Frank and the Northern Lights. Chapter 3 - Lyra's Jordan.

3. Lyra’s Jordan

After Lord Asreil had left Jordan College, Lyra was left there again. But it didn’t matter to her because she was accustomed to living in the College without him. Jordan College was the biggest College in Oxford. So she had many places to play. The best thing she liked to do was to clamber over the College’s roofs. And she liked to play war too. The warfare was started when town children attacked a young college servant. And then the children of the servants, Lyra and other collegers got together to battle against the towners.

Another enemy was the gyptians, who lived in boats on the river near Jericho. When she threw small rocks or mud at their boats, they left them to chase the collegers. Often she led them into a trap, which was a broken boat that she found in advance. If they wnet into the trap, the trap would sink with them into the river and she would run away from them again. That was Lyra’s world in the College.

However, outside the College was a different world in which some children under about twelve years old were being kidnapped. A young beautiful woman with a golden monkey who was so kind to children at first, took them to her house and then asked them for a little help. In one case, she told a gyptian boy, who was hungry, that he would be able to eat as much as he wanted. After persuading him, she took him to her house. When he came into her house, other children were already there. She told them all to write a letter which would be sent to their parents but she tore up the letters without sending them.

A rumour about children being kidnapped was spreading over the country. Because nobody had seen the criminal, it was called the Gobbler. And Lyra played a game called ‘kids and Gobblers’ in which one had to hide somewhere and another find them.
One day, Lyra went to the college’s crypt with Rodger, who was a servant from the kitchen and her friend. And she recognized the demon was closely related with their master. After that, she was encouraged to learn about Dust.

A few days later, one gyptian girl who lived in Oxford disappeared. Lyra thought the Gobbler had got her but most people didn’t believe that due to the fact she was gyptian.
Unfortunately, Rodger disappeared too. She tried to find him all around the college but she couldn’t and nobody had time to be concerned about him because other servants had to prepare the special dinner which the Master had ordered. It was no doubt she was angry.
She went on searching for him but Mrs Lonsdale, the servant, took her to dress up to attend the special dinner. She didn’t know why she had to attend that but she had no option. When she entered into the Hall, she was able to see the woman with a golden monkey. Of course, Lyra didn’t know the woman was the Gobbler.