by Tania Ingram
Miss Bunney carefully scanned the group of children. She stepped forward and placed her hand on Tyrone’s shoulder.
‘He looks like a helpful boy,’ she said with a smile.
Tyrone panicked and pulled away from Miss Bunney.
‘No!’ he shouted. ‘I won’t go with you! You’re a witch! I don’t want you to suck out my essence!’
He fumbled around in his pocket, pulled something out and threw it at Miss Bunney.
Mrs Bunney caught the object with a surprised look. It was a small pink potato. She shrieked and stumbled backwards. The potato flew through the air and landed where Mr Finley was standing. Miss Bunney hit the ground with a loud thud.
Teachers rushed from all directions to help. They lifted her onto a chair and rang for an ambulance.
Miss Bunney was taken to hospital as a precaution and Tyrone was taken to Mr Finley’s office. I went along as well to help calm Tyrone down.
Mum was called, and after a long discussion with Mr Finley it was agreed that Tyrone would do lunchtime detention in Mr Finley’s office on Monday.
Although Tyrone was relieved that he didn’t have detention with Miss Bunney, he still felt worried about what he had said.
He looked at me with big tears in his eyes.
‘I told Miss Bunney that I knew she was a witch!’ he cried. ‘She’s going to get me now, Jiffer! She will suck all my life essence out until I am dead! I just know it!’
I gave him a hug.
‘I’m not going to let that happen,’ I said. ‘I’ll protect you.’
I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to protect him but I was determined to find a way. At least we had the weekend to come up with a plan before we had to cross paths with Miss Bunney again.
Or so we thought.
Mum was pretty mad at Tyrone for throwing a potato at Miss Bunney. He spent Friday banished to his room while Mum thought of a suitable punishment. I felt sorry for Tyrone. He had never been in this much trouble before.
On Saturday afternoon Mum called Miss Bunney to see how she was feeling.
Miss Bunney said that she was fine, just a few bruises and a sprained wrist. Mum apologised for Tyrone’s behaviour and said that she had no idea what had come over him. Miss Bunney had brushed it off as being an overactive imagination.
Mum told Tyrone after the call that, given the circumstances, Miss Bunney had been extremely generous and forgiving.
In fact, Miss Bunney had invited us all to her house for lunch on Sunday to show that there were no hard feelings. Mum said it would give Tyrone a chance to apologise in person.
Tyrone turned white and dragged me upstairs at the first opportunity.
‘What are we going to do, Jiffer?’ Tyrone asked in desperation. ‘What if she poisons us all or turns us into frogs?’
‘I doubt Miss Bunney will do too much while Mum’s there,’ I said reassuringly. ‘But in the meantime, apologise to her and just play along. You never know, we may find a clue at her house about how to get rid of her for good.’
‘Like a spell book!’ Cooper said. ‘She would have to keep a spell book somewhere. It may contain some useful information.’
‘Good idea,’ I said to him. ‘But how are we going to get it? Surely Miss Bunney would notice us snooping around.’
‘Leave it to me,’ Cooper replied. ‘I’ll look for the spell book while you guys have lunch. I’ll let you know when I’ve found it and you can steal it.’
‘But what if she sees you?’ Tyrone asked Cooper.
‘She won’t,’ Cooper replied. ‘I’ll be invisible. No one will know I’m there.’
The next morning, Cooper and I crept into the pantry while Mum was in the shower. I filled four small zip-lock bags with salt and placed them into my backpack with five small potatoes.
‘Grab that small jar of pickled gherkins as well,’ Cooper said.
‘Do gherkins also repel witches?’ I asked.
‘No,’ Cooper replied. ‘They’re in case I get hungry. Pickled gherkins are my third favourite food you know.’
I rolled my eyes and stuffed the jar of pickled gherkins into my bag.
‘Perhaps you could also throw in a few of these,’ Cooper added, pushing a biscuit container towards me. ‘And if it’s not too much trouble, could you make me a jam sandwich? Jam sandwiches are my . . .’
‘Let me guess, fourth favourite food,’ I interrupted.
‘Actually, my fifth. My fourth favourite food is Vegemite sandwiches, but I finished all the Vegemite last night.’
‘That explains why I found Vegemite all over my MP3 player this morning,’ I said frowning at him.
I made Cooper a jam sandwich and packed it into my backpack with two chocolate biscuits. Then we crept back to my bedroom before Mum spotted us. Tyrone was sitting on the floor in my bedroom with his head in his hands. He looked pale and had dark circles under his eyes. He obviously hadn’t had much sleep.
I sat down next to Tyrone and put my arm around his shoulder. Cooper crawled into his lap and nuzzled at Tyrone’s elbow.
‘It’s going to be okay,’ I told Tyrone. I handed him two of the zip-lock bags filled with salt and two potatoes. ‘Put these in your jacket pockets,’ I said. ‘Just as a back up.’
Tyrone stuffed the salt and potatoes into his jacket. He wiped his nose on the back of his hand.
‘I’m scared, Jiffer,’ he said.
The truth is, I was feeling pretty scared myself but I didn’t want to let on to Tyrone.
‘There’s nothing to be scared of. I’ll be right by your side,’ I said forcing a smile.
‘And I’ll be right by your side too,’ Cooper said. ‘If old witchy-pants tries any funny business I’ll give her what for. I might be small but I can cause big trouble when I want to.’
Tyrone and I just looked at each other and laughed.
‘Really?’ I said. ‘I never would have guessed.’
Miss Bunney was very welcoming when we arrived. She accepted Tyrone’s apology and patted him on the head. Her right wrist and hand were wrapped in a bandage and she fumbled with the flowers and cake Mum had brought.
‘Thank you dear, that was kind of you,’ Miss Bunney said to Mum as she ushered us inside. ‘Come and have a seat. Lunch is almost ready.’
Miss Bunney’s house wasn’t quite what I had expected. Not that I was thinking she’d live in a house covered in cobwebs with a big cauldron in the middle of her living room. Okay, maybe I did think that a little. I guess it was more that I expected a witch’s house to be old, dark and dusty with lots of clutter and funny smells. Miss Bunney’s house was clean and light, with crisp, white furniture and comfortable scatter cushions. Her round dining table had been set with bright flowers and pink napkins, and a fire crackled warmly in the cast iron wood heater tucked into the corner of the room. It was comfortable and homely.
Mum and Miss Bunney made small talk as Miss Bunney brought out steaming bowls of chicken noodle soup and warm rolls. Tyrone and I stared at the soup. Neither of us made a move to eat it.
‘Mmmm, it smells lovely,’ Mum said picking up her spoon. She gave Tyrone and me a frosty look. ‘Eat up,’ she said.
My hand shook a little as I brought my spoon to my lips. The warm soup ran into my mouth and down my throat. I held my breath and waited. Nothing happened. I looked at Tyrone and nodded. He picked up his spoon and began to eat.
‘I’m sorry the soup is a little bland,’ Miss Bunney said to Mum. ‘I have high blood pressure you know and so I don’t keep salt in the house.’
‘No, it’s delicious,’ Mum replied with a smile. ‘You will have to give me the recipe.’
After lunch Miss Bunney served Mum’s cake for dessert with tea and homemade lemonade. It was all quite pleasant. There was nothing to suggest that Miss Bunney was a witch at all. If I hadn’t seen what had happened to Robert Canfield with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it myself.
I figured Miss Bunney was trying to get Mum onside so she wouldn�
��t believe us even if we did try to tell her. Miss Bunney was being especially nice to Tyrone. She gave him the biggest slice of cake and topped up his lemonade cup twice. I was beginning to worry that I hadn’t heard from Cooper when I felt a nudge against my hand.
‘Excuse me, Miss Bunney,’ I said. ‘May I use your bathroom?’
‘Of course, dear,’ Miss Bunney replied. ‘Just go through that door, down the hall and it is the third door on the left.’
I smiled a polite thank you and went to the bathroom. Cooper appeared in the hand basin as I slipped the lock on the door.
‘Any luck?’ I asked him.
‘Yes,’ he said beaming at me. ‘I’ve found the spell book. It’s in a cupboard next to the kitchen sink.’
‘Okay, show me,’ I said picking Cooper up and placing him on my shoulder.
I crept to the kitchen and headed to the cupboard next to the sink. I could hear Miss Bunney and Mum still talking in the dining room next door.
Carefully, I opened the cupboard door. Inside was an assortment of books, mostly cookbooks and food magazines. Tucked amongst these was an old book with a brown velvet cover.
‘That’s it,’ said Cooper, pointing with his paw.
I grabbed the book and quickly stuck it up the front of my shirt. It looked a little lumpy but when I did up the buttons on my cardigan you could barely notice it at all.
‘I have to get back before I’m missed,’ I said to Cooper.
I crept back towards the kitchen door, relieved that my mission had gone unnoticed. But as I opened the door I saw two coal black eyes staring at me. And they didn’t look friendly.
Standing outside the door was the biggest, meanest cat I had ever seen. Its back was arched and its black fur stood straight out as it hissed threateningly at me. I froze, not daring to move.
‘Leave this to me,’ Cooper announced as he jumped from my shoulder.
He landed behind the cat and squeaked. The cat swung around and swatted at Cooper. Its claw sliced the air only millimetres from Cooper’s nose.
‘That’s my cue,’ Cooper squeaked and tore off down the hallway, the black cat following close behind.
I hurriedly made my way back to the dining room.
Mum and Miss Bunney were stacking the dirty dishes at the table.
‘Are you sure you don’t need me to help with these?’ Mum was asking.
‘No, I can manage,’ Miss Bunney replied. ‘I have a dishwasher. Marvellous inventions dishwashers.’ She looked at me. ‘Did you find the bathroom?’
‘Yes, thank you,’ I said. I looked at Tyrone who was sitting quietly at the table and secretly winked.
Mum and Miss Bunney took the dishes to the kitchen. I pulled the book out from under my shirt and stuffed it into my bag.
‘Is that it?’ Tyrone asked.
I put my finger to my lips and nodded. Mum and Miss Bunney came back, laughing about something.
‘Thank you for a wonderful lunch,’ Mum said giving Miss Bunney a hug. She turned to Tyrone and me. ‘What do you say, children?’ she asked.
‘Thank you, Miss Bunney,’ Tyrone and I said in our most polite voices.
I put my backpack over my shoulder and looked around for any sign of Cooper. I hoped he had managed to escape from Miss Bunney’s horrible cat. Mum and Miss Bunney were heading for the door. I hung back until I thought they were safely out of earshot.
‘Cooper,’ I called quietly. There was no response.
‘Come on, Jinny,’ Mum called to me.
‘Coming.’
I had just reached the front door when I heard an awful yowling sound.
Miss Bunney’s cat landed with a growl and a thump on my backpack. I let out a scream.
Miss Bunney pulled the cat off of me and apologised. ‘Naughty Midnight,’ she said to the cat. ‘What has got into you?’
Midnight hissed and spat as he stared at my backpack. I hurried to the car, keen to get away before Miss Bunney or Mum asked to look inside it.
As we drove off I took a peek inside. Cooper was lying on his side, panting heavily. He gave me a weak smile.
‘Easy peasy,’ he said.
We had to wait until after dinner before we had a chance to look at the book because Mum had made us do some chores and clean our rooms when we got home. Then she’d said we needed to have some family time and had insisted we play a board game together.
Cooper had gone straight into his night box and had fallen asleep almost immediately.
When Tyrone and I finally got some time to look at the book, Cooper was still asleep.
I gently shook him and he stirred. ‘How are you feeling, Cooper?’ I asked.
Cooper slowly stretched each limb. ‘I’m fine,’ he said with a yawn. ‘That’s not the first time I’ve taken on a cat.’
I lifted him out of his box and onto the bed. He sniffed the air and spied the biscuit in Tyrone’s hand. That seemed to wake him right up.
Tyrone gave Cooper the biscuit and I pulled the book from my bag, opening it to the first page.
Steak and kidney pie, it read. I turned to the second page. Braised Rabbit Casserole. Page three was Quiche Lorraine and page four, Beef Curry.
‘Cooper!’ I said. ‘This is not Miss Bunney’s spell book, it’s her recipe book!’
‘It is?’ Cooper said, surprised. ‘It looked like a spell book to me. Doesn’t it look like a spell book to you?’
‘It looks like a spell book to me,’ agreed Tyrone.
‘Didn’t you check inside?’ I asked.
‘I was a little pressed for time,’ Cooper said, looking hurt.
I went through the whole book but there was nothing other than neatly written recipes.
I threw it back onto the bed.
‘Well, that was a waste of time. Now what are we going to do?’
Cooper looked at the book and then back to me. ‘How about we start by making that Quiche Lorraine?’ he asked. ‘It sounds like a cracking recipe.’
Cooper was still asleep when we left for school the next morning. I didn’t wake him as I figured he could do with a day’s rest after being chased by Midnight.
Besides, I was still annoyed about the recipe book.
I left him a jam sandwich, some maple-soaked apple slices and a chocolate-covered biscuit.
I placed Miss Bunney’s recipe book in my backpack and hid it safely under my bed.
At school, Tyrone had lunchtime detention with Mr Finley, who made him staple newsletters for the school secretary.
Miss Bunney still had the bandage on her wrist and seemed to be enjoying the attention from the other teachers. I wondered if she knew that her recipe book was missing.
I was thinking about what to do with the book when Miss Bunney tapped me on the shoulder.
‘It was lovely to have you and your family over for lunch yesterday, Jinnifer,’ she said.
‘Yes,’ I agreed, nodding.
‘You know, I forgot to show you my witch’s things.’
‘Huh?’ I asked, surprised.
She watched me closely. ‘The witch outfit . . . for Halloween,’ she said. ‘The cloak and hat.’
‘Oh, yes,’ I said. ‘I forgot as well.’
‘I even had a pretend spell book,’ she added. ‘But instead of spells I wrote in my favourite recipes.’
I turned away, trying not to look guilty. She must have noticed the recipe book was missing and worked out that I had stolen it when I used the bathroom. After all, I was the only one who had left the room.
‘But I lost it many years ago,’ Miss Bunney continued. ‘Someone borrowed it and they never returned it. Don’t you hate it when that happens?’
I was confused. Was Miss Bunney talking about the book I had stolen or another book? Was she toying with me, hoping I’d confess? I remained silent.
Miss Bunney patted my shoulder again. ‘Well, you are still welcome to borrow the cloak and hat,’ she said. ‘You can drop over one night after school this week to pick them up if you’d
like.’
With that she walked away.
That night I told Tyrone and Cooper about my conversation with Miss Bunney.
‘Do you think she knows you stole her recipe book?’ Tyrone asked with a worried expression.
‘I’m not sure,’ I said. ‘But I think it would be a good idea to put it back.’
Tyrone frowned at me. ‘But how?’
‘Well,’ I began. ‘I was thinking if I take Miss Bunney up on her offer to borrow the Halloween outfit I could go to her house and I might get a chance to put it back.’
‘And what if she does know about the book and is trying to lure you to her house?’ Tyrone asked.
‘I guess I’ll have to worry about that if it happens,’ I answered. ‘Do you have any other ideas?’
Both Cooper and Tyrone shook their heads.
‘Okay,’ I said. ‘Then tomorrow I’ll ask Miss Bunney if I can go to her house after school.’
I reached under the bed and pulled out my backpack. I tipped its contents onto my bed, only to find half-chewed bits of potato and loose salt everywhere.
‘Oh, about that . . .’ Cooper began. ‘I got a bit peckish earlier today and since you had potatoes and salt . . .’ He drifted off when he saw my face.
‘Cooper! You got salt and potato juice all over Miss Bunney’s recipe book!’ I said angrily. ‘Look at the cover! It is all stained now. Even if I do return it, she’s going to know that someone else had it.’
Miss Bunney’s book was covered in patches bleached by potato juice and the salt had been mashed into the brown velvet, forming snowy flecks and clumps. I grabbed a tissue and tried to wipe the stains off but the damage was already done. Tyrone ran to the bathroom and brought back a wet face cloth and scrubbed furiously at the front cover.
‘I can’t believe you, Cooper!’ I shouted. ‘Everything you touch turns to rubbish. You are so . . . so . . .’
‘Jinny,’ Tyrone interrupted.
I ignored him and continued to scold Cooper who had curled himself up into a ball on my bed.
His ears were flat and his paws covered his nose, but I was on a roll.
‘You are so selfish! I wish I had never bought you! I wish I had waited and bought my dream guinea pig instead!’ I finished.
