Chapter 29 & 30 - The Child in the Museum

Chapter 29

Amelia had been waiting with Claudette for what seemed like a long time. They anxiously sat in a small nook at the end of a hallway where there was a window looking out over the park, trying to see if they could catch a glimpse of the knight or the boy, but with no luck. The electricity had come back on in the Egyptian section, and a wide search had been going on to make sure all irreplaceable treasures were accounted for, but otherwise the museum had seemed to go back to normal. Amelia made sure she overheard the security discussing the power outage, and they had luckily decided that it was nothing out of the ordinary – it was simply something electrical. 

“Did Sir Philip tell you his plans for the sword?” Amelia asked Claudette, who was still fanning herself with the large, white feather fan. Amelia had determined that this was Claudette’s nervous habit.

“No, we barely talked about the sword. To be honest, I think he enjoys having some time not thinking about it at all with me. It’s been the thing he’s had to dwell on for hundreds of years. And let me tell you,” she leaned in forward toward Amelia, “I know the feeling! It is a huge relief to no longer have to think of such things.”

Amelia nodded. It seemed like all of the spirits of the museum had a reason for hanging on, or something they were unable to let go of. She wasn’t sure what hers was exactly, but she knew she was far too young to have to leave this world. She knew that she would never get to experience what she was witnessing Arthur experience, namely love from and time with his parents. 

She felt a lurch within her heart as she thought of Arthur’s parents. It was the feeling that was getting more and more familiar as she accepted the fact that she was no longer completely in the world, bound by the laws of physics, or at least everyone’s understanding of the laws of physics. That feeling was intuition. She closed her eyes and focused inwards more on the feeling. It began to make sense that the feeling was coming from Arthur’s mother. She had thought of his parents, and then the sensation came. But what was it? She focused in more closely. His mom was looking for him. She was becoming increasingly more and more frantic, possibly running through the sections of the museum below their feet, talking to security guards, realizing that he was nowhere to be found. Amelia wished she could step in and help, or at least go reassure his mom. Ever since Arthur had made it out of the museum, she had felt completely helpless. This was a feeling she would have to get used to, she realized. Being a ghost, she didn’t have a real effect on the physical world. This was something that was slowly becoming more and more apparent. Before she realized, she still interacted with the world the same way she did when she was alive and it all felt the same. In a way, it was nicer not realizing that none of her actions had a real effect. This action did, though: helping Arthur and the sword make it out of the museum. This mission had felt good. What would be next? What could keep her going?

She sighed and looked out of the window. The park seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see in some directions. They could be anywhere! She wondered how the sword could possibly be safe in such a place. What were they going to do – bury it under a rock, like some sort of a grave? She remembered the plan to put it into a rock, but that sounded like it would take forever, if it were even possible. Surely such a sword needed to be in the hands of someone who was going to do something great with it. Someone who was going to change the world.

Through the wall with the window overlooking the park, Sir Philip floated through. Amelia gasped. She was aware of everyone being ghosts, she had noticed Claudette getting more and more transparent, and she had seen Sir Foolish flying, but for some reason this sight of Sir Philip was completely unexpected. He looked magnificent, as if he had conquered the world. He also seemed more transparent, similarly to how Claudette had started to look a few days earlier. Amelia wondered if that meant the mission had been a success — if he had finally accomplished his goal. “My love,” he said, kneeling down beside Claudette and kissing her hand.

“What happened? Where’s Arthur? Is everything okay?” Amelia asked impatiently.

Sir Philip stood back up.

“Yes, it is all accomplished. Thank you, my dear, for taking a lead in this expedition. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

Amelia glowed. She wanted to hang on to this sense of purpose and pride for as long as possible.

“And now, thanks to both of you, I am free. Claudette, you waiting for me has meant the world to me. We don’t have to wait any longer now.”

Claudette stood up, beaming and taking both of Sir Philip’s hands.

Amelia felt a tremor beneath her feet, even though none of the delicate ceramics behind glass seemed to tremble at all. Sir Philip and Claudette smiled at each other in awe as a wall behind them began to open up, Amelia realized in a similar way to the passageway in the Egyptian section, and yet with a completely different feel. It was as if the Earth itself was turning itself inside out, but with a feeling of comfort, like Sir Philip and Claudette were about to be wrapped up in a blanket and tucked away for a good night’s sleep. The brightness of the window became overtaken by blackness, a blackness that Amelia had never witnessed before. There were always safety lights on in the museum of some kind, and Amelia had never been in total darkness for as long as she could remember. And yet, something was familiar about it, something reminded her of the riddle from the Sphinx – 

“Wait, what’s happening?” A sense of panic had overtaken her, and a fear she had never felt before started coursing through her veins.

Claudette broke her gaze with Sir Philip and looked at her.

“My darling, you don’t have to stay and be alone. You can come too. It might be time.”

“But…” Amelia gasped, stepping away.

“Yes.” said Sir Philip, “It is time to let go. Trust us on this one.”

Amelia shook her head. She didn’t know who to trust. She saw what seemed to be gusts of wind whipping around the couple, loosening the locks of hair in Claudette’s wig as they started falling beautifully around her face. They looked so free, and they looked so at peace.

“Don’t you want to see your parents?” Claudette asked sweetly.

Yes. The answer rose up deep from within Amelia’s heart. The answer was yes. It was something that she had never fully let herself feel or think, but it was unfolding into a bigger and bigger emotion within her. It was as if the emotion had been packed in so tightly, existing under so much pressure, and was now able to release and expand, filling her up like a hot air balloon, even making her feet almost lift off of the floor. Of course, she had always longed, deeply longed, to see her parents again, even though she had no memories of them. She had the feeling of them deep within her.

“We mustn’t push her,” Sir Philip said quietly to Claudette, turning back to Amelia, “The choice must be entirely your own, my dear. You will know when you are ready. This is when we must tell you goodbye.”

So this is what happened. This must be the goal, how people were able to free themselves if they were stuck in time, like they all had been for so long, to let go of anything that was holding them back. This was the ultimate act of bravery, to completely surrender to the unknown. Although it didn’t take away her fear completely, watching them made it so she could see now how it was possible to do it. It was possible to let go. And somehow, in doing so, you know you aren’t doing it alone.

“Wait!” She said, stepping forward.

They had already turned away, arm in arm, and began walking into the darkness, their likenesses dissolving into the air like sugar in water.

Amelia hesitated. A voice deep down within her seemed to whisper, warmly “You are ready.”

Amelia ran after them before they were completely swallowed by the blackness.

Chapter 30

Arthur hadn’t considered how he was going to get back to the museum. He also hadn’t considered how he was going to explain how he had made it outside and all the way into the park. Suddenly, Arthur realized that he was completely alone for the first time. A feeling of panic crept over him as he looked all around. The sword was out of sight. He looked back at the museum and decided he would walk straight towards it, very grateful that he could see it. He hadn’t spent much time in this giant park at all, and knew that he wouldn’t be able to find his way around otherwise. 

Before starting off, he looked in the direction of where he had exited the Egyptian section, and there was no longer any sort of entrance to a tunnel. There was, however, a large obelisk that he had never noticed before. Arthur approached it slowly, and the closer he got, the more he could see Egyptian symbols curling around the edges. He cautiously approached the large structure and reached out his hands to feel the symbols engraved into the stone. Nothing happened, and he didn’t feel the energy from this stone structure in the same way that he did with the other stone earlier. He looked up at the great height of the obelisk and wondered curiously if it had something to do with the entrance to get back to the museum. It would be so convenient if he could just touch the correct symbols in the correct order and the ground would open up to the torch-lit passageway back into the Egyptian section, and no one would see him, somehow, once again. But nothing happened. After circling the obelisk for a few more stretched-out minutes, Arthur realized that the best plan was to go back through the forest, through the park, and find his way into a normal entrance to the museum.

He looked around at the thicket of trees in the direction he had come from, and at the completely unknown landscape that stretched out in the direction of the museum itself. He didn’t see a clear path in that direction, only winding trails that swooped nearby the obelisk and then disappeared from view.

He had wished for an adventure, a great adventure, ever since they had arrived in the city. And he had gotten one, that was definitely true, so he really couldn’t complain. What was an adventure without getting lost in a forest, he wondered? Arthur really didn’t think he could possibly forget this, as Sir Philip had suggested. It was all too huge, too magnificent of an experience to forget.

He walked toward the museum, winding through trees and landscape, not on a typical path, but at least sure that he was going in the right direction. He felt his shirt and found the sticker showing that he had museum admission, hopeful that he would be able to sneak in through the front and find his mom without getting in trouble.

His mind had been tumbling over all sorts of plans, all sorts of ways to avoid getting caught, and he began to feel immensely exhausted. Suddenly, Arthur realized that he had left the canvas bag with his mom’s drawing pad and folding easel behind at the clearing with the stone. He whipped around, intending to go back and get it. But when he looked at where he had come, he couldn’t see a clear way back, and had no idea how he could ever find that place again. He even looked to see if he could at least locate the tip of the obelisk above the treeline, but it was completely out of sight. Or had it even really been there to begin with? He decided to keep heading toward the museum before something made him disappear like the obelisk had. Arthur turned around in the direction he was heading before and continued on his way, taking his time for a moment, trying to imagine how he would explain to his mom that he had lost her things.

He passed by a big fountain with many people sitting around it, eating their lunch. He kept walking quickly, hoping not to draw attention to himself. A child seemingly alone in this big park, this park that honestly felt a bit more like wilderness, would definitely be something someone would report. The museum still seemed so far away. As soon as he had left their eyesight, Arthur broke into a run. He ran across the grass, leaping over rocks and branches, ignoring paths that crisscrossed in other directions. He alternated between looking down at his feet to make sure he didn’t fall and looking up at the museum to make sure it stayed in sight.

Just as he became out of breath, the busy road that ran in front of the museum came into view, along with the sound of horns, taxis moving by, and someone ringing a bell on their bike to make sure a pedestrian got out of the way in time.

Arthur collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily for a moment, but also aware of how alone and how exposed he was at this time. He wasn’t used to being anywhere without his mom. Or his dad, for that matter.

As he looked up, and just as he was thinking of him, Arthur noticed his dad walking along the sidewalk, wearing a nice pair of black slacks, a shirt, a tie, and shiny black shoes. Behind him, his dad was wheeling his instrument, a large double bass in a soft black case with many pockets. His instrument was so large, but he wheeled it through the busy sidewalk with the ease of someone who had done this a thousand times before. As if the timing was meant to be, his dad must have been headed to the museum to meet Arthur and his mom and go back to the hotel. For a moment, Arthur wasn’t sure what to do. 

He didn’t want to get in trouble, but he wanted to be safe with his dad, knowing where they were going next, not needing to make decisions on his own or save the world any longer. His dad was his hero, and he was happy that his mom hadn’t brought up the instance in which he stole from the café. He didn’t want to ever disappoint his mom, but he especially didn’t want to disappoint his dad.

It only took him a moment to decide, and before he knew it, he was running in the direction of his dad. Once he started running, the fear began to catch up to him – the fear of the entire experience he had just had, of going through the unknown in the tunnel, of putting a sword impossibly into a stone, of being alone in a forest and simultaneously alone in a big city. He knew that once he reached his dad, he would feel safe.

Arthur’s dad noticed him running toward him, and at first had a look of shock on his face, but then it broke out into a huge smile. He stopped and set his double bass down on the sidewalk as people passing on the path had to walk around it. He knelt onto the ground with his arms outstretched, waiting for Arthur to run into them.

Arthur collided with his dad, whose arms wrapped around him tightly, a huge feeling of relief washing over him. His mind was still spinning so he barely noticed his dad asking him what on earth he was doing outside, and a long string of questions. He let Arthur climb up onto his shoulders in a familiar way, and stood up. Arthur was able to see across the street, above all of the cars and the heads of the pedestrians, riding high up on his dad’s shoulders as they walked toward the museum.

Arthur considered trying to say something to his dad, but the noise around them was so deafening that he decided instead to let the breath fully come back into his chest. Arthur felt at ease in this moment, and let all of the worries and experiences of the day slip away. As they got closer to the museum, Arthur was surprised to see his mom standing outside of the front entrance, at the top of the concrete stairs. She locked eyes with Arthur and his dad, looking relieved, but putting her hands on her hips and shaking her head.

At the bottom of the steps, Arthur’s dad crouched down to let him off and took his hand. He swung his giant instrument over his shoulder with its strap. They walked up the stairs together, toward his mom, hand in hand.

“Wherever did you find this one? Did you check your phone at all?” Arthur’s mom exclaimed as soon as they got in earshot. “I’ve been looking for ages! Why would you be outside the museum?” She turned her questioning to Arthur.

Although she was clearly frazzled, his mom was so relieved that, with tears in her eyes, she was almost laughing as she spoke.

Arthur accepted his fate, however he was going to get in trouble next. He knew he wouldn’t have a good explanation for everything that had happened that day, or even the days leading up to it. He wouldn’t even try to come up with one. He just ran up and gave his mom a big hug. She bent over to hug him back for what felt like a long time.

He then turned to his dad and gave him a big hug too, grateful to have them both on either side.

“Can we go back inside the museum?” Arthur asked. He wanted to see Amelia again, and Sir Philip, and Claudette. He wanted to know that everything had worked out fine and that his job was done. He also wanted them to know that he had made it back safely.

Arthur’s parents looked at each other, clearly confused. He decided to walk toward the door himself, embodying his newfound sense of independence.

“Hold on!” He heard his dad say, but he was already inside the museum. The entrance was massive, with the high ceiling displaying balconies to upper levels, and the huge bouquets of freshly delivered flowers. Arthur scanned the upper balconies, recalling that Amelia often watched for him from up there. He didn’t see her.

“Sweetie, we should probably get going…” He heard his mom begin to say. Arthur walked forward quickly, pretending not to hear, weaving in and out through the visitors who were excitedly looking at the maps and choosing which line to wait in to get into the museum. He couldn’t see Amelia anywhere.

Before he knew it, his dad was taking his hand once again.

“Arthur,” he said quietly, “Let’s go.”

His dad knelt down beside him once again. Arthur put his arms around him, and his dad helped hoist him up onto his shoulders. He stood up and Arthur looked all around the museum entrance from above, seeing everyone, but no Amelia. He looked once again up at the balconies. No Amelia.

His dad turned away and began to walk back to the doors, where his mom was waiting. Arthur took one last glance behind him before realizing that the adventure, this particular adventure at least, had come to a close.