Chapter 3
Gently, the wizard prised open the lid…from the box came a loud grumbling, the ground began to shake and in the distance, beyond the ocean, the sky lit up in an array of colours, sparkling and shimmering merrily. Inside lay a key.
Leagues away, in the deep, dark wood, the witch gasped in shock. She dropped her cooking bowl to the floor where it smashed noisily into tiny pieces. She breathed heavily for a moment; resting against a stained, gnarled table before gathering her spell book up from a shelf and leafing through it…she mumbled and grumbled, threw an assortment of relics into the fire and conjured up criminal masterminds….three little pigs. The largest pig coughed and spluttered, mopping his brow with a checked handkerchief before grunting,
“You called Madam? How may we help?”
The witch croaked in a whisper,
“The key has been compromised, someone
has opened the chest!”
“And what do you wish us to do about
that?” replied the boss pig.
“You owe me, pigs! I gave you the secret
needed to keep you safe from that big,
bad wolf! You promised me a good deed in
return for that knowledge, now is the
time, you are masterminds of criminology
and I need you to use your connections
to get this key back for me!”
The pigs looked at each other and nodded in agreement.
“We will do this for you witch, then our debt to you will be paid and we shall be free. Now, use your powers to tell us who has taken the key and we will be on our way…”
Meanwhile, beyond the ocean, the wizard and the superhero baby contemplated what to do next.
The wizard spoke first,
“The skies have lit up eastwards, I think that means we should follow the light, surely it means that we will find the lock to which this key belongs.”
The baby replied in a tiny voice,
“How will we get over the water? It is too far for a baby to fly, even a superhero one like me, and you, you’re not supposed to use magic beyond this realm! You cannot fly your broomstick beyond this land’s end”
The wizard fell silent…after several moments he jumped up and excitedly shouted,
“My friend the giant! He can carry us across!”
The wizard removed his wand from his pocket and flourished it wildly, singing a spell as he did so. Within seconds, a huge giant lumbered into view, waving happily at them and grinning goofily. The wizard greeted his friend with a bow before saying to him,
“My friend, would you do us the greatest
honour of carrying us across the ocean in
your pocket to the faraway land to the
East?”
The giant was a friendly giant, he was at
his most content helping those in need,
indeed, he hardly held any possessions of
his own, such was his delight in giving
to others. The giant bent down and gently
and scooped the wizard and baby up,
placing them in a pocket that was filled
with giant humbugs and wine gums. He then
turned to the East and strode into the
water…
