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And Winks was disobedient—he whipped his goldfish with his stick! "Gee up!" he cried.

Then he got such a shock. The goldfish sud¬denly shot right off the roundabout through the air and disappeared! The roundabout slowed down and came to a stop. The pixie in charge looked very angry.

"He whipped his goldfish and I told him not to. Now I've lost the goldfish, and my master will be very angry with me."

"Oh dear\" said Mollie, getting off her pony.

"I'm so very sorry. Winks did promise to be good. Where has he gone, do you think?"

Then there suddenly came the sound of a ter¬rific splash, and a loud wail came on the air. "That's Winks," cried Peter, beginning to run. "Whatever has happened to him?"

XXV

HOME AGAIN—AND GOOD-BYE

The yells went on and on and on. "Help me! I'm drowning! Help, help, HELP!"

The children and Chinky tore round the corner. The sea lay in front of them, blue and calm. The goldfish was swimming about in it, looking enor¬mous. Winks was splashing and struggling in the water, and every time he tried to wade out, the gold¬fish bumped him with his nose and sent him un¬der.

There was a crowd of little people yelling with laughter. Peter waded in and pulled Winks out. The goldfish flapped out, too, and lay on the beach. It didn't seem to mind leaving the water at all—but then, as Mollie said, it wasn't a real, live fish. It was just a roundabout one.

"Winks, we're not a bit sorry for you," said Pe¬ter. "As usual, you brought your trouble on your¬self. Now, just pick up that fish and take it back to the roundabout."

The fish was big but not heavy. Winks groaned and put it on his shoulder. It flapped its fins and made itself as difficult to carry as it possibly could. Winks staggered back to the roundabout with it.

But the roundabout was gone. It had completely disappeared.

"Well," said Winks, dumping the fish on the ground at once. "I'm not carrying this fish any longer, then."

But the others made him. "We might meet the pixie in charge of the roundabout," said Peter. "And you could give it him back then. He was very up¬set at losing it."

So Winks had to stagger along carrying the goldfish. Still, as Peter said, if he was going to make trouble, he could jolly well carry his own troubles!

It certainly was an Island of Surprises. There was a surprise round almost every corner! For one thing, there was a wonderful Balloon Tree. It had buds that blew up into balloons. Under the tree sat a brownie with a ball of string. You could choose your own balloon, pick it off the tree, and then get the neck tied with string by the brownie. They all chose balloons at once.

Winks stayed behind and they had to go back and fetch him. He had done a very surprising thing. He had picked six of the biggest balloons and had got enough string from the brownie to tie each of them to the big goldfish. And just as Chinky and the children reached the Balloon Tree again they saw Winks set the goldfish free in the wind—and the breeze took hold of the balloons and carried goldfish and all high up in the air.

"Oh, Winks!" said Mollie. "Now look what you've done!"

Winks grinned. "Just a little surprise for the goldfish," he said. "Thank goodness I've got rid of him."

Well, what can you do with a brownie like that? The others gave him up in despair and walked on again. The Wishing-Chair followed them closely, as if it was a bit afraid of the Island of Surprises.

Round the next corner was another surprise. There were a dozen small motor cars that seemed to go by magic. "Come and race, come and race!" chanted a little goblin. "The winner can choose his own prize!"

The prizes were as exciting as the little cars. There was a purse that always had money in it no matter how many times you took it out.

There was a little clock that didn't strike the hour, but called them out in a dear little voice. "It is now twelve o'clock!" And there was a teapot that would pour out any drink you liked to men¬tion.

"Ooooh—do let's try a race!" cried Winks, and he leapt into a fine blue car. "I want one of those

prizes!

They all chose cars. The goblin set them in a row and showed them how to work them. "Just press hard on these buttons, first with one foot and then with the other," he said. "Now—are you ready —one, two, three, GO!"

And off they went. Winks bumped into Chinky and both cars fell over. Mollie's foot slipped off one button and her car stopped for a moment or two. But Peter shot ahead and won the race, whilst all the little folk cheered and clapped.

"Choose your prize," said the goblin. Peter chose a little dish with a lid. It was a wonderful dish. Every time you lifted the lid there was some titbit there—a sausage or a bar of chocolate or an orange, or an ice-cream—something like that. Pe¬ter thought it would be very useful indeed to keep in the playroom.

They had a wonderful time that day. Once the surprise was not very nice. They went to sit down for a rest on some dear little rocking chairs. The chairs at once began to rock as soon as everyone was sitting in them—and they rocked so violently that everyone was thrown roughly out on the ground.

The goblin in charge laughed till the tears ran down his cheeks. "Not a very pleasant surprise," said Mollie, picking herself up and running after her balloon, which was blowing away. "Funny to watch, I dare say—but not funny to do!"

They kept having titbits out of the Titbit Dish, but Mollie wished there were more ice-creams. So it was a lovely surprise when they came to a big public fountain, which had a tap labelled: "lee- cream Tap. TURN AND SAY WHAT KIND."

Mollie turned it at once. "Chocolate ice-cream," she said, and out came a stream of chocolate cream that ran into a small cornet underneath and froze at once.

"Oh, look!" cried Peter. They had come to the little field, and in it were big white swans waiting to take people for flights in the air.

"Shall we have a fly?" said Peter. "Do you think the Wishing-Chair will be jealous if we do?"

"I think one of us had better stay down on the ground with the chair, whilst the others are having a turn at flying on the birds," said Mollie. "Just in case it flies off in a huff, you know."

So Mollie sat in the Wishing-Chair whilst the others chose swans and rose up in the air on the backs of the beautiful white birds.

When it was Winks' turn to sit in the Wishing- Chair and stay with it, whilst the others rode on the swans, he thought he would get the chair to chase the swans and make them fly faster!

And up went the Wishing-Chair into the air and began to chase the swans, bumping into their tails and creaking at them in a most alarming manner. One swan was so startled that it turned almost up¬side down trying to get away from the Wishing- Chair—and the rider on its back fell headlong to the ground.

It was a witch! Fortunately she had her broom¬stick with her and she managed to get on that as

she fell.

She was so angry with Winks! She called the Wishing-Chair to the ground at once and scolded Winks so hard that he tried to hide under the chair in a fright. Mollie, Peter and Chinky flew down at once, angry, too, because of his mischievous trick.

"Ha, Chinky!" said the angry witch, "is this brownie a friend of yours? Who is he?"

"He's Winks," said Chinky.

"What—Winks, who turned his grandmother's pigs blue?" cried the witch. "I thought he was at Mister Grim's school. Well—it's time he was back there. Swan, come here!"

A big white swan flew down to her. The witch picked up Winks as if he were a feather and sat him firmly down on the swan's back.

"Now," she said to the swan, "take Winks to Mister Grim's school and deliver him to Mister

Grim himself."

"Oh, no, oh, no!" wailed Winks. "Mollie, Pe¬ter, don't let me go."

"You'll have to, Winks," said Mollie. "You re¬ally are too naughty for anything. Try to be good this term, and perhaps you'll be allowed to spend your next holidays with Chinky and us. Good-bye."

"But I shan't get enough to eat! I always have to go without my dinner!" wailed Winks.

Peter couldn't help feeling sorry for him. "Here —take the Titbit Dish," he said, and pushed it into Winks' hands. "You'll always have something nice to eat, then."

Winks' tears dried up at once. He beamed. "Oh, thank you, Peter—how wonderful! Now I don't mind going back a bit! I'll be as good as anything. I'll see you all next holidays. Good-bye!"

And off he went on the swan, back to Mister Grim's school for Brownies, hugging the Titbit Dish in joy.

"He's very, very naughty, and I can't help think¬ing that Mister Grim's school is the only place for him," said Mollie. "But I do like him very much, all the same."

"Look, the sun's going down," said Chinky sud¬denly. "We must go. They say the Island of Sur¬prises always disappears at sunset, and we don't want to disappear with it. Quick—it's disappear¬ing already!"

So it was! Parts of it began to look misty and dream-like. The children and Chinky went to the Wishing-Chair at once. "Home, Wishing-Chair," said Mollie. "Quick, before we all disappear with the Island. That witch has vanished already!"

And home to the playroom they went. They heard Mother ringing the bell for bedtime just as they arrived.

"Oh dear—our very last adventure these holi¬days, I'm afraid," said Mollie. "Chinky, you'll take the chair to your mother's won't you, and take great care of it for us? You know the date we come back home from school. Be here in time to welcome us!"

"We'll slip in and say a last good-bye before we leave for school," promised Peter. "Don't be lonely without us, Chinky, will you? And couldn't you go and see Winks once or twice at school—in the Wishing-Chair—just to cheer him up?"

"I'll see if my mother will let me," said Chinky. "She doesn't like Winks, you know. Anyway, he will be quite happy with the Titbit Dish, Peter. It was nice of you to give it to him."

"Good-bye, Wishing-Chair," said Mollie, pat¬ting it. "You've taken us on some wonderful ad¬ventures this time. Be ready to take us again next holidays, won't you?"

The chair creaked loudly, as if it, too, were say¬ing good-bye. The bedtime bell rang again, this time quite impatiently.

"We must go!" said Mollie, and she gave Chinky a hug. "We are lucky to have you and a Wishing-Chair, we really are! Good-bye!"

Good-bye, too, Mollie, Peter, Chinky, Winks and the Wishing-Chair. We'll see you all again some day, we hope!

THE ADVENTURES OF THE WISHING CHAIR

"Oh, Peter, to think we've got a magic chair—a wishing-chair!"

Mollie and Peter have a big secret; in their play¬room is a magic Wishing-Chair which can grow wings and take them on flying adventures. They rescue Chinky the pixie from a giant's castle, visit Disappearing Island, and go to a party at Magi¬cian Greatheart's castle.

THE MYSTERY OF THE BURNT COTTAGE

Fatty, Larry, Daisy, Pip, Bets and Buster the dog turn detectives when a mysterious fire destroys a thatched cottage in their village. Calling them¬selves the 'Five Find-Outers and Dog' they set out to solve the mystery and discover the culprit. The final solution, however, surprises the Five Find- Outers almost as much as Mr Goon the village po¬liceman.

This is the first book in the Mystery series.

Enid blyton

THE ENCHANTED WOOD

"Up the Faraway Tree, Jo, Bessie and me!"

Jo, Bessie and Fanny move to the country and find an Enchanted Wood right on their door¬step! And in the wood stands the magic Far¬away Tree where the Saucepan Man, Moon- Face and Silky the elf live. Together they visit the strange lands which lie at the top of the tree and have the most exciting adventures—and narrow escapes!

More magical stories can be found in The Magic Faraway Tree and The Folk of the Faraway Tree.

Enid Blyton

THE MA GIC FARA WA Y TREE

Dick thought it would be dull in the country with Jo, Bessie and Fanny. But that was before he found the magic Faraway Tree! The four children have the most extraordinary adventures with the Saucepan Man, Moon-Face and Silky the elf. They only have to climb through the cloud at the top of the huge tree to be in the Land of Spells, or Land of Topsy-Turvy, or even the Land of Do-As-You-Please!

EGMONT

Ov'e. S'/ortes C<-fe

These stories first published in Adventures of the Wishing-Chair, Siunix Stories and Enid Blyton Omnibus, bv George Newnes 1937/38/52 This edition published 2005 by Dean, an imprint of Egmont Books Limited 239 Kensington High Street, London W8 6SA

Text copyright 1937, 1938, 1952 Enid Blyton Ltd Illustrations copyright r 2001 Enid Blyton Limited Illustrations by Deborah Allwright

Enid Blyton's signature is a registered trademark of Enid Blyton Limited. A Chorion company

ISBN 0 6035 6202 7

3579 10 8642

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library

Printed and bound in Singapore

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher and copyright owner.

CONTENTS

THE WITCH'S CAT 1

THE DEAR-ME GOBLIN 7 THE ADVENTURE OF THE GREEN ENCHANTER 15

PETER'S OWN ADVENTURE 20

THE OLD, OLD MAN 25

TOPSY-TURVY LAND 31

THE CHAIR RUNS AWAY AGAIN 38

THE LAND OF SCALLY-WAGS 47

THE PRINCE'S SPELLS 55

THE LAST ADVENTURE OF ALL 64

HOME FOR HALF-TERM 74

CREE-EE-EAK 82

AN ADVEN TUROUS NIGHT 90

LAND OF WISHES 98

SANTA CLAUS AND THE WISHING-CHAIR 107

MORE ABOUT THE WISHING-CHAIR 122

THE END OF THE ADVENTURE 1 30

THE WITCH'S CAT

ONE afternoon Mollie and Peter were talking to Chinky the pixie in their playroom. Mollie was sitting in the magic chair, knitting as she talked. She was making a warm scarf for Chinky, who often used to go out at night and talk to the fairies in the garden. It was still very cold, and Mollie was afraid he would get a chill.