5 Diego's Magical Cottage

CHAPTER 5 DIEGO'S MAGICAL COTTAGE Drake blinked his eyes. He was not inside King Roland's castle anymore. He was standing on top of a hill with Diego and Worm. The bottom of the hill sloped down to a beach of white sand. Beyond that, Drake saw blue water that stretched from the shore to the sky.

His eyes got wide. "Is that really the ocean?" "Yes. Your first time, is it?" Diego asked. "Take a deep breath. Smell the air. There's nothing like it." Drake did as he was told. The air smelled like salt and wind. "It smells... clean," Drake said. "It's good for the lungs!" Diego said. "Come, let's get you settled." Then he turned and shuffled up the hill. Drake and Worm followed the wizard to a large cottage. It was made of bricks and wood, and had a mostly-straw roof.

This cottage wasn't like any Drake had ever seen. It wasn't one square room. This one was a rectangle. With another rectangle stuck to it. And another. And another. This cottage is shaped like a big letter S, Drake thought. Diego seemed to read his mind. "I had to add rooms onto my cottage. Too many books and potions," he said.

Then Diego looked at Worm. "Stay here while we get your room ready." Worm nodded, and Drake followed Diego through the front door. The first room had a big fireplace. There were a few pieces of furniture around the room. Drake noticed a gazing ball on top of one table. Strings were draped around the room, on every wall. "What are those white stones dangling from the strings?" Drake asked. "They're called seashells," Diego explained. "Tiny ocean animals used to live in them."

Drake stared at the shells. He couldn't imagine what kind of creature would use one for a home. Diego picked up a basket of mushrooms. Then he nodded to a bucket on the floor. "Let's go to the well and get some water for Worm." They filled the bucket, and brought the water and the mushrooms to Worm. Worm gobbled them down. "I'll make us some lunch, too," Diego said.

"Shouldn't we be looking for Carlos?" Drake asked. "Ah, yes," said Diego. "You see, the coast is very big. It would take too long for us to search every village. But luckily, we have help." Diego walked over to a window. He opened the shutters and whistled. Drake watched, curious, as a bird flew up to the window. The bird had a white body and a black head. Drake had never seen a bird like it. "It's a gull," Diego said. "I call him Bob."