Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac by Carpenter Richard

Author:Carpenter, Richard [Carpenter, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

‘Breathe again and melt the stone

Be thou once more flesh and bone.’

said Catweazle trying another spell.

Gobling heard the unearthly chanting and came out from his other workroom, wearing plaster-covered overalls. ‘What d’you think you’re up to?’ he said angrily. Catweazle’s knees gave way and he sank to the floor, quickly drawing a circle around himself with the blade of his magic knife. ‘Naught, O great one!’ he moaned.

‘On the scrounge, are you?’ said Gobling. ‘Shouldn’t think you’ve ever done a day’s work in your life.’

‘I beg — I beg — ’ stammered Catweazle.

‘Yes, I bet you do,’ Gobling interrupted. ‘Begging’s easy isn’t it? Just as long as someone’s fool enough to fall for it.’

‘Mercy!’

‘A social parasite — that’s what you are. You’ll earn any money I give you. Understand?’

Catweazle didn’t, but he nodded furiously just to please him.

‘Right,’ said Gobling, ‘see that broom?’

Catweazle nodded. ‘Ay, O mighty one!’

‘Get it!’

Catweazle scurried to fetch the broom.

‘Now sweep up!’

Catweazle looked at the ceiling.

‘The floor, you fool!’ roared Gobling.

Catweazle began to sweep the floor as if his life depended on it, and Gobling started to mix plaster at the sink.

Catweazle swept his way over to the statue. ‘Patience, O king,’ he whispered, ‘I shall set thee free!’

‘What was that?’ said Gobling sharply, still stirring his bucket of plaster.

Catweazle bent hurriedly over the broom again. Gobling loaded some plaster on to a board and went over to the king. Using a spatula he started to work on one of the legs.

‘Bring the steps!’ he ordered. Catweazle dropped the broom and skeltered to fetch them. But he tripped over a lump of plaster and the ladder crashed against a head and smashed it into pieces.

Gobling uttered a roar of fury and hurled his plasterer’s board at Catweazle, who got enough plaster on his chest to convince him that his time had come. ‘Not into stone!’ he howled, backing into another head which also went crashing to the floor. ‘Not into stone!’

‘You maniac!’ yelled Gobling. ‘I’ll murder you!’

The furious sculptor charged towards him, and Catweazle picked up a bucket full of wet plaster from the draining board and hurled it straight at him. Gobling got most of it in the face, skidded on the rest and sat down heavily. Plaster dropped from his beard and he bellowed incoherently and beat the floor.

Catweazle ran outside and, for the second time that day, bumped into Cedric, who had been sent to return Gobling’s photographs. ‘Catweazle!’

‘Hide me from the wizard!’ cried Catweazle.

Cedric looked around desperately. The only hiding place was the sculptor’s battered van, and he just had time to push Catweazle inside before Gobling came roaring out of his studio.

‘Where is he?’ he shouted. ‘I’ll tear him apart!’

‘Who?’ asked Cedric, playing for time.

Gobling wiped the plaster from his face and beard. ‘He must be hiding somewhere,’ he said. ‘He’s wrecked my studio.’

‘Er... you left your pictures,’ said Cedric hastily.

‘What?’ said the sculptor. ‘Oh... thanks.’ He began to calm down a little. There was clearly no sign of the tramp. ‘Frightened him off, I suppose,’ said Gobling.

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