BooksBarbecue
Back The Lollipop Shoes
Chapters (96)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Book
  3. The Lollipop Shoes
  4. Dedication
  5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  6. PART ONE
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. PART TWO
  13. 1
  14. 2
  15. 3
  16. 4
  17. 5
  18. 6
  19. 7
  20. 8
  21. PART THREE
  22. 1
  23. 2
  24. 3
  25. 4
  26. 5
  27. 6
  28. PART FOUR
  29. 1
  30. 2
  31. 3
  32. 4
  33. 5
  34. 6
  35. 7
  36. 8
  37. 9
  38. PART FIVE
  39. 1
  40. 2
  41. 3
  42. 4
  43. 5
  44. 6
  45. 7
  46. 8
  47. 9
  48. 10
  49. 11
  50. 12
  51. PART SIX
  52. 1
  53. 2
  54. 3
  55. 4
  56. 5
  57. 6
  58. 7
  59. 8
  60. 9
  61. 10
  62. 11
  63. 12
  64. PART SEVEN
  65. 1
  66. 2
  67. 3
  68. 4
  69. 5
  70. 6
  71. 7
  72. 8
  73. 9
  74. PART EIGHT
  75. 1
  76. 2
  77. 3
  78. 4
  79. 5
  80. 6
  81. 7
  82. 8
  83. 9
  84. 10
  85. 11
  86. 12
  87. 13
  88. 14
  89. 15
  90. 16
  91. 17
  92. 18
  93. 19
  94. Epilogue
  95. About the Author
  96. Also by Joanne Harris

I was talking in my shadow-voice, and I didn’t notice Zozie come in. She can be very quiet sometimes, you know, quieter even than me, which was odd because today she was wearing the kind of clacky wooden-soled clog-things that you can’t help making a noise with. Except that these were fuchsia-pink, which made them kind of fabulous.

‘Who was that you were talking to?’

I hadn’t realized I’d said it aloud.

‘No one. Just me.’

‘Well, there’s no harm in that.’

‘I guess.’ I still felt awkward sitting there; very conscious of Pantoufle watching, quite real today actually with his stripy nose going up and down just like a proper rabbit’s. I see him more clearly when I’m upset – that’s why I shouldn’t talk to myself. Besides, Maman always says that it’s important to tell the difference between what’s real and what isn’t. It’s when you can’t tell the difference that Accidents happen.

Zozie smiled and made a little sign, a bit like an ‘OK’ sign, with her thumb and index finger joined to make a circle. She looked at me through the circle, and then she dropped her hand again. ‘You know, I often talked to myself as a kid. Or rather, to my invisible friend. I used to talk to her all the time.’

I don’t know why I was so surprised. ‘You?’

‘Her name was Mindy,’ Zozie said. ‘My mother said she was a spirit guide. Of course, my mother believed in all those things. In fact, she believed in pretty much everything – crystals, dolphin magic, alien abduction, the Yeti – you name it, my mother was a believer.’ She grinned. ‘Still, some of it works – doesn’t it, Nanou?’

I didn’t know what to say to that. Some of it works – what did that mean? It made me feel uncomfortable – but a little excited at the same time. Because this wasn’t just a coincidence, or an Accident, like what had happened in the English tea-shop. Zozie was talking about real magic, talking quite openly, as if it was really true and not some kids’ game I’d had to grow out of.

Zozie believed.

‘I have to go.’ I picked up my bag and made for the door.

‘You say that so often. What is it? A cat?’ She shut one eye and looked at me once more through the circle of her thumb and forefinger.

‘I don’t know what you mean,’ I said.

‘Little guy, big ears.’

I looked at her. She was still smiling.

I knew I shouldn’t talk about it. Talking only makes things worse – but I didn’t want to lie to Zozie. Zozie never lies to me.

I sighed. ‘He’s a rabbit. He’s called Pantoufle.’

‘Cool,’ said Zozie.

And that was that.

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Friday, 16th November