Jody Richards and The Secret Potion (3 page)

“I would lie awake at night wondering where he could be and wishing I could find him. When I eventually fell off to sleep two nights ago I dreamed about this place. It was a really deep dream and so spooky, but I became scared and woke up.

“Last night I had the same dream and actually saw a wizard waving his wand. I seemed to be lifted from my bed and the next thing I knew I was here.

“Unfortunately, I got lost and knocked on the door of a nasty wizard with a large stomach, long nose and black beard who I had seen in my first dream. I told him I was looking for James and he suggested I go to the whirlpool. Then he clicked his fingers and I found myself in the pool. It was like a nightmare.”

“That’s exactly what it was,” Wiffle told her, grinning through his marvellous white beard. “It’s all part of your dream, you see. You wanted to find James so much that you dreamed yourself here.

“Unluckily for you the first person you met was a bad tempered wizard. From the way you describe him it must have been Hugo Toby. He can be very nasty, I’m afraid. Fortunately, as you were only in a dream, he could not harm you permanently.

“Although your experience in the whirlpool seemed very real and awful to you, you would not have drowned because it was all part of your dream. Very soon you’ll wake up and you’ll be back home again.”

“But while I’m in Tamila I’d like to stay and look for James,” Jody insisted.

“My parents are worried sick about him. They reported his disappearance to the police and believe he has been kidnapped. But the police haven’t a clue where he is. I may have the best chance of finding him because I’ve got this feeling that he’s here – the least I can do is look for him.”

Wiffle raised his large white bushy eyebrows in mock disapproval. “Well, in that case you had better wish that your dream turns into reality. But I must warn you that if you do so, it means you are putting yourself in possible danger because the black wizards like Mr. Toby could then harm you. If you found yourself in danger again it would be real – not a dream.”

“I’m more worried about finding James and then getting us both home again,” Jody told him as Nesbeth folded his wings and began to nibble the pink grass.

“Well, I have the power to grant you two wishes,” Wiffle offered. “The first can be that your time here is extended and is no longer a dream. The second wish you can use for whatever you want – so when the time comes it could take you back home. But I must point out there are two conditions.”

“What are they?” asked Jody anxiously

“You must not misuse the wishes I am granting you and you must tell people the truth about your reason for being here.”

“That’s easy,” Jody assured him. “I need the wishes to find my brother and get us home safely. And I don’t tell lies.”

“Excellent,” said Wiffle, rising from the wooden seat. “It is so important to be truthful and honest.”

“That’s exactly what my father says,” she told him.

“It’s an excellent motto,” Wiffle confirmed. He then muttered an incantation that Jody couldn’t understand and told her: “I have granted you two wishes. Now you had better come with me to my house and see if I can find out anything about your brother.”

Wiffle and Jody walked towards two attractive houses, one blue and one white, on the outskirts of the village a few yards away, with Nesbeth eventually following by trotting slowly behind them.

Jody was thoughtful. Finally she said: “I can never thank you enough for saving me from the whirlpool, even if it was only a dream. It certainly seemed very real to me. And thank you for your kindness in granting me two wishes. But couldn’t I just wish that my brother James and I are both back home?”

Wiffle sighed. “That will only be possible if you find him and if he wants to go with you. The problem is we have no idea where your brother might be. I know nobody called James so you will have to search for him. Then, if you do find him, you can use your second wish to transport you both home. Meanwhile, I’ll give you some food and a hot drink to warm you up.”

Wiffle led the way along a quaint little path, taking them to the two imposing houses, and opened a wooden gate leading to the front garden of the second building. Jody, her dress crumpled and dishevelled, followed him towards the front door of his stately looking house. Everything was white, including a large porch and six fluffy cats seated on it.

But before they reached the regal front door a lady followed them up the path and called to Wiffle in an upper crust, snobbish voice that registered strong disapproval.

“Mr. Wiffle,” said the tall, assertive yet elegant middle-aged woman. She had the grace and stature of a duchess, but the aggression of a prowling lioness about to bare her teeth. “Mr. Wiffle, I really must protest.

“You have allowed your cats to roam on my lawn where they have left behind something quite unmentionable. As if that isn’t bad enough your horse appears to have eaten my mushrooms and your parrot has used language that I simply cannot tolerate.

“Imagine my annoyance when I went into the garden today to pick some mushrooms for a nice omelette, only to find there were none there.”

“I’m very sorry, Mrs. Parker-Smythe,” Wiffle said, sympathetically. “Perhaps we could discuss this some other time because, as you can see, I have a young visitor. Meanwhile, I will have strong words with my cats, my horse and my parrot.”

“I don’t expect you to be flippant about this matter, Mr. Wiffle,” replied Mrs. Parker-Smythe, shaking her head in disgust. “And the fewer strong words you use the better. I suspect it is your strong words that your parrot keeps repeating. If any of these things happen again I will come and see you immediately, Mr. Wiffle. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal clear, Mrs. Parker-Smythe,” he said, suppressing a grin. “I am truly sorry.”

Wiffle’s outspoken neighbour now turned her attentions to the untidy Jody, whose brown locks were still dripping wet. “And I hope you are not one of those annoying children who make a lot of noise or cause a mess,” she snapped. “I note with displeasure that you have already dripped water all the way up the path. Fancy getting your hair wet through – you silly girl.”

Jody’s bottom lip trembled and she had to fight to hold back the tears that were threatening to flow from her sparkling blue eyes, which for the second time within an hour opened far wider than usual to register her astonishment. “It was an accident,” she managed to mumble.

“Ladies don’t have accidents,” came the curt reply.

“I’m not a lady,” Jody protested.

Mrs. Parker-Smythe looked at her with disdain. “And you never will be unless you show more refinement. Let me pass on to you the same advice I gave to my husband, Bobbykins, this morning. Only open your month when it is absolutely necessary. It’s better that people merely think of you as ignorant – rather than you remove any trace of doubt.”

With that Mrs. Parker-Smythe turned on her heel and marched back to her own house next door, tutting and muttering about “lack of thought for other people.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Wiffle told Jody, getting out his key and letting them both into the house.

“You wouldn’t believe Mrs. Parker-Smythe once bred dogs would you? She used to enter them in shows, but she can’t seem to stand anyone else’s animals. So we don’t see eye to eye because I love all animals. I even make allowances for her beast of a husband Bobbykins.”

They both burst out laughing.

“Beast of a husband,” squawked the parrot from the front room. “Bobbykins is a beast.” That made Wiffle and Jody laugh even more.

The wizard showed Jody into a large yet cosy lounge, containing several bookcases, a few oil paintings and a beautifully carved grandfather clock.

He signalled her to sit on one of two large brown armchairs as the parrot gave an encore. Wiffle lamented: “I wouldn’t mind, but my parrot doesn’t get his bad language from me. He picks it up from her husband who is always cursing when his wife is not within hearing distance.”

Jody did her best to pay attention, but she had sunk deep into the soft fabric of the armchair, which engulfed her like a velvet glove. She had to struggle to sit up.

Wiffle, oblivious to the girl’s discomfort, continued: “To make matters worse Bobbykins is currently doing some DIY work in his house with a drill that woke me up at 7.30 this morning.”

“Why don’t you put a spell on him?” asked a voice so softly it seemed to be talking in a whisper. Jody strained to see who had spoken, but at first saw nobody. Then, as she managed to turn partly round, she spotted a pretty fairy just a few inches tall fly past her.

“As one of the elders of the Confederation of Wizards I can hardly go around using my magic to punish people can I, Heatherbelle?” Wiffle said, answering the fairy’s question with one of his own. “And, surely you, a good fairy, should not be encouraging me to do so. No, the drilling will stop in a day or so when Bobbykins has finished his work.”

Turning to Jody, he added: “Let me introduce you to my fairy, Heatherbelle.”

“Hello,” said the fairy coming to rest on the top of the other armchair opposite that in which Jody was sitting.

“Pleased to meet you,” Jody replied.

“I have a little job for you, Heatherbelle,” Wiffle told the tiny creature.

“And what might that be, oh master?” asked Heatherbelle sarcastically. “Re-point your hat? Press your cloak? Or polish your wand?”

“You can do all those things later – this is something more important,” Wiffle replied, rebuking her. “I want you to fly around the village to talk to some of the other fairies and find out if they have seen Jody’s 11-year-old brother.

“She has come to Tamila to look for him. Can you help her by visiting some of your friends?”

“I can do better than that,” said Heatherbelle. “I am going out with five fairies tonight and we are bound to come across some others. I’ll ask them all and let you know what I find out in the morning.”

Chapter Four

BEFORE Heatherbelle went out she made Jody and Wiffle a truly fantastic meal.

The wizard then showed his young guest some of the rare collectors’ items in his smartly furnished home – including an ancient wand, made from a peacock’s feather, which belonged to Wiffle’s great grandfather, and a magic watch that could take the person wearing it back in time.

The wizard also told an enthralled Jody more about Tamila.

“It can be a wonderful place,” he said. “But there are drawbacks and dangers. The good wizards and fairies are always helpful and, although the pixies are mischievous, they are not really harmful. But the goblins can be nasty creatures and the bad wizards and witches perform some evil deeds.

“Hugo Toby used to have two servants called Max and Freda, who stole some of his jewellery. This came to light when they tried to sell it. They haven’t been seen since, but apparently Hugo now has two mice in a cage which look remarkably like miniature versions of Max and Freda.”

When Jody’s yawns revealed she was ready for bed Wiffle loaned her one of his nightshirts and took her to a delightfully pretty guest room. But she still missed her own bedroom, small though it was, and her favourite teddy bear, Biff.

Sensing her concern, Wiffle said kindly: “Is there something I can get you?”

“I don’t suppose you have a teddy bear?

“How many would you like?” he asked, smiling. He clicked his fingers and suddenly a dozen teddy bears appeared on the bed. One caught Jody’s eye because it was bright orange and had only one ear. She picked it up and gave it a little hug.

“Wiffle,” Jody called to him as the wizard said goodnight. “I’m worried about my parents – they don’t know where I am. Goodness knows what they’ll think when they find I’m missing as well as James.”

“They won’t be aware that you’ve gone yet,” he assured her. “Tamila is a magical place with a 48-hour time difference from the outside world. That means you have gone back two days in time from England and you won’t be missed until the day after tomorrow.”

“How marvellous,” she said. “I could find James by then and be on my way back home.”

Jody slid down the bed and fell asleep as soon as her head touched the silk pink pillows.

She was woken up on the dot of 7.30 the next morning by the sound of drilling.

“What did I tell you?” asked Wiffle over the noise coming from next door when Jody entered the kitchen to join him for breakfast. “Bobbykins is drilling again next door. Never mind, we needed to get up early. I’ve an important meeting to attend and you want to get off to look for James. Come in and have some toast and porridge.”

Jody, smothered by the wizard’s long nightshirt, pushed the kitchen door open further without seeing Heatherbelle on the other side. The fairy had to flap her tiny wings frantically to avoid being hit.

“Whoops, sorry,” said Jody, moving quickly away from the door and almost tripping over the nightshirt that was several sizes too big for her. “I didn’t see you standing – I mean flying – there.”

The fairy nodded her head in acknowledgement, causing fairy dust to cascade over the breakfast table and into Wiffle’s bowl of porridge.