Chapter 3 - Meet August

“GOODNESS! SAY YOUR FAMILY ADDRESS!”

“Uh—um—sir, I—don’t know a-a-actually, b-but—”

“DON’T KNOW? YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW YOUR HOUSE ADDRESS? ARE YOU JOKING? YOU DON’T KNOW?”

The policeman seemed to be really angry. He asked a lot of questions with an horrible echoing voice.

“Well, I could get to my house by myself,” lied Jane.

“WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY EARLIER? GO!” 

Jane took a deep breath and went out of the room. She went directly and stopped immediately. She saw a familiar figure under a lamp—it was August! He was walking towards a gigantic carriage.

Jane ran towards him. She crashed straight into somebody—Leo! He was still playing the needle. 

“Hi, why are you here?” Jane asked.

“I was lying. I didn’t know my home address but I made one up! ” said Leo. His voice became quieter and quieter and vanished finally. “What’s your name?” he asked.

“Jane Carter,” answered Jane, “I’m six years old. How about you, Leo?”

“I’m seven,” mumbled Leo.

“Cool. I have a bold idea. I wanna meet August and make friends with him!”

“What? That’s childish, but I’d like to go.”

Jane suddenly felt excited. She grabbed Leo’s hand, and then, they stepped towards the carriage together.

It was hot in the day but now it was a little chilly. Under the yellowish light of the lamp, they were stepping nearer and nearer into the tree beside the globular carriage.

“Should we get on to the carriage and say hello to August?” asked Leo.

“I don’t think so, ” murmured Jane.

“Then what should we do?” whispered Leo.

Jane froze. She didn’t know what to do. She climbed into the carriage through an opened window silently. Nobody on the carriage noticed her. She hid behind a small wooden board. 

“Are you sure?” whispered Leo.

“Come’ere!” murmured Jane.

Leo climbed into the carriage carefully and opened a large wooden empty box. It was brown and dusty.

“Hide here! They won’t find out where we are. ”

Jane quietly got into the box with Leo. They closed the lid gently. Jane suddenly felt the carriage moving and bumping over rocks. Dust fell from the lid of the box. It fell into Jane’s nose.

“Oops. Ah-ah-ah-achoo!” Jane sneezed. She shook her head. She heard some voices.

“There must be somebody—a stranger in the carriage!” croaked an old man.

“It might be a kid,” said a young man.

“Let’s check,” said the old man.

Jane’s heart pounded. She looked at Leo. He still looked emotionless with his pale face.

“There must be a stranger inside the empty store box! Check!” 

The box lid opened with a crunching noise. Outside the box, was an old man and August. The old man had a pointed face and yellow skin. His hair, his mustache, his eyebrows, and his beard, were all gray and bushy. On his cheek, there was a painted pattern: a cyan tree within a green circle. He looked very stern. 

“Who are you? Get back to your homes!” he shouted angrily.

“Oh—” 

“I am sorry, this is Mr. Summer,” explained August. “He is not very kind to children. I hope you will understand it! ”

Jane stared at August. He was tall with dark green hair and shining dark green eyes. He was handsome with his white face and sunny smile.

“Come here, please. Do you have time to do tasks for me?” asked August.

“Are you crazy?” shouted Mr. Summer to August.

“We do have time,” said Jane and Leo together. 

“Okay,” said August.

“Maybe we will stay here forever,” whispered Jane to Leo.

Leo remained emotionless. 

Jane looked around. Inside the carriage, there were four girls. Two girls were holding glass bottles of some clear liquid. Other girls were lifting branches with green leaves on them. 

“What are those?” asked Jane to a girl holding a bottle, pointing at a branch that lifted by a tall girl. 

“Of course they’re immortal branches,” yelled the girl in a high cold voice. 

“What branches?” 

“Immortal branches! Do you know anything? ”

“Uh—” Jane felt embarrassed.

“They are immortal branches. They are a kind of oak tree branches, but most of them will not die forever,” explained August friendly.

“Prince August, they’re so ignorant!” shouted the girl coldly. 

“Be quiet, Rachel!” said August.

“Who are you?” asked Leo.

“I am Rachel Anderson!” said the girl proudly. “You two, fools!” she added coldly. And she raised her head.

“Um… we’re Jane Carter and Leo Parker!” 

“Sorry, but Rachel is arrogant and aloof, ” explained August helplessly.

Jane stared at Rachel. She was tall, very tall. She had two chocolate-colored wavy ponytails and steel blue round eyes. There were a few little brown freckles under her tall nose and above her thin pinkish lips. She was wearing a green skirt that didn’t match her hair and her eyes at all.

“Why are you wearing a green skirt, Rachel?” asked Jane curiously. 

“Because I’m a bottle carrier,” said Rachel coldly. 

“Why do you want to be a bottle carrier?” asked Jane. 

“Don’t ask me any questions!” 

“She does not want to be like that,” explained August quietly, “She was born in a poor family and her family didn’t want to take care of her, so they put her here. ” His voice went very low. 

Jane fell silent; she was thinking about what Rachel had been like before. 

“Oh. No wonder she’s so cold. ”

“Now, you two can go to sleep,” said August softly. Jane shut her eyes automatically.