Conjuring up trouble

Ever been to Tintagel?

It's an odd place. Oh, it's very enticing, don't get me wrong. The dramatic cliffs that fall away to an often torrid sea, seagulls circling on the breeze between. The foothills to Bodmin Moor that rise gently up behind the town. The castle, or that which remains, on the steep, craggy sides of the island that sits proud of the mainland, a bullet point to the chaotic Cornish coastline.

It's also got more than its fair share of Wizards.

As a result, oddness prevails. You'll be walking down the street in Tintagel, black cats running everywhere, and then some poor sod gets turned into a toad for no apparent reason. The waft from a dozen cauldrons pervades the sea air (cauldrons would traditionally be considered a Witches kitchen implement of choice. Wizards in Tintagel pride themselves on their gender equality.) Shops are awash with pointy hats and baggy sleeved cloaks. An advert in the Tintagel post office window that says 'STAFF WANTED' means something far different to quite what you'd expect...
Day to day, odd though it may be, generally Tintagel does very well off the back of King Arthurian myth and legend, and the Wizards tend to keep themselves to themselves (save for popping up at the odd car boot sale). Issues arise, however, when less professional Wizards start messing around with weather spells. Invariably, being only a few miles North as the crow flies, Bude is affected by any meddlesome apprentice Wizards who are a little over-confident in their wand-waving abilities when it comes to elemental incantations. Luckily for the rest of the residents of North Cornwall, the Tornado that I witnessed over the cliffs of Tintagel this morning came and went fairly quickly, lasting about half an hour. I don't think it caused much damage - perhaps a few shellshocked mackerel. Still, it was an impressive sight at 7am on an otherwise mundane morning so, dear beardy neighbours, I'll let this little mishap slide. This time. Next time though, I'm calling Cornwall Council - Harry Potter may very well be popular but that's no excuse for this irresponsible, wayward behaviour. C