Sir George goes home part 4

The sailing season was over, holidays had finished and Jennifer Jane was back at school. Everything at home had settled into the normal routine.

Jennifer Jane's Mum was chatting to her next door neighbour over a cup of coffee. "My Dave always sharpens my kitchen knives for me, but no matter how careful he is they never seem to stay sharp for very long."

"A friend of mine in the next village had her knives sharpened by one of those travelling tinker fellows with a horse and cart and she says they've stayed like razors ever since."

"Well if he comes round here he can certainly have my trade."

The next day was a Saturday and at breakfast, Mary asked the family to keep an eye open for the tinker who was an expert knife sharpener. Jennifer Jane went outside to help her father polish the car and almost immediately ran back inside.

"Mum come quickly, I think the knife sharpening man is here."

A horse and cart was rumbling slowly along the road.

"Gitshawnives sharpenear," shouted the driver and people started running into the road with their knives and scissors, while some of the menfolk brought out garden shears and lawn mowers. Jennifer Jane went out with her Mother, there was something familiar about the horse and driver.

"Dead degrading this is," the horse was muttering, "me that's fought some of the most dangerous dragons around, looked up to by villagers everywhere and thanked personally by damsels in distress, and what thanks do I get? Pull this cart."

The horse snorted and shook his head. Then he suddenly spotted Jennifer Jane.

"Oh hello," he whinnied, "thank goodness it's you at last. Sir will be wanting a word with you."

George finished taking his orders. "They'll all be ready in about an hours time," he called.

"I'll stay and wait for ours to be finished," said Jennifer Jane.

"All right dear," said Mary "but be careful when you bring them back, they'll be very sharp and stay well away from that horse he's making rather a lot of noise and seems a bit restless."

When they were alone, George explained how he'd spent the last of Karg's treasure buying the cart and grindstone after he'd left the circus.

"It seems strange, but people in this world actually pay me to sharpen their knives. I've spent a fair part of my life sharpening knives and swords for nothing. Still that's all over now. Can you really get me back to my home?"

Jennifer Jane explained how to get to the wood and arranged to meet him in the clearing there after she'd had her dinner.

Mary was very pleased with her knives were returned.

"I don't know how he does it,” said Dave, "they're much sharper than I've ever managed. Perhaps it's because he's got a proper grindstone."

Early that afternoon Jennifer Jane met George in the clearing as she had promised. She had expected to see the horse but was rather surprised to see the cart as well.

"Bit tricky getting that in here," said George.

"Bit tricky!" snorted the horse, "If I'd listened to him we'd still be stuck between two trees halfway here. When it comes to real work he'd be lost without me."

Jennifer Jane explained that the first step back to George's home would be a trip to the Wish Warehouse and before the horse could make any comment about flying all three had arrived.

Lieutenant Moonshine came out of the front door to meet them.

"Sorry we had to leave the cart behind," she said, "I'm afraid we're not allowed to send artefacts from one world to the other."

"No matter," said George. "In sooth, I begin to wonder if a return to my own world is well advised. Mayhap I should stay in this world after all."

The horse started to neigh at once. "Stay here he says, no imagination at all, why with the stories he could tell we'd be set for life in every village we stay at. Oh I wish I could make him understand!"

Jennifer Jane looked at Lieutenant Moonshine.

"Can't be done," said the fairy.

"I wish it could," replied Jennifer Jane with a smile.

Before Lieutenant Moonshine could raise any further objections, a fairy from the Wish Warehouse came towards them carrying a rather dusty box.

"It's a very old spell Ma'am," she apologised, "It's the
only one we have left. We don't get much call for talking animals these days," she explained to George.

George looked at the box carefully and then opened the lid and looked inside. "Naught there," he said in a puzzled voice.

"Oh thick he is, thick as two short planks, of course there's nothing there now, the spell is out and working."

George looked at Jennifer Jane and then at the two fairies. "Who said that?" he asked.

The horse looked at Sir George. "Me," he said, "and from now on I think I should have a fair say in our future actions."

"I’ faith I really can understand every word he says," said George "and what was all that about short planks?"

For once the horse said nothing but just hung his head and looked as embarrassed as he as able.

Lieutenant Moonshine broke the silence before an argument could start. "Abigail is just leaving with another witch and they can fly Jennifer Jane and Sir George to the Witches Home. The horse will have to go by boat and Barnacle Bill has agreed to take him."

A couple of minutes later, Jennifer Jane and George waited with Abigail on the lawn of the Witches Home as Barnacle Bill's paddle steamer came through the mist towards the quayside.

The horse was standing on the fore deck neighing anxiously. "This is not a civilised way to travel, far too wobbly. I've got four legs so that I can stand very still or run very fast, and here I can't do either. As for him up there in the wheelhouse with his 'ports' and 'starboards' and 'avast you lubbers', well I'd rather have old thicky any day, at least I can understand him."

Sir George laughed. "It would seem that travel by sea does not agree with him."

Before Barnacle Bill could say, "Finished with engines", the horse had jumped ashore.

"Am I glad to see you," he said to George, "Let's go before that goblin comes ashore and tries to belay my fetlocks or something else equally stupid."

Abigail led them all through the Witches Home and out to the castle yard. "Just ride over the drawbridge and if you turn left, you'll soon be over Lurgin’s bridge and back in the village."

George looked a bit uncertain. "I'm not really sure if I should go. No offence of course," he said to Jennifer Jane, "but I think Karg was the last of the old fashioned dragons and there'll be nothing for me do."

"Nothing to do," said the horse, "Thick he is, thick, ... er that is, of course there'll be plenty to do. Just get into the saddle and let's ride off, I'll tell you all about our future."

The pair headed toward Lurgin’s bridge and the village.

"Story telling at all the Inns,” the horse was saying, "wonderful stories about carts moving without horses, boxes that talk, why you'll be welcome in every village we go to."

Abigail and Jennifer Jane watched them ride out of sight and then walked back to the Witches Home.