george's marvellous medicine - pdfdrive
TRANSCRIPT
OtherbooksbyRoaldDahl
THEBFGBOY:TALESOFCHILDHOODBOYandGOINGSOLO
CHARLIEANDTHECHOCOLATEFACTORYCHARLIEANDTHEGREATGLASSELEVATORTHECOMPLETEADVENTURESOFCHARLIEANDMRWILLYWONKADANNYTHECHAMPIONOFTHEWORLD
GOINGSOLO
JAMESANDTHEGIANTPEACH
MATILDA
THEWITCHES
Foryoungerreaders
THEENORMOUSCROCODILE
ESIOTROT
FANTASTICMRFOXTHEGIRAFFEANDTHEPELLYANDME
THEMAGICFINGER
THETWITS
Picturebooks
DIRTYBEASTS(withQuentinBlake)THEENORMOUSCROCODILE(withQuentinBlake)THEGIRAFFEANDTHEPELLYANDME(withQuentinBlake)THEMINPINS(withPatrickBenson)REVOLTINGRHYMES(withQuentinBlake)
Plays
THEBFG:PLAYSFORCHILDREN(AdaptedbyDavidWood)CHARLIEANDTHECHOCOLATEFACTORY:APLAY(AdaptedbyRichardGeorge)FANTASTICMRFOX:APLAY(AdaptedbySallyReid)JAMESANDTHEGIANTPEACH:APLAY(AdaptedbyRichardGeorge)THETWITS:PLAYSFORCHILDREN(AdaptedbyDavidWood)THEWITCHES:PLAYSFORCHILDREN(AdaptedbyDavidWood)
Teenagefiction
THEGREATAUTOMATICGRAMMATIZATORANDOTHERSTORIES
RHYMESTEW
SKINANDOTHERSTORIES
THEVICAROFNIBBLESWICKETHEWONDERFULSTORYOFHENRYSUGARANDSIXMORE
RoaldDahl
George’sMarvellousMedicine
illustratedby
QuentinBlake
PUFFIN
PUFFINBOOKS
PublishedbythePenguinGroupPenguinBooksLtd,80Strand,LondonWC2R0RL,EnglandPenguinGroup(USA)Inc.,375HudsonStreet,NewYork,NewYork10014,USAPenguinGroup(Canada),90EglintonAvenueEast,Suite700,Toronto,Ontario,CanadaM4P2Y3(adivisionofPearsonPenguinCanadaInc.)PenguinIreland,25StStephen’sGreen,Dublin2,Ireland(adivisionofPenguinBooksLtd)PenguinGroup(Australia),250CamberwellRoad,Camberwell,Victoria3124,Australia(adivisionofPearsonAustraliaGroupPtyLtd)PenguinBooksIndiaPvtLtd,11CommunityCentre,PanchsheelPark,NewDelhi–110017,IndiaPenguinGroup(NZ),67ApolloDrive,Rosedale,NorthShore0632,NewZealand(adivisionofPearsonNewZealandLtd)PenguinBooks(SouthAfrica)(Pty)Ltd,24SturdeeAvenue,Rosebank,Johannesburg2196,SouthAfricaPenguinBooksLtd,RegisteredOffices:80Strand,LondonWC2R0RL.,England
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FirstpublishedbyJonathanCapeLtd1981PublishedinPuffinBooks1982Thiseditionpublished2007
2Textcopyright©RoaldDahlNomineeLtd,1981Illustrationscopyright©QuentinBlake,1981Allrightsreserved
Themoralrightoftheauthorandillustratorhasbeenasserted
ExceptintheUnitedStatesofAmerica,thisbookissoldsubjecttotheconditionthatitshallnot,bywayoftradeorotherwise,belent,re-sold,hiredout,orotherwisecirculatedwithoutthepublisher’spriorconsentinanyformofbindingorcoverotherthanthatinwhichitispublishedandwithoutasimilarconditionincludingthisconditionbeingimposedonthesubsequentpurchaser
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationDataACIPcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibraryISBN:978-0-14-192985-9
Contents
GrandmaTheMarvellousPlanGeorgeBeginstoMaketheMedicineAnimalPillsTheCook-upBrownPaintGrandmaGetstheMedicineTheBrownHenThePig,theBullocks,theSheep,thePonyandtheNanny-goat
ACraneforGrandmaMrKranky’sGreatIdeaMarvellousMedicineNumberTwoMarvellousMedicineNumberThreeMarvellousMedicineNumberFourGoodbyeGrandma
WARNINGTOREADERS:DonottrytomakeGeorge’sMarvellousMedicineyourselvesathome.Itcouldbedangerous.
Grandma
‘I’mgoingshoppinginthevillage,’George’smothersaidtoGeorgeonSaturdaymorning.‘Sobeagoodboyanddon’tgetuptomischief.’
Thiswasasilly thingtosaytoasmallboyatanytime.It immediatelymadehimwonderwhatsortofmischiefhemightgetupto.‘Anddon’tforget togiveGrandmahermedicineateleveno’clock,’ the
mothersaid.Thenoutshewent,closingthebackdoorbehindher.Grandma, who was dozing in her chair by the window, opened one
wickedlittleeyeandsaid,‘Nowyouheardwhatyourmothersaid,George.Don’tforgetmymedicine.’‘No,Grandma,’Georgesaid.‘Andjusttrytobehaveyourselfforoncewhileshe’saway.’‘Yes,Grandma,’Georgesaid.Georgewasboredtotears.Hedidn’thaveabrotherorasister.Hisfather
wasafarmerandthefarmtheylivedonwasmilesawayfromanywhere,sotherewereneveranychildrentoplaywith.Hewastiredofstaringatpigsandhensandcowsandsheep.HewasespeciallytiredofhavingtoliveinthesamehouseasthatgrizzlyoldgrunionofaGrandma.Lookingafterherall by himself was hardly the most exciting way to spend a Saturdaymorning.‘Youcanmakemeanicecupofteaforastart,’GrandmasaidtoGeorge.
‘That’llkeepyououtofmischiefforafewminutes.’‘Yes,Grandma,’Georgesaid.Georgecouldn’thelpdislikingGrandma.Shewasaselfishgrumpyold
woman. She had pale brown teeth and a small puckered-upmouth like adog’sbottom.‘Howmuchsugarinyourteatoday,Grandma?’Georgeaskedher.‘Onespoon,’shesaid.‘Andnomilk.’Mostgrandmothersarelovely,kind,helpfuloldladies,butnotthisone.
Shespentalldayandeverydaysittinginherchairbythewindow,andshewas always complaining, grousing, grouching, grumbling, griping aboutsomethingorother.Neveronce,evenonherbestdays,hadshesmiledatGeorgeandsaid,‘Well,howareyouthismorning,George?’or‘Whydon’tyou and I have a game of Snakes and Ladders?’ or ‘How was schooltoday?’Shedidn’tseemtocareaboutotherpeople,onlyaboutherself.She
wasamiserableoldgrouch.George went into the kitchen andmade Grandma a cup of tea with a
teabag.Heputonespoonof sugar in it andnomilk.Hestirred the sugarwellandcarriedthecupintotheliving-room.Grandma sipped the tea. ‘It’s not sweet enough,’ she said. ‘Put more
sugarin.’Georgetookthecupbackto thekitchenandaddedanotherspoonfulof
sugar.HestirreditagainandcarrieditcarefullyintoGrandma.‘Where’sthesaucer?’shesaid.‘Iwon’thaveacupwithoutasaucer.’Georgefetchedherasaucer.
‘Andwhataboutateaspoon,ifyouplease?’‘I’vestirreditforyou,Grandma.Istirreditwell’‘I’ll stir my own tea, thank you very much,’ she said. ‘Fetch me a
teaspoon.’Georgefetchedherateaspoon.When George’s mother or father were home, Grandma never ordered
Georgeaboutlikethis.Itwasonlywhenshehadhimonherownthatshebegantreatinghimbadly.‘Youknowwhat’s thematterwithyou?’ theoldwomansaid,staringat
George over the rim of the teacup with those bright wicked little eyes.‘You’regrowingtoofast.Boyswhogrowtoofastbecomestupidandlazy.’‘ButIcan’thelpitifI’mgrowingfast,Grandma,’Georgesaid.‘Ofcourseyoucan,’shesnapped.‘Growing’sanastychildishhabit.’‘But we have to grow, Grandma. If we didn’t grow, we’d never be
grown-ups.’‘Rubbish,boy,rubbish,’shesaid.‘Lookatme.AmIgrowing?Certainly
not.’‘Butyoudidonce,Grandma.’‘Onlyvery little,’ theoldwomananswered. ‘IgaveupgrowingwhenI
was extremely small, along with all the other nasty childish habits likelaziness and disobedience and greed and sloppiness and untidiness andstupidity.Youhaven’tgivenupanyofthesethings,haveyou?’‘I’mstillonlyalittleboy,Grandma.’‘You’reeightyearsold,’shesnorted.‘That’soldenoughtoknowbetter.
Ifyoudon’tstopgrowingsoon,it’llbetoolate.’‘Toolateforwhat,Grandma?’‘It’sridiculous,’shewenton.‘You’renearlyastallasmealready.’George took a good look at Grandma. She certainly was a very tiny
person.Herlegsweresoshortshehadtohaveafootstooltoputherfeeton,andherheadonlycamehalfwayupthebackofthearmchair.‘Daddysaysit’sfineforamantobetall,’Georgesaid.‘Don’tlistentoyourdaddy’Grandmasaid.‘Listentome.’‘ButhowdoIstopmyselfgrowing?’Georgeaskedher.‘Eatlesschocolate,’Grandmasaid.‘Doeschocolatemakeyougrow?’‘Itmakesyougrowthewrongway,’shesnapped.‘Upinsteadofdown.’Grandmasippedsometeabutnevertookhereyesfromthelittleboywho
stoodbeforeher.‘Nevergrowup,’shesaid.‘Alwaysdown.’‘Yes,Grandma.’‘Andstopeatingchocolate.Eatcabbageinstead.’‘Cabbage!Ohno,Idon’tlikecabbage,’Georgesaid.‘It’snotwhatyou likeorwhatyoudon’t like,’Grandmasnapped. ‘It’s
what’sgoodforyouthatcounts.Fromnowon,youmusteatcabbagethreetimesaday.Mountainsofcabbage!Andifit’sgotcaterpillarsinit,somuchthebetter!’‘Owch,’Georgesaid.‘Caterpillarsgiveyoubrains,’theoldwomansaid.‘Mummywashesthemdownthesink,’Georgesaid.
‘Mummy’sasstupidasyouare,’Grandmasaid. ‘Cabbagedoesn’t tasteofanythingwithoutafewboiledcaterpillarsinit.Slugs,too.’‘Notslugs!’Georgecriedout.‘Icouldn’teatslugs!’‘Whenever I see a live slug on a piece of lettuce,’ Grandma said, ‘I
gobbleitupquickbeforeitcrawlsaway.Delicious.’Shesqueezedherlipstogether tightso thathermouthbecamea tinywrinkledhole. ‘Delicious,’shesaidagain.‘Wormsandslugsandbeetleybugs.Youdon’tknowwhat’sgoodforyou.’‘You’rejoking,Grandma.’‘Ineverjoke,’shesaid.‘Beetlesareperhapsbestofall.Theygocrunch!’‘Grandma!That’sbeastly!’The old hag grinned, showing those pale brown teeth. ‘Sometimes, if
you’relucky,’shesaid,‘yougetabeetleinsidethestemofastickofcelery.That’swhatIlike.’‘Grandma!Howcouldyou?’‘Youfindallsortsofnicethingsinsticksofrawcelery,’theoldwoman
wenton.‘Sometimesit’searwigs.’‘Idon’twanttohearaboutit!’criedGeorge.‘A big fat earwig is very tasty,’ Grandma said, licking her lips. ‘But
you’vegot tobeveryquick,mydear,whenyouputoneof those inyourmouth. It has apairof sharpnipperson itsbackendand if it grabsyourtonguewith those, itnever letsgo.Soyou’vegot tobite theearwig first,chopchop,beforeitbitesyou.’Georgestartededgingtowardsthedoor.Hewantedtogetasfarawayas
possiblefromthisfilthyoldwoman.‘You’re trying to get away fromme, aren’t you?’ she said, pointing a
fingerstraightatGeorge’sface.‘You’retryingtogetawayfromGrandma.’LittleGeorge stoodby thedoor staringat theoldhag in thechair.She
staredbackathim.Could it be, George wondered, that she was a witch? He had always
thoughtwitcheswereonlyinfairytales,butnowhewasnotsosure.‘Comeclosertome,littleboy,’shesaid,beckoningtohimwithahorny
finger.‘ComeclosertomeandIwilltellyousecrets.’Georgedidn’tmove.Grandmadidn’tmoveeither.‘Iknowagreatmanysecrets,’shesaid,andsuddenlyshesmiled.Itwasa
thinicysmile,thekindasnakemightmakejustbeforeitbitesyou.‘ComeoverheretoGrandmaandshe’llwhispersecretstoyou.’Georgetookastepbackwards,edgingclosertothedoor.‘Youmustn’tbefrightenedofyouroldGrandma,’shesaid,smilingthat
icysmile.Georgetookanotherstepbackwards.
‘Someof us,’ she said, and all at once shewas leaning forward in herchairandwhisperinginathroatysortofvoiceGeorgehadneverheardherusebefore. ‘Someofus,’ she said, ‘havemagicpowers that can twist thecreaturesofthisearthintowondrousshapes…’A tingle of electricity flashed down the length of George’s spine. He
begantofeelfrightened.‘Some of us,’ the old woman went on, ‘have fire on our tongues and
sparksinourbelliesandwizardryinthetipsofourfingers…‘Someofusknowsecretsthatwouldmakeyourhairstandstraightupon
endandyoureyespopoutoftheirsockets…’Georgewantedtorunaway,buthisfeetseemedstucktothefloor.‘Weknowhowtomakeyournailsdropoffand teethgrowoutofyour
fingersinstead.’Georgebegantotremble.Itwasherfacethatfrightenedhimmostofall,
thefrostysmile,thebrilliantunblinkingeyes.‘We know how to have you wake up in the morning with a long tail
comingoutfrombehindyou.’‘Grandma!’hecriedout.‘Stop!’‘Weknowsecrets,mydear,aboutdarkplaceswheredarkthingsliveand
squirmandslitherallovereachother…’Georgemadeadiveforthedoor.‘Itdoesn’tmatterhowfaryourun,’heheardhersaying,‘youwon’tever
getaway…’Georgeranintothekitchen,slammingthedoorbehindhim.
TheMarvellousPlan
Georgesathimselfdownatthetableinthekitchen.Hewasshakingalittle.Oh,howhehatedGrandma!Hereallyhatedthathorridoldwitchywoman.Andallof a sudden he had a tremendous urge to do something about her. Somethingwhopping.Somethingabsolutelyterrific.Arealshocker.Asortofexplosion.Hewantedtoblowawaythewitchysmellthathungaboutherinthenextroom.Hemayhavebeenonlyeightyearsoldbuthewasabravelittleboy.Hewasreadytotakethisoldwomanon.
‘I’mnotgoingtobefrightenedbyher,’hesaidsoftlytohimself.Buthewasfrightened.Andthat’swhyhewantedsuddenlytoexplodeheraway.Well…notquiteaway.Buthedidwanttoshaketheoldwomanupabit.Very well, then. What should it be, this whopping terrific exploding
shockerforGrandma?He would have liked to put a firework banger under her chair but he
didn’thaveone.Hewould have liked to put a long green snake down the back of her
dressbuthedidn’thavealonggreensnake.
Hewouldhave liked toputsixbigblackrats in theroomwithherandlockthedoorbuthedidn’thavesixbigblackrats.AsGeorgesatthereponderingthisinterestingproblem,hiseyefellupon
thebottleofGrandma’sbrownmedicinestandingonthesideboard.Rottenstuffitseemedtobe.Fourtimesadayalargespoonfulofitwasshovelledintohermouthanditdidn’tdohertheslightestbitofgood.Shewasalwaysjust ashorrid after she’dhad it as she’dbeenbefore.Thewholepoint ofmedicine, surely,was tomake a personbetter. If it didn’t do that, then itwasquiteuseless.So-ho! thoughtGeorge suddenly.Ah-ha!Ho-hum! Iknowexactlywhat
I’lldo.Ishallmakeheranewmedicine,onethatissostrongandsofierceandsofantasticitwilleithercurehercompletelyorblowoffthetopofherhead.I’llmakeheramagicmedicine,amedicinenodoctorintheworldhasevermadebefore.Georgelookedatthekitchenclock.Itsaidfivepastten.Therewasnearly
anhourleftbeforeGrandma’snextdosewasdueateleven.‘Herewego, then!’criedGeorge, jumpingupfromthe table. ‘Amagic
medicineitshallbe!’
‘Sogivemeabugandajumpingflea,Givemetwosnailsandlizardsthree,Andaslimysquigglerfromthesea,Andthepoisonousstingofabumblebee,Andthejuicefromthefruitoftheju-jubetree,Andthepowderedboneofawombat’sknee.Andonehundredotherthingsaswell
Eachwitharathernastysmell.I’llstirthemup,I’llboilthemlong,Amixturetough,amixturestrong.Andthen,heigh-ho,anddownitgoes,Anicebigspoonful(holdyournose)Justgulpitdownandhavenofear.“Howdoyoulikeit,Grannydear?”Willshegopop?Willsheexplode?Willshegoflyingdowntheroad?Willshegopoofinapuffofsmoke?StartfizzinglikeacanofCoke?Whoknows?NotI.Let’swaitandsee.(I’mgladit’sneitheryounorme.)OhGrandma,ifyouonlyknewWhatIhavegotinstoreforyou!’
GeorgeBeginstoMaketheMedicine
George took an enormous saucepan out of the cupboard and placed it on thekitchentable.
‘George!’ came the shrill voice from the next room. ‘What are youdoing?’‘Nothing,Grandma,’hecalledout.‘You needn’t think I can’t hear you just because you closed the door!
You’rerattlingthesaucepans!’‘I’mjusttidyingthekitchen,Grandma.’Thentherewassilence.Georgehadabsolutelynodoubtswhatsoeverabouthowhewasgoingto
make his famous medicine. He wasn’t going to fool about wonderingwhether toput ina littlebitof thisora littlebitof that.Quitesimply,hewas going to put in EVERYTHING he could find. There would be nomessing about, no hesitating, no wondering whether a particular thingwouldknocktheoldgirlsidewaysornot.Therulewouldbethis:whateverhesaw,ifitwasrunnyorpowderyorgooey,initwent.Nobodyhadevermadeamedicine like thatbefore. If itdidn’tactually
cureGrandma,thenitwouldanywaycausesomeexcitingresults.Itwouldbeworthwatching.Georgedecidedtoworkhiswayroundthevariousroomsoneata time
andseewhattheyhadtooffer.Hewouldgofirsttothebathroom.Therearealwayslotsoffunnythings
in a bathroom. So upstairs he went, carrying the enormous two-handledsaucepanbeforehim.
Inthebathroom,hegazedlonginglyatthefamousanddreadedmedicinecupboard.Buthedidn’tgonearit.Itwastheonlythingintheentirehousehewas forbidden to touch.He hadmade solemn promises to his parentsabout thisandhewasn’tgoing tobreak them.Therewere things in there,theyhadtoldhim,thatcouldactuallykillaperson,andalthoughhewasouttogiveGrandmaaprettyfierymouthful,hedidn’treallywantadeadbodyonhishands.Georgeputthesaucepanonthefloorandwenttowork.NumberonewasabottlelabelledGOLDENGLOSSHAIRSHAMPOO.
Heemptieditintothepan.‘Thatoughttowashhertummyniceandclean,’hesaid.
HetookafulltubeofTOOTHPASTEandsqueezedoutthewholelotofitinonelongworm.‘Maybethatwillbrightenupthosehorridbrownteethofhers,’hesaid.TherewasanaerosolcanofSUPERFOAMSHAVINGSOAPbelonging
tohisfather.Georgelovedplayingwithaerosols.Hepressedthebuttonandkepthisfingeronituntiltherewasnothingleft.Awonderfulmountainofwhitefoambuiltupinthegiantsaucepan.With his fingers, he scooped out the contents of ajar of VITAMIN
ENRICHEDFACECREAM.In went a small bottle of scarlet NAIL VARNISH. ‘If the toothpaste
doesn’t clean her teeth,’George said, ‘then thiswill paint them as red asroses.’
He found another jar of creamy stuff labelled HAIR REMOVER.SMEARITONYOURLEGS,itsaid,ANDALLOWTOREMAINFORFIVEMINUTES.Georgetippeditallintothesaucepan.There was a bottle with yellow stuff inside it called DISHWORTH’S
FAMOUSDANDRUFFCURE.Initwent.There was something called BRILLIDENT FOR CLEANING FALSE
TEETH.Itwasawhitepowder.Inthatwent,too.He found another aerosol can, NEVERMORE PONKING
DEODORANT SPRAY, GUARANTEED, it said, TO KEEP AWAYUNPLEASANTBODYSMELLSFORAWHOLEDAY. ‘She could useplenty of that,’ George said as he sprayed the entire canful into thesaucepan.LIQUID PARAFFIN, the next onewas called. It was a big bottle. He
hadn’tthefaintestideawhatitdidtoyou,buthepoureditinanyway.That,hethought,lookingaroundhim,wasaboutallfromthebathroom.
Onhismother’sdressing-tableinthebedroom,Georgefoundyetanotherlovely aerosol can. Itwas calledHELGA’SHAIRSET.HOLDTWELVEINCHESAWAYFROMTHEHAIRANDSPRAYLIGHTLY.Hesquirtedthewholelotintothesaucepan.Hedidenjoysquirtingtheseaerosols.There was a bottle of perfume called FLOWERS OF TURNIPS. It
smelledofoldcheese.Initwent.And in, too,went a large roundboxofPOWDER. Itwas calledPINK
PLASTER.Therewasapowder-puffontopandhethrewthatinaswellforluck.
He found a couple of lipsticks.He pulled the greasy red things out oftheirlittlecasesandaddedthemtothemixture.Thebedroomhadnothingmoretooffer,soGeorgecarriedtheenormous
saucepan downstairs again and trotted into the laundry-room where theshelveswerefullofallkindsofhouseholditems.The first one he took down was a large box of SUPERWHITE FOR
AUTOMATIC WASHING-MACHINES. DIRT, it said, WILLDISAPPEARLIKEMAGIC.George didn’t knowwhetherGrandmawasautomaticornot,butshewascertainlyadirtyoldwoman.‘Soshe’dbetterhaveitall,’hesaid,tippinginthewholeboxful.
Then there was a big tin of WAXWELL FLOOR POLISH. ITREMOVES FILTHAND FOULMESSES FROMYOUR FLOORANDLEAVES EVERYTHING SHINY BRIGHT, it said. George scooped theorange-colouredwaxystuffoutofthetinandplonkeditintothepan.
There was a round cardboard carton labelled FLEA POWDER FORDOGS. KEEP WELL AWAY FROM THE DOG’S FOOD, it said,BECAUSE THIS POWDER, IF EATEN, WILL MAKE THE DOGEXPLODE.‘Good,’saidGeorge,pouringitallintothesaucepan.HefoundaboxofCANARYSEEDontheshelf.‘Perhapsit’llmakethe
oldbirdsing,’hesaid,andinitwent.
Next,George explored the boxwith shoe-cleaningmaterials – brushesandtinsanddusters.Wellnow,hethought,Grandma’smedicineisbrown,somymedicinemustalsobebrownorshe’llsmellarat.Thewaytocolourit, he decided,would bewithBROWNSHOE-POLISH.The large tin hechosewaslabelledDARKTAN.Splendid.Hescoopeditalloutwithanoldspoonandploppeditintothepan.Hewouldstirituplater.Onhiswaybacktothekitchen,GeorgesawabottleofGINstandingon
thesideboard.Grandmawasveryfondofgin.Shewasallowed tohaveasmall nip of it every evening.Now hewould give her a treat.Hewouldpourinthewholebottle.Hedid.Backinthekitchen,Georgeputthehugesaucepanonthetableandwent
overtothecupboardthatservedasalarder.Theshelveswerebulgingwithbottlesandjarsofeverysort.Hechosethefollowingandemptiedthemonebyoneintothesaucepan:ATINOFCURRYPOWDERATINOFMUSTARDPOWDERABOTTLEOF‘EXTRAHOT’CHILLISAUCE
ATINOFBLACKPEPPERCORNSABOTTLEOFHORSERADISHSAUCE‘There!’hesaidaloud.‘Thatshoulddoit!’‘George!’ came the screechy voice from the next room. ‘Who are you
talkingtointhere?Whatareyouupto?’‘Nothing,Grandma,absolutelynothing,’hecalledback.‘Isittimeformymedicineyet?’‘No,Grandma,notforabouthalfanhour.’‘Well,justseeyoudon’tforgetit.’‘Iwon’t,Grandma,’Georgeanswered.‘IpromiseIwon’t.’
AnimalPills
At this point, George suddenly had an extra good wheeze. Although themedicinecupboardinthehousewasforbiddenground,whataboutthemedicineshis father kept on the shelf in the shed next to the henhouse? The animalmedicines?
Whataboutthose?Nobodyhadevertoldhimhemustn’ttouchthem.Let’s face it,George said tohimself,hair-sprayand shaving-creamand
shoe-polish are all verywell and theywill nodoubt cause some splendidexplosionsinsidetheoldgeezer,butwhatthemagicmixturenowneedsisatouchoftherealstuff,realpillsandrealtonics,togiveitpunchandmuscle.George picked up the heavy three-quarters full saucepan and carried it
outof thebackdoor.Hecrossed thefarmyardandheadedstraightfor theshedalongsidethehenhouse.Heknewhisfatherwouldn’tbethere.Hewasouthaymakinginoneofthemeadows.George entered the dusty old shed and put the saucepan on the bench.
Thenhelookedupatthemedicineshelf.Therewerefivebigbottlesthere.Twowere full of pills, twowere full of runny stuff and onewas full ofpowder.‘I’ll use them all,’ George said. ‘Grandma needs them. Boy, does she
needthem!’
Thefirstbottlehetookdowncontainedanorange-colouredpowder.Thelabel said, FOR CHICKENS WITH FOUL PEST, HEN GRIPE, SOREBEAKS, GAMMY LEGS, COCKERELITIS, EGG TROUBLE,BROODINESSORLOSSOFFEATHERS.MIXONESPOONFULONLYWITHEACHBUCKETOFFEED.‘Well,’Georgesaidaloudtohimselfashetippedinthewholebottleful,
‘theoldbirdwon’tbelosinganyfeathersaftershe’shadadoseofthis.’Thenextbottlehetookdownhadaboutfivehundredgiganticpurplepills
init.FORHORSESWITHHOARSETHROATS,itsaidonthelabel.THEHOARSE-THROATEDHORSE SHOULD SUCKONE PILL TWICEADAY.‘Grandmamaynothaveahoarsethroat,’Georgesaid,‘butshe’scertainly
gotasharptongue.Maybethey’llcurethatinstead.’Intothesaucepanwentthefivehundredgiganticpurplepills.
Thentherewasabottleofthickyellowishliquid.FORCOWS,BULLSAND BULLOCKS, the label said. WILL CURE COW POX, COWMANGE,CRUMPLEDHORNS,BADBREATHINBULLS,EARACHE,TOOTHACHE, HEADACHE, HOOF-ACHE, TAILACHE AND SOREUDDERS.‘Thatgrumpyoldcowin the living-roomhaseveryoneof thoserotten
illnesses,’George said. ‘She’ll need it all.’With a slop and a gurgle, theyellowliquidsplashedintothenownearlyfullsaucepan.Thenextbottlecontainedabrilliantredliquid.SHEEPDIP,itsaidonthe
label. FOR SHEEP WITH SHEEPROT AND FOR GETTING RID OFTICKS AND FLEAS. MIX ONE SPOONFUL IN ONE GALLON OFWATER AND SLOSH IT OVER THE SHEEP. CAUTION, DO NOTMAKETHEMIXTUREANYSTRONGERORTHEWOOLWILLFALLOUTANDTHEANIMALWILLBENAKED.‘Bygum,’saidGeorge,‘howI’dlovetowalkinandsloshitalloverold
Grandmaandwatch the ticks and fleasgo jumpingoff her.But I can’t. Imustn’t. So she’ll have to drink it instead.’ He poured the bright redmedicineintothesaucepan.Thelastbottleontheshelfwasfullofpalegreenpills.PIGPILLS,the
label announced. FOR PIGS WITH PORK PRICKLES, TENDERTROTTERS,BRISTLEBLIGHTANDSWINESICKNESS.GIVEONEPILL PER DAY. IN SEVERE CASES TWO PILLS MAY BE GIVEN,BUTMORETHANTHATWILLMAKETHEPIGROCKANDROLL.‘Justthestuff’,saidGeorge,‘forthatmiserableoldpigbackthereinthe
house.She’llneedaverybigdose.’Hetippedallthegreenpills,hundredsandhundredsofthem,intothesaucepan.
Therewasanoldsticklyingonthebenchthathadbeenusedforstirringpaint.Georgepickeditupandstartedtostirhismarvellousconcoction.Themixture was as thick as cream, and as he stirred and stirred, manywonderful colours rose up from the depths and blended together, pinks,blues,greens,yellowsandbrowns.Georgewent on stirring until it was all wellmixed, but even so there
were still hundreds of pills lying on the bottom that hadn’t melted. Andtherewashismother’ssplendidpowder-pufffloatingonthesurface.‘Ishallhavetoboilitallup,’Georgesaid.‘Onegoodquickboilonthestoveisallit needs.’ And with that he staggered back towards the house with theenormousheavysaucepan.Ontheway,hepassedthegarage,sohewent in toseeifhecouldfind
anyotherinterestingthings.Headdedthefollowing:HalfapintofENGINEOIL–tokeepGrandma’senginegoingsmoothly.SomeANTIFREEZE–tokeepherradiatorfromfreezingupinwinter.AhandfulofGREASE–togreasehercreakingjoints.Thenbacktothekitchen.
TheCook-up
Inthekitchen,Georgeputthesaucepanonthestoveandturnedupthegasflameunderneathitashighasitwouldgo.
‘George!’ came the awful voice from the next room. ‘It’s time formymedicine!’‘Not yet, Grandma,’ George called back. ‘There’s still twenty minutes
beforeeleveno’clock.’‘Whatmischiefareyouup to in therenow?’Grannyscreeched. ‘Ihear
noises.’Georgethoughtitbestnot toanswerthisone.Hefoundalongwooden
spooninakitchendrawerandbeganstirringhard.Thestuffinthepotgothotterandhotter.
Soonthemarvellousmixturebegantofrothandfoam.Arichbluesmoke,the colour of peacocks, rose from the surface of the liquid, and a fieryfearsomesmellfilledthekitchen.ItmadeGeorgechokeandsplutter.Itwasa smell unlike anyhehad smelledbefore. Itwas abrutal andbewitchingsmell,spicyandstaggering,fierceandfrenzied,fullofwizardryandmagic.Wheneverhegotawhiffofituphisnose,firecrackerswentoffinhisskulland electric prickles ran along the backs of his legs. Itwaswonderful tostandtherestirringthisamazingmixtureandtowatchitsmokingblueandbubblingandfrothingandfoamingasthoughitwerealive.Atonepoint,hecouldhaveswornhesawbrightsparksflashingintheswirlingfoam.
And suddenly,George foundhimself dancing around the steamingpot,chantingstrangewordsthatcameintohisheadoutofnowhere:
‘Fierybrothandwitch’sbrewFoamyfrothandrichesblueFumeandspumeandspoondriftsprayFizzleswizzleshouthoorayWatchitsloshing,swashing,sploshingHearithissing,squishing,spissingGrandmabetterstarttopray.’
BrownPaint
Georgeturnedofftheheatunderthesaucepan.Hemustleaveplentyoftimeforittocooldown.
Whenallthesteamandfrothhadgoneaway,hepeeredintothegiantpantoseewhatcolourthegreatmedicinenowwas.Itwasadeepandbrilliantblue.‘It needsmore brown in it,’George said. ‘It simplymust be brown or
she’llgetsuspicious.’George ran outside and dashed into his father’s toolshedwhere all the
paintswerekept.Therewasarowofcansontheshelf,allcolours,black,green, red,pink,white andbrown.He reached for thecanofbrown.ThelabelsaidsimplyDARKBROWNGLOSSPAINTONEQUART.Hetooka screwdriver and prised off the lid. The canwas three-quarters full. Herushed it back to thekitchen.Hepoured thewhole lot into the saucepan.The saucepan was now full to the brim. Very gently, George stirred thepaint into the mixture with the long wooden spoon. Ah-ha! It was allturningbrown!Alovelyrichcreamybrown!‘Where’sthatmedicineofmine,boy?!’camethevoicefromtheliving-
room.‘You’re forgettingme!You’redoing itonpurpose! Ishall tellyourmother!’‘I’mnotforgettingyou,Grandma,’Georgecalledback.‘I’mthinkingof
youallthetime.Buttherearestilltenminutestogo.’‘You’reanasty littlemaggot!’ thevoicescreechedback.‘You’rea lazy
anddisobedientlittleworm,andyou’regrowingtoofast.’George fetched the bottle of Grandma’s real medicine from the
sideboard.He took out the cork and tipped it all down the sink.He thenfilledthebottlewithhisownmagicmixturebydippingasmalljugintothesaucepanandusingitasapourer.Hereplacedthecork.
Haditcooleddownenoughyet?Notquite.Heheldthebottleunderthecold tap for a couple ofminutes. The label came off in thewet but thatdidn’tmatter.Hedriedthebottlewithadish-cloth.Allwasnowready!Thiswasit!Thegreatmomenthadarrived!‘Medicinetime,Grandma!’hecalledout.‘Ishouldhopeso,too,’camethegrumpyreply.Thesilvertablespooninwhichthemedicinewasalwaysgivenlayready
onthekitchensideboard.Georgepickeditup.Holding thespooninonehandandthebottle in theother,headvanced
intotheliving-room.
GrandmaGetstheMedicine
Grandma sat hunched in her chair by the window. The wicked little eyesfollowedGeorgecloselyashecrossedtheroomtowardsher.
‘You’relate,’shesnapped.‘Idon’tthinkIam,Grandma.’‘Don’tinterruptmeinthemiddleofasentence!’sheshouted.‘Butyou’dfinishedyoursentence,Grandma.’‘Thereyougoagain!’shecried. ‘Always interruptingandarguing.You
reallyareatiresomelittleboy.What’sthetime?’‘It’sexactlyeleveno’clock,Grandma.’‘You’relyingasusual.Stoptalkingsomuchandgivememymedicine.
Shake the bottle first. Then pour it into the spoon and make sure it’s awholespoonful.’‘Areyougoingtogulpitalldowninonego?’Georgeaskedher.‘Orwill
yousipit?’‘What I do is none of your business,’ the old woman said. ‘Fill the
spoon.’AsGeorge removed the cork and began very slowly to pour the thick
brownstuffintothespoon,hecouldn’thelpthinkingbackuponallthemadandmarvellousthingsthathadgoneintothemakingofthiscrazystuff–theshavingsoap, thehair remover, thedandruffcure, theautomaticwashing-machine powder, the flea powder for dogs, the shoe-polish, the blackpepper, thehorseradish sauceandall the restof them,not tomention thepowerfulanimalpillsandpowdersandliquids…andthebrownpaint.‘Openyourmouthwide,Grandma,’hesaid,‘andI’llpopitin.’Theoldhagopenedhersmallwrinkledmouth,showingdisgustingpale
brownteeth.‘Herewego!’Georgecriedout.‘Swallowitdown!’Hepushedthespoon
well into her mouth and tipped the mixture down her throat. Then hesteppedbacktowatchtheresult.Itwasworthwatching.Grandmayelled‘Oweeeee!’andherwholebodyshotupwhooshintothe
air.Itwasexactlyasthoughsomeonehadpushedanelectricwirethroughtheunderneathofherchairandswitchedonthecurrent.Upshewentlikea
jack-in-the-box… and she didn’t come down… she stayed there…suspendedinmid-air…abouttwofeetup…stillinasittingposition…butrigid now… frozen… quivering… the eyes bulging… the hair standingstraightuponend.‘Issomethingwrong,Grandma?’Georgeaskedherpolitely.‘Areyouall
right?’Suspendedupthereinspace,theoldgirlwasbeyondspeaking.The shock that George’s marvellous mixture had given her must have
beentremendous.You’dhave thought she’d swalloweda red-hotpoker theway she took
offfromthatchair.
Thendownshecameagainwithaplop,backintoherseat.‘Callthefirebrigade!’sheshoutedsuddenly.‘Mystomach’sonfire!’‘It’sjustthemedicine,Grandma,’Georgesaid.‘It’sgoodstrongstuff.’‘Fire!’ theoldwomanyelled.‘Fireinthebasement!Getabucket!Man
thehoses!Dosomethingquick!’‘Coolit,Grandma,’Georgesaid.Buthegotabitofashockwhenhesaw
thesmokecomingoutofhermouthandoutofhernostrils.Cloudsofblacksmokewerecomingoutofhernoseandblowingaroundtheroom.‘Bygolly,youreallyareonfire,’Georgesaid.‘OfcourseI’monfire!’sheyelled.‘I’llbeburnedtoacrisp!I’llbefried
toafrizzle!I’llbeboiledlikeabeetroot!’
George ran into thekitchen and camebackwith a jugofwater. ‘Openyourmouth,Grandma!’hecried.Hecouldhardlyseeherforthesmoke,buthemanaged to pour half a jugful down her throat. A sizzling sound, thekindyouget ifyouholdahotfrying-panunderacold tap,cameupfromdeep down in Grandma’s stomach. The old hag bucked and shied andsnorted.Shegaspedandgurgled.Spoutsofwatercameshootingoutofher.Andthesmokeclearedaway.‘The fire’s out,’ George announced proudly. ‘You’ll be all right now,
Grandma.’‘All right?’ she yelled. ‘Who’s all right? There’s jacky-jumpers in my
tummy!There’ssquigglersinmybelly!There’sbangersinmybottom!’Shebeganbouncingupanddowninthechair.Quiteobviouslyshewasnotverycomfortable.‘You’ll find it’s doing you a lot of good, that medicine, Grandma,’
Georgesaid.‘Good?’shescreamed.‘Doingmegood?It’skillingme!’Thenshebegantobulge.Shewasswelling!Shewaspuffingupallover!Someonewaspumpingherup,that’showitlooked!Wasshegoingtoexplode?Herfacewasturningfrompurpletogreen!Butwait!Shehadapuncturesomewhere!Georgecouldhearthehissof
escapingair.Shestoppedswelling.Shewasgoingdown.Shewasslowlygetting thinneragain, shrinkingbackandbackslowly toher shrivellyoldself.‘How’sthings,Grandma?’Georgesaid.Noanswer.Thenafunnythinghappened.Grandma’sbodygaveasuddensharptwist
andasuddensharp jerkandshe flippedherselfclearoutof thechairandlandedneatlyonhertwofeetonthecarpet.
‘That’sterrific,Grandma!’Georgecried.‘Youhaven’tstooduplikethatforyears!Lookatyou!You’restandingupallonyourownandyou’renotevenusingastick!’Grandmadidn’tevenhearhim.Thefrozenpop-eyedlookwasbackwith
heragainnow.Shewasmilesawayinanotherworld.Marvellous medicine, George told himself. He found it fascinating to
stand there watching what it was doing to the old hag. What next? hewondered.
Hesoonfoundout.Suddenlyshebegantogrow.Itwasquiteslowatfirst…justaverygradualinchingupwards…up,up,
up… inch by inch… getting taller and taller… about an inch every fewseconds…andinthebeginningGeorgedidn’tnoticeit.Butwhen she had passed the five foot sixmark andwas going on up
towards being six feet tall, George gave a jump and shouted, ‘Hey,
Grandma!You’re growing! You’re going up! Hang on, Grandma! You’dbetterstopnoworyou’llbehittingtheceiling!’ButGrandmadidn’tstop.It was a truly fantastic sight, this ancient scrawny old woman getting
tallerandtaller,longerandlonger,thinnerandthinner,asthoughshewereapieceofelasticbeingpulledupwardsbyinvisiblehands.When the topof her head actually touched the ceiling,George thought
shewasboundtostop.
Butshedidn’t.Therewasasortofscrunchingnoise,andbitsofplasterandcementcame
rainingdown.‘Hadn’tyoubetterstopnow,Grandma?’Georgesaid.‘Daddy’sjusthad
thiswholeroomrepainted.’Buttherewasnostoppinghernow.Soon, her head and shoulders had completely disappeared through the
ceilingandshewasstillgoing.Georgedashedupstairstohisownbedroomandthereshewascomingup
throughthefloorlikeamushroom.
‘Whoopee!’ she shouted, finding her voice at last. ‘Hallelujah, here Icome!’
‘Steadyon,Grandma,’Georgesaid.‘With a heigh-nonny-no and up we go!’ she shouted. ‘Just watch me
grow!’‘Thisismyroom,’Georgesaid.‘Lookatthemessyou’remaking.’‘Terrificmedicine!’shecried.‘Givemesomemore!’She’sdottyasadoughnut,Georgethought.‘Come on, boy! Give me some more!’ she yelled. ‘Dish it out! I’m
slowingdown!’Georgewasstillclutchingthemedicinebottleinonehandandthespoon
in theother.Ohwell,he thought,whynot?Hepouredouta seconddoseandpoppeditintohermouth.‘Oweee!’shescreamedandupshewentagain.Herfeetwerestillonthe
floor downstairs in the living-room but her head was moving quicklytowardstheceilingofthebedroom.‘I’monmywaynow,boy!’shecalleddowntoGeorge.‘Justwatchme
go!’‘That’s theatticaboveyou,Grandma!’Georgecalledout.‘I’dkeepout
ofthere!It’sfullofbugsandbogles!’Crash! The old girl’s headwent through the ceiling as though it were
butter.George stood in his bedroom gazing at the shambles. Therewas a big
hole in the floor and another in the ceiling, and sticking up like a postbetween the two was the middle part of Grandma. Her legs were in theroombelow,herheadintheattic.
‘I’mstillgoing!’cametheoldscreechyvoicefromupabove.‘Givemeanotherdose,myboy,andlet’sgothroughtheroof!’‘No,Grandma, no!’George called back. ‘You’re busting up thewhole
house!’‘Toheckwiththehouse!’sheshouted.‘Iwantsomefreshair!Ihaven’t
beenoutsidefortwentyyears!’‘By golly, she is going through the roof!’George told himself.He ran
downstairs. He rushed out of the back door into the yard. It would besimply awful, he thought, if she bashed up the roof as well. His fatherwouldbefurious.Andhe,George,wouldgettheblame.Hehadmadethemedicine. He had given her too much. ‘Don’t come through the roof,Grandma,’heprayed.‘Pleasedon’t.’
TheBrownHen
Georgestoodin thefarmyard lookingupat theroof.Theoldfarmhousehadafineroofofpaleredtilesandtallchimneys.
TherewasnosignofGrandma.Therewasonlyasong-thrushsittingononeof thechimneypots,singingasong.Theoldwurzel’sgotstuck in theattic,Georgethought.Thankgoodnessforthat.Suddenlyatilecameclatteringdownfromtheroofandfellintotheyard.
Thesong-thrushtookofffastandflewaway.Thenanothertilecamedown.Thenhalfadozenmore.Andthen,veryslowly,likesomeweirdmonsterrisingupfromthedeep,
Grandma’sheadcamethroughtheroof…Thenherscrawnyneck…Andthetopsofhershoulders…‘How’mIdoing,boy!’sheshouted.‘How’sthatforabashup?’‘Don’tyouthinkyou’dbetterstopnow,Grandma?’Georgecalledout…‘Ihavestopped!’sheanswered.‘Ifeelterrific!
Didn’tItellyouIhadmagicpowers!Didn’tIwarnyouIhadwizardryinthe tips of my fingers! But you wouldn’t listen to me, would you? Youwouldn’tlistentoyouroldGrandma!’‘Youdidn’tdoit,Grandma,’Georgeshoutedbacktoher.‘Ididit!Imade
youanewmedicine!’‘Anewmedicine?You?Whatrubbish!’sheyelled.‘Idid!Idid!’Georgeshouted.‘You’relyingasusual!’Grandmayelled.‘You’realwayslying!’‘I’mnotlying,Grandma.IswearI’mnot.’Thewrinkledold facehighupon the roof stareddown suspiciously at
George. ‘Are you telling me you actually made a new medicine all byyourself?’sheshouted.‘Yes,Grandma,allbymyself.’‘Idon’tbelieveyou,’sheanswered.‘ButI’mverycomfortableuphere.
Fetchmeacupoftea.’AbrownhenwaspeckingaboutintheyardclosetowhereGeorgewas
standing. The hen gave him an idea. Quickly, he uncorked the medicinebottle and poured some of the brown stuff into the spoon. ‘Watch this,Grandma!’ he shouted. He crouched down, holding out the spoon to thehen.
‘Chicken,’ he said. ‘Chick-chick-chicken. Come here. Have some ofthis.’Chickens are stupid birds, and very greedy. They think everything is
food.Thisonethoughtthespoonwasfullofcorn.Ithoppedover.Itputitsheadononesideandlookedatthespoon.‘Comeon,chicken,’Georgesaid.‘Goodchicken.Chick-chick-chick.’Thebrownhenstretchedoutitsnecktowardsthespoonandwentpeck.It
gotabeakfulofmedicine.
Theeffectwaselectric.‘Oweee!’shriekedthehenanditshotstraightupintotheairlikearocket.
Itwentashighasthehouse.
Thendownitcameagainintotheyard,splosh.Andthereitsatwithitsfeathers all sticking straight out from its body. There was a look ofamazementonitssillyface.Georgestoodwatchingit.Grandmaupontheroofwaswatchingit,too.Thehengottoitsfeet.Itwasrathershaky.Itwasmakingfunnygurgling
noises in its throat. Its beak was opening and shutting. It seemed like aprettysickhen.‘You’vedoneitin,youstupidboy!’Grandmashouted.‘Thathen’sgoing
todie!Yourfather’llbeafteryounow!He’llgiveyousocksandserveyouright!’Allofasudden,blacksmokestartedpouringoutofthehen’sbeak.
‘It’sonfire!’Grandmayelled.‘Thehen’sonfire!’Georgerantothewater-troughtogetabucketofwater.‘That hen’ll be roasted and ready for eating any moment!’ Grandma
shouted.George sloshed thebucket ofwater over thehen.Therewas a sizzling
soundandthesmokewentaway.
‘Oldhen’slaiditslastegg!’Grandmashouted.‘Hensdon’tdoanylayingafterthey’vebeenonfire!’Nowthatthefirewasout,thehenseemedbetter.Itstoodupproperly.It
flapped its wings. Then it crouched down low to the ground, as thoughgetting ready to jump. Itdid jump. It jumpedhigh in theairand turnedacompletesomersault,thenlandedbackonitsfeet.
‘It’s a circus hen!’ Grandma shouted from the rooftop. ‘It’s a flippingacrobat!’Nowthehenbegantogrow.George had been waiting for this to happen. ‘It’s growing!’ he yelled.
‘It’sgrowing,Grandma!Look,it’sgrowing!’Biggerandbigger…tallerand taller itgrew.Soon thehenwas fouror
fivetimesitsnormalsize.‘Canyouseeit,Grandma?!’Georgeshouted.‘Icanseeit,boy!’theoldgirlshoutedback.‘I’mwatchingit!’Georgewashoppingabout fromone foot to theotherwith excitement,
pointingat the enormoushenand shouting, ‘It’shad themagicmedicine,Grandma,andit’sgrowingjustlikeyoudid!’Buttherewasadifferencebetweenthewaythehenwasgrowingandthe
wayGrandmagrew.WhenGrandmagrewtallerandtaller,shegot
thinnerandthinner.Thehendidn’t.Itstayedniceandplumpallalong.Soonitwas taller thanGeorge,but itdidn’tstopthere.Itwentrighton
growinguntilitwasaboutasbigasahorse.Thenitstopped.‘Doesn’titlookmarvellous,Grandma!’Georgeshouted.‘It’snotastallasme!’Grandmasangout.‘Comparedwithme,thathen
istitchysmall!Iamthetallestofthemall!’
ThePig,theBullocks,theSheep,thePonyandtheNanny-goat
Atthatmoment,George’smothercamebackfromshoppinginthevillage.Shedrovehercarintotheyardandgotout.Shewascarryingabottleofmilkinonehandandabagofgroceriesintheother.
Thefirst thingshesawwas thegiganticbrownhen toweringover littleGeorge.Shedroppedthebottleofmilk.ThenGrandma started shouting at her from the rooftop, andwhen she
looked up and saw Grandma’s head sticking up through the tiles, shedroppedthebagofgroceries.‘How about that then, eh, Mary?’ Grandma shouted. ‘I’ll bet you’ve
neverseenahenasbigasthat!That’sGeorge’sgianthen,thatis!’‘But…but…but…’stammeredGeorge’smother.‘It’sGeorge’smagicmedicine!’Grandmashouted.‘We’vebothofushad
it,thehenandI!’‘Buthowintheworlddidyougetupontheroof?’criedthemother.‘Ididn’t!’cackledtheoldwoman.‘Myfeetarestillstandingonthefloor
intheliving-room!’
ThiswastoomuchforGeorge’smothertounderstand.Shejustgoggledandgaped.Shelookedasthoughshewasgoingtofaint.A second later, George’s father appeared. His name was Mr Killy
Kranky.MrKrankywasasmallmanwithbandylegsandahugehead.Hewas a kind father toGeorge, but hewas not an easy person to livewithbecause even the smallest thingsgot himallworkedup and excited.Thehen standing in the yard was certainly not a small thing, and when MrKrankysawithestartedjumpingaboutas thoughsomethingwasburninghisfeet. ‘Greatheavens!’hecried,wavinghisarms.‘What’s this?What’shappened?Wherediditcomefrom?It’sagianthen!Whodidit?’‘Idid,’Georgesaid.‘Lookatme!’Grandmashoutedfromtherooftop.‘Nevermindaboutthe
hen!Whataboutme?’MrKrankylookedupandsawGrandma.‘Shutup,Grandma,’hesaid.It
didn’t seem to surprise him that the old girlwas sticking up through theroof. Itwas thehen that excitedhim.Hehadnever seenanything like it.Butthenwhohad?‘It’s fantastic!’ Mr Kranky shouted, dancing round and round. ‘It’s
colossal! It’sgigantic! It’s tremendous! It’samiracle!Howdidyoudo it,George?’Georgestartedtellinghisfatheraboutthemagicmedicine.Whilehewas
doingthis,thebigbrownhensatdowninthemiddleoftheyardandwentcluck-duck-cluck…cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck.Everyonestaredatit.
Whenitstoodupagain,therewasabrownegglyingthere.Theeggwasthesizeofafootball.
‘Thateggwouldmakescrambledeggsfor twentypeople!’MrsKrankysaid.‘George!’Mr Kranky shouted. ‘Howmuch of this medicine have you
got?’‘Lots,’George said. ‘There’s a big saucepanful in the kitchen, and this
bottlehere’snearlyfull.’‘Comewithme!’MrKrankyyelled,grabbingGeorgebythearm.‘Bring
the medicine! For years and years I’ve been trying to breed bigger andbigger animals.Bigger bulls for beef.Bigger pigs for pork.Bigger sheepformutton…’Theywenttothepigstyfirst.Georgegaveaspoonfulofmedicinetothepig.Thepigblewsmokefromitsnoseandjumpedaboutallovertheplace.
Thenitgrewandgrew.
Intheend,itlookedlikethis…
TheywenttotheherdoffineblackbullocksthatMrKrankywastryingtofattenforthemarket.Georgegaveeachofthemsomemedicine,andthisiswhathappened…
Thenthesheep…
Hegavesometohisgreypony,JackFrost…
Andfinally,justforfun,hegavesometoAlma,thenanny-goat…
ACraneforGrandma
Grandma,fromhighupontherooftop,couldseeeverythingthatwasgoingonandshedidn’t likewhatshesaw.Shewanted tobe thecentreofattentionandnobody was taking the slightest notice of her. George and Mr Kranky wererunningroundandgettingexcitedabouttheenormousanimals.MrsKrankywaswashingupinthekitchen,andGrandmawasallaloneontherooftop.
‘Heyyou!’sheyelled.‘George!Getmeacupofteathisminute,youidlelittlebeast!’‘Don’tlistentotheoldgoat,’MrKrankysaid.‘She’sstuckwheresheisandagoodthing,too.’‘Butwecan’tleaveherupthere,Dad,’Georgesaid.‘Whatifitrains?’‘George!’Grandmayelled. ‘Oh,youhorrible little boy!Youdisgusting
littleworm!Fetchmeacupofteaatonceandasliceofcurrantcake!’‘We’llhavetogetherout,Dad,’Georgesaid.‘Shewon’tgiveusanypeaceifwedon’t.’MrsKrankycameoutsideand sheagreedwithGeorge. ‘She’smyown
mother,’shesaid.‘She’sapainintheneck,’MrKrankysaid.
‘Idon’tcare,’MrsKrankysaid.‘I’mnotleavingmyownmotherstickingupthroughtherooffortherestofherlife.’So in the end, Mr Kranky telephoned the Crane Company and asked
themtosendtheirbiggestcraneouttothehouseatonce.The crane arrivedonehour later. Itwasonwheels and therewere two
meninsideit.ThecranemenclimbedupontotheroofandputropesunderGrandma’sarms.Thenshewasliftedrightupthroughtheroof…
Inaway,themedicinehaddoneGrandmagood.Ithadnotmadeheranylessgrumpyorbad-tempered,butitseemedtohavecuredallherachesandpains,andshewassuddenlyasfriskyasaferret.Assoonasthecranehadloweredhertotheground,sheranovertoGeorge’shugepony,JackFrost,andjumpedontohisback.Thisancientoldhag,whowasnowastallasahouse, then galloped about the farm on the gigantic pony, jumping overtreesandshedsandshouting,‘Outofmyway!Clearthedecks!Standback,all you miserable midgets or I’ll trample you to death!’ and other sillythingslikethat.ButbecauseGrandmawasnowmuchtootalltogetbackintothehouse,
shehadtosleepthatnightinthehay-barnwiththemiceandtherats.
MrKranky’sGreatIdea
The next day, George’s father came down to breakfast in a state of greaterexcitementthanever.‘I’vebeenawakeallnightthinkingaboutit!’hecried.
‘Aboutwhat,Dad?’Georgeaskedhim.‘About your marvellous medicine, of course! We can’t stop now, my
boy!Wemuststartmakingmoreofitatonce!Moreandmoreandmore!’Thegiantsaucepanhadbeencompletelyemptiedthedaybeforebecause
therehadbeensomanysheepandpigsandcowsandbullockstobedosed.‘Butwhy dowe needmore,Dad?’George asked. ‘We’ve done all our
own animals and we’ve made Grandma feel as frisky as a ferret eventhoughshedoeshavetosleepinthebarn.’‘Mydearboy’criedMrKillyKranky,‘weneedbarrelsandbarrelsofit!
Tonsandtons!Thenwewillsellittoeveryfarmerintheworldsothatallof them can have giant animals! We will build a Marvellous MedicineFactoryandsellthestuffinbottlesatfivepoundsatime.Wewillbecomerichandyouwillbecomefamous!’‘Butwaitaminute,Dad,’Georgesaid.‘There’snowaiting!’criedMrKranky,workinghimselfupsomuchthat
he put butter in his coffee andmilk on his toast. ‘Don’t you understandwhat this tremendous invention of yours is going to do to the world!Nobodywillevergohungryagain!’‘Whywon’tthey?’askedGeorge.‘Becauseonegiantcowwillgivefiftybucketsofmilkaday!’criedMr
Kranky, waving his arms. ‘One giant chicken will make a hundred friedchickendinners,andonegiantpigwillgiveyouathousandporkchops!It’stremendous,mydearboy!It’sfantastic!It’llchangetheworld.’‘Butwaitaminute,Dad,’Georgesaidagain.
‘Don’t keep sayingwait aminute!’ shoutedMrKranky. ‘There isn’t aminutetowait!Wemustgetcrackingatonce!’‘Do calm down,my dear,’MrsKranky said from the other end of the
table.‘Andstopputtingmarmaladeonyourcornflakes.’‘The heckwithmy cornflakes!’ criedMrKranky, leaping up from his
chair.‘Comeon,George!Let’sgetgoing!Andthefirstthingwe’lldoistomakeonemoresaucepanfulasatester.’‘ButDad,’saidlittleGeorge.‘Thetroubleis…’‘Therewon’tbeanytrouble,myboy!’criedMrKranky.‘Howcanthere
possiblybeanytrouble?Allyou’vegottodoisputthesamestuffintothesaucepanasyoudidyesterday.Andwhileyou’redoingit,I’llwritedowneachandeveryitem.That’showwe’llgetthemagicrecipe!’‘ButDad,’Georgesaid.‘Pleaselistentome.’‘Whydon’tyoulistentohim?’MrsKrankysaid.‘Theboy’stryingtotell
yousomething.’ButMrKrankywastooexcitedtolistentoanyoneexcepthimself.‘And
then,’hecried,‘whenthenewmixtureisready,we’lltestitoutonanoldhenjusttomakeabsolutelysurewe’vegotitright,andafterthatwe’llallshouthoorayandbuildthegiantfactory!’‘ButDad…’‘Comeonthen,whatisityouwanttosay?’‘I can’t possibly remember all the hundreds of things I put into the
saucepantomakethemedicine,’Georgesaid.‘Ofcourseyoucan,mydearboy,’criedMrKranky. ‘I’llhelpyou! I’ll
jogyourmemory!You’llgetitintheend,youseeifyoudon’t!Nowthen,whatwastheveryfirstthingyouputin?’‘Iwentuptothebathroomfirst,’Georgesaid.‘Iusedalotof thingsin
thebathroomandonMummy’sdressing-table.’‘Comeon,then!’criedMrKillyKranky.‘Upwegotothebathroom!’
Whentheygot there, theyfound,ofcourse,awhole lotofemptytubesandemptyaerosolsandemptybottles.‘That’sgreat,’saidMrKranky.‘Thattellsusexactlywhatyouused.Ifanythingisempty,itmeansyouusedit.’SoMrKrankystartedmakingalistofeverythingthatwasemptyinthe
bathroom. Then they went to Mrs Kranky’s dressing-table. ‘A box ofpowder,’ said Mr Kranky, writing it down. ‘Helga’s hairset. Flowers ofTurnipsperfume.Terrific.Thisisgoingtobeeasy.Wheredidyougonext?’‘To the laundry-room,’ George said. ‘But are you sure you haven’t
missedanythingoutuphere,Dad?’
‘That’suptoyou,myboy,’MrKrankysaid.‘HaveI?’‘Idon’t thinkso,’Georgesaid.Sodowntheywenttothelaundry-room
andonceagainMrKrankywrotedownthenamesofalltheemptybottlesandcans.‘Mygoodnessme,whatamassofstuffyouused!’hecried.‘Nowonderitdidmagicthings!Isthatthelot?’‘No, Dad, it’s not,’ George said, and he led his father out to the shed
wheretheanimalmedicineswerekeptandshowedhimthefivebigemptybottlesupontheshelf.MrKrankywrotedownalltheirnames.‘Anythingelse?’MrKrankyasked.LittleGeorgescratchedhisheadandthoughtandthoughtbuthecouldn’t
rememberhavingputanythingelsein.MrKillyKranky leapt into his car and drove down to the village and
bought newbottles and tubes and cans of everything on his list.He thenwenttothevetandgotafreshsupplyofall theanimalmedicinesGeorgehadused.‘Nowshowmehowyoudidit,George,’hesaid.‘Comealong.Showme
exactlyhowyoumixedthemalltogether.’
MarvellousMedicineNumberTwo
Theywere in thekitchennowand thebig saucepanwason the stove.All thethingsMrKrankyhadboughtwerelinedupnearthesink.
‘Comealong,myboy!’criedMrKillyKranky.‘Whichonedidyouputinfirst?’‘Thisone,’Georgesaid.‘GoldenGlossHairShampoo.’Heemptiedthe
bottleintothepan.‘Nowthetoothpaste,’Georgewenton…‘Andtheshavingsoap…andthe
facecream…andthenailvarnish…’‘Keepatit,myboy!’criedMrKranky,dancingroundthekitchen.‘Keep
puttingthemin!Don’tstop!Don’tpause!Don’thesitate!It’sapleasure,mydearfellow,towatchyouwork!’Onebyone,Georgepouredandsqueezed the things into the saucepan.
Witheverythingsocloseathand,thewholejobdidn’ttakehimmorethantenminutes.Butwhenitwasalldone,thesaucepandidn’tsomehowseemtobequiteasfullasithadbeenthefirsttime.‘Nowwhatdidyoudo?’criedMrKranky.‘Didyoustirit?’‘Iboiledit,’Georgesaid.‘Butnotforlong.AndIstirreditaswell.’So Mr Kranky lit the gas under the saucepan and George stirred the
mixture with the same long wooden spoon he had used before. ‘It’s notbrownenough,’Georgesaid.‘Waitaminute!IknowwhatI’veforgotten!’‘What?’ criedMrKranky. ‘Tellme, quick!Because ifwe’ve forgotten
evenonetinything,thenitwon’twork!Atleastnotinthesameway’‘Aquartofbrownglosspaint,’Georgesaid.‘That’swhatI’veforgotten.’MrKillyKrankyshotoutofthehouseandintohiscarlikearocket.He
speddown to thevillageandbought thepaintand rushedbackagain.HeopenedthecaninthekitchenandhandedittoGeorge.Georgepouredthepaintintothesaucepan.‘Ah-ha,that’sbetter,’Georgesaid.‘That’smoreliketherightcolour.’‘It’sboiling!’criedMrKranky.‘It’sboilingandbubbling,George!Is it
readyyet?’‘It’sready’Georgesaid.AtleastIhopeitis.’‘Right!’ shouted Mr Kranky, hopping about. ‘Let’s test it! Let’s give
sometoachicken!’‘Myheavensalive,whydon’tyoucalmdownabit?’MrsKrankysaid,
comingintothekitchen.‘Calmdown?’criedMrKranky.‘Youexpectmetocalmdownandhere
wearemixingupthegreatestmedicineeverdiscoveredinthehistoryoftheworld!Come along,George!Dip a cupful out of the saucepan and get aspoon and we’ll give some to a chicken just to make absolutely certainwe’vegotthecorrectmixture.’Outside in theyard, therewereseveralchickens thathadn’thadanyof
George’sMarvellousMedicineNumberOne.Theywerepeckingabout inthedirtinthatsillywaychickensdo.Georgecroucheddown,holdingoutaspoonfulofMarvellousMedicine
Number Two. ‘Come on, chicken,’ he said. ‘Good chicken. Chick-chick-chick.’
AwhitechickenwithblackspecksonitsfeatherslookedupatGeorge.Itwalkedovertothespoonandwentpeck.TheeffectthatMedicineNumberTwohadonthischickenwasnotquite
thesameastheeffectproducedbyMedicineNumberOne,butitwasveryinteresting.‘Whooosh!’shriekedthechickenanditshotsixfeetupintheairand came down again. Then sparks came flying out of its beak, brightyellow sparks of fire, as though someone was sharpening a knife on agrindstone inside its tummy.Then its legsbegan togrow longer. Itsbodystayedthesamesizebutthetwothinyellowlegsgotlongerandlongerandlonger…andlongerstill…‘What’shappeningtoit?’criedMrKillyKranky.‘Something’swrong,’Georgesaid.Thelegswentongrowingandthemoretheygrew,thehigherupintothe
airwent the chicken’s body.When the legswere about fifteen feet long,they stopped growing. The chicken looked perfectly absurdwith its longlonglegsanditsordinarylittlebodyperchedhighupontop.Itwaslikeachickenonstilts.
‘Ohmysaintedaunts!’criedMrKillyKranky.‘We’vegotitwrong!Thischicken’snogoodtoanybody!It’salllegs!Noonewantschickens’legs!’‘Imusthaveleftsomethingout,’Georgesaid.
‘I know you left something out!’ criedMrKranky. ‘Think, boy, think!Whatwasityouleftout?’‘I’vegotit!’saidGeorge.‘Whatwasit,quick?’‘Fleapowderfordogs,’Georgesaid.‘Youmeanyouputfleapowderinthefirstone?’‘Yes,Dad,Idid.Awholecartonofit.’‘Thenthat’stheanswer!’‘Wait aminute,’ saidGeorge. ‘Didwe have brown shoe-polish on our
list?’‘Wedidnot,’saidMrKranky.‘Iusedthat,too,’saidGeorge.
‘Well, no wonder it went wrong,’ said Mr Kranky. He was alreadyrunning to his car, and soon he was heading down to the village to buymorefleapowderandmoreshoe-polish.
MarvellousMedicineNumberThree
‘Hereitis!’criedMrKillyKranky,rushingintothekitchen.‘Onecartonoffleapowderfordogsandonetinofbrownshoe-polish!’
Georgepouredthefleapowderintothegiantsaucepan.Thenhescoopedtheshoe-polishoutofitstinandaddedthataswell.‘Stiritup,George!’shoutedMrKranky.‘Giveitanotherboil!We’vegot
itthistime!I’llbetwe’vegotit!’AfterMarvellousMedicineNumberThreehadbeenboiled and stirred,
Georgetookacupfulofitoutintotheyardtotryitonanotherchicken.MrKranky ran after him, flapping his arms and hopping with excitement.‘Comeandwatchthisone!’hecalledouttoMrsKranky.‘Comeandwatchusturninganordinarychickenintoalovelygreatbigonethatlayseggsaslargeasfootballs!’‘Ihopeyoudobetter than last time,’ saidMrsKranky, following them
out.‘Come on, chicken,’ said George, holding out a spoonful ofMedicine
NumberThree.‘Goodchicken.Chick-chick-chick-chick-chick.Havesomeofthislovelymedicine.’Amagnificent black cockerelwith a scarlet comb came stepping over.
Thecockerellookedatthespoonanditwentpeck.‘Cock-a-doodle-do!’squawkedthecockerel,shootingupintotheairand
comingdownagain.‘Watchhimnow!’criedMrKranky.‘Watchhimgrow!Anymomenthe’s
goingtostartgettingbiggerandbigger!’MrKillyKranky,MrsKrankyandlittleGeorgestoodintheyardstaring
at theblackcockerel.Thecockerelstoodquitestill. It lookedasthoughithadaheadache.
‘What’shappeningtoitsneck?’MrsKrankysaid.
‘It’sgettinglonger,’Georgesaid.‘I’llsayit’sgettinglonger,’MrsKrankysaid.MrKranky,foronce,saidnothing.‘Lasttimeitwasthelegs,’MrsKrankysaid.
‘Nowit’stheneck.Whowantsachickenwithalongneck?Youcan’teatachicken’sneck.’Itwas an extraordinary sight.The cockerel’s bodyhadn’t grownat all.
Buttheneckwasnowaboutsixfeetlong.
‘Allright,George,’MrKrankysaid.‘Whatelsehaveyouforgotten?’‘Idon’tknow,’Georgesaid.‘Oh yes you do,’ Mr Kranky said. ‘Come along, boy, think. There’s
probablyjustonevitalthingmissingandyou’vegottorememberit.’‘Iput insomeengineoil fromthegarage,’Georgesaid. ‘Didyouhave
thatonyourlist?’‘Eureka!’criedMrKranky. ‘That’s theanswer!Howmuchdidyouput
in?’‘Halfapint,’Georgesaid.MrKranky ran to the garage and found another half-pint of oil. ‘And
someantifreeze,’Georgecalledafterhim.‘Isloshedinabitofantifreeze.’
MarvellousMedicineNumberFour
Back in the kitchen once again, George, with Mr Kranky watching himanxiously, tipped half a pint of engine oil and some antifreeze into the giantsaucepan.
‘Boilitupagain!’criedMrKranky.‘Boilitandstirit!’Georgeboileditandstirredit.‘You’llnevergetitright,’saidMrsKranky.‘Don’tforgetyoudon’tjust
have to have the same things but you’ve got to have exactly the sameamountsofthosethings.Andhowcanyoupossiblydothat?’‘Youkeepoutofthis!’criedMrKranky.‘We’redoingfine!We’vegotit
thistime,youseeifwehaven’t!’ThiswasGeorge’sMarvellousMedicineNumberFour,andwhenithad
boiledforacoupleofminutes,Georgeonceagaincarriedacupfulofitoutintotheyard.MrKrankyranafterhim.MrsKrankyfollowedmoreslowly.‘You’regoing tohavesomemightyqueerchickensaroundhere ifyougoonlikethis,’shesaid.‘Dishitout,George!’criedMrKranky.‘Giveaspoonfultothatoneover
there!’Hepointedtoabrownhen.Georgekneltdownandheldoutthespoonwiththenewmedicineinit.
‘Chick-chick,’hesaid.‘Trysomeofthis.’Thebrownhenwalkedoverandlookedatthespoon.Thenitwentpeck.‘Owch!’itsaid.Thenafunnywhistlingnoisecameoutofitsbeak.‘Watchitgrow!’shoutedMrKranky.‘Don’tbetoosure,’saidMrsKranky.‘Whyisitwhistlinglikethat?’
‘Keepquiet,woman!’criedMrKranky.‘Giveitachance!’Theystoodtherestaringatthebrownhen.‘It’sgettingsmaller,’Georgesaid.‘Lookatit,Dad.It’sshrinking.’Andindeeditwas.Inlessthanaminute,thehenhadshrunksomuchit
wasnobiggerthananew-hatchedchick.Itlookedridiculous.
GoodbyeGrandma
‘There’sstillsomethingyou’veleftout,’MrKrankysaid.‘Ican’tthinkwhatitcouldbe,’Georgesaid.‘Giveitup,’MrsKrankysaid.‘Packitin.You’llnevergetitright.’MrKrankylookedveryforlorn.George looked pretty fed up, too.Hewas still kneeling on the ground
with thespooninonehandandthecupfullofmedicinein theother.Theridiculoustinybrownhenwaswalkingslowlyaway.Atthatpoint,Grandmacamestridingintotheyard.Fromherenormous
height, she glared down at the three people below her and she shouted,‘What’sgoingonaroundhere?Whyhasn’tanyonebroughtmemymorningcupof tea? It’s bad enoughhaving to sleep in the yardwith the rats andmicebutI’llbeblowedifI’mgoingtostarveaswell!Notea!Noeggsandbacon!Nobutteredtoast!’‘I’msorry,Mother,’MrsKrankysaid.‘We’vebeenterriblybusy.I’llget
yousomethingrightaway.’‘LetGeorgegetit,thelazylittlebrute!’Grandmashouted.
Just then, the old woman spotted the cup in George’s hand. She bentdownandpeeredintoit.Shesawthatitwasfullofbrownliquid.Itlookedverymuchliketea.‘Ho-ho!’shecried.‘Ha-ha!Sothat’syourlittlegame,isit!Youlookafteryourselfallright,don’tyou!Youmakequitesureyou’vegot a nice cupofmorning tea!Butyoudidn’t think tobringone toyourpooroldGrandma!Ialwaysknewyouwereaselfishpig!’‘No,Grandma,’Georgesaid.‘Thisisn’t…’‘Don’t lie tome, boy!’ the enormousoldhag shouted. ‘Pass it uphere
thisminute!’‘No!’criedMrsKranky.‘No,Mother,don’t!That’snotforyou!’‘Now you’re against me, too!’ shouted Grandma. ‘My own daughter
tryingtostopmehavingmybreakfast!Tryingtostarvemeout!’MrKrankylookedupatthehorridoldwomanandhesmiledsweetly.‘Of
course it’s foryou,Grandma,’hesaid. ‘You take itanddrink itwhile it’sniceandhot.’‘Don’tthinkIwon’t,’Grandmasaid,bendingdownfromhergreatheight
andreachingoutahugehornyhandforthecup.‘Handitover,George.’
‘No, no, Grandma!’ George cried out, pulling the cup away. ‘Youmustn’t!You’renottohaveit!’‘Giveittome,boy!’yelledGrandma.‘Don’t!’criedMrsKranky.‘That’sGeorge’sMarvellous…’
‘Everything’s George’s round here!’ shouted Grandma. ‘George’s this,George’sthat!I’mfed
upwithit!’ShesnatchedthecupoutoflittleGeorge’shandandcarriedithighupoutofreach.‘Drinkitup,Grandma,’MrKrankysaid,grinninghugely.‘Lovelytea.’‘No!’theothertwocried.‘No,no,no!’Butitwastoolate.Theancientbeanpolehadalreadyputthecuptoher
lips,andinonegulpsheswallowedeverythingthatwasinit.
‘Mother!’wailedMrsKranky.‘You’vejustdrunkfiftydosesofGeorge’sMarvellousMedicineNumberFourandlookwhatonetinyspoonfuldidtothatlittleoldbrownhen!’ButGrandmadidn’t evenhearher.Great cloudsof steamwerealready
pouringoutofhermouthandshewasbeginningtowhistle.‘Thisisgoingtobeinteresting,’MrKrankysaid,stillgrinning.‘Nowyou’vedoneit!’criedMrsKranky,glaringatherhusband.‘You’ve
cookedtheoldgirl’sgoose!’‘Ididn’tdoanything,’MrKrankysaid.‘Ohyesyoudid!Youtoldhertodrinkit!’Atremendoushissingsoundwascomingfromabovetheirheads.Steam
wasshootingoutofGrandma’smouthandnoseandearsandwhistlingasitcame.
‘She’llfeelbetteraftershe’sletoffabitofsteam,’MrKrankysaid.‘She’s going to blow up!’ Mrs Kranky wailed. ‘Her boiler’s going to
burst!’‘Standclear,’MrKrankysaid.Georgewasquitealarmed.Hestoodupandranbacka fewpaces.The
jetsofwhitesteamkeptsquirtingoutoftheskinnyoldhag’shead,andthewhistlingwassohighandshrillithurttheears.‘Callthefire-brigade!’criedMrsKranky.‘Callthepolice!Manthehose-
pipes!’‘Toolate,’saidMrKranky,lookingpleased.‘Grandma!’ shriekedMrsKranky. ‘Mother!Run to the drinking-trough
andputyourheadunderthewater!’But even as she spoke, the whistling suddenly stopped and the steam
disappeared.ThatwaswhenGrandmabegantogetsmaller.Shehadstartedoffwithherheadashighastheroofofthehouse,butnowshewascomingdownfast.
‘Watchthis,George!’MrKrankyshouted,hoppingaroundtheyardandflappinghisarms.
‘Watch what happens when someone’s had fifty spoonfuls instead ofone!’Verysoon,Grandmawasbacktonormalheight.‘Stop!’criedMrsKranky.‘That’sjustright.’Butshedidn’tstop.Smallerandsmallershegot…downanddownshe
went.Inanotherhalfminuteshewasnobiggerthanabottleoflemonade.
‘Howd’youfeel,Mother?’askedMrsKrankyanxiously.Grandma’stinyfacestillborethesamefoulandfuriousexpressionithad
alwayshad.Hereyes,nobiggernowthanlittlekeyholes,wereblazingwithanger.‘HowdoIfeel?’sheyelled.‘Howd’youthinkIfeel?Howwouldyoufeel if you’d been a glorious giant a minute ago and suddenly you’re amiserablemidget?’‘She’s still going!’ shouted Mr Kranky gleefully. ‘She’s still getting
smaller!’Andbygolly,shewas.
Whenshewasnobigger thanacigarette,MrsKrankymadeagrab forher. She held her in her hands and she cried, ‘Howdo I stop her gettingsmallerstill?’‘Youcan’t,’saidMrKranky.‘She’shadfiftytimestherightamount.’‘Imuststopher!’MrsKrankywailed.‘Icanhardlyseeherasitis!’‘Catchholdofeachendandpull,’MrKrankysaid.Bythen,Grandmawasthesizeofamatch-stickandstillshrinkingfast.
Amomentlater,shewasnobiggerthanapin…
Thenapumpkinseed…
Then…
Then…
‘Whereisshe?’criedMrsKranky.‘I’velosther!’‘Hooray,’saidMrKranky.‘She’sgone!She’sdisappearedcompletely!’criedMrsKranky.‘That’swhat happens to you if you’re grumpy andbad-tempered,’ said
MrKranky.‘Greatmedicineofyours,George.’Georgedidn’tknowwhattothink.For a fewminutes,Mrs Kranky kept wandering roundwith a puzzled
look on her face, saying, ‘Mother, where are you?Where’ve you gone?Where’ve you got to?How can I find you?’ But she calmed down quitequickly.Andbylunchtime,shewassaying,‘Ahwell,Isupposeit’sallforthebest,really.Shewasabitofanuisancearoundthehouse,wasn’tshe?’
‘Yes,’MrKrankysaid.‘Shemostcertainlywas.’George didn’t say a word. He felt quite trembly. He knew something
tremendoushadtakenplacethatmorning.Forafewbriefmomentshehadtouchedwiththeverytipsofhisfingerstheedgeofamagicworld.
TableofContentsCoverIntroductionTitlePageCopyrightPageContentsWarningtoreadersGeorge’sMarvellousMedicine
GrandmaTheMarvellousPlanGeorgeBeginstoMaketheMedicineAnimalPillsTheCook-upBrownPaintGrandmaGetstheMedicineTheBrownHenThePig,theBullocks,theSheep,thePonyandtheNanny-goatACraneforGrandmaMrKranky’sGreatIdeaMarvellousMedicineNumberTwoMarvellousMedicineNumberThreeMarvellousMedicineNumberFourGoodbyeGrandma