The Recovery
At first, it was pitch black, then the light from a candle appeared. The small glow was bouncing around in an unusual matter: if it wasn’t a candle it was a flashlight. Either way, I couldn’t see who was holding it. The surrounding was alien to me. I didn’t feel Iike I was in danger except for being in total darkness; I was at ease, but thoroughly confused. I think I was in a houseboat, that was moving without a sound in a tunnel or cave. The moving light was now around fifty feet away.
The last thing I remembered was standing next to the phone in Alice’s bedroom, we had a terrible fight, the night before, I was in my underwear trying to answer a telephone. When I woke up, I think I was in a Gondola, laying on a sofa. We were moving fast, but I don’t know how. I didn’t hear a motor. There was no wind so it could be a current driving the boat.
At last, the mystery of the light was solved. It was a candle being held by a person wearing a long dark robe with a large peaked hood, covering most of the stranger’s face. The light was traveling in an erratic manner stopping here and there, going up and down. I must go into protective mode, let’s review the known facts:
The candlelight is getting closer; it was now about ten feet away. I will spring up with my right hand extended to grab the person’s throat and with my other hand get the candle. The plan sounded right in my head, but the most unpredictable thing happened. When the burning candle, was about to burn my face I heard a voice say ‘Boo.’
Just before the ‘Boo;’ was said, I was moving upward but froze when I recognize Miss. Boo, but I still knocked her down. Alice landed hard on the boat’s deck, and the candle flew up and into the water. Quickly, I picked her up and put her into my arms. Alice are you alright?
Alice in return was holding me with every muscle in her body. She was shaking, shivering, and crying uncontrollably. Alice was in the middle of having an emotional breakdown. I put her on my lap and started to whisper baby-talk in her ear like my mom did to her when we were babies. The lights came on around us; I didn’t care my attention was on my girl. It took about ten minutes for her pulse to slow down, and her body to stop trembling. I said, “Alice as soon as you’re ready if you want, we can go back to the Miss. Boo act and start over.” Also, “lemon drop, we now have electricity, the lights are on, in fact, there is a spotlight on us, and two young women are gawking at me.”
Alice said,” Robert, I can’t breathe let me get up. Standing now, Robert, you scared me to death. You’re supposed to be dead for at least another week. Both of your parents told us you were still alive and would wake up in a few days and not leave your side. Your father believes we were poisoned in retaliation for the five gang members you killed, on Flatbush Avenue. We didn’t die because of our biological makeup. I came around faster than you because I am of ‘Royal Blood,’ and you are not.”
The unidentified females joined the conversation by yelling in concert ‘Yeah!'
You see Robert, I am a Princess, and you’re not a member of the ‘Royal family,’ but you’re a member of a small unknown noble family. Either way, Robert I love you and that Royal crap means nothing to me. Alice continued, your Mother’s physicians were able to clean out the poison from our bodies without a problem. Right now, our internal organs are repairing themselves which means we will be doing a lot of sleeping until we are completely back to normal. Your father told me not to leave your side and move into the Fifth Avenue Apartment as soon as possible.
I placed her on my lap and said, Miss. Boo, you are not going anywhere until you answer the following and any additional questions that I have:
Robert, I’m dressed in a white lace pantaloon pants thing, it has a thin red ribbon around the top, and all you must do is to pull the right string on the bow, and my pant falls. On top, I have a long skirt (To my heels) with a short velvet jacket covering a white blouse. And of course, closed pointed shoes.
“Your mom and dad gave me a ring. And never call me ‘Lemon drop’ ever again.”
Alice, why are all of you wearing the same outfits, is it ghost night?
No, silly, we were playing, we are on a Soldier’s War Ship, headed towards the East Coast, and Brooklyn. I’m not stupid Robert, we are in a deep channel, and this ship has five levels. We are at the top level. Right now, my maids and I are dressed for ‘Halloween,’ and we are going around scaring the crew.”
“Now Alice, please tell me what happened to us?” Robert let me read you a copy of the letter sent to Grandma, Lily by your mother, Elizabeth.
Dear Mom,
When Robert and Alice arrived, they were both in a comatose state from an unknown poison. Our medical staff was able to treat the effects of the toxin with no problems, it was an extreme old type, but the kids displayed a natural ability to fight it.
Mom, when Alice woke-up she was in my arms, she looked at me smiled, hugged me and fell asleep again. She thrilled everyone in the castle and the thousands of Soldiers waiting nearby. “Alice asked for Robert right away, she; knew he was nearby because her vision had returned. We couldn’t stop Alice, she found him, walked to the bed he was lying on, bend over him, kissed his lips. Then Alice dropped to her knees beside the bed, laid her head next to Robert’s and didn’t move for hours.”
“The King of the Soldiers watched everything, he walked to the bed and told Alice not to worry dear, my Son will make it. Robert woke up a few times. The four of us had excellent conversations when he did. The King, my husband, fell in love with both. He’s proud as a peacock. He was concerned when they arrived, but he understands that it was going to take time for both to fully recover from the poisoning. Robert needs sleep. When he is himself, he can find these people and kill them before they attack us again.”
Queen Elizabeth had two maids waiting to serve Princess Alice, and this was the Perfect time to tell Alice about her good luck. I told my husband King John, and we laugh about it for a half an hour. Alice fell in love with them immediately and named them ‘Nit and Wit.’ Ma don’t say anything they loved their names.
Love, Elizabeth
“Alice yelled girls get some soup, blankets, and clothes for the big jerk. Also, stop staring at him. In ten minutes, Alice was pouring hot soup down Robert, made him put on warm clothes, and sat next to him while all four of them ate hot biscuits with jams and jellies from a bygone era.”
Robert said to Alice, “listen I must sleep, thanks to the food and I love you.” “Thanks for watching over me and that goes for your two helpers.” He climbed onto the bed they had set up for him and waited for Alice.
Alice dragged both silly maids to the open hatch and dropped them both down, and “yelled play with the soldiers.”
Alice walked back to Robert, took off her Princes outfit, the short jacket, the skirt, and shoes. She unleashed her long black hair down to her shoulders and slapped his hand as he attempted to pull a string on her pantaloon bow, lifted the large woolen blanket and scooted next to him. In a few, minutes, Alice was sleeping in his arms.
Alice felt a constant poking on her stomach; she said: “it’s not ‘What’s his name’ he out.” She didn’t know who it was, so she opened her eyes.
She found Gloria, Joeann, and Sarah poking and staring at her. Captain Carmine was standing behind them with a grin on his face. Nit and Wit were standing on a little dock, looking downcast dressed in all black with creepy hoods.
Alice sprang off the sofa and jumped right into the middle of the girls. After a lot of kisses and hugs between all except for Robert who was still out; Alice got everyone ready to leave. The Soldiers put a suit on Robert, and they carried him by stretcher. Alice wanted to show Grandma Lily a Medieval outfit, so Nit got a lovely dress out of one of the steamer trunks.
The girls ran downstairs to Alice’s suite on the submarine; she put on a new pantaloon then a ‘Sherwood Forest Looking dress,’ with a blouse, high girdle, long dress, short coat, then they all marched around the ship meeting the Captain and his crew.
It was quite a trip from the caverns under Brooklyn (Who knew), up to an ancient winding stairway, onto a subway station, two stops, and they were at the Fifth Avenue Apartments. Grandma was watching the Caravan, with a genuine smile, marching up to the apartment house. The tallest figure had to be the Princess; she was covered up with a long-hooded overcoat. She was leading the parade, with a laughing Carmine at the end. His son was beside him carrying a steamer trunk as if it was a pocketbook.
Carmine son Kevin was shot down over France in 1944. Two weeks ago, he was sitting on the stoop at the apartments waiting for his family. His mother Joan saw him first. After a phone call, Carmine arrived, and he has been smiling since Kevin came back as a Soldier.
Alice liked Nit and Wit, well she named them, but right now they were driving her nuts, they were attached to her heels, plus wouldn’t stop complaining ”She knocks one out, but the other one would start, these bags are too heavy, I’m starving, where is our bedroom, what’s for supper, where is grandma?”
Lily was the happiest in the World. Alice moved in with Gloria. The two maids were given their bedroom but refused to leave Grandma. Grandpa wasn’t too happy when he came home to Nit and Wit sleeping with his wife. They put them both to work at ‘The Diner’ as hostess, which turned out to be a panic, but so funny the customers loved them.