Medicine
Jane let out a horrified gasp as she watched the medicine pool into Mary Poppin's metal spoon. She didn't want any, even though she had taken some before. And to her surprise, it hadn't tasted anything like medicine. Beside her, Michael groaned.
"Mary Poppins, do we have to?"
"I suppose you want to live with the measles forever," she remarked. "You will have to join a leper colony."
"Isn't there a measles colony?" he asked innocently.
"No, everyone who has measles takes their medicine."
Jane's satisfied hum interrupted their conversation, pleased to find that this mouthful tasted like dandelion and burdock. Michael's tasted like custard and cream. As for John and Barbara, they had banana and mango, respectively.
Mary Poppins had a spoon, even as she wasn't ill, for there was nothing worse than catching the measles. Like all previous medicine, hers tasted of rum punch and she emitted a sharp hiccup afterward.
"Consider yourselves lucky," she said snootily, "If you have reason to complain of my methods, you should try Nurse Matilda's medicine. That will give you a nasty shock."
"Nurse Matilda?" Michael repeated, letting her tuck him into bed.
"Yes, though I believe she goes by Nanny McPhee nowadays. More contemporary, she says." Mary Poppins didn't seem to agree, releasing a disbelieving humph as she tucked in the twins.
"Mamee?" Barbara frowned.
"That's what I said." Mary Poppins turned the bedroom light off, satisfied to see they were all in bed and resting, especially in their condition. "Goodnight, children."
They mumbled their goodnights and she left without another word. A minute later, Michael spoke out in the dark.
"Are all nannies witches? It seems like they all need to be kept an eye on; they can be quite tricky, you know."
"Oh hush, Michael." Jane was already half-asleep and she couldn't have cared less about Nanny McPhee and her distasteful medicine. She was simply happy they had Mary Poppins. Perhaps the trickiest of them all, yet Jane loved her anyway.