This story – it did not go away! This might or might not be the penultimate episode … if only I knew.
Janet surveyed her motley army.
Sophie, gazing at the king and queen, wide-eyed that these beautiful, solemn people could be her grandparents.
Simon, even more wide-eyed, obviously believing he was in a dream, or had accidentally inhaled an hallucinogenic drug. Janet noted his beard had thickened over the one day she had known him, that he held his shoulders back and chin up. She rather liked this version.
The Goblin King, finally still (relatively) in the presence of the king and queen, while muttering not too quietly, let’s go, let’s go, no time to waste … and something about a cupboard and how it wouldn’t hold the enemy for long …
And of course, her faithful friends since childhood: Dragon, with Fairy and Pixie on his back, ready to leave. Once this was all over, Janet vowed to give them real names, in accordance with their stature as real beings.
They, of course, were used to the castle and its occupants, and were of all her army the most relaxed. Dragon breathed out tiny flames and lifted his great head from time to time – his own indication that he, too, was in a hurry.
‘Our task,’ Janet told the group, ‘is to travel through the forest to the cave of the Green Giant, and retrieve from somewhere within a spell which the Giant stole from the Planning Office in the other world and hid away.’
‘We must first slay the Green Giant.’ The Goblin King waved his sword in his excitement to battle the Giant.
‘Sorry,’ Janet said. ‘Dragon reduced him to ashes last time we met him, when we had to rescue the king and queen. You weren’t there.’
The Goblin King drew himself to his full height, which wasn’t high, and puffed out his chest. ‘Then where is the glory to be had? We simply go to this cave, find this spell and walk back again? Is that it?’ Mortification reddened his face, his eyes flashed.
The king leaned forward, a hand held up for silence. ‘Nay, dear friend,’ he said. ‘Danger is plentiful still. It did not go away, not at all.’ He lowered his voice. ‘We hear whispers, rumours, of wraiths stalking the tunnels, and ghostly lights filling the Giant’s cave. None have dared enter there since our beloved granddaughter, Princess Janet, rescued us aeons ago.’
Simon found his voice. ‘Aeons?’ He squinted at Janet. ‘How old are you?’
Janet laughed. ‘No idea, but time works differently here. As a once-writer of fantasy stories, you should know that.’ She shrugged. ‘Besides, with talk of wraiths and ghostly lights, your main worry is my age?’
‘We waste time, young Janet,’ the Goblin King scolded. ‘We must fetch this spell and return to the Planning Office before the enemy escapes his prison and redoes the planning applications. ‘
‘And we need to protect both forests,’ Sophie said, ‘and hope that it stops Mum’s fading. I agree with the Goblin King, let’s get a move on.’
Dragon was already at the great doors, leading the way across the throne room to the great doors into the courtyard, where all the people of the castle had gathered to wish the adventurers luck.
Janet’s heart pumped hard. She hefted her sword, given her by her grandparents that morning, and strode after Dragon.
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And in to battle we go. Hi, Ho!!
Here’s mine:
IT DID NOT GO AWAY
Belinda knew it was a mistake as soon as she laid the food on the table.
Outside was not the place to be as a lone European wasp began buzzing around each plate.
She waved a tea towel which didn’t help. It did not go away, in fact just became more persistent.
Harry observed her efforts as he was bringing out the wine glasses.
“Don’t do that,” he cautioned. “You’ll only make it angry.”
“Don’t care,” responded Belinda. “If I don’t do something, it’ll just hang around and might sting someone.”
Once, while tackling a nest of the blighters, she had been bitten by a European wasp and knew how painful it was.
“Yes, but if you keep chasing it like that it will only bring more of them,” Harry said.
“Well, then, what would you have me do,” Belinda retorted.
“Ignore it,” Harry said. “Or we could just bring all the food inside and then there would be no more problem.”
“Yes, but it’s such a glorious day and we agreed that eating outside would be the best option.”
By this stage, more wasps had joined their compatriot and were happily investigating all of the plates.
“We are screwed,” said Belinda. “Now we’ll have to eat inside.”
“Hang on a minute,” offered Harry. “Think I might have the solution.”
He disappeared inside the house, only to return a few minutes later with a jar full of water.
“Watch this,” he said, as he layered a spoon filled with honey around the rim.
Belinda watched fascinated as all the wasps made an unsuspecting beeline for the sweet temptation.
No sooner had they landed on the jar and began tasting the proffered offering than most of them slipped and fell into the water. A couple resisted for a moment before they too succumbed to their fate.
Belinda laughed.
“Maybe we can have our outdoor lunch, after all,” she chortled, a grin crossing her face.
They can be persistent!