This is a bedtime story I came up with one night to settle the Little Chap  –  it was around Halloween and he’d made a wizard’s castle with spiders and ghosts. He’d also got a couple of characters to turn into finger puppets – a witch, a wizard and a little green faced monster! From the inspiration of those finger puppets, came this little tale…

Wendy the Witch Visits the Wizard of Wizardy Woods

Wendy was a cheerful little witch, who liked nothing better than making magic with her wand. She used it to make magic potions that helped her friends when they were hurt or ill and, if she concentrated very hard, she could conjure a rain cloud to follow someone she did not like very much for a week! Wendy was not keen on housework and her wand helped her to clean and tidy things away. Wendy liked to keep her cottage spick and span. Sitting at the edge of the Wizardy Woods, it was a cosy little home for her and her big, fluffy black cat, Wally.

 

Wendy & her cat

One morning, Wendy woke up a little late. After a delicious breakfast of fried worms on toast, she decided to practice her new spell that changed the colour of her favourite dress while she wore it (what a party trick!). But to her horror, Wendy could not find her wand anywhere!

 

She searched her bedroom, (which was in need of a little housekeeping spell!) but it was not there. She searched her kitchen cupboards and opened the dresser drawers, but Wendy could not find the wand anywhere! Slowly and carefully, Wendy searched through the remaining rooms in her little cottage but there was no wand.

Wendy sat down in her chair.

 

“Now, where could it have got to?” she muttered as she stroked Wally who had already curled up on her knee. “I must go and visit the Wizard of Wizardy Woods. He is sure to know how I can find my wand.” Wendy got up and put on her cloak, pulled her hat down around her ears, grabbed her broomstick and closed the cottage door behind her.

 

A cold wind blew as Wendy set off into the deep, dark, woods. She was glad she had worn her cloak and pulled it closer to her to keep warm. The light faded fast among the tall trees and strange eyes peered at her through the gloom as she passed by.

 

“Ooh! I’d feel braver if I had my wand with me!” thought Wendy, shivering again.

Eventually, Wendy saw the glow of lights in the distance. As they got nearer, she saw the dark outline of the wizard’s castle against the twilight sky. She walked up to the big oak door at the front of the castle and knocked. There was no reply.

 

Stepping back, she looked up and saw a small, green face grimacing at her from an upper window. She waited but nobody answered the door. She shivered again and walked around the castle in case she had the wrong door, but there was nothing so she knocked again. This time she heard footsteps and, as the big, heavy door opened with a creaking noise, the same green little face peered around it.

 

“Who are you?” it asked accusingly.

 

“I’m Wendy the Witch.” Wendy stammered. “I’m looking for the Wizard of Wizardy Woods. Is he in?” The face disappeared and the door opened wide enough to let Wendy in.

 

“I’m Pipkin, the Wizard’s assistant. He’s gone out but you can come in and wait for him if you like. He won’t be long.” The green face belonged to a little man in a long blue coat. He ushered Wendy to a bench in the hall and asked her if she would like some pumpkin tea while she waited.

 

Wendy sat alone, sipping her tea. Pipkin had disappeared into the castle so she watched a large spider making her web in a corner of the dusty hallway, while she waited for the Wizard to return. Eventually, she shivered and the door creaked open again. Expecting the Wizard, Wendy nearly fell off her bench as a small white ghost floated into the castle and hovered in front of her.

 

“And whoooo are yooou?” it asked in ghostly tones.

 

“I’m W…W…Wendy.” stammered the little witch. “I w…w…was w…w…waiting for the W…W…Wizard.”

 

“I am the Wizard.” The ghost said in friendlier tones.“I’m sorry if I scared you looking like this, but Pipkin was practicing a new spell yesterday and it all went a little wrong. You see, as I do not have any hands, I cannot use my wand. I haven’t been able to reverse his spell and turn myself back into a wizard, but how can I help you my dear?”

 

“I’ve lost my wand”, said Wendy “I was hoping you might know how I could find it”.

 

“But of course! Let’s consult my crystal ball. Follow me.” and the Wizard wafted up the large stone staircase in front of Wendy. Reassured, she followed him and found herself in a large room. It was empty but for a large crystal ball on a table in the middle of it and Pipkin, who appeared to be amusing himself with a game of live snakes and ladders (with real frog counters!) on the floor by the window.

 

The Wizard hovered in front of the ball muttering something and it immediately filled up with smoke. As the smoke cleared, Wendy saw a cheeky little magpie sitting on its nest at the top of the tall oak tree that stood beside her cottage and, there in its nest was her wand twinkling cheekily!

 

“There you have it my dear. Magpies like sparkly things.” said the Wizard.

 

“Oh, thank you! He must have taken it from my kitchen table yesterday, while I turned away to give Wally his tea. How will I ever get it back from her nest? That oak tree is so tall!” Wendy sighed.

 

“I can climb trees!” said the Wizard’s assistant. “If you know where the tree is, I could climb up and get it for you.”

Wendy thanked Pipkin and the Wizard and saying goodbye she and Pipkin set off back to her cottage.

 

As a full moon rose high over their heads, Wendy showed Pipkin the tree in question. In no time at all, he had climbed to the top and was down like a shot with her wand in his hand.

 

“How can I ever thank you?” cried Wendy, jumping for joy at the thought of making magic again.

 

“Well, I could do with your help to return the Wizard back to normal.” said Pipkin, hopefully. Wendy concentrated hard and a thin trail of sparks from her wand lit the night sky as they floated up and away towards the castle. She began to sing:

“A wizard into a ghost was turned, Pipkin mistook the magic
If this does not revoke his work, it will be rather tragic.”

 

The thin trail of sparks crackled and turned blue and shot far into the distance, beyond the Wizardy Woods, and high over the Wizard’s castle, where they formed a ghostly outline, faded to silver and disappeared altogether.

 

“That should do it,” she said to Pipkin. She waved her wand once more and a small lantern appeared and hovered just in front of the small green man, inviting him to follow it. “Thank you for your help and give me a call if you ever mix up your spells again! Now follow that lantern and it will take you back to the Wizard’s castle”.

 

Wendy watched Pipkin follow the lantern into the woods as Wally came out to greet her, wrapping himself around her legs. She turned and went inside, where with a wave of her wand, there was a roaring fire, a cup of hot pumpkin tea and a plate of her favourite chocolate chip cookies waiting for her.

 

“All in a day’s magic” she said to Wally as she settled in her favourite arm chair.

Have you ever made up stories for your children? If you have and it’s published online – do please mention it here by adding a URL link to it in the comments section below.

© Mayfair Mum 2012