There was once a father of a boy and a girl. One day he had to go to the market to sell some jewellery. The father told his children not to go to Goose Lake. Then he left.

But as the older child, the boy, sat watching TV, the girl wandered off and despite the  warning, soon plodded over to Goose Lake. Meantime, an evil man, Orange, asked the geese of Geese Lake whether there were any fresh earth-maidens. 

‘Here comes one,’ said Black Beak, the angriest of the geese. 

‘What a pretty thing! And what’s your name?’ Orange asked the girl.

‘Athea,’ she replied.

‘How would you like to come and live with me? I have gold, games, toys, food, friends and fun. Anything you want I can get,’ Orange said. 

At first Athea was doubtful, but he seemed nice, so off they went in his purple carriage with pink horses up into the clouds. Soon they arrived at Cloud Castle, guarded by bears. Orange quickly showed his colours by locking Athea in the cellar – no food, toys or games. Only cold darkness. Orange and the bears laughed. 

The boy, who was called Pedro, realised his sister was missing. A chill went through him because he suspected she had gone down to Goose Lake. He ran to the lake but could not see her, only the laughing geese.

‘Ha ha ha … Orange’s got your sister. You can start crying now. Orange’s got your sister.’ Black Beak said. But Pedro did not cry, rather he became angry. He came back to the house, packed some things into a bag and set off down the gravel road. He had no idea of how to get to Cloud Castle. He asked a car but it laughed. He asked a lamppost but it bent down and thwacked him in the rear. Finally a large green fish appeared out of the water. 

‘I know how you can get to the Cloud Castle,’ the ugly green fish with big eyes said.

‘How?’

‘In the river lives a stingray. If you can take out his sting, he will fly you to Cloud Castle.’ 

Pedro jumped in the river and found the stingray. The stingray tried to hit Pedro, but the boy grabbed the tail, shaking it. They fought, the ray thrusting its tail about, but every time Pedro avoiding it. He saw the sting and in a deft move, removed it and dragged the stingray out of the river. 

‘Truly you are no fish or eel,’ said the stingray. ‘Your hands are very clever. Well, I am yours. Where would you like to go?’

‘To Cloud Castle and Orange,’ Pedro said.

‘Step on my back.’

They began to fly, up and up and up, through sky and clouds. Birds of every feather they passed, and below the world became tiny. After some time they found Cloud Castle and landed.

‘Take my tail off and put the sting back in. Whoever you sting will turn to stone,’ said the stingray. The boy did so and climbed the wall, where the bears saw him. A bear pounced but Pedro swung the tail, stinging the bear and turning him to stone. Other bears came, but Pedro ran inside and hid. 

The castle had a thousand rooms and a thousand hallways that all looked the same. He dashed from place to place but the castle seemed empty. Then he came to one room where Orange was. He had lots of paintings of himself hanging on the walls. In a corner a little monkey was pushing a rock up a slide and then letting it slide down. He kept repeating the action. Orange laughed at Pedro, but the boy held the tail tightly and growled. Orange took a silver sword. It was special in that whoever it touched could only tell lies. Pedro ran at Orange. But Orange threw money on the floor. Pedro kept running. Then Orange threw all kinds of candy and chocolate on the floor. Still Pedro ran. Orange threw all kinds of toys and games on the floor. Pedro didn’t stop. Nor was he afraid of the sword of lies. And just as Pedro was about to swing the stingray’s tail, a nasty dog with fiery eyes and covered in a cloth of many colours bolted at Pedro. The boy tried to swing the tail down on it, but the dog was too quick and bit his leg. Pedro screamed. The dog laughed and Pedro stung the dog, who turned to stone. Then he turned to Orange and threw the tail. It hit and he too turned to stone. Pedro patched his leg with a torn sleeve and turned to find his sister. He heard crying and soon found her in the cellar. He freed her and they both jumped on the stingray and began to fly back home. 

But soon, geese in vee formation raced after them. Pedro took his toy car out of his bag.

‘Not your toy car,’ Athea said, but Pedro ignored her, threw it and two geese were hit and flapped to the ground. Then Pedro took his piggy bank out of the bag.

‘Not your piggy bank,’ Athea said, but Pedro ignored her, threw it and three geese were hit and flapped to the ground. Then Pedro took out his computer game, his favourite thing.

‘Not your computer game,’ Athea said, but Pedro ignored her, threw it and the last four geese were hit and flapped to the ground.

When they arrived back home and had thanked and said farewell to the stingray, they hoped they would be back in time before father. And happily, when they went inside the house their father hand’t returned. But there was a surprise waiting for them. It seems that while they were away the Bat People of Who-How, who live in the mountains, had left two clones of the children: Athea Two and Pedro Two. 

‘Who are you?’ Pedro said to Pedro Two.

‘I am Pedro.’ 

‘And I am Athea,’ said Athea Two. 

At that moment their father arrived back from the shops and was mightily surprised to see what he saw.

‘Bless me. I had two, now I have four. The things kids get up to these days!’ 

He realised that two were false and two were real. The father decided to set them a test. He spoke first to both Pedros:

‘Your mother had a red coat. In the pocket was a glove. In the glove was a jewellery box. In the box was a ring. On the ring was written a name. Where is the ring now and what is the name written?’

Pedro Two eagerly answered first: ‘The ring is in the box and the name is mother.’

Then Pedro slowly answered: ‘The ring is in the grave and the name is Joy.’

The father smiled at Pedro and stamped his foot at Pedro Two, who began to disappear until he was not there anymore. 

Then he turned to the Atheas and spoke: ‘Your mother had a draw. In the draw was a small bag. In the bag was a box. In the box was an envelope. In the envelope was a card. On the card was a photograph. What was on the photograph and where?’ 

Athea Two eagerly answered first: ‘It was mama in the living room.’

Athea slowly answered: ‘It was a little lemon tree in the garden.’

The father smiled at Athea and stamped his foot at Athea Two, who began to disappear until she was not there anymore. 

Then the father spoke: ‘A funny thing happened at the shop. The shopkeeper said there is a new king and he is going to give us back the money the old one stole. So I decided to buy you something. Athea look outside and say what you see.’ 

She went. 

‘A bike!’ she squealed excitedly.  

‘Pedro, look outside and say what you see,’ said the father. 

Pedro did.

‘A puppy!’ he said amazed. 

Both the children then went outside to play with the bike and the puppy. 

As the father sat down on the sofa and looked at the picture of his wife on the wall, he smiled. ‘You were right, Joy. They did make it back from Cloud Castle. And they succeeded.’