Moon Princess by Barbara Laban

Author:Barbara Laban
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chicken House

10 Huozhede – Alive!

‘My delicate nose simply cannot bear this smell. Thanks for your trouble, Doc, but I’m afraid I must stop this treatment.’ There, right in front of Sienna, lying on a white cloth, was Rufus! Zou was standing over him, pouring a steaming drink into the dog’s mouth. ‘Waah!’ wailed Rufus. ‘Help! He’s trying to poison me!’

‘It’s all over now,’ the doctor soothed him. ‘That was just some medicine to help soothe your energy and repair your good temper.’

Zou’s words made Sienna smile even more – she certainly wouldn’t describe Rufus as ever having had a ‘good temper’! But she had never been more pleased to see her friend. She lifted Rufus from the couch and hugged him tightly. ‘Rufus, you’re alive! You’re alive!’

‘Of course I’m alive, silly girl,’ Rufus said crossly, but he looked pleased to see Sienna and he gave her a tender lick on her nose. ‘That monster had no chance against me.’

Sienna carefully carried her friend up the stairs, kissing and hugging him tightly, while Zou watched them go with a small smile upon his face.

Upstairs, the kitchen was empty and neither Feng nor Xiaolong were anywhere to be seen. Sienna had no time to wonder about that – she just wanted to know what had happened to Rufus.

‘Where have you been? And where’s Minka? Is she all right?’

‘One thing at a time,’ grumbled Rufus. ‘The cat is fine. I’m glad she’s not here. She never stops talking about herself.’

Sienna sat Rufus on her lap and stroked his fur gently. ‘But where is she now?’

‘She suddenly said she could feel your mother more strongly. Then she went off to look for her. Don’t worry. She’s tough, that one.’

Sienna rested her head against the little spaniel’s head and tried to stop tears of relief from falling on his soft fur. ‘But where have you been, Rufus? I saw you … it looked like you were dead!’

‘Dead? Dead?! Me? Don’t make me laugh!’ scoffed the little dog, giving Sienna a gentle nip as a rebuke. ‘We invisible friends cannot be killed that easily! And certainly not by one of our own kind. It is true that we can be injured … but we will heal, given time and the continued belief of our human counterpart.’ Rufus saw Sienna’s confused look and sighed. ‘You didn’t really think I was gone for ever, did you?’

Sienna paused and then shook her head. She realized that he was right: even after witnessing the terrible scene at the station, a part of her had felt that Rufus would be with her again.

‘Well then,’ continued Rufus firmly, ‘it was the strength of your belief and your love that kept me alive. It’s the same for Minka. Even though your mum claimed to have stopped believing in her, she never truly did. As long as you’re here for us, we will always be here for you.’

Sienna smiled. She didn’t think she would ever understand the mysteries of the invisible friends! Then her smile faded.

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