Monday 30 March 2015

Abracadabra!



Bob was a wizard.  He lived in a tower which you could only reach by crossing the swampy forest.  It made getting the groceries a little inconvenient, but he never lacked for leeches or toads for his spells.  Now and then he would get visitors - Knights asking for magic swords, Peasants asking for potions, and sometimes even Kings asking for counsel.  Most of the time what he gave them was common sense advice instead, but as long as he made some sparks puff from the end of his staff and his voice boom, they would go away happy.  Some of them even took the advice, too.
One day he was sitting in his tower when there was a thump thump thump at the door.  He glanced out of the window to see who his guest was (it always impressed if he could greet them by name) but he could only see a little girl.
A peasant come for a potion, no doubt, he thought.  He scanned his shelf of ready made concoctions - mostly healing potions - and satisfied he probably had what she wanted, swept on his starry robe, grabbed his staff and made his way down the spirally stairs.
He swung the door open dramatically and in his deep grand voice said:
"Welcome little girl!  I am Robert the Remarkable!  Keeper of the tower and magical secrets!  For what do you seek me out today?"
The girl stared up at him, her eyes as big a saucers, a wooden walking stick clutched to her chest.  For a moment Bob thought that maybe he'd overdone his greeting and frightened her into silence - she was very small.  But no, suddenly her face lit up into the biggest grin he had ever seen.
"Wow that was great!" she bounced up and down, then her face went serious again and she cleared her throat.  When next she spoke, she was attempting to put on a deep booming voice.  "My name is Emily the Extraordinary!  I have come to be your apprentice!"
"You what?" Bob said, forgetting to make his voice deep or booming.
"I brought my own staff and everything!"  She held up the walking stick proudly.
"Oh.  Um, well aren't you a little young to be a wizard's apprentice?" he asked gently.
"No.  My Mum said I could."
"Where's your Mum now?"  He looked around, expecting to see a woman on the path from the forest - perhaps the girl had ran ahead.
"At home," she replied.
"You walked through the swampy forest yourself?  Don't you know that's dangerous?!" Bob was amazed that she hadn't gotten eaten by a crocodile - or worse.
"It's ok, I already know a spell."  She grinned proudly.  "I used it if I met anyone, to protect myself, just like Mum said."
"Really?"  Bob was impressed, despite knowing he ought to take her straight back home.  "Which spell?"
He wasn't ready for it, else maybe he could have stopped her.  He was expecting her to create some kind of shield, or a smoke screen or something.
"FROGGUS CROAKUS!" the girl yelled, pointing her walking stick at him.
"Noo-ibbit!" Bob shouted.  She turned me into a frog!  "Ribbit!  Turn me back!"
"Oh," Emily looked down at him.  "I don't know that one."
As soon as she'd finished speaking a dozen frogs hopped out of the forest, along the path to the tower, to his front door.
"There she is!" one of them croaked.  "Turn us back!  Or we'll tell the wizard that lives here what you've done!"
Well, thought Bob, this is going to be embarrassing when they realise who I am.

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