The making of a sailor 8/10

But the next morning there was a thick fog over the river.

"Can't set sail in this weather, we wouldn't be able to tell when we'd reached the magic fog and then we'd not be able to get home."

Fern was quite pleased to be able to stay a bit longer. That evening all the sailors went to the George and Dragons for their usual drink and singsong.

"No singing tonight," said the landlord who was busy setting out rows of chairs. "Sir George has come back and is going to tell us stories about his travels. He's even given me his old suit of armour and I'm going to put it on a stand in the doorway as a relic of his knightly adventures.”

"Jolly good thing too," said a muffled voice from just outside the door, "carrying that lot and him, always made my back ache."

Fern looked outside. There was nobody there except for a horse eating oats from a nosebag. She looked round the village green but couldn't see any one and then looked again at the horse. The horse looked back at her over the rim of his nosebag and continued munching his oats.

"I could have sworn I could hear someone talking," said Fern and turned to go back inside."

"Me," said the voice.

Fern looked at the horse again.

"That's right," said the horse, "you're a fairy so you can understand me. Old George can now as well, since that apprentice witch wished he could. Bit of a nuisance really 'cos I have to be more careful what I say."

"Is that the same apprentice witch who got rid of Lurgin and made Tornak the Terrible eat coal instead of people?"

"I expect so," said the horse, "her name's Jennifer Jane and she seems to get everywhere round these parts and in the other world. Regular little busy body she is, but she seems quite a nice kid even so."

Fern left the horse to his meal and went inside to get a good seat for the story telling. At last the great moment arrived and everyone applauded as the landlord introduced 'the famous knight and adventurer Sir George, who will entertain us with some tales of his recent travels'.