Jody Richards and The Secret Potion (17 page)

The Bag Man added: “And the monster wasn’t dead. He’s probably recovered by now and is still guarding the storeroom. But, as Jody says, the berry juice and plant life in the barrels is ruined anyway.”

“That maybe, but Bunter’s got a point,” argued James. “The witches could still get their hands on Augustine The Awful’s notes about the formula.”

“Yes, that’s true,” Jody admitted, pushing a few strands of her wayward hair away from her eyes. “Augustine The Awful told me he had kept notes, but I don’t know where.”

“Don’t worry,” Wiffle assured her. He took from his pocket a voice box and spoke into it. “Heatherbelle, this is Wiffle,” he said. “I want you to fly to Augustine The Awful’s castle right away and search for the notes he has left, naming the ingredients for his formula for everlasting life. Make sure that neither Augustine nor his brother, Hugo see you. When you find the notes you are to destroy them.

“Can you also inform a pixie in the castle called Olaf that Augustine and Hugo now believe Olaf is their master because they have lost their memories. Advise him that it would be best to keep it that way.

“You had better tell Olaf as soon as you get there because Augustine and Hugo are on their way to the castle now. Thank you, Heatherbelle. Good-bye.”

“That’s great,” said Jody. “Not only can Heatherbelle hear the whistle, but you can talk to her, too, through your voice box.”

“Yeah, that’s really neat,” Bunter remarked sarcastically. “We have something just like that, though. We call it a mobile phone.”

Wiffle gave Bunter a scornful look. “There is a big difference between this and a mobile phone,” he said. “The person I contact has no receiver – they just automatically hear my voice.”

“What about Bodger?” asked James, looking over to the dog, which was yelping and trying frantically to free himself from being tied to the tree.

“Ah, Bodger,” reflected The Bag Man. “What shall we do with him?”

Wiffle replied: “I think we had better send him for a dip in the moat around the castle. It will clear his mind completely of all those wicked thoughts.”

The wizard clicked his fingers twice and Bodger disappeared.

“That was a great idea,” Jody told him. “But James and these other two boys have lost their memories, too. James can’t recall anything of his life back in England.”

“In that case let me restore their memories,” said Wiffle. He clapped his hands, muttered a few strange words, and James immediately recognised Jody as his sister.

“Jody, I’m so sorry I didn’t remember you,” James apologised, putting his arms around her and hugging her.

“That wasn’t your fault,” the delighted girl assured him.

“Augustine The Awful took your memory away to ensure you would stay and work for him. Even if he hadn’t I wouldn’t have blamed you for not recognising me with the long nose the witch had given me.”

“I know I can be a bit thick sometimes,” said Nick-Knack, scratching his spiky hair. “But what I can’t understand, is why Augustine The Awful needed us at all.

“Why didn’t he just use his magic powers to get all the golden berries and the river plant life? Surely, he could have just made a series of spells to get them. “

“That’s a very good question,” Wiffle told him. “I presume Augustine The Awful realised that the Confederation of Wizards were checking up on him and the witches might be spying on him. Spells can be traced and he dare not risk doing anything that might lead to others finding out about the ingredients. Who would suspect boys of unwittingly helping to provide a magic potion when on the face of it all they were doing was climbing trees and swimming in the river – things that most boys do?”

“Yes” added the Bag Man. “And the boys were doing all the hard work while Augustine just relaxed.”

Nick-Knack still looked puzzled. “But would it have been so terrible if he had discovered the secret of everlasting life?” he asked.

“Yes it would,” replied Jody. “He told me he would have more time to increase his riches and his power until he could rule the world.”

“Well,” James sighed. “That’s all very interesting, but we still have one problem now – how are we going to get home?”

The children looked towards Wiffle appealingly.

“Unfortunately, I can’t send you back,” the white-haired wizard sighed.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“WHY can’t you send us back?” Bunter demanded.

Wiffle disregarded the boy’s abrupt manner and answered the question calmly. “As some evil wizards like Augustine The Awful were abusing the rules of the Confederation of Wizards, it has been decreed that every member of the Confederation has to abide by a strict code of conduct.

“I won’t bore you with all the details, but part of the code of conduct restricts us to granting only two wishes to visitors during any one time zone. Unfortunately, Jody has used both of those wishes I was empowered to grant.”

“I don’t understand,” a confused James told him. “Why do you need to grant us wishes? Can’t you just use your magic powers to transport us all home?”

“I’m afraid not,” explained Wiffle. “To transport someone from the real world to Tamila or back again on a permanent basis has to be done in the form of a wish. That is why Augustine The Awful had to make sure you three boys would wish to come to Tamila by first convincing you what a wonderful time you could have here.”

“But what about me?” pressed Jody. “Augustine The Awful didn’t influence me.”

“He didn’t need to,” Wiffle told her. “You were so anxious to follow James that you came to Tamila in a dream. You have been able to stay here because you wished to remain and I granted that wish.”

Jody’s expectant look was replaced with one of despair. “So we’ll never we able to return home,” she said, dropping her shoulders in dejection.

“All is not lost,” Wiffle said, smiling as he patted the remaining six dogs, which had gathered obediently at his feet. “It is still possible for you to return home within the rules of the Confederation of Wizards.”

“Can you explain?” Jody asked him.

“Well, as you know, I have just returned from the Wizards’ Convention so I learned all the latest developments about rules and amendments. For example, as I just told you, the rules concerning each wizard granting wishes were changed to two per time zone. And a time zone is a period of three months.”

“That means we must stay here another three months, I suppose,” James surmised.

“Not necessarily,” Wiffle corrected him. “You see, another wizard could grant you three young people another two wishes.”

“And do you know a wizard who would do that for us?” Bunter asked.

“I do indeed,” replied Wiffle, a board smile returning to his face. “You need look no further than Milo. You see, the Convention listened to how he had been relieved of most of his magic powers by Augustine The Awful and, by a unanimous vote, it was decided to restore them.”

He turned to The Bag Man. “So, Milo, I have been entrusted with the task of making you a fully fledged wizard.”

With that he clapped his hands, placed each of them upon Milo’s shoulders and muttered an incantation that was barely audible. Then he announced: “It’s done!” and hugged Milo by way of congratulations.

“That’s fantastic,” uttered the Bag Man. “It means I can now practice my craft again. And I can start by granting you children two wishes. Obviously you want to use the first one to return home.

“That’s right,” they chorused.

The Bag Man rummaged through his carrier bags. “Let me just check in my book on ‘Spells And How To Use Them’ to refresh my memory on what I need to do,” he announced.

While he was looking Wiffle spoke to the children. “May I suggest how you use the second wish,” he said, more by way of a statement than a question.

“How?” Jody asked.

“Well,” Wiffle responded. “If you just turn up at home you will all have a lot of explaining to do to your parents.

“You, Jody, will have been missed by now – you’ve been gone three days. Also the boys will have to tell their parents, their schools – and the police – why they have been missing so long, and I doubt if anyone will believe them.”

“That’s true,” commented Nick-Knack. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Yes,” added Jody with a frown. “The police have spoken to my parents about James several times. The last time they came round to our house they seemed very suspicious. My father insisted James had been kidnapped, but the police thought he might have run off because I had told them he had spoken to me about wanting to go on an adventure holiday. There’s been a massive search for him.”

“So what are you suggesting?” asked Bunter.

Wiffle smiled patiently and continued: “I propose that you wish for Milo to take you all back in time to how your home life was before you three boys were snatched by Augustine The Awful. Then nobody will ever know you went missing and your lives can continue as normal.”

“That sounds a great idea to me,” Jody remarked. “But won’t the police remember that they searched for James?”

“No,” replied Wiffle firmly. “By going back almost four weeks in time it means nothing will have happened. As far as everyone in England is concerned you children will never have been away.”

“Perfect – just perfect,” James agreed. “That way I won’t be expected to study like mad to make up for all the time I’ve been off school.” They all laughed.

Milo finally found his battered old book and pulled it triumphantly out of one of his carrier bags. “Now let me read up on how to grant you two wishes,” he said. He flicked through the pages and began to read.

“Why don’t you use briefcases instead of the carrier bags?” James inquired.

“I used to,” Milo informed him. “But they became so full of my old papers and books that I needed somewhere else to put the new papers and books. Carrier bags are so much more flexible. Now I’ve found out how to do the spell so I’m all set.”

He uttered a spell from his book and told them: “You can now have two wishes and they will be granted.”

“That means it is time to say good-bye to you and to Tamila,” Jody sighed. “Can we ever return to see you both?”

“Yes, you can come here for a brief visit in your dreams,” Wiffle assured her.

“We’d love to see you again,” added Milo.

“Thank you – we owe you both so much,” Jody told them. “You have both been so kind to us.”

The boys said their ‘thank-yous’ as well and took it in turns to shake hands with Wiffle and Milo.

But Jody outdid them by adding: “Whatever we say we can never thank you enough.” She then went up to Milo and Wiffle and planted a big kiss on each of them.

“Uga Oooo,” cried the Bag Man. “That will do nicely. In fact, you have earned the right to go down in the book in red ink.”

“Does that wipe out all the black marks you’ve given me?” Jody suggested, smiling.

“I suppose it does,” the Bag Man acknowledged.

“Anyway, we are very grateful,” added James.

“Just be good children – that will be thanks enough,” Wiffle grinned. “And if you do remember your adventures in Tamila you must resist the temptation to tell people about them because Milo is sending you back four weeks in time.”

“We’ll do our best to be good,” Jody said. “Now I suppose I had better make my two wishes. I wish that we are all back in our homes and everything is as it was before the boys disappeared.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“JODY,” the cry was almost deafening. It was her father’s voice.

“Will you wake up!” he yelled up the stairs to her. “Otherwise you’ll be late for school.”

Jody opened her eyes to find herself staring at blue and white striped wallpaper. She was back home in her bedroom.

“Can you hear me, Jody?” her father called again.

She climbed out of bed and ran to the top of the stairs in her pink pyjamas.

“Are you calling me, Dad?” she asked, unnecessarily, in her confused state.

“Of course I’m calling you,” her father bellowed. “Now for goodness sake get ready. Your school holiday is over and you’ve got to go back today. Why didn’t you come down when your mother called you earlier?”

“Sorry,” Jody mumbled. And then added, without even thinking, “I am a very naughty girl who cannot be trusted.”

Her father mellowed. “There’s no need for you to exaggerate,” he said in a more affectionate tone. “Let’s just say you are a bit thoughtless at times.”

“Thank you, Dad,” she replied, gratefully. “I’ll get ready.”

But her joy at being home suddenly turned to cold fear. Why had her father not called James as well? Obviously her brother had not returned with her despite the wishes she made to the Bag Man. Was James still in Tamila?

“Where’s James?” she cried out in panic. “What’s happened to him?”