The Door in the Wall

Young Robin wakes to the deafening clamor of nearby church bells announcing the 3:00pm hour. He holds his ears as he lies in bed. The son of a noble English family, Robin recalls saying goodbye to his father as he rode off to fight in the Scottish wars. Now that he is 10, Robin is to be sent away to learn how to become a knight. His mother left the day after his birthday to serve the queen as a lady-in-waiting.

Robin becomes ill. He suddenly cannot move his legs, and for a month he is stuck in his room. Lying there, Robin learns to guess what’s going on in the nearby street by listening to the sounds outside. He hears the laughter of his friends as they run past. He hears the clank of armor on knights heading for a jousting tournament or on the king’s business. A horse passes, dragging a sled accompanied by a bad odor, and he reasons it’s the fish monger, under arrest for selling putrid fish.

Dame Ellen appears with a bowl of porridge and honey, but Robin refuses it. He wishes his mother were there and his legs would work.