Caution: Witch In Progress

by Lynne North

  ‘Are you sure?’ Gertie heard her say.

  ‘Oh yes, very sure,’ replied Miss Fiendish.

  ‘It looks a lot bigger than in the book,’ came Mildew’s reply at last.

  Gertie heard Miss Fiendish do her best to explain that the shape of a tree’s leaves was a good way to recognise what type it was. Trees, she said, came in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Mildew didn’t quite get the point. She drifted back three times to be directed to the right trees. The teacher treated it all in her own patient way.

  Over to the left through the trees, Gertie heard a dull thud. She immediately thought Owl had flown into another tree, but this time it wasn’t him. Wanda and Haggie had both dashed for the same branch, and banged heads as they bent for it. They were now glaring and grimacing at each other, each holding one end of the branch and refusing to let go. Miss Fiendish hurried over to sort out the problem. She looked like she was beginning to wonder if letting pupils choose their own broomsticks was a very good idea at all.

  Once the teacher returned, Ghoul soon followed with a decidedly old and maggoty ash branch, and showed it to Miss Fiendish with a big grin on his face. ‘Look Miss, it has pets in the wood too!’

  ‘Very nice, I’m sure, Ghoul,’ said the teacher pleasantly. ‘But it might not be very strong to fly on. Maybe you should try to find one a little fresher, don’t you think?’

  ‘Okay, Miss,’ replied Ghoul, still giving an impressive grimace. That was the way Ghoul smiled. He put a few pets in his pocket for good measure before discarding the old rotting branch. ‘They’re so cute,’ he explained. ‘But I must keep them away from Charlie. He looks keen to taste them.’

  Fang came back with quite the opposite.

  ‘Had that branch already fallen, Fang, or did you have to give it a helping hand?’ asked Miss Fiendish.

  ‘I found it, just like you said,’ snarled Fang in his usual offhand manner. He obviously didn’t like Miss Fiendish. He’d been heard to say she was too namby-pamby to be a real witch.

  Miss Fiendish’s expression showed she wasn’t convinced about Fang’s reply.

  Gertie thought the big branch did look to have been torn from a healthy tree. There was nothing anyone could do about it now though.

  ‘Well,’ Miss Fiendish said, ‘I can only warn pupils beforehand. I’m not able to accompany each and every one of you to make sure you have listened to me.’

  Gertie couldn’t understand anyone ignoring her advice. But Fang? Well, Fang was just Fang.

  ‘You will see though, Fang,’ she continued, wagging her finger. ‘You will soon know about it if you have damaged a healthy tree to make your broomstick.’

  Gertie thought that sounded quite alarming! She watched all the young witches and warlocks arrive back eventually with suitable finds. The unsuitable ones, Miss Fiendish helped to replace. It was now time to go back to the Academy to put their assorted woody pieces into the boxes already marked with each of their names. Apparently, they would all be miraculously transformed into working broomsticks. Mr Wolfsbane would have them ready in time for Friday’s first broomstick lesson. As if by magic!

  Chapter Twenty-One

  On the next day, Gertie had another levitation class. She was managing to make her pencil hover quite well now, as were many of the others. Still, she didn’t rate her chances of levitating a broomstick yet. Especially one she was sitting on! Even though Miss Black said the principle was the same regardless of size or weight, Gertie wasn’t convinced.

  Bertha’s abilities, though quite impressive, seemed limited to making objects (usually edible ones) levitate towards her mouth. Gertie decided her friend could cause herself a lot of damage in broomstick class unless she thought carefully about what she was doing. A broomstick hitting her in the mouth would be quite painful.

  The afternoon was free for personal study ready for the pupil’s Presentations. Gertie spent the time in the library. Bertha went for a nap.

  ‘I have all my best ideas when I’m asleep,’ she reassured her friend.

  Gertie was quite concerned about Bertha’s chances of passing her Presentation, but nothing seemed to worry the overweight witch. She had probably convinced herself that it didn’t matter. After all, her family could well afford her place at the Academy, whether she passed or not.

  Gertie desperately wanted to pass for her Ma and Gran. They would be so proud.

  Back in her room later, Gertie’s gaze wandered to her crystal ball. Could she really see Ma and Gran if she tried hard enough? She hadn’t yet been to her first crystal ball reading lesson, but the young witch had been doing some studying in preparation. The idea, she had read, was to be able to empty your mind. That wasn’t very easy, especially with Bat chattering away about nothing in particular on the windowsill.

  He was currently talking about a walk Gertie had taken him on. They had been to visit Wart. Bat had admired the stagnant pond so much from his window that Gertie had agreed to take him to see it close up. He had also caught a glimpse of the Moat Monster on the way. Life had taken on a whole new meaning for the little umbrella. Gertie had to be very careful not to let the Moat Monster’s name slip to Bat. He would really have got up to mischief with it. Gertie could imagine him yelling ‘Mervin!’ from the high window, and then laughing himself sick safely out of reach of the embarrassed monster. Poor Mervin wouldn’t find it funny at all.

  Though Bat wasn’t being too much trouble, all things considered, Gertie was well aware she had to be on her guard when near him. It’s not that Bat was evil, but he never thought about what he was about to say. It didn’t cross his mind he could easily hurt people with his hastily spoken words.

  Bat fell silent because he had found something interesting to watch instead.

  Gertie went to look what he was staring at. Fang was outside, trying to levitate a big branch he had obviously brought back from the wood. He wasn’t doing very well, but it clearly amused Bat to watch him. It had clonked the warlock painfully on the shins twice already. Fang proceeded to jump on it in anger, and the other end shot up and hit him on the nose.

  Bat carried on watching, chuckling to himself.

  Gertie took her chance while Bat was distracted. She sat on her bedside chair in front of the crystal ball. She stared into it intently. She could see her own reflection distorted in it, which distracted her. Now she was trying to make out her face rather than think of nothing. How could anyone think of nothing? Gertie didn’t believe it was possible. She stared for some time, but the more she tried to think of nothing, the more her mind wandered. After a while, Gertie’s eyes began to ache. She closed them for a few moments, and then looked back at the crystal ball. She felt quite weary.

  Before long, Gertie felt herself drift into a world half way between wakefulness and sleep. Still looking into the crystal ball, she saw an image of Ma looking into her crystal ball at home. Ma’s expression suddenly changed from one of concern to a surprised but happy smile. Gertie jumped, and the image was gone. Had she truly seen Ma then, and had Ma seen her? Gertie wasn’t sure whether it had happened, or if she had been entering a dream. Try as she might, she couldn’t get Ma’s image to come back. Maybe she was trying too hard.

  After a while Bat began to chatter again telling her something else about Fang, so Gertie gave up. Maybe after her first crystal ball lesson she would know more, and then it would become easier. She hoped so. It would be lovely to be able to see Ma whenever she wanted.

  Some distance away in Vile Vale, Ma exclaimed ‘Mother! Look! It’s our Gertie!’

  Before Gran could come to see, the image had disappeared.

  ‘Oh dear,’ said Ma, quite disappointed.

  ‘Never mind,’ consoled Gran. ‘If our little witch can do that before any lessons, just think how good she’ll be after!’

  Ma nodded. ‘It would have been so nice to see her for a while longer,’ she sighed. ‘But I suppose you’re right.’

  ‘Right? Of course I’m right,’ replied Gran. ‘Have you eve
r known me to be wrong?’

  Ma resisted the urge to mention Aunt Satana.

  Almost before Gertie knew it, she and Bertha were sat in their usual places in class, right at the back. Even though it didn’t always work at protecting them from being asked questions, they still felt safer there.

  Miss Gory had arrived already and was reaching old crystal balls out of a cupboard behind her desk. She said they would be loaned to anyone who didn’t already have their own. Gertie carefully clutched hers, wrapped in its silken cloth. Owl sat on her shoulder, probably wondering where they were today.

  Bertha already had a crystal ball, and it was a very good one. The big girl had everything money could buy. Gertie watched her carelessly pull it out of her pocket, and cringed as she bumped it down on the desk.

  Miss Gory was quite an old witch, with a slight squint. Nothing like Grothilde’s though. Gertie had never seen anyone with a wandering eye that wandered quite as far as Grothilde’s. It didn’t even seem to want to be part of the same head as its partner. It always gave the impression of trying to escape off Grothilde’s face. Miss Gory just had one eye looking slightly off to one side while the other stared straight forwards. Gertie guessed it didn’t affect her crystal gazing in any way, since this must be her speciality.

  Once all the other pupils had assembled, Miss Gory introduced herself. She then asked who didn’t have their own crystal ball. Some hadn’t, which made Gertie extra pleased that she had.

  ‘Those of you without your own crystal ball,’ began Miss Gory, ‘please step forwards and choose one to borrow for today’s lesson. I must however encourage you to try to get your own, if at all possible. The crystal ball and its reader build up a special connection. This can only happen if you use the same one each time. Never let anyone else use or handle your crystal ball, or the rapport you are building will be broken. Come along, these will have to do for now.’

  Ghoul, Hexa, Clawd, Mildew and a few others headed over to the teacher, and then returned to their desks with a rather dusty crystal ball each.

  Clawd tried to blow the dust off his, so he could see into it a little better, Gertie supposed. He left his pessimistic rat temporarily unable to breath, and looking sure it was about to die. Clawd gave it a reassuring pat on its humped back. ‘It’s okay, you’re not dying yet, rat,’ Gertie heard him whisper.

  ‘Seen that in your crystal ball, have you?’ asked Fang who was sitting nearby. Fang had a large, shiny, expensive looking crystal ball of his own. He looked down his long hooked nose at the poor old object sat in front of Clawd. ‘No, maybe not,’ he answered himself. ‘Doubt if you’ll see anything through that muck.’

  Clawd looked embarrassed, and stared down at his warty hands. Fang was a master at making others feel small and uncomfortable.

  ‘As I said,’ repeated Miss Gory, ‘If you will quieten down and listen.’ She was staring at Fang, who flushed a little. ‘Every witch and warlock has the ability to see images in a crystal ball. This is known as scrying, and has been used for centuries as a form of fortune telling. The word, scrying, comes from an old English word, descry, meaning to reveal. Witches of all ages have practised scrying, and even some normals have the ability.’

  She paused as a shocked hiss passed through the room.

  ‘Yes indeed,’ she continued. ‘Not many however. Not really anyway, though some pretend to for their own purposes.’ She paused again to let that thought sink in. ‘All of you though will have the ability to see messages or symbols, or even clear pictures. These might represent past, present, or even future events. Your task will be to learn to interpret what they mean. They might not be very distinct images at first, but as you gain more of a connection with your crystal ball, they should become stronger and clearer.’

  This made Gertie feel quite good. Her image of Ma had been quite clear, although very short. Maybe it was because Ma had bought the crystal for her?

  ‘You all have the ability to predict the future, answer questions, and solve problems.’ Miss Gory said. ‘But the power might be buried deeper in some of you, than in others.’

  ‘It has more layers to dig its way through in some people,’ Fang joked to Malicia, while turning to stare at Bertha. Malicia giggled in appreciation of his wit.

  With a glance at them, the teacher carried on. ‘Look after your crystal ball, and it will look after you. It will become a friend you turn to for help. When not in use, keep it wrapped in a dark cloth to preserve its energy safely inside. Also keep it out of direct sunlight, because sun will quickly sap its power. I see some of you have sat your crystal balls on dark cloths, and that is very good,’ Miss Gory nodded.

  Gertie smiled. Hers was on the black silk she kept it wrapped in!

  ‘The dark background will help with the reading,’ the teacher continued. ‘It is also much better to scry alone, but we will have to do our best as a group in class. You need to try to work alone, and ignore each other as much as possible.

  A few sniggered at that. Fang muttered something about some being a bit big to ignore. The teacher glared at him, so he soon shut up.

  ‘Not all witches use crystal balls to scry,’ Miss Gory continued, ‘since they are rather expensive. Many use a cauldron painted black on the inside and filled with water. Into this, they drop a silver coin to represent the moon in a night sky. It can be quite an effective method of scrying, but at the Academy we like to teach the best.’ She paused with pride on her yellow face.

  ‘Without further ado,’ Miss Gory concluded, ‘I think it is time you all had a try. Remember, don’t expect immediate results. The main points to remember are relaxation, and concentration. Try to clear your mind of everything but the crystal, and what it is trying to show you. Don’t worry if it takes a while. This varies even with experienced witches. Time doesn’t matter. You will, eventually, start to see changes in the ball. It might be a milky mist, or colours, or even darkness through which your images appear. All be quiet now, and try to relax. Let’s all scry!’

  Bertha quietly said she liked the idea of relaxing. Maybe this wouldn’t be too bad a class after all. She could do relaxing very well. She looked into her crystal ball, and relaxed so much she was soon asleep.

  Gertie gave up on Bertha, and stared intently into her own crystal ball. She tried to see Ma again.

  She saw Bertha jump a few minutes later as Miss Gory tapped her on the shoulder. ‘That’s a little too relaxed,’ the teacher whispered, so not to distract the other pupils. ‘Look into your crystal ball. A fine one it is too! Do you see anything?’

  Bertha pursed her lips and thought about it for a few minutes while Miss Gory patiently waited. She seemed to have decided to stay there a while in case Bertha fell asleep again.

  Finally, Bertha said, ‘I can see myself looking all weary and bleary eyed. Is it a premonition?’ She sounded slightly worried.

  ‘No,’ replied Miss Gory, ‘it’s your reflection.’

  Gertie saw Miss Gory’s eyes look up to the ceiling. She seemed to be finding her new pupils a bit difficult.

  Gertie concentrated hard as the teacher approached her desk, and was relieved when she passed by and went on to the next one.

  A shocked call from Ghoul had Miss Gory hurrying over to his desk.

  ‘Whatever’s wrong?’ she asked, in some concern over what the boy might have seen.

  ‘Sorry, Miss,’ said Ghoul, shamefaced. ‘Charlie peered through the other side of my crystal ball. He looked so big, I thought I was seeing a vision of a monster coming after me.’

  ‘Not everything you see will be a premonition,’ Miss Gory assured Ghoul. ‘Try to keep calm. Just keep trying, or should I say, scrying!’

  ‘Yes, Miss,’ replied Ghoul.

  Gertie noticed Fang was smirking again. He now had something else to embarrass his fellow students about.

  ‘And what have you achieved, Fang?’ asked Miss Gory who must have seen him too.

  ‘There’s something I want to ask you, Miss,’ began Fan
g, pretending concern. ‘I can see a huge demon eating a blonde witch. What does that mean?’

  Miss Gory refused to be taken in by Fang’s cruel prank. ‘It means that you’re being very silly, Fang,’ she replied sharply. ‘Get on with what you are meant to be doing please!’

  Now it was Fang’s turn to look foolish. Somehow, his popularity with the teachers wasn’t going quite as planned. He didn’t seem to have any idea why. All Gertie ever heard him say was that no one realised his ‘amazing potential’, and that he would show them all. He warned them to just wait for his Presentation.

  ‘I see a golden spider!’ exclaimed Malicia over to Fang’s right. ‘I knew it! I knew I’d win it!’

  Miss Gory went over to look. ‘Uhm,’ she said. ‘I don’t want to disappoint you, because you might well win the Golden Spider Award. This however, is not a premonition. It is the flames from the wall torches reflecting the image of that spider onto your crystal ball.’ Miss Gory pointed to Boris on Fiendly’s desk. The spider stared around obviously wondering why he had suddenly become the centre of attention. He waved his legs about to warn anyone from getting too close.

  ‘Oh,’ replied Malicia, looking thoroughly disheartened. She went back to trying to see an image of herself walking up to collect the Golden Spider Award.

  Gertie realised that somehow, the familiars didn’t seem to be helping quite as much as they were expected to.

  Sly’s vulture, Victor, was trying to peck at the crystal ball where the high flaming wall lights were reflecting off it. Minx the myna was staring into the crystal ball on Lucyfer’s desk, and even through the gag could be heard to say ‘Pretty Minx, Pretty Minx’, although in a rather muffled way.

  Miss Gory shook her head.