by Jenny Nimmo
Charlie's mother was, at that moment, helping Mrs. Gunn to clean up her chaotic kitchen. For all its mess and muddle, Amy found it a very comforting place. Mrs. Gunn had become her closest, perhaps her only, friend, and Amy often popped over to see her after work.
Amy picked up a guitar that was balanced precariously on top of ten assorted mugs on the kitchen table. She placed the guitar beside a double bass standing in the pantry. Then, skidding over a knife, she bent and retrieved it along with three other knives, two dirty spoons, and an apple core.
"I don't know how you do it, Chloe."
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Amy dropped the silverware into a sink already piled high with dishes. "Eight children to clean up after. As soon as you've finished they'll be back for tea, and you've got to start all over again."
"Not Fidelio." Mrs. Gunn brushed cornflakes off three of the chairs. "He's at Bloor's, remember. And Felix is away a lot now, with his band, so that only leaves six." She removed a flute and three music books from the countertop and tucked them into the washing machine.
"Will those be safe in there?" Amy asked anxiously.
"Safe as houses," said Chloe. "Pudding's inside and she'd let me know if I started a wash."
A large gray cat jumped out of the washing machine.
"Oh, well," Chloe said cheerfully. "Let's have our coffee."
Amy wiped a blob of butter off one of the chairs and sat down. Chloe sang as she filled the coffeepot. She sang most of the time, so did her husband, a music teacher at the local school. Every one of their
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children was musical, but Fidelio was the star. A musical genius. Chloe knew that her fourth child would go far.
Outside the kitchen window a row of green herbs could be seen, sprouting from their terra-cotta pots. Alas, the herb that Amy had come for, had vanished.
"Who would have taken that vervain?" asked Amy, sipping her coffee.
"No idea," said Chloe. "It was there two nights ago. I used some in a salad. I'm so sorry, Amy. What are you going to do next? You can't leave your mother in the bathtub indefinitely."
Amy gave a sigh of despair. "Oh, Chloe. I don't know what to do."
"I think you should go see the manager at Kingdom's. If someone tampered with those prawns, the store is responsible."
"They say they're not."
"Then tell the police," Chloe advised.
"I can't. Don't you see - it's... it's a spell. Dr. Tanaka said as much. The police can't deal with spells."
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Amy drained her cup. "I'd better go, Chloe. I don't like leaving Maisie for too long. She just might melt, and she'll be so frightened if she's all alone."
"Especially if that mother-in-law of yours is on the prowl," said Chloe grimly.
Amy intended to go straight home and yet, when she found herself walking down High Street, something made her turn and look at a splendid building on the other side of the road. Green marble pillars stood on either side of the entrance, and every one of the ninety-nine windows sparkled with a soft light, the sort of light that tells the world the room beyond holds treasures that most people can only dream of.
Amy crossed the road. She stepped into the recess behind the pillars. Green and gold marble swirled above her head and beneath her feet. Two doormen wearing green coats and shining top hats stood on either side of a gleaming oak door. Their white-gloved fingers rested lightly on the large bronze door handles.
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"Are you going in, madam?" asked one of the doormen in a bored voice.
"Yes, I am," said Amy decisively.
He was obliged to open the door.
Amy walked in. She had only twice been inside Kingdom's. Once, long ago, with her husband, Lyell. It was here that he had spent a whole month's salary on the diamond ring that Amy still wore on the third finger of her left hand. Surprising tears came to her eyes and she quickly brushed them away.
All around her, velvet-covered counters displayed exquisite jewelry, silk scarves, and extravagantly packed oils, creams, and perfumes. Handwritten cards with names that Amy had never heard of, and prices she dared not think of, peeked shyly from behind leather boxes, colored bottles, glittering tins, and velvet bags.
Chandeliers hung low over every counter, casting a brilliant light on the displays beneath, while the assistants stood in shadow. Only a pair of pale hands could occasionally be glimpsed, hovering over the counters.
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Amy wondered if the hands had been especially chosen.
She decided to approach the hands that dealt with jewelry. She was, after all, wearing a ring that had once nestled on that very counter. Leaning under the chandelier, she peered up at the shadowy face of someone blond, who looked remarkably severe.
"My name is Mrs. Bone," said Amy, "and I'd like to see the manager."
"Why?" asked the blond person.
"We've had a case of food poisoning."
"Food's in the basement." The blonde's expression didn't change.
"I know, but I want the manager," Amy insisted.
The blonde sighed, picked up a receiver discreetly covered in velvet, and pressed a knob. "I've got a lady here who wants to see the manager," she said in a superior voice.
Amy couldn't see the twelve cameras situated in the dark, faraway ceiling. She didn't hear them swivel
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smartly to focus on her. But, all at once, she found herself caught in a fierce beam of light that came from somewhere high above.
"Oh!" cried Amy. "What did I do?"
The assistant didn't reply. She was still talking into the velvet-covered phone.
Amy didn't know that she was being watched on twelve different monitors by someone on the top floor. She was unaware that even in her shabby winter coat, without makeup or properly combed hair, she was still beautiful.
"The owner wants to see you." The blond assistant smacked her phone back onto the counter.
"The owner? I didn't know he lived here. I just wanted to talk to the manager."
"Top floor," snapped the assistant. "The elevator's over there." She pointed to a distant light.
"Thank you." Amy began to wish she hadn't come into Kingdom's. What could anyone do, after all? They couldn't break spells. Unless, of course,
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there was a sorcerer hidden somewhere ... on the top floor?
She reached the elevator and pressed a button. The door slid open and she stepped into a small room with mirrored walls, a marble floor, and a ceiling decorated with golden birds. Birds that looked remarkably real - apart from the gold paint.
Amy got out on the top floor. She was now standing almost ankle-deep in black fur. What sort of fur she couldn't guess. A door opened to her right and a man walked out, the most handsome man Amy had ever seen. She patted her hair, fiddled with her coat, and glanced at her scruffy shoes.
The man gave a small nod. "Mrs. Bone?" He had brown hair that somehow looked gold. His face was tanned and his eyes were a deep olive green.
"Yes, that's right, Mrs. Bone," Amy said timidly.
The man bowed and, sweeping out an arm, indicated that she should enter his office.
Amy plowed through the black fur and walked into a room carpeted, this time, in white fur.
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"Oh," she said, looking down, "how ..."
"Har... ahem... Hart Noble." The man took her hand and bent over it like a hungry animal. "The carpet is arctic bear."
Amy gasped. "But I thought...
"Please sit down." He gently removed her coat.
Amy sat on the edge of a sofa that appeared to be covered in - could it b
e pony skin?
"Tell me your troubles." Hart sat beside her. He was wearing a white silk shirt and a vest that must have been sealskin.
While Amy told him about frozen Maisie and the suspect prawn, Hart took her hand and gazed into her eyes. She felt she was drowning in a deep green pool. At the end of her story, he got up and retrieved two glasses of champagne from an ivory table at the back of the room.
Amy sipped her drink and looked about her. The room was entirely walled in mirrors, and every piece of furniture appeared to have been made from an animal. Tusks, bones, skins, feathers, and furs. If she
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had listened very carefully, she might have heard their cries. But Amy was falling under a spell.
A second glass of champagne was poured. When Amy looked at her reflection she saw someone she barely recognized: a beautiful woman with shining hair and sparkling eyes; even her old pink sweater looked new.
Hart brought her a plate of hors d'oeuvres covered in a spicy glaze. Amy devoured them, moaning with delight. When he told her that they were made of eagle meat she didn't bat an eye.
He persuaded her to talk about her life, and Amy found herself remembering things she had forgotten for years. She didn't notice the light fading from the windows, and only realized how long she had been talking when she found herself sitting in candlelight.
"My goodness, it must be late." Amy got to her feet, rather unsteadily.
Hart helped her put her coat on and escorted her to the elevator. "Adieu," he said, elegantly blowing her a kiss.
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Amy walked through the store in a daze. Outside the sidewalk sparkled with frost. "Beautiful," she said aloud. "I'm walking on stars."
"Stars?" said an old lady, passing by. "It's perishing cold, that's what it is. You've been bewitched."
When Amy got home she went straight up to her room and took off her diamond ring.
A stab of pain made Charlie wince.
"What's up? Eaten too fast?" joked Fidelio.
They were sitting in the cafeteria after lunch. Everyone else had left, except for Billy, who was at that very moment furtively handing Rembrandt to Cook.
"I think my mom would call it indigestion," said Charlie, rubbing his chest. But he wasn't sure what it was. And he didn't know why, when the pain had gone, he felt as if something precious had been lost.
Cook came around the corner and sat at their table.
"What's going on, Charlie?" she asked. "Rumors are flying thick and fast. They say that some of the
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animals have come back, very particular animals, in fact. Runner Bean has been mentioned, along with Lysander's parrot, Emma's duck, Gabriel's gerbils, et cetera. How come all the others are still lost?"
"Blessed's still here," Charlie said evasively.
"Of course he is. I made sure of that. He's scared stiff of something, though."
"I don't think Charlie can tell us anything," said Fidelio. "Even I don't know."
Cook shook her head. "You haven't gone and sworn a silly oath, have you, Charlie?"
"Not exactly," said Charlie.
"Well, take care, my dear. There's trouble brewing. You'd better find an answer for the Boors or they'll force it out of you in a very unfriendly fashion." Cook returned to her kitchen with one hand over the large pocket in her apron. "All right, you'll get some supper in a minute," she said to the pocket as she disappeared through the swinging door.
The trouble that was brewing came to boil after supper. Instead of dismissing the children when they
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had finished eating, Dr. Bloor clapped his hands for silence and began to pace around the platform that held the staff table.
From the three long tables in the dining hall, 300 children watched the headmaster in his black cape, his head down and hands clasped behind his back. He was a large man with a neat gray mustache and iron-gray hair, cut very short. Today his face was a pinky red. When he came to rest, at last, he stared at the children at the drama table, directly in front of him.
"There cannot be one of you who is not aware of the catastrophe that has struck this city. Eh?" He put a hand behind his ear. "What did you say?"
"NO, sir," shouted the children in purple capes.
Dr. Bloor walked to his right until he reached the center of the platform. "And what do you say?" he demanded of the children at the art table.
"NO, sir," shouted the children in green.
Dr. Bloor took several more paces to his right. He was now standing in front of Charlie who had been
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the last in and was forced to sit in one of the unlucky seats just below the staff table. Fidelio was sitting opposite him.
"And what about you?" Dr. Bloor's pinkish complexion darkened. "Have you heard about the city's problems?" He stared hard at Charlie.
Charlie thought the question was personal and asked, "Do you mean the animals, sir?"
"Of course I mean the animals." Dr. Bloor gave a little jump of fury. "Stupid boy."
"In that case, yes, sir," said Charlie.
The other children at the music table repeated, "Yes, sir."
The headmaster then said something very surprising. "It is, of course, a catastrophe when beloved pets disappear. It is especially distressing for the elderly whose pets have become their only companions. However" - Dr. Bloor walked across the platform - "It happens, sometimes, and it can't be helped."
Charlie was baffled. Did the headmaster know
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what had caused the animals to run away? He certainly didn't seem surprised by their disappearance.
Dr. Bloor suddenly swung around and walked back to stand in front of Charlie. "But it is unforgivable when someone finds a pet, or two, belonging to their friends, and will tell no one where he found them." The headmaster stuck his chin out and stared at Charlie. "Where did you find the pets, Charlie Bone? The city council wants to know. Where did you find the dog, the duck, the parrot, the rabbits and gerbils, and the snake that belongs to my grandfather?"
"I just found them, sir... wandering around," said Charlie.
"STAND UP, BOY!"
Charlie stood up.
"I'll repeat my question," said Dr. Bloor. "Where did you find the animals?"
Charlie gritted his teeth. "I could bring back the snake, sir, if you like."
"We don't want the snake. It's a feeble thing now,
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by all accounts." Dr. Bloor stamped his foot. "AND DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!"
"No, sir." Charlie looked away from the headmaster's angry red face. "Perhaps the animals will just wander back, sir, like the ones I found."
"Well, if they don't, Charlie Bone" - Dr. Bloor leaned closer to him - "if they don't, there's a room in the attic where a boy can be kept until he tells the truth."
"Yes, sir," said Charlie in a choked voice.
"DISMISSED!" roared the headmaster.
Three hundred children leaped to their feet and began to stack the dirty plates.
"What are you going to do?" Fidelio asked Charlie as they made their way out of the dining hall.
"Don't know," said Charlie. "I'll have to think about it while I'm doing homework. That is, if I can think. It's going to be nasty in there tonight."
But it wasn't as bad as Charlie had feared. Perhaps Joshua and Dorcas had enjoyed the headmaster's scolding so much, they felt that Charlie had got all he deserved, for the time being.
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Charlie appeared to be working hard on his history project, but his thoughts were far away. How could he get all the animals back? And how could Maisie be un
frozen? When he thought of Maisie lying so still in the bathtub, it made him shiver. And then the horrible feeling that he'd lost something precious gradually overwhelmed him.
After homework, Charlie trudged back to the dormitory in a daze. Someone jabbed his elbow and he realized that Gabriel was walking beside him.
"Thanks for getting my gerbils, Charlie," Gabriel said quietly. "I won't ask where you found them."
"That's OK." Charlie felt better when he saw Gabriel's cheerful face. "I left them in the Pets' Cafe. You can collect them over the weekend."
"Great. Do you think you'll be able to get the others back?"
Charlie gave a huge sigh. "How can I, Gabe? Think about it. Almost every bird in the city, every rat, mouse, frog, toad, dog, cat - you name it, has run away. How can I get them all back without... without..."
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"Telling where they are," said Gabriel. "I see your problem."
It didn't bother Charlie that half the boys in his dormitory wouldn't speak to him. He had too much on his mind. Long after lights-out, he lay awake, and when he was quite sure that all the others were asleep he tiptoed across to the window and opened the curtains, just wide enough to let a slice of moonlight creep into the room. The light fell in a thin band right behind his bed.
Charlie climbed under the covers and waited. Would Naren find him? Would she send a message? Because he badly wanted to talk to her. He had almost given up hope when tiny black shadows began to tumble over the sill and into the room. Charlie watched them crawl across his bed and up onto the wall. At last they came to rest and he could read the words:
How are you, Charlie?
"I'm in trouble," Charlie whispered. "I've got to get
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the animals back, Naren, and soon, or they'll lock me up."
The little shadows quickly rearranged themselves, and Charlie was astonished to read:
They're on their way. Tomorrow every lost creature will be back in the city.
"How?" asked Charlie.
Three bright cats arrivedMagical cats. You should have seen them, Charlie. They sat in our yard and called in such loud, beautiful voices, all the animals gathered around and followed them out of our gate. What a sight: birds in the air, creatures running, scuffling leaping . . .
