Before
he had time to realize he'd been tricked, he found himself being
pushed from behind by an unseen hand. Down he sprawled, landing
face-first on the sticky floor of his workroom! He tried to get
back on his feet again, but he discovered that he was caught in
his own trap.
"Oops," he heard
Understump call out softly. "Clumsy me."
The next thing Gregorio knew, the
little fairy was running along his legs and up his back, using
the trapped man as a bridge. The Cabinetmaker could feel
Understump jump from the back of his head and he could hear him
land on the bench, but he never saw the little fairy. Not even
when he dropped the apple off beside him on his way back out of
the workroom.
Well, it took some doing, but,
eventually, Atalaya and Sacco managed to get Gregorio unstuck. As
soon as he was freed, he started the long and smelly process of
making more glue. He had used up the last of his wood glue in
setting up the trap, and, without Understump's help, he would
have to work day and night to make more so he could stay in
business.
"Poor, husband," said
Atalaya. "You're a good man, but you are not so clever as
you think. Understump is a slippery one, but don't worry, my
dear, I have a plan."