Star polishing 2/11

Jennifer Jane waved to Esmerelda and Dulcibella as she flew over. As she left them behind she could just hear, ‘That was that Jennifer kid,’ followed by ‘yers ‘sright.’

She parked her broom just outside Tasmin’s cave and shouted ‘hello’.

“Shan’t be a minute dear, have a look round for a while.”

She did as she was asked. Somehow the cave seemed different. No, it wasn’t the cave, it was something to do with the woods opposite the entrance. Ten or twelve trees had been knocked down, woodsmen were working in the new clearing and even as she watched a team of horses arrived pulling a huge empty wagon to start taking away the trunks.

Tasmin came out of her cave and shook a large yellow duster vigorously. She saw where Jennifer Jane was looking and immediately started telling her the story about how it all happened.

“It was your friend Wilfred when he came to visit Arthur. It seems he’s not used to a lot of people and he was ever so frightened he’d tread on someone. He was trying to avoid a party of huntsmen and their dogs, when he fell over and flattened that lot. It’s let a lot of light into the forest round here but I’ll be jolly glad when all the workmen go and it’s quiet again.”

Jennifer Jane watched the men starting to load the huge tree trunks onto the wagon. Ropes had been passed over the flat bed of the wagon and round the logs. Horses were harnessed to the ropes and led away slowly. One at a time the logs were pulled up sloping planks to the level of the wagon before falling into position with a crash.

“They’re taking the timber round to the woodyard near Lurgin’s Bridge,” Tasmin continued, “they don’t usually come as far as this but the timber’s too valuable to waste. They’ve had to look up a lot of riddles from Lurgin’s old book so they can get across the bridge and back again. Gordon should be doing quite well out of all this as well.”

“There seems to be a path going away from the far side of the new clearing,”

“That’s the path Esmerelda and Dulcibella use when they go home at nights. It used to be hidden from view because they always started in a different place so as to keep it more or less a secret. They’re not too keen on people knowing where their home is, they like a quiet life after a hard days work.”

“I’ve often wondered where they lived.”

“Well if you decide to find out, don’t let them see you. They probably wouldn’t do anything to you, but I’m sure they’d be a bit upset.”

Jennifer Jane went home to tell her mother that she might be a bit late for supper that night.

“It’s a salad anyway, so don’t worry. You can heat up the potatoes in the microwave when you get in. Try not to get lost in one of the other worlds this time.”

Jennifer Jane promised to be careful. “I’m only going to try and find out where Esme and Dulce live. They won’t even know I’m there. There shouldn’t be much risk in that.”

She went back to the Witches’ Home and chatted to Martha, until it was getting dusk and she could see the two witches packing up for the night.