Free The Golden Acorn by Catherine Cooper

explained. ‘We’ll keep him here for a while. He won’t be bothering you again in a hurry.’
    ‘Thank you,’ said Jack and gently touched the Gnarle’s face. He replaced his wand, fastened his backpack and set off briskly. He sang for the Gnarles until he came to the end of Newton Gill Forest.
    Jack had an uncomfortable feeling that the strange little man knew about the golden acorn. Maybe it wasn’t just by chance they’d met in the forest. He ought to tell Nora. He hesitated when he reached the gap in Nora’s hedge, but instead of going back to Ewell House he decided to write to Elan as soon as was back in his room.
    Jack got quite a shock when he eventually opened the door of his bedroom. He’d got a visitor. Camelin was waiting for him.
    ‘You took your time,’ he grumbled. ‘Got any more cake in the bag?’
    ‘No, only my Book of Shadows and my wand.’
    Camelin looked disappointed.
    ‘You had the last piece this morning. There isn’t any more. Anyway, what are you doing here and how did you get in?’
    ‘You left the window open, which is like leaving the front door open, so I hopped in.’
    ‘Has Nora sent you?’
    ‘She thinks I’m still in the loft.’
    Jack doubted that. Nora would probably know where they both were by now.
    ‘I thought we might start my lessons. No time like the present.’
    ‘I’ve got to write to Elan first. It’s important.’
    While Jack got out his book and wand Camelin rummaged around the room. He poked his beak into drawers, looked under the bed and peeked inside the wardrobe.
    ‘Where’s your basket?’
    ‘Basket?’
    ‘For your emergency supplies.’
    ‘I don’t have one.’
    ‘Don’t have one!’
    Camelin looked genuinely shocked.
    ‘What do you do if you’re hungry between meals?’
    ‘I don’t usually get hungry.’
    ‘You will when you start flying. I keep telling Nora it’s hungry work being a raven but she doesn’t believe me.’
    Jack watched as his message to Elan faded into the page. Her answer came back straight away.
    …We’ll investigate.
    Nora thinks she knows who it might be.
    She says to keep your window closed.
    ‘Can we start now?’
    There wasn’t any paper in Jack’s room. There weren’t many of his belongings here at all. He’d only brought one suitcase with him. The sensible thing would be to use his wand in the book.
    ‘OK, let’s start with your name.’
    Jack wrote Camelin’s name out in big letters. Under the capital ‘C’ he drew a cat.
    ‘C is for Camelin and cat.’
    ‘I don’t like cats. Can’t you draw something else?’
    ‘What do you like that begins with the letter C?’
    ‘Cake.’
    Jack laughed as he drew a cake with icing and a cherry on top underneath the C.
    ‘ a is for apple pie.’
    Camelin nodded in approval.
    ‘ m ?’
    ‘Macaroni. I just love macaroni. It’s much easier to eat than spaghetti.’
    After half an hour Jack had successfully drawn egg foo yung, a lollipop, ice cream and noodles and Camelin was able to sound out his name using the pictures of his favourite foods as clues.
    ‘Does Nora cook egg foo yung for you?’
    ‘Oh no, we don’t have any Chinese food at home. I know a really good takeaway though. I’ll show you when you can fly. We can go there together.’
    ‘Do you steal the food?’
    ‘Naw, they feed me. They think I’m lucky. I do a bit of a dance for them round the back where the kitchen is and eventually they bring a tray out for me.’
    ‘I hope I learn to fly as quickly as you’re learning to read.’
    ‘Oh I doubt it. You don’t look the type to be able to fly and besides you said you don’t like heights.’
    Jack didn’t reply. As he stared down at his book a message from Elan appeared.
    ‘Look!’ exclaimed Camelin when he saw Elan’s name. ‘Egg foo yung, lollipop, apple and noodles…
    E l a n… it’s from Elan.’
    Jack was impressed. Camelin really was a fast learner.
    ‘What’s it say?’
    ‘It says Nora is looking for you. She’s