The Never Ending Story (226)

that left Northof7 alone. Northof7 went back to the cave and stood for several minutes looking into the dark pit. Looking up, he noticed a sign reading, " Mind your step. "

Northof7 hesitantly entered. After several moments, he saw a glow emitting from the rear of the cave. Deeper and deeper into the cave he went...until, he came to a corner. He stopped. Off in the distance he could hear a voice and a faint rumbling.

What is this he thought? Who could be living in this cave? Down he crouched and dared to take a peek around the corner. Sitting around a small campfire he saw this monstrosity of a figure. A glass dragon (a relative of Puff's he thought), and on the other side, a long gray haired figure of an old man. Complete with bushy eyebrows and a pointy hat. And completely wrapped in a cloak with painted stars and moons on it. In his hand he held a massive staff with a glowing orb on it's tip.

The two figures around the fire were singing.

The bear went over the mountain,
The bear went over the mountain,
The bear went over the mountain...to see what he could see.

Northof7 stood up. He carefully approached the two and as he came into the light, the wizardly looking fellow stood up and turned to North.

"Ah, now what have we here?", asked the man.

"I'm Northof7. And who might you be? ", he replied.

"Northof7 eh? Well I am....well at least in these parts...called Grandelf.", the wizard said.

"And what do you do? I mean for a living?", asked Northof7

"Ah well...a little of this and a little of that. And the dragon here, well he is the dragon of banishment you see. He engulfs the banished ones into a maze of reflective glass. There is no way out and only one in.", the wizard offered.

"I see.", says Northof7. "So a little of this and a little of that....does that include some kind of magic?", inquired Northof7

"Magic? Yes of course.", replied the Grandelf.

"So what kind of magic can you do?," asked Northof7.

"Well what would you like? I can turn you into a rabbit if you like...or a goat....", laughed the wizard.

Northof7 held up his hands, "No please...none of that. Mmmm..can we go outside and talk?".

The bade farewell to the glass dragon and went outside to the entrance of the cave.

"So tell me laddie, what seems to be the problem?", asked Grandelf.

"Well it is like this. Brew is lost. And tiamaria fell off a ledge, got caught in the rain and melted away. I miss my friends. And I am wondering if you can do something."

Grandelf let out a laugh. "Ah, you mean you want a resurrection spell do you? And a transport spell? Why didn't you say so.....those are my specialities of course. Besides, let me tell you a little secret, witches don't wither away when they get hit by water. Hehehehe...that's only in movies. We let that little myth hang around to amuse us."

"Well mercy be.", said the stunned Northof7. " Anyway, can you do it? Can you get them back?".

Grandelf laughed, "Of course I can."

Grandelf became serious, a dark shadow fell over his face. He started to grow in stature as he raised his staff into the air. The sky darkened and the clouds rolled across the moon. He started muttering...in a toungue Northof7 never heard before. Lightning cracked....the air filled with electricity...a deep booming was heard across the land. When all of a sudden, Grandelf was surrounded by an explosion and a puff of smoke. And as the smoke dissappated, Northof7 could see standing together, tiamaria17 and Grandelf.

Northof7 stood amazed at what he had just witnessed. Trucker, who was hiding in the bushes dashed over to Northof7's side.

"You see that?", asked Trucker.

"Yeah.", replied Northof7

"How did he do that?", asked Trucker.

"Don't know. Wierd stuff," muttered Northof7.

Trucker was totally amazed by it all. He was completely engulfed with curiousity. He ran over to Grandelf and blurted, "How'd you do that? Eh, how? I just gotta know. Please, pretty please with sugar on top...tell me, how did you do that?".

Grandelf looked at trucker and said, " Can't tell you. If I did, I'd have to banish you forever in the maze of the glass dragon. You'd never get out again and be forever lost in one big reflective maze forever and ever. Nobody can cast any spell on a glass dragon, the are just reflected back to them. Can't break him, shatter him, turn him into a goat....nadda...nothing."

Curiosity still engulfed Trucker...his eyes were glazed by the intensity of his curiousity. And then he said, " Okay. I want to know how you did that.".

Grandelf said matter of factly, "Okay, if you insist." He leaned over, whispered in Trucker's ear. Truckers eyes widened in amazment.Then Grandelf looked at him and smiled.

"And now you know Trucker. And here you go.". Grandelf waved his staff in the air, muttered some strange toungue and Trucker vanished in a puff of smoke. Grandelf retrieved his seeing glass from somewhere under his cloak and looked at the image of trucker aimlessly wandering forever eternity in the glass dragons maze of banishment.

Grandelf looked over at tiamaria17 and Northof7 and smiled, " Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it." He said with a chuckle.

But they still had Brew to get back and so.........

they thought.

Grandelf smiled at northof7 and tiamaria.

"Yep," he said. "He has gone delusional alright. You see, that is part of the maze's effect. Because everything is reflected back, no matter what it is, magic, sound, light, spells, thought, even wishful thinkin...you name it, he is believing he is off with Brew on a drum playing expedition."

"Poor soul.", said northof7.

"But it will teach him,", says Grandelf. " Don't meddle in the affairs of wizards. The glass dragon holds all. Why I remember when Lord Foul was banished to the glass dragon...he is still in there I think. Orcs, trolls, and an army of thousands came...powerful wizards of ever kind. The pounded on the maze for days...maybe years. Who knows. The maze held. No magic to powerful, no drum too big, no wizard more powerful. Alas...his fate.

And with that, the three sat down and built up a nice little campfire.

Then Grandelf said, " So shall we get Brew back then? A nice little teleportation spell shall we.".

Grandelf rose from his seat and.....