Petronella & the Trogot by Cheryl Bentley

bubble bath and had been shopping for him. He now had two pairs of smart trousers and shirts, a pair of jeans, two T-shirts and a bomber jacket. Percy said they were much nicer than the clothes he usually wore. He was expecting a new tunic and a smelly sheepskin waistcoat. His eyes widened at the steel-tipped army camouflage boots. He put them on right away. They were something else.  
    â€œCan I weareth them to goeth running in the woods?” he asked.
    â€œWe’ll talk about that tomorrow,” Petronella promised. “For now, please put on these new pyjamas and go off to bed.”
    â€œI used to goeth to bed in myn tunic. I just taketh the belt off,” Percy said.
    â€œThat’s all changing now,” said Petronella. “You can’t wear the same clothes day AND night. Come on. Put those pyjamas on and off you go to bed.”
    Percy did as he was told. He couldn’t believe his luck. How his life had changed for the better. He’d spent all day playing with Maalox, running around in the woods and splashing about in the lake. Though he missed his gran’ma. He didn’t remember his parents that well because they died when he was five. Even if he saw them, he wasn’t sure he’d recognise them.
    As darkness came over Charis Cottage, Petronella heard a rustling sound outside her window. Percy was now fast asleep; she certainly did not want anyone waking him up. Could it be the wind in the trees again? She opened her curtains a little to get a glimpse of what was happening out there. As sure as her name was Petronella, she saw the figure of The Hooded Horseman standing there. She was now getting used to all these Strincas and wasn’t at all frightened of them anymore.
    â€œYou can come in. I was expecting you but not quite so soon,” she said.
    The figure made himself comfortable in Petronella’s armchair.
    â€œWell,” he began, “I hath cometh to ye to explain what ye duties be, Pe...tro...ne...lla. Because ye be THE CHOSEN ONE ye hath power over The Strincas. Ye can decideth what you wisheth. For example, which Strincas can continueth to liveth here in Fort Willow, or which of The Strincas must needs goeth back to the graves they was in. Nat only that, there be more. Ye be the only one who can maketh The Strincas see sense. They be hard-headed folk who do exactly what they liketh. But you can talketh them into doing what ye thinketh is best.”
    â€œHow do I do that?” Petronella asked.
    â€œI hath here this special Metal Disc,” he said, taking out a round flat piece of metal about twice the size of an old penny piece. The Hooded Horseman handed it over to Petronella. She looked at it carefully. Both sides. It had TCO stamped on one side and a skull on the other.
    â€œPe...tro...ne...lla, all ye must needs do be to flasheth this Metal Disc in the faces of any Strincas and they shall be under your spell. But if ye flash the skull side at them, then they shall must needs goeth back to their burial place. Is that clear, Pe...tro...ne...lla?” The Hooded Horseman asked.
    â€œY es, I suppose it is. Let me get this right. If I hold this Metal Disc up at them the TCO side, they will do what I say. But, if I hold it up and they see the skull side, they will go back to wherever they came from.”
    â€œThat be correct, Pe...tro...ne...lla. The Strincas shall be all in ye power. But it doth nat worketh with me because I hath been the owner of The Metal Disc.”  
    â€œYou Strincas seem such nice people. I don’t see why I would want to get rid of you,” Petronella said.
    â€œBelieveth me, nat all of them be nice. Some of them can be quite cruel. Looketh at Lord Fortesque and his men who madeth Percy worketh so hard in the fields. Under the hot sun and during the freezing winter months. He worketh until his fingers bleedeth. And they beateth him if he stoppeth for a rest. Like him, many other children, too. Lord