Catweazle

he’d found it first.
    ‘Saburac, one of the Spirits of the Brazen Vessel, led me here,’ said
Catweazle.
    ‘Oh, did he?’
    ‘In his honour, I have named it Castle Saburac, for ’tis a magic place.’
    ‘Castle Saburac,’ said Carrot relishing the strange word. ‘It’s
terrific!’
    Catweazle came closer to him. In the half light, he looked very
mysterious. ‘But wonder upon wonders! Another lives here!’ he said.
    Carrot looked round uneasily. ‘Another what?’ he said.
    ‘My Spirits have brought him,’ said Catweazle happily. ‘Now my magic is
assured. We will work together, he and I. And thou, boy!’ Catweazle held out
his hand. In it was a large greeny-brown toad.
    ‘See!’ said Catweazle with triumph and pride. ‘ ’Tis my familiar,
Touchwood!’

THE CURSE OF RAPKYN
     
    One morning at breakfast Mr Bennet looked up from a rude
letter from his bank manager, to find Carrot trying to feed a tortoise with a
slice of banana.
    ‘What on earth’s that thing doing on the table?’ he asked.
    Carrot, who had been hiding the tortoise behind the tea-cosy, quickly
put it on the floor.
    ‘I was only getting it used to me,’ he said, ‘Sam brought him for me.
His name’s Beelzebub. He’s my familiar.’
    ‘Your what?’ said his father.
    ‘My familiar,’ said Carrot. ‘Witches and wizards had them. They were
sort of pets. I read all about them in this book.’
    ‘Magic through the Ages’ read Mr Bennet. ‘So
that’s the latest craze is it?’
    ‘It’s jolly interesting.’
    ‘Hmm - I wish it worked. I’d get you to put a spell on Winkley.’
    ‘Who’s he?’
    ‘My bank manager.’ Mr Bennet tapped the letter, ‘I’ve got to see him
this afternoon about my overdraft.’
    Carrot was just going to ask him what an overdraft was, when Sam came in
looking very harassed. ‘You’d better come, boss,’ he said, ‘I’ve just culled
twenty-three birds. It’s sinovitis again.’
    ‘Oh Lord!’ groaned Mr Bennet, getting up from the table, ‘I’m beginning
to think there’s a curse on this place.’
    ‘A curse!’ said Carrot excitedly.
    ‘We’ve got a budding wizard in the family, Sam,’ Mr Bennet explained as
they hurried out, ‘for this week anyway.’
    Carrot searched through his book. ‘ “The power of the Evil Eye”,’ he
read eagerly, ‘ “Secret names were used to call up demons to destroy one’s
enemies.” ’ He picked up Beelzebub, who stuck his head quickly back inside his
shell. ‘Come on Beelzy! I bet Catweazle knows all about curses. Let’s go and
ask him!’
    Leaving the farm, Carrot ran across the fields, carrying Beelzebub and
some provisions for Catweazle in his rucksack. He had been to the water tank
several times since the old man had made his home there, usually taking him
food and bottles of milk.
    As he reached the top of the ladder he could hear Catweazle muttering to
himself inside:
     
    ‘Hob-hole hob, Hob-hole hob.
    Tak’t off, tak’t off.
    Old one, cold one,
    Cure my bone-ache.’
     
    Carrot took off his rucksack, eased himself through the inspection hole
and climbed down into the tank. ‘ ’Morning, Catweazle,’ he said.
    Catweazle paused, about to drink from an old baked-bean tin while
Touchwood looked on beadily.
    ‘What have you got there?’ asked Carrot, looking at the nasty mess in
the tin.
    ‘A potion for bone-ache,’ said the old man. ‘I forgot the earwigs,’ he added.
Carrot sniffed the revolting mixture.
    I think I’d rather have bone-ache,’ he said.
    ‘Would that I had my book,’ Catweazle muttered.
    ‘I’ve got one,’ said Carrot, producing Magic through the Ages. Catweazle grabbed it eagerly. He looked blankly at the pages, and tried turning
it upside down, but he still couldn’t read it, so he gave it back to Carrot.
    ‘ ’Tis in thy magic writing,’ he said, ‘not mine.’
    Carrot carefully took Beelzebub from the rucksack and held him up. ‘Meet
my familiar,’ he said.
    Catweazle fizzed in sudden alarm. ‘A stone with legs!’ he cried.
    ‘His name’s Beelzebub,’ said Carrot, putting the tortoise down next to
Touchwood, who eyed him suspiciously. ‘Here, have a banana.’
    Catweazle took the curved yellow thing from the boy, holding it carefully
in case it was dangerous.
    ‘You eat it,’ said Carrot. ‘But you peel it first!’ he added quickly, as
Catweazle prepared to take a bite.
    Carrot peeled back a strip of the skin, but before he could stop him,
Catweazle pulled it from the