The Adventures of Hilary Hickenbottham

By Karen Haining and Rowin Agarao

Meet Hilary Hickenbottham. She’s an eight-year-old girl who lives in a remote area of Scotland.

Her family are desperately poor, but Hilary has big dreams and adventure in her bones. She’s convinced that there’s more to life, and her search for something more leads her to places she could never have imagined. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Karen Haining
• Release date: Jan 11, 2018
• ISBN: 9781999873615

Book preview

HilaryCover.jpg

Copyright © 2017 by Karen Haining

The right of Karen Haining to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

First Printing, December 2017

Illustrations by Rowin Agarao

Cover design and typesetting by Sarah Ansah

ISBN 978-1-9998736-0-8 (Print)

ISBN 978-1-9998736-1-5 (eBook)

www.karenhaining.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my family:

Ian Haining, Liam Haining and Charis McLeish.

Acknowledgements

This book would not have been possible without the support and help of my immediate family. My thanks, first of all, goes to them.

To my husband, Ian Haining: Thank you for supporting me every step of the way through this writing journey and for giving me several ideas to get my creative juices rolling.

To my son, Liam Haining: Thank you for giving me inspiration to create some of the characters in the book.

To my daughter, Charis McLeish and son-in-law, Steven McLeish: Thank you for having the faith to believe in me and my dream of writing this book.

To the editor, Alison Carson, the designers, Loulita Gill and Sarah Ansah, and illustrator, Rowin Agarao – a great, big thank you for all your hard work and input. Without your gifts and talents, this book would never have happened.

Most of all, I would like to thank God for giving me the grace to write it.

A Note from the Author

The inspiration for this book came from my own memories of growing up. I was raised in a little town in Irvine, Ayrshire. Both of my parents were poor and lived off state benefits.

My method of escape was to use the power of my imagination to dream of a better life, one that was enriched and prosperous. It was this that inspired me to write this story.

Often, my friends and I would escape to the nearby woods in our local town, and we would play hide and seek. It was while I sat waiting for my friends that I would imagine a fantasy world. Now, I give you the adventures of Hilary…

Contents

Chapter 1 Hilary Hickenbottham

Chapter 2 Kiltsworth and Village Life

Chapter 3 Marymass

Chapter 4 Uncle Archie’s Visit

Chapter 5 The Mystical Cloud

Chapter 6 The Brown Brothers

Chapter 7 Esporad

Chapter 8 Gralam

Chapter 9 Return Home

Chapter 10 The Return to Esporad

Chapter 11 The Bumblebee and

Butterfly Experience

Chapter 12 The River of Life

Chapter 13 Ladia and the King’s Palace

Chapter 14 Geoff’s Parents

Chapter 15 Cascada

Chapter 16 The Mermaid’s Ball

Chapter 17 Sapphire’s Planned Wedding

Chapter 18 Sapphire’s Expulsion

Chapter 19 The Flight of Rory

Chapter 20 The Kingdom of Paulcifar

Chapter 21 The Coming War

Chapter 22 Preparations for War

Chapter 23 London Bound

Chapter 24 The Separation of Hilary

Chapter 25 Hilary Wakes Up

Chapter 26 Hilary Escapes to the Woods

Chapter 27 Hilary meets Prince Josephat

Prelude

Four kingdoms exist. They are parallel kingdoms, meaning they are not separate entities but are intrinsically linked to each other. Most humans are aware of only one kingdom, that being Earth. The other three kingdoms are supernaturally invisible until a human has an encounter with these new worlds and then becomes aware of their existence. These kingdoms are Esporad, Cascada and Paulcifar.

Esporad is the dominant kingdom. The other three kingdoms co-exist because of it and, without it, all four kingdoms would perish.

Paulcifar, the kingdom of darkness, is nearing its demise into the fiery furnace where it will be destroyed forever.

On Earth, two adventure-driven children, Hilary and Geoff, are desperate to escape their lives of deprivation. What happens to the children and the four parallel kingdoms is spectacular. And so, the story begins.

Chapter 1

Hilary Hickenbottham

She was a petite girl, aged eight years, with blonde, curly hair that tumbled onto her shoulders and down her back. Her oval face with soft skin, pale-blue eyes, turned up nose and rosy cheeks radiated her prettiness.

Hilary tossed her head back and looked up into the sky, studying the clouds intently. She rubbed her eyes and scratched her nose as she tried to find pictures in the clouds. Is that a sea of whales? she asked herself. And I think that’s a face!

Hilary would often make pictures in the clouds. She could sit for hours, just staring and imagining.

She heard the distant sound of a plane, and she watched as it came into view. The sun caught its tail, and it sparkled high in the sky, leaving behind it a long, white trail. Where is it going? she pondered. Answering her own question, she imagined it travelling to an exotic place, far away. Maybe a jungle where hidden treasure could be found! Hilary sensed a thrill of excitement at the prospect and began to imagine herself on a plane one day. She thought about where she would like to go.

She hummed a tune, stood and waved her arms up in the air and imagined herself flying to a faraway place. America was a place she dreamed about … and India … and Africa … there were so many places Hilary wanted to go!

For Hilary, life was an adventure. The world was to be explored, and she intended to do just that. She sang, grinning to herself with a deep sense of knowing that her life would be different! Even at her relatively young age, she craved adventure wherever she went. She and her friends regularly spent their days exploring the local forests and woodlands. It was their way of creating and enjoying mini-adventures.

She kicked her feet on the dusty, dry ground. Dust filled the air and covered her bare legs. She bent down, brushing and slapping the dirt away. Then came the unsettling moment when she knew she would have to face her dad’s annoyance. She would need hot water to clean herself, and hot water meant heating the tank and burning electricity, which was restricted to Sundays only. Since it wasn’t a Sunday, Hilary could already hear the tone of her dad’s voice and see the look in his eyes. Grown-ups, she thought. They never understand how to have fun and enjoy themselves. They’re just plain boring!

She dusted herself off as much as she could, pushed aside thoughts of her dad and continued pretending to fly. Enjoying the moment, she stopped caring about getting into trouble. She danced, twisted and turned, her faded dress swirling around in the heat. She moved with surprising elegance, flinging her arms around and singing. She loved that she could use her imagination to escape the reality of her pitiful existence. Her small-framed appearance made her look vulnerable, but she was strong at heart and could take on Goliath, she believed. Laughing, twisting and turning, she danced and danced until she was out of breath. She fell to her knees, puffing and panting, glancing over to her little village in the distance.

She touched her cheeks and could feel that her face was hot. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth with thirst. Gradually, her breathing slowed down and then, up she went again, swinging her arms around imitating a plane in flight.

I’m up, up and away to a faraway place! she shouted. Again, she danced until she was out of breath. Then she threw herself down on the grass, giving a big sigh as she lay back.

Although Hilary had spent many days in the forests, there were still areas of the forests, backwoods and farmland that were unfamiliar to her. Since it was the school summer holidays, she desperately wanted to use her time exploring these parts of the forests, but her parents wouldn’t allow it. Hilary often considered tricking her parents. After all, they were usually drunk, and Hilary knew they wouldn’t remember.

Sitting up, she gazed across the valley, sensing an air of mystery. The warm breeze brushed against her face. It was a hot day; the hottest she could remember. Something fluttered in front of her, catching her attention. A small robin redbreast had flown to the ground nearby and was digging for worms.

Hilary loved nature and marvelled at the beauty of it. She watched the little bird closely. The colours of its feathers seemed different to the usual robin redbreast. Suddenly, the robin hopped closer to her and stared at her, moving its head backwards and forwards in quick motions, as though it were dancing. Hilary was amused. She’d never seen a bird so close and so animated. She held her breath, not wanting to scare the beautiful creature away. She sat crossed-legs, elbows on her knees, with her hands supporting her cheeks. In that position, she watched, being careful not to move. After a while, her elbows became sore, but she was determined to hold her position. The little bird paused its dance and appeared to stare curiously at her.

Then an amazing thing happened. The bird flew onto Hilary’s shoulder and started to sing. It seemed like the bird was singing exclusively to her. Hilary opened her mouth and gasped in amazement. Never had she seen or heard anything so delightful in her entire life. Unable to hold her breath any longer, air came rushing out of her mouth and, of course, frightened the bird away. Able only to watch, Hilary followed its flight path until the glare of the sunlight made it disappear from sight. She rolled backwards into the grass and sighed, disappointed that the whole experience was over.

Chapter 2

Kiltsworth and Village Life

Friday 25th August

Hilary knew that the village wou ld be filled with life today since many families would be gathering in preparation for the coming festival. It was only one day away. She jumped up, remembering that this was the day for playing games. Excited, she ran towards the village.

* * *

Kiltsworth, in the north of Scotland, was a small village peacefully enfolded with panoramic views of stunning green hills and mountains. The small, family-orientated village meant that villagers were very close. Everybody knew everybody. The new village of Kiltsworth was formed in the 1960s and was inhabited mainly by Glasgow folk who had moved north. In previous times, it had been the well-known

haunt of the famous poet, Robert Burns. And for centuries, an annual festival celebrated that Mary, Queen of Scots, had once stayed in old Kiltsworth. Villagers joined in the festivities by dressing in medieval clothes. A colourful and musical parade brought fun and vibrancy to the village as the people marched to the moor, the location of a fairground.

The festival saw families coming together. Stalls, businesses, and markets were packed with fun-filled music and dancing. Hilary loved ‘Marymass’ because her parents would join in the celebrations. It made her feel like she belonged to a real family. Oh, how she longed for a normal family life and, in her mind’s eye, she could imagine better times to come. Often, Hilary watched other families having fun together, especially if they were playing games. Rounders was a common game in the village. Hilary was always eager to join in, but felt isolated since her family never joined in with such communal games.

* * *

Hilary arrived in the village feeling the sun hot against her skin. Small children were dancing, playing and jumping around happily in the grass. Hilary looked at their attire. Each of them wore crisp, clean, freshly-pressed clothes that had been prepared lovingly by their mothers. Hilary couldn’t stem the envy that rose in her heart; she had to do all her own washing and cleaning.

Suddenly, a ball came hurtling towards her, and she heard an older boy shouting, Look out! She ducked as it flew over her head and bounced against a tree. The boy raced past her shouting, Sorry! He grabbed the ball and pitched it towards the crowd of people.

Cool! Hilary thought. Rounders; a ball game she loved.

She watched as families continued to play. Children ran around in the dirt, kicking up dust in their shoes, getting dirty. Their faces smiled with pure, innocent joy. They were having a blast!

Jimmy, Jimmy! chanted the crowd. Go, Jimmy! Go, Jimmy! You can do it!

Jimmy stood resolutely; his feet firmly on the ground, his focus entirely on the ball, and his bat steady in his hand. Jimmy was ready. With his pointy nose, bowler hat, dirty shoes and bat in hand, he eyed the ball as it came rushing towards him. His face red as a beetroot, he whacked the ball, and up it went, tearing through the sky towards the trees. Seeing this, Jimmy lost no time running