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'Here, get off!' said Brian, pushing hiramma She opened her eyes, saw Tiffany and tried to scramble to her feet and back ahich meant that she went backwards like a spider 'Please don't do that to me! Please don't!' she shouted Tiffany ran after her and pulled her to her feet 'I wouldn't do anything to you, Annagramma,' she said happily 'You're my friend! We're all friends! Isn't that nice please please stop me' You had to remember that pictsies weren't brownies In theory, brownies would do the housework for you if you left thelewouldn't Oh, they'd try, if they liked you and you didn't insult them with ood at it For example, you shouldn't try to re it with your head And you didn't want to see a sink full of the backwards and forwards across the floor while the Feegles inside siround-in dirt and each other But Miss Level, once she'd got the better china out of the way, found she rather liked the Feegles There was so unsquashable about them And they were entirely unamazed by a woman with two bodies, too 'Ach, that's no thin',' Rob Anybody had said 'When uz raidin' for the Quin, we once found a world where there wuz people wi' five bodies each All sizes, ye ken, for doin' a' kinds of jobs'

'Really?' said both of Miss Level 'Aye, and the biggest body had a huge left hand, just for openin' pickle jars'

'Those lids can get very tight, it's true,' Miss Level had agreed 'Oh,so for the Quin/ said Rob Anybody 'But we gave that up for she wuz a schereedy, ill-fared carlin, that she was!'

'Aye, and it wuz no' because she threw us oot o' Fairyland for being completely pished at two in the afternoon, whatever any scunner ht mphf mphf' said Daft Wullie 'Pished?' said Miss Level 'Ayeoh, aye, it meanstired Aye Tired That's whut ithis hands firmly over his brother's mouth 'An' ye dinnae ken how to talk in front o' a lady, yah sham the washing up,' said Miss Level 'You really didn't need to'

'Ach, it wasnae any trouble,' said Rob Anybody cheerfully, letting Daft Wullie go 'An' I'lue' Miss Level looked up at the clock with no hands 'It's getting late,' she said 'What exactly is it you propose to do, Mr Anybody?'

'Whut?'

'Do you have a plan?'

'Oh, aye!' Rob Anybody rules have hanging from their belt The contents are usually ateeth He flourished a much-folded piece of paper Miss Level carefully unfolded it ' "PLN"?' she said 'Aye,' said Rob proudly 'We came prepared! Look, it's written doon Pee El Ner Plan'

'Erhow can I put this?' Miss Levelall this way to save Tiffany from a creature that can't be seen, touched, smelled or killed What did you intend to do when you found it?' Rob Anybody scratched his head, to a general shower of objects 'I think er on the one weak spot, ardless?'

'Oh, aye That's the plan, sure enough,' said Rob Anybody, brightening up

'And then what happens?'

'Weel, gen'raly people are tryin' tae wallop us by then, so we just '

'Yes, Robert, but the creature is inside her head!' Rob Anybody gave Billy a questioning look 'Robert is a heich-heidit way o' sayin' Rob,' said the gonnagle, and to save time he said to Miss Level: 'That et inside her heid, if we have to,' said Rob 'I'd hoped tae get here afore the thing got to her, but we can chase it' Miss Level's face was a picture Two pictures 'Inside her head!' she said 'Oh, aye,' said Rob, as if that sort of thing happened every day 'No probleet in or oot o' anywhere Except maybe pubs, which for some reason we ha' trouble leavin' A heid? Easy'

'Sorry, we're talking about a real head here, are we?' said Miss Level, horrified 'What do you do, go in through the ears?' Once again, Rob stared at Billy, who looked puzzled 'No, mistress They'd be too small,' he said, patiently 'But we can move betorlds, ye ken We're fairy folk' Miss Level nodded both heads It was true, but it was hard to look at the assele and remember that they were, technically, fairies It was like watching penguins swi to reet intae dreams, ye seeAnd what's a mind but another world o' dreamin'?'

'No, Iaround inside a young girl's head! I rowwell, you'reat her diary!' Rob Anybody looked puzzled 'Oh, aye?' he said 'We looked at her diary loads o' times Nae harm done'

'You looked at her diary?' said Miss Level, horrified 'Why?' Really, she thought later, she should have expected the answer "Cuz it wuz locked,' said Daft Wullie 'If she didnae want anyone tae look at it, why'd she keep it at the back o' her sock drawer? Anyway, all there uz a load o' words we couldnae unnerstan' an' wee drawings o' hearts and flowers an' that'

'Hearts? Tiffany?' said Miss Level 'Really?' She shook herself 'But you shouldn't have done that! And going into someone's mind is even worse!'

'The hiver is in there, mistress,' said Awf'ly Wee Billyabout it!'

'She le 'If we can find the wee bitty bit o' her that's still her She's a bonny fighter when she's roused Ye see, mistress, a mind's like a world itself She'll be hidin' in it soh her own eyes, listenin' wi' her own ears, tryin' to make people hear, tryin' no' to let

yon beast find herand it'll be hunting her all the tian to look hunted herself Fifty small faces, full of worry and hope and broken noses, looked up at her And she knew she didn't have a better plan Or even a PLN 'All right,' she said 'But at least you ought to have a bath I know that's silly, but it will eneral groan 'A bath? But we a' had one no' a year ago,' said Rob Anybody 'Up at the big dew pond for the ships!'

'Ach, crivens!' said Big Yan 'Ye cannae ask a ain this soon, mistress! There'll be nothin' left o' us!'