The pirate cannon 5/7
By Geoffrey
- 557 reads
Jennifer Jane flew into the giant's room and landed on top of the nearest table.
"First things first," she said, "I'll make you a giant sized chocolate swiss roll and then we can discuss how to get you regular meals in the future."
The giant fetched a plate and Jennifer Jane magicked up a huge swiss roll. Abigail had taught her how to make them in different sizes and she produced the largest one she was able. Then she started to outline her ideas while the giant was eating.
"I think you'll have to put up a shelf round any of the rooms that you want the public to visit, with a rail round the edge. Have ladders at each end and then people can walk round and see your lovely furniture from the right height. I'll ask the witches to provide a magic box where you can keep all the food they bring you and which will make the food the right size for you when you take it out."
The giant had just started to mumble his thanks through a mouthful of chocolate swiss roll, when Jennifer Jane heard knocking coming from under the floor. As she looked round one of the paving slabs started to open rather like a trap door and a pair of eyes looked out through the gap.
"Oh drat, visitors," said a voice from under the slab and it closed with a thud.
Jennifer Jane looked at the giant.
He cleared his throat, "Dwarf," he said, "they like to live inside mountains and prefer to be under giants' castles or dragons' caves for protection."
Just then the floor slab rose again and this time it stayed open. A bearded little man with a normal sized head climbed up a ladder to floor level and came out into the room. He was wearing a belted leather jerkin, baggy trousers with high leather boots and a stocking cap with a bobble on the end. Jennifer Jane was very careful not to smile in case she upset him but he looked exactly like one of the dwarfs in the film 'Snow White'.
The giant explained how his visitor was going to help him get some ordinary food by opening the castle to the public.
"Good idea," said the dwarf, "I wondered what all the chat was about. Now I suppose the young lady would like to come and see what we do under your mountain?"
"Yes please," said Jennifer Jane. She felt perfectly safe, partly because the dwarf looked nice and partly because of her protective spell.
The dwarf led the way down the ladder and closed the slab above him. Jennifer Jane found herself standing in a small room lit by rather smelly oil lamps.
"My name's Fundin," said the dwarf, "what shall I call you?"
"My name's Jennifer Jane "
"Are you the one who killed Lurgin and...?"
"That's right," she interrupted, "I'm sorry but everyone I meet asks that question."
The dwarf shouted down the corridor leading from the small room. "It's O.K. boys, it's the human apprentice witch called Jennifer Jane."
He took off his hat, undid his jerkin and removed his beard, grinning at Jennifer Jane's astonished expression. "We only wear this stuff for the ordinary public on the rare occasions we meet them, they seem to expect it."
He was putting on a well-worn leather apron as he spoke, then he walked over to the wall and switched on an electric light.
"People seem to think we still live in the middle ages," he said as he blew out the oil lamps, "I suppose in this world the peasants still do, but we've had to make progress otherwise work gets so boring."
He walked off down the now brightly lit corridor and took Jennifer Jane into a well equipped workshop. She was quite impressed. Dad had taken her where he worked once or twice and had shown her the machine shop and the sort of things his company made. This workshop was at least as well fitted out.
"Make practically anything you like in here," said Fundin proudly, "providing the witches' will allow it's use in this world. We do make some things for the Witches' Home which aren't really allowed but as the other side is connected to your world it doesn't really matter."
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