The Old-Fashioned Way

The Old-Fashioned Way (300 words)

The wizard’s tower exploded in purple flames. Its pointed roof shot into the sky as if it were on a deep space mission. Down below, Dilby dug his way out of the smoking remains, a copy of “Beginner Spells for a Proper Clean Tower” in one hand, his wand in the other. He’d been trying a spell to clean cobwebs.

Luckily it was Saturday night, and all the other wizards were down the pub, but if he didn’t get things straightened out before they returned, he’d be expelled for sure. He could picture it now: “I said he wasn’t made for wizarding,” his Dad would say. “Didn’t survive one year! Should have stuck to good old farming.”

Dilby felt like a failure. His thoughts became intrusive, making him want to curl into a ball so tight that he’d just “pop” and disappear. After a deep breath he thought, “Wow, everything stinks like charcoal,” then he thought, “Don’t let them in!” and pushed the thoughts aside.

Wand at the ready, he flipped through the pages of his book, desperately looking for a spell big enough to fix the tower.

He found a spell called “The Reverse Humpty Dumpty” and without reading it gave it a go.

His wand crackled and fizzed and seemed to do the trick. Molten brickwork became normal brickwork, the roof returned from space. But once the tower was together again it became clear that it was, in fact, made from eggshell.

This was a problem.

The flipping through pages recommenced.

Dilby found the Control-Plus-Zed spell (magically undo anything) and jumped for joy. He did the spell twice, and with a great zap the tower was back, good as new.

He put the book back, grabbed a broom instead, and began dusting the tower’s cobwebs the old-fashioned way.