The Golden Imaginarium by Ellen Potter

Author:Ellen Potter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published: 2023-10-10T00:00:00+00:00

21 REYNOLD

A wooden barrel rolled through the door. It crashed against a wall, and a small boy flew out of it, squealing with laughter even as he scrambled to his feet. At the sight of Mrs. Nerriberry’s horrified face, though, the boy stopped laughing.

“Are we in trouble, Mams?” he asked her.

“Look around, dummy,” said an older girl in a mangy wool jacket, who had walked into the house after him.

The boy gazed around at us with a look of wonder. When he saw me, though, he broke into a wide smile. “It’s Nell!” he said to his older sister, grabbing the sleeve of her jacket and shaking it. “Look, Tammany, it’s Nell!”

Tammany, who looked like Mrs. Nerriberry in miniature except crabbier, jerked her arm away from him. The girl was not exactly a ray of sunshine, but I was happy to see her anyway. Although maybe that was simply because she wasn’t a Magician.

“Where’s the big one?” Tammany asked me.

“Crud? He’s back home,” I told her.

Her eyes passed over the ghosts without a flicker of surprise—I guess she was used to all sorts of creatures traipsing through her home—but she looked squinty eyed at Tom and Lysander.

“Mams!” She turned to her mother with sudden panic when she realized what they were.

“Yes, they’re Imps, love, don’t stare. Now go and fetch your uncle Reynold.” When Tammany opened her mouth to object, Mrs. Nerriberry added, “You can take your dad’s boat. And tell Uncle Reynold it’s important.”

“I’ll just tell him there are two Imps at our house,” Tammany said dryly.

“Yes, that should do the trick.” Mrs. Nerriberry had an amused smile on her face as she watched her daughter leave, slamming the door shut.

“But Tammany was supposed to roll me all the way to Buxton Hill and down it,” Jack complained.

Something extraordinary happened then. Samuel rose from his chair by the fire and glided over to Jack. He reached out and touched him, then darted a few yards away and bobbed in place.

“What’s it doing?” Jack asked, staring at Samuel.

“He wants to play lurgy fever,” Tom said.

“Oh, I love that game!” said Jack.

“Go on, then, go outside and play, all of you!” Mrs. Nerriberry shooed all the ghosts and Jack out the door where, from what I could see out the window, they had immediately launched into some version of tag.

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