I actually glupped from nerved whenever Colette gripped my chin. Again I felt the daughting sense that grownups could be powerful... Grownups? Was that the right word?... well it was how I felt at the time anyway, like a naughty child who was at a grownup's mercy.

The langauge barrier didn't imped us this time. I knew what Colette wanted to know. My face grew hotter and hotter as I raised my skirt to let her see what had happened. I prayed she wouldn't be furious with me. I prayed she would decide I was nothing but a nuisence and kick me out.

Colette had suspected as much. Jo was acting exactly like a school girl who had an accident (albeit much younger.) She smiled at the child, to show that now that the truth was out she wasn't angry. "You should always tell the truth Jo. Now lets get you cleaned up." The poor thing must have even more frightened by the Constables outburst than Colette had thought.

Seeing as the girl couldn't understand her, and was just standing there with her skirt up Colette bent down and tugged the sodden panties to the floor. The girl hadn't wet that much, she probably wouldn't need a bath, just somthing to wash up with. Standing up Colette turned on the warm water in the sink and got out a washcloth. "Here, use this dear." She held it out to Jo.

I felt relieved when Colette smiled tentively, realeasing her grip rather than getting angry. In fact it seemed like she had almost seemed like she had anticipated my wet panties. I wondered if it was a common thing for girls of my age to have accidents? That would certainly be a huge relief of sorts, the whole thing had been an extra distress to an already impossible situation.
"I'm sorry." I mummble apologetically, "It was an accident."

I felt my flush suddenly deepen once more as the damp flowery panties were abruptly tugged to the bottom of my legs and stepped out of them feeling sillly for thinking I could have just slid them back on again and gotten away with it.

"Thank you." I told her softly when she handed me the moist cloth and I turned around alittle so I could wipe myself clean, still pinning the hem of my skirt to my abdomin with my spare hand so it didn't get wet.

Colette left the bathroom and proceeded to get another pair of panties for teh girl. She had found a total of four pairs in the girls size, this pair was pastel purple.

As she returned to the bathroom, Colette reflected on the situation. Since it was clear the girl would likely be around for some time, Colette would need to get her some more clothes. She was planning on shopping this afternoon anyway for other things she needed, so it would seem she'd have to make a few extra stops.

Colette entered the bathroom. "I brought you some new panties dear."

"Thank you"
This time I repeated in French for Colette's benefit and pulled the fresh panties into position, letting my dress fall down again.
By this stage the girlish colour didn't bother me, the plain fact was they where dry and after having cleaned myself off, they felt much better than what I would have been wearing had Colette not seen through my little white lie.

Running my hands down the dress with an odd impluse to make sure I was presentible, I wondered what the time was. It felt like I had already had a rather full day but I knew it was probably only around midday, I wondered if there was anyway i would be able to ask Colette if I could go outside and try to search for the witch in the village... with the promise I would return of course, I had no where else to go...
It occured to me that being able to ask the time in French was probably a usuful thing to know, so adopting what I knew to be the accepted British mime, I tapped my forefinger to my wrist and asked.
"Colette could you tell me the time please? Tick tock, tick tock?"
I tried to spot if she wore a watch upon her own wrists.

Colette recognized the universal asking for time gesture that predated caveman, actually no not really, but it was common enough throughout most of europe, and reached into her pocket where she usually kept her old pocket watch which she'd gotten from her father, only to realize it was still in her room.

"Jus a moment Jo" Colette quickly went to the kitchen to look at the clock there. It was 10 o'clock, mid morning. She wondered why the girl wanted to know the time.

"Its ten Jo, ten." She held up 10 fingers. They'd have to leave soon to go shopping.

(gotta go, be back this evening)

I was concerned that my question had somehow been misinterperated when Colette fished around in her pockets, I wondered what on earth she might be searching for, surely the purpose of a wristwatch was that you wore it on your wrist so you didn't have to go around looking for it?
Then I thought maybe she was looking for a mobile phone device, lots of people checked the time on there phones of convenance theses days.

Whatever she had been searching for it remained a mystery to me, for she gave up and hurried downstairs.
I had been about to follow, worried I might get left behind, but she was back up the stairs almost as quickly as she had descended them.

It wasn't what I was hoping for. I soon worked out she was giving me a number rather than the word for time but at least I had learned a new number.
"Ten" I repeated, holding out ten fingures to show her I now knew it.

(See you later.)

Come to think of it, numbers would probably be somthing else to teach the girl in their inpromtu french lessons. She'd have to that this evening.

"Honey I need to do some shopping and, you can't understand me so I'm not sure how I'm gonna get this one across, this is so frustrating." Well, there was nothing to it, they needed supplies, groceries and some new clothes for the girl. And they should probably start soon if they wanted to be done in a reasonable time. What to do?

And why did the girl want to know the time? was she expecting somthing.

Colette decided to wait, she'd see what the girl did next, and if nothing came up, then she'd figure how to get the girl to come shopping with her.

"Shopping?" I repeated speculatively. The word seemed faintly reminenistance and then I recalled it from my limited French volcabulary.
I expect much to Colette's relief, being a tourist that I was, "Shopping" was a word I knew, so I rolled out one of my practiced French phrases in the hope I had the right idea.
"Which way to the shops?"

From the situation in Colette's kitchen it made sense she wanted to go shopping, plus on the face of things it was something I thought would be benefical for me because I would be able to see more of the town.
Excited that this might be a step towards me finding the old woman who cursed me, I lead the way down the stairs. Only to frown when I reached the bottom.

"I need shoes?" I told Colette in English, pointing to my feet and wriggling my daintly white socked toes.
Unless... It occured to me maybe Colette was intending to go shopping alone?... I didn't want to be left in a strange house on my own. I hoped it wasn't the case.

Colette had to resist an urge to leap for joy. That had been really easy. "Well I'm glad your so enthusiatic. Yes honey, we'll go shopping toghether." She was mentally compiling a list of everything they'd need.

When they reached the bottom Jo stopped, said somthing in english then pointed to her feet. "Shoe, right. Well I have somthing, I hope it will work." Colette didn't have allot of old shoes lying around, they tended to get worn out before she outgrew them because she walked everywhere. But she did have one pair of 'flip-flop' sandals that she didn't wear often. They a bit small on her, which meant they would be large on Jo. Colette was hoping that the size difference wouldn't be to severe, and Jo could keep them comfortably on her feet long enough to get to the local shoe store and buy somthing else.

"We'll go to the shoe stores first, dear, for now try these." She held the flip flops out to Jo.

(I'm gonna be busy over the next couple of days, so my posts will be a bit sporadic)