observed her reaction. ” Fish! The fish is yours! The one who brushed you.
She had to leave you alone, but she hasn’t forgotten you and she still loves you!” – Fitz continued to insist, “Do you get it?” It was difficult for Mary to comprehend all of it because Fitz called her mum monkey and
Then fish, Mary was radish for some unknown reasons, and he was a teddy. Max probably was watching her- he noticed her face and where she was looking, so he suddenly started roaring, and even tears came out of his eyes. Of course, everyone was worried after that, but especially his mum, who started asking
Him:”What happened?”, “What hurts?” and Max answered them: “There’s someone behind Hana’s back! I’m scared!” Fitz even stopped talking when he heard that, but when he looked at Max, he realised that he couldn’t see him. “There’s no point in staying.
I hope that next time you will be wiser.”- with these words, Fitz left the living room, waving goodbye to Mary. After Fitz left, strange things kept happening. Max stopped crying when his mom held him, and Hana suggested they move to the couches by the tea table to relax.
Everyone moved, but Mary didn’t have a seat, so she took care of the dirty dishes. Suddenly she heard a loud meow -it was her cat- Mary had forgotten to close the door, so she came downstairs demanding care and attention.
Usually, Mary didn’t worry about it because no one could see Matilda, but today it was different- she almost dropped her plate when Max’s dad grumbled: “Your tomcat must be very hungry.” “Is it a kitten or a big cat?” – Max asked in turn. “What? We don’t have any tomcat.
Maybe you’ve misheard, as there’s no cat for sure.” – said confused Hana. “If it’s a queen, it’s a cat, what’s the difference, they meow the same way,”- Max’s father muttered, seemingly getting nervous. Mary’s dad and Hana looked at each other in surprise, it turns out that Matilda cannot
Be seen and heard only by these two, and now Mary has realised this. In a rush, she tried to fix the situation, but it wasn’t easy everyone was already scared- Max ran out to “have a look” and saw Mary picking up Matilda outside the door.
Mary acknowledged the presence of the cat and swiftly took them both to her room to avoid drawing attention. She graciously allowed Max to play with the cat and kept him entertained until his parents were ready to leave. After the guests had left, Hana stormed into Mary’s room and immediately began to examine
Everything closely. ” Where is she? Is that spotted ginger yours?” – Hana asked, not looking up from her scanning, unaware of the pair of eyes staring at her from the windowsill. Matilda had laid down there to get a good rest after Max, but Hana couldn’t see her
In such an open place, preferring to look under the bed. “There was no cat “- Mary explained briefly, she wanted the search over as soon as possible. ” Yeah. Of course! Everyone heard the meow – do you think they were all faking it?” – Hana was not satisfied.
Mary remained silent, and then Hana continued the topic because there were also stories from Max, who had seen her and even described the colour of her collar. Mary was tired of listening to this and remembering the magic words, so she decided to try them and muttered “chuhundruk” twice, and it became really quiet.
The stepmother now only moved her lips, waved her arms, and walked around the room but made no sound. It made Mary very happy, “I’ll always do that from now on”, she decided. But her joy did not last long, as her father suddenly came into the room and asked Mary
Something, but she did not understand because she could not hear him. Despite her efforts, Mary was unable to catch any of what he was saying. He repeated it again, becoming more and more nervous. Seeing her father’s eyebrows furrow, Mary decided to run away, and saying, “Okay, Dad,
But my stomach hurts,” she left the room in a flash. Mary’s magic words went wrong, so she decided to be more careful in the future but soon made the same mistake again. A few days later, she walked with Max near his house without any escorts.
However, the location of the house on the seashore was not very convenient due to the steep small stairs leading to it. Despite this, they were able to enjoy the seashore. It was very windy that day, but Mary didn’t care, because now she was always warm, no matter what the weather.
Two of Max’s friends joined them, who looked like brothers, both round-cheeked and wearing identical jackets, one older than Max and the other much younger. As soon as they appeared, it became hard for Mary to keep calm, as these two repeated everything after Max and were just too naughty.
The younger brother startled her by sneaking up and shouting “boo”, catching her off guard. She jumped up in a strange way, which caused her brothers, Max, and even three passing boys to laugh. Mary was offended, and to avoid further ridicule, she said the same magic words, now you can
Set off fireworks near her, she won’t even flinch. No matter what the boys did, Mary remained indifferent, and as they failed, they soon gave up on her and ran away. Mary’s worries weren’t over yet, as one of the brothers ran up to her and started pulling her sleeve hard.
When she turned to him, she saw him saying something fast and waving his hand at the sea. Mary chose to ignore him, but she realized that his younger brother was present as well. However, Max was missing, and that’s when she noticed the brothers gesturing towards her and waving their hands.
Mary’s heart raced as she saw Max’s beret floating on the waves near the shore. It was clear that he was in trouble, and she didn’t need to speculate what had happened. The answer was right there on the surface – perhaps Max had been pulled into the sea by the incoming wave.
Maria was a good swimmer, and as she was not cold at all, she immediately rushed to rescue the clumsy boy. She quickly took off her jacket and boots, got into the water, and only after she dived
In and grabbed a beret did she see Max, who was already walking away from the sea wearing another warm hat. It was difficult to explain her actions to Max’s mother and others because she couldn’t tell them that she had used the magic before, so she could only understand the boys’ screams
And the “drowning” and “there” movements of their lips. Max’s parents were extremely concerned about her well-being. They delayed her departure for an hour after her clothes were dry. Even when she finally left with them, they advised Mary not to tell her parents about the incident to avoid causing them any worry.
After the last incident, Mary decided not to use her powers at all, but some of them still followed her. For example, she might forget to put on her coat when she went for her daily walk, or
She would sit down at the dinner table with a sleepy Matilda in her arms and then she would climb on the table over the plates. During these days, Mary met Fitz more often on the street, and she didn’t even care – no
Matter what he looked like, no matter what he would say, he couldn’t be scary or threatening to her, talking about vegetables or insects. As the first snowfall of the winter intensified, Mary couldn’t resist venturing out into the wintry weather.
Despite the harsh conditions, she had a fondness for the season and wanted to enjoy it. Strolling down a path in the park, she paused and looked up, allowing the snowflakes to fall on her face as she stood there for a while.
However, she was not given the chance to enjoy the beauty, someone called her name and she smiled happily, it was a child’s voice, so it was definitely not Fitz, but when she saw Louis, she was very surprised. “Hey!
Haven’t seen you for ages”- Mary asked him, regretting that it was him, – “What have you been doing?” “Hi, a lot of things happened “– he replied with a smile. It seems that Mary may have forgotten the true meaning of friendship, which allowed her to release any negative feelings towards Louis for leaving.
Alternatively, she may not have felt any resentment at all, but rather a sense of disappointment that Louis did not possess the same qualities as her other friend Barbara, or herself. They were walking along the alley, talking cheerfully, both in a great mood, when suddenly Fitz ruined everything.
He emerged right out of the snowdrift that the wipers had managed to make just as Mary passed, and she couldn’t help but exclaim loudly. Louis anxiously asked what was wrong, but she remained silent, not knowing what to say, not risking to say that her old friend had scared her.
On purpose, he kept interfering with her, trying to get the situation out of control. Either by getting in Mary’s way so that she had to go around him or by singing a song too loudly so that she couldn’t hear what was said to her.
Moreover, she couldn’t escape no matter where they went, no matter how many times they turned, he was there Mary even forgot that she was with Louis and instead spoke out loud to Fitz: ” Stop! I can’t bear it! ” Louis looked at her and laughed, taking it
As a joke, because at that moment he was talking about his mum. There was a pause, which Fitz used to his advantage to ask Mary: “It reminds you about your mum, isn’t it?” For some reason, she hadn’t thought about her mum at all in recent months, and now she seems relieved. “What?!!
– Fitz caught the direction of her thoughts and rubbed his hands together in joy – finally!” It was too early to celebrate, Mary was really concerned, and even though she mentioned that she was worried about where her mother was, everything changed after Fitz’s next words: ” Your cuttlefish loves you too.”
This time, another stupid phrase didn’t make Mary laugh, it offended her, she didn’t want to listen to him anymore, Fitz noticed that she was pissed off, and without knowing it, he started to press her even more. “Cuttlefish, your cuttlefish! Doesn’t she matter to you?”
– Fitz demanded an answer, but Mary just looked at him in bewilderment. “Mary, what’s going on?” – it was Louis, trying to disturb her, -” Wake up!” ” With whom…?” Before Mary could answer, Fitz interrupted her, exclaiming with great pleasure: ” What? A cuttlefish? Is that what you call her?!”
“It’s not me, it’s YOU”‘ – Mary said out loud, completely forgetting about Louis, who was standing next to her, confused, his jaw even dropped. Fitz squinted strangely, took his hand on his chin, and began to walk, thinking seriously back and forth about something.
Frightened, Louis, who no longer knew how to approach Mary, who said strange things, now shifted his eyes to the right and left as if someone was walking there. ” I was right! Exactly! This little…,” – Fitz said, seeming to be on to something.
Louis left Mary and walked away, and only now she realised that she had been very careless, so he ran away, she wanted to follow, but Fitz stopped her, blocking the way. – “Don’t go, we can make a deal,”- he insisted, and continued, squinting one eye strangely,
“repeat what I’m about to tell you – a cuttlefish!” He said it again, Mary wasn’t going to listen to him, but the word flashed through her mind, and Fitz was all tense, even twisted with anger: ” Cuttlefish? CUTTLEFISH AGAIN?!! Ah, now it all makes sense! The little scamp has already bewitched her!”
Fitz looked very angry, stomping his feet, waving his arms, angrily twisting his face and shouting in an unpleasant but loud voice. ” What should I do? What happens if…,”- and without even finishing, he disappeared among the flakes of snow that continued to fall to the ground, finally leaving Mary alone.
After that incident, Mary thought she wouldn’t see him for a while, but he showed up that evening, and it ended in a big scandal for Mary. That’s when she calmly went to the kitchen, keeping the cat in her arms because Hana couldn’t see her.
Hana went in after her and opened the fridge to take out a carton of milk, but when she went to the cupboard to get a glass, she froze in surprise. She immediately recognised the cat sitting calmly in Mary’s arms, just as Max had described it.
Matilda saw that she could be seen and jumped straight to Hana’s feet. It was so bad that Mary’s stepmother even started to gasp with anger, and then burst out into a strong curse. Mary even had to use a magic spell to block out all of this, but the main thing was that
Hana had seen a furry one. As soon as Hana opened the door, Matilda was filled with fear and quickly fled into the street. Her departure was so swift that onlookers could describe it as a “flash”. After the cat, its bowls and a box of sand flew out, while Hana was constantly screaming,
Mary thanked Mitya in her mind for this ability to “not hear”. After that, Hana grabbed the phone, but Mary couldn’t hear her, yet she immediately guessed who her stepmother was calling, her father. Only then did she notice Fitz, who was standing off to the side, making mocking faces and saying something to her.
Hana walked out of the living room, leaving Mary alone, although she was the only one who thought so Fitz who was there, did not stop talking, but Mary could only hear the last part: “…I’ve warned you, my girl. ” Mary had no idea what Fitz had been talking
About, and the sound came at a time when he was already very frustrated. She was happy when he immediately left, but then she heard the sound of glass breaking and ran after him. When she entered the kitchen, Mary saw the shards on the floor, and Fitz was standing
Next to her, holding another plate, apparently about to throw it. “You’ve already seen how I like to break dishes, remember that wine glass,” – he said mockingly, “don’t mess with me, dear!” Mary ran up to Fitz, but it was too late, the second plate smashed after the first,
While he was reaching for the third. ” I have warned you! I’m not that kind of a good person. If you don’t cooperate with me, you’ll end up in trouble! I repeat one more time – me or Mitya?!” Mary reached for the plate, but Hana pushed her forcefully from behind, causing Mary to
Fall to the floor. Hana let out another scream but was surprised when Mary quickly apologized, causing Hana to struggle to maintain her composure. ” This child is crazy! I can’t live in the same house with her anymore!” – she screamed in hysterics and then, after catching her breath, continued, – “The orphanage,
I promised you, and I would keep my promise.” Mary sat on the floor, her legs bent at the knees, watching with worry and fear. Hana, in a state of agitation, grabbed Mary’s elbow and forcefully pulled her up the stairs.
However, Fitz tripped Hana three times, causing her to fall painfully on her left knee. Finally, she managed to push Mary into the room, warned her that she would lock her up, and finally added a discreet message: “Stay here. I won’t let you go out until your dad comes home.
Do you have any idea how much the plates you broke earlier cost? My dad gave them to me as a gift on the wedding day!” There was Fitz in the room with Mary, and she expected him to start threatening her again, but for some reason, he started to play the old jokes:
” Your new icicle is much worse than your old one,”- and looking at Mary, he added after a while, – “oh, that’s what I have said.” Mary asked Fitz to leave, although she didn’t expect him to listen, especially since the door was locked from the outside.
But there was also a window in the room, and Fitz opened it and stepped out, hanging in the air, but Mary was no longer surprised. Mary asked Fitz to leave, although she didn’t expect him to listen, especially since the door was locked from the outside.
But there was also a window in the room, and Fitz opened it and stepped out, hanging in the air, but Mary was no longer surprised. So, Mary’s dad had a lot to say to her that night. He was pretty disappointed with her behaviour and talked to her for a while about it.
Even though Mary is usually pretty quiet and obedient, her dad got a little louder when Hanna appeared. The next day, Mary’s isolation continued -Hana let off steam and did not appear in her room, and the girl spent the first half of the day alone, watching through the window as the
Neighbourhood children made a snowman. Mary would have stayed on the windowsill all day, but unexpectedly for her soft character, she decided to get her way, she needed to find Mitya because Fitz seemed to be bothering her too much. Mary tried opening the door, but it was locked despite her father’s promise.
Undeterred, she opened the window and saw a large pile of snow outside. Despite feeling scared, Mary gathered warm clothes from her wardrobe and prepared to jump into the snow. It was dangerous, but Mary didn’t care because the pile of snow made it seem like the distance
To the ground of five metres had been reduced by at least half. “What are you doing?” – Hana’s frightened voice echoed behind her. She pulled Mary away from the window and closed it. “If you wanted to jump, you should have done it when your father was home.
I don’t want to find you injured, it’s his problem!” – Hana was on edge again, just as Mary was running out of patience. “Why you don’t love me so much?” – asked Mary passionately, even her voice trembling. For some reason, Khana decided to answer her with complete seriousness:
” Because when I look at you, I see her – your mother, who gave birth to you. With the same blond, long hair and light grey eyes and gentle, docile character,” – she said, making a face, imitating Mary when she lowered her head in fear, -“Why should I love
You when you are so different from me? And from your father, too, is it not surprising?” She was no longer screaming, she seemed to have run out of energy to do so, and sat down on Mary’s bed, not moving or saying anything.
Mary was also thinking, she remembered Fitz’s words again, that he was her father and she was very worried. “If I’m disturbing you and… Dad, why do I live with you and not with my grandparents?” – she asked, afraid of the answer. -“I’m starting to regret it already. Very much!”
– Hana muttered, jumping up from the sofa. “They didn’t abandon me, did they? Is that what you told Daddy?”- Mary guessed, but her stepmother left in a hurry, although she could hear her giggle instead of answering. Mary recalled that day, she and her grandmother were baking an apricot pie, and
Her grandfather was checking the old fishing rods in the yard. Hana arrived,and they talked about something for a long time outside then Mary was called and Hana told her to get ready. That was it- she never saw them again only, later- she heard Hana quietly saying to her
Father -“they are old, so they refused to look after her”. Suddenly, her attention was drawn to a silver object on the bed, and she went over and picked it up, it was Hana’s mobile phone, and Mary realised that it was without a password
Mary looked at her contacts list and was surprised to see that the first name on Khana’s list was “Mitya” with two hearts, and even his photo was attached. Mary immediately pressed the call, and after a couple of seconds the connection was made,
And Mitya’s voice was heard on the other end: “Hello, who is it?” Mary was just about to answer him, but she heard what he said, his voice was very low: “Wait at home, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Just as Mary was about to speak, he abruptly ended the call and Hana entered the room, swiftly taking the phone from Mary’s grasp. ” Who gave you permission to use my phone?!” -she exclaimed, checking him, -“Have you called your father?”
After making sure that this was not the case, she spoke in a calmer tone: “You shouldn’t disturb him for nothing! I’ve said some stupid things before,”- she said, smiling sweetly, but added a warning, -“I hope you’ll listen to my advice!”
At that moment, Mitya appeared, he came into the room, and after looking at Hana with suspicion from head to toe, he asked Mary with concern: “What’s happening? Is there a reason why she threatened you?” Hana left the room but did not lock the door, just closed it carefully, so Mary could explain
Everything, but Mitya interrupted her: ” Her ignorance led her to concern.I wish you were here with me, not among people like this!” “Oh, such things have been happening here!”- Mary muttered with her hands over her face, “and you’ve been gone for so long.” ” Was it Fitz again?”
Mitya asked, and when Mary nodded her head, he grumbled and added, – “I’m sorry about that. Unlike you, I have to go to school, and I’ve been a bit busy.” Mary told Mitya, everything, what had happened to her in recent days: “He couldn’t get me, but we need to be more careful.
My dad and… Fitz is very angry and persistent- he won’t stop after the first failure.” “But what does he want from me? He talks nonsense all the time – Mary shrugged – ” I don’t understand anything ” ” He comes only to get some energy. He needs it, and so do I…”
Noticing that Mary was worried and reading her thoughts, Mitya quickly added: ” Don’t worry, I’m not going to chase after you, as I already have my energy source. I have enough energy to be a human. As for Fitz, he’s planning something evil, but won’t be able to carry out his evil plans
If we get in the way.” “Wait! You are not a human?!” – Mary couldn’t help but exclaim. “No,” – Mitya answered and immediately put his index finger to his lips to shut Mary up. The door opened and Hana’s voice was heard: “Have you gone out of your mind, talking to yourself?”
” I’m chatting with my imaginary friend “- Mary explained, and she noticed the concerned face of Hana, who now looked into the room, and she did not like the girl’s answer at all. ” I have an idea!” – Mitya joyfully announced as soon as the door closed behind Hanna.
“Let’s go outside, you need some fresh air,”- he added, as if Mary had already asked, -“I’ll deal with her now, make her think that she recently came into your room and saw you sleeping.” Mary hadn’t felt this happy in a long time.
She enjoyed going for a walk with Mitya, her new friend, even though he wasn’t human. The important thing was that he made her feel good and magically helped her. As they were walking, they stumbled upon a snowman that some boys had created.
From there, they could see Hana standing in the living room window of her house. During their five-minute stay, Hana noticed Mary outside three times, rushed to check if Mary was in her room three times, and mentioned three times that she had seen her stepdaughter sleeping a minute ago.
It was a short walk, but Mary managed to learn a lot during this time, periodically asking Mitya questions out loud, and he answered them without hesitation: ” “Is Mitya a ghost” – no, “Is Fitz a ghost” – no, “are they locals or visitors” – they had arrived, ” did they
Come from another city or country” – from another world, “is everyone there like Mitya and Fitz” – yes. After the walk, Mary felt no desire to return home, and she told Mita so before entering, and her good friend reassured her: ” Tomorrow all will be settled, and I will
Take you away from here. We’ll prank Hana, and she’ll let you go.” Mary didn’t say anything, but she thought about it a lot, she was not keen on causing conflict in the family or making any more scenes.
” You can rely on me, I know what this lady is afraid of, and I can convince her to send you back to your grandmother,” – said Mitya, and Mary burst out laughing, and Mitya continued, even more, delighted with his plan, -“You can study there because you missed a whole month.
” Actually, I skipped two months,as I’ve been here since November,” – Mary decided to clarify, but Mitya corrected her: ” It’s one month and eight days.” Mary wondered how he could know exactly when it was, even she couldn’t remember the date, and certainly not how many days and months had passed.
You were under my care, but because you have a new mother, I decided that these obligations were already off my hands. But now, Mitya seems to have said something unnecessary, because Mary suddenly thought, “My mother had asked him to take care of me,” and then she heard “Mary!” and looked up at
Mitya, who was calling her, but he was silent, and she sobbed: ” I don’t want to go home. ” “I’ve got a plan; we’ll make Hana leave you.” This time, Mitya did not mention to Mary that he was planning to send her to her grandmother’s
House, so she came home in a bad mood. The conversation about her mother seemed to have been wiped from her memory. In order to protect Mary from Fitz, Mitya suggested a new spell: if she wants the person she is looking at to stop disturbing her, she just needs to say “bupendu”.
The following day, was the day Mitya planned to implement his plan. It was simple, he decided to show Mary from a completely different angle, namely to make Hana see a Mary that she would be afraid of.
Hana usually sleeps for a long time, but today she was woken up very early by a strange sound, she heard someone singing loudly, and it was Mary, as Hana recognised her voice. “Oh, why so early!” – Hana exclaimed, still lying in bed, -” I will get you, little brat!”
Mary was singing so loudly that Hana couldn’t sleep anymore, her patience was short, so she got out of bed and immediately went out to deal with her. Her path was suddenly blocked by Mary’s bed, which was standing right in the corridor, but how did it get there?
There was no one else in the house except for the eight-year-old girl and Hana herself, and even Hana could not move such a heavy thing. “What is this? Why is the bed here?” Hana cried out in surprise.”
Mary came out of her room at her yell, and of course, she was not alone, Mitya was standing by her side to guide her, telling her what to do and what to say. “Can you explain to me, Mary, why your bed is in the corridor?”- Hana nervously asked,
Brushing her hair away from her face, which stubbornly refused to obey her. After receiving the instructions, Mary repeated what she was supposed to do, even though it was very embarrassing. ” I realised today that I can lift beds, I couldn’t do it yesterday at all,” – she said uncertainly.
Hana was really furious, but without any clue, she got lost in the guesswork and had to press on Mary: “So you’re confirming that you did it.The main question – Why?! “- she almost growled. Mary was silent, the bed was too heavy for her, and Hana suddenly realised that someone was kidding around.
“Okay, you’ve convinced me,” – Hana agreed sarcastically, removing the naughty curl from her face again,- “bring it back to your bedroom, I want to see it.” Mitya gestured to Mary to take the bed where he had shown her, and she did so, and the two of them dragged it to the door.
And then, after telling Mary where to go and how to grab it, so that Hana would not doubt that it was Mary, she turned the bed on its side with very little effort and pushed it into the room.
Hana froze at what she witnessed, and what happened next with the bed was no longer important, and when Mary finally came out, Hana only asked her: “You’ve been singing like crazy since this morning, too?” Of course, Mary confirmed this, and Hana hastily disappeared into her room, apparently afraid
That Mary would want to demonstrate this skill to her. Left alone, Hana tried to figure out what it was, but when she failed, she went to the bathroom, saying “I need to take a shower, cold and refreshing” as if something was not adding up in her head.
Later, Hana headed to the dining room where she became stressed once again. Mary was already eating breakfast and had the cakes that Hana had ordered from her favourite bakery on her plate. Hana always ensured these cakes were just for herself and made sure no one else touched them. “Oh my Lord!
Why are you eating them? Don’t you know they’re mine?!”- Hana shouted, her voice turning into a squeak. “You should order me these every day,” – Mary replied, “accidentally” bending the teaspoon in her hands. “Sure!” – exclaimed Hana, suddenly calming down from her fright, – “but I don’t order them every
Day, I order them only on Wednesdays.” “We must order them every day, I really like them,”- Mary replied, blushing, feeling slightly awkward in her threatening role. Hana looked so afraid that she agreed to anything, and several thoughts immediately flashed through her mind that made Mitya very pleased.
Everything had changed now, and Hana invited Mary to go for a walk and even helped her choose her outfit. The weather had warmed up and the snow had melted, as after the snowfalls, everything could disappear again, melting in the sun.
Mary had to go for a walk alone, Mitya was in a hurry to get to class, and she was very surprised by this, but even more by the explanation he gave Mary. ” I’m already in the fifth grade, I don’t want to miss it.
Oh, I’ve got to go, Dilda doesn’t like to see anyone late,” – he said, looking at his watch with concern. And he immediately disappeared or just flew away, but very quickly. “Who is Dilda? What do you mean?”- Mary said out loud with great surprise because that was the nickname
Of her previous maths teacher. Mary stayed out “as long as you want”, as Hana advised her, but she still had to return, although it was not so scary, her stepmother did not show up from her room that day. Later that evening, Hana had a challenging conversation with her father in the living room.
She confessed to him that she had taken Mary from her grandmother’s house without much thought. It appears that the tactics used to influence Hana worked rapidly, just as Mitya had intended. ” We had a bit of a fight, your mum didn’t call me bad names, but she said she wouldn’t
Give Mary back to me, but I’m her mum now. “What does she mean, ‘she won’t give her back to me’, that’s how it goes…” – she carefully explained to her husband. “So, the things I said to my mother were a huge misunderstanding,”- he said, emphasising the last word. ” I am so sorry.
Can you do this for me?” – Hana asked, smiling sweetly and humbly. These methods of hers always worked, because showing weakness, which Hana rarely allowed herself, was very effective on her husband. Thankfully, Mary was not there to hear how quickly her father forgave the woman who had
So easily played with her life and the lives of those closest to him. Hana had changed since then, she was so afraid of Mary that she decided not to tell her husband what kind of power his daughter had, just in case, she didn’t want to be twisted like
The teaspoon she had held before. The next morning, when Mary came down to breakfast, her “favourite cakes” were waiting for her, carefully laid out on a plate. Her father and Hana also showed up, and Mary was surprised to notice that her father’s
Eyes were sparkling with joy, something she hadn’t seen in a long time. The vibe was very friendly, and it was the first time Mary had ever felt so comfortable, but still not enough to make her feel truly happy. During breakfast, Mary’s father asked her to sit down on the large sofa with Hana.
As he began his speech, Mary quickly realized that his words would be extremely important. ” I believe you’re enjoying living with us. I know how much you have loved your new mum.” After these words, he looked at Hana with love, and then her cheeks turned red, was she ashamed?
Sadly, this wasn’t what happened to her face. ” But you shouldn’t forget that sometimes you have to leave those that you love as well as the place where you are used to ” – carried on her father.
Mary had already got the message, and a smile appeared on her face, even though she hadn’t heard the most important thing yet. ” I talked to Granny this morning,” – Dad brushed away a tear, and Mary noticed this
And suddenly started to cry,- “We made peace- she and Grandpa are waiting for you at home!” Dad was crying because he was so sad to leave his baby girl, and Mary was crying because she couldn’t go home with her dad.
Hana was a bit confused- she didn’t know what to do: she hugged her husband, patted Mary’s head, and finally said: “Besides, there is no decent school here, I spent so much time looking for one, and it was all worthless. The one down the street is very unreliable and teachers are rude.”
“Why don’t we let Mary stay with us until the Christmas holidays, the holidays are coming soon anyway,”- Dad suddenly became more cheerful. But Hana protested with concern: ” Only two more weeks of school left before the holidays, and she has already missed too much!
If we let her stay, it will be much harder for her to catch up with the classmates. So this will be all our’s fault, do you understand?” “We will come to you on New Year’s holidays with many gifts,”- my father agreed, preferring not to argue with his wife right now.
“But the child should not be deprived of joy! We’ll go and buy it today -you wanted to give her a phone, right? ” – Hana was inspired, but her husband did not share this mood -in other words, he was unhappy.
Meanwhile, Mary was so tense that she didn’t notice Fitz at first, who had been wandering down the corridor for some time, occasionally flashing in the doorway. When Mary finally spotted him, he immediately bowed to her, and when she smiled at him, he said: ” Do you know that I can easily ruin everything?
You just have to say …” However, Mary, who was usually too kind to everyone, was not willing to listen to him today. Moreover,she wasn’t going to let him spoil everything, and she showed her strength,and Fitz did not even have time to finish because Mary had already muttered- “bupendu, bupendu”.
Fitz appeared cheerful as he entered the living room, but suddenly came to a halt. He began to tremble and oddly wiggle his hips immediately when he heard -“bupendu”. Mary had done similar exercises in her physical education class, such as raising her arms
And moving them to the side two or three times, but she was better at it than Fitz. At the same time, his face froze in amazement, and only his lips moved, Fitz tried to say something, but only some phrases came out in fragments: “you”, “wait”, ” I need to”,
Too much energy was spent on the exercises. She wished Hana and Dad could have seen it.
STAIR TO MIRACLES
2 book in the Bad Mary series
Smashwords Edition.
Not born, but emerged after the explosion, flash, and roar, two beings. They had to adapt, arranging their lives in unfamiliar conditions. Fortunately, their abilities allow them to balance without disturbing the local harmony. They are both terrible and very kind, somewhere in between. However, like all of us when we commit certain actions. The conditions of our existence are just too different, the possibilities as opposites, and only the feelings and emotions are similar.
Author: Lora Hodgin
English translation: Victoria
Voice acting: Daniella Sander