The Clockwork Girl
By: Grace Garcia
I hate this place. I hate living in here with the others. I have to leave. Living in the same clock for ages can really bug you. I know Big Ben is fascinating to all the others, but I want to travel the world instead like my mother used to long ago. She wasn't like the others, too. She always wore a hat with a feather and a bright red scarf and a coat to keep her gears and cogs hidden when she traveled. I loved when she would wear that outfit. Sometimes she would let me dress up in it, even though it was way to big on me at the time. I'm sixteen now and I'll wear the coat and travel the whole world. I sneak down the stairs and out the back door. The door slams and I cringe. I forgot it did that. A split second after it slammed, Mrs. Hugo's room light goes on. Rats, caught again!
"What in the heavens do you think your doing, Cassia!" she scolds at me.
"Mrs. Hugo," I say, "You know how much I wanna travel the world."
"Yes, dear, I know how much you want to travel like your mother, but you have to stay here where it is safe."
"Please, Mrs. Hugo. I'm sixteen now I can go out on my own!"
"Oh, you're just like your mother. You'll put up a fight till you get your way. Well, dear, you should get to bed, it's outing day tomorrow."
"Okay, Mrs. Hugo." I say as I slump up to my room.
I get to my room and Mary Jane, Emily, Caroline, and Cristine, who are my roommates, are already asleep. I take off Mama's hat, scarf and coat then slip into bed. I look at the locket around my neck and open it. A picture of Mama and me. Mama gave it to me when I was two. I've never taken it off since then.
The next morning we all had to wake up early to get ready for the outing. We all dress in long coats, hats, and anything to hide all of our cogs and gears from the others. Mrs Hugo and her staff pick our groups for the outing. Ms. Higgins, a tall, quite skinny woman with short blonde hair, groups me with four other kids. She groups me with Mary Jane, who is my absolute best friend, Thomas, who I've know since the day I came to Mrs. Hugo's Home For Clockwork Children, and two kids who are a couple years younger, Jack and Annie. Since the youngest kids are too young to be by themselves, they are grouped with the staff members to keep them from running all over the place. It's been a month since our last outing, but we do the same things every time and it's so boring.
"Ooh!" Mary Jane squeals with delight. "We should go to that bakery on the corner of Harvard Avenue and 23rd Street!"
"That's a great idea, Mary Jane," Thomas says. "What do you think, Cassia"
"Uh-huh....yea..." I say, my eyes wandering around.
Their voices fade out as my eyes and mind are locked on a sign that is about a new exhibit at the museum. I forgot that Mary Jane's arm and mine were linked so we both topple over because I stopped and she kept on walking. While we were on the ground we laugh for a few minutes and then went on our way, babbling about what happend.
"Hey, guys do you think we could go to the museum later to see that new exhibit?" I ask.
"Oh, that's a wonderful idea," says Mary Jane "We should totally go! What do you think guys?"
"Yeah, I'd like to go." Thomas agrees.
"I like that, too." Says Annie.
"Me, too." Jack chimes in.
After we went to the bakery, to grab some treats, we make our way to the trolley to go to the museum. When we first walk in we see statues of old dinosaur bone pieced back together like a puzzle. We all get maps of the place, so we don't get lost. We go through to Art Hall, where they have famous paitings, sculptures, and more. Next we enter into the Animal Kingdom Hall where there were real looking statues of all sorts of animals. I really liked the Historical Artifacts Hall. It had so many fascinating things, such as things from the Titanic to artifacts from the Egyptian king Tutankhamen. The new exhibit hall was just to the left of Historical Artifacts Hall. The exhibit was called the "Room of Wonder." There were random, but interesting, things all over the room in display cases, shelves and even hands on exibits. I go over to one of the hands on displays. I go to pick up a weird looking shell or fossil of some sort then one of my cogs falls off and onto the table. I don't notice it for a second, until I see that the cog doesn't belong amongst the rocks and fossil like things the table. I go to grab it but a young man, around maybe my age, snatches it first.
"Excuse me," the man says
I get scared. I think he might be talking to me!
"Excuse me, sir" he says.
Thank goodness he wasn't talking to me! I notice now that he is trying to get the attention of the curator standing behind me.
"Excuse me, sir," he says again. "This item doesn't belong in this category of things. Do you know where it should go?"
I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what to say until suddenly...
"I do!" I blurt out. Cassia, how can you be this stupid!!, I think to myself.
Both the young man and the curator stare at me like I'm insane or something. I carefully take my cog from the man hand and make it look like I'm putting it away at a different table. After that our group leaves the museum and head back over to the clock. I'm still thinking of what just happend. What if that guy saw that it fall off of me!? What if he is tracking me down right now!? What if he finds the orphanage!? All of these questions and more, frantically race through my mind. I highly doubt those things, but what if they were true! I'm getting a headache from thinking about all these things. I go straight to bed.
I had a dream about that man at the museum. I was in the museum again, but I was wearing my mother's traveling outfit. I exited the building, but that young man was following me. I started walking quicker, he did the same. I started jogging, he copied me again. I run down the street turn the corner and press against the wall, hoping he wouldn't see me. It didn't work, he grabbed me by the collar of Mama's coat. I squirmed as he yelled at me all kinds of questions. Luckily, the coat was slightly big on me, so I slipped my arms inside the coat and I wriggled out. I sprinted. I didn't know where I was going but, I was on some bridge. Then suddenly, out of no where, the young man appeared right in front of me. I didn't slow down fast enough and he grabbed me with his muscular arms and squeezed me with them so hard that it hurt. I tried jerking free, but that didn't work. I screamed for my mother, my friends, Mrs. Hugo, anyone. After that I woke up, screaming, with Mrs. Hugo and Mary Jane by my side both trying to calm me. I had tears and sweat rolling down my face. My body ached and I was very shaky, too. Miss Darby, one of the cooks, came in with some hot tea with honey. They said I should rest and drink some tea until I feel better.
I wake up a few hours later, the 12:00 bell rings from the clock signaling lunchtime. I head down to the cafeteria. I hear giggles as I walk past the other tables to get to mine. I realize that I'm still in my nightgown. I honestly don't care. I make it to my table.
"Umm...Cass..?" Mary Jane asks.
"Huh?" I say.
"You know your still in your pajamas, right?"
"Yes, I think I got it from all the giggles and the pointing of fingers" I say, hearing giggles behind me.
After lunch, it's free time. I really want to go back to the museum and see that last exibit again, but without anyone here seeing me go. I'm one of the first people to head out of the cafeteria. I rush up stairs and grab my coat, shoes, and a hat and run down the back stairs and out the back door, being careful to close it. I go to the trolley stop nearest to the orphanage and go to the museum.
I go through all the halls to look at them one more time, then I head to the Room of Wonder exhibit, the exibit I was waiting to see. I look at the cabinets of interesting things. I touch all the things at the tables. I go to see a little scale model of New York made of toothpicks in one of the display cases, when a voice behind me makes me jump.
"Very beautiful isn't it. New York City." The voice says.
I turn around to see that the voice belongs to the young man I saw yesterday. I walk out of the room as quickly as I can and into another hall. I hide in the Art Hall until I see the man pass then I turn and exit the building. I hear footsteps behind me.
"Hey!" The man yells.
I ignore him and walk a little faster.
"Hey!" He yells again. "Hey! I just wanted to return your scarf you dropped yesterday while you were leaving with your friends."
I stop dead in my tracks. Oh no, Mama's scarf!, I think. I turn and take the scarf from the young man.
"So your initials are M.H.?" He asks.
"No, those are my mother's initials, Madalynn Helensberg, my initials are C.H., Cassia Helensberg."
"Well, Cassia, my name is Louis Peterson." He says as we shake hands. "So, where are you going that you need to be there so quickly?"
"I...I can't tell you, I gotta go." I say. "So..yeah..bye..um..Louis."
I turn around, dash to the nearest trolley station, and go back to the Home. On the ride back I wonder if he noticed that I'm not totally human. I finally make it to the Home and I go around to the back door. I open the door and standing right there is Mrs. Hugo wearing her mad but relieved face. Then she came up to me and squeezed me with a tight, but warm hug.
"Oh thank the heavens, you're safe! Don't you ever do something like that ever again! You scared me to death!" She said as she hugged me.
"I'm very, truly sorry Mrs. Hugo, but I just had to go visit the museum again."
"Oh, sweetheart," she giggled. "You're just like your mother: a curious, little rebel.
I giggled as well, thinking about my mom sneaking out to go somewhere.
"Now, get washed up and ready for dinner."
I get dressed, wash my hands and face, and head down to dinner. Tonight dinner was beef and veggie soup with crackers on the side. After dinner it's our second free time. I go up to my dorm and read a book. After reading my book for a while I get up and walk downstairs. I head to Mrs. Hugo's office. I knock on the door and she kindly opens it. She offers me a seat.
"Mrs. Hugo?" I mumble.
"Yes, sweetheart" she kindly says as she stirs the cup of coffee in her hand.
"Umm..I...I was wondering...if..I could go to the..the museum tomorrow?" I stutter.
"Sweetheart, I don't know if I could let you go out on your own after what happend today." She says sadly. "I very much want you to explore the world, but it is too dangerous."
"Please, Mrs. Hugo. I promise I'll be extra, extra careful. Please!" I beg.
"I'm sorry, Cassia, I cannot send you out after what happend today." She states.
Ugh, I wanted to scream, but I didn't. I left out of frustration and slammed the door behind me. I marched up to my dorm and flopped on my bed, mad and frustrated. I sat there while everyone was getting ready for bed. When everyone was asleep, I got up quietly and put some of my things in my travel case, then snuck out. I rode the trolley to the museum. Of course, I see Louis in the Room of Wonder. He took me to a café. He also bought me a hot chocolate. We chatted, laughed, and got to know each other better near the museum. I learned that he is seventeen years old, works at a library, loves chocolate, has four older brothers, and his favorite activities are reading and cooking.
"So what are your favorite activities to do, Cassia?" He asks
"I like reading, I like making art, I like traveling, but I never really get to do it very often." I answer.
"I love traveling, too, but how can you love traveling, when you don't even get to do it often?" He says.
"I don't know, but my mother traveled the world and she told me a lot of stories about her trips. That got me very interested in it." I tell him.
"Well that's interesting." He says. He looks at his watch. "Well you should get home it's almost midnight."
Oh my gosh, almost midnight! I need to go back to the Home as fast as possible, I think. I get up from the table grab my things and start heading for the door.
"Cassia, wait!" Louis calls. "Promise me you'll meet me here tomorrow night?"
He jogs to catch up with me.
"So, do you promise?" He asks again.
I nod. As I leave I see his cheeks get red. I totally underestimated Louis, he's nothing like I thought he was. I was crazy for thinking about that!, I think to myself. It's weird, but I have noticed he never asks me about what I have under my big hat and coat. It makes me wonder but makes me feel curious to see him more and comfortable at the same time.
For the past couple of months I've been sneaking out at night and meeting with Louis at the café, library, or the museum. Today we met at the café.
"Hello, Cassia!" He greets me.
"Hi, Louis!" I say back.
"So, you know how you talk about traveling so much?"
"Shut up! No way! Louis Peterson you did not!!" I squeal with anxiousness.
"I got us tickets to go to...New York City!" He finally says.
"Oh my gosh, this is so not real!" I squeal in excitement.
After the meeting I went back to the Home. I pack all of my thing in my suitcase. I write a letter and set it on Mary Jane's nightstand. I put on my mother's traveling outfit and start heading out. I almost make it to the back stairs when I hear a voice behind me.
"Cassia?" The voice says.
I turn around, it's Mrs. Hugo.
"Mrs. Hugo?" I say.
"Sweetheart, what are you doing?" She asked.
Tears start filling my eyes, I go up to Mrs. Hugo and give her a big hug.
"I'm so...sorry." I say as tears stream down my face.
"It's alright, sweetheart, I know."
I stop hugging her for a minute. I look at her in confusion.
"What?"
"I know you're going to New York." She says.
"But...but how?" I stutter.
She told me that Louis is her grandson and he used to go to the Home. Now I remember that there was this kid that left all of a sudden. Mrs. Hugo told me that was Louis. He wrote letters to Hugo about his trips around the world. Then she said that she recently got letters about him meeting a girl and she instantly knew it was me when he described her. No wonder why he wasn't really scared of me. I think. After our conversation I give Mrs. Hugo one last hug then leave.
I meet Louis at the dock where we are going to board the ship to New York. I tell him about How I knew Mrs. Hugo and our conversation she and I had earlier. The ship pulls into the dock and I anticipate whats about to happen.
For ten years now, I've been traveling the world with Louis, who is now my husband. I still write letters to Mrs. Hugo's Home for Clockwork Children. One day I will go back and visit but right now I'm just going to enjoy this wonderful journey.
