Weava the Wilful Witch (6 page)

Someone banged on Merry's front door. Weava reached the lounge room as Merry opened the door. Mrs James pushed her way into the flat.

‘Oh, hello,' said Merry. ‘I'm sorry your party went wrong yesterday.'

‘Sorry!' said Mrs James. ‘Thanks to you, I might lose my job, and you're
sorry?'
She glared at Merry. ‘The landlord
has just been to see me and do you know what? He says I can't hold any more parties in the loft!'

‘But I only sounded the fire alarm,' said Merry. ‘And the fire chief agreed the loft smelt of gas.'

‘You sounded the fire alarm because you
thought you
smelt a leak!' said Mrs James. ‘What was wrong with mentioning it to me, quietly? We could have held a costume parade down the stairs and
then
called the experts. But no, you had to cause a panic.'

‘I'm sorry,' said Merry again.

‘You make everything into a drama!' said Mrs James. ‘And the way you bully that poor little sister of yours…it's no wonder she's such a little weirdo.'

‘I'm sorry,' said Merry a third time. She sounded as if she was about to cry.

‘Jemima says you
broke
your sister's toy wand on purpose! You're not fit——'

Weava pushed past Merry. ‘Stop being horrible to Merry!' she said. ‘
I
invited the guests who ruined your party and made the gas smells,' said Weava. ‘So don't blame Merry!'

Mrs James stared at Weava.
‘You
invited those thugs?' she said. ‘Well, now I see why Jemima's fed up with you. We've been nothing but nice to you, and
this
is how you repay us? You're a brat!'

‘That's enough,' said Merry quietly. She put her hands on Weava's shoulders and pushed her gently towards the front door. ‘Why don't you find Jemima and make friends with her again, Weava?'

‘I'm not having that little witch near my child!' snapped Mrs James.

Just then, Weava spotted Jemima standing outside Merry's front door. Jemima was looking horrified.

‘I'm going to tell all the neighbours what I think of your precious sister!' Mrs James said to Merry.

Merry stuck her hand in her pocket and pulled out her old wand. ‘This is what I think of
you,
you old toad!' she said, and pointed the wand at Mrs James.

Mrs James vanished with a hiss and a cloud of green smoke.

‘Mum!' Jemima squealed with horror. She ran into Merry's flat and across the lounge room as her mother vanished.

‘Here she is,' said Weava. She batted the smoke away and picked up something small and brown.

‘But that's a frog!'

‘No, it's a toad,' said Weava. She held out the toad and it blinked at Jemima.

‘But…' Jemima began to cry with fright. ‘Oh, turn her back!'

‘I didn't do it,' said Weava. ‘Anyway, why do you want her turned back? Toads can't make you wear wigs, or hold parties, can they?'

Jemima stamped her foot. ‘But she's my mum! The parties are horrible, but having a toad for a mum is worse.' She turned to Merry. ‘Did you do this?'

Merry had dropped her wand. She was staring blankly at the toad. Her cheeks were white and her eyes bulged. She obviously wasn't going to answer, so Weava did it for her.

‘Yes, she did it,' said Weava. She put her arm around her sister. ‘But she wouldn't have done it if your mother hadn't yelled at me.'

Jemima's tears flowed faster. ‘Mum's just ditzy. She yells when she's upset. She's sorry afterwards.'

Weava sighed. ‘Don't cry, Jemima. Merry can undo the spell, if you want. Right, Merry?'

Merry swallowed.

‘Please, turn her back into Mum!' begged Jemima.

‘But I…' Merry's voice sounded tight.

‘I
can't.
'

‘You can,' said Weava. ‘It's like any spell.'

‘It will go wrong. It always does!' said Merry.

There was silence, except for a sob from Jemima and a gulping sound from Mrs James. And then came a skirl of bagpipes echoing up the stairs.

‘Now what?' moaned Merry.

Weava's mouth fell open with surprise.
The kit-fae flitted upstairs. Behind it, sailing up the stairs in a flutter of faded tartan, came three tall hags on brooms. Following them was the tabby-fae from the Halloween party.

‘Morning, lassie!' said the first hag to Weava. ‘I am Maggie Nabbie, and these are Auld Anni and Kirsty Breeks.'

‘And you know me,' purred the tabby-fae.

Weava swallowed. ‘I'm Weava Charm,' she said. ‘This is my sister, Merry, and my friend, Jemima.' She held up the toad. ‘This is Jemima's mother.'

‘Aye, so I see,' said Maggie Nabbie. ‘The tabby-fae said we might be needed here.'

‘Have you come to tell me I've failed?' asked Weava.

Maggie admired the toad. ‘But you haven't failed! This is a bonnie bad deed,'
she said. ‘Quite worthy of a Badge of Badness.' She glanced at the other hags, who nodded.

From among her tartan tatters, Maggie brought out a fat badge shaped like a jack-o'-lantern. ‘Take it, lassie, and join us at the Abademy of Badness.'

Weava longed to take the badge, but she did not. ‘I can't,' she said. ‘I didn't do the toad-spell, and now I don't even have a wand. Merry did the spell.'

‘She would never have done it if you hadn't come to stay,' said Kirsty Breeks.

‘And a dastardly deed it is,' said Auld Anni. ‘I've not seen a toadifying in
years.'
She smiled at Weava. ‘Lassie, you've earned your Badge of Badness and your place at the Abademy.'

‘So I did make Merry do a spell after all. I
have
done a bad deed,' said Weava.

Maggie offered the badge again. This time, Weava took it. The kit-fae flitted to Weava's shoulder and clung there, purring with pleasure.

Weava pinned the badge to her dress, and turned to her sister. ‘I'm sure I'll be happy at the Abademy, Merry,' she said. ‘I'll make lots of friends.

If anyone is horrible to me, the Head Hags will turn
them
into toads.'

‘We will, too,' said Anni. ‘We'll look after Weava. Now, Merry, will you allow us to take your wee sister to school?'

‘I suppose so,' muttered Merry.

Anni conjured a new wand, and gave it to Weava. Then she cast a come-to-mespell, which brought Weava's broom sailing from the cupboard where Merry had locked it.

Merry looked at the hags and managed a smile.

‘What about Mum?' wailed Jemima.

‘Och, yes, better turn her back,' said Anni. She raised her eyebrows at Merry.

‘I can't,' said Merry.

‘Yes, you can,' said Weava. She picked up Merry's wand and put it in her sister's hand. ‘Just point it, and think about the
toad changing into Mrs James,' she said.

Merry pointed the wand. ‘Mrs James,' said Merry. ‘I can't——' She broke off as the toad vanished and Mrs James appeared in a puff of smoke.

‘Mum!' cheered Jemima.

Mrs James blinked at the hags. ‘Have you come to complain about my party?'

‘No,' said Maggie Nabbie quietly. ‘But you should give up on parties.' She fished a battered book from her shawl. ‘Take this pattern book and design stage costumes. You know you want to.'

Dazed, Mrs James took the book. ‘Thanks very much,' she said. Then she opened it at the first page. ‘What a lovely book,' she said. ‘Jemima, come and look!'

Jemima peered at the book. ‘Yes, Mum, it's cool,' she said. Then she turned and smiled at Weava. ‘I'll miss you, Weava.

And I'll tell you something…' She came to whisper in Weava's ear. ‘It's better to have a ditzy woman for a mum than a toad.'

‘Maybe we could go for a coffee,' said Mrs James to Merry. ‘I have so many new ideas I'd love to discuss.'

‘I'd like to,' said Merry, ‘but today I'm going to see my dad. I haven't seen him in a while and we have a lot to talk about.'

‘Maybe next week then,' said Mrs James. She took Jemima's hand and led her back to their flat.

‘And now it is time to take Weava to school,' said Maggie, when the humans had gone. ‘Are you ready, lassie?'

‘Almost,' said Weava.

‘Then we'll be off,' said Anni. ‘You follow.'

Weava turned her head and whispered to the kit-fae. ‘Merry needs help with her magic.'

‘Yes, she does,' said the fetch. ‘That's why the tabby-fae is here.'

The tabby-fae leapt down from Maggie's broom. ‘I've come to live with you, Merry,' it purred.

It rose to its hind legs and rubbed its whiskers against Merry's skirt. ‘Don't worry. You'll like having me about the place,' it said. ‘And I can help you get your spells right from now on.'

Merry looked surprised, and then she smiled. ‘Thank you!' she said.

Weava hugged her sister. ‘See you soon,' she said. Then she got on her broom, and flew happily after the hags.