BIMPLEKIN AND THE SPIDER WITCH

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1016, 5 July 1930, Page 31

BIMPLEKIN AND THE SPIDER WITCH

fXecoH’l-iuiit 11

baby sister, the wee elf was as Lapp as could be. for he was tired of placing alone. Tweeleaf was the name c the little sister and every day Blmple kin took lier out to the primrose pat - by the lake to play. One day Tweeleaf began to cry, an* Bimplekin could do nothing to mak her stop. As it happened. Black Glug. a crow with magic powers and a ve* bad temper, heard Tweeleaf crying anit annoyed him greatly. So he wer down to the lake side and. cro&kina a spell, lie splashed some water ove: Tweeleaf. Then to Bimplekln’s hon fled amazement. Tweeleaf changed ir*. a duckling. Not knowing what else to do. Bimph - kin picked, up the duckling and gered home with it to his mother. So wept bitterly and begged Black Glu:. to take oft* the spell. But. as I sa. • .before. Black Glug was bad-tempere-and refused to do so. Both Bimplekin and his mothgrieved over the duckling, who wout* n«»l stay with them, but who swan, about in the lake. Night and day Bimplekin thoug. and thought, trying to discover a wain which to free Tweeleaf. But it w,~ not until many months after the cats..tropho that someone came to his ah. He was sitting sadly one night in t* fairy ring, when Mr. Moon came tr* from behind a hill and smiled down < I “Why so sad. Bimplekin?” he asketi “Black Glug has changed my sister Tweeleaf int » a duckling.” fdghet Bimplekin. "And she’s growing into * duck and I can’t think of a way to change her into her proper form.” Mr. Moon closed his only visible eye and thought for a while. Then he said: "I know. Yes. I know a wav. Have you ever heard of the Spider Witch'. Bimplekin shook his head. “At midnight I shine on her web. ’ continued Mr. Moon. “If you will fellow my beams. I’ll show you where “But will the Spider Witch help me asked Bimplekin. “Of course,” answered Mr. Moor. “The Spider Witch hates Black Glug. but. of course, there would be trouble with the Queen if she touched hir. without a reason. Now. if you tell tl* «• Spider Witch what Black Glug hr - done to your sister, she is sure to help you.” So Bimplekin followed Mr. Moot beams all that night until he came * the web of the Spider Witch, whom : found sitting in the middle of it. Htold her of Black Glug’s mean action. The Spider Witch said nothing for « while, then, “Black Glug comes rounu here every moonlight night because ht knows that it annoys me. He’ll b*. cominif any minute now. Get me . tiny piece of mushroom, over whic. I’ll spin a spell to itiake Black Glu,. i immediately want to cat it. But you must hide, for, if he sees you, he wl’. at once grow suspicious. When he cat the morsel he will more than likely d! which will be a good thing, for he is a most unpleasant person.” Just then they heard Black Glug approach ing. Bimplekin bid beneath • large mushroom, and Mrt Moon peer*: through the web. As Black Glug nibbled tentatively . tfco tasty-looking morsel. Tweeleaf, l. the form of a duck, came up from th* far reaches of the lake and swam by. unconscious of all that was happening Then Black Glug swallowed the whole of the prepared mushroom. He gave a loud croak and died. At th< death of the wizard, for he was really such, the spell on Tweeleaf broke ar I i she became her own self again Bimplekin thanked both the Spider Witch and Mr. Moon, and returned I home with Tweeleaf. And here. I uiink, my story ends. —Roy Neely, aged 15.

DOWN IN THE HOLLOW Down in the hollow. Not far away, I saw a little ladybird When I went to play. Swinging on the clover Up in the air . . - I wondered if the ladybird j Knew I was there.