The Thirteenth Tale Page #2

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What question's that? About the

first book. Oh, The Thirteenth Tale?

That's right. And everybody always

asks why there are only twelve?

That's right. Why are there only twelve?

Shall we get started?

RECORDER BEEPS:

The story begins at Angelfield.

After the mysterious, unexplained

death of their parents...

...the house now belonged to Charlie

Angelfield and his sister Isabelle.

She'd left the house less than

a year before but her husband...

Roland March, had been killed in the war.

...and now she returned.

Of course, in their parents' day...

...there had been dozens of

servants to run the estate.

...but now only two remained -

Mrs Dunne the housekeeper,

known to everyone as The Missus...

...and the gardener, John Digence...

who we called John The Dig.

Can you put it down there?

BABIES GURGLE:

Well, well.

What are they called?

Adeline and Emmeline.

Which one is which?

You know, I haven't the slightest idea.

BABIES CRY:

Where is Mr Angelfield?

He'll be in the

library, I expect, madam.

I'll leave these with you.

Truth to tell, it was not poverty

or even the demands of the war.

which brought about the

exodus of the Angelfield staff.

It was the sense of chaos.

...and unease caused by the

bizarre and unpredictable.

...behaviour of Isabelle's brother.

Charlie, I'm back.

What do you mean?

I'm back for good. I

brought the children with me.

What?

What children?

Oh. Oh, yes. It's just

you and me now, Charlie.

You shouldn't have gone

away for so long, Isabelle.

I had to, Charlie. I

explained it all to you.

All the same.

This one can be Adeline.

I suppose we were shamefully neglected.

when we were children. No

schooling, no discipline.

THEY TALK IN MADE-UP LANGUAGE

We were so much on our own, we

invented our own private language.

Charlie and Isabelle were

so wrapped up in one another.

...that the only people in our

lives vaguely resembling parents.

were The Missus and John The Dig.

Are you all right, missus?

THEY CHATTER IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE

But we did have each other, and we

were all the world to one another.

We couldn't imagine that anyone

but ourselves really existed.

I expect that's why we were so cruel.

The topiary garden had been planted.

...by John The Dig's great-grandfather.

It was his pride and joy.

LOUD WAILS:

THEY GIGGLE:

WAILING CONTINUES

We weren't confined to

the house and garden.

We roamed all over the estate

and did exactly what we felt like.

We were the children from the big

house, so they put up with us...

One...

... Until the day we took

Mary Jameson's baby.

... Two... Three...

THEY GIGGLE:

BABY CRIES:

SHE SPEAKS IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE

Good afternoon. Is your mother in?

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