“I wonder how they managed to do that?” he murmured to himself. “Those weasels are strange animals.” And he kept trudging along.
“Let’s go,” said Matilda to Peri, and they disappeared.
When they caught up with the hare again he was sitting under the shade of a tree having a picnic.
Another weasel was fussing around him, straightening the picnic blanket and serving him drinks.
The hare was happily chewing on a bright orange carrot.
“Ah,” he smiled, “this is the life. More carrot juice, weasel!”
The weasel rushed over and poured him a drink from a cold flask.
“I believe I even have time for a nap,” said the hare. “What do you think, weasel?”
“You sure do,” agreed the weasel. “That stupid tortoise is probably still trying to think of a way over the bridge. You have a nap and I’ll run back to see what’s happening.”
“Very well,” said the hare as he lay back on the blanket.
Peri waved her wand and put the hare into a very deep sleep.
The weasel hadn’t gone far up the road when he saw the little tortoise trudging towards him.
“How did you get here?” asked the surprised weasel.
“One step at a time. One step at a time,” the little tortoise answered.
“Well, I’ll have to do something about this,” snarled the weasel walking towards the tortoise, intending to roll him onto his back.
From the forest, Peri waved her wand. A length of rope appeared out of nowhere and, as if alive, wound itself around and around the weasel so that he couldn’t move. He fell to the ground and thrashed about trying to free himself.
“Strange animals, those weasels,” muttered the little tortoise as he lumbered past.
Finally the tortoise passed by the hare, fast asleep and snoring on the picnic rug.
“Strange animal that hare,” he said quietly to himself as he kept grinding along – one step at a time.
The finishing line came into sight. The animals were crowded around under the banner wondering what was taking the hare so long. They were absolutely shocked to see the tortoise heading towards them – one step at a time. He was only fifty metres from the end of the race.
“Let’s make this interesting,” said Analise. “Peri wake up our hare.” The fairy waved her wand and the hare bounced up off his rug, shaking his head.
“Wh-wh-what happened?” he asked himself. Then he looked down at his wrist watch. “No!” he shouted as he saw that he had been asleep for over two hours. “I can’t believe it!” He set off as fast as his legs could carry him.
The tortoise was creeping up to the finish line when the hare came into view. “One step at a time,” he whispered and touched the line just as the hare reached him.
“The winner!” yelled the badger, holding up the tortoise’s front leg.
“He cheated!” protested the hare, tears streaming down his face.
“I did not,” stated the little tortoise. “You went to sleep in the middle of the race. I saw you. You were so sure you were going to beat me that you thought you could take a rest. But I did beat you. Fair and square.”
At that moment two weasels walked up to the hare.
“Where’s our money?” demanded the bigger of the two.
“Yeah,” added the smaller one, “You said you’d pay us if we made it hard for the tortoise. Now settle up.”
“Is this true?” asked the badger.
“’Course it’s true,” said the big weasel. “We weasels might do a lot of rotten things but we doesn’t lie.”
“Don’t lie,” the precise badger corrected him.
“Whatever,” said the weasel. “All we wants is our money.” And he stood over the hare to threaten him.
“I said I’d pay you when I won,” said the hare in a trembling voice. “And I didn’t win, did I?”
“Ah,” said the weasel. “So that’s your game, eh? Well I’ll show you what us weasels do to animals that goes back on their word.” They both picked up heavy sticks.
The hare took off down the road with the weasels close behind, swinging their weapons.
“Well it seems that hare is in a real race this time,” observed the badger, and the animals roared with laughter. They crowded around the little tortoise patting his shell.
“Time for us to leave, Peri,” said Matilda as she walked into the forest. The Story Mat appeared and they hopped on board. With a “Whoosh!” the journey home began.
As soon as they were back in the bedroom Peri kissed Matilda on the cheek and flew back to the attic to join Maximilian. Meanwhile, Matilda sat down to do some hard thinking. It wasn't long before she would have to return the Story Mat and also have the answer to Maximilian's question, “What magic jewel have you discovered in your journeys?” At the moment she had no idea.
Chapter 13
The Secret Jewel
As Matilda sat on her bed thinking about Maximilian’s question, a strange thing happened. There was a rumble from her bookshelf and a book flew out onto the floor. She jumped off her bed, picked it up, and looked at the title – “The Arabian Nights”. Suddenly the book opened in her hands and the pages turned as if by a breeze even though there wasn’t a breath of wind in the room. Matilda looked at the page in front of her. It was the introduction to the book and said:
“In all stories there is a precious jewel. When it comes into contact with people, it changes them. The jewel is the story itself.”
She had discovered the secret jewel! Matilda was so excited she didn’t stop to wonder how the book happened to pop out of her bookshelf and turn to the right page. But a little fairy knew.
That night, after dinner, she climbed the stairs to her room, rolled up the Story Mat, grabbed her torch, and headed for the attic. It didn’t seem as far this time because she knew what to expect.
When she reached the top, she turned the latch on the attic door and pushed it inwards. Once inside, she reached up for the cord and pulled it to turn on the light. Everything looked the same as it had been on her first visit, except for a few more cobwebs.
She walked over to the box that had contained the Story Mat and lifted the lid. A cloud of smoke shot out of the box and, when it had cleared, there was Maximilian with a smile on his face.
“Ah, my little one,” his voice rumbled gently,” our pretty fairy told me that your visits to the five stories were successful and I can tell you that you have passed your second test. In the future you will be allowed to take the Story Mat into longer stories of your own making - if you wish to do so.
But that is for later. Right now I hope you have the answer to my question.”
“I think I do,” replied Matilda.
“First tell me what you learnt from your adventures,” interrupted Maximilian.
“Well,” began Matilda, counting them off on her fingers, “from ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ I learnt that you should never speak to strangers. Red Riding Hood put herself and her Grandmother in great danger by talking to the Wolf. And the Wolf taught me that there is some good in everyone if you can find a way to reach it.”
“Well done,” said Maximilian. “Continue.”
“From the ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’ I learnt that you should never let your vanity interfere with your decisions. He was so self-important that the thieving tailors had no trouble tricking him. And with the ‘Three Billy Goats Gruff’ I saw how greed can destroy anybody. I mean, the Troll could have had both the smaller billy-goats but he wanted the biggest one and that was a disastrous mistake.”
“Excellent,” laughed Maximilian, clapping his hands. “And what did you learn from the last two stories?”
“The Burgermeister broke his promise and paid for it. You should never go back on a promise. If you don’t mean to do it, don’t promise it. And, of course, “The Hare and the Tortoise” showed how sur
e and steady wins the race. ‘One step at a time'. Although the hare didn’t help himself by being so conceited. Just like the Emperor.”
“You have certainly learnt a lot, my little one,” said Maximilian. “And you shall have the chance to learn more later on, if you so desire. Now, finally, can you tell me of the secret jewel that you have discovered?”
“I’ve already told you what the jewel is,” laughed Matilda.
“How so?” asked Maximilian with a frown.
“The jewel is the story, because it changes people when it comes into contact with them. Every story is a precious jewel. I learnt something from every story I visited and that’s what happens to everybody who reads them,” exclaimed Matilda.
“So true,” agreed Maximilian. “Books are wonderful things that should be treasured just as jewels are. You have done well, my little one.”
“Thank you, Maximilian, for trusting me with your Story Mat,” said Matilda, “and thank you for lending me Peri. I couldn’t have survived without her.”
With a ‘Zing’, Peri appeared on Maximilian’s shoulder.
“Thank you for your friendship, Matilda,” she said. “I enjoyed sharing your adventures with you even though I thought you might be a bit too pushy at the beginning. Be safe and I’ll see you again soon, I hope.”
Matilda handed the Story Mat to Maximilian who placed it carefully back into the box and closed the lid.
“We must be going,” he said with a smile. “Take care, my little one, and look for us again when you are ready for more adventures with the Story Mat.”
They both slowly faded away.
Matilda could not stop the tears. Her adventures were over – for the time being. She couldn’t resist one last look in the box but, when she lifted the lid, she saw nothing but cobwebs. The Story Mat had disappeared.
She left the attic and made her way, sadly, to her room. After she had wiped away her tears and washed her face, she went downstairs to join her parents. This was the moment of truth. Now that the adventures were over, she could tell her parents the real facts.
Chapter 14
Honesty Is The Best Policy
Her mother and father were in the lounge room when Matilda came downstairs. As usual, they had their heads buried in books.
Standing in the doorway, Matilda announced, “Mum, Dad, I have something important to say to you.”
They both looked up from their books.
“Hello, sweetheart,” said her mother.
“Hi, Possum,” mumbled her father.
“What did you say, dear?” asked her mother. Her father had continued reading.
“I said I have something important to tell you,” repeated Matilda.
They both looked up and closed their books with puzzled looks on their faces. Matilda sat down facing them.
“Well?” said her parents together.
“I went up to the attic,” Matilda confessed.
“Tut-tut-tut,” said her father. “You disobeyed us?”
“Yes,” admitted Matilda. “And I’m really sorry. But I found something exciting there. You won’t believe what was in one of the boxes I opened.”
“Surprise us,” said her mother with a frown.
“Maximilian, and a little fairy . . . and a Story Mat,” Matilda told them excitedly. “And I’ve had all sorts of adventures.”
“The Story Mat wouldn’t be the same one we saw in your room would it?” asked her father.
“Yes, yes,” replied Matilda. “And it took me into stories so I could meet the characters in them.” She rushed on, “A troll, an Emperor, a wolf, and all sorts of other animals. It was so exciting.”
“And this all happened on that carpet in your room, is that right?” asked her mother doubtfully.
“Yes,” said Matilda. “I couldn’t tell you about it before because Maximilian told me it had to be a secret.”
“Maximilian, eh?” said her father, raising his eyebrows..
“And what about the fairy?” asked her mother.
“She helped me when I got into trouble,” Matilda explained. She could tell from the
expressions on her parents faces that they didn’t believe her. They thought it was just her imagination.
“Well, that’s really interesting,” said her father, going back to his book.
“We’re so happy that you’re getting such enjoyment out of your books, dear,” added her mother.
“But you really shouldn’t have gone into the attic. It could be dangerous.”
“Promise us you won’t go up there again,” said her father from behind his book, “and we’ll forget it ever happened.”
Matilda gave up. They would never believe her. And she didn’t blame them. It really was a fantastic story.
Crossing her fingers behind her back, Matilda said, “Okay, I promise I won’t go into the attic again.”
But she wondered how she was going to explain the fact that the Story Mat was no
longer in her room.
STORY 2
MATILDA AND THE ZITHIUM WAR
Chapter 1
Unwelcome Visitors
Matilda's baby brother had finally arrived. Her parents had named him Hieronymus, after a favourite character in one of her mother's books. Matilda felt sorry for him having to carry that name with him for the rest of his life. What were parents thinking of when they gave babies strange names? How would they like it?
Although he had a good set of lungs and his crying often interrupted her sleep (and her parents' sleep as well), Matilda loved Hieronymus dearly, not only because he was her cute brother, but also because he was the reason the family had moved into “The Celestial Mansion”. If it hadn't been for him the family would still be stuck in that little house, up to their ears in books, and Matilda would never have climbed to the attic. She would never have met Maximilian and she would never have travelled on the Story Mat.
As she sat on her bed, her thoughts were interrupted by the cries of her new brother from below. They were the cries of an empty tummy. Matilda jumped off her bed and raced down the steps to join her parents. She found her mother in the kitchen reading a letter and her father feeding the baby.
“Oh, no!” her mother cried.
“What’s wrong?” asked her father as he pushed a spoonful of mush into the baby's mouth.
“Percival and Prudence are coming to visit. I knew we shouldn’t have told them about the new baby. They say they want to help us out for a week or so. Oh, no, no, no!”
“Help us out? Criticise everything we do, more likely,” added her father.
Uncle Percival was Frank’s brother but they were completely different. Frank was gentle and kind (and spellbound by books). He cared about people, and ideas, and animals and . . . everything. The only thing Uncle Percival cared about was money. He was very, very rich and had made his millions selling stuffed toy koala bears to tourists at the International Airport. While Frank was tall, thin and quite handsome, Uncle Percy was short and dumpy, a little bantam rooster, with a bald spot on his chubby head. He was always going on about Frank living in the clouds and not being worth anything.
“It’s time you made something of yourself, Frank,” he’d say with his thumbs stuck into his waistcoat pockets and his fat belly pushed out in front. “You’re wasting your life away. You need to get out, make money, lift yourself out of this mess you live in. But don’t come to me looking for a bankroll. You have to do these things on your own, you know. That’s what I did. And look at me now.”
"Indeed," Frank would think while he ignored his brother and continued reading.
But if Uncle Percival was a pain, Aunt Prudence was pure torture. She was twice the size of her husband, had a loud squealing voice and was forever picking fault with everything in the house. She particularly gave Matilda a hard time. They had no children of their own and seemed to resent having a child in
the same house. Aunt Prudence was continually telling Matilda how untidy she looked, ordering her to do things and telling her how children “should be seen and not heard” whenever Matilda offered a comment.
“Grr-rr-rr,” thought Matilda.
The worst thing, though, was their little dog. It was a Chinese Pug dog called Peekee. As it was with many pets, it had developed a personality like its mistress. It growled, snarled and snapped whenever Matilda came near it. Worse still, it had a weak bladder and went to the toilet everywhere – on the floor, on the lounge, over her parents’ books, into the pot plants (they died) and even on the beds. Matilda called it Pee-Pee behind her aunt’s back.
Whenever Peekee went to the toilet on something, Aunt Prudence would rush over, pick up the dog, give it a cuddle and say, “Oh you naughty, naughty little dog. Look what you’ve done. But you can’t help it, can you? It’s that nasty bladder isn’t it? Poor, poor puppy. Matilda will clean it up for you. Matilda!” The screech of her voice would send Matilda into hiding. “Where is that lazy girl?” Aunt Prudence would continue as she patted Peekee. “Can’t she do anything? Children can be so useless.”
Meanwhile Matilda’s mother would rush around trying to keep everybody happy. She looked up the fanciest meals in her recipe books, bought the best cuts of meat and freshest vegetables. She cooked over a hot stove for hours and, when she finally put the meals in front of her guests, the only responses she got were, “This tastes horrible”, “Not as nice as Beppi’s Restaurant” or, “Is this left-overs from Christmas?”
Matilda felt so sorry for her mother she could have cried.
So, after Uncle Percy and Aunt Prudence arrived in their new Mercedes car, it wasn’t long before Matilda was fed up with their rudeness and nastiness. She decided to get away from it all, take up Maximilian’s offer after all, and return to the attic.
Chapter 2
The Attic Revisited
Late at night, when everybody was asleep, Matilda climbed the stairs to the attic. The wind howled outside as it rushed in from the sea, and once again the old building rocked on its foundations. It was pitch black but her torch showed the way, step by nervous step.
At last she reached the small door leading into the attic. Kneeling down, she lifted the latch and the door squeaked open. She crawled inside and pulled the cord to switch on the light. The room seemed the same, with the strange boxes piled everywhere and the walls covered in spider webs. She jumped backwards as a loud voice filled the room.