A Nasty Spell Q A long time ago there were three witches, stirring a magical potion and saying some magical words. “Double, double, toil and trouble Fire burn, and cauldron bubble” (Macbeth) The three witches said and they decided to pour their potion into somebody’s drink. The three witches were in a wood and saw a traveller on a donkey. One of the witches approached him and said in a cackling voice, “you must be very thirsty young man, do you want a refreshing drink?” “Yes, thank you and my donkey is parched too as we have travelled for days,” replied Ben, as that was his name. The witch handed Ben the cup and filled a bowl for his donkey. They gulped their drinks rapidly before the bulging eyes of the witches and then there was silence. Suddenly there was a bang and a crash which resounded through the whole woods. The witches stared at Ben and his donkey in amazement as they were floating in the air for thirty seconds. As this occurred Ben’s ears grew longer and longer, grey fur grew all over his body and a tail stuck out of his bottom. Ben was bewildered and scared, not to mention his donkey who now had miraculously turned into a human. The witches chortled with laughter at their wicked spell and foul play. Poor Ben could only trot around on four legs, trying to speak. However, all that came out of his mouth was a deafening “Ee aw, ee aw.” Meanwhile, his donkey stood in the light of the moonbeams, looking as handsome as any man could look. The donkey-man let out a loud roar of surprise and said with awe “I can speak and can finally tell you my real name. It is Herbert Beerbottom the Third.” Sneakily, without Ben and Herbert realising, the witches had slowly been circling them trying to get close enough to imprison them. Luckily Ben spotted the witches edging closer and he reared on his hind legs and punched them with his fore legs. Herbert saw their chance and said to Ben “let us swap roles this instant and allow me to ride your back, if you please.” Ben ee awed in agreement as they set off at full gallop through the woods. They sped through the night, their only thought to escape the witches. As luck would have it they happened across a small cottage in a clearing. They stopped to catch a breath and Herbert climbed down from Ben’s back. An old man came out of the cottage to get water from a well and stopped in his tracks when he saw them. For this old man was a power wizard who recognised that Ben and Herbert were under an
What Really Happened in Shakespeare’s Lost Years?
Q Shakespeare was humbly strolling round to the bakery to buy a fresh cake and eight bread buns, it was of course his son Hamlet’s birthday, when he saw an odd looking fellow slouched in a corner. Most people would ignore a tramp wearing dirty rags, but this fellow was not wearing rags he was wearing the finest of robes, deep purple stretching down to his ankles. His pointed hat was slightly drooping to the left but it too was a deep purple. Shakespeare trotted over to the man. “Ahh, William Shakespeare I do believe,” smiled the man. “Yes, but what is a man in your garments doing in this mangy place?” replied Shakespeare. “Lean in and put your ear to my mouth. I am a wizard and I’m going to give you two potions. One is going to travel forward in time to 2017 and you will find out much about your future,” the old wizard remarked. “Go now, drink the potion! The other one is a return.” So Shakespeare tipped the potion down his throat and his world went black. Shakespeare woke in the dark, he was in a stinking alleyway. He got up and trundled towards the light at the end of the alley tripping over bin bags and a black cat. He finally tumbled onto the street and brushed himself off. He was on a huge street with masses of people bustling around but they were not wearing anything like him. They wore baggy tops and baggy trousers and white shoes with ticks on them. Shakespeare looked up at a big sign that read Brixton. “I fink iss over der,” replied the woman pointing down the road. She ran off before Shakespeare could thank her. Eventually, after hours of wondering around in this new world, he finally saw a sign for ‘The Globe Theatre’. He followed its directions until he saw another then another and another, and eventually he saw, within fifty metres, the round shape of the Globe Theatre. When he reached the entrance the man at the ticket desk looked up in surprise, remarking, “You’re so appropriately dressed that you may as well go right in!” So he walked into the stands. He took up a seat two rows above the front and listened to the man on stage talk. “Today we are going to perform another wonderful play by the amazing William Shakespeare, this time it’s going to be Hamlet!” The crowd cheered. “I haven’t written any plays,” muttered Shakespeare curiously, “Maybe it ismy destiny though. Yes I must go straight back and start now.” So he gulped down the potion and found himself at home with a cake and a handful of bread buns. No-one was home yet, he went straight to his desk and started on his first play…‘Henry VI’. Tyler Biggs, 6F “Doth thy know where thy Globe Theatre is?” Shakespeare asked to a woman in a pink suit.
enchantment. He got out his wand, changed them back and warned them not to accept drinks from strangers ever again. THE END Eddie Harris, 3N
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