Chapter two
“MEO! Will you hurry up please? We haven’t got all day.” yelled Amanie, knitting her pretty, white brow.
“Yeah, yeah, keep your knickers on, I’m coming. Don’t get yourself in a huff.” replied Meo, holding down a bright blue dragon fly beneath her paws and looking very excited about it.
“Excuse me! I have no intention of taking my knickers off. And besides I’m not in a huff, I’m in a hurry. So will you hurry up please and get a move on?” snapped Amanie.
“I said I was coming, didn’t I?” answered Meo, rolling her eyes.
“Fine! Just make it snappy will you. You’ll have plenty of time to catch bugs later if you like. Right now there are far more pressing matters to attend to. We have to meet Telimo and find the magic fairy ring, before it’s too late.”
“Are you sure this magic fairy ring even exists?” asked Meo. “Cause it all sounds a little far fetched if you ask me.”
“Well I’m not asking you, am I? And yes I’m sure it exists. It said so in one of grandpa Coble’s books? And if it says so in a book then it has to be true.” declared Amanie, who had already made up her mind on the subject and no amount of arguing was going to convince her otherwise.
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never read one, all those words and paper. Bleurgh!!!
“Tell me something I don’t know. The only thing that holds your interest usually runs for its life, has wings or a tail and normally winds up dead.” tutted Amanie.
“Well I think the magic fairy ring’s real.” added Botog, joining the conversation.
“Thank you Botog. I’m glad somebody does.” replied Amanie, smiling triumphantly.
Meo smiled back, narrowing her eyes and giving Botog the evils.
“Miou, miou, miou!!!” squeaked Tidimew, twitching her little arms and legs about, as she looked up expectantly from Amanie‘s bosom.
“Why thank you Tidimew. I guess it’s three against one then Meo.”
“Yeah whatever. I don’t know what you’re looking so happy about. All I said was it sounded a little far fetched, that’s all. I never said it didn’t exist.” said Meo.
“So you do believe in the magic fairy ring then?” asked Amanie.
“I wouldn’t go that far. I’m just open to the possibility, that’s all.” replied Meo, thinking how awfully grown up she sounded.
“Well then, why were you making such a fuss?” frowned Amanie, staring at her with her provocative blue eyes.
“I wasn’t making a fuss. You were the one making a fuss.” replied Meo, who felt the accusation was unjust, putting her on the defensive.
“Was not.” said Amanie
“Were to.” retorted Meo, who was beginning to think that Amanie was losing her marbles.
“Was not.”
“Were to.”
Okay, perhaps I was, but that’s only because I wanted to find the magic fairy ring and you were slowing us down.”
“Was not.”
“Were too. You were off catching bugs – like you always do.”
“Well I am a cat.”
“So! What’s that got to do with anything?”
“It’s what cats do.” said Meo.
“Whatever! I don’t see why you can’t go without catching bugs for more than five minutes at a time. It certainly wouldn’t kill you to try.”
“It might.” said Meo.
“Oh don’t be ridiculous.” snapped Amanie, sharpening her expression.
Meo grinned back and stuck out her tongue. Amanie rolled her eyes and raised her eyebrows.
“So what kind of spell will you cast first then? If you get your hands on the magic fairy ring.” asked Botog, bringing the conversation back round to the ring.
“Actually I was thinking about that last night. Only there are so many things I’d like to wish for, I was kind of having trouble making up my mind. I thought wouldn’t it be nice if Tidimew could speak, because then we could have a proper conversation. Only then I thought, wouldn’t it be nice if we lived in a palace and I was a princess like Princess Amelia. I could transform the cottage into a palace with a throne and hundreds of servants to wait on us hand and foot, and not just any old palace mind you, a great, big, magical one that could fly and take us wherever we wanted to go. Oh and then I thought wouldn’t it be nice if we could fly. All except for Meo maybe. It wouldn’t be fair on those poor little birds, if she could. They’d never get a moments peace… poor little blighters.
“So the magic fairy ring casts spells then does it?” asked Meo.
“Yes. Haven’t you been listening? I knew you weren’t paying attention last night. You fell asleep didn’t you?”
“Cats never fall asleep. We just rest our eyes, that’s all.”
“Oh really. Is that so? Well you could have fooled me.”
“So what else can this ring do?” asked Meo.
“It makes everyone who wears it invisible. You don’t even have to make a wish. You just put it on your finger and vanish.” said Amanie, looking very excited.
“That could be handy.” thought Meo mischievously. “Oops! Did I say that out loud?”
“Don’t even think about it Meo. You are not using the magic fairy ring to catch birds.”
“Well how about rats and mice then?” she asked.
“No and nothing else for that matter. The magic fairy ring is to be used only for good.”
“Yeah like pest control.” smiled Meo.
“Don’t be a smart arse.” frowned Amanie.
“She means like helping the sick and stuff?” explained Botog.
“Or bringing peace and harmony to all living things.” suggested Meo, whimsically.
“Well I’m not sure I’d go that far, but once we’ve got our palace and Tidimew can speak, we could give it a go.”
“Miou! Miou!” chirped Tidimew, wriggling her little arms and legs about.
“Ah! So it’s not all about doing good then.” said Meo, raising her eyebrows triumphantly.
“What do you mean?” asked Amanie, stepping over a branch – acting all wide eyed and innocent.
“I mean first and foremost it’s about getting what you want and spoiling yourself rotten – and then it’s about doing good.” replied Meo, catching sight of a mouse in the undergrowth.
“Well what’s wrong with that?” inquired Amanie.
“What’s wrong with what?” said Meo, watching the mouse scurry away into the foliage.
“Besides it’s not like I’ll just be spoiling myself. I’ll treat everyone.”
“Yeah, yeah, of course.” said Meo distractedly, watching as the mouse disappeared.
“Meo what are you looking at?” asked Amanie, though she already had a pretty good idea.
“Erm nothing… I.. I just really need to pee, that’s all. I’d better take a wizz.” said Meo.
“What are you up to?” asked Amanie, eyeing her suspiciously. “You’ve got that look in your eye.”
“Nothing. I just really need to pee that’s all. I think I’m gonna wet myself.” whined Meo, crossing her hind legs and bobbing up and down emphatically.
“What! Cats don’t wet themselves! Anyway you can go where you are. You’ve never exactly been shy about it before. You’re like a boy. You think the whole world’s your toilet.”
“Well I thought it was about time I turned over a new leaf. I am seven after all. Besides I thought I ought to act a little more lady like, now that I’m going to live in a palace.” replied Meo, heading over to the bushes.
“Oh no you don’t! I didn’t come down in the last shower you know.”
“But I really need to pee.” said Meo.
“Pull the other one fur ball! I know what you’re up to.”
“But, but.” stuttered Meo.
“No more buts Meo! We need to find the magic fairy ring before it gets dark. It disappears as soon as the sun sets and it won’t return again until morning, so we have to hurry.
“Hey look there’s Telimo.” said Botog, catching sight of a fuzzy pink figure in the distance, surrounded by mushrooms no less.
“Where?” asked Amanie, squinting her eyes. “I can’t… Oh don’t worry.. I see him.”
“Miou, miou, miou!” squeaked Tidimew.
“Sleeping as always.” Botog sighed.
“Ha! What a surprise.” Meo laughed sarcastically.
“He sure does love to sleep doesn’t he?” said Amanie, raising her eyebrows.
“Yeah lazy git. I’m gonna wake him up.” smiled Meo.
“This ought to be good.” chuckled Botog, grinning like a golf ball that pigged out and got stuck in a doughnut.
“Just try not to upset him will you. We don’t have time for another fight. You know how moody he gets when you startle him.” said Amanie.
“Yeah grumpy bugger.”
“So be gentle please.”
“Gentle my eye.” thought Meo. “I’m gonna have me some fun.”
Meo crept silently through the grass, light as a feather, stalking her prey like a miniature, white tigress, an impish grin spreading across her face, as she snuck up without a sound.
Telimo slept on, blissfully unaware, as she quietly closed in, preparing to make her move.
“MMMMMMEEEEEEOOOOOOWWWWWW!” she screeched at the top of her lungs, howling like a psychotic banshee, as she leapt into the air, descending like a lightening bolt and landing with a well aimed thump on Telimo’s chest.
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