Bethany--Joins the Circus Read online

  The Wish Fairies

  Bethany Joins the Circus

  Pat Judd

  Copyright © Pat Judd 2011

  Pat Judd asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any

  form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission from the author.

  Cover art © Algol

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  CHAPTER ONE - BETHANY

  CHAPTER TWO - NO WISH?

  CHAPTER THREE - ANOTHER BETHANY!

  CHAPTER FOUR - CLOWNING AROUND

  CHAPTER FIVE - STARS OF THE SHOW

  CHAPTER SIX - SLEEP!

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  CHAPTER ONE - BETHANY

  The sun wasn’t up yet as Wanda flew down to the birthday girl’s house. Not far behind her was Mirella. The older fairy was there to keep an eye on Wanda and help her if she was needed.

  Being a wish fairy was fun, but Wanda took her job very seriously. If she ever wanted to be a Christmas fairy she would have to prove she was the best Birthday Fairy ever.

  Orange curtains covered the window and Wanda could see a thin line of light at the edges. She turned to Mirella who hovered next to her.

  ‘She’s awake already,’ Wanda said.

  ‘Do you want me to come in with you?’ Mirella asked.

  ‘No. I know what to do,’ Wanda replied.

  Mirella nodded and flew off to a nearby tree to chat with the birds.

  Wanda saw an open window downstairs and went inside. Two girls and a boy were racing around the room with the TV. blaring in the background.

  Which one was the birthday girl? There was a young toddler of about 2, a boy of about 4 and a girl with short blonde hair who looked 6 or 7.

  ‘No you can’t have it, Andrew. It’s my birthday,’ the oldest girl said, holding the TV remote up high so her brother couldn’t reach it. ‘You can’t come to the circus either.’

  ‘Mum! Bethany’s being mean,’ Andrew yelled.

  Aha, so it was the oldest one. Wanda flew up the stairs to find Bethany’s bedroom. She knew what she had to do.

  Find the list.

  Practice the wishes.

  Sit on the cake and make the wish come true.

  She looked at her wish watch. It was a large golden watch that hung around her neck on a golden chain. The single pointer was halfway between the words WAKE and CAKE. It wasn’t going to be long before Bethany’s party! She flew past a room filled with trucks and dolls and two small beds. Then she came a room with orange curtains. With a smile she saw pictures of fairies on the wall alongside unicorns and kittens. She was pleased there were no horses!

  She searched the room from the shelves to under the bed but there was no sign of the birthday wish list! She flew downstairs and looked around again. Nothing! What was she going to do if she couldn’t find it?

  Then Wanda flew into the kitchen and saw Bethany’s mother and father at the table. They were leaning close together and looking at something.

  ‘Did we get everything?’ her father asked.

  ‘I think so, her mother replied.

  ‘I’ll put it back before she notices it’s gone,’ dad said. He left the kitchen and went upstairs.

  Wanda followed. She watched as he went into Bethany’s room and put something under the pillow. Then he hurried out.

  Wanda flew over and slipped her hand under the pillow. She pulled out a battered piece of paper. Yes! It was the birthday list.

  She read all the wishes on the list, ignoring a crossed out picture of a truck that looked to have been drawn by Andrew.

  Dolls house, Party Dress, Kitten,

  They all seemed easy wishes. Then Wanda frowned and her face wrinkled up. Didn’t her parents say they had bought her everything on her list? So what was there left for Wanda to do?

  Bethany’s mother came in just as Wanda put the wish list back. Her mother opened the curtains and straightened the sheets.

  Wanda sat on the windowsill to think. Nobody had told her what to do if this happened.

  CHAPTER TWO - NO WISH?

  Wanda looked out the window. Should she go and ask Mirella what do? As she looked at the tree where Mirella was, she saw a park across the road. In the park was a huge white tent. Wanda blinked. Was that an elephant walking past it? She was still staring at it when Bethany came in.

  ‘Mum, how long until we go to the circus?’

  ‘This afternoon. After your party,’ mum replied. ‘Two of your friends can come with us.’

  ‘Do we get to ride the elephant?’ Bethany asked, standing next to Wanda and looking at the park. ‘Can we hold the monkeys? Can I pat the lion?’

  ‘I don’t think so, Mum replied. ‘Only the people who work at the circus do those things. We will have seats where we can watch them do tricks.’

  Bethany frowned a little as she followed her mother from the room.

  Wanda had no wishes to practice so she followed Bethany around all morning. When they blew up the balloons, Wanda sprinkled them with fairy dust so that they floated up to the ceiling. She watched Bethany’s mother ice the cake, pleased to see it wasn’t sticky or gooey. Wanda’s shoes were new and she didn’t want to ruin them.

  Guests for the party started arriving. Bethany came running downstairs in her party dress. There were girls running around squealing in excitement. Bethany was ripping open presents. Everything on her list and more!

  ‘What are you doing? Why aren’t you practicing?’

  Wanda turned to see Mirella sitting on top of the fridge.

  ‘There aren’t any wishes to practice,’ Wanda explained. ‘Her parents have bought her everything on the list.

  ‘Oh no,’ Mirella said with a big sigh.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Wanda asked, fluttering up to join the other fairy.

  ‘If she has everything it‘s trouble,’ Mirella said. ‘She will wish for something even bigger.’

  ‘Really? But how will I find out what it is? I need to practice!’ Wanda said, alarmed at the thought.

  ‘You’ll just have to wait to find out,’ Mirella said. ‘I’ll stay with you for this wish and help if you need it.’

  Wanda didn’t really want to have any help but she knew Bethany’s wish was more important.

  It was time for the cake and seven candles were lit. Bethany took up her position on top of the cake as they all started singing.

  ‘Make a wish, Bethany!’

  Time stopped as Bethany stared down at her cake and the pretty fairy in the purple dress and silver shoes.

  ‘I’m Wanda, your wish fairy,’ Wanda said.

  ‘Are you like a genie in a bottle?’ Bethany asked, leaning closer. ‘Do I get three wishes?’

  ‘Just the one wish, and it lasts until you go to sleep tonight,’ Wanda said with a smile. She held up the wish watch and showed Bethany the hand that was pointing at CAKE. ‘When this gets to SLEEP your wish ends.’

  ‘Can I wish for anything at all?’ Bethany said, eyeing up the pile of presents she already had.

  ‘Anything, except more wishes,’ Wanda said.

  Bethany turned to talk to her friends but they, and her parents, were standing like statues.

  ‘Only you can see me, and they will all stay like that until you make your wish,’ Wanda told her.

  ‘Can I have my two best friends as part of my wish?’ Bethany said.

  ‘Ummm... hang on,’ Wanda said and turned to check with Mirella who was h
overing just behind the cake.

  ‘Sure,’ Mirella said, fluttering into view. She flew up to Bethany. ‘Which ones?’

  Bethany pointed at the two girls to her right. They were wearing pink friendship bracelets exactly the same as the one on Bethany’s wrist. Bethany’s bracelet had the word ’Best’ on it. The other two had ’Friends’ and ’Forever’. Mirella shook fairy dust over them. They didn’t move but glowed from the fairy dust.

  Bethany took a deep breath and leaned down to blow out the candles. ‘I wish that my friends and I were in the circus.’

  CHAPTER THREE - ANOTHER BETHANY!

  ‘Just hold on a minute!’ Wanda called and waved her wand. The candles were half blown out. She turned to Mirella. ‘How do I do that?’

  Mirella flew down to join Wanda on the cake. She looked up at the startled birthday girl. ‘What part of the circus do you want to be in?’

  ‘All of it!’ Bethany replied with a grin.

  ‘Are you sure?’ Mirella asked. Bethany nodded. ‘Okay. Close your eyes.’

  Bethany closed her eyes.

  Mirella turned to Wanda. ‘You remember how to do doubles?’

  ‘Doubles? On my second wish?’ Wanda gulped and nodded slowly. Both fairies tapped their wands on their bags of fairy dust and the room filled with rainbows and sparkling lights.

  When the lights faded the fairies were outside, looking through the window. Bethany, Sarah and Jo were there too.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Sarah asked. She looked at the two fairies and tried to grab hold of Wanda. Wanda fluttered out of the way.

  ‘Why are we out here?’ Jo said, peering through the window. ‘And who are they!’

  Bethany looked as well as an exact double of her stood cutting the cake. A double of Sarah and Jo stood next to her.

  ‘They’re doubles of you,’ Wanda explained. She grinned at how well she had done. The doubles looked exactly like the girls. ‘They’ll take your place for the rest of the day while you join the circus.’

  ‘We’re joining the circus?’ Jo said, jumping up with delight.

  ‘Shhh... or they’ll hear you,’ Bethany said. ‘I get a birthday wish, and this is it.’

  ‘We’re going to be in the circus!’ Sarah said in a quiet but very excited voice.

  ‘The doubles don’t speak much though. Only a few sentences at most,’ Mirella added. ‘Are you sure about your wish? This type of wish can’t be changed once it’s done.’

  ‘Yes!’ all three girls said at once.

  ‘I’m sure you can handle this from here, Wanda,’ Mirella said and flew off over the roof.

  Wanda raised her wand again and tapped the bag of fairy dust. Again there was an explosion of coloured lights.

  When the sparkles faded Wanda was inside the circus tent. She looked around for the three girls but they were nowhere.

  ‘Bethany,’ she called softly.

  ‘Wanda!’

  It was more of a screech and Wanda looked at the cage of monkeys next to her. There were three of them.

  ‘Wanda. I’m a monkey!’ came another screech.

  She looked closer and sure enough the three monkeys were wearing matching pink bracelets.

  ‘Oh dear,’ Wanda said. ‘Well, you did say you wanted to be in all of the circus.’

  Just then a man came along and opened the cage.

  ‘Come along girls. It’s time to practice our horse riding.’

  The three monkeys wriggled and screeched as the man picked them up and took them away. Wanda flew behind them. Had she done the wish wrong? She watched as the monkeys were put on the back of a horse. The girls/monkeys had stopped screeching and looked to be quite happy up on the horse as it was led around the centre stage of the tent. There were no people on the seats around the sides yet.

  ‘Wanda, this is fun!’ came a screech that could have been any one of the three girls.

  After riding the horse for a while the monkeys were dressed in pretty dresses and had a pretend tea party in the middle of the arena.

  ‘That’s enough for now girls,’ the man said, gathering them up. ‘People will be arriving soon. You can do it all again in a while.’

  As the man went past Wanda there was a small flash of rainbow colours. Wanda blinked. She looked at the monkeys and saw the pink bracelets were gone. The monkeys were real ones now. So where were the girls?

  CHAPTER FOUR - CLOWNING AROUND

  Wanda flew around the large circus tent in a panic. She had to find the girls. Had the wish ended too soon? The crowd started to fill up the seats around the arena and Wanda saw the three girls with Bethany’s parents. She flew over, ready to apologise about the wish going wrong.

  ‘Bethany,’ she said as she fluttered up to her. The girl sat down and stared at the arena with a big grin. ’I’m sorry...’

  Bethany didn’t answer. She just grinned. Wanda noticed that Bethany wasn’t wearing a pink bracelet. It was the double!

  She knew that meant Bethany and her two friends were still somewhere in the circus. But where? At last she spotted a flash of pink around the wrist of three clowns. They were rushing around throwing water at each other and honking horns at the crowd. Everyone was laughing, including the clowns.

  Wanda breathed a sigh of relief. She settled down to watch the clowns. It looked as if things were going right after all. Bethany threw a cream pie at Sarah. Sarah ducked and the pie hit Jo. The crowd roared with laughter.

  A short time later the rainbow lights flashed again and Wanda flew around to find where the girls had gone this time.

  ‘Wanda!’ This time Bethany sounded scared and Wanda flew in the direction it came from. What could be wrong? She reached a cage at the back of the arena. A very short person was standing in the cage holding a chair. Around their wrist was a pink band.

  ‘Bethany!’ Wanda shouted as she realised that there was a lion in the cage too. She reached into her bag for her wand. Rules or not, she was going to do something about this. Just as she was about to wish Bethany off to safety she paused. She looked a little closer at the lion and saw... a pink band with ‘forever’ on it, around one leg. It was Jo.

  Wanda grinned. Bethany was in no danger if her friend was the lion. ‘Look,’ she said, pointing out the band to the scared birthday girl.

  Then they both noticed the chair had a band too. It said - Friends. Wanda couldn’t help but giggle. Bethany laughed as well. Poor Sarah was a chair!

  Bethany, Sarah (the chair) and Jo (the lion) entertained the crowd for a few minutes then everyone’s attention went up to the top of the tent.

  ‘What’s going on up there?‘ Bethany asked, putting Sarah on the ground. Even Jo, the lion, looked up.

  High up in the air people dressed in sparkly clothes were swinging on a trapeze.

  ‘That looks scary,’ Bethany said. Jo growled in agreement. Sarah said nothing.

  There was another flash of rainbow lights and the real lion tamer and chair were back. So was the lion! Wanda flew out of the cage in a hurry as the lion snapped at her.

  CHAPTER FIVE - STARS OF THE SHOW

  Wanda wasn’t too worried that the girls had vanished again. They wouldn’t be far away. She checked the stables out the back. There were no pink bracelets on any of the animals. She came back and checked the doubles were still in the audience. Then she flew up to the top of the tent to get a better view of the arena. What was left after being a monkey, a clown and a lion tamer?

  Just as she reached the top she saw the people swinging on the trapeze. Then her heart missed a beat as she saw three young girls standing on a small platform. They were hanging onto a swing and they looked terrified. It was Bethany, Sarah and Jo! Before Wanda could even think of getting her wand out the three girls leapt off the platform and began to swing together.

  ‘Wanda!’ All three of them yelled at the same time.

  ‘Swing faster!’ a call came from the platform.

  Wanda fumbled with her wand. She was just about to tap her bag of fairy du
st when Mirella flew up to join her.

  ‘Just wait,’ Mirella said. She pointed a little way down and Wanda saw a large net. If the girls fell it would catch them.

  The girls swung faster and faster. The crowd below was hushed and staring up in amazement.

  ‘Let go!’ came the call from the platform.

  Wanda held her breath. The girls let go. The crowd all gasped. The girls flew across the top of the tent. Then they were caught by the catchers on another swing.

  The crowd cheered. The girls squealed with excitement. One by one they all dropped gently into the net below and climbed down the ladder.

  Bethany came running up to where Wanda and Mirella were sitting at the back of the tent.

  ‘This is such fun!’ she said, jumping up and down in excitement. ‘What will we be next?’

  Before Wanda could answer that she didn’t know, there was the now familiar rainbow flash of light. Bethany was gone - again.

  ‘You’re doing well,’ Mirella said with a smile. ‘I’ll see you back at the tree later.’

  The older fairy flew off, leaving Wanda sitting against a pole. Wanda was tired. She knew she should go and find Bethany again. The crowd were starting to leave. The performance was over. She flew outside and saw that the afternoon was about to turn to evening. It wasn’t long before Bethany’s wish would be over.

  Something touched her leg and she turned, startled. Who could see her? A huge grey elephant stood nearby. Its trunk stretched out towards her.

  Wanda grinned as she spotted the pink bracelet around the elephant’s front leg. A child was riding on the colourful seat that was strapped to Bethany’s back.

  But this time, Bethany didn’t look happy. Instead she was staring off past the white tent at the crowd that was leaving.

  ‘I want to go home,’ Bethany said as she watched her parents and the three ‘doubles’ crossing the road to her house.

  CHAPTER SIX - SLEEP!