Part Five: The Most Marvellous Wishes

Jenny and Mimi Clarke couldn't believe it! They were on a marvellous adventure. They had entered the Dreamlike Forest, the most dreamlike forest ever to have existed, climbed half the ginormous Wishing-Top tree, met a brownie, a rather annoyed pixie, and a fairy. And now they were having a strange snack at the fairy's home.

"I thought fairies lived in mushroom and toadstool houses," Mimi said, opening her red sketchbook diary on her lap, and sitting down on the squashy toadstool as a chair. In the little scarlet diary, there were many drawings of fungi houses. "But they live in trees! Oh, how extraordinary!"

Willow the fairy had brought in a plate of bright green lily-pad shaped biscuits and four strong, willow-patterned teacups containing a strange, hazel-coloured liquid with a slightly pink tinge.

"Ooh, is that the lily-pad biscuits and lotus flower tea?" Binky the Brownie questioned, eagerly. 

"Yes," replied Willow, smiling. She sat down at the mushroom table and handed everything out. "Tuck in, friends, and take plenty. I've many leftovers, and you'd better eat them while fresh. If you keep it for long, it'll have a very damp smell, and a horrid lake-water taste."

Jenny took a biscuit and enthusiastically took a large bite. Crunch. Jenny winced, gulped, and set the biscuit down on the table, quickly. It had an extremely odd taste. The texture was of crunchy lettuce mixed with a crumbly cookie. The taste, now, was of lake-water, as Willow had said, bitter medicine, vinegar and syrup all mixed into a large lily-pad biscuit. Mimi frowned at her sister, and nudged a teacup, as if saying, "Take a sip!"

Jenny rolled her eyes and reluctantly sipped. To her surprise, it tasted quite pleasant. Sugary sweet and lemon sour, it tasted like lemon-grapefruit tea, except with a slight hint of...lychee? 

"Wow. Bam!" Jenny exclaimed. "That's way better than the-" she slopped half her tea down herself as Mimi performed one of her legendary, withering death glares. "-erm, I mean, that's um, excellent, like the biscuits!" she forced a smile and crunched another bite of biscuit. Struggling to swallow, she attempted at a grin, while only managing a grim sort of strained grimace. She gasped as she swallowed, and gave a pained smile. "That's...um, wow!"

"We should start climbing," Mimi cut in, placing her own untouched biscuit back onto the toadstool. The three others agreed heartily-well, Binky and Willow agreed heartily, after a lovely snack, but Jenny grumbled and nodded grudgingly.

They climbed and climbed, passing many strange little treehouses and inside-the-tree houses, before they heard a never-heard before sound, and smelt different smells.

Jenny smelt blueberry-raspberry pie, lotus flower tea and damp trees, and heard scraping of leaves and loud, noisy laughter. Mimi smelt musty books, freshly mowed grass, a glass of frozen milk and honey on bread, and heard the flicking of pages. Binky smelt lily-pad biscuits and toffee, and heard the gentle, soft chewing noise of toffee, and the crunch of cookies. Willow smelt hazelnuts and willow trees, and heard leaves rustling.

"We're nearly at the top!" whispered Binky, excitedly. He took a step forwards, and was engulfed in a thick white mist. 

"Binky!" shrieked Jenny, reaching out. She expected to feel warm skin, but there was nothing but the swirling white mist. She took a deep, calming breath. Mimi shuddered as she looked down, closed her eyes, and stepped onto the topmost branch. Jenny held her hand tight, but Mimi was gone in the next moment, her scream silenced immediately.

"I'll go after them," Willow told Jenny, worriedly. "If I'm not back, follow me."

She disappeared into the fog and didn't reappear. 

Jenny sighed. She'd always considered herself bravest, but why was she frightened now? Even Mimi hadn't hesitated. Why should she? She closed her eyes like Mimi did, and scrambled onto the top branch. She felt cold air closing in, and a sucking sound was heard. Then her feet left the branch, and she shrieked in terror. 

Jenny opened her eyes. She was clinging to a cloud, and her friends were sitting round her, pale and wary. The air was...sparkling? Jenny let out a breath she didn't know she'd been keeping in. The air wasn't hot or humid, or cold and dry. It was just...perfect.

"Make a wish!" Binky cried, his eyes gleaming in excitement. Everyone clasped their hands together and closed their eyes.

"I wish for hazelnuts to grow on the tree for the next month!" wished Willow, her wings fluttering most excitedly. "And for a little wind-up cuckoo clock for myself!"

"I want a sketchbook," called Mimi. "And a nice new pencil. Wait, and a rubber, mine's snapped cleanly in half...oh, I know! A nice apron for Mother, as well."

"Toffee!" Binky cried. "And taffy. I wish for a day the Tree would grow hard candy, and the next day,  sugary, chewy, gummy sweets would rain from the sky!

"I want to go down," whispered Jenny. Nothing happened. She squeezed her eyes closed and pulled herself together. "To have more and more adventures! And no chores!" she yelled. "Some pocket money! And...a day of total peace!"

"Mother shall have a goat, and a coop of hens!" wished Mimi, again. "Father shall have a strong spade and loads and loads of money for his work!"