At first I thought it empty.  I placed it on the table and opened the flaps of this old cardboard box, with its dry musty cardboardy smell, and to my surprise there were objects inside.  Three items to be precise.

I knew at once who had placed them there and in that moment of recognition, bursting through the door, came young Maisie, just turned four.

'Can you make a story up? Please Grandad, about what I put in the box?'

'Well that may be difficult, let me see' I drew out a toffee that was last heard rattling around in a tin left over from Christmas, a blue push scooter and a Halloween witches hat. 'Well what am I going to do with all that!'

'Please...' imploring eyes brought me to my knees. Well almost.

I sat on the rickety chair with Maisie peached on my leg and I said, 'You know, that scooter just reminds me of a spot a bother I once had, on the other side of town, maybe twenty five years ago, although it seems like yesterday.'

'What happened Grandad?'

'Well, I was walking  through the woods , whistling a tune when do you know what I saw?

'No Grandad'

'A witches hat hanging hanging on a twig, on a branch of a silver birch tree.  Could have been this very hat, though it was torn and dusty, from what I remember.  I thought, maybe I'll try it on.  And it fitted. But really what would I want with an olde witches hat?

Then I heard a cackle, a mean and nasty throaty sound, and as I spun around I saw on a broomstick coming straight at me, a wicked woodland witch.'

'You', she said, you man, you are in trouble bigger than a dragons belly fire. Give me back my hat, give it me now, I'm gonna turn you into something; let me think, maybe a purple cow'

She swooped down in front of me.  I explained, 'I'm terribly sorry, here let me give you your hat'

But she screeched, 'too late for that, I am going to turn you into a rooster with a very big hooter'.

And with.that she lifted her wand to cast a spell.

Things were not going so well, I had to think quick or else I'd be a cock a doodle doing with a nose the shape of a marrow and a flutter of feathers, scrapping around for corn and worms. 

Then I remembered and said would you like a toffee,  before you make your spell, they're creamy and tasty.  I took the toffee from my pocket and offered it to the woodland witch. 

'I want it' she seethed. Her knalry warted fingers grabbed it from my hand. She spludged it into her mouth, without taking the wrapper off, and began to scoff scoff scoff. 

Eyes burning red, she lifted her wand to cast a spell, but the toffee prevented her from saying the words. She spluttered and coughed and her wand shot sparks.  Instead of turning me into a rooster with a very big hooter, she turned a branch into a pale blue scooter.  Which I hopped on.

I pushed that scooter as fast as I could, and scooted very very quickly out of that wood. I heard coughing and cursing and all sorts of words, bangs and wallops of firework spells. When I was quite far away, I looked over my shoulder and saw some smoke as the witch started to smoulder.

I know I was lucky on that far away day when a toffee and scooter helped my get away.

'Phew, you were lucky grandad.  What shall we do now?'

I think we need to put three items in this box for Naomi, @naomimrshl to find.  Let's see, I'm sure she will like these ...

A saddle
A stuffed porcupine
A cucumber.'

                                                     The Beginning!