Jinny & Cooper: Curse of the Genie's Ring

by Tania Ingram

  About the Book

  When Jinny and her brother, Tyrone, find a ring in Miss Morgan’s attic, they have no idea about the danger they’re in. Tyrone awakens a genie, and once he’s made one sneaky little wish, he can’t stop!

  Can Jinny and Cooper save Tyrone before the genie’s curse traps him forever? And can Cooper resist using the ring to wish for a cake as big as a house?

  Don’t do it, Cooper!

  Contents

  Not the guinea pig of my dreams . . .

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Jinny & Cooper Quiz

  About the Author

  For Ken and Josie, with love

  I often wonder what life would have been like had I bought a different guinea pig for my tenth birthday. I had dreamt of owning a soft, golden-haired guinea pig but had ended up with crazy, scruffy Cooper instead.

  Cooper was different to most guinea pigs. For starters, most guinea pigs don’t talk, let alone disappear or teleport.

  At first I’d found Cooper frustrating and irritating. He’d steal food from the pantry and leave crumbs and sticky paw prints all over my bedroom. He drove me and my little brother, Tyrone, insane by sneaking up on us when he was invisible or taking our belongings without asking.

  I soon worked out that Cooper was trouble with a capital T. At one point I even thought about taking him back to the pet shop we had bought him from.

  But then he risked his own life to save me from an evil witch, and I realised just how much he had grown on me. He’d become my best friend and I couldn’t imagine life without him.

  Lately Cooper had been even more trouble than usual. Mum forgot to add biscuits to the shopping list and said we’d have to wait until the following week before she bought more. Cooper cracked a fit when I told him. He tore through the pantry that night, checking to see if there were any forgotten packets of biscuits hidden in the back. When he didn’t find any, he tried to make his own biscuits by mixing drinking chocolate with porridge and honey. Mum was furious when she’d found the mess the next morning and, of course, I had to take the blame.

  But Cooper’s rampage didn’t end there. Three nights later he tried to eat Mum’s fancy cookies and cream face wash. He finished up with a terrible stomach ache and stank up my bedroom for two days! I was glad when Mum finally bought more biscuits because Cooper was acting crazy, and I wasn’t sure what he’d do next. Thankfully, once we had biscuits he settled down again and life went back to normal.

  My stomach was doing little flips. I was excited and nervous all at the same time. Mum had never gone away without me and Tyrone before. Miss Morgan stood on the verandah with us as Mum kissed me on the head.

  ‘Don’t forget to help Miss Morgan where you can, Jinny,’ Mum said as she pushed the hair off my face.

  ‘And Tyrone, please use your best manners.’

  Tyrone gave Mum a salute and a big grin. ‘Best manners. Gotcha,’ he said.

  He tried to dodge out of Mum’s way as she swept in for a kiss, but she managed to grab him and pull him back.

  ‘Yuck! Girl germs!’ Tyrone said as he wiped the kiss from his cheek.

  Mum looked us over with an anxious stare. ‘I’ll miss you guys,’ she said.

  ‘It’s only for three days, Mum. We’ll be fine,’ I replied, trying to sound braver than I felt.

  ‘And it’s going to be great having a holiday here at Miss Morgan’s house while you’re at the conference,’ Tyrone added.

  Mum and Miss Morgan worked together for the Miller Springs Local Council. Although Miss Morgan was quite a bit older than Mum, they’d become good friends. What Mum didn’t know was that Miss Morgan was also a witch. Tyrone and I had discovered this when an evil Stone Witch tried to steal Cooper, and Miss Morgan was sent to help us. Since then, we had spent a lot of time with Miss Morgan and now she was practically a member of the family. Tyrone especially adored Miss Morgan because she liked fish almost as much as he did.

  Mum looked from me to Tyrone and nodded. ‘I’m sure you’ll both have a wonderful time.’ She picked up her handbag and headed to the waiting taxi.

  Miss Morgan slipped her arm around my shoulder and waved to Mum. ‘You have a lovely trip,’ she said. ‘Don’t worry about the kids. They’ll be fine.’

  Mum thanked Miss Morgan and climbed into the taxi. She blew us kisses from the window as the taxi reversed out of the driveway.

  It was great that we were staying with Miss Morgan while Mum was away because she knew all about Cooper and his special abilities. Mum thought Cooper was just a regular guinea pig and it was hard work hiding the truth from her. But if Mum knew that Cooper was magical, she would completely freak out. With Miss Morgan, we could all relax and be ourselves. Cooper included.

  After Mum left we went inside to Miss Morgan’s cosy living room.

  Cooper was on the sofa with a chocolate biscuit between his paws. ‘I thought she was going to change her mind for a minute there,’ he muttered through a mouthful of crumbs.

  ‘Cooper! We discussed this,’ I said, taking the biscuit from him. ‘No causing trouble, no making a mess and NO stealing food!’

  Cooper pouted and looked longingly at the biscuit. ‘But you took so long saying goodbye to your mother I got lonely,’ he said in a small voice.

  I put the biscuit on the table. ‘Nice try, Cooper.’

  As I brushed the crumbs from the sofa, Cooper disappeared. He reappeared on the table, next to the biscuit and swiftly grabbed it.

  ‘Hey!’ I shouted, but it was too late. Cooper was gone again . . . and so was the biscuit.

  Miss Morgan put her hand on my shoulder. ‘There’s no point trying to change him,’ she said, laughing. ‘Sometimes you simply have to accept people as they are.’

  ‘But he’s not a person,’ Tyrone corrected.

  ‘You also need to accept magical guinea pigs as they are,’ Miss Morgan added with a wink.

  I sighed and threw my hands into the air. ‘Sometimes he drives me so crazy.’

  ‘I imagine he does, but would you really want him any other way?’ Miss Morgan asked.

  I thought about Cooper as a regular guinea pig and shook my head. ‘I guess not.’

  I helped Miss Morgan set the table for lunch while Tyrone read his book.

  ‘After lunch I’m going to sort through some boxes in my attic,’ Miss Morgan said. ‘I’m looking for a black fire candle and I’m sure I have one packed away somewhere.’ She tapped her chin thoughtfully and muttered to herself, ‘I really should make an inventory while I’m at it.’

  ‘I can help, if you like,’ I offered. I wanted to know what a black fire candle looked like and was thrilled at the idea of poking through boxes of magic things.

  ‘Can I help too?’ Tyrone asked, peering over the top of his book. ‘I only charge two dollars a box.’

  ‘Tyrone!’ I gasped.

  I apologised to Miss Morgan and explained, ‘Tyrone’s saving up for a new skateboard.’

  ‘And I only need thirteen more dollars!’ Tyrone added.

  Miss Morgan raised her eyebrows. ‘I see.’

  ‘It’s the best skateboard in the world,’ Tyrone continued. ‘It’s called the Trick Master because you can do so many tricks on it – like a nosegrind and an ollie.’ He jumped up and pretended to be riding a skateboard.

  ‘I think I can
pay you a little,’ Miss Morgan said.

  ‘You don’t need to do that,’ I interrupted. ‘We’re happy to help.’ I glared at Tyrone.

  ‘No fair!’ Tyrone whined and poked his tongue out at me. He folded his arms and slouched down in his chair.

  ‘Now, now,’ Miss Morgan said. ‘Let’s not argue. I’m sure I can spare some change to put towards Tyrone’s skateboard.’

  Tyrone pumped his fist in the air and gave me a smug look.

  ‘In the meantime, go and wash your hands before lunch,’ Miss Morgan added.

  Cooper reappeared on the kitchen table, whiskers covered in chocolate.

  ‘Did someone mention lunch?’ he asked innocently. ‘I could do with a spot of something to wash down that biscuit.’

  Miss Morgan chuckled and wandered off to the kitchen with Cooper close behind.

  I grabbed Tyrone by the arm. ‘You can’t take money from Miss Morgan,’ I hissed at him.

  ‘Yes, I can. She wants to give it to me. She said so.’

  ‘Only because you asked for it.’ I gave him a determined stare.

  Tyrone pulled away from me and frowned.

  ‘So after lunch you tell her you were just joking,’ I continued.

  ‘I don’t have to do what you say, Jinny!’

  ‘Yes, you do,’ I growled, ‘or else I’ll tell Mum.’

  Tyrone wiped his nose on the back of his sleeve. ‘You’re just a big, bossy dobber-butt!’ he shouted, pushing past me and storming off to the bathroom.

  I ground my teeth together and took a deep breath. Tyrone and I had always been close but lately he wanted to argue about everything. Last week he’d blamed me for breaking his favourite toy car and yesterday he wouldn’t let me watch cartoons, even though it was my turn to choose.

  ‘Brothers,’ I muttered to myself. ‘Sometime I wish I was an only child.’

  Of course I didn’t really mean it. And I would never have said it if I’d known what was going to happen.

  After lunch we all went to Miss Morgan’s attic. There were several cardboard boxes stacked against the far wall. Miss Morgan dragged a box into the middle of the room and cut away the tape from the top. She picked up a notepad and pen and looked at me. ‘Ready when you are.’

  I leant into the box and pulled out the first item. It was a long, silver case with a pattern carved into the lid. Inside was a slim white candle.

  ‘One invocation candle in protective silver container,’ Miss Morgan said as she wrote it on her notepad. ‘I’ll keep that one.’ She nodded at me and I placed it into an empty box with KEEP written on the side.

  ‘Next item, please.’

  I reached into the box again and pulled out a dusty velvet bag with a red drawstring cord.

  ‘My old bag of containment!’ Miss Morgan exclaimed. ‘I haven’t seen that in years.’

  ‘What’s a bag of containment?’ Tyrone said, wrinkling his nose as he took the bag from me.

  ‘It’s a magic bag that stays the same size and weight, no matter how much you put into it,’ Miss Morgan replied. She smiled fondly at the bag. ‘I once packed all my belongings in here when I moved overseas.’

  ‘That’s impossible!’ Tyrone said. ‘You couldn’t fit all your stuff into that little bag.’

  ‘Really?’ Miss Morgan said with a twinkle in her eye.

  She took the bag from Tyrone and placed it open on the floor. Picking up a nearby chair, she carefully tilted it and placed one of its legs into the bag’s opening. Then, with a quick wriggle, Miss Morgan pushed the entire chair downwards and into the bag until it disappeared. She passed the bag to Tyrone with a smile.

  ‘No way!’ Tyrone said, peering inside.

  He tipped the bag towards me so I could see that it was empty.

  ‘Where did the chair go?’ I asked Miss Morgan, as I stared at the bag in disbelief.

  ‘It’s still there,’ she replied. She gestured to me. ‘Check it for yourself.’

  Tyrone held the bag as I reached in. No sooner was my hand inside when I felt the wooden top of the chair.

  ‘But how do I get it out?’

  ‘Grab it and pull firmly,’ Miss Morgan replied.

  I grabbed the back of the chair and pulled as hard as I could. The chair came out of the bag easily, and I almost toppled over.

  ‘Amazing!’ Tyrone said in awe.

  ‘No, it would have been amazing if Jinny had pulled out a cake,’ Cooper piped up.

  He appeared on the chair and gave a little grin.

  I rolled my eyes. ‘Let’s get back to sorting the boxes,’ I suggested.

  We spent the next hour reorganising and cataloguing the items in Miss Morgan’s boxes. Some boxes contained everyday items you would expect to be packed away, like extra cups and platters or old books and magazines, but I especially liked the boxes with Miss Morgan’s magical items.

  Along with several invocation candles, we also found a box of magical feathers, a length of knotted rope, a pot of invisibility dust, five empty potion jars, a number of elemental gems and a glass orb the size of a tennis ball, which Miss Morgan said could boost the power of a spell.

  We also found the black fire candle, which looked similar to a normal candle until you lit it, whereupon the whole thing became one long, black flame. Miss Morgan explained they were used to send messages to other witches, a bit like witch emails. As we repacked the last box, I hoped I’d get a chance to watch Miss Morgan use the candle.

  I noticed Miss Morgan wincing and rubbing her lower back.

  ‘Tyrone and I can finish off,’ I told her. ‘Why don’t you sit down for a while?’

  Miss Morgan smiled gratefully. ‘How about I go downstairs and make some banana smoothies?’ she said.

  ‘Great idea!’ Cooper said. ‘I’m famished. All this unpacking and repacking is exhausting.’

  ‘Cooper, you’ve been asleep on the chair for most of it,’ I said with a chuckle.

  ‘My point exactly,’ he replied. ‘See how exhausting it is?’

  I turned to Miss Morgan. ‘Smoothies would be great, thank you. Tyrone and I will tape up the boxes and then we’ll come downstairs.’

  Miss Morgan nodded and walked stiffly to the door. I finished placing the last of the items into the donations box and pushed the lid closed.

  ‘Hang on,’ Tyrone said. ‘You’ve missed the bag of containment.’

  He picked up the bag Miss Morgan had shown us earlier. There was a clink as something fell from the bag and hit the floor. Tyrone retrieved the object.

  ‘It’s a ring,’ he said, holding it up to the light.

  The ring had a thick silver band and was set with a huge rainbow-coloured stone. The stone was caked in a layer of dust and grime. Tyrone licked his thumb and rubbed it across the stone. The ring gave off a small hiss, like the sound of a soft drink bottle being opened. Suddenly, a crack of light appeared in the stone and Tyrone dropped the ring in shock.

  Mist appeared to be leaking out of the stone and swirling around the room like a mini tornado. I scooped Cooper from the chair and pulled Tyrone towards me as the air swirled around us. We watched it slow to a gentle spin and inside I could see a shadowy form taking shape – a man in a vest and waistcoat with a top hat and gloves.

  I held Tyrone and Cooper close to me, unsure of what to do.

  ‘It’s a ghost!’ Tyrone whispered in a frightened voice.

  ‘No, it’s worse than that,’ Cooper replied. ‘It’s a genie.’

  The genie stepped out of the mist and gave a low bow, but the top hat stayed firmly on his head. When he stood back up, he brushed the fur lining of his waistcoat and adjusted his gloves.

  ‘I am at your service,’ the genie said dramatically. ‘What is it that you wish for?’

  ‘Are you really a genie?’ I asked.

  ‘Yes,’ the genie replied, bowing again.

  ‘You don’t look like a genie,’ Tyrone added. ‘You don’t have a turban.’

  ‘Would you believe me if I were wearing h
arem lounge pants and pointed shoes?’ the genie replied, obviously annoyed.

  ‘Where’s your lamp?’ I asked.

  The genie scowled at me in disgust. ‘My lamp?! I stand before you, offering to grant you any wish and that is all you ask me?’

  ‘But aren’t genies supposed to live in lamps?’ Tyrone queried.

  The genie folded his arms and pursed his lips.

  ‘It’s a myth that genies always wear turbans and only live in lamps,’ Cooper interrupted. ‘And a stereotype that makes them quite cross, might I add. Fact is, genies like to dress up on occasion and can be attached to any object.’

  ‘Like a ring?’ I asked.

  Cooper nodded. ‘Exactly. Now, let’s ask the nice genie to return to his ring and we’ll put him back where we found him.’

  ‘But what about my wishes!’ Tyrone whined. ‘I was the one who rubbed the ring. I should get the wishes.’

  ‘No wishes,’ Cooper whispered. ‘You will always get more than you bargained for when a genie grants you a wish. No good will come from it. Trust me on this.’

  I could see the concern on Cooper’s face. Although he could be naughty and mischievous, I knew Cooper would always protect me and Tyrone.

  ‘Thanks anyway, but we don’t have any wishes that need granting,’ I told the genie.

  ‘But, Jiffer, I could get the Trick Master skateboard,’ Tyrone whinged. Tyrone always called me Jiffer when he wanted something or when he was scared.

  ‘We can talk about it later,’ I said to Tyrone.

  ‘What’s there to talk about?’ the genie asked in a singsong voice. He tugged on the cuffs of his waistcoat. ‘It’s easy. The boy makes a wish and I grant it.’ He turned and gave me a smile that was a little too wide, which sent shivers up my spine.

  ‘No, thank you,’ I repeated. ‘Now, please return to your ring . . . or home . . . or wherever you came from.’

  A dark look passed across the genie’s face.

  ‘I’ll be in the ring if you change your mind,’ he told Tyrone. He raised his hand in front of his face, clicked his fingers and disappeared.