Lyra & Nina Ten Days in Paris Page 6
seriously. “Well, yes I did, but my wishes couldn’t make those things happen” frowned Lyra. “What about with the gun then Lyra? How did it get so hot that the robber dropped it to the floor?” persisted Nina. “I don’t know Nina, I really don’t. Stop annoyed me!” shouted Lyra.
“I have an idea Lyra. Let’s try to see whether you can wish for things to happen” said Nina eagerly. “Oh Nina, I already told you that my wishes don’t make things happen” replied Lyra. “Well, let’s try anyway” begged Nina. “Ok Ok Ok! I’ll try just to prove to you that nothing happens” said Lyra getting really annoyed. “I just wish you would not be able to speak for five minutes so you can stop bugging me. What do you want me to try then” she demanded.
Nina opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She tried to say something but although her lips moved there was no sound, not even a squeak. “Very funny Nina, now you are being ridiculous pretending not to be able to speak.” Nina tried to reply but couldn’t. She grabbed a pen and some paper. “I really can’t speak Lyra” she wrote quickly. “No sound comes out. Really! I am not pretending.” Lyra looked at Nina closely to see whether she was going to burst out laughing at tricking her. However all she saw in Nina’s eyes was worry and small tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. Nina wrote again on the paper. “Wish my voice back Lyra please. It isn’t nice not to be able to talk” she begged. “I didn’t mean to bug you so much. I am sorry.”
Lyra thought about it. She really had wished that the man would trip over in the park. She had also wished that one of the Disney characters would knock the man over when he took her purse at Euro Disney. Then when he pointed the gun at her she had wished that it was so hot that he would drop it and he did. Now she had wished that Nina would stop speaking for five minutes and Nina couldn’t speak.
Could it really be that her wishes could come true? She looked at Nina who was starting to cry but with no sound. She looked so sad, with tears now streaming down her cheeks. Lyra wished in her head “Please speak again Nina. Please.” Nina’s cries were so loud that she shocked Lyra. “You did it Lyra! You wished my voice back!” said Nina jumping up and hugging her. “You really do have special powers. I knew it! I knew it!”
“If I have special powers Nina, why don’t all my wishes come true then? I have wished for lots of things and none of them happened. I wished for a puppy last Christmas and I didn’t get one” said Lyra relieved that Nina’s voice was back. “Perhaps it only happens to fix bad things and not for good things.” “I don’t know Nina, it is all a bit strange. Let’s go and watch a DVD on the television. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” Nina agreed as she didn’t want to annoy Lyra further.
As it approached four o’clock they all made themselves ready and went to wait in the foyer of the hotel for Detective Petit. He arrived at exactly four o’clock in his police car. Lyra and Nina looked excitedly at the car. “Wow, I have never been in a police car before” Lyra said. “It’s so cool” said Nina. Detective Petit laughed and they all climbed in.
One big advantage of travelling in a police car is that all the traffic gets out of the way. So it seemed it took only a couple of minutes to reach Euro Disney. Another advantage was the Detective Petit could park right at the front gate. When Lyra and Nina stepped out, they couldn’t believe their eyes. There were Mickey and Minnie Mouse right at the gate ready to greet them. Mum and Dad took loads of photos and then they continued inside the gates once more.
This time Lyra and Nina knew all the rides and things they wanted to do. Detective Petit, and their Mum and Dad just followed along. At each ride there was a different Disney character to meet with. There were no other kids, no lines to wait in, and everything was open just for them! Mum and Dad bought them popcorn and fairy floss.
They went on so many rides and had photos with every character - Belle, the Beast, Cinderalla, Pocahontas, Sleeping Beauty, Robin Hood, Snow White, Baloo from Jungle Book, Lilo and Stitch and many more.
As the day grew late and darkness approached they stopped for a last ice cream before leaving. Detective Petit took Lyra to the ice cream shop to pick a flavour. He turned to Lyra and asked quietly “Lyra, how did you make the robber drop his gun?” “I don’t know Detective Petit” replied Lyra honestly. “You are a very special girl Lyra” said Detective Petit. “Do you know what you would like to be when you are an adult Lyra?” Lyra thought about it and replied “I hope to become a detective like you!” Detective Petit smiled. “I think that you would be a great detective Lyra. However I think that you will grow up to be much much more than that.”
At ten o’clock it was time to go. They were all tired but happy. It had been a wonderful day. Lyra and Nina both fell asleep in Detective Petit’s car on the way back to the hotel. Mum and Dad thanked the Detective and carried the two girls into their hotel and back to the room.
Day 10 - Goodbye Paris
Lyra and Nina slept late the next morning. When they awoke it felt like they had been dreaming forever. It seemed that they had been away only a few days instead of ten. Tonight they were going back home to Melbourne. This was their last day in Paris.
Mum and Dad had promised Lyra and Nina that they could go shopping. After all, they both had 500 Euros each now to spend. Lyra and Nina both wanted to buy some more clothes, shoes and some more souvenirs for their friends at home.
They strolled along the expensive Champs Elysees and then turned down some of the side streets. Here they found cute shops with more reasonable prices. They found a gorgeous children’s shoe shop. The selection was enormous. Lyra chose some funky silver runners whilst Nina selected some runners in her favourite colour yellow. They put them on straight away.
They bought some necklaces with the Eiffel tower as presents for their friends back in Melbourne. Mum found a beautiful silk scarf to add to her collection and even Dad bought some shiny black leather shoes.
When they had found all the things they wanted to buy, they sat down to their last lunch in Paris. Lyra would miss the crunchy baguettes and the crepes. They were all a bit sad to be leaving and sat quietly as they ate.
After lunch they strolled back to the hotel. As they walked in, the receptionist called to them. She handed Dad a large envelope. He opened it and pulled out a picture frame. Inside was a photo from the newspaper showing Lyra and Nina with the Police Chief receiving their cheques. Above the photo was some large writing which Mum translated as “Stolen 10 Million Euros recovered.” Underneath the photo was written “Lyra and Nina Taner from Melbourne, Australia receive a reward for their help in catching the robber Francois Vilain. There was a small note from Detective Petit attached saying that he thought they would like a last souvenir of Paris to take home. Wow, thought Lyra and Nina, they sure would have something exciting to show their friends at home.
It was a big task to pack their bags and fit in all the extra things they had bought. Finally it was time for them to freshen up, change into some clean clothes and then head to the airport.
To their surprise as they reached the foyer of the hotel, there was Detective Petit. He greeted them warmly and said that he thought that they might need a ride to the airport. Lyra and Nina were excited to be travelling in his police car again.
The detective dropped them at the entrance to the airport and bid them farewell. He hoped that they would visit again one day. They of course, hoped he would visit Melbourne one day too.
After checking in, they made their way to the gate and within minutes were boarding the plane. It was going to be a long journey back to Melbourne but Lyra had a lot to think and dream about. She made herself comfortable in her seat, pulled out her diary and began to write. Nina was already checking out the movie programme guide. Mum and Dad were reading their magazines and books.
As the pla
ne took off, Lyra thought of all the exciting things that had happened in just ten days in Paris. She also wondered about whether she did really have an ability to make things happen. It was something she was going to have to try to figure out, but she had a whole day on an aeroplane to think of a plan. Perhaps being back at home would change everything. Lyra sighed, put away her diary, put on her headset and switched on the movie channel. It was time to relax.
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Thanks for reading my first ebook. If you enjoyed it, it would be wonderful if you would take a moment to leave a review at your favourite ebook store. Look out for the next book in the series of Lyra and Nina.
About the Author
This is the first book by Kellena Taylor. Kellena lives in Melbourne, Australia with her German husband and two children aged 10 and 13. She has had a career in IT and in owning her own small business.
Kellena grew up as an avid reader and has passed this passion on to her two daughters. She also has a love of travel, and has lived in Europe and travelled the world.
With these books she hopes to give children the opportunity to learn about other countries in a fun and engaging way without having to leave home.
Kellena would love to hear from any fans of her first book. She can be contacted via email at kellena.taylor@hotmail.com
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my loving husband and daughters for encouraging me to write and being so patient.