“I had a great time with you, my dear Matilda,” said Peri, blowing her a kiss.
“Oh, yes, one more thing. I also learnt that if you can’t have something, you miss it like crazy.”
“What do you mean,” inquired Maximilian.
“Fish and chips!” exclaimed Matilda with a laugh. “I can’t wait to have fish and chips.”
Maximilian roared with laughter. “I’ll make the arrangements,” he said. “Now you have to return to your family. I am so proud of you and I’ll miss you until you visit the attic again. Have a long rest and let me know when you are ready for another adventure. By the way, I’m sure you will notice a difference when you rejoin your family.”
With that Maximilian, the fairy and the Story Mat slowly faded away.
Chapter 41
A Pleasant Surprise
When Matilda arrived at her bedroom door she heard barking from behind it.
“Oh, no,” she thought, and braced herself for an attack as she eased the door open.
Peekee was standing on his back legs in the centre of the room, happily yapping. As soon as he saw Matilda, the dog ran to her and began licking her legs. And there were no pools of dog pee on the floor.
“What a change,” thought Matilda, scooping him into her arms.
As she carried him downstairs to the lounge room he kept licking her face. “Yuk!” she said. “Dog’s breath.”
When Matilda entered the lounge room she expected an explosion from her Aunt
Prudence, and to be accused of cruelty. Instead her aunt looked much happier than when Matilda had last seen her, weeping in Uncle Percival’s arms. She rushed over to her and, attempting to take Peekee from her arms, said, “You wonderful girl. I knew you would find him. You deserve a reward.” Matilda was shocked.
Aunt Prudence was in for a bigger shock. As she tried to grab Peekee, he snarled and bit her on the arm. “Youch!” she shouted and, then, holding up her bleeding arm to show Uncle Percival, screamed, “Look what he did to me! Look at my arm.”
Uncle Percival ignored her. “Now, as I was saying, Frank. I think there’s a big market in books – new books, ancient books, first editions, paperbacks, etcetera, etcetera. And I want to finance an Emporium. A huge shop for lovers of books. You and Fran are the experts. You can look after the stock and I’ll look after the business side. Fifty-fifty – profits split down the middle. How does that sound?”
Matilda’s mother and father were gob-smacked. They sat on the lounge, stunned. Her father finally managed to say, “That’s marvellous, Percy. Do you really mean it?”
“Wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it,” replied Uncle Percival. “Man of my word. And I’m not doing it just for you. I like making money. You have the know-how, I have the cash. We help each other. Never know, we may end up opening a chain – with franchises.” He looked up and pointed a hand to the ceiling. “I can see it now – ‘Furneaux’s For The Finest Fiction’. Shops in every big city, book lovers smiling, money rolling in. I’ll get onto it as soon as I get home.”
Aunt Prudence was weeping again. “You naughty dog. No din-dins for you tonight.”
“Oh, stop blathering,” said Uncle Percival. “We have to pack and get home so I can get started on this project. Frank and Fran, you can start by finding premises for the Emporium and ordering stock as soon as you like.” With that he stormed out of the room, dragging Aunt Prudence behind him.
Half an hour later Matilda and her parents were standing at the front door waving goodbye as their visitors’ car disappeared down the road.
“Wow!” said her father, hugging her mother. “Isn’t that absolutely wonderful?” he added, looking at Matilda.
“Yes, it’s magic,” replied Matilda with a grin.
That night they sat down to a meal of fresh fish and chips that some kind stranger had delivered to their doorstep.
The Secret Code
When Matilda showed the message to the Wizard, he immediately recognised the code:
1. Reverse all of the vowels in the alphabet –
A E I O U become –
U O I E A
2. Next, reverse all of the remaining letters of the alphabet except for ‘Z’–
B C D F G H J K L M N P Q R S T V W X Y
Y X W V T S R Q P N M L K J H G F D C B
3. The letter ‘Z’ becomes the spacer between each word.
Now use the code to decipher Maximilian’s message to Matilda for yourself.
STORY 3
MATILDA AND NEPTUNE'S CHEST
Chapter 1
Bullies
The bully leaned against the wall of the corridor outside the library door with a sneer on his pimply face. He was smiling to himself as he thought how clever he was to dream up the insult that would make his victim cringe with embarrassment. His two cronies, shorter and pudgier, slouched next to him, arms folded across their chests and superior smirks on their faces.
Matilda struggled through the library door, loaded down with borrowed books for her next project on astrology. She had to push the door with her shoulder and then hold it open with her foot as she squeezed through. She didn’t notice the bullies until she heard a voice from behind her.
“Book maggot. Word nerd,” shouted the bully, his voice filled with contempt. His two partners guffawed and scowled. But they didn’t expect the reply they got.
“Pea brain,” answered Matilda as she continued down the hallway.
The bully bounced off the wall and shoved her in the back so that her books flew out of her arms and she sprawled face down on the floor.
“Nobody talks to me like that,” he bellowed. “You’d better watch that tongue of yours or you’ll get worse than this.” And he kicked some of the books farther down the corridor.
Just then Ms Winterbottom came around the corner at the end of the hallway. She was the most feared teacher on the staff, with a temper like a tornado and a tongue to match. She took in the scene and advanced on the culprits.
“Norton!” she roared at the bully. “What’s going on here?”
“Nu-nu-nuthin’, Miss,” stammered Norton, pointing to Matilda. “She musta slipped on the floor.”
“Yeah,” added one of his mates, hoping to curry favour, “she was carryin’ too many books and she slipped.”
“Mm-m-m,” muttered Ms Winterbottom as she turned to Matilda who had climbed back onto her feet and was dusting down her uniform. “Is that true young lady?”
Matilda knew you must never dob others in to teachers, particularly bullies. It was an unwritten law in the school jungle because everybody believed that it only made things worse for the dobber. It was seen as a rite of passage in growing up and better to take it on the chin.
“Yes, Miss,” she replied. “I slipped on the polish.”
“It must have been a big slip to send the books that far down the corridor,” commented the teacher, not believing a word of it. “Well, don’t just stand there Norton,” she snarled. “Pretend you have some manners and help the poor girl pick up her books. Now!”
She stood there while the bully walked down the hallway picking up the books and handing them to Matilda.
“Thank you, Gerald,” Matilda said in her sweetest voice and with a smile on her face. Norton quietly growled.
“Now get back to your classes,” bellowed Ms Winterbottom, “and don’t let me see you near each other again or you’ll live to regret it.” With a swirl of her black skirt she pushed her way into the library as the antagonists headed off in different directions.
Matilda knew she would have to face up to the bullies again but, at the moment, she had other things on her mind.
Chapter 2
Nightmares
Now that her parents were working full time at their bookshop, “Furneaux's Book Emporium”, which her Uncle Percival had set up for them, Matilda had the house to herself from the
time she got home from school until her parents were finished for the day. They took her baby brother, Heironymous, with them to the bookshop.
Of course she had to help out by preparing the vegetables for dinner and setting the table but she still had plenty of time to herself. After dinner her parents were usually busy looking after the baby and trying to keep up with reading the new books that had arrived so that they could speak to their customers with authority.
Matilda escaped to the privacy of her bedroom on the fourth floor of their rickety old “ghost” house. Here she could do her homework, read her books, relive her adventures so far with the Story Mat and dream of another adventure.
Lately, though, she had been having a problem. It began when she went to sleep at night. As she drifted into deep sleep she had a nightmare. It was almost the same every night and she woke up in the early hours of the morning in a lather of sweat. Unlike most dreams, she could remember every detail the next morning – and it was scary.
It began with the ocean. She watched as if it were a movie in front of her eyes. Slowly she sank beneath the water. She didn’t have any trouble breathing as the waters closed around her. Deeper and deeper she went until it was so dark that she couldn’t see anything, just feel the soft, warm water around her body. Suddenly a light appeared in the distance, shining like a torch through the water. It moved towards her or, rather, she seemed to be moving towards it.
She could hear a sound, a sort of moaning, as if someone was in pain. The noise became louder as she approached the light. At last she could see a cave in the side of a mountain under the sea. That was where the light was coming from. As she approached the cave she could see a figure inside. It was a man dressed in long, flowing white robes. He had a white beard and long white hair. In his hand he carried a three-pronged spear. He was moaning loudly and Matilda could make out the words – “Help me. Help me”.
As she moved closer to the cave Matilda saw that there were other people in the entrance to the cave. Several mermaids were attempting to calm the distressed old man but they were being interfered with by wraiths, ghost-like figures, dressed as pirates. They were trying to get to the old man and the mermaids were struggling to keep them away. When Matilda entered the cave they all turned to see her and, as they were all distracted, the pirate-wraiths grabbed hold of the old man. Then the light went out, everything turned black and that was the last thing Matilda saw. She shot to the top of ocean and burst through the surface, gasping for breath. And then she woke up.
She had no idea where the nightmare came from. She had read books about mermaids and pirates but she had never read anything like this. The really strange thing was that it was repeated every night – night after night. It was wearing her down so, after the fifth night, she decided to seek some help.
She couldn’t go to her parents. It would only confirm their opinion that she had a vivid imagination, especially after they had already put her description of her adventures on the Story Mat down to an inventive mind. They would ‘tut-tut’ and get on with their reading. No, there was only one place to go for an explanation – the attic and Maximilian.
Chapter 3
The Keeper of the Attic
It was much easier to reach the attic with her parents working. For a start there was no need for Matilda to negotiate the shaky staircase to the top of the house by the light of a torch while her parents were asleep and blissfully ignorant of what she was doing. And the stairs were much more stable without the night winds rushing off the sea over the cliffs and shaking the old house on its foundations.
As soon as the school bus stopped below her house, Matilda rushed up the slope, through the front door, tossed her schoolbag into the lounge room and bounded up the stairs. She slowed down when she reached the fourth floor and, through habit, stepped gingerly up the final stairway, keeping a firm grip on the banister as the boards creaked dangerously below her feet. She finally arrived at the attic door.
Kneeling down, Matilda lifted the latch on the small door, swung it open and crawled through. Sunlight filtered through the small, dusty window giving the room a ghostly atmosphere as it shone through the cobwebs and over the ornate boxes that crowded the floor.
“Well, well, another visit from our little heroine,” came the sarcastic voice of the Keeper of the Attic from the speaker on the wall. “You could at least choose your time more appropriately. Unfortunately I’m in the middle of my dinner.” This was followed by a quiet burp.
“I’m terribly sorry,” said Matilda. “I didn’t realise spirits ate so early – or at all.”
“Don’t apologise,” The Keeper replied sharply. “Think! And anyway, I’m not a spirit. I’m a complete being from the mystic world.”
“I’m trying to be as polite as I can,” said a red-faced Matilda, “but you’re making it very difficult. Why do you always pick on me?”
“Pick, pick, pick? Why did you pick the most unsuitable time to arrive?” responded The Keeper, avoiding the question.
“Enough!” shouted Matilda, exasperated. “I don’t have to talk to you. I want to speak to Maximilian.”
“That’s just the point, isn’t it?” continued The Keeper. “Maximilian is dining as well. He can’t be interrupted, you silly girl.”
Matilda was near tears. This was getting out of control with this childish old man. She tried to calm down.
“You’re just jealous because Maximilian and I are such good friends,” she replied. “The last time I was here he threatened to sack you. Wait until I tell him what you’ve said this time.”
This shocked The Keeper. He knew who Maximilian would choose to believe, and it wasn’t him.
“Well . . . er . . . well,” he bumbled, changing his tone, “I didn’t really mean to be rude. That is . . . um . . . nobody likes to be interrupted with an enquiry in the middle of a meal. I’m . . . er . . . sorry if I was a little abrupt. Mm . . .please accept my apology.” It obviously hurt him to squeeze out the words.
“Very well. I do accept your apology,” agreed Matilda, although she was still a little angry with the Keeper. “Now, I’m sorry to interrupt his meal but I need to speak to Maximilian on an important matter. Can you arrange that?”
“I’ll just get onto the communication channel,” said the Keeper. “Please wait until I see if he’s available.”
Everything went quiet.
Chapter 4
Maximilian
There was a flash of light and a cloud of smoke as Maximilian appeared in the room. He was dressed in his long purple robe with its golden patterns and the purple fez on his head, but he had a huge bib spotted with sauce stains around his neck.
“Ah, my little one,” he sighed as he wiped his mouth with a large napkin. “You chose a strange time to call me this time.”
“That’s what The Keeper said . . . but not so nicely,” said Matilda.
“I said I was sorry,” whispered The Keeper.
“I’ll talk to you later,” Maximilian growled at the speaker on the wall. “Now, my special gem, how can I help you?”
Matilda proceeded to tell Maximilian about her nightmares. When she had finished, she looked up to see Maximilian frowning.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, dreading bad news.
“This is a new and amazing development,” replied Maximilian. “It seems that news of your bravery has spread throughout the mystic world and spirits are sending you messages to seek your help.”
“How? Why?” enquired Matilda.
“One question at a time, my plucky little jewel. Firstly, how? You are being contacted through your dreams. It is easier for the spirits to enter your mind when you are asleep. Why? Somebody needs your help to solve a problem they are having. You should be very proud.”
“Someone has been abducted by pirate ghosts? An old man in a cave under the sea?” asked Matilda, incredulous.
“No,no,” laughed Maximilian. “You are being shown the worst possibility. What you saw in your dream has
not happened . . . yet. Whoever is contacting you wants your help to avoid it happening.”
“Who is it? Who needs my help?” Matilda pleaded, trying to understand what was happening.
“Well now,” answered Maximilian, “you will be surprised. He is a very important person in mythology. The old man you see in your dream is the Greek god, Poseidon, also known in Roman times as Neptune, god of the sea and earthquakes.”
“Why would a god need my help? Surely he is powerful enough to solve his own problems,” said Matilda.
“Well said, my dear,” said Maximilian, nodding and smiling. “But times have changed. Over the millennia the powers of these gods in the mystic world have diminished. Moreover, they have created strong enemies from their deeds when they were all-powerful. Those enemies are coming back to attack them. We all suffer from our past errors and the gods are no different.”
“How can I be expected to help?” Matilda continued to fire the questions at Maximilian.
“I’m afraid I can’t answer that,” responded Maximilian. “You’ll have to meet Neptune himself to find out. Obviously he believes you can help, or he wouldn’t have sent the spirits to contact you.”
“The Story Mat again?” smiled Matilda.
“Huh-huh,” said Maximilian, nodding his head. “And your favourite fairy, Peri – if you choose to help Neptune.”
“Where is Peri?” asked Matilda.
“Finishing dinner,” explained Maximilian with a laugh. “As you know, she has a small appetite but she likes to take her time.”
Chapter 5
Mapping Out A Plan
“Of course I want to help,” declared Matilda.
“I knew you would, my treasure,” said Maximilian. “Now we have to discuss arrangements to ensure your safety. From what you have told me about your dream, this adventure will be extremely dangerous and you will need extra help. My very own magic elf has particularly asked if he could go with you on your next adventure. He has a special power, that I’m sure will come in handy when events become difficult. I think it would be helpful if he went with you.”