Princess Mirror-Belle and the Magic Shoes

by Julia Donaldson

  “Oh, hello, Ellen. Why didn’t you come with me? I’ve been visiting your local library. It hasn’t got nearly so many books as the palace library, but that’s quite good in a way, because it meant there was lots of room for dancing about. I must say, though, some of the servants in there are awfully rude.”

  So that’s where Mirror-Belle had been! Now Ellen would dread going to the library, knowing that the librarians would think she was the naughty dancing girl they had told off.

  Meanwhile, the rest of the audience were so carried away with the song and dance that they didn’t spot that Mirror-Belle had stopped doing the actions along with them. They took no more notice of her – apart from Seraphina, that is, who was making another grab at the T-shirt.

  Mirror-Belle was too quick for her. “Excuse me,” she said, “my shoes are taking off again!” and the next moment she was dancing her way back through the crowds.

  Seraphina followed her, and Ellen followed Seraphina. The rest of the audience just went on dancing in time to the music – almost as if they were all wearing magic shoes themselves.

  “Where’s she gone?” asked Seraphina.

  They were out of the hall now and Mirror-Belle was nowhere to be seen.

  “Let’s look outside,” suggested Ellen.

  In fact, she was pretty sure that Mirror-Belle would be on her way to the nearest mirror, the one in the changing room upstairs, but she wanted to give her a little time to escape from Seraphina. She felt a bit guilty about this – after all, Mirror-Belle had taken Seraphina’s clothes – but she couldn’t help being on Mirror-Belle’s side.

  They peered out of the front door and up and down the street.

  “No,” said Seraphina. “Anyway, she wouldn’t go outside – she was wearing ballet shoes.”

  You don’t know Mirror-Belle, thought Ellen, but said nothing.

  “Let’s look upstairs,” said Seraphina, and she led the way.

  “Look! There are my clothes on the floor!” she cried, as they entered the changing room. She picked them up. “They’re drenched in sweat!” she said in disgust. “You’d think she’d been dancing ever since she put them on. Here, you hold them, Ellen – I’m going to find her.”

  Seraphina strode into the studio, but emerged a few moments later, looking puzzled. “That’s funny,” she said. “She’s not in there, and there’s no other way out.” Then, “Why are you smiling?” she asked Ellen, who was glancing at the mirror.

  Ellen didn’t want to tell Seraphina that she knew where Mirror-Belle had gone. She would have to explain her smile some other way.

  “I’m smiling,” she said, “because I’m sure Breakneck are going to win the Battle of the Bands.”

  Then she turned back to the mirror and quietly, so that Seraphina wouldn’t hear, she whispered, “Thanks, Mirror-Belle.”

  Chapter Two

  The Golden Goose

  “Ooh, look, here comes Dad! Now he’s off again – that was quick!” Ellen’s granny sounded very excited. She was peering out of the window of the spare bedroom through a pair of binoculars. “He’ll be back again in no time, you wait and see . . . Yes, here he is! Good old Dad!”

  Granny wasn’t talking about Ellen’s father, who was away in Paris with her mother, but about a blue tit that was flying in and out of a nesting box in the garden, feeding his young family.

  “Here, you have a look, Ellen!”

  Granny passed over the binoculars and Ellen trained them on the nesting box, which was hanging from a tree. Sure enough, she saw the little bird fly in through the hole in the box and then out again.

  “Keep watching! I’ll go and make the tea,” said Granny.

  Ellen watched the blue tit come and go a few times, then lost interest and started experimenting with the binoculars. She found that if she looked through them the other way round, the tree with the nesting box appeared very small and far away. Everything did. She turned slowly round the bedroom, looking through the binoculars at the tiny bed, chest of drawers and wardrobe. It looked like a bedroom in a doll’s house.

  “And I’m the doll,” she said, peering at her own shrunken reflection in the wardrobe mirror.

  “Don’t you mean the elephant?” came an answering voice, and out of the mirror jumped a tiny girl with a tiny pair of binoculars of her own. Although she was so small, Ellen recognized her immediately. It was Princess Mirror-Belle.

  “Mirror-Belle! You’ve shrunk!” Removing the binoculars from her eyes, Ellen squatted down to talk to Princess Mirror-Belle, who had climbed on to her shoe.

  “Don’t be silly – it’s you who’ve grown,” replied Mirror-Belle, adding, “I must say, I’m surprised to find you here at all. What are you doing at the top of a beanstalk?”

  “I’m not at the top of a beanstalk,” said Ellen. She was about to tell Mirror-Belle that she was at her grandparents’ house, staying there for the Easter weekend, when a gruff voice called out, “Ellen! It’s teatime!”

  “It’s the giant!” cried Mirror-Belle, clutching Ellen’s ankle in alarm.

  “No, it’s not – it’s Grandpa,” said Ellen.

  Mirror-Belle took no notice. “You’ll have to hide me, Ellen!” she said.

  “Oh, all right,” said Ellen. “How about in here?” She picked Mirror-Belle up carefully and popped her into the drawer of the bedside table.

  “It’s much too hard,” complained Mirror-Belle. “Not at all suitable for a princess. Can’t you line it with velvet, or moss, or something?”

  Ellen looked around. There was a box of tissues on the table. She pulled out a few. “Will these do?” she asked as she set them down in the drawer. Mirror-Belle looked doubtful, but when Grandpa’s voice came again – “Ellen! Hurry up!” – she lay down on the tissues.

  “Don’t forget my tea, will you?” she said, as Ellen went out of the room. “Beanstalk-climbing is hungry work.”

  There were home-made scones for tea. Ellen wanted to sneak one into her pocket for Mirror-Belle, but it was difficult to find the right moment. Granny and Grandpa never seemed to take their attention off her: they kept talking to her about their two favourite subjects – the garden and the birds who visited it.

  “Over four hundred daffodils we had this year,” said Granny. And, “Wait till you see my new bird bath, Ellen,” boasted Grandpa.

  It was only when Granny called out, “Look! There they are, the rascals!” that both their heads turned to the window to look at a pair of magpies, and Ellen whisked the scone off her plate and into her pocket.

  It was a while before she could give it to Mirror-Belle, since Grandpa insisted on taking her on a tour of the garden first, pointing out with pride the bird bath and the gnomes, which he had carved himself. When Ellen eventually managed to escape to her bedroom, she found Princess Mirror-Belle in a grumpy mood.

  “Not very appetizing,” she said, giving the scone a disapproving look.

  “It’s delicious,” said Ellen, and broke it into crumbs.

  Mirror-Belle seized a handful of crumbs and stuffed them into her mouth. “The palace pastry-cook would get the sack if he produced anything as plain as this,” she grumbled, but she ate all the crumbs swiftly and they seemed to improve her mood. “Now,” she said, “it’s time to look for the golden goose.”

  “What golden goose?” asked Ellen.

  “The one that lays the golden eggs, of course. A giant stole it from the palace and I’ve come to get it back. I wonder where he’s hidden it.” Mirror-Belle picked up her tiny binoculars and put them to her eyes the wrong way round.

  “You need to look through the other end for spotting birds,” said Ellen.

  Mirror-Belle looked put out for a second, but then retorted, “I certainly do not. Everything here is terrifyingly huge already. If I made it look any bigger I’d probably die of fright. This is giant land, remember.”

  Ellen laughed. “Do you think I’m a giant then?” she asked.

  “That’s been puzzling me,” said Mirror-Be
lle. “No. I think that the giants must have been fattening you up to eat you. But don’t worry, I know how to make a special shrinking potion. Could you get hold of some petrol and shoe polish, and a few spoonfuls of marmalade?”

  “No,” said Ellen. “It would just get me into trouble, like that time in the bathroom.”

  She was remembering the very first time they had met. Mirror-Belle had appeared out of the bathroom mirror and persuaded Ellen to mix up all sorts of things in the bath.

  Mirror-Belle looked slightly disappointed but then said, “While we’re on the subject of baths, it’s about time that I had mine.” She yawned, and added, “And then bed, I think. We can always hunt for the golden goose tomorrow.”

  So Mirror-Belle was planning to stay the night! Ellen wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Still, a bath couldn’t do any harm. Ellen pointed to the washbasin in the corner of the bedroom. “Will you have your bath in there?” she asked.

  “Good heavens, no!” said Mirror-Belle. “It’s the size of the palace swimming pool. Surely you could find me something more suitable.” She looked around and then pointed out of the window. “That coconut shell would be just the job. I can’t think why it’s hanging from a tree.”

  “I can’t get you that,” said Ellen. “It’s got fat and raisins and things in it, for the birds.”

  A suspicious look crossed Mirror-Belle’s face at the mention of birds. “For the golden goose, perhaps?” she said.

  Ellen decided to change the subject back to Mirror-Belle’s bath. “I’ve got a different idea,” she said, and left the room.

  She tiptoed past the sitting room, where Granny and Grandpa were watching television, and into the kitchen. In a cupboard she found a pretty china sugar bowl with a pattern of bluebells on it. It wasn’t the one Granny used every day, and Ellen hoped she wouldn’t miss it.

  Mirror-Belle was delighted with her flowery china bath. “It’s almost as good as the one in the palace, which has roses and lilies on it,” she said. She splashed around happily, and allowed herself to be dried with Ellen’s face flannel. Then, “What about my nightdress?” she asked.

  “I suppose you’ll just have to get back into your clothes,” said Ellen, but Mirror-Belle would hear of no such thing. “Can’t you make one for me out of rose petals?” she said.

  “No,” said Ellen. “It’s not the time of year for roses, and I’m no good at sewing. Granny is, though,” she added, suddenly remembering the clothes-peg dolls she used to play with when she was little, and the dresses Granny made for them.

  The dolls used to be kept in an old wooden toy box under the spare-room bed. Ellen knelt down and looked. Yes! The box was still there; she recognized its brass handles. She pulled it out and rummaged inside, while Mirror-Belle shivered and said, “Do hurry up! I’m freezing!”

  At the bottom of the box Ellen found the five clothes-peg dolls. She took them out and lifted Mirror-Belle down to the floor to show them to her. Four of the dolls had quite plain cotton dresses, but the fifth had a shiny purple one; Ellen remembered Granny making it from a silk tie that Grandpa didn’t like.

  Mirror-Belle’s eyes lit up and she practically ripped the purple dress off the doll, then pulled it over her own head.

  “Now, all that remains to be found is the royal bed,” she said. “And I think I’ve spotted it.” She ran under the big bed and climbed into one of Ellen’s slippers. “I don’t expect the giants will look for me here,” she said.

  “Would you like one of my socks as a sleeping bag?” asked Ellen, who was beginning to enjoy herself. It was a bit like having the very latest walkie-talkie doll to play with, even though Mirror-Belle was rather a bossy doll. Ellen actually felt disappointed when Granny called her away for a game of cards.

  “Don’t forget my cocoa!” Mirror-Belle called out after her, but when Ellen came back to the bedroom she was fast asleep.

  The following morning Mirror-Belle announced that she was going to search high and low for the golden goose. “It’s a good thing I’ve got you to help me, Ellen,” she said. “You can look in all the high-up places.”

  But Ellen had other plans for the day: Granny and Grandpa had promised to take her out to the local safari park.

  Mirror-Belle looked sulky when she heard this, but then her face brightened. “I suppose it’s quite cunning of you to get the giants out of the way, so that I can carry out my search in peace,” she said.

  Ellen began to worry. “You’re not to mess up the house,” she warned Mirror-Belle. “And what will you eat and drink all day?”

  “You’ll have to see to that,” said Mirror-Belle. “Whoever heard of a princess getting her own meals?”

  Ellen managed to scrounge a few bits of food before she set out with Granny and Grandpa: some Choc-o-Hoops from her own breakfast, a scraping of cheese from the sandwiches Granny was making for their picnic and a couple of grapes from the fruit bowl. She delivered them to Mirror-Belle on a tray that was really the lid of a jam jar, and filled the cap of her shampoo bottle with water.

  “I’d prefer cowslip cordial,” said Mirror-Belle.

  “Tough,” said Ellen, surprising herself by answering back for once. Maybe it was easier than usual because Mirror-Belle was so much smaller than her. Feeling a bit guilty, she said, “I’ll try and save you some goodies from the picnic.”

  Ellen enjoyed the safari park, but she couldn’t help worrying what Mirror-Belle might be getting up to. She wished now that she had been hard-hearted enough to close her bedroom door before setting out.

  “I’ll put the kettle on,” said Granny when they got back.

  Ellen ran up to her bedroom, feeling relieved that the hall and stairs at least looked the same as when they had left.

  “Mirror-Belle!” Ellen called out softly, going into the room and closing the door behind her.

  “Nineteen, twenty, twenty-one,” came Mirror-Belle’s voice.

  “I’ve got you some crisps and some Smarties,” said Ellen.

  “Be quiet a minute, I’m trying to count.” The voice was coming from under the bed. “Twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four. The greedy things! This is probably some poor human’s life savings.”

  Ellen lay on her tummy and saw not just Mirror-Belle but a heap of chocolate coins – the kind that are covered in gold paper. An empty little gold net and a pair of gold nail scissors lay beside them.

  “Where did you find those?” she asked.

  “Wait till you see what else I’ve found,” said Mirror-Belle, and she ran behind the toy box.

  “Not the golden goose, I bet,” said Ellen.

  “No, but look at this golden hen!” said Mirror-Belle, coming back into view with a little round fluffy Easter chick in her arms. “Unfortunately it seems to be dead,” she said as she set it down beside the coins.

  “It’s not dead, it’s just a toy,” said Ellen. “I expect Granny and Grandpa were planning to give it to me for Easter – and the coins too. I’ll have to put them back wherever you found them. It’s a shame you cut the bag open.”

  Mirror-Belle wasn’t listening. She had picked up the golden net and taken it back behind the toy box. A moment later she reappeared, dragging it after her. “Look at all this stolen treasure!” she said. Grunting with the effort, she emptied the net.

  Ellen gasped in horror as out fell two pairs of gold cufflinks, a watch and a diamond ring.

  “I’m sure I recognize this crown,” said Mirror-Belle, putting the ring on her head with the diamond at the front. “I seem to remember it went missing from the palace a few years ago. And this clock looks familiar too.”

  “It’s not a clock – it’s Granny’s best watch. And that’s her ring, and Grandpa’s cufflinks. Oh, Mirror-Belle, this is terrible! Where did you find them all?”

  “I’m not telling you. You’ll only go and put them back,” said Mirror-Belle.

  “Yes, of course I will. Straight away, before Granny and Grandpa miss them. Go on, Mirror-Belle – you must tell me
.”

  “Oh, very well,” said Mirror-Belle, who was obviously finding it difficult to resist boasting about her skill as an explorer. “The coins and the golden hen were easy enough to find – they were in a bag under the giants’ bed. But the treasure and the golden shears were another matter.”

  “What golden shears? Oh, you mean the scissors. Where were they?”

  “I was just about to tell you. It’s a good thing the beanstalk had given me so much climbing practice – though I must say, the white snake was even more difficult.”

  “What white snake? What are you talking about, Mirror-Belle? Do explain properly!”

  “It wasn’t actually a snake, I suppose – more of a long, slippery white rope, leading to the giants’ treasure chest.”

  “I think you must mean a light flex,” said Ellen. “Right, I’m off.”

  She scooped up everything that Mirror-Belle had collected.

  “Stop! Whose side are you on?” Mirror-Belle protested, but Ellen ignored her.

  Making sure to close the door behind her this time, she crept along the landing and into her grandparents’ bedroom. She could hear Granny calling her to tea, but she had to put the things back first.

  Sure enough, there was a carrier bag under the bed. Inside it were a couple of boxes which must contain Easter eggs. Ellen slipped the fluffy chick and the bag of coins in beside them.