Free Stopping for a Spell by Diana Wynne Jones

outcry from the grannies, from the kitchen this time. This was followed by feet on the stairs.
    Next moment all four grannies were outside the bathroom door.
    â€œCome out of there at once!” snapped Granny One.
    â€œWe’re so worried, dear,” hushed Granny Two.
    â€œIt was very unkind of you, dear,” quavered Granny Four, “to fill the sugar bowl with salt.”
    But it was Granny Three who really alarmed Erg. “You know,” she said, “that child has done something with Emily. I’ve not set eyes on her all the time I’ve been here.”
    Erg’s eyes went guiltily to the sad face of the teddy in the bath.
    Outside the door, Granny Two said, “I shall phone the fire brigade to get him out.”
    â€œAnd spank him when he is,” Granny One agreed.
    Erg listened to no more. He rammed the salt cellar and the straw back in place and wound the eggbeater. Pray pray pray praypraypray . Blue water squirted. The works of the clock sploshed. Around and around went the chopstick, the mixer blades, the salt cellar, the skewer, the sardine opener, the mincer cutters, the straw, and the clip off the vacuum cleaner.
    â€œOnly one granny,” prayed Erg, winding desperately. “I can’t manage more than one—please!”

7
    Supergranny
    There was a sudden silence outside the bathroom door. It’s worked! Erg thought.
    â€œErg,” said a large, quavery voice outside. “Erg, open this door.”
    â€œIn a minute,” Erg called.
    The words were hardly out of his mouth when the bathroom door leaped and crashed open against the wall. The one granny Erg had asked for came in. Only one. But Erg stared at her in horror. She was six feet tall and huge all over. Her hair was the baby pink of Granny Three’s. Her face was the stern face of Granny One, except that it wore the worried look of Granny Two. Her voice was the quavery voice of Granny Four, but it was four times as loud. Erg knew at a glance that what he had here was all four grannies in one. They had blended into Supergranny. He jumped up to run.
    Supergranny swept toward Erg. With one hand she caught Erg’s arm in a grip of steel. At the same time she was keenly scanning the rest of the bathroom.
    â€œWhat is this mess?” she quavered menacingly. “And where is Emily?”
    Erg dared not tell the truth. He avoided the teddy’s accusing stare. “Emily went to play in the park,” he said.
    â€œVery well,” said Supergranny. “We shall go and get her. Come along, dear.”
    â€œI can’t go like this!” Erg protested, looking down at his earthy, blue, wet pajamas.
    All the grannies were a little deaf when it suited them. Supergranny was superdeaf. “Come along, dear,” she said. She plucked the teddy out of the bath and planted it in Erg’s arms. “Don’t forget teddy-weddy the fairies brought you.” And she pulled Erg toward the door.
    All Erg could think of was to spare one hand from the teddy and snatch up his invention from the washbasin as he was pulled away. Blue water from it trickled down his legs as Supergranny towed him downstairs, but Erg hung on to it grimly. As soon as he got a chance, he was going to wind the eggbeater again and get Supergranny sent to Mars—which was surely where she belonged.
    But in the hall Supergranny’s piercing eye fell on the prayer machine. “You can’t take that nasty thing, dear,” she said. She dragged it away from Erg and dropped it on the floor. Miserably Erg tried dropping the teddy, too. But Supergranny picked it up again and once more planted it in Erg’s arms. “Come along, dear.”
    Erg found himself in the street outside the house, in wet blue pajamas, with one hand clutching a huge teddy and the other in the iron grip of Supergranny. Behind him the front door crashed shut. Erg could tell by the noise that it had locked itself. “Have you got