Tale of the Wizard's Apples

Seeing only a meek and weaker foe before him Brian's fury could no longer be restrained and he raised his cudgel to deliver such a fearsome blow that had it struck it would have probably have gravely hurt the old gentleman and perhaps even crushed his skull like an eggshell.

But the blow of course never landed!

With just the effort of a raised finger, the Wizard commanded the cudgel to stop in mid-flight and it began to vibrate as if now possessed with life of its own.

"Sir, you are a bully, a tyrant and a scoundrel, and your wickedness is no longer to be borne! The thieves you have sent to my door have each been punished in a way that most pleases me, and now it is your turn to receive your due punishment. May your own walking stick speed you now away on your path and may it deliver a hundred and one blows upon you for every one that you have unjustly bestowed upon others!"

With that command and a wave of his hand the cudgel broke free of Jack's wicked step-fathers hands and began a fearsome rain of blows upon the miscreants head.

CRACK! Went the stick, again and again and soon blood began to flow from his head.

He tried in vain to shield himself and ward off the blows but it was to no avail. Maddened by pain, and blinded by the blood that covered his face he began to blindly run, faster and faster, seeking to outdistance his tormentor which always remained within striking reach of him. Soon he had run clear out of sight and he was never seen again by either Jack or his mother.

Some of the Cornish miners say that they think they saw him run into an old abandoned mine shaft that had been unused since the old Roman days, but others thought they saw someone running blindly off the cliff edge at Land's End. All now agree that his spirit now haunts the deepest underground parts of the mines, and the rat-tapping of his cudgel can still sometimes be heard as a brief warning of impending danger to those in the mine, occurring most often before a sudden rock fall or tunnel collapse. Perhaps now in death he seeks to repay a little of the evil he did in life!

Jack's mother, who never again lacked for any silver and gold in her purse, remained at her cottage home until the end of her long years and was renowned as the most famous baker in all of Merry England; her fruit pies and tarts even appearing at Royal banquets and served before the King himself.

As for the formerly lazy and good for nothing Phillip? He well reformed his indolent ways (I told you he was not really bad at heart) and labored long and hard as the Wizard's gardener and tended the orchard well for a full year and a day without complaint, after which the Wizard restored his lost hand back to him, which worked as good as new, but tended to itch and form a rash when hints of Phillip's old bad habits occasionally resurfaced.

He became a good son and provider to his step-mother and soon once again had the old farm working back to its former prosperity. In time he was able to marry well and brought up his children to be honest and hardworking (and to give Wizards and Sorceresses every possible bit of respect).

As for Jack, he was overjoyed to be reunited once again with Clarisa, who truly was the joy of his heart. Kneeling before her, he asked her father the Wizard for her hand in marriage, which he was glad to bestow and even offered the lad an opportunity to be his apprentice and learn the skills of magic!

As for the apples of Cornwall? They are still considered the best in all the Kingdom and they have now spread far beyond the old Wizard's orchards. Except I must say, for one particular old sour green apple tree that is near an old ruined wall and tower near Land's End, the fruit of which is far too bitter to eat and which no amount of sugar can improve its taste.

That I suspect is poor wicked Edward still having his last laugh at all of us!

The End