We all agree that Google translate is not stellar, I often call it Giggle translate because the resulting text is so far off the mark as to make me giggle. But one of my sons told me about a new machine translator called DeepL. It should be way better.
Let's test it!
This next chapter is a chapter I
obviously wrote in Danish. It is a sort of missing link, combining the stories of Martine and Fiona; but I am
not in the mood for translating. So I tried something new: This chapter is
translated using www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version).
I corrected one thing, there might be more. Birkegården means Birch Manor, but as a name it's not translated.
Let me hear, what you think. A week later, Fiona's car rolled up in front of Birch Manor.
I
know you didn't want visitors yet, Fiona said as they pulled up,
completely bewildered to have visitors in their new home. But tomorrow
is 17 May, Martine's birthday. Shouldn't we surprise her with a visit
today. There was something I had to look at. And don't worry, the magic
wand is in the glove compartment.
They spent a nice drive together
in Fiona's car, refreshing old memories and banter. And making plans for
the new school of magic. Fiona remembered that the brooms were bought
in the Blind Work in Copenhagen.
The biggest problem was books. Susan
had her copy of Everyday Magic for Witches and Wizards, but that wasn't
much to build a school on. "We'll probably ask for help from abroad."
Susan said. I wonder if Ella couldn't help us, hopefully she's still
alive. I don't think Kensuke and Teiko will be much help there. Neither
of us seem to read Japanese."
"Maybe Finnbogi and Rósa have something
up at that weird museum of Icelandic witchcraft and sorcery or whatever
it was called?" Knud added.
"Oh, I went there once, right after
they opened," Fiona said. "It was repulsive and exciting at the same
time. Rósa works there. Fantastic, and Finnbogi. How many have you found
so far?"
"We've checked on almost all the apprentices from the
Unicorn Farm, but it's a pretty sad story," Knud said, pulling his book
out of his backpack. So many of them have died, but of natural causes,
we suspect. And many of David's loyal supporters were among the first to
go wrong. So we don't think there's any criminal or revenge motive
behind it."
"In short, you don't buy the idea that Teresa had anything to do with it?"
"No, not really, anyway. It's a bit too random who survived, and so most of them weren't hard to find."
"And
one last thing," Susan said. "It just occurred to me, but the deaths
stop about when David dies. Maybe she - or they - even got off on the
wrong foot around then?"
"That sounds like a thought," Knud said.
"Let me check." A little later he looked up from the book again. "You're
quite right. Apart from Kalle Berggren, who didn't die until eight
years later, it actually stopped with David's death. I bet if we look
hard we can find your Teresa's death around there too, but the question
is whether we want to bother now, there's so much else to do."
"You're
right. It's probably just my fear of them being overactive. I guess
I'll just have to get used to the fact that they've been dead and gone
for so many years, when they're alive and well in my mind's eye," Fiona
sighed. "But now for something completely different. Martine. If I can
cure her ... Or rather, help her ills. And it won't be in a day, even
with magic. That would probably just arouse suspicion too. So what are
your plans?"
"Our plans, and hers, are to find her a
handicapped-accessible home near the Birch House. We haven't looked yet,
but there should be something. Maybe she can stay with us for a while,
we have enough space when not all the children are visiting at once."
"Yes,
with my help and especially with her magic, she should actually be able
to manage on her own," Fiona said slowly. "That sounds like a good
idea. And she's not going to be lonely, we need her help, too, very
much! And then I have another question. How will you check if people you
meet have magic abilities, i.e. are witches or wizards? I've wondered
if any of my children or grandchildren were magicians, but I haven't
really dared to do anything about it yet. And I don't know how to go
about it."
"That's actually a really good question. We've thought
about it a lot, but haven't really had time to make anything of it with
all the moving," Knud said. "How did you get tested?"
"I read in a
big Icelandic book one day at school - and I could actually read it,"
Susan told us. "And then on summer vacation I found my way to the
Unicorn Farm and met Gilvi."
"I was inside with a fortune teller at a travelling carnival," Fiona told me. "She asked me if I'd like to look
in the fortune-teller's ball, and I saw a building, the Unicorn Farm, of
course. Then she handed me a leaflet about the local 4H and told me to
give it to my parents so they could sign me up for the rabbit jumping
course. I wasn't the least bit interested, but I did as she said, and my
parents were very keen to get both me and Veronika there. I reckon it
was suggestive paper," Fiona sighed. "At 4H I was sent down to a small
gloomy room where there were some other children, Sarah, Knud and those
from Northern Norway, My, Marit, Astrid and Olav, and then we were
escorted out to the Unicorn Farm under Jon's leadership.
"I
picked a bunch of flowers and leaves in the forest, and an old woman
came and asked me if she could have it - it was Tähti," Knud replied.
"The next day there was a leaflet in the post box - and from there my
story follows Fiona," Knud said smiling.
"But that probably doesn't
help us much," said Fiona. "I usually just do instead of thinking long
and hard, but right now I'm hesitant. Maybe Martine knows something."
***
Knud
directed Fiona the last few miles to the nursing home, and just like
last time, they were inside the bakery buying cakes. This time they
bought a small layer cake, just the right size for four people.
It
was the same girl as last time who was sitting at the reception desk and
she cheered up when she saw them: "Oh, I'm so glad to see you again,
Martine's been so up since you were here. She's started taking part in
physiotherapy and also some arts and crafts. It's fantastic. You know
the way, so just go up there."
"You must be Fiona," Martine exclaimed once the three visitors had entered. "You look like yourself, you're just older."
"Yes, I am Fiona," replied the latter. "I recognise you too."
"That's a kind way of putting it," said Martine. "I don't look like myself anymore."
"Yes,"
Fiona said, continuing over Martine's protests. "It's true that your
body isn't whole anymore, but you, your soul, or whatever cat I should
call it, there inside you, still looks like who you were." Martine
looked up at Fiona. "I've gotten stronger since those two were here
last," she said with a sly smile. "I've been working out. Every day, not
just in physical therapy. and I've been working on a test tool. We need
a way to distinguish mages from non-mages."
"I told you!" Knud exclaimed. "Martine has the solution."
The
nurse came in with a tray of coffee, cups and so on. She noticed the
layer cake on the table and smiled broadly. "Well, someone's in good
time. Enjoy!"
"Thank you!" The four of them replied into each other's mouths.
Fiona
poured and Martine narrated while Knud cut the cake. "Well, I thought
we needed to know who was going to school at Birkegården. So I made a
gizmo. You know, one of those witch lizard brain scrambler things made
of wood and coloured strings." She paused and stuck a hand in a bag on
the back of the wheelchair. Susan couldn't help but notice how much more
mobile she had become and smiled appreciatively. "You can do what you
want, almost then," Martine said. "This one is magical. It resists being
solved if you're not a magician. Leave it, and some normal ones like
it, out next time the children and grandchildren come to visit. Those
who stick with it long enough to solve it have the magic in them." She
handed the gadget to Susan.
"You only made one?" Fiona asked?"
"Well, I can't do magic." Martine replied, and they all burst out laughing.
"You can test your grandchildren with a painting competition, just ask them to paint animals and you'll see!"
"Great idea!" Fiona replied. "And then my kids will be exposed by their kids. That's clever!"
