Mr Badger and the Magic Mirror

  Mr

  Badger

  and the

  Magic Mirror

  Leigh HOBBS

  First published in 2011

  Copyright © Leigh Hobbs 2011

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or ten per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.

  Allen & Unwin

  83 Alexander Street

  Crows Nest NSW 2065

  Australia

  Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100

  Fax: (61 2) 9906 2218

  Email: info@allenandunwin.com

  Web: www.allenandunwin.com

  Cataloguing-in-Publication details are available from

  the National Library of Australia

  www.trove.nla.gov.au

  ISBN 978 1 74237 420 8

  Cover and text design by Sandra Nobes

  Set in 15 pt Cochin by Sandra Nobes

  Author photograph by Jack Hobbs

  This book was printed in July 2011 at McPherson’s Printing Group,

  76 Nelson Street, Maryborough, Victoria 3465, Australia

  www.mcphersonsprinting.com.au

  1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

  For Princess Elliott

  Contents

  1 A Bedtime Story

  2 Tea and Toast

  3 Things to Do

  4 Mr Badger, Explorer

  5 Strange Reflections

  6 Boubles-land

  7 A Grand Tour

  8 Danger Lurks

  9 More Surprises

  10 Back at the Boubles Grand Hotel

  11 A Tale to Tell

  CHAPTER 1

  A Bedtime Story

  Whenever Mr Badger came home tired after a hard day’s work at the Boubles Grand Hotel, Mrs Badger understood why – for every day brought with it new adventures. Mrs Badger looked forward to hearing all about them at dinnertime.

  No matter how exhausted Mr Badger might be, he always made sure he read a bedtime story to his darling daughter Berenice, and baby Badger, too. If Mr Badger dozed off in the middle of a story, Mrs Badger knew better than to rouse him from his early evening snooze.

  On this particularly wintry evening, though, it was going to take an extraspecial effort for Mr Badger to sit and read a story, for he felt absolutely worn out. His day at the Boubles Grand Hotel had been even more eventful than usual.

  Still, the last thing he wanted was to disappoint the little badgers waiting patiently for him. So, Mr Badger made himself comfortable in the special reading chair next to their beds and began.

  ‘Once upon a time…’ said Mr Badger, as two small, eager faces peered up at him. He knew this part by heart, for every story seemed to begin this way. ‘Once upon a time, there was…’

  As he was reading, Mr Badger thought about his day. And what a strange day it had been – surely as strange as any story in the book he was holding between his paws…

  CHAPTER 2

  Tea and Toast

  Mr Badger’s day had begun normally enough. After tea and toast, he had kissed Mrs Badger, darling daughter Berenice, and baby Badger, too. Then he had walked to work at the Boubles Grand Hotel while the moon was still high in the chilly sky.

  ‘Good morning, Algernon,’ said Mr Badger with a wave of his arm as he passed the big ape standing in the glass case in the foyer.

  Mr Badger always greeted Algernon.

  Continuing along the corridor, Mr Badger noticed loud hammering sounds coming from the top of the stairs. Workmen were busy attaching a large mirror with a golden frame onto the wall at the top of the main staircase. Mr Badger recalled that Sir Cecil Smothers-Carruthers had requested a mirror be moved from one of his private rooms and hung above the stairs. He made a little note to himself to check on its progress later.

  Once in his office, there was the diary to be checked and mail to be read. A postcard from Miss Pims, Mr Badger’s assistant, had arrived from Spain. ‘Having a lovely holiday in the sun. Back soon,’ it said.

  It was a postcard, from Miss Pims.

  Lucky Miss Pims, thought Mr Badger. For a moment, he imagined how nice it would be to escape the cold London winter. Not that he thought about it for very long. He had things to do.

  CHAPTER 3

  Things to Do

  First of all, Mr Badger had to make sure that everything in the hotel was spick and span. That meant fires lit to keep the rooms warm and cosy; fresh flowers arranged nicely in vases; pictures hung straight on walls; cushions fluffed up on sofas in the hotel foyer; and the starched tablecloths and pale-pink napkins folded and laid on tables in the dining room, ready for morning tea.

  Mr Badger wanted a closer look.

  Most importantly, Mr Badger needed to see how the new mirror was looking. He proceeded up the stairs, noting that the workmen had gone and Sir Cecil’s mirror was now in place. He paused for a moment. It looked splendid. Mr Badger had thought he knew every single piece of furniture in the hotel, but he had never seen this mirror before.

  ‘Hmm,’ he said, studying the mirror so closely that the end of his nose brushed against the glass and left a little smudge.

  The image in the mirror looked foggy and unclear. Was it because of the mirror’s age? Or was it Mr Badger’s warm breath on the cold surface?

  Mr Badger straightened his bow-tie and adjusted his vest and scarlet coat.

  It was certainly not an ordinary mirror.

  He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was something odd about this mirror.

  He reached for a nearby chair and, dusting the soles of his shoes, carefully climbed onto the seat. Then he gently touched the surface of the mirror with his white-gloved paws.

  ‘Remarkable!’ Mr Badger said softly to himself.

  He looked around; there was no one in sight. Who knows what made Mr Badger do what he did next? Even he couldn’t have explained it if you’d asked – but, extending a foot, he stepped off the chair and leapt…right in through the mirror.

  CHAPTER 4

  Mr Badger, Explorer

  What a thrilling discovery, thought Mr Badger as he felt a delicious warm breeze on the other side of the mirror.

  As a little badger, he had read about magic mirrors in books. And that’s where he believed they belonged. Well, that was where he had believed they belonged, until now.

  Mr Badger had never expected to discover one at the Boubles Grand Hotel! Let alone be able to climb into or actually through one.

  Now in front of him was an astonishing sight. Tall pink columns shaped like palm trees reached up to a ceiling that looked like the sky.

  Mr Badger thought it was incredible.

  Directly in front of Mr Badger was an enormous castle surrounded by a moat. Long coloured flags fluttered from towers popping up above the battlements. At the very top was a huge slide that curled around and around, then disappeared down into the castle through the roof. Nearby was a beach with clear yellow sand. And on the beach sat a bright tin bucket and spade, next to a small sandcastle. Mr Badger could see a trail of footprints going back and forth from the sandcastle to the big castle. There were extra-big footprints mixed in with the smaller ones.

  Mr Badger cupped his ear and listened to the gentle sound of waves splashing against the shore.

&n
bsp; How marvellous! Fancy finding a place like this. Better still, to find it right here in the Boubles Grand Hotel!

  He could hardly wait to show Miss Pims when she arrived back from her holiday – and what a place to bring Berenice, baby Badger and Mrs Badger, too!

  Now, though, it was time for Mr Badger to do some exploring on his own.

  CHAPTER 5

  Strange Reflections

  Meanwhile, back on the other side of the mirror, Lady Celia Smothers-Carruthers had arrived for morning tea with Sylvia, her beloved little granddaughter.

  ‘Oh, do hurry up. Must you dawdle so?’ snapped Lady Celia.

  Sylvia Smothers-Carruthers was always on the lookout for something naughty to get up to – be it someone to tease or trip, a table to overturn, maybe even a dainty dish to drop with a crash. The louder the clatter, or the more the mess, the better.

  ‘Anything for attention,’ her grandmother would often say with an exasperated sigh.

  Sylvia soon spotted the mirror and leapt up the stairs, two at a time. As she reached the top she gave a shriek of delight – for on the other side of the mirror, through the glass, she could see Mr Badger!

  Sylvia could see something, but not so Lady Celia.

  Sylvia Smothers-Carruthers never liked to miss out on anything, so she called her grandmother, pointed at the mirror and demanded that they go in and join him.

  ‘Sylvia, dear, don’t be ridiculous,’ said Lady Celia, rolling her eyes and shaking her walking stick. ‘Go in and join whom? I see nothing but our reflections – and even they are unclear. It’s like looking at oneself in a fog. What a stupid old mirror. It should be thrown out. Why does your grandfather keep such rubbish around the hotel?

  ‘Anyway, an Australian tour group is expected today for morning tea, so there’ll probably be a stampede for the scones in the dining room.’

  Lady Celia stomped off, expecting Sylvia to follow. But Sylvia had other plans.

  She waited for her grandmother to reach the bottom of the stairs. Once Lady Celia had entered the dining room, Sylvia put a cushion on the chair that was standing in front of the mirror and climbed up.

  Sylvia usually did what she wanted.

  She peered into the mirror, touched the surface and then, with a small silent jump, dived in.

  Lady Celia was huffing loudly to herself in the dining room. ‘Where has that silly girl gone to now?’ she said through gritted teeth. ‘If the Australians eat all the scones and I miss out, there’ll be real trouble.’

  She stomped back up the stairs, looking this way and that. ‘Oh, where is she?’ her ladyship said, looking very glum indeed.

  Lady Celia was getting cross.

  Being a trifle deaf, she didn’t hear the tap-tap-tapping of small fingers. And as her back was now to the mirror, she didn’t see the waving hand and the tip of a bow behind her, on the other side of the glass.

  ‘What’s this doing here?’ said Lady Celia, almost stumbling over the chair with the cushion on top. If she’d been wearing her glasses, and had taken the time to look closely at the cushion, Lady Celia may well have noticed the impression of two little feet.

  But she was in a hurry. Lady Celia loved her granddaughter, of course, but could it be that she loved her scones more?

  ‘Sylvia has run off somewhere, but I’m not wasting another minute. My morning tea is getting cold.’

  She peered into the mirror again. ‘There’s nothing in here, not even my reflection. That child is a menace!’

  And with that, Lady Celia turned and waddled back down the stairs.

  CHAPTER 6

  Boubles-land

  Not very far away, Mr Badger was making his own way down another flight of stairs, towards a small red boat.

  ‘Hello there, Mr Badger!’ called a friendly voice from across the narrow strip of water.

  I feel like I know that voice, but who might it be? wondered Mr Badger, setting off across the moat.

  As he drew nearer to the castle, Mr Badger saw a ticket booth. In it sat a familiar figure wearing a brightly coloured shirt with palm trees on it.

  It was Sir Cecil Smothers-Carruthers.

  ‘You’ll not be needing a ticket,’ said Sir Cecil. ‘You’re here as my guest.’

  Mr Badger had a number of excellent qualities, and the two that stood out most were his good manners and his calmness in every situation. No matter how difficult or strange things got, Mr Badger always kept a cool head, and Sir Cecil valued him for that. Mr Badger’s quick thinking had helped Sir Cecil out of many tricky situations.

  ‘Why thank you, Sir Cecil. I’m thrilled to be here,’ said Mr Badger. He wasn’t exactly sure where he was, but it seemed rude to ask.

  Mr Badger felt very welcome.

  ‘Welcome to Boubles-land – pronounced Boublay-land,’ said Sir Cecil. ‘I’ve been dropping in here for as long as I can remember. Not everyone is able to come here, though, and in any case I expect not everyone would want to visit. Some people might not even believe that such a place could exist.’

  Mr Badger was amazed that Boubles-land could have gone unnoticed by both guests and hotel staff. But he felt it might be impolite to ask questions so early in his visit, so he decided to just enjoy himself – in fact, to treat this like a lovely short holiday by the seaside.

  CHAPTER 7

  A Grand Tour

  No sooner had Sir Cecil announced it was time for a tour than Mr Badger heard the boom, boom, boom of heavy footsteps.

  ‘Aha!’ said Sir Cecil. ‘Mr Badger, I’d like you to meet my very close friend, Algernon.’

  ‘How do you do,’ said a deep, husky voice as a familiar figure extended a very large hand.

  It was none other than Algernon the ape. ‘A pleasure to meet you, Algernon,’ Mr Badger said warmly, shaking the outstretched hand and noting Algernon and Sir Cecil’s matching shirts.

  ‘How do you do,’ came a voice from above.

  ‘Now, let us show you the castle,’ said Sir Cecil.

  ‘Wonderful,’ Mr Badger said, thinking how nice it was for him to be treated like a special guest for a change.

  Sir Cecil beckoned for Mr Badger to follow them inside the castle. Algernon led the way, opening huge wooden doors into a magnificent lofty hall.

  Inside the hall was an enormous funfair. From the ceiling, a giant slide descended in swirling loops, surrounded by every imaginable ride: bouncy ones that moved up and down, and whirly ones which went round and round. There was even a beautiful carousel.

  ‘It has twenty-seven golden horses and two chariots,’ said Sir Cecil excitedly. ‘And I’ve tried them all.’

  ‘And a dragon and wooden ostrich,’ added Algernon.

  ‘We often call in here after a safari,’ said Sir Cecil. ‘This is my personal playground. It brings back memories of my childhood, Mr Badger.’

  Even though Mr Badger had long ago left behind his own childhood, he sometimes felt that he carried parts of it within him – memories both good and bad. And there was something about Boubles-land that stirred them back to life for him, too.

  Mr Badger tried the slide, the swing and the wonderful whirligig. He had a ride on a golden horse while Algernon relaxed in the chariot and Sir Cecil sat on the back of the wooden ostrich.

  After all this excitement, Sir Cecil laid a cloth on a picnic table while Algernon unpacked lunch for three. There were sandwiches, tea and a big banana cake.

  ‘He’s certainly one for the banana cake. Bakes them himself,’ said Sir Cecil, waving at Algernon with one hand while passing Mr Badger a napkin with the other.

  While this merry little group ate their lunch, unseen eyes followed their every bite. But not even Algernon saw the darting hand that grabbed the last piece of his banana cake and quietly poured tea into a spare cup.

  CHAPTER 8

  Danger Lurks

  After they had cleaned away the crumbs, the three friends returned to the moat. Algernon fetched the little boat again and they all hopped in, bobbing along on
the water.

  ‘Not afraid of the dark, I hope?’ whispered Sir Cecil, switching on his torch. ‘I don’t believe in wasting electricity, and anyhow, a bit of dark and the odd surprise can make a journey more exciting.’

  While Sir Cecil and Mr Badger sat up the front, Algernon confidently took charge and steered the boat into a channel beneath the castle.

  ‘I come here to relax,’ said Sir Cecil, flashing his torch about. ‘Explore, sit and think, or just chat with Algernon.’

  As the boat gently moved through the tunnel, Mr Badger admired a series of different displays. They were lit by tiny lights as well as the occasional beam from Sir Cecil’s torch.

  ‘Made them myself,’ said Sir Cecil proudly, pointing at the various scenes. ‘All plaster, wood and papier-mâché. Frighteningly realistic, aren’t they?’

  Mr Badger noted that each scene was like a shop-window display: here, some reindeer caught in mid-leap; there, a scene in the Swiss Alps with papiermâché mountain climbers. Yet another scene showed some ancient cavemen. There were some cavewomen, too. And nearby was a family of sweet little gnomes sitting outside their toadstool house.

  ‘Quite a mixture,’ he said, impressed.

  Even though Mr Badger appreciated the gnomes outside their toadstool house, one gnome with a curled lip left him feeling uneasy – and his instincts were proven correct for, sure enough, as they passed, this particular gnome leapt off the toadstool and hissed, then bared its razor-sharp teeth.