Mr Majeika Read Free

for Thomas and Pete. But they had no choice. Hamish Bigmore’s mother and father had togo away for a few days, and Thomas and Pete’s mum had offered to look after Hamish until they came back. She never asked Thomas and Pete what they thought about the idea until it was too late.

    Hamish Bigmore behaved even worse than they had expected. He found all their favourite books and games, which they had tried to hide from him, and spoilt them or left them lying about the house where they got trodden on and broken. He pulled the stuffing out of Wim’s favourite teddy bear, bounced up and down so hard on the garden climbing-frame that it bent, and talked for hours and hours after the lighthad been put out at night, so that Thomas and Pete couldn’t get to sleep. ‘It’s awful,’ said Thomas. ‘I wish that something really nasty would happen to him.’
    And it did.

    Hamish Bigmore was behaving just as badly at school as at Thomas and Pete’s house. The business of the ruler turning into a snake had frightened him for a few days, but no longer than that, and now he was up to his old tricks again, doing anything rather than listen to Mr Majeika and behave properly.
    On the Wednesday morning before Hamish Bigmore’s mother and father weredue to come home, Mr Majeika was giving Class Three a nature-study lesson, with the tadpoles in the glass tank that sat by his desk. Hamish Bigmore was being ruder than ever.
    ‘Does anyone know how long tadpoles take to turn into frogs?’ Mr Majeika asked Class Three.
    ‘Haven’t the slightest idea,’ said Hamish Bigmore.
    ‘Please,’ said Melanie, holding up her hand, ‘I don’t think it’s very long. Only a few weeks.’
    ‘
You
should know,’ sneered Hamish Bigmore. ‘You look just like a tadpole yourself.’
    Melanie began to cry.
    ‘Be quiet, Hamish Bigmore,’ said Mr Majeika. ‘Melanie is quite right. It all happens very quickly. The tadpoles grow arms and legs, and very soon –’
    ‘I shouldn’t think they’ll grow at all if they see
you
staring in at them through the glass,’ said Hamish Bigmore to Mr Majeika. ‘Your face would frighten them to death!’
    ‘Hamish Bigmore, I have had enough of you,’ said Mr Majeika. ‘Will you stop behaving like this?’
    ‘No, I won’t!’ said Hamish Bigmore.
    Mr Majeika pointed a finger at him.
    And Hamish Bigmore vanished.
    There was complete silence. Class Three stared at the empty space where Hamish Bigmore had been sitting.
    Then Pandora Green pointed at the glass tank, and began to shout: ‘Look! Look! A frog! A frog! One of the tadpoles has turned into a frog!’
    Mr Majeika looked closely at the tank. Then he put his head in his hands. He seemed very upset.
    ‘No, Pandora,’ he said. ‘It isn’t one of the tadpoles. It’s Hamish Bigmore.’
    For a moment, Class Three were struck dumb. Then everyone burst out laughing. ‘Hooray! Hooray! Hamish Bigmore has been turned into a frog! Good old Mr Magic!’

    ‘It looks like Hamish Bigmore, doesn’t it?’ Pete said to Thomas. Certainly the frog’s expression looked very much like Hamish’s face. And it was splashing noisily around the tank and carrying on the silly sort of way that Hamish did.
    Mr Majeika looked very worried. ‘Oh dear, oh dear,’ he kept saying.
    ‘Didn’t you mean to do it?’ asked Jody.
    Mr Majeika shook his head. ‘Certainly not. I quite forgot myself. It was a complete mistake.’
    ‘Well,’ said Thomas, ‘you can turn him back again, can’t you?’
    Mr Majeika shook his head again. ‘I’m not at all sure that I can,’ he said.
    Thomas and Pete looked at him in astonishment.
    ‘You see,’ he went on, ‘it was an old spell, something I learnt years and years ago and thought I’d forgotten. I don’t know what were the exact words I used. And, as I am sure you understand, it’s not possible to undo a spell unless you know exactly what the words were.’
    ‘So Hamish Bigmore may have to stay afrog?’ said Pete.