Dark Tricks

by Linda Chapman

  “I knew it!” spat Sorrel. “When we were in her garden last, I smelled Shades.”

  “We thought it was because of Mrs Crooks,” said Maia, “but it must have been because of Auntie Mabel. She has a stone that’s really powerful. Granny Anne took it from her a long time ago and then visited her every day to keep commanding her not to use dark magic. But when Granny Anne died, Auntie Mabel got the stone back.”

  “I just can’t believe it,” said Lottie, shaking her head.

  “It’s true,” said Sita. She told them about the illusion Auntie Mabel had cast to make herself look and sound like Maia. “She’s probably waiting for you at the front door right now.”

  “Why did you come to the cellar?” said Maia.

  “Well, you said you’d found something important here – I wanted to find out what it was,” said Ionie.

  “Ionie’s so brave,” said Sorrel, purring approvingly and weaving between Ionie’s legs.

  “I tried to stop her,” said Lottie. “Though I’m kind of glad she didn’t listen to me now. At least we didn’t walk straight into a trap.”

  “Where are Bracken and Willow?” said Juniper looking around.

  Maia’s heart twisted. “They’re stuck inside a snow globe and Holly, the Patels’ dog, is with them!” she explained. “It must be why I kept seeing Holly in snow. Auntie Mabel told me she was going to test the globe. I think she tried out the magic on Holly – maybe because Mrs Patel was one of Granny Anne’s friends and she wanted to hurt her, just like she’s been trying to hurt me and my family. Now Bracken and Willow are trapped inside it, too.”

  Juniper chattered unhappily and Sorrel bristled. “This is very bad news,” she said. “If the old woman has them in her power, you’ll have to do as she says.”

  “We’ve got to be able to stop her somehow,” said Ionie desperately.

  At that moment the cellar door opened.

  “Hide!” Maia mouthed quickly.

  Lottie hid behind the table while Ionie ran to the wall and cast a glamour. She immediately seemed to merge with the wall. Juniper and Sorrel disappeared.

  “Your friends will be here very soon,” said Auntie Mabel, coming down the stairs with the snow globe. She looked her usual self again. “But I don’t think we need wait for them to begin. It’s time to start taking away your memories of magic.” She touched the Dark Stone to the floor and the circle around Maia and Sita vanished. “Who is going to be first?” she said with an evil smile.

  A Shade stepped out from the shadows by the wall. It was tall and thin with spiny fingers and sharp teeth. “How about me?” it hissed, flexing its fingers.

  Auntie Mabel exclaimed in shock. Maia froze but then noticed the Shade had a glowing golden outline and realized it was Ionie using her magic to cast an illusion.

  “What are you doing here? Who conjured you from the shadows?” Auntie Mabel backed away and stumbled on the Seeing Stone that Maia had thrown into the cellar earlier. Losing her balance, she fell to the ground.

  There was a sudden blur of movement – it was Lottie darting out from behind the table. She grabbed the snow globe from Auntie Mabel’s hands before the old lady realized what was happening.

  “No!” shrieked Auntie Mabel, scrabbling after her on her hands and knees. But Lottie was already safely on the other side of the room, cradling the snow globe in her hands.

  The Shade became Ionie once more. “Smash the globe, Lottie!”

  “If you do, the animals will disappear forever!” hissed Auntie Mabel.

  Ionie hesitated but then shook her head. “No, I don’t believe you. When we smashed the mirror it released the Mirror Shade.”

  “Yes, and when the garden gnome smashed, it set the Wish Shade inside it free,” said Lottie.

  “You’re right!” urged Juniper, leaping on to the table with the crystals. “Do it, Lottie!”

  Auntie Mabel held up the Dark Stone and opened her mouth.

  Maia’s heart leaped into her throat. She was sure Auntie Mabel was going to use some sort of horrible power on Lottie. She couldn’t let that happen. Throwing herself at Auntie Mabel, she grabbed the stone and wrestled it out of her fingers. “Got it!” she gasped in triumph.

  Auntie Mabel’s eyes glittered. “And so you have!” she spat. She pointed at Maia from the floor and screamed out a string of harsh-sounding words that Maia couldn’t understand.

  Maia felt the world spin and then it seemed as though her head was getting lighter and lighter. Her thoughts grew fuzzy and confused, and all she could hear were the strangesounding words. She sank down to her knees, still holding the Dark Stone in her hands.

  “What’s happening?” Maia heard Ionie cry. “What’s she doing to Maia?”

  “Stop it!” Sita shouted, pointing at Auntie Mabel. Her voice was suddenly strong and clear. “I command you to be silent!”

  Auntie Mabel’s mouth opened and closed but no sound came out. With a yowl, Sorrel pounced on the old lady’s chest and Lottie threw the globe on to the floor. There was a huge smash and it exploded into smithereens.

  The next instant Bracken and Willow were in the room with the girls. Bracken raced over to Maia and started licking her face. Willow charged to Sita’s side and rubbed her head against her. Holly, the spaniel, scurried under the table fearfully.

  Maia started to stroke the fox but then she stopped. Why was she patting a fox? He seemed very tame.

  She looked around. Why was she in a cellar with her friends? And why were there so many animals? And why was that wildcat sitting on poor Auntie Mabel’s chest and hissing furiously at her? “What’s happening?” she said in confusion.

  “Maia!” the fox said, nuzzling her cheek. “Are you all right?”

  Maia blinked. She could have sworn she’d just heard him say her name. But that couldn’t be right. Animals couldn’t talk. She stood up and backed away from the fox. “What … what’s going on?” she said faintly. She realized she was holding a dark sparkling stone in her hand and dropped it.

  The red squirrel raced over and grabbed it in his paws.

  “Stay where you are, Auntie Mabel. I command you to freeze!” Sita said to Auntie Mabel as she lunged at the squirrel.

  Auntie Mabel stopped with a jerk.

  “What’s happening?” Ionie said. “Why’s Maia being weird?”

  “I didn’t silence Auntie Mabel in time,” said Sita. “I think she said the spell – and now Maia’s forgotten everything about magic.”

  “Magic?” Maia echoed in confusion. “What are you talking about? Magic isn’t real.”

  Seeing her friends exchange horrified looks, she buried her face in her hands. This was all too weird. Her head felt like it was spinning and she was filled with an intense sense of loss but she didn’t know what for.

  All four animals bounded over to her.

  “Maia, it’s a spell!”

  Looking up, she saw that it was the fox speaking. He was staring at her intently with unusual indigo eyes.

  “You can still get your memories back,” said the wildcat. “Fight against the spell.”

  “You can do it, Maia,” said the deer.

  “We need you,” said the squirrel, jumping on to her shoulder and stroking her hair with his little paws. “Please try.”

  All of the animals were talking now! How strange this was.

  “What memories?” said Maia. “I don’t understand.”

  The fox put his paws up on her legs. She stroked him. It was strange – she felt as if she knew him really well.

  “Maia – magic is real,” said Lottie. “We’re Star Friends.”

  “We’ve had lots of adventures together,” added Ionie. “We’ve fought Shades and sent them back to the shadows. Please believe us.”

  Maia looked into her green eyes. Ionie did usually tell the truth, and fuzzy memories were staring to flash into her head of she and her friends doing magic. She frowned.

  “Maia,” Sita said. “The other day I promised I’d never use
magic on you but I’m going to break my promise. You made me believe in my magic powers earlier today and now I’m going to make you do something – I’m going to make you listen. Maia, you must believe us. Magic is real.”

  More images formed in Maia’s head. She and her friends in the clearing in the woods with the four animals… She and Ionie chasing after a gnome… Trying to catch little yellow stretchy men with fangs…

  “Magic is real?” she said slowly.

  Bracken licked her. “Yes. Please believe.”

  She looked into his sparkling eyes, framed by his soft rusty red fur, and felt the memories get stronger and more vivid. Crouching down, she hugged him and breathing in his sweet smell, her confusion cleared like a fog lifting. “Of course magic is real!” she said. “I’m your Star Friend – you’re my Star Animal!”

  “Always,” said Bracken, nuzzling into her.

  “All the things I’m remembering, they really happened, didn’t they?” Maia said, looking at the others.

  “Yes!” Lottie, Ionie and Sita said together.

  “It depends rather on what you’re imagining but I presume so,” said Sorrel dryly.

  Maia felt a rush of love for all her friends and their animals. “Thank you for helping me,” she said.

  Bracken swung round and looked at Auntie Mabel, who was still frozen, unable to move, her eyes flashing furiously. “And that’s why Star Friends are better than people who use dark magic,” he said triumphantly to her. “Star Friends and their animals trust and help each other – and when they do they can defeat anything!”

  Auntie Mabel glared at him, still under the power of Sita’s command to be silent.

  “Where’s the Dark Stone?” Maia said.

  “I’ve got it,” said Juniper.

  Maia walked back to Auntie Mabel. “Can you unfreeze her, Sita?”

  “Are you sure?” Sita said.

  “We’ve got to do something. We can’t leave her frozen forever.” Maia looked at Auntie Mabel. “We’ll give you a chance. If we unfreeze you, you have to do what we say and promise never to use dark magic again.” She glanced at Sita. “Unfreeze her.”

  Sita pointed at Auntie Mabel. “You may move and speak.”

  “How dare you subdue me like that!” Auntie Mabel hissed at Sita.

  “Do you promise that you will never use dark magic again?” Maia said.

  “No!” said Auntie Mabel. Moving surprisingly quickly, she lunged for Juniper. He leaped away from her, keeping the stone safe.

  “I command you to freeze!” cried Sita, pointing at her.

  Auntie Mabel froze once more.

  “Face me,” said Sita calmly. “And open your hands.”

  Auntie Mabel did as she was told.

  “Juniper, put the stone in Auntie Mabel’s hands,” Sita said.

  “What?” Maia, Lottie and Ionie exclaimed.

  “Sita, what are you doing?” Willow said.

  “It’s the only thing we can do if we want to keep Westcombe safe,” said Sita softly. “Auntie Mabel, you will keep hold of the Dark Stone and say the spell to forget everything to do with magic.”

  Auntie Mabel tried to shake her head but couldn’t. Only her eyes moved from side to side.

  “Sita? Are you sure?” Lottie asked.

  “It’s using dark magic,” said Juniper anxiously.

  “It’s making her use dark magic against herself,” said Sita. She looked at them all steadily. “I really am sure this is the only way.” Her voice rang with a new confidence. “We have to protect Westcombe.”

  “I agree with Sita,” said Sorrel. The other animals nodded, too.

  “Yes. Do it,” Maia said.

  “You may speak,” said Sita to Auntie Mabel.

  “Others will come,” Auntie Mabel burst out in a rush. “You can stop me but the village will not be safe. The clearing in the woods is a powerful magical place. You will face other threats more dangerous than me. You will—”

  “Enough!” Sita commanded. “Say the spell that will make you forget! Say it now!”

  Auntie Mabel’s mouth moved and she looked like she was trying to keep it shut but the harsh words burst out of her in a tangled stream.

  The stone glowed for a moment, and then Auntie Mabel’s eyes clouded and she looked around in confusion.

  “It worked!” breathed Lottie.

  “That was incredible, Sita,” said Maia in awe.

  “What’s happening?” Auntie Mabel said, looking dazed. “Why are we in my cellar?” She held out the Dark Stone. “And what’s this?”

  “That’s mine,” said Maia hurriedly, taking it from her. The stone felt icy cold and seemed to prickle her fingers. She shoved it in her pocket. She saw Holly still hiding under the table and had an idea. “We were here to help you with the decorations and then we heard a noise down here – it was the Patels’ missing dog. I don’t know how she got in here but we all came to get her and … then you banged your head.”

  Auntie Mabel blinked. “What about all these other animals?”

  The Star Animals vanished.

  Auntie Mabel blinked.

  “What do you mean, Auntie Mabel?” Maia asked innocently.

  Auntie Mabel rubbed her eyes. “I thought I saw wild animals… Goodness, I really did bang my head, didn’t I?”

  “You did. How about we go upstairs and we can make you a cup of tea?” Lottie said.

  “I think that would be a good idea,” said Auntie Mabel faintly.

  “And then we should take Holly home to the Patels,” said Sita, crouching down and holding her hand out to the spaniel. “Come here, Holly. It’s OK now. Come out.”

  Holly crept out and Sita picked her up. The spaniel licked her face, immediately calming down as Sita stroked and soothed her.

  “The Winter Fayre!” said Auntie Mabel suddenly. “I need to take the decorations there.”

  “Don’t worry, we’ll sort that out for you,” said Maia as they went upstairs. “You can have a rest and come to the fayre later, when you’re feeling better.”

  Auntie Mabel smiled. “That’s very kind of you, dears. Thank you very much.”

  “What are we going to do about the decorations?” Maia whispered to the others when Auntie Mabel was settled with a cup of tea. “We can’t let them be sold at the fayre.”

  “I have an idea,” said Lottie. She turned to Auntie Mabel and picked up one of the decorations. “Um, I think there might be a problem with these decorations.”

  “What sort of problem?” Auntie Mabel said.

  “It’s the crystals in the centre of the eyes. I showed the decoration you gave me to my mum and she said it’s a choking hazard for children.”

  Auntie Mabel looked worried. “Oh dear, I hadn’t thought of that. I put them on because … because…” She frowned. “Well, I think I must have thought they looked pretty. Yes, that must be why.”

  “We could always take them off for you,” said Lottie. “The decorations will look just as cute without the sparkly crystals.”

  “It really would be best,” Ionie added quickly as Auntie Mabel hesitated.

  “Well, if you don’t mind,” said Auntie Mabel. “It’s a shame – but I would hate a child to get hurt.”

  The four girls worked quickly. Soon all the crystals were sealed in a bag that Bracken buried deep in a flower bed in the garden and the decorations were nothing more than just normal Christmas decorations.

  “We’ll take them to the village hall,” said Sita. “And we’ll take Holly home on the way.”

  They created a makeshift lead for Holly using a piece of thick ribbon from Auntie Mabel’s sewing box and then waved Auntie Mabel goodbye.

  When they reached the Patels’, the family were overjoyed to see Holly.

  “Where did you find her?” Mrs Patel asked as her two little girls hugged the spaniel in delight and Holly bounded around them.

  “In the woods,” Maia said. They’d all decided that would be the best story.

&nbs
p; “Thank you so much for bringing her back,” said Mrs Patel.

  “No problem!” the girls chorused.

  The girls went on to the village hall and delivered the decorations. Maia’s mum was already there. “I’m very glad you’re here, girls,” she said. “We could do with some extra help.”

  They were immediately swept up into getting the hall ready, the stalls put out and the coffee things set up in the kitchen. At two o’clock the hall doors were opened and people flocked in. Soon the whole place was full of people buying gifts, drinking tea and coffee, eating cakes and chatting. The smell of gingerbread and candyfloss filled the air.

  Maia’s mum came up to her with Alfie. He was wearing a Father Christmas hat and eating iced gingerbread. “The fayre’s going so well,” said Mrs Greene happily. “Granny Anne would be really pleased to know everything was carrying on just as she would have wanted.”

  “Mmm,” Maia said, glancing over at where Auntie Mabel was selling her decorations. She had a feeling her granny would be even more pleased to know that they had managed to stop Auntie Mabel’s evil plans!

  We’ll have to keep a close eye on her in case the spell wears off, Maia thought. And we need to think about what to do with the Dark Stone.

  “Do you want to buy some gingerbread to have with your friends?” her mum said. “Ionie, Lottie and Sita are over there.” She got some money out of her purse.

  “Thanks, Mum! Is it OK if we go for a walk?” Maia said.

  “Sure, I’ll see you back at home later.”

  Maia ran to join the others and they bought slabs of warm gingerbread covered with sweet white icing then headed for the clearing, munching happily. No one said a thing about what had happened with Auntie Mabel. It was as though they all had a silent agreement not to speak about it until they reached the privacy of the clearing and could call their Star Animals.

  They hurried down the track, past Granny Anne’s cottage with a “For Sale” board up and along the overgrown footpath. Dark green ivy scrambled through the holly bushes, with their red berries providing splashes of colour against all the dull green and brown.