Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE THE WITCH KIRRI-KIRRI The children dressed themselves again after they had been to bed and slept. Mollie had a little alarm clock and she set it for a quarter to twelve, so they awoke in good time for their adventure. Binky was waiting for them. 'We can't go in the wishing-chair,' he said. 'It hasn't grown its wings again. I think it's asleep, because it gave a tiny snore just now!' 'How funny!' said Mollie. 'Oh, Binky- I do feel excited!'

'Come on,' said the pixie. 'There's no time to lose if we want to catch the underground train.' He led the children to a big tree at the bottom of the garden. He twisted a piece of the bark and a door slid open. There was a narrow stairway in the tree going downwards. Mollie and Peter were so surprised to see it.

'Go down the stairs,' Binky said to them. 'I'll just shut the door behind us.' They climbed down and came to a small passage. Binky joined them and they went along it until they came to a big turnstile, where a solemn grey rabbit sat holding a bundle of tickets. 'We want tickets for Witch Kirri-Kirri's,' said Binky. The rabbit gave them three yellow tickets and let them through the turnstile. There was a little platform beyond with a railway line running by it. Almost at once a train appeared out of the darkness. Its lamps gleamed like two eyes. There were no carriages- just open trucks with cushions in. The train was very crowded, and the children and Binky found it difficult to get seats.

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Gnomes, brownies, rabbits, moles, elves, and hedgehogs sat in the trucks, chattering and laughing. The two hedgehogs had a truck to themselves for they were so prickly that no one wanted to sit by them.

The train set off with much clattering. It stopped at station after station, and at last came to one labelled 'Kirri-Kirri Station.' Binky and the children got out. 'Kirri-Kirri is such a rich and powerful witch that she has a station of her own,'