Chapter Six

Bumbleling out the door

Beatrice slept soundly, resting on her side with her hand hanging off the edge of the bed. She had rarely stirred, her new bed and fresh sheets giving her a level of comfort she had never experienced in her life before. But something woke her gradually from her deep sleep.

Beatrice furrowed her brow, groaning.

Something had touched her hand.

Alarmed, Beatrice opened her eyes.

Standing next to her bed, was a doe. It had been licking her hand, drawn to her by its curiosity and Beatrice’s unfamiliar scent.

Beatrice gasped, sitting bolt-upright in her bed.

Alerted by her abrupt movement, the deer leapt back, letting out a cry of surprise, knocking over a tall pedestal and the potted fern atop.

The pot fell over and smashed, causing the doe to cry out again, before bounding out the front door, which had been left open.

Beatrice hugged the blankets to herself, eyes wide and blinking in confusion. Not only because of the deer, but because for a moment, she forgot where she was.

Beatrice’s eyes roved around her environment, the little nook that was her bed beneath the stairs, the corridor that was the space beside her, at the end of which…

‘Beatrice…? Is everything alright?’

‘Who is that?’ Beatrice gasped for a moment, feeling a little afraid at first. She pursed her lips, beginning to tremble slightly.

‘Beatrice?’

‘Vladislav?’ she responded.

She began to relax, letting out a deep breath and lowering her shoulders. She remembered now. She was in her new home. She had her own bed, owned a few of her own clothes, and her new master…

‘No’ Beatrice uttered, hearing the gentle thuds of footsteps as Vladislav approached her.

…not master…’

She looked around as she saw Vladislav coming closer.

‘…friend’ she finished.

‘Are you quite alright my dear?’ Vladislav inquired politely. ‘I heard a ruckus. I hope Bumble did not scare you too much. Oh look, the fern fell over.’

He reached down to right the toppled pot, placing it back on its base but leaving it on the floor.

‘I shall have to sweep that up later’ Vladislav pondered to himself. ‘But breakfast is a priority first.’

‘Did you say Bumble?’ he asked him.

‘Yes I did.’

‘What is that?

‘Who?’ Vladislav corrected. ‘That doe that just ran out the door, her name is Bumble. I found her as a fawn last year. She was born prematurely and had been abandoned by her mother. And so, I became her mother…well…father.’

‘That was a different deer to the one I saw yesterday’ Beatrice mumbled. ‘Isn’t it?’

‘Yes. I think the one that came in yesterday was a stag…’ he fell silent. ‘Or was it’ he said beginning to doubt himself. ‘Anyway… it is unimportant.’

‘How did you know which deer it was?’ Beatrice asked. ‘You were in the kitchen and out of sight.’

‘I know the sounds of my animals’ Vladislav said to her, dipping his head and placing a hand upon his chest. ‘I’ve raised many of them since they were very young.’

‘Oh…I see. That makes sense.’ Beatrice said awkwardly.

‘I shall see you in the kitchen then’ Vladislav told her, taking a step back. ‘Unless you want to go back to bed.’

‘No’ Beatrice said. ‘I am awake now. I want to get up.’

‘Excellent.’ Vladislav hissed, clapping his hands together. ‘I will see you in the kitchen then. You can change your clothes right here. I will stay in the kitchen to give you privacy.’ He was about to turn away, but pausing briefly. ‘You can put your dirty clothes in that little basket there. I will empty the basket when need be.’

Beatrice sniffed herself then, wondering if she smelled, before glancing to where Vladislav indicated, seeing there was indeed a little basket there, situated at the foot of her bed.

‘Take your time’ Vladislav said, and then he went away.

Beatrice lingered there for a moment, sitting on the edge of her bed.

She looked towards the open front door, going over to close it, before beginning to undress.

She dropped the lilac dress into the basket, before changing back into the clothes she had worn the day before, the beige dress.

Although she had only worn it for a very short time, and already, it had begun to feel truly like it was hers. She felt like she was finding a new self within her new clothes, with thanks and help from Vladislav.

‘The bathroom is further down the corridor’ Vladislav pointed, and Beatrice saw there was another doorway leading out of the kitchen, the part of the corridor she could see split into two. ‘You can brush your teeth in there.’

‘I shall do that after I eat’ Beatrice said quietly, taking a seat tentatively. ‘But um…I don’t have a toothbrush.’

‘Don’t be silly’ Vladislav told her. ‘I have bought you everything you need, not just a toothbrush, but several, and some brushes for your hair, and clothes and nail trimmers and…other things I cannot quite recall. You have your own little basket in there. It’s pink’ Vladislav added with delight. ‘It’s the only pink thing in that room, and everything in the basket is pink. You know how pink represents girls and blue represents boys…?’

‘When did you get those?’ Beatrice asked. ‘I never saw you buy that sort of thing?’

‘While you were asleep, I went out shopping briefly. This morning in fact, early.’

Beatrice found this very peculiar.

‘Isn’t the journey to any town that sells such things, a long distance? Surely it would take a long time.’

‘Ah but my dear’ Vladislav told her knowingly. ‘I use magic to get to places. I mean I can…sometimes.’

Bewildered, Beatrice didn’t know what to say to this, and so she said nothing. 

‘Here’ Vladislav said, offering her a napkin. ‘You know what this is yes.’

‘Oh, yes. Thank you,’ Beatrice said, taking the napkin from him gratefully. ‘Yes, I know what it is now.’

Vladislav began to hiss, Beatrice quickly recognising this gesture as amusement.

‘Did I say something funny?’

‘Not at all’ Vladislav replied quickly. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘on second thought, yes, what you said was very funny.’

‘Why?’

Vladislav pondered for a moment, before simply letting out a sigh.

‘I’ve made something for you to eat.’ He said, placing before her a small plate of buttered bread. ‘It’s bland, and should be agreeable with your stomach. In time, you will get used to richer food a little more. I look forward to cooking for you. You can be my little taste-tester. But you have to be honest if you don’t like it, ok?’ His eyes burned bright. ‘Otherwise, I won’t know how best to improve. Ok?’

‘Ok’ Beatrice answered quickly. Though she wasn’t exactly sure what she was agreeing to, but Vladislav seemed to be happy, and she wanted to keep it that way.