Max and the magic flute E-Book

Mathias Harling

• Herausgeber: novum publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 305

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Calisto is desperate. He has lost the amulet that his deceased mother once gave him. Then he meets Max and his magical flute and the two orphans set off together on a search, make new friends and experience an exciting journey that increasingly turns into a fantastic adventure. They follow in the footsteps of archaeologist Samuel Delusius and delve deeper and deeper into the history of their ancestors, the island of Pangea and its inherent magic. It soon becomes clear that not only their own fate depends on the success of their journey. Will they succeed in solving the riddle of the mysterious explorer before disaster strikes?

Leseprobe

Prologue

1. The ferryman from Middleburgh

With a heavy heart and wet eyes, Tor Olafson stood on the bank of the river and watched as his employees pulled another of his ferry boats out of the water. His left hand was constantly playing with an old coin that he carried in his trouser pocket. His grandfather had once given it to him before he took his first ferry trip.

"This coin has been handed over in our family for generations," his grandfather had whispered in his ear with a serious expression and solemn words. "I received it from my grandfather when I was a little boy, before I set off on my first journey. Now it's time to pass them on to you. Take good care of it and always carry it with you when you cross one of the great rivers. Then it will protect you and always ensure that you reach the other shore unscathed."

Since then, Tor Olafson carried the coin with him whenever he crossed one of the two rivers. He liked to feel its smooth, cool surface between his fingers and always had a good feeling when he carried it with him. As if nothing could harm him. Although he couldn't say for sure whether the coin was actually able to protect him, he had never experienced a serious accident with one of his ferry boats in all those years. And the two large rivers, between which Middleburgh had closed, could quickly become very dangerous, especially when heavy rainfall caused them to swell into a raging torrent within minutes. However, the coin was clearly unable to protect him from the consequences of the difficult economic situation. For some time now, there had not been enough passengers and goods to cross the river to keep the numerous ferry companies in Middleburgh busy. Some of the smaller companies had therefore to cease trading altogether, while the larger ones had begun to reduce the number of their boats and put them on dry docks. Like most ferrymen from Middleburgh, Tor Olafson had taken over his father's business as a young man and had continuously expanded his fleet ever since. But now it broke his heart to see his business shrinking before his eyes.

For a long time, Tor Olafson had believed that the two kingdoms would remain closely and amicably intertwined forever. After all, they were symbiotically linked in so many ways. They divided the island of Pangea almost equally. The kingdom of Pan in the north and the kingdom of Gea in the south, separated in the middle by the great Atajar ridge, which, with their high mountains and unique shape, created a very special climatic phenomenon. Because if you passed through the Atajar, you emerged in completely different climatic conditions despite the relatively short distance. The seasons mirrored each other; if it was summer in the north, it was winter in the south and vice versa. Only in the town of Middleburgh,the link between the two kingdoms, did a fairly even, mild, almost spring-like climate prevail throughout the year.

In recent years, however, more and more disputes had arisen between the two kingdoms. Even on seemingly trivial issues, they could no longer agree. The most sensitive issue was undeniably the affiliation of the autonomous city of Middleburgh, where Tor Olafson ran his ferry business. The town itself was situated on a high plateau, almost exactly in the middle of Atajar, and was cut off from the rest of the island in all directions by natural features. To the west and east by the steep, forbidding rock faces of the mountains, to the south and north by the two largest rivers on the island, the White and the Black Grinder which flowed along each other in different directions near Middleburgh. They had more than earned their names from the imposing gorges they had carved into the rocks of the mountain massif over the course of time. The White Grinder originated in the western part of the Atajar, flowed south past the town towards the east and had a light, whitish color due to the limestone-rich rock. The source of the Black Grinder, on the other hand, was in the eastern part of the mountain range. It passed the town in the north and flowed westwards. The coal-rich layers of rock through which it flowed during its route gave it a dark, blackish color.

Middleburgh was located on an island, which was also by far the shortest connection between the two kingdoms. As the other areas of the borderwere much more inaccessible and difficult to navigate, Middleburgh had always served as a trading center, naturally connecting the two kingdoms. However, both kingdoms now claimed the town as their own. And for the first time in history, the northern kingdom had carried out military maneuvers near the border at the beginning of this year, which could only be directed against the southern kingdom. As a result, the South had significantly increased tariffs on the import of goods from the North, and the North had done the same in return. All of this had significantly cooled relations between the two kingdoms. Trade had slowed down more and more and had now almost come to a complete standstill. In the meantime, there was even open talk of war in some circles. And the numerous Middleburgh ferrymen were the first to suffer. But they were by no means the only ones. The numerous local stores, restaurateurs, hoteliers, jugglers and showmen of all kinds also suffered greatly from the fact that fewer and fewer traders and merchants were passing through the town. In addition, many of them had ignored the emerging economic crisis for too long and were now heavily in debt.

However, not only the people from Middleburgh were affected by the economic problems. The numerous inhabitants of the two kingdoms were also affected in many ways, first and foremost those who lived in the area of the major trade routes.But of course also numerous workshops, manufactories and craftsmen, who now no longer had access to the urgently needed trade goods and raw materials that were essential for smooth operations. As a result, there was also increasing tension within the two kingdoms and poverty spread rapidly everywhere. And while the inhabitants of both kingdoms used to be widely known for their warm-hearted generosity, they were now regarded as suspicious, stingy and greedy. However, nobody really knew what had caused this development and how it could be stopped. Most of the inhabitants were far too preoccupied with their everyday problems to even notice.

Part 1 - Max and Calisto

2. To the summer market

The night before the trip to the big summer market, Max could hardly sleep for excitement. He didn't often get out of the small village of Woodwall where he lived. His mother had died shortly after he was born and his father had disappeared some time before that, so he grew up with his maternal grandmother. There he had a very comfortable daily routine, mainly consisting of looking after animals, gardening, pottery, carving, reading and playing the flute. Shortly after sunrise, Max got out of bed, hung his flute on a cord around his neck and went down to the living room. The flute had a very peculiar curved shape and had once belonged to his mother, but she had never been particularly fond of it. He had been playing it long before he could walk and talk properly. It always seemed as if he and the flute were strangely fused together. He carried it around with him all day and played it whenever he had his hands free. He only took it off to sleep and to swim.

Once downstairs, he took his grandmother's old teapot from the shelf and placed it on the sideboard in the kitchen. He still had to use the small stool to reach the top shelf. Max was unusually small for his age and had a slender, petite, almost delicatefigure. But none of this seemed to bother him and there were very few situations and moments when his bright green eyes didn't sparkle with joy. He lived contentedly in his very own little world.

After Max had fired up the old wood-burning stove in the kitchen, he went out to fetch fresh water from the well so that his grandma could make them a hot cup of tea for breakfast. He then went into the stable, took Albert the donkey out of his stall and put the harness on him for the small cart, which they had already carefully packed and prepared over the past few days. When the donkey was ready, he led him out of the stable, which Albert commented on with cheerful noises. You're obviously looking forward to the trip as much as I am, thought Max and went back into the house. There, his grandma Irma greeted him with a sleepy but cheerful "Good morning" while she plucked fresh peppermint leaves from one of the flower pots on the windowsill and stuffed them into her old teapot. The teapot was to Grandma what the flute was to Max. She had been using the teapot since she was a child and always took it with her on all her travels.

"You can hardly wait for it to start, can you?" Grandma asked without expecting an answer from Max. "I'm really glad that you can be there again this year. It was quite exhausting without you last year. After all, I'm not getting any younger and setting up and arranging the stand was quite difficult for me last year. Besides, you will certainly attract a lot of attention with your flute, which shouldn't hurt our sales. I've never had to lug back as many goods as last year."

Due to a lingering cold, Max hadn't been able to accompany his grandma to the summer market last year, which is why he was all the more excited this year. Only twelve years old, he could hardly remember the last trip to the big city two years ago. After an extensive breakfast, during which Grandma prepared and packed plenty of bread for the journey, the two of them pulled the cart out of the barn and harnessed the donkey to it. The journey to the southern capital of Southam would take about a day and a half. Their aim was to be there by early Friday afternoon at the latest, so that they would have enough time to get the stall up to scratch. The next morning, they wanted to be ready for the huge rush that they hoped would await them when the market opened on Saturday morning.

First, the two of them drove the cart to the nearby village and turned onto the main road towards the southern capital. The journey was quiet and smooth. In the evening, they stopped at a clearing on the side of the road. Other travelers had already gathered here and set up camp for the night. Most of them were traders from all different regions of the country. Some had already lit campfires and there was an exuberant, cheerful atmosphere, with Max taking the opportunity to play his flute while Grandma Irmamade plenty of tea and distributed it to her traveling and camp companions.

Early the next morning, they continued their journey and gradually reached the suburbs of Southam. Here Grandma Irma began to notice the increasingly squalid conditions. It seemed to be true what they said, namely that the economic crisis had worsened over the past year and the kingdom was in ever greater need. "But a lack of income alone," thought Grandma Irma "couldn't explain the whole thing." Because there were also many little things that showed the neglect that were not dependent on money, like dirt and filth on the streets and squares. Many houses looked dilapidated and their front gardens unkempt and in an extremely precarious state. Shutters hung crookedly down the sides of the windows, although it would probably only have taken a small screw to repair them. And most of the paths and roads had not been repaired since last winter. So no one had filled in the holes that the frost had torn open and they made very slow progress most of the time. But the worst thing of all, as Grandma Irma felt, were the many scruffy and unkempt people on the street, quite a few of whom were children. Some of them even begged for alms from the passing carts. Due to the upcoming summer market, there was a lot of traffic on the streets. However, it seemed to Grandma Irma that there weren't as many traders as in previous years. In general, things seemed to have changed for the worse since lastyear. She couldn't remember ever having seen so much poverty on her trip to the southern capital. And there was something else in the air that she could clearly sense: Fear, despair and helplessness.

Max hardly seemed to notice any of this. Beaming with joy, he sat next to his grandma on the back of the wagon and happily warbled away on his flute. He enjoyed the many impressions, the bright colors, sounds and smells as well as the faces of the people who met them on the journey. And the closer they got to city limits of Southam, the more of it flooded in on him. And when they finally passed the city gates, Max seemed to be on the verge of bursting with joy and excitement.

As in previous years, Grandma Irma set up the market stall at the home of her old friend Renate, whom she had known since childhood. The two had gone to school together in the small village where Grandma Irma still lived and had always been best friends. As a young woman, Renate had fallen in love with a merchant from Southam and had moved to live with him in the town. They eventually married and raised two sons together. A few years ago, however, her husband passed away. And as both sons were now grown up and out of the house, Renate had used the vacant space in the house to set up a small guesthouse, which was always well frequented, especially at this time of year. But whenever her time allowed, Renate pursued her great passion, knitting.If there was nothing to do in the guesthouse, she would sit on the bench in front of her house and diligently strum her knitting needles. She made all kinds of hats, scarves and sweaters, which she offered and sold in the small shed at the side of the house, where the goods for her husband's business used to be stored. After his death, she turned the store on the first floor into a cozy breakfast room and lounge for the guests of her guesthouse.

When Grandma Irma and Max arrived at the house, Renate was already waiting for them in front of the house and greeted them with a smile.

"Well, you're really late, you two, must have been a lot of traffic on the roads again. Then we shouldn't waste any time setting up."

The two old friends hugged each other warmly for a long time. For Renate, her friend was a very special guest and so she was happy to let her use her small shed at the side of the house. Here they could stay for the duration of their stay and also set up their stall. Renate opened the large door of the shed and Irma and Max rolled their cart inside. They then set up a large folding table behind the gate, leaving just enough space to exit the shed at the side. Max then took Albert the donkey to a nearby barn where his welfare would be looked after. Meanwhile, Grandma Irma began to place the goods she had brought with her at the stall. All kinds of baked bowls, plates and pots, carved wooden cutlery, various kindsof goat's cheese and lots of preserved delicacies from her garden. It wasn't until dusk that Grandma Irma was halfway satisfied with the arrangement of the stall and, exhausted, she settled down on the bench in front of the house. Here she ate dinner with Max and her friend.

Max wolfed down his food quickly as he wanted to use the evening hours for a little walk around the town. And when he had disappeared, Grandma Irma and Renate sat together on the street for a while longer, drinking tea and chatting. But unlike the last few years, when they had always enjoyed this time very light-heartedly, this year there was a certain of heaviness about the two of them. No matter what topic they broached, they kept realizing that something seemed to be wrong with people and the world. Something was out of balance and yet neither of them could quite put their finger on it. Eventually, however, the two older ladies retired to sleep and at some point, shortly after midnight, Max also slipped into the shed and lay down, visibly exhausted from the long day.

3. The watchmaker

On the first morning of the two-day summer market, the streets of the southern capital were bustling with activity. Starting from the central market square, market stalls had woven themselves into the city like a spider's web. Traders, farmers, craftsmen, artists, showmen and curioustourists had traveled from all over the country, while others came from even further away. The air was filled with exotic smells and sounds of all kinds, which constantly mingled and formed new, ever-changing and exciting compositions with every further step forward. Sounds and voices buzzed around like swarms of insects, seeming to land here and there and then move on. People talked, sang, shouted and walked around. Market criers of all kinds loudly advertised their goods and wares.

Due to the disputes between the two kingdoms, there were far fewer traders, merchants and visitors from the north this year than in previous years. For political reasons, the rich, famous and important in particular could hardly afford to be seen in the southern capital, as they risked falling out of favor with the northern king. For this reason, there had been wild rumors for some time about which famous people from the north might have dared to travel incognito to the southern capital. Gustav Glock had little interest in this gossip. He had been out and about on the market since sunrise, looking for interesting objects. Particularly in the early hours of the morning, he often found very special treasures and gems and that was exactly what he was looking for. Over the past few years, he had developed a keen eye for distinguishing precious items from the worthless junk that was usually on offer at the stalls. In addition, he now knew the locations of the traders and stalls where he was most likely to find a successful deal. He was particularly fond of the less conscientious and law-abiding traders. These were often the places where goods of dubious origin could be found and where the price could be lowered particularly well. And thanks to his many years of experience, he knew exactly how to deal with this type of trader.

Gustav Glock used to be a well-known and popular watchmaker, but he stopped this activity abruptly a few years ago because he had lost his passion for it. Since then, he has devoted himself exclusively to trading, watches of all kinds, jewelry, paintings, rare art objects and other curiosities. He was an extremely skillful trader and always managed to turn a trade to his own advantage. In the meantime, he had acquired a dubious, almost notorious reputation. Some called him smart and cunning, a shrewd trader, others even underhanded and unscrupulous. But there was no doubt that the watchmaker was one of the richest and most famous people in the southern kingdom. He had amassed a huge collection of expensive, rare or simply curious objects in his former workshop. Last year, he had even had to enlarge it to make room for even more items.

Gustav Glock's collection was certainly the largest in the southern kingdom and was also known far beyond the country's borders. A not inconsiderable part of it consisted of clocks of various types, sizes and shapes. He had already designed and built many of them himself during his time as a watchmaker, while others he had restored or simply repaired. He owned a wide variety of wall clocks, grandfather clocks, cuckoo clocks, wristwatches, pocket watches and music boxes, clocks that ran backwards, clocks that could go to bed with their owner at night to get him out of bed on time in the morning. Others sang cheerful songs every hour. Some of these clocks were said to have almost magical properties. One clock, for example, was said to be able to set the time back a few hours. Of course, nobody knew whether this was true except the watchmaker himself, as the grumpy old man only granted access to his workshop to a select few. Nevertheless, rich people regularly traveled from far and wide just to view and admire his collection. But even his most loyal customers never got to see all of them, as it was said that he hid the most valuable pieces in a huge safe, the door of which he opened for no one but himself and which miraculously had much more space inside than could be seen from the outside.

After Gustav Glock had walked up and down the market square a few times with an eagle eye, searching and assessing, he finally discovered a mother-of-pearl-colored amulet that immediately caught his attention. A few days ago, a lanky boy with small round glasses had knocked on the gate of his workshop and asked for just such an amulet. He had had to pawn it some time ago and hadn't been able to redeem it in time. And now he was looking for it in order to buy it back, the boy had told him. At first he had wanted to turn him down brusquely, but when the boy used the term magical to describe the amulet, he had suddenly become very quiet and attentive.

"The special thing about this magical amulet," the boy had said, "is that it contains a small music box, which is easy to miss even on closer inspection. You have to press the two small levers on the side of the amulet. The amulet then pops open and the music box inside plays a little melody, a different one each time. I have never once heard the music box play the same tune twice."

The watchmaker then had the amulet described to him in detail and, when the boy had finished, had brusquely fobbed him off with the words: "I'm sorry, I don't have the amulet. I can't help you." He then slammed the door shut without waiting for a reply from the boy.

And it was precisely this amulet, the watchmaker hoped, that he had now found at the stall of one of the local traders. After a brief, casual inspection of the amulet, he found the two small levers attached to the side and his heart leapt for joy. Of course, he didn't use them, as the merchant obviously had no idea what gem he had lying among all the other worthless junk. After a short negotiation, the two of them agreed on a price that seemed extremely advantageous to the watchmaker and brought a furtive, mischievous smile to his face.

4. Calisto

Calisto had been living in the municipal orphanage since his mother died just over a year ago. He had turned fourteen a few days ago and had already reached an impressive size for his age. However, he had mainly grown in height, while his width had hardly changed. As a result, Calisto was a long and thin rascal whose movements were sometimes reminiscent of a circus clown. He wore small glasses with round lenses on his nose, which gave his face a certain educated grandeur. But on this morning of the big summer market, he felt anything but sublime. He had snuck out of the orphanage before sunrise and had been walking up and down the large market ever since. He was looking for the mother-of-pearl-colored amulet that his mother had given him after his birth. It was a legacy from his grandmother, who had died some time before he was born. Shortly before his mother's death, he had handed it over to the town pawnbroker in desperation so that he could use the pledge to buy the medication for her further treatment. But the medication had not helped his mother and her death had shaken his world so completely that he had not been able to redeem the amulet in time.

Afterwards, Calisto was unable to do anything for a long time, cried a lot and sat motionless for days on end, staring blankly into the air. Finally, the neighbors had taken him inand brought him to the city orphanage, where he had been living more badly than well ever since. It seemed as if something deep inside him had broken and every attempt to put it back together had so far been in vain. Mentally absent and apathetic, he attended his daily lessons at the orphanage school. He barely noticed the other children. But for some time he had felt something like a faint hope. He couldn't explain where it came from, but he was now firmly convinced that he would find his way back to himself if only he could get the amulet back into his possession. So two weeks ago, he had started looking for it everywhere in the city. He had visited all kinds of stores and traders and had even been to the famous watchmaker Gustav Glock. But all his efforts had so far been unsuccessful. The big market now offered him a unique opportunity to search for it. He hoped to buy the amulet back before someone else snatched it away from him. And while he was walking up and down between the stalls, he saw Gustav Glock talking to a trader at a stall. And there it was the amulet. He had finally found it.

As he hurried over to the stand, Calisto only stammered: "My amulet!" and reached for it. But the watchmaker had already made it disappear into the inside pocket of his jacket with a quick, deft movement of his hand. Now he looked at the boy seriously and said: "I'm sorry, my little one, you're too late, I just bought this amulet legally from this honorable merchant. I have already paid the agreed price and that concludes the deal."

At this remark, the dealer nodded supportively to the watchmaker and Gustav Glock continued his speech. "If you want it, you'll have to buy it from me. However, I hardly think you will have enough money to pay for it. So please excuse me now. Have a nice day."

With these words, the watchmaker turned abruptly and disappeared into the crowd. After he had gone, Calisto remained standing at the merchant's stall for some time, undecided and doubtful, before he finally sat down on the neighboring curb, discouraged and exhausted, and began to cry bitterly, bending his head in his lap.

5. Max meets Calisto

Grandma Irma had drawn up a rough schedule for looking after the stand. After having breakfast with Renate, Grandma Irma and Max went to the barn together, opened the big gate and made some minor improvements to the stand. After that, Max had some hours off. At this time of the day, the rush of customers was still very manageable and Grandma Irma was confident that she could cope on her own. However, Max had to be back at the stand by eleven a clock at the latest. So Max took the opportunity to explore the market further. Cheerful and extremely excited, he ran around, stopping here and there, examining the various goods and playing his flute as he walked around.

Finally, Max noticed a boy sitting on the curb crying, unrecognized and unnoticed by the passing crowd. The boy must be two or three years older than him, Max thought, and watched the boy for a while. Finally, he sat down next to him on the curb, picked up his flute and began to play. It was only a short moment before the other boy lifted his head and briefly took off his glasses to awkwardly wipe some tears from his face with one hand. His despair seemed to have largely evaporated and given way to an interested curiosity. And almost mischievously, he looked over at Max to scrutinize him. In many ways, Max seemed to be the exact opposite of Calisto. He was much shorter, had bright green, lively eyes and long, shaggy, pitch-black hair. His clothes were already worn and tattered, but they didn't look poor at all.

Calisto felt how playing the flute opened a long-closed door for him, even if only a small crack. And he immediately sensed that the simple melody that the boy played on his flute reminded him of the melodies from his grandmother's amulet. And that had an incredibly calming effect on him. But the flute playing also seemed to have an effect on the other people around them. The hustle and bustle that had previously prevailed at this corner of the market seemed to have turned into a harmonious glide. Some people passing by had even stopped to listen to this simple yet wonderfully spun melody,which seemed to float weightlessly above everything else. But before a large crowd could form, the boy interrupted his playing.

"My name is Max," he said and held out his hand to Calisto.

"Hello Max, nice to meet you," Calisto replied. "I'm Calisto."

The mismatched pair shook hands, Calisto, the thin, long rascal with short blond hair and silver-grey eyes, and Max, the small, slight boy with bright green eyes and long, shaggy, jet-black hair. Calisto adjusted his glasses and looked a little sheepishly to the side, obviously no longer so sure of himself. But Max continued to look at him open and kindly. It almost seemed as if the two had already become friends at that moment.

"How did you just do that?" Calisto finally asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, about the flute! When I just heard you play, I had the feeling that everything would be fine. Where did you learn to play like that?"

"I've had this flute for as long as I can remember, and I've been playing it for just as long. But it's true, my flute playing has an effect on people that often even surprises myself. It's just a simple flute. Anyway, I just saw you sitting there looking so sad and so I started playing to cheer you up. Man, you looked pretty desperate."

"Thank you, that worked just fine. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"You're welcome. Do you want to tell me what was depressing you that much?"

"The watchmaker," said Calisto. "He has my mother's amulet. I finally found it again and then he snatched it right before my eyes. And there was nothing I could do about it. Damn!"

"Did he steal it from you?"

"No, that's the problem. Then I could at least report him. But he bought the amulet legally from a dealer. I had to pawn it some time ago because I needed money for my mother's medicine. And unfortunately I couldn't redeem it in time after..."

At this point, Calisto faltered and struggled to hold back his tears again.

"After what?" asked Max.

"After my mother died," said Calisto, as thick tears ran down his cheeks again.

"I'm sorry about that," said Max and began to play the flute again until Calisto had calmed down. And so, after a short time, he continued: "Well, anyway, I couldn't redeem the amulet in time and so the pawnbroker finally sold it, but couldn't remember to whom. I've been looking for it ever since and now it's turned up again at this dealer who didn't even know what it was. And the watchmaker has snapped it up for a ridiculous low price just because I was a few minutes late. But it's my own fault, as it was me who told him about the music box hidden inside."

"A music box?" Max asked with interest.

"Yes, there's a music box hidden in the amulet that you can only find if you know about it. It plays all sorts of melodies that are somehow very similar to your flute playing."

"Okay, that was pretty bad luck. But look on the bright side," said Max, "at least you now know where your amulet is. And maybe the watchmaker will give it back to you after all when he hears your story?"

"You must be dreaming. The watchmaker is a stubborn old stinker! I've already been to see him and told him my story, the old curmudgeon. He didn't want to listen to me at first, only when I told him about my amulet did he suddenly become very friendly. He then claimed that if he was to help me find it, I would have to tell him everything about it, so that he would be able to recognize it when he found it."

"And that's when you told him about the music box. I see."

"Yes, and now he has the amulet and will definitely not give it back to me voluntarily."

"Maybe, but maybe not," Max pondered. "You should definitely go and see him again. Even if he doesn't want to sell it to you, you can at least find out what he wants for it. I'd be happy to come with you if you want."

Calisto smiled, as he probably wouldn't have the courage to actually go to the watchmaker again on his own.

"Yes, that would be great," he replied. "When I heard you playing just now, I already had this idea. Maybe he'll be swayed if you play something for him on your flute."

"We can try, even if it will probably be difficult to find the watchmaker while the market lasts," Max replied as the church clock finally began to strike.

"Oh dear," said Max, suddenly jumping up, "I have to get back to the stand. Why don't you come with me? You also have to meet my grandma and tell her your story. She always has the best ideas anyway. And she also makes the best tea in the world."

"Okay, then I'll come with you," said Calisto and the two boys set off quickly. On the way, Calisto asked with a slightly sad undertone, "You're not from around here, are you?"

"That's right, I'm from the countryside," Max replied, "I only came to the city with my grandma for the market. We'll be back on Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest."

"Don't you have to go to school?"

"No, luckily I don't have to anymore. I never really felt comfortable there either. Too much sitting around, I prefer to keep moving," said Max, whereupon Calisto looked at him in amazement.

"But at least I learned to read, write and do a bit of arithmetic at school. And my grandma regularly goes to the library with me and borrows all kinds of books. As long as I read at least one of them every week, she says, I don't have to go back to school."

"Wow, that's great. I wish I had a grandma like that."

6. At the stand

Arriving at the stand, Grandma Irma acknowledged Max's late return with a theatrical shake of her head, but then couldn't help but smile briefly as she said: "Well, you're quite late, my dear. But it's good that you're finally here. You really need to play the flute a bit. Somehow people are so rushed and restless. I've hardly sold anything yet. But who have you brought with you?"