The Third-Class Genie (17 page)

Alec laughed, though it was really not funny. So many things had happened since that day he had picked up the can at the corner of Boner’s Street. So many fantastic things had taken place. It was hard to believe it had all come and gone in the space of just over a fortnight. He looked at Granddad supping his beer. Granddad would never know what had upset his caravan that night.

And he, Alec, could never tell him, because it just wasn’t believable. Nor were the Arabian feasts in his bedroom, the slippers, the silver coins, the Great Itch, or the tremendous transformation of Boner’s Street and the Tank, which had only lasted seconds.

All the same, he mused, perhaps some good has come of it all, if Councillor Blaggett’s having second thoughts about clearing Miss Morris and the Wallaces and the other people out of Boner’s Street. And now Dad was on the warpath, as well. That was a transformation of sorts. Perhaps there was real magic in the can…

Then he remembered, there was Abu. Abu, not in the spirit but in the flesh, all six foot ten of him, or thereabouts. And to think, he’d once fitted right inside that little beer can. Still, didn’t Mr Jameson once say that there was enough energy in a cup of water to drive an ocean liner to New York and back? Or was it a drop of water? He couldn’t remember. But it was a fantastic idea, all that energy there, waiting to be released.

Granddad looked out of the window.

“There’s your dad off to the Club. Hey, and look, somebody else is off somewhere, too.”

Alec peeped out.

Kim, towing Arthur Blaggett behind her, was walking off round the side of the house.

“Where will they be off to?” said Granddad.

“The Odeon, late show, I should think.”

“Maybe. That’s a funny thing, now. That’s the last family in Bugletown I thought we’d ever have anything to do with. I remember Joe Blaggett’s father at school. I gave him a black eye once.”

“What was that for, Granddad?”

“Oh, I forget now. These days I can’t remember what I had for dinner.”

The old man looked after Kim and Arthur Blaggett as they disappeared up the road. He chuckled.

“This is my daughter’s wedding day
.

Ten thousand pounds I’ll give away
.

On second thoughts, I think it best
,

To put it back in the old oak chest.”

“Oh, you are daft, Granddad,” said Alec.

“I know, lad, but handsome with it. Hey, what’s this, Alec? This place is like High Street on Market Day tonight.”

“What do you mean, Granddad?”

“There’s a black boy and girl out there in the entry. What do they want?”

Alec jumped to his feet. Something was wrong. Eulalia and Ginger would never have come up here, just like that.

“See you, Granddad,” he called out hastily, as he tore open the caravan door and tumbled down the steps. Ginger and Eulalia stood by the corner of the back yard. Their faces were serious.

“What’s happened?” said Alec.

“It’s Abu. We can’t find him anywhere. He’s just gone.”

“G
ONE
?”
SAID
A
LEC.

Eulalia nodded.

“He was in our back room. Dad was working out what we could do about him, but I think Abu was a bit bothered about troubling us.”

“That’s right,” said Ginger. “When he knew the law could get really nasty over things like this.”

“Do you mean, he just walked out, like that?”

“Well, we were all watching something on the box in the front room tonight, Abu was in the back room. Mum gave him his tea earlier on and he decided to have a sleep.”

“That figures,” said Alec. “His favourite occupation.”

“When we went in to see him later on, he’d just disappeared. But where can he have got to? He’s got no money. He can’t go anywhere.”

“Oh, yes he can,” said Alec.

“Where?” they both spoke together.

“A pound to a penny, back to the Tank.”

“You could be right,” said Ginger. “Come on, then.”

They set off at a run, out of the yard, down the road and past the allotments. They reached the plank fence round the Tank in two minutes flat.

“They were quick to put the padlock on again,” said Eulalia.

“Yes,” said Alec, as he walked slowly along the fence. “And, this time, they’ve done a proper job. They’ve nailed up all the loose planks. We can’t get through.”

“Come on then, round to Boner’s Street,” said Ginger.

“Don’t waste your time,” called his sister. “They’ll have nailed up the other side as well.”

“Dad came down the back way from the railway viaduct the other day,” said Alec.

“That’s risky,” said Eulalia. “That means going over the wall by the Railway Club.”

“There’s only one thing for it, then,” said Ginger.

“What’s that?”

“Over the top.”

“But it must be twelve feet at least,” said Alec, “and there’s nothing to hold on to on this side.”

“There’s a ladder with some scaffolding at the top of the slope,” said a voice behind them.

All three jumped. Granddad stood there. “If you’re dead set on getting over there to find your friend, I’ll keep watch for you.”

Ginger looked suspiciously at Granddad.

“What friend?”

Granddad made a face.

“You can fool Councillor Blaggett, but you can’t fool me. Hetty Morris told me there was a big black man going through the fence into the Tank. Now I know she sees funny things at night, but she misses nothing that goes on in daylight.”

“You won’t tell, will you?” pleaded Eulalia.

Granddad sniffed.

“If I wanted to tell, I’d have split on you before now. Don’t be daft.”

Eulalia grinned at him.

“You’re smashing.”

He grinned back, showing the gaps in his teeth.

“You’re all right yourself.”

“Come on,” said Ginger. “Let’s get that ladder.”

It took no more than a couple of minutes to carry the ladder down to the fence and set it up. On the other side there were cross planks which made the job of climbing down easier.

The bridge, repaired during the siege of the crane house, was intact, and they crossed it quickly and headed for the main Tank building. Their footsteps sounded very loud in the still evening. It was getting late now and, though it was summer, the sun was moving down the sky and the buildings cast long, weird shadows.

“This is a spooky place,” said Eulalia. “I can’t see why Abu wanted to come back here.”

“Well, he’s a spirit himself,” said Ginger.

“No, he’s not,” said Alec indignantly, “He’s a genie, Third Class, one of the original slaves of the lamp.”

“Much good it’s done him,” retorted Ginger. He stopped as they reached the foot of the crane room stairs.

“Hey, think of that. A slave for nine hundred years. Doing what you’re told for nine centuries. Catch me doing that for nine hundred seconds,” said Ginger.

“You wait till our Ma hears what you said,” laughed Eulalia. “She’ll wave her hand, and you’ll say, ‘What is thy will, O master?’”

“Huh,” replied her brother and led the way up the stairs. They entered the crane room in a rush, calling for Abu. Their voices echoed round the old building, but the room was quite empty.

“He must be somewhere else in the Tank,” said Eulalia.

Alec shook his head.

“No, this is the only place with a proper roof on it. If he’s not in the crane room, he must be away somewhere.”

He looked unhappily round the room, now half lost in the dusk. The old table, upset during the struggle over the crane brake lever, had been set upright again. The paper bag, which held Abu’s sandwiches, still lay on the floor. But there was no sign of his old friend.

“Hey, what’s that over in the corner, there?” said Ginger.

“Where?”

“Over by the far wall.”

Alec and Eulalia looked, but could see nothing. Then a last ray from the setting sun, slanting through the broken windows, caught the corner and drew a quick glint of metal from it. Alec dived towards it.

“It’s my can. I thought I’d lost it.” He picked it up and wiped it on his jumper sleeve. It had become grimy again from lying in the corner. He must have put it down the other day, when they were messing about with the crane, and forgotten about it. He polished it lovingly.

“Hey, you really love that old bit of tin,” said Eulalia.

“Sentimental reasons,” replied Alec, “This was Abu’s home, remember? Now he’s got none.”

He put the can down and the three of them stood round it.

Eulalia put one arm on Alec’s shoulder and the other on Ginger’s.

Ginger said, “It doesn’t seem real any more. Did you really rub on that tin and he came out, just like that?”

“Oh, he didn’t come out in that way. He just spoke and that’s how I knew he was there. That is, until that day when I tried my super spell and because it was too much for him, he appeared.”

“How did you do it? Show us,” said Eulalia.

Alec cleared his throat. He rubbed his finger round the top of the can and said, “Salaam Aleikum, O Abu Salem.” His voice sounded funny and Eulalia looked at him with a smile.

“Well, he’s not there any more, in spirit or in flesh,” said Ginger.

Suddenly Alec had an idea.

“Say it with me.”

“Say what?” They stared at him.

“Say, with me, ‘Salaam’.”

They shrugged, “OK.”

Ginger put his arm on Alec’s shoulder. All three of them bent over the can and together they said solemnly and loudly:

“Salaam Aleikum, O Abu Salem.”

“Again,” said Alec.

“Salaam Aleikum, O Abu Salem.”

“And a last time, but louder,” he urged.

“Salaam Aleikum, O Abu Salem,” they called.

From the can on the table came a tinny sound, like a transistor with a sore throat.

“Salaam Aleikum, O Alec.”

“Listen, Abu,” said Alec. “Ginger’s here and Eulalia. We’ve been worried stiff about you. We thought you were lost somewhere.”

“Not lost, but found, O friends of mine.”

“How did it happen?”

“Today as I ate the fried chicken, given me by the good Mrs Wallace, I felt my old power begin to return, though at first only feebly. So, remembering what is written in the Book of Magic, I lay down to sleep. In my sleep the power came back to me and I returned to my resting place… until I was awoken.”

“No need to be sarky, Abu,” said Alec. “But now that you’re safe in there, what happens?”

“Nothing, O Alec. I must sleep for another hundred years, I think, to recover strength.”

“Oh, no,” they shouted, “not a hundred years.”

“A long, long time.”

“But can’t you come back and see us?” pleaded Alec.

“Maybe, some day,” came the reply, now growing fainter. “I fear that the laws of your land have no room for me. Perhaps, some day. Now, may Allah protect you, good friends. Ma’asalaama…” and the voice faded right away. The crane room was silent. At the same time the light began to fade and it grew colder.

Alec shivered. Eulalia said:

“That was sad, but no good staying here. Let’s go home.”

Ginger nodded. Alec picked up the can and put it into his pocket. They went down the stairs together and walked across to the canal and the plank bridge.

Climbing the fence in near darkness was tricky, but the ladder was still in position on the other side. They climbed over and carried it back to where the council men had left their scaffolding planks and poles. Then they walked up the slope to the top near Alec’s home, and stood together for a while.

It was all over now, thought Alec.

Abu had gone. That was a disaster. Despite all the trouble, he was going to miss Abu a lot. Then he looked at Eulalia and Ginger. He’d lost a genie, but found two new friends. That was a triumph. You could call it a draw, disasters one, triumphs one. Without being aware of it, he thought aloud.