The Wishing-Chair Again by Enid Blyton Read Free Book Online Page B

because of the Slipperies—they simply fly after them when they come to steal her chickens and ducks.”
    “Goodness—I'd love to see some flying dogs,” said Mollie. “Where does this aunt of yours live?”
    “Just down the road, round a corner, and by a big rowan tree,” said Chinky. “She's really nice. I dare say she'd ask us to tea if we are as polite as possible. She loves good manners.”
    “Well—you go and ask her if she knows how to grow an extra wing on our chair,” said Mollie. “We'd better stay here with the chair, I think, in case anyone thinks of stealing it again. We can easily bring it along to your aunt's cottage, if she's in. We won't carry it all the way there in case she's not.”
    “Right. I'll go,” said Chinky. “I won't be long. You just sit in the chair till I come back—and don't you let anyone steal it.”
    He ran off down the road and disappeared round a corner. Mollie and Peter sat down in the chair to wait. The chair creaked. It sounded very tired indeed. Mollie patted its arms. “You'll soon be all right once you have got a fourth wing,” she said. “Cheer up.”
    Chinky hadn't been gone very long before the sound of footsteps made the children look round. Five little people were coming along the road from the Village of Slipperies. They looked most peculiar.
    “They must be Slipperies,” said Peter, sitting up. “Now we must be careful they don't play a trick on us and get the chair away. Aren't they queer-looking?”
    The five little creatures came up and bowed low. “Good-day,” they said. “We come to greet you and to ask you to visit our village,”

The Slipperies Play a Trick!
    PETER and Mollie looked hard at the five Slipperies. Each Slippery had one blue eye and one green, and not one of them looked straight at the children! Their hair was slick and smooth, their mouths smiled without stopping, and they rubbed their bony hands together all the time.
    “I'm sorry,” said Peter, “but we don't want to leave our chair. We're waiting here with it till our friend Chinky comes back from seeing his Great-Aunt Quick-Fingers.”
    “Oh, she's gone to market,” said one of the Slipperies. “She always goes on Thursdays.”
    “Oh dear,” said Peter. “How tiresome! Now we shan't be able to get a fourth wing for our Wishing-Chair.”
    “Dear me—is this a Wishing-Chair?” said the Slipperies, in great interest. “It's the first time we've seen one. Do let us sit in it.”
    “Certainly not,” said Peter, feeling certain that if he let them sit in the chair they would try to fly off in it.
    “I hear that Great-Aunt Quick-Fingers has some flying dogs,” said Mollie, hoping that the Slipperies would look frightened at the mention of them. But they didn't.
    They rubbed their slippery hands together again and went on smiling. “Ah, yes—wonderful dogs they are. If you stand up on your chair, and look over the field yonder, you may see some of them flying around,” said one Slippery.
    “ Really!” said Mollie, thrilled. “Peter, let's stand up in the chair and see if we can see the dogs.”
    They stood on the seat of the chair. The Slipperies clustered round them. “Now look right down over that field,” began one of them. “Do you see a tall tree?”
    “Yes,” said Mollie.
    “Well, look to the right of it and you'll see the roof of a house.”
    “Yes,” said Mollie again.
    “And then to the right of that and you'll see another tree,” said the Slippery.
    “Can't you tell me exactly where to look?” said Mollie, getting impatient. “I can't see a single flying dog. Only a rook or two.”
    “Well, now look to the left and...” began another Slippery, when Peter jumped down from the chair.
    “You're just making it all up,” he said. “Go on, be off with you! I don't like any of you.”
    The Slipperies lost their smiles, and looked nasty. They laid hands on the Wishing-Chair.
    “I shall whistle for the flying dogs,” said Peter suddenly.