Fantasy fiction; Siblings -- Juvenile fiction; Twins -- Juvenile fiction
Then Molly’s match flickered—and went out.
“Here, I’ll light one,” said Jack. “I’ve got mine now.”
So Jack lit one. Just the usual match flare at first, but as soon as
it burned up the light gathered together all on one side of the match
as it were, a long streak pointing in the exactly opposite direction
to where the boxes were, right over on the other side of the cellar.
For a moment Jack doubted, wondering whether it was a sort of joke on
him. But he and Molly followed the light quickly, and saw that it was
concentrated on a spot, high up on the wall, near the roof.
“Look! quick!” said Molly. “There’s an iron ring or handle or something
up there.”
“But how can we reach it?” began Jack.
And then they remembered what the first match had shown them, and
hastily dragging the boxes across the floor, piled them one on top of
the other underneath the ring in the wall. Then Jack’s match went out.
Both children were now tremendously excited; and fearful lest the
Pumpkin should come before they had finished their investigations, they
moved as rapidly as possible. Molly lit the next match, while Jack
clambered up to the top of the boxes. Her light pointed straight at the
iron ring.
“It’s a ring all right!” cried Jack. “But, oh, Moll, I can’t quite
reach it! Whatever shall we do?”
As the match pointed steadily at the ring, and offered no further
suggestions, Molly climbed up to the top of the boxes too. Jack’s
remark was only too true; the ring was just out of reach, try as they
would to touch it.
“I believe I could reach it if you could lift me up, Jack,” said Molly.
“Right-o!” said Jack. And then Molly’s match went out.
As it would be too difficult to hold a match while trying to reach the
ring, and as Molly said she remembered just where the ring was on the
wall, it was decided to pull the ring if possible, and then light a
match, and see what had happened.
So Jack lifted Molly up, and after groping about on the wall with her
hands for a few seconds, she caught hold of the ring.
“I’ve got it! Keep steady, Jack!” she cried, joyfully, and gave a
vigorous tug at the iron ring. “Something’s given way—it feels as if a
sort of door’s opened. All right, put me down now, Jack, and strike a
match.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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