Once upon a long ago, in the midst of a lucid deciduous wood descending to the warm sea, there lived four magicians. They had a good name among the people of that land: they helped the peasants from the nearby villages, protected the forest from fires, and fed the beasts of the forest during cold, severe winters. Nobody knew that quiet province, hidden in the woods, the home of fishermen and peasants, better than the four magicians did. 

One day, a breathless messenger from a nearby village arrived to the magicians. He brought a decree of the King. The decree read that His Majesty wished to organize a competition between all the multiple provinces of his kingdom.  Each province was to choose one city to present it before a committee of learned men, which was to choose the worthiest one. To celebrate his birthday, the King desired to hold a festival of magic and sorcery the world had never seen before in the best city of his kingdom. The most skilled magicians from the ends of the Earth would attend this festive event, the coastal waters would be parti-colored with beautiful flags and sails, and the province would flourish in the welfare it had never known before. 

The magicians began to think. The reward was rather tempting! They also knew that the people living in their land were hard-working and kind-hearted, and deserved to have this marvelous celebration in their parts. The magicians themselves, too, were willing to show off their own craft and marvel at the mastery of others. Only one obstacle existed: there was not a single city – not even a building with more than two stories – in the province!

That’s where the magicians’ skill, perfected during the long years of traveling, came in handy. The first magician hit the ground with his staff, and in the midst of the forest depth appeared a magic glade, surrounded by timber. The second magician clapped his hands – and there appeared a splendid table filled with ma