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Wanda wasn’t too worried that the girls had vanished again. They wouldn’t be far away. She checked the stables out the back. There were no pink bracelets on any of the animals. She came back and checked the doubles were still in the audience. Then she flew up to the top of the tent to get a better view of the arena. What was left after being a monkey, a clown and a lion tamer?
Just as she reached the top she saw the people swinging on the trapeze. Then her heart missed a beat as she saw three young girls standing on a small platform. They were hanging onto a swing and they looked terrified. It was Bethany, Sarah and Jo! Before Wanda could even think of getting her wand out the three girls leapt off the platform and began to swing together.
‘Wanda!’ All three of them yelled at the same time.
‘Swing faster!’ a call came from the platform.
Wanda fumbled with her wand. She was just about to tap her bag of fairy dust when Mirella flew up to join her.
‘Just wait,’ Mirella said. She pointed a little way down and Wanda saw a large net. If the girls fell it would catch them.
The girls swung faster and faster. The crowd below was hushed and staring up in amazement.
‘Let go!’ came the call from the platform.
Wanda held her breath. The girls let go. The crowd all gasped. The girls flew across the top of the tent. Then they were caught by the catchers on another swing.
The crowd cheered. The girls squealed with excitement. One by one they all dropped gently into the net below and climbed down the ladder.
Bethany came running up to where Wanda and Mirella were sitting at the back of the tent.
‘This is such fun!’ she said, jumping up and down in excitement. ‘What will we be next?’
Before Wanda could answer that she didn’t know, there was the now familiar rainbow flash of light. Bethany was gone - again.
‘You’re doing well,’ Mirella said with a smile. ‘I’ll see you back at the tree later.’
The older fairy flew off, leaving Wanda sitting against a pole. Wanda was tired. She knew she should go and find Bethany again. The crowd were starting to leave. The performance was over. She flew outside and saw that the afternoon was about to turn to evening. It wasn’t long before Bethany’s wish would be over.
Something touched her leg and she turned, startled. Who could see her? A huge grey elephant stood nearby. Its trunk stretched out towards her.
Wanda grinned as she spotted the pink bracelet around the elephant’s front leg. A child was riding on the colourful seat that was strapped to Bethany’s back.
But this time, Bethany didn’t look happy. Instead she was staring off past the white tent at the crowd that was leaving.
‘I want to go home,’ Bethany said as she watched her parents and the three ‘doubles’ crossing the road to her house.