The Butler Knows Something

Miles went into the living room and then the dining room and then the kitchen and hallway to make sure the house was clean and tidy for Christmas Day. Before the family returned from the pantomime, strangely enough, he realised Mog Og was missing from the fluffy rug where he had been sleeping five minutes before.

He then discovered that George Midnight was missing, and soon after that he found that all the clocks were missing.

Suddenly Pumby Ely Fuddles, the Christmas fairy, appeared in the middle of the room. She looked very pretty, with her long, dark hair tumbling down her back and her pretty pink dress with feathers at the hem and her pretty silvery-pink wings and sky-blue eyes. Pumby waved her silver wand and sprinkled fairy dust over Miles.

Miles wanted to tell the fairy that the clocks and Mog Og were missing. He tried to speak, but she whispered, “I’m Pumby Ely Fuddles, a magical fairy with magical powers. Don’t worry, Miles. They’ll be back by midnight. You’ve been a very, very busy butler. Have a rest; put your feet up; lay your weary self in the leather armchair. The dusting has been done; the crockery is washed.” (Miles always rushed around, trying to get things prepared.)

Just before midnight all the clocks and Mog Og came back, as if by magic. Mog Og had really enjoyed being in the pantomime, and so had all the clocks.

The Laugherty family really enjoyed the pantomime. Daisy and Oliver enjoyed the pie fight the most, but Patrick and Penelope enjoyed the wedding the best.

Cynthia and Tobias enjoyed everything. They came out of the shop and went into the hotel next door - the Sands of Time Hotel. When they asked to book a room, Claude Monet said one had already been booked for them and their bags were in storage and their bill had been paid.

When the Laugherty family got back from the pantomime the clocks were all in their places, exactly as they left them. Well, not quite all: George Midnight had been a bit dented and he was a little to the left of where he normally stood, and London Melody was crooked. The other clocks had been crooked as well, but Miles had straightened them up before the Laugherty family came in.

When Miles woke up after his rest, he thought he’d had a lovely dream about the fairy on the Christmas tree.

Mog Og was glad to be back on the rug in front of the fire, and he was glad his fur wasn’t changing colour any more.

The Laugherty family told Miles they really enjoyed the pantomime, and they said it looked as though Mog Og and all the clocks were on stage, but Miles decided not to say much about his experience. He just told the Laugherty family that he had had a little glass of sherry and sat down for five minutes in the armchair and had a strange dream that the clocks and Mog Og went missing. He said he woke up startled as he thought it was real, but, when he went to check, everything was in its place, but just a little bit crooked.

“I was so relieved that it was just a dream,” said Miles to the Laugherty family.

The Laugherty family had thought the pantomime was spectacular, and they thought they would have an extra-special Christmas.