The Whitby Witches

by Robin Jarvis

  ‘I thought you were dead,’ the boy cried.

  Miss Boston pulled the children from her and became serious. ‘Quickly,’ she told them. ‘We must search through this rubble and find the staff of Hilda – it is our only link with the future. If we don’t find it then we may be stuck in this time for good.’

  She and Jennet began pulling the stones from the great mound but Ben did not join in. He was looking for Nelda. ‘Where is she?’ he asked. ‘Did you see where she went?’

  The old lady straightened her back and glanced past the church – Nelda was there and she knew what she had found. ‘I believe she is on the steps,’ she said, a little croakily. ‘She is with Hesper – leave her alone for a while, Benjamin.’

  Aunt Alice clasped her hands together and stared at the ground. A forlorn, soul-wrenching cry floated on the warm breeze, and the old lady covered her face so that the children would not see her weeping.

  Jennet dragged a huge square stone from the pile and sent it rolling on to the dusty grass. ‘Aunt Alice,’ she shouted excitedly, ‘I think I’ve found it – look!’

  She had uncovered a corner section of the ruined tower. It was balanced precariously on one of the fallen pillars but, in the shade beneath, the carved end of the staff was plain to see.

  ‘Wait,’ said Miss Boston, drying her eyes and scrabbling anxiously over the debris. ‘No, Jennet, don’t you touch it.’

  The girl reached in and her fingers closed round the black wood. ‘It’s all right,’ she told her, ‘I’ve got it.’ Jennet tugged at the staff but it was held fast. ‘It must be wedged under all this. Just one more . . .’

  She staggered down the side of the heap and stared, horrified, into the hole – the staff was in the grip of a large black paw.

  ‘Hush, dear,’ Miss Boston whispered in the girl’s ear, ‘don’t let Benjamin know.’

  ‘But that’s the hound,’ Jennet stammered, ‘the Barguest. Where is Rowena – what happened to her?’

  ‘You’re looking at her, dear,’ Aunt Alice answered mildly. ‘That was Rowena’s true nature.’ She patted Jennet’s arm and stooped down to retrieve the staff herself. It came free in her hands and, reverently, she held it up.

  ‘Oh, what a divine creation,’ she breathed, examining the intricate carving. ‘Simply marvellous.’

  ‘Do you really know how to use it?’ Jennet ventured. ‘I mean, it’s not as if you’re a witch like Rowena.’

  Aunt Alice smiled. ‘I seem to remember somebody saying otherwise not too long ago. I think I told you then that I preferred the term “wise woman”.’

  She held the staff before her, but a call from Ben interrupted her concentration. ‘Look up there!’ he cried.

  In the east windows of the abbey a white light shone. At first they thought it was only an illusion, but then the blurred shape took form and the old lady gasped in wonder. So intense was the radiance that it cast long shadows over the abbey lawns and the summer sun seemed pale by comparison.

  ‘My word,’ murmured Miss Boston and humbly bowed her head.

  Jennet shielded her eyes but found that she could look into the light quite easily without it hurting. The girl blinked; for a second she thought she had seen the figure of a woman.

  Miss Boston lifted the staff and offered it to the dazzling vision. ‘Take it,’ she said respectfully. ‘It is too dangerous a thing for this world.’

  Briefly the light welled up and then was extinguished. Jennet gawped stupidly; everywhere seemed dull and chill. Aunt Alice lowered her hands, which were empty. The staff had gone back to its rightful owner. ‘All is as it should be,’ she sighed, ‘thank the Lord.’

  ‘But how will we get home without it?’ asked Ben.

  The old lady chuckled. ‘Look about you, dear,’ she said.

  It was a grey September dawn and the town was waking. Cars lumbered down Church Street and the fish market was about to start on the West Cliff. Just another ordinary day in Whitby.

  Miss Boston wrapped her muddy cloak round the two children and they wandered slowly out of the abbey grounds. Wearily, the three of them passed through the churchyard and on the hundred and ninety-nine steps they found Nelda waiting. The body of her aunt was in her arms and she huddled her close, brushing the sand-coloured hair from Hesper’s peaceful face.

  ‘It is over,’ Miss Boston told her.

  The aufwader stared at the leaden sea and nodded.

  In the dead of night, Aunt Alice, Jennet and Ben stood upon the pier, while in the distance a small black boat sailed over the water, wreathed in flames.

  ‘What will the fisher folk do now?’ asked the girl.

  Miss Boston shrugged. ‘I’m afraid there is no hope for them,’ she replied sorrowfully. ‘They are doomed to extinction.’

  From the exposed shore beneath the cliff, a sad lament began. The whole tribe was gathered there. All was forgiven and they mourned the passing of Hesper Gull together. The Song of the Dead drifted through the calm night and Nelda held on to her grandfather desolately.

  Ben watched the burning craft drift into the dim horizon until the fires died and it was gone.

  ‘Goodbye, Hesper,’ whispered Miss Boston. She coughed and briskly rubbed her hands. ‘Now then, let’s get you two tucked into bed.’

  She led them down the pier but Ben could not help staring at the sea.

  ‘Come on,’ said his sister kindly, ‘we’re going home.’

  The boy trailed behind them, silently. He knew that one day he would have to atone for his failure to lift the curse of the Deep Ones.

  COME TO WHITBY!

  Did you know you can actually visit a lot of the places that feature in this book?

  Whitby Abbey Ruins

  An English Heritage site high on the East Cliff. Whitby’s most distinctive landmark.

  Church of Saint Mary

  Also on the East Cliff, with great views over the town and harbour. Because bad weather has eroded the ground underneath the graveyard, sometimes very old bones drop down into the back gardens below! You will also find Caedmon’s Cross here.

  199 Steps

  Take a deep breath and star t climbing – from Church Street right up to Saint Mary’s. But you might need a rest halfway up!

  Whalebone Arch

  There’s been an arch on West Cliff since 1853 as a reminder of Whitby’s whaling history.

  Pannett Park Museum

  A short walk from the railway station, this place is packed with local information and fascinating artefacts – including the Hand of Glory!

  The Dracula Experience

  A reconstruction of the Dracula story featuring animated scenes and models, spooky effects and assorted memorabilia. Can be found on Marine Parade.

  Captain Cook’s House

  The seventeenth-century house on Grape Lane where Cook lodged as an apprentice is now a memorial museum. There is also a statue of him on West Cliff, near the whalebone arch.

  Whitby Lighthouse

  The West Pier lighthouse is open to the public on a limited number of days a year. For a small fee you can climb the narrow staircase to the viewing platform at the top.

  Q&A with Robin Jarvis

  Where did you first get the idea for The Whitby Witches?

  One Hallowe’en, a long time ago when I was still at college, I was listening to the radio. They had a real witch in the studio, talking about the things she and her coven got up to. She mentioned that she spent a lot of time in Whitby, so that’s where the seed was first planted of Whitby and witches.

  You return to Whitby in your new series, The Witching Legacy. What is it about Whitby that inspires you? And what made you decide it was time to climb the 199 steps again?

  Whitby has inspired so many authors. You only have to go there to see why. It has such an amazing atmosphere that stories just clobber you over the head and demand to be told. The place has changed since I first wrote about it: the goth and steampunk cultures simply weren’t around back then so I had to expl
ore that.

  Are there any real local legends or ghost stories that you incorporated into the story?

  Whitby has so many legends and traditions, it’s difficult to know what not to use! For The Whitby Witches I was drawn to the legend of the Barguest, the terrifying demonic hound that stalks the streets at night, with fiery red eyes. An absolute gift to a writer! Of course, I conjured up some myths of my own and stirred them into the mix, and it’s great when people ask about aufwaders, thinking they’re a real legend.

  What sort of research did you do for the book – and what was the most interesting thing you found?

  I have a lot of books about Whitby’s past, but nothing is more inspiring than visiting the place. The Pannett Park Museum is a trove of amazing things, like Dr Merryweather’s Tempest Prognosticator, but the real find for me was an actual Hand of Glory that they have there. I had to use that!

  Do you have a favourite (fictional) Whitby resident?

  I’m torn between Aunt Alice and Nelda Shrimp. I suppose Aunt Alice wins because I’d want to sit on the cliff top with her, sharing her cloak against the wind, tucking into a baked potato as she told me ghost stories.

  One of the book’s most epic scenes touches on the idea of time travel. If you could time travel anywhere, where would you go? (Is it a setting you’ve used for any of your books?)

  I’ve always been interested in the reign of Elizabeth I and have used the setting in several books, one of which included Tudor robots – yay! It would have been a terrible time to live though, with so much disease and murderous conspiracies. Pustules are not a good look.

  Your books are full of superbly spooky scenes – but what do you find really scary?

  There’s nothing more frightening than losing your identity, forgetting who you are and having your life’s memories stolen. It’s a theme that occurs often in my books.

  If you could be any character from a book, who would you be?

  I’d like to say someone dashing and noble, like Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings, or d’Artagnan from The Three Musketeers, but the truth is I’ve always known who I am. I’m Ratty from The Wind in the Willows. We’ve got so much in common it’s a bit unnerving.

  Which books would you nominate as Modern Classics?

  The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper. I loved this story so much. I can’t count how many times I read it. There is such a pulse and throb of old magic in it.

  DRACULA FACTULA!

  Bram Stoker’s book Dracula was published in 1897. However, he originally wrote it as a play called The Undead.

  The story is told as a series of letters, diaries and log entries, and newspaper articles. It was said to have been inspired by a nightmare.

  Stoker’s Dracula can only sleep in sacred earth – which is why, when he travels, he also takes fifty boxes of the stuff with him!

  He has the power to change shape and size, and famously transforms into a bat and a cloud of mist, as well as the big black dog that comes ashore at Whitby.

  Count Dracula is one of the most popular fictional characters of all time and has featured in hundreds of films, television series, musicals, operas, cartoons and even ballets!

  The vampire has been played by many famous actors, including Christopher Lee, Bela Lugosi, Gary Oldman, Louis Jourdan, Frank Langella and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.