Cutting of the sash

Katongo called Lucy and Daniel and explained everything. They didn’t believe her and so they rode to her place. When they arrived Katongo was standing outside waiting for them. Lucy got off her bike while Daniel was catching his breath.

“Katongo, you must be joking,” said Lucy as she ran towards her, waving her hands in the air. “Fairies aren’t real, they are make-believe.”

“Calm down, Lucy,” she said, as she tried to bring her to a stop, “fairies are very much real.”

“I don’t believe it, I want proof,” said Lucy as she trembled with uncertainty.

“Fine, I’ll prove it to you. Just don’t freak out,” replied Katongo, and she took a deep breath.

Lucy stood and watched. Katongo took two steps back, one deep breath, and touched her back. Her wings sprouted and she was transformed into her fairy clothes. Lucy and Daniel both opened their mouths in shock. Katongo then flew toward Lucy, leaving some fairy dust in the air as she did.

“Do you believe me now?” she asked.

“One hundred per cent,” Lucy said.

“I believe now,” Daniel added.

“Remember when I told you Andrea was captured?”

“Yes, we do.”

“Well,” Katongo asked hesitantly, fiddling with her fingers as she did. “I cannot save her all by myself.”

“You’re definitely right,” Daniel said, “you’d need an army of powerful soldiers to do that. We don’t look like soldiers to you, now do we?”

“I’d need an army of powerful men, or two more fairies,” she said with a wink.

“Two fairies?” said Lucy and she turned to her brother. “No, no, no not at all. Count me out of this.”

“Please Lucy, just do it,” pleaded Katongo and Daniel.

“You too, Daniel?” she asked, a serious look on her face.

“Yes! She needs us. Besides, imagine the amazing abilities would we be endowed with.”

“Fine,” she replied and rolled her eyes.

“Great! Come with me to the backyard where no one can see us,” Katongo said, and nudged them to the backyard.

She then drew a circle in the dirt with her fingers. She asked Lucy and Daniel to hold hands and she began to ‘cut the sash’ – a ritual that transformed humans into fairies.

She flew six times around the two while humming a melodious tune. Then she sprinkled fairy dust on them and they fainted. A few minutes later, they too had fairy clothes and pairs of wings.

“This is amazing! I feel like Peter Pan!” squealed Daniel, once he’d come round.

“Me too,” added Lucy.

“Great, now let’s save Andrea!” cheered Katongo and she flew up high in the sky.

The two were left on the ground, not knowing how to fly.

“Katongo, wait! Come back, how do you work these wings?” asked Lucy.

“Sorry, my mistake,” she said, and flew down to the two.

“Flying isn’t so hard. Just think of where you want to go and your wings will take you there,” said Katongo.

“Really?” asked a confused Daniel.

“Really,” nodded Katongo.

“OK, here goes nothing,” Lucy said, and shut her eyes tightly.

She began to lift off the ground in a disordered manner. First she went up then down, zigzagging left and right, then finally down again.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get it. Now, Daniel why don’t you try?”

“Isn’t there some kind of muscle coordination or…or…or…” stuttered Daniel. He was very reluctant.

“Or what, Daniel? Just do it,” said Katongo as she twirled in the air. “No muscles are involved. Think of your wings as a connection to the sky. They just do what you think of.”

With that, Daniel spread out his hands and thought hard. He lifted off the ground and flew into the air, gliding effortlessly. “This is fun!” he shouted.

“Yes, it is. I remember my first time flying,” replied Katongo. “We don’t have time to waste now, guys. Clap your hands twice and you’ll be invisible to the ordinary eye.”

They did as they were told. The three could see each other perfectly. They walked out of the backyard and onto the main road. People walked past them as if they weren’t there. They flew up high into the sky. Katongo held Lucy’s hand to make sure she didn’t fly haywire again. They arrived at the gates.

“From land to air, fairies us will see, invisible among them now we’ll be,” whispered Katongo.

“What did you do?” asked Lucy.

“I made us invisible,” she replied.

“But I thought we were already invisible,” Daniel protested.

“To human eyes only, but now fairies cannot see us either. Now let us hurry, the spell only lasts for a minute.”

The two zoomed past the guards and into the kingdom. Daniel and Lucy stared in awe as Katongo showed them the way. The three arrived at Katongo’s house and entered her room through her bedroom window.

“Katongo, are those real diamonds in the street?” asked Daniel.

“Yes, they are,” she replied, going through her drawers. “Found it!” She pulled out a strange-looking book.

“What is that?” asked Lucy.

“My spell book. It contains all the spells I know. Here, try to memorise all you can. We are going to save Andrea.”

After an hour or so, Daniel and Lucy knew ten attacking spells and two defence ones. The trio went to confront the king.

***

Tell us: How do you think Daniel and Lucy will do in the upcoming battle?