Magic Molly book one The Mirror Maze

Magic Molly

  Book One: The Mirror Maze

  by

  Trevor Forest

  Copyright 2011 T A Belshaw 2011

  Cover artwork copyright Marie Fullerton 2011

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  No part of this work may be copied or republished without the express permission of the author.

  Special thanks to Maureen Vincent-Northam for her patience, editing skills, and unqualified support during the creation of this book. Thanks also go to Marie Fullerton for designing the wonderful artwork.

  I’d also like to mention my two Springer Spaniels, Molly and Maisie who had to put up with late dinners and a little less attention than usual while this book was being written.

  Trevor Forest has written eight children’s books. Find out more about the author at https://www.trevorforest.com

  Look out for Magic Molly book two, Gloop, next in the Magic Molly series

  Chapter One

  'Let's go on the dodgems, Molly.'

  'Okay, I'll just tell Mum.'

  Molly ran up to the stage where her parents were making the final preparations for their vanishing act.

  'Mum, Jenny and I are going on the dodgems.'

  'Make sure you're back for ten to seven, Molly,' said Mrs Miggins. 'Our act starts at seven on the dot.' She adjusted her witch's hat and bent down to kiss her daughter on the cheek. 'Seven,' she reminded.

  Molly and Jenny ran off to explore the funfair.

  'I wish my mum was a witch,' said Jenny as they passed the 'try your strength' booth.

  'It's not all good,' said Molly. 'Because she's a High Witch she has to spend most weekends at the Academy. She likes to help Dad out with his magic show too, so I don't get to see her as much as you see your mum.'

  'Yes but, how lucky are you, Molly? A magician for a dad and a High Witch for a mum.' Jenny kicked a pebble. 'It's not fair. You'll get to be a witch soon; I'd love to be a witch.'

  'It's ages yet, I've got a year and a day before I take the Witches Promise,' said Molly. 'You have to be ten.'

  'A year is a long time,' agreed Jenny. 'Though it doesn't seem like a year since we were last here. Come on, race you to the dodgems.'

  Molly loved everything about the fair. She revelled in the atmosphere, the smells, the cacophony of sound, the hustle and bustle of the crowd. She had saved up her pocket money for weeks for this one chilly, noisy, exciting night.

  After the dodgems Molly and Jenny wandered around the fair taking in the atmosphere. They bought candy floss and laughed at each other as it stuck to their chins like pink beards.

  As they passed Madam Zizi's fortune teller booth, Molly felt someone tap on her shoulder. She looked up to see an old woman holding a crystal ball.

  'Tell your fortune, Dearie?'

  'No thanks,' said Jenny. 'We're off to the Hall of Mirrors.'

  'It's free tonight for girls with birthdays coming up,' said Madam Zizi.

  'How do you know it's my birthday tomorrow?' gasped Molly.

  'It's in the stars,' replied the fortune teller, looking up into the misty night.

  Molly looked up at the grey sky but couldn't see any stars. She assumed Madam Zizi must have read them earlier.

  Jenny tugged at Molly's sleeve. 'Come on, Molly, let's have a laugh in the Hall of Mirrors.'

  'Do you mind if I go in, Jenny?' said Molly. 'I wouldn't mind having my fortune told.'

  Madam Zizi opened the flap on the tent and Molly stepped inside. The tent was decorated with stars and zodiac symbols. A dim lamp cast shadows on the walls. Madam Zizi motioned for Molly to sit at a small table. She placed the crystal ball in the centre and ran her hands over the surface. The ball became misty.

  'I see your future,' said Madam Zizi.

  'Is it a foggy day?' asked Molly, as she stared into the murky crystal.

  'My eyes see through the mist.'

  'You must have good eyesight,' said Molly. 'I can't see a thing.'

  Madame Zizi nodded. 'Nothing is hidden from Madame Zizi.'

  She ran her hands over the crystal ball again. A green mist filled the glass. 'I see a quest; someone is lost,' she said.

  'I'm not surprised in that fog,' said Molly.

  'Someone is searching, looking for the path.'

  'You need cat's eyes in that lot, ' said Molly.

  Madame Zizi's eyes opened wide. 'I see a witch, with a thousand faces.'

  'That could be Aunt Matilda,' said Molly. 'She's an actor in the Witches Amateur Dramatic Society.'

  Madam Zizi took her hands from the crystal and grabbed Molly's wrists. 'I see treachery; beware the colour green. Be careful young witch. The future is nearer than you know.'

  'What did she tell you, Molly?' asked Jenny.

  'Someone's got lost in a green fog,' replied Molly with a frown. 'I'm glad it was free, I wouldn't have paid for that.'

  The girls walked with the crowd until they saw a sign that read, 'The Fabulous Hall of Mirrors.' They paid at the entrance and stepped inside the oblong-shaped tent. Molly and Jenny laughed themselves silly at their own distorted reflections as they went from mirror to mirror. Molly was in stitches at the sight of herself with a huge head and tiny little legs.

  After twenty minutes they left the Hall of Mirrors and, still wiping their eyes, made their way back to the main stage where Molly's parents were about to perform their magic act. Their timing was perfect, almost as soon as they arrived the fairground owner, a tall, thin man with a long nose and narrow eyes, took to the stage.

  'Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I am delighted to present to you, for one night only, The Great Rudolpho and the High Witch.'

  The crowd applauded Molly's mum and dad onto the stage. Molly's father went through his usual routine. He made cards and bunches of flowers appear out of nowhere. He produced a real snake from a length of rope and a rabbit from a top hat, then he got a volunteer from the audience and smashed his watch to pieces with a hammer. He sent the man back to his wife who discovered the watch, as good as new, under her hat.

  Molly's mum didn't practice magic herself on stage even though she had her wand with her. As a High Witch she wasn't allowed to cast spells for entertainment purposes but she enjoyed working on stage as her husband's 'lovely assistant'.

  After an hour the magician announced that they were about to perform 'The Finale' and two men in brown overalls pushed a pair of large mirrored cabinets onto the stage. The Great Rudolpho opened the cabinet doors front and back and invited a member of the audience up onto the stage to examine them to make sure there were no hidden switches or trapdoors.

  The rear doors were closed and bolted from the outside. Molly's mum entered one cabinet and her father climbed into the other. The volunteer from the audience closed and bolted the front doors. Then Rudolpho's voice was heard from within his cabinet.

  'Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, please count down from ten.'

  'Ten,' chanted the crowd.

  'Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One, VANISH!

  There was a bright flash of light from the stage and a loud BANG!

  The audience rubbed their eyes then began to applaud as they waited for Molly's mum and dad to come out of each other's cabinets. After two minutes the applause died down and the crowd began to whisper to each other.

  Molly was worried, she had seen her parents do the act a dozen times and it never took longer than a minute for them to appear again. She began to push her way through
to the front of the crowd.

  The audience started to slow handclap, one or two began to chant 'why are we waiting'. The fairground owner jumped onto the stage and pulled back the bolts on the cabinet doors. To Molly's dismay, when he opened them, the cabinets were completely empty.

  Chapter Two

  Molly ran to the side of the stage and began to climb the steps. There had to be some mistake, she thought. Mum and Dad must be there somewhere. As she placed her foot on the second step everything seemed to freeze and the noise of the fairground was silenced. Molly turned around and saw Jenny frozen to the spot, still pointing at the stage.

  A thick mist began to form. Molly lost her bearings and tumbled down from the steps. As she picked herself up she heard a deep voice behind her.

  'Molly Miggins?'

  'Yes, that's me,' said Molly nervously.

  'Molly Miggins, the daughter of the High Witch?'

  'Still me,' said Molly as she turned to face the voice.

  The voice belonged to a tall man with a long, flowing beard. He wore a wizard's robe covered in large silver stars, and a pointy hat with a crescent moon on the front. He held a thick stick with an ornate handle.

  'You seem to know a lot about me,' said Molly.

  The wizard stooped forward and smiled at Molly, a twinkle appeared in his eye as he spoke.

  'The Magic Council sent me. Molly Miggins, you have been appointed a task.'

  'I've done all my tasks,' said Molly. 'I helped with the dishes this morning and I cleaned my room last Tuesday. I only had to be reminded twice.'

  The wizard shook his head. 'For this particular task, you will need to be a witch.'

  'Ah,' said Molly. 'I can't help you then, sorry. They won't let me take the Witches Promise until I'm ten and I'm not even nine until tomorrow.'

  The wizard was insistent. 'Tomorrow you must become a witch.'

  'I don't mean to be rude, but I don't think you're listening,' said Molly, I'm nine tomorrow, not ten. You can't take the promise until you are ten.'

  'I think you are the one not listening, Molly Miggins,’ said the wizard. The task has been assigned, it cannot be refused. You must fulfil it, or fail.'

  He handed Molly a scroll tied up with a red ribbon.

  'Tomorrow morning you must contact the academy and ensure that your name is on the candidates list for the Witches Promise ceremony that takes place in the afternoon.'

  The Witches Academy won't take anyone until they are ten, it's the rules,' protested Molly. 'My friend Gwyneth couldn't get in and her birthday was only a day late.'

  'There are certain procedures that can be put in place if the daughter of a witch is given a task,' said the wizard. 'You must contact the academy in the morning and arrange your place on the candidates list for the afternoon. You have been given a task, they will not refuse you.'

  'I'll try,' said Molly, but they won't take my word for it. I'll need proof.'

  'You have the parchment, Molly Miggins, it is all the proof that you need. The details of the task are woven into it. It cannot be copied or altered.'

  Molly began to get excited. ‘It would be really good to become a witch a year early. What do I have to do to complete the task?'

  The wizard held out his hands and shrugged his shoulders. 'You must rescue your parents of course, what else?'

  Molly's mouth gaped open. 'Why would they need rescuing? Have they been kidnapped or something?'

  The wizard stroked his beard and looked at Molly solemnly. 'No, they have not been kidnapped, they are safe and well, don't worry about that. They have been sent to the void, the place where all failed magic goes.'

  'The void? Failed magic? Did the trick go wrong?' asked Molly, not really understanding what the wizard meant.

  'All failed magic is sent to the void,' repeated the wizard. 'The vanishing trick failed, I don't know why, but it did. You must find a way to get them back. This is your appointed task, Molly Miggins.'

  'How will I find my way in?' asked Molly with a worried look on her face.

  'You will use your new-found skills and powers, of course. After the Witches Promise ceremony you will automatically receive some magic power. When you have selected and bonded with your new wand, you will be able to use certain spells. Succeed in your task and you will be granted further magical abilities. Think of it as a fast track program. You may well end up with powers that you could not hope to attain until your second or third year at the academy. The Magic Council rewards success handsomely.'

  Molly's voice dropped to a whisper. 'What happens if I fail the task?'

  The wizard leant on his stick and looked into Molly's eyes. 'Do not even contemplate failure, Molly Miggins.'

  'But...'

  'Should you fail, there will be consequences.'

  Molly gulped. 'Consequences?'

  'Should you fail,' repeated the wizard, 'only one parent will return, the other will remain in the void.'

  'That's not fair,' said Molly.

  'Then ensure you do not fail,' replied the wizard. 'Now, I must go, I have urgent business to attend. Farewell, Molly Miggins, we may meet again.'

  'But I need to...'

  There was a flash of light as the wizard disappeared.

  As quickly as it had appeared, the mist cleared and the sounds of the fair returned. Molly turned to find Jenny standing beside her. She pointed to the parchment in Molly's hands.

  'What have you got there?' she asked.

  'The future,' replied Molly.

  Chapter Three

  'Molly Miggins, if you aren't down these stairs in ten seconds flat, your breakfast will be in the cat. You have a big day ahead of you; it's high time you made a start.'

  Molly stuck her head under the pillow to block out the voice and thought about going back to sleep for another five minutes. She hadn't slept at all well and she had been having the strangest dream.

  She could recall bits of it very clearly, but mostly it was just a jumble of silly events. She could remember herself dressed as a witch, waving goodbye to her mum and dad as their carriage entered the tunnel on the Ghost Train. She could also remember wandering round the fairground looking for her parents but not being able to find them.

  She remembered a stall where she had to throw balls into buckets to win a prize. The stall owner was an oddly dressed wizard with a face like Mr Gladstone, her pet cat. He had tried to tell her something important, but she hadn't been able to understand him. Eventually he tossed her an old parchment with her name written on it in deep red ink. She sat down on the steps to read the scroll but the words were all jumbled up and she couldn't make any sense of it.

  Molly rolled over onto the back and stared at the ceiling. As she pulled the covers up to her chin she heard a rustling sound. Molly felt around on her quilt until her hand came into contact with a crinkly piece of paper. Suddenly she was wide awake as the events of the previous evening sprang into her mind. She remembered the wizard and his instructions. Mum and Dad really were missing and she was the only one who could get them back.

  ***

  Molly got out of bed and headed for the bathroom, her mind a jumble of thoughts. The first thing on the agenda was to ring the academy and get herself on the list for the Witches Promise ceremony that afternoon. She could see that being a big problem as she wasn't due to take her promise until she was ten and she was only just nine.

  'This is going to be the strangest birthday ever,' she said to herself.

  Molly ran some hot water into the sink, washed her face, and grabbed blindly at the towel rail as soap stung her eyes. 'Bother,' she said, 'stupid soap.'

  She dried her face and dabbed at her watery eyes with the towel. As the blurriness cleared she blinked into the steamy mirror. To her amazement letters began to appear on the surface. Molly watched open mouthed as words began to form.

  'Help me, Molly.'

  'Mum, is that you?'

  Molly's eyes darted around the bathroom but she was alone. She looked again at t
he mirror, more words were forming.

  'Beware of Gloop, Molly.'

  'Gloop? What on earth is a Gloop?' said Molly out loud. 'I thought I was going to be looking for this ''void'' place. This is getting seriously confusing.'

  She stared hard at the mirror hoping for another message but the words were already fading as it cleared of the steam.

  Molly took the stairs two at a time and ran into the kitchen. 'Mrs McCraggity, I've just...'

  Mrs McCraggity, the housekeeper, was a tall, thin woman who wore her grey hair in a tight bun. She looked up as Molly burst in. 'About time too, young lady, I was just about to feed your bacon to Mr Gladstone.'

  'Mum sent a message,' Molly blurted out.

  'A text message?' asked Mrs McCraggity with a puzzled look.

  'No,' said Molly excitedly, 'she wrote a message in the steam on my bathroom mirror. She needs help.'

  'Are you sure you were properly awake?' asked the housekeeper.

  'It was there,' said Molly grumpily. 'I didn't imagine it.'

  'We sometimes see what we want to see when we are upset,' replied Mrs McCraggity. She placed a plate of bacon and eggs in front of Molly.

  'Come on now, young lady, eat up your breakfast. Didn't you say you have to ring the academy at nine o'clock?'

  ***

  Molly opened her birthday cards while she drank her orange juice. There was a card from Mum and Dad, one from Uncle Fabulous (with money inside) and one from Aunt Matilda. There was a card from her best friend Jenny and one from Mrs McCraggity herself. Granny Whitewand had got it wrong as usual and sent a Christmas card.

  Molly looked up as the kitchen door opened and old Granny Whitewand shuffled in.

  'Good morning, Granny Whitewand,' said Molly. 'Thanks for the Christm... er, the card.'

  Granny Whitewand looked puzzled. 'Car? What car?'

  Mrs McCraggity took the old woman's arm and helped her into the room. 'It's Molly's birthday today, Granny Whitewand, you sent her a card,' she explained.

  Granny Whitewand made her slow way over to the table. She smiled at Molly and opened her wrinkled mouth to let a huge yawn escape. Molly watched, fascinated as her top teeth slipped and clattered into the bottom set.

  The old witch straightened her teeth and sucked them back onto her gums with a squelch.

  'Happy birthday, Millie,' she said eventually.

  'It's Molly.'