Words for Wednesday -- 17 November

My first ever story from the Unicorn Farm was in bad need of a rewrite. The photos supplied by Margaret Adamson and friends and posted on  Elephant's Child's blog was perfect for this.
Please all reading this go to Elephant's Child's place to find the prompts, read some good stories, and be inspired to write your own.
  This is a challenge, where the old saying "The more the merrier" holds true, therefore: Please, remember to go back, read other peoples' stories there or follow their links back. And please leave a comment after reading. Challenges like this one thrives on interaction.

The Monday after all the fuss with the kelpie, the four apprentices met just outside the magician's house. For once, they were on time, and agreed to walk down the asphalt road to where the road was barred, the way the police car had come the Friday before. And not, as usual, take the fast path across the field.
    "We might spot something the police haven't seen," Heidi said optimistically.
    "You probably shouldn't count on that," Susan replied. I bet Taavi and Tähti have been combing the roads around here, and Jon too for that matter."
    "Yes," said Tage. "They've been snooping around here all weekend, and so has Torben, and then David, the new boy."
    "David!" Susan said in surprise. "What was he doing here this weekend? He was so busy getting home to his family in ... uh, I forget the name of the town."
    "Shh! He's over there!" Heidi whispered. And indeed. Just around the bend, David was leaning against a tree on the other side of the road. The four children stopped and Heidi whispered to the others: "I don't think he's seen us. Let's slip into the park here."
    They slipped in through an old, mossy iron gate. It was very big, double and very heavy. The chain that held the wings together had rusted through long ago, and there was an opening for them to slip through. They were now in an unkempt garden with unusually tall privet hedges. Tage drew his wand, and before Lis could protest, he whispered: "It's an emergency, like," and cast a semi-invisibility spell on the four of them. It didn't exactly make them invisible, more chameleon-like colour-changing, and besides, it made them a bit more silent. The latter wasn't really necessary in the deep, soft grass of the unkempt park. Susan looked away from the hedge and saw a large, red brick, two-story building. The shutters were closed,  and the place looked deserted and abandoned.
    "What is this place?" she asked quietly.
    "It's an old sugar plant," Lis answered, "It was closed down when sugar production was centralised. Before that, the sugar beets were boiled in small plants like this one, and then the sugary water was pumped in pipes into town to be purified and crystallized, or whatever it's called.
    "Shh!" Tage hissed. "You can discuss that when we get home."

They crept on along the hedge until they were very close to where David was standing. They were close enough to be absolutely sure that it really was David standing there. Then he drew his wand, waved it in an intricate pattern and disappeared.
    "What did he do?" Lis whispered in amazement.
    "I'm not sure, but I think he teleported," Tage replied with a touch of awe in his voice.
    Susan thought back to Jon's lesson the previous week. "I think you're right, Tage," she said. "But he's not allowed to!"
    They squeezed through the hedges where they met an old tree and walked on towards the Unicorn Farm in deep thoughts. They almost walked into into Taavi nearing the Farm.
    "Look out, will you!" he said,a bit  astonished, "I did not notice you at all. Why have you cast the chameleon spell upon yourselves?"
    "Well," replied Tage, "we spotted David, the new guy on the blue team. He was standing looking suspicious up against a tree. Then we hid in the park by the old sugar plant opposite him, and then ..."
    "And then .?" Taavi urged.
    "Then he waved his wand in an intricate pattern and disappeared. I think he teleported. But he's not allowed to do that yet, is he?"
    "No, he is not. But it's not nice to spy on people either," Taavi told them softly. "I'll talk to Jon about it. It's his job, this teleportation thing. Now you'd better get to your classes, Heidi, Lis and Tage, I'll see you in a bit up in the biology room," he said with a smile and teleported away.
    "He didn't believe us!" Lis said.
    "No, but did you notice the movements?" Heidi asked. "That's exactly what David did!"
    "Well, then," said Tage, "you are quite clever, little sister."
    "We'd better hurry," said Lis. "I don't want to get into trouble, especially not with Mr. Kuusisaari."

They ran off for their lessons. But for the rest of that day their thoughts were not really on the lessons.