Jennifer Jane's good deed 1/2

Jennifer Jane had almost forgotten the red shoes that were able to grant her wishes. They were much too small for her now, though her mum had never liked to throw them away, because they were still as good as new. She had so many friends in the wood and had so many adventures with them, that she hadn't really used the shoes for wishing, except very occasionally when she wanted to do something extra special, like asking to see the Clerk of the Weather, or speaking to Frosty.

She had a lot of other things to do as well. She could help her father in the garden and her mother with the cooking and housework. There was also her canoe. All these things had to be fitted in with school time and just recently she had also joined the local Brownie pack.

"As if you hadn't got enough to do already," laughed her father when he heard about it.

The day before the Brownies were due to hold a jumble sale, mother had sent her upstairs to sort out some of her old clothes and amongst them she had found her old red shoes. Somehow she felt she shouldn't just give them away and she felt rather disappointed at how little jumble she would be taking to the sale.

"I wish I could do an extra special good deed instead."

She'd practically forgotten that the shoes could grant her wishes but she was very quickly reminded. In a flash, her bedroom window opened and she flew through the air and landed with a bump, in the familiar surroundings of the giant's pool.

The giant was making a terrible noise and was crying so hard that the pool was nearly overflowing its banks. Water was pouring down the river and although Jennifer Jane tried as hard as she could to make him hear her, he was making far too much noise.

She'd forgotten that she was still holding her red shoes. "I wish I was as big as you are," she said, "then I could make you hear me alright and I'd be able to find out what's the matter."

Even as she spoke she started to grow and by the time she'd said, 'What's happening?' she was just as big as he was.
The giant had stopped crying altogether and was staring at her with his mouth open, looking very surprised indeed.

"Why it's little Jennifer Jane what's growed up tall!" he said at last.

Jennifer Jane was rather surprised to find that his voice which was usually so loud and booming from very high up, was now quite quiet. He was also speaking with a slight country accent, which she’d never noticed before.

She realised that the red shoes were responsible for her becoming a giantess and put them both in her pocket for safe keeping. Then she repeated her question.

"It's that young Barnacle Bill what comes puffing up the river in his steam boat. He tells stories of all sorts of places that I never heard tell of before and I'm stuck here, working all day and every day and never goes nowhere. He's a'coming up the river soon to have another chat and I don't think I can stand no more, without I goes off and has a holiday like other folk."

This seemed very reasonable to Jennifer Jane and she could quite understand why the giant had been so upset when she arrived. He was quiet now, he hadn’t started crying again and she realised that he was expecting her to produce one of her ideas, so that he would be able to go on holiday.

Just then there was a very faint 'toot toot,' from somewhere down by Jennifer Jane's feet and a squeaky little voice said, "Ahoy there giant, how are you....ooer."

Barnacle Bill had just realised that there were two giants by the pool.

Jennifer Jane quickly explained what had happened. Barnacle Bill soon got over the shock, thought for a moment and then looked a lot happier. "Why don't you wish that the giant shrinks down to my size and then I could take him for a voyage to some of the places I've told him about."

"Why not" said Jennifer Jane, "I could stay here and cry tears into the pool while you're away, provided you come back before the end of the afternoon."

She made the wish and watched the giant shrink and get into the paddle steamer with Barnacle Bill.

"Please remember to be back before teatime" she called.
'Toot toot' went the foghorn, it sounded very different from high up. Then the paddle steamer left the pool and soon disappeared from sight.