Free Lulu Bell and the Arabian Nights by Belinda Murrell

Chapter 1
Sword Fights
    It was a drizzly kind of day. It was after school on a Monday and a perfect afternoon for making play swords. Lulu and Rosie Bell were working with their grandfather down in the garage. Gumpa had on a pair of protective goggles. He was using an electric saw to shape a piece of wood. Dust flew up from the whirring saw as it chewed through the timber.
    Gumpa had cut out two flat wooden blades. They were slightly curved like Arabian scimitars. He shaped the bottom end of the blade into a rounded handle, the hilt. The top end was shaped into a blunt point.
    Lulu hammered a nail to fasten a bar across the blade to make the guard. Rosie was using sandpaper to smooth the wood on one sword. Gumpa kept an eye on their progress.
    It was hard work. Sawdust drifted from the bench to the floor. Lulu had to concentrate to make sure she hit the nail straight.
    â€˜Good work, girls,’ said Gumpa. He tested the guard to make sure it was firmly attached. ‘They’re just about finished.’
    Lulu used the sandpaper to smooth the hilt of her sword. Gumpa ran hisfinger along the blade to make sure it was blunt. He held the sword up in front of his face in a salute.
    â€˜Here you go,’ said Gumpa. ‘What do you think?’
    â€˜Great! Thanks, Gumpa,’ said Lulu. ‘They’re just what we needed for our game.’
    Gumpa handed her the sword. Lulu weighed it in her hand. It felt strong. Lulu used both hands to swing the sword. She swung it over her head, around, down and up again to make a perfect figure-eight shape in the air.

    Lulu grinned at Rosie. Both of the girls were wearing green velvet cloaks. ‘A perfect sword for battling ghouls.’
    â€˜And evil wizards,’ added Rosie.
    â€˜And at least forty bandits,’ said Lulu.
    Mum had been reading them a collection of Persian folktales called One Thousand and One Nights . Most people knew the stories as The Arabian Nights .
    Lulu, Rosie and their little brother Gus had been playing games based on some of the old stories. They especially liked ‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves’, ‘Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp’ and ‘The Ebony Horse’.
    â€˜Well, I hope we don’t have too many ghouls around here,’ joked Gumpa. ‘I don’t need any frights.’
    â€˜Let’s go and show Gus,’ said Rosie. She hurtled out the door.
    Gumpa started to sweep up the sawdust.
    â€˜I’ll help you pack up,’ said Lulu. She hung the hammer back on the wall and put the sandpaper in the toolbox.
    â€˜That’s okay, Lulu,’ said Gumpa. ‘I’ll finish tidying up. You go and practise with that sword.’
    Lulu raced out into the garden. The rain had stopped and Rosie and Gus were zooming around in circles. The two dogs ran with them.
    Gus was wearing the new knight costume that Mum had made him for Christmas. The tunic was made of shiny silver material. A lion rearing up on its hind legs was drawn on the front. Underneath he wore grey leggings and a long-sleeved T-shirt. He had a red sash tied around his waist. On his head was a helmet made from an ice-cream container covered in silver foil.
    The three children had been playing sword fights since the summer holidays. At first they had made flimsy swords frombamboo. Then Gumpa had promised to make them some proper wooden play swords. Lulu loved her new toy.
    Gus already had a sword from Gumpa. He waved it in the air. ‘On guard!’ yelled Gus.
    Lulu ran to meet the challenge. Her cloak swirled around her shoulders. Loud clangs rang though the air as Lulu and Gus fought with their swords. Lulu danced back and forth. Every few minutes she would spring into a cartwheel then lunge back to hit Gus’s sword.

    â€˜Got you,’ cried Lulu, as her sword clashed against Gus’s. Gus tumbled into a forward roll.
    â€˜My turn,’ called Rosie. Gus wheeled away. Rosie swooped in to take his place, with a