Mr Badger and the Magic Mirror (3 page)

‘Oh, do hurry up. Must you dawdle so?' snapped Lady Celia.

Sylvia Smothers-Carruthers was always on the lookout for something naughty to get up to – be it someone to tease or trip, a table to overturn, maybe even a dainty dish to drop with a crash. The louder the clatter, or the more the mess, the better.

‘Anything for attention,' her grandmother would often say with an exasperated sigh.

Sylvia soon spotted the mirror and leapt up the stairs, two at a time. As she reached the top she gave a shriek of delight – for on the other side of the mirror, through the glass, she could see Mr Badger!

Sylvia could see something, but not so Lady Celia.

Sylvia Smothers-Carruthers never liked to miss out on anything, so she called her grandmother, pointed at the mirror and demanded that they go in and join him.

‘Sylvia, dear, don't be ridiculous,' said Lady Celia, rolling her eyes and shaking her walking stick. ‘Go in and join
whom
? I see nothing but our reflections – and even they are unclear. It's like looking at oneself in a fog. What a stupid old mirror. It should be thrown out. Why
does
your grandfather keep such rubbish around the hotel?

‘Anyway, an Australian tour group is expected today for morning tea, so there'll probably be a stampede for the scones in the dining room.'

Lady Celia stomped off, expecting Sylvia to follow. But Sylvia had other plans.

She waited for her grandmother to reach the bottom of the stairs. Once Lady Celia had entered the dining room, Sylvia put a cushion on the chair that was standing in front of the mirror and climbed up.

Sylvia usually did what she wanted.

She peered into the mirror, touched the surface and then, with a small silent jump, dived in.

Lady Celia was huffing loudly to herself in the dining room. ‘Where has that silly girl gone to now?' she said through gritted teeth. ‘If the Australians eat all the scones and I miss out, there'll be
real
trouble.'

She stomped back up the stairs, looking this way and that. ‘Oh, where is she?' her ladyship said, looking very glum indeed.

Lady Celia was getting cross.

Being a trifle deaf, she didn't hear the tap-tap-tapping of small fingers. And as her back was now to the mirror, she didn't see the waving hand and the tip of a bow behind her, on the other side of the glass.

‘What's
this
doing here?' said Lady Celia, almost stumbling over the chair with the cushion on top. If she'd been wearing her glasses, and had taken the time to look closely at the cushion, Lady Celia may well have noticed the impression of two little feet.

But she was in a hurry. Lady Celia loved her granddaughter, of course, but could it be that she loved her scones more?

‘Sylvia has run off somewhere, but I'm not wasting another minute. My morning tea is getting cold.'

She peered into the mirror again. ‘There's nothing in here, not even my reflection. That child is a menace!'

And with that, Lady Celia turned and waddled back down the stairs.

CHAPTER 6

Boubles-land

N
ot very far away, Mr Badger was making his own way down another flight of stairs, towards a small red boat.

‘Hello there, Mr Badger!' called a friendly voice from across the narrow strip of water.

I feel like I know that voice, but who might
it be?
wondered Mr Badger, setting off across the moat.

As he drew nearer to the castle, Mr Badger saw a ticket booth. In it sat a familiar figure wearing a brightly coloured shirt with palm trees on it.

It was Sir Cecil Smothers-Carruthers.

‘You'll not be needing a ticket,' said Sir Cecil. ‘You're here as my guest.'

Mr Badger had a number of excellent qualities, and the two that stood out most were his good manners and his calmness in every situation. No matter how difficult or strange things got, Mr Badger always kept a cool head, and Sir Cecil valued him for that. Mr Badger's quick thinking had helped Sir Cecil out of many tricky situations.

‘Why thank you, Sir Cecil. I'm thrilled to be here,' said Mr Badger. He wasn't exactly sure
where
he was, but it seemed rude to ask.