Read Online Anytime Tales by Enid Blyton - Free Book Online Page A

of the bed. “Well—I don’t know
exactly
what’s going to happen—but I daresay my magic mirror does.”
    “Magic mirror! Have you a magic mirror?” cried Benjy. “Let me see it. What will it show me? All the things that will happen next year?”
    “Perhaps,” said the little New Year. He took a small, round mirror from his clothes and held it up to the children. “This is it. If you look into it, it will show you happenings in your New Year.”

    “Oh—do let’s look,” said Jennifer, and she peered into it excitedly. “You look, too, Benjy. We’ll look together. Isn’t it queer? It shines so brightly, and yet when we look into it it isn’t like looking into a mirror— it’s like looking through a window.” Jennifer gave a squeal.
    “Oh, Benjy—I can see you in the mirror—you’re sliding on the ice—oh, you’ve gone in—the ice is cracked and you’ve fallen in. Benjy, Benjy, what’s happening to you?”
    The picture faded away. Benjy looked worried. Another picture came. This time it was of Jennifer— and, oh dear, she was in bed with spots all over her face. She looked very miserable indeed.
    “Oh, look—there’s you, Jenny—and you’re ill in bed with measles or something,” said Benjy. “I don’t like it.”
    Another picture came—of Benjy and Jennifer together—and they were being chased by an angry man who looked like a farmer! Oh dear, this was worse and worse.
    Other pictures came—of Benjy crying big tears, and holding a letter in his hand to say he hadn’t won the scholarship he so much wanted. And then there was one of Jenny in party clothes having her hand bandaged—and, oh dear, her lovely dress was scorched and burned, and she was crying bitterly.
    “Oh, don’t show us any more,” she said. “I can’t bear it. All the pictures are terrible. Surely all those dreadful things aren’t going to happen to us?”
    “Well—they
may”
said the little New Year. He had
    been watching the mirror, too. “They needn’t, of course. It all depends on yourselves. For instance, Benjy certainly won’t fall in the pond if he obeys his father and doesn’t slide on the ice till he’s told he can.”
    “But what about me with measles?” asked Jenny.
    “Ah well—you’ll be told not to go and play with a friend of yours who is ill,” said the New Year. “If you do, you’ll catch measles from her, no doubt about that—and into bed you’ll go. And did you see that picture of you both being chased by a farmer? Well, you probably left his gates open or threw stones at his ducks—and that’s why he’s chasing you. If you’re silly or unkind, that’s what will happen!”
    “I see,” said Benjy. “And what about me howling because I didn’t win the scholarship? Aren’t I going to win it? I do so want to.”
    “Well, you will if you work hard—but if you don’t, that’s a picture of yourself being sorry because you’ve been lazy and haven’t won it,” said the New Year.
    “And the last picture—of me with my hand hurt, and my clothes all scorched and burnt,” said Jennifer, fearfully. “What’s happening there?”
    “I expect you’ve played with matches and got yourself on fire,” said the little New Year. “It looks like it. But why do you look so worried? These things haven’t happened yet!”
    “But they’re going to happen, aren’t they?” said Jenny, beginning to cry. “They’re in the mirror—and it’s magic,”
    “You’re only looking at one side of the mirror!” said the little New Year, and he turned his mirror round so that the other side gleamed in front of them, clear and empty. “Those are the horrid things that the year may hold for you. Here are some of the nice ones!”

    The children watched as more pictures came— happy pictures of Jenny laughing and dancing at a party, of Benjy riding an elephant at the Zoo, of them both winning prizes at school, of Benjy being clapped on the back because he had won a scholarship…