Secrets of the Magic Ring

by Karen McQuestion

  The words coming out of Clem’s mouth were a little garbled because of the ring, but he answered, “I was in the pool.”

  “What?” Paul’s mouth dropped open, and his eyes widened in shock.

  Clem dropped the ring at Paul’s feet. “Don’t tell your mom, but I was in the pool.” He panted heavily. “Was looking for the ring, and I found it. Here ya go.”

  Paul jumped from foot to foot, something he did when he was excited. “Clem, you can talk.” He leaned down to look into the dog’s eyes. “I can’t believe you can talk.”

  “I’ve always talked,” Clem said, shaking his body to get rid of the excess moisture. “No one understood me, though.”

  “Boy oh boy,” Paul said, slapping his thigh. “This is unbelievable. Wait until I tell Alex and Celia. Totally weird and amazing. You could be like a totally famous dog. I’ll be famous. I’ll be the kid who has the talking dog. Unreal.” He ran his hand through his hair and thought of all the possibilities. His family would be rich. What would they do with all the money? A trip to Disney World for sure, and who knew what else.

  “Come with me,” Paul said, pulling on Clem’s collar. This was too good to keep to himself. His parents were going to fall over when they heard the dog talking.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Clem stiffened his legs and resisted being pulled. For the first time ever, he could voice an objection. “Where we going?” he sputtered. Paul paused and grinned. This really was happening. “We have to show my parents you can talk. They’re going to be amazed.” This was especially true for Paul’s mother, who thought the dog was an unnecessary expense. When she’d found a mouse in the basement, she’d dragged Clem downstairs, but the dog had no interest in catching it. If anything, he looked a little scared. “We should trade this dog in for a cat,” she’d said at the time. Now that Clem could talk, she’d see how wrong she’d been.

  “I’m not talking to them,” Clem said, sitting his back end firmly on the tile floor.

  “Why not?” Paul asked, flabbergasted.

  “I don’t care what they think. You talk to me all the time. You’re the only one I ever wanted to talk to.” Clem cocked his head to one side. “You ask me questions. I’ve wanted to answer, but I couldn’t. Think of all the fun we can have now!” He leaned forward and licked Paul’s hand.

  “So you won’t talk to my parents?” Paul said.

  “Nope.”

  “Not even a few words? For me? Please?”

  “Uh-uh, no way, no how,” Clem said. “They’ll just make a big fuss about it. I want my peace and quiet. I don’t wanna do tricks for people. What a pain.”

  Paul knew the feeling. It was like when he first learned his multiplication tables and his mother wanted him to show his grandmother. “Paul, show Grandma that you know your times tables. What’s nine times nine?” He’d answered, “Eighty-one,” and both his mother and grandmother had applauded. How annoying.

  His mother would have gone on and on quizzing him except his father had stopped it, saying, “He’s not a trained monkey, Leah. Give the kid a break.”

  Still, having a dog talk was a different thing altogether. “I’ll give you your favorite treat,” Paul said. “Anything you want?”

  Clem’s ears perked up. “Anything?”

  “Anything. And as much as you want.”

  The dog thought hard. Paul had always imagined that this particular expression was Clem’s thoughtful look, and now he knew for sure this was true. A minute later, Clem shook his head. “Nah. Don’t wanna. Thanks anyways.”

  Paul sighed. He knew how stubborn Clem could be. “Just think about it for a while. You might change your mind.”

  “Doubtful,” Clem said.

  “How is it you can talk, anyway?” Paul asked. “You never did before.”

  “It’s the ring,” Clem said. “It’s a magic thing.”

  “How do you know that?” Paul said.

  “We better go to your room to talk,” Clem said. “It’s a long story.”

  From the next room Paul’s mom called out, “Paul, who are you talking to? Who’s there?”

  Clem shook his head, warning him not to tell.

  Paul said, “No one’s here, Mom. I’m just talking to Clem.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Back in the woods, Mira and Jasmine settled against the base of a tree to talk. The weather was hot, but it was cool in the shade, and they could always use their wings to generate a slight breeze if need be.

  “How is it that you know all about the ring?” Jasmine asked.

  Mira arranged her skirt around her knees. “This goes back a long way, to when I was the fairy responsible for Celia’s house.”

  “Celia, you mean Paul’s friend?”

  “No, the original Celia, her grandmother.”

  Jasmine looked confused, so Mira clarified. “They both have the same name. The little girl was named after her grandmother. Back when I was in charge of the house, there was only one Celia, and that was the original Celia. Now she’s an old lady, but back in the day she was a lively little thing.”

  Jasmine stared in fascination. “How long ago was this?”

  “Sixty years or so. There were two girls back then, Celia and her sister Josie,” Mira said.

  “And the ring belonged to one of them?”

  Mira playfully shook a finger at her. “You’re getting ahead of me, missy. Let me tell it.”

  “Okay,” Jasmine said.

  “It was Celia and Josie in one house, and in the other house, the one where Paul lives, there was a boy named Silas McClutchy.”

  “Paul’s grandfather?”

  “Now you’re getting it,” Mira said.

  A slight breeze brought the scent of pine to them, a clean smell, Jasmine thought. She said, “So the ring belonged to Silas McClutchy?”

  “No,” Mira said. “The ring didn’t belong to anyone. It’s actually not a nice ring at all even though it gives the wearer a wish, the one wish they’ve always wanted. Not a wish that gives you a thing, but one that gives an ability, a talent, see? And not just any talent like playing the piano or singing, but a superhuman ability. Above and beyond what’s normal.”

  “I don’t get it,” Jasmine said. “So this ring just showed up one day? It had to belong to someone.”

  Mira sighed. “I’m not sure where it came from originally, but it was Silas who found it, and he showed it to his friend Henry. There was some kind of fight between them, and Henry wound up taking the ring. And he got more than he bargained for because the one thing he always wanted was to never grow up, and that’s exactly what he got.”

  “What did he get?” Jasmine asked.

  “He never got any older from the day he first put on the ring.”

  Jasmine gasped. “He’s been the same age for sixty years?”

  Mira nodded. “Never aged, not even a day. His parents took him to doctors to find out why he wasn’t getting taller. Eventually all the kids his age got deeper voices and started to grow whiskers, but not Henry. He was doomed. Eventually his family moved to Europe. I heard that they were looking for a cure in Switzerland. So many years ago.” She stared off in the distance and shook her head. “Back then, the fairy in charge of Henry’s family arranged to have the ring thrown into a well so it couldn’t damage anyone else’s life. Eventually that well dried up and was filled in. The ring might have stayed underground forever if Paul hadn’t found it when they were digging for the pool. I often wondered what happened to Henry, and now he’s turned up. I would imagine he’s outlived everyone in his family.”

  “How horrible. Couldn’t he unwish it?”

  “Nope, once it’s done, it’s done. That’s the problem with the ring and why it’s so awful. People think they want these outlandish things, but once they get them, it’s really a curse.”

  “And that’s why Vicky McClutchy can swim now,” Jasmine said. “That was her wish.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “But that doesn’t make sense because
swimming isn’t a superhuman talent.”

  Mira said, “It is for Vicky. She was traumatized as a child and was terrified of water.”

  “So her wish is a good thing.”

  “The wishes always seem good at the start, but wait, it gets worse.”

  “So what do I do about it?” Jasmine asked. Her job was to safeguard Paul and his parents, but how could she do that when there was a chance the ring might do its evil magic?

  “You have to get control of the ring,” Mira said. “It’s the only way. Obviously, burying it didn’t work. You’ll need to destroy it completely this time.”

  Jasmine shuddered. She didn’t know how she could do that; her power was so limited. Fairies couldn’t risk being seen by people, and they couldn’t make human beings do anything. All they could do was offer suggestions and guidance. “How would I destroy it?”

  “Heck if I know. Everyone else up to now has failed. But you’re a smart girl. I’m sure you’ll think of something.” Mira patted her arm. “Well, I have a lot of work to do, so if you don’t have any more questions, I think I’ll be off.” She got to her feet and fluttered away, leaving Jasmine twisting her hands in despair.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Once they were in Paul’s bedroom, Clem explained about the magic ring. “Yup. It gives people the gift they want the most,” he said and then stopped to sniff around on the carpeting. “Something supernatural. Like how I got to talk.”

  “So it was the magic of the ring that made you talk?” Paul asked incredulously.

  “Sure as can be. I had the ring in my mouth, and I was just wishin’ I could talk, and then I could,” Clem said. He licked at the carpeting and then looked up at Paul. “You musta spilled something in here once. Tastes like apple juice.”

  “That was a long time ago,” Paul said. “Like months ago.”

  “I can still smell it,” Clem said happily, “and taste it too.”

  Paul pulled the ring out of his pocket. “So how do you know about the ring’s magic?”

  Clem shifted his front paws. “I just know. Ideas come into my head sometimes. Dogs are kind of psychic, ya know.”

  How fascinating. Paul had always suspected that Clem had the inside track on things, but he could never prove it. His mother thought the dog was dumb. And lazy. Well, she was half right, but oh boy, was she wrong about the other half! He suddenly thought of a way he could show the world that Clem could talk. He would borrow his dad’s camera…

  “Don’t even think about recording me talking,” Clem said, settling down for a snooze. “I’ll know if you’re doing it, and I won’t talk. No way, no how.”

  “How did you know that’s what I was thinking?” Paul asked.

  “Told ya. Dogs are psychic.”

  “Oh.”

  “Now I’m gonna go to sleep. Totally exhausted.” Clem’s eyes closed, and he put one paw over his nose, his favorite napping position.

  Paul put the ring on his finger and tried to think of other things to wish for, but nothing came readily to mind. He considered a few options: Being six feet tall? Being so smart he got all As? Running faster than any other kid in his class? None of them really hit the mark for him, and he realized there wasn’t any one thing he’d always wanted. Maybe for Brody at school to leave him alone and stop calling him Spaz, but that wasn’t really a gift.

  He’d have to think on this some more. In the meantime, he couldn’t let his mother see the ring. She’d want it back and would probably waste her wish on something lame. No, it was better if he had it.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Henry noticed Aunt Vicky had the ring on her finger the day of the party, and he also saw that it was gone when she emerged from the pool. Logically, he knew it must have come off while she was swimming. She was in the water a long time. A ring could slide off so easily.

  Hours after the pool party was over, when he knew Clem was in the house and the rest of the family was busy, he stripped down to his skivvies and dove into the pool to search for it. No luck, although there was one bonus: the chlorinated water gave him a much-needed bath.

  After that, he hid in the woods watching and waiting. The ring had to turn up eventually, and when it did, Henry was going to get it no matter what it took. He needed that ring. He had to have it. It was the only way he could fix a lifetime of misery.

  Henry knew that he couldn’t unwish his wish because what was done was done, but maybe he could make a new wish, one that involved going back in time. He’d just come up with that idea, and it was a good one. Yes, that’s what he’d do—he’d wish he could time travel. Then he’d go back in time and warn his younger self. He’d tell his younger self not to go near the ring and not to even think about how nice it would be to never grow up. That was the only way.

  On Sunday, the day after the pool party, he was perched up in a tree when Paul came walking into the woods, Clem at his side. At the sight of the dog, Henry stiffened in alarm. He was deathly afraid of dogs, and Clem was big even if he was old and slow. Henry listened curiously as Paul paused to talk to Clem.

  “I still haven’t decided what I’m going to wish for,” Paul said. “I’ve been thinking it would be cool to run really fast or maybe be incredibly strong or something.”

  Henry drew in a sharp breath. It sounded like Paul had found the ring, knew about the magic, and was actually going to wish for something. This was very bad. Someone should warn him the ring had dark powers—someone should tell him that wishing would be a terrible mistake. He opened his mouth to call and get his attention, but just then something shocking happened: the dog talked!

  “Those are kind of dopey wishes,” the dog said, yawning. “Now, a talking dog, that’s something worthwhile.”

  “I’m starting to wish you didn’t talk,” Paul said. “You kept waking me up last night when I was trying to sleep.”

  “Yup, yup. I kept thinking of stuff to tell ya.”

  “All of it could have waited.” Paul reached down and picked up a stick. He threw it as if to play fetch, but Clem didn’t budge. “All you talked about was how things smell and that you didn’t like the new water dish.”

  “All important stuff to say,” Clem said. “Yup, I gotta say things now that I can.”

  “Sure, you can go and on about stupid things like that, but you won’t talk to my parents,” Paul said bitterly.

  Up in the tree, Henry listened in fascination. How long had the dog been talking? And how? It’s not like he could wear the ring. The dog kept yammering on about nothing in particular, and Paul grumbled back at him. As they wandered off, Henry hatched a new plan to get the ring back.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  The next day, when Paul was invited to play at his friend Alex’s house, he tucked the ring into his pocket. At some point he planned on showing it to his friend and telling him everything that had happened since he’d discovered it in the hole.

  Alex always wanted to come to Paul’s house because he thought playing in the woods was fun, but Paul thought Alex had the better end of the deal. His house was in a subdivision called Crescent Cover, and Alex’s house was in the middle of a big cul-de-sac. All the kids in the area gathered in the street in front of Alex’s house with their skateboards. Alex’s dad had built a ramp for them. If a kid got up enough speed, he could get some real lift going. It drove the moms crazy, but the boys loved it. When Paul’s mother dropped him off, she’d slowed to avoid all the kids who were skateboarding and biking in front of Alex’s house. “I certainly wouldn’t like this,” she said, her mouth turning downward. “I worry about someone getting hurt.”

  “Everyone’s real careful, Mom,” Paul said, although it was clear that wasn’t true. One boy, in fact, had his arm in a cast supported by a neon green sling.

  “None of them are wearing helmets, either. That’s not good.” She rolled down her window as she pulled into Alex’s driveway, and for a minute Paul was afraid that she was going to yell something to the kids. How mortifying. She didn’t tho
ugh, just gave him a pat and said, “I’ll be back at four to pick you up.” She was getting better, Paul thought as he got out of the car. She used to insist on walking him up to the door and talking to the mom of the house. Yes, things were much better now than they used to be.

  Alex was already outside, and he waved Paul over to where the boys were skateboarding. “Hey, Paul! Over here.”

  Two girls riding scooters circled around the boys and laughed. Paul knew they were a grade older than him, same as Celia, but these were silly girls, the kind who shrieked and laughed about nothing. They were such a pain. Why did they hang around?

  Paul didn’t own a skateboard because his mom didn’t approve. All of the other boys were better than him. Even the smaller ones could do kickflips and spins, maneuvers he couldn’t manage. It made him feel like an idiot, so he was glad when Alex’s mom walked out from the house and told them to put the ramp away. “One of the neighbors is complaining about the noise,” she said. “Let’s just call it a day. You boys can do something else.” She suddenly noticed Paul. “Oh hi, Paul. When did you get here?” Alex’s mom was lackadaisical and didn’t really keep track of things. Paul liked that quality in a parent.

  “I’ve been here for a while,” he said. Something about her friendly manner spurred him to add a polite, “Thanks for letting me come over today.”

  “What good manners,” she said. “You’re very welcome, Paul.”

  She went back inside, and the rest of the neighbor kids wandered off, the fun interrupted. Paul dragged the ramp into the garage. Alex put his skateboard away and then went inside to get some cold Cokes. Another thing Paul’s mom wouldn’t have approved of. She said Paul was naturally caffeinated, the way he bounced around all the time.