Magic Parcel by Frank English Read Free Book Online

almost imperceptibly gathering in speed and clarity, a picture of the countryside, ever changing, grew out of the blackness. Tommy’s mouth sagged and his head began to swim, when suddenly it stopped, as if a television picture had been frozen in mid-frame.
    What he saw made him gulp and catch his breath. Small and against a great black cavernous expanse, could be seen an indistinct figure with coat fastened about his waist, socks around his ankles, and scratching his head. The telecast turned back to normal speed, with the figure not seeming to know what it was doing or where it was. One more step would mean instant death as he teetered on the brink, hesitating, undecided.
    Suddenly, something seemed to click in his brain which set his feet finally in motion, and at the same time as his right foot trod air, two desperate arms grabbed him around the middle, yanking him back to safety.
    The two bodies, still writhing in the grass from their exertion, finally became still, gasping heavily on top of one another. The little one turned over eventually, blinking as if he had just opened his eyes onto a brilliant day.
    â€œHello Tommy,” it said. “What are you doing here?”
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    It was Jimmy.
    â€œYou nearly went down that great hole ... over ... there!” he blurted out, but slowed to a halt as his eyes followed his finger’s indicating line. They both stared. Jimmy blinked and scratched his head again.
    â€œWhat hole?” he asked, looking completely around, rather puzzled.
    â€œWell, there was a hole, I promise,” Tommy replied rather lamely trying to explain the hole, which no longer existed. “It must have ... Well, look, come back to the Chieftain and Tarna. They’ll tell you there was a hole.”
    They both turned smartly around to return to the hut across the rapids to find directly before them a river and a bridge across it, but no hut. What they did see made them gasp with surprise, and their jaws sag in disbelief.
    Rising out of the middle of a small lake, which formed a perfect, circular moat around it, was the most magnificent castle they had ever seen. Actually, as they had never ever seen a castle before, it just had to be the best. Large turrets with slated spires, which were decorated with flags, pennants, ribbons in a stunning array of colours, grew everywhere out of light blue, thick stone walls. One long drawbridge lay across the stretch of water, like an immense wooden rug smoothed out by giant hands.
    â€œJust look at that...!” Tommy began but didn’t finish. Several things happened at the same time, stopping them in mid-thought. A broad, hairy hand clapped itself across Tommy’s face, cutting off all sound and blocking out the light, whilst at the same time an arm pinned his hands to his sides. He struggled but to no avail. He had been as effectively immobilised as if his body had been fastened in a vice. The only sound he heard, if sound is what it could be called, was a slight squeak from Jimmy, making him realise that the same fate had befallen his brother.
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    Heavy, grey and black clouds began to gather threateningly to the north, as an eerie quiet settled on the land. The surrounding air gradually took on a coffee hue, subduing every other colour at will, as large icy globes of rain began to fall from the monstrous shapes created by the swirling fume above. Lightening flicked and flashed, dancing from cloud to cloud as it toyed with the other elements in its ceaseless quest to find earth.
    In the light of the intermittent flashes could briefly be seen, what appeared to be, a building growing ... slowly ... out ... of ... the ... ground! Turret upon turret, stone upon stone, immeasurably strong and black - a castle; the castle of despair! Seth had set his foot to earth again, and his fortress had once more come to rest.
    As the last stone fell into place, a great rolling boom echoed around the land, jumping from tree to mountaintop,