WILDSIDE

CHAPTER 2 - Sprite Science and Common Sense

As soon as it was light, Madge flew across the railway line and into Abney Park. She found some comfrey, and made a paste from its leaves, then settled down beneath a tree. She clasped her arms around her knees, and concentrated. Her thoughts went streaking north, across hill and moorland, across the sea, along steep-sided fjords, to sprite army headquarters. Then she heard a voice, crisp and clear.
You’re through to signals.
Major Arley for Major Rhaeadr, said Madge, in her head. Is that Poppy?
Oh, hello, Madge. Yes, it’s me. Where are you?
North of England. New posting.
Back home then, isn’t it? What’s your message for Heather?
Arrived safely. Enough work to keep me busy for months. It’s all right for some, lounging around on leave.
Urgent operational stuff, that.
Isn’t it? grinned Madge. You’ve got no room to talk. I thought Signals weren’t supposed to comment on messages?
Wouldn’t dream of it. You want me to see if there’s anything for you?
You might as well.
Hang on a minute, then…
Madge concentrated harder. It was easy to lose the link when you weren’t speaking, unless you were very careful.
Far away in Norway, Poppy came back to her desk.
Yes, there’s a few here. All inter-squadron stuff, by the look of it.
She read them out, and Madge listened, smiling.
Reply to that second one, will you?
She told her what to say, and Poppy observed,
You don’t half talk a lot, in Guidance.
Well, we all work alone. Got to keep in touch. Gossip is very good for morale.
I understand. So what have you found? Another colony to lead to safety?
I’m not sure…it looks that sort of place, but it seems peaceful. What there is, is a bunch of youngsters who’ve been allowed to do exactly as they please, running wild, no education at all.
They won’t take kindly, then, to you taking them in hand.
They won’t even notice. There’s also a human child, a little boy, who’s miserable and angry. I’ll get these youngsters to help me with him.
Subtle, Madge. Good luck to the work.
Thanks, Poppy.

Greatly cheered, Madge headed back to Wildside, flying openly until she realised that two girls were under the chestnut tree. She dropped down hastily, and cautiously drew aside the grasses. They looked like sisters, both had curly brown hair and deep brown eyes. The elder one was tall and graceful; she looked about twelve. The younger one was small and round, and had a very sweet face. She stooped to pick something up, and Madge heard something that shocked her.
“Rowan, look! I’ve found a fairy’s cup!”
“Oh, Laura, it’s only an acorn cup, they’re always that shape.”
“No it’s not, look! It’s much longer than they usually are, and look, it’s got a little handle!”
“Let me see. Hey, it has! You’d better keep it, Laura, in case a fairy comes to visit you!”
Rowan smiled kindly at her little sister, pretending to believe that the piece on the side of the acorn cup was a handle. Laura was smiling with happiness.

Madge was frowning with annoyance. She banged loudly on the door of the elves’ house.
“Come in,” yawned Will.
Madge stamped in, and barked,
“Who under the canopy made those cups?”
“Pardon?” said Will.
“The cups, the ones you had last night, who made them?”
“I did,” said Ace. “Why?”
“How long did you make them to last for?”
“Erm... oh dear. Are they still there? I forgot to set a time limit.”
“One of them is now in the pocket of a little girl - Laura, was it? - who’s firmly convinced it’s a fairy’s cup!”
“Well, that’s daft, fairies would have made soppy little teacups, probably with saucers, not nice big mugs like that!”
“That’s not the point, you halfwit,” interrupted Will. “It doesn’t matter what kind of sprite made them, how d’you expect humans to know the difference? But we shouldn’t have left them for humans to find.”
“Whoops,” said Ace.
“Is that all you can say?” Madge glared at Ace. “Well, the damage is done now. But for pity’s sake, be careful. I’m not really blaming you,” she added, as Ace looked so crestfallen. “I was talking to Cory last night, and he explained that he hadn’t been able to teach you everything you ought to know, because of all four of you being buds at once.”
“Hey,” said Phil, rolling over. “Haven’t you been educated? You lucky things!”
“You’re awake, are you? Jolly good. Let me see your leg again, I’ve got some comfrey here, that’ll help it to heal.”
“Oh, thank you,” said Phil, sitting up.
Madge began to unwind the bandage she’d put on the night before.
“What d’you mean, educated?” said Will. “We know loads of stuff.”
“He means things you get taught,” said Madge gravely, “not things you find out for yourself. Sprite things. Not human things.”
“Ow, that stings!”
“It’ll make it better. I’m sorry I can’t heal it quickly for you in the normal way, it’s too far gone. When a wound’s started to fester like that, you’re better off relying on herbs.”
Madge could see that Ace and Will were listening intently, but she didn’t say anything to them.
“There!” said Madge. “Leave the bandage on for three days, then take it off and bathe your leg.”
“Thank you very much for all the trouble you’ve taken, Major,” said Phil gratefully.
Ace and Will shot each other puzzled frowns.
“How did you know Madge was a major?” asked Will. “Did someone tell you?”
“Well, no,” said Phil apologetically. “It’s just the green band she wears round her wrist. The band means the army, the colour is the rank. I’m sorry, I thought everyone knew that.”
“Everyone except us, by the sound of it,” said Ace.
“So it’s true,” said Will.
He got up and walked out.
Ace turned to Madge. She was startled to see how serious he looked.
“The band means the army? You mean the police are part of the army?”
“Ah,” said Madge. “Yes, Ace, I’m ashamed to say they are.”

Meanwhile, Dan was ploughing through the rankest weeds and mud to the goblins’ lair. Not even Barking Mad came into this far corner. It was protected by brambles as thick as cables, and a foul smell of rotting vegetation lingered all year round. Here, in the gloomiest and most secret part, was the goblins’ ramshackle home. It was built from every kind of rubbish, shiny black Tango bottles, polystyrene burger boxes, scrap metal, cardboard cartons and dog food tins.
Dan approached it on a causeway of chip-forks that bridged the final patch of glutinous mud. All the goblins were outside, working on another of their foul contraptions. As soon as they saw Dan, they started jeering.
“You’re late,” sneered the youngest, a hefty specimen with blotchy skin and a gloomy face. His name was Hogweed.
“Don’t look so miserable, it may never ’appen,” cackled an older goblin with a malicious grin. He was called Ragwort, and his red skin was flaking and crumbly. The eldest was silent for a long time before he spoke. Perhaps he knew how much this terrified Dan. Dan looked at the ground, not wanting to look at that sickly white face and cold, cruel eyes. This one, who called himself Nightshade, finally spoke in a voice no louder than a whisper.
“Get inside. Hogweed was sick last night. Clear it all up. And no buckets. Use your hands.”

Dan slaved away, carrying the disgusting mess down the greasy passageways, outside, to bury it in the mud before toiling back for another handful. The morning was nearly over before the dreadful work was finished. By then, the goblins were lolling in deckchairs made from broken umbrellas. Dan stumbled over to them, longing to go.
“Stand up straight!” barked Ragwort.
“Hands a bit smelly, are they?” laughed Hogweed. “Wipe them on your own face!”
Dan hesitated, outraged.
“Do it,” came the cold, quiet voice, and Dan did it. Then Nightshade spoke again.
“What is their answer? Are they prepared to work with me to rid this place of that putrid feline?”
“No,” said Dan. “They don’t want to.”
“So. As I expected. Cowards, all of them. The goblins will have to carry this burden on their own. We attack this afternoon, and you will help us.”
“No, I won’t!” said Dan bravely. “Working for you’s one thing. That doesn’t hurt anyone but me. I’m not doing anything that hurts anyone else.”
“You’ll do as you’re told,” snapped Nightshade. “Or you know what will happen, don’t you? Take its jacket off!” he ordered the other two.
Snorting with laughter, Ragwort and Hogweed lumbered to their feet, seized Dan’s arms and pulled roughly at the jacket to remove it, revealing a beautiful pair of wings.
“Obey me now,” said Nightshade softly. “You don’t want your friends, those idiotic long-haired elves, to know you’re a fairy?”

Rose had spent the morning helping Madge to make a house. Disguised as a bird’s nesting box, it was halfway up the rowan tree that grew near number eight. But while she’d been by the brook, getting willow to make a bed, Rose had seen something that worried her. As soon as she could, she’d gone away by herself to think about it. She’d seen Dan in the water, scrubbing away at his hands and face as though they’d never get clean, then sitting on a stone, soaking wet and sobbing his heart out. Rose hadn’t known what to do. Her kind heart had urged her to go and find out what the matter was, and comfort Dan, but knowing that elves hated to be seen crying had prevented her. So she had stayed still, worried and concerned, and not liking the feeling that she was spying. But then Dan had gathered up his courage somehow, and swum to the bank and clambered up it. Rose thought that hadn't looked right, but she couldn’t think why not. Then once he was on dry land, Dan had looked around carefully, then taken off his jacket to wring the water out.

And he had wings, thought Rose. Is he an elf with wings? Or is he a fairy? And why doesn’t he fly, if he’s got wings? Oh, I don’t understand.
Rose thought hard, back to when Dan had arrived at Wildside, last summer. She tried to remember if Dan had ever said what he was, and decided that he hadn't.
He just acted like an elf, and we didn’t see any wings, ’cos he never takes his jacket off, so we thought he was one. And yet, now I come to think of it, I’ve never, ever seen him jump.
She realised with a start that that was what had looked wrong. If Will or Ace had wanted to get from a stone in mid-stream to the bank of the brook, they’d have jumped without thinking twice about it. Yet Dan had swum and climbed. So he couldn’t jump. And he had wings. Rose made her mind up, and said firmly,
“She’s a fairy.”
Yes, that was another thing. Elves were always named after their trees; Ace was only short for Acer, which is a sycamore’s proper name, and Will was short for Willow. But what tree would be a Dan? Rose didn’t know of any.
But why? wondered Rose. Why would anyone want to be an elf, when they could be a fairy? Maybe he, no, she, is in trouble with someone and has to go in disguise. Poor Dan! Always having to wear scruffy elf-clothes and never fly!
Rose decided to say nothing to anyone, but just watch and listen, and be very kind to Dan.
It isn’t my secret, she thought. I won’t give her away.

She went to see if Clover was up yet. Together, they wandered peacefully towards Cory’s house.
“This is where the hodgepig was,” sniffed Rose. “What a mess it’s made!”
Clover put her hand on Rose’s arm.
“Listen!” she whispered. “That’s Will. Shouting?”
“Come on!” said Rose.
They stood outside Cory’s door, mouths open, listening intently.
“You’ve made us all look complete idiots! Why couldn’t you have told us the truth? If you thought this army was daft, you could have said so, couldn't you? Why tell us it didn’t exist?”
Then Cory, shouting back,
“Don’t you come here losing your temper with me! I’ve done the best I could by all of you, I’ve been with you all your lives and you go preferring to listen to any stranger who happens to turn up! I’d have thought you would be more loyal than that!”
“It’s got nothing to do with loyalty!” stormed Will. “How can you take it so personally? A thing’s true or it isn’t! Tell me the truth from your own mouth. Did you know the sprite army existed?”
“Yes, I did! So what? There are some things you’re better off not knowing.”
“I can’t believe I’m hearing this! How can you ever be better off in ignorance? It’s against every principle of science!”
“Oh, Will,” said Cory. “There’s a lot you don’t understand.”
“Yes, I realise that,” said Will, in a deadly quiet voice. “Thanks to you!”
He tossed his head and walked out, glared at the fairies and marched off.
“What,” gasped Rose, “was all that about?”
“Madge,” said Clover. “That’s what. Things are going to change around here.”
Rose stared at her, uncomprehending.
“Never mind,” said Clover. “It’s just elves being completely unhinged as usual. Let’s go for a fly.”

Phil was sitting in the sun playing with the bud when Will got back. He flopped down beside them.
“Sorry to walk out on you like that. I had a lot on my mind.”
“That’s OK. Don’t worry. The major - I mean, Madge - seemed to know how you were feeling. Ace was going to go after you, but she said you needed to be on your own.”
“She’s a wise old thing. Not like that old pudding-head who lives here,” said Will bitterly.
Phil shrugged. “Well, obviously he’s not taught you all what he should have done. But at least you’ve had freedom, Will; you’ve learned a lot you wouldn’t have had time for otherwise.”
“That’s true, of course. Good point. I just feel as though I’m standing on nothing, when I thought I had solid ground beneath my feet.”
“That’ll pass. With a brain like yours, you’ll soon catch up.”
“I wonder. How old are you, Phil?”
“Twenty-two.”
“Younger than we are, then. We’re all twenty-six. But I bet you know loads more than we do.” Then he tipped his head to one side, curiously. “What’s Ace doing at the goblins’ dump?”
“How did you know he was there? Hey!” Phil’s eyes widened in amazement. “Wow... are you twins?”
“Yes. Yes, that’s how I knew. He’s coming back now.”
Phil was very impressed. He’d never met any twins before, but he could see by Will’s face that he didn’t want to talk about it, just now. So he just said,
“He went with Dan, to see this catapult the goblins have made, to kill the cat with.”

“Right, here’s the plan,” said Ace, as he and Dan came round the corner. “We’ll track the cat. That way, the goblins won’t be able to sneak up on it without us knowing. We have to outwit Nightshade, he’s a cunning thinker.”
“Takes one to know one,” smiled Will.
Ace met his eyes.
“Are you all right now?”
“Definitely,” said Will. “I’m just in the mood for a fight. How about you, Phil?”
“Something I’ve never had the chance to do!” said Phil. “In fact, I’ve never even met a goblin.”
“Oh, you’re going to enjoy this!” laughed Ace.
He picked the bud up and started tossing him in the air.
“Let’s go!” he yelled. The bud was chuckling with delight. Ace sat him on his shoulder and carried him to Cory’s house, and Phil went with him. Will and Dan followed, more slowly.
“I’m not being nosey,” said Will, “just tell me one thing - are you OK about fighting? You don’t have to if you don’t want to, you know.”
He knows! thought Dan. But how? I must have given myself away somehow. But he doesn’t seem to mind.
Will was looking at her very kindly.
“All that bothers me is whether I actually can. I’ve never done any before. But I want to, all right,” she added fiercely.
“Good for you. Phil’s never done any either, so don’t worry about that. But sometimes you stick up for the goblins, as if you were sorry for them - why’s that?”
“They’ve been blackmailing me,” said Dan simply. “Pretending I quite liked them gave me an excuse for spending so much time in their lair.”
“So that’s it,” said Will. “But what will they do to you if you start fighting them?”
“I don’t know,” said Dan, “but it doesn’t matter. I’m with you.”

They moved cautiously across Wildside. At number two, David’s bedroom window was open, and music was coming out. The air was throbbing with the sound of heavy metal.
“That’s Iron Maiden,” said Ace reverently, as they climbed the fence of number four. “What a band. Just listen to that drummer!”
“Is that a drum?” gasped Phil. “It doesn’t sound like the drum I had to play.”
“Is that what your instrument was?” asked Will.
“I think it must have been a different kind.”
“That doesn’t matter!” said Ace joyfully. “You’re a drummer! This is fantastic. At last, we can form a band!”
Phil was stunned. Forgetting what they were supposed to be doing, they strutted along the top of the fence, playing imaginary instruments and trying to look cool, like the bands on the posters on David’s walls, until David’s brother Adam came running out, and they had to dive for cover.
Adam was ten years old, the same age as Joseph Connolly, who was a great friend of his, and like Joseph, he wore a Manchester United shirt constantly. He wasn’t quite as tall and strong as Joseph, but there was something very likeable in his cheerful, freckled face. The elves watched him as he kicked his football against number eight’s fence, waiting for Joseph to come out. He didn’t have to wait long. The Connolly brothers and Barking Mad poured onto Wildside in a noisy stream.
“This isn’t going to be easy,” said Will. “Look, the girls are coming out too.”
“Sit tight a bit longer,” Ace advised. “When they all start rushing about, it may flush the cat out of cover.”

Laura went straight to number fourteen, and leaned over the fence.
“Hello, Mrs. Johnson,” she called. “Is Gemma playing?”
Mrs. Johnson came over to the fence. She was a young black woman, with braided hair and a beautiful smile.
“She ought to be out in the sunshine, it’s a lovely day. I’ll give her a shout.”
Laura hopped about excitedly, waiting for her friend.
“Oh, Gemma, come and see this!” she said, as Gemma came out of her gate. “It’s a fairy’s cup! I found it this morning, under the conker tree!”
“Is it really a fairy’s cup?” breathed Gemma. “It’s beautiful! Let’s go and see if there’s any more!”
Eyes sparkling, the two little girls rushed off towards the horse chestnut.
Rowan and Dominic were getting their bikes out. Joseph and Adam were already playing football. The elves were watching Madge, who was following Tony and Barking Mad to the horse chestnut, suddenly gaining height and coming down through the tree itself, to land above Tony's head without being seen.
“Good trick, that,” said Ace with respect. “I wonder why...”
“Ace,” interrupted Phil, “what colour is this cat we’re looking for?”
“Ginger, why?”
“ ’Cos it’s behind us, and I think it’s going to...”
“Jump!” yelled the elves, leaping down just as the cat leaped on the fence.
“This way,” called Ace, leading them into cover beneath a hawthorn. “This is mad, we’re supposed to be tracking it, not it tracking us.”
Satisfied it had seen off the trespassers, the cat strolled disdainfully away. The elves began to shadow it.

At the edge of the bramble thicket, the goblins were watching and listening.
“About time, too! Kids’ve gone at last,” said Hogweed, rubbing his hands.
“Start pushing, then,” ordered Nightshade. “Follow me.”
He stalked off, his purple cloak snagging on thorns, with Ragwort and Hogweed behind, pushing the catapult. There was a suggestion of roller-skate about it, with a very strong spring on it. The missile was a golf ball. Nightshade had a knife in his hand, and he scythed across the plants in his path as he went.
“Can you see it yet, boss?” wheezed Ragwort.
“Quiet, fool!” Nightshade spat at him.
Too late. Ace had heard him. Silently he slid through the grass, touched Phil on the shoulder, and nodded. Phil slipped away to Dan, then returned to Ace. They heard Dan and Will moving into position opposite them.
“You OK?” breathed Ace.
“I will be when it starts.”
“Won’t be long now.”

Tense and excited, the elves crouched low, listening to the sound of the catapult trundling nearer. Ace waited until Nightshade’s cloak had swept past, then yelled, “Go!” at the top of his voice. When Ace jumped, Phil followed him, and instinctively grabbed the side of the catapult to bring it to a halt. As it happened, he couldn’t have done a more useful thing, because Will jumped on the back of the catapult, making himself high enough to reach Hogweed. Phil was frozen with amazement at the sight of the goblins. True, Nightshade wasn’t that big, but the other two seemed enormous. He stared at Hogweed’s huge hands and feet, and saw Will swing a great punch at his face. Hogweed was stunned at the suddenness and ferocity of the attack, and stumbled backwards, clutching his bleeding nose.
But Phil didn’t see what happened next, because his neck was grabbed from behind, and he suddenly remembered what he was supposed to be doing. He stretched his arms behind his head, trying to loosen Ragwort’s grip, and saw Dan rushing to help him, only to get herself grabbed in Ragwort’s other hand. But between them they managed to pull him over before he banged their heads together, and the three of them wrestled it out on the ground, getting in punches and kicks where they could.

Now and then, Phil caught a glimpse of the other two. Ace had his hand round Nightshade’s wrist, using all his strength to stop Nightshade using his knife. Will had his hands full with Hogweed, who had blundered back into the fight. His great fists were punching out, and Will couldn’t dodge every blow. Phil saw him go down, and saw Dan wriggling away. She ran at Hogweed and butted him in the stomach with her head. Winded, Hogweed lost his balance and crashed backwards, banging his head as he fell. He was out cold. Summoning all his strength, Phil managed to break free of Ragwort, and spun round to punch him, feeling a fierce joy at getting in one good blow. But the feeling didn’t last long. Looking into Ragwort’s eyes, Phil saw malice replace the raucous enjoyment that had been there before. A little afraid now, Phil stepped back as Ragwort lunged at him, and actually picked him up and threw him.
As he hit the ground, for a moment Phil was in too much agony to move, but then he managed to open his eyes, and saw that the fight was over. Will was only just getting to his feet, and Ace was on his knees, clutching his arm. Nightshade and Ragwort were marching off in triumph. Ragwort had Dan under his arm. Phil struggled to his feet to go after them and help her, but it was no use. As soon as he moved, Nightshade turned, and Phil looked with terror into those cold, menacing eyes.
“Stay where you are,” he spat out contemptuously. “Or this little traitor will get it in the neck.”
Horrified, Phil just stared. He heard Will coming up behind him, and as soon as the goblins were out of sight in the long grass, they stumbled over to Ace. He was very pale, and breathing heavily. They saw he’d got a cut from the knife, and his arm was bleeding badly.
“Help me up,” he groaned. “We’ve got to go after them.”
One on each side, they helped him to his feet, and slowly the three elves staggered along in the wake of the catapult. Hogweed was still unconscious, behind them. As they reached the edge of the long grass, what they saw filled them with despair. The cat had climbed into the rowan tree, and Nightshade was aiming the catapult. He couldn’t have had a better target.
“What can we do?” gasped Phil.
Suddenly, Will laughed.
“It’s OK!” he said with relief. “Here comes the airforce!”

The elves cheered as Rose and Clover flew over like bullets. Each had a bucket of water. Clover tipped hers onto Nightshade, spoiling his aim, and Rose threw hers on the cat, making it jump down out of sight.
Frustrated, Nightshade slashed the string on the catapult, and the missile soared through the air, passing very close to where the cat had just been. It may have missed the cat, but it didn’t miss number six’s kitchen window. Everyone stopped to listen to the breaking glass, elves, fairies, goblins, the cat, the children wandering back onto Wildside licking ice lollies, Barking Mad, and old Mrs. Kowalska whose window it was. Especially fascinated was Tony, who happened to be nearest.
“Oh, no,” moaned Madge. “Move, move!”
But Tony, his conscience at ease, didn’t move, so he got the full onslaught.
“You stupid, naughty boy! Why did you do that? What a mess! All my kitchen covered with broken glass! Hours of work to clear it all! Your father will get the bill for this, you horrible little boy!”
Tony burst into tears and ran away. The other children felt sorry for him. They hadn’t seen him throw anything, but obviously someone had, and it was the sort of thing Tony would do. But no-one felt much like playing after that, and one by one they drifted back to their own gardens.

After the window shattered instead of the cat, the elves burst out laughing. Ragwort dropped Dan to the ground and aimed a savage kick at her. Then he and Nightshade marched off back to their lair with as much dignity as they could muster. The fairies landed and helped Dan to her feet.
“We’d have come sooner if we’d known,” gasped Clover. “We suddenly saw Phil flying through the air, so we guessed what was happening and came to join in.”
“Good timing,” grinned Will. “Clover, help me make a bandage out of Ace’s shirt, will you?”
Will ripped the sleeve off Ace’s wounded arm, and gave it to Clover. She tore off the cleanest piece she could find, and imagined it into a bandage. Between them, they wiped the worst of the blood away and put the bandage on.
“Thanks a lot,” said Ace. “That feels great. Where’s Dan? Are you OK?”
“Just very bruised!”
“Uh-oh, here comes Madge,” said Rose.
“Look at the state of you!” said Madge.
The elves were a sorry sight. Dirty and dishevelled, battered and bruised, Ace covered in blood and Will’s face already swelling up. He was going to have a stunning black eye. But in spite of everything, their heads were up and they didn’t look the least bit ashamed of themselves.
“I can’t believe you were mad enough to do that,” said Clover. “I mean, I know you’re all mad, but that was beyond anything.”
To the elves’ astonishment, Madge stuck up for them.

“Try and see it from their point of view,” she suggested. “Doing reckless things comes as naturally to elves as jumping. It was very brave, you know.”
“Fair enough,” said Clover. “You’re all mad, but you’re all very brave. But I wish there was something we could do for poor old Mrs. Kowalska.”
“You’d like that?” said Madge. “Good. But what are the rest of you going to do? Ace ought to have some milk, and rest for a bit.”
“I’ll go,” volunteered Dan. “I’m not much hurt. I’ll find some, somewhere.”
“Thanks, Dan,” said Ace. “I could murder some milk. We’ll go and get clean in the brook, and meet you under the tree.”
Dan felt relief washing over her. That could have been very awkward, but now she’d got out of it nicely. She could feel Madge’s shrewd eyes watching her, though, so she just smiled and nodded, and slipped away in the direction of the houses.
“I think I’ll have to walk,” groaned Ace.
“Me too,” said Will. “I don’t think I’ll be able to jump for a month.”
“Come on then,” said Phil. “Slow and steady does it.”
Madge smiled after them with compassion, as they limped off, then turned to the fairies.
“What are we going to do?” asked Clover. “Help her clear it up?”
“We can do better than that,” said Madge.

Hovering below the window sill, the fairies peeped cautiously into Mrs. Kowalska’s kitchen.
“We could easily make her a new window,” said Madge. “You know how to do that, don’t you?”
“Yes,” said Rose, “but I don’t think I could do it. It’s too big. Will might be able to, but even he would be struggling with a thing that size.”
“That’s mostly practice,” Madge told her, encouragingly. “But if we did that, she’d be puzzled and frightened - and she’d still have to clear the broken glass. What I want to do, is mend it.”
“Imagine every broken piece back how it was? That’s impossible!”
“Hard, I agree, but not impossible. Now, I need your help. You two are going to make her forget it ever happened.”
Rose and Clover looked at each other.
“How?” demanded Clover in a disbelieving voice. “That’d be magic or something.”
“Of course it’s not magic,” sniffed Madge. “All you need is sprite science and common sense. Oh, land for a minute, will you? All this hovering is doing my back in.”
They landed on the path below the window.
“All you need to do is make her fall asleep, so deeply asleep that she’ll dream about something good. Then when she wakes up, and the window isn’t broken, she’ll never remember that it was, and even if she does, she’ll think she dreamed it.”
“Right, I can see that,” agreed Clover. “How d’you suggest we get her to fall asleep? Bat her over the head with a shovel?”
Rose giggled, and Madge frowned at both of them.
“I said asleep, not unconscious, honestly! Sing to her, of course. Why will a sprite’s song send a human to sleep?”
“We didn’t know it could,” said Rose.
“It’s a matter of frequency,” Madge explained. “Your voices, singing, will be such a high frequency that a human brain will slow itself down to try to compensate. And that’s just what happens when you fall asleep.”
“Gosh, that’s as boring as Will,” said Clover.
“Never mind how it works,” said Rose hurriedly. “We’ll try it.”

Ooh, I do feel dizzy and tired, thought Mrs. Kowalska. I’d better just rest for a minute.
She sat down and closed her eyes. Rose and Clover were delighted. They carried on singing, a song they’d learned off Ace’s radio, until Mrs. Kowalska was fast asleep.
“You can stop now,” Madge whispered. “Don’t tell me - you don’t know any sprite songs either?”
Rose and Clover perched on the cooker to watch. Madge closed her eyes and concentrated, then opened her eyes and looked carefully. At first, nothing happened. Then slowly, some of the fragments on the floor started to slide around. Suddenly, the largest pieces flew to the edges of the window frame, and smaller pieces followed from every corner, faster and faster, clicking into place, working inwards from the edges, until finally the golf ball flew out and the last crack sealed behind it. Madge was very tired, but she was pleased. Pleased she’d managed it, pleased that Rose and Clover were so impressed - they were jumping about, clapping - pleased for Mrs. Kowalska, and also pleased for Tony.
“Just one problem, now. How do we get out?”
“You rest there a minute,” said Rose. “I’ll fly round the house and see if there’s a way out.”
She was soon back.
“Not a thing,” she reported.
“Oh, well, we’ll just have to wait,” said Madge. “That’s a nuisance. I wanted to get to Tony.”
“Well, we could always break a window,” said Clover.
“She’s waking up!” called Rose. “Quick, hide!”
But they were safe. With slow, careful steps, Mrs. Kowalska was going upstairs.
What a strange dream, she thought. She’d been back sixty years, to when she was a young girl, dancing at the Ritz Ballroom in Manchester with a handsome young Polish airman. The fairies followed her upstairs, into her bedroom. They saw her pick up a framed photograph, and kiss it. Then, wiping her eyes, but smiling, she spoke out loud.
“Stuffy in here.”
She opened a window, and as soon as her back was turned, the fairies were away.

At the edge of the brook there was a place where the water ran shallow over stones, and here the elves were sitting, letting the cool water ease their bruises.
“Your neck’s going green, Phil.”
“That old goblin nearly throttled me - what’s his name?”
“Ragwort, he’s really vicious. But you landed one on him, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, it was great! But it all happened so fast, you don’t get much time to think, do you?”
“You did very well for your first fight. Another time you’ll know more what to expect.”
Phil and Ace were chatting happily over the fight, but Will was quiet. Now the fighting flame had died down, he was feeling bad about taking his feelings about Cory out on Hogweed.
“You OK, Will?” said Ace.
“Hogweed,” Will answered. “What happened to him? When he went down, he banged his head. He was out cold. Did the other two stop for him?”
Ace frowned, trying to remember.
“I don’t think they did,” he said slowly. “Don’t you remember, they marched off this side of the birch trees. We were the other side of them when we were fighting.”
Will got up and reached for his clothes.
“I’m going to look for him,” he said. “If he’s still there, he’s in awful danger.”
“You’re right. We’ll have to go and see. Oh, this bandage is soaking, will you make another one?”
“You’ll have to give me another bit of shirt.”
“Go ahead. I need a new one anyway.”
Will did his best, but the edges were all wobbly.
“That’s hopeless, Will, Clover’s was all nice and straight.”
“Shut up moaning, it’ll do the job. I’m no good with fabric.”
“I like your Wildside clothes,” said Phil approvingly. “I’m going to make some like that.”
“Jeans are really difficult,” Will told him.
“Ha! He never made those, Clover did it for him. The pair he made looked like a bedspread.”
“You can talk,” smiled Will. “Who made that shirt I’ve just ripped?”
“Well, it was Rose, actually,” Ace admitted.
Phil laughed. “I can’t believe it’s that difficult!”
“Are you ready?” said Will. “Come on, Ace, you can jump that far, it’s only a metre.”

The elves managed to jump onto the bank, and walked across Wildside looking for Hogweed. They found him under the birch trees. When he had come round, and found himself alone, a great gloom had settled on him. Nobody cared about him. His head was hurting, he was dying of thirst. He’d started to crawl towards the brook, then stopped in the shade to rub his aching head. He looked up and saw the three elves.
“What d’you want?” he demanded grumpily.
Will knelt down beside him.
“Actually we just came to see if you were OK. Realised you might be out here on your own, unconscious. Didn’t want anything to get you.”
Hogweed looked at him carefully, suspecting mockery, but Will’s eyes were steady and serious.
“Where’s the other one? The little ’un?” he asked craftily. He knew he had to pretend not to know about Dan. Nightshade would kill him if he lost him such a useful servant.
“He’s gone to get some milk,” said Ace. “Listen, come back with us and have some. No hard feelings, hey?”
Milk! Hogweed’s eyes gleamed. No-one ever gave him milk. And Nightshade and Ragwort were horrible to him, leaving him there. The cat could have eaten him by now for all they cared.
“All right,” he said slowly. And then, struggling with unfamiliar words, “Thank you.”

When Dan returned in triumph bearing a carton of milk, she was astonished to see Hogweed sitting under the chestnut with the elves. But when he’d signalled to her that he wasn’t going to give her away, she relaxed. She already knew he wasn’t nearly as bad as the other two. Everyone felt better after the first drink. Ace fell asleep, and Dan went for a wash in the brook herself. Hogweed almost cheered up and started telling Will a gloomy story about a snail he knew that had got trodden on. Phil went to get the bud, and take Cory a mug of milk.
Will listened patiently to Hogweed droning on. He felt he owed it to him. But he was glad when Phil and the bud got back.
“Look, he’s pleased to see me!” said Phil, delighted.
“He’s a right bobbins, in’t he?” said Hogweed. “Give him a sip o’ milk.”
“Do you think we ought to? Isn’t it a bit strong for them?”
“Nah, do him good.”
Phil poured some out and touched the milk to the bud’s lips. Instantly the mug was grabbed out of his hand, and the bud swallowed every drop.
“Look at him sup! He’s a big lad. Are you sure he’s an elf? Looks big enough to be a goblin to me.”
“ ’Course he’s an elf!” said Will indignantly.
“Well, you never know till they’re born, do you? Won’t be long now, before he turns into a chrysalis. Look how thick his skin’s getting. If he turns out to be a goblin, send him to me. I’d have him, any day.”
“If he did, we would, but he won’t,” said Will.
While Hogweed was still working this out, Dan came back under the curtain of leaves.
“The fairies are coming,” she said.
Hogweed lumbered to his feet. Elves were one thing, but fairies made him feel shy. He looked around, with a vague feeling of sadness that he was missing out on something.
“Ah well, I’d best be going. It were a good fight. See you around.”
He shook hands with them, touched his head to Ace who was still asleep, patted the bud and strolled off to his lair.

Rose and Clover flew in from the other side of the tree, tumbling over each other in their excitement. Madge followed more slowly. She was exhausted. She sank to the ground, and accepted the mug Will passed her with deep gratitude.
“You are not going to believe this!” shouted Rose.
“Let me tell them,” urged Clover.
“You can do the next bit, I’ll tell them about the window.”
“What are you two squeaking about?” grumbled Ace. “You woke me up.”
“How can you lie there sleeping with things like this going on?” demanded Clover.
The injustice of this from Clover took everyone’s breath away. Into the silence Rose spoke, describing how Madge had mended the window.
“And it’s perfect, as good as new!” she finished.
“That’s awesome,” breathed Will, looking at Madge in amazement. “How did you learn to do that?”
“I’d explain it gladly, Will, but it would take hours. You like maths, don’t you? For now, let’s just say, imagination squared.”
Clover couldn’t wait for her turn.
“And then,” she took up the tale, “we flew to those hawthorns near the road, you know the ones, that have a place like a little cave in the middle, and Tony was there. You could see he’d been crying, he was all curled up with his hands over his head, just lying there, with now and then a great shudder.”
“Madge told us to keep quiet and watch carefully,” interrupted Rose.
“Shut up, Rose, I’m telling this bit.”
“Sorry.”
“She spread her wings out, and made this beautiful light fill the cave, like, oh, I don’t know, like dawn and sunset rolled into one. And Tony looked up, and saw her! She deliberately showed herself to him! And Tony stared and stared, then put one finger out to touch her, to see if she was real. Then he panicked, and tried to run away.”
“But you can’t run through hawthorn, or you get stuck,” said Rose. “Tony got stuck, and struggled, and ripped his clothes.”
“So Madge flew round him, and freed him from the thorns. And he watched her mend every tear. And you could see his face start to unfreeze, until he looked quite different. I don’t know when I’ve ever seen him smile like that. Then Madge said, ‘Come and see’, and she showed him how the window wasn’t broken any more. And Tony said, “You’re a fairy. A Fairy Godmother!”
“We flew away, then,” said Madge. “That was enough for one day.”
“I think it’s wonderful,” said Rose. “I didn’t know Fairy Godmothers were us. I thought they were something magic, like in the stories Rowan reads to Laura.”
“Give me strength,” sighed Madge.
“Rose, you really are a twerp sometimes,” said Clover. “You’re a fairy yourself! How could you think such a daft thing!”
“Never mind,” said Madge. “It’s not a name I’d use myself, but you do hear it, in my job. Now then, Ace, has anyone fixed your arm?”
“It’s been bandaged. It should heal cleanly enough - though I suppose I’ll end up with a scar,” he added sadly.
“Badge of honour,” said Will. “Don’t be so vain!”
“That’s not what I meant,” smiled Madge. “The trouble is, have I got enough energy left to do it? Let’s have a look at it.”
It was a nasty cut, very deep, and Madge noticed that Ace avoided even looking at it. She looked at it hard, but nothing happened.
“Hopeless,” she sighed. “Much too tired. It’ll have to wait till tomorrow, unless...?”
She looked enquiringly at Will.
“What are you trying to do? Heal it? You’re not serious...good grief, this is organic! Living cells?”
“Yes, Will.”
“What’s he on about?” Rose whispered to Clover.
“Search me,” Clover whispered back.
Will was staring at Madge, his mouth open in wonder.
“But if you can do that, you can...wow!” he breathed.
“You’re very quick, Will,” said Madge. “I’ll do a deal with you. You promise me not to try anything more than healing, and I’ll tell you how to do it.”
“You’re on. I promise. What do you have to do?”

“It’s not so different from working with inorganic material. See into the cells, imagine them as you want them - in this case, repaired and whole - and work smoothly and quickly, so it doesn’t hurt. Start deep, and work outwards. Have confidence, and don’t worry that you’ve never done it before. The more skill you have, the less it matters how well you know the person. And the opposite applies, too; if you know someone really well, it doesn’t take a huge amount of skill. So that shouldn’t be a problem for you two.”
Will looked at Ace.
“You want me to try this?”
“Definitely,” said Ace. “Go for it.”
Will pushed his hair out of his eyes, and took a deep breath. Then he stared into the cut, concentrating hard, scarcely able to believe his eyes as the wound began to close. He worked faster and faster, until he came to the skin itself, and with loving care made Ace’s black streaks line up perfectly.
“Incredible,” he breathed. “But oh, wow, it’s tiring.”
Everyone was staring in amazement. Even Phil, who’d known such a thing was possible, had never seen it done.
“Can I look now?” said Ace, and everyone laughed as they realised he’d had his eyes closed the whole time.
“Oh, fantastic!” he sighed. “Thanks, Will, you’re brilliant. And thank you, Madge. Thank you so much.”
“Did it hurt?” asked Will.
“No, not at all. Just tickled a bit.”
“Wonderful,” yawned Will, and lay down with his head in Ace’s lap. “I haven’t been this tired since last winter. Don’t you go waking me up tonight if you have any more funny dreams.”
“I’ll try not to,” Ace smiled.
They were talking quietly, and by then Madge was talking to Rose and Clover, trying to explain what Will had done, in words they would understand. But she still noticed that Ace shuddered as he spoke, remembering that awful dream.
So the warning came to you, she thought with compassion. Not to Cory at all. Interesting.