Chapter Chapter 19 · Red Reera, the Yookoohoo

. Red Reera, the Yookoohoo

After the meal was over and Reera had fed her pets, including the four

monster spiders which had come down from their webs to secure their

share, she made the table disappear from the floor of the cottage.

"I wish you'd consent to my transforming your fishes," she said, as she

took up her knitting again.

The Skeezer made no reply. He thought it unwise to hurry matters. All

during the afternoon they sat silent. Once Reera went to her cupboard

and after thrusting her hand into the same drawer as before, touched

the wolf and transformed it into a bird with gorgeous colored feathers.

This bird was larger than a parrot and of a somewhat different form,

but Ervic had never seen one like it before.

"Sing!" said Reera to the bird, which had perched itself on a big

wooden peg--as if it had been in the cottage before and knew just what

to do.

And the bird sang jolly, rollicking songs with words to them--just as a

person who had been carefully trained might do. The songs were

entertaining and Ervic enjoyed listening to them. In an hour or so the

bird stopped singing, tucked its head under its wing and went to sleep.

Reera continued knitting but seemed thoughtful.

Now Ervic had marked this cupboard drawer well and had concluded that

Reera took something from it which enabled her to perform her

transformations. He thought that if he managed to remain in the

cottage, and Reera fell asleep, he could slyly open the cupboard, take

a portion of whatever was in the drawer, and by dropping it into the

copper kettle transform the three fishes into their natural shapes.

Indeed, he had firmly resolved to carry out this plan when the

Yookoohoo put down her knitting and walked toward the door.

"I'm going out for a few minutes," said she; "do you wish to go with

me, or will you remain here?"

Ervic did not answer but sat quietly on his bench. So Reera went out

and closed the cottage door.

As soon as she was gone, Ervic rose and tiptoed to the cupboard.

"Take care! Take care!" cried several voices, coming from the kittens

and chipmunks. "If you touch anything we'll tell the Yookoohoo!"

Ervic hesitated a moment but, remembering that he need not consider

Reera's anger if he succeeded in transforming the fishes, he was about

to open the cupboard when he was arrested by the voices of the fishes,

which stuck their heads above the water in the kettle and called out:

"Come here, Ervic!"

So he went back to the kettle and bent over it

"Let the cupboard alone," said the goldfish to him earnestly. "You

could not succeed by getting that magic powder, for only the Yookoohoo

knows how to use it. The best way is to allow her to transform us into

three girls, for then we will have our natural shapes and be able to

perform all the Arts of Magic we have learned and well understand. You

are acting wisely and in the most effective manner. We did not know you

were so intelligent, or that Reera could be so easily deceived by you.

Continue as you have begun and try to persuade her to transform us. But

insist that we be given the forms of girls."

The goldfish ducked its head down just as Reera re-entered the cottage.

She saw Ervic bent over the kettle, so she came and joined him.

"Can your fishes talk?" she asked.

"Sometimes," he replied, "for all fishes in the Land of Oz know how to

speak. Just now they were asking me for some bread. They are hungry."

"Well, they can have some bread," said Reera. "But it is nearly

supper-time, and if you would allow me to transform your fishes into

girls they could join us at the table and have plenty of food much

nicer than crumbs. Why not let me transform them?"

"Well," said Ervic, as if hesitating, "ask the fishes. If they consent,

why--why, then, I'll think it over."

Reera bent over the kettle and asked:

"Can you hear me, little fishes?"

All three popped their heads above water.

"We can hear you," said the bronzefish.

"I want to give you other forms, such as rabbits, or turtles or girls,

or something; but your master, the surly Skeezer, does not wish me to.

However, he has agreed to the plan if you will consent."

"We'd like to be girls," said the silverfish.

"No, no!" exclaimed Ervic.

"If you promise to make us three beautiful girls, we will consent,"

said the goldfish.

"No, no!" exclaimed Ervic again.

"Also make us Adepts at Magic," added the bronzefish.

"I don't know exactly what that means," replied Reera musingly, "but as

no Adept at Magic is as powerful as Yookoohoo, I'll add that to the

transformation."

"We won't try to harm you, or to interfere with your magic in any way,"

promised the goldfish. "On the contrary, we will be your friends."

"Will you agree to go away and leave me alone in my cottage, whenever I

command you to do so?" asked Reera.

"We promise that," cried the three fishes.

"Don't do it! Don't consent to the transformation," urged Ervic.

"They have already consented," said the Yookoohoo, laughing in his

face, "and you have promised me to abide by their decision. So, friend

Skeezer, I shall perform the transformation whether you like it or not."

Ervic seated himself on the bench again, a deep scowl on his face but

joy in his heart. Reera moved over to the cupboard, took something from

the drawer and returned to the copper kettle. She was clutching

something tightly in her right hand, but with her left she reached

within the kettle, took out the three fishes and laid them carefully on

the floor, where they gasped in distress at being out of water.

Reera did not keep them in misery more than a few seconds, for she

touched each one with her right hand and instantly the fishes were

transformed into three tall and slender young women, with fine,

intelligent faces and clothed in handsome, clinging gowns. The one who

had been a goldfish had beautiful golden hair and blue eyes and was

exceedingly fair of skin; the one who had been a bronzefish had dark

brown hair and clear gray eyes and her complexion matched these lovely

features. The one who had been a silverfish had snow-white hair of the

finest texture and deep brown eyes. The hair contrasted exquisitely

with her pink cheeks and ruby-red lips, nor did it make her look a day

older than her two companions.

As soon as they secured these girlish shapes, all three bowed low to

the Yookoohoo and said:

"We thank you, Reera."

Then they bowed to the Skeezer and said:

"We thank you, Ervic."

"Very good!" cried the Yookoohoo, examining her work with critical

approval. "You are much better and more interesting than fishes, and

this ungracious Skeezer would scarcely allow me to do the

transformations. You surely have nothing to thank him for. But now let

us dine in honor of the occasion."

She clapped her hands together and again a table loaded with food

appeared in the cottage. It was a longer table, this time, and places

were set for the three Adepts as well as for Reera and Ervic.

"Sit down, friends, and eat your fill," said the Yookoohoo, but instead

of seating herself at the head of the table she went to the cupboard,

saying to the Adepts: "Your beauty and grace, my fair friends, quite

outshine my own. So that I may appear properly at the banquet table I

intend, in honor of this occasion, to take upon myself my natural

shape."

Scarcely had she finished this speech when Reera transformed herself

into a young woman fully as lovely as the three Adepts. She was not

quite so tall as they, but her form was more rounded and more

handsomely clothed, with a wonderful jeweled girdle and a necklace of

shining pearls. Her hair was a bright auburn red, and her eyes large

and dark.

"Do you claim this is your natural form?" asked Ervic of the Yookoohoo.

"Yes," she replied. "This is the only form I am really entitled to

wear. But I seldom assume it because there is no one here to admire or

appreciate it and I get tired admiring it myself."

"I see now why you are named Reera the Red," remarked Ervic.

"It is on account of my red hair," she explained smiling. "I do not

care for red hair myself, which is one reason I usually wear other

forms."

"It is beautiful," asserted the young man; and then remembering the

other women present he added: "But, of course, all women should not

have red hair, because that would make it too common. Gold and silver

and brown hair are equally handsome."

The smiles that he saw interchanged between the four filled the poor

Skeezer with embarrassment, so he fell silent and attended to eating

his supper, leaving the others to do the talking. The three Adepts

frankly told Reera who they were, how they became fishes and how they

had planned secretly to induce the Yookoohoo to transform them. They

admitted that they had feared, had they asked her to help, that she

would have refused them.

"You were quite right," returned the Yookoohoo. "I make it my rule

never to perform magic to assist others, for if I did there would

always be crowd at my cottage demanding help and I hate crowds and want

to be left alone."

"However, now that you are restored to your proper shapes, I do not

regret my action and I hope you will be of use in saving the Skeezer

people by raising their island to the surface of the lake, where it

really belongs. But you must promise me that after you go away you will

never come here again, nor tell anyone what I have done for you."

The three Adepts and Ervic thanked the Yookoohoo warmly. They promised

to remember her wish that they should not come to her cottage again and

so, with a good-bye, took their departure.