Jody Richards and The Secret Potion (6 page)

Jody was startled and alarmed. She knew she must say what the witch had told her or else her nose would grow even longer. But could she remember the exact words? She concentrated hard.

“I asked if you were all right?” the man repeated, firmly but not unkindly.

Jody began to panic. She must speak, but if she got the words wrong her nose would grow another half inch. Finally she spluttered: “I am a very naughty girl who cannot be trusted.”

“Are you, indeed! That means you are like most children I have come across,” he replied, laughing.

Then Jody recalled what Wiffle had told her about a man with carrier bags who ate his lunch by a water fountain. “Excuse me,” she inquired of the eccentric stranger. “Are you the Bag Man?”

He looked up at her rather annoyed. “How rude of you. You interrupt my lunch with your crying and then call me the Bag Man,” he muttered. “You young people have no manners.”

‘Oh, no,’ thought Jody. ‘I’ve upset him.’

Mr. Toby’s words came back to haunt her:”You are an extremely rude little girl
.”

If only she gave more thought to what she was going to say.

She was tempted to run away, but became rooted to the spot. And when Jody opened her mouth to say sorry she found it hard to get the words out. Finally, she stuttered: “I’m sorry sir. I didn’t mean to be rude. Wiffle did tell me your name, but I’m afraid I’ve forgotten it.”

“Ah,” sighed the man. “I suppose Wiffle told you I was known as the Bag Man. People usually only call me that behind my back. My real name is Milo. What do you want with me?”

Jody explained to the Bag Man how she was looking for her brother, but had fallen foul of some nasty pixies and an evil witch who had made her nose grow a half inch longer. To make matters worse nobody had seen James and she had given away her golden nugget without getting any food – and then lost her magic whistle.

“So, you’re hungry are you?” the Bag Man asked, suppressing a smile.

“Yes, sir,” replied Jody.

“Then, I’d better find something for you to eat,” he replied.

The Bag Man went over to his three carrier bags and searched through the contents in one of them. Then, after two abortive attempts, he pulled out an uncooked chicken. “No, that’s no good,” he muttered, putting it back and finding a dozen raw sausages strung together. “That won’t do, either,” he said, placing them back in the bag. Finally, he triumphantly produced a crumpled beef sandwich, which he offered to an amazed Jody.

Despite the hunger pangs she was experiencing, Jody’s first inclination was to refuse it, but she did not want to offend the Bag Man again. So she accepted the battered sandwich and, after thanking him profusely, she was obliged to eat it. To her surprise it tasted rather nice.

He delved in his bag again to produce a large bottle of lemonade and a glass, which he gave her to drink from.

“Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about your nose, though it does not look too bad,” the Bag Man comforted. “What I may be able to do is tell you if I’ve seen your brother. Why don’t you draw me a picture of what he looks like? Hold on, I’ve got some paper and a pencil somewhere.”

He then ferreted in another carrier bag until he eventually came across a pad of pink paper and a pencil, which he offered to her.

Jody managed to draw a rough sketch of James as he looked when she last saw him and gave it to the Bag Man. No sooner had he glanced at it than the Bag Man shouted “Uga Oooo!”

“What does that mean?” inquired a startled Jody.

“It’s just my way of expressing my amazement,” the Bag Man explained. “I’ve actually seen a boy similar to this, although he looks a little older than your drawing. He was in the forest and I believe he was working for Augustine Toby.”

Jody’s cry of joy was suddenly stifled as the name Toby was mentioned. “You mean the fat, nasty wizard with a black beard and a long nose like mine?” she asked.

“No,” the Bag Man answered. “That is Hugo Toby. This is his brother Augustine Toby, known as Augustine The Awful because he is even worse than Hugo. He’s not just bad tempered like Hugo, he is also very cruel and extremely vicious.”

“Oh, poor James,” she cried. “How terrible for him to be working for such a horrid wizard.”

“If the boy I saw is your brother, you will find it very hard to talk to him because those who work for Augustine The Awful in the forest are guarded by huge, ferocious dogs.”

“But I must find him,” insisted Jody. “I can use a wish that Wiffle has granted me to take James home. Can you tell me how to get to Augustine The Awful’s home? Perhaps if I ask him nicely he will let me see James.”

The Bag Man shook his head. “I’m afraid you are very naive to think that,” he replied. “Augustine The Awful has probably tricked your brother and other children into working for him against their will so he’s hardly likely to let you talk to James. It wouldn’t be wise to go to Augustine The Awful’s castle, as you would be in great danger. If I were you I would keep as far away from Augustine The Awful as possible. I know to my cost how wicked he can be.”

“What do you mean?” Jody inquired.

“Not long after I became a fully fledged wizard I got involved in a heated row with Augustine The Awful. We had a battle of wills in which he used his greater experience and knowledge to beat me. He took away most of my magical powers and destroyed my home.

“The only possessions I now have are those in these bags. But he has done even worse things to others.

“He has turned pixies into frogs, reduced his rivals to the size of insects and surrounded his castle with a magical stream that causes whoever walks into it to have their memories wiped out.

“He even turned one goblin into a skunk and drowned him in perfume – just because he was smelly.”

“Then Augustine The Awful must be the ‘master’ who those two goblins in the tavern were talking about,” Jody said. “One of them mentioned how he had turned a guard into a skunk.”

“What were you doing in a tavern?” the Bag Man scolded. “You’re too young to go into places like that.”

“Don’t you start,” Jody rebuked him in what was meant as a joke.

“Now, you’re being rude again,” said The Bag Man. “That will have to go into the book.”

“What book?” she asked.

“The journal I keep in my mind in which I write all the good things in red and all the bad things in black. That is definitely a black mark against you.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you Bag Man...I mean Milo,” she apologised. “I only went into the tavern because I thought it was an ice cream and lemonade parlour. Then I was tricked into washing up loads and loads of dirty beer glasses.

“When I finally finished I came across a private room in which two goblins were talking about their master discovering a formula for everlasting life. They were planning to steal the ingredients.”

“Were they now?” mused the Bag Man. “So Augustine The Awful wants to live for ever. I can’t think of anything more revolting... it’s enough to....”

“I really must try to find James,” Jody interrupted. “I think I should go to the forest now and see if he is working there. Can you tell me the way?”

“Very well,” he replied. “In fact, I’ll do better than that – I’ll take you there.”

“Oh, if you could help me, I’d be so grateful,” Jody told him.

“We must be very careful that Augustine The Awful’s guard doesn’t spot us,” warned the Bag Man.

“We don’t have to worry about him,” replied Jody. “He’s still drinking in the tavern with his colleague.”

“But we do have to worry about the guard dogs,” the Bag Man reminded her. “We have to think of a way to stop them attacking us.”

Chapter Nine

HUFFY HAGGARD was pleased to note that the tavern bars were dark and not over-crowded. There were now three other goblins in the private bar, but she made her way over to the corner table at which Enoch was seated with Bodger and introduced herself.

“What made you so sure it was us?” asked Enoch.

“I had no trouble spotting you two characters,” she said, fixing both of them with a piercing stare. “You are the shiftiest looking customers in the place.”

“There’s no need to be rude,” said Enoch. “We are in a position to do you a big favour.”

“So you tell me,” said the witch, sitting on a chair opposite them. “Would you gentlemen like another drink?”

“Yes please,” said Bodger. “I’ll order them if you like.”

“No need,” replied Huffy, firmly. She clapped her hands and immediately the two nearly empty beer glasses on the table were refilled. She repeated the movement together with a few mumbled words and a glass of witches’ brew appeared for herself. “So much better than paying,” she said, chuckling. “And I find it so embarrassing asking for witches’ brew.

“In fact, I rarely dress as a witch when I come into places like this – people are so prejudiced towards us witches. But an incident outside caused me to reveal myself.

“Now what more can you tell me about this formula Augustine The Awful has discovered that can give everlasting life?”

Enoch leaned forward so that he was nearer to the witch and could keep his voice low. But at that moment he was overcome by one of his sneezing fits and, despite hurriedly putting his hand over his swollen nose, he very nearly blew the witch’s hat off her head.

“Sorry,” he apologised. “I’m very sorry.”

“You will be,” the old hag warned. “I could arrange for you to have a big red nose and big ears to go with it. Oh, silly me, you’ve already got them, haven’t you?

“Just make sure you cut out that sneezing. I know all about you goblins – how your smile curdles the blood and your laugh sours the milk and causes fruit to fall from the trees. So I’m on my guard.”

Undaunted, Enoch continued: “As I explained to you before, I know where the main two ingredients are for the formula for everlasting life.

“But my master Augustine The Awful has the other ingredient hidden in a secret place. It’s just a question of following him to find out where that place is.”

“Where are the main two ingredients kept?” the old woman asked, eager for knowledge.

“In barrels in the storeroom of the castle,” Bodger revealed, without putting his brain into gear. He was about to say more, but he shut up quickly when he saw that Enoch was glaring at him.

“You said you thought you might know what some of the ingredients are,” Enoch muttered to the witch.

“If you have brought them I can mix them with those in the castle storeroom and see if they work. That is providing you agree to pay me and Bodger one thousand golden nuggets.”

“The money is no problem,” the witch replied, dismissively.

“I did bring three different potions with me so that you could try mixing each of them with those in the castle, but some silly girl jumped on top of me and broke the glass tubes I was carrying them in. That means I will have to make some more. That stupid girl! All she could think about was losing her whistle and finding her long lost brother.”

“Her brother?” asked Enoch. “Did she say how old he was or what he was called?”

“I wasn’t really listening,” answered Huffy. “I think she said his name was James and her name was Jody. Why do you ask?”

“Augustine The Awful has three boys working for him in the forest and one of them is called James,” answered Bodger, before Enoch could speak. “I’m supposed to be guarding them. I must get back to the forest at once.”

“I’ll come with you,” said Enoch. “And I’ll also call Augustine The Awful on the voice box he gave me to alert him about the girl.”

Turning to the witch, he added: “We’d better meet again when you’ve mixed some more potions or if, in the meantime, I can discover the rest of the formula.”

Huffy nodded and promised: “If you find all the ingredients for the secret potion I’ll increase your fee to two thousand golden nuggets.”

Chapter Ten

THE Bag Man gathered up his carrier bags and led Jody over a bridge towards the forest. On the way he explained to her how dreadful it was to lose his powers in a battle of wills against Augustine The Awful.

“Can’t you get them back?” she asked.

“Only if I can discover a way to lift the spell Augustine The Awful placed on me – and that’s most unlikely,” the Bag Man explained. “Fortunately, I’ve got a lot of useful things stored in my bags. And I still have a couple of basic powers left. If I click my fingers I can produce food and drink, and I can also.....”

He was interrupted by a loud crack of thunder and a fierce flash of lightning.

“Uga, Oooo,” yelled the Bag Man. “We’d better hurry to get under the shelter of the trees in the forest.”

They quickly reached the forest, which was a mass of pink – rather than green – leaves.

No sooner had they got there than they were greeted by another clap of thunder and large drops of red rain fell down on them.