Late that same day, inside the Frosty Mug Tavern, Mr. Pitts sat at the counter wearing a blank expression on his face. From behind the counter Mr. Oubladew approached, holding a loaded tray with empty glasses and an appetizing mid-afternoon dinner plate of scrambled sandwich and spiced wild blue berry sausages, topped by a white sour cream and noodle sauce.
Roused from his deep thoughts, Mr. Pitts looked at Mr. Oubladew placing the delicious smelling meal in front of him. “I did it again!” said Mr. Pitts. “I took my apprentices up to Galgithia Falls and Jacob was attacked by a Zatsen. We were fortunate enough to have an antidote with us, but I messed up big time and almost lost him. I’ve put him in great danger for a second time. Everything I’ve done so far has turned into bungled disaster! So now that they’re all rested from their nice quiet weekend, I’m sure they’ll want to go out and do something exciting tomorrow for their apprentice training, but there will be no more adventures for them from now on. We’re going to take all of our training nice and easy, and avoid anything and everything risky!”
Mr. Oubladew smiled at Mr. Pitts as he lifted from under the counter a full pitcher of lemon apple juice and began pouring it into the tall glasses. “Twell maybe ye’re going aboot this thee wrong way,” he replied, as he glanced up with a raised eyebrow.
“What do you mean?”
“Up ta now ye hab been trying ta avoid trouble, but regardless of yer efforts it tas eh coome anyway. Why doon’t ye stop worrying enn’ just deal with trouble when it eh comes? After all, they signed up ta eh become sentinels didn’t they? Enn’ hab ye eber seen eh sentinel that tis afraid of adventure?”
“By George! You’re right!” exclaimed Mr. Pitts with his hand pressed to his chin, as if in deep thought. “I’ve been going about this the wrong way haven’t I? If I don’t prepare them now, they’ll never be able to cut the mustard when they graduate as sentinels. And they’ll never learn to be true sentinels without first learning how to deal with real adventures! Perhaps I’m being over protective and shielding them from adventures, and maybe in the big scheme of things doing more harm than good. So from today on I’m turning the page to a brand new chapter in their training! I’ll seek out hair raising training adventures for them, adventures so exciting that their earlobes will curl up. They will be experiencing what true apprentices should experience!”
Reveling in his new inspiration, Mr. Pitts sat straight up on his stool, looked upward and slammed his fist down onto the counter catching the corner of his plate and catapulting his food onto the floor. “Danger is a natural part of being a true sentinel, and by the time I’m through with them, they’ll be thoroughly practiced and accomplished, ready to handle any hazards as professionals! And if they’re going to learn to be the best, they might as well learn from me, one of the best!” He merrily looked down, grabbing his fork. Instantly his expression changed to a puzzled look, as he began searching for his missing meal.
From behind the counter Mr. Oubladew carefully opened a hatch and exited out through a narrow opening. Stepping over the splattered food he carried his full tray towards a table of hungry customers. “Now that tis thee Mr. Pitts we all know enn’ lub,” he said, glancing back at Mr. Pitts. “Danger tis eh part of being eh sentinel’s apprentice, even if yer apprentices tar enterin’ ta race thee DCR.”
Hurriedly Mr. Oubladew then toddled off while Mr. Pitts turned on his stool and apprehensively called out, “What do you mean, entering the DCR?”
The ‘Dwarf Carpet Shop’ was located in the dwarf shopping section of Sentinel Village, known as Dwarf Central, and was the only place in the village where DCR supplies could be purchased. Both apprentices along with the Lynex strolled into Dwarf Central as Jacob curiously stared in wonder at the unusually small buildings. The wooden walkways were over crowded with dwarfs, and they had to work hard to squeeze in between the small shoppers as they headed deeper into the hub of the shopping district in search of the carpet shop.
“It’s so crowded here! I bet most of these dwarfs are visiting from the surrounding areas and have come here for the big race tomorrow,” said Emalynn, as she made an annoyed face and squeezed in between another clump of short shoppers.
“Yeah, it’s kind of a madhouse,” replied Jacob, stepping around a plump dwarf lady to fall behind Emalynn.
As they wandered by the many odd shops, they curiously peeked into the windows. ‘TREASURE CHESTS ARE US’; ‘POTABLE GOLD SMELTERS’; ‘PICKS, SHOVELS & MINING SHOES’; ‘DWARF BEARD GROWING TONICS’; ‘GRUMPY’S BAT REPELLANT…’ Jacob noticed that on every merchant’s building in Dwarf Central, DCR advertisements were posted covering the walls and windows, and that inside the shops, the shelves were packed full of assorted DCR merchandise. Street vendors were also lining the sides of the walkway, energetically selling their engaging merchandise of DCR souvenirs.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” he said, marveling at all the nifty mementos. “The biggest event I’ve ever been to was a greased pig contest.”
Emalynn winced a little as she replied, “Yes, but that means everybody will be watching us race tomorrow. If we flub up, it will be public knowledge.”
Jacob nodded, knowing that she was right. He wondered what it might be like to be a famous DCR pilot and wished that things could be different. They stopped to look at a street vendor’s goods and he gazed down at the stacks of DCR hats and shirts. Looking over the piles, he visually searched for anything sized for humans, but unluckily everything available had been tailored only for dwarfs. A child crowded between them as Emalynn reached out to grab a toy carpet from off the table. Excitedly the little boy waved a stick through the air. “Those whirligigs look nifty,” said Jacob, staring at the tip of the stick with a twirling action figure of a DCR pilot riding on a carpet.
“Each toy has a different pilot,” said Emalynn. “Wouldn’t it be nice to have our very own toy modeled after us?”
“Yeah, but I doubt that will ever happen,” said Jacob.
“I’m sure there’s an action figure of me around here somewhere,” boasted the Lynex. “If I can find it I’ll buy one for both of you?”
At once, without warning, a fairy maiden in a white dress flashed out from behind the souvenir stand hovering only inches from Jacob’s nose. Accusingly she pointed her finger. “I’VE FOUND HIM, HE’S THE ONE, HE’S THE ONE!” she shouted, red in the face.
A dozen more fairies suddenly appeared darting out from behind the crowds of dwarfs. They hovered overhead for an instance and then dove straight towards Jacob. As they did, thin streaks of lightning shot out from the bottom of their wings, directed towards the top of Jacob’s head.
“EEEYOUCH!” he cried, as a tiny lightening bolt cracked, striking the crown of his head.
He tried to escape from the attack, but the crowds of dwarfs were so thick he was blocked in every direction. Cornered and lined up in their sights, the fairies continued a harried bombing attack, striking at him again and again with a vengeance. Swiftly Emalynn reached out and grabbed a hand full of whirligigs, flinging them one by one up toward the line of assailing fairies. A single projectile struck the lead fairy dead on center and the assailant fluttered to the ground for a brief second, before catching his breath and taking flight again. The Lynex, copying Emalynn’s lead, and also began flinging whirligigs into the fray. Before long the gang of marauders began to thin out and eventually scattered off into the crowds.
“EH! ME MERCHANDISE!” screamed the street merchant, dashing into the crowd to collect his scattered goods. “DAN’T STEP ON THEM!” he cried.
“Are you all right?” asked Emalynn, reaching out towards Jacob.
“OOOOOH! My head hurts,” he groaned, as he touched one of the many bumps rising up in his hair. Again he whimpered, “EEOUCH! I’ll never ever regurgitate on a fairy again!”
“Fairy bumps,” said the Lynex. “Do not worry prince, they will go away within the hour.”
“Thanks for saving me,” moaned Jacob.
“What’s that?” suddenly questioned the Lynex, pointing at the ground. “I think one of the fairies dropped their pouch.”
Jacob bent over and picked up a tiny golden pouch that was shaped similar to his marble bag back home.
“Oh, those must be fairy seeds,” said the Lynex, staring up at the pouch in Jacob’s hand.
“What are fairy seeds?” asked Emalynn.
The Lynex held out his chest. “The secret of fairies extraordinary speed and control is in the fairy seeds that they consume. When a fairy eats a seed their senses are heightened and reaction time accelerated beyond the quickness of any other living thing. The seeds are very rare and only last for an hour so. Fairies that fly without them are prone to accidents.”
“Oh, that’s why that fairy almost smacked into Jacob before,” said Emalynn, nodding her head in understanding. “But we better get out of here before they make us pay for any of the broken toys.”
“Will they work on humans?” asked Jacob, peeking into the pouch as they began to walk away.
“Oh yes, in fact they are sometimes used by DCR pilots to boost piloting skills,” responded the Lynex. “But they will not last the full hour on dwarfs as their bodies are much bigger than a tiny fairy.”
“How interesting,” commented Emalynn. “Oh, look over there,” she suddenly cried, pointing over the tops of the crowd at bold blue letters painted across the apex of a building.
A bright neon sign hung over the shop’s door, flashing in red, “THE DWARF CARPET SHOP, WE CARRY TOP RATED DCR CARPETS — YER QUICK TICKET TO FAME.”
Eager to see real flying carpets, Jacob rushed to lead the group onward, making his way through the mass of dwarfs to the shop’s entrance. He pulled open the undersized door and politely waited as Emalynn ducked her head and entered in first. The front half of the store was lined with short tables holding assortments of carpets, and hanging from ceiling rafters above were rows of rectangular carpets that scarcely left enough headroom for the short dwarfs to pass underneath. Awkwardly they ducked their heads under the colorfully draped carpets, periodically bumping the merchandise as they squeezed their way in between more tables piled high with carpets. At last they reached the back-unstocked area of the store, leaving behind their wake rows of swinging carpets. From behind a long counter, set against the entire length of the back wall, a round, longhaired, rosy-cheeked clerk warily stared at them.
“WHAT BUSINESS HAB YE EN’ ME SHOP?” he shouted.
“We’d like to purchase some DCR racing equipment,” replied Jacob, as he approached the dwarf and placed a note onto the counter.
“We doon’t sell racing equipment ta eh humans!” exclaimed the cranky dwarf with a gruff grunt. “Take yer business elsewhere, yer not welcoome here!”
“Oh please can you at least read the note,” interjected Emalynn. “It’s from Mr. Oubladew.”
The reluctant dwarf raised an eyebrow and then picked up the note. Slowly he unfolded the paper and then reached under the counter, taking out a pair of bent reading glasses. He held the paper close to his eyes and began to smile. “So ye’re Prince Frost,” he finally said in a friendly tone, looking up at Jacob. “I’b heard uncoonfirmed rumors that ye twere en’ thee village. Ye doon’t remember me, but I remember ye when ye twere just eh wee baby, enn’ now look at ye; ye’re eh fine young man. It tis en’ honor ta eh finally meet ye. Me name tis Ecin Teprac, enn’ I once twas thee supplier of carpets ta thee royal palace. I remember yer parents quite well; they twere twonderful people. Yes, yes, yes! I shall set ye booth up twith thee best, noothing less than thee best! It tis en’ honor ta eh serve ye prince! We carry thee bery finest racing carpets made; all thee famous makers send their best products ta me store.”
Mr. Teprac excitedly scurried into the back room and promptly returned with merchandise stacked in his short arms. Remarkably he carried four sizable boxes along with two unrolled carpets at the same time. Stumbling up to the counter he dumped the goods in front of the apprentices.
“These tar just like the carpets hangin’ on me back wall,” said Mr. Teprac.
Jacob gazed at the strange carpets in amazement, studying their beautiful oriental patterns. They resembled thin mattresses and roughly measured six inches deep, three feet wide by five feet long. The carpets were cut squarely with no trim, and mounted in their middle were thick leather belts. Set in the front of each carpet a leather strap was sewn over a wide pocket.
“These carpets tar designed fur eh racing,” explained Mr. Teprac. “But I’m eh sure ye won’t be eh racing twith them, twill ye now? Only eh professional pilot can eh handle thee top speed of eh DCR carpet.”
They shook their heads in agreement and Jacob eagerly watched, as Mr. Teprac began to open the boxes.
“Tas DCR carpets fly at extraordinary speeds there tis eh safety feature designed en’ each carpet. En’ case of eh crash thee carpet twill wrap around its piloot enn’ inflate twith air to eh protect the piloot. Thee strap en thee middle tis ta eh hold thee piloot secure, enn’ thee small strap in thee front twith thee pocket tis ta secure thee dwarf torch. The torch tis so thee piloot can see ta eh navigate through dark caves.”
From a carton Mr. Teprac pulled out a stubby stick with a clear glass lamp head.
“Eh dwarf torch head beam,” he said, holding it up for their examination.
From yet another carton he yanked out a large racing helmet with visor, labeled, ‘One size fits all.’
“Enn’ fur yer head protection, eh DCR Helmet.”
Mr. Teprac then began to rebox their gear when Emalynn interrupted, “Can we leave the boxes? We’d like to fly our carpets back home.”
“Certainly, ye do know how ta fly eh carpet doon’t ye?” questioned Mr. Teprac, peering up at the two.
Before Jacob could reply the Lynex angrily stepped forward shaking his fist. “I know you do not like humans! You think they are too stupid to know how to fly your foolish dwarf carpets right? But of course they know! They aren’t brainless like you! And as a matter of fact, what they do not know they will always ask me because I know everything!”
Surprised by the Lynex’s overly defensive response, the two apprentices looked at each other in shock, and then graciously Emalynn turned and thanked the storeowner in return. Anxious to give it a try, Jacob gathered up their gear and stumbled ahead, back through the displays of dangling carpets towards the door. Emalynn hurried to squeeze in front of him and hold the tiny door open. Together they exited onto the boardwalk and stood off to side watching passing dwarfs. As soon as there was a break in the crowds, with a coordinated effort, Emalynn held the head beams and helmets, while Jacob carefully laid out their carpets side by side. Separately they then inserted their head beams, strapping them tight into the front pockets. After attaching them securely they slipped their large helmets over their heads, and to their amazement the helmets shrank magically to fit perfectly snug. Ready to take their maiden flight they laid flat on their stomachs, midway between the carpet’s colorful sides, and slipped the thick leather straps over their backs, buckling in tight. The passing crowds of dwarfs continued to stare down at them, making snickering rude comments that could easily be over heard.
“Look at thee funny human children pretendin’ ta eh play DCR pilot,”
“Aye, but where tar their parents? They should eh not be playin’ in’ Dwarf Central,” complained another.
“Okay Lynex,” invited Jacob, disregarding the off-handed remarks. “We’re ready to go so climb onto my back and show us how to make it work.”
The Lynex took a step backwards shaking his head. “No! Only experienced pilots can flay a DCR carpet! You are going to crash and hurt me!” he suddenly sniveled.
“Lynex we won’t crash,” coaxed Emalynn. “And besides you’ll be the only one to ever ride on the back of a prince. And if you’re lucky and he does crash, then you’ll be famous; the first and only Lynex great enough to share the same crash with a prince!” In a flash the Lynex bounded forward and taking a huge leap he pounced on top of Jacob’s back. His small hands latched tightly onto Jacob’s shirt and he pulled it tight across Jacob’s chest.
“Oooofff! Lynex, take it easy!” wailed Jacob.
“Ready!” replied the anxious Lynex, “Let us go!”
Jacob searched for a switch to engage on the carpet, but despite a thorough inspection there was none to be found. Shoppers continued to annoyingly step around them, making loud annoying remarks.
“Play yer games elsewhere ye babies!”
“Yer en me way!”
“Humans doon’t belong here!”
Perplexed and unsettled, Jacob looked over at Emalynn and she responded back by shrugging her shoulders.
“Lynex,” finally asked Jacob, “how do you make this thing go?”
“How should I know,” replied the Lynex, his smile disappearing.
For several minutes they sat stationary puzzling over their dilemma, when suddenly Jacob heard Mr. Teprac’s voice coming from behind, “Ahhumm, do ye eh need any help?”
Turning his head Jacob looked up to see Mr. Teprac standing in the doorway of his store.
“Yeah, how do you work this confounded thing?” he asked.
The dwarf puffed out his cheeks and smiled. “First ye twill hab to eh clear yer minds enn’ concentrate on noothin, boot thee carpet. Thee carpet tunes itself ta eh piloot’s thoughts, so doon’t think aboot anything else except flying, or it twill become eh wild ride. Ta eh hoover, clearly think it. Ta swoop upward ye must think it. For eh hard bank right, ye must play it out en’ yer mind first enn’ then it twill happen exactly tas ye thought it out. Pilooting tis like learning ta eh walk all over again, except it tis en’ thee mind twhere all thee twork must be eh done. Eh good piloot practices twith his carpet over enn’ over ta eh learn control, readin’ of angels, developin’ prooper judgment of speed enn’ distance. Take it very slow at first enn’ eh good luck ta ye.”
Emalynn’s carpet was first to move, slowly shaking and jostling it stiffened and gradually floated up to hover just above Mr. Teprac’s head. Jacob soon followed with his carpet rising to float almost even with Emalynn. Both carpets quivered in the air while the Lynex wide eyed and rigid pulled on Jacob’s shirt.
“Relax Lynex, don’t tug so hard!” complained Jacob, feeling a couple of his buttons pop.
Emalynn was first to start forward and Jacob followed by focusing his concentration on moving ahead. Bit-by-bit the carpets began to slowly advance. Their progress however was dreadfully sluggish, topping out at the pace of a slithering snail. Appearing satisfied with the results Mr. Teprac turned on his heels and walked back into his store.
“WOOOOOAAA!” shouted the Lynex at the top of his lungs. “WATCH OUT FOR BIRDS!”
“I’ll race you back, and you can eat my dust,” shrieked Emalynn in a shrill voice. Excitedly she glanced back over her shoulder showing a wide grin.
“You’re on!” shouted the Lynex, accepting her challenge. He extended his arm pointing forward. “You won’t stand a chance, against me. I’ll ride my prince to victory!”
An old woman ambling underneath limped by with a cane as she wearily starred up at the carpets underside. By the time they had traveled a good five feet their carpets had improved in speed, now topping out at the velocity of a good meandering stroll. Jacob was finding it difficult to maintain his concentration adequate enough to keep the carpet moving forward. His carpet rocked up and down like a sluggish merry-go-round horse, bumping the heads of the crowds of shoppers that strolled underneath. In contrast Emalynn showed modest disparity with her piloting skills by rotating her carpet like a skewer over an open fire pit while shrieking high ear piercing screams. Meanwhile below, panicking shoppers held their hands over their heads scurrying out from underneath the amateur pilots. “RUN FUR YER LIVES, KILLER DCR CARPETS TAR ON THEE LOOSE!” screamed an elderly man.
“Go, go, go! Faster, faster, faster!” shouted the excited Lynex, bouncing up and down on Jacob’s back, ignoring the panic stricken cries below.
It took twice as long for them to leave Dwarf Central as it did to get there, and progressively they had gradually drifted into the middle of the street, with Jacob flying directly underneath Emalynn. Unable to gain more height, he began to worry about oncoming wagon traffic, hoping that his bad luck would not be the cause of a serious accident. The race was dead even, and with the Lynex bouncing up and down on Jacob’s back it made flying a carpet much more difficult. They were far from ready to race in the DCR, and with so little time left to practice there was no chance that they could ever be ready in time. He hoped that Emalynn would now come to her senses and quit her ridiculous plan. Up ahead he caught sight of the Frosty Mug Tavern and he closed his eyes to help concentrate on flying. With all his might he began picturing his carpet pulling ahead to win the race. The Lynex rose up on Jacob’s back to a stand, and began to scream like a girl, “WUUHAA! FASTER! FASTER! FASTER! YESSS! YESSS! I WON! I WON! I WON! I KNEW I COULD DO IT!”
Eagerly Jacob opened his eyes to see Emalynn’s dejected face and take in his glorious victory. He had at last beaten her by a solid foot. Gently they came to a stop and hovered to the ground. They then unlatched themselves and climbed off the carpets, rolling them back up and carefully tucking them under their arms.
“Next time Jacob we’ll race by ourselves,” complained Emalynn. “I couldn’t concentrate with the Lynex screaming so loud.”
“It seems I’m better at carpet racing than you are!” replied Jacob with a grin.
“Just wait until next time, you’ll see!” exclaimed Emalynn, red in the face.
As they entered the Frosty Mug Tavern Jacob immediately spotted Mr. Pitts sitting at the counter in conversation with Mr. Oubladew.
“Keep your helmet on and let’s get out of here,” whispered Emalynn. “Mr. Pitts is over there and if he sees us with this gear, he’ll know that were up to something. There’s no way he’d ever let us race in the DCR.”
“Right,” replied Jacob, half wanting to remove his helmet to foil her plan.
They headed back out the door, when—“JACOB, EMALYNN—OVER HERE,” shouted Mr. Pitts, waving his hand for them to come his way.
“Darn, darn, darn! He saw us,” whimpered Emalynn. “We’ve got to think up a good excuse about why we have this gear or else its over.”
Happily the Lynex strutted ahead. “Don’t worry guys,” he bragged. “I always have good explanations.”
“Nooo Lynex,” cried Emalynn. “Don’t!”
“Mr. Pitts,” eagerly cried the Lynex, as he approached the counter with his chest out. “Even though Jacob and Emalynn are entering the DCR, the most dangerous race that exists on the face of this planet, they have been coached by the best, ME! That means they have a fair to good chance of surviving!”
“LYNEX!” screamed Emalynn, “he didn’t mean it Mr. Pitts!”
“Doon’t ye worry aboot it. I already took thee liberty of advisin’ Mr. Pitts of yer plans,” said Mr. Oubladew, consoling Emalynn.
“Yes indeedee! I’m glad that you two thought of it,” said Mr. Pitts. “It will be a fine adventure for sure!”
Shocked and surprised, Jacob and Emalynn dropped open their mouths and looked at each other.
“Not even one objection?” then asked Jacob, hoping he would reconsider. “What about the assassin?”
“He’d be foolish to try anything there, no not even one objection,” answered Mr. Pitts. “Mr. Oubladew and I have had a good discussion about your training and I’ve decided that you two aren’t experiencing enough adventures. If you’re both going to become sentinels than you need to at least get an adventure or two under your belt, otherwise you’ll never learn how to handle yourselves as sentinels when the pressure is on. I know that this might seem a little scary, but I’m prepared to start including a few risky adventures into our training. And I think that your entering the DCR is an excellent beginning.”
“I’m not scared,” said the Lynex. “How about you two?”
Jacob and Emalynn shook their heads as Mr. Pitts grinned. “Splendid! Then let’s talk about something else I think you’ll like. This afternoon I visited your parents Emalynn and picked up your dress, and Jacob I stopped by and picked up your suit from your uncle. I left them both back at the boarding house. Your mother sends her love Emalynn.”
“Oh, Mr. Pitts, my dress! I can’t wait to see it! How does it look? What color is it?” questioned Emalynn eagerly, as she rushed to removed her helmet.
“It’s a beautiful pink dress,” responded Mr. Pitts. “Quite pretty, I think you’ll be very pleased with it.”
“Two more days until the ball, I can’t wait!” exclaimed Emalynn, grabbing Jacob’s arm. “What about you Jacob, aren’t you excited?”
“Mr. Oubladew, what’s it like racing in the DCR,” asked Jacob, ignoring Emalynn as he attempted to change the subject.
“Well ye twill start by first drawing lots fur yer startin’ position,” replied Mr. Oubladew. “Then ye twill get eh map ta eh navigate by. Thee racecourse tis kept secret from thee piloots, enn’ only revealed moments before with eh race map. Carpet racin’ tis not just eh race boot also eh challenge, ta eh test thee piloot’s navigation skills.”
“We’ve got to navigate too?” questioned Emalynn, showing a surprised face. “I’m no good at reading maps!”
“Don’t worry Emalynn, the way we fly we’ll have all day to read the map,” said Jacob. He then turned and looked at Mr. Oubladew. “We tried out the carpets, but they were slug sluggish! Is there anything we can do to get more speed out of them?”
“That’s excellent!” exclaimed Mr. Oubladew, raising his eyebrows. “It usually takes eh beginner weeks ta eh learn how ta levitate. Ye must be naturals ta eh fly on yer very first try!”
“Naturals?” questioned Jacob. “If that’s the best a person can do, than we’ll never learn to pilot in time.”
“Generally speakin’,” explained Mr. Oubladew, “eh piloot twill train fur years ta develop skills sharp enough ta speedily ride eh carpet, ‘enn navigatin’ through caves takes several moore years. Thee best thing ye both can do right now tis just eh practice yer flying enn’ hab fun. Doon’t eben get yer hopes up thinking ye twill finish thee racecourse.”
“Let’s go outside into the alley and I’ll give you some professionally coached flying lessons,” offered Mr. Pitts. He eagerly rubbed his hands together and stood up.
As the others proceeded ahead, Emalynn grabbed Jacob’s arm and held him back. “I think we should use those fairy seeds you found,” she whispered. “Otherwise we won’t stand a chance.”
“Yeah but there are only two seeds in the pouch,” replied Jacob, acknowledging that they had no other options.
“Than two will have to be enough!”
They stepped behind the counter entering the kitchen to pass through to the back of the tavern where Mr. Pitts already stood waiting and holding the door open. With their arms full they squeezed by him into a wide alleyway.
“Jacob do you mind if I try out your carpet and take it for a short spin first,” asked Mr. Pitts. “If you two were able to fly on your very first try, then I think I just might be able to do the same, and I hate to pass up a golden opportunity like this. Otherwise I’ll always wonder if it was something I could do, but never tried.”
Jacob handed him his helmet and laid out the carpet. Mr. Pitts returned a wide grin and then slid the helmet over his head. Stepping over the carpet he straddled it with his long legs, bent over, and placed his hands on the carpet to lower himself onto his stomach. Once positioned, his long dangly legs stuck far out over the carpet’s back edge.
“Your legs look like a long handled Popsicle stick,” giggled Emalynn.
Enthusiastically Mr. Pitts strapped himself on and held up his thumb. “Righteoo, this is going to be pure adventure!” he exclaimed.
“Now remember Mr. Pitts,” instructed Jacob, “clear your mind first and then think, levitate.”
“Levitate,” repeated Mr. Pitts, nodding as he took a deep breath.
Minutes passed as Mr. Pitts’ face gradually turned red.
“Don’t hold your breath, just concentrate on flying,” suggested Emalynn.
“I concentrate a lot better when I don’t breathe,” gasped Mr. Pitts, as he sucked in and out deep breaths of air to catch his wind. Recovering from his initial try, he took another long deep breath and tried again.
Patiently they waited while again Mr. Pitts’ face steadily turned red. With a sudden lurch the carpet began to stiffen and slowly he lifted from off the ground in an uneven hover that tilted his feet downward. Straight away he gasped for air and in a blurry flash the carpet shot to the side. “BANG,” he slammed instantly into a wall of a nearby building and fell to the ground, bouncing up and down several times before Jacob and Emalynn were able to dash to his side. In the nick of time the carpet had managed to curl up around him and inflate with air, protecting him from the crashing impact.
“I’M ALL RIGHT EVERYBODY, I’M ALL RIGHT,” he shouted, over the hissing sound of the deflating carpet.
Jacob helped him to unstrap and then grabbed an arm, assisting him to his feet.
“Well so much for gracefully flying a dwarf carpet. From now on I think I’ll leave this folly up to you two,” he moaned, still red in the face.