The oak tree falls 8/10

It took a week before Joan had another call from the police. She put on her wig and old blue trouser suit, before Lucy and the friendly policeman took her down to the docks where Fern was waiting.

“We’ve got a boat waiting for you,” said Fern. “Magic doesn’t work here so we’ve got to get to a transport fog and go to a world where magic does work, before Abigail can restore your memory, then you can meet your parents. If the policeman and Lucy want to come for the trip they’ll be quite welcome. We can bring them back here as soon as they want, once everything is sorted out.”

The boat turned out to be a small sailing boat with a tiny cabin at the front and an outboard engine working in a well at the back. A man and two women were the only crew and they looked very excited as Joan and Fern climbed on board.

Joan looked carefully at the ladies, but couldn’t remember if she knew anyone. Presumably one of them was her mother, while the man might have been her father, although she supposed he could just as well have been a sailor.

The man started the engine and the boat moved quite quickly out of the port into the open sea. Joan was a little worried at first, because her uncle had said she suffered from seasickness, but to her relief she felt perfectly all right. It took them about ten minutes before they ran into a small patch of fog lying on the water.

“Timber Creek please,” said Fern in a loud clear voice. The man stopped the engine running, while Fern and one of the women began hoisting the sails.

“We’re not allowed to use the engine in this world, explained the man, to a rather bewildered group of passengers. The boat came out of the fog and began sailing along a wide river towards some wooden buildings on the shore, where a pier jutted out into the water.

“Come along Abigail please do it now,” asked one of the women. The other lady smiled, looked at Joan and twiddled her fingers in a most peculiar gesture.