Extract from

THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE

Paris, France.The fire was nearly out. Its dying embers glowed peacefully as the little girl gazed atthem, feeling the onset of sleep. It wasn’t really cold enough for a fire but the girls wholooked after her knew she felt comforted by it and so allowed her this little luxury.You could argue they spoiled her. There were so many girls here that there wasalways someone to give her attention. To dress her up in their make-up and high heels. Toparade around in fake jewels together and laugh and sing. She had such fun here, but onlyduring the day.At night everything was different. After sundown the girls became too busy to playwith her and she was sent upstairs to bed. There was still singing and dancing downstairsbut it was grown-up games and she was told she was too young to play.She lay curled up on a blanket in front of the dying fire cuddling Monsieur Chat.Gaston had given her Monsieur Chat. The black and white striped stuffed feline was her only possession. Gaston was a nice man and this was his house. He looked after her andall the girls too. They loved him very much, like sweet butterflies crooning over a beautifulflower, and so did she. If the girls were like her sisters then he was their father.She found it funny to think that Gaston hadn’t even know about her in the beginning.The girls had tried to keep her hidden but how do you keep a toddler from the boss in suchan intimate house? It was impossible. They lasted two days before he had found her. Shehad a vague memory of the incident. Him throwing things and shouting and everyonecrying but he had calmed down in the end and she had stayed.Apparently it was Gaston that had named her, Phoenix, like the bird who came outof the ashes. Lucille, one of the girls, and her favourite if the truth be known, would takegreat delight in retelling how she'd been found, years ago in the ruins of an orphanage twostreets away. The entire building and all of its contents had been reduced to rubble after agreat fire, yet in the aftermath, after the crowds and firemen had gone and while the

remains still smouldered Lucille had heard a baby cry. They had rummaged through thedebris and found her, cold and naked, crying like nobody’s business.They should have given her up. They should have handed her to the authorities butsomething held them back. Lucille would tell her how 'in their line of work' they couldn’tafford to have children of their own but that didn’t mean they didn’t have that strongmaternal instinct. So they had taken her back to the house and there she’d stayed. Thiswas her home and she was happy here.A coarse laugh rose up through the thin floorboards and the little girl sighed. Itwould be another long night. Fridays and Saturdays were always the worst.Quite suddenly the door burst open and a man stumbled in, blinded in the brighter light. Startled Phoenix quickly darted under the bed.“This’ll do.” the man breathed, his voice thick with the stuff they drank downstairs.Phoenix could see Lucille silhouetted in the doorway. Her eyes searching the room.Did she know she was here?“Not this one,” Lucille said turning to leave.“Yes. This one,” the man replied picking her up and flinging her onto the bed. Theold mattress curved under her weight and Phoenix winced as the man followed, the roughmaterial nearly touching her cheek as it sagged heavily. She gasped, pushing herself intothe threadbare carpet.Panic began to rise. She knew she wasn’t meant to be seen. She was to stay out of sight at all times. At night she was to stay in one of the rooms. They told her that ten timesa day. But now there was trouble. Normally no-one disturbed her. She was put to bed andthe door locked. Although she could hear activity all around no-one ever came in and shenever left, like a good girl. But now there was trouble, the door had not been lockedtonight. She let out a tiny whimper of despair.“What was that?” grumbled the man.“I didn’t hear anything,” replied Lucille’s voice.“Humph,” he said, then added. “What’s that?”Phoenix stared in horror as she witnessed a large male hand reach down and pluckthe forgotten Monsieur Chat from the floor.“Oh! Erm, it’s nothing. We came into the wrong room, that’s all. Let’s just pickanother one.” Lucille was already halfway to the door.“It’s a toy,” the man frowned. “You got kids here? I didn’t know you had kids here.How old?”“Forget it. Let’s just get another room,” Lucille insisted.