Edwina Pilkington's Computer School of Magic (5 page)

'L
ook outside, Edwina, it's snowing,' said Gabriella. Edwina rushed over to the tower window. ‘I love it when it's snowing. Let's go outside and make a snowman.'

‘You heard what your mother said. It's not safe outside the walls of Stone Castle. The Gargoyles of Darkness could come at any time.'

‘I'm going outside anyway. I have the sleeping potion safely hidden inside my cloak, ready to use on the Gargoyles. All I have to do is sprinkle the Sleeping Potion over the gargoyles and that will give me enough time to grab the key from Gorum, Leader of the Gargoyles of Darkness. I've got it all planned. You can watch me out of the tower window if you like. I won't be long, Gabriella. Come on, Thirty-four, let's go make a snowman.'

‘Do be careful, Edwina.'

‘I will.'

‘This is so much fun, Thirty-four.' Edwina turned around and waved to Gabriella who was still standing at the window up in the tower. ‘All we need now, Thirty-four, is that stick over by that rock and that will make a great walking stick for our snowman.'

Thirty-four ran off to pick up the stick while Edwina tied a scarf around the snowman's neck. A dark shadow began to cover the snowman and Edwina looked up to see Gorum's red eyes staring straight at her. The gargoyles attacked so quick and hard, she felt like she was flying. It was the last thing Edwina remembered.

Edwina felt something warm next to her face. With a struggle, she opened her eyes and there was Thirty-four happily licking her cheeks. She couldn't move. She looked down to see her hands and legs were tied with thick rope. Things did not look good, but at least she had Thirty-four.

Edwina knew that she was in big trouble now. She hadn't planned on being tied up. This was not how it was suppose to happen. She needed to get free, she had to reach her Sleeping Potion hidden inside her cloak. It was her only hope.

A dark shadow fell over Edwina. ‘We meet again, little girl witch, only this time you are my prisoner.'

‘What do you want with me?' Edwina said.

Gorum began to make an evil screaming sound as if laughing at her. ‘I always keep a promise. Soon you will be a stone statue.'

Another Gargoyle appeared. ‘It is time, master.'

‘Mrs Whatmore, you're a gargoyle!' said Edwina.

‘Yes, you were all so easy to fool. You all thought I was just a nosy old woman,' she sniggered as she moved closer to Edwina.

‘Now I know who broke into the bank. It was you, Mrs Whatmore,' said Edwina.

‘Fools, all fools, the lot of you!' said Mrs Whatmore, laughing.

‘We have no time for you two to chitchat,' said Gorum in a grumpy voice. ‘Leave the girl and the pig locked here in the cathedral. I will go and ring the town bell and all the townspeople will gather outside. When they have all gathered, unlock the front cathedral door and like little lambs, they will follow each other inside. Then bolt the door quickly, and I will have much pleasure in turning all the townspeople into stone statues. I will have the best stone museum in the whole world.'

‘You can't do that!' Edwina cried out.

‘And how do you expect to stop me, you weak little witch, your hands are tied. I have all the power I need now because I have your Magic Ring!' he screamed as he placed the ring on his crooked, claw-like hand. ‘I am the Master, I am the ruler, Rainbow City is mine and soon I will have my greatest prize ever – Stone Castle!'

Gorum and his group of evil gargoyles left as quickly as they appeared.

‘I need your help, Thirty-four. See these ropes around my hands and legs? I need you to chew through the ropes to free my hands. It's the only way I can stop the Gargoyles of Darkness,' said Edwina.

Thirty-four was feeling very important. He loved helping Edwina; besides, it was easy to chew through ropes.

‘Good piggy, Thirty-four, you've nearly chewed through the ropes. Just a couple of more minutes and I will be free. Oh no, they're ringing the emergency town bell. Everyone will be starting to gather and head towards the cathedral. We must hurry, I need to get outside.'

'I
t's so cold inside the cathedral. Thirty-four. My feet are frozen.' Edwina moved her feet to try and keep them warm and felt the ropes loosen. ‘You've done it, Thirty-four! You have chewed through the ropes. I'm free!' Edwina cuddled her pet pig. ‘Good piggy. You will definitely get a big bag of vegetables when we get back to Stone Castle.'

Edwina began to look around the cathedral, trying to find a way out. ‘Over there, Thirty-four, there's a back door.'

Edwina and Thirty-four ran as fast as they could towards the door, hoping the gargoyles had gone. ‘It's all clear. We should be outside before Gorum returns.

‘Oh no, it's locked. I can't open the door; the gargoyles have bolted the door shut. I must think. There has to be a way out – I'm a witch. I've got to get outside, and quickly.'

Edwina looked up at the red and blue stained-glass windows in the cathedral. Suddenly, the blue glass reminded her of the four Magic Blue Stones she had hidden in her pocket. ‘Thirty-four, I want you to hide behind the altar until I tell you it's safe for you to come out.'

Thirty-four twirled his curly tail and hurried off towards the altar. Edwina stepped back towards the stained-glass window, placing her hand in her pocket and pulling out her four Magic Blue Stones. She gently lifted the stones to her mouth and started blowing softly, causing them to glow. ‘I, Edwina Pilkington, summon the Keeper of the Four Stones.'

A thick trail of smoke began forming all around and slowly rising towards the ceiling of the cathedral. A thick leg stepped forward through the smoke and then another leg and then another two legs and gradually, a body and two very hairy arms appeared. As the smoke began to clear, an enormous head could be seen and there before her eyes was the four-legged giant, Keeper of the Four Stones.

The ten metre giant stretched his arms, straightened his four legs, pulled his purple velvet hat over his yellow, straw-like hair and bowed his head. ‘I am here on your command,' the four-legged giant said in a deep voice.

‘I am so happy to see you, Keeper of the Four Stones,' said Edwina.

The giant placed his hand down onto the cold, tiled floor of the cathedral so that Edwina could step onto his large hand. The giant gently lifted her up and placed her on his shoulder.

‘Have you ever heard of Gorum, Leader of the Gargoyles of Darkness?' Edwina said to the Keeper of the Four Stones.

‘Yes, we are old enemies.'

‘I need your help. Gorum has entered into our world, and at this very moment, he is gathering all the townspeople. If you listen, you can hear the town bell ringing. Gorum plans to lock everybody inside the cathedral and then turn them all into stone statues.'

‘What do you need me to do, Edwina?'

‘I need you to help me get close to Gorum, so I can use my Magic Sleeping Potion on him. It's the only way I can remove the skeleton key from around his neck and get my Magic Ring back. But first, I need you to find a way outside and quick; we have no time to lose.'

The giant gently placed Edwina into his top pocket and stomped towards the back entrance on his four legs. He raised his hand and with his fist pushed the door; however, due to his strength, the whole wall of the cathedral came tumbling down.

‘Look, it's Gorum and his gargoyles,' Edwina said. ‘They must have heard the wall come crashing down, and they're heading straight for us!'

‘You have your potion ready, then, little lady?'

‘It's in my hand.'

‘Keeper of the Four Stones!' Gorum screamed out. ‘You're going to be turned to stone, just like the rest of the townspeople!'

‘Come and get me, Gorum, and bring the rest of your scummy friends with you. I've waited a long time for us to meet again.'

Gorum and the other Gargoyles of Darkness began to attack the giant, flying in close with their sharp, bat-like wings and arrowhead tails. Edwina leaned out as far as she could and waved the dust of the Sleeping Potion into the night air, but as she leaned back, a little bit of the dust went onto the giant by mistake.

‘Woops,' said Edwina.

The Keeper of the Four Stones yawned. ‘I feel so sleepy, I need to sit down before I fall down.'

The giant gently sat himself down for a short nap.

Edwina started climbing down the Keeper of the Four Stones' arm when she heard a loud humming sound coming from the sky. She looked up and saw a dark shadow coming closer. She started to tremble as Gorum and the Gargoyles of Darkness just missed hitting her by inches as they fell one by one to the ground.

Edwina kept climbing down until she reached the ground and ran as fast as her legs would go, over to where Gorum was sleeping.

The Magic Sleeping Potion had worked. But suddenly, Gorum began to make a loud puffing noise. Edwina felt a cold shiver come over her as she looked down at the bat-like creature with his mouth wide open. What a horrible sight! He was blowing large, gooey bubbles – he was actually ssssnoring.

Edwina quickly removed the skeleton key and chain from around Gorum's neck and placed it safely inside the hidden pocket of her cloak. She pulled the Magic Ring off his claw-like hand and placed the ring on her finger. Suddenly, a large porthole appeared and one by one, the gargoyles began to disappear back through the porthole to the Planet Darktess.

Edwina then went back into the cathedral to find Thirty-four.

The townspeople had all gathered out the front of the cathedral, all talking among themselves, wondering why the emergency bell was rung. Edwina and Thirty-four walked round the corner of the cathedral, pretending that nothing had happened, and stood next to Ms Esmeralda, the local newspaper reporter.

Mayor Lutwych of Rainbow City stood up and addressed the people: ‘Someone has played a prank on us tonight,' Mayor Lutwych said, ‘and if I find out who rang that bell, they will be in big trouble.'

Everyone agreed to go home as it was getting very late. Edwina smiled at Thirty-four and said, ‘They don't even know what happened here tonight. I guess it's better that way.' Edwina giggled. ‘Wait till tomorrow, Thirty-four, when they see the side of the cathedral wall missing. I wonder what they will make of that? And no Mrs Whatmore.'

‘Edwina, Edwina.' It was Aunt Ada coming towards her. ‘Whatever happened down here at the cathedral? We have all been so worried. Gabriella told us the gargoyles had taken you. We were all trapped inside Stone Castle by a spell from the gargoyles, so we couldn't escape. We heard the town bell ringing and when it stopped, the spell was broken from around the castle.'

Edwina quickly told Aunt Ada the whole story when suddenly, the ground began to shake. They both looked up, and there standing before them was the four-legged giant, who was yawning.

‘You saved the town and everyone in it, Keeper of the Four Stones,' Edwina said, ‘and defeated your old enemy, Gorum.' Edwina pulled out the skeleton key from her hidden pocket inside her cloak and held the key up for the giant to see.

‘You are a hero, Keeper of the Four Stones. Gorum and his Gargoyles of Darkness are back where they belong on the Planet Darktess.'

‘
You
are the hero, Edwina Pilkington,' the Keeper of the Four Stones said. ‘You truly are an amazing little witch. It's been an honour to have been able to help you, but now it is time I went home as my work is done. You no longer need me.'

‘Before you go, I will give you the skeleton key. I know it will be safe with you, Keeper of the Four Stones.'

‘I will guard the key with my life.'

‘I will miss you,' said Edwina. She raised the Four Blue Stones that were in her hand into the air. The stones began to glow and slowly the four-legged giant began to disappear into a cloud of smoke, returning back to the land of the Blue Stones.

Thirty-four began to oink; he wanted to go home too.

‘You're right, Thirty-four,' Aunt Ada said. ‘It's time I took both my heroes home.'