Just to the north of Horsmarlonerpool, about a ten minute walk out of the Old Town, is a wood called Sprivers.
Unlike Bluebell Wood by the Meadows, which is carpeted in peaceful blue flowers, Sprivers is wilder, with bigger trees and secret valleys and parts that are more jungle than wood - and so it’s even better for adventures.
It’s also the perfect wood for camping in, because it’s so large you can find your own secret area and build a camp there that would never be found by anyone until you came back to visit it the next time. And so Sprivers was Leah and Felix’s favorite place to pack two rucksacks of food, and go off and spend the night.
Last year, they had built a camp out of fallen branches and leaves, and kept coming back until they’d built a kitchen area, and a storage area for the bags, and even a spare bedroom for friends to come and stay. And so now, the camp was almost like a small wooden house, with a campfire outside, a proper door, and walls so padded out with leaves and foliage that even if there was a storm, no water could ever get inside. It was Leah and Felix’s secret base.
The only rule was that everything had to be kept very neat and tidy, and you could never, ever leave any rubbish behind. Because this would annoy the Bewls, the tiny, green, magical sprites that lived throughout Sprivers.
The Bewls were friendly to anyone who was friendly to them, but if anyone tried to hurt the wood or mess it up they would defend it and fight. I mean, after all, it was their home. The only rule with the Bewls, was always be nice to the Bewls, and then you’d barely notice they were there.
They were also very hard to see, because not only were they small but they blended in perfectly with the bark and branches of the trees and the greenery of the plants and the leaves. But Leah and Felix knew there were there - and there in their thousands - and so as they made they way to their secret camp they called out “Good evening, Bewls! It’s only us! We’re spending the night here in Sprivers again! Please feel free to join us for our feast!”
And sometimes you’d hear a rustling or a giggle from the trees, but they’d never answer back. The Bewls were shy, and only appeared properly if anyone was in danger.
That evening, Leah and Felix cooked beans over their camp fire, and as it got dark, they prepared their sleeping bags in the main room of the camp, and then turned off their torches to go to sleep.
“Good night” they said to each other, and then “Good night, Bewls,” they both called out - because it was only polite to wish their hosts good night too, wasn’t it?
As they lay there, they listened to all the sounds that they were used to in Sprivers at night. The first times they’d visited the noises had scared them, but now they knew them all and found them comforting - the sound of birds in their nests, the sound of a fox skipping lightly through the leaves, it was all perfectly safe and normal.
But then, deep into the night, so late that it was nearly morning, Leah and Felix both woke at the sound of… well, two sounds that they didn’t recognize. And it made them both open their eyes widely and listen intensely. It sounded like human footsteps, and as the two pairs of heavy boots walked past the camp they thought they heard human voices. They quietly opened the door to the camp and saw two silhouettes of figures lit by the moon, making their way into the undergrowth.
“Who could it be?” said Felix?
“Let’s follow them!” said Leah.
As they crept along as quietly as they could, following the sound of the footsteps up ahead, it was clear where they were headed.
“They’re going towards Crystal Mist Reservoir,” said Leah.
Crystal Mist Reservoir was right in the middle of Sprivers, and it was the most beautiful lake you’d ever seen. It had sandy banks, so perfect for swimming, and a waterfall where Sprivers Stream ran into it, and rock pools to explore. But the most amazing thing about the reservoir was that every morning - just as it got light - crystals would appear from beneath the water for about an hour before disappearing again. And these crystals were precious, because if you broke one off, and then snapped it in two, it would grant you a wish of anything you wanted.
But so valuable were these crystals that it had been forbidden for people to take them for many, many years unless the town faced a real emergency. And nothing annoyed the Bewls more than anyone trying to take a crystal from Crystal Mist Reservoir.
As they got to the banks of the lake, and the horizon started to turn light blue and pink with the first touches of dawn, Leah and Felix saw the two figures more clearly.
“It’s Pebbles and Crater!” said Felix.
Now, Pebbles and Crater were just about the nastiest people in the whole of Horsmarlonerpool. They were always up to no good, saying rude things to people and even stealing.
“They’re here to steal the crystals,” said Leah. “I bet you anything!”
And sure enough both Pebbles and Crater carried a big sack, and were waiting by the water’s edge. At that moment, the whole sky began to turn from a dusty light blue. “It’s nearly dawn!” said Leah, and sure enough, the tips of crystals began to appear from beneath the water like huge glass swords.
“We must alert the Bewls,” said Felix, as Pebbles and Crater greedily watched the crystals emerge. But before Leah or Felix could move, a huge, wonderful sound, like a thousand ships’ horns, boomed over the water. Pebbles and Crater dropped their sacks and put their hands over their ears.
Then, the entire lake was lit up as if a million floodlights had been turned on.
Pebbles and Crater cowered in fear.
“It’s the Bewls!” said Felix.
And all around Crystal Mist Reservoir, on ever bank and every rock, thousands of little Bewls glowed brightly, their mouths open, producing their huge cacophony of noise.
That same morning, an ashamed Pebbles and Crater stood in the middle of Horsmarlonerpool at the crossing of Pepperpot Street and Candle Smoke Lane as a crowd gathered to hear Sergeant Handle speak.
“Pebbles and Crater,” she began. “You are charged with attempting to steal the magic crystals from Crystal Mist Reservoir.”
“Oh we never!” said Crater.
“We never steal no crystals,” said Pebbles. “We was, we was fishing”.
“You didn’t steal them because the Bewls frightened you and then Leah and Felix came and got me,” said Sergeant Handle.
“Please,” said Crater, “we only wanted them so we could make a wish for everyone.”
“Oh really?!” said Sergeant Handle. “You only wanted to steal them so everyone could have a wish?”
“Oh that’s right! That’s right, your policeladyness,” said Crater.
“Well. What a wonderful idea, Crater” said Sergeant Handle. “How could anyone ever get in trouble for that?”
“Well that’s right!” said Pebbles. “We wanted to make everyone’s wishes come true!”
“So, there will be no punishment for you,” said Sergeant Handle.
“Instead, I will grant you your wish. You may make a wish come true for anyone in the town who wants one. And I don’t see why you would need crystals? You can just as easily do it yourselves! How kind you both are! Who would like a wish granted by Pebbles and Crater?”
“I’d like my house cleaned, from top to bottom!” Said Mr Bibbin.
“Granted! Pebbles, you shall clean Mr Binnin’s house from top to bottom.”
“I’d like my bathtub scrubbed!” said Mr Thomas!
“We’d all like our bathtubs scrubbed,” said the crowd.
And so for the next few weeks, thanks to Leah and Felix’s quick thinking, Pebbles and Crater spent all day every day cleaning everyone’s bathtubs.
Well, they had wanted to make everyone’s wishes come true - hadn’t they?
