Jinxed!: The Curious Curse of Cora Bell

by Rebecca McRitchie

  Mr Drake’s eyes glanced away from what was written on the piece of paper. Then he scrunched it up and threw it over his shoulder, where it caught alight in the burning fireplace.

  ‘You can tell Miss Daphne that the council won’t abide by this and neither will I!’ Mr Drake said angrily. ‘She is to come home. At once!’

  Then he threw the message box at Tick and Tock. The fairies shielded their faces with their hands as the box flew at them with surprising speed.

  ‘Hey!’ said Cora instinctively. The moment the word left her mouth, she knew it was a mistake, for the man’s dark eyes found hers.

  Crud.

  Tock had told her to be quiet. Why couldn’t she just be quiet?

  The man’s eyes shifted and settled on where her eye once was. She stood a little straighter under his gaze.

  ‘And who is this?’ Mr Drake asked Tick and Tock, his eyes still on her.

  ‘Nobody,’ said Tock a little too quickly.

  ‘Nobody?’ Mr Drake echoed doubtfully.

  ‘Just a simple street urchin,’ said Tick.

  A street urchin? Cora couldn’t help but feel offended.

  ‘Why is a street urchin travelling with fairies?’ Mr Drake asked. ‘That seems . . . peculiar.’

  ‘She’s helping us with our deliveries,’ said Tock.

  ‘Does she speak?’ Mr Drake asked, stepping closer.

  ‘Not really,’ said Tock, moving in front of Mr Drake.

  ‘She has a rare . . . dishwasher,’ said Tick, also moving in front of Mr Drake.

  Mr Drake paused and raised an eyebrow at them.

  ‘Disease,’ corrected Tock. ‘A rare disease that doesn’t let her speak very much.’

  With a scoff, Mr Drake pushed past the fairies and continued towards Cora.

  Cora didn’t know what to do. Should she run? Hide? Try to distract him? She saw the fairies out of the corner of her eye shake their head at her, eyes wide.

  Mr Drake came to a stop when he was within an arm’s length of her. His eyes, searching her face for something.

  A cold feeling crept over her.

  ‘In this world . . . that,’ he said, pointing to where her eye used to be, ‘can mean . . . many things.’

  Cora swallowed. As she reached up to touch her face, her bracelet tingled on her wrist.

  Mr Drake’s gaze moved from her scar to her wrist.

  ‘I thought I felt something,’ he said. Mr Drake then reached out a hand towards her.

  Suddenly, Cora couldn’t move. It was like the Jinx had her again. But the only thing she could see was Mr Drake’s glowing eyes. The green orbs bore into her like hooks. Then she felt them. They were searching for something. A feeling squirmed inside her and she pushed back against it. Then like a wall was put between them, she could move again.

  Mr Drake took a step back, his eyes wide with shock.

  ‘Look at the time,’ said Tock, flying towards them and stopping to hover in between Cora and Mr Drake’s hand. The fairy looked at his wrist where there wasn’t a watch.

  Tick flew in between them too, trying to block Cora from Mr Drake’s view. ‘We have so many more deliveries.’

  ‘So little time,’ said Tock.

  ‘Can’t stay to chat,’ said Tick. ‘Come along, street urchin.’

  Mr Drake ignored them, his eyes still drilling holes into Cora’s.

  Then Tick and Tock turned, placed their hands on her shoulder and with a POP! the room and Mr Drake’s piercing eyes disappeared from view.

  Chapter Fourteen

  When Cora opened her eye, she found herself in a dark room. She couldn’t see anything at all. She rubbed her eye, just to make sure it was working properly.

  ‘That was close,’ said Tock, from somewhere nearby. It sounded like he was out of breath. Then there was a soft click and a small light bulb that dangled from the ceiling flicked on.

  Cora looked around. It looked like they were in an old, unused cellar. Tick and Tock flew in front of her.

  ‘Who was that man?’ Cora asked. ‘And why was he so . . . strange?’ The cold, tingling feeling still crept over her like a spider.

  ‘Archibald Drake,’ said Tick.

  ‘Is he a —’ Cora began.

  ‘Warlock?’ finished Tock.

  ‘Yes,’ said Tick.

  A warlock?! She was going to say a politician or a businessman but a . . . ‘A warlock?!’ she echoed.

  ‘We have to get her to The Hollow,’ said Tick.

  ‘The Hollow?’ Cora asked.

  ‘It’s too late,’ said Tick. ‘Fizz will be by the gate.’

  ‘Fizz?’ Cora asked.

  ‘We’ll deal with him when we get there,’ said Tock. ‘We have only days until the Jinx finds her scent again.’

  Cora watched the two fairies argue. A pounding began in her ears and then it moved to her head. She tried to shake it away but couldn’t. Since leaving Drake Manor something in her was rattled. The words of the warlock repeated themselves over and over in her mind. That can mean . . . many things. And the noise was getting too much. All of it was getting too much.

  ‘Stop!’ Cora cried out.

  Tick and Tock stopped arguing and turned to her, surprised.

  ‘Please,’ began Cora, ‘can we just . . . stop?’

  She sat cross-legged on the ground and put her head in her hands. What was she doing? She should have just stayed in Urt and looked for Dot and Scratch. Now she was somewhere else, maybe in Mill Town, she wasn’t sure. The Jinx still wanted to eat her, she was still cursed and she had now come face to face with a warlock. Things were going from bad to worse.

  ‘I wish Dot was here,’ she said as she wiped a tear away from her eye. She thought about what Dot would do. She put a hand in her pocket and ran her fingers over Dot’s pocket watch, her words echoing in Cora’s mind, You’re stronger than you think.

  Tick and Tock paused. Then they flew down and sat cross-legged on the floor in front of her.

  ‘We can’t stop,’ said Tick. ‘Not yet.’

  ‘There isn’t time,’ said Tock softly.

  Cora groaned. She knew there wasn’t time. A feeling of defeat washed over her.

  ‘We’re almost home,’ said Tick.

  ‘The gateway is just over there,’ said Tock. Cora looked up. Tock pointed to a pile of dirty, squashed boxes that sat in the corner of the cellar.

  Another gateway? Here? Cora hesitated. Then Cora saw that on the walls above the boxes was a collection of bright sparkling stones embedded into the bricks. They glistened different colours in the dark.

  ‘You said the Jinx is only days away,’ said Cora.

  Tock looked at Tick.

  ‘Curses can be broken,’ said Tick.

  ‘It has happened before,’ said Tock.

  ‘Really?’ Cora asked.

  ‘Maybe,’ said Tick.

  Cora studied the fairies. There was a confidence in their eyes. Almost like the way Dot looked at her sometimes. She had to get rid of the curse if she was ever going to see Dot again. Cora found herself nodding.

  Standing up, they walked over to the boxes in the corner. Tick and Tock pushed them to the side. On the wall, hidden behind the boxes, was a hole. The hole looked just big enough for them to squeeze through, one at a time.

  Are there places like this hidden in every city? Cora wondered.

  One by one, they went through the hole in the wall. The fairies flew through first and then Cora followed, crouched down low to fit.

  When she got to the end, Tick and Tock were waiting for her in a small room with a ladder. They flew over to a man who was asleep on the ground. His loud snores echoed around them.

  Another guardian? Cora thought.

  Then Tock kicked the man’s boot.

  The man jumped, startled awake.

  ‘Wah-ha!’ he cried out in fright, looking around him. Then, glancing up, the man saw Tick and Tock hovering above him, their hands on their hips.

  He sat up quickly. ‘S-sorry! I m
ust have d-dozed off!’

  The man stood up and bowed apologetically to the fairies. Then he pulled out a piece of chalk, just like Wilfred had, bent down and drew a square on the ground. The line glowed a bright blue and then the ground fell away, a swirling blue light in its place.

  Cora peered down at it nervously. This time she was not going to dawdle. She would jump at the same time as the fairies. She watched as Tick and Tock flew near the pulsating blue square. She stepped up next to them.

  Then Tock held out a hand to her.

  She grabbed it gratefully.

  Taking a deep breath, she jumped with the fairies into the light.

  Cora kept her eye open this time and watched as blue wrapped around her. The three of them floated in the light before being pulled downwards. The deafening sound of rushing water wasn’t so bad the second time around. Then Tock let go of her hand and made a diving motion to her.

  Cora nodded.

  The fairies dove downwards like they were in a pool of water. Quickly, they flew away from her.

  Cora straightened and then made a diving motion, too. She sped down towards the fairies. When she reached them, Tick turned to her and gave her a thumbs up.

  Then, like before, a small, black hole appeared below them. It got closer and closer. She closed her eye as it sped up towards her. Then she noticed Tick and Tock lean backwards, falling feet first towards the hole. Cora did the same. Then there was a loud sucking noise, a POP! and an oof as Cora landed on something that was this time surprisingly soft.

  Chapter Fifteen

  It was Tock.

  ‘Ow,’ he said from beneath her.

  Cora scrambled to her feet. ‘Sorry! Sorry!’

  The fairy lay on the ground, his face in the dirt.

  ‘Are you hurt?’ Cora asked worriedly. She bent down and looked him over. Had she just broken a fairy?

  ‘My wings are crushed and I can’t move my legs,’ said Tock into the dirt.

  ‘What?!’ gasped Cora horrified. She had broken a fairy.

  ‘Tock, stop playing,’ said Tick, flying next to her.

  With a laugh and a twirl, Tock flew upwards, clearly not broken. He stopped in mid-air, a big smile on his face.

  Cora glared at the fairy but was relieved to see that he was perfectly fine. She looked around them. They had landed somewhere outside. Large oak trees dotted their surroundings and there was a small, open clearing that jutted out onto a cliff nearby. It was still night-time and strung up across some of the oak trees were tiny, twinkling lights. Cora could hear the gentle sound of music coming from somewhere close.

  ‘Where are we?’ she asked.

  Tick and Tock flew over to the clearing and looked out over the edge of the cliff. Cora followed. Carefully, she peered over it too.

  ‘Welcome to The Hollow,’ said Tock.

  Below them, nestled in a valley, was a village. Huts of all different shapes and sizes sat together. They had rounded, brightly coloured roofs and, just like in the oak trees, small lights were strung up along each of the huts, basking the valley in a pretty glow. To the side of the village, was a large lake. From up high, Cora could see the shapes of a few fairies walking and flying around the village. She thought it was beautiful.

  ‘Is this your home?’ Cora asked.

  Tick nodded proudly.

  ‘Who goes there?’ came a small voice from behind them.

  Tick and Tock groaned.

  ‘Follow us,’ whispered Tock.

  ‘Stay close,’ whispered Tick.

  ‘And —’ added Tock.

  ‘Keep quiet,’ finished Cora. ‘I know.’ She had well and truly learnt her lesson at Drake Manor.

  Tick, Tock and Cora turned around to face the owner of the voice. Hovering behind them was a fairy. He looked similar to Tick and Tock but instead of having hair coming out of his ears or down the middle of his head, he had hair coming out of his nose. Cora noticed with slight unease that the fairy’s nose hair went out of his nostrils, past his mouth, over his chin and down his chest where it was plaited into a knot that ended just above his belly, which, like Tick’s and Tock’s, also stuck out of his shirt. The fairy held what looked like a spear in one hand and a small, glowing orb floated in the air near him, lighting the space on the ground around him.

  ‘Hello, Fizz,’ said Tock.

  ‘Tock,’ said Fizz with a nod.

  ‘Hello, Fizz,’ said Tick.

  ‘Tick,’ said Fizz with a nod. The fairy’s eyes then rested on Cora.

  ‘Who is this?’ Fizz asked, pointing the spear at her.

  Cora stared back and said nothing.

  ‘She has a message for King Clang,’ said Tock.

  ‘We need to see him immediately,’ added Tick.

  Fizz looked at Cora up and down. ‘It’s late,’ he said with a shake of his head.

  ‘We know,’ said Tock.

  ‘But it is urgent,’ said Tick.

  Fizz paused. He looked at the fairies distrustfully out of one eye.

  ‘This better not be another one of your tricks,’ said Fizz, pointing a finger at them.

  ‘Tricks?’ questioned Tick.

  ‘Us?’ added Tock innocently.

  Cora allowed herself a small smile in the dark.

  Then after a moment, Fizz gave a small and almost imperceptible nod to Tick and Tock. ‘Follow,’ he said. He turned in the air and made his way along the tree line, the glowing orb lighting his way.

  Tick and Tock followed the fairy, with Cora close behind.

  The tree line where Fizz led them sloped downwards and soon they began to descend the cliff. To their left, the twinkling lights looped through the trees in a sparkling trail, guiding them towards the village. When they got to the bottom, they walked along a small path that opened out onto the valley. A large arch made from branches, vines and flowers stood at the entrance to the village. The fairies fluttered through. Cora stared up as she walked beneath it. It was so big and so intricately woven. She wondered how many fairies had made it. She had never seen anything like it.

  Inside the village, it was much the same. The huts were made out of neatly woven branches, vines and flowers. As they walked, fairies flittered by her. Some nodded to Tick and Tock, others nodded to Fizz. Cora noticed wind chimes hanging outside some of the huts. They tinkled softly in the night air.

  Soon, Fizz came to a stop outside a large hut. Unlike the rounded ones that sat around the village, this one was bigger, its roof was pointed and it had a bright pink ribbon attached to a pole out the front of it. A small line of fairies stood outside the entrance.

  ‘Wait here,’ said Fizz, moving them to the front of the line. Then Fizz darted inside the hut.

  ‘Don’t forget to bow,’ said Tock.

  ‘Bow?’ Cora questioned. There were murmurs from the line behind her. She looked back and locked eyes with a pale man who stood tall above the fairies. He had shaggy brown hair and held on tightly to a walking stick.

  Then Fizz poked his head out of the king’s hut.

  The man with shaggy hair hobbled up to the fairy. ‘Please, I need to see the king,’ he pleaded.

  Fizz shook his head and motioned for Cora, Tick and Tock to enter instead.

  Tick and Tock flew into the hut. Cora followed behind them, whispering a small ‘sorry’ to the man with shaggy hair as she passed.

  The hut was a large, round room. The floor was covered in red rugs and the roof was decorated with ribbons and flowers. Looking around, Cora spotted a long table nearby with plates and bowls of fruits and berries. At the end of the room was a stage and sitting in a large, comfortable chair with large comfortable cushions was a fairy twice the size of Tick and Tock, and twice as hairy.

  Clang the Fairy King.

  Chapter Sixteen

  With a hand, King Clang motioned for the three of them to come closer. Tick and Tock flew over to the stage and then together, the fairies bowed before the king. Cora walked quickly over to stand next to the fairies. From where she s
tood, she noticed that the king’s seat was far too big for him, his small feet dangled, nowhere near the ground.

  The King’s eyes rested on her questioningly.

  Clumsily, Cora did a small curtsy. But should she have bowed?

  ‘Fizz tells me it’s urgent,’ said the fairy king. His eyes looked at them sleepily from beneath two very hairy eyebrows. He straightened the small crown on his head and stifled a yawn. ‘You know I like to be in bed at this time.’

  ‘Yes, King Clang,’ said Tock, nodding.

  ‘And we’re very sorry for the late hour,’ said Tick.

  ‘When we were in Urt —’ began Tock.

  ‘Burt?’ asked King Clang, confused.

  ‘No, Urt,’ said Tick. ‘Remember? You had asked us to make an urgent delivery to the spellkeeper?’

  King Clang nodded, remembering. His small eyes moved from Tick and Tock to rest on Cora. He then glanced at where her eye used to be.

  ‘Well, we accidentally might have lost the ancient spellbox —’

  ‘You lost it?!’ roared King Clang.

  ‘And Dora —’ said Tock, motioning to Cora.

  ‘Cora,’ corrected Tick.

  ‘And Cora,’ repeated Tock, ‘found it.’

  The king relaxed in his chair.

  ‘But,’ added Tick, ‘she opened the box, read the spell . . . and now has the curse of the Jinx.’

  The king’s eyes widened. He straightened in his seat and pointed to Cora. His mouth opened and closed like a fish. ‘She is cursed? With the Jinx curse?’ The fairy king was now very much awake.

  Tick and Tock nodded.

  ‘What were you thinking, bringing her here?!’ King Clang bellowed at Tick and Tock. ‘A cursed! In The Hollow!’

  ‘Your Majesty —’ tried Tick.

  King Clang flew down from his seat. He came to a stop in the air when he was face to face with Tick and Tock. ‘You not only lose the ancient spellbox I trusted you to deliver but you have also put your entire people in danger!’

  Tick and Tock looked down.

  ‘Please,’ said Tick.

  But the king shook his head, his small crown wobbling. ‘She must leave! Immediately!’ he spat, throwing a glare at Cora.