CHAPTER 19
Red Reera the Yookoohoo
After the meal was over and Reera had fed her pets, including the fourmonster spiders which had come down from their webs to secure theirshare, she made the table disappear from the floor of the cottage.
"I wish you'd consent to my transforming your fishes," she said, asshe took up her knitting again.
The Skeezer made no reply. He thought it unwise to hurry matters. Allduring the afternoon they sat silent. Once Reera went to her cupboardand after thrusting her hand into the same drawer as before, touchedthe wolf and transformed it into a bird with gorgeous coloredfeathers. This bird was larger than a parrot and of a somewhatdifferent form, but Ervic had never seen one like it before.
"Sing!" said Reera to the bird, which had perched itself on a bigwooden peg--as if it had been in the cottage before and knew just whatto do.
And the bird sang jolly, rollicking songs with words to them--just asa person who had been carefully trained might do. The songs wereentertaining and Ervic enjoyed listening to them. In an hour or so thebird stopped singing, tucked its head under its wing and went tosleep. Reera continued knitting but seemed thoughtful.
Now Ervic had marked this cupboard drawer well and had concluded thatReera took something from it which enabled her to perform hertransformations. He thought that if he managed to remain in thecottage, and Reera fell asleep, he could slyly open the cupboard,take a portion of whatever was in the drawer, and by dropping it intothe copper kettle transform the three fishes into their naturalshapes. Indeed, he had firmly resolved to carry out this plan when theYookoohoo put down her knitting and walked toward the door.
"I'm going out for a few minutes," said she; "do you wish to go withme, or will you remain here?"
Ervic did not answer but sat quietly on his bench. So Reera went outand closed the cottage door.
As soon as she was gone, Ervic rose and tiptoed to the cupboard.
"Take care! Take care!" cried several voices, coming from the kittensand chipmunks. "If you touch anything we'll tell the Yookoohoo!"
Ervic hesitated a moment but, remembering that he need not considerReera's anger if he succeeded in transforming the fishes, he was aboutto open the cupboard when he was arrested by the voices of the fishes,which stuck their heads above the water in the kettle and called out:
"Come here, Ervic!"
So he went back to the kettle and bent over it.
"Let the cupboard alone," said the goldfish to him earnestly. "Youcould not succeed by getting that magic powder, for only the Yookoohooknows how to use it. The best way is to allow her to transform us intothree girls, for then we will have our natural shapes and be able toperform all the Arts of Magic we have learned and well understand. Youare acting wisely and in the most effective manner. We did not knowyou were so intelligent, or that Reera could be so easily deceived byyou. Continue as you have begun and try to persuade her to transformus. But insist that we be given the forms of girls."
The goldfish ducked its head down just as Reera re-entered thecottage. She saw Ervic bent over the kettle, so she came and joinedhim.
"Can your fishes talk?" she asked.
"Sometimes," he replied, "for all fishes in the Land of Oz know how tospeak. Just now they were asking me for some bread. They are hungry."
"Well, they can have some bread," said Reera. "But it is nearlysupper-time, and if you would allow me to transform your fishes intogirls they could join us at the table and have plenty of food muchnicer than crumbs. Why not let me transform them?"
"Well," said Ervic, as if hesitating, "ask the fishes. If theyconsent, why--why, then, I'll think it over."
Reera bent over the kettle and asked:
"Can you hear me, little fishes?"
All three popped their heads above water.
"We can hear you," said the bronzefish.
"I want to give you other forms, such as rabbits, or turtles or girls,or something; but your master, the surly Skeezer, does not wish me to.However, he has agreed to the plan if you will consent."
"We'd like to be girls," said the silverfish.
"No, no!" exclaimed Ervic.
"If you promise to make us three beautiful girls, we will consent,"said the goldfish.
"No, no!" exclaimed Ervic again.
"Also make us Adepts at Magic," added the bronzefish.
"I don't know exactly what that means," replied Reera musingly, "butas no Adept at Magic is as powerful as Yookoohoo, I'll add that to thetransformation."
"We won't try to harm you, or to interfere with your magic in anyway," promised the goldfish. "On the contrary, we will be yourfriends."
"Will you agree to go away and leave me alone in my cottage, wheneverI command you to do so?" asked Reera.
"We promise that," cried the three fishes.
"Don't do it! Don't consent to the transformation," urged Ervic.
"They have already consented," said the Yookoohoo, laughing in hisface, "and you have promised me to abide by their decision. So, friendSkeezer, I shall perform the transformation whether you like it ornot."
Ervic seated himself on the bench again, a deep scowl on his face butjoy in his heart. Reera moved over to the cupboard, took somethingfrom the drawer and returned to the copper kettle. She was clutchingsomething tightly in her right hand, but with her left she reachedwithin the kettle, took out the three fishes and laid them carefullyon the floor, where they gasped in distress at being out of water.
Reera did not keep them in misery more than a few seconds, for shetouched each one with her right hand and instantly the fishes weretransformed into three tall and slender young women, with fine,intelligent faces and clothed in handsome, clinging gowns. The one whohad been a goldfish had beautiful golden hair and blue eyes and wasexceedingly fair of skin; the one who had been a bronzefish had darkbrown hair and clear gray eyes and her complexion matched theselovely features. The one who had been a silverfish had snow-white hairof the finest texture and deep brown eyes. The hair contrastedexquisitely with her pink cheeks and ruby-red lips, nor did it makeher look a day older than her two companions.
As soon as they secured these girlish shapes, all three bowed low tothe Yookoohoo and said:
"We thank you, Reera."
Then they bowed to the Skeezer and said:
"We thank you, Ervic."
"Very good!" cried the Yookoohoo, examining her work with criticalapproval. "You are much better and more interesting than fishes, andthis ungracious Skeezer would scarcely allow me to do thetransformations. You surely have nothing to thank _him_ for. But nowlet us dine in honor of the occasion."
She clapped her hands together and again a table loaded with foodappeared in the cottage. It was a longer table, this time, and placeswere set for the three Adepts as well as for Reera and Ervic.
"Sit down, friends, and eat your fill," said the Yookoohoo, butinstead of seating herself at the head of the table she went to thecupboard, saying to the Adepts: "Your beauty and grace, my fairfriends, quite outshine my own. So that I may appear properly at thebanquet table I intend, in honor of this occasion, to take upon myselfmy natural shape."
Scarcely had she finished this speech when Reera transformed herselfinto a young woman fully as lovely as the three Adepts. She was notquite so tall as they, but her form was more rounded and morehandsomely clothed, with a wonderful jeweled girdle and a necklace ofshining pearls. Her hair was a bright auburn red, and her eyes largeand dark.
"Do you claim this is your natural form?" asked Ervic of theYookoohoo.
"Yes," she replied. "This is the only form I am really entitled towear. But I seldom assume it because there is no one here to admire orappreciate it and I get tired admiring it myself."
"I see now why you are named Reera the Red," remarked Ervic.
"It is on account of my red hair," she explained smiling. "I do notcare for red hair myself, which is one reason I usually wear otherforms."
"It is beautiful," asserted the young man; a
nd then remembering theother women present he added: "But, of course, all women should nothave red hair, because that would make it too common. Gold and silverand brown hair are equally handsome."
The smiles that he saw interchanged between the four filled the poorSkeezer with embarrassment, so he fell silent and attended to eatinghis supper, leaving the others to do the talking. The three Adeptsfrankly told Reera who they were, how they became fishes and how theyhad planned secretly to induce the Yookoohoo to transform them. Theyadmitted that they had feared, had they asked her to help, that shewould have refused them.
"You were quite right," returned the Yookoohoo. "I make it my rulenever to perform magic to assist others, for if I did there wouldalways be crowds at my cottage demanding help and I hate crowds andwant to be left alone.
"However, now that you are restored to your proper shapes, I do notregret my action and I hope you will be of use in saving the Skeezerpeople by raising their island to the surface of the lake, where itreally belongs. But you must promise me that after you go away youwill never come here again, nor tell anyone what I have done for you."
The three Adepts and Ervic thanked the Yookoohoo warmly. They promisedto remember her wish that they should not come to her cottage againand so, with a good-bye, took their departure.
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