Sonia Garrett - Harriet Hall and the Miracle Cure

Five fighter planes flew in formation over the manicured lawnsof the Royal Naval College. Their engines shook the ground and rattled the wooden boards covering the windows.

I bet I could touch one of their bombs if I climbed up here, Harriet Hall shouted.

Emily Esme Black, known as Bee, watched as her best friend lassoed her jump rope around the statue of the Duke of Wellington. Harriet smiled to herself when she spotted Bee glancing around nervously. The enormous granite buildings of the Royal Naval College seemed deserted. Somewhere, men were training for war, but the paths and porticos were empty.

Well get in trouble again if were found climbing the statues, Bee said.

Whos going to stop us? Harriet asked. The grown-ups are too busy dealing with Hitler. As long as we dont break anything and were home by curfew, no one cares.

I think Im going to my aunts place in the country, Bee said.

You cant! You said wed be together forever.

Arent you being evacuated? After the bomb landed in the schoolyard, Mom said I have to leave. It was too close for comfort.

Harriet thrust her chin in the air. Im not leaving! No one can make me.

Harriet Hall pulled the rope tight and checked it would take her weight. She placed her feet on the marble pillar and climbed to the top.

Come on, Bee, Harriet said. Try it.

Harriet reached the top just as the next group of planes filled the sky. She stretched her arms above her head and formed Churchills V for Victory with her index and middle fingers. Then, she held on with her knees and reenacted an aerial dogfight with the Luftwaffe bombed from the sky.

Harriet thought of her father, commanding an enormous battleship, blasting the German U-boats out of his way. Hed be home soon. Victorious. Or so they were told. She refused to believe the bombed schoolyard, crater-filled roads and collapsed houses told a different storyone of the losing side. In Harriets mind, evacuees were rats escaping a fire. They were weak, scared and cowardly.

The sound of boots jolted Harriet out of her thoughts. Bee reacted like a startled squirrel. She ran across the lawn, up the stairs, and hid behind a pile of sandbags. Harriet tucked her body into Wellingtons back.

Company, halt! Attention!

Twenty naval officers in starched white uniforms came to a stop.

Miss Hall, kindly get down from our great leaders memorial and show some respect, Lieutenant Gordon said.

My father gives the orders, not you, Harriet mumbled.

What was that?

Nothing, Harriet said.

Nothing, what?

Nothing, sir. Harriet replied through gritted teeth.

Now, run along home. London is no place for a child. Itd be better for us if your mother evacuated you, Lieutenant Gordon said.

You cant make me! If the King can stay in Buckingham Palace, then I can stay in my home as well. And Im not a child. Im twelve years old.

And there, gentlemen, is the generation were fighting for.

Twenty men looked at Harriet and laughed.

Company about face! March two, three, four.

Harriet climbed down from the statue and stomped over to join her friend.

Id better go, Bee said. Mother will be so angry if Im not home for dinner.

Come on. Well take the shortcut through the college.

Im not allowed. Mom says the dining room is for officers and they dont want anyone spoiling their peace.

Harriet threw her arms up in frustration. Then wed better tell Adolf Hitler not to drop bombs at teatime. Grown-ups will not worry about a couple of kids taking a shortcut to make sure they get home safely.

Harriet leaned on the enormous door to the Royal Naval College and opened it just enough for her body to squeeze through. She turned and saw Bee grinning quietly. Secretly, Harriet knew her friend enjoyed breaking the rules, as long as it wasnt her idea.

The two girls walked through the entrance, up the marble stairs and into the dining hall. Bee stood mesmerized under the painted ceiling. Harriet followed her gaze. Cherubs on clouds stared back at them.

Id forgotten how beautiful they are, Bee said.

You know if you stare at them for too long, an actual angel will fall all the way from heaven to hell, Harriet said.

Bee spun around. They will not! Harriet Hall, youre such a liar! Your nose will grow bigger than Pinocchios, Bee said. I hope the Luftwaffe doesnt drop their bombs here. Imagine this place turned to rubble.

They wouldnt dare, Harriet said.

But my mother says nothing is safeschools, hospitals, people, even the College. Bee bit her lip and looked into Harriets eyes. Hitler will bomb everything until we surrender. Thats why Im being sent away.

You cant. We made a plan to stick together, whatever happens.

Bee jumped when she heard footsteps. Harriet grabbed her hand, and they ran behind a screen into the kitchen. The noise of pots and pans, cutting and cooking made it impossible for Harriet to hear Bees objections.

What are you doing in here? a cook shouted. Get out, this is no place for you or your games.

Run, Harriet shouted.

They dodged past the cook and bumped into a man carrying a tray of cutlery. Bee heard the angry shouts as the cutlery crashed to the floor. She pushed open a door and raced outside. The fresh air felt good. Bee looked over her shoulder to check no one had followed them. They were alone. No one had the time to chase kids. The girls stood and caught their breath. Harriet laughed when she saw her friends pale face.

You are such a worrywart, were almost home, Harriet said. Ill see you tomorrow.

Maybe not.

Bee held out her arms. It looked as if her best friend was about to hug her. This was too weird. Normally, theyd just go their own way, and Harriet refused to believe her life would change because of one bomb crater in their school playground. Everyone had lost their gumption. Harriet dug her shoe into the tiny pebbles covering the courtyard.

Dont be soft, Harriet said. Ill see you tomorrow.

Bee looked at her friend. There was a moment when Harriet thought Bee was about to say something. Instead, Bee turned and ran across the gravel. Harriet drew a heart in the pebbles using the scuffed toe of her shoe. There were times she wanted a brave friend, but she kind of enjoyed being boss. Bee never wanted to take charge. Harriet drew the letters H and B in the heart. Theyd be friends forever.

There was a damp, smoky feel in the air. Harriet walked to a wooden crate, sat and stared at the sky. She didnt want to go home, and she didnt want to think about Bee leaving London.

It would be hours before sunset, but Harriet thought shed seen the twinkle of a star. She sifted through the wishes she could make. She could always ask for her mothers health to return but, night after night, those wishes went unheard. Hundreds, maybe thousands, would ask for the war to end, but Harriet liked war. Sure, she wanted her father at home, smoking his pipe by the fire, but with him away, scuffed shoes werent a problem. Plus, she liked telling stories about her father commanding battleships. War excited herthe uniforms, airplanes, air raid drills. Adults even talked about closing schools. Thered be no one left to tell her what to do and when to do it. A shudder passed through her body. Of course, she wanted her mummy and daddy to survive, that went without saying. It was the teachers and school rules she would happily live without. Harriet stood up, stretched out her arms and spun in the empty courtyard.