The Magic Jigsaw

THE MAGIC JIGSAW

Chapter 1 Grandpa loves jigsaw puzzles. We always do a jigsaw when I go to his house. Last week we did one of a horse. "Isn't he a beauty, Jane?" said Grandpa. I didn't say anything. I'm a bit scared of horses. I'm scared they might kick or bite. The horse was standing outside an old house with tall windows. Grandpa said it looked like the house where his grandpa used to live.

We had almost finished the jigsaw. "There's one piece missing," said Grandpa. I found a piece under the table, but it was red, like Grandpa's carpet, and it was too big. "It won't fit," I said. I put a finger into the gap in the jigsaw.

Suddenly, the room started spinning around. I felt dizzy and closed my eyes. Then I felt thick hair under my finger. When I opened my eyes, I saw an old house with tall windows. It looked just like the house in Grandpa's jigsaw. What was happening?

My hands were holding something black, thick and hairy. It was a horse's mane, and I was sitting on the horse's back!

I looked down and saw a woman in a strange long dress. She looked angry. "Get off that horse!" she said loudly. I slid quickly off the horse's back. "You must be the new stable boy," she said. "Come with me." Stable boy? Couldn't she see I was a girl? The woman took me to some stables. She pointed to a big white horse, and handed me a brush. I started to panic – what could I do? I was scared of the horse, but I was more scared of the woman.