[CHAPTER XXII] _The Transformation_
They looked earnestly at the bush, and saw that their friend spoketruly. Upon a high limb was one plump, red berry, looking much like acranberry, while lower down grew another but smaller berry, whichappeared to be partially withered.
"Good!" the lark-children cried, joyfully; and the next moment Chubbinsadded: "You eat the big berry, Twink."
"Why?" she asked, hesitating.
"It looks as if it had more stomach-ache in it," he replied.
"I'm not afraid of that," said she. "But do you suppose the littleberry will be enough for you? One side of it is withered, you see."
"That won't matter," returned the boy-lark. "The Royal Necromancer saidto eat one berry. He didn't say a little or a big one, you know, orwhether it should be plump or withered."
"That is true," said the girl-lark. "Shall I eat mine now?"
"The sooner the better," Chubbins replied.
"Don't forget me, little friend, when you are a human again," saidPoliceman Bluejay, sadly.
"I shall never forget you," Twinkle answered, "nor any part of all yourkindness to us. We shall be friends forever."
That seemed to please the handsome blue bird, and Twinkle was so eagerthat she could not wait to say more. She plucked the big, plump berry,put it in her mouth with her little claw, and ate it as soon aspossible.
In a moment she said: "Ouch! Oo-oo-oo!" But it did not hurt so badly,after all. Her form quickly changed and grew larger; and while Chubbinsand Policeman Bluejay watched her anxiously she became a girl again,and the bird's body with its soft gray feathers completely disappeared.
As she felt herself changing she called: "Good-bye!" to the bluejay;but even then he could hardly understand her words.
"Good-bye!" he answered, and to Twinkle's ears it sounded like"Chir-r-rip-chee-wee!"
"How did it feel?" asked Chubbins; but she looked at him queerly, as ifhis language was strange to her, and seemed to be half frightened.
"Guess I'll have to eat my berry," he said, with a laugh, and proceededto pluck and eat it, as Twinkle had done. He yelled once or twice atthe cramp the fruit gave him, but as soon as the pain ceased he beganto grow and change in the same way his little comrade had.
But not entirely. For although he got his human body and legs backagain, all in their natural size, his wings remained as they were, andit startled him to find that the magic power had passed and he wasstill partly a bird.
"What's the matter?" asked Twinkle.
"Is anything wrong?" enquired the bluejay.
The boy understood them both, although they could not now understandeach other. He said to Twinkle:
"I guess the berry wasn't quite big enough." Then he repeated the samething in the bird language to Policeman Bluejay, and it sounded toTwinkle like:
"Pir-r-r-r--eep--cheep--tweet!"
"What in the world can you do?" asked the girl, quite distressed. "Itwill be just dreadful if you have to stay like that."
The tears came to Chubbins' eyes. He tried to restrain them, but couldnot. He flapped his little wings dolefully and said:
"I wish I was either one thing or the other! I'd rather be a child-larkagain, and nest in a tree, than to go home to the folks in this way."
Policeman Bluejay had seen his dilemma at the first, and his sharp eyeshad been roving over all the bushes that were within the range of hisvision. Suddenly he uttered a chirp of delight and dashed away,speedily returning with another tingle-berry in his bill.
"It's the very last one there is!" said he to Chubbins.
"But it is all that I want," cried the boy, brightening at once; andthen, regardless of any pain, he ate the berry as greedily as if he wasfond of a stomache-ache.
The second berry had a good effect in one way, for Chubbins' wingsquickly became arms, and he was now as perfectly formed as he had beenbefore he met with the cruel tuxix. But he gave a groan, every once ina while, and Twinkle suspected that two berries were twice as powerfulas one, and made a pain that lasted twice as long.
As the boy and girl looked around they were astonished to find theirbasket standing on the ground beside them. On a limb of the first treeof the forest sat silently regarding them a big blue bird that theyknew must be Policeman Bluejay, although somehow or other he had losthis glossy black helmet and the club he had carried underneath hiswing.
"It's almost dark," said Twinkle, yawning. "Let's go home, Chub."
"All right."
He picked up the basket, and for a few minutes they walked along insilence.
Then the boy asked:
"Don't your legs feel heavy, Twink?"
"Yes," said she; "do yours?"
"Awful," said he.
* * * * * *
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