Chapter 5

Chapter FIVE I stared at Dad in horror and Dad stared back at me with a shocked expression, before there was a PUFF of twinkling smoke. In place of Dad appeared a small green fairy-frog fluttering in the air and looking very bewildered. Wilbur stopped and turned around. When he saw what had happened he looked VERY smug

and I saw the corners of his mouth twitch. He didn't dare laugh though because now Mum was storming over towards me and she looked FURIOUS. 'MIRABELLE STARSPELL!' she yelled, and I shrank back against the wall. My mum can be really frightening when she gets cross. Suddenly I regretted not caring about my day getting any worse. This was bad. This was really bad. I tried to escape by scuttling along the wall.

'STAY WHERE YOU ARE!' Mum warned, and I stopped scuttling, frozen to the spot. 'HOW DARE YOU TURN DAD INTO A FROG!' she shouted, looming over me. Wilbur sniggered and Mum whipped round to glare at him. 'WATCH IT, WILBUR!' she said, and Wilbur immediately stopped sniggering and sidled away back into the sitting room. I took my chance and slid away from beneath Mum, running out of the room and towards the stairs. Violet followed me, her little wings flapping next to my ear. As I ran I felt tears spring

to my eyes and by the time I got to my bedroom I could barely see because of them. I threw myself down on top of my bed and sobbed into the covers. Violet nuzzled into my hair. In that moment it felt as though I couldn't do anything right.

I cried for what seemed like a hundred years and then I sat up on my bed, sniffing, and looked around my room. It had got dark outside. I guess this is our prison now, Violet, I said. 'Mum's never going to let us out

of here. I wiped my eyes and stood up, picking my way over all the things on my floor. It was a very messy prison. I started to pick things up and put them away. If I was never going to be allowed out, I may as well make it look nice in here.