Alice and Alfie had been back at Nichole’s house for about six months when the summer arrived. Alice heard Nichole say to her mummy, “Can we go back to France and stay at the windmill for our holiday this year?” Then just as her mummy answered, the door slammed in the wind and Alice could not hear anymore.
Alice shouted to Alfie, “Nichole is going back to France to the magical windmill.”
Alfie said, “I cannot wait.”
That evening Nichole’s mummy talked to her daddy about the holiday, and he said he had already booked a special holiday somewhere else. Nichole was so upset she went upstairs to her bedroom and she lay on her bed and cried.
Later Nichole got up and went over to Alice and Alfie and said, “No France this year, we are going to a special place that daddy has booked,” but Alice and Alfie were fast asleep and did not hear a thing.
The holiday arrived and all their cases were packed.
Alice said, “Quick, Alfie, lie down. I think we are off to France.” They lay in their box in the corner of the room and waited and waited and waited. Later they heard the front door shut and Alice said, “Oh no, no, no. They have left us behind again! I don’t believe it!” That night, Alice just cried and cried. Alfie said “Go to sleep and everything will seem better in the morning.”
There was a tap, tap, tap, on the window. It was their friend the moon so they opened the window and the moon asked, “Alice, what is the matter, why are you crying?” Alfie told him what had happened and that Nichole and her mummy and daddy had gone back to France for their holiday. Alice said, “We wanted to go back too.” The Moon said “Let’s do the magic moon spell.” So they all said together, “When you wish upon a star your dream would come true, so take us far.”
The moon blew and blew and to the windmill they flew. The rag dolls landed back in the windmill, thanked the moon and sat on the windowsill and quickly fell asleep.
The next morning they woke up and opened the bedroom door, but heard nothing. They went downstairs and found there was nobody there. There was no Nichole, no mummy and daddy and no Jacques the windmill keeper. His van had also gone. They ran round the windmill to the front door. There was a note on the door and it said, ‘Gone away for three weeks, don’t knock or you will wake the cats.’
Alice and Alfie went round the windmill to the back door and into the kitchen. The kittens had grown into cats, and they were fast asleep on their mats. Alice woke them up. She said, “Do you remember us?” and the cats said yes they did. Alice said, “If Jacques is away, who is feeding you?”
The cats replied, “Don’t worry, we have been eating the mice and they taste very nice.”
Alice said, “No, no, no,” and the cats laughed and laughed and said they were only joking. They were being fed by the lady down the road. The cats asked them why they had come back and Alice told them the story.
That night as it grew dark Alice and Alfie went to sleep. They dreamt of all the things they had done and the adventures they had had. When they woke up Alice said, “The Wooden Prince, let’s go back and see him.” So they went downstairs and got some apples and water and off they went.
The rag dolls walked over the old bridge and along the beach and at last, there it was in the distance: the magic castle. The rag dolls still had the problem of getting across the water; so they lay on the grassy bank of the river and stared into the water. All of a sudden the water started to ripple and from nowhere stepping stones appeared. They ran across them to the castle gate, where they knocked on the door and it opened before them.
In front of the rag dolls stood a tall man in a long black coat and a large pointed hat. He said, “Yes, can I help you would you like a spell?” Alice told him she could already spell and he laughed and said, “No, not spelling words; I can cast spells which will give you good luck and things you would like.”
Alice said, “We would like to see the Wooden Prince.” He said “Come in, he is sleeping in the fireplace.”
Alfie was surprised, “Why? what if somebody lights the fire?”
“No, no, no” he answered, “He lies in there because he still thinks he is a log of wood.”
Alice said, to him, “What is your name?”
He told them, “My name is Professor Wood Eye.”
Alfie laughed, “Have you got a wooden eye?”
He said, “No, but when I was young my mother gave me the name because of the time she asked me, “would I do this and would I do that.”
At that moment the Wooden Prince woke up and sat up in the fire place. Alice said to him, “How are you?”
He said, “I feel great after my sleep.” He stared at the rag dolls and said, “Hello, I remember you. You must stay for dinner.”
Alice and Alfie sat at the table eating and talking. After a while the Professor said he was going to his room down in the cellar to the castle to make up some spells. Alice said, “Can we come too?” So they all went down a small stone staircase into the cellar.
It was cold and damp and dark. Alfie said, “I’m freezing.” and Alice said she was too. Professor Wood Eye shouted out, “Boom, boom, warm the room.”
There was a flash of light and some smoke and the room became warm and light.
Alice was amazed, “Wow! That’s magic.” she said. Professor Wood Eye started mixing his spells. The Wooden Prince was upstairs he could not come down as normally it would be too cold and damp for him and all his joints would rot.
A few minutes later the Professor waved his wand and there was a loud bang. He poured the potion he was mixing into a large bottle. He filled it right to the top, and then said, “Oh, no!” Alice asked him what was wrong and he replied, “I’ve made too much.
The potion will have to be used.”
The Professor said there would be at least three wishes in the bottle. He then asked whether they would like three wishes. And the rag dolls cried, “Yes, please.” Professor Wood Eye said, “Are you ready then make your three wishes one, two, three, give your wishes to me.”
1. Let everybody love each other.
2. Give the Wooden Prince a special coating so he can go out in the cold and wet.
3. To go on a magical trip with the Wooden Prince.
The Professor waved his magic wand and made their dreams come true and the Wooden Prince was free to go to sea.
That night they went to bed early and they fell fast asleep.
The moon tapped on the window but Alice and Alfie didn’t hear that he had said, “Sleep tight tonight for tomorrow will be bright and your dreams will come true and Nichole is thinking of you.”
