Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism (25 page)

Wandering out of the sanatorium room, Molly caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. The very mirror she had looked into and seen herself as a punk.

She thought how different she looked now. Her hair was shinier, her face wasn’t blotchy, her complexion was healthy. And as for her potato nose and her closely set green eyes, instead of seeing these features as ugly, Molly now liked them, because they were hers.

She had definitely changed since that November night when she’d stood on the hill hating her life and herself.

Molly reflected upon how everyone at Hardwick House had changed since that time. And the changes had all happened because of
Hypnotism.

Hazel, Roger, Gordon, Cynthia, and Craig had been humbled. Without the structure of school and rules, and by not having anything to fight against anymore, they’d fought one another and broken their alliances. With their gang smashed, they’d all had to stand alone. And then they’d had to face themselves, and they didn’t like what they’d found. Hazel had broken down so completely that she’d told the truth about herself. Molly knew she couldn’t ever bully
again. And she trusted that Hazel had meant it when she’d said she wanted to be a better person. Molly wasn’t so sure that Gordon, Cynthia, and Craig would change their ways. She couldn’t imagine Gordon helping an old lady across the road, or Cynthia or Craig being kind. It would be hard work living with them. As for Roger, Molly was worried that the strain of the last few weeks had tipped him over the edge into a sort of madness. She hoped he would recover.

Then there was Nockman. He was definitely improving, becoming more considerate by the hour. Although he was still a bit of an experiment, Molly hoped he would be changed forever, as Petula had been. She was running about now, as fit as a puppy.

And Miss Adderstone and Edna? Molly didn’t know what they were up to or where they were. She knew that the instructions she had given them would wear off soon but hoped that both would have discovered that they actually did love planes and flying and Italian cooking. And if these hobbies were new passions, they wouldn’t come back to Hardwick House. Neither of them were children-loving types anyway. Molly had done them a huge favor by guiding them away from kids.

Then Molly went downstairs, to hide the hypnotism book where it had always been safe before. Under a mattress.

M
rs. Trinklebury was delighted when she got Molly’s telephone call. She arrived at Hardwick House, jolly and rosy cheeked, like a roly-poly pudding, wrapped in a woolly coat. She held shopping bags that were packed with delicious things to cook for supper, and her old knitting bag, which was stuffed full with homemade cupcakes. Once inside the house, she handed these out.

“Oooh, my w-word,” she said, looking about her. “This place has gone to seed, hasn’t it? D-deary me. It smells like an uncleaned kennel.”

After Molly and Rocky had explained the situation to Mrs. Trinklebury, it didn’t take much pleading to persuade her to come and live with them.

“You’ve got to, Mrs. Trinklebury. We need you to
help look after us,” explained Molly.

“Otherwise they’ll send some other Miss Adderstone,” warned Rocky.

“Please come, Mrs. Trinklebury, ‘cause we really need a mum,” said Ruby.

“Someone to make us cupcakes,” declared Jinx.

Mrs. Trinklebury sighed and folded her arms. “You know it’s been lonely at home since my A-Albert died. And I’ve been even lonelier since Miss Adderstone sacked me. I’d love to c-c-come.”

Molly and Rocky gave her a hug. “You’re a star, Mrs. T.”

They then took Mrs. Trinklebury downstairs to meet Nockman.

Nockman had an apron on, and his arms were elbow high in Bubblealot bubbles. He’d already disposed of the smelly garbage and cleared the kitchen cupboards. The kitchen now smelled of lemony cleanser.

“Mr. Nockman, this is Mrs. Trinklebury. She’s coming to live here, and she’s going to be in charge.”

“And you will get on with her,” Rocky whispered quietly.

“Ah, hello,” said Nockman, taking off his rubber gloves and shaking hands politely.

“Nice to meet you,” said Mrs. Trinklebury. “You’re
doing a l-l-lovely job of clearing up.”

“Thank you,” said Nockman, smiling, pleased that his hard work was appreciated.

“W-well,” said Mrs. Trinklebury, embarrassed and not knowing what to say next, “as I s-said, Molly, I’d l-l-love to come back. I’ll be bringing P-Poppet, if that’s all right.” Then she explained to Nockman, “She’s my pet budgie and she sings beautifully. I’m sure you’ll like her.”

“You have a parakeet?” said Nockman, gazing at Mrs. Trinklebury as if she were a goddess.

“Oh, y-yes,” said Mrs. Trinklebury, turning pink at Mr. Nockman’s attention. She pulled on a spare pair of rubber gloves. “If we’re going to slap this place into shape, Molly,” she said, “I’d better get started.”

By suppertime, wonderful smells of a roast beef dinner with potatoes and peas, corn, and gravy were wafting through the orphanage. The building was warm, as Mrs. Trinklebury had arranged for oil to be delivered, and the boiler was now running full tilt.

Molly and Rocky gave all the children the bubble bath and shampoo and brand-new soft towels they had bought at the airport.

By eight o’clock everyone was washed, dry, and wearing something new, chosen from Molly’s suitcases.
Even Gordon, Roger, and Craig found T-shirts they liked.

The dining-room tables were set, sparkling with glasses and lit with candles. And the fire blazed.

Supper was the best Molly had ever had. Not the best food, although it was good, but best because it was fantastic to see everyone again, even Hazel and her old gang. And how different they were now. They were shadows of their former selves and very quiet as they ate and drank. The smaller children, on the other hand, got chattier and noisier as the evening went by, making Mrs. Trinklebury, and even Nockman, laugh.

Molly and Rocky gave everyone the presents that they’d bought at the airport. Cameras and Walkmans for Hazel and Cynthia, radio-controlled cars and planes for Gordon, Roger, and Craig, and teddy bears and walkie-talkies for Gemma, Gerry, Ruby, and Jinx. Mrs. Trinklebury loved the perfume and the necklace they’d bought her, and Mr. Nockman liked his new suit.

When the candles on the table were melted to the size of mushrooms, Mrs. Trinklebury suddenly tapped the side of her glass with a fork. Everyone grew silent as shy Mrs. Trinklebury stood up, coughed, and bravely proceeded.

“Now as y-you all know, I’m a s-stutterer,” she began, smiling.

“But you’re very nice,” said Gemma.

“Well, thank you, Gemma, and so are you. And stutter as I m-may, I’m going to t-talk to you all now about something th-that I haven’t told anyone for years, but which I know I m-must tell you all.
This
is the right time to tell you. It’s the right time, because at last this building, our h-home, H-H-Hardwick H-house, has got hap-happiness inside it.

“M-Molly and Rocky, as you know, have asked me to c-come and live here and h-help take care of all of you. Which I h-hope is all right with you.”

The children cheered.

“Before now, there was a lot of sadness in th-this building, and some of you probably felt that no one understood h-how it felt to be alone in the world.

“I used to feel the s-sadness here when I came in to clean, and it almost broke my h-heart. Because, well, deep down, I know what it feels to be alone too. Because—and this is what I wanted to tell you—I am an orphan too.

“You may think I am a bit old to be an orphan, but you s-see, my dad died when I was two, and then my mother got married again. Trouble was, her new husband had three children and then he had another two
with my m-mum, and, well, there were just too many children and my poor mum couldn’t cope. One of us had to
g-g-go.
And the one who went was me.

“Now, that never seemed fair to me. And for a long time I hated those other children for pushing me out. B-because they did, you know. They held on and kicked, and I was the one who g-g-got pushed out. I was more timid than them, you see.

“Then, one day, I heard a song that seemed to be written for me. Some of you know it.” Mrs. Trinklebury smiled at Molly and Rocky. “But for you others, I’ll sing it now. It goes like this.” Mrs. Trinklebury’s quaky voice filled the dining room.

Molly looked around, wondering if Hazel and the bigger children would be making faces after hearing the lullaby. But they weren’t. They were sitting still, listening intently. Except for Gordon, who was still eating.

“That song taught me a lot,” said Mrs. Trinklebury. “It made me realize that I mustn’t hate those children
who pushed me out of the nest, because they hadn’t been taught any better. So I forgave them. And from that moment onward, life was better, because I didn’t h-hate them anymore.

“Now, we all have stories of how we got here, and prob-probably some of you feel angry with whoever it is who’s left you here. But you must try and remember that they were like that because that’s how they were taught to be. You m-must try to forgive them.

“Baby cuckoos can’t unlearn their bad habits. But we should try to, and because what you learn as a ch-child you will pass on to people around you, from now on this house is going to be a house of happiness.

“From this evening on every single one of us is going to consider other people’s feelings.” She turned to the small children. “We don’t need n-nastiness, do we? What’s nastiness? A nasty b-bug. And we don’t want to spread it about, do we?”

“No,” said Gerry, “we don’t.”

“So,” concluded Mrs. Trinklebury, “if it’s all right with all of you, I want to change the name of this b-building, so that from now on it’s a place of joy. From now on, I propose this building should be known as Happiness House.”

Everyone stared at her. Then Molly started clapping and everyone joined in.

“Are you agreed then?” she asked. “If you are, r-raise your glasses.”

Everyone raised his or her glass. Mr. Nockman raised his the highest. Cynthia flicked a piece of bread at Craig.

“To Happiness House,” Mrs. Trinklebury toasted.

“To Happiness House,” everyone agreed.

And in the distance they all heard the sound of the cuckoo clock chiming ten.

“Now,” finished Mrs. Trinklebury, “I think it’s time for bed….”

“But first of all,” Nockman interrupted her, “I would like to do a few little tricks.”

Molly gulped. She had a feeling that Nockman was about to misbehave. But over the next half hour Molly saw a side of him that surprised her. Nockman was in his element as he did card tricks, finding cards behind people’s ears and under their chairs. Nockman also showed off his amazing sleight of hand. He took a purse from Mrs. Trinklebury’s cardigan pocket without her noticing, and a packet of candy from under Hazel’s arm. Everyone clapped. Little did they know that actually Nockman had stolen a camera from Hazel, a lollipop from Ruby, and five pounds from Gordon’s top pocket, and had stuffed them into the front of his shirt. There they lay, below
his diamond-eyed scorpion, which nestled comfortably among the hairs on his chest.

By eleven everyone had gone to bed. Only Molly and Rocky still sat in chairs by the crackling fire, wide-awake. Petula lay happily at their feet, sucking a stone.

“What a day,” sighed Rocky.

“It was great today,” Molly said, “and, actually, it’s lovely here when it’s warm.”

“Mmmn, so different from when Adderstone was in charge.”

“Trouble is,” said Molly, frowning, “that oil for the boiler was
so
expensive. Two hundred and fifty pounds! Mrs. Trinklebury gave me the bill.” Molly reached into her fleece’s zipper pocket and pulled out her envelope of money. “If we keep buying oil and if we start spending money on other things, like redecorating the bedrooms and buying new furniture, soon we may not be able to
afford
heating or Mrs. Trinklebury or good food. And we did promise we weren’t going to use our hypnosis anymore. Maybe we were idiots to say we’d go straight, because Rocky, I don’t really see how we’re going to manage.”

Petula looked up, sucking her stone, sensing that Molly was worried.

“Well,” said Rocky, “we’ll just have to try and make ends meet. Things aren’t always going to be perfect, Molly, but they’ll be much better than before, and any problems that we have, we’ll work them out.”

“Mmmnn,” nodded Molly.

Petula cocked her head to one side and wondered how she could cheer Molly up. She hated it when Molly was worried. She thought of her usual trick, which normally worked. Molly liked it when Petula gave her one of her sucking stones.

So Petula affectionately patted Molly’s leg with her front paw, dropped her stone at Molly’s feet, and barked a friendly bark.

This time, however, to Petula’s surprise, Molly reacted quite differently to Petula’s present.

“Oh my giddy aunt! I can’t
believe
it!” Molly said, gawping down at the floor. And Rocky exclaimed,
“Jeepers
, Petula! Where did you get
that?”

Petula smiled a doggy smile. She had to agree, that particular stone was a nice one; the hardest stone she’d ever sucked. She’d found it in Molly’s jacket pocket when she was trying to get comfortable yesterday morning.

Molly picked up the massive diamond and turned to Rocky with her mouth open. “It’s the diamond that gangster was holding in the bank vault. I remember I
put it in my pocket, but I forgot to put it with the other bank stuff. So it never got packed into a gnome….”

Rocky looked perplexed. “But the TV report said that every last jewel had been returned to the bank.”

“Maybe this diamond wasn’t on any list yet. I remember that gangster guy saying that he’d stolen it
that
day, from another crook.”

“Raooof! Raooof!”
barked Petula, as if to say, “Take it. It’s yours!”

Molly scrunched her velvety ears. “What shall we do with it, Rocky?”

“I don’t know,” said Rocky, stroking the hefty diamond. “It would be very difficult, maybe impossible, to find out who it
originally
belonged to.” Then a naughty grin spread across his face. “You’d better put it in a safe place, Molly.”