Chapter 5

Chapter FIVE Carefully I carried the glass of water up the stairs. 'Mum?' I whispered as I pushed open the bedroom door. Mum pushed herself up on her pillows looking a little more refreshed than earlier. 'Oh, hello there, Nurse Isadora,' she

smiled, trying to flatten her hair. What have you been up to?' 'Uh,' I said, blushing, 'just tidying.' 'Lovely,' said Mum, taking the glass from me and having a sip. Then she frowned.

'Your clothes look ever so slightly sparkly,' she said. 'And a bit dirty? Especially your trousers...' Before I could step back, she had reached out and brushed some of the glittery soil off my nurse's outfit. I gulped, hoping that there wasn't enough of it to have any effect. I didn't think now was the right time to tell Mum that I had spilt some of her magic soil. Not when she was ill! Mum ran her fingers through her hair as she melted back down into her pillows. 'Don't want to get tangles,' she murmured sleepily. 'Oh, it's so lovely to

see you, my darling. Thank you for... the water. But I think I need... to sleep more now. I sat on the edge of the bed, keeping an eye on Mum for a few minutes while she slept, checking that the fairy-dust soil wasn't doing anything weird. Everything looked the same. There probably hadn't been enough of it.

I tiptoed out of the room and gingerly shut the door. Out on the landing, I took off all the sparkling clothes, throwing them in a heap near the bathroom. Bubbles were still foaming out under the door, so I didn't dare go in for the laundry basket yet. I ran up to my bedroom and searched the wardrobe for something that wasn't covered in magic soil. I pulled on a dress and a new pair of stripy tights (I have seven pairs- one for each day of the week!) and then looked around the chaos of my bedroom again, sighing despondently. It probably was time to get on with tidying...

I was just rearranging the furniture in my doll's house when I heard a worried shout from downstairs. My pointed ears pricked up. What was going on? Leaping up, I ran out of my room and down the stairs. What I saw made me stop in my tracks.