Open day at the Witches' Home 7/10

“Hello you two, I see you’ve brought a friend with you today. I haven’t met you before have I? My name’s Tasmin, what should I call you?”

“This lady is a witch from Jennifer Jane’s world, her name’s Eve and she’s here visiting the Gate on their open day. We’re showing her a bit of this world and we’ll be going up to Arthur’s place in a moment or two.”

“Pleased to meet you Eve,” said Tasmin, “if you’re a friend of Jennifer Jane’s, then you may have seen my son Cyril around in your world. He lives there most of the time with his aunty Megan, in a place called Wales. There’s lots of coal there lying around on the ground apparently. He says it’s a smashing place, but of course Tornak and I aren’t allowed to visit, so he has to come back here to see his mum. Megan’s just had a new baby called Angharad.”

“Er, I’ve never seen any dragons at all before,” said Eve rather faintly.

“Well I suppose that’s possible,” replied Tasmin, “there aren’t very many about in your world, so Jennifer Jane tells me. There’s Megan in Wales of course, Clarence her husband and apart from Cyril, there’s only one other who lives in a place called Scotland. If you ever go there and see him his name is Fred. Give him all our regards and best wishes will you? If you ever meet him.”

“I’m afraid Scotland and Wales are a long way away from where I live.”

“Well Jennifer Jane seems to get there quite often,” replied Tasmin, “but then she has access to the cloud transport system, you want to have a word about it with her next time you see her, its quite quick apparently!”

At that moment a regular thudding sound could be heard approaching the cave and as Eve looked round, a very strange sight met her eyes.

A large wooden box with about twenty people sitting comfortably inside was passing the cave entrance fifteen feet off the ground. There was no visible means of support, although she had a feeling, however unlikely, that some one very large was carrying it by a handle above the passengers’ heads.

“That reminds me,” said Esme. Come along now, we’ve still got to go and see Arthur.” She took Eve’s hand and dragged her back to the broom. “Tasmin doesn’t half rattle on once she gets going,” she said, when they were airborne again and out of earshot from the dragon.

By this time Eve’s head was spinning with all the unbelievable sights she’d seen. After flying brooms and talking dragons, it might be a bit of a relief meeting someone normal like this Arthur chap, whoever he might be.

The brooms flew higher and higher, until at last they were able to look over the tops of the trees. On the top of a hill not too far away was a very large castle.

“That castle looks as if it’s even bigger than the one we’ve just left,” shouted Eve in Esme’s ear.

“Ho yers,” came the reply from the broom alongside her.

“That’s where Arthur lives,” said Esme “won’t be long now!”

Both brooms began a shallow descent and the castle rapidly got nearer. To Eve’s surprise, she recognised the box that she’d last seen passing Tasmin’s cave, resting on the ground just outside the castle door.

It seemed absolutely tiny against the castle wall and yet she was sure she seen at least ten or twenty people sitting inside it.