Down a side alley, away from crowds, Sam and Mrs.
Steers found a secluded doorway where they could contemplate their itinerary.
"I have an idea," said Mrs. Steers. "Why don't we see Queen Victoria? After all, she was the longest reigning Queen
of England… well until recently."
"Oh yeah?
Queen Victoria?" said Sam. "Do
you think she's home?"
"She might be.
It is a distance from here to Buckingham Palace. Would you like to walk or take the short
cut?"
Sam shrugged. "What's
the short cut?"
"We disappear from here and appear immediately
wherever the Queen is in just a matter of seconds." Sam looked puzzled. "Albert and I used an incantation that
saved a lot of walking... unless of course you want to walk?" Sam shrugged his shoulders. "The transition spell allows you to move about without actually
walking to your desired destination."
Sam raised his eyebrows. "That's cool. No chance
of ghosts passing through me. Let's do
that. Can I learn it? The incantation?”
"Sure. The
words are simple. Tolle mihi videre...
followed by where you want to go... or who or what you want to see. The other nice thing about it is we can hold
hands..." Mrs. Steers remembered Sam was uncomfortable holding hands. "I mean… I can just hold your arm. Like getting here, the incantation will move
us as one. Let's start at Buckingham
Palace and see if she is there.
Otherwise, we may have to track her down."
"Tolle mihi videre Buckingham Palace!" said
Mrs. Steers. The current scenery swirled
in a cyclone of colors. It reminded Sam of
the kaleidoscope he played with at his grandparent's house. The spinning gained speed until it turned
into a rainbow blur. Then, just as quickly
as it started, it slowed, refocusing into another part of London.
"And here we are," said Mrs. Steers.
"Wow! That
was awesome! Can we do it again?" Sam grinned, still looking dazed.
"We will, but for now. Let's see what there is to
see here." They stood in front of
closed cast-iron gates and a towering fence. Buckingham Palace stretched in
both directions.
They walked along the sidewalk in front of the Palace.
“Look at the size of it,” said Sam. “I’ve seen it in
photographs, but had no idea of just how big of a palace it was.”
Soldiers in red jackets and the familiar tall black
bearskin hats stood lifeless, guarding the grounds from unwanted intruders. Tourists and passer-byes stopped, peered
between the iron bars, and looked in at the Palace. Sam noted the difference in
dress and manner of the crowd here as opposed to those in Whitechapel. Here, they
were well dressed, polite to each other, and lacked the nasty body odor. Sam and Mrs. Steers eavesdropped on some of
the conversations.
"...I do hear that she just arrived yesterday..."
said a portly lady in a blue bustled dress to a rather prudish-looking lady
with pursed lips and a tightly-wound bun of hair, who nodded in agreement.
"...Let's hurry over to the park, mummy... I want to see the ducks..." said a young
boy in a white sailor suit with blue trim, making him look quite proper. Sam chuckled at the sight of his
outfit. The boy's mother grabbed his
hand. "…In just a moment… Remember, my dear, patience is a virtue…"
Sam rolled his eyes.
"...Oh, yes, the prime minister says she looks
very well..." said a distinguished gentleman with mutton chops whiskers to
a couple of other gentlemen. "…Perhaps she will do something about this
money lender situation…"
"Who do you think that they are talking about?"
asked Sam.
"Hmm... I'm not sure," said Mrs.
Steers. "I assume the Queen."
"...Yes, the Queen...," replied one stately
gentleman to another, unaware of her question.
"...I had read in the Times she was coming back from Windsor
Castle... I notice the Union Jack is at full mast…"
Mrs. Steers replied "Thank you, kind sir."
“He can’t hear you,” said Sam.
"I know he can't hear me, but it always pays to
be polite. Well, Sam, she's here,"
said Mrs. Steers. "See, Sam, the
Union Jack is waving at the top of the pole.
That means the Queen is in residence.
It looks like you'll get the chance to use the transition incantation
again." Sam grabbed Mrs. Steers'
arm. She said the words to the
incantation and "Queen Victoria," and within a matter of seconds,
they stood in a dimly-lit room.
Despite the closed velvet drapes, being closed some light
leaked through their cracks into the room.
Against one wall, Sam saw a large bookcase with pointy spires on top
that reminded him of a church. The glass
doors were arched like church windows.
Books, knick-knacks, and framed photographs filled its shelves. A black upholstered sofa and matching chairs
formed a sitting area with a round marble-top table on a multicolored block
pattern carpet in the middle of the room.
"Where are we?" whispered Sam, glancing
around.
"I think we are in some kind of sitting
room. Maybe a library?"
Sam and Mrs. Steers waited for something to
happen. Finally, Sam broke the silence. "So
where is she?"
Before Mrs. Steers could answer, a side door opened. A young woman dressed in a maid's uniform
complete with white apron and cap marched in, crossed the room, and pulled the drapes
open allowing light to flood the room. A
moment later, a short, well-rounded lady dressed completely in black entered
through the same door.
"Here she is -- the Queen herself," said
Mrs. Steers.
Queen Victoria glanced about the room, making sure it
was in order. She checked the table for
dust, adjusted a white porcelain figurine of a girl holding flowers, and picked
up a black leather book from the center table.
"Should we bow or something?" asked Sam.
"Considering she can't see us, I wouldn't worry,"
said Mrs. Steers. "Look at her. All
dressed in black. Still in mourning for
her husband, Albert."
Pulling out his notebook, Sam jotted the more notes.
Not waiting for the Queen, the maid exited through
another side door. Finishing her
inspection, the Queen followed.
"Is that it?" said Sam, raising one eyebrow
with a frown, as the maid closed the door.
"That was barely worth the trip."
"We did ask to see her. And remember, it didn't take that long to get
here. Maybe you shouldn't have expected so much." With that, Mrs. Steers recited the transition
incantation and once again they stood in front of the Palace. Mrs. Steers opened her guide book reading
silently for a few moments.
"Let's move on," frowned Sam. "What else is there to see?"
"Hmmm...
I guess we should go..." Mrs. Steers appeared to be lost in
thought.
Sam glanced at the silent Mrs. Steers who had stopped
reading and was scanning the crowd.
Somewhere a clock bonged twice.
"Are you alright?" said Sam, breaking Mrs.
Steers' concentration.
"Oh... my yes!
This is London. One of the world's greatest cities of this
time. We could go to Westminster Abbey,
stroll through Hyde Park, then over to the Houses of Parliament. Let's walk
down the Thames, London's main river."
Mrs. Steers consulted her map, then headed to the Thames.
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