There's no place like home 3/9

“The goblins at home have asked me if I can help them feed the local giant, I thought an enlarging box similar to the one made for the giant in the alternate world would be the answer. It would have to be a bit different of course, because he doesn’t have any one to cook for him. So I thought the goblins could provide an ordinary sized meal, put it in his enlarging box and that it would only get bigger when he took it out. Do you think a spell could be made to do all that?”

Rebecca grinned as Jennifer Jane finally stopped talking. “I think something could be arranged. What you’re suggesting would require a box in two parts. One side for the goblins to open without any danger of making themselves get bigger and one larger door to the other part for the giant to get his food after it’s been enlarged.”

“If I go off to see Fundin, do you think he’d design me a box and can you work out a spell to make it work?”

“I’ve got a better idea,” replied Rebecca, “you go and get the drawings started and when you come back you can come down to the basement and learn how to make the spell for yourself.”

Rebecca leaned back in her chair and finished her tea, smiling quietly to herself while she watched Jennifer Jane rush off enthusiastically, along the passage to the alternate world and the pouring rain.

----O----

Fundin listened to Jennifer Jane’s ideas, then suggested some improvements.

“What you really need is a drawer passing right through the box that can be opened from either side, without any one having to put their hands inside at all. That way there shouldn’t be any possibility of enlarging part of a goblin by accident, or heaven forbid, even enlarging part of the giant.”

Jennifer Jane had to agree that he was right. Fundin called one of his assistants, told him what was required and asked him to start on the drawings right away.

Then he made out a rough list of timber sizes and gave it to her to take to the timber yard.

“So that they can have some idea of what’s coming and make plans to fit it into their work load.”

Now that she had something to do, Jennifer Jane didn’t seem to mind the rain so much. She flew over to the timber yard, gave the plans to Phil and rushed back to the Witches’ Home for her lesson with Rebecca.

As she’d expected, she was taken down to the basement and into one of the spell proof rooms that wasn’t in use. It seemed a lot further along the corridor than the room Abigail used. She asked Rebecca why this was so.

“The rooms are allocated to us in alphabetical order. Just be grateful that my name’s not Zelda,”

Rebecca hung a sign on the outside of the door to say ‘IN USE, NO ENTRY’ and shut it firmly behind her as she came into the room.

“Right then, show me what you can remember of the spell you used to start up the local giant’s food enlarging box.”

Jennifer Jane thought hard for a moment or two and twiddled her fingers. Rebecca was watching her closely and burst out laughing.

“That’s the spell for enlarging growing things that I’ve heard you used when you made those rabbits grow bigger!”

“Oh,” Jennifer Jane blushed and tried again.

“Not too bad that time, at least you remembered the correct spell. One of your fingers wasn’t quite right but it doesn’t matter, since we’ll have to alter that part anyway. As it’s going to be a flat box there’ll have to be a delay built in so that the contents aren’t enlarged until the giant opens his side.”

Rebecca fetched a spell book from a shelf and checked the required fingering. She showed Jennifer Jane the page and made her practice the movements. At last she was satisfied that there wouldn’t be a disaster when the box was made operational, but suggested another practice before it was delivered.