Anytime Tales

Read Anytime Tales for Free Online Page B

Book: Read Anytime Tales for Free Online
Authors: Enid Blyton
Tags: adventure, Children
Leslie’s legs were not going to be lazy, and neither were his hands. They were soon hard at work, pulling up weeds in the school garden, piling them into a barrow, and running the barrow at top speed to the rubbish-heap.
    The headmaster was most amazed when he arrived and saw what was happening. Could this be Lazy Leslie? Could this be the slowest boy in the school, weeding at top speed and wheeling the heavy barrow to the rubbish-heap so quickly?

    It was too good to be true.
    Leslie felt very tired when school began. He wasn’t used to such hurrying and such hard work. He sank down into his seat thankfully. At any rate, he would get a rest now.
    But, no, he didn’t. His hands set to work at his sums and copied them down at such a speed that Leslie could hardly see the figures. Then the spell began to work inside his head and his brain made him do the sums. He couldn’t think of anything else but sums. Usually he looked out of the window or round at the other boys, lazing away his time. He couldn’t do that this morning.
    “You’ve done enough sums now, Leslie,” said the master in surprise. “You’ve done very well. I am pleased with you.”
    That made Leslie glad, but he was feeling very alarmed now. This spell was much too powerful for him. He didn’t like doing everything at such a pace. But it was just the same in the writing lessons.
    The boys were told to copy out a page in their history book in their best writing. At once Leslie’s fingers got to work and they wrote page after page. The master stared in astonishment. Leslie usually wrote about half a page, but here he was turning over page after page, filling it with writing. Whatever could have happened?
    When playtime came Leslie’s legs shot him off to the cloakroom to get his lunch, and then shot him out to the playground, almost knocking over one or two boys.
    “What’s the hurry now? What’s the hurry?” they shouted, and gave him a push. “Stop rushing like this, Leslie. It’s not funny.”
    The boys played games in the playground, and Leslie ran about fast and dodged here and there, caught all the others easily, and knocked quite a lot over. The boys didn’t understand what was happening, and they were cross. Peter gave Leslie a slap, and at once Leslie’s fists doubled themselves up and began to hit Peter.
    “A fight, a fight!” cried the boys, and came round. Leslie didn’t want to fight. He liked Peter. But his fists wouldn’t stop lashing out at him. Then the master came up and spoke sternly and sent Leslie indoors.
    Leslie sat down, breathless. He was tired and frightened. He wished he had never asked the old woman for a spell.
    School went on for the rest of the morning, and in geography Leslie drew six different maps, much to the astonishment of the teacher. He also learnt three pages of poetry, three times as much as any other boy. He simply couldn’t stop himself from working at top speed.
    His legs raced him home for dinner, and his hands made him gobble again. His mother was alarmed.
    “Leslie!” she said. “What has happened to you? Tell me, dear! It’s almost as if you are under a spell!”
    “Oh, Mother, I am!” said poor Leslie. “I asked the old woman in the wood for a spell to make me quick instead of lazy and slow, and she gave me one, because
    I did so badly want to earn that bicycle. But the spell’s too strong. Whatever am I to do?”
    “I’ll take you to the old woman at once,” said his mother. “If she doesn’t take away the spell you’ll be tired out. Come along.”
    So they went to the wood. His mother had to run all the way, because Leslie’s legs didn’t seem able to walk. The old woman laughed when she heard what the spell had been doing to Leslie.

    “I’m sorry,” she said. “It only worked like that on a really lazy boy, one who has never in his life tried to be quick or punctual or hard-working. I didn’t think Leslie was as bad as that.”
    “Please take the spell away,”

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