Witch Tricks

by Sibéal Pounder

  ‘I’m sure she’ll forgive us. If we fix all this,’ Tiga said.

  ‘Unlikely,’ Fluffanora said. ‘That witch could hold a grudge for ever. She’s the granddaughter of Celia Crayfish.’

  Tiga laughed. ‘Did she hold a lot of grudges too?’

  Fluffanora, Peggy and the sled cats came to an abrupt halt.

  ‘No, Tiga,’ Fluffanora said. ‘She actually invented grudges.’

  ‘Oh,’ Tiga said quietly as they carried on through the thickening snow.

  ‘Do you think they’ll be easy to spot?’ Peggy asked.

  ‘They’re wearing twigs and leaves on a snowy mountain,’ Fluffanora said. ‘So yes, I’d bet all my jam on it.’

  RITZY CITY POST

  FAIRY FIGHTZ INTERVIEW WITH FLAPPY!

  Reporter: Flappy, your real name is Julie Jumbo Wings – why didn’t you keep that for your Fairy Fightz character?

  Julie Jumbo Wings: It’s JUST JULIE!

  Reporter: OK … Tell us a bit about your character.

  Julie Jumbo Wings: Flappy is the evil villain, and is terrifying. She likes flower arranging, naps and joy.

  Reporter: She doesn’t sound very terrifying.

  Julie Jumbo Wings: Flappy is HORRIFIC.

  Aggie Hoof Hears Things

  Aggie Hoof skipped along the Linden House corridor to Felicity Bat’s door and readied her hand to knock. But she stopped when she heard a voice and pressed her ear to the door.

  ‘We’ll get you back up the pipes in no time. I just need to find the right one, or you could end up somewhere strange. Luckily you’re rare, so that narrows it down.’

  Aggie Hoof’s eyes widened. ‘Fel-Fel has another friend?’ She turned the handle on the door and leapt inside.

  ‘Ah ha!’ she shouted.

  ‘What?’ Felicity Bat said, looking up from her book.

  ‘Who were you talking to?’ Aggie Hoof asked.

  ‘No one,’ Felicity Bat said dismissively.

  ‘Then my ears are hearing things again,’ Aggie Hoof said, jumping up on to the bed.

  She didn’t notice Felicity Bat’s boot on the floor, wiggling all by itself.

  Mean Lock

  Tiga stared up at the gigantic mountain and then at the large black iron gates guarding the path that led inside.

  ‘What exactly is inside?’ she whispered, but Fluffanora was too busy rattling the gates to notice.

  ‘It’s locked,’ she said.

  ‘I know what to do,’ Peggy said. She took a deep breath, raised the reins high, then cracked them back down. The cats went flying. They shot straight through the gaps in the gate, but the sled was too big! It hit the metal bars and flipped up, sending Peggy crunching into the bars. Only her nose got through.

  ‘Nope,’ she said, peeling herself off the gate and pulling the cats back through. ‘We’ll have to find another way in.’

  Fluffanora flicked her finger and the gates began to wobble and smoke. But they didn’t open.

  ‘Do you think it’s a challenge?’ she asked Peggy. ‘Aren’t there supposed to be challenges?’

  ‘What exactly is inside the mountain?’ Tiga asked again, but they weren’t listening.

  ‘We could try a potion?’ Peggy suggested. ‘Something with snow?’

  ‘WHAT EXACTLY IS IN THE MOUNTAIN?’ Tiga bellowed. ‘WILL SOMEONE PLEASE ANSWER ME!’

  The gates creaked open.

  ‘Ah!’ Fluffanora said, shaking the snow off her gloves and stepping through the gates. ‘It was a Mean Lock.’

  ‘What’s that?’ Tiga asked.

  ‘It only opens for mean people,’ Peggy said as she and the sled slid on through. ‘You shouted so aggressively, the gates thought you were mean.’

  ‘Gates can’t think,’ Tiga said.

  Fluffanora and Peggy chuckled.

  ‘Everything can think with a little magic,’ Fluffanora said. ‘Now come on, we need to at least get to the second level as quickly as possible before nightfall. They say strange creatures roam the mountain at night – the higher up we are, the less likely we are to want to run back.’

  Tiga shivered and looked around her. The place was dark and frozen – an icy cave with carefully carved paths that splintered and scuttled in all directions. Above her head was a frozen ceiling, blocking her view overhead.

  Tiga gulped, just as BROOMSTICK BOOM, the popular witch board game, landed at their feet.

  ‘Broomstick Boom!’ Tiga cried, opening the box.

  But it wasn’t Broomstick Boom inside. It was another game entirely – this one looked old and was made of cold black stone and ice.

  ‘I don’t know if you should touch it,’ Peggy said, her voice shaking.

  Fluffanora shushed her. ‘It’s obviously part of the mountain’s game. Go on, Tiga.’

  ‘The mountain plays a game?’ Tiga said as she flipped the latch on the old stone game. It creaked open like the door to a haunted house.

  ‘It’s just a board,’ she said, holding it close to her nose to inspect it.

  The path on the board curled around the inside of a spindly mountain. And there were three player pieces – one, a witch in a sparkly hat, another witch that glowed a luminous green, and a third that had a cart with a bunch of cats pulling it.

  ‘It’s us, but how did it know?’ Fluffanora said, looking around her. ‘The sparkly one is me, Peggy is the one with the cart and cats, and you’re the green one – because you’re Tiga Green, and the green blood thing. But how would the game know that?’

  ‘And what’s that little light further up the mountain?’ Peggy asked, rubbing the game with her finger, as if trying to rub the light out. ‘It’s not a smudge.’

  Tiga moved them to the tip of the mountain and closed her eyes, hoping it would magically transport them there. But when she opened her eyes again, the pieces were sliding all the way back to the beginning.

  Not far from the start point, scratched into the game, was a picture of three broomsticks and a large hole.

  ‘I don’t like the look of that,’ Tiga whispered, as Fluffanora slowly raised her arm and pointed at three objects glowing in the distance.

  ‘Broomsticks,’ Peggy said. ‘Do you think we have to ride them?’

  Pop!

  ‘Did you hear that?’ Tiga whispered. ‘It sounded like –’

  ‘Melodie McDamp blowing a bubble,’ Fluffanora groaned, taking a wary step backwards. ‘They got through the gate too. That must be what that little light on the game is – the other players.’

  Tiga looked up.

  ‘Stay hidden,’ Fluffanora whispered, pulling them all to the side. ‘They can’t see us – they’ll know we’re trying to get to the Ritzy Six.’

  The ice above her head shook slightly and Tiga could just make out boots, though the ice was so thick she thought she might be seeing things.

  Then a face smooshed against the ice!

  The three of them slid back into the shadows.

  ‘What if she sees us – or the cats?’ Peggy whispered.

  Tiga held a finger to her lips.

  The boots above them tottered on and disappeared.

  ‘How did they get up there? That means they’re ahead,’ Tiga said glumly. ‘And the Ritzy Six are ahead of them. How are we ever going to reach the Points with Idabelle and her friends between us?’

  ‘All we can do is try,’ Fluffanora said as she tiptoed up to the brooms and grabbed one of them. ‘Are you comin–’

  But the broom was off – spiralling down into a deep dark hole.

  ‘Fluffanora!’ Peggy cried. She turned to the cats. ‘Right, you all need to get on the sled, which I will balance on my head, while riding the broom.’

  The cats looked appropriately concerned.

  ‘Are those … houses down there?’ Tiga asked as she squinted into the frosty hole.

  Peggy nodded. ‘They call it Under Peak. The place where witches live deep underground. We must have to go down to go up to the next level …’

 
‘I don’t suppose the witches down there are friendly, are they?’ Tiga asked.

  Peggy cackled, then stopped when she realised Tiga wasn’t joking. ‘Oh no, Tiga. They’re the worst. The good thing is there are only a few of them.’

  Tiga shakily held on to the broom and it dragged her over the edge and into the darkness below.

  The Points Take the Lead

  Idabelle Bat sniffed the air. It smelled of that familiar Pearl Peak frostiness, but with a hint of Tiga.

  ‘You don’t think they got past the gates, do you?’ Melodie McDamp said, as if reading Idabelle’s mind. ‘Because they might try to ruin our plans. They could put the Ritzy Six back in the jam jar!’

  Idabelle rolled the possibilities around in her brain for a second and then shook her head as if shaking the silly thoughts out again.

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Melodie,’ she spat. ‘They aren’t mean. They’d never get past the gates.’

  She took out a stone game just like the one Tiga had found. Their board had four pieces – a witch holding a bat, a witch blowing a mermaid-scale bubble, a witch holding a tray of treats, and a witch with a cat-ear headband. But just below their pieces, a little further down the mountain there was a small light.

  ‘What do you suppose that light is?’ Catriona Catcat said, rubbing it. ‘A smudge? A glitch?’

  ‘I don’t know, but it can’t be Tiga,’ Idabelle said. ‘It’s impossible. Now come on, we need to catch up with the Ritzy Six! I want to learn their secrets – I want to be the most powerful witch in Sinkville!’

  ‘I think Tiga did get past the gate!’ Bertha Bram cheered.

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Idabelle hissed, flicking her finger and sending Bertha Bram flying. She stomped ahead, up a winding path that disappeared into the mist. ‘Level two, here we come.’

  ‘Did you hear that whispering noise?’ Bertha Bram said, grabbing on to Melodie’s arm.

  Melodie blew a bubble. ‘Uh-huh, it sounded like a ghost.’

  ‘Don’t ghosts sound just like us?’ Bertha Bram whimpered.

  ‘Yeah, but their words are invisible,’ Catriona Catcat said as she scuttled after Idabelle.

  The Missing Peanut

  Outside the Fairy Fightz set, the crowds were swarming – some in glittery jumpsuits, others wearing fake wings and caps that said things like ‘Punchin’ Peanut’ and ‘Flappy For Ever’.

  It was almost time for the next part of Fairy Fightz, but no one could find the star.

  ‘FRAAAAAAAN!’ came the tiny cries of a worried Crispy. ‘FRAAAAAAAN!’

  ‘She’s probably hiding for attention,’ Julie Jumbo Wings said. ‘She’ll surprise us when we start filming. She’ll explode out of a rainbow or something.’

  Crispy smooshed her face up against Fran’s caravan window. ‘No, this isn’t like her. She always wants to be in complete control. She’d never let me direct all by myself. I think I went too far, calling her Peanut.’

  Crispy drooped in the air a little.

  ‘But she did say she’d get revenge on me, so maybe this is all part of her plan.’

  Julie Jumbo Wings nodded. ‘That would be more like Fran.’

  ‘I’m going in,’ Crispy said, tentatively reaching for the handle.

  ‘SHE’S GOING TO AMBUSH US!’ Julie Jumbo Wings cried, shooting off into the trees, leaving Crispy alone.

  Crispy raised her fists as she entered. ‘Fran, you will not smack me with your beehive again.’

  The caravan was empty.

  ‘Fran?’ Crispy whispered, just as there was an almighty bang and the fabulous fairy tumbled out of one of the kitchen cupboards.

  ‘Why were you in the cupboard?’ Crispy asked.

  Fran’s beehive looked like woodland creatures had tried to comb it. Her sparkly jumpsuit was burnt around the edges and her lipstick was smudged into a red moustache.

  ‘What happened? You need to go on stage for Fairy Fightz in a few minutes! The crowd is already cheering for you!’

  Chants of ‘PEA-NUT!’ echoed around them.

  ‘The WHOLE TOWN is chanting for you, Fran. Well, say something!’

  Fran fixed her beehive and stared at Crispy as if she were mad. ‘What are you talking about, Crispy? They’re chanting about a peanut. I’m Fran. And apparently, I decided to sleep in my cupboard … because … Well, I can’t remember that bit.’

  ‘Don’t care,’ Crispy said, grabbing Fran by the arm. ‘We need to go now, or Patricia will cancel Fairy Fightz. And we can’t have it cancelled, the whole town LOVED part one.’

  Fran laughed. ‘I don’t know what little game this is, but we haven’t filmed that yet, Crispy! We finished rehearsals … and then I ended up here in a slightly burnt outfit, which I cannot explain, but I actually think it looks fabulous – because it’s adorning me.’

  Patricia the producer came flying over with her umbrella and peered inside the caravan. She fell to the ground with a thud when she saw Fran.

  ‘OH, HOW WONDERFUL! Excellent make-up and I like the slightly burnt look of the outfit. Oh, how dramatic! Everyone is going to love it, Peanut, you star.’

  ‘WHY are you calling me Peanut?!’ Fran cried, but Patricia the producer had zoomed off.

  Crispy flew over and knocked on Fran’s beehive. ‘Hello?’

  ‘Have you lost your mind, Crispy?’

  ‘Have you?’ Crispy asked. ‘Did you leave the last three hours in that cupboard?’

  Fran rolled her eyes. ‘Crispy, I will not have you trying to confuse an expert actress with this silly nonsense. Now,’ she said, rising into the air. ‘LET’S GO FILM FAIRY FIGHTZ PART ONE!’

  Fran Does Part One, Again

  Crispy smacked her hand to her head.

  ‘Why is Fran doing the lines and moves from part one?’ Patricia the producer demanded.

  Julie and Donna, or Flappy and Tiny Fists as they were known to the fans, scuttled along the edge of the stage.

  ‘What is Fran doing?’ Julie Jumbo Wings asked loudly.

  ‘PEA-NUT! PEA-NUT! PEA-NUT!’ the crowd chanted.

  Fran stopped and stared at them. ‘WHO?’ She turned to Crispy. ‘Why are they all dressed like that? Did you leak Fluffanora’s outfit designs? I told you, no one should see the outfits until the first episode!’

  Flappy launched into action, as planned, grabbing Tiny Fists and hurtling her through the air towards Peanut.

  ‘Ha! Peanut, your good days are OVER!’ she cried.

  Fran turned slowly. ‘I don’t understand why everyone seems to be calling me Pea–’

  SMACK!

  ‘She was meant to duck!’ Flappy said as the crowd booed. ‘Crispy, what’s wrong with her?’

  Fran marched across the stage and grabbed Julie by a jumbo wing. ‘Flappy,’ she said sternly. ‘That was not in the script.’

  ‘Yes it was, we practised part two four times earlier and you said, “I DON’T KNOW WHY WE’RE PRACTISING, I’M PERFECT.”’

  Fran tapped her chin. ‘That does sound like me, but this is part one … You are being incredibly unprofessional.’

  ‘Stop having a conversation in the middle of the show,’ Crispy pleaded. ‘Go to page three of the script.’

  Julie Jumbo Wings looked at Fran and whispered, ‘This is when you say, PEANUT WILL NOT BE DEFEATED.’

  ‘CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHO,’ Fran roared, ‘IS PEANUT?!’

  The Peggy Problem

  ‘I can’t see anything,’ Tiga said as the broom tipped her off and flew away. Fluffanora tried to stand up next to her and slipped over, landing with a thud on Peggy.

  They’d descended into another cave, only one that was a little less icy. It was muddy and empty, apart from a tiny hole in the wall.

  ‘I suppose,’ Tiga said, crawling towards the hole, ‘it’s this way.’

  ‘But it’s so small!’ Fluffanora cried. ‘How do we get in?’

  Peggy squinted at the cats in the darkness. ‘We could each tie ourselves to a cat and they could lead the way, pull
ing us thr–’

  ‘No,’ Fluffanora said. ‘I’m not being squeezed through a tiny hole by an unreliable cat.’

  The cat looked up at her, quite clearly offended.

  ‘Well, if witches live down here, there must be a way in. It’s a test – a trick,’ Tiga said, walking towards the hole and smacking off it.

  ‘Did you think it was an illusion?’ Peggy said quietly.

  ‘No,’ Tiga said, defensively. ‘I was just examining it. It’s definitely that small.’

  Fluffanora got down on her knees. ‘I wouldn’t be able to crawl through.’

  Peggy kneeled down too and reached a hand in. ‘Oh! I can feel something squidgy, like a witch’s face. And a scarf! And some frazzled hair and –’

  She vanished!

  ‘Peggy!’ Tiga cried, sticking her head in the hole, which began to grow larger and larger.

  ‘What’s happening?’ Fluffanora said, sounding furious. ‘Where did Peggy go?’

  The hole continued to grow larger and larger, letting out more and more light, until Tiga could see winding streets and witches beyond.

  ‘WELCOME TO THE UNDER PEAK!’ a witch with frazzled hair and a large scarf bellowed. Her eyes were gigantic, presumably to see underground. ‘Thank you for your payment. You will be refunded if you reach the top.’

  ‘But we didn’t make a payment,’ Tiga said slowly.

  The witch unfurled her scarf and held it up.

  Tiga and Fluffanora gasped.

  There, embroidered on it like she’d been there for years, was an image of Peggy.

  ‘I’m fine!’ the little embroidered image of Peggy said. A tiny embroidered thumbs up appeared next to her. ‘You can do this!’

  ‘Peggy?’ Tiga cried. She tried to grab the scarf, but the witch yanked it away.

  ‘Did you see the other decoration on her scarf?’ Fluffanora whispered. ‘A sequin face of Francesca Fignettle. Idabelle must’ve paid with her, just like we accidentally did with Peggy.’

  ‘DON’T SCRATCH MY SPIRIT FLY,’ the tiny sequin face said.

  ‘Now, come on, come on. We don’t often get visitors. It’s only a short walk to the lifts to level two. Just watch out for the helper.’