Selby Sorcerer Read Free

it
looks
like a library. But the great thing is that the books don’t take up any space and no one will have to worry about reading them.’
    ‘Hurry up! Hurry up!’ Selby yelled at the TV. ‘The owners are almost back and you haven’t finished yet!’
    Just as the owners stepped in the front door of their beach house, the
Room Rage
crew quickly hid.
    ‘Oh, boy!’ Selby squealed. ‘This is the best part! I’ll bet they love it. They always do.’
    Selby watched as the owners arrived back at their beach house. What Selby didn’t realise was that some other owners of another house were also about to come home. That house was in Lamington Drive, Bogusville and the owners were none other than
his
owners, Dr and Mrs Trifle.
    Selby didn’t hear Dr and Mrs Trifles’ feet coming along the path towards the door. Not only that but — just as the delighted beach-house owners came back to their house and screamed with joy — Selby’s owners stepped into the lounge room.
    ‘What’s going on here?!’ Mrs Trifle exclaimed.
    Fortunately, at that very moment Selby saw the Trifles’ reflection in the TV. He quickly put his head down and pretended to sleep.
    ‘We must have left the TV on,’ Mrs Trifle laughed. ‘We’re getting very forgetful. Look,’ she added. ‘It’s one of those house-fixing-upping programs. I only wish they’d come here and fix up this lounge room.’
    ‘It’s true that it could use a bit of a clean-up and a lick of paint,’ Dr Trifle said. ‘But it’s okay the way it is.’
    ‘Okay? You men will put up with anything,’ Mrs Trifle said. ‘Look at your workroom. You’re turning it into a rubbish tip.’
    ‘I beg your pardon,’ Dr Trifle said. ‘What you think is rubbish is very important things I’ve collected. Without them I’d never be able to invent anything again. I might just as well crawl into a hole and die. Why, I wouldn’t be able to work on my new Potato Peel Replacer.’
    ‘Your Potato Peel Replacer? What’s that for?’
    ‘It’s for putting the peelings back on potatoes.’
    ‘Who would want to put peeling back on peeled potatoes?’
    ‘Anyone who’s peeled too many potatoes by mistake,’ Dr Trifle said. ‘Sometimes the very best inventions are the ones you invent when you don’t know what people will use them for. My PPR could be one of those.’
    ‘I’m sorry, dear,’ Mrs Trifle said. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I guess the workroom is fine just the way it is. I think I’m just feeling a bit stressed.’
    ‘Stressed? Why?’
    ‘The whole town is stressed. It’s all that end-of-year foolishness the high school kids get into.Jetty is really angry. They put “For Sale” signs in front of her house last night.’
    ‘Speaking of Jetty,’ Dr Trifle said. ‘Why don’t we hire a beach house for a day this week? We can drive there with Jetty and her boys.’
    ‘Good idea,’ Mrs Trifle said. ‘Jetty hates beaches but Willy and Billy will have a fabulous time. I’ll ring her right now.’
    Suddenly Selby knew what he had to do. The next day when the Trifles were out of the house again, he dashed for the phone.
    ‘Room Rage’
a woman’s voice said, ‘how may I help you?’
    ‘I’ve got this room that needs raging — I mean, fixing up.’
    ‘We get thousands of calls from people who want their rooms fixed up. What makes yours so special?’
    ‘Well, let me see,’ Selby said. ‘For one thing it’s in a country town and you never seem to fix up rooms in country towns. So that could be different.’
    ‘Okay,’ the receptionist said. ‘What else?’
    ‘Well it’s the mayor’s house — that is, the mayor’s
mansion.
‘
    ‘Now you’re talking,’ the woman said. ‘When would be a good time for us to come?’
    ‘Wednesday would be perfect because Mrs Trifle — she’s the mayor — and her husband Dr Trifle will be away.’
    ‘And who exactly are you?’
    ‘I … I … I’m Aunt Jetty. I mean, I’m Jetty, the mayor’s