Closed Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma Gate

[Asa Physwick]

Letting two ten-year-old boys loose on the streets of York was not necessarily a wise idea. Although 'letting' was not the right word. 'Letting' implied they'd asked for permission, or at least told Ernestine where they were going, which they had not. "Look, look," said Asa, dragging Tully across the flagstones to a rather famous street sign. Somebody was having their photo taken in front of it. "See? Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma Gate! Told you it was a real place."

 

[Ptolemy Physwick]

When Asa had told him he wanted to show him something, Ptolemy had questioned him to great lengths before his brother had finally told him what they were going to see. "Whip-Ma-Whop!" he repeated, trying to step a little closer to see if it was real and not something someone had just painted on themselves. "We need to live here just so we can say come to Whip-Ma-Whop!" Tully turned to grin at Asa, "Did you bring your camera?"​

 

[Asa Physwick]

"Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma!" Asa grinned - until Tully asked him about his camera. Then he turned a bit sheepish. "No, I sat on it. Ernie won't fix it, she said, because I didn't clean the kitchen when she asked. It's not fair, that. She could just use - you know." He managed to catch himself just before he said magic in busy street in York, and instead flourished a hand. "Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo. I've got some pocket money, though. Wanna go to the sweet shop?"