It had been over two weeks now and there was little sign of improvement in little Jenni's bronchitus. She had tried everything to get better and had even skipped school for a week to stay in bed, even the time honoured glass of water and spoon beside the bed wasn't working it's usual magic. Jenni was in despair, then she was in that pair, in fact she had tried on so many pairs she didn't know which pair to wear!

"What to do? (wheeze, cough) what to do? (cough, wheeze), what to do?" thought Jenni (she always liked to think in triplicate) as she spluttered away under the infusion blanket, odours of Wintergreen and Vicks escaping from underneath. "I simply cannot go on like this, I've not been to school for a week and I'm missing my favourite teachers..... Mandy darling? what are we going to do?"
Mandy was Jenni's new friend. A pretty bisque dolly with lucious eyes and a pretty green dress with lashings of dainty lace and flowers. Her little locks framing her concerned face, for she loved her new home and Jenni, sitting on the desk as Jenni thumped away on a borrowed keyboard. "Why don't you search for a magic doctor on that computer thingy of yours?" squeaked Mandy. This rather took Jenni by surpise since the lady in the shop said nothing of Mandy's ability to speak.
"What was that? I must be hearing things in my delerium...." enquired Jenni.
"I said, why don't you search for a magic doctor on that computer thingy of yours?"

"Hmmmmmmm. Thought so, thought so, thought so," thought Jenni - (three times of course).
Without further ado, and with more than a little concern that she was taking the advice of someone little more than twelve inches tall with a hollow head, but nonetheless things were so desperate now she was happy to try anything, she started up her coal burning computer.
With a hiss of steam the computer started up. "Ok, Mr computer, let us go and search for "doctor+magic". Mr computer wizzed off around the world and in no time at all, FLASH! "Search results for doctor+magic"
"Golly Dolly, that was quick.." remarked Mandy. Jenni ignored this statement of the obvious and gave Mandy the quick one- eyebrow-knitting trick that she had learned from Mrs Patel.
"Back to the search" muttered Jenni when her eyebrow got cramp..("ouch!")
Looking through the list she saw - Doctor Doolittle - works his magic with the animals "Hmmm, if I was a parrot that would be fine, what else..." Magic Doctor - Dr. Solomons magic virus checker.... "boring, boring, boring... 'ello, 'ello, 'ello, look Mandy, what's this????"
Mandy came around to the front of the computer and they both sat in excited silence as they read, MagicWitchdoctor - Let me work my magic on you - personalised cures for common diseases. House calls a speciality - mail the Witchdoctor with your symptoms and I will design a programme just for you...
"Wowsers!" exclaimed Jenni
"Golly Dolly!" exclaimed Mandy - who grew up in a house where they all talked rather strange, some language called "posh" - apparently.
"What are you waiting for?" said the keyboard ("this is getting a bit silly" thought Jenni "silly, silly, silly")
Our intrepid adventurer Jenni, now completely believing everything she reads turned to the rest of the furniture in the room....
"I want you all to know that I am going to call this unusual Doctor, so if you have any other remarks to offer can you do so now?" The sofa just sat there looking at her in bewilderment, the armchair just shrugged its arms and the lightbulb morsed "Sorry, I've no idea".
"FINE!" huffed Jenni and made a big deal of folding her arms. The momentary sulk over with she returned to the computer, went to the diagnosis page and followed the instructions.

Type your name here:

Jenni typed in her name.

Type your name here:

Do you believe in magic?

Jenni sucked on her pencil, then hedging her bets she typed in her answer.

Do you believe in magic?

Yes or no?

"Hrmph! Ok."

Yes or no?

Where does it hurt?

"Where does it hurt? what a stupid question!" Jenni turned to the furniture in the room who were all shaking their cushions and appendages in mock incredulity "some help you lot are!"

Where does it hurt?

"ok, ok, ok! ..."

Where does it hurt?

With that the computer screen started to turn into a twister, throwing up all the characters into a whirlwind of nonsense before exploding into pieces. "aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhh! what's happened?!!!!!!"
"Nuffing happen Jenni girly" the deep voice had come from behind her. Jenni jumped so high in her chair she jumped right out of her pink nightie, did a somersault and landed with a THUMP! right on her backside. Jenni carefully stood up as her jaw was dropping nearer and nearer to the floor. She was dumbfounded - there was this enormous man standing in the middle of the room! He was at least 7 feet tall Jenni quickly estimated and the colour of rich ebony. His solid statuesque body was decorated from head to toe with tribal jewelry (Jenni thought the bone necklace very fetching), with bells on his ankles and bracelets all the way up his arms. He delivered a very awesome presence to the room which reminded Jenni of some dreams she'd once had.

"BOW TO THE WITCHY DOCTOR!!!" boomed the voice of the witchdoctor.
"Oh my goodness, oh yes, of course Mister Witchdoctor, how thoughtless of me" as she smoothly curtseyed.
"Now girly, you very ill likkle girly?"
"Why, wow, wow, wow, yes of course Mister Witchdoctor, I have gotten bronchitus again and again and again."
"We make likkle girly better because poorly girly cannot go to schooly, yes?"
"Oh yes Mister Doctor. You are so wise - I am humbled by your infinite wisdom and negligible circular cross section."
"You talk funny likkle girly"
"Thank you Mister Doctor dude..... funny ha ha Mister Doctor or funny peculiar???"
"Hmm? ok never mind. Now, you have bad chesty yes?"
"Yes Mister Doctor, I have baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad chesty"
"baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaadd chesty?"
"Yes Mister Doctor, cos I am baaaaaaaaaaaaaaad likkle girly"
"Ok, yes, I see, you is slave to illness, me is Magic Witchdoctor and looky, me got new stethescope thingey, you like my new stethescope thingey likkle Jenni?"
"Oooooh, yes Mister Doctor," said Jenni with real sincerity "I think Your stethescope thingey is blooooootiful Mister Doctor."
"Now, Jenni if you want to get better you must do as I say, yes?"
"b-b-b-but of course Mister Doctor" (don't ask me silly man - tell me! thought Jenni -but only once this time because she didn't want to get caught calling this giant "silly")
"Me learny new ritual dance - you dance likkle Jenni?"
"Well, not as a rule, but of course I'll dance for you if that's what you bid of me Mister Doctor Sir...."
"Very good girly. Now you know the conga? doo doo doo doo doo doot do, doo doo doo doo doo doot do.."
"...yes Mister Doctor - you is good dancer Mister Doctor"
"Thank you. Me learny lots of dancey types - looky me can do tap, clippidy clip, clippidity clip, rararara" his arms doing a swimming motion, the bells on his ankles jingling away as though he were Christmas itself...
"Bravo! Braaaavo, Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaavoooooooooooooo!" Jenni was clapping excitedly for she had never seen such a sight in all of her life (she thought that probably neither had anyone else in the world). The Witchdoctor was clearly enjoying himself as much as Jenni was.
"Oh, 'tis good to have an audience, no one ever wants me to dance......"
"But I do! I think you are really good - do you know any more?"
"What Jenni? yes of course. Looky I do the sand dance...." daa da daa da da, daa da dada dada daaa..." and the Macaroni.... "Heeeeeeeey Macaroni!!!"
"*APPLAUSE APPLAUSE APPLAUSE*"

"Now, we must get to work on baaaaaaaaaaaad chesty. Me know just the dance for this...." With much rummaging and muttering what Jenni thought must be magic words but were really tribal obscenities.....the Witchdoctor with all the ham he could muster produced from his straw gladstone bag............. "Ta Daaaaaaaaah!" ........ a straw brassiere with enormous double D cups..... more muttering..... muttermuttermutter.... more rummaging......... rummagerummagerummage.. ..........
"Wowsers!" Jenni couldn't help exclaiming - "this is getting better all the time!"
"Hahahahahahahahaha -hooooooooooooop!" the doctor was laughing like a maniac causing Jenni to look just a little bit surprised..... (oh well, oh well, oh well) thought Jenni - I wonder what's next? and before she could think this another two times..................."Ta Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"..........a tiger skin leotard!...............
"You wear leotard for me Jenni? oh, no, second thoughts me think you look silly in leotard.....better you wear Jimmy Slip and Mary Janeys, yes?"
"I do think that would be best" replied Jenni, just about managing to conceal the relief in her voice.
The Doctor was busy stuffing his gargantuan DD cups with goat's bladder while Jenni was slipping the gymslip over her head and deftly fastening her Mary Jane buckles she presented herself the picture of schoolgirlyness to the Witchdoctor.
"Oooh, girly, you looky nicey in Jimmy Slip. Now you help me fasten this tutu yes?"
Jenni helped the good Doctor with the bamboo clasp and fluffed all the pretty layers of straw until they were sticking out so wide the poor doctor couldn't place his arms by side. The Doctor was obviously quite pleased with his new outfit as he skipped around the room pirouetting here and there, then to the kitchen where he stuck one leg high on top of the cooker and demonstrated his ballerina prowess. Jenni sheepishly followed him throughout the rest of the house until he returned to the living room and with perfect execution performed a glory curtsey to every one in the room - including the furniture.
"Ok Jenni girly, now we start the treatment yes?"
"Y-y-yes Mister Doctor, what shall I do?"
"You come stand behind me and grab me by the waist and squeeeeeeeze real tight baaaby, ooh yes - you is good patient, real goood!"

Jenni was beginning to wonder exactly where this was going.......... I mean, whatever next! But dutiful and obedient Jenni kept her thoughts silent (and singular) and wait for further instructions.
"Remember Conga dance?" enquired the Doctor.
"Yes of course Mister Doctor."
"Ok, you have bells on ankle too?"
"Huh? aaaaaaah.... bells on me ankles. Okeydokey Mister Doctor." Jenni swiftly buckled an enormous cowbell onto each ankle.
"Good girly."

"Now, we start after three - I lead yes?" and with a biddy biddy biddy 1, 2, 3, they were off!...."a-shumba shumba shumba, a shumba shumba shumba, a-ja ja ja (hey!), a-ja ja ja (hey!)......"you get the idea now Jenni girly?"
"Giggle giggle giggle yes, giggle, Mister Doctor"
"Is Goooooooooooood fun yes? come on we go for big time now, yes?"
Well, all night long Jenni and the Doctor Shumba'd up and down the street, down the lanes, kicking their jingly legs out every third step until they were really very good at it. They were enjoying themselves so much they even found themselves right in the center of town with quite a bemused audience of old aged pensioners.
"Isn't it that nice little girl who lives at number 4 dear? she seems to be wearing her school uniform and doing some party dance with a very big Zulu type. I wonder if you shouldn't consider calling him about your groin strain dear?"

Jenni's bronchitus did get miraculously better after that eventful night and the Witchdoctor was so pleased to find an appreciative audience for his dancing that he gave Jenni a tiger tooth necklace just like his own and took her everywhere to help him do his house calls. Jenni had never been so happy before