and Aunt Harmonica was able to stand on her feet again, the right way up.
“What a terrible thing to happen,” she gasped. “But what a stroke of luck that you were there to deal with it, Veronica.”
After the opera was finished, and the singer who hadn’t sung had gone out to receive her flowers from an admiring audience, Aunt Harmonica came with us to the trailer. Aunt Veronica put on the teakettle and brewed a pot of tea while I told my newfound aunt all about my life.
“I’m so glad you came to see me,” Aunt Harmonica said. “I know that you have no shortage of aunts, but you’re the only niece I have.”
I told her that so far I had only found two aunts out of the five and asked her whether she could help to discover the rest.
“I wish I could,” she said. “But I haven’t seen any of them for years and years. Veronica’s the only one I’ve come across.”
I felt a wave of disappointment overcome me. I had very much hoped that Aunt Harmonica would have some information about the others, but it looked as if she knew as little as my father did.
She scratched her head.
“Now wait,” she said. “Something’s coming back to me at last. Yes, I think I may be able to help.”
She turned to Aunt Veronica.
“Is there room for me in this trailer?” she asked, looking about her as she spoke.
Aunt Veronica glanced at the well-padded form of her sister and gulped.
“I’m sure there is,” she said.
“In that case,” said Aunt Harmonica, “I think I might be able to track down the others. Why don’t I stay here tonight, and we will all leave together first thing in the morning.”
Aunt Veronica prepared a bunk for Aunt Harmonica, and although it was a very tight squeeze, eventually Aunt Harmonica managed to settle under her blankets and the light was put out.
I closed my eyes and waited for sleep to overcome me. Suddenly, from under my bunk, I heard a small voice cry out, “Help! I’m trapped!”
I jumped out, switched on a light, and looked under the bunk. There was nothing there.
“What on earth are you doing?” asked Aunt Harmonica.
“There was somebody under my bunk,” I said. “I heard a voice.”
“I’m sure it was just your imagination,” said Aunt Veronica sleepily.
“But I heard it!” I protested. “I wasn’t dreaming.”
Then I looked at Aunt Harmonica and noticed that she was smiling. At once I realized what had happened. That’s exactly the sort of thing one must expect from a ventriloquist aunt.
I laughed, switched off the light, and got back into my bunk.
“Good night!” said a small voice in the darkness. It came from under my pillow, but I ignored it and soon there was silence.
Calling All Children!
I was fairly pleased with myself for having found two aunts so far, but I was certainly not prepared to leave it at that. The next morning, as the three of us sat in a small café and ate delicious apricot rolls for our breakfast, we discussed how we would find the others.
“I have no idea what happened to Thessalonika and Japonica,” said Aunt Harmonica.
“Nor do I,” said Aunt Veronica rather sadly.
“But I think I might know what Majolica did,” went on Aunt Harmonica. “Once, manyyears ago, I received a birthday card from her. I’m not sure how she found my address, but it was definitely from her. And on this card she told me that she had become a teacher. That’s all she said. And she forgot to put her address on it.”
“That’s not much of a clue,” reflected Aunt Veronica. “There are teachers all over the place. Every town has its teachers.”
“I know that,” said Aunt Harmonica, sounding rather irritated, but cheering up as she helped herself to another apricot roll. “But remember that there was something rather special about Majolica.”
“Her bossiness?” I asked, remembering what my father had told me.
My two aunts laughed.
“Exactly,” said Aunt Harmonica. “And I think that we might just be able to use that to