Master and Pupil

Long ago, a very clever master lived in a tall old house full of books. He had read more books than anyone else in the whole country. In his study, he kept an enormous old book with a thick black cover and heavy iron clasps. It was so big that it was fastened to the table with a chain, so nobody could carry it away.

The master had a young boy who worked for him and helped to keep the house tidy. “You may dust my study,” said the master, “but you must never, ever open that big black book.” “Yes, master,” said the boy, but he could not stop wondering what was inside it.

One day, the master went out, and the boy was alone in the study. He dusted the shelves and he dusted the windows, and then he looked at the big black book. “Just one little peek,” he whispered. He undid the iron clasps and opened the heavy cover.

The pages were full of strange, curly letters, and the boy could not understand a single word. Still, he put his finger on a line and began to read it out loud. As he read, the room grew dark, and the wind began to howl outside. The door flew open with a bang, and in came a great shaggy creature, as tall as the ceiling. “Give me work to do!” it roared. “Give me work, or I will not go away!”

The boy was very frightened, and he could only think of one small job. He pointed to a flower pot by the window. “Please water that flower,” he squeaked.

The shaggy creature dashed out of the house and came back with a bucket of water from the river. It poured the water over the flower, and then it went back for more, and more, and more. Splash, splash, splash, went the water, until it was up to the boy’s knees. “Stop! That is enough!” cried the boy, but the creature just kept on fetching water. The boy climbed up onto a chair, and the water kept on rising.

Far away, the master felt that something was wrong, and he hurried home. He flung open the study door, and the water came rushing out around his feet. At once, the master put his finger on the same line, and he read the spell backward, from the end to the beginning. The shaggy creature stopped, put down its bucket, and vanished like a puff of smoke.

The master helped the boy down from the chair, and together they mopped up all the water. The boy never touched the big black book again.