Kids’ stuff

In Competition No. 2437 you were invited to supply an incident from a children’s adventure story featuring a mythical beast and a magic device.

Perhaps someone who doesn’t dig Robinson Crusoe, Swallows and Amazons or The Hobbit and feels no inclination to read a Harry Potter book isn’t the ideal judge for this competition, but I did my best and enjoyed it. Especially enjoyable was the amazing array of monsters you summoned from the vasty deep — the Plagerypuss, gruntilopes, the samaker, ‘a huge fish with whirling wings’, Diplorus the Dinodidacticus, Nobbin the Gobb, ‘a cross between a piglet and a sharpei dog’, and of course the Jasbeastos, ‘green-bearded, glasses strapped on with an eye-patch’. The prizewinners, printed below, take £25 each, and the bonus fiver goes to Bill Greenwell.

‘What d’you call that thing?’ said Jasmine to the Mandelkin. The Mandelkin puffed up its feathers, expanded its cheek, and began to exhale rapidly, the hot air making the grass bristle and the water curdle.