Colour Changing Magic

Colour Changing Magic

By Aaron N.D

Chapter 1 - The Necklace

“If it wasn’t for the extraordinary fact that she was my owner I would have killed her right there and then! As if it was my fault that the jar fell from the shelf, after all, she was the one that told me to fetch the box next to it. How did I know the jar was their? I wasn’t even told about it, her own creation, it’s as if I am oblivious to her… used as a slave!
Madam Haggit is her name. Oh Madam Haggit, what a blooming faggot! She has told me off for many things but Never, NEVER has she punished me in this way; Locking my soul in a monsters body. This isn’t good for my reputation. Monsters don’t live! Monsters ALWAYS die! In every tale, in every story, the monster ALWAYS dies! Monsters aren’t necessarily bad, only monsters whose owners are bad turn evil. Good monsters should live, we don’t deserve to die…I don’t deserve to die!”
“MOGGINS, I hope your not talking to yourself again now are you?” Madam Haggit cried and with a reluctant reply Moggins burped, “No Madam, just singing while I clean the toilet,” and lifting the seat up he started to act out a scrubbing motion.
“Good. It needs a good clean!” she yelled.
“LOOK! Will you stop shouting in my ear…your standing right next to me for Lumpy’s sake” Moggins said with an even more annoyed look on his face.
“Will you stop going on about Lumpy? He’s dead now… forget him!” Madam Haggit said with an even more annoyed look on her face the Moggins.
“Yes… that you may think, that you may think Madam…but… a big but, I believe that when you performed that spell on Lumpy he disappeared into another realm!” Moggins replied with a smug look on his face.
“Another realm?” said Madam Haggit who was rather confused at the word. Madam Haggit only went to Muffle School and so only learnt the dictionary for beginners!
“Yes… realm. It’s another word for world Madam.” Moggins exclaimed.
“Oh right, I see.” Moggins always had to explain things to Madam Haggit as he was the smartest of the family.
“And so, does the word realm have any specialities to it?” Madam Haggit asked with a wandering look on her face.
“Specialities Madam, erm… not that I can think of.” Moggins always likes to call her Madam. He thinks it’s a more preferable and posh word to use, rather than going round calling her Haggit all the time!
“Well, I’m off.” Moggins said with a quick approach.
“What? Just like that…you haven’t even cleaned the toilet properly…and why on the earth did you use my toothbrush?” Madam Haggit said with yet another annoyed look on her face. She always frowns, Madam Haggit. Moggins came up with a very clear dictionary meaning for frowns which is, ‘Whoever frowns the most has the most wrinkles around their forehead, nostrils and/or eyes!’
“Well, you can buy a new one with magic…but, if I used my own I would have to walk twenty miles to the toothbrush shop which is directly to sell toothbrushes and why it’s called a toothbrush shop which you wouldn’t know because you’ve never been two miles away from here let alone twenty!” Moggins said sarcastically, gasping for breathe towards the end.
“You know Moggins…” Madam Haggit said.
“Yes Madam?” Moggins replied.
“You talk through your bottom sometimes.” Madam Haggit continued. Moggins, ignoring her words, turned around and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him whilst murmuring to himself. And so, off Moggins went. Through the back door, down the dirty cobble stoned path, over the wall, into the field and set off for work.
“Morning Moggins,” a voice cried to his left.
“Morning Bumble,” Moggins replied rather cheerfully.
“Lovely morning Moggins,” came another voice, this time to his right.
“It is Dingleburg, so it is.” Moggins replied in the same cheerful voice. Over the past seven weeks and four days that Moggins had lived in the small town of Bungsdale many people had grown rather fond of him, saying how nice he was and how nicely he looked. He took quite a fancy to women, Moggins.
As Moggins approached the factory of Gammer Bridge near the stream he felt all dizzy and some what disorientated by the smell of raw vegetables. In a few seconds Moggins’ whole body begin to swell and turn an orangey red. He felt the need to shout loudly and roar out great words of anger. But, somehow he managed to hold it back by singing the song ‘Birds make me go crazy’ by ‘Lucrei Dinky’ which was a number one hit in Bungsdale. Then, the swelling stopped and Moggins’ voice was deeper. He ran to the little stream and looked at his disgraceful reflection in which he saw himself wearing an item which he had never seen himself with before. It was a pale sky blue necklace with the word ‘POWDA’ written on it.
“P.O.W.D.A” Moggins said to himself in his deepened voice, “Powda…what an unusually weird name.” Moggins sort of chuckled to himself and reached round his neck to take it off but when his fingers touched in the reflection, they actually touched his neck. Again Moggins tried to take off the necklace, but with no joy. Immediately Madam Haggit appeared out of nowhere and was looking over Moggins like a giant.
“That’s you mark Moggins. You’re my monster now…theirs nothing you can do about it… nothing at all! And that necklace, it says ADWOP you read it backwards in the reflection. It’s the name of a shop, and in fact, the name of a shop that is seventy miles away, which you wouldn’t know because you can’t use magic and have only ever travelled twenty miles. Ha ha! Got you back good and proper their, didn’t I clever clogs.” Was her essay before disappearing into a cloud of green smoke!
“A necklace,” Moggins thought, “But why a necklace?”

Chapter 2 - Colour Changing Magic

During his day at work Moggins was forever thinking of why the necklace was on his neck. Eventually his day was over and he made his way back to Bungsdale upon where he met a strange man wearing a fully dressed navy blue cloak.
“Are you err… in need of help?” Moggins asked the man…forgetting he was a monster figure.
“ Oh…well. I’m looking for a Mr…WHAT ON THE EARTH ARE YOU?” the man said while turning around and seeing the horrible looking figure before him. Immediately the man screamed and tried to run away whilst falling over in the process.
Moggins knew immediately that no-one would believe him if he told them the truth so as fast as he could he ran back to the factory. Moggins didn’t like working in the forbidden factory as it reminded himself of his old house… his old owner!
Moggins has never liked quiet places either so again began to sing to himself. A noise then came from up the stairs in the room in which he had never entered… the one room he had never been in. The one room he had dread going in since he first started working at the factory.
Moggins began to tip toe away from the stairs but then, he thought to himself. He thought back to his old owner and what he said when he sold him to Madam Haggit.
“Take him, he’s a useless wimp!” were the words he could remember coming out of the old man's voice. ‘I’ll show him!’ Moggins thought to himself and marched up the spiral stairs. As he reached the top of the stairs the door of the room came slightly ajar. A green glow shined through the gap. Moggins, rather doubting his braveness, pushed the door wide open and quickly put his hands in front of his face in a defensive manner.
“Hello their Mr. Moggins, I’ve been waiting for you, take a seat.” Was the voice that came from a lizard’s mouth. He was green, had a moustache (which was grey) and had red spots on his tail.
“Come on, come on in.” he cried impatiently with a cheery look on his face, which was rather wrinkly. Moggins slowly approached the lizard and couldn’t help but look at the cauldron (which would have been the result of the green light). The cauldron puffed out a big pink cloud of smoke and then began to bubble.
“Do you know what this is Mr. Moggins?” the lizard asked.
“No sir,” Moggins replied.
“Do you know what my name is Mr. Moggins?” the lizard asked.
“No sir,” again replied Moggins.
“Mr Tail. Mr Red Tail.” He replied.
“Hello Mr…erm…Red Tail sir, but, May I ask, what IS in the cauldron?” Moggins said.
“Ah…you see Mr. Moggins. This is beyond magic… this is colour magic!” Red Tail said.
“Colour Magic?” said Moggins with a confused look on his face.
“Yes Mr Moggins, that’s what I said! Colour Magic. If the potion works correctly and I have put the right amount if Silumpic acid into it then it should, when drank, change the colour of your skin…or in your case, fur!” Red Tail explained.
“Silumpic acid? Don’t you mean Seelumpic acid?” Moggins asked with a smug look, trying to make him self sound smarter than he already was.
“No Mr Moggins”, at this point Moggins’ smug look wiped off his face, “Seelumpic acid would burn your throat my friend.” Red Tail continued. Of course, these are only acids that wizards should know about, but with having his old owner being a wizard how could he not know?

Chapter 3 - An Old Friend

Somehow, Moggins had managed to escape Red Tails torturing facts about his education and was sleeping downstairs in the factory. It was late at night and very cold.
“Wake up Moggins” cried a voice. Moggins woke up and jumped at the volume of the voice.
“Oh, it’s you.” Moggins said with a sigh of relief and wipe of the forehead. He was staring at Madam Haggit and a very angry Madam Haggit too!
“Ah, my dear old friend…Why did you tell Moggins about a certain potion? Hmm, Mr Red Tail?” were the words she spat out, staring at a struggling Red Tail tied to a wooden chair.
“You’ll never get out Red Tail, it’s a truth rope.” Madam Haggit smirked.
“I know what it is you witch. I went to the same school as you! You’ve still got that boil on your ear I see.” Red Tail said rather amusing himself.
“Oh, I never noticed that. Now you’ve mentioned it….it’s unnoticeable” said Moggins, also quiet amused at the fact. “H…Hang on a minute. Why have you tied Red Tail up like that?” Moggins asked, rather confused.
“He wasn’t supposed to tell you about the…” Madam Haggit began.
“The what?” Moggins said rather quickly.
“The colour changing magic” Red Tail began, “it has something to do with your necklace Mr. Moggins!” he continued and with this being the answer to why he told Moggins about the colour changing magic the truth rope untangled itself from around Red Tail and the chair. Madam Haggit snarled at Red Tail and walked towards him, saying threatening words with her hand out ready to perform a spell. At that moment their was a puff of red smoke, Red Tail had already beaten her to it and so Madam Haggit vanished back to the cottage.
“Well done Red Tail!” Moggins said. Red Tail reached down, picked up the truth rope, went upstairs, brought his backpack down and put the rope into it.
“I’ll keep that, just in case it comes in handy,” Red Tail laughed and winked at Moggins. Red Tail suddenly stopped laughing, sighed and sat down on the chair.
“I’m getting old Mr. Moggins,” croaked Red Tail, a depressed look on his face. “And theirs so many things I would like to do… or see!” Red Tail continued, “I made a list. A list of things I’d like to do before I die. Fly for instance. That’s top of my list.” He finished his sentence with a cough and a smirk, as if doubting the list.
“Well Red Tail… I know something and that is that you only die old if you feel old. You’re only… how old are you?” Moggins asked and with another smirk and a doubtful look Red Tail said, “Fifty Three.”
“You’re only fifty three. You’ve got more than forty years left until you die. Wizards live over one-hundred years of age…I don’t know about lizards though, never mind wizard lizards.” Moggins smirked to himself.
“Listen,” Moggins began again, “I’m going to try and find Lumpy… and you… you can come with me. We can do some of the things on your list…together! It’ll be an adventure!” Moggins continued, “What do you think?”
Red Tail sat there for a few seconds and then began to speak. “Well Mr. Moggins, it would be good but the thing is Mr. Moggins. This world… I’ve seen many things in this world. Things beyond belief, the darkest magic you’ve ever seen…wizard duels, death battles, but never have I gone on an adventure. So Mr Moggins. You… me…an adventure? Sure!” Red Tail smiled, “but you’ve got to take into consideration Mr. Moggins that this adventure… it might be tough to find Lumpy… especially with no map! We’ll be lost Moggins!” Red Tail said.
“WAIT… did you just call me Moggins Red Tail?” Moggins asked.
“Yes Mr Moggins…why?” Red Tail answered.
I’ve been waiting for you to stop calling me MR. Moggins for ages…finally you did it Red Tail! Finally you did it.” Moggins said cheerfully with a broad smile on his face.
“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Red Tail asked.
“Because Red Tail, you learn by your own accord…not by someone telling you not to do something. That way you don’t feel uncomfortable doing it.” Moggins explained.
“You know Moggins you are rather clever!” said Red Tail.
“So I’ve been told Red Tail… so I’ve been told!” Moggins said and they both started laughing and had a long chat about Red Tails education…again!
Later on the next day Moggins and Red Tail began to pack up their things. Of course, Red Tail didn’t really need to as everything was in his back pack, so he was at Moggins’ cottage helping him pack his things whilst Madam Haggit was out.
“Mr…sorry… Moggins, what is this?” said Red Tail holding an unusual object in his hands.
“Ah, that is a gift that an old friend of mine gave me. He gave it me because he was dying. He said he was in need of help.” replied Moggins.
“Yes Moggins but what is it?” Red Tail said.
“What does it look like?” Moggins said sarcastically.
“A wooden block,” Red Tail said, laughing.
“Precisely. Got it in one!” Moggins said, again sarcastically.
“Yes Moggins…but! The fact is that a wooden block wouldn’t have no use at all. Maybe, just maybe Moggins that small wooden block of yours may open.” Red Tail said. With this Moggins picked up the wooden block and started to push, pull, twiddle and tweak all different parts of the small block. Eventually, Moggins had managed to open it but not by pushing, pulling, tweaking or twiddling but by saying the word ‘open’. It just pulled apart automatically and their was a piece of paper inside it. Written on it was ‘My dear boy Moggins”. After reading this Moggins opened the piece of paper and started to read out loud;
‘Moggins, I do not think it fair to say I am your friend as I am not. I am to tell you something Moggins and I do not want you to take any offence. I am not your friend Moggins as I am your father and you are my son. Unfortunately Moggins, you are not my real son but my foster son and I your foster father. I am ever sorry to tell you this Moggins but I am not dying but am in need of help. I am in need of help as I am trying to find Lumpy. I understand that by the time you are reading this letter you may also be doing the same thing and I must say Moggins… to me you are my real son and I love you dearly as you love me…see you soon Moggins, Father.’
After reading the letter Moggins had a tear running down his furry face.
“Well Moggins… you look quite surprised.” said Red Tail.
“Yes…I suppose I am” Moggins said. After reading the letter again Moggins told Red Tail he preferred not to talk about it and they finished packing his stuff. Then they both slept in Moggins’ room, Moggins in the small wooden bed and Red Tail on a red rug on the floor, a thin sheet on top of him.

Chapter 4 - Portal Wizard

Early the next morning, when Moggins finally awoke, Red Tail was sitting by Moggins' fireplace.
"Ah, Moggins my friend, you have finally awoke." Red Tail said, almost trying to make Moggins sound lazy.
"Yes, I slept a bit rough last night!" Moggins said, still awakening.
"Ha... and I slept on the floor! Oh... the letter. Look Moggins, I know your annoyed and upset but you don't have to be grumpy all the time. After all, the sooner we find Lumpy the faster you'll be able to talk things over with your friend...father." Red Tail said, feeling sympathy for the small furry faced monster sitting before him.
"You know what Red Tail, you're right! Let's get going. Come on...calling me lazy Mr Spotty Knickers." Moggins said, getting up and walking out the door with his backpack.
"Hold on a minute" Red Tail shouted rather annoyed at the remark and picking up his backpack too began to chase after him, "I DO NOT WEAR SPOTTY KNICKERS...THEIR STRIPEY! AND HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT MY KNICKERS LOOK LIKE ANYWAY?" Red Tail continued.
"Ha...I don't! Thanks for telling me though. If you say something bad about me then I can use that to get back at you." Moggins laughed.
"Ooh... I could... Ooh...you push it sometimes!" Red Tail said, storming out the front door with Moggins in front of him.
"So, where do we head?" Moggins asked Red Tail.
"Humph...as if I'm going to tell you! Oh al right... I suppose your helping me in a way. We'll need a map, so the best person to ask would be a map... map... map, Red Tail said, forgetting what he was going to say.
"Maker?" Moggins said.
"Ah, that's it Moggins! Map Maker!" Red Tail continued.
"And where do you expect to find a map maker in Bungsdale Red Tail?" asked Moggins, knowing their were no map makers in the area.
"Well Moggins, who said you had to have a real life map maker?" Red Tail said.
"I don't understand," Moggins said, rather confused.
"It's simple Moggins. You just ask for a portal wizard." said Red Tail, rather smug.
"A portal wizard? What on the earth is one of them?" said Moggins, stall rather confused. He had never heard of a portal wizard before.
"Good Lord, you don't know what a portal wizard is! Right. A portal wizard is an electronic wizard that just appears whenever you need him. But! To be able to use a portal wizard you need a portal key and I, fortunately, happen to have a portal key!" Red Tail explained, reaching into his backpack and pulling out a small purple ball with a button on it. Red Tail pressed the button and the ball leaped out of his hands and started to float in mad air. Then, a wizard popped out of the ball and landed on the floor. He wore a dark red cloak, had a long beard, no hat, had a bald head and wore blue trousers and green shoes, pointed at the end.
"Ha, amazing!" Moggins said, quiet startled. "Just like the genie in the lamp!" he continued.
"Genie in the lamp?" Red Tail said, puzzled.
"Searching... article found! 'According to research at Narlsbourgh mortals used to carry lamps in which embedded genies within them. These genies gave the owner of the lamp three wishes, then the lamp would be passed on with good fortune. This was also proven by Narlsbourgh to be a myth and thus the idea of the portal wizard was created.' End of article." were the words that the portal wizard spoke, answering to Red Tails puzzled question!
"Thank you," Red Tail answered.
"No problem sir! Anything else I can help you with?" the wizard asked, eager to help.
"Yes. I would like you to create me a map of the whole of our world." Red Tail said, noting precisely what he would like to be done.
"And which world is our world sir?" the wizard asked.
"Glammoth" was the world Red Tail gave.
"Amazing how it answers to you and you only!" Moggins said, staring at the wizard while he created the map of Glammoth as fast as you could say plop.
"Here you go sir. Anything else I could assist you with?" the wizard asked.
"No thank you. You may return." Red Tail said, bowing his head to the wizard. With this, the wizard popped back into his small purple portal key and then the ball stopped floating and returned to Red Tails hand. Red Tail inserted the ball back into his back pack.
"I never knew that you could even create such mechanisms! Maybe the genie in the lamp story wasn't a myth at all. Ha! Amazing...quiet amazing!" Moggins blurped, astonished at the fact.

Chapter 5 - Something Stirring

After Moggins had stopped talking about the portal wizard he and Red Tail began to head towards a forest.
"Red Tail, shall we go and have a nice sleep in that inn over there?" Moggins asked, rather sleepily.
"Sure," said Red Tail approaching the door of 'The Murmade Inn'. They walked in and a tall man (about 6 foot) with short brown hair and big nostrils who was wearing what looked like a cowboy outfit (and was also the manager of the inn) started to speak.
"What can I be doing for you me laddies?" the manager of the inn asked impersonating a cowboys voice.
"Huh....young 'laddies'" Red Tail said, "I'll have you know I'm fifty three!"
"Yes and we're looking for some accommodation for the night" Moggins said after Red Tail.
"Accommodation eh... for you and your pet lizard?" the manager said.
"Humph...listen my good old friend...I am not young, I am not a pet... and I am certainly not afraid of somebody like you." Red Tail said, getting rather angry.
"Oh Really?" the manager said stomping his large fists onto the bar side, "well then it's a good job I'm behind the bar isn't it!" the manager continued sarcastically.
"Ha...only messing with you...anyway, hows about that room?" Red Tail asked... putting on a fake smile.
"Room four...here's the keys. Breakfast at seven?" the manager asked, handing over the keys to room four.
"No thank you...we've got to get up earlier than that tomorrow I'm afraid...thanks for the offer though." Moggins said, walking away, Red Tail scurrying quickly behind him.
"No problem." the manager said with a big broad smile upon his face. When Moggins and Red Tail got to the top of the stairs they walked along the corridor to the door of room four. Moggins inserted the key and pushed the door open. The room had two single beds, a large bayed window looking out to the forest in which they would travel to in the morning, the fire (already lit), two bedside cabinets with three empty sweet wrappers on them and a nice red rug which covered nearly the whole of the wooden floor.
"Ah...so homely... and the fires already lit for us," said Red Tail jumping onto his bed which made a rather awkward squeaking sound.
"Don't unpack you backpack Moggins...that's what an adventures all about," continued Red Tail, sitting up and making the bed make another awful squeaking noise.
"You ought to get the inn keeper to sort that out," Moggins said getting annoyed at the sound.
"Oh...it'll be al right," Red Tail said, lying back down and making the bed squeak. The door opened and the manager was stood broadly before it.
"Well, the lights are going out boys...if you want the light on then all you need to do is come and press this switch on the wall here," he said, shutting the door and walking away before they could reply. The room was from then on quiet. Then their was a rattle sound and Red Tail made a loud noise that sounded like an 'oof' and he got up and switched the light on.
"WHAT WAS THAT!" he said, scared out of his wits.
"What?" Moggins said wearily getting up out of his bed.
"SOMETHING TOUCHED ME BOTTOM!" Red Tail said rather annoyed and freaked out.
"I'll look under the bed." Moggins said and before he got chance to bend down and take a look, a small furry creature ran straight from under the bed. It had a pig snout nose, pointy ears and wings on it's back. The thing tried to fly up into the air but in each attempt it failed. Moggins grabbed the creature and held it still on the bed.
"Oh My God!" said Red ail, "What is it?" he continued.
"That Red Tail my friend, is a Gerblett." Moggins said.
"A what?" Red Tail asked, rather confused as he always was. Red Tails small portal wizard popped up out of his back pack and began to speak.
"Searching...article found! 'The Gerblett or Gerblett's are a group of small fury creatures in which feast on all kinds of food to keep themselves alive. Gerblett is pronounced Jer-Bl-t. Gerbletts are known to have distinctive features, for instance, the wings on it's back are small and and result in the inability to fly. Some Gerblett's have been known to have evolved so that their wings are bigger and they have the ability to fly.'End of article!" and after he said this he popped back into the little ball in Red Tail's backpack.
"Amazing! It even....never mind...we have a bit of a problem." Moggins said, interrupting himself.
"WAIT... please do not harm me, I have children. Please...I beg of you. I came here in piece...I cam here for the sweets on the bedside tables...I come here every day to feed my young ones. Please don't harm me." the small Gerblett said.
"Right...I'll give you a deal Mr Gerble thingy. If you get out of this room immediately then I will not harm you...if you come again however I will harm you. OR...you can simply help us and you can come as many times you like." Red Tail said. "Something tells me that you have a cunning plan." the Gerblett said.
"No...not at all...we're going on an adventure and we need to find our friend Lumpy...well, his brother actually but that doesn't matter...we just want to know how to find him." Red Tail said. Moggins eased off the Gerblett but was still holding him down a little. Then, the Gerblett scurried out of Moggins' hands but whilst running to the opened window he said, "Why don't you ask your Portal Wizard dumbo..heh heh!" and then jumped out the window, scurried away across the roof of the inn and ran into another building.
"Ha... he told you Red Tail!" Moggins said, Red Tail rather displeased.

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Story NOT complete yet! Hope you like it so far :) Please leave a comment and tell me of any mistakes I have made or if you liked it or not and why. Thanks,

Littledanno (Aaron D)