The Winged Witch 6/15

After half an hour spent questioning ships captains, they found that there was no vessel going to Smallport in the foreseeable future.

Jennifer Jane thought for a moment. “You said that you move around the parallel worlds using our fog system. Do you know the number of your world in that system?”

“Yes of course, it’s two hundred and thirty.”

“That’s all right then, there’s no need to wait for a ship to Smallport, we can fly directly there on the scooter.”

She was rather disappointed when they emerged from the fog and flew across to the port. It didn’t look any different from harbours in her own world. Perhaps the shipping was a little newer looking; certainly there were no smelly steamships. But were there no sailing ships to be seen at all either.

However Sam appeared quite excited and pointed in the direction he wanted her to fly. “About five miles inland that way will bring us to the research centre.”

He began speaking to somebody as if he was on the telephone, saying that he was flying in on an unusual vehicle and should arrive in two or three minutes. Jennifer Jane glanced over her shoulder and saw that he was talking to his wristwatch.

“That thing is a bit more complicated than just being used as a watch isn’t it?”

“It’s called a Comlink; all the explorers have one so that they can keep in touch with the Centre. But they’re very expensive, so we’re the only people allowed to have them. The central button rotates to access different functions which can then be activated when it’s pressed.”

He pointed towards an open area outside a low building surrounded by a high wire fence. People were rushing out of the doors and surrounding the landing area, looking up in the air to try and be the first to see the strange flying machine that they’d been promised.

Jennifer Jane laughed and flew round in a circle, then turned the scooter invisible before she landed. Sam had got off before he noticed that his friends were still looking up at the sky trying to find them.

“What’s the matter with you lot? I’m over here.”

The waiting group looked round in bewilderment, then most of them shrugged their shoulders and stared back into the sky.

“I thought I’d demonstrate an elementary bit of magic, so I’ve turned us invisible,” said Jennifer Jane very quietly, “we can see each other because we’re inside a magic boundary that I flew before we came down. The shock of seeing us reappear suddenly won’t be too much for them will it?”

Sam grinned, “On my count then; five, four, three, two, one, NOW!”

The scooter and its crew suddenly appeared. All was quiet for a second or two, then there was a loud gasp as they were seen, before everyone in the crowd began clapping enthusiastically.

An elderly gentleman wearing a long white coat hurried across to the scooter as fast as he was able.

“Samuel old chap, we didn’t believe you were coming back so soon. Then we got your message, so we assumed that something interesting must have happened to make you cut your visit short, I suppose it has something to do with your driver and his peculiar looking vehicle.”

Sam nodded, before telling his superior that despite appearances his companion was a girl who lived in world fifty-seven and also happened to be an apprentice witch.

“That sounds fascinating! Is she prepared to give us a demonstration of real magic, or isn’t she far enough advanced in her studies?”

Jennifer Jane smiled, then demonstrated her favourite spell for impressing strangers. She tucked her legs underneath herself and floated in mid air for a few seconds. People began to crowd round her and several of them began to fiddle with the settings on their comlinks.