It will not have pursued you beyond its territory.”
They passed the oak bench and, on reaching the river bank, took a narrow path that ran parallel to the river.
“So,” Sebastian said, “show me the object you found in the building.”
Tim produced the metal oblong, saying, “Probably nothing. Just a gas or electricity meter seal. That sort of thing.” He handed
it to Sebastian.
On receiving it, Sebastian stopped walking. He studied it very closely then, with a yellowish cloth taken from his pocket,
rubbed it vigorously between his finger and thumb. In seconds, the metal gleamed as if it had just been cast.
“Did you notice anything else?” Sebastian inquired.
“Just the bat dung, dead leaves…” Tim answered. “Certainly no sign of anyone living there. The house doesn’t even have a bathroom.
The lavatory’s a tumbledown stone shack in the garden.” He pointed at the metal oblong. “What is it?”
The sun was lowering towards the horizon, the shadows lengthening. In the fields across the river, a faint mist hovered a
few centimeters above the grass.
“The metal from which this is fashioned is an amalgam of platinum, silver and gold,” Sebastian announced. “It is known as
white gold.”
“But what is it?” Pip wanted to know.
“It is a spell key. When some spells are cast, for each part of the spell, there must be a key which acts as a catalyst to
start the reaction.”
“What is the sign on it?” Pip then asked.
“It is an alchemical symbol referring to a melting furnace.”
“But what’s a spell key doing in a dump in Brampton?”
“I suspect,” Sebastian replied, “that Scrotton has been there and accidentally dropped it.”
“If that’s so,” Tim said, “he’ll come back for it and we can follow him…”
“He will come at night,” Sebastian cut in, “and we can hardly lie in wait for him, hour after hour.”
“At least we’ve got the spell key, not him,” Pip said.
“Another will be made with ease,” Sebastian stated dismissively and, bringing his arm swiftly back, he tossed the oblong into
the middle of the river. It skipped three times like a flat stone, then sank.
“What are you doing!” Tim exclaimed. “It must be worth…!”
“It is tainted with evil,” Sebastian answered with a shrug, “its value is immaterial and I wish not to possess it.”
Five
The Wodwo
T im pulled up his shorts and made sure the laces of his gym shoes were tight. All about him, thirty Year Seven boys milled
around the locker room, changing into their PE clothes, joking and talking loudly. It was their first gym session, and most
were eager to begin.
Paying little attention to the hubbub going on around him, Tim concentrated on Scrotton, who had chosen to get changed at
the far end of the room, half hidden by an equipment locker. Nevertheless, Tim could still see his clothes were tattered and
badly needed laundering.
“Why does Scrotton hide himself?” he whispered to Sebastian, who was wearing Tim’s spare clothes.
“When the class ends,” Sebastian said, “position yourself so that you might see him. Then, you will come to understand.”
One of the gym coaches blew a whistle.
“Form a line!” he commanded in a voice as strident as a sergeant major’s.
Cowed into silence, everybody obeyed, following him into the gymnasium. There an obstacle course hadbeen laid out involving wall bars, ropes, a vaulting horse, a parallel beam and some rolling mats in addition to a long row
of benches. The gym coach went around the course first to show what was required of the pupils. As he tackled each obstacle,
he shouted out his actions in number sequence. Another PE teacher stood by the vaulting horse to help those over it who found
the apparatus difficult.
The whistle blew a second time.
“Form a line at the end of the gym!” bellowed the military voice. “At the double!”
The boys instantly complied. Scrotton positioned himself in
They passed the oak bench and, on reaching the river bank, took a narrow path that ran parallel to the river.
“So,” Sebastian said, “show me the object you found in the building.”
Tim produced the metal oblong, saying, “Probably nothing. Just a gas or electricity meter seal. That sort of thing.” He handed
it to Sebastian.
On receiving it, Sebastian stopped walking. He studied it very closely then, with a yellowish cloth taken from his pocket,
rubbed it vigorously between his finger and thumb. In seconds, the metal gleamed as if it had just been cast.
“Did you notice anything else?” Sebastian inquired.
“Just the bat dung, dead leaves…” Tim answered. “Certainly no sign of anyone living there. The house doesn’t even have a bathroom.
The lavatory’s a tumbledown stone shack in the garden.” He pointed at the metal oblong. “What is it?”
The sun was lowering towards the horizon, the shadows lengthening. In the fields across the river, a faint mist hovered a
few centimeters above the grass.
“The metal from which this is fashioned is an amalgam of platinum, silver and gold,” Sebastian announced. “It is known as
white gold.”
“But what is it?” Pip wanted to know.
“It is a spell key. When some spells are cast, for each part of the spell, there must be a key which acts as a catalyst to
start the reaction.”
“What is the sign on it?” Pip then asked.
“It is an alchemical symbol referring to a melting furnace.”
“But what’s a spell key doing in a dump in Brampton?”
“I suspect,” Sebastian replied, “that Scrotton has been there and accidentally dropped it.”
“If that’s so,” Tim said, “he’ll come back for it and we can follow him…”
“He will come at night,” Sebastian cut in, “and we can hardly lie in wait for him, hour after hour.”
“At least we’ve got the spell key, not him,” Pip said.
“Another will be made with ease,” Sebastian stated dismissively and, bringing his arm swiftly back, he tossed the oblong into
the middle of the river. It skipped three times like a flat stone, then sank.
“What are you doing!” Tim exclaimed. “It must be worth…!”
“It is tainted with evil,” Sebastian answered with a shrug, “its value is immaterial and I wish not to possess it.”
Five
The Wodwo
T im pulled up his shorts and made sure the laces of his gym shoes were tight. All about him, thirty Year Seven boys milled
around the locker room, changing into their PE clothes, joking and talking loudly. It was their first gym session, and most
were eager to begin.
Paying little attention to the hubbub going on around him, Tim concentrated on Scrotton, who had chosen to get changed at
the far end of the room, half hidden by an equipment locker. Nevertheless, Tim could still see his clothes were tattered and
badly needed laundering.
“Why does Scrotton hide himself?” he whispered to Sebastian, who was wearing Tim’s spare clothes.
“When the class ends,” Sebastian said, “position yourself so that you might see him. Then, you will come to understand.”
One of the gym coaches blew a whistle.
“Form a line!” he commanded in a voice as strident as a sergeant major’s.
Cowed into silence, everybody obeyed, following him into the gymnasium. There an obstacle course hadbeen laid out involving wall bars, ropes, a vaulting horse, a parallel beam and some rolling mats in addition to a long row
of benches. The gym coach went around the course first to show what was required of the pupils. As he tackled each obstacle,
he shouted out his actions in number sequence. Another PE teacher stood by the vaulting horse to help those over it who found
the apparatus difficult.
The whistle blew a second time.
“Form a line at the end of the gym!” bellowed the military voice. “At the double!”
The boys instantly complied. Scrotton positioned himself in
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