The Ship that Flew

"The children stood speechless, staring at the picture of their own ship. It was a faithful picture, the colours bright and the shape true."

"Let these strangers tell us whence they have come, and why they have come, and how!"

"It was just possible that the magic had run out, as Peter said. After all, you knew a lot less about magic than you did about an electric torch."

"Frey… men come and go. The years pass with them more swiftly than the flight of an arrow. But with the gods it is not so. Ages must pass, the sea may grow dry and the mountains crumble, but our hair is not less bright, nor our strength less, nor our wits more dim. The gods endure. Now let us strike a bargain. This child shall keep your ship until such a time as he no longer desires it, then he shall return it to you!"

"What man is born who would not desire Skidbladnir?"

"On the day you send back Skidbladnir, I will grant each one his hearts desire."