Phoebe and Shimmer

by Julie Sykes

  Ms Nettles cleared her throat. “Are we all ready? Aisha, you’re not holding on to anyone.”

  “Sorry,” said Aisha, who was suddenly shrugging off her rucksack. “I think I’ve forgotten something important.”

  Ms Nettles sighed. “If it’s your flute, my dear, then I can see it sticking out of your bag.”

  “Phew! Thanks, Ms Nettles.”

  Phoebe grinned and squeezed Aisha’s hand as she took it. Aisha squeezed back.

  Ms Nettles placed her free hand on the magical map. Speaking in a loud clear voice, she said, “Take us all to the west coast.”

  At first, Phoebe thought that the humming noise she could hear was Aisha but then she realised it was the magical map. A wind sprang up, snatching Phoebe’s hair and whipping at her cheeks. Zara’s and Aisha’s hands were ripped from hers as the wind lifted Shimmer up. Lights flashed and then they were spinning so fast that it was impossible to see.

  “Eeeeeee!” squealed Phoebe, grasping hold of Shimmer’s mane. Her long plaits flew around her face as she spun through the air, then just as suddenly she was falling. Her stomach dipped as the ground rushed up to meet her, but Shimmer landed safely with only a soft bump.

  “Wow!” said Phoebe, catching her breath as Zara, Aisha and Lily landed beside her on their unicorns. Around her, unicorns, students and teachers were landing with gentle thuds. They were on a grassy clifftop that rolled down to a cliff edge where red rocks fell away to golden sand beneath. In the distance, Phoebe could see the blue sea.

  “Isn’t it beautiful?” said Aisha.

  “Oh, it’s so good to smell the sea again!” said Lily, sniffing happily. She and her mum lived on the east coast.

  There was a louder bump and a strangled shout behind them. Phoebe turned and had to clamp her hands over her mouth to stop herself from laughing. Mr Longnose had arrived and landed face down with his legs crumpled beneath him and his bony bottom sticking up in the air. His face was berry beetle red as he scrambled up and brushed the grass from his smart, dark suit.

  “Ms Nettles!” he said crossly. “You have brought us to the wrong place. I distinctly remember saying that we would camp on the beach. We shall be recording the level of the tide at all hours of the day and night and I don’t want to have to walk too far.”

  Ms Nettles sucked in her cheeks. “Thank you, Mr Longnose, but while I am headteacher, the safety of my students is my responsibility. Given the unusual fluctuations in the tide, it would not be safe for them to camp out on the beach as their tents could easily be washed away by an exceptionally high tide. Everyone can access the beach by one of several cliff paths.” She held Mr Longnose’s eye until a pink flush spread up his neck.

  “Very well,” he said, shortly. “You may continue to allocate the students’ campsites.”

  Ms Nettles’ mouth pursed.

  Ooh, she really doesn’t like him, Phoebe thought, reading her expression.

  After a moment, the headteacher nodded. “The teachers will camp here then each dormitory will pitch their tents at a different site in a line along the cliffs. Amethyst dorm, you will have the campsite furthest away. Ms Rosemary, will you show them where to go please?”

  “Of course,” said Ms Rosemary. She patted her unicorn and smiled at the girls. “Come on then, follow me.”

  They rode for a while until the cliff began to slope down and they spotted a cluster of stone houses nestled above the beach. Ms Rosemary pulled up on clifftop in a spot that was sheltered by bushes and a crumbling stone wall. “This can be your campsite. Set up your tents. I will ride down into the village and tell them you’re camping here.”

  “Let’s pitch the tents by the wall so we have some protection from the wind,” said Zara, as Ms Rosemary rode away.

  There were three tents. Phoebe and Zara were sharing one, Aisha and Lily were sharing another, and there was one for their things. They put them up with their backs to the wall and then made a fire of sticks, using rocks to stop it from spreading when they lit it. Ms Rosemary returned at a gallop, her face flushed.

  “Girls, I need your help! The village was flooded last night after a freak high tide that came halfway up the cliff.”

  “But Mr Longnose said there wouldn’t be flooding here,” said Aisha, in surprise.

  “I know but he clearly was wrong. There’s quite a mess so I need you to come with me and lend a hand with the clearing up.”

  The girls jumped on their unicorns.

  “A freak high tide that no one expected!” exclaimed Zara, as they headed towards the houses. “Another unusual environmental event.” Her eyes gleamed. “There could be something suspicious about it. Keep a look out for clues, everyone!”

  As they cantered into the village, Phoebe felt like a superhero, swooping in and coming to the villagers’ rescue. However, she quickly discovered that cleaning up after a flood was not exciting in the least. The first thing that hit her was the smell coming from the piles of rotting seaweed. The doors of buildings were thrown open as people wearing welly boots shovelled it out of their houses and swept away the remaining water. There were piles of debris everywhere; soggy bedding, clothes and rugs were all tangled up with seaweed and shells and items that had been swept into the surrounding fields by the flood.

  The villagers were very pleased to have the girls’ help. Lily and Feather set to work immediately, using Feather’s magic to help retrieve the heaviest items that had floated away. The other girls grabbed brooms and started to sweep out the water, while their unicorns picked things up with their teeth and hung them out to dry.

  Clearing up was very dull and Phoebe soon got bored.

  “I wish I’d discovered my magic,” Shimmer said with a sigh as they paused to watch Feather, who was using hers to carry a cart back from the fields.

  Phoebe couldn’t have agreed more. Doing magic and being applauded would be much more fun than sweeping and wringing the water out of wet clothes. “How about we go to that ruined cottage on the cliff path over there? I can see some things that need retrieving and at least we’ll get away from the smell for a while.”

  “OK,” said Shimmer eagerly.

  Phoebe vaulted on to his back and they cantered across the grass. The cottage roof had fallen in a while ago and moss clung to its stone walls. Clearly, no one had lived in it for quite some time and as Phoebe and Shimmer got closer they saw that the walls were just an empty shell. The grass surrounding it was scattered with objects that had been swept there by the flood water – buckets, flowerpots, baskets…

  Phoebe jumped off Shimmer and started collecting any objects she could carry. As she got close to the gaping doorway, something moved in the shadows inside the ruin. She gasped and jumped as a seagull flew up into the air with a loud cry.

  Phoebe took a trembling breath. It was just a bird. She picked up some more flowerpots and returned to Shimmer. He was holding a spade in his teeth.

  “Let’s take this stuff back to the village,” she said. “This cottage feels creepy.”

  When they got back, Zara came riding up on Moonbeam. “Guess what? I’ve been talking to some of the villagers and a few of them mentioned seeing a stranger hanging around the village in last few days. They all remembered him for his clothes – he was dressed in a black suit with long coat tails and a tall hat. He sounds suspicious, doesn’t he?”

  “Ooh, yes. He could be the culprit who caused the purple tornadoes and he might be responsible for the floods,” said Shimmer.

  Moonbeam nodded. “It feels like someone has been doing dark magic around here. The air is thicker – heavier,” she said uneasily.

  “I feel it too!” said Phoebe. She couldn’t actually feel anything different about the air but it was great that Moonbeam was adding to the drama and tension.

  “We mustn’t jump to conclusions,” said Zara quickly. “We need evidence, we can’t just go on vague feelings but the sighting of this man is definitely a possible clue. The villagers I spoke to said he was seen hanging around
the beach and walking near the old ruined cottage.”

  “We’ve just been there,” said Phoebe

  “Did you see anything?” Zara asked eagerly.

  “Well, it did feel creepy and I saw something move in the shadows,” said Phoebe.

  Shimmer nodded. “It made Phoebe jump a metre high!”

  Seeing the look of enthusiasm on Zara’s face, Phoebe couldn’t resist adding to her story. “It might have been a person. In fact, I really think it might have been a man!”

  Zara gasped. “We need to investigate this. Come on!” Moonbeam whinnied and set off for the cottage.

  As Shimmer followed them, Phoebe felt a flutter of guilt. She hadn’t really seen a man. She knew it had been just a bird. She hadn’t thought Zara would be quite so excited.

  Zara and Moonbeam went into the ruins of the cottage.

  “Wait, Shimmer!” Phoebe said as he went to follow them. “Do you think I should tell Zara I was making that stuff about a man up?” she whispered.

  Shimmer looked surprised. “No. Why?”

  “Well, there wasn’t one really, and now Zara thinks there was and—”

  She was interrupted by a shout from Zara. “Look at this!” Zara said, appearing in the entrance and waving something at them.

  Phoebe and Shimmer went closer. Zara was holding a pale grey button with an unusual sheen, engraved with a two-headed serpent entwined around a strange symbol. “I found this inside. It must have come from the mystery man’s clothes. Oh, this is SO exciting. It’s a real clue! Well done, Phoebs! I wouldn’t have found it if you hadn’t spotted the man!”

  “Well … um—” Phoebe started to say.

  “Beware the tall, cloaked stranger,” Moonbeam said dreamily.

  Zara looked round. “What?”

  Moonbeam blinked. “Sorry. I don’t know why I just said that.”

  Zara rolled her eyes. “Moonbeam, concentrate! This is serious stuff. A suspect has been here and this button may well have come off his clothes. We should stake out this place tonight in case he’s using it to cause trouble for the island. That’s when he’ll operate, under the cover of darkness when there’s no one else about.” She rushed on. “We’ll need somewhere to hide.” She looked around. “How about that falling-down shed? We can hide behind the walls. Let’s go and tell the others! Operation Catch the Suspect is on!”

  She jumped on Moonbeam and they galloped away.

  Phoebe’s heart plummeted. “Whoops,” she said, looking at Shimmer.

  “Don’t worry,” he said, nuzzling her. “Zara will never know you didn’t really see a man.”

  “But I feel bad because she’s so excited about it,” said Phoebe. “And now we’re all going on a stake-out to watch for someone I never saw, who might not even be anywhere near here, instead of having fun camping!” She bit her lip. “Oh, Shimmer! What have I done?”

  It was getting late when they arrived back at the village. Everywhere was looking much tidier and Ms Rosemary sent the girls back to their camp. All Zara, Aisha and Lily talked about on the way was the mysterious man and the button. Phoebe got quieter and quieter.

  When they reached the tents, the unicorns trotted back down to the beach to have a roll on the sand and a paddle in the sea. Phoebe went to the store tent to get Shimmer some sky berries for when he got back.

  Lily followed her. “Are you all right, Phoebe? You don’t seem yourself.”

  Phoebe wondered whether to tell Lily the truth even though Shimmer thought she should just keep lying. She loved him to bits but she wasn’t sure he was right this time. Teasing Zara and telling a few small stories was one thing, but letting her arrange a midnight stake-out and getting her hopes up that they were actually going to catch the man doing dark magic was quite another. She decided to confess. “I’ve … I’ve done something really stupid, Lily.”

  “What?” Lily asked in concern.

  Taking a deep breath, Phoebe told her everything.

  “Oh, Phoebe,” said Lily, shaking her head.

  “What should I do?” Phoebe muttered.

  “You have to own up,” said Lily decisively. “Zara will be cross but she’ll get over it. You can’t keep leading her on.”

  Phoebe nodded, knowing she was right. “I’d better go and tell her now.”

  Lily put an arm round her. “You’ll feel much better once you’ve confessed. I’ll finish up here and feed all the unicorns. You go and see Zara. Good luck!”

  “Thanks.” Once Phoebe made her mind up about something she liked to get on with it immediately. She went to her and Zara’s tent and lifted the tent flap. Zara was inside, writing neat notes in her detective notebook, frowning in concentration.

  “Um, Zara,” said Phoebe, her heart beating uncomfortably fast. “Can I talk to you?”

  Zara looked up. “Can it wait? I want to draw a picture of the button so we’ve got a record of it in case we lose it. I’m going to look to see if the man left any more clues while we’re on the stake-out.”

  Phoebe’s tummy twisted into a knot as she ducked inside “Erm, about this stake out. I need to tell you something…”

  As Phoebe confessed, Zara’s smile faded.

  “It was all made up?” Her voice rose. “You didn’t see a man there? You lied to me!” She threw her notebook down.

  Unhappiness curled through Phoebe as she saw the hurt and disappointment in Zara’s eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  “So, this button isn’t a clue? It probably doesn’t have anything to do with him!” said Zara.

  “It might,” Phoebe pointed out. “The villagers did say they had seen him walking near there. It’s just I didn’t actually see him in the cottage – or at all.”

  “I can’t believe you lied to me, Phoebe!” Zara said angrily. “Did you think it was funny, to trick me? The island is in danger. It’s not a joke! I thought you really wanted to help solve the mystery.”

  “I do and I am sorry. I just said that stuff about the man without thinking.”

  “Well, maybe you should think in future!” Zara exclaimed. “Oh, go away!”

  Phoebe backed away and the tent flap closed. She almost never cried but now she could feel tears stinging her eyes. She hated knowing she had hurt and upset one of her best friends.

  She crept off to find Shimmer. He was tucking into the bucket of sky berries Lily had left for him.

  “Hi, Phoebe,” he said, through a mouthful of berries. “We just had the best water fight in the sea. I’m so good at splashing, and guess what, we saw Mr Longnose down by the water. I almost got him with a big splash!” He saw her face and broke off. “What’s the matter?”

  “Zara is really cross with me,” Phoebe confessed. “I told her that I made up the story about seeing the man.”

  Shimmer looked astonished. “What did you do that for?”

  “I felt bad that she was planning the stake-out and everything based on what I said I saw. Now she’s really angry and not talking to me.”

  Shimmer huffed. “Oh, she’s just being silly and making a big deal out of nothing. Ignore her.”

  Phoebe stroked his mane but didn’t say anything. It was lovely of him to be on her side but she was the one in the wrong, not Zara.

  Shimmer nudged her. “Hey, should we go to the beach? Then you can see how brilliant I am at splashing. If I stamp my hoof like this –” Shimmer struck the ground with a hoof – “POW! The water explodes everywhere!”

  Phoebe caught something bright pink flicker around Shimmer’s hoof. Her eyes widened. “Shimmer, what was that?”

  “What?” he said.

  “I saw a spark fly up. Do it again, Shimmer. Stamp your hoof !”

  “Are you tricking me?” he said suspiciously.

  “No!”

  Shimmer half-heartedly banged his hoof on the ground, looking as if he didn’t trust Phoebe.

  “Harder!” she urged him.

  Shimmer smacked his hoof to the floor with a bang. “Like that? Woah!” A tiny bolt of magic
shot from his hoof, criss-crossing over the grass and striking a stone. CRACK! The stone shattered, leaving a strong, sugary smell hanging in the air.

  Phoebe gawped at Shimmer. “You’ve found your magic! Oh, Shimmer!” She flung her arms round him and then looked over at the shattered rock. “But … what type of magic is it?”

  “I don’t know!” Shimmer said in shock.

  He stamped his hoof again. With a crack, a bolt of magic flew across the grass, hitting a boulder and splitting it in half.

  “Wow! That’s powerful!” yelped Phoebe in excitement.

  Shimmer exploded a bucket next, almost soaking them both as the water cascaded out.

  Phoebe squealed. “Stop it! You’re going to wreck the camp! You’d better stop practising with it, at least until we’ve worked out what sort of magic you’ve got.”

  “All right,” said Shimmer, reluctantly. “It’s is tiring. I feel exhausted now.”

  “Wait here. I’ll go and tell the others!” Phoebe said and, buzzing with excitement, she raced back to the tents to tell her friends the news.

  “Go away!” said Zara again when Phoebe stuck her head inside her tent. She was sitting cross-legged on her sleeping bag, talking to Lily and Aisha.

  Phoebe still felt bad about before but Shimmer getting his magic was far more important than any argument. “Shimmer’s found his magic!” she exclaimed.

  “What?” said Lily.

  “It’s awesome!” Phoebe rushed on. “But we don’t know exactly what it is. He keeps exploding things!”

  “Are you joking?” Zara gave her a withering look. “Phoebe, have you seriously not learned anything today? Making stuff up just isn’t funny.”

  “But I’m not making this up!” Phoebe protested. “Shimmer was messing around, banging his hoof on the ground, when suddenly a mini bolt of magic flew out and a stone exploded. Then he shattered a boulder – a whole boulder – and a water bucket! It was incredible.”