Bryony took another sip of ice-cold tropical fruit juice, and smiled as she watched the amber sun setting above the crystal blue sea. A warm breeze caressed the golden sandy beach, whilst a flock of brightly coloured birds fluttered gracefully amongst the gently swaying palm trees.
Relaxing on her lounger, Bryony thought this was the best resort she had ever stayed in. Not only did her hotel room boast a beautiful marble en suite, a minibar stocked with a limitless supply of fizzy drinks, and a four poster bed you could park a bus on, it also had its own private beach; a private beach inside the room itself. She had never seen that on a TV holiday programme.
“Is all to your liking, young Mistress?”
Bryony smiled down at the large key that lay beside her lounger. “Perfect,” she replied, taking another sip of fruit juice. “But lower the breeze a little, it’s making my hair frizz.”
Inglenook’s miniature metal face smiled. “As you wish, young mistress.”
Immediately Bryony felt the breeze soften. “And can we have the sun a bit higher, please? I need to work on my tan.”
“Of course,” agreed Inglenook. “But only after you have applied the necessary protection.”
A huge splat of sun cream landed on Bryony’s face.
“Oi!” Bryony coughed, snorting cream from her nostrils. “Careful with that.”
“Apologies, young Mistress. But you cannot be too careful. Will there be anything else?”
Bryony rubbed the sun cream into her face, arms and legs. “How about some music?”
No sooner had Bryony asked, than the sound of gentle guitar music came wafting over the sand.
Bryony lay back and sighed with pleasure as she felt the warmth of the sun. This was, without doubt, the best idea. She had originally asked Inglenook to take her to Marbella, but the beach was too crowded. Next she had tried Tahiti, but the wind blew sand in her eyes. Fiji had been too hot, and Goa even hotter. So staying here on the Isle of Lost Souls and creating her own magic holiday resort was the perfect solution.
“This is the life, eh?” Bryony turned to the smaller sun lounger beside her. “We’ve never had a holiday like this before, have we?”
Mr Cuddles didn’t reply, but just stared at the horizon with his wonky glass eyes.
“Tomorrow we’ll go on a cruise,” suggested Bryony. “Or maybe do some scuba diving. There’s a spectacular coral reef just along the coast, teeming with thousands of beautiful little fish. Or there will be, if I wish it. This holiday can be anything I want.”
Bryony drained her glass of fruit juice, and held it up in the air. Immediately it was full again.