The Other Slipper

THE OTHER SLIPPER

By Kenechi Udogu

Copyright 2011 Kenechi Udogu

All rights reserved.

2nd edition published 2013

Smashwords Edition

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locale is entirely coincidental.

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To my family.

For always being there for me.

CHAPTER ONE

The sound of a loud crash followed by an equally deafening shriek came as no surprise to most people in the frenzied mess that was the palace kitchen. One or two heads turned towards the storeroom with slight panic but when they realised that no one else seemed concerned by the noise, they went back to their work. There was no time to stand around today of all days; broken crockery could be swept up later.

Jo emerged from the storeroom, red-faced and silent. Her large dark eyes sought out her mother in the crowd of people rushing around the kitchen but she was fortunately not in sight. Good. That would save her having to explain her second accident in less than a week. She was probably losing her family more money working here than she would have been if she set up a market stall and gave out all their wages. Although those plates had not been the most expensive crockery in the palace and no one would miss them now they were gone, they were still worth more than she would ever be able to repay.

Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.

The voice came from beside Jo, startling her by its proximity. It was a voice she knew all too well.

I didn’t mean to break them, she began to protest her innocence, turning to face her brother. I was reaching for the jar and didn’t notice that the shelf was unbalanced, next thing I heard was a crash.

Her older brother, Ron, grinned at her discomfort. The vase she had broken a few days earlier as she was assisting the palace florist had also been at the wrong place at the wrong time. Jo made a face at her brother and jabbed him playfully in the side. Ron had just turned seventeen and although he was only a year older than Jo, he towered over her and looked at least three years older. His attempt to match her childish scowl only made Jo laugh out loud, drawing stares from others who were hurrying past them.

Aren’t you two meant to be doing something? Cleaning something? Fetching something? an elderly man muttered but didn’t stop to get an answer.

The reprimand was enough to send the pair back to work. Ron had been helping move some barrels of wine into the kitchen and Jo had been on a salt run for the cook before the incident occurred. She still clutched the large jar in her hands and knew that the cook would be impatiently awaiting her return by now. She really had to start keeping better track of time. She was grateful to have her job assisting in the palace, a job she secured only because her mother worked in the kitchen and her two brothers worked on the grounds, but if she carried on like this she was very likely to lose the privilege. If she did, she would probably have to join her cousin selling fresh fruit in the local market. There weren’t too many jobs available for unskilled clumsy hands like hers. Most people preferred workers who wouldn’t cost them more money than they got paid.

You took your time getting back, the cook chided but she didn’t wait to hear Jo’s excuse. There was no time to waste, she would receive a proper scolding when all the tension died down. Her chore completed, Jo slipped away from the hot stoves laden with large bubbling pots and went to find something less stressful to do.

It wasn’t an easy task. The palace was hosting its first ball in over five years and there was immense pressure to ensure that everything went according to plan. Everyone was buzzing with anxiety over the preparations. The finest ingredients had been carted to the palace kitchen from all around the kingdom; the royal florists had spent months nurturing plants in their greenhouses to make sure that the flowers were at their best bloom for the day and all the famous tailors in the land had dropped in with their exquisite fabrics to provide suitable attires for the Queen and the debutant Prince Carlton. Every plan that could be considered had been brought to the table, vetted and implemented. Nothing could go wrong.

Jo made her way out of the heat of the kitchen and went to find her mother who had been roped into assisting the decorators drape fine silk sheets across the ceiling of the hallway. When she saw the ladders wedged against the smooth stone high walls of the room, she decided to stay clear of the space and wait for her mother to notice her. Elaine, perched high on top of one of the ladders, had her back to her daughter but Jo could tell it was her even from that distance. The signature mop of thick curly hair matched with gangly limbs always made her family members stand out from the rest of the crowd. There would have been nothing particularly unusual about this except for the fact that the average height in the kingdom of Forne for both men and women was about five feet three inches. At five feet seven, Jo was the shortest in her family and was only just getting used to her long limbs, hence the constant dropping of items. Her mother always claimed that she had been the same in her youth but watching Elaine gracefully lift one of the sheets and tie it around a column head, Jo was certain that she had only made the story up to make her feel better.

Elaine finally turned her head towards the doorway and smiled at her daughter. The soft evening light glistening through the large tinted windows cast a gentle shadow over her delicate facial features; if Elaine had not acquired a few grey hairs over the years, she could easily have passed for her daughter’s older sister. Jo smiled back at her mother and attempted a sheepish wave. She knew she should be helping out somewhere else and not loitering but she was more of a nuisance than an assistance to anyone today.

What’s happened now? Elaine asked gently. It was difficult to tell if she was being accusatory or just curious.

Nothing out of the ordinary, Jo answered, trying not to catch her mother’s eye.

That’s not very reassuring because we all know that ordinary usually involves something being swept up after her, one of the other women in the room added a little harshly and everyone else chuckled. Jo winced. Her misfortunes were clearly better known than she had thought.

Elaine ignored them and climbed down to meet her daughter. I shouldn’t have said that out loud, she consoled Jo quietly. Ignore them. You’ll grow out of it. I promise.

In this lifetime or the next? Jo mumbled but she was smiling now. She knew her mother wouldn’t carry on with the subject after everyone had just laughed at her expense.

Her mother brushed her cheek affectionately with her open palm then handed her some silk sheets to unravel. She knew that Jo had come to find her because she had nothing else to do. There was no longer any reason for the girl to remain at the palace as most of the work was beginning to wind down but she wanted to stay on the grounds until the guests started to arrive because she would not be able to re-enter once the ball commenced. Jo had never been to a ball before. In fact, most young people in the kingdom had never been to a royal ball of this magnitude before and even now that one was being held, only an elite few had been invited. Children of palace workers had of course not been on the list.

After a few minutes of unravelling many sheets of silk, Jo stifled a yawn.

You should go home. There’ll be another ball soon if the Queen gets her wish and perhaps you’ll have more energy to stay up for that. The yawn had not escaped her mother’s watchful eyes.

Everyone knew that the Queen was hosting the ball so that her eighteen year old son could find his future bride. The young prince had spent many years abroad studying with great scholars in preparation for his role as King and had only recently returned to Forne. Seeking a bride was probably not the first thing on his mind but his mother was eager to show off her strapping young son and secure a grandchild in as few steps as she could. Jo felt a little sorry for the boy but not sorry enough to forget that people like her had not been given the privilege to attend the ball. She was not misguided enough to expect that every young girl in the kingdom should have the opportunity to be chosen as a bride for the prince, but she would have loved to attend the ball for the sheer pleasure of being there. Of course in her daydreams she always ignored the fact that she would have struggled to find anything appropriate to wear to the event.

I already promised to meet the others later on, Jo protested, I can’t back out now.

The others were her brothers Ron and Frank, her cousin Sera and two other young palace workers. They had spent days searching for the perfect vantage point that would let them watch the guests arrive on the day and also get a glimpse into the ballroom where the dancing would take place. Two days ago, Ron had located it.

Well, you might as well go and look for them now. I think we can handle the rest of the work here. Elaine dismissed her only because she knew that Jo was already getting bored. Her attention span was notoriously short when it came to work.

Jo didn’t need further prompting. She got up from the stone floor where she had settled and ran off to find her brother. The first place she went to look was by the great oak tree to the north wing of the palace. Ron was sitting cross-legged on the freshly cut grass at the foot of the large trunk staring into space like he usually did. He was the daydreamer in their family which was unfortunate because even though he was considerably more attractive than most of his peers, he remained strangely oblivious to the attentions of the girls who constantly batted their lashes at the gentle giant. He only ever had eyes and ears for his family.

You’re here early, Jo said as she settled down beside him.

You look like you need to be at home in bed, Ron echoed their mother’s earlier comment but it didn’t look like he was going to press the matter. Instead he sank down low enough for Jo to rest her head on his shoulder.

Jo yawned and shrugged. Sleep is for the weak. I’m not going to miss out on this; we’ve waited too many months for tonight. I’m not going to let fatigue ruin everything. She yawned again. Maybe I can catch a little nap. It’s still too early for the guests to start arriving. You’ll wake me, right? As she spoke, she could feel herself drifting off. Ron didn’t reply but she knew he knew how much this meant to her and he would surely wake her. That was why she had sought him out in particular. Frank didn’t really understand why everyone was so excited and would consider her wellbeing over their strange obsession with watching the event.

A cool breeze woke Jo up. It was dark; too dark for her nap to have only lasted a few minutes or even an hour. Her head was no longer vertically supported by a shoulder but was now making an indent in someone’s cloak on the grass. She also had another cloak thrown over her to shield her from the cold. To make matters worse, she could hear music in the distance. There was to be no music until the guests had started to arrive. Jo didn’t need much else to tell her that she had overslept. She sprang up and looked around for her brothers.

Oh look, she’s finally awake.

The voice came from above her. Jo looked up into the tree and scowled. Her brothers, cousin and about four others were already up there clearly enjoying the view she was missing out on.

Before you say anything, we all tried to wake you but you kept pushing us away, Ron said quickly. He was already reaching down to help her up. The apologetic look on his face seemed genuine.

I’ve missed everything! Jo could barely keep her voice down. She knew she was overreacting and knew that she had probably been too tired to respond to anyone’s attempt to wake her but she was still annoyed. They should have tried harder.

You didn’t miss much, Frank dismissed the last hour’s events with a grunt. He was a couple of years older than Ron and bore an equally striking resemblance to the rest of his family. Hundreds of carriages, overdressed women and a few pompous looking men. I can’t believe they worked us so hard all these weeks for this.

Jo paid no attention to him. Instead she turned to face her cousin Sera after she finally positioned herself on a branch beside the group. The real story, please.

Before Sera could start offloading the exciting observations she had been storing up for her, one of the other girls perched on a branch beside Ron gasped and pointed. Latecomer, latecomer.

Jo nearly fell off the branch as she shifted to get a better view of the entrance. The girl was right, there was a lone carriage pulling up to the foot of the stairs. Even from that distance the carriage looked brand new and very exotic, nothing like the style of the carriages Jo had seen locally. She wondered how far this guest had travelled to attend the ball. For some reason the thought annoyed her. How come people from so far away had been invited and they hadn’t? She quickly pushed the thought of their less privileged position to the back of her mind.

No one else seemed particularly interested in the latecomer apart from Jo and the girl who had noticed the carriage. Apparently she had only climbed up the tree a few minutes before Jo woke up and had missed out on the earlier arrivals too. The two of them watched silently as the carriage door was opened by a footman and its occupant emerged.

Stunning.

The observation came from Ron. This was the first person Jo had heard her brother ascribe that word to and she couldn’t argue with him. The girl who stepped down from the carriage was simply beautiful, a delightful combination of flawless skin and delicate features. Her hair was held up at the top of her head with strings of shiny pearls and her gown, like the carriage, was exquisitely detailed and in an unusual style. They didn’t have much time to gawk at her before she was ushered into the hallway. The group shifted slightly to see if they could catch a glimpse of her entering the ballroom.

Who is she? someone in the group asked but got no answer.

The group spent the next few hours observing the events that unfolded indoors. The latecomer’s entrance appeared to have been noticed by all especially the prince. The moment he could tear himself away from the people he had been speaking to, he was at her side, enchanted. And there he remained, chatting, dancing and laughing. Nearly an hour went by before someone approached him and reminded him of his duty to the rest of the guests. Reluctantly he moved away. No one else dared approach the girl while he danced with a few girls. She sat alone, silent, graceful. The prince returned to her side as soon as it felt like he had appeased enough people. That set the tone for the rest of the evening. Latecomer, a few other guests, back to latecomer.

After a while, the routine became less entrancing for the tree climbers. Or maybe it was fatigue that began to take over. Even Jo, who had napped earlier on, fell victim to the lure of the yawns when they started. Eventually stifling became impossible and Sera became the first to leave the group. Her home was in the same direction as two of the other kitchen workers and so their little group was nearly halved. Not long after that, Frank and Ron had to go and start moving empty barrels out of the kitchen and back into the cellar.

I should walk you home first, Ron said. It’s nearly midnight and mother will have a fit if she sees that you’re still here.

Jo rolled her eyes. Don’t be silly, I can go home on my own. I promise not to impale myself on a huge rock on the way.

That’s not what I’m worried about; it’s too late for you to be wandering about on your own. Ron always took his big brother role very seriously. Frank had already disappeared towards the kitchen.

It wasn’t that Jo didn’t want an escort on her ten minute walk home but she knew Ron was supposed to be working and she didn’t want him to get into trouble. If she had really wanted to be accompanied, she should have left at least an hour ago. The roads will be crowded tonight Ron, nothing is going to happen. I’ll be fine. Your help in the kitchen will be more appreciated than a brisk walk home with an ungrateful sister.

For a second Jo thought that he would persist but the air felt so alive with music and lights and it really didn’t feel like anything sinister could possibly happen that night of all nights. Ron shook his head absentmindedly and bit his lower lip as he thought of what to do next. As if to reinforce Jo’s words, the moon decided to emerge from behind a blanket of clouds at that moment and brighten up the sky even more.

I guess it will be quite busy out on the roads tonight, Ron finally gave in. Make sure you stay close to the roads but not so close that you’ll get run over by a sleepy coachman. He patted Jo’s head affectionately before running off to join Frank.

Jo left the palace with only a little regret. The days leading up to the ball had been the most hectic she had ever experienced on the palace grounds and her nap had only taken the edge off a little. Her brothers were probably more exhausted than she was and if they had the chance, they would be on the way home with her but work beckoned. All they ever did was work, work and more work. With no father around, the boys had grown up much quicker than most of their peers and would take on any extra hours that were available so that the family could carry on living in the comfortable cottage they occupied near the palace. One of the many benefits of living so close was that working late nights were never really a problem for any of them.

Jo left the high stone walls of the palace grounds through the side entrance which most of the servants used and started the brisk walk home down the dusty path that ran alongside the carriageway. She had been right in suggesting to Ron that the roads would be busy. In the first few minutes of her walk three empty carriages went past her towards the palace, leaving a cloud of dust and rustled leaves in their wake. As it was close to midnight, the coachmen were heading back to wait for the guests who would be expected to leave the ball any time in the next few hours. As much as some guests would have loved to spend the entire night in the palace, dancing would have to stop at some point and there weren’t enough rooms in the building to accommodate everyone that had been invited.

Another three or four carriages went past Jo and then the road went quiet; almost eerily so. It would not have been unusual for the road to be that quiet on any other day but after the bustle of the day, it felt a bit too lonely walking up the little mound that separated the palace from the rest of the town. Jo almost wished she had accepted Ron’s offer but the moon was still out and there would surely be another carriage heading towards the palace before she got to the top of the mound.

This time though the sound of the carriage came from behind her. The heavy clunking of overworked wheels and the loud neighing from horses which Jo usually associated with a carriage in haste was what made her quickly turn around. It felt like the carriage and its guest were fleeing from the palace rather than leaving after an outing of merriment and dancing. The dust the carriage raised was so much that Jo could barely make out the carriage as it went past her. She had just enough visibility to make out the bold patterns of the peculiar carriage they had seen a few hours ago. She covered her nose with the long sleeve of her dress but was still left in a coughing fit as she tried to breath through the dust.

Inconsiderate people, she muttered under her breath as the carriage disappeared over the little hill. It wasn’t bad enough that the carriage’s occupant was enjoying a much more comfortable transition home than any pedestrian; they just had to rub it in a little bit more. Dust covered peasants were always good for entertainment.

Then the strangest thing happened. Just after the carriage went out of sight, there was silence, almost as if it had stopped. As Jo was about to reach the top of the mound, there was a sudden burst of bright blue light followed by a sharp ringing noise that lasted for about ten seconds. Jo had witnessed one or two carriage crashes in her lifetime to know that this was not what happened when they collided, but perhaps it was what happened when a carriage suddenly burst into flames. Without thinking, she lifted her gown slightly and raced over the mound expecting to find the worst.

Nothing.

There was nothing on the other side except more trees framing the dusty paths that ran on either side of the carriageway. Everything was as it should have been if she had not just seen the carriage go by and witnessed the bright light. There wasn’t even any trace of the cloud of dust that should have been left behind by the speeding carriage. Nothing, nothing at all. That was what terrified her the most, the silence was overwhelming.

But if it hadn’t been so eerily quiet, she would not have heard the squeaking sound that was coming from the side of the road. She only caught a glimpse of the mice as they disappeared into the thick darkness of the trees and then she noticed the pumpkin. It was odd that she hadn’t seen it immediately she got to that side of the mound but her search for the carriage had only allowed her line of sight to remain at a level that was too high for her to have seen it straight away. Apart from the fact that it was sitting almost in the middle of the road, there was nothing particularly unusual about the fairly large vegetable. It was pumpkin season and perhaps it had fallen off the cart of a careless farmer who hadn’t secured his goods properly. Still Jo couldn’t get the missing carriage, the bright light and ringing noise out of her mind. Something didn’t quite add up. But what?

She approached the pumpkin with a little apprehension, half expecting it to disappear as well. She wasn’t usually so superstitious. Although she had heard numerous tales about enchanted objects and mysterious creatures from her mother and practically everyone in the kingdom, she was yet to witness anything that would make her a true believer. If she didn’t let her imagination get away with her now, there was nothing to fuel the uncharacteristic nervousness that was growing in her.

It’s only a pumpkin, she said out loud, hoping to find comfort in the sound of her voice. She didn’t. She could hear the fear clearly resonating in her voice. She decided to focus on the pumpkin instead.

And what a healthy looking pumpkin it was. Larger than any her mother could afford to buy in the local market, its orange skin almost beckoned to Jo to be taken home and peeled. Pumpkin soup had never been one of her favourite dishes but her taste buds appeared to be having a sudden change of mind. Or perhaps a pie. That sounded much better than soup. Frank and Ron would definitely prefer a pie. In fact it was so large that they could probably get both soup and pie from it to satisfy the usually demanding appetites of her brothers.

A slightly entranced Jo bent down to pick up the