005 The Gogs seek expert advice

The Gogs had barely settled down into their orderly circle, and tea had not yet been poured, when the Professor strode into their midst. All the Gogs fell silent. Even the crows were quiet for once. The Professor, you see, was famous. His wisdom on matters geological, geographical, and genealogical was legendary. None of the Gogs had ever dreamed that they would meet the Professor in person.

The silence lengthened until finally Wormwood nervously cleared his throat and addressed the great man. "Professor", he began, "if we go north, will Scotland fall into the ocean? Will we tip the seesaw?" "Shut up", shouted Copley, so anxious to have his say that he temporarily forgot to be awed by the Professor's presence. "The Professor will think we're stupid. There is no seesaw."

"Ah", exclaimed the Professor, "that's where you'd be wrong, young Copley". He paused momentarily. "But the situation is more complex than Wormwood imagines. It isn't just a matter of tipping Great Britain north or south, you see, but east and west as well." "East and west as well", repeated Wormwood in wonderment. He was delighted that he had been sort of right, even though his idea had been overly simplistic. Wormwood directed a look that said "I told you so" at Copley.

It was at this point that Dianne awoke from her dreams. Looking around sleepily she was surprised but not too concerned to find herself in a totally different location to the one in which she had fallen asleep, though seemingly still atop a small hill. She decided that on balance the new landscape of giant teapots, cups, and saucers was infinitely preferable to one in which the main object had been a fast-approaching train. In the background she could hear the Professor talking. Being a canny girl (and somewhat nosy to boot), Dianne decided to pretend that she was still asleep so that she could listen to what the Professor had to say.

Dianne awakes from her dreams

"Whichever way you go you stand a chance of disturbing the balance", continued the Professor. "And of course...", the Professor paused again, "...you must also follow the ley lines". "The ley lines", echoed Wormwood, nodding sagely as if he had known this all along. "It is the ley lines that you must follow if you want to travel without jeopardising everything! But I can say no more", the Professor ended with a flourish.

What could the Professor possibly mean by "jeopardising everything", wondered the Gogs? They glanced nervously at each other, each Gog willing someone else to ask for an explanation. Then, one by one, each Gog pleaded with the Professor to tell them more. And one by one, the Professor fixed each hill with a steady gaze and demanded a vow of secrecy. Fortunately, the Professor did not notice Dianne lying under a thicket on Megg's east flank. Dianne hardly dared to breathe for fear of discovery.

"Listen well, then, because I will only tell you once", said the Professor, his voice hushing to a hush that made most of the Gogs doubt whether they really wanted to hear what he was going to say next. And slowly, the Professor began to explain "everything".

What secrets will the Professor reveal?

Find out in the next episode.

If you enjoyed this story, click on the envelope symbol below to tell your friends about it. Thanks.