‘Do you know what?’ Ruby cocked her head and smiled. ‘I think it’s even better than my banner!’
Granny called them back into the kitchen.
‘It’s time to shape and decorate the cake! What shall we make this time?’
Ruby wiped her chalky fingers on her pants and flipped through Mum’s cake book for ideas.
‘How about a train cake?’ suggested Granny. ‘Or a soccer ball cake?’
‘The teddy bear cake was good,’ Todd remembered, licking his lips.
Ruby finished looking at the cake book and sighed.
‘Nothing really jumps out at me.’
Suddenly Todd grinned.
‘I have an idea!’
Chapter 18
‘What a perfect picnic!’ Mum sighed, sipping her lemonade.
Everyone was stretched out on a rug under the apple tree. Balloons and streamers waved in the gentle autumn breeze. It was hard to believe that only a few hours ago, Ruby and Todd had been making angels in the snow.
‘These sardines are magic!’ exclaimed Uncle Max with a mouthful of sandwich. ‘Where did you get them?’
‘They fell off the back of a truck.’ Granny smiled.
Mum scooped up Jellybean, who was more interested in shoving handfuls of grass into his mouth than eating fairy bread.
‘Come along, birthday boy!’ She laughed. ‘It’s time to open your presents!’
Jellybean got a big plastic sandpit and a bright yellow digger from Mum and Dad. Mrs Cottesloe and Henry had bought him a bucket and spade. Granny had whipped him up a beautiful knitted blanket, and from Aunt May and Uncle Max he got a toy dinosaur—a stomping, roaring Tyrannosaurus Rex!
‘He’s more interested in the wrapping paper than his presents!’ Mrs Cottesloe chuckled, taking another delicious egg lettuce sandwich.
Todd grinned at Ruby. ‘That’s because he hasn’t seen ours yet!’
At last it was time to bring out the biggest, yummiest and most extraordinary cake in the whole wide world. Balancing it very carefully between them, Ruby and Todd made their way down the steps and across the garden.
Jellybean kicked his chubby legs and screeched with excitement.
‘What an extraordinary cake!’ exclaimed Mrs Cottesloe.
‘It’s the biggest I’ve ever seen!’ Mum marvelled.
‘And it looks like the yummiest,’ added Henry.
‘Ode!’ shrieked Jellybean, waving his arms excitedly. ‘Ode!’
Everyone gasped.
‘Did he say toad?’
‘I think he did!’
‘Ode!’ Jellybean pointed at Ruby.
‘Ode!’ He pointed at Todd.
‘Ode!’ He made a grab for one of the toad cake’s peppermint eyes.
Everyone laughed–Jellybean’s very first word was ‘toad’.
After they had sung ‘Happy Birthday’, Ruby helped Jellybean to blow out his candle. She couldn’t help but wonder what a one-year-old might wish for.
‘Well,’ Uncle Max announced, licking the yellowish-brown icing off his fingers. ‘I agree with Jellybean. This cake is toad-ally awesome!’
Everyone nodded because their mouths were too full to speak. Everyone except for Jupiter, who had already licked his dish clean and was miaowing at Granny for more.
As Jellybean crawled across the grass towards Ruby’s favourite sparkly ball, Ruby smiled.
Life as a Wishfingers might be far from ordinary but Ruby knew one thing for sure—it would certainly never be dull.
‘He’s growing up!’ Dad smiled proudly.
‘He certainly is,’ cooed Mrs Cottesloe, adjusting her glasses. ‘And teething too by the looks of it.’
Everyone watched Jellybean, who was now sitting up and trying to fit all of his fingers in his gummy little mouth.
‘I don’t think so,’ puzzled Mum. ‘He isn’t drooling and he doesn’t seem to have a temperature.’
‘It’s probably just the grass making his fingers itch,’ Aunt May decided.
As the grown-ups moved on to talk about the strange weather of the last few days, Ruby and Granny watched Jellybean, who was now gnawing furiously at both fists.
Ruby knew all too well what it was like to have an itch in your fingers that wouldn’t go away. She looked at Granny and bit her lip.
‘I certainly hope he is teething,’ she whispered.
‘So do I,’ said Granny.
Ruby wriggled her little finger, which was still buzzing and tingling with her very last wish.
‘I think I had better keep this pinkie up my sleeve.’ She grinned. ‘Just in case!’
Cast of Characters
Ruby Wishfingers – A curious eleven-year-old with an extraordinary feeling in the tips of her fingers and many millions of wonderful ideas swirling around inside her head.
Norman – Ruby’s pet goldfish.
Skydancer – Ruby’s cuddly toy unicorn, which she has had since she was three.
Mrs Wishfingers – Ruby’s mother, who is fond of the piano and her beloved collection of antique lace tablecloths.
Mr Wishfingers (George) – Ruby’s father – a simple man and a keen gardener, who believes that thinking about extraordinary things is a waste of time.
Granny Wishfingers – Ruby’s beloved confidante.
Great, Great, Great, Great-Grandfather Wishfingers – A distant relative and magician, from whom Ruby has inherited the Wishfingers’ gift.
Jupiter – Granny’s ‘Maine Coon’ cat. A real sourpuss with a disdain for everything, particularly hot weather.
Mrs Cottesloe – Ruby’s next-door neighbour who, without her glasses, is as blind as a bat.
Henry – Mrs Cottesloe’s gardener and friend.
Jellybean Wishfingers – Ruby’s one-year-old baby brother.
Aunt May – Ruby’s aunt (Todd’s mother).
Uncle Max – Ruby’s uncle (Todd’s father).
Cousin Todd – Ruby’s younger cousin, who looks a lot sweeter than he is.
Coming Soon from Ruby Wishfingers!
Ruby Wishfingers 3:
Hide and Seek
Something extraordinary is going on in the Wishfingers household—even more extraordinary than usual!
Things keep disappearing and then reappearing in the strangest of places!
Dad can’t find his lawnmower until it mysteriously appears in the upstairs hallway. Norman’s fish tank vanishes from Ruby’s bedroom, only to turn up in the kitchen all by itself! And how on earth does Dad’s jar of treats keep finding its way into her little brother Jellybean’s cot?
With Dad as nutty as a fruitcake and finger-nibbling Jellybean throwing terrible tantrums, all poor Mum can think about is a holiday. Once again, it’s up to Ruby to find out what’s going on.
Could it be that Ruby and Granny are not the only ones to have inherited some of Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather Wishfingers’ magic?
Join Ruby for another fast-paced magical adventure. Discover turbo-charged worms, giant tantrum-throwing toddlers and a terrifying toy Tyrannosaurus!
Meet Deborah Kelly
Deborah Kelly writes picture books, short stories, chapter books and educational material for children. Her published books include The Bouncing Ball, Jam for Nana and Dinosaur Disco (Random House) and Sam’s Great Invention and Don’t Sweat It (Macmillan Education). She has contributed short stories to Random House’s Stories for Boys and Stories for Girls collections, and has more picture books due for publication in 2017. Ruby Wishfingers is her first chapter book for children and the series begins with Wombat Books in 2016.
In addition to writing for children, Deborah has published short stories and poetry in various anthologies.
Deborah is an engaging speaker who regularly visits schools, libraries and festival events to s
hare her books and talk about writing.
For more information please visit her website:
www.deborahkelly.com.au.
Meet Leigh Hedstrom
Leigh is a self-employed illustrator based on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast with over 15 years of experience across a wide range of media for numerous clients.
Leigh immigrated to Australia shortly after completing High School in Cape Town. In Sydney she completed a diploma in Fine Arts but it was her love of creating expressive, engaging characters that informed her career choice to become an Illustrator.
When not at the drawing desk, Leigh loves to spend time with her husband Ben and her most animated creation of all – 9 year old son James.
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