Fantasy fiction; Oz (Imaginary place) -- Juvenile fiction
“Take that!” screamed Ruggedo furiously. There was a bright flash; then
the box righted itself slowly and sailed straight back into Ruggedo’s
hands and, more wonderful still, _it was open_! With his eyes almost
popping from his head, the gnome sat down on the floor, the box in his
lap.
[Illustration: (unlabelled)]
In the first tray were four golden flasks and each one was carefully
labeled. The first was marked, “Flying Fluid”; “Vanishing Cream” was in
the second. The third flask held “Glegg’s Instantaneous Expanding
Extract,” and in the fourth was “Spike’s Hair Strengthener.”
Ruggedo rubbed his hands gleefully and lifted out the top tray. In the
next compartment was a tiny copper kettle, a lamp and a package marked
“Triple Trick Tea.” So anxious was Ruggedo to know what was in the last
compartment that he scarcely glanced at Glegg’s tea set. Quickly he
peered into the bottom of the casket. There were two boxes. Taking up
the first Ruggedo read, “Glegg’s Question Box. Shake three times after
each question.”
“Great Grampus!” spluttered the gnome, “this is a find!” He was growing
more excited every minute and his hands shook so he could hardly read
the label on the last box. Finally he made it out: “Re-animating Rays,
guaranteed to reawaken any person who has lost the power of life through
sorcery, witchcraft or enchantment,” said the label.
[Illustration: (unlabelled)]
Well, did anyone ever hear anything more magic than that? Ruggedo
glanced from one to the other of the little gold flasks and boxes. There
were so many he hardly knew which to use first. “Flying Fluid and
Vanishing Cream,” mused the gnome. Well, they might help after he had
captured Oz, but he felt it would take more powerful magic than Flying
Fluid and Vanishing Cream to capture the fairy Kingdom. Next he picked
up the bottle labeled “Spike’s Hair Strengthener.” Anything that
strengthened would be helpful, so, with one eye on the last bottle,
Ruggedo absently rubbed some of the hair strengthener on his head. He
stopped rubbing in a hurry and put his finger in his mouth with a howl
of pain. Then he jumped up in alarm and ran to a small mirror hanging on
the wall. Every hair on his head had become an iron spike and the result
was so terrible that it frightened even the old gnome. He flung the
bottle angrily on the ground. But stop! He could butt his enemies with
the sharp spikes! Comforting himself with this cheerful thought, Ruggedo
returned to the magic box.
“Instantaneous Expanding Extract,” muttered the gnome, turning the
bottle over carefully. “That ought to make me _larger_—and if I were
larger—if I were larger!” He snapped his fingers and began hopping up
and down. He was about to empty the bottle over his head when he
suddenly reflected that it might be safer to try this powerful extract
on someone else. But on whom?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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