Clouds of chalk-dust puffed into the air as Professor Wizard tapped the blackboard with his pointy stick. He then turned to the class and stared at them with his green, piercing eyes
‘Does everyone understand?’
The wizards studied the wild characters and swirly symbols scrawled onto the blackboard, then nodded as one. It was, after all, a rather simple spell.
‘Good,’ said Professor Wizard with a curt nod. ‘Any questions?’
Just as the class shook their heads, the door crashed open. In burst a breathless Uncle Wizard, his arms a muddle of spell-books and potions.
‘Sorry I’m late,’ he gasped. ‘I tried that alarm clock spell you taught us yesterday. I think the instructions were wrong.’
Professor Wizard roared in disbelief.
‘What do you mean wrong! My spells are never wrong! Did the alarm clock not wake you up?’
‘Oh yes!’ nodded Uncle Wizard. ‘It certainly did that. But instead of bleeping, it started throwing turnips at me. Hundreds of them! It’s not easy to get dressed with turnips bouncing off your head. I wonder what went wrong. Perhaps I used too much whiz-bang powder?’
Professor Wizard shrieked incredulously.
‘Whiz-bang powder! Whiz-bang powder! The spell didn’t say to use any whiz-bang powder!’
Uncle Wizard tugged at his fluffy white beard.
‘I thought it was a misprint.’
Professor Wizard scowled. His bushy eyebrows shot up like two caterpillars launched into space.
‘Just sit down. Now, we’re about to practise this simple invisibility spell. Do you understand it? We don’t want any incidents like yesterday’s carry-on.’
Uncle Wizard grimaced, then stared at the blackboard. The crazy etchings and bizarre chalk markings utterly baffled him. He was not even sure where the spell started or finished. For all he knew it could be a recipe for banana and earwig soup. But not wanting to admit he was utterly clueless, he was about to nod, when his eyes narrowed.
‘Erm, Professor Wizard?’
Professor Wizard glowered back at him.
‘What is it?’
Uncle Wizard frowned.
‘Just one question. How much whiz-bang powder do we use?’
Professor Wizard roared. He shrieked and wailed, then stamped his boots on the cold grey tiles of the classroom floor.
‘None! None! No whiz-bang powder!’ he screamed. ‘Do you see any whiz-bang powder written on the blackboard? Well, do you?’
Uncle Wizard stared at the spell carefully.
‘I thought you might have forgotten it.’
Professor Wizard marched up to Uncle Wizard’s desk and towered over him. His eyes blazed like wild-fire, his hot panting breath scorched the air. Uncle Wizard shrunk back into his chair and decided to keep quiet.
‘Right, now that is fully understand, you may begin the invisibility spell.’
Uncle Wizard watched as all around him the other wizards began. Each had a pot-plant on their desk with which to practise. One by one, with a brilliant flash of magic and a simple pop, the plants disappeared. All eyes turned to Uncle Wizard.
He took a deep breath. Into his magic-pot went gabble-bangs, two drops of boom-fire, and a lump of frozen spangle-gas. The spell swirled with wondrous colours. Uncle Wizard watched it sparkle. This spell was going to be a winner. He then scratched his head. How much whiz-bang powder had Professor Wizard told him to use? Two bottles? That was it. He uncorked the whiz-bang powder. It fizzed and gurgled in the air. Uncle Wizard’s eyes grew wide with excitement. He then chucked both bottles into the magic-pot.
KABOOOOOOOOOOM!
The spell exploded like a volcano of rainbows. Light and colour flashed in dashing, pulsating streams. Finally the air cleared.
‘Success!’ cried Uncle Wizard.
The whole class stared in amazement. The pot-plant on Uncle Wizard’s desk had certainly disappeared, but no one knew whether it was invisible or not. For, sat in its place on Uncle Wizard’s desk was a ten-foot tall atomic-dragon.
The dragon snarled, bared its fangs, then charged at the terrified wizards.
‘Quick!’ cried Professor Wizard. ‘Call Hero Wizard. Uncle Wizard has done it again!’
The end
copyright Richard Anderson 2013
‘Does everyone understand?’
The wizards studied the wild characters and swirly symbols scrawled onto the blackboard, then nodded as one. It was, after all, a rather simple spell.
‘Good,’ said Professor Wizard with a curt nod. ‘Any questions?’
Just as the class shook their heads, the door crashed open. In burst a breathless Uncle Wizard, his arms a muddle of spell-books and potions.
‘Sorry I’m late,’ he gasped. ‘I tried that alarm clock spell you taught us yesterday. I think the instructions were wrong.’
Professor Wizard roared in disbelief.
‘What do you mean wrong! My spells are never wrong! Did the alarm clock not wake you up?’
‘Oh yes!’ nodded Uncle Wizard. ‘It certainly did that. But instead of bleeping, it started throwing turnips at me. Hundreds of them! It’s not easy to get dressed with turnips bouncing off your head. I wonder what went wrong. Perhaps I used too much whiz-bang powder?’
Professor Wizard shrieked incredulously.
‘Whiz-bang powder! Whiz-bang powder! The spell didn’t say to use any whiz-bang powder!’
Uncle Wizard tugged at his fluffy white beard.
‘I thought it was a misprint.’
Professor Wizard scowled. His bushy eyebrows shot up like two caterpillars launched into space.
‘Just sit down. Now, we’re about to practise this simple invisibility spell. Do you understand it? We don’t want any incidents like yesterday’s carry-on.’
Uncle Wizard grimaced, then stared at the blackboard. The crazy etchings and bizarre chalk markings utterly baffled him. He was not even sure where the spell started or finished. For all he knew it could be a recipe for banana and earwig soup. But not wanting to admit he was utterly clueless, he was about to nod, when his eyes narrowed.
‘Erm, Professor Wizard?’
Professor Wizard glowered back at him.
‘What is it?’
Uncle Wizard frowned.
‘Just one question. How much whiz-bang powder do we use?’
Professor Wizard roared. He shrieked and wailed, then stamped his boots on the cold grey tiles of the classroom floor.
‘None! None! No whiz-bang powder!’ he screamed. ‘Do you see any whiz-bang powder written on the blackboard? Well, do you?’
Uncle Wizard stared at the spell carefully.
‘I thought you might have forgotten it.’
Professor Wizard marched up to Uncle Wizard’s desk and towered over him. His eyes blazed like wild-fire, his hot panting breath scorched the air. Uncle Wizard shrunk back into his chair and decided to keep quiet.
‘Right, now that is fully understand, you may begin the invisibility spell.’
Uncle Wizard watched as all around him the other wizards began. Each had a pot-plant on their desk with which to practise. One by one, with a brilliant flash of magic and a simple pop, the plants disappeared. All eyes turned to Uncle Wizard.
He took a deep breath. Into his magic-pot went gabble-bangs, two drops of boom-fire, and a lump of frozen spangle-gas. The spell swirled with wondrous colours. Uncle Wizard watched it sparkle. This spell was going to be a winner. He then scratched his head. How much whiz-bang powder had Professor Wizard told him to use? Two bottles? That was it. He uncorked the whiz-bang powder. It fizzed and gurgled in the air. Uncle Wizard’s eyes grew wide with excitement. He then chucked both bottles into the magic-pot.
KABOOOOOOOOOOM!
The spell exploded like a volcano of rainbows. Light and colour flashed in dashing, pulsating streams. Finally the air cleared.
‘Success!’ cried Uncle Wizard.
The whole class stared in amazement. The pot-plant on Uncle Wizard’s desk had certainly disappeared, but no one knew whether it was invisible or not. For, sat in its place on Uncle Wizard’s desk was a ten-foot tall atomic-dragon.
The dragon snarled, bared its fangs, then charged at the terrified wizards.
‘Quick!’ cried Professor Wizard. ‘Call Hero Wizard. Uncle Wizard has done it again!’
The end
copyright Richard Anderson 2013
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