Jennifer Jane's good deed 2/2

Jennifer Jane remembered that she would have to cry salt tears into the pool while the giant was away. The trouble was that she had no idea how to make herself cry.

"Oh dear," she sighed, for she was feeling far too happy at having done a good deed to be able to squeeze out even one little tear and the pool was emptying fast.

She decided to sit down because she wasn't used to being so high up in the air. She sat on a conveniently placed flat-topped rock right beside the pool.

"Yeeouch," she cried and jumped up again very quickly indeed.

The rock had become very hot in the midday sun and she'd scorched her bare leg. She was crying giant tears with the pain and fortunately had the good sense to lean over the pool and start refilling it. After a while the pain went away, but she managed to keep on crying. It was much easier now that she'd started and she soon found out how much she had to cry to keep the pool at just the right level.

It seemed to take ages to teatime but at last the little paddle steamer with Barnacle Bill and the shrunken giant came back up the stream. Jennifer Jane stopped crying as the boat came into the pool, just in case she sank it as the giant had done once before. Both of the little figures climbed out of the boat and moored it securely.

"Please Jennifer Jane will you wish us back again to our proper sizes," asked the giant in a tiny squeaky voice.

Jennifer Jane was only too happy to oblige. Although it had been fun to be a giantess for an afternoon, she realised that her own size really suited her best. Anyway what ever would her parents have said if she'd come home taller than the house?

So she wished. Nothing happened. She wished again, out loud this time. Still nothing happened.

"Oh dear," said the giant she must have had one wish before she came here."

"Why yes I did," said Jennifer Jane.

"That's torn it," said the giant, "you only get three wishes a day with a pair of magic shoes you know."

"No I didn't know," said Jennifer Jane starting to cry again.

"Cry into the pool!" shouted both the giant and Barnacle Bill furiously, as the huge tears poured down on them like a rainstorm.

"Never mind," shouted Barnacle Bill, when he'd dried himself off. "I think the effects of your wishes will wear off when the sun goes down, so we must all sit quietly and wait and see."

Fortunately he was right. As the sun began to set, so Jennifer Jane began to shrink and the giant began to grow. Soon they were both back to their proper sizes and feeling a lot happier.

Certainly, Jennifer Jane was very glad to be her own size and was looking forward to snuggling down in her bed for a good night's sleep.

"I do hope mum and dad won't be too cross with me for being out so late," she said.

"Come into the cabin for a moment," said Barnacle Bill mysteriously, so Jennifer Jane followed him aboard the steamer.

He sat down at a table and wrote a letter, "To take home to your father. There now, that should stop you from getting into trouble."

Jennifer Jane thanked him, said "goodnight" to the giant, and rushed off home before it got too dark to see properly. Sure enough, when she got indoors her parents were both waiting for her.

"Wherever have you been to at this time of night? It’s got completely dark and this really isn't good enough! Come along now, explain yourself."

Jennifer Jane gave dad the letter that Barnacle Bill had written. He read it out loud, so that mum wouldn't have to wait to find out what it said.

'Please excuse Jennifer Jane for returning home so late. This was due too circumstances entirely beyond her control, and arose from a situation brought about by her keenness in doing a good deed for a mutual friend, as a Brownie should.'

"Signed C.W.Jones. Why that's your friend who gave you all those lovely fireworks. Well he seems a nice enough chap from what little I know of him, but you try and be more punctual in future."

As Jennifer Jane went up to her room she heard her parents talking.

"Did you notice how red her eyes were?" said her mother, "it looked as if the poor child had spent the afternoon crying."

"Funny sort of good deed that makes you cry," replied her father.