Robert’s Secret

By Simon Mandl

Adventurous Robert decides to walk across a frozen lake. Suddenly he falls through the ice and sinks to the bottom where he meets an elf with magic powers.

Distraught and desperate the elf tells Robert that his two sons are being held hostage in a house by the lake.

Eager to help others he offers to rescue the young elves. Robert discovers that the only way into the house is by going down the chimney. He climbs up a tree, drops onto the roof and enters the house by descending the chimney. He located the two boys and with his unique bravery he helps them escape from the terrible traps in which they have been imprisoned. They have to find a way out of the house before their evil captor returns.

The elves have been taught some magic by their father, and they are able to use this on a key that Robert finds in his pocket, to unlock the front door.

They are reunited with their father who promised to give Robert a present for having saved his children. Robert gives them the key to his garden shed in case they should ever need refuge above ground.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Oct 15, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477135037

Simon Mandl

Simon was born in England in 1963. He studied in private junior school in the UK then for two years in Boston USA followed by boarding school and Agricultural University back in England. Following a year’s work on a farm he moved to Switzerland working for a wine grower. From 1983 to date, Simon has been employed by the International Olympic Committee. Following a terrible car accident in 1987 Simon’s outlook and way of living has changed dramatically. In his free time he takes care of handicapped people.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

GETTING READY TO GO

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A blackbird sitting on the window sill outside Robert’s bedroom sang so loudly and joyfully that it woke the young boy, who had been sound asleep. He opened his left eye a little to see what was going on, but the sunlight shining between the curtains on to his face made him turn over and look away from the window. He stretched his strong arms and legs and yawned a long satisfying yawn. Robert sat up and looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was only six o’clock in the morning.

After another big, long yawn, he slipped out of bed and walked on tiptoes along the corridor past his parents’ bedroom to the bathroom, trying to walk as quietly as a spider. ‘I will have a quick shower, get dressed, and be ready to go,’ he said to himself.

He stepped under the shower, looked down at the floor, and just turned the shower on a little way so that the noise of the shower would not wake his parents. Then Robert had his first surprise of the day: he couldn’t feel any water falling on him, but when he looked up, his face got wet! The reason why he hadn’t been able to feel the water was because he had forgotten to take off his pyjamas and T-shirt. With a big smile on his face, he turned off the shower, pulled off his red-and-white-striped pyjamas and orange T-shirt, squeezed as much water as he could out of them, and put them to dry on a radiator. Robert wasn’t worried because he was sure that they would be dry by nightfall.

It had been chilly all week, so Robert put on warm clothes, including his favourite dark green Lone Ranger jacket and his red and yellow striped corduroy trousers. He dressed quickly and walked quietly along the corridor past his parents’ bedroom and down the stairs to the kitchen. He went straight to a food cupboard, took out some bread and a small bar of chocolate, and put them in a pocket on the right-hand side of his jacket. Then he went to a chest of drawers, from which he took a small pocket torch. Finally, just before leaving, he took an apple out of the fruit bowl and