A WIND-TOSSED SPELL

IN A TOWER on a rocky island lived a wizard whose enchantments centered on the four winds. He made a modest income selling bags of fair breezes to sailors. One day, a sailor brought him a letter from a faraway faerie king. Two scant lines, it requested a difficult windspell. With a thankful heart, the wizard accepted the silver sent in payment, delighting in thoughts of the intricate spellwork ahead of him.

That afternoon, he searched beaches and scrubby fields, collecting feathers lost by sea birds: strong fliers. Using the feathers as quill pens, and colorful potions as ink, he created twelve squares of illustrated script on parchment. Next, the wizard donned ragged half-gloves to wrap thread in wisps of icy wind and stitch the pages together to make a book.

Then he climbed to the tower’s roof and tossed the book to an enchanted whirlwind that tore it to scraps. Countless bits of bright parchment swirled in glorious patterns until magic knit them together, forming one lovely page. Graceful as a well-handled kite, it soared and dived.

A north wind whisked it across the ocean. Finally, it settled written-side down on