L. Frank Baum_Oz 14 (13 page)

Until now Ervic could see over the bent form of the ape, but suddenly
the form, with its back to him, seemed to straighten up and blot out
the cupboard of drawers. The ape had changed to the form of a woman,
dressed in the pretty Gillikin costume, and when she turned around he
saw that it was a young woman, whose face was quite attractive.

"Do you like me better this way?" Reera inquired with a smile.

"You look better," he said calmly, "but I'm not sure I like you any
better."

She laughed, saying: "During the heat of the day I like to be an ape,
for an ape doesn't wear any clothes to speak of. But if one has
gentlemen callers it is proper to dress up."

Ervic noticed her right hand was closed, as if she held something in
it. She shut the cupboard door, bent over the crocodile and in a moment
the creature had changed to a red wolf. It was not pretty even now, and
the wolf crouched beside its mistress as a dog might have done. Its
teeth looked as dangerous as had those of the crocodile.

Next the Yookoohoo went about touching all the lizards and toads, and
at her touch they became kittens. The rats she changed into chipmunks.
Now the only horrid creatures remaining were the four great spiders,
which hid themselves behind their thick webs.

"There!" Reera cried, "now my cottage presents a more comfortable
appearance. I love the toads and lizards and rats, because most people
hate them, but I would tire of them if they always remained the same.
Sometimes I change their forms a dozen times a day."

"You are clever," said Ervic. "I did not hear you utter any
incantations or magic words. All you did was to touch the creatures."

"Oh, do you think so?" she replied. "Well, touch them yourself, if you
like, and see if you can change their forms."

"No," said the Skeezer, "I don't understand magic and if I did I would
not try to imitate your skill. You are a wonderful Yookoohoo, while I
am only a common Skeezer."

This confession seemed to please Reera, who liked to have her
witchcraft appreciated.

"Will you go away now?" she asked. "I prefer to be alone."

"I prefer to stay here," said Ervic.

"In another person's home, where you are not wanted?"

"Yes."

"Is not your curiosity yet satisfied?" demanded Reera, with a smile.

"I don't know. Is there anything else you can do?"

"Many things. But why should I exhibit my powers to a stranger?"

"I can think of no reason at all," he replied.

She looked at him curiously.

"You want no power for yourself, you say, and you're too stupid to be
able to steal my secrets. This isn't a pretty cottage, while outside
are sunshine, broad prairies and beautiful wildflowers. Yet you insist
on sitting on that bench and annoying me with your unwelcome presence.
What have you in that kettle?"

"Three fishes," he answered readily.

"Where did you get them?"

"I caught them in the Lake of the Skeezers."

"What do you intend to do with the fishes?"

"I shall carry them to the home of a friend of mine who has three
children. The children will love to have the fishes for pets."

She came over to the bench and looked into the kettle, where the three
fishes were swimming quietly in the water.

"They're pretty," said Reera. "Let me transform them into something
else."

"No," objected the Skeezer.

"I love to transform things; it's so interesting. And I've never
transformed any fishes in all my life."

"Let them alone," said Ervic.

"What shapes would you prefer them to have? I can make them turtles, or
cute little sea-horses; or I could make them piglets, or rabbits, or
guinea-pigs; or, if you like I can make chickens of them, or eagles, or
bluejays."

"Let them alone!" repeated Ervic.

"You're not a very pleasant visitor," laughed Red Reera. "People accuse
me of being cross and crabbed and unsociable, and they are quite right.
If you had come here pleading and begging for favors, and half afraid
of my Yookoohoo magic, I'd have abused you until you ran away; but
you're quite different from that. You're the unsociable and crabbed and
disagreeable one, and so I like you, and bear with your grumpiness.
It's time for my midday meal; are you hungry?"

"No," said Ervic, although he really desired food.

"Well, I am," Reera declared and clapped her hands together. Instantly
a table appeared, spread with linen and bearing dishes of various
foods, some smoking hot. There were two plates laid, one at each end of
the table, and as soon as Reera seated herself all her creatures
gathered around her, as if they were accustomed to be fed when she ate.
The wolf squatted at her right hand and the kittens and chipmunks
gathered at her left.

"Come, Stranger, sit down and eat," she called cheerfully, "and while
we're eating let us decide into what forms we shall change your fishes."

"They're all right as they are," asserted Ervic, drawing up his bench
to the table. "The fishes are beauties—one gold, one silver and one
bronze. Nothing that has life is more lovely than a beautiful fish."

"What! Am I not more lovely?" Reera asked, smiling at his serious face.

"I don't object to you—for a Yookoohoo, you know," he said, helping
himself to the food and eating with good appetite.

"And don't you consider a beautiful girl more lovely than a fish,
however pretty the fish may be?"

"Well," replied Ervic, after a period of thought, "that might be. If
you transformed my three fish into three girls—girls who would be
Adepts at Magic, you know they might please me as well as the fish do.
You won't do that of course, because you can't, with all your skill.
And, should you be able to do so, I fear my troubles would be more than
I could bear. They would not consent to be my slaves—especially if
they were Adepts at Magic—and so they would command me to obey them.
No, Mistress Reera, let us not transform the fishes at all."

The Skeezer had put his case with remarkable cleverness. He realized
that if he appeared anxious for such a transformation the Yookoohoo
would not perform it, yet he had skillfully suggested that they be made
Adepts at Magic.

After the meal was over and Reera had fed her pets, including the four
monster spiders which had come down from their webs to secure their
share, she made the table disappear from the floor of the cottage.

"I wish you'd consent to my transforming your fishes," she said, as she
took up her knitting again.

The Skeezer made no reply. He thought it unwise to hurry matters. All
during the afternoon they sat silent. Once Reera went to her cupboard
and after thrusting her hand into the same drawer as before, touched
the wolf and transformed it into a bird with gorgeous colored feathers.
This bird was larger than a parrot and of a somewhat different form,
but Ervic had never seen one like it before.

"Sing!" said Reera to the bird, which had perched itself on a big
wooden peg—as if it had been in the cottage before and knew just what
to do.

And the bird sang jolly, rollicking songs with words to them—just as a
person who had been carefully trained might do. The songs were
entertaining and Ervic enjoyed listening to them. In an hour or so the
bird stopped singing, tucked its head under its wing and went to sleep.
Reera continued knitting but seemed thoughtful.

Now Ervic had marked this cupboard drawer well and had concluded that
Reera took something from it which enabled her to perform her
transformations. He thought that if he managed to remain in the
cottage, and Reera fell asleep, he could slyly open the cupboard, take
a portion of whatever was in the drawer, and by dropping it into the
copper kettle transform the three fishes into their natural shapes.
Indeed, he had firmly resolved to carry out this plan when the
Yookoohoo put down her knitting and walked toward the door.

"I'm going out for a few minutes," said she; "do you wish to go with
me, or will you remain here?"

Ervic did not answer but sat quietly on his bench. So Reera went out
and closed the cottage door.

As soon as she was gone, Ervic rose and tiptoed to the cupboard.

"Take care! Take care!" cried several voices, coming from the kittens
and chipmunks. "If you touch anything we'll tell the Yookoohoo!"

Ervic hesitated a moment but, remembering that he need not consider
Reera's anger if he succeeded in transforming the fishes, he was about
to open the cupboard when he was arrested by the voices of the fishes,
which stuck their heads above the water in the kettle and called out:

"Come here, Ervic!"

So he went back to the kettle and bent over it

"Let the cupboard alone," said the goldfish to him earnestly. "You
could not succeed by getting that magic powder, for only the Yookoohoo
knows how to use it. The best way is to allow her to transform us into
three girls, for then we will have our natural shapes and be able to
perform all the Arts of Magic we have learned and well understand. You
are acting wisely and in the most effective manner. We did not know you
were so intelligent, or that Reera could be so easily deceived by you.
Continue as you have begun and try to persuade her to transform us. But
insist that we be given the forms of girls."

The goldfish ducked its head down just as Reera re-entered the cottage.
She saw Ervic bent over the kettle, so she came and joined him.

"Can your fishes talk?" she asked.

"Sometimes," he replied, "for all fishes in the Land of Oz know how to
speak. Just now they were asking me for some bread. They are hungry."

"Well, they can have some bread," said Reera. "But it is nearly
supper-time, and if you would allow me to transform your fishes into
girls they could join us at the table and have plenty of food much
nicer than crumbs. Why not let me transform them?"

"Well," said Ervic, as if hesitating, "ask the fishes. If they consent,
why—why, then, I'll think it over."

Reera bent over the kettle and asked:

"Can you hear me, little fishes?"

All three popped their heads above water.

"We can hear you," said the bronzefish.

"I want to give you other forms, such as rabbits, or turtles or girls,
or something; but your master, the surly Skeezer, does not wish me to.
However, he has agreed to the plan if you will consent."

"We'd like to be girls," said the silverfish.

"No, no!" exclaimed Ervic.

"If you promise to make us three beautiful girls, we will consent,"
said the goldfish.

"No, no!" exclaimed Ervic again.

"Also make us Adepts at Magic," added the bronzefish.

"I don't know exactly what that means," replied Reera musingly, "but as
no Adept at Magic is as powerful as Yookoohoo, I'll add that to the
transformation."

"We won't try to harm you, or to interfere with your magic in any way,"
promised the goldfish. "On the contrary, we will be your friends."

"Will you agree to go away and leave me alone in my cottage, whenever I
command you to do so?" asked Reera.

"We promise that," cried the three fishes.

"Don't do it! Don't consent to the transformation," urged Ervic.

"They have already consented," said the Yookoohoo, laughing in his
face, "and you have promised me to abide by their decision. So, friend
Skeezer, I shall perform the transformation whether you like it or not."

Ervic seated himself on the bench again, a deep scowl on his face but
joy in his heart. Reera moved over to the cupboard, took something from
the drawer and returned to the copper kettle. She was clutching
something tightly in her right hand, but with her left she reached
within the kettle, took out the three fishes and laid them carefully on
the floor, where they gasped in distress at being out of water.

Reera did not keep them in misery more than a few seconds, for she
touched each one with her right hand and instantly the fishes were
transformed into three tall and slender young women, with fine,
intelligent faces and clothed in handsome, clinging gowns. The one who
had been a goldfish had beautiful golden hair and blue eyes and was
exceedingly fair of skin; the one who had been a bronzefish had dark
brown hair and clear gray eyes and her complexion matched these lovely
features. The one who had been a silverfish had snow-white hair of the
finest texture and deep brown eyes. The hair contrasted exquisitely
with her pink cheeks and ruby-red lips, nor did it make her look a day
older than her two companions.

As soon as they secured these girlish shapes, all three bowed low to
the Yookoohoo and said:

"We thank you, Reera."

Then they bowed to the Skeezer and said:

"We thank you, Ervic."

"Very good!" cried the Yookoohoo, examining her work with critical
approval. "You are much better and more interesting than fishes, and
this ungracious Skeezer would scarcely allow me to do the
transformations. You surely have nothing to thank him for. But now let
us dine in honor of the occasion."

She clapped her hands together and again a table loaded with food
appeared in the cottage. It was a longer table, this time, and places
were set for the three Adepts as well as for Reera and Ervic.

"Sit down, friends, and eat your fill," said the Yookoohoo, but instead
of seating herself at the head of the table she went to the cupboard,
saying to the Adepts: "Your beauty and grace, my fair friends, quite
outshine my own. So that I may appear properly at the banquet table I
intend, in honor of this occasion, to take upon myself my natural
shape."

Scarcely had she finished this speech when Reera transformed herself
into a young woman fully as lovely as the three Adepts. She was not
quite so tall as they, but her form was more rounded and more
handsomely clothed, with a wonderful jeweled girdle and a necklace of
shining pearls. Her hair was a bright auburn red, and her eyes large
and dark.