Here Katherine sighed, ready for another lecture. Gargoth had complained almost daily about the poor quality of the Toronto air, ever since he had arrived in their backyard. Katherine was so used to his complaining, she tuned him out and was no longer surprised if, right in the middle of a conversation, he stopped, wrinkled up his nose and started coughing. He hated the air and wondered often what it was doing to “one so young”, meaning her.
He went on. “Food tasted better, too. These so-called apples barely have any flavour compared to the English apples of my early life. They were strong and tart, yet somehow sweet at the same time. There were lovely, clear blue skies and beautiful smells of hay and sweet clover in the summer.” He closed his eyes, and Katherine could almost hear him sniffing the wind, remembering a time long ago and far away when the world did not smell like car exhaust and diesel fumes.
After a long pause, he finally added, “And the world was much, much quieter then, Katherine.” As if to confirm the point, a car alarm suddenly started blaring on the street in front of the house. He flinched, hunching his shoulders a little, drawing his wings in tightly around himself. He glared toward the front of the house and wouldn’t continue until the offending alarm stopped.
“I could stand on the church parapet on a deep summer night and hear nothing but crickets, the wind in the long grass, and the trickle of the churchyard stream. Nothing but blissful silence, right until the first rooster crowed at sun-up.”
Katherine wondered about that; she thought a serene and quiet world where the air smelled sweet and food tasted better sounded pretty good. But then there was all the bad stuff about religious persecution and starvation, no doctors, short life spans and constant illness, which she thought might make living in the past not so much fun, really.
One mid-December night, Katherine made up her mind. She would help Gargoth find the store he’d lost. She would help him, but they would have to be very careful. She didn’t want her parents to find out. Or anyone else, for that matter.
After dinner that night, she went to visit him, which wasn’t unusual, since either she or her mother or even her dad would once in a while, take an after-dinner snack out to him and say goodnight. It was becoming part of the family routine, deciding which one would check on him before bed.
He had taken a liking to hot chocolate, and this night Katherine was having some for herself, so she made him an extra mug. She told her parents she was going to say goodnight to Gargoth and stepped outside. The cold took her breath away and made the hot cup of chocolate suddenly look warm and inviting as steam furled up into the dark.
“Gargoth,” she called quietly. “Gargoth?” There was a silence, then the bushes parted and out he stepped, regal as a small, fierce prince. Despite telling them he didn’t feel the cold, Katherine noticed that he had taken to sleeping at night in the warmth of the bushes, especially when it was snowing.
She walked over to him and handed him the warm mug. He accepted it eagerly and took an enormous swig. He wiped his mouth then turned and grinned at her.
“Well, Katherine, I’m glad that you have made cocoa again. Thank you.” They sat together beside the tree. Her parents had placed a small wooden bench near his pedestal so anyone could curl up and chat with him in comfort. Since her “A” in history, she and Gargoth had spent more and more time together.
“Gargoth, I’ve decided I will help you,” she began. “I will help you find the store you are looking for.”
There was a silence. Gargoth hid his face away from her for a moment, then turned to her with great, hot gargoyle tears coursing down his fat, leathery cheeks. Quietly he buried his little face in her coat. She could feel his hot tears hissing against the cool skin at her neck. It hurt. She gently pried him off her, concerned.
“Are you okay, Gargoth?” she asked, gazing intently into his face.
He took a deep breath and wiped his tears. “Okay? Okay, Katherine? Okay indeed! You have made me feel there is a...future. A way in the future for me...” He buried his face in her coat again for a moment, then turned away. He was making hiccoughing noises, too overcome to speak. Then he got up on his pedestal and danced an ancient jig, hooking his little claws under his wings and clicking his heels beneath his knees. Katherine giggled.
Once he had finished, he sat down again and caught his breath, saying, “You are very kind to me, Katherine. I know it has not been easy. I know that you had no choice but to accept me, and I regret...” he trailed off, suddenly sad. Her eyes followed his gaze to the flower patch, now empty and hoed to bare earth. Her parents had rid the yard of any remembrance of asters. He then let his eyes pass over the mended dwarf whose nose he had broken, so long ago it seemed now.
“I promise I will be good. I won’t cause any problems for you, no matter what happens.” And with that he extended his claw to Katherine. She carefully took it in her mittened hand, and they shook.
“Okay, Gargoth. We’ll start looking for the store the first Wednesday after New Year’s. I have piano lessons on Wednesdays, and I have to take the subway and the bus to my teacher’s house, so I can put you in my bag after school and take you with me. We will have time to look at one store each week. It could take a long time. There are lots of stores in this city that might have gargoyles in them. Tell me everything you can remember about the one you are looking for.”
So, as they sipped hot chocolate and sat in the cold night, she listened as the little gargoyle told her everything he could remember about the lost store.
When he was finished, she had a good idea where to start their search.
Chapter Sixteen
Christmas Day Statues
In no time, it seemed to Katherine, the first term of school was ended and it was time for Christmas holidays.
Christmas was always a fairly laid-back time for the Newberrys, pleasant and unhurried, with lots of friends to visit. They usually had one, large, exciting party for all their friends. Katherine was allowed to invite two friends, and they were always Sarah and Rubie.
This year was going to be a little different. Instead of the huge party they always had, Katherine’s parents had decided they would tell everyone they couldn’t have it this year because they were planning a long-awaited ski trip to Quebec. Katherine loved skiing, and although she would really miss the great party her parents always threw, she was really excited about the ski trip.
They were leaving on Boxing Day and had everything all ready and packed to go several days before, so they could laze around and enjoy Christmas day itself. They also wanted to say goodbye to Gargoth.
Christmas morning was clear and cold. Just as though the snow gods were listening to every child’s prayer on Christmas Eve, Christmas morning dawned with a fresh blanket of snow.
Katherine woke, sprang out of bed and looked out the window. It was her custom now to check on Gargoth from her bedroom window first thing each morning. Somehow he always knew when she was awake, and was waiting, smiling up at her when she peeked out. Christmas morning was no different. He was awake, gazing up at her window, waiting for her.
She waved excitedly at him, and he waved back.
But then she gasped and clapped her hands together in delight! Gargoth had been busy all night, making the most beautiful sculptures with the new snow!
As she looked over the backyard, she counted seventeen snow statues, each one a
