H /wic waz At farst frFtand At fFndN harself kApcard bF H enamI; bat sMn SI disFdd Ht SI waz egzAktlI Az sEf in H /tin /wUdmAn'z batan-hOl Az grOiN apon H bUS. f nO wan nM H rOz n /mombI t b wan, n nQ Ht SI waz wiTQt H gEts v H /sitI har cAnsz v eskEpN YltMgeHar fram /glinda war mac imprMvd.
"bat HEr z nO harI," TYt /mombI. "F wil wEt awFl n enJq H hjMmilIESn v Hs /sYrsares wen SI fFndz F hAv Qtwitd har." sO TrMQt H nFt H rOz lE kwFitlI on H /wUdmAn'z bUzam, n in H mYrnN, wen /glinda samand Qr frendz t a konsaltESn, /nik /copar kErId hiz pritI flQr wiT him t H wFt silk tent.
"f sam rIzan," sed /glinda, "wI hAv fEld t fFnd Hs kanN Old /mombI; sO F fIr Qr ekspediSn wil prMv a fEljar. n f Ht F Am syrI, bIkaz wiTQt Qr asistans lital /ozma wil nevar b reskjMd n ristYrd t har rFtfal paziSn Az /kwIn v H /emarald /sitI."
"d not let as giv ap sO IzilI," sed H /pampkinhed, "let as d samTiN els."
"samTiN els mast rIlI b dan," riplFd /glinda, wiT a smFl, "jet F kn not andarstAnd hQ F hAv bin difItd sO IzilI bF an Old /wic hM nOz fyr les v mAJik Hn F d mFself."
"wFl wI r on H grQnd F bilIv i wUd b wFz f as t koNkar H /emarald /sitI f /prinses /ozmo, n fFnd H garl Aftarward," sed H /skErkrO, "n wFl H garl rimEnz hidan F wil glAdlI rMl in har plEs, f F andarstAnd H biznis v rMlN mac betar Hn /JinJar daz."
"bat F hAv promisd not t mOlest /JinJar," abJektd /glinda.
"sapOz jM Yl ritarn wiT mI t mF kiNdam -- Yr /empFr, rAHar," sed H /tin /wUdmAn, palFtlI inklMdN H entFr pyrtI in a rql wEv v hiz yrm. "i wil giv mI grEt pleZar t entartEn jM in mF kAsal, wEr HEr z rMm Inaf n t spEr. n if enI v jM wiS t b nikal-plEtd, mF vAlE wil d i frI v Yl ekspens."
wFl H /wUdmAn waz spIkN /glinda'z Fz hAd bin nOtN H rOz in hiz batan-hOl, n nQ SI imAJind SI sY H big red lIvz v H flQr crembal slFtlI. Hs arQzd har saspiSnz, n in a mOmant mYr H /sYrsares hAd disFdd Ht H sImN rOz waz naTiN els Hn a crAnsfYrmESn v Old /mombI. At H sEm instant /mOmbI nM SI waz diskavard n mast kwiklI plAn an eskEp, n Az crAnsfYrmESnz war IzI t har SI imIdIatlI tUk H fYrm v a /SAdO n glFdd aloN H wYl v H tent tYrd H encrans, TiNkN Has t disapIr.
bat /glinda hAd not OnlI Ikwal kanN, bat fyr mYr ekspIrIans Hn H /wic. sO H /sYrsares rIcd H OpenN v H tent bifYr H /SAdO, n wiT a wEv v har hAnd klOzd H encrans sO sekjarlI Ht /mombI kUd not fFnd a krAk big Inaf t krIp TrM. H /skErkrO n hiz frendz war grEtlI sarprFzd At /glinda'z AkSanz; f nan v Hem hAd nOtd H /SAdO. bat H /sYrsares sed t Hem:
"rimEn parfektlI kwFit, Yl v jM! f H Old /wic z Ivan nQ wiT as in Hs tent, n F hOp t kApcar har."
HIz wradz sO alyrmd /mombI Ht SI kwiklI crAnzfYrmd harself fram a SAdO t a /blAk /Ant, in wic SEp SI krYld aloN H grQnd, sIkN a krAk Yr krevis in wic t hFd har tFnI bodI.
fYrcanatlI, H grQnd wEr H tent hAd bin picd, bIiN Jast bifYr H sitI gEts, waz hyrd n smMH; n wFl H /Ant stil krYld abQt, /glinda diskavard i n rAn kwiklI fYrward t efekt its kApcar. bat, Jast Az har hAnd waz disendN, H /wic, nQ fErlI frAntik wiT fIr, mEd har lAst crAnzfYrmESn, n in H fYrm v a hjMJ /grifin sprAN TrM H wYl v H tent -- tErN H silk asandar in har raS -- n in a mOmant hAd dyrtd awE wiT H spId v a warlwind.
/glinda did not hezitEt t folO. SI sprAN apon H bAk v H /sY-/hYrs n krFd:
"nQ jM SAl prMv Ht jM hAv a rFt t b alFv! /ran -- ran -- ran!"
H /sY-/hYrs rAn. lFk a flAS hI folOd H /grifin, hiz wUdan legz mMvN sO fAst Ht HE twiNkald lFk H rEz v a styr. bifYr Qr frendz kUd rikavar fram a sarprFz bOT H /sY-/hYrs hAd dASd Qt v sFt.
"kam! let as folO!" krFd H /skErkrO.
HE rAn t H plEs wEr H /gamp waz lFiN n kwiklI tambald abYrd.
"flF!" kmAndd /tip, IgarlI.
"wEr t?" Askd H /gamp, in its kYm vqs.
"F dOn't nO," ritarnd /tip, hM waz vErI narvas At H dilE; "bat if jM wil mQnt intM H Er F TiNk wI kn diskavar wic wE /glinda hAz gon."
"vErI wel," ritarnd H /gamp, kwFitlI; n i spred its grEt wiNz n mQntd hF intM H Er.