Selby Sorcerer by Duncan Ball

you will have to pay me a hundred million dollars!’
    ‘I am terribly sorry,’ Dr Trifle said. ‘Is there another painting that needs cleaning? An old one?’
    Dr Trifle and the director went around a corner and started looking through a rack of old paintings. The restorer followed.
    ‘You don’t know what you’re doing!’ the man yelled. ‘You are crazy — both of you!’
    ‘And while no one’s looking,’ Selby thought, as he climbed up on a stool to get a better look at the
Smiling Lady,
‘I think I might just have a closer look at the most famous and valuable painting in the world. Hmmm. She looks okay but I think I like her poster better.’
    Selby swayed from side to side over the painting.
    ‘What’s going on hereher eyes aren’t following me. I guess she does need a bit of a clean.’
    Selby was about to hop down from the stool but decided to have one more sway to see if the
Smiling Lady’s
eyes moved. He swayed way over to one side and then back to the other. All of which would have been okay if he hadn’t lost his balance.
    ‘Oh, no! I’m falling. I’m about to land smack dab on
the Smiling Lady!’
    Selby’s front legs whirled around and around like a windmill as he tried to miss the painting. And they whirled so fast that he
did
miss her. What he didn’t manage to miss was the GO button on the machine. And as Selby went crashing to the floor the painting suddenly disappeared into the machine.

    ‘Hey! What’s happening!’ the director cried. ‘Who turned that on?’
    By the time the three men got to the PCM, the painting was just coming out the other end.
    ‘It’s — it’s blank!’ the director gasped. ‘There’s nothing there! The paint is all gone! This is a tragedy!’
    ‘Nya nya, I told you so,’ the restorer sang. ‘You didn’t listen to me. Now you’re going to be in big big trouble. You’re both going to jail.’
    ‘It wasn’t supposed to do that,’ Dr Trifle said. ‘How could it have happened?’
    ‘What have I done?’ Selby wailed silently in his head. ‘I can’t believe this.’
    ‘We’re ruined!’ the director said, staring at the blank painting. ‘The painting can never be replaced. The government will have to pay billions of dollars for this mistake,’ he sobbed. ‘And I could lose my job.’
    ‘And it’s all my fault,’ Selby thought, fighting back tears. ‘I ruined the most famous and valuable painting in the world. Her eyes will never ever follow anyone around the room again.’
    ‘Now you can get out of my laboratory — both of you!’ the restorer said. ‘And take that stupid dog with you!’
    ‘He’s right,’ Selby sniffed. ‘I am a stupid
(sniff)
dog. And now the only thing I can do is tell them exactly what
(sniff)
happened.’ Selby felt the tears collecting under his eyelids. ‘My secret doesn’t matter anymore. I can’t let Dr Trifle and the director take the blame for my mistake.’
    Selby was about to say, ‘Okay, guys, I confess. I did it — but I didn’t do it on purpose. And, yes, I’m a talking dog but that’s not what’simportant now. I just climbed up on a stool for a closer look and I fell off.’
    That’s what he
was going
to say but before the words came out of his mouth he suddenly looked over at the painting of the kitten with big eyes.
    ‘Hey, hang on,’ he thought. ‘There’s something different about that kitten’s eyes. When I move, they follow me around the room.’
    Selby got closer and saw a bit of liquid from the almost empty plastic water bottle running down the painting, taking the paint with it as it went. He dabbed it with his paw and then licked it.
    ‘It’s water all right,’ he thought. ‘This painting has been painted with poster paints. And, waitthere’s another painting underneath! And I think I recognise those eyes!’
    Selby looked around.
    ‘Quick! I need some water!’ he thought. ‘But there’s no water. Oh, no, I think I’ll have to
make
some …’
    ‘Selby! What