Once upon a time, there was an old wizard who taught at a wizarding school in Fairyland. One day, he had a terrible argument with Wizard Zidoc, the head of the school. Zidoc was so angry that he forbade the old wizard from entering the school.
Zidoc believed himself to be the most wonderful wizard in Fairyland. The argument started because the old wizard interfered with a spell to destroy castles in an instant. Zidoc became furious because the wizard was hindering him.
So the old wizard left the school and went looking for a cottage in the countryside.
Now it so happened that the cozy cottage of Fairy Jocapa was empty. She wouldn’t be using it for a while because she was visiting her cousin who lived on the other side of the world.
“I will live here,” said the wizard. And he brought his possessions to the house.
One day, the wizard took a long walk. He met a farmer who was about to leave his white dog and black cat in the forest.
“We don’t have the money to give them proper food,” said the farmer to the wizard. “In the wild, they might be able to take care of themselves.”
The wizard thought it would be nice to have a dog and a cat. So he gave the farmer a generous sum of money to buy the dog and cat from him.
At home, the wizard taught the dog and cat all known languages, then history, mathematics, dancing, and how to apply magic. Because he was a wizard, he could do this more easily than other people. The dog and cat became well-mannered, highly educated animals.
One day, the dog and cat were so learned that the wizard had nothing more to add. So they asked their master to let them go and see the world. The wizard was of course sad but understood their wish.
So he said, “Well, dear animals, if you must go, you must go. I have to pay Fairy Jocapa twelve months’ rent. She lives with her cousin, the King of the Land of the Flowing Rivers. Bring her the money and you will follow a road that will take you through all the kingdoms of the whole world.”
Then the dog and cat said goodbye to the wizard.
Their journey around the world was a great success. They quickly became very famous for their learning. Colleges and universities were eager to receive them. With their knowledge and engaging speeches, they received numerous honors.
One day, they reached the castle of the King of the Land of the Flowing Rivers. With great respect, the dog and cat were brought to a room. There, they were picked up by a blind lady who led them through dark corridors to another room. A key was used to open each door before it was locked again behind them. In the last room, Fairy Jocapa sat in a big chair by the fireplace. In the middle of the room, the king sat reading a book by the light of many candles.
Despite the wizard’s careful training in manners, the cat and dog stared at the king. That was no wonder, for the king was enchanted. His face and hands were bright green, like that of a parrot.
“Welcome,” said the king. “I am glad you are here. You are so learned, perhaps you can help me. You see that I am enchanted. That is why I live hidden in the castle. It was ten months ago when I was riding in my carriage along a narrow road next to a riverbank. In the opposite direction sat a tall, old man with a wizard’s hat. He shouted that I should pull my carriage over. But I was already dangerously close to the edge. I said, ‘You see that I cannot move any further aside.’ At this, the man raged, ‘I’ll teach you what it means to insult the wizard Zidoc.’ And thus, my face and body turned into a terrifying green color. Everyone who sees me is terrified. Therefore, learned lady and gentleman, let me know what I can do to break the spell.”
“The Wizard Zidoc is an old enemy of our dear master,” said the dog. “And his power as a wizard is the greatest in Fairyland!”
“I have tried all my powers against him in vain,” said the Fairy Jocapa sadly.
“Let us not despair now,” said the cat. “Zidoc lives nearby. We will go find him and see if we can help the king.”
Then the dog and the cat left the castle to go to Zidoc’s castle.
The dog disguised himself as a stray dog and the cat pretended to be a stray cat.
Unfortunately, Zidoc caught on to their plan. He was not called the greatest wizard in Fairyland for nothing. And so, he waited for the duo and pretended not to know anything. On the first day, the dog went inside and hid under the couch. He heard that Zidoc would receive a visit from the wizard Serponel the next day.
“We need to hide in the room where they will talk. Maybe we’ll hear something that will help us break the king’s spell,” said the dog.
The next day, the dog hid under the couch again. But Zidoc knew where the dog was hiding and had also asked the evil wizard Serponel for help in catching the dog and the cat.
When Serponel arrived, both wizards went to the room where the dog was hiding.
“Colleague, something tells me there is an enemy hiding under the couch,” Zidoc said to Serponel. “I will make him feel my wand!”
Now Zidoc had a wand with which he could kill with a single strike. The dog knew this and became very scared. Zidoc pulled the couch aside, but the dog managed to narrowly dodge the wand. Then the cat came in through the window, shooting in like an arrow. She climbed onto Zidoc’s back and sunk her claws in. Zidoc was so startled that he dropped his wand. The dog managed to bite Serponel on the ankle.
Zidoc cast a spell that filled the room with darkness. Immediately afterwards, he turned himself and Serponel into the same form as the cat and dog. He thought that the cat would follow the wrong dog and the dog would follow the wrong cat. When they were separated, Zidoc and Serponel would kill the animals.
When the darkness cleared, instead of fleeing, they took up the challenge. The real dog fought the fake dog and the real cat fought the fake cat. Zidoc was scratched several times and brought darkness into the room again. Then there was great confusion. The real cat was now chasing the real dog, while Serponel, who was the fake white dog, was chasing Zidoc. It was a big commotion in the castle.
The real cat became exhausted and climbed up a large tree.
“Well, my students! What disobedience to behave like this! Stop this quarrel right away,” said the old wizard.
The animals turned around and saw their master, the old wizard. He had become worried about their long absence and had gone to look for them. Now they realized that they had been fighting with each other.
Through the castle windows, they saw that the fake dog was still chasing the fake cat.
A triumphant smile appeared on the face of the old wizard. He cast a spell, the one that destroyed castles in an instant.
The castle collapsed, burying the two evil wizards in the process.
After that, the dog and the cat returned with the wizard to the palace of the enchanted king. The king came to the castle gate himself to let them in. The destruction of Zidoc had lifted the spell. The king had regained his original color!
A big celebration was held, and then the wizard went home with his animals, where they lived happily ever after.
