Video Rose and Mark Spark Read online

  Tea was not a happy meal. Mum went on and on about the video, saying that she’d told Rose not to keep fiddling about with the buttons. It was as if Mum was continuously rewinding her own button. Rose wished there was some way of fast-forwarding her until she stopped being cross.

  Mum was much more sympathetic in the morning.

  ‘Cheer up, Rosy-Posy. I can’t bear to see you with such a long face,’ said Mum, sorting clothes for the washing machine.

  Rose was so wretched she felt her face getting longer and longer. It would droop right down to her knees at this rate.

  ‘What am I going to do all day?’ she wailed. ‘It was so awful yesterday when I only got to watch half of Dumbo.’

  ‘A broken video isn’t the end of the world, you know,’ Mum said gently, looking at a pair of jeans. She put her hands down both legs and stuck her fingers through both knees. ‘Rick!’ She didn’t sound anywhere near so gentle now. ‘Rick, these are your new jeans!’

  ‘Can’t we get someone in to mend the video, Mum?’ Rose begged.

  ‘Dad said there’s a man at work — oh no! Look at this sweatshirt! Richard Michael, get yourself into the kitchen this instant. I want an explanation.’

  Rick’s explanation wasn’t very satisfactory. Mum said he wasn’t allowed to go skating today. Rick argued indignantly. Mum got cross. Baby Robbie got cross too and started yelling in his little chair. Dad got cross as well, because he hadn’t got to sleep yet and he didn’t know how he was expected to with everyone bellowing like bulls.

  ‘I’m not bellowing,’ Rose mumbled miserably and went to fiddle with the video.

  ‘You’re wasting your time, Rose,’ Mum said, but before she hurried off to work she looked up the number of a television and video repair business. She phoned them. They said they could come out to look at the video that afternoon. Rose leapt high in the air for joy. She came down with rather a crash but she didn’t care. They could come and fix the video.

  No, they couldn’t. They were doubtful for a start when Mum told them the make and age of the video and how it wouldn’t work at all. They said they’d still come and see, but of course there would be a call-out charge. And then they charged an hourly rate for any work involved. Rose heard the vast sums and slumped back on the sofa.

  ‘I’m afraid we can’t afford that,’ said Mum, and put down the phone. She shook her head sadly at Rose. ‘I’m sorry, love, but it would be crazy to spend a small fortune — and there’s no guarantee at all they could actually fix the video.’

  Mum went off to work with Robbie. Rick waited a minute or two, and then slung his skates round his neck and sauntered towards the front door.

  ‘Mum said you’re not allowed to skate!’ said Rose.

  ‘I’m not skating, am I?’ said Rick.

  ‘Oh, I get it, you’re just wearing them today,’ said Rose.

  ‘That’s right. I’m getting very fashion conscious. This is my dead stylish chunky necklace,’ said Rick, waving his arms and swivelling his hips like a model.

  Rose listened after he went out the front door. There was a long pause. And then she heard the swoosh of little wheels along the concrete. It looked like Rick’s new necklace was now taking him for a ride.

  She actually caught him at it when she went out to the shops to return the Dumbo video.

  ‘I’m telling Mum,’ Rose shouted. She probably wouldn’t tell, but she wanted to make Rick squirm a bit.

  ‘You shut your face, Square-Bum,’ Rick shouted back, and his mate Charlie chortled delightedly.

  Rose decided she would definitely tell Mum after all. She stumped off to Uncle Frank’s.

  ‘What’s up with you, Rose? You look a bit fed up,’ said Uncle Frank.

  ‘A bit!’ said Rose. ‘Oh Uncle Frank, our video’s broken and I don’t know what to do. It went kerphut right in the middle of Dumbo. I couldn’t rewind it. I do hope the tape’s OK’ She handed it over nervously. If it was broken then she’d have to save up her pocket money for ages to pay for it.

  Uncle Frank tried the tape on his own machine and Dumbo danced back into action.

  ‘Phew!’ said Rose. She watched the screen. ‘Can I stay for a bit, Uncle Frank?’

  Uncle Frank laughed. ‘OK. You can stay all morning if you help me sort all the videos on the racks, they’re in an awful mess. Are you getting your own set fixed today?’

  ‘No, we can’t afford it,’ said Rose, drooping.

  ‘Well, did you see the card in my window? This nice old chap seems to have started up his own business.’

  Rose ran outside the shop to look at the card in the window.

  TROUBLED WITH THE

  TELEVISION?

  VEXED WITH THE VIDEO?

  I CAN FIX THEM AT VERY

  FAVOURABLE RATES.

  NO CALL OUT CHARGE.

  There was a telephone number. And the name of the firm. It sounded promising:

  WORKS-LIKE-MAGIC.

  3…

  Rose brought Dad breakfast in bed. She ran a bath for him. She played his favourite old Elvis tape while he was getting dressed.

  ‘It’s no use, Rosy-Posy,’ said Dad. ‘I can’t get you a new video.’

  ‘I know, Dad. But there’s this new business for fixing videos. WORKS-LIKE-MAGIC.’

  ‘It would need to,’ said Dad, but after he’d had a second cup of coffee he rang the number.

  The man at the other end said he’d be right with them, in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.

  Rose picked up Robbie’s toy lamb which was grazing peacefully in a dusty corner of the carpet. She tweaked the fluffy tail twice — and immediately there was a very loud ring at the door.

  Rose and Dad looked at each other.

  ‘It can’t be this bloke already,’ said Dad.

  ‘It must be,’ said Rose, dashing to the door.

  There was a strange old man standing on the doorstep. He looked as if he’d just got up from his bed too. His white hair stuck straight up in the air and the crumpled blue and white striped trousers showing beneath his big raincoat looked suspiciously like pyjamas.

  His eyes sparkled when he saw Rose and he gave her a flashing smile.

  ‘I believe you require my services, young lady,’ he said.

  ‘I want you to mend our video, please,’ said Rose.

  ‘Oh, is that all,’ said the strange man. ‘Just as you please.’

  Dad edged up behind Rose.

  ‘Could you give us some idea of your charges first, if you don’t mind,’ Dad asked.

  ‘A pound a minute,’ said the strange man.

  ‘Well in that case we’ll have to part company,’ said Dad. ‘Your rates are far too expensive.’

  ‘Oh, Dad!’ said Rose desperately.

  ‘Now look, Rose, it’s going to take hours and hours to get that video working again, if indeed it’s possible. We simply can’t afford it,’ Dad hissed.

  ‘I’ll just take a look,’ said the strange man. He walked briskly into the living room. There was a crackling sound as he moved. Perhaps his raincoat was made of some odd material. He bent down and squinted at the video.

  ‘I can mend this in a flash,’ said the strange man, and he reached out and touched the video with the tip of his finger.

  There was a sudden jagged white flash, like lightning. Rose jumped, Dad gasped, and the strange man sucked his teeth in a sizzly sort of way.

  ‘Here, watch out!’ said Dad, going to grab the man. ‘That video must be live.’

  ‘Yes, I’ve livened it up for you,’ said the strange man, straightening swiftly and ducking away from Dad. ‘It’s fully fixed now.’

  ‘But — but it can’t be,’ said Dad.

  ‘Oh yes it is,’ said the strange man, and he slotted in The Wizard of Oz and pressed the play button.

  It started playing immediately. The strange man pressed the fast forward button. The tape whizzed forward to the bright colour of Munchkin land. He pressed the rewind button. The tape zapped Dorothy back to blac