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Qwyfyx was feeling much better as he opened the second door. At last he had something for the King - even if it wasn't the Philosopher's Stone. The door led him onto a balcony where Johannes the Astronomer was peering through a strange, tubular apparatus. Overhead, the night sky was dotted with an infinity of brilliant stars. "Ahem, excuse me," said Qwyfyx. "Quickly, come look," said Johannes, beckoning. Looking through the apparatus, all Qwyfyx could see was a small yellow disk with a ring around it. |
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"Isn't it beautiful!" exclaimed Johannes excitedly. Qwyfyx was puzzled. "Um, what exactly am I looking at?" he asked. "Why, Saturn, of course," said the Astronomer, looking closely at Qwyfyx for the first time. "Where have you been, the Dark Ages?" "Well, not quite," said Qwyfyx. He then told Johannes of the nature of his quest and about his journey so far. The Astronomer laughed so hard that his eyes began to water and he had to sit down. "Well, that explains it," he said. "Let me show you something else through the telescope." It only took a moment for Johannes to re-align the instrument so that it was pointing at a nearby church steeple. "Now look," he said. Qwyfyx was dumbfounded. The spire was greatly magnified and, on it, he could see every detail. He could even see the teeth on the gargoyles. "This instrument is a far greater thing than a mere stone! If only I could take it back to my King, he would certainly spare my life." "Well, perhaps, I can help you," said Johannes, opening a large trunk. He rummaged around for a moment, then extracted a smaller, rather battered telescope and presented it to Qwyfyx. "Oh! Thank you!" said the Magician, taking the instrument. "A pleasure. Now, if you will excuse me, I have work to do," said Johannes, as he resumed his stargazing.
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© Graeme Whittle 1996