Read Online Bad Dreams by Anne Fine - Free Book Online Page B

And there was loads. A paragraph in this book, a whole chapter in that. Even a few sinister stories. In fact, from reading some, I started to see why these peculiar charmed objects were always being found in places like the darkest caverns and the deepest wells. They’d almost certainly been chucked there by the poor soul who’d had the rotten, miserable luck of being blessed with them before.
    Because, all through my reading, one thing was absolutely clear as paint. My first, and worst, suspicion was the right one. For all she might love those magic moments in the book corner, dreaming of playing with puppies, or cantering through moonlight on snow-white steeds, Imogen would never be properly happy until she was rid of the necklace.
    I sat in the library window-seat, chewing my nails, working out what to say to her. First, I’d explain about the necklace. Then I’d remind her of all the bad things about the gift, and how it was ruining her school life. And then I’d get her to agree that the best thing to do was—
    â€˜Up here? On this shelf? Oh, thank you!’
    Over the other side of the tall shelving stacks, someone was speaking to the librarian.
    I knew that breathless, eager voice. I peeped round the bookshelves. Yes! It was Imogen’s mother. Around her shoulders was a wrap like an old-fashioned counterpane of bright sewn squares, and in her blazing hair were rows and rows of pretty pink plastic slides.
    If she’d been my mother, I’d have crawled out of the library with my head in a bag. Instead, I watched her carefully. She drew down book after book, flicking through, peering at indexes in the back and returning them to the bookshelves. And then she settled on a large red book as big as a brick. Pulling a pencil out of the little bag dangling from her wrist, she copied a few words down on a scrap of paper, skipped a few pages, then copied down a few words more.
    Then, looking satisfied, she slid the book back on the shelf and left.
    I didn’t take my eyes off its cover for one single second. So there was no mistake. I pulled the right book out.
    And my heart sank. The book in my hand was called Make More of Magic!

    So it was obvious that, to rescue poor Imogen, I was definitely going to have to get rid of the necklace myself. But how? You can’t just snatch a gold chain from around someone’s neck and hope they’ll not notice. All week, the problem gnawed at me. I tried to slide the idea into her head of taking it off.
    â€˜Doesn’t it irritate your skin a bit, wearing it all day?’ I asked her.
    â€˜No,’ she said cheerily. ‘Mum used to find it scratchy. That’s why she hardly ever wore it. But it doesn’t bother me in the slightest.’
    No hope there, then. So I tried something else. ‘Well, don’t you worry about losing it when we have sports, or in dancing?’
    But she just shook her head. And since the only time I’d ever seen her take it off was at the pool when Mum persuaded her, I was stuck.
    And stayed stuck. I couldn’t, after all, invite her swimming again, and snaffle it then. Mum would end up in jail. But I was sure there had to be some way of parting Imogen from her necklace.
    Twice that week I thought, I’ll give up. It’s not my problem. And twice, Mr Hooper picked her to fetch the set of reading books, The Hunted , out of the cupboard. The first time, she managed to bring them back in a pile balanced on her own workbook and slide them off, untouched, onto his desk. But it did cause an avalanche. So, next day, when he told her to fetch the books again, he added, ‘And, this time, Imogen, try carrying them sensibly .’
    She left her workbook on her desk, and carried the readers in a normal pile. Her hands were shaking, and her eyes were wide with fright.
    â€˜Really,’ he said, quite sharply. ‘All I said to you was “Carry them sensibly”. There’s no need to