“We’ll do it. We will paint it for her just like she wants,” said Dad. “Oh no, we can’t! We wouldn’t be able to do it in time. She would come back and find ladders all over the place and—”
“Dad,” said Thomas, “my friend Mr. Vinnie is a painter and decorator.”
“I don’t know about that. I think I was pretty rude to Mr. Vinnie,” said Dad.
“It doesn’t matter,” said Thomas. “If I tell him that the Fat Fairy came, he will understand.”
“Why would he understand?” said Dad.
“Because he was granted a wish when he was my age, and he wished to fly,” said Thomas.
“Like you. All this time you’ve flown and like a fool I’ve pretended not to see. Life is just too dull and ordinary for that kind of magic. But now it’s as if a mist has risen. My eyes have sparkles in them.”
They had breakfast together. Thomas gave Dad his card and the little box he had painted, which Dad said was the best box he had ever had. After breakfast, they called Mr. Vinnie, who came around right away. In no time at all Dad, Mr. Vinnie, and Thomas had gotten one room painted. With two flying painters and Dad doing the baseboards, it didn’t take long.
Dad and Thomas had one of the best days they had ever had together. In the evening they ate take-out, sitting on the kitchen floor, laughing and telling jokes.
Mr. Vinnie asked Dad if he remembered any of his magic tricks. Dad did and said he had a few of them still locked in the garden shed. It was just beginning to get dark when they went out, and there along with the box of magic tricks was the covered motorcycle. Thomas felt a little guilty because he knew what it was.
“What’s that, Dad?” he said, pointing to the tarp. Dad pulled the cover off and there stood the Harley with its sidecar gleaming in the darkness.
“Well, I never,” said Mr. Vinnie. “What a beauty!”
Dad smiled the broadest smile Thomas had ever seen.
“I used to take Rita out on it. We had a good time together. When Thomas was little, we took him as well. We went to the seaside, we went all over the place . . .” He stopped. “I’d forgotten all the fun we used to have.”
“It doesn’t matter,” said Mr. Vinnie. “Why don’t we see in the morning if this old thing works?”
“You could go and pick up Mom,” said Thomas excitedly.
“Then me and my young flying helper will help finish the painting,” said Mr. Vinnie.
16
The next morning bright and early, Mr. Vinnie turned up with a freshly baked loaf of bread, which they ate in large slices with melted butter. It tasted like white clouds. They filled the motorcycle with gas and to everyone’s amazement it worked right away.
Mr. Vinnie loaned Dad his flying jacket and goggles. He looked great riding off on the motorcycle, and it made the most wonderful putt-putting noise too.
Thomas and Mr. Vinnie worked fast. They finished the living room and Mom and Dad’s bedroom. They laid the table the way Mom liked it, with a white tablecloth and a bunch of flowers from the garden. Mr. Vinnie and Thomas felt very pleased with themselves.
By the time Mom came back the whole house shone and smelled of new paint. Mom cried with joy.
“Oh my word! What have you done?”
Dad came in with Mom’s suitcase.
“Do you like it?” he said.
Mom turned to look at him. “This was your idea?” she said, amazed.
“Yes, I’ve been a fool, Rita. For too many years I’ve wanted to be like everybody else. I never saw what an extraordinary family I have. Being like everybody else means you don’t exist. I didn’t leave it too late?” he asked anxiously.
“No Alan, you haven’t left it too late. But what’s happened to you?” said Mom.
“Well, I think maybe it’s your birthday present,” said Dad.
Thomas looked a little baffled. As far as he knew Mom had not given Dad a birthday present.
“The Fat Fairy you sent me,” said Dad. “She made me laugh so much.”
Mom looked at Thomas and at Mr. Vinnie and smiled. “What did you wish for?” she said.
“I wished to have fun,” said Dad sheepishly.
“Oh Alan! Oh Alan Top, I love you!” said Mom.
17
Dad was quite a different person after that. On Monday he and Mom went to see Mr. March, the headmaster, who agreed to take Thomas back as long as he kept the flying down. It didn’t matter as much to Thomas that some people still refused to see what an amazing thing he could do. The most important people in his life knew, and that was all that mattered.
Dad rearranged Thomas’s party and they didn’t invite Mr. Spoons. “He’s good with babies but not for you, son,” said Dad. Instead Mr. Vinnie came over to help Thomas give his friends a flying tour around the garden. Mom made a wonderful lunch and Dad did some truly amazing magic tricks. It couldn’t have been a greater success. When everybody had gone home Thomas stood in the garden with Dad, looking at the sun setting.
“Next time Mr. Vinnie comes around we’re going to take you up there,” said Thomas. Dad laughed. “Then I’ll have to cut down on the ice cream,” he said,
giving Thomas a hug. “Go on with you. I know you want to be off up there, but don’t be too long.”
“Thanks, Dad,” said Thomas.
18
Thomas flew to the park and sat at the top of Alexandra Palace. It was his favorite place up here with the birds. He was thinking about how wonderful it was to fly when out of the blue the Fat Fairy landed next to him.
“Hello, Thomas,” said the Fat Fairy.
Thomas couldn’t believe his luck. “How great to see you again,” he said.
“Just popped by to see how you’re doing,” said the Fat Fairy. “I’ve been watching this story unfold, dear. It tickled my fancy.”
“Do you know all my friends are looking for you?” said Thomas.
“Everybody’s looking for me, dear, but they don’t often find me,” said the Fat Fairy, smiling.
“I want to thank you for making it all all right,” said Thomas.
“No need. I liked the wish you made about your dad having fun. It touched me, it really did,” said the Fat Fairy. “But you can’t wish for other people.”
“Do you choose who to give wishes to?” asked Thomas.
“No, that’s not in my power. It’s the Chief Fairy’s decision and he’s an old grouch. Always grumbling, and he doesn’t have to do the legwork.”
Thomas laughed.
“You should see him. Beats me why he should complain so much. He sleeps most of the time. All he has to do is give me a list of people and off I go. Out in all kinds of weather, I am.”
“Do you always go back and check on people?” said Thomas.
“Occasionally I have to go and remind someone what they wished for,” said the Fat Fairy.
“Why?” said Thomas.
“Well, gone and forgotten, haven’t they,” said the Fat Fairy.
Thomas found it hard to believe anyone could forget a wish given by her.
“People grow up and they forget all sorts of things. Like your dad. It had gotten so bad with him that he had to wish for fun before it could happen.”
“It was the best wish ever,” said Thomas.
“I thought it would be,” said the Fat Fairy.
Thomas looked at her lopsided wings and her tiara glinting in the evening sun, and said, just to make quite sure Mr. Vinnie was right, “My wish won’t leave me, will it?”
“Oh, bless your cotton socks. No dear, once you’ve wished for something, you’ve got it for life, whether you like it or not. That’s why, Thomas, you’ve got to be careful what you wish for.”
“I’m very happy with my wish, and so is Dad with his,” said Thomas.
“You both should be. You wished for sensible things, things that could happen. Well, I can’t sit here all day chatting to you. Must be on my way. But before I go, I have one more wish for you,” said the Fat Fairy.
“What’s that?” said Thomas.
“I wish you all the best, Thomas Top.”
The Smallest Girl Ever
Dedication
To a life sadly ended: Joan Gardner
And a life just begun: Ruby O’Kane
1
Mr. and Mrs. Genie wanted a baby.
They had always gotten what they wanted, so they were sure they would have a son. He would grow up to be a great genie like his father and a great magician like his mother. Mr. Genie was the latest in a long line of genies dating back to the earliest fairy tales, and his beautiful wife Myrtle won the Young Magician of the Year competition when she was only five. Magic ran in the family.
There was only one snag. Mr. and Mrs. Genie had a little girl.
“A girl!” wailed Myrtle. “I wanted a son and heir! There must be some terrible mistake.”
“This is too much!” said Mr. Genie. “Never in all my life have I failed to make a wish come true!”
Myrtle sobbed miserably.
“Never mind, my darling,” said Mr. Genie, trying to be cheerful. “We can always have a boy next time.”
Mr. and Mrs. Genie did their best to get over the shock. It was very hard. They started making plans. They finally called the baby Ruby, and put her name down for Wizodean Academy. This was one of the world’s top schools for magic, and it prided itself on only taking exceptional boys and girls.
But by the time Ruby was six, she had shown no sign of any early magical talent. Neither did she have a baby brother.
“Where did we go wrong?” cried Myrtle. “We still haven’t got the son we wanted and planned for. All we have is a daughter with no magical talent. It hardly seems worth all the effort and inconvenience of having a baby.”
Things might have gone better if Ruby had been a great beauty like her mother. Sad to say, she was a rather plain-looking girl. In short, Ruby was a huge disappointment.
Mr. Genie and Mrs. Genie were far too big stars to be bothered with a child who showed no magical talent. They were at the height of their fame. They threw huge parties, were featured in all the papers, wore expensive clothes, owned the Ferrari of flying carpets, and never gave money a thought. Why should they? They were, after all, entertaining the rich and famous and were in huge demand all over the world.
So Ruby stayed at home with a dull but kind nanny, kept well away from the razzmatazz that made up her parents’ life.
Nanny didn’t believe in magic. She believed in the three Rs: reading, routine, and rules. This way Ruby Genie, more forgotten by her parents than thought about, managed to reach the grand age of nine without once having gone to school. Ruby would have liked to go to the local school with the other boys and girls her own age, but this was out of the question. Since she had failed to pass the entrance exam for Wizodean Academy, her parents had lost all interest in her education. Which was a pity, for Nanny had taught her to read well and she was quick to learn.
But reading and writing meant nothing to Mr. and Mrs. Genie. A child who could do magic shouldn’t need to bother with all that. Ruby might be able to read Cinderella, but it would be far better if she could turn pumpkins into carriages.
“You’ll just have to work harder at your magic,” said her mother.
“I’m sure you’re just not concentrating enough on your spells,” said her father.
“Oh dear,” said Nanny. “No good will come of all this magical nonsense.”
And Nanny was right.
2
Just before Ruby’s tenth birthday, the emperor of Tishshan, a small and much overlooked state on the borders of China, invited Mr. and Mrs. Genie to perform a magical feat that hadn’t been attempted since the pyramids were built. This was far too tempting a challenge. Sad to say, it also proved to be the death of Mr. and Mrs. Genie, who disappeared in a spectacular meteor of fireworks. All that was left behind was a lamp, a wand, and a pile of unpaid bills.
To lose one parent is a terrible misfortune. To lose two is just plain silly, and tends to turn the future upside down. At the tender age of ten, Ruby was an orphan.
The bad news brought with it a lawyer, who appeared like a rabbit pulled from a top hat.
“A very sad business. Such great stars! I remember seeing them perform live at the Met in New York. Quite wonderful! Unfortunately, not so wonderful with money. In short, and not to put too fine a point on it, the house will have to be sold.”
“But what about Ruby?” asked Nanny. “What’s going to happen to her?”
“Ruby,” said the lawyer, searching his papers. “It says nothing about jewelry. Any jewelry will of course have to be sold.”
“No, no!” said Nanny crossly. “Their little girl, Ruby.”
The lawyer looked quite surprised to find there was a little girl in the room. He pulled even more papers out of his briefcase.
“Here, I have it.” He cleared his throat and read, “In case of any unforeseen misfortune like death, having no other living relatives, Ruby, the only child of the late Mr. and Mrs. Genie, is to go to a boarding school for magic.”
“But that’s ridiculous!” said Nanny. “The girl can’t do any magic.”
“That,” said the lawyer, “is not my problem.”
Finding a school of magic that would take Ruby was difficult. She tried once more to get into Wizodean Academy. Not surprisingly, she failed. The school refused to take a child with no magical talent, even if she was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Genie, and they felt it was a great mistake that she had been allowed to learn reading and writing.
Ruby also failed to get a place at several other well-known schools for magic, for the same reasons.
“If only they had wanted you to go to a normal school instead of all this magical nonsense,” said Nanny, as yet another refusal letter landed on the doormat.
The house was being packed up around Ruby and still no school had been found. The lawyer was becoming concerned.
“There are always orphanages,” he said gravely.
Then out of the blue, just before the moving van arrived, came a letter from Grimlocks School for Conjurers and Magicians. To everyone’s amazement, Ruby was being offered a scholarship. The lawyer accepted the place immediately without putting himself through the inconvenience of looking at the school.
No time was wasted in packing Ruby up. All she owned in the world went into her suitcase: her new school uniform, her mom’s wand, and her dad’s lamp. These she had been given by the lawyer, who thought, wrongly, that they had little value except to Ruby.
Nanny said a tearful good-bye. She was sad to be leaving Ruby, but delighted to be taking a job with no magic in it whatsoever. She was going to look after a little baby boy whose parents were librarians.
“Look after yourself, and remember the three Rs,” she said. A SOLD sign went up outside Ruby’s house. The lawyer snapped shut his briefcase, shook Ruby’s hand, and was gone, as was everything else that had made up Ruby’s life.
3
“Grimlocks School? Never heard of it,” said the taxi driver. Ruby showed him the address again. They had been driving around in circles. Ruby was sure they were completely lost when they came across a battered sign covered with ivy.
As they drove up the driveway, Ruby’s heart began to sink. The mock Tudor building, half hidden in a dark wood, was a gloomy sight.
“Not a very cheerful-looking place,” said the taxi driver, helping Ruby out with her suitcase. “Are you sure you’re going to be all right?”
At that moment the front door opened and the headmistress, Miss Pinkerton, came out. She was a large lady shaped like a bell.
“Ruby Genie? We have been waiting for you,” she said briskly. “This way, if you please.”
“Good luck,” said the taxi driver.
Ruby was shown into the headmistress’s office. The room was full of noisy ticking clocks of various shapes and sizes.
“A little hobby of mine,” said Miss Pinkerton. “Well, sit down.”
Ruby sat, or rather perched, on the edge of a huge chair.
“I must say how pleased we are to welcome you to Grimlocks. We are not a big school, but our aim is to turn out boys and girls who are a credit to the world of magic. You are the first child ever to be given a scholarship by us. We feel sure that with such brilliant parents, you are bound to be a very gifted little girl. Now, I will tell you what we expect from our star student.”
Ruby was never to find out what was expected of her, for at that moment, all the clocks started to chime one after another. It was a whole five minutes before she could hear one word of what the headmistress was saying. Then Miss Pinkerton stood up.
“Glad we sorted all that out,” she said.
Ruby felt the moment had passed to say anything about not having magical talent. Meanwhile, Miss Pinkerton had not moved. She kept looking at Ruby as if waiting for something.
“Haven’t you got something for me, Ruby?” she said at last.
Ruby looked baffled.
“The lamp, your father’s lamp!” said Miss Pinkerton. Ruby opened up her small suitcase and took out the lamp. The headmistress seized it and held it up to her ample bosom.
“To hold such a lamp as this!” she cried in tones of delight, before locking it up in a glass display case.
“But I would rather like to keep it with me, if it’s all the same to you,” said Ruby. “It’s all I have to remember my father by.”
This was not the right thing to say. Miss Pinkerton seemed to puff herself up like a toad.
“Keep it?” she said, going very red in the face.