James Erith - Blabisterberry Jelly

For Orlando

It started out as a story for my Godchildren:

Isabella, Daisy, Archie, Iso and Ernest

The Riddles

Dead, or Alive

He weighs a ton, Archie complained.

For crying out loud, Archie, you pulled a tree out, carried me miles and pushed an enormous ten-ton boulder out of a cave. She rolled her eyes.

Get with the programme.

Archie shook his head and turned red. He groaned. But I cant do it all the time Daisy, Im not super-strong now. Only when Im angry, or really need it.

Then Im going to make you angry, Winkle, she said using his detested nickname very slowly and deliberately. Very, very angry indeed.

Dont, Im not in the mood.

Daisy ignored him. Winkle, Winkle, Winkle

Stop it!

Daisy grinned maliciously. Wheres Isabella? Shes pretty good at helping me with this kind of thing.

Isabella yawned and stood up. Here, watching you both. She kicked at a bundle of debris on the floor. I hate to be the bearer of obvious news, but if Mrs. Pye walks in here, shes going to have a heart attack.

Big deal, Daisy said. She could help us move Old Man Wood if superman-boy here refuses to co-operate.

Isabella laughed. Superman-boy? That has to be the worst hero-label of all time, she crowed. Logically, shouldnt it be Super-boy?

Oh, Bells. Really? Daisy said. That is so... lame. She studied her watch. Anyway, Mrs. Pye wont be over until supper. So either we go to her now and explain whats been going on and how Old Man Wood ended up deador comatoseor we have an hour to get Old Man Wood into his bed and back to normal.

The children looked at one another.

Well, come on brain-box, Daisy said to Isabella. Stop thinking and give us a hand.

Isabella grabbed some matches and lit several candles en-route to Old Man Woods bedroom.

Then, with a terrible struggle, the children managed, huffing and puffing, to drag the huge figure of Old Man Wood to the foot of the stairs.

Archie, it is incredibly inconsiderate of you not to find this strength of yours when we could really do with it, Isabella stormed.

Yeah, isnt it just, Archie said, struggling under the dead-weight of the old mans shoulders. Can you please grab himI cant hold him here forever.

No.

Archie summoned his strength. Look, guys, I dont know how my muscle thing works, OK?

Daisy marched up to him and slapped him hard around the face, the noise cracking like a whip.

Archie recoiled, furious. What the hell was that for?

Because you need to focus and start controlling this gift of yours

But theres no need to hit me.

Yes, of course there is! Get a grip.

Archie reddened and his mace-like hair visibly tightened. Daisy, Ill get you back for this. He took a deep breath. You two hold a leg each.

Archie lifted and, almost as if he wasnt trying, he started up the stairs bearing almost the entire weight of Old Man Wood.

In no time, Old Man Wood lay in his bed. The flicker of light from a lone candle emphasised the deep wooden carvings on his bed, and the soft glow of the panels at the foot of his bed highlighted the lines on his face.

I hope hell be all right, Isabella said as she pulled the duvet up over his body. It cant be good for a man his age to be ill like this. She laid a hand on his forehead.

What if he really has been poisoned? I mean, thats what he thought it washe definitely said something about poison, she said. But where would it have come from? And why arent we all infected?

Maybe he caught the virus we heard about on the telly? Daisy said, as she also rested a hand on Old Man Woods brow. What if he caught it from visiting those trees he told us aboutyou know the ones, Archie.

Youre right, he said. He went right underwaterwhereas I didnt.

But I did, Daisy said.

Did what?

Got drenched when I fell in the ditch on the way to that weird atrium place. And Im all right, I think. She randomly sniffed her armpit as if that was an indicator of health.

Isabella squeezed her shoulder. Im afraid theres not much we can do about itbut pray, she said softly. He needs to rest, thats alltheres nothing more we can do. She moved a pillow out of the way so that the old mans head lay flat.

Archie, Daisy asked, cocking her head, what did you put in his tea?

He raised an eyebrow. Two measures of rum and a spoonful of sugar. I dipped my finger in it and licked itutterly disgusting.

But there was also something really odd about it, Daisy said. Like toadstools and squealing.

Archie shook his head. Daisy, you do come up with some rubbish.

No, I dont.

Well, it did the trick; we found the first tablet, didnt we? he said.

All Im saying, Daisy said, is that I definitely thought there was something in it.

Uh-oh, here we goanother magic eyes moment coming up, eh? Isabella quipped. Well, I wont be having any tea from you, Archie. Poor, dear Old Man Wood.

If you ask me, that tea had magic mushrooms in it, Daisy said. Dont they kill you?

Isabella shrugged. What gets me is this: we only found the tablet because of the song which came from the clues on the five ancient rugs, so does this mean Old Man Wood has been around for as long as he claimed? You know, since the beginning

But the beginning of what? Daisy added.

I dont know, she said. But how would he know about the song and the storm and everything else if he wasnt telling the truth?

Archie nodded. And remember his despair that he was somehow to blame

And, of course, theres his weird bed with its wooden telly panels, Daisy added.

And spying on us too, Archie said, taking off his beanie and stroking his foremost hair spike.

The one thing we do know is that we have to solve the riddlesso we might as well try and figure out where the next tablet is as fast as possible. Something about jelly

Blab Archie tried. Or blisters

Oh heck, Isabella blurted out.

What is it?

Oh, nothing, Isabella said, but her face told a different story. Really, its nothing important, she said.