The magic carriage

 a litte Jewish boy named Alexander and his mum Malia,travel through a magic/imaginary city in their native Danemark .

Chapter I: The coachman

 

Malia had fallen asleep on the small pebble beach in a city I will call Diamond. Her long dark blond hair was curling down her back. Her flecked grey ensemble, a long skirt and short blouse made her look like a fisherman’s wife. Her face, white with rose dimples in the corner of her mouth, made her appear so youthful with these lightly pink cheeks she also had. Her skinny body had given her a gracious look; she was thirty-four and had a son named Alexander, a little boy of ten who was playing on the beach. He had a mop of blond hair and two piercing green eyes which made him look a lot like his mother.

“Mum, mum” chirped Alexander, “I want to see the cauldrons and the wizards in the tavern and sugar castles”

“Sure, honey we’ll go” replied Malia as she was getting up, smoothing out her dress. “We’ll need to call the horses and the coachman because we’ll go with our magic carriage “As the little boy sat on his mum’s knee, they both saw something coming from the horizon, as they were fiercely looking at it as if there were   chances of rain. There were scattered drops, the salty smell of the sea and a sudden sound, a gallop in wet water, in the waves against the rock.

“Muuum” screamed Alexander with joy “I see the magic carriage coming.”

A carriage just rose out of the water, against the pale blue sky, it was beautiful, black, rusty and ancient. Gargoyles were carved along all its frames and two gigantic unicorns were driving it.   ;-)

The horses neighed as the carriage stopped in a whizzing sound and a man just opened the doors and stepped out, he was ten feet tall, he was hefty   not to say enormous. He was muscular but with something of a soft face and two big pearly blue eyes and sparse blond hair on the top of his head. The man turned to Alexander and said to him in both a soft and manly voice”Hello,little boy my name  is  Tadeusz, the Polish giant- and I am here to drive  you to the tavern. Is it where you want to go?” Asked Tadeusz.

“Yes, yes I want to go to the tavern because I want to see the wizards and cauldrons and sugar castles «Replied the boy.

 “And do you have your ticket to go to the tavern?” asked Tadeusz”

“Yes, I do have one” said the child “and it’s in gold sheaf as in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory in Roald Dahl’s books my favourite writer” said the boy.”Here it is”

“So, you have your ticket, and your mother is with you, good”

“Yes sir, “replied Alexander

 “And we’re ready to go sir” said Malia with a smile, a bit shy and hesitant she thus stepped inside with her son who had just sat down, looking out the window and ready to go. He had felt fascinated by the incised animals, especially the snakes and bearded men on comfortable seats as he was watching these gigantic horses ready to trot faster and faster in a gentle jog.

“So, are we going across the sea now mum?” Yes, I think it’s where we will have arrived in half an hour. The tavern is way ahead of us “Malia will have replied as the watery sound ricocheted and as Tadeusz took off with the horses a fast hand on reins.

 

Rain was dropping on the carriage’s roof and Alexander was watching through the window and as they were traveling the little boy could see everything. There was a light fog and still they saw small green bushes he would notice and the whirling waves crashing to and fro against the small brown rocks. The birds were tweeting and sometimes the sky displayed light rays of thunder or strange cloudy shapes picturing serpents, jugglers or even fruit. Everything a little boy could imagine.

Alexander noticed his mother having a look at her watch and she would say” Son, soon we will have arrived. “

From time-to-time Tadeusz, the Polish giant carried to his mouth a huge cup of mead, something which would have had our passengers slightly shifting in their seats, still he would not put them at risk while driving he was holding the wheel firmly. 

 Chapter II the tavern

 

And so little Alexander was daydreaming as any little boy would do. He was happy and felt different thanks to the fact he was living in this city called Diamond in which magic tricks happened. He did not know anywhere else where there were taverns with true wizards and sugar castles and the cauldrons were all he wanted to see. He also told his mother he could go into different worlds

and see different things. And Malia had replied he was a bit strange or daydreaming too much. He would insist that was not and all he thought was true he was expecting something extraordinary, something he had never seen before.  The Polish giant was telling   them to step off and as soon they had done so they could see a shore of pure white sand dunes. Sand started flying into the horizon and a smoky coloured tavern had formed

“Alexander dear, now we can go in!” said Malia happily.

The tavern was huge. And fat bearded men were graciously talking and eating roasted meat while drinking hydromel and beers.

“Where are the wizards, mum?” asked the boy.

 “Here son” Malia had replied as she pointed out three old, bearded men with hats.

“We are the wizards “said one of them “My name is Fred, and here are my brothers, Georges and Simon.

Simon said to the boy:

“I know what you are looking for Alexander, you are looking for the sugar castle and you know what, I know it and it is like a gigantic ice castle although the ice is made of sugar which is as cold as true ice and there is the queen of the castle, she is over thirty like your mother she is extremely beautiful as a woman, her name is Leona.

”

  

  

                                      Chapter III: The sugar castle

 Alexander and Malia left the tavern and  strolled closer to the shore. They have been walking on the shore for twenty minutes before the castle appeared in front of their eyes. It was tall, frozen in ice, very shiny and pearly. As they push the entrance gate, they see a large chamber with bow windows built into the lower sides of an attic. Windows reflecting a limitless navy-blue sky and stars very white. Beds were disposed under these alcoves lit by bedside lamps displaying a very good cozy light. Libraries were erected behind. The room was big.

“Mum, I think I need a telescope” said Alexander as he just saw one disposed of on one of the library’s tiers. Wooden, clean and perfect said the boy to himself.

And as he took the telescope, he jumped onto one of the beds directing the telescope through the window under the attic.

All of a sudden he saw the shape of a beautiful woman appearing through his looking glass, she was here, blond with tanned skin, Moorish-like two beautiful brown eyes, yes, she was Leona! 

“Alexander “she said “I know what you want, the magic silver compass,  l to go wherever you want “ she said

Chapter IV Tadeusz Szymanski

Malia Melchior faced the waving sea, reading a casual novel as Alexander was playing near her with his magic compass. The sea was beautiful near Leona’s castle.

“Mum “asked the boy, «Who is dad?”

“Your dad?” she replied. “Your dad is Tadeusz Szymański, our coachman.”

“The Polish giant is my dad?”

“Yes”

“So, will he stay with us mum”

“Much more now”

“Is this a promise mum?”

“Yes son”

Now Alexander was building his own castle in the sand, happy to have heard of Tadeusz Szymanski and so he was up to use his magic compass to go everywhere and so he made a wish.

“I want to go into my very own castle “

All in a sudden he felt the ground had moved under his feet and his small sandcastle grew enormously. Alexander Szymanski saw his castle, giant in front of his eyes. “Fantastic” he said as he saw a row of soldiers in red uniforms fighting in front of his eyes.

Malia had untangled her hair putting eye liner, it seemed she was waiting for Leona to come.

“Leona is going to come with her daughter Sarah- Sarah is the daughter of a Black saxophonist named Maximilian Johnson, well known here, she is your age” she said to Alexander.

Alexander replied in an underwater sound while playing within his castle’s walls

“Tell Sarah to join me in the castle."