More Wishing Chair Stories
By
Enid Blyton
Contents
THE WITCH'S CAT
THE DEAR-ME GOBLIN
THE ADVENTURE OF THE GREEN ENCHANTER
PETER'S OWN ADVENTURE
THE OLD, OLD MAN
TOPSY-TURVY LAND
THE CHAIR RUNS AWAY AGAIN
THE LAND OF SCALLY-WAGS
THE PRINCE'S SPELLS
THE LAST ADVENTURE OF ALL
HOME FOR HALF-TERM
CREE-EE-EAK
AN ADVENTUROUS NIGHT
LAND OF WISHES
SANTA CLAUS AND THE WISHING-CHAIR
MORE ABOUT THE WISHING-CHAIR
THE END OF THE ADVENTURE
Original Illustrations
The Witch's Cat
ONE afternoon Mollie and Peter were talking to Chinky the pixie in their playroom. Mollie was sitting in the magic chair, knitting as she talked. She was making a warm scarf for Chinky, who often used to go out at night and talk to the fairies in the garden. It was still very cold, and Mollie was afraid he would get a chill.
Peter and Chinky were not looking at Mollie at all—and then a dreadful thing happened! The chair grew its red wings all of a sudden, spread them out, and flew straight out of the open door! Yes—with Mollie in it, all alone! Peter and Chinky gave a shout of dismay, and rushed after it. They were too late—the chair rose over the trees, and the last they saw of Mollie was her pale anxious face looking over the arm at them.
“I say! The chair oughtn't to do that!” said Peter. “Now what are we to do?”
“We can't do anything,” said Chinky. “We must just hope that the chair comes back safely, that's all.”
Mollie had the surprise of her life when the chair rose up so suddenly. She wondered where in the world it would take her to. It flew a long way, and when it came down Mollie saw that a very thick dark wood lay beneath her.
The chair squeezed its way through the trees, and Mollie crouched down in the chair, for the branches scratched against her face. At last she was on firm ground again, and she jumped off the chair to see where she was. She saw, not far off, a beautiful little cottage, and to her surprise, there were pink and red roses out all around it—which was very astonishing, for it was only the month of February.
“Perhaps a fairy lives there,” thought Mollie, and she went up to the cottage. The door was shut, but there was a light in the window. Mollie thought she had better peep into the cottage and just see who lived there before she knocked at the door. So she did—and inside she saw an old witch, standing before a curious fire whose flames were bright purple, stirring something in a big green pot.
“Ooh!” thought Mollie. “It's a witch. I don't think I'll go in'“
Suddenly the witch looked up—and she saw Mollie peeping in. In a trice, she threw down the ladle she was using and ran to the door.
“What are you spying on me for?” she shouted, in such a rage that her face went red as a sunset. “Come here! Let me see who you are! If you are a spy, I'll soon deal with you!”
“But I'm not!” said poor Mollie. She thought she had better run away, so she turned—but the witch caught hold of the sleeve of her frock.
“You go indoors,” she said, and pushed Mollie into the cottage. She slammed the door and went back to her green pot, which was now singing a curious tune to itself, and puffing out pale yellow steam.
“Go and help the cat to make my bed,” ordered the witch. “I won't have you peeping round whilst I make this spell!”
Mollie looked round for the cat. There was one in the corner, busily washing up some dishes in the sink. It was a black cat, but its eyes were as blue as forget-me-nots. How strange!
The cat put down the tea-cloth and ran into the next room. There was a bed there, and the two set to work to make it. As they were in the middle of it, the witch called sharply to the cat:
“Puss! Come here a minute! I need your help.”
The cat at once ran to her—and Mollie took the chance to look round. She saw that the bedroom window was open. Good! It wouldn't take her long to slip out of it and run back to her chair!
She climbed out—but in doing so she knocked over a big vase on the window-sill. Crash! The witch at once guessed what was happening. She rushed into the bedroom, and tried to get hold of Mollie's leg—but she was too late! Mollie was running between the trees!
“Cat! Chase her! Scratch her! Bring her back at once!” yelled the witch.
The blue-eyed cat at once leapt out of the window and rushed after Mollie. How they ran! Mollie reached the wishing-chair, jumped into it, and cried, “Home, quickly!”
It rose up—but the cat gave an enormous leap and jumped on to one arm of the chair. Mollie tried to push it off, but it dug its claws into the arm, and wouldn't leave go.
“You horrid creature!” said the little girl, almost in tears. “Get off my chair!”
But the cat wouldn't move. The chair rose higher and higher. Mollie wondered what she should do if the cat flew at her—but it didn't. It crawled down into the chair, hid behind a cushion there, and seemed to go to sleep!
After a while Mollie saw that she was near her own garden. She was glad. The chair went down to the playroom, and Peter and Chinky rushed out excitedly. Peter hugged Mollie, and so did Chinky. They had been so worried about her.
Mollie told them her adventure. “And the funny thing is,” she said, “the witch's cat is still in the chair! He didn't scratch me—he hid behind the cushion!”
Chinky ran to the chair and lifted up the cushion—yes, there was the cat! It opened its great blue eyes and looked at Chinky.
The pixie stared hard at it. Then he ran his hands over the cat's sleek back, and shouted in surprise.
“Come here, children, and feel! This isn't a proper witch's cat! Can you feel these bumps on its back?”
Sure enough, Peter and Mollie could quite well feel two little bumps there.
“This cat was a fairy once,” said Chinky, in excitement. “You can always tell by feeling along the back. If there are two bumps there, you know that that was where the wings of the fairy grew, once upon a time. I say! I wonder who this fairy was!”
“Can't we change the cat back into its right shape?” asked Peter, in great excitement.
“I'll try!” said clever Chinky. He drew a chalk circle on the floor, and then put a chalk square outside that. He stood between the circle and the square, and put the cat in the middle. Then he told the children to pour water on the cat whilst he recited some magic words.
Peter got a jug of water, and Mollie got a vase. Both children poured water on the silent cat, whilst Chinky chanted a string of strange words.
And then a most peculiar thing happened! The cat grew larger—and larger. The bumps on its back broke out into a pair of bright blue wings. The cat stood upright on its hind legs—and suddenly the whole of the black fur peeled away and fell off—and inside was the most beautiful fairy that the children had ever imagined!
He had the brightest blue eyes, and shining golden hair, and he smiled in delight at Chinky.
“Thank you!” he said. “I am Prince Merry, brother to the Princess Sylfai. The witch caught me and changed me into a cat at the same time as she caught my lovely sister. She sold her to the Green Enchanter, and she is still a prisoner.”
“Oh, your highness!” cried Chinky, bowing low before the beautiful prince. “It is such an honour to have returned you to your right shape. What a good thing Mollie flew to the witch's house!”
“It certainly was!” said Prince Merry. “I suddenly saw she had a wishing-chair out in the wood, though, of course, the witch didn't know that! I was determined to come
with her in the magic chair—but I only just managed it! It is the first time I have had a chance to escape from the witch!”
“I wish we could rescue your sister, the Princess!” cried Peter.
“That would be splendid!” said the Prince. “If we only could! But before we can get to the hill on which the Green Enchanter lives, we have to get a map to find it—and there is only one map in the world that shows the Enchanter's Hill.”
“Who has it?” asked Chinky excitedly.
“The Dear-Me Goblin has it,” said Merry. “He lives in the caves of the Golden Hill.”
“Then we'll go there the very next time the chair grows wings!” shouted Chinky, Mollie, and Peter.
The Dear-Me Goblin
PRINCE MERRY lived with Chinky in the playroom, waiting for the chair to grow its wings again. Chinky made himself Merry's servant, and did everything for him gladly and proudly. Peter and Mollie thought they were very lucky children—to have a wishing-chair of their own, a pixie for a friend, and a fairy prince living in their playroom. Nobody would believe it if they told the story of their adventures.
It was a whole week before the chair grew its red wings. It was one evening after tea, when Peter, Mollie, Chinky, and the Prince were sitting round the playroom fire, having a game of snap. All four had cards in front of them, when suddenly a draught blew the whole lot together!
“I say! Is the window open?” cried Peter, jumping up. But it wasn't. He couldn't think where the draught came from when he suddenly saw that it was the chair, flapping its red wings again! Of course! They made the wind that blew the cards together!
“Look!” cried Peter excitedly. “The chair's ready again! Come on! Is there room for us all?”
“No,” said Chinky, “but the Prince has wings. So he can fly beside us. Come on—get in! I say, though—hadn't we better take a rug? It's an awfully cold night.”
The children pulled a rug from the sofa, and then they and the pixie climbed in the chair, wrapping the rug closely round them. The prince opened the door, and the chair flew out at once. Merry followed it, and held on to one of the arms as he flew, so that he should not miss the way.
The Prince opened the door, and the chair flew out at once.
“I told the chair to go to the Dear-Me Goblin's cave,” said Chinky. “I hope it knows the way.”
It did! It flew to a hill that looked dark and lonely in the starlit night; but as soon as the chair had flown inside a big cave, and come to earth there, the children exclaimed in delight. The inside of the cave shone with a golden light, though there was no lamp of any sort to be seen.
“That's why it's called the Golden Hill,” said Merry. “The whole of the hill shines like gold inside. So plenty of goblins live here because they are mean fellows, you know, and are only too pleased to live in a hill where they do not need to buy candles by which to see!”
The children and Chinky explored the golden cave. There was a passage leading away into the heart of the hill, and the four of them walked down it, able to see everything quite clearly.
Along the passage were many doors of all colours. Each door had a little notice on it, giving the name of the goblin who lived there. The children looked at them all, but could not see the name of Dear-Me. At last they came to the end door, and that had no name on at all.
“This must be Dear-Me's cave,” said Merry. “It's the only one left!”
So they knocked, and the door opened. A queer-looking goblin poked out his head. He wore a wastepaper basket for a hat, and had a pencil in his mouth at which he kept puffing as if it were a pipe!
“Hallo!” he said.
“Hallo!” said Chinky. “What is your name?”
“It's on the door,” said the goblin. “I've forgotten what it is.”
“But it isn't on the door,” said Peter. “There is no name there at all.”
“Oh,” said the goblin. “Well, come in, whilst I think of it.”
They all went in. There was a large and cosy room made out of the cave behind the door. A fire glowed in one corner, and a small bed stuck out of the other. There was a table in the middle, and two or three stools stood here and there. There was no lamp, for the curious golden light shone here too.
“Is your name Dear-Me?” asked Chinky.
“Of course it is,” said the goblin. “Everyone knows that!”
“Well, you didn't seem to know it,” said Merry.
“Only because it wasn't on the door,” said the goblin. “What have you all come for?”
“Well, we wanted to know if you have the map that shows the hill on which the Green Enchanter lives,” said Chinky.
“Yes, I have,” said Dear-Me. “But, dear me! I couldn't tell you where it is at the moment!”
“Did you put it in a safe place?” asked the Prince.
“Of course!” said the goblin. “But it is always so difficult to remember safe places, isn't it?”
“Well, tell us one of your safe places, and we'll look there,” said Mollie.
“It might be in that drawer,” said the goblin, pointing to a drawer in the kitchen table. Mollie opened it, and then stared in the greatest surprise. It was full of pea-pods, turned brown and dry!
“Dear me!” said the goblin. “So that's where those pea-pods went to last summer. Well, look in the teapot, then, and see if the map's there.”
“In the teapot!” said Peter, thinking the goblin must be quite mad. However, he looked in the teapot on the dresser, and found it full of safety-pins. The goblin was so pleased to see them.
“I couldn't think where I'd put those pins!” he said.
“You know, buttons are always coming off my clothes and I have to pin them up such a lot. So I bought a whole crowd of safety-pins and thought I'd better keep them somewhere safe in case I lost them. So I put them in the teapot—and then I couldn't remember where they were.”
“Tell us another of your hiding-places,” begged Chinky patiently.
“You might look in the boot-box,” said the goblin.
They all looked for it.
“Where is the boot-box?” asked Peter at last. “Have you put that in a safe place too?”
“Oh, no,” said the goblin. “Now let me think. Yes! I remember now—when the laundry came, the carrier wanted the basket back, so I put the clean clothes into the boot-box.”
“You do think of some surprising ideas!” said Merry. “I don't suppose the washing will be clean any longer. I suppose this is it, under the mangle.”
He pulled out a dirty old box in which clean shirts and collars were stuffed—but except for some old potatoes at the bottom, there was nothing else in the box at all.
“I suppose you use the boot-box for your vegetables as well,” said Chinky, shaking the potatoes about.
“Oh, are there some potatoes there?” cried the goblin, pleased. “I'll cook them for my dinner then. I was just going out to buy some, but I couldn't find my hat.”
Chinky, Merry, and the children stared at the wastepaper basket on the goblin's head. “Well,” said Chinky, “you've got something on your head—we thought it was meant for a hat.”
The goblin took the basket off and looked at it in surprise.
“It's my waste-paper basket!” he said. “Now how did that get there? I spent all the morning looking for it.”
“Is this your hat?” asked Chinky, picking up something stuffed full with old newspapers.
“Dear me, yes!” said the goblin, pleased. “I must have mistaken it for the basket. I do get into such muddles sometimes. I have so much to do, you know.”
“What do you have to do?” asked Mollie curiously.
“Oh—there's getting up—and having meals—and dressing—and dusting—and going to bed,” said the goblin. “That reminds me—it's time for something to eat. Will you have a bit of cherry-pie?”
He darted to a cupboard, opened it, and brought out a pie; but as he went to put it on the table he fell over the waste-paper basket, and smas
h! the pie fell to the floor and the red juice flowed out on to the carpet!
“Dear me!” said the goblin. “That's the end of the pie, I'm afraid. Well, it wasn't a very good pie. Now, what shall I wipe up the mess with?”
He went to the cupboard and caught up the piece of paper that lined the shelf. He was just about to mop up the mess with it when Chinky gave a cry. “Wait!” The pixie took the paper from him and shouted loudly “It's the map! Look! Fancy the goblin using it to line a shelf with! Just the sort of thing he would do!”
At that moment another goblin came rushing into the room, crying, “Your chair's flapping its wings!”
“We must go!” shouted Chinky, “or our chair will leave us behind! Goodbye, Dear-Me! Thanks for all the help you didn't give!”
Out they all ran and flung themselves into the chair. Prince Merry had the map safely in his pocket. To think how nearly they had lost it!
“Home, chair!” cried Peter, and off it went!
The Adventure of the Green Enchanter
PETER, Mollie, Prince Merry, and Chinky the pixie all looked eagerly at the dirty old map.
“See!” said Chinky, pointing. “There is the Enchanter's Hill. I will tell the wishing-chair how to get there as soon as it grows its wings again.”
“Then we will rescue Sylfai!” cried Merry.
“You can live here with Chinky,” said Mollie, looking round the playroom. “I will bring you an old rug, Prince. Let us know when the chair grows its wings again.”
But a dreadful thing happened when the chair next grew its pretty red wings and flapped them in the playroom—for Peter was in bed with a cold! When Chinky came climbing up the window to peep into the bedroom (the playroom was at the bottom of the garden, you remember), Mollie was ready to go—but Peter was much too sneezy and snuffly, and he was sure that his mother would be very angry if she came and found him gone. So it was decided that Mollie, Merry, and Chinky should go alone, and Merry promised to look after Mollie. They all said goodbye to Peter and left him. He felt very sad and lonely.