Kendra Kandlestar and the Box of Whispers by Lee Edward Födi Page B

the same year. It wasn’t long afterwards that Eens and we animals stopped going outside the curtain altogether.”
    “But how did you escape the Goojuns?” Oki asked.
    “Like I said, I found Uncle Jasper’s pouch,” Jinx said. “And in it were all his potions. I could hear the Goojuns thrashing about in the forest. They were close to me, and I knew it would only be a matter of seconds before they caught me.”
    “Were you scared?” Oki asked intently.
    “Well, the worst thing about Goojuns is that they don’t eat you whole,” Jinx said. “They like to eat you in little bits. They start with your legs, and then—”
    “I do say,” came a voice, and they looked up to see Professor Bumblebean. Having caught up to them, the large-eared Een had overheard the last part of Jinx’s story. “Do you really think you should be describing such horrific scenes to these youths?”
    “No less horrific then your giant swelled head, Boogerbrain ,” Jinx snarled.
    “There’s no need to be rude, Captain Jinx,” Professor Bumblebean remarked. “And I do believe you have misspoken my name. It’s Bumblebean, you know.”
    Jinx groaned.
    “I should think you would recall the name Bumblebean,” the professor continued. “After all, I descend from a long line of famous scholars.”
    “Oh, please finish your story, Captain Jinx,” Kendra begged, interrupting the professor in her eagerness. She gave him an apologetic smile, then turned back to Jinx.
    “I was just about to,” Jinx told her, casting another sneer at the professor. “Anyway, as I was saying , I could hear the Goojuns getting closer. I began ripping through Uncle Jasper’s pouch, for I knew he had a potion that would turn me invisible. But I was in such a hurry that I accidentally grabbed the wrong flask. Instead of an invisibility potion, I grabbed a healing potion, and I drank it down whole. Of course, I wasn’t injured and didn’t need to be healed. And because of that, the potion gave me super strength. To this day, it has never gone away.”

     

    “And the Goojuns?” Oki asked.
    “They weren’t much match for me after I took that potion,” Jinx boasted. “I thumped them rather well, and sent them scampering back into the shadows of the forest. I looked for two days and nights for Uncle Jasper, but there was no sign of him. Finally, I went back home. But I never became a sorcerer. I was never that good at it to begin with, and once Uncle Jasper disappeared, I had no teacher. So instead, I studied the art of weapons.”
    “My word,” Professor Bumblebean said. “Your story doesn’t calculate, Captain. How on earth could you possibly select the wrong potion?”
    “What do you mean?” Jinx growled.
    “Well, I knew your Uncle Jasper,” he declared. “He had an impeccable habit of labeling all his potions. Why didn’t you just read the label?”
    Jinx looked like she was about to explode in anger. “I told you,” she roared. “I was in a hurry.”
    “Well, I do say, that’s hardly an excuse not to stop and read,” Professor Bumblebean said.
    “You pompous, bungle-brained buffoon!” Jinx screeched. “Why don’t you just mind your own business?”
    “Well, I never!” the professor declared. “You don’t have to lose your temper!”
    With a furious scream, Jinx withdrew her sword and began slashing at the bushes and branches along the path. She was soon far ahead.
    “Humph,” Uncle Griffinskitch grumbled, hobbling up from behind. “What seems to be the problem, Professor?”
    “I’m afraid I’ve provoked some agitation in the captain,” Professor Bumblebean replied. “I’m not sure how, really. Nonetheless, it seems she’s discovered a certain zeal for clearing the path.”
    “We don’t exactly need the path cleared,” Kendra said.
    “Humph,” Uncle Griffinskitch grunted in agreement, as he watched the grasshopper viciously swing her sword. “Just let her clear it all the same.”



THE TINY BAND OF