Chapter 3 CHAPTER THREE Charmain Chanting Several Mantras Simultaneously

The bathroom is as reassuring as Uncle William's kindly voice.The floor was of worn green stone, and there was a small window in the wall through which a green net curtain fluttered.The bathroom fixtures were the same as Charmain's.But home is always the best, she thought.Even better, there are faucets and toilets.Admittedly, both the tub and the tap were strange, bulbous in shape, and the person who installed them didn't seem to understand what they were doing; but when Charmain tried to turn on the tap, hot and cold water flowed out of it, just as Reason As it should, wet towels hung from the rail under the mirror.

Maybe I could put one of those bags in the tub, Charmain thought.But how do I wring it? Opposite the bathroom was a row of doors that stretched into the dim distance.Charmain went to the nearest one and opened it, thinking he was going to the drawing room.But there was a small bedroom inside, and judging from the chaos inside, it was obviously Uncle William's.The white bedspread drooped from the unmade bed, over striped pajamas strewn here and there on the floor.Shirts were hanging out of the drawer, along with socks and what looked like long-sleeved underwear, and in the open closet was a uniform that smelled musty.Under the window were two more sacks full of laundry.

Charmain groaned loudly. "I think he's been really sick for a long time," she said, trying to be forgiving. "But, mother of pearl, why should I come to clean up all this?" The bed started to twitch. Charmain jumped across to the bed.The twitch was Waif, curled up comfortably under a pile of pajamas, fluttering at a flea.When he caught Charmain looking at him, he wagged his thin tail, lay down, drooped his ruffled ears, and whimpered softly at her. "You shouldn't be here, should you?" she said to him. "Okay. Looks like you're comfortable—I'm not going to sleep in this bed anyway."

She walked out of the room and opened a door next to her.She breathed a sigh of relief, this is a bedroom that is almost exactly the same as Uncle William's room, but this one is very tidy.The bed was clean and neatly folded, and the closet was closed.She looked again and the drawer was also empty.Charmain nodded with satisfaction toward the room, and opened the next door in the corridor.It was another neat bedroom, and then another, each exactly alike. I'd better leave my stuff near my room, or I'll never find it again, she thought. She turned back to the corridor to find Waif out of bed and scratching at the bathroom door with her front paws. "You don't want to go in there," Charmain told him. "There's nothing in it that's useful to you."

But before Charmain got there, the door opened.Behind the door is the kitchen.Waif rushed in gleefully, and Charmain groaned again.The mess didn't go away.There were dirty cutlery and laundry bags, an extra teapot emptied into the tea pool, Charmain's clothes piled up by the table, and a big green bar of soap lying on the stove. "I'd like to forget all about it," Charmain said. Waif put his little paws on the rung under the chair and straightened his little body, as if begging. "You're hungry again," Charmain judged. "me too." She sat on the chair, Waif sat on her left foot, and they ate another piece of pie together.Then they ate one piece of fruit pie, two donuts, six chocolate chip cookies, and one cream pie.Afterwards, Waif walked to the inner door with heavy steps, scratched a few times, and the door opened.Charmain gathered his clothes and followed him in, intending to put his things into the first vacant bedroom.

But something is not right.Charmain pushed the door open with his elbow, and turned right, naturally, into the corridor to the bedroom.She found herself in total darkness.Then she went through another door and banged her elbow on the doorknob. "Ouch!" she cried, fumbling for the handle and opening the door. The door opened solemnly inward.Charmain entered a large room, bright with arched windows all around.She thought she smelled a dank, stuffy, leathery, abandoned smell.The smell seemed to come from the ancient leather cushions of the finely carved armchairs that surrounded an equally finely carved table that took up most of the room.There is a leather cushion on the table in front of each chair, and a piece of old yellowed blotting paper is placed on the cushion. Only the back of the big chair at the other end has Nolan's arm carved on it.Instead of a leather cushion, this chair had a stubby stick in front of the table.All this, chairs, tables, cushions, was covered with dust, and there were cobwebs in the corners of several of the windows.

Charmain's eyes widened. "Is this a restaurant, or what?" she said. "How do I get to the bedroom from here?" Uncle William's voice sounded, weak and far away. "You came to the chamber," he said. "If you get here, you must be lost, my little cutie, and listen carefully. Turn around, clockwise. Then, still clockwise, open the door with your left hand only. Walk through it so that it is behind you Close it. Then take two large sideways strides to the left. This will return you to the bathroom." I wish I could!Charmain thought, trying to follow the instructions.

Everything went well, except for a moment of darkness when the door closed behind him, and Charmain felt that he saw a completely strange stone-walled corridor.Inside was a stooped old man pushing a cart loaded with steaming silver jugs, clay pots, clanking dishes, and a stack of what looked like hot pancakes.She blinked, thinking it was better not to call him because it was not good, either for herself or for the old man, so she just took two big strides to the left.Fortunately, to her relief, she was standing on the edge of the bathroom, from where she could see Waif rolling around Uncle William's bed, as if she felt so comfortable.

"Whew!" cried Charmain, and went to dump the clothes on the wardrobe in the next bedroom. Then she walked down the corridor to the open window at the end, and looked out for a moment at the sloping lawn in the sun, and smelled the fresh but cold air blowing in from the window.One could easily crawl out of here, she thought.Or crawl in.But she wasn't really looking at the lawn, or thinking about the fresh air.Her thoughts had been circling over the alluring book of spells she had left on Uncle William's desk.She had never been freed from magic like this before.It's hard to resist.I'm going to turn a random page and use the first spell I see, she thought.Just one.

In the study, the "Book of Parchments" was somehow turning over the page "Spells to find yourself a handsome prince". "Who wants a prince?" she said to herself.She opened the book again and carefully turned to another place.The title of this page is "The Flying Spell". "Oh, great!" cried Charmain. "This is more reliable!" She put on her glasses and studied the list of materials. "A sheet of paper, a quill (easy, all on the table), an egg (in the kitchen?), two flower petals - one pink, the other blue, six drops of water (bathroom), a red hair, One white hair, two pearl buttons."

"No problem," Charmain said.She took off her glasses and quickly went around to collect materials.She rushed to the kitchen — she opened the bathroom door, turned left, excited to find she was on the right path — and asked the air, “Where can I find eggs?” Uncle William replied in a gentle voice, "The eggs are in a jar in the pantry, dear. I think it's in the back of the laundry bag. I'm really sorry I left you with such a mess." Charmain went into the pantry and rummaged through the laundry packs to find an old pie dish with half a dozen brown eggs in it.She carefully took one back to the study.Because her glasses were now hanging on the lanyard, she didn't notice that the Parchment Book was now turned to "Spells to Find Secret Treasures."She rushed to the study window, just in time to see the petals of the hydrangea tree outside the window, which happened to be half pink and half blue.She put these next to the eggs and rushed to the bathroom to fill six drops in the toothbrush cup.When she came back, she passed the aisle and found Waif rolling up like an egg roll on Uncle William's blanket. "I'm sorry," Charmain told him, running his fingers up his shaggy white back.She took a lot of white hairs and put one next to the petals, and took a red hair from her own head.As for the pearl buttons, she took two from the front of her shirt. "Okay," she said, putting on her glasses and eagerly reading the directions again. The Parchment Book was turning on the page "Spells to Protect Yourself," but Charmain was too excited to notice.She only read the instructions, which were divided into five steps.Step 1 says, "Put all materials, except the quill and paper, into a suitable bowl." Charmain took off his glasses, looked around the room, found that there were no bowls, suitable or not, and had to run to the kitchen again.As she walked away, the "Book of Parchment" slowly, stealthily, turned a few more pages.Charmain returned with a bowl stained with sugar, which she had just poured out onto a not-too-dirty plate, just as the Book of Parchment was turning on the page "Spells of increasing magic." Charmain didn't notice.She put the bowl on the table, put the egg in it, put in two flower petals, two hairs, two of her buttons, and dripped water carefully.Then, she put on her glasses again, and leaned over the book to read the next steps.At this time, the "Book of Parchment" was unfolding on the page of "Invisibility Spells", but Charmain only stared at the description below and didn't notice it. The second step required her to "mix all the ingredients together and mash, only with a pen." It was not easy to mash the egg with the feather, but Charmain tried hard enough, poking repeatedly with the point of her pen until the shell broke into pieces, and she stirred vigorously, So much so that red hair hung down his face.However, the mixing didn't seem to be even enough, so she had to use the end of the feather to start stirring.At last she stood up, panting and brushing her sticky fingers through loose hair, as the Book of Parchment turned to another page.Now the "Fire Spell" was unfolding, but Charmain was careful not to get the egg on the glasses, so he didn't notice it.She puts on her glasses and begins to look at the third step.The third step of this mantra is, "Recite 'Up to Supreme' three times." "Up to the Highest," Charmain then chanted into the bowl.She wasn't sure, but on the third reading, she felt a splinter of the eggshell move next to the pearl button. "I think the spell works!" she thought to herself.She put the glasses back on the bridge of her nose and looked at the fourth step.At this time, the fourth step she saw came from the "spell of bending objects arbitrarily". "Take the quill," it reads, "using the prepared mixture, write on the paper the word 'Ilf' and draw a pentagon around it. Note that you must not touch the to paper." Charmain took the wet and sticky quill, dipped it in an eggshell and a pink petal, and set about doing as best he could.This mixed liquid is not convenient for writing, and it seems to be difficult to keep the paper flat, always slipping and sliding.After Charmain dipped in the liquid and finished writing on it, he found that the word "Ilf" was sticky, blurred and distorted, and looked more like the word "Khufu", because the red hair in the bowl was stained. Got to the pen and left the odd ring on that word.As for the pentagon, the paper slipped to one side while Charmain was drawing it, so at best it can only be said that the figure has five sides.It turned out to be an ominous yellow figure smeared with egg yolk, with dog fur on one corner. Charmain breathed a sigh of relief, straightened his hair with his already sticky hands, and began to watch the last part: Step Five.What she saw was the fifth step in "The Spell to Make Wishes Come True", but because she was flustered, she didn't pay attention.The spell says, "Put the feather back in the bowl, clap your hands three times, and say 'Tex'." "Tex!" Charmain read, clapping his sticky hands. Apparently something really happened.Papers, bowls, and quills all disappeared quietly, completely, and without a sound.The viscous liquid dripping on Uncle William's table also disappeared. The Parchment Book snapped shut by itself.Charmain took a few steps back, shaking the debris off his hands, feeling exhausted yet relaxed. "Then I should be able to fly," she thought to herself. "I don't know where is the best place for me to try it." The answer is obvious.Charmain walked out of the study and came to the end of the corridor. The open window looked out on the sloping green grass.The windowsills are low and easy to climb over.After only a moment, Charmain came to the grass.In the setting sun, she breathed in the cold, crisp mountain air. She was standing on the mountain, looking down at the entire Upper Nolan, and the dusk had already shrouded it.Opposite her, the setting sun was dyed orange, and it seemed that not far away were the tops of the snow-capped mountains that separated her country from Strangea, Montalbino, and other countries.Behind her, more mountain peaks gathered dark clouds, which were dyed blood red by the setting sun, presenting an ominous omen.It's going to rain here soon—it rains a lot in Upper Norland—but it's still warm and peaceful.The sheep were grazing on the grass on the other side of the stone pile, and Charmain could hear the mooing of the cows not far away, as well as the shaking of the bells on their necks.She looked in that direction, and was surprised to see that the meadow from which the cows had bawled was above her, and that Uncle William's house and the window through which she had climbed were nowhere to be seen. Charmain was not troubled by this.She had never been to such a high mountain before, and she was amazed by the beautiful scenery in front of her at this moment.The meadow at her feet was greener than any she had seen in town, and smelled fresh and fresh.She leaned closer and looked carefully, only to realize that the breath came from clusters of beautiful small flowers growing on the grass. "Oh, Uncle William, you're lucky!" she cried. "It's such a fairyland next to the study, it's really wonderful!" She wandered about happily for a while, avoiding the bees that were busy among the flowers, and gathered herself a bouquet, one of each kind.There was a little crimson tulip, and a white one, and a golden one, and a delicate primrose, and a lilac hyacinth, and a blue tallflower, and an orange one. Orchids, and one each from the pink, white, and yellow clusters.But it was the little blue petunias that fascinated her most, more transparent than any blue she could have imagined.Charmain thought they were gentians, and picked several of them.They were so small, so perfect, and so clear blue.She walked farther and farther on the grass, looking for a place to go down.Maybe, she thought, she could jump off there and see if the spell could actually make her fly. When she got there, she found that she had too many flowers in her hand to hold.There were six new breeds by the rock, but she had to let them go.But she soon forgot about the flowers and just stared at the sight before her. At the end of the meadow is a cliff as high as half a mountain.Deep below her, just off the path, she saw Uncle William's house lying like a small gray box in the dirty garden.She saw other houses, also far off at the end of the lane, glowing orange.They were so far away that Charmain gasped and his knees trembled a little. "I guess I'll give up on practicing flying for now," she said.But how do I go down?A faint idea popped into her mind. Forget about that, another thought replied firmly.Just enjoy the view. From a height, she could still see most of Upper Norland.Behind Uncle William's house, the valley gradually narrows, and the mountains are lush with greenery, and you can see the white waterfall, which leads to Montalbino.On the other side of the ridge where the meadows lie, the path leads to the meandering river, which together spreads into the rolling houses and towers of Upper Norland.The lights were on there, too, but Charmain could still make out the faint glow of the famous golden domes of the royal residences, and the flags flying above them, and she even thought she could make out her parents' house.None of this seems far off.Charmain was then surprised to find that Uncle William lived only just out of town. Behind the small town, the valley opens up again.It was brighter there, without the shadow of the mountain, and the distant light seemed to be dotted with orange light.Charmain could see the tall Pleasure Castle, where the Crown Prince lived.She also saw another castle, but didn't know the name.The castle was tall and dark, with black smoke wafting from one of the towers.Behind the castle, the land stretches out into the bluer distance, where the farms, villages, and industries of all kinds are located, the center of the country.Charmain could still see the sea in the distance, misty and vague. Our country is not big, is it?she thought. But her thoughts were soon interrupted by the humming sound from the bouquet in her hand.She held up the bouquet to see what was making the sound.On this meadow on the hill, the sun was still bright enough for Charmain to see one of the blue trumpet-shaped gentians shaking, quivering, and buzzing.She must have accidentally picked a flower with a bee on it.Charmain turned the flower upside down and kept shaking it.Something purple fell out and landed in the grass near her feet.It didn't look much like a bee, and it didn't fly away like a bee, but sat in the grass and continued to buzz.It hummed and grew bigger and bigger.Charmain stepped back nervously and stood on the edge of the cliff.It has grown larger than Waif and continues to grow. I don't like it, she thought.what is this? Before she could move—or even think—the creature was two-high again with a whoosh.Deep purple, human-shaped, but not human.Its back had a pair of small transparent purple wings that flapped and swished, and its face—Charmain turned his head quickly.Its face resembled that of an insect, with tentacles and tentacles, two protruding eyes, and at least sixteen small eyes inside. "Oh, dear!" whispered Charmain. "I think it's Lubbock!" "I am Lubbock," said the creature.It sounded like a buzzing, or barking. "I am Lubbock, the master of this land." Charmain had heard of Lubbock.Lubbocks were whispered about at school and said they were all very unlikable.The only thing to do, they say, is to be polite to them, and hope to get away without being stabbed or eaten by them. "I'm very sorry," Charmain said. "I didn't know I was trespassing on your meadow." "Wherever you go, you're trespassing on my land," Lubbock barked again. "All the land you can see is mine." "What? The whole of Nolan?" Charmain said. "Stop talking nonsense!" "I never talk nonsense," said the creature. "Everything is mine. You are mine." Its wings were buzzing again.It began to approach her slowly, on its strange, stiff feet. "I'm going to get what's mine soon. First, I'm going to get you back." It buzzed toward Charmain, arms outstretched, with sharp spines growing from the underside of its face.Charmain screamed and quickly dodged, but fell off the cliff, and the bouquet was scattered as she fell.