Matilda: The Story mat Trilogy : Book 1

By Burt Candy

Matilda is a curious, clever and courageous young teenager. She finds adventure when she moves into a new home with her eccentric family and disobeys her parents by climbing up to the attic. There she finds herself in a dangerous situation which turns out to be a test of her courage and cleverness. When she passes the test, she meets Maximilian, Noble Protector of the Other Worlds, and is introduced to the magical Story Mat which can transport her into stories. In "The Secret Jewel" she enters and takes part in five of her favorite fairy stories. She is also given the challenge of identifying the Secret Jewel during her travels. Her success prompts Maximilian to allow her to use the Story Mat again - but this time the stories will develop on their own, according to how Matilda responds to each situation. The deceptions and dangers that she faces in the next two stories, "The Zithium War" and "Neptune's Chest",test her character to its limits as she tries to sort out truth from fiction - and receives help from the most unlikely sources.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Burt Candy
• Release date: Apr 2, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301505661

Burt Candy

Burt Candy lives on a houseboat with his wife at Lemon Tree Passage on the east coast of Australia. He has been writing children's books for over 20 years. "Matilda - The Story Mat Trilogy: Book 1" is his first e-book.

Book preview

STORY 1

MATILDA AND THE SECRET JEWEL

Chapter 1

Books, Books And More Books

To say Matilda had a strange family would be putting it mildly. Her parents, Francis and Francine Furneaux (Frank and Fran to their friends) collected books – thousands and thousands of them. Their tiny house was crowded with books. No longer was there any shelf space; books covered the floor in piles, there were books all over the kitchen table, books stacked on the beds , books stored in the oven and even books heaped up in the toilet (which meant that there was always something there to read). In short, there wasn’t a square centimetre in the house that wasn’t taken up by books. Although Matilda loved books as much as her parents did, she was too embarrassed to have her friends visit after school or during holidays – there just wasn’t enough space for them!

We need a bigger house, she pleaded to deaf ears.

Mm-mm, yes dear, was the only reply she ever received from her father, mumbling from behind the latest book he was reading.

Do you really think so? was her mother’s indifferent answer, continuing to bury her head in the most recent thriller.

YES, I DO! screamed Matilda as she ran to her bedroom, threw books to the floor and tried to bury her head in a pillow that was filled with . . . books!

It took a special event in the household before her mother and father suddenly realised that what Matilda had been saying was very true. One day they asked her to join them in the lounge room where they were each sitting, naturally, on a stack of books. They looked very serious. Matilda chose a pile of books opposite them.

Hmm-mm, her mother began, as if she didn’t know what to say. Then she blurted out very quickly, I’m going to have a baby!

And we’re going to need a bigger house, her father added.

Whoo-hoo! screamed Matilda, hearing only what her father had said and completely ignoring her mother’s news.

There, I told you she wouldn’t be jealous of a new baby, her mother declared to her father.

When do we start? asked Matilda.

Start what? Her mother looked confused. The baby is already on its way.

No, no, said Matilda. When do we start looking for a new house?

Oh, replied her mother, appearing hurt by Matilda’s priorities.

I’ve already started looking, her father interrupted. Of course we have a problem with how much we can pay for a bigger house. This house won’t fetch a lot so we’ll have to look at older places. But I’m sure we’ll find something.

And that’s how The Celestial Mansion came into their lives.

Chapter 2

An Old New Home?

I can’t believe it! shouted Matilda’s father from the kitchen where he was using his laptop computer to search for houses to inspect.

What is it? asked Matilda as she and her mother moved across to look over his shoulder.

This is a four-storey house with twenty rooms yet look at the price, explained her father. We could just manage that figure. There must be a catch.

Matilda could feel her excitement building. Twenty rooms? Unreal. Her parents would have plenty of space for their books with tons left over for her.

And it’s not far away, either, said her mother. That means Matilda wouldn’t have to change schools.

Let’s go and have a look, said Matilda excitedly.

Well, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to check it out, said her father. I’m sure there has to be something wrong with it but it’s worth a try. I’ll ring the estate agent now and arrange an inspection.

In no time at all they were piling into their old, red 1975 Mazda car and heading for the address in the advertisement. The short drive took them out of town towards the coast. They finally arrived at a tall, four-storey, weather-board house perched on a cliff that dropped away to the sea below. There were no other houses around. On a ragged, weed-filled lawn a wonky sign said The Celestial Mansion. Not the best beginning.

The real estate agent was already there and hurried across to greet them.

Welcome, welcome, she gushed with a toothy smile as she shook everybody’s hand. You certainly have an eye for a bargain. Come with me and I’ll show you around.

The family trailed behind as she led them up to the front door. The timber cladding looked weathered and shabby and the door creaked loudly as she opened it.

Of course the place needs a little tender loving care, continued the real estate agent, but the price is right. However, if you’re really interested, I’m sure the Professor would consider reducing it even further.

Professor? enquired Matilda’s father.

Yes. This house was owned by Professor Vorstein, a world-famous astronomer. Hence the name of the place, she explained. He built it himself out here away from the city lights – all the better to see the stars, as they say. And that probably explains why the building is so . . . shaky. Professors of Astronomy should not build homes. But I’m sure your talents can remedy that. Then she repeated, And the price is right.

Mm-mm, was all Matilda’s father could say as he followed her around. It did not look good at all.

Oh, yes, and another thing, continued the agent. The Professor has been moved into an Old People’s Home, losing his memory, you see, so he couldn’t take anything with him and decided to leave all of his artefacts for the new owners. He travelled all over the world collecting things so there are some wonderful objects left behind – all included in the price of course.

Wow, Daddy . . . look at this! exclaimed Matilda as she pointed to displays around what must have been the living room. There were art works from the Orient around the walls, beautiful statues from Africa on the floor, porcelain from China, pottery from Europe.

You have to see this, shouted her mother from another room. They went in to see an exhibition of all things Egyptian – vases, urns, statues and figurines. Every room they entered had a new display of artefacts from different parts of the world.

And all of this is included in the price? asked Matilda’s father in amazement.

Yep, answered the agent. Don’t ask me why. Maybe it had something to do with the old man losing his mind. Or perhaps they’re not worth anything. Who knows? I don’t ask questions, I just sell.

The family gathered in the kitchen. Sure, the house itself left a lot to be desired and they’d need to do some work on it, but it had the space they needed, the price was right (as the agent kept reminding them) and Frank recognised that the artefacts were certainly real and worth more than the cost of the house on their own.

We’ll take it, Frank told the agent.

Congratulations, she replied, shaking his hand. Now, if you’ll just sign the deed here. She quickly produced a legal document and pen from her briefcase. And here, and here, and it’ll all be done. No time like the present, eh? Matilda’s father had signed the document before his mind registered what he had done.

Here are the keys. If you’ll just transfer the money to this account, said the agent, handing him a card, you can move in any time you like. Oh, by the way, as the Professor was being wheeled out of the house to go to the Old People’s Home, he said to tell the new owners not to go up to the attic. He said it was extremely dangerous. Hope that helps. Bye. And she hurried out the front door.

Well, said Matilda’s father with a sigh, that’s that then. I hope I haven’t done the wrong thing.

Wrong thing? exclaimed Matilda. How could it be the wrong thing with all of these wonderful art things to investigate? And an attic!

Now steady down, her mother interrupted. You heard what the Professor said. No going near the attic. And that’s final.

But Frank and Fran had raised a curious and determined daughter, and a warning was as good as a dare to Matilda.

Chapter 3

Moving In

The family moved into The Celestial Mansion a week later, on Matilda’s 13th birthday as it happened, and that was another reason for her to celebrate. It took over twenty trips in their hired van just to move the collection of books but Matilda was pleased to see that they only filled eight of the twenty rooms and her father promised to build lots of shelves to hold them so that they wouldn’t crowd out everything else. And Matilda had her own bedroom away from her parents on the fourth floor. She was a very brave girl and not at all scared of being on her own.

Her mother surprised everybody now that she had her own kitchen free of books. Frank and Matilda discovered that she could cook delicious meals. No more greasy takeaways. And not having to climb over piles of books to get to the toilet was a relief. Things were definitely looking up.

However, after the excitement of moving in, their first night in their new, old house brought them back to earth again. The Celestial Mansion was perched on the top of a cliff, with a sheer drop to the ocean below. At night the wind blew in from the sea and the old house rocked on its foundations. With groans and creaks, it moved backwards and forwards as if it were floating on jelly. Added to the creaks and groans was the sound of waves crashing onto the rocks at the bottom of the cliff. It was creepy.

As she lay in bed that night, Matilda had to pull the blanket over her head to try to shut out the sounds. But she couldn’t do anything about the house swaying to and fro. It almost made her seasick. Everybody was bleary-eyed from lack of sleep the next morning.

We’ll get used to it, said Frank optimistically. Any change takes getting used to. Why, I remember my family moving from the city to the country when I was little. For a long time I couldn’t get to sleep because everything was so quiet.

I’d give anything for a bit of that quiet right now, commented Fran as she cooked up bacon and eggs.

The rest of the day was spent organising the house. Frank drove into town to buy timber for the new book shelves and Fran and Matilda dusted, vacuumed and began arranging the artefacts in each room. By the end of the day everybody was exhausted.

A good meal, a bit of reading and an early night, declared Fran.

Yes, agreed Frank, I’ve really missed my reading.

And so it was. Everybody was tucked up in bed by 8 o’clock that night; except for Matilda, who had other ideas.

Chapter 4

The Attic

When she felt that enough time had passed for her parents to have fallen asleep, Matilda crept to the top of the stairs. She could hear her father’s loud snoring from her parents’ bedroom below. Going back to her own bedroom to collect her torch, she walked over to the staircase leading up to the attic. The wind from the ocean howled around the house as it continued to rock on its foundations. Matilda could feel her heart pounding under her nightdress as she reached for the banister. The batteries in her torch were run down so the light it offered was weak. It was scary.

Lifting her nightdress to avoid tripping over the hem and keeping a firm grip on the handrail, she took step by careful step towards the small landing at the top. The stairs creaked under her weight and the whole staircase wobbled sideways as the wind outside blasted the house. Matilda could only hope that she would make it to the top before the whole thing collapsed. Was that what Professor Vorstein had been referring to when he said the attic was dangerous?

The stairs seemed to go on forever so the last step onto the landing was a huge relief and Matilda let out a loud sigh. She was surprised to find that the door to the attic was quite small and she had to crouch down to reach its metal latch which squeaked noisily when she turned it as if it hadn’t been used for a long time. The little door opened when she pushed it with her palm. She shone her torch inside. The attic looked quite large and there were cobwebs all over the walls and ceiling. Apart from that it didn’t look at all dangerous, just another room. Taking a big breath, Matilda crawled through the opening and into the attic.

Once she was through the door, Matilda could stand up. She shone the weak torch beam around the room. Besides the cobwebs, there were strange looking boxes stacked everywhere. When she shone her torch at the ceiling, she saw that there was a bare electric light bulb hanging from the centre. At first she couldn’t find a switch on the wall but then she noticed an old-fashioned pull-cord beside the door. When she yanked on the cord a dull light filled the room.

It was amazing! The boxes were in all shapes and sizes and had different, colourful patterns printed on their sides. They looked as if they had come from far-distant and mysterious lands. There were strange hats from other cultures on hooks around the walls. Matilda presumed that they must be more artefacts from the Professor’s travels. But why weren’t they downstairs with the other collections? She walked over to the first box, pushing the cobwebs away from her face as she went.

Suddenly the room began to tilt away from her. It felt as if the whole attic was about to topple off the top of the house. Matilda fell to the floor and began to roll down the slope. She hit the far wall with a thud and several of the boxes slid down after her and trapped her legs. She was now looking up at the attic door above her and couldn’t move.

Her first thought was how angry her parents would be with her for disobeying them when, or if, they finally found her. Her next thought was how she could get out of this predicament. There were no tears, just clear thinking. Her bravery came to her aid when it was needed most.

Matilda had her arms free, which was a good sign, although the boxes were too heavy to push off her legs. And she had held onto her torch. She quickly figured out that the room must have tilted when it felt her move across the room. Maybe, just maybe, she could make it tilt back the other way; but she had to make sure she didn’t end up trapped again on the opposite wall. She looked up and saw the hooks holding the hats above her head. She reached for one of the hooks and held on tight with one hand. With the other hand she threw her torch as hard as she could up the slope. It hit the wall and then rolled back towards her. It worked! The attic began to tilt the other way.

Matilda held onto the hook for dear life as the boxes trapping her legs slipped away. Now

what was she going to do? She was hanging by the hook from the top of the slope and the open door of the attic was off to the side. Moving along the wall by gripping each hook as she went, Matilda positioned herself above the door which looked like a black hole at the bottom of the slope. She gritted her teeth and let go. With a rush she slid down towards the door. As she reached the opening she stuck out her arms and grabbed each side with her hands as her legs went through the gap.

It worked! When she sat up she noticed that the staircase outside was normal and, looking back into the attic, she saw that it was as if nothing had happened. The floor was flat, the boxes were back where they had been, and the cobwebs still hung from the walls. What was going on?

Without warning the light in the attic began blinking on and off. Then Matilda heard gentle clapping and a weird voice coming from a small speaker on the wall.

Well done, said the voice. "You have passed the entrance test and have nothing more to fear. You now have free entry to the attic and its treasures. Welcome. Please remember that nothing must be removed from this room without permission . . . from ME!

Chapter 5

The Keeper And The Protector

And there she was. Matilda had survived some sort of test and now a voice was telling her that she had full access to everything in the attic. How strange; how exciting. She looked through the door to the attic and saw those beautiful boxes again. She had to know what was in them but did she dare go back into that room? The voice had said there was nothing more to fear. Could she trust it? After these few moments of doubt her curiosity got the better of her so she crouched down and crawled back into the attic.

She moved slowly, carefully putting one foot in front of the other, ready to jump back to the door if the room started to tilt. Nothing happened. Eventually she reached the first collection of boxes. Besides the stunning designs, they all had different and foreign writing on them. She lifted the lid of the first box. Strange, fragrant scents wafted out of it. Inside she saw an assortment of bottles with what looked like herbs and spices in them. She picked up one and read the label. Arabus Fig Heart, it said in English, For curing warts. The message seemed to be repeated in several languages on the label. As she took each bottle out Matilda saw that they all contained remedies for different health problems – allergies, colds, toothache, earache, blurry vision, sprained ankle, even broken bones. It was a magical medicine kit. She gently replaced the bottles and moved on to the next box.

She was again surprised to see hundreds of rings, bracelets, anklets and necklaces with exquisite designs. Gold, silver, sapphire blue, emerald green and ruby red shimmered in the dull light of the attic. Matilda put her hand into the box and picked up a handful of the jewellery, letting the fine chains run through her fingers. It felt wonderful. She held a particularly beautiful pendant up to her throat and dreamt of wearing it forever. She thought of taking it with her but then remembered the warning from the spooky voice and placed the pendant back in the box.

Matilda glanced at her watch. It seemed that she had been in the attic for hours and there was a chance that her parents might come up to check on her. What would they think when they found her empty bed? More importantly, what would they do when they discovered that she had disobeyed them? She looked at her watch again and received a shock. Something was wrong; the hands hadn’t moved. It still showed the time that she had entered the attic. She shook the watch and put it up to her ear. The ticking of the mechanism showed that it was still working.

That's right, the voice from the speaker on the wall interrupted her thoughts. While you are with us in the attic, time stands still. Your watch is of no use to you here.

Matilda smiled as she realised that she could take as much time as she liked inspecting the boxes; all the time in the world without her parents knowing.

Looking up at the speaker she said, Thank you.

You're welcome, came the reply.

She continued to move amongst the boxes, lifting lids to see what was inside. She found ancient maps of unknown lands; diagrams of the heavens and galaxies that Matilda had never heard of; thick, ancient and heavy books of travels in far-off lands; artworks from distant civilisations; fossils of dinosaurs and much, much more. Whoever had assembled these collections, and it must have been the Professor, judging by the treasures downstairs, had obviously visited some extraordinary places. It was a museum of the ages and it was astonishing.

Finally she came to the last box. It was prettier than all of the others and was covered in Arabic writing. As Matilda lifted the lid, a cloud rose from the box and a bright light shone from within. She stumbled backwards in fright. The cloud rose into the air and was replaced by flashing lights with every colour of the rainbow, accompanied by music that sounded as if it came from the Far East. Taking a deep breath, Matilda moved forward and peered into the box. Nestled at the bottom was a neatly rolled carpet. She