Elliot shrugged. “I guess I’m really lucky that nobody got blown up inside my house. And it wasn’t that great a house anyway, so we haven’t lost much.” He sat up straight as an idea came to him. “And maybe it’ll help me end this war. I know what I have to do!” He turned back to Agatha, and his eyes widened.
She was still Agatha, but her tattered dress was flowing and perfectly white. Her knotted gray hair was gone, replaced by long, silky blonde curls that waved softly in the breeze. Her warty, oatmeal skin was now creamy and soft. He couldn’t tell how old she was, because she was ageless. Uncle Rufus was right. She looked like an angel.
“You’re beautiful,” Elliot whispered.
“I always was,” she replied. “You just didn’t know it until now.”
“I need you to stay with me, please, Agatha. I have to fight the Goblins, and I need your help.”
“No, you don’t. All you need is the Brownies, and all they need is you. You are their king and you will save them.” With that, she clapped her hands together and began to walk away.
“Where are you going?” Elliot asked.
“To say good-bye to your Uncle Rufus. Now that I can curse again, I have places to go.”
“Hey, if you happen to see this boy named Tubs Lawless, give him an extra curse for me,” he called after her.
Agatha pressed her lips together and then said, “A boy like Tubs doesn’t need me to curse him. He has enough problems.”
Elliot shook his head. Tubs didn’t have problems. He was the problem. “Yeah? What problems does he have?”
Agatha turned and her clear, green eyes pierced straight through to Elliot’s mind. “His problem is that one day you’ll figure out who you are. Then he won’t be able to bully you anymore, Your Highness.”
Agatha gave Elliot a gentle bow and then walked over and spoke to Rufus. He looked sad for only a moment until she reached up and kissed his cheek. Then his face lit up. He beamed and wished her a warm good-bye.
Reed came to stand beside Elliot as they watched Agatha leave. “I’m glad she’s going,” Reed whispered. “I know letting her stay with us was the right thing to do, but she was the scariest-looking thing I’ve ever seen.”
“She’s not scary,” Elliot said. “She’s a beautiful young woman. I was lucky to have met her. We all were.”
Reed chuckled. “Careful. Whatever’s the matter with Uncle Rufus, it looks like you’re catching it too.”
After Agatha was out of sight, Uncle Rufus ran a hand across his head and then marched over to two policemen and talked with them. A few minutes later, they all walked over to Elliot’s parents.
“What did you steal now?” Mother said to Uncle Rufus. “We’ve got a bigger problem to deal with here.”
“No, it’s good news this time,” Uncle Rufus said. “These nice officers have arrested me so many times we’ve become quite good friends. They want to help us with our blown-up house. They said the jail is nearly empty tonight, so if we want to stay there for a day or two, they’ll let us stay for free.”
Mother shook her head, but Rufus added, “The meals are good, and the beds aren’t too bad. The only fellow in the jail right now is another friend of mine. Perfectly harmless.”
“What’s he in jail for?” Father asked.
“He steals the wool off sheep. Sneaks into their pen and shears them in the middle of the night. So as long as we don’t bring any sheep into the jail, we’ll be fine.”
Father shrugged. Mother sighed. Then Rufus smiled and clapped his hands together. “Okay! The Penster family is going to jail!”
“Yay!” Cole and Kyle gave each other high fives.
“Er, I’m going to stay with friends tonight,” Elliot said. His friends were the Brownies, but he didn’t think his parents needed that detail.
Mother folded her arms the way all moms do when they’re not sure something is a good idea. “Do I know these friends?”
“They’ve been to our house a lot lately,” Elliot said, quite truthfully.
Father brushed a hand over Elliot’s hair the way dads do when they’re trying to get Mom’s permission. “Just tell your friends that your family is in jail and to call if there are any problems.”
Mother smiled. “Elliot’s just an eleven-year-old kid, dear. I don’t think he’ll have any problems tonight.”
Elliot didn’t think so either. Not unless the Goblins succeeded in destroying all the Brownies and also got rid of him. That would definitely be considered a problem.