The Emperor was drawing up the guest list for his baby son's christening and had come to a moment he couldn't put off any longer. Should he invite the Grey Witch? He could not put off the decision for another second.
The Grey Witch was unpredictable and powerful and the Emperor hated her. His ministers had put forward many opinions, but he still did not know what to do. The Empress had put forward the suggestion that they ignore the Grey Witch, but her husband was not happy with this. What should he do?
Meanwhile in her cottage, the Grey Witch was studying a plan of the castle. She had four powerful presents in four invisible boxes to be hidden in the castle for the baby prince to discover when he was older. She was going to put the box of happiness at the bottom of the well in the courtyard. She was going to put the box of unhappiness at the top of the apple tree in the garden. She would put the box of death at the end of the top shelf on the right in the library. She had decided to put the box of intelligence at the end of the dark corridor in the North Tower.
The first box that the prince found would decide the shape of his life. A crooked smile spread over the Grey Witch's face and she carefully put the castle plan at the bottom of her bag. She was ready to visit the emperor.
NOW YOUR TURN
Do you understand the three phrases using the verb TO PUT used in this short story?
1. TO PUT OFF - means to postpone something you must do or have planned
