The Adventures Of Felicity Featherstone: A Bedtime Story

Hello dear ones and welcome to tonight's bedtime story,

A short story that I wrote called The Adventures of Felicity Featherstone.

So before we begin,

Just taking a few moments now to get settled into your bed,

To arrive here in this moment knowing that there is nothing else that you need to do today and there's nowhere that you need to be except for here,

All snuggled up and comfortable in your bed.

Maybe you want to take some long long stretches,

Maybe some yawns,

Maybe some sighs,

Some deeper breaths,

Maybe some loud exhales,

Releasing everything from the day and getting yourself all nice and warm and snugly.

And when you are ready dear ones,

I will tell my story.

The Adventures of Felicity Featherstone Felicity Featherstone wasn't what you'd call ordinary.

For starters,

Her hair had a habit of changing colours whenever she was excited.

One moment it was fiery red and the next it could be electric blue or grasshopper green.

She lived in a sleepy little town called Nettlewood,

Tucked away between hills that always seemed just a little too perfect.

But Felicity had never felt at home there.

She longed for adventure,

For magic and most importantly,

For a life that didn't involve being called that strange Featherstone girl.

One rainy Tuesday afternoon,

As Felicity was finishing her third attempt at baking a cake that didn't explode,

A loud whack came from the kitchen window.

She peered outside and saw an owl,

A very disgruntled,

Soggy owl,

With a bright purple envelope clutched in its beak.

A letter?

For me?

Felicity opened the window and the owl,

Looking thoroughly unimpressed,

Dropped the letter onto the counter before flying off with a dramatic shake of its feathers.

Felicity wiped her flower-dusted hands on her apron and opened the envelope.

Inside was a letter written on shimmering parchment.

Dear Miss Featherstone,

Congratulations,

You have been accepted to the Winswick School of Magic and Mirth.

Term will begin in three days.

A carriage will arrive to collect you precisely at noon.

Do pack sensibly,

And please leave any exploding cakes at home.

Signed,

Headmistress Wilder Wobblewort.

Felicity gasped.

A school of magic.

Finally,

Someone who understands me.

Three days later,

Felicity stood in her front garden with her suitcase.

She had packed essentials.

Socks,

Her favourite book,

And an assortment of pastries that were only mildly singed.

Right at noon,

A carriage pulled up by six enormous rainbow-coloured llamas.

The driver,

A stout man with a top hat and a bushy moustache that curled at the ends,

Tipped his hat to her.

Miss Featherstone,

Welcome aboard.

The ride was anything but ordinary.

They passed through forests where the trees danced and sang,

Over lakes made of liquid gold,

And through a meadow where giant marshmallows bobbed up and down like sheep.

When they finally arrived at Winswick School,

Felicity's mouth fell open.

The castle was enormous.

With towers that twisted up into the clouds.

One of the towers appeared to be upside down,

And another was surrounded by a floating moat of glitter.

At the entrance,

A woman with a wild tangle of silver hair stood waiting.

She wore a robe covered in moving constellations,

And had a friendly,

Mischievous smile.

Miss Featherstone,

I am Headmistress Wobblewart.

Welcome to Wimswick.

Felicity's first day at Wimswick began with breakfast in the Great Hall,

Where the ceiling was enchanted to look just like the sky.

Except today,

The sky was polka-dotted.

Felicity sat next to a girl with enormous glasses,

And a boy who seemed to be made entirely of freckles.

I am Dot,

The girl said,

Pushing up her glasses.

And this,

This is Barnaby.

He's allergic to nearly everything,

So don't be surprised if he sneezes.

And turns something into a cactus.

Nice to meet you both,

Felicity said.

Just as they were starting on their waffles,

Which kept trying to dance off the plates,

Headmistress Wobblewart stood at the head of the hall and clapped her hands.

Attention,

Students.

Today,

We begin the annual Wimswick Scavenger Hunt.

Teams will be assigned,

And whoever finds the golden feather first will win a year's supply of lemon fizzles.

Felicity's ears perked up.

Lemon fizzles were legendary sweets that fizzed and popped in your mouth,

Creating tiny fireworks with every bite.

Her team,

Dot,

Barnaby,

And herself were handed their first clue.

To find the treasure,

You must be clever.

Seek the room with stars that fall forever.

The trio raced through the castle,

Dodging enchanted staircases and avoiding the occasional road jellybean,

Which had been charmed to grow the size of beach balls.

Finally,

They found a room with a ceiling full of falling stars.

This must be it,

Dot said.

In the center of the room was a pedestal,

And on it sat a riddle.

I am light as a feather,

But cannot be held.

What am I?

Barnaby sneezed,

And the pedestal turned into a cactus.

Bless you,

Felicity said.

I'm sorry,

Barnaby mumbled.

Felicity thought for a moment.

Light as a feather,

But cannot be held.

It must be a dream.

The pedestal,

Now a cactus with a dreamy expression,

Glowed,

And another clue appeared.

Seek the hall where laughter echoes through the walls.

After many more adventures,

Including a detour through a puddle-filled corridor,

They find the Hall of Echoes.

But something was waiting for them.

A giant.

A three-headed giant,

With a crown on each head.

Answer our riddle,

The middle head croaked,

Or be turned into garden gnomes.

The riddle was simple,

But tricky.

What has no beginning,

No end,

And no middle?

Felicity grinned.

A circle.

The giant bowed,

And the golden feather appeared.

Triumphant,

Felicity and her friends returned to the Great Hall,

Where Headmistress Wobblewort declared them as the winners.

You,

Miss Featherstone,

Have a knack for magic and mirth,

She said,

With a twinkle in her eye.

As the feast began,

Felicity knew one thing for sure.

Life at Whimseywick would be anything but ordinary.

Just as the feast was winding down,

A loud burst of glitter filled the room.

From the cloud of sparkles emerged Professor Snizzle,

The notoriously mischievous teacher of practical pranks and potions.

Congratulations,

Team Featherstone.

However,

Winning the golden feather comes with a responsibility,

He said with a grin.

He handed Felicity a shimmering invitation,

Sealed with wax shaped like a toad.

You are hereby invited to the Midnight Misfits Society.

Meet at the Tower of Tangles at the stroke of midnight.

Dot gasped.

The Midnight Misfits?

No one knows what they do.

But it is supposed to be the most secret and exciting club in all of Whimseywick.

Barnaby sneezed again.

A nearby napkin turned into a butterfly and fluttered off.

Let's go,

Felicity said,

Her heart pounding with excitement.

At midnight,

The trio sneaked through the castle.

The Tower of Tangles was infamous for its ever-shifting staircases and confusing passageways.

But thanks to Dot's map-reading skills,

They managed to reach the top.

Waiting for them were five older students,

Dressed in robes adorned with shimmering mischief symbols.

Stars,

Moons,

And what appeared to be winking frogs.

Welcome,

Felicity,

Said the leader,

A tall girl with lavender hair and a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

We've been watching you,

And you've shown creativity,

Courage,

And quick thinking.

Felicity beamed.

To join us,

You must complete one final task.

Brew the potion of ever-giggles.

It is a potion so powerful that a single drop will cause uncontrollable laughter.

For hours and hours.

Barnaby groaned.

I hope it doesn't involve chili peppers.

I'm terribly allergic.

Brewing the potion wasn't easy.

They had to collect enchanted giggleberries from the Garden of Chuckles,

Dodge a very moody goose,

And stir the mixture precisely 372 times clockwise.

Just as the potion began to bubble,

Barnaby accidentally sneezed again.

The potion exploded in a burst of rainbow-colored steam.

Everyone started laughing uncontrollably,

Even the moody goose.

Despite the chaos,

Felicity and her friends were officially welcomed into the Midnight Misfits Society that night.

And they were to go on many,

Many exciting adventures together.