Flip Side: Bubble Me Double Me

"I don't know," said Mum.

"Well, here's one for him," said Mysto, pulling a big, white rabbit from one of his pockets. "You can play with it for a while."

"Thanks!" I said.

It was a beautiful rabbit. Pure white, with long, soft ears, and pink eyes. Fantastic!

"How did you do that?" I asked.

Mysto tapped the side of his nose.

"That's for me to know, and for you to wonder at," he said.

I followed him to the guest room and stood in the doorway while Mum explained about mealtimes, where the bathroom was, and the rules which people who stayed with us were expected to keep. Mysto put his two suitcases on the bed and listened, then he paid for the week he intended to be with us and shook Mum's hand.

"I'm sure my stay here will be most enjoyable," he said.

Mum tucked the board money into her pocket and told me to leave Mr. Mysto alone.

"He's just arrived," she said, "Give him a chance to settle in. And put that rabbit somewhere too!" she added. "Look, it's already done some droppings on the carpet!"

Reluctantly, I went out to the back yard and hunted for a box. The rabbit was incredibly tame and relaxed - it sat on the workshop bench and sniffed at the tools while I nailed some crumpled wire-netting across one end of the box. Then I pulled a board off the other end and took the box outside. It was just right. With the netting side downwards, the rabbit could nibble the lawn but not dig its way out, and the loose board made a good door.

I lay on the lawn for a while, watching Geronimo (that's what I called him) eat some grass. It wasn't exactly the most interesting thing to do. After a while I grew totally bored with it and went back inside. Mysto was sitting in the kitchen, with a cup of tea in his hand and a packet of biscuits opened. Chocolate biscuits. I loved it when we had guests to stay because Mum always treated them to special, expensive things, which meant I always got some as well.

"Two!" said Mum, watching my eyes bulging with greed.

"Three?"