‘I suppose,’ said Jack. ‘Especially if your father is as wise as an owl.’
‘That’s right,’ said Dad happily. ‘Absolutely right.’
GUILTY OR NOT?
‘That’s so not fair!’ exploded Mum when Tashi finished telling her the story.
‘What?’ asked Dad, walking into the kitchen.
‘Well,’ said Tashi, ‘it was like this. At school today, Arthur Trouble drew a rude picture on the board with chalk but Angus Figment got the blame for it—’
‘That’s ridiculous!’ said Dad. ‘Angus Figment – as if!’
‘Yeah,’ agreed Jack, ‘but see, Angus came into the classroom with chalk on his hands. The teacher wouldn’t listen when he explained he’d just been drawing up handball lines in the playground, plus he wouldn’t even know how to draw a naked mermaid because he’s much more interested in Ancient Egypt and, by the way, did she know that the priests used to pluck out every hair on their bodies, even their eyelashes?’
‘It’s true,’ said Tashi. ‘Angus is only interested in Egyptian mummies. He draws them all over his books, and people’s arms. Although sometimes he draws jackal masks, which look quite spooky.’
‘Well, anyway,’ Mum turned to Jack, ‘you said you actually saw Arthur Trouble drawing on the blackboard. Why didn’t you go and tell?’
‘It’s not that simple. Arthur’s already in so much trouble and he’s got a mean temper, and anyway I don’t like dobbing.’
‘But it’s not fair on Angus!’ cried Mum.
‘That’s right,’ said Tashi. ‘Something like that happened to me once, over a ball game.’
‘Really?’ said Dad. ‘What did you do? Wait a sec, I’ll make the tea – oh boy, I’m just in the mood for a story!’
‘Well,’ Tashi started, when the water had boiled, ‘one day Ah Chu and I were playing a game of Catch when our ball flew over a wall and into Soh Meen’s courtyard. And there was a loud splash. Wah!
‘We had to run then because this furious man came barrelling out of the house. It was Soh Meen, chasing us with his broomstick. “Who did that?” he shouted. “Who threw that ball into my fish pond and very likely killed my precious carp!”
‘“We’re very sorry, Soh Meen,” Ah Chu called over his shoulder. “Tashi didn’t mean to do it.” I gave Ah Chu a dirty look and stopped running.’
‘I would have given him more than a dirty look!’ said Dad. ‘I would—’
‘You would have sat him down,’ said Mum, ‘and talked to him about what it means to be a friend, and sharing responsibility.’
‘How did you know? You took the words right out of my mouth!’ cried Dad.
‘Well, I didn’t have time for that unfortunately,’ said Tashi, ‘because Soh Meen was shaking his fist at me.
‘“It was a bad mistake, Soh Meen,” I said. “Could we come in and see if the carp are hurt?”
‘Well, thank goodness the fish were swimming about quite happily, but still Soh Meen gave us each a good whack with his broomstick and refused to return our ball. Apart from a sore bottom, that was the end of the matter, I thought.
‘Until the next day.
‘When I went to the square the following morning a crowd was gathered there. They were listening to a loud and angry speaker. I knew that voice.
‘Someone let me through and I moved up to the front while the voice raged on, shouting, “And then I saw them. My beautiful golden carp, lying upturned, dead, in a pool of stinking oil!”
‘The murmur of the crowd was like a wind whooshing through the rice paddies. My heart sank.
‘“And there is the culprit!” Soh Meen roared, pointing right at me. “Yesterday he attacked my carp with a ball. Then last night he sneaked back and finished my poor fish off! He poured bad oil into my beautiful clean pond!”
‘“I didn’t! I didn’t! The ball was an accident …”
‘But it was no use, Soh Meen went on and on until people started to believe him. The next few days were terrible. Ah Chu tried to explain what had really happened but Soh Meen wouldn’t let him be heard. I kept turning the question over in my mind. How do you prove that you didn’t do something?’
‘I know, I know!’ Dad cried. ‘By proving that someone else did.’
‘That’s exactly right. But that was the easy bit – finding the real fish-poisoner would be the hard part. So I made a list of all the people who had a grudge against Soh Meen. There were quite a few, actually, but that didn’t prove anything. And then my mother poured a glass of lemonade for me and there, suddenly, was the answer. “I have to go and see Wise-as-an-Owl straightaway,” I told her.
‘Wise-as-an-Owl looked at me calmly over his spectacles, just as he always does. He said, “Sit down, Tashi, and get your breath. Now, why do you need the Truth Potion? You know I don’t use these magic brews without serious thought.”
‘When I explained my problem to him he chuckled and shook his head. “I would really like to be a cricket in the corner of your kitchen tomorrow evening, Tashi. You must be sure to tell me what happens when they all find themselves speaking the honest truth.”
‘So my family invited all the people on my list to come to our house that evening to discuss the situation. My mother told each one that their advice would be really important. Besides Soh Meen and his wife there were the Wicked Baron, Mrs Ping, Mr Ping, Not Yet, Teacher Pang, Granny White Eyes, Tiki Pu and Luk Ahed.
‘As soon as the guests arrived, my mother poured them a glass of her delicious lemonade, which she had mixed up in a big jug, together with a cup and a half of Truth Potion.
‘“This is very good,” said the Baron, surprised, as he held out his glass for another helping.
‘“It’s the best I’ve ever had,” agreed Mr Ping. “What’s your secret?”
‘“I know the secret of this lemonade,” crowed Mrs Ping. “I peeked through the curtain one time while it was being made. They use limes as well as lemons, you know.”
‘My mother looked annoyed but Grandma poked me in the ribs and whispered, “It’s working! Now we’ll see what they really think about each other.”
‘My Uncle Tiki Pu joined us at the table and nodded to Luk Ahed. “You haven’t come along to our card evenings lately, Luk Ahed.”
‘“No, and neither will any of the others if you keep cheating like you did last time, Tiki Pu,” growled Luk Ahed.
‘Before Tiki Pu could answer, Granny White Eyes said quietly to herself, “I wonder why the Baron always smells so unpleasant. He has plenty of money for hot water.”
‘The Baron went red and jumped to his feet, but my father quickly spoke up. “We were wondering if you would all be so kind as to tell us where you were on Saturday night? Someone might have seen or heard something that would help. Tiki Pu?”
‘Tiki Pu shrugged. “I haven’t been near Soh Meen’s house for a week.”
‘My heart sank. Tiki Pu had been my surest suspect.
‘Not Yet suddenly piped up. “Teacher Pang and I were in Soh Meen’s garden that evening. We were keeping watch because we’re sure he’s the one who has been dumping his rubbish in other people’s garbage bins. He’s too mean to pay for a big enough bin for himself.”
‘Soh Meen choked on his lemonade.
‘“But he didn’t leave his house that night,” Not Yet went on gloomily, “so it was a waste of time.”
‘“How dare you talk about me like that!” shouted Soh Meen.
‘“No, I never would have dared to before,” said Not Yet. “I don’t know what came over me.”
‘Teacher Pang turned to the Baron. “Did you see anything odd or unusual that evening, Baron?”
‘The Baron cleared his throat and was surprised to hear himself say, “No, I was at the other end of the village smashing Mrs Yang’s best melons. I am determined to win the prize for the biggest melons at this year’s harvest festival, you see.”
‘Everyone gasped and looked at their hands, or the floor.
‘“I didn
’t see anything either, I’m afraid,” said Mrs Ping after an awkward pause. “I only went outside once during the evening because Mr Ping made the most dreadful smell and I had to get some fresh air.”
‘“I think he’s just done it again,” said Luk Ahed, who was sitting closest.
‘“He thinks, just because they’re silent, no one will notice,” Mrs Ping said confidingly to Luk Ahed.
‘“The silent ones are the worst,” said Teacher Pang.
‘“Well, I never knew that,” said Mr Ping wonderingly. “You should have told me, dear. Next time we have beans, I’ll be the one to step outside.”
‘Mrs Ping smiled and patted his hand across the table. “Thank you, Ping dear.”
‘There was a silence as everyone looked at the only person who hadn’t explained where they’d been. “Well, I certainly didn’t kill any fish,” Luk Ahead said angrily.
‘“No, I know you didn’t. I did,” whispered Mrs Soh Meen.
‘“YOU!” thundered her husband.
‘“Yes. It was all a terrible accident. I dug a hole at the bottom of the garden near the fish pond to get rid of some bad oil. It must have leaked into the pond overnight and killed the fish. It was wrong to let Tashi take the blame,” she went on dreamily as the lemonade did its work, “but I knew I would never hear the end of it if I told my husband that it was my fault. He really is an awful bully. And Tashi, well, he doesn’t have to live with him.”
‘No one spoke. Soh Meen cleared his throat and rubbed his nose.
‘“It really is a strange smell. Perhaps it’s bad breath,” said Granny White Eyes, nodding at the Baron.
‘“Or the terrible tobacco he smokes,” Mrs Ping replied. “At least Mr Ping doesn’t do that.”
‘“I’m not listening to any more of this,” shouted the Baron as he stormed out of the house. “I was expecting a pleasant evening deciding about Tashi’s punishment, not insults.”
‘My father thought he had better bring the meeting to an end before anyone else said something they would later regret, but he didn’t close the door quickly enough to stop the Baron hearing Mrs Ping say to Granny White Eyes, “That was an interesting evening. Why don’t we call in on Mrs Yang and see if she knows what happened to her melons?”’
‘Hmm,’ said Jack, taking another cupcake. ‘I wish we had a Truth Potion at our school.’
Just then there was a knock at the door and Angus Figment walked in. ‘Guess what everyone. Trouble confessed about the mermaid!’
‘How come?’ asked Mum. ‘Did you talk to him about what it means to be a friend and how he has to take responsibility?’
‘Yeah, a bit, but you know how he’s always pestering me to lend him my book Secrets of the Tomb? Well, I said he could have it for the weekend if he owned up. Plus I said I’d draw a really spooky jackal on him if he confessed straightaway. So he did. You know, he’s not so bad, Arthur Trouble, when you get to know him. May I have some cake, to go with the tea?’ He shot a worried glance at Tashi. ‘They’re not Ghost Cakes or anything though, are they?’
Have you read all of Tashi’s adventures?
The Book of Magnificent Monsters Page 6