One Wish (22 page)

Tanya and Turpin followed them. There were cauldrons of various sizes everywhere; some stacked in piles and others bubbling up sweet or noxious fumes. Books lined the walls, most of them large and grand and very old-looking, and there were strange objects dotted about; things that looked like instruments from the science laboratory at school. At the back, where the sisters had taken Don, shelves were crammed with jars of weird and sinister-looking ingredients. As they drew closer, Tanya saw one grisly jar marked FLIGHT that was half full of small, glittering wings of all colours and sizes. Some looked like they were from butterflies or bugs; others were similar to ones she had seen on fairies. At the bottom of the jar several smaller insects such as flies and ladybirds lay motionless and belly up.

Tanya moved on, skimming labels and contents, unable to take everything in. ‘Bad girls’ curls,’ she read. ‘Bog beans. Cornish brownie. Dragon’s drool . . . madman’s beard, poison ivy, skunk spray. Warts – assorted sizes.’ She paused, going back to the Cornish brownie. The red-faced creature in the jar was banging the sides of the glass with his fists. An extra label smeared with something dark had been hastily stuck on at the bottom: WARNING! BITES! As she stepped away from the shelves, she finally realised what else was strange about the room. It was perfectly round, with the ceiling sloping up into a domed shape like the inside of a witch’s hat.

‘That doesn’t make sense,’ she said, nudging Turpin who had clambered up on the shelves and was pulling faces at the brownie. ‘Look at this room. Not only is it huge, but it’s round. There’s no way all this would fit in that tiny, cramped house we saw from the outside.’

‘The outside is just an illusion,’ said Turpin. ‘Sometimes people who should not be here get into the inbetween by accident. Things are disguised to look normal. As normal as they can anyway.’ She leaped off the shelf and landed neatly on a nearby table, where Griselda had placed Don. Both sisters had pulled up stools and were gazing into his eyes.

‘. . . And so,’ Don was saying, ‘I really need to get back to my proper form. I’m no use to Henry like this and time is running out. And you two marvellous magic makers are my best chance of help.’

Griselda wiped a tear from her snout and sniffed. ‘It’s an outrage,’ she said at last. ‘Turning a beautiful creature into this!’

‘An outrage,’ Gretchen agreed.

Don looked up at them hopefully. ‘So, do you think you can undo it?’

Griselda scoffed. ‘Do we think we can undo it? Of course we can! It’s just a matter of figuring out the right way. We shall have to consult the books.’

‘I’ve got an idea,’ Gretchen announced. Without warning, she grabbed Don and planted a huge kiss on his wide mouth.

‘Gretchen!’ Griselda screeched, snatching Don out of her sister’s hands. ‘You filthy sneak! You shameless floozy! You know that old wives’ tale doesn’t work! It’s any excuse with you, isn’t it?’

Gretchen licked her lips, looking pleased with herself. ‘It was worth a try.’

‘I thought it had to be a princess who could turn a toad back with a kiss,’ said Tanya.

Griselda waved a hand dismissively, still glaring at her sister. ‘Another myth. And anyway that’s for frogs. But it does have to be true love, which is why
I
should try it!’ She seized poor Don and pressed her lips against his, hard.

‘You cheat!’ Gretchen yelped. She jumped up so suddenly that one of the mice fell out of her hair and ran off across the table. She ignored it, batting Griselda’s hands to force her to put Don down. ‘Your love is no truer than mine! You just wanted to kiss him!’

‘Well, so did you!’ Griselda snapped.

Needless to say, it hadn’t worked. Poor Don was still very much a toad, only now he was breathless and half smothered and looked plain terrified. Tanya shot him a sympathetic look and a worried one at Turpin. It was quite clear that when it came to Don – no matter what form he took – the sisters were completely crazed.

‘So, what could we try next?’ Tanya asked. ‘If the kiss didn’t work?’

‘Lots of things.’ Griselda scratched her head, showering the table with fleas. ‘We need to have a good think.’ She glanced at her sister slyly. ‘Gretchen, dear? Would you make some tea?’

‘Why do I always have to make the tea?’ Gretchen snapped. ‘I’m not your servant! That’s what Charles is for!’

Griselda cleared her throat pointedly, stopping Gretchen’s rant mid-flow.

‘I— Oh.’ Her voice softened. ‘Well, I suppose I could do it this once.’ She grinned at her sister, evidently catching on to whatever unspoken message was being relayed between them. ‘Don always preferred my tea anyway,’ she muttered. She shuffled away to a little fireplace, over which a black kettle was hanging. With a click of her fingers, flames burst into life in the grate. Tanya watched her carefully as she set about fetching cups and saucers and collecting various pots and jars from the nearby shelves. Whatever concoction Gretchen was brewing, it certainly wasn’t ordinary tea. She guessed that Don’s suspicions were correct and that this would be something magical designed to keep them here. She would just have to find a way to get rid of it without the sisters seeing.

She turned back to the table. Griselda was peering through her eyeglass at a book, muttering to herself as she turned the pages. Don sat on the table before her, looking sorry for himself.

‘It could just take something as simple as a Revelation spell,’ Griselda said eventually. She clicked her fingers at Turpin. ‘Fetch me the following ingredients: a baby’s first cry; deer’s eyes; dragon scales; a good boy’s tooth; a twist of rainbow; a wishbone from a stewed chicken.’

Turpin stared at her insolently. It was clear she did not like taking orders.

‘Well, what are you waiting for?’ Griselda snapped. ‘Do you want him turned back or not? Everything’s in alphabetical order on the shelves and there’s a ladder if you can’t reach; it’s not difficult!’

Turpin set off grumbling, as Griselda continued to read through the spell. ‘You, girl,’ she said to Tanya. ‘Bring me that wooden bowl. And that magnifying glass hanging up over there. The silver scales, too.’

Tanya duly set about doing as she was told.

‘Oh, Griselda,’ Gretchen called from over by the fireplace. ‘Could you come here a moment, dearest?’

‘Can’t you see I’m busy?’ Griselda growled, plucking the stopper from the first bottle that Turpin had collected. At first glance, the bottle appeared to hold nothing, but as she tilted it over the wooden bowl a shimmering silver substance trickled out and the room was suddenly alive with the sound of a baby crying.

‘I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important!’ Gretchen trilled.

Griselda slammed down her eyeglass and stalked over to her sister. Out of the corner of her eye Tanya noticed Gretchen glance at Don before she pulled her sister closer and began to whisper. There was something decidedly underhand about it all. Tanya moved closer, hoping to catch the gist of whatever it was they were saying, but before she was even past the table Griselda turned round with a sickly-sweet smile.

‘What are you looking for?’

‘The scales,’ Tanya said stupidly, pointing to a brass set over by the fire.

‘I said the silver ones, my dear. They’re over there, near the table.’

Tanya slunk away in defeat, with no choice but to let the sisters go back to their huddling. She collected the scales and stood by the table, pretending to polish them with her sleeve, while waiting for Turpin. Eventually, the fairy returned with two more jars of disgusting ingredients: one full of teeth and the other glistening with fat, round eyeballs. Don hopped closer, inspecting the jars in disgust, and covering his ears to drown out the sound of the baby crying, which was still going strong.

‘Turpin,’ Tanya whispered. ‘They’re up to something – something to do with Don. I just tried to listen in, but they were on to me. Can you get close enough to hear what they’re talking about?’

‘Tricksy pair,’ said Turpin, her eyes narrowing to slits. She nodded. ‘Well, Turpin can be just as tricksy.’ She watched the sisters out of the corner of her eye. ‘If you create a distraction, I can get close. Very close. Wait for my signal.’

Tanya nodded, moving away from the table to collect the magnifying glass. She spotted a silver tray nearby and picked that up, too, watching Turpin closely. The fairy browsed the shelves, scratching her chin convincingly, all the while creeping closer. When she had reached the end of the shelves of ingredients, she turned and gave Tanya a small nod.

Tanya dropped the tray. It landed on the floor with a loud clatter, making the two sisters jump and causing the baby’s cry to escalate into even louder wails.

‘Sorry,’ she called, bending down to pick it up. When she stood up again, Turpin had vanished.

‘Did she make it?’ Don whispered.

‘Yes,’ Tanya whispered back, catching sight of the fairy.

‘She’s right next to them, hiding behind a cauldron.’

‘What do you suppose they could be plotting?’ Don asked.

‘I don’t know, but I think you’re right about them wanting to keep us here a little longer. Whatever it is, Turpin is bound to hear them.’

It was not long before Turpin skulked back to the table, unseen by the sisters who were still deep in conversation. As she approached, Tanya detected a look of worry in her eyes.

‘What is it?’ she said in a low voice. ‘What are they whispering about?’

‘Don,’ Turpin replied. ‘Gretchen says they should make the spell go wrong on purpose, so he stays as a toad.’

Don looked furious. ‘She said what?’

‘Whatever for?’ Tanya asked.

‘Because now he is ugly, like them,’ Turpin said. ‘And she thinks, if he stays ugly, he is bound to love one of them back sooner or later.’

‘That’s absurd!’ Don spluttered. ‘And what does Griselda say?’

Turpin glanced over her shoulder. ‘She likes the idea, but doesn’t think Don will believe that they won’t be able to break the spell.’

‘Too right I wouldn’t believe it!’ said Don. ‘I can’t stay like this. I just can’t!’ he shuddered. ‘Besides, no matter how ugly I was, it wouldn’t make a difference. I could never love either of them. Just look what they’ve done to each other!’

‘Gruesome and grisly,’ said Turpin, nodding in disgust.

‘Exactly,’ said Don. ‘And I don’t even mean how they look. I mean the very fact that they did this to each other and would be willing to leave me like this. They’re completely nuts, the pair of them!’

‘Then I’ll have to make sure the spell goes right,’ said Tanya. ‘They can only cheat if they think we don’t know what they’re doing.’ She leaned across the table, skimming the spell’s ingredients and instructions in the open book. ‘In a silver bowl, blend a child’s first cry to a smooth paste with the eye of an innocent,’ she said under her breath. ‘Add seven dragon’s scales, crushed to a powder with a tooth from the mouth of a good boy who always tells the truth. Fold in gently with a twist of rainbow, then, using the wishbone from a stewed chicken, stir with a good gob of spit from the afflicted. Weigh the mixture into equal parts and discard half before generously applying to the skin. This spell is best performed by someone left-handed, but, if not, then any time between Monday and Thursday is the next best solution.’ She reread it several times and shook her head. ‘What a weird spell.’

Shortly after, the sisters finished their huddling. Gretchen resumed making the tea and Griselda returned to the table and set about measuring out the ingredients Turpin had collected. She pulled out an eyeball and plopped it into the silver bowl with the baby’s cry, then took to it with an implement like a potato masher. There was a soft popping sound and the baby’s cries eased to a soft snuffling, then a gurgle as Griselda puréed them both together. Tanya watched carefully. Griselda was definitely right-handed, but luckily it didn’t matter, for today was a Tuesday. She just hoped the normal days of the week still counted in an inbetween.

When the contents of the bowl were a paste, Griselda stopped and leaned over the book. ‘What’s next?’ she muttered.

‘Seven dragon’s scales,’ Tanya said, offering her the jar.

‘Oh.’ Griselda looked taken aback. ‘How, um, helpful.’

Tanya smiled. ‘I just find magic so interesting. You’re very clever to be able to work it.’

Griselda gave a little snort and looked away. ‘Yes, well,’ she muttered a little guiltily. ‘It’s just a matter of following the instructions. And, of course, it helps if you have magic in your blood.’

‘So I wouldn’t be able to do it myself then?’ Tanya said. Even though she had only been playing along, she couldn’t help feel a hint of disappointment. She had experienced plenty of magic at the hands of the fairies, but never had the chance to see it being made like this before.

‘Well, of course you would,’ Griselda said. ‘You have the second sight, don’t you? There’s magic in your blood all right.’

‘There is?’

‘Indeed.’ Griselda eyed her appraisingly. ‘Everyone with the fairy sight has magic in their blood. And coupled with an interest in it, well. That’s a perfect combination. You’d need a natural talent, too, of course, but I think, given some time, I could make a proper little witch of you.’

At this, Don’s eyes widened. Behind Griselda’s back, he made several warning motions.

‘Er, maybe when I’m a little bit older,’ said Tanya hurriedly. ‘I still have to finish school first. And my mother would miss me if I didn’t come back.’

‘Oh.’ Griselda looked disappointed. ‘Well, the offer’s there if you change your mind. I can deal with schools and mothers easily enough. Little bit of this and a little bit of that in the cauldron and POOF!’ She clapped her hands. ‘They all go away!’

Tanya forced a smile. ‘I’ll let you know if I change my mind.’

‘Good, good,’ said Griselda, patting her on the head.

Thankfully, Gretchen chose that moment to return to the table with a large tray. ‘Tea time!’ she trilled, setting cups out before each of them. A curl of steam rose from the spout of the black teapot. Tanya sniffed dubiously. Though it smelled fairly ordinary, the length of time it had taken to make warned her that this was definitely not the stuff you dunked your biscuits in. She waited until Gretchen had poured, then stirred in some milk.